Review – Fiction Fixers: Adventures in Wonderland

With stories that were once covered by Disney, it’s hard for iterations to sometimes distinguish themselves from that goliath. However, the Mouse never seems to be a problem in Fiction Fixers, and a couple seek & find games into it I completely forgot it was once a movie. Rating: E (for Everyone) Players: 1 Genre: Casual Developers: Fugazo, Inc. Website: www.Fugazo.com BUY While not a PC gamer, ever so often I find myself on the search for a new casual PC game that I can play… casually. It’s usually a pain wading through all of the casual gaming garbage for that rare gem (yeah, Bookworm Adventures!), but I was referred to Fiction Fixers: Adventures in Wonderland and I thought, “what the heck”. The story starts when a member of the secret society “The Illterati” steals a copy of Alice in Wonderland from the Fiction Fixers headquarters. The Fiction Fixers sure

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Review: Royal Envoy (Collectors Edition)

Royal Envoy is a town planning or time management simulator, comparable to Farmville and the Settlers series. Upon arriving in the colonial era setting of Islandshire, the player is introduced to the game’s story through an animated sequence detailing the plight of the kingdom; with residents’ houses destroyed from recent rains – rains that are only set to worsen. A town planner is appointed to ensure the residents’ houses are constructed in preparation for the stormy season ahead.

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Review – Nancy Drew Dossier: Resorting to Danger

*Contest Alert! See details at the end of this review about how to win your copy of this game!* Platform: PC ESRB: E 10 Number of Players: 1 Publisher: Her Interactive Release Date: September 2009 Official Website When I was offered the chance to review a game set in a luxurious resort, of course I jumped out of my seat to do so. Resorting to danger is the second installment of the Nancy Drew Dossier series (the first being Lights, Camera, Curses), the more casual of the Nancy Drew franchises. In Resorting to Danger, players play as the quick witted Nancy Drew as she attempts to expose and stop a bomber at a posh resort on the coast, while playing the role of “spa gopher” so as to not alarm the well to do clientele. This setting does prove to be a great way to introduce some very distinct personalities.

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Review – Westward IV: All Aboard!

Being completely new to the Westward series, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one. So some weeks ago, I jumped into my boots, pulled out my cowgirl hat and set off to the wild frontier, and I am still playing strong. Platform: PC ESRB: E Number of Players: 1 Publisher: Sandlot Games Release Date: November 2009 Official Website BUY As I see it, players assume the role of their chosen hero – a Turner sibling by the name of Anne or Henry and set off to rebuild a railroad their missing father started, while rebuilding and protecting his town (and a few others along the way). Included in this grand undertaking are quite a few adventures and missions, the rewards from which help tremendously in completing the big picture, as well as get the hero further along the path to finding their father. The strategy/simulation style of Westward IV

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Review: Chocolatier Decadence by Design

Mmmmmm….. chocolate! I love chocolate. I’m one of the nine in every ten women in the world who adores the cocoa confections. You put chocolate in it, and odds are I’m all over it. Platform: PC ESRB: E Genre: Casual Strategy Number of Players: 1 Publisher: PlayFirst Release Date: Jan 2009 Official Website BUY Chocolatier: Decadence by Design is technically the fourth game in the Chocolatier series, allowing the player to discover the delicious underbelly of chocolate confectioners. Your adventure starts in Zurich, where Alex Baumeister asks you to help her by running the factory while she searches for her husband, missing after WWII. The war has taken its toll on the Baumeisters, as many of their factories were refitted to accommodate ammunition production. It is up to you to bring back the prominence that Baumeister Confections once held. In the beginning, your profits will come from creating scrumptious chocolate

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Guest Review – Drawn: The Painted Tower

Platform: PC ESRB: E Genre: Puzzle/Adventure Combo Number of Players: 1 Publisher: Big Fish Games Release Date: 10/2009 Official Website A family with the gift of drawing items that then come to life is under attack from a king and his dark chancellor. The parents ask Franklin, the house servant, to take and protect their youngest daughter, Iris. She too has inherited her family’s gift of animation and entertains herself with the sketches to pass the time while separated from her family. That is, until the dark chancellor puts a curse on her tower and traps her. You must rescue Iris using her art as clues to find her before the king and chancellor come for her. Graphics: The graphics in this game are luxurious and rich. It’s almost like walking into an interactive graphic novel done with a touch of Tim Burton meets the Brothers Grimm style. The game

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Zuma’s Revenge! Review

Platform: PC ESRB: E Genre: Puzzle Number of Players: 1 Publisher: PopCap Games Release Date: 09/15/2009 Official Website Basic Idea as I See it: Little froggy jumps ship and floats (with the help of a comical sail) through a storm to mysterious island. Big bad Tiki Bosses threaten to squash little froggy… So little froggy blasts through levels upon levels, shooting colorful balls to fight Tiki Bosses and win happy life. Graphics: For Zuma fans, there is no comparison between the old and new Zuma graphics. It’s like the first time you put on glasses and can see – everything! Who knew it could be so crisp? For fresh Zuma eyes, prepare to be dazzled with sharp pictures, attention to detail, interesting movement (sometimes the lines of balls twist and turn on themselves – or each other), and enjoyable colors. Zuma’s Revenge artwork and graphics are stunning from the water

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Review – Cake Mania: Main Street

Platform: PC ESRB: E Number of Players: 1 Publisher: Sandlot Games Release Date: 2009 Official Website Cake Mania Main Street Basic Idea as I See it: This Cake Mania is a time management game to the fourth power. Jill and have moved back to her home town of Bakersfield to find it mostly shut down due to the opening of a mall close by. So she brings in her friends to open their own shops to help raise money to spruce up the town and attract more people. Of course, Jill opens Evans Bakery, her new husband, Jack, opens up a burger joint, Tiny opens up a sushi restaurant, and Risha opens up a flower shop. All of the shops have 25 of their own levels and a different dynamic of time management play. The goal is to make as much money as possible – half of which goes to

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Guest Review: Passport to Perfume

Platform: PC ESRB: E Genre: Time Management Number of Players: 1 Publisher: PlayFirst Release Date: 07/2009 Official Website The player takes on the role of Sophia, a young perfumer in training. The game opens in Brazil with Sophia and her father searching for rare ingredients to Marie Antoinette’s perfume. Tragically, a rock slide separates her from her father and he is presumed dead. Years later, a mysterious man brings her father’s long lost diary to her perfume shop which motivates her to renew the search for the lost ingredients to Marie Antoinette’s formula. As Sophia, the player must make and sell various perfumes to raise money to search for rare ingredients all over the world. Graphics: The graphics remind me a little of Japanese anime, with the large eyes and stylistic hair. Part of the game integrates a story board portion between trips which was a great touch. The game

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Review – Clueless, the Game

Platform: PC ESRB: E Number of Players: 1 Publisher: Legacy Interactive Release Date: Feb 23, 2009 Official Website Clueless Basic Idea as I See it: Cluless the game, like Clueless the movie, is all about achieving high fashion in different styles for different activities, trying to be beautiful and grab the attention of boys… in high school. The player’s job in this game is to help the girls put together outfits that fit specific styles that range from 90’s hip hop to red carpet ready to Rodeo Drive rodeo. There are guidelines to the types of clothes that fit into each style, and the trick is to pick the right ones while also paying attention to what their respective boyfriends like. Graphics: This game is bright and sparkly and girly. Just like Cher… the main character from the movie. Most of the characters are represented with their likeness, and with

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