By anne 03/16/2008 |
10 Hidden Object Games for March 2008Finally...SPRING BREAK!!!! Which means... nope, NOT a road trip but days filled with nothing but Hidden Object Games!!!! Since BFG released 10 Hidden Object Games (HOG's) in the past few weeks, I decided to try each and every one and report to you the ones I think are the top five must play games and the pro's and con's of all of them! I figured with so many, you want to choose the right one(s)! Ratings Scale: Difficulty Scale: So keep these in mind while reading my reviews. The Reviews: This game had me from the intro alone! The voice acting is superb and the extra features are more than any HOG player could ask for! You can ZOOM! Perhaps the first HOG in which you get a closer look by zooming, I'm not sure as I've not played every single one. You don't "find" objects you "fill" orders. In other words, when you find an object you a sold sign appears which I found to be a rather unique approach. In a "Where's Waldo" type angle, you have to find a certain toy to gain extra hints. If you play a mini game(s) you can also earn extra hints. Unlike most HOG's you don't have a pretty picture to find stuff in, you have pictures of a zillion buttons or maybe rows of cars and the items are hidden within or even on these things. This game is loaded with super cute mini games too! This is the most unique HOG I've come across yet! Difficulty: Challenging I was really pleased with this game. Not only do you have your typical hidden objects to locate, but a great storyline that plays a part. What do I mean by that? Well, the main character and her daughter are trapped in the museum during an earthquake, she gets her daughter to safety (whew!) but then is not so lucky herself. She has to find her way through the mess of the Museum (very big mess I might add) and get back to her daughter. Her cell phone plays a very important tool. Not only can the engineer tell her what she needs to escape each room (hence the name) but her boss can tell her what objects to find on her way (he is way more concerned with that then her daughter, go figure). So not only do you get your basic game play, but you also get to find certain objects which must be put together to help her escape each room! Difficulty: Medium to Hard Curse of the Pharaoh: Quest for Nefertiti I cannot actually review this game due to the fact it wouldn't play on my computer. I've never had this problem before but the graphics were quite garbled. I did however find some others who have played it and their opinions on it. The response I found most was that it was a very short game, far to easy even on "hard mode". Apparently there is a flashing hint that you cannot turn off and it appears quite quickly not giving you a chance to actually find it for yourself. You can also spend coins on mini-games if you are bored which to me means the developer knew something was lacking. I'm also told this game contains many "find the difference" type games like some of the others I've reviewed. Difficulty: Super Easy Note: Since I could not play the game myself I am basing it solely on others opinions whom I trust. Note: This game MUST be played on a screen resolution of 1024x768 to play correctly! This is pretty much your basic HOG. The only real difference is you can play from two different character views, Anna or Justin which is unique to the game. You can pick up extra time, hints, etc. within the hidden areas. I found the area's to be pretty easy but not super easy. You either find items from a list or from silhouettes of the actual objects which sounds harder than it really is. I did find one drawback and that was that some of the objects are so hidden that they are nearly impossible to find and I have found others who felt the same way. It has a cute story line but is pretty much your same ole same ole. Difficulty: Easy to Medium The History Channel: Lost Worlds This is a very different HOG (at least to me). First of all, it doesn't even start out with a hidden object puzzle, but a "find what's missing" puzzle. Once you find the differences between two pictures, trying to beat the clock for a bonus items, you go to a puzzle where you have to rotate and fit puzzle pieces together. I was not impressed with the graphics in this game and I hoped for more hidden object and less "find what's missing" and "jig-saw". I just didn't feel this one hit the mark at all. Difficulty: Easy to Medium This game had a lot of potential but it lacked in so many ways. While it has great graphics and an intriguing (although long) storyline it just didn't keep me interested. I found the rooms incredibly easy to find objects and could find most everything in just a few minutes or less. The mini-games in between are boring but cannot be skipped because they are used to power the elevator and appear to repeat themselves. Difficulty: Super Easy This game is based on a novel (Count of Monte Cristo) and follows a storyline. You have your basic HOG features and you also have to put together a map (not very hard). Then you get to decide who is guilty or not, you pick a suspect and have several screens of hidden objects to find for each suspect until you eventually eliminate all but one. The graphics are very nice although a bit dark in some areas. This game is definitely your basic HOG with no added elements at all just a new story line. Difficulty: Super Easy This game is a gem! You play the part of a writer having moved from busy New York to no-where USA (Peeking Town) to write a book. While you're there, you're neighbors dog (yes dog) gets kidnapped...dognapped and you are on a hunt to find him! Everyone is a suspect as you are blackmailed by a unknown source throughout the game via e-mail. If the really cute storyline doesn't want to make you play this game, the graphics will! They are incredible with each picture having a few moving objects (waterfall, smoke, bugs, etc.). To enter some of the suspect's houses you have to play a game similar to Mastermind which isn't as hard as it sounds. While it is timed, you can get unlimited clues if you leave the place you are at and return to your office to collect shamrocks (they're the clues). Hmmm, what a perfect game to play on St. Patty's day! Difficulty: Challenging This game also strayed a bit from your basic HOG. While you still had to find hidden objects in each screen, they sometimes throw in rooms without lights (you have to scan the room with a flashlight) or small screens which you use a magnifying glass on to search for clues! This game has a great storyline, wonderful graphics, and is just a ton of fun! Difficulty: Challenging Big City Adventure: Sydney, Australia All I can say is this family must have some serious cash. First San Francisco and now Australia! You can play as 8 different characters, including... a KOALA and a KANGAROO! With 60+ locations you won't get bored very fast and this one will take awhile to finish. Some great mini games, I had a blast bopping croc's on the head to get my pies back! The game has wonderful graphics and is very enjoyable! I also like the fact that there is a little bit of history in every turn. Each time you play the game, choose a different character and while you have the same exact locations, you will end up with new objects to find! That means you can play this game a total of 8 times!!!! Multiply that by 60+ levels (closer to 80) and well you do the math, that's my worst subject! Difficulty: Medium to Hard The Top Five Must Play HOG's
I hope you enjoyed my reviews and found them helpful! Now... I'm off to play, play, play!!!! Cya next time around! Discuss This Post |
