Reviews

I made no pretense about how much I enjoyed the original Mystery of the Crystal Portal, both the PSP Mini and the HD version for iPad. It was a well designed hidden object game with a story that offered an ending that pretty much called for a sequel – so now we’re back following Nicole on her quest to find her father in Mystery of the Crystal Portal 2: Beyond the Horizon (which I’ll call ‘Crystal Portal 2’ henceforth)! The Hype: In the end of the first game in the series, Nicole managed to activate the Crystal Portal in her…

Whenever I think of Christmas apps I think back to what was one of the absolute worst games ever – Elf Bowling! But when G5 Entertainment offered me their new holiday themed game I was fairly certain it wouldn’t be a Christmas nightmare, so I gave it a shot. The Hype: Plunge yourself into the shining world of a winter fairy tale! Control and master the logistics of Christmas! Help magic elves deliver and load gifts to Santa’s sledge before Christmas comes. Make sure they don’t run into each other or they will drop the gifts and children won’t get…

Treasure Island is a beloved classic that has inspired many renditions on stage and screen, as well as many sequels and other add-on tales by a variety of artists in a variety of media. The reason it is such a great work to extend and revisit is that the characters are believable, likeable and work very well within their environment. Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins are wonderful characters and the tales of bravery, honor, friendship and of course piracy fuel the long-standing love for the pair. Destination: Treasure Island was originally released for the PC back in 2007 and…

While I always seem to have way too many games to play for review, I always allow myself time for replaying favorites or classics even if it means delaying completing a game review. Generally the choices make sense – my annual trek through the Star Wars ‘Kyle Katarn’ games, for example, or another play through on Gothic 2 Gold. But just after Thanksgiving I found myself with my PSP-3000 in hand, not playing any of the games on my PSP Go awaiting my attention, but instead replaying the 2007 RPG Dungeons & Dragons Tactics (D&D Tactics). Am I nuts? The…

How hard can it be running a supermarket? In the original Supermarket Mania Nikki found out that is was much harder than she thought – especially with the evil Torg and his robot minions trying to put the store she works at out of business. Yet through perseverance she succeeds and prevails! Now Nikki is back … but so is Torg! Can you help Nikki Succeed in a new location with new challenges? The Hype: Nikki and her friends are back in Supermarket Mania 2! Help her uncle Ross manage and run his chain of grocery stores on the other…

Quick – what pops into your head when you hear ‘Order of War’? Probably that it is a war game, and perhaps that it is a World War II game based on similarity to other game names. But beyond that? With Medal of Honor you got the image of individual heroics that was fitting to the scope of the game. Call of Duty implied a broader action of which you were just a part. Company of Heroes implied an even larger scope with loads of valuable individuals contributing. Order of War for me feels thin and generic. So perhaps that…