Rating

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I enjoy casual gaming, most people do.  Whether it be on your phone, pc, ipod, or even your Xbox; people play casual games all the time.  I’ll admit, I carry my tablet with me everywhere and 60% of my apps are games of all genres.  Recently, I’ve become more interested in Hidden Object games.  They are fast paced, fun and challenge your mind.  At times, they can be a bit frustrating.  So, when I was given the chance to play Vampire Saga: Welcome to Hell Lock I was very excited!  This is a fun and affordable addition you can make to your pc games library.  Although the title doesn’t seem so family friendly, it really is a game that anyone of any age can enjoy with excellent content and nothing too scary.

As I said, I was really excited to play this game.  I have not had the pleasure of playing Vampire Saga: Pandora’s Box so going in, I really didn’t know what to expect.  ”Hidden object” made me assume that’s all I’d be doing.  I did not expect an engaging storyline at all.  The game surprised me and I think that is what made it so enjoyable.  Having other tasks to complete, countless puzzles and mini-games to solve along with dozens of hidden object games, made this a worthwhile experience.  It also kept the game from getting monotonous and too repetitive.

The game starts off in a bit of confusion.  The main character has had an motorcycle accident, he wakes up not knowing where he is and of course, is experiencing memory loss.  No phone, no flashlight and lost in the woods…not a good place to be.  Once you realize you need to get going and find help, the story begins.  The game is a point-and-click adventure where you choose where to go, which paths to take however, your choices do not effect the outcome of the game.  There is still the storyline and required tasks to progress but you’re free to explore and examine as you please.  The graphics are top of the line for this 2D game and I was really pleased.  I also found that there were no glitches and everything ran smooth and quick.  I always hate when there are hang ups when traveling to different locations or having to wait minutes for screens to load.  This time, not one complaint.  There are a total of 35 different locations in-game and travel is made easy by following arrows OR if you’ve taken a picture of the location with your camera, you can travel instantly.  I thought that was really neat.

“Welcome to Hill Lock, a place no one in their right mind would want to be. But then again, you’re not in your right mind.  All you can remember are moments – speeding down twisted back roads on a motorcycle; a spectral figure soaring through the night air; a piercing pain on your neck; and darkness.

You preferred the darkness to what you now see.  An abandoned town beckons you to explore its ravaged streets. Fire that reaches up through cracks in the earth threatens your life. And signs that something unnatural is stalking you have your nerves on edge. To survive, you’ll have to search for clues, gather useful items, and solve clever puzzles. If there’s a path that leads out of hell, you’ll find it, but only if you take the first step!”

Now, even though I found the game enjoyable and fun, I was a bit disappointed with the way the story goes.  I’m telling you, it’s a complete cliffhanger…you’re really left hanging on the edge.  With so many unanswered questions, no explanation of why certain tasks were given to complete and the big question, WHY?  I expected that completion of the game would reveal all to me but, it didn’t.  I was really engaged in the story and had so many questions that were not answered.  There were vampires, ghosts, creepy dolls, bugs and a whole slew of other unpleasentries.  This brought me to believe there would be an understanding by the end and that it would all make sense.  Sadly, these mysteries are never solved.  The ghosts were never explained even though they seem play some kind of role.  We learn what caused the memory loss, but not why.  I could go on but I don’t want to ruin it for you or dissuade you from giving it a try.  I’m assuming that the main focus when the game was created was of course, the hidden object and puzzles but when theres a storyline, people want answers.  I’m not saying that the game isn’t worth your time, I think it’s great but I feel strongly that there will be another addition to the Vampire Saga.

The music and ambience sounds give the game an eerie feel, it also gives you the sense that something is not right here.  There is dialogue but not much.  Many of the story cutscenes are filtered in like shots from a comic book.  I think it was a good way of making it more fast paced without the dragging on of dialogue.  I appreciated that it moved quickly through and for those of you who aren’t interested in story or dialogue, you can skip it and move on at any time.

Overall, this game is very short compared to other pc games of a similar genre.  Being that it was so enjoyable, I wish it were longer.  Maybe if it were a bit lengthier, there could have been more to the story.  Also, there are different levels of difficulty.  “Casual” and “Expert” are your choices and I believe they are very straight forward.  Although, I recommend starting out with the “Expert” setting because the “Casual” is a bit too easy.

In my opinion, this is a game anyone can and will enjoy.  It’s available for purchase on the Vampire Saga website and is currently being offered at $6.99.  You may also download a FREE 1 hour demo of the game which is always a good idea.  I hope you’ll give it a shot!

This has been an interesting year for Casual Games. Here is a selection of gifts for the casual gamer on your list.

Facebook Credits – There has been a shift in Casual Gaming toward social gaming and just about every company has a representation of a game on Facebook. Most of these games are playable for free, but can be greatly enhanced with paid goods or services. Facebook credits are available in a variety of denominations from $10 to $50 and can be purchased at participating Target, WalMart, Gamestop, and Best Buy stores, and are available online through Target or WalMart. You can also use the store locator on Facebook.com to find the closest retailer near you and help spruce up your friend’s farm in Farmville, add some extra sparkle to your Mom’s Bejeweled Blitz, or add some blood to your boyfriend’s Vampire Wars bank account.

Bejeweled 3 - PopCap is releasing the newest incarnation of its flagship superstar on December 7th online and in retail stores for a suggested retail price of $19.95. With this latest version of quite possibly the world’s most popular match 3, it seems as though they have taken a bit of the best from every manifestation of Bejeweled, combining the smoothed out multi move classic game-play with gorgeous HD graphics, scenic backgrounds, an elaborate soundtrack, and added some new and powerful gems, secret games, mini games, and achievements. So far, there aren’t preorder options, but sign up at PopCap.com to get a reminder when the game, good for gamers of all ages, is finally available!

Nancy Drew Collectors Edition Fan Favorites - Her interactive has just released a brand new collection of their most popular Nancy Drew games as voted on by fans of the series: Treasure in a Royal Tower, The Secret of Shadow Ranch, and Curse of Blackmoor Manor. The keepsake tin features cover artwork from all three games and also includes a specially designed journal complete with original, never-before-seen game concept sketches and pages for keeping track of clues. This collection is a must have for every Nancy Drew fan on your list. This collection is available exclusively from HerInteractive.com for $49.99 and is a good choice for young adult and adult Nancy fans.

Plants vs Zombies Game of the Year Edition - I recommended this game last year, but with the new Limited Edition it’s bigger and better than before. In case this one somehow has still slipped through the cracks for your favorite gamer, it should be tops on the list! Still one of my favorites and a game that I can’t stop playing, PopCap‘s Plants vs. Zombies Game of the Year Edition offers more than just a chance for gamers of nearly all ages, to defend their brains against the onslaught of hungry zombies by harvesting the power of the sun and propagating the perfect plant platoon in the day or night, on the front lawn, the pool in the back, on the roof, and in the fog. This newly expanded version comes complete with the interactive Zombatar, in which players can make their own zombies and watch them come to life on the lawn. This game is now even more crazy hilarious fun no one should have to go without – especially during the holidays! Available online from Amazon.com.

Club Pogo Membership - For the non-Facebook online gamers on your list, you might consider gifting a membership to Pogo.com’s premium service: Club Pogo. I also recommended this idea last year and STILL believe it’s a great gift for both social and online gamers on your list – even for the most casual of casual gamers. If the badge collection, double jackpots, and virtual pet aren’t enough, access to a multitude additional games and the absence of ads and intermissions is definitely worth the $5.99 a month. Club Pogo is a great way to give gamers opportunity to find some new favorites as well as play some of the best Pogo originals and downloadables from other top companies.  This would be appropriate for older teens and adults due to the possibility of uncensored chat in some game rooms.   Available from Pogo.com.
Twisted Lands: Shadow Town - This hidden object puzzle adventure from Alawar Games takes players through a dark and creepy adventure to help a man find his missing wife after they crashed on a mysterious deserted island. Twisted Lands: Shadow Town, the first game in a new saga that will explore the emotion of fear. It’s not scary but it has a very sort of psychological horror very similar to old Lovecraft novels where something is off but you can’t put your finger on what.  Read Cherith’s review of Twisted Lands: Shadow Town on GamingAngels.  This is intended to be creepy and would only be appropriate for older teens and adults.  Available online from Alawar Games for just $6.99.

In this new game you play Sheila, the manager of a hotel with a comical assortment of spooky creatures including: witches, vampires and ghosts. As Sheila, you’ll have to make sure to keep your scary denizens happy by making sure that you’ve checked them into their rooms, delivered their bags and keep them well stocked in meals or drinks or other hotel services they might require.

The game will be available for download from http://www.alawar.com, in both PC and Mac versions ($9.95 for PC, $12.95 for Mac) on October 28th. Haunted Domains will also be available for iPhone and iPad.

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Twisted Lands: Shadow Town is a interesting cross-breed of game, involving both your skill with hidden object pages and point-and-click adventure style gaming. Much in the spirit of the Nancy Drew games by Her Interactive, Alawar Entertainment’s Twisted Lands brings you an interesting mystery to uncover with a little bit of spookiness and a lot of challenging puzzles.

The game begins, with a short introduction showing you and your female companion, Angel, out at sea on a treasure hunt. Something happens and the next thing you know, you’ve and your boat have washed up on shore and Angel is nowhere to be seen. Cue the frantic search of the beach, a mysterious cave and trying to figure out how to get further into the nearby town to continue your search. Here’s where you realize something that’s a little unconventional for the modern day adventure/puzzler type games: your character is not female. There’s a sense of urgency created around the idea that Angel whatever her relation to you: wife, girlfriend, partner-in-crime, is missing and you need to find her. Combined with the fact that every scene you come across is in some sort of creepy disarray and sometimes you run across a scene only to find something that belonged to Angel, there’s a definite feeling that things need to be done quickly.

The hidden object scenes give you a break, there’s no timer, so you can be calm and methodical in your search of a scene. While the story creates a sense of urgency, there’s no actual game mechanic that keeps you from going as fast or slow through the scenes and puzzles as you need to. Some of the trickier puzzles have a timer — not that runs out and starts the puzzle over — but one that actually lets you skip past the puzzle if you’ve spent so much time on it. But, it’s optional, and a good way to keep you moving through the game without getting stuck on a particular frustrating puzzle.

Speaking of helping you along, the game actually has a few great tricks for giving you that little boost as you go. There’s probably one of the best in-game journals to be found here – complete with pictures and a few lines about what you’ve found or how it might be related to other things you’ve come across in the game. It even keeps track of codes/clues you’ve found so you’re not constantly rooting through inventory or having to keep your own physical notes as you play. It can make things easier, if you take advantage of it, but it’s in no way necessary to play. On that same note, there’s an actual help button that when clicked will give you an indicator of where something can be found (useful when you’ve been staring at the same hidden puzzle for too long) or will give you the next direction you need to go in (great for when you think you’ve just been running in circles). The help button recharges after every use, so you’re restricted from spamming it, but there’s no limit to how many times it can be used in the game.

Also, available when you purchase the full edition on Thursday, is a complete game walkthrough — available from the game menu screen. So if neither the journal or the help button is getting you through a particularly trying section of the game, you can always go to the walkthrough. Honestly though, if you use the journal and the help button wisely, you will probably never need to use the walkthrough in order to figure out the game.

The story is creepy or at least there are creepy parts of the game, but as far as actual horror it might not be as scary as some of those older adventure games like 7th Guest and 11th Hour. However, there is a definite mysterious factor to the story, something about the places you find and the bits of the town you uncover signal that something trippy is happening. It’s not scary but it has a very sort of psychological horror very similar to old Lovecraft novels where something is off but you can’t put your finger on what.

If you get sucked into the story and the puzzles, you’ll probably only get about 4 hour or so out of the base game, more if you really take your time. However with this collector’s edition, once you finish the basic story and are appropriately creeped out, you’ll have access to a bonus chapter that will probably give you another hour and a half of game play. The bonus chapter actual feels far more urgent the the regular game, because you’re actively looking to escape from what’s chasing you. Then it’s a constant battle to figure out how to get out of there.  Really, the bonus chapter would’ve been a great addition to the base game.

If you’re a fan of the adventure puzzler, Twisted Lands should be right up your alley.  I had a lot of fun, and found myself eager to power through the game to see how the story ended.

Your small boat has capsized near a dark, deserted island. Your belongings are scattered and your wife, who was traveling with you, has mysteriously disappeared. Farther up the beach, a larger ship is beached with a gaping hole torn into its hull. And the people who were once aboard are nowhere to be found…

What secrets does this seemingly abandoned island hold? And why is your heart pounding in fear…?

The game comes out later this month for the PC with a $19.95 (US) Collector’s Edition that includes a built-in strategy guide/walkthrough and a bonus chapter that you’ll unlock after playing through the main story. This bonus chapter promises about 25% more gameplay. This edition of the game will be exclusive to Alawar Entertainment and Big Fish Games. A standard version of the game, without all the bells and whistles will be available later this fall.

How do you feel about the idea of a horror casual game (casual horror game)? And if you’re a fan of the typical casual game set, are you going to be interested to check this one out? I think it looks like it might be worth it to check out. It has a very Nancy Drew vibe to it.

Below, you can check out some screenshots from the game:

We’ve had BioShock, which was, to an extent, influenced by literature. Then, earlier this year, we got Dante’s Inferno, based directly on literature.

Today, Alawar Entertainment announced the launch of “Hamlet,” a stylish PC puzzle game with 25 levels, or, as they call it, “the last game without MMORPG features, shaders and product placement.”

Alawar’s description:

Mayhem and hilarity ensue when a scientist travels back in time and gets mixed up with characters from William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet! Guide the man from the future as he embarks on a mind-bending mission to save Hamlet’s girlfriend, Ophelia, from the clutches of the evil Claudius. Solve a variety of cunning point-and-click puzzles and advance from one sidesplitting scene to the next as you defeat bosses and overcome mental obstacles. The story will have you in stitches and the fresh challenges will captivate you from beginning to end!

Hamlet features a “try before you buy” demo that gives you an hour to play before you’re cut off. If you do choose to purchase the game, it’s only $9.95. Both the demo and the full game can be downloaded here: http://www.alawar.com/game/hamlet/

The Treasures of Montezuma 2 features:

• 120 Adventure Mode levels for massive game play value, culminating in the reconstruction of the ancient capital of the Aztecs!
• An Endless Mode where players are challenged by increasingly intense game play, seeking out riches to their hearts’ content
• Three difficulty levels to engage everyone, from beginners to master treasure hunters
• Five hidden-object bonus levels to scour for secret caches and reveal the next challenge
• Fabulous 3D shading effects as a special bonus to iPhone 3GS & iPod Touch third generation owners!

Players match three tiles to earn high scores. The higher the score, the more opportunity to unlock trophies as player rebuild Aztec ruins. “The original game was highly regarded by casual gamers all over the world and I’m extremely happy to announce the release of its sequel,” said Kirill Plotnikov, Alawar’s vice president of publishing. “With even more robust game play and all-new game modes, this second installment is sure to please fans and newcomers alike.”

The Treasures of Montezuma 2 is currently available on the Apps Store for the iPhone/ iPod Touch.

Gourmania features:

• Eight exciting restaurants locations- Start small at a provincial cafe, step up to saving a sushi bar and serving up specialty pies at the Pizza Parlor and then cap it all off with your entry into the Top Chef Competition to prove your culinary skills!
• 60 levels featuring numerous upgrades and hidden bonuses- Test your gastronomic genius in ever-increasing challenges that take you across town to purchase new kitchen appliances, research new recipes, exploit multitasking shortcuts and seek out secret items to buy extra time as you prepare your signature dishes for demanding customers.
• Pleasing graphics and intuitive game play- Building on the already lush and colorful graphics of the original version of the game, Gourmania adds the sensational pleasure of the iPhone’s multi-touch capabilities. To select an object, just tap it with the tip of your finger, then slice and dice to your heart’s content!

Gourmania is rated 4+ and is currently available for $.99 from the Apps Store.