Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir

Developer: Big Fish Games
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: Sept. 8, 2008
System: Nintendo DS
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web site

In a nutshell: I'm still looking for what's supposed to make this game interesting.
0:00 I feel like Nintendo has been sending me press releases about this game for years now. I'm expecting something along the lines of Professor Layton, maybe with some Phoenix Wright mixed in.

0:01 "To seek and solve: You be the detective," reads the intro screen. Some mysterious music plays amidst a title screen crowded with junk.

0:02 I like the old-style typewriter used for name entry. Rookie or Detective difficulties: The latter is timed and has fewer hints. I'm feeling cocky ... let's go for Detective!

0:03 "Prelude: It's good to be Phil T. Rich." OH, THE PUNS! One year ago ... "Welcome, Detective. I'm Phil T. Rich. Thank you for helping me with this trifling matter." He looks like Richie Rich all grown up. Complete with monocle!

0:04 Phil lost some priceless items that he needs to get back to the Louvre. Good lord! You'd think the Louvre would be a little more discriminating!

0:05 So I can scroll around a very detailed, very cluttered scene with the d-pad. I'm looking amidst the clutter for a detective badge. Why the Louvre needs that, I'm not sure. I hope the whole game isn't just this hunt and find stuff...

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer

Travelogue 360: Rome - The Curse of the Necklace

Developer: Big Fish Games
Publisher: Big Fish Games
Release Date: June 20, 2007
System: PC
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Look at pictures of Rome while solving a mystery.

0:01 The game offers a choice between timed and untimed modes. A nice touch for a casual game.
0:06 So far the game seems to be a massive search and find in a 3D panorama. Thrilling.
0:08 Apparently no one minds that you come to these sacred places and just pick up things that look interesting.
0:09 I'm glad the game tells you when one of the items you're searching for is on-screen. Without this hint, it would be nearly impossible.
0:12 These are supposed to be real photos of Rome. If so, Rome is the messiest place I've ever seen. There's random stuff lying everywhere!
0:15 I get a time penalty because I clicked slightly to the left of a pencil instead of right on it. Lame!
0:17 I'm suddenly thrown into a "spot the difference" minigame without any explanation. I get all six in just over a minute.
0:23 These panoramic pictures are beautiful... except for all the junk lying around.
0:26 I find a cheese grater on the ceiling. What the hell?
0:30 A jigsaw puzzle minigame is a nice change of pace, but I wish they at least tried to tie these in with the main storye somehow.
0:33 I'm actually getting quicker at finding the random items they ask for. This fact scares me.
0:37 Through much trial and error, I now know what a sewing basket looks like.
0:39 The "mystery" leaves a lot to be desired so far. You obtain clues, read them and then ... do the same thing you would do otherwise.It's not exactly Carmen Sandiego.
0:40 A matching mini-game called "Scopa" has potential, but is way too easy.
0:42 That slice of cake looks nothing like a slice of cake. Also, what's a slice of cake doing on the floor of a Roman basilica?
0:43 The music is quite nice and the general mood is quite relaxing, even with the time limit. I could see getting into this if I wasn't bored out of my skull.
0:46 I spend two minutes tracking down a pair of spectacles. My day has reached a new low.
0:50 A word find. More thrilling.
0:52 I somehow grab a seagull from midair fifty feet above me. Picturing this in my head is more exciting than this game.
0:58 I question the meaning of my existing after spending three minutes searching for a tiny man's profile.
0:59 The clues are building to a search for a youth-granting necklace that drives apart two young lovers. Cliche and badly written.

Would I play this game for more than an hour? No
Why? I'm not an old woman. If I were, though...

This review is based on a full version of the game provided by the publisher.