If you read this site, you know that I review a lot of downloadable casual video games. I get the majority of the game trials from Big Fish Games. All of the games are categorized by type so if, for example, you only like Match 3 games, it's easy to find a slew of that particular type. Since each trial is 60 minutes long, make sure to say goodbye to your weekends before you start downloading!
Game review: Hidden Relics
Hidden Relics is another hidden object game at Big Fish Games. This one is slightly different though. You are flying around the world to find antiques that have been stolen. Besides the regular hidden objects in each picture, there could be special hidden objects which require special equipment to find. There were a lot of things I liked about this game. I liked being able to choose which city you could fly to and I enjoyed the regular hidden object game. However, I did not like having to complete puzzles in order to obtain the special equipment in order to find the special hidden objects. The puzzles weren't particularly difficult, they were just tedious and you had to complete the puzzles multiple times to get all of the equipment.
Overall, the game was pretty fun. This is another one that I'd recommend you try but I don't think it would be worth buying.
Game review: Trivial Pursuit - Bring On The 90s Edition
Doesn't everyone love a good game of Trivial Pursuit? I don't get to play the board game very often so I was really excited when I saw Trivial Pursuit - Bring on the 90s Edition on Big Fish Games. The game plays like any typical Trivial Pursuit game. In the one player edition, you play against a teddy bear. I chose to play the Intermediate level but it was still really easy. I managed to win two full games before the 60-minute trial finished. While the game was enjoyable, it was pretty boring by the second game. Every move has an animation that you are unable to turn off or skip past. The teddy bear throws a little tantrum every time you get a question correct or he gets one wrong. These aren't really enough to make you want to quit mid-game but you definitely get your fill of them by the end of the first game. At least the questions in this version are good. They are perfect for those of us that were too young in the 80s to full enjoy that edition of the game.
Give the game a try. That first round is always entertaining. Just don't expect this to be a game you'll play over and over again.
Game Review: Build-a-lot
Last night, I decided to break out of my video game rut. I've been playing way too many time management and hidden object games. So I downloaded Build-a-lot from Big Fish Games. The description reads: Become a real estate mogul and take over the housing market as you construct, upgrade and sell houses for huge profits! You can flip houses for quick cash or sit back and watch the rental income pile up. Travel to scenic towns and perform special tasks for the local mayors. Buy blue prints of new buildings to build bigger and better neighborhoods! Can you build an ice rink for the Olympics? A new cinema for the local movie star? Find out in the new strategy game, Build-a-lot!
I usually suck at strategy games but what the heck. It won't kill me to play an hour demo. The game actually turned out to be quite fun! I played through the first three towns. Well, I shouldn't really count the first town since that is the tutorial. In each town, you are given a list of goals to accomplish. They vary from things like 'Build 3 Colonial Houses' to 'Build A Library' to 'Hire 5 Workers.' While each of these sounds like really easy goals, you quickly find that you have to do some financial juggling in order to accomplish them. You start out with three workers, one housing blueprint and you need to purchase materials. To accomplish the 'Build A Library' goal, you need to juggle your finances enough to buy the library blueprint, hire two more workers and purchase 1500 units of building materials. In order to get the finances going, you need to build enough houses to generate enough rental income to buy everything you need. And, of course, there is a timer. If you accomplish all your goals fast enough, you get a blue ribbon for that section.
I know that I haven't really made the game sound as fun as it is. It plays a lot like a time management game but it's more than that. I found it to be a really enjoyable game and I just might purchase the full version so I can play some more.
Dream Day Honeymoon
I enjoy playing hidden object games. Tonight I gave Dream Day Honeymoon from Big Fish Games a try. This is a sequel to Dream Day Wedding. In the wedding version, you are helping Jenny get ready for her big day. The game mixes the traditional hidden object "find these things in this picture" game with a little bit of Memory and a little bit of Choose Your Own Adventure. The honeymoon version of the game is basically the exact same game, only you are helping Jenny with her honeymoon instead of her wedding. It's still a fun game and I really enjoyed it. The Memory and Choose Your Own Adventure mini-games change the game up a little bit. I've found that a lot of hidden object games tend to get boring after the first few levels. The scenes don't change a whole lot, just the list changes. So after the first few levels, it gets easier to find things instead of harder. Dream Day keeps you on your toes by tossing the mini-games in every couple of levels.
If you enjoy hidden object games, I think you'd really enjoy both Dream Day Wedding and Dream Day Honeymoon.