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DinerTown Detective Agency

Posted by Ruff on June 28th, 2009

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Who says that the citizens of DinerTown can only star in time management games? Well, I may have mentioned that before, but for this game, PlayFirst proved me dead wrong in my assumptions. DinerTown Detective Agency is a hidden object twist for the popular people of DinerTown. And as PlayFirst expands their characters’ potential in exploring another genre, it’s also a welcoming break for me too since I seem to be reviewing too many time management games lately.

The game stars Bernie the Bookworm. As the name implies, Bernie loves to read and him owning a magazine newsstand is evidence of that quality. However, Bernie has another dream of becoming a private investigator and chance came upon him through a magazine ad selling him his very own handy P.I. kit to start his newfound career. With Flo helping him, the duo scours through the whole of DinerTown trying to find wacky and quirky mysteries needing the help of the town’s first detective.

As a hidden object game, DinerTown Detective Agency has 2 types of mechanics spread throughout its 25 levels. First is traditional hidden object wherein you have listed objects as clues and all you have to do is to find them all to move on, and the second one needs you to collect broken parts of items and use the repaired items to interact with the actual scene. Some clues are important for Bernie’s detective work, indicated by flashing lights and sometimes, Bernie’s head popping out at the bottom of the screen telling you what clue that particular object showed him.

Each scene lets you collect one P.I. badge that either grants you bonus time or points depending if you’re playing timed or relaxed mode respectively. Actual detective work also happens in the scenes, letting you dust for fingerprints, scour the scenes for minute clues or use the dropper to collect samples depending on the particular tool available for you. You may also get to play arranging mini-games and move from room to room on some scenes.

Hidden object is only the first part of the DinerTown Detective Agency gameplay though. The second part makes use of Bernie’s cognitive abilities in trying to narrow down the suspects to three primary ones. In this phase, you get to play an IQ game, a jigsaw puzzle or some fingerprint matching to cross out those who have alibis to pass trial. Afterwards, you’re off to the last part of your sleuthing activities.

The last part makes use of deductive reasoning in order to pinpoint the actual suspect of the crime scene. By use of a checklist, you get to ask the friends of each suspect on some points they wish to share that may be used as a clue to prove them guilty or innocent of the crime. This part is quite easy since you can even deduce who’s guilty even just using half of the invited friends. Just make sure that you read the conditions carefully, or else, you lose detective points if you keep on failing.

After you reach 4 to 5 levels in DinerTown Detective Agency, you’re going to get ranked depending on how well you played. In order to get the highest score possible, try not to use hints, play well and fast, and don’t make mistakes during the second and third parts of the level. Honestly, I didn’t care much about this feature but for those not like me, I guess it adds a little replay factor to the game.

Overall, the game is presented nicely in familiar DinerTown art and fashion. I loved how all the famous Dash game stars are included in the game as either innocent or guilty on such wacky crimes. Mini-games are very engaging and enjoyable to play, and I didn’t even notice time fly so fast during my supposed-to-be trial run of the game. In summary, it’s such a fun trip through DinerTown unlike you’ve ever seen it before.

DinerTown Detective Agency Download

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Jessica’s Cupcake Café

Posted by Ruff on June 14th, 2009

(7 votes, average: 4.86 out of 5)

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When there are already too many cafés being made into casual time management games, it’s now time to go into specifics on what kind of a café is to be depicted next. Jessica’s Cupcake Café is just what the name suggests. It’s a time management game with a cupcake café in mind, and since I don’t know whether actual real life cupcake cafés are in boom or anything but let’s just see if this one lives up to being a great casual game.

Since her name is on the game, our heroine would be girl named Jessica after she just got back home for a relaxing break from the hustles of city life. Chance came too when she met her Aunt who shares her story of closing down their boring bakeries for something more hip and fun. Jessica suggested selling cupcakes, and with little more convincing the Cupcake Café is now born.

As far as time management game mechanics go, Jessica’s Cupcake Café still introduced a new twist during the first few seconds of gameplay. Instead of the usual immediate grind after pressing the start button, each level will give you a few seconds to prepare initial cupcakes for all your starving customers. Try to make as more as possible so that when the customers come rolling in, you’ll have enough cupcakes to keep their patience at bay.

Preparing cupcakes is simple since you’re provided with such smart push-button machines to help you do an easy job. Prepare batter, frosting and decorations simultaneously then bake the batter once available. Put the right ingredients together and put the cupcakes on the appropriate display case. Each run makes you 12 cupcakes and each display case holds 48. Try not to go over these numbers or make recipe mistakes; else it’s in the recycling bin where waste cupcakes go.

To earn more money and hopefully reach Expert Score in Jessica’s Cupcake Café, you also have a variety of options and tactics you can implement. Of course, there’s the combo service bonus wherein you earn more money for each service you make in succession. You can also design your own cupcakes before each level starts, earning you more tips for the effort. And lastly, you can also earn and use power-ups when available after serving customers that hold them.

Aside from Expert Score achievements, you also have a chance to earn medals by reaching milestones set by the game. We’ve seen features like these on other casual games but it still adds a little bit of challenge and replay factor for this game too. A chance to play a mini-game after finishing each stage adds a bit of fun while you sell excess cupcakes at the fair and earn a little bit more money.

The greatest bonuses that I know Jessica’s Cupcake Café is very much proud of are the free recipes you can get whenever you take part in playing another level. Recipes are unlocked as you go along the game complete with exact ingredient measurements and procedures on how to prepare each cupcake. As a matter of fact, you can even save each recipe on a text file and print for your own convenience and use to delight your own family and friends.

The downside to the game though is its lack of visual flare in design. Not that the game is bad to look at or anything, but I guess with all the time management games I’ve played in the past, it’s just that I’ve seen better designed games. I guess that’s a matter of personal preference, but in the case of upgrades you get to buy before each level starts, the game could use more options other than the usual tools and trinkets available during the upgrade mode.

Overall though, Jessica’s Cupcake Café is a must buy game. Why? Well, even with just the bonus recipes included, you already get your money’s worth of fun and enjoyment. Treat yourself with the game and treat your family and friends with a perfectly made cupcake. Sounds a ton of fun, right?

Jessica’s Cupcake Café Download

Slide Colors

Posted by Ruff on June 8th, 2009

(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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Taykron Games contacted me a while back to review their “unique” casual game Slide Colors, and then showed me a YouTube link so that I can have a first glance look at the gameplay. Honestly, I expected nothing “unique” about the game after watching the video but still thought about having a hands-on try at the game just to clear my opinions. And just like a child’s brand new toy, it surprised me to learn that there’s more to this game than meets the eye.

There are 3 modes of play for this game named as Puzzle Mode, Time Attack and Clear Blocks. The objective for all 3 modes is simple: try to finish each level within a set time limit by moving the game board’s row and columns to either match or move colored blocks. What’s different though are the mechanics, and if you think that each mode plays just like your usual match-3 game, then you’re already dead wrong in assumption.

Puzzle Mode in Slide Colors is really a whole new puzzle game not seen on most match-3. The mechanics is to place each color block within its respective color cell. The mode plays really easy at first but also gets pretty challenging as you move along levels. More block colors and more challenging cell positions involve better thinking and planning to execute, thus making this mode the most brain-exhaustive mode of the three in my opinion.

Time Attack is more like your usual match-3 game wherein you match 3 or more blocks in order to clear them from the board. You need to fulfill set matches within the time limit to move on to the next level. To add more challenge, X marked locations indicate that you can’t move rows or columns having that mark. Later levels introduce more X marked locations and more block colors to keep you on your toes in matching them up.

Last mode in Slide Colors is the Clear Blocks which plays just like Time Attack but this time, you also have metallic cells to consider. Metallic cells can be cleared by matching blocks on them. Obviously, later levels will have more X marked locations and more block colors, but aside from this, you’ll also encounter trapped metallic cells surrounded by X marked ones. The only way around these cells is to use power-ups in order to clear them from the board.

Power-ups appear during Time Attack and Clear Blocks, and are quite lacking really since there are only two of them. One is the cross which clears up all blocks on both its specific row and column. The other is a bomb-like thing which clears a random number of blocks from the board when activated. Try to match 5 or more blocks at once to make power-ups appear.

One negative thing about Slide Colors is how during Time Attack and Clear Blocks mode, some matches you aim to form won’t materialize due to some unknown reason. This seldom happens, probably just a bug, but can be real weird when you’re already pressing for time. Also (well, not really a negative thing), expect the game to only have plain graphics and design, but I guess the funky sounds make up for all that plainness.

Overall though, I find the game really addictive and fun. Playing the game reminds us that with a widely used genre like match-3, there’s still plenty of improvement and tweaks you can make to develop a highly creative game. Surely, the game is worth the try even just because of the Puzzle Mode (not that the other 2 modes aren’t worth a look too). The game is challenging and unique and converts to hours and hours of gameplay with each level.

Slide Colors Download

Wedding Dash: Ready, Aim, Love!

Posted by Ruff on June 6th, 2009

(6 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5)

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Love is in the air again and again as the next sequel to Playfirst’s Wedding Dash got released early last week. Wedding Dash: Ready, Aim, Love features the original time management gameplay of Wedding Dash with a whole new Cupid mini-game in-line with a fun new storyline as well. Helping Quinn had never been this fun too as each leg of your journey puts you a step further into making her realize her own wedding dreams.

There are 2 character predicaments presented in the game’s story. The first is Cupid’s problem after he failed to meet his monthly quota of successful love matches and the second is Quinn’s after she booked a resort for her own wedding, even though Joe hasn’t proposed to her yet. The two characters can help each other since with her wedding expertise, Quinn can help Cupid meet his quota and Cupid can help as well in making Joe propose to Quinn. And of course, it won’t be a walk in the park since the difficulty of handling perfect wedding receptions will make itself known soon.

Frankly, don’t expect much from the gameplay mechanics of Wedding Dash: Ready, Aim, Love since when you’ve already played a time management “Dash” game, it seems that you’ve already played them all. The same idea of seating guests at the perfect table presented in previous Wedding Dash games is still very important just as serving them promptly and effectively. As a bonus, you now have Flo of Diner Dash doing most of the running work, so expect this to be a very fast-paced game, a signature feature whenever this character is present.

Of course, Quinn helps too in averting predicaments that constantly happen during the wedding receptions. Some examples of these would be stopping Cupid from ruining the wedding gifts and finding lost puppies for old ladies that cannot seem to handle them well. This is all part of the proven and effective Wedding Dash challenge that keeps player clicking fingers as busy as ever.

Love tokens play an important role in Wedding Dash: Ready, Aim, Love since you will need them to buy upgrades for the upcoming wedding receptions for each stage. In order to earn love tokens, you need to do well during the planning part of each level. Basically, buying cheap and appropriate items requested by the newlyweds lands you the most love tokens. Aside from this, you can also try to play for Expert score or do well during the Cupid mini-games for more bonus tokens.

Like I said earlier, aside from the storyline, the game also features a whole new Cupid mini-game giving limelight to the 3rd character of the story. In this mini-game, you try to help Cupid aim for the perfect couple to match. Use the lower left targets as reference, find them from the number of face clouds and plan enough power and trajectory to hit them with a cupid arrow.

If you’re aching for more challenge than what’s presented in the actual game, you can always opt in to play Endless Reception available from the main menu. And since Wedding Dash: Ready, Aim, Love also features a fun storyline starring Quinn and her own wedding plan woes, the game lets you review its exciting development through the Comics section seen also in the main menu.

All in all, even with the game’s traditional gameplay, it still provides certain enjoyment and challenge for all time management game fans. As a matter of fact, starting from the Barn stage, which is only the 2nd stage of the game, you’ll already feel so much pressure coming from the seemingly endless stream of wedding visitors aching for your constant attention. Still, the knowledge of the vast variety in visitor types will greatly help you achieve Expert score if you plan Flo’s and Quinn’s actions well.

Definitely, the game is a must for those who love the Wedding Dash series and of course, those who love time management games in general. With it’s fun animation and storyline as well as its challenging gameplay, Wedding Dash: Ready, Aim, Love will be a great addition to any casual gamer’s time management library.

Wedding Dash: Ready, Aim, Love Download

Huru Beach Party

Posted by Ruff on May 30th, 2009

(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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“Who are you? Who am I?” This has been the coined phrase of the popular children’s toy of late, Huru Humi. So popular that today, we get to review a casual game revolving around the character designs of these toys. Huru Beach Party is a time management game featuring a Huru Humi girl named Lindsey and her part time work in the beach.

Lindsey plays good volleyball but her best friend Chloe is her only fan. Blame it all on the absence of a proper volleyball team in Huruville High that the volleyball team can’t even compete in the championships. Another hindrance to the progress of the sport is Jake, the sports committee head, using all of the committee’s money on the football team. So now, Lindsey starts to work for Chloe’s father at the beach, as she tries to earn money into starting their very own volleyball club.

Each level of Huru Beach Party gives you a goal you need to fulfill before the level ends. After the level ends, you’ll earn stars used to buy upgrades for the beach. There’s really no time limit set on each level, but if you aim to earn more stars than possible, then you can either aim for Master time or Expert time if you yearn for more challenge.

The game follows a typical time management gameplay wherein you have to serve customers, profit from their requests and clean up after they leave all before they get impatient and you lose potential profit. Money earned will let you restock supplies, hire additional help and buy or upgrade shops to hold more products. Money is not to be confused with stars though. To put it simply, money is used during the actual time management game and stars are used during the map mode to make other upgrades available for use.

A fun feature of Huru Beach Party is how you get to play mini-game pop-ups whenever you try to serve your bustling customers. Serving juice, ice cream and the photo service are some examples of shops that toggle mini-game pop-ups. Try to serve more or serve their exact requests to earn more money. Other than this, you can also try to serve in combos of 2 or more, or pamper your customer with the beach umbrella for bonus points.

This gameplay routine makes Huru Beach Party more challenging than the typical time management game; however, it can also be pretty frustrating to play through the same mini-game over and over again as you serve more customers. Good thing that Lindsey works in the background even when you’re playing these pop-ups, so try to take advantage of the game’s wonderful queuing mechanics in order to serve more customers in the least amount of time possible.

Other bonuses include other mini-games you play between level transitions. While most of them are not unique, the purpose of these games is to unlock other upgrades you can buy with stars whenever available. The game also has a trophy system that tracks your progress and achievements as you play. This system adds a replay factor to the game, since some trophies can only be won faster if you backtrack on levels not finished within challenge time.

Huru Beach Party is very challenging that you’ll begin to feel the pressure even during the first few levels of the game. Good click management is a must that you might even find the Expert time impossible to achieve on later levels. Owe it to the game’s addictiveness that I didn’t mind it much as I played.

Overall, the game has tons of upgrades, great challenge and a fun theme. It’s definitely worth the try unless of course you hate the weird character designs of Huru Humi.

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