- stusue
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Re: Finish your games challenge - 2014
If anyone's interested in The Other Side: A Tower of Souls, which is supposed to be pretty darned good with CE extras like achievements and collectibles (see Sheerija's review below), it's available at Legacy Games for only $2.95 until 25 July.
This is Sheerija's review of the completed game (BFG) ...
sheerija wrote:
The game of the year hands down! I have not had this much fun in yonks. The graphics are out of this world. The game play is flawless. The atmosphere is intriguing and the quirkiness of the whole thing is a delight. Boris is a hoot - funny, sarcastic and adorable. Even the music is great. The iHOS are the best ever - everyone of them a pleasure to do and never once spotted one with a feeling of dread, just eager anticipation. The puzzles are lucid and completely doable and if one has patience, they can all be completed by everyone. The cut scenes are perfectly synchronized, short and able to be clicked through at any speed. Apparently, there is a map somewhere, probably in the journal, but I had no need of it. The navigation is such a perfect example of how games should flow from location to location, seamlessly, so backtracking and revisiting are a doddle. Wide screen. Achievements. Collectibles. A shop to spend coins in. Did it at an average speed and it took me 4.5 hrs.
Not sure which of the 2 devs gets the credit for this excellent work, so just saying congrats to both, on an amazingly creative, original and innovative game. I would have been more than happy to have this as a CE. In my opinion, it is far and away better than CE quality. Not just because the CEs lately have been under par, but more because it's quality on all levels is so high. I did not even buy Thursday's CE, it was so bad, and I never pass them up.
And all this ladies and gents for SE price, plus 65% off. Outstanding!!!
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What you're doing today is important
because you're exchanging a day of your life for it.
- stusue
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Re: Finish your games challenge - 2014
It's way too hot here at the moment for me to play any games as the heat upsets my CFS and my heart, as well as makes me really, really tired. For days now it's only been getting down to the low 20s Celcius (low 70s Fahrenheit) at night and in the mid 30s C (90s F) during the day, and it's stifling with no air.
I know that doesn't sound very hot (at least from someone from Sydney where that's just normal summer temps) but the problem here in the north of Germany is that the houses are built to retain heat as our winters are so long and cold. So, when we get rare heat in summer, all the houses just heat up and heat up and heat up and don't even cool down at night. With my illness it's unbearable and it's due to continue until I leave. 
So much for all the things I still wanted to get down in the house before I leave. 
I just keep telling myself that it's fine to leave the floors unwashed and the house a mess until I return. The world won't end if I just leave the house as it is so that I'm well enough to travel. 
Maybe I'll convince myself before I go...
I'm just trying to stay as cool as possible inside the house with it all locked up and sitting all day in front of a fan on full blast all day. I think I'll have to bring a second fan in here today, though, as it's going to be even hotter and the house is already hot! 
Which reminds me, I'd better go and close the house up now as I opened all the windows when I woke up ... sorry, was woken up ... before 6 this morning ... stupid train and it's stupid high-pitched squealing brakes 
... to try and get the slightest bit of cooler ... not cool ... air before it really starts heating up. I'll get an extra fan when I'm upstairs.
Okay, enough of my rant. My young friend's still asleep and I'm creeping around in my own house. 
Once I've got the extra fan in place I might try to at least play a bit of a demo before she wakes up and before it gets too hot.
Hope you all have a great day once you've all woken up! 
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What you're doing today is important
because you're exchanging a day of your life for it.
- lilyr
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Re: Finish your games challenge - 2014
stusue -- Yikes! That is horrible weather for someone with CFS (and someone without it, like me -- not a fan of hot and especially humid) if you don't have central air conditioning. Of course it wouldn't make much sense if you live in an area that usually doesn't get that hot very often. Here in the US we have stand-alone ACs (no duct-work needed) that can be wheeled from room to room. They are sort of like space heaters but they put out cold air. 
They are rather heavy so it would not be a good thing to try and take up and down stairs. I don't know if they have something like that in Germany. When we first got married we had a window AC in our bedroom. If it got really hot I'd go up there, watch TV or read (waaay pre-computers!), even eat lunch.
THE OTHER SIDE looked intriguing but, unless there's a walkthrough, I won't get it. Especially since there's just a very rudimentary map that you can't use to jump.
- oscar66
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Re: Finish your games challenge - 2014
Well the new Nevertales is out, but from the reviews it appears that it is much easier. Sigh. I will still be up for it though. I had to laugh at one reviewer mentioning that they skipped all the puzzles because if they buy it then they play them, and in the next breath they complained there was no challenge and they are zipping thru the chapter....?.????!!!!???colour me confused, if you are skipping everything then of course there is no challenge. I will be disappointed if it has been dumbed down so to speak, I don't mean anyone is dumb, but I think games can be challenging as there is always the hint button or a wt, sg. That is one thing that Ers has added that is good, the option to,change the challenge level on some individual puzzles. No it's not fun to be frustrated, but there are always alternatives to get past something. There are not usually alternatives to make things more challenging. Let's face it changing a game to expert doesn't up the difficulty factor it just disables options. It is still all the same puzzles and HO scenes or whatever.
I have been a little frustrated at points in Off the Record, but it's because a couple of things you have to use, do, just didn't make sense to me. I found a few scenes I just had to try every inventory item and the one that worked was kind of an oookkkaayy moment. Not what I thought.
"There is no more perfect stillness than the solitude in the heart of a snowstorm." Diana Gabaldon
- oscar66
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Re: Finish your games challenge - 2014
**note I always play on the middle of the road or custom option as I always want that option to skip or hint available as a last resort.
Mmmmm someone in the neighbourhood is cooking bacon.
"There is no more perfect stillness than the solitude in the heart of a snowstorm." Diana Gabaldon
- stusue
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Re: Finish your games challenge - 2014
Well the new Nevertales is out, but from the reviews it appears that it is much easier.
Oscar, if you want a nice challenging game, why don't you try Evil Pumpkin - The Lost Halloween. It's a Point and Click Adventure game with very challenging gameplay and puzzles - no HOSs. And no SG, no walkthrough, with only hints in the form of poetry to tell you what you need to do in the little puzzles. Nothing is obvious.
There're also collectibles - tiny, eensy, weensy, minute candy (RL size) that you find in scenes as well as zoom-in scenes. You use them to buy Halloween decorations for your garden. However, once you've bought them in the store - you need different numbers of different candy to purchase each one - you go to the garden and work out where they all go. You have to make note of what each one's name is so that you can find it in the garden. That's definitely new!
It's also weird, weird, weird ... did I say weird? From the reviews I found on other sites it's also apparently long and challenging.
It's really hard to describe this game as it's different from anything else I've played. The closest I can think of is Haunted. But it's fun!
GameHouse has the CE but I imagine BFG will only have it as an SE as, as far as I can see, there's no bonus chapter and, as I've already said, there's no SG. But the extras that they do have - apart from the collectibles - are also weird.
If anyone wants to try it, you can either download the BFG survey ...
or the GameHouse demo ...
Follow the young Van Hallows down the rabbit hole into an exploration of the mystery of Halloween in Evil Pumpkin – Platinum Edition, a very weird and curiously exciting adventure game.
Gourds unite to rise up against children's laughter and carving knives. They intend to crush the candy and blow out all the candles. They want their freedom and they are willing to fight for it. Can you assist the young adventurer Van Hallows in getting to the bottom of this mysterious uprising?
Beware of the emergence of parallel realities when you play the free trial version of Evil Pumpkin – Platinum Edition today!
* Choose from two modes: Adventure and Casual.
* Participate in the unfolding of 6 chapters of riveting adventure.
* Interact with everyday objects, objects that can be modified, and upgradable tools.
* Play challenging puzzles and mini-games.
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I got it this morning.
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What you're doing today is important
because you're exchanging a day of your life for it.
- stusue
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Re: Finish your games challenge - 2014
stusue -- Yikes! That is horrible weather for someone with CFS (and someone without it, like me -- not a fan of hot and especially humid) if you don't have central air conditioning. Of course it wouldn't make much sense if you live in an area that usually doesn't get that hot very often.
Lily, not only do houses not have air conditioning here but hardly anything does! When I first got here nothing at all had air conditioning, however, now our one department store has it and I think our 2 small shopping centres. At least some of the supermarkets now have air conditioning, as well, whereas before the check out people got a couple of fans and it was a nightmare going shopping in summer. Oh, the buses have air conditioning now, as well. One of the cinemas doesn't have air conditioning and when it gets to 30 C (about 90F) they close it and reopen for the evening session. I went there once in winter and just about suffocated. Offices also don't have air conditioning. Everyone just opens the windows.
However, everything ... and I mean everything! ... has heating and everything is overheated in winter. I don't go out in winter, either, unless I can sit next to a window that I can open to let some fresh air in. Both my Chinese and Italian restaurants know which tables I sit at. 
And when I go to the vampires if I have to wait more than a minute or so they just tell me to wait outside, which tells me that it'll be a while. I can't handle the heat inside, summer or winter.
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What you're doing today is important
because you're exchanging a day of your life for it.
- lilyr
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Re: Finish your games challenge - 2014
stusue -- I know what you mean about being overheated. On a ski trip in Switzerland our room had eiderdown everything -- pillows, mattress, comforter. It was wonderful but so warm that we had to open windows at night! For some reason we couldn't lower the heat in the room. Here you are often chilled to the bone in the summer. I always toake a sweater with me when I go anywhere in the summer.
- megwoman25
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- Registered: August 12, 2013
- Posts: 231
Re: Finish your games challenge - 2014
OMG I just came here to talk about Evil Pumpkin-The Lost Halloween...but I see someone beat me to it 
Lets just say that I LOVE large file adventure games & games that make me think but grrrr this one is way too much for me. I tried it on the 2nd option and then casual because I thought it might make more sense but still couldn't really figure out what the heck to do. Not to mention, the music is soooo annoying. My hubby is sitting here and he tunes out my games all the time but even he said it was making his ears bleed HAHA Anyways, I don't understand how it says on the 2 harder levels that there are no "hidden object puzzles" but on the casual, I didn't see hidden object scenes either...and the items you pick up are soooo tiny. Just not my cuppa tea I reckon...
Sue, your humid/hot house does not sound very fun! Its been really hot in california (mountains) this year, way more than it usually is at this time of year. Some days its humid with dry thunder storms which is soooo scary since we are in such a drought. A fire could start anytime...My friend said the place we used to camp at a lot, is closed this summer due to not having any water 
So, my husband and I are going to go on another small trip up the coast instead of down like last time. We are going to mendocino on the beach in August for about 4 nights. Found the cutest bed & breakfast type place but with private suites/cottages and it will be nice to get away from all this heat!
Our dog Tessa, the one who got hit, is having some health issues once again Somehow she got vaginitis. I didn't even think dogs could get those sort of things but she has discharge and its disgusting. The vet said to put her in these underpants called "bitches britches" LOL Never in my life have I seen a dog wearing panties. Hole for the tail, wearing pads taped to it...She's amazing still in good spirits, cold wet nose but wtf. we have never had a female animal before and never realized you could have these kind of problems with a dog! but anyways...its pretty amusing even though its disgusting. Hopefully she will get better and be able to get out of her cone/britches once and for all!
- megwoman25
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- Posts: 231
Re: Finish your games challenge - 2014
oh and now that I have the pc...my new thing is Betas...On Pond Friends, they have links to all the ones you can try...and I get them in my email. Just got 9 Clues 2-the ward today. I need to try it out but I remember being one of the few people who liked the first one. I just love Artifex Mundi, what can I say.
On gamehouse, that hercules time management game part 2 is out. I really enjoyed the first one. I love that with a pc you have soooo many options are your fingertips. Makes it even harder for me to play my games that I actually own. Still playing gardens inc the road to fame and Im not paying attention to the story either, just know Im in some kind of contest lol Love trying to figure out the different ways to put the flowers...sometimes its easy and other times I just can't figure it out!
hope everyone is doing great. Wish I could check in more often xx