Big Fish Christmas Stories: Games Review December 18, 2014

Hello dear ones! Got some time on your hands this Christmas? Check out these fun Christmas games from Big Fish. Here’s a review for the Christmas Stories series: Nutcracker, Tin Soldier, & A Christmas Carol.

By the way, I’m not getting paid for this (I wish I was…hint hint Big Fish lol). Seriously, I love puzzle/adventure games. These are the best I’ve played in awhile. I just want to share with you.

First off, there is an order to these games that I didn’t realize but thankfully I just so happened to play them in that order. The Nutcracker comes before the Tin Soldier. A Christmas Carol can be played at anytime but there are references to it in the Tin Soldier. So it must’ve come out before.

The graphics are gorgeous and the story lines fun. I would let my 8 year old play these for sure…if I wasn’t so stingy with my computer lol.

A Christmas Carol~ I played this game first. It has an interesting twist. You play Scrooge’s nephew. You come to visit and help him because he’s plagued with nightmares. It turns out the evil side of Scrooge and his devil helpers have ruined Scrooge’s life. You team up with the three ghosts of Christmas and angel Scrooge to change Scrooge’s past, present, and future. I love how Scrooge’s life can be changed. It’s such a neat retelling of the story. There are plenty of puzzles and objects to interact with. You get to see several beautiful Christmasy scenes. The background music will keep you in the Christmas spirit too.

http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/25375/christmas-stories-a-christmas-carol-ce/index.html

Nutcracker~ You’re late for the Christmas ball but you make it in time to help the Nutcracker save his princess from the evil Rat King. The game delves into the Rat King’s backstory. I love how they tie other tales into this one. They make it so believable. The music is also a treat. Once again they deliver when it comes to graphics.

http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/20319/christmas-stories-nutcracker-ce/index.html

Tin Soldier~ Team up with the Tin Soldier and the Nutcracker to save the Tin Soldier’s beloved from an evil baron who has turned them all into toys. This story ties in to the Nutcracker. Meet Hans Christian Anderson and learn what it’s like to be toy sized! That was my favorite part….shrinking. Great music and graphics. Fun hidden object puzzle games and lots to interact with.

http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/27949/christmas-stories-3-andersens-tin-soldier-ce/index.html

I can’t tell you which was my favorite. I enjoyed all three tremendously. I usually play Nancy Drew games on PC which take several days. It took me a few hours each for these games. I like that they weren’t too time consuming. I could play one after another on a lazy day. They’re addictive like candy!

By the way, I had a membership with Big Fish so I was able to get all these games with credits that had built up. If you play a lot of games it’s better to get a membership because you save bunches. I just cancelled my membership because I may go months without playing a game. I binge play. I’m not very consistent.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the review. If you get a chance to play, please leave me a comment and tell me what you think of the games. And if you have any holiday game suggestions I’d love to hear that too!
God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Media Saturday: “That’s When I Talk to God” & “The Deadly Device” February 2, 2013

Hello beloved! I hope you’re  weekend is beautiful :). I have two  things to review today. First,  a book called “That’s When I Talk to God”  and the newest Nancy  Drew PC game  “The Deadly Device “. Remember email subscribers to go to my actual blog to see the videos.

#1 That’s When I  Talk to God

I  loved this book about a mother teaching  her daughter to pray. The Mommy  tells the little girl that she  can talk to God anytime not just bedtime  and mealtime. The little  girl discovers all the ways she can talk to  God and all the places/circumstances.  I really think the book helped  Michael because the night after  we read it he prayed and told God that  he hoped God had a good  day. Made my heart leap :).  Here is a great  trailer:

#2  The Deadly Device

I  enjoyed this  Nancy Drew game more than I thought I would. It was  actually neat  to learn about Tesla and electricity.  There were some  really  hard puzzles. There’s even Binary code in this game. Chris had to  help me. I’m so glad he’s a computer dude. Go hubby!  This game  was not  easy and I had to go to the forums at Her Interactive  for help. The  game wasn’t really scary like most of the ND games.  I don’t recommend it  for kids younger than middle school because  it IS a murder mystery. But  there is no cursing and nothing remotely  sexual. Kids and adults alike  will learn some science. If your  kids are learning about electricity  then this may be something  fun to add to their curriculum. I love that  Nancy Drew games teach  while you play. These games are great brain food.

Here’s  the trailer:

God bless & remember  the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Weekend Special: An Avatar Winter (SecondLife & Sims 3) December 9, 2012

Hey gang, this will be a quick post. I mean’t to do this last night but it didn’t happen. It’s a combo of Virtual Friday and Media Saturday. I don’t have a media review today but maybe by next week. I do however have a picture of winter in the new Sims 3 Seasons expansion pack. I’ll get into that more next Saturday ;).

Winter is my favorite time in the virtual world of SecondLife. I first stumbled upon this unique place several years ago at this time. I was sick for a week and wasn’t able to clog at a Christmas event (I used to dance). I was bored and didn’t have the Sims so I searched for something similar and free. I found SecondLife which is very different from the Sims games because you meet real people and the virtual places are always there. It’s like going to a “real” world because anybody can visit at anytime. You run into strangers and that’s just neat.  I’ve met interesting folks and have been in unique groups in SL. Mainly, I love the scenery and music. Most sims (not the game, rather areas in SL) play Christmas music all December and sometimes you can catch live music at a nifty Jazz club.

So first……here are some great Winter pics from Second Life.

At home: you can see the neighbors lights thru the window.

My neighbors are really festive. I like the tea cup house.

Neighbor’s gingerbread house

You can see my tree inside my house thru the door.

Frosty Night was a beautiful place for pictures.

You can visit it here:

Visit Leroy (131, 158, 3)

By the way, this Wednesday at 2 pm SL time the Rose Theatre will show “The Nut”, a rendition of the Nutcracker by Ballet Pixel. I have always wanted to see the virtual ballerinas but haven’t…so maybe I can catch them. SL time is behind me. So if you go by Eastern Standard time it will actually be 5pm.

I took a few pictures of the Rose Theatre with my new avatar. Also, I was able to upload the new SL viewer so I have better graphics. I really like the look. The Rose Theatre is such a lovely place. I did a post on it months back.

Here is a link to the post I did on the Rose Theatre. The link to visit is at the end of that post.

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/02/25/the-rose-theatre-in-secondlife-a-late-virtual-friday/

Lastly, Sims 3 finally got a Seasons expansion pack.  More on that next week. For now, enjoy some of the winter pictures with my sims. Btw, Sims is a game where you create sim people and you basically control their lives. It’s great for making up stories. You can even make videos. You have full control over the whole sim family you make and also their house and the world they live in. You can use mods to customize most anything in the world. It is NOT a virtual world like Second Life. In Second Life you can only control one avatar and you can visit places other people have created. Sims 3 is just a game not a social network. I enjoy creating stories and building/ decorating houses. Now that we have seasons my sim family finally has snow. Sometimes I like to make fairy tale sims….other times art imitates life & I have replicas of my real life family.

Below me and my hubby are fairies. Yeah, in real life Chris would kill me if I tried to put wings on him. We are also teens…yeah…moving on. I’m really excited that Sims 3 now has slow dancing. It makes romantic stories better. My sims are all dressed up for the gift giving party that happens during winter.

Here’s my “sister” enjoying a hot chocolate. The expansion pack has several new holiday food and drink choices. She’s at the festival grounds and the concessions are behind her.

The snow is just awesome. It’s cool because when it came time for “spring” the snow slowly melted. There are alot of fun things to do with the snow in Sims 3…like snow angels and igloos. I’ll try to get some good pics…maybe a video. Below Kristoph (my Chris sim) is snow boarding. They’re in a Western town that I found on the exchange. It’s great because there are no roads in that world so everyone has to walk or ride horses (if you have the Pets expansion).

Link to Western Town:

http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=5592310

I also used the “traveler” mod by NRAAS so I can travel between worlds with the same family. Best mod ever and so far no issues.

http://nraas.wikispaces.com/Traveler

I do not recommend the Sims for children. Sims can be very good or it can be bad. You pretty much set the morals for your characters and that fact is why Michael isn’t allowed to play. It’s like playing dolls except more graphic. There are also supernatural aspects with the game. Sims can die and when they do the grim reaper shows up. There’s a cemetery and everything. There are mods that push the game even farther. I have a mod where my sim kids can homeschool or the mom can be a home maker. Other mods though can be bad. I saw one that adds weapons to the game. Yeah, I won’t be adding that. I feel bad enough when my sims catch the house on fire while cooking. I’m glad they have fire extinguishers and fire men lol. Usually my sims die of old age!

Note: mods aren’t made by EA and some can really mess up your game or contain viruses. I only use mods that come from reputable sites like modthesims or nraas. Anywho, in my opinion it’s an adult game.  On a positive note it’s great for creative folk like me. You can flesh out your book characters…make movies. Most people make music videos. It’s like you have control over your own little actors.

Kissing in the Rain pic (yes, they have rain now too!)

Well, so much for this not being a review. Maybe I’ll just show you pics next week or attempt to make my own machinima. It would be awesome to do a Sim nativity….hmmmm.

I hope you enjoyed the pics and info :). If you’re not the gaming sort I hope you can appreciate the photography (I’m lookin’ at you mom).

God bless & remember the High King lives!~Amber Dover

Media Saturday: Imagine You As Nancy Drew! May 5, 2012

Hello dear ones and welcome to this Media Saturday. I’ve been eating a lot of burgers and taking my iron supplement. They say it’ll take several months to see any results but so far I guess my anemia is under control. Maybe I’ll be super energetic by the fall ;)….here’s to hopin’and prayin’! I’m hangin’ in here and I’ve got a fun review today. My close friends all know that I LOVE Nancy Drew. I love the books, the 70’s tv show, and the super kewl computer games. I even dressed up as the famous girl detective for last year’s fall festival. (Pic below)

Today I’ll be reviewing the Nancy Drew computer games by Herinteractive. I have played every single game except the newest one and there are 26 games (27 if you include one that was remastered). The Nancy Drew games are interactive computer games where you get to be Nancy Drew and solve mysteries all over the world. You literally see everything from Nancy’s view. They never show her face because every fan has their own view of Nancy and seeing her face would ruin it. Throughout the years Nancy has changed her look  (blonde-brunette, 40’s dress- 70’s etc). One thing is for certain….Nancy Drew has become a heroic figure for many young girls…and *cough* older girls too.

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

Each mystery takes you somewhere new and you learn a little bit about history and culture. You also learn how to crack codes and difficult puzzles. Thankfully Herinteractive has a forum where you can pick up hints and clues. There are two levels of sleuth: junior and senior detective. Junior level gives you hints throughout the game but you’re pretty much on your own with Senior. I have been playing Nancy Drew games since before my son was born…..back in 2004. My first game was “Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake” and then I was smitten. I’ve been a true blue fan since.

The games are based around mysteries and may involve theft, murder, or a bit of hoodoo.  But in the end the “ghosts” or weird happenings always turn out to be crooks and are easily explained. The ESRB rates the games “E” for everyone. I would definitely say these are for middle school and up.  It’s hard to pinpoint my favorite game. I’ve enjoyed them all very much. It usually takes me between 4 to 10 hours to complete a game. I get on a mission and I have a hard time putting the game away until I’ve solved the mystery….after all I’ve got to save the world (did I just type that out loud?).

Here’s some of the top games for me:

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

#21 Warnings at Waverly Academy~ Cat fight is an understatement at this all girl boarding school. Girls have had accidents and people are receiving threatening notes from the “Black Cat”. Nancy Drew must go undercover and figure out who this crazed feline really is.

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

#16 The White Wolf of Icicle Creek- Travel to the Canadian Rockies where strange accidents are scaring off the guests at Icicle Creek Lodge. Catch the culprit before this place goes out of business…..just don’t get lost in the snow.

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

#24 The Captive Curse~ Time to fly to Germany where a mysterious creature of legend has terrorized the community of a remote Bavarian castle. Unmask the creature before you’re it’s next victim.

Hey, I should start writing for Herinteractive he he he. Anywho, back to the review. Many of the games do contain some kind of legend and they can be a bit creepy if the lights are off.  I hate horror flicks but I can easily handle these games. A few games did give me the chills though. So here’s a list of the scariest games:

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

#23 Shadow at the Water’s Edge– Most people will rate this game as the scariest of the Nancy Drew series. There were several fun parts like traveling to Japan and learning about Bento and Anime. But the quaint little inn (ryokan) was pretty scary….mainly because I knew it was coming. Just look at the box above. Thankfully it’s just a game right 🙂

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

#17 Legend of the Crystal Skull– This games takes place in New Orleans and it was a bit gloomy. Nothing jumped out and scared me that I can remember. There was just this morbid feeling especially because the mystery centered around a cemetery, creepy manor, and a crystal skull.

I’d say anything with haunted in the title, ghost dogs, or curses will be a bit scary but nothing a middle schooler can’t handle. Also there’s that feeling of relief when the mystery is solved and the “ghost” was just a silly crook. It feels good to save the world…..sigh. *cough*…moving on.

I did have some issues with #11 Curse of Blackmoor Manor. The Culprit messes around with some scary things….like runes….which are symbols used in Witchcraft. Now these things are frowned upon but still you have to learn some of these runes to crack codes etc. I don’t think it’s dangerous to have a knowledge of these things but it is not good to play around with them and I’d hate to think this particular game could be a gateway drug to the real thing. So I do not recommend that particular game to any children. Alchemy is witch craft and dangerous for the soul.

I hope I haven’t scared you away because a majority of these games are very educational and good clean fun. There’s just that one bad egg. Here’s the most educational games in my opinion:

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

#22 Trail of the Twister– this game is great for teaching about the weather. When I had it I let my son watch me play. I usually sell the games after I play them but I’ve kept a few. Trail of the Twister teaches kids how to study clouds, read Doppler data, and tornado safety. Plus, it was just a fun game.

#6 Secret of the Scarlet Hand– History lesson anyone? Learn all about the Mayans in this mystery.

#9 Danger on Deception Island– Learn about whales and how to use Morse code.

#18 The Phantom of Venice– Learn some Italian 🙂 Super fun game

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

#14 Danger by Design– Oh I love this game. Travel to Paris and learn high fashion. Also translate French, explore Catacombs, and develop photos.

#12 Secret of the Old Clock– Experience American culture in the 1930’s.

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

I’m sure if I took the time I could find more examples but that would take awhile. I have yet to play #26 Tomb of the Lost Queen but it takes place in Egypt so there’s sure to be a history lesson. It’s supposed to be the most richly detailed Nancy Drew game ever. So I’m excited 🙂

You can buy these games online at http://www.herinteractive.com/Mystery_Games  and in most stores like Walmart etc… You can play free demos at the above website. That’s also where you’ll find hint forums and news about upcoming games. These are so much better for kids than half the video games out there. They really challenge your thinking skills. Dare to Play 😉

God bless and remember The High King Lives!~Amber Dover