February 17, 2008

Create your own hidden object puzzle greeting

Make a slideshow - it’s easy!

This has got to be the coolest thing to come down the pike since the first hidden object game. I noticed Big Fish Greetings on theBig Fish Games site a whie back, but hadn’t gotten around to checking it out until today. I’m glad I did because this is mondo fun and a great way to share your own photos while creating new puzzle addicts.

Here’s my first attempt to create a greeting. I did okay, if I do say so myself. The software takes a little getting used to, but that may be because I’m a technophobe. If I can do it, anyone can! Once you’ve created an account and selected to send a hidden object puzzle greeting, it will automatically find your photos on your computer. If your stored photos are anything like mine, choose “delete all” then “add photos” so you can select photos that will work well. I have a lot of photos of faces and dogs and advertisers’ logos that aren’t “busy” enough to hide objects in. I removed all of those and selected some landscapes that I thought would work better. After you’ve loaded your photos, drag the one you want to use into the photo frame, then start building your puzzle. A scrolling menu allows you to select the objects you want to hide in your photo greeting. Use handy tools to size your objects and adjust the light/dark, then drag them to where you want to “hide” them. I hope I didn’t hide all of mine so well that you’ll need reading magnifiers to find them! Add a message which your recipents will see once they’ve solved the puzzle, then select some music and a background color. You’re done! The free version comes with ads, but I can live with that for right now. Purchase a Club Smilebox membership for added options. I haven’t yet decided whether or not to join at $4.99 a month or $39.99 per year. It’s kind of pricey, but you can send all kinds of greeting (including other puzzles you create,) so go take a look and then decide for yourself. I may join just so I can have fun playing with the creation process. If you’d like to solve my creation, click on the play button above. I think I may a future as a puzzle creator!

I know that the code for the greeting card is making my whole page look wonky. Fixing it is beyond my capabilities and I want to publish this post, so we’ll live with it ’til this gets pushed off of the front page.

Technorati Tags: BigFishGreetings.com, games, greetings, hdden object puzzle greetings, hidden object puzzles

February 14, 2008

The Nightshift Code - hidden object game

I actually played The Nightshift Code about a month ago. The site I found it on only allowed thirty minutes of play on their free demo download and I was making notes and grabbing screenshots as I played. When my time ran out I didn’t feel like I had enough info for a review so I let it pass. Now it’s in wider distribution and I’ve had the chance to play it again tonight. It’s a fun game and introduces a few innovations to the hidden object game genre.

The stage is set with a graphic comic-style story. Mike’s father is missing. A sinister visitor to the museum where he works convinces Mike that he can rescue his dad by following a series of clues. The opening chapter of the story is quite long and each phase of the game is followed by more installments. This is my least favorite feature of the game, but perhaps would not have bothered me if I had been playing the full version. Having only a time-limited demo available, I was watching the clock and clicked rapidly through the storyboards.

The art is sharp, clear and skillfully drawn. Some of the hidden objects are tough to find, but all are fairly rendered and can be found. It’s what we expect from these games and a huge relief after my experience with The Count of Monte Cristo. Scenes are used repeatedly, so you’ll already know where some items are when a scene reappears with a new list of objects to search for.

One of the fun features of The Nightshift Code requires the player to work two scenes to find all of the items on a single list. This doesn’t occur with every level - I had only one shot at it during my free demo. You won’t know which items can be found on which screen, but can switch freely back and forth until your list is cleared. I found all of the objects on a list that accompanied the office scene and was duplicated in a kitchen. Locating an object on one screen eliminates it from the list of objects for both scenes.

Now here’s something fun and different. The objects are hidden on a map instead of in a room or scattered around a landscape. Using the magnifier to seach, you’ll find that the map is surprisingly “busy” with objects that are not obvious at all without the tool. Innovations like this keep gameplay fresh and challenging. I hope we’ll see more such surprises in future games.

I like The Nightshift Code, but I’m not sure I’ll buy the full version. Multiple visits to the same scenes with the same objects in the same places result in a lowered level of challenge as the game progresses. I played at Big Fish Games, where my Game Club membership would allow me to purchase the game for $6.99, but I think I’ll probably use my game credits for something that will still engage me the second and third times I play. Download the free demo, give it a whirl and let me know what you think.

You can read all of my hidden object game reviews by clicking on games in the drop-down category menu in my left sidebar.

Technorati Tags: Big Fish Games, games, hidden object games, The Nightshift Code

February 13, 2008

The Count of Monte Cristo - new hidden object game

I played The Count of Monte Cristo last night. I have to say that it was, overall, a disappointing experience. Based on the classic Alexander Dumas novel of the same name, the game follows his story by requiring the player to help Edmond Dantes track down the betrayers who had him wrongfully imprisoned. There is no “skip” feature for the opening pages which set the scene. They fan by so quickly that you may not be able to finish reading each one before it’s gone, but there are so many of them that you’ll probably begin to wonder if you’re ever going to get to play the game.

While lovely to look at, the artwork does not serve the purpose of the game. Many of the images are rendered in a dark and muddy fashion with inadequate attention to detail. See those amorphous blobs on the steps above and below the skull near the lower right corner? What are those things? I’ve even tried expanding my screenshots to full size in my photo viewer and still can’t tell, though it’s obvious that each is supposed to be “something.” It’s all good and well to be clever with placement of the hidden objects and to use color, light and shadow to make them difficult to find, but making them completely unidentifiable is just wrong. There are a multitude of such indistinct blobs throughout the game.

The game creators also break another cardinal rule of fair play. The above screenshot is the first search page you’ll be presented with. On the steps at the left is a bottle (seen in full size, it bears a skull and crossbones emblem - a bottle of poison.) Clicking on it will not strike a bottle from your search list. Perhaps the creators consider it a flagon or a flask or something else. Sure looks like a bottle to me. Such confusion occurs throughout the game as you try to select the specific items you’re searching for amongst other items that fit the same description.

The first minigame was equally frustrating. The task is to assemble the pieces into a map. Pieces can be turned to the proper orientation by using your space bar. Well, that’s the theory. I wasted a lot of time before that function finally worked for me. Notice that, once again, there’s no opt out or skip button. You must complete the minigame before you can move on, so the malfunction sucked a good chunk of time out of my hour of free play.

Hints are available to highlight items you’re having trouble locating. Unfortunately, they get used up pretty quickly due to the inadequacies described above. You’ll eventually be taken to a dark screen where you can use a spotlight to search for gems with which to buy more hints. I had just opened that screen when my time ran out, so I can’t give you a screenshot. Oh, yeah - another thing. The clock does not stop if you minimize the game screen to open another - say your photo editor so you can save screenshots for a review. All of the games I’ve previously played automatically paused when another page was opened. I was about three quarters of the way through my hour before a pop-up appeared telling me to click on the clock to pause this game.

The Count of Monte Cristo is currently an exclusive from SpinTop Gamesnow in wide distribution. You can get it from Big Fish Games for just $6.99 if you’re a Game Club member. I won’t be doing a directbuy of this one anytime soon. If you play games to relax you won’t either. If you’re into anxiety and frustration - go for it. Download it for a free one-hour demo and decide for yourself.

You can read all of my hidden object game reviews by clicking on games in the drop-down category menu in my left sidebar.

Technorati Tags: Big Fish Games, games, hidden object games, SpinTop Games, The Count of Monte Cristo

February 10, 2008

Spirit of Wandering - The Legend, new hidden object game

Now for my third new hidden object game review of the weekend. I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot! Spirit of Wandering: The Legend from SpinTop Games is a beautiflly illustrated game, but I have some problems with it.

The storyline: You’re a young woman, captain of a ship, on the eve of your wedding, when a ghost ship attacks. You pass out and awake to find that the rest of the crew, including your beloved husband-to-be, has disappeared. Realizing that their spirits have become trapped, you believe you can rescue them by finding items precious to them.

The first screen is deceptively simple. You have only five items to find in a relatively uncluttered room. The items are easily located. Don’t worry - things will pick up shortly. Once you’ve located all five items the scene will go dark.

A magical orb will appear. As you move it around it illuminates the area beneath it. Its glow will increase as you approach one of the special items you seek. It will burst into a ring of fire when directly over the item, which will then magically appear. Your next screen will be the same scene with new objects added and a new list of five items to search for. You’ll repeat this scenario several times on each screen.

Each level is progressively more cluttered and more difficult to solve. You’ll accumulate gold as you advance. Use of a compass to locate difficult items can be bought with your gold. Its needle will point you in the right direction and will spiin rapidly when you hover over an object on your list.

Spirit of Wandering: The Legend is fun and engaging, but there were times when I think it failed to honor the spirit of fair play. Some sought-after objects are so indistinct as to be unrecognizable. Some descriptions fit several objects within the given scene. Some descriptions are just wrong. Seeking a corked blue container, I used the compass. The “blue” bottle is either brown or black, too indistinct to really tell. I’ve located it for you in the image above. Bad form, game designers!

I found Spirit of Wandreing: The Legend to be challenging and enjoyable, but spent part of my hour of free play frustrated at the problems mentioned above. Perhaps you’re easier to please. You can download the demo from SpinTop Games and draw your own conclusions. I’ll be interested in hearing about your experience.

You can find all of my hidden object game reviews by clicking on “games” in the drop-down category menu on my left sidebar. Check back frequently for my take on new releases!

Technorati Tags: games, hidden object games, Spintop Games, Spirit of Wandering - The Legend

February 9, 2008

Great Secrets: Da Vinci - new hidden object game

I’m not getting any housework or business done today. I took a thirty-minute break after reviewing Big City Adventure: Sydney, Australia so I could get out of my pajamas and eat a sandwich, then opened up this new game and started playing again.

Today’s new release from Big Fish Games is Great Secrets: Da Vinci, with a storyline based on Da Vinci’s search for the Philosopher’s Stone. Fictional journal entries follow his progress and carry us from scene to scene. I’m not intimately familiar with Leonardo Da Vinci’s biography, but the story features well-known events in his life, so it seems to be at least somewhat fact-based.

The first thing you’ll notice about the game is that the artists have done a breathtakingly brilliant job. All of the scenes are appropriate to DaVinci’s era and most of the hidden objects are too. There were a couple of itmes that I thought might be out of place but nothing as blatently anachronistic as a cell phone or a microwave oven. Some of Da Vinci’s art is featured as an added treat.

Aspect of this game that didn’t thrill me: Great Secrets: Da Vinci has more minigames than any of the hidden object games I’ve played before. I guess I’m a purist when it comes to the genre - I want all hidden object searches, or at least mostly hidden object searches. There’s not much challenge at all to reassembling a painting or flipping over tarot cards to find matches, so thery’re just interruptions to the good stuff.

Each scene in the game is used for several types of searches. I could live with that if the pure hidden object search was always done first, but it’s not. Sometimes a side-by-side “spot the differences” games is presented first, or a “find all of the … feathers or apples or birds.” The scene above requires the player to find all of the jugs.

By the time you’re presented with a list of hidden objects to find you already know that the lion head is serving as a newel post and the spear on the banister is practically stabbing him. Many of the objects are a challenge to find, but the fun gets sucked right out of the game when you already know the answers.

I like the game. I don’t like it enough to buy the full version. Each of us has their own preferences, though, so it could be one that you’ll want to own. I’m pretty sure all games sell for $19.99 at Big Fish Games but you can get them for as low as $6.99 if you’re a member of their Game Club, so look into that if you’re building a collection.

You can see all of my hidden object game reviews in the Games Category for this blog. At least one more new hidden object game has been released this weekend, so look for another review either later today or sometime tomorrow. I’ve got to take care of some business clients and get the dishes washed sometime, but maybe I’ll play the new game first!

Technorati Tags: Big Fish Games, games, Great Secrets: Da Vinci, hidden object games

Big City Adventure: Sydney, Australia - new hidden object game

Just when I was beginning to wonder if our favorite game designers had gone on strike with the Writer’s Guild, a whole swarm of new games have been released. Look for several reviews from me over the next few days. I downloaded and played the 1-hour demo of Big City Adventure: Sydney, Australia from Big Fish Games this morning. This is a Big Fish Exclusive for the time being, so you’ll have to go to them if you want to play.

The gameplay will be familiar to anyone who has played the other Big City Adventure games. You’re on a trip with family, this time to Sydney, Australia. While there you’ll visit various landmarks and interesting places, each of which just happen to have hidden objects in need of finding. Not much plot, but that’s not why we play, is it?

The artwork is beautifully drawn and brightly colored, with hidden objects well-defined, though cleverly camoflaged in come cases. I’ve developed a pattern of rushing through the easy-to-find object on each screen, skipping over more elusive items. Then I do a grid-by-grid search for the one or two that didn’t pop out at me. Some in this game were quite artfully hidden, for instance: a ginger root placed right next to an almost identical coral in an underwater scene.

Coins with various designs are hidden in each screen, usually three to a round. These are your hints and helps. They’re usually pretty easy to find, though one or two eluded me throughout the hour that I played. Collect all of them that you can find, not because you’ll use them up but because it’s part of the challenge.

Two new features were introduced with this game and I really like them. One is a Quick Continue feature at the end of each stage of gameplay. If you’d rather not sit through the rattling-coin, clickity-clack number scoring , skip it! I never bother to look at my scores, so I really like this feature. I just want to move to the next bit of play and could care less what my final tally will be. The other feature is special Skip Coins. There’s one in the upper right corner of the above screenshot. You’re required to complete a minigame after each hidden object search before you can move on to the next level. The minigames are pretty lame and don’t add any challenge to the game, so I was happy to cash in coins that allowed me to move past them and get on with the next round of real gameplay. Skip Coins only showed up twice during my hour, but that was two minigames I didn’t have to bother with. With seventy-six rounds of play, I’m sure there must be more Skip Coins making later appearances.

Do I recommend Big City Adventure: Sydney Australia? You bet! It’s got all of the features that made us fall in love with the genre in the first place. Will I buy the full version? Probably. As a Big Fish Game Club member with a Jumbo Pack membership, I’ve committed to buying one game a month at $6.99. That’s no burden. I get all of my games at that price, so I’ve bought extras some months. Game Club members get extra games credits and coupon codes fairly often and I’m quickly accumulating a nice collection of my favorites without spending much money. My tip for the day: Check out their online games while you’re there. You can play selected hidden object games (including Big City Adventure: San Francisco) online without downloading or buying.

Next up: Great Secrets: Da Vinci. I’ve already downloaded it, but I really should shower, get dressed and eat some lunch before I start playing again. Look for the review in a few hours.

Technorati Tags: Big City Adventure: Sydney, Australia, big Fish Games, games, hidden object games

February 1, 2008

Go-Go Gourmet - new hidden object game with a twist

Just in time to satisfy my weekend appetite for time-wasting, Big Fish Games has introduced Go-Go Gourmet. It’s not like the other hidden object games we’re used to. Go-Go Gourmet combines hidden object searches with time-management gameplay. Big Fish Games calls it “innovative and genre-bending.”

The basic premise is simple. Find all of the ingredients needed to make a dish, perform whatever task is needed with each ingredient (or group of ingredients) and deliver the dish to the customer. Gameplay starts off slow with just a few ingredients and a single recipe to complete. In the screen shot above I must click on the eggs, click on a pot to boil them, then assemble the remaining ingredients and deliver the finished egg salad sandwich to the hungry diner. Piece of cake, even though I wasted time trying to find a knife. Duh! All chopping, slicing and mixing is done in the food processor.

As the game progresses your multi-tasking skills will come in handy. If you try to complete one recipe at a time you’ll spin your wheels while you wait for necessary action to be completed. You’ll need to start one recipe, then open another and work on it while the first is cooking or being chopped or going through whatever other process is required. If you click on the wrong item or the wrong action you’ll get a talk cloud. The hamburger goes in the frying pan, not the pot.

You’ll move around to different restaurant kitchens and will need to spend a moment locating everything before you start cooking. Pictures of new ingredients are shown before you play the first screen using them, so take a little time getting familiar with them before you open the new screen.

I don’t play games to get my adrenalin flowing. I play them to relax, usually in the untimed mode. That’s not an option with Go-Go Gourmet. Things can get a little dicey when you’re trying to complete five or six recipes at once, but you have to keep going because the clock is ticking. Not really my cup of tea, but you’ll love this one if you’re a fan of both hidden object games and time management games. Note, though, that the objects aren’t really hidden, so that element of challenge is missing. I enjoyed my hour of free play, but I won’t be buying this one just yet. If you’re looking for some real hidden object fun and haven’t bought any games of your own yet, you can play free online versions of hidden object games at Big Fish. Their free games include Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile, Hidden Expedition: Titanic and Rome: Curse of the Necklace, among other popular titles. That ought to hold you for a while!

Technorati Tags: Big Fish Games, games, Go-Go Gourmet, hidden object games

January 14, 2008

Polly Pride Pet Detective - hidden object game

UPDATE, May 6, 2009: This game is no longer available from Big Fish Games. If you’d like to play it, enter the name in a search engine and you’ll find several sources for a free trial download.

I originally found Polly Pride: Pet Detective on a site that annoys me because of consistent problems getting their downloads to function. It’s now available from Big Fish Games, so you won’t have those problems when you download it to try it out.

The storyline for Polly Pride Pet Detective is charming, as Polly flirts with the new town vet when not searching for lost pets. There’s a dark undercurrent, though, suggesting that evil forces may be behind the disappearance of pets Polly is asked to locate. With over ninety scenes, the game offers endless hours of play.

The artwork is bright, colorful and finely detailed. A delightful array of clutter in each scene provides the necessary distraction to keep gameplay sufficiently interesting.

The pets to be found are animated and pop into and out of scenes. Their appearances are brief, but don’t worry if you miss them the first time around. They’ll be back.

I enjoyed the game and found it engaging but not terribly challenging. Purchase price is $19.99, but you can get it for $6.99 with a Jumbo Pack monthly membership in the Big Fish Game Club. If you like owning full versions fof your favorite games this is the way to go.

Technorati Tags: Big Fish Games, games, hidden object games, Polly Pride Pet Detective

January 13, 2008

Blood Ties - new hidden object game

I needed a distraction this weekend, so the release of Blood Ties came at a good time. It’s a new hidden object game based on the Lifetime TV Series of the same name. Vicki Nelson is a private detective who solves cases with assistance from her 450 year-old vampire friend, Henry Fitzroy. The case under consideration is the disappearance of all of the members of the Hellfire Club, each of whom had been entrusted with a piece of an ancient tablet. The magical tablet must be re-assembled each year in order to keep the demon Asteroth from unleashing his evil on the world.

Players must complete a series of hidden object searches in order to solve each case. The artists have created a collection of eerie scenes appropriate to the storyline. Though each scene befits the macabre theme, they are not so darkly done as to prohibit fair gameplay. Ethereal music and sound effects add to the atmosphere without creating too much of a distraction.

Objects to be found are clearly defined and each is recognizable as an item on the word list provided with each screen. The scenes provide that ecclectic and disorienting mix of objects we’ve come to know and love in these games. Ancient weapons, skulls and voodoo instruments somehow blend nicely into a room that also contains a computer, an electric guitar and a cell phone. Go figure.

Hints are available if you get stuck. You’ll accumulate extra hints by collecting “ancient symbols” hidden throughout the game. Most are devilishy disguised and difficult to find. Can you see the one in the right corner of the ceiling in the scene above? Don’t despair if you don’t find them all. I found the game challenging and engaging, but resorted to using hints only a couple of times.

As you solve each case you’ll be rewarded with a piece of the ancient tablet, which you will patch together as the game progresses. At the end of the game you’ll make one last trip to the patch panel to fully reassemble the tablet, thus keeping the world safe from the demonic forces of Asteroth.

Blood Ties is available for free, limited play (one hour of playing time) from Big Fish Games. I played the hour, liked it and bought it. I’m a Big Fish Game Club member, so it only cost me $6.99. The full, unlimited version is $19.99 for non-Game Club purchasers. If you’re as a big a fan of hidden object games as I am it makes sense to join.

Need more games? You can find all of my hidden object game reviews in the games category for skeet’s stuff. Each contains a link where you can find more information and free, limited downloads. Check back frequently. I have two more hidden object games to be reviewed in the next few days.

Technorati Tags: Big Fish Games, Blood Ties, games, hidden object games

December 28, 2007

Dream Day First Home - new hidden object game

Just as the pre-holiday frenzy kicked into high gear I was notified of three new hidden object games. I love to be the “see it here first” blog, but I had so much to do last week that I couldn’t keep up. If you’re a hidden object fanatic you’ve probably already found Dream Day First Home, but I’d hate to not review it and then find that some of you were unaware, so here ya go!

I’ve played the first two games in the Dream Day series, so I pretty much knew what to expect with this one. Robert and Jenny needed our help in the past with planning their Dream Day Wedding, and even invited us to accompany them on their Dream Day Honeymoon, so of course they knew they could count on us to help them get their new home in order. The whole house starts off as a cluttered mess, but you’ll eventually be rewarded with “after” pictures of each room, the yard and the facade.

This is another “fair play” games, with clutter and clever placement of hidden objects providing the challenge. I think the Dream Day games are among the easiest that I’ve played, just right when you’d rather chill out than strain your brain and eyes. I started out playing First Home in the timed mode, then switched to the relaxed, untimed mode because there were too many distractions going on. If you’re looking for a game you can play with the kids, try this one. Most objects in each scene are fairly easy to find, with just enough “toughies” to keep you on your toes.

Fixing up a home requires numerous trips to the hardware store and various other shops, so those scenes appear throughout the game. Hints are accumulated by collecting golden eggs - five golden eggs required for each hint, so make sure you collect them all. How many can you spot in the scene above?

A few of the screens will have an item in blue at the bottom of the list of objects to find. Scratching a blue item off of your list requires one click to expose the object and a second to claim it. In the scene of above, “snake eyes” appears in blue. See the dice at lower right? They’re showing 8 pips. Your first click will roll them over to snake eyes, then the second click will mark them as found.

You’ll be rewarded with mini-games after each round. I found them to be pretty mindless, but I played them anyway so I could see the final bonus room - the attic. A surprise awaits all who finish the attic, but you’ll probably figure out what it is long before you’ve papered, painted and furnished the scene.

I downloaded the trial version of Dream Day First Home from Big Fish Games, my all-time-favorite game site. I bought the full version, too, to add to my growing treasure chest of hidden object games. The cool thing is that I’ve “purchased” six games in the last few days without paying a penny for any of them. I’m a Big Fish Game Club member and they’re very generous with special offers, game credits and coupon codes for their members. Joining is a no-brainer if you love hidden object games, or any other computer games, for that matter. Just sayin!

Technorati Tags: Big Fish Games, Dream Day First Home, games, hidden object games