Love & Death: Bitten

Developer: PlayFirst

Publisher: PlayFirst

Release Date: April 13, 2010

System: PC

ESRB Rating: N/A

Official Web site

In a nutshell: I'm hunting for a reason to keep playing this game.

0:00 This game's publisher actually recommended it to me via tweet just yesterday. The web site's suggestion that I "experience the epic romance" made it somewhat of a no brainer for a trial play.

0:01 The title screen features a hungry looking vampire with a reclining redhead laying on his lap, her neck deliciously exposed

0:02 An old crone stands over a bubbling green cauldron. "Beyond a cursed forest lies a crumbling castle. Inside a witch keeps her vampire, Damon, under her spell." Apparently her spell involves lying with him in some tangled sheets. "Damon, my love, go to the village and fetch us something to eat..." "As you wish, Celeste... forever as you wish" He doesn't seem too happy about being a witch's slave. The crone tells us his salvation lies just out of his reach. "But the fates tell me of a mortal girl who may yet... who may... oh my." Aww... she's a bashful old crone.

0:04 "Chapter 1: The Search. Damon arrives in town in search of a meal." In a spare wooden shack, with meat hanging from the walls. My first goal is to close the shutters and shut out the torch-wielding people outside. "Don't let it escape back into the forest!" they cry. Two clicks and the shutters are closed. "The fates are impressed" rather easily, apparently.

***-->CONTINUE READING AT<--***

***-->JOYSTICK DIVISION<--***

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CSI: NY The Game

Developer: Legacy Interactive
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: Nov. 18, 2008
System: PC
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Like a TV show with a bunch of simple puzzles during the commercials.

0:00 I've never actually watched any CSI show or even contemplated there being a game version of the same. I do like Law & Order, though, and Ubisoft was willing to send me a copy, so I'm willing to play it for an hour.

0:05 If I take off time for PS3 installs, it's only fair that I do the same for PC games. Plus this one required me to install a new version of DirectX and restart my computer, which is always annoying.

0:06 "GARY SINISE as Mac Taylor." A bunch of other people as ... other people. Lots of guns, a freaky looking skeleton, large fingerprints, a slow-mo flying bullet and the "CSI: NY" logo in front of a skyscraper. I like the cel animation, but where's the music by The Who?

0:07 The game asks me to enter my name, but I can't type a space. I guess they just want a first name?

0:08 "TIP: Select Episode 1 to begin your investigation as Mac Taylor." Oh, dear lord ... if this is the level of help they think players need, I'm in for a dull experience.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer

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.