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On a happier note, short and sweet, today I finished:
Myths of the World: Island of Forgotten Evil CE
and, even though it's not my fav HOPA and even though at times I wondered why I'd gotten the CE, it had some great moments and got better and better as the game progressed. I really liked the HOPs that were part of the gameplay and not just something separate to get an inventory item - eg. someone had to make something for you and he was telling you what he needed and as he was wondering what he'd done with something out loud you had to find those, too. They'd made an inventory puzzle into a HOP and they had several of those. I liked them because they were different. It was also nice and long - MG = 7:40 hours and BG = 1:40 hours (playing with no contextual pointers, no helpful messages and no active plus item indicators - although it was shown which objects needed interaction). But the most telling thing was that at the end of the bonus game, which was of the same high quality as the MG, I was really, really sorry it had finished and wanted to continue on with the story and the game.
Recommendation: Definitely if you like the demo - SE or CE
- the BG isn't necessary as the MG ends conclusively (although I personally didn't like the way they chose to end it) but it takes place shortly after the end of the MG and carries the story further and to a definitive conclusion and, as I said, is of the same high quality
- there are all the usual Eipix extras, including a line-M3 game, so if you think Eipix extras are worth the CE then I definitely recommend the CE - it not, the SE would still be great.
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Unfortunately, I wasn't quite so thrilled with:
Shadowplay: Darkness Incarnate CE
and the following is what I posted over at BFG (my first ever game review there!) after playing the entire demo:
Woo hoo! A game from Mad Head Games!
Ooh, dark and eerie!
With atmospheric music!
And fantastic graphics with the most amazing animation - no blurriness or pixelation - and the animated-to-interactive scene change is flawless!
Ooh, the extras look good!
Oh, cool, the Custom mode is named just like the other three!
What?! I can't turn off contextual icons?!?!
And with no touch support that's super important!
Oh, no! There's no option to turn off helpful messages!
Well at least I can turn off the plus item indicators!
Hey, what? The plus items are still indicated! Just not showing when you can interact with them isn't quite the same as not having any indicators!
Okay, I'll see how I go ... the graphics and animation are really, really good ... and the music really helps set the scene ... mmm ... HOPs and MGs aren't very challenging but that sliding HOP sure was different and fun!
Ooh, I like the split screens and the storyline ... and I love collectibles but these ones are a bit big and easy to see
... and there are morphs! Pity they're only in the HOPs but you can find them in Extras when you replay all the HOPs for an achievement, which is always good as I always forget to look for them when I get carried away with a game
... but I have to use the mouse and all those icons show me where I have to click and where all the interactions are in the HOPs and there's nothing extra to click on in the scenes and I don't want all those helpful messages telling me what's what (although they aren't too bad) and why does every object I can interact with in the inventory have a great big circle underneath it when I turned off plus item indicators?
What a pity!
I loved the storyline and the atmosphere and the graphics and animation and music and some of the HOPs and MGs were fun and one HOP was really original.
But I like playing with no help. So, no matter how much I want to find out where the story's heading, no matter that there's a 2for1 sale, and no matter how impeccable the quality of the game is, it's a no for me as there are no options to turn off all the help and playing the demo was enough for me.
But if these things don't matter to you it's definitely worth a demo, as the quality of the game (at least the demo) is, imho, fantastic.
Recommendation: Neither CE nor SE for me, due to the reasons I've given - but definitely try the demo
Quite a few fishies complained about how short the game was and that the HOPs and MGs were repetitive. But then others loved the game. Very mixed reviews.
I won't be getting either the CE or SE as you can't turn any of the help off (which, after playing games where you can, is now a deal breaker for me) and it seems to be a really short and easy game. The demo was enough for me as, even though I really liked the gameplay, I was neither excited nor thrilled by the game and had no desire to continue playing once the demo had finished. I'm hoping GH gets it so I can play it with my FunPass.
But it's definitely worth a demo as the quality is really good.
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stusue...I finished the main game of Shadowplay: Darkness Incarnate. It took me 5 hours to finish. I liked the HOP's in this one, I thought that they were more fun than the puzzles, I remember that there were 2 math puzzles that took me a really long time to do. The story wasn't terrible and I needed something to tie me over until True Fear comes out.
The trouble I have with MadHeadGames is that with this game and another one that I am still playing, Rite of Passage: Child of the Forest, is that they use squiggles throughout the game and you must fight the big boss at the end of the game using them. I am getting tired of identifying squiggles.
The bonus game I am still playing. You go back in time and it mainly concerns the lantern and hopefully they will tell you what the shadow is about.
Last edited by sunshinej (August 23, 2016 8:39 am)
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Thanks, Oscar and stusue. Sunshine, Tiffany had mixed feelings about visiting the nursing home. She liked all the attention, but she doesn't like being on a leash indoors. But we don't like leaving her home alone when there's a good chance of thunderstorms, and this summer we've had a lot of storms.
Haven't found time yet to even start Mystery P.I.: The London Caper. Maybe tonight. Still managing to keep up with MC's Castle Challenge - I want that Mermaid Avatar.
Cathy's Crafts Collector's Edition is TGT on Big Fish. Bit of a surprise.
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sunshinej wrote:
stusue...I finished the main game of Shadowplay: Darkness Incarnate. It took me 5 hours to finish. I liked the HOP's in this one, I thought that they were more fun than the puzzles, I remember that there were 2 math puzzles that took me a really long time to do. The story wasn't terrible and I needed something to tie me over until True Fear comes out.
The trouble I have with MadHeadGames is that with this game and another one that I am still playing, Rite of Passage: Child of the Forest, is that they use squiggles throughout the game and you must fight the big boss at the end of the game using them. I am getting tired of identifying squiggles.
The bonus game I am still playing. You go back in time and it mainly concerns the lantern and hopefully they will tell you what the shadow is about.
Thanks, Sunshine!
I'd be interested in what you think of the bonus chapter. But I certainly don't consider 5 hours for the MG as short, as some people have said!
The problem for me is that, now that I've played some fantastic games where you can turn all help off, I really don't want to play any games that don't offer that option. I have 4 main criteria for getting a game (always assuming I actually like the game!) and, as this game offers not a single one, it was a definite no buy for me. But, as I said, I'd like to play it with my FunPass, and GH already has some Mad Head Games games so I imagine they'll get Shadowplay as well, some day. And it's not as if I have no other games to play while I wait!
The 4 criteria are -
1. That touch is supported
2. That you can turn BBTs off
3. That you can turn plus item indications off
4. That you can turn contextual icons off (only impt if there's no touch)
If a game has all 4 of the above, then there's a really good chance I'll get the CE, providing the game is worth it and providing I actually like it. If the game has none, like Shadowplay, then there's a good chance I won't get it at all. If a game has some of the 4, then it will depend on which ones and how much I like the game as to whether I get the CE.
I've been spoilt by some amazing games that have had all 4 and so not having them now is a real let down for me.
As for Rite of Passage: Child of the Forest, that's in my top 3 fav games, if not my fav game ever! But I don't know what you mean by "squiggles". I can't remember anything like that in the game. All I remember is that I absolutely loved every singe minute of it and was really sorry to see it end.
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TiramaSue wrote:
Cathy's Crafts Collector's Edition is TGT on Big Fish. Bit of a surprise.
This is the third CE they've released recently on a Tuesday and they were all non-HOPAs:
Fabulous: Angela's Fashion Fever CE (another in the Delicious family by GH)
Elven Legend 3: The New Menace CE
Cathy's Crafts CE (today's TGT)
I got Cathy's Crafts the day it was released by GH and, once all the glitches had been sorted out by Boomzap, I managed to play it straight through to the end, and loved it! I'm now going back and replaying all the levels where I lost all my stars when it was updated. Like all in the Delicious family of games, it has a really cute story and Emily and her little girl make several cameo appearances. I can definitely recommend it if you like the Delicious games, and I can also recommend you demo it if you've never played one.
One thing to note: as GH never releases their Delicious games as SEs, I doubt this one will be, either. Actually, that may be why they're released on Tuesdays, as there won't be an SE and that would screw up BFG's system of 2 CEs and 2 SEs of CEs per week.
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I'm currently playing Forest Riddles and love it!
I like the way you don't have great big pins sticking up where you've crossed off a square, or great big Xs or whatever, but instead the crossed-off squares disappear and you can see the background picture. I'm also amazed at the pictures they produce of things with so few blocks.
I've just gotten to where they're starting to get harder (15x15) and it takes a lot of thought to finish them without using any hints, which is something I really like. I was playing another nonogram game recently where you coudn't finish the grids without using hints and I hated that! I had to use hint after hint after hint until I could finally work one out for myself, as each line was just filled with 1s and 2s and there was no line that was totally filled. I don't find that much fun at all.
This one is pretty easy (but maybe not if you choose not to have the crossed-out squares automatically disappear) but I like being able to work them out with some thought and not HAVE to use the hint.
There's absolutely no story, it's all in one colour (each grid is a different type of wood), and the pictures created are ... so far ... very simple (but effective). I'm really having fun playing it whilst I watch TV.
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Forest Riddles sounds a lot of fun, Stusue!
I've finished:
Fantasy Mosaics 5
Fantasy Mosaics 6: Into the Unknown
Revived Legends: Road of the Kings PE
Fantasy Mosaics 7: Our Home
Spirit of Revenge: Cursed Castle PE
Really liked the Spirit of Revenge one but glad I didn't have to buy it as the bonus chapter is very short!
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stusue wrote:
As for Rite of Passage: Child of the Forest, that's in my top 3 fav games, if not my fav game ever! But I don't know what you mean by "squiggles". I can't remember anything like that in the game. All I remember is that I absolutely loved every singe minute of it and was really sorry to see it end.
By squiggles I meant the squiggly lines that they used in the mini games, mostly matching and fighting the big boss at the end. Not all the mini games had them, but a lot did to make it noticeable to me. I didn't mean anything bad by it. I thought the game was pretty good and the story was good.
I finished the bonus game to Shadowplay: Darkness Incarnate and it took me 1 1/4 hours. It was good. It added some information on where the (Spoiler Alert) lantern came from and why it was at the asylum, but not so much on the shadow thing.
I am trying to decide what my most favorite game is...True Fear or Phantasmat or Dark Parables: The Exiled Prince.
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I've now finished:
Spirit of Revenge: Cursed Castle PE
Fantasy Mosaics 8: New Adventure
Stray Souls: Stolen Memories PE
Queen’s Tales: The Beast and The Nightingale PE
Enjoyed playing all of them!!!!
I know what you mean by those squiggles, Sun!