I generally enjoy HOGs. I tried to find something to like about this game. I forced myself to complete it so that I could give a fair assessment of the game. The 3d aspect is about the only thing this game has going for it. This game is absolutely TEDIOUS! Some items aren't visible unless you accidentally move the cursor over the item. I also found several times that you would have to click on a certain spot (sometimes the size of a few pixels) on the object to register that the item had been located. Very frustrating.

Developers need to remember that monotonous task repetition will put people off quickly and result in low reviews of a game. It also makes me think it of a kid with a project due who waits until the night before it's due and rushes to throw something together.

This doesn't mean that I don't appreciate the game being made available to GGOTD. For that I thank the developers and in turn I try to provide honest feedback.

I found that if you lower the resolution in the settings, the unzoomed view almost fills the screen. Max rez left lots of empty space before zooming. I lowered rez and it was much easier to see unzoomed.

.......................Moderator Comment.....................

It's after 4am, I need to crash, I'll try and complete moderation before the giveaway ends, but can't promise. If you are having problems installing the game, or other problems, please check the FAQ's thread that I've posted in the game discussion sticky section. You'll find a link in the problems section of my review above (see comment number 1). Also post the problem in the giveaway forums on the offchance someone will see it and answer. Thank you.

There's a button in the lower right hand corner to zoom in and out, with two arrows to rotate the scene left and right.

..........................Moderator Comment.................................

:)

In the bottom right corner of the screen should be two curved arrows with a plus sign between them. The plus sign is the zoom.

.........................Moderator comment............................

:)

I like the 3D concept, the panning and zooming with mouse was ok, but could have supported true 3D mode, where one can REVOLVE around an island or such (maybe using keyboard arrows for same).
The graphics were ok, especially considering they couldn't readily be photo-realistic being 3D models and all.
The "alice in wonderland" was kinda ok, but no real logic to the game, and the game was tedious.
I immensely liked the "skip the puzzle" WHEN it was actually available. I normally dislike HOGs.
I also dislike other kinds of simple games like "Match three" or such. Being able to skip was appreciated.

While there is much I don't like about this game, what I really was amazed by was the potential of the game. Did you ever play the first King's Quest I by Sierra? I just realized that it was a HOG+Puzzles. You go around trying to find golden eggs and carrots and four-leaf clovers... then you use them for a brief moment in a bit of puzzle-solving. You're game COULD go more along those lines.

I also liked the dialogue box at the bottom of the screen, very simple but well done. (Changed color for different speakers, etc)

I liked how your game was not only a 3D HOG (with fair graphics and mouse interface) but a puzzle and story that interacted with the found objects. Again, you could go in a more professional route like Kings Quest I with this. Create a sensible story and game logic, and focus on what the game does well, and remove the chaff and drudgery.

King's Quest wasn't really a HOG... you didn't try to see something random in a pile of distracting random other objects. And you're game isn't entirely a HOG either, but rides a line between. In the first island of EMDM, the saw was next to the logs, but a hammer was leaning against the porch. It just looked natural and not so artifical clutter as in a HOG. But things were STILL hard to find. I'm sure that takes effort, but it makes for a compelling (ie, realistic/believalbe) game.

You have potential with this, but the genre of 3D HOG by itself wasn't enough to compell me to play past the 3rd island before I uninstalled. Thanks for the free game GAOTD, and Alawar/Bigfish, and for the reviews WhiteRabbit.

.........................Moderator comment............................

Thank you for your excellent feedback anonymous. :)

Hi,

Downloaded easy on 8.1. The graphics are good. Play is smooth. You do have to hunt a
bit as some of the items are hidden. The clues follow each other and went up levels easy.
Thanks for another good game!
Lee

.........................Moderator comment............................

Thanks Lee :)

I have mixed feelings about this one. Downloaded and installed no problems. Welcome screen, newspaper, start, casual, then loading...loading...loading!! I eventually managed to get to a screen by trying to switch the game off in task manager. Then couldn't lift the anvil but somehow managed to get to the next screen. There seemed to be no stop button and again I used task manager. Then to restart again it was loading....loading....loading. It seems like a great game, good graphics, easy to find items and some challenges with problem solving...if only I could get it to play. I feel this game has potential but not sure if I have the patience to persist with it. Shame, but thanks anyway to Stephen for the great review and to GGOTD for offering the game.

...............................Moderator Comment..............................

Thank you for your feedback DJ. Already deleted my giveaway version, but only becasue i already purchased this game via my Steam account. I doubt I'll ever totally finish it as i have too many other excellent games still to play. :)

TR/Crypt.ZPACK.Gen7

Why does Avira find this virus in today's giveaway but not in all the previous ones?
It's the first time I'm seeing this...

..............................Moderator Comment....................................

Hi Mad Ollie,

I can't answer that; personally I've never had any virus warnings when installing any game giveaway since the project began. I joined the community back in November 2006 a month after the giveaway project was started. All I can say to asure you that todays game is safe to install is that the game giveaway team throughly check all files that are available to download using several of the best anti malware suites, also there has been well over 10 thousand downloads of todays game and only a few community members have reported problems. On top of that since the game giveaway started back in December 2006 there has never been a game given away that has been infected with malware.

Sorry I can't explain further.

First, thanks for the game. Also, a special thanks to Whiterabbit for all his reviews. I truly appreciate all the time he spends writing them for us. His reviews are one of the first things that I look at when considering downloading the game. So, thank you, Whiterabbit.

As for the game, it seems like an enjoyable game. I'm currently on level 3 and stuck. This is the second time that the game locked up on me and did not allow me to click on the items needed to be collected for the task. The first time this happened, I finally just hit the 'skip puzzle' button. On this third level, though, there is no such button. I even clicked on the hint button despite the fact I already knew where the last two items (mushrooms) were. I just click on them and nothing happens. Plus with no 'skip' butten (as it's not really a puzzle), I'm stuck in the game with no way to proceed. I'll continue to try the game, but if I'm unable to get the items when I reload the game or it keeps getting stuck, I may have to remove the game which would be a shame as I'm enjoying it.

Just FYI, I'm playing on a Windows 8.1 laptop, but I did change the settings to being compatible with Windows 7 before starting the game. I find that works best for most programs. :-)

Thanks again!

...............................Moderator Comment..............................

Thank you for your feedback MizMeow, much appreciated. :)

Name of the computer indeed, never used it elsewere online.

funny game thx GGOTD team, Alaware and you Whiterabbit

...............................Moderator Comment..............................

:)

Art? Amateurish indeed.
Game play? Grinding indeed.
Puzzles? Annoying after the first few.
HOG screens? Really hard to tell what or where objects are unless you happen to mouse over them and they react - NO way to play a HOG!
Mechanics? Difficult at best, annoying too, slow click responses, won't let you move forward until last choice is cleared, also locking 3D scene to cursor makes finding objects MORE difficult, not easier.
Puzzling? Makes me guess at too many HO items - what are "dream cakes" for example.
Playability? Between the blocky art which makes figuring out what many objects are, unexplained or clueless choices that force guesses, interminable pauses waiting for clicks to process, difficulty pointing in 3D scenes... why go on. I played it several times, found it boring and just plain annoying; I like the concept, absolutely dislike the product. Games should be fun and entertaining, not annoying and grinding. This could be a cool game, but fails on so many levels - the first Alawar bomb I've played.
Headed for recycle bin-NOT a keeper IMHO.
John

(HI Stephen! Hope things are going well for you and family across the pond...)

...............................Moderator Comment..............................

Thank you for your feedback JL, much appreciated. I agree about the identity of some objects, for example I thought the bones in the first level were spanners and the collision mesh was at times rather difficult to find, making it difficult to click on some objects.

Everythings fine apart from our dishwasher. Bosh make excellent quality products, but they are not great for DIY fixes. We've spent several hours trying to clear a blockage, but the area blocked seems impossible to access witohut ripping aprt the whole thing :)

Sorry I should have read all the problems before posting. I turned off AVG free and it installed no problems. Funny, I have never had to do that before. Thanks

...............................Moderator Comment..............................

Glad you got it working. :)

And, my apology, I missed the casual mode you mentioned, were you can skip the puzzles if they get too boring. That would approve the score considerably, of course. And, I for one, am intrigued by the 3D aspect. Looks interesting now that I've fired the game up

You may be just too nice. But I like being mean myself. ;) A satisfactory answer. Thanks. :)

...............................Moderator Comment..............................

:) :)

That game I mentioned in my previous comment (Damnation) is still available via the Groupee's Steampunk 4 bundle HERE. You can read about it and see a video via Steam HERE

For a minimum of $5 (I paid around $50 just for Damnation when it first became available to pre order), you get Damnation plus 4 other games, 5 music albums and 3 comics (the other games are Crazy Steam Bros 2, Avenging Angel, Teslagrad, , and Namariel Legends: Iron Lord Premium Edition), plus music albums Hellblinki - Multitudes, Escape The Clouds - Instrumental Collection. Vol 1 and Automaton - A Bold New Horizon plus game music and comics. The games alone would normally cost you $42. Damnation has had a few price reductions since it's release 6 years ago. The whole bundle is worth buying. :)

Hi I'm having trouble getting the download to open. I have had problems with my commmputer and I'm sure a setting has been messed with since I have never had problems before. The game activates and I get the window where it shows the readme the key and the gcd file. When I click on the lock file it activates but then nothing else happens. It isnt just this game this has happened since last weeks. This is the first time I can get in touch with you. Can you help me Stephan?

............................Moderator Comment......................

I'll be back later, in the middle of a family movie at the moment.

Tried this on my laptop (Win 8.1) but it said it needed .Net 3.5 or earlier (I have .Net 4.5) and the computer wouldn't let me install 3.5 so gave up. Never saw that before with a game.

...............................Moderator Comment..............................

That's odd, I would have tohught v4.5 would cover 3,5. Have you checked your event log just in case it is another issue :?: :?: :?:

First, like Whiterabbit, I'm no longer a fan of HOGs unless they are exceptional.

This on esimply isn't. The drudgery in mid-game makes it a real chore to "finish" and the "go back to start" elements in the puzzles are really annoying and childish.

It does have nice graphics, a decent attempt at a storyline but it fails on a number of points. Uninstalled.

Bob

...............................Moderator Comment..............................

Thank you for your feedback Bob. :)

You know I have the utmost respect for you, but not sure I understand your scoring here. If the middle section was an annoying "grind", and most of the puzzles seem boring, wouldn't that effect one of the scores? Replayability would seem the most likely. Though, you might be saying that the 3-D aspect and the beginning and end was enough to win you over. Anyway, your review was meant to be mostly positive, because that's the honest result of your careful analysis, so maybe I'm just nitpicking. 7.5 replayability seems high, though, considering your reservations and the fact that the bloom is always off the rose the second time, unless there's considerable variation built in.

............................Moderator Comment...........................

I know what you are saying, but I'm trying not to be biased. Overall I think the game deserves the scores I gave it. I've been fairly negative with HOG's for a long time, so try to give a fair score despite what I've said in the overall picture of the game. Will try and rephrase the above later. Actually in the middle of a movie just now. (commercial break, lol)

edit,
I also have to consider that we all have different tastes in games, what is gold for one person may be lead to someone else. I loved the first few HOG's I ever played (some I Spy games I purchased maybe 15-20 years ago, but when the genre really took off about 6 years ago I got fed up of them. I used to do a lot of beta testing and virtually every game I tested was a HOG. They just lost their appeal. It's easy to down mark a game if you don't like it. but as a moderator and reviwer I do try to be objective and consider what other community members may think of the game. I know that if I outright said the game was aweful, I'm sure some community members wouldn't even bother to download the game. That would be a great shame as i'm sure some would be missing something they would like.

I pre ordered a game on Steam some years ago that ended up with a metacritic score of around 40. Most reviewers really hated the game but I found it an excellent distraction and throughly enjoyed playing it. (That particular game called Danmation was in one of the many inde bundles recently, called Groupee's Steampunk 4 bundle

Think I'll pass. Not up for a workaday on a Sunday that should be a Funday. But thanks GOTD. Strong review!

This game seems to be about puzzles?
Here is a puzzle for you:

If you want - in Options - to change the cursor, from System to Special or vv;
AND (because) you don't see your cursor;
AND the way to change cursor is only with the mouse;
AND there is no key-combination mentioned;
AND not one usual key-combination works [Tab, cursorkeys, ...] (anywhere in the Menu's);
WHAT TO DO?

This after:
"Failed to launch" the Setup.exe
(Switching off antivir needed, which other times NEVER is needed.)
"Screen resolution is not supported"
(I have a reasonably standard widescreen laptop)
Doing a lot from Whiterabbits "Help"
(Like textsize to 149%)

BTW I came into Options-menu by endless moving mouse, till word Options flickered a bit. No such luck inside Optons menu.

The makers are stupid enough to create this.
Are they clever enough to solve my puzzle:

>>> How to change mouse-working with mouse when mouse is not working?

Clearly not for me.
Like puzzles: try ENIGMA on your tablet!! Ffff!

.........................Moderator comment............................

Hi Cas, sorry you has so much trouble. Maybe your monitors screen resolution wasn't native to the game. did you try compatibility mode :?: :?: :?: :)

Well, I gave it a try and almost immediately ran into a problem with no apparent solution: a gear I need is underneath an anvil and the in-game device for moving the gear isn't able to pick up the anvil to make the gear available. I'm deleting it as I don't have time for such pickiness.

.........................Moderator comment............................

Hi Therese, The anvil is pick uppable, you just have to ensure the magnet is placed correctly. It doesn't pick the anvil up immediately. The collision mesh could be a little better, maybe the developer will improve the mesh if there are enough feedback, so that it is easier to pick up :)

OKAY: successfully downloaded and installed. As usual nowadays, I had to disable Avira for the entire duration of the install.

The good news for those of us with trackballs is that the Zoom in/out can also be done by clicking the + or - icon when it's available, OR by clicking the RIGHT mouse button. So big kudos to the developers for being ahead of me on that one!

I do like the game. The need to model every object as a 3D object gives the game a pleasantly (to me) slightly hexagonal look which I'm becoming increasingly fond of. Using the objects isn't massively well explained when you need to do it. For those stuck, the gears are one left, one, right, one in middle (don't think that's a spoiler?).

I can also easily see how in the middle of this game, as others said, there's endless scope for doing a Columbo (one for you afternoon TV fans, or those of a certain age!) by saying "Just one more thing …" about twenty times in a row before you can complete a level. That said, the puzzles (so far) seem logical enough, if a little 'samey" (based on level one only!).

Definitely a visually different HOG from the usual ones, and the hits are likewise "unmissable" unlike some other HOGs where if you blink, or are looking in the wrong part of the screen, you miss your hint entirely and have to wait for it to recharge.

So far I'm about 8/10 on this one; I can see how endless task stacking later on might get on one's nerves!

.........................Moderator comment............................

Thank you for your feedback Cad, much appreciated :)

Oh boy - this will be a hard one.

Like the graphics and no problem downloading and installing on my Win 8.1 - again with turning off Avira - seems to be the new standard

It took a fairly long time for downloading and to actually load the game when I started it, dunno if it is my machine, my internet, or the file. Anyway, as I said in the past, I really don't like the game to find my information on my computer and pre-load my name as the player. I prefer to use a "standard" pseudonym to play without confusing me with my son. I do like, however, that you CAN change this pre-assigned player name, something that wasn't available n previous games that pre-loaded player names.

The first "island" location screen was centered on the screen, all the surrounding area was wasted. This meant that, until I zoomed the screen, the items were much too small to see on the screen, making it only obvious when I passed the cursor over the object and it "jumped out" at me. Seems a bit too easy to find things this way, and it seems like a waste to have the "standard" scene if you have to zoom in to see anything. I agree with the nuisance factor of having to find a few things, then a bunch more have to be found, then more, etc. Just put the list out there.

Otherwise, it runs well on my Windows 10 upgraded from Win 8.1 upgraded from Win 8 HP 110-014 desktop with low-end AMD E1 CPU and 4 GB ram. I appreciate games that don't tax the capabilities of this already-taxed computer. Thanks for the download, you are really appreciated in my household!

.........................Moderator comment............................

Thank you for your feedback BeBop :)

Alawar may have picked this name up from other Alawar Entertainment games that you have previously installed. As a programmer, they likely have a "Alawar GameData" folder where all the player names are stored and their respective scores in each game. They may even choose to leave this data on the computer after uninstallation so that if you reinstall then the data is still available. This is all supposition on my part but you can trust that a big company like Alawar is trustworthy enough that nothing surreptitious is going on.

.........................Moderator comment............................

:)

There's a zoom feature that makes it much easier to find things.

Movement took a while to figure out. I think I like the zoom feature but my eyes are sore from just ten minutes of play.

I had to resort to a walk-through for the second scene. There are many tasks that make no sense. Often there's no reason to think that doing one thing will cause another thing to happen.

I shut it down out of frustration. I'll probably go back to it but it burned me out quickly.

Graphics are very good. Scenes are very imaginative.
Game play is tedious at times. When a window pops up, such as a map, you have to click on the "X" in the right corner to make it go away. Very tedious. Clicking outside of it or right-clicking should make it go away.

I give it high marks for appearance and imagination and low marks for game play. I give it a zero for logic. Many things make no sense at all.

.........................Moderator comment............................

Thank you for your feedback Scott :)

Still downloading this game and looking forward to it; but one obvious thumbs-DOWN is that it seems the only way to zoom in/out is by using the scroll wheel that my trackball mouse literally doesn't have.

I hope this can be changed using a setting in the game, or that there is a key/button equivalent. Because without that, I will be somewhat disadvantaged compared to those of you with 'normal' mice. I use a trackball for medical reasons: a mouse which one physically moves about gives me mild RSI.

Oh, and no: this ISN'T a laptop, before anyone suggests using the touchpad!!!

So let's hope the 'zoom' function isn't essential to completing this game. What do you think, Stephen?

And I do hope the developers are reading this. If so, please DO NOT use the mouse scroll wheel as the ONLY way of performing a particular task or action. ALWAYS please provide a keyboard equivalent! Thanks for reading.

.........................Moderator comment............................

Scuze the long delay in replying. Spent the last several hours trying to figure out how to get the dishwasher working again. It's almost out of warranty, so may have to resort to contacting Bosh

No, the xoom feature isn't necessary. :)

I think it knows your name because you have another game installed by the same developer on your PC. Many games seem to tap into other games info data to reuse it as a way of making things easier for the end user.

.........................Moderator comment............................

:)

Yeah, I got the virus message 'TR/Crypt.ZPACK.Gen7' as well. Will try disabling Avira.

.........................Moderator comment............................

Hi Nan,

Seems common to community members running Avira. The alert is a false positive. :)

Like others, I have this game but have not completed it. For those who have problems, this game is available 24/7 from MyPlayCity and ToomkyGames. Just be cautious for any hijacking in the install and note that both do open your browser when you shut down a game but both can be circumvented.

.........................Moderator comment............................

:)

I got the game, and installed, no problems.. started it.. got a bit flustered at the silly hidden object at the start of the game... when i got to the sheep catapault, I just had to quit. That was just too much.
Still, the graphics were great. would have been nice if the story made some sense.
Still though, you guys have done some good giveaways in the past. Efforts appreciated, can't make everyone happy, but thanks for trying.

.........................Moderator comment............................

:)

Game is funny and goofy at times, but hard, also! lol

.........................Moderator comment............................

:)

in agrement WITH Stephen off course

Interesting concept packed as horrible game. to bad, it sounded like this could be something. I like the overall look in itself but for the rest I am unfortunately in agreement of Stephen. This could have become so much more if more time and energy was used in the overall experience.
I would like to ask people to read my post from yesterday with a request for help :) Have a great Sunday all

.........................Moderator comment............................

Re post the request in the forums and maybe again in the comments next week. Thanks :)

NO NO NO ! ! ! You cannot CANNOT mix Alice in Wonderland with Sherlock Holmes! Those two (2) stories are UNMIXABLE! It's like mixing tomato soup with orange juice! YUUUUUUCK!

But I am going to download the game anyway. I really Really REALLY want to see how the 3-D HOG scenes work! That sounds COOL and makes me wonder why other game developers haven't done this before. HOGs and 3-D go together, unlike... well, see the first paragraph.

But I will probably UNUNUNinstall it when I get to the middle part described in previous comments.

BUT BUT BUT (I like BIG butts and I cannot lie) that is NOT the important thing this morning. I finished BARN YARN yesterday! I loved it to infinity and back! By far it was my all-time favorite HOG! I made the most remarkable BARN! I haven't used a screen saver in years and years and years x2, but I almost set my awesome barn as one. I didn't, but I camethisclose! I want more games like that one! Yay!

One recommendation to the makers of BARN YARN - add a hog to the HOG. HEE! HEE!

Have a GREAT GREAT day all you MARVELOUS GGOTD people!!!

.........................Moderator comment............................

:)

My name was also filled in. It used my gaming name, not my real name or my computer name. How?

.........................Moderator comment............................

As someone mentioned below, if you've used the name in other Alwar games it will be recorded in the registry. :)

Same here.

Win 10 Home 64bit. Downloaded and played fine. I just need better eyes to see everything. A good game.

.........................Moderator comment............................

:)

I've just installed this game (thanks so much) and when I opened it, my name was already on the start page. I'm no computer genius, so am wondering how it knew my name.

..........................Moderator Comment.............................

Is the name the same as the one you use for your computer? If you've installed Alawar games previously, then game will have taken your name from the registry.

Just like a fortnight ago, I had problems connecting to the site to 'check giveaway availability'. Tim suggested temporarily disabling AVG free, and this worked. Thanks Tim.

............................Moderator Comment...............................

Hi Sieska Cowdrey,
Glad you got it sorted. we have loads of very helpful community members on this site. it's almost like an extended family. For future reference, if you have any problems running a game check the FAQ's thread which has laods of fixes for various problems that can occur.

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647

These FAQ's have been added over time whenever someone has suggested the fix. I've tried to attibute various fixes to the originators, but sometimes have forgotten to note down the original member who suggested it. :)

As usual, no problems installing or running; you will have to create your own shortcut. In general I enjoy HOGs (they remind me of similar puzzles in children's magazines when I was a kid ...though back then they were carved on stone tablets); but this one does a couple of things I do not like - whether there are six items or sixty, give me the entire list so I can look for all simultaneously; and do not require me to find things sequentially, if I find something on the list, recognize that then instead of making me find several other items first. Those are personal idiosyncrasies not dealbreakers; this game has nice graphics and sound, volume controls, a casual mode (though a timer is still running), and, like all my other Alawar games, remembers where those are located so the path is already filled in for the installer (and when I start the game my name is already filled in for "player").

............................Moderator Comment...............................

Hi jgf, thank you for your feedback, it's very much appreciated. :D

A virus was found in setup.exe ...

............................Moderator Comment...............................

Hi LadyLei

Hi test001, there is no virus in the set up file. It is themida based security barrier, so your antimalware is seeing it as a threat. What it's there for is to protect the wrapper from being hacked. Previously (a few years ago), the internet was rife with community members posting ways to be able to crack the wrapper easily so that you could install the game anytime you wished. This was having an impact on the developers who basically insisted on some security measures, so the setup.gcd file was added to stop the majority of hackers from breaking the wrapper.

I don't know whether you are knew to the giveaway project, so will just reiterate what i've posted many tiomes when someone is worried that the file is compromised. The game giveaway project had been live since Dec 2006. In that time well over a thousand games have been given away and not one has ever been infected with malware. the gamegiveaway team throughly check all files that are to be downloaded using several of the best malware suites They have good standing with all the major search engines becasue of their diligence in ensuring safe downloads. Please be assured the files are perfectl;y safe.

Had to laugh as I read your review....have had this game for quite some time and I don't believe I ever finished it. Think I stopped somewhere in the middle...guess I got 'bogged' down. :D

............................Moderator Comment...............................

Hi LadyLei

I hope all is well with you? I've had the game for almost 2 years and still not completed it. I found it rather tedious despite the new take on finding objects. I liked the hands on approach using the baic controls for firing cannons, catapults and operating cranes etc and the 3D effect was a great idea. though I don't think it was implemented as well as it could have been. As someone said previously, lets hope they work and expand on the idea, maybe it'll branch out into another sub genre? :D As I've said loads of times I don't particularily enjoy playing HOG's anymore unless they are exceptional, so to play this for even an hour is quiote an achievement for me, lol. :)

Have a great week.

Elementary My Dear Majesty:

Installation:

Elementary My Dear Majesty downloads as a 186 MB zip file that unpacks to a read me document that contains the terms and conditions and a wrapped dual activation and set up module and a security set up file (setup.gcd). Just for the newcomers amongst today’s users that means the game will be registered once it’s gone through the set up process, so there’s no registering the game with an activation code.

C:\Games\ElementaryMyDearMajesty_Game

There is no desktop shortcut installed automatically. Once the game has been installed, you will need to visit the site where it was installed to and create your own desktop shortcut.

Sometimes I've found the installation path shows the previous game I installed from this site, so to be sure you don't install the game inside a previous game, check the installation path when you start the installation. You can usually find where it's supposed to go by looking in the read me file that comes with the download. To stop this happening, clear your cache. The installed game is 199 MB in size

Introduction:

Step into a stunning make-believe world in the first 3D hidden object adventure! The king's daughter has turned into a man-eating monster, and either you find the cure, or it's off with your head! Put your keen powers of observation to work as you search 14 eye-popping locations for clues, perform tasks for a variety of comical characters, and solve over 100 cunning puzzles. If you enjoy original and exciting games, Elementary My Dear Majesty is for you!

Reference accessed HERE 29th Aug 2015

The Game:

Elementary My Dear Majesty has a save the princess story, a hidden object core and comic absurdity; it begins and ends strongly enough, has a decent help page, and the ability to look behind objects in a pseudo 3D world, but the padded-out middle and repetitive puzzles take what should have been an original gem and turned it into a bit of a grind.

The story begins with you receiving a letter from the king commanding you to come to the castle and help the princess who has been transformed into a monster. Things get complicated when she is kidnapped by the Martian king, forcing you to embark on an interplanetary rescue mission to get her back. The story is functional and unimpressive, but it’s made more interesting by the world around it. You’ll interact with all sorts of kooky human and non-human characters in your quest to find everything you need to get to Mars. The dialogue in these interactions isn’t going to win any awards, but it contains enough witty and entertaining moments to keep you interested. The introduction takes just over a minute to read, setting the scene. You can skip this at any time by clicking the start button. A small difficulty level window pops up when starting a new game that gives you the option of choosing Casual mode, shere the hint button recharges quickly, there are fewer hidden objects to find in each scene and you can skip all puzzles if you wish. The expert mode is there for those who want a stronger challenge, with a hint button that recharges slowly, with lots more hidden objects to find in each scene and where you have to complete all puzzles before moving on. you can change the difficuly settings at any time by visiting the options menu. If you do this after starting a new level or where you've not quite finished a level, you will have to start that level from the beginning.

The gameplay is the usual hidden object shenanigans with a 3D twist. Elementary My Dear Majesty is billed as the first fully 3D hidden object game, and that’s a claim I’m willing to believe since the 3D feels more like an under-utilized gimmick than an integral part of the experience. You can only rotate the environment up to 45 degrees left and right from the default position, and can only zoom in to 2x and back, all navigation is be accomplised using the mouse, zooming in either using the mouse wheel or the control box described in the help menu. When fully zoomed in you can move around the hidden parts of the level by moving your mouse pointer.

The accompanying art is what I’d describe as “charmingly lo-fi,” but others might call “basic” and possibly even “amateurish.” Despite these shortcomings, introducing 3D does add a new dimension to the hidden object genre, and it’ll be interesting to see what developers do with it in future games.



Finding random hidden things will take up about half your time in the game. The other half will be spent solving various puzzles, and here’s where the game starts to break down. Most of the puzzles are mindless, repetitive, and boring. There are a few interesting ones – a series where you have to light up Christmas trees was quite entertaining – but most are just dull. You’ll have to play memory-matching games where making a wrong move means starting all over from the beginning. You’ll click on slowly moving colored balloons, which will also result in being throw to the start of the level. These are just a few examples of the uninspired list of puzzles you’ll have to play over and over again.

As bad as the puzzles are, they aren’t the worst part of the game. No, the worst part of Elementary My Dear Majesty is the grinding. Once I got to the mid-game, where I had to find the five components required to get into space, I started to get the distinct feeling that I was being jerked around.

I’ll illustrate with an example. One of the needed things is a star map, which the pirate captain just happens to have. He wasn’t willing to give it to me, however, because his crew was in mutiny. Now, I’ve played enough games over the last thirty years to know that you never get something for nothing, no matter how dire the situation, so I was willing to accept this. Additionally, each of the half-dozen crew members was willing to give up the mutiny if I helped him with a task, which is, again, par for the course in gaming, so no big deal. I go around helping the crew out one by one, get everything back in order, and return to the captain for my star map as a reward. He says no and gives me another task, then another one after that.



This happens in practically every level in the mid-game. You meet a character who will help you if you help them and, when you complete their initial task, they demand more and more until they finally begrudgingly give you what you’re looking for. It gets incredibly annoying, especially since the majority of those tasks require you to solve the aforementioned boring puzzles and turn what started out as an interesting game into a complete chore. On the plus side, the very last level was quite entertaining, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the snore-inducing mid-section.

Edited reference accessed HERE 30th Aug 2015. This is an edited review from true PC Gaming. I've used the original review and edited it to include my own thoughs on the game, having played it occasionally over the past 20 or so months since it's release on Steam, where I purchased it Nov 2013.



Video - spoiler alert:

You can see a video of game play HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE,

Walkthrough - spoiler alert:

You can see a walkthrough of todays game HERE. There are also several video walkthroughs of various stages of the game. Go to the You tube page and type the name of the game into the search field to find those.



Game System Requirements:

OS: Windows XP/Vista/Win7/8
CPU: 1.0 GHz
RAM: 1024 MB
DirectX: 9.0
Hard Drive: 209 MB

Conclusion:

Elementary My Dear Majesty is a game that’s fun at times, funny at others, but also a little tedious for stretches of the game play. It starts strong and ends strong, but feels dragged out in the middle, as if it was padded to artificially increase the length. Graphically it looks gorgeous in a comic sort of way. It will definitely endear the kids to it with it's colorful countenance. It has a relaxed mode (accesible via the options menu or at the start of a new game) and has an excellent help page that explains all of the controls etc.


Scoring:

I've included new categories to reduce the the scoring bias that is inevitable when a single person is scoring a game. Scoring will be added once I've had time to play the game.

Game play ------- 7
Graphics ------- 8
Audio ------- 7
Replayability ------- 7.5
Originality ------- 9
Fun Factor ------- 7.5



Total = 46 out of 60 which equals 7.7 out of 10.





Other reviews of the game:

You can find reviews and mini reviews via Rock, Paper, Shotgun and Big Fish Games .









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Problems:


If you have any problems installing or getting today's game to work please go HERE for help. I've posted most of the common problems and solutions in a FAQ thread, which you can find in the sticky section of the forums by following the above link.




If you are posting late in the day I would also suggest posting in the main giveaway forums; in the game discussion section, because I cannot moderate 24hrs a day over the weekend. I've created a thread HERE for that purpose. If you've installed the game but it doesn’t work for some reason, it should still be registered, so someone may be able to help at a later date. Unfortunately if your problem is actually downloading it, once the giveaway deadline is reached you will no longer be able to download the game unless you've already started downloading it before the cut-off. Sometimes you can still register the game after the giveaway has ended so long as you managed to start the download before the giveaway ends. I've tested this and the grace period lasts for up to 1 hour. Apart from the above instances; i.e. already installed, but having problems running the game, (with the possibility of receiving help from the community via the giveawayoftheday game discussion forum); or still downloading after the cut off period, but within the 1 hour grace period, or registering within an hour of the cut-off period. Once the giveaway period is over there’s nothing that can be done to get the game (unless its available from one of the free game sites) until the game is given away again (though that isn't always guaranteed).






It's worth checking the giveaway game discussion forums the day before the giveaways go live to see if we are getting a large sized file; this is especially important for those who have slow connections and even more so if the game is popular. We can have up to forty thousand (40 000) community members downloading over the 24 hour period, with the bulk of community members downloading in the first 12 hours of the giveaway going live, there is always a massive strain on the giveaway servers. The bigger the file size, the more community members will be downloading at any one time. Because the bandwidth is shared equally amongst all community members, downloads can become excrucatingly slow, so if you do have a slow connection, its important to start your download as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Because these games are free, the giveaway owners cannot invest in more bandwidth without compromising the whole project, so we have to be satisfied with what we have at present.

I hope the above goes some way in expalining why we sometimes have really slow downloads.


It’s always worth checking out the free games sites because sometimes the games we get here are also available for free from them. MyPlayCity (MPC) has the most with over 1000 games to choose from. Today's game isn't available from MPC HERE. I've not checked the other free game sites.



If you do download any games from MyPlayCity, Gametop or the other free game sites please 'do' watch out for toolbars etc. Make sure you un-check the check-boxes during installation, and, in the case of MyPlayCity, every time you boot the game up, (this may have changed now as these free game sites tend to change the format frequently)....... I've posted links to all of the common free game sites below in the games, games games section. If you do download a game from any of these sites you do so at your own risk. We cannot be held responsible for problems arising from an installation. :)

For now I won't be recommending you download games from Jenkat Games. They have changed the way you get games from their site. Diane has posted information about this over in the game discussion forums. If I have time or remember, I'll link to it. TooMyk Games are now safe to download from. They have removed the games that were suspect and have cleaned up their act. As always, you download from those free game sites at your own risk. The giveaway site is the safest site I know of where you can get free software and games. The only disadvantages with downloading from here is you have to download and install within the day of the giveaway (apart from the instances mentioned above and if and when you upgrade or buy a new computer legally you aren't allowed to transfer games given away previously, unless they are being given away on the day you upgrade, or if you've purchased a licence. :)

You just have to look at the sites track record since the game giveaway site was created back in December 2006. Zero games given away have been infected with malware, there are no toolbars installed, nor home pages hijacked or browsers changed. There is one slght annoyance, but that only occurs if a community member isn't paying attention when the final window pops up after installing a giveaway. That is the software Informer installation. some community members have complained that they were given no choice in its installation. That is not true; when the final window pops up, there are two buttons, one asking if you want software informer installed and the button to close the giveaway window down. Some community members have clicked on the wrong button, probably because they weren't paying attention. Thankfully software Informer is a genuine application, that can easily be uninstalled by the usual means. It's actually a useful piece of software, especially if you have a lot of applications running on your computer. Basically the program will list the programs that need updating, or programs that have available updates. They wont be automatically installed (thus cancelling many giveaway registrations); you have to click on individual buttons to update each program/application. :D

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Games, Games, and yet more Games:





There are 408 games on sale over on Steam this week, ranging from 10% to 90% off.

You can find a full list of all sale items HERE.



You'll also find some excellent deals over on the following Game sites.

GreenManGaming
Gamersgate Summer Sale
GOG (DRM free games)
Gamestop
GameFly (soon to be sold off)

I've removed the Desura link because the owners are bankrupt and there has been no activity on the site in a couple of weeks. If you own any games via desura i advise downloading all of the drm free games you have on that platform before the site is taken down.




Free Game Sites:


MyPlayCity (over a 1000 games to choose from)
Gametop
FreeGamePick



To be honest there are too many game deals around too list them all. Just visit the sites I recommend above and I'm sure you'll find something that suits you for a very decent price. If like me you prefer Steamworks games, many of the above sites also sell steamwork games.

If that's not enough, check out the Game Discussion forums HERE for details of other games either free or on deals such as the Indie Game bundles (there's over 20 of them - If you purchased all of them you'd be paying around $80 for around a thousand dollars worth of games); or check out the four day sales at IndieGameStand. you'll find the indie bundles thread HERE. The thread is outdated, but all of the links will still take you to the latest bundles.






The latest IndieGameStand game is called Henry Jordaye, with a second game included if you pay over the average called Dark Hoards:
Henry Jordaye is a single player RPG, Based in a comical fantasy environment. You play the wizard Henry Jordaye travelling the lands in search of whatever is creating all the attacks on the wizards towers throughout the realms...
and

The king has left his castle to go about important business, Now the kingdom is unprotected the DARK HORDES have approached the shores and are settling in for a long battle!!"... Play as the MIGHTY, (or not so!) warrior ARTHUR, through quests, lands and deep caves to discover why the dark hordes have attacked your kingdom... This is fun top down, click to move style game built for all age groups. Amazing Scenery and some colourful characters and monsters this game will keep you going constantly!! Currently on update 1.4 with many more updates to follow...

The average price stands at $1.65 at the time of writing (5.10am)The deal ends Thursday 3rd Sept 2015 5am (GMT)



The latest DIG game is Melissa K and the Heart of Gold which is set in a unique interactive 3D world full of mysterious puzzles and Hidden Objects. Prepare for an unforgettable experience!

The story unfolds in 1947 Thailand, in a world filled with characters, myths and legends from ancient Buddhist tales. When Melissa is invited by the Queen of England in person, she has no idea that her life is about to take a dramatic turn and a simple mission will lead her to question her very existence.

Thanks to our brand new "Immersion Tech." we're able to combine cutting-edge 3D with beautiful hand-painted graphics. Live an adventure like no other!

Features:

- Use simple, natural gestures to navigate, interact with characters & use items with ease!
- Manipulate exquisite 3D inventory objects!
- More than 30 exclusive puzzles, replay them to beat your best scores!
- Over 30 detailed locations to search for Hidden Objects
- Over seven hours of Game Play!
- Three difficulty levels: Novice, Adventurer or Expert
- This game supports Achievements and Leaderboards
- Handles all screen ratios (widescreen 16/9, 4/3, etc)
- The game is fully translated in 14 languages


Pay £0.99 for the game or you can get two keys if you pay more than the average of $1.03 (at the time of writing - this price is sure to go higher). One key to share with a friend or family member perhaps? You'll find that deal HERE. They also have five bundles of several games that'll cost you less than $1.50 each HERE (DIG Bundles 35, 36 & 37 plus Meridian 4 and DIG Greenligh Bundle 2). You get Steam keys for all of these games apart from the Greenlight bundle; however, if they are Greenlit, you will receive Steam codes.
The single game deal ends just after Midnight Sunday 30th August and will be replaced with a new game; (details haven't been posted yet)

Most of the bundles available retail for around $5 give or take a few dollars (apart from the Daily Indie bundles that only cost $1.49 for six games), but you can pay as little as a dollar for some. There are some excellent bundles out at the moment. Check out the following:

Groupees (5 bundles)
Indie Gala (? bundles)
Humble bundle (2 Bundles)
Indie Royale (this bundle is no longer live)
Bundle Bandits (0 bundles)
Blink Bundle (0 bundles)
Play Injector (0 bundle)
Get Loaded (0 bundles)
Games Rage (0 bundles)
Flying bundle (0 bundles)

The free game from Origin has changed to Zuma's Revenge the sequel to the excellent Luxor style marble popping match 3 game. This is one of the better Marble poppers. Check it out HERE.


You do need a free Origin account and install the Origin client to get these free games. Once you've installed the Origin client and signed into your account select 'On the house' from the 'Free Games' drop down menu. Then select download now. The game will then be registered to your Origin account permanently.


If you like Breakouts, something unpresedented has happened the other day, two breakouts were released on Steam at the same time, both are decent games tohugh still under developement. you can get them via Steams early access,

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A Request for help:

Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games. If you download this game please take some time once you’ve played it a while to leave some constructive feedback either positive or negative. The more constructive feedback we get, the more likely developers are going to give more games away. The giveaway site already has a very good standing with the search engines. Developers want their products out there on the WWW, this site has the potential to do that. The game giveaway project gives away on average between 9 to 17 thousand downloads for each game depending upon what genre and how obscure the game is. That’s a lot of homes these games are being downloaded into and a lot of 'potential' cash that’s being lost by the developers. If we get better games because of better feedback, the community are likely to continue to benefit from the generosity of the developers. Satisfied community members are then more likely to visit the home sites of those developers and purchase games that they may not have bothered with before they discovered the developer via the game giveaway site, thus giving the developers more incentives to give away even more decent games.

Please leave some feedback once you’ve checked the game out. It can be positive or negative, but please explain what your reasons were for the feedback you post. You could also leave suggestions for improving the game, for example, this game could do with more block types for the levels editor, add more power-ups, describing the ones you think would be suitable, add some mini games (which seem all the rage in some arcade games now) or enable the user to be able to change the in game music easily.

Thank you in advance to all those who take the time to post a constructive comment, and a big thank you to immanitas games for sharing and to the game giveaway team for getting these games.

Regards

Whiterabbit aka Stephen







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