Finish Your Games Challenge » BETA Game Reviews

freyasmom · February 13, 2015 12:04 pm

New Year ..... New Reviews!

POST YOURS HERE TOO!

I hope for this to be a thread where EVERYONE will post their beta game reviews, comments and/or input, etc.

Thank you, everyone, for your continued kindness, support and for making me feel so very welcome.

Post Number                   [b]Game Name

       9                                 12 Labours of Hercules IV: Mother Earth (5 )
       5                               Beyond: Light Advent
       6                                 Dance Macabre: Thin Ice[/b]
       7                               Dark Realm: Princess on Ice (5)
       8                                 Dead Reckoning: Crescent Case
   2                                 Fallen Shadows II
       4                                 Mystery Crusaders: Resurgence of the Templars

Last edited by freyasmom (June 2, 2015 8:46 pm)

sunshinej · February 16, 2015 2:57 pm

Okay, I'll give this a shot.

Fallen Shadows II
by Happy Muffin Top

The first Fallen Shadows came out in April 23, 2011, I played it and which I seem to remember as having enjoyed it and a lot of HO scenes, was that at the ending it had to be continued. Well, nearly 4 years later I am glad to see that the beta is out for the second game.

It is set in New Orleans, the seedy side of New Orleans. The time is 2006 and it is after Hurricane Katrina. Things are starting to come together, but places like the theater are still closed due to the hurricane. It is full of weird & strange characters full of Nawlins dialect. Actually the VO were quite well done, I thought. It also contains hoodoo & voodoo and a secret order in which your grandpa is a member of. Usually that turns me off, but the story is pulling me in along with all the strange characters I met so far..

I don't think the game is quite ready yet. I went back to the morgue too soon and I wasn't able to leave again. Every time I tried it said I had something to do. As to what, I don't know. The hint button was directing me to a different building, so that was no help. HO scenes were a list type with no interaction. Items you need, like for example a broom & dustpan are located in different scenes. They are not active until you have a need for them. So you can't just go around putting everything in your inventory ready when you need it. First you have to need it and then go around finding the items.

I thought the game was pretty good and will be getting it after it comes out and after I replay the first one again.

freyasmom · February 17, 2015 8:28 am

Happy Muffin Top

LOVED YOUR POST! Thank you soooooooooooooooooooooooo much for posting it. When I get out of hospital - going in today for indefinite stay - I will definitely try this beta.

KEEP POSTING while I'm gone!

Hugs!

Crazy Lady!

oscar66 · April 27, 2015 4:16 pm

I betad a game today called Mystery Crusaders Resurgence of the Templars. It was great subject matter. Although there was nothing new there puzzle wise in the demo section the story and art was well done. The HO scenes had a few items in each that you had to do several manuvers to get to the item. Interesting but the HOs were a little bland otherwise. There was another scene, the typical hand drawn picture with things to do in it that they are all doing, and it got monotonous quicly, find 5 of this, scene change, find 5 of that, scene change. But they did give you some historical (accurate I think) tidbits about the Knight Templars. So unless they fatten it up a bit I think I may have to be a lot more choosy in the future and this may just not go on the list of must owns.

I have 4 more Sneak Peeks to get to.

Last edited by oscar66 (April 27, 2015 4:16 pm)

freyasmom · May 8, 2015 12:56 pm

Beyond: Light Advent

Sigh. It just figures that the first beta game I've played in MONTHS ............... is a ......... great ......... big ..................

Your character seems to work at a Space Station. Her co-hort is a nerdy, squirrelly looking young man who needs to look more like he's in SHOCK that the world could be ending rather than ............... hmmm ....... pass me another slice of cake or something. YIKES!

First things first. When you enter your profile ...... check out the license plate on the red convertible on the game page. SURPRISE!!!! Hmmmm . That's actually the most exciting this game gets. Ho-Hum.

Graphics are .... okay, at best. Very little in the way of voice overs. Count on a lot of reading. The music wasn't even very "Twilight Zone" to me ... IMO it should have been. But, that's just me. There are 4 difficulty modes: Stargazer, Astronomer, Cosmologist and Physicists (custom).

You are equipped with a journal which puzzled me a lot because the notes were written along with your tasks/objectives instead of dividing them into separate areas of the journal.

You are also equipped with a walkie talkie so you can speak with all the characters you meet during game play. This confuses me because , back in the day (this looks very 1950's), you could only send and receive to someone who has the matching walkie-talkie. Hmmmm.

There were several areas where I came across dead silence. No voice over, no music, no sound fx. There I am, crouching among the trees and .............. nothing. There was also an inconsistency in the spelling of the word "defence/defense". I did have a "WHOA" moment when the "space being" was able to put his hand right into your inventory!

At the end of the demo, your character sees herself in the reflection of an elevator door and exclaims that she's "in another body .... again". The survey also indicated this was a sequel. "Again?" "Sequel?" . THIS I had to look into.

Just as I thought. Yes, this IS a sequel. But, before you go off trying to find the first game ....... it came out in 2013 as a Playstation 3 game only. So, what have we missed?????

I doubt very seriously if I will even attempt to purchase this as an SE unless it has some major work done on it.

Enjoy!

freyasmom · May 14, 2015 8:34 pm

Danse Macabre - Thin Ice (beta)

An ice scuplture, no matter how stunningly beautiful and admired, can also be ...... destroyed. The star of the ice rink show is in danger. She is being stalked but, realistically, what can you do???

The graphics are .... ok. I HAVE seen other games where the graphics were so realistic ..... it could almost be "real life". Yes .... THAT lifelike. The music was ok, not annoying. I didn't have to turn it down. Sound fx were very well-done too. The voice overs were, for the most part, very believable. There was ONE character that really could have been tweaked a bit to sound appropriately realistic and not so .... squeaky (?).

There are 4 modes of difficulty: Casual, Challenging, Expert and Custom. The tutorial offered you choices of NO tutorial, Special Features only or Full tutorial.

The HOGs (hidden object games) varied from VERY interactive lists to silhouettes and more . Never anything ..... dull and boring. Same with the Mini Games. A lot of the M/Gs I came across required patience (yes, yes, er all know .... I have none) and took a bit of time to complete. One of them had no instructions that I could find. I completed it anyway ... once I figured out what to do ..... YAY ME!!!!

Besides a map (shows where you are and where available tasks are - I like that it shows MORE than 1 available task area at a time), there is an Evidence Board. The Board holds pictures of some of the characters in the game, with a mini-bio and "Objectives" and "Messages" tabs. The "Messages" were NOT really messages but pieces of paper, notes, etc. you find during the game play.

While I can't believe this next game in the series will NOT be marketed as a CE, I did not find anything to indicate that there is any CE Bling. Guess we're all in the dark about that until the game comes out. Therefore, I can't say whether I would lean towards the CE ..... OR the SE. I think the story line was .... ok ..... not brilliant. This modern "whodunnit" sends obvious signals that the "obvious" does NOT lead you to the obvious culprit. HAH! I would recommend it to all levels of expertise.

Let's go to a show and help find out ...... whodunnit!

Enjoy!

Overall Impression: Hmmm. It's a "wait and see" for me .... until the CE AND SE demos come out.

freyasmom · May 21, 2015 9:19 pm

Dark Realm: Princess on Ice - BETA

What would happen if an artifact that could destroy the world ended up in the wrong hands?

OMGosh! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this beta. Can't wait until it's finally marketed! The storyline is one we have NEVER come across before and it is GREAT!
The graphics were AMAZING! Voice overs ..... OMGosh! The various accents ....... the various characters! I was so immersed in thes story I truly felt as though I were a part of it! The music --- superb! The sound fx - sigh - are there any other words besides amazing, superb, great ... that I can use????? This game HAS IT ALL!
There are 4 levels of difficulty and I love the names: Frost, Snowfall, Blizzard and Custom. You can choose how much of a tutorial you want: No, Full or Special Features only.

Besides a journal, task list and map, you get these AMAZING "arcane objects" to use throughout the game. Including an Iron Bear Gauntlet and a Bracelet that is a "luminescence shield".
While I'm sure this will be released as a CE, there was no indication what the CE Bling would be in terms of collectibles, morphing objects, etc. That would be an added bonus to an already .............. are you ready? ................ AMAZING game!!!

The HOGs were different which was a nice change. There was no alternate game to play. The Mini Games were ALL NEW and DIFFERENT and loads of FUN!

This game moved along very well. Just the right amount of things to do, interspersed with a mini game here and there and an HOG sprinkled around.

I am so enamored of this game I am sure to replay the beta over and over and over. Something I have NEVER done before!
What excites me??? The accents! A girl loves an accent . Add a talking bear and a Dwarf Herald, a talking stone mountain and ...... was that a giant beast?! Yeah. I'm hooked.

ENJOY!

Overall Impression: This is one beta you have just GOT to try. Run, don't walk, and play this beta TODAY!

Last edited by freyasmom (May 21, 2015 9:20 pm)

freyasmom · May 23, 2015 4:49 pm

Dead Reckoning: Crescent Case - BETA

Crescent Carnival is a traveling show that has fallen on hard times. Yet, it still seems to turn a profit. Now, a dead body found outside the entrance to Crescent Carnival and you are sent to investigate.

Difficulty - Casual, Advanced, Hard and Custom

Forensics Kit - I had quite a lot of difficulty maneuving the items and understanding exactly what I was supposed to do.

Evidence Board - shows pictures of main characters in the game along with clues. The bios are, unfortunately, so small I couldn't' read them.

HOGs (Hidden Object Games) - Extremely interative. Quite difficult. There is an alternate Bubble Shooter game if you prefer.

Mini Games - Really, very, extremely difficult. The instructions were just so impossible to understand. I think I skipped all but one ..... which is rare for me.

While I'm sure it will be marketed as a CE, there was no indication of CE Bling ..... collectibles, morphing objects, saying "boo" a hundred times (just kidding). Nothing.

I had so many problems with the "understanding" of things that the story/plot got lost. At this time, I'm really not sure it will even be an SE purchase for me.

freyasmom · June 2, 2015 8:45 pm

12 Labours of Hercules IV: Mother Earth ---- BETA

Let me get this out of the way first and foremost.......

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this game!!!!!

The gods are angry with Hercules and wanted to seek revenge, but there was a celebration for him first. Go figure. Hercules drank and drank ..... and drank some more ..... during his party and, soon enough, a potion was poured into his cup without his knowledge. A year later, Hercules is so sick he can't get out of bed. The gods are very happy. But, Hercules rises to the occasion and off he goes to rebuild the kingdom which became a desert wasteland during his illness .

I have NEVER seen such amazing graphics in a "build it" type of game. AMAZING! The music was a bit ....... well ........ sometimes it sounded like "countdown" music which bothered me since I was playing an untimed mode. The voice overs were the best yet in this game series.

3 difficulty modes: Relaxed (untimed - YAY ), Casual and Expert.

The gist the game is the same as previously in this series. Gather wood, gold and more. Put out fires -
watch for the hydrant - rescue people - fix the pointer (sign) and leave that area to go to the next challenge. In the casual and expert modes, you can earn up to 3 gold stars , depending how well you do in each level. In all the modes, you have "bonuses" in the form of an extra man and extra resources.

I was so enthralled with this game I wanted to stop playing and purchase it immediately! :rolling funny I had to remind myself that it was only a beta! Now, THAT'S what I call a darn good beta!

I was confused with the storyline so it may not do well as a standalone game. It appears you may need to have purchased/played previous games to understand where this one starts. Otherwise, I was hooked! In fact, I've replayed the beta several times ...... and will probably replay it again and again until the game is actually released.

Join me in rebuilding a deserted wasteland with Hercules and, always .......................

ENJOY!

Overall Impression: DO NOT let this gem get away!

TiramaSue · June 17, 2015 6:37 pm

I just read that there's a beta called Midnight Calling Anabel. Here's the link:

http://www.bigfishgames.com/games/13031/midnight-calling-anabel-survey/?pc

Haven't tried it yet but it's a game you buy and I think it's a prequel to Midnight Castle.

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February 13, 2015 12:04 pm #1

BETA Game Reviews - 2015

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