Big Fish Games $2.99 Game Deals: Murder, She Wrote & Royal Envoy

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Otty Ott

CAGiversary!
Today's Big Fish $2.99 Daily Deal game is:

Trial Of The Gods: Ariadne's Fate - a match 3 game.

Click here for Trial Of The Gods: Ariadne's Fate

Now no coupon code needed. To get the $2.99 price, you must either be a Game Club member or do the 1 month Game Club trial which you can cancel after buying the game.

* * *

Big Fish has also started a $2.99 Catch of the Week:

Redemption Cemetery: Curse Of The Raven - A hidden object game.

Click here for Redemption Cemetery: Curse Of The Raven

Now no coupon code or Game Club membership needed. Available to everyone.

I will update this post every day for the new game each day.
 
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Gamezebo review:

"If you're looking for a time management game with a light story and accessible game play, Supermarket Mania should keep you entertained. While it's not as challenging as some other time management games - like Diner Dash, Wedding Dash or Doggie Dash, it does keep the pace frantic, and offers enough surprises to keep the user interested."

Pros: Good variety of levels and different challenges. Amusing characters and miscreants. Lots of upgrades.

Cons: No combos and limited power-ups. Relatively easy to beat.


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Click here to read the Gamezebo review of Supermarket Mania
 
Gamezebo review:

"So, while Pop-a-Tronic looks and sounds fantastic, play is lacking over the long haul. Nonetheless, it deserves a try. Download the demo and decide for yourself. My inflated expectations simply weren't met."

Pros: Stellar graphics and music; Good selection of game modes; Easy to learn mechanics.

Cons: Switching between screen modes is glitchy; Game is short on power-ups; No online leaderboards; Play is too repetitive.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Click here for Gamezebo's Pop-A-Tronic review
 
Today's Big Fish $2.99 Game Of The Day is:

Finders Keepers - An arcade puzzler similar to Gold Miner. Collect treasure, fish and special trinkets to help reunite lost loves, all while trying to avoid trouble from Pirates, Whales, Walruses and Ghosts.

Click here for Finders Keepers

Use Coupon Code: FIND299
 
Gamezebo review:

"There's plenty of solid entertainment value to be found in Finders Keepers, and you'll visibly notice your skills improving the more you play. While far from the most nail-biting or addictive of casual games we've encountered, it nonetheless remains one of the more recommendable options for landlubbers who'd rather be riding the ocean swells."

Pros: Novel play mechanics. Smart level designs. Lots of power-ups. Cool cast of characters; Attractive visuals.

Cons: Too much downtime. Spartan soundtrack. Collision detection foibles. Grows stale in long sittings.


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Click here for Gamezebo's review of Finders Keepers
 
Gamezebo review:

"With more than 80 different sandwiches to creature, nearly 20 upgrades to purchase and 100 levels to complete, gamers will no doubt get their lunch money's worth by playing Stand 'o Food. It's a delicious way to spend some time with you computer so be sure to download the free playable demo to begin slinging those patties!"

Pros: Fun fast food building game; can purchase upgrades; different types of food to build

Cons: Takes a while to get challenging; not sure if upgrades make that much of a difference

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Click here for Gamezebo's review of Stand O' Food
 
Gamezebo review:

"If you're a fan of hidden-object romps, place The Scruffs on your short list. It's family friendly, fun to play and highly entertaining. Hopefully, it will follow in the footsteps of Mystery Case Files and Travelogue 360 and kick off a fresh series."

Pros: Excellent animations. Exceptional music. Voice-overs and sound effects. Fair replay value. Highly entertaining.

Cons: Object locations are fixed. Jigsaw puzzles lack challenge.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Click here for the Gamezebo review of The Scruffs
 
This is one of the best games in this sale yet. You owe it to yourself to check it out. Makes up for some of the less than stellar games lately...
 
I got the Scruffs free from Amazon when they launched their DL site, but it is certainly worth $3. Excellent game.
 
Gamezebo review:

"As any keyboard jockey worth their weight in hard drives knows, there are casual games - instantly-comprehensible titles which appeal to a broad audience - and then there are casual games, the sort so leisurely and undemanding you could practically fall asleep playing. Falling firmly into the latter category despite offering a wealth of different gameplay styles and colorful undersea realm in which to play, Hidden Wonders of the Depths predictably manages to entertain, but, as you might imagine, won't set the desktop world aflame."

Pros: Multiple play styles. Attractive visuals. Hundreds of levels. Light on stress.

Cons: Lack of focus. Music. Sound effects. Light on challenge. Single game mode.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Click here to read the Gamezebo review of Hidden Wonders Of The Depths
 
This one has a bit of everything in it. The Gamezebo review was written when the game first came out. After that the developers said that they were going to update it to fix some of the issues. Not sure if they ever did or not. Regardless, the game was popular enough to warrant a sequel....
 
I couldn't find any reviews of this game. I've personally never heard of it. Almost no companies besides Big Fish sell it. After watching the video on Big Fish, it looks kind of like those games where you slide the boxes onto the marked spots on each level, Sokoban. But different...

This one is probably a pass...
 
Gamezebo review:

"Putting all tiles on the table, Mahjongg Artifacts' shortcomings are minor at best. This tile-matcher is engaging, entertaining and expertly crafted. It's got plenty of eye and ear candy, but not at the expense of great play. These lost artifacts are definitely worth rediscovering."

Pros: Gorgeous graphics and excellent tunes; Easy to learn and addictive to play; Innovative endless mode and free upgrades.

Cons: Quest is short; Endless Mode gets monotonous quickly.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Click here to read Gamezebo's review of Mahjongg Artifacts
 
There was no Gamezebo review for this game since it is older than that site. I played it when it first came out and thought it was a decent Breakout style game. Not the best, but definitely not bad. User reviews on Reflexive were mostly positive.

If you like these kind of games, you can always download the demo first and see if you like it.
 
Today's Big Fish $2.99 Game Of The Day is:

Secrets Of Olympus - Matching game with multiple styles of play and over 300 levels. Traditional Match 3, Collapse-style levels, Mysteries Of Horus-style levels plus word puzzles.

Click here for Secrets Of Olympus

Use Coupon Code: OLYMPUS299
 
Gamezebo review:

"This being the case, ask yourself: Do you have to own every tile-swapping head-scratcher that comes out? If so, dig in - there's plenty of challenge waiting. If not, well... let's just say the Secrets of Olympus are best left to less experienced, and more innocently forgiving, types."

Pros: Nice audiovisual presentation. Cool magic spells. Two types of play. Over 300 levels.

Cons: No featured storyline. Stages can take too long to beat. Technical glitches. Light on ongoing player incentives. Odd design choices.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Click Here to read the Gamezebo review of Secrets Of Olympus
 
There is no Gamezebo review for this game since it came out in 2005. They did review the subsequent sequels, Star Defender 3 & 4...

Average user review on CNET was 4 out of 5.

I played 3 & 4 and they were fun, old school shooters with great graphics. From the pics, 2 seems pretty similar. Though the game is older, Big Fish says it will play on Vista.
 
Gamezebo review:

"Cate West - The Vanishing Files is a prime example of a hidden object game done right - with thought, care and a few innovations to keep pushing the genre forward. It's not too short but has the good sense to end before overstaying its welcome. Enjoy this one while you can and stay tuned for the hinted-at sequel."

Pros: Satisfying length. Many variations on seek-and-find gameplay. Excellent production values. Interesting story. New drag-and-drop twist. Multiple endings.

Cons: Delay between clicking on multiple objects. Gets a bit formulaic.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Click here to read the Gamezebo review of Cate West: The Vanishing Files
 
I know people love this game, but it felt like a long slog to me. I was trying to get it finished so I could play the second one. I got about two or three scenes away from the last level, when the game reset my save. I now hate this series.
 
This game is way too old for Gamezebo, having come out in 2004. But Gamespot reviewed it back then:

Gamespot review:

"The main story mode of the game doesn't take a long time to beat, but there's also a time trial mode to keep you busy once you're done with the story mode. Though the game isn't particularly complicated, and the in-game animation can be a bit off-putting at times, the game's frantic gameplay mix of reflexive action and concentration makes for a fairly addicting experience. Those who like their games fast and fun would do well to give Betty's Beer Bar a shot. "

Pros: Story and time trial modes. Nice cartoony look and feel. Fast action with a solid level of challenge.

Cons: Story mode doesn't take a particularly long time to beat. Animations are jerky and weird.

Rating: 7.2 out of 10 User Scores: 5.8 out of 10

Click here to read Gamespot's review of Betty's Beer Bar
 
Gamespot kind of liked Betty's Beer Bar. At the time, it was something new and different. The genre has advanced and developed since then, however. If you want to see the start of the genre, play this or the original Diner Dash...
 
Gamezebo review:

"If Puzzle Hero is your first experience with this type of game – one that combines match-three with role-playing elements – then you'll probably think it's the bees knees. But Puzzle Quest veterans who are used to the more sophisticated and polished experience will likely find Puzzle Hero disappointing by comparison."

Pros: Customizable outfits that show up on avatar throughout the game. Creative monster types. Two modes.

Cons: Derivative and simplistic gameplay. Weak story. Gameplay lacks variation or advanced strategy in later levels.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Click here to read Gamezebo's review of Puzzle Hero
 
There is no Gamezebo review since the game originally came out in 2003. Cnet reviewed it however, giving it a 4 out of 5 stars. I have played the game and it is fun, but the hidden object genre has come a long way since 5 Spots. 5 Spots went on to spawn a PC sequel and a WiiWare edition, 5 Spots Party.

From Cnet:

"The game is worth it. No matter how many times you play, you're unlikely to come across the same puzzle twice, thanks to a big library of source images and random errors."
 
Well this morning I am getting the following message:

We're sorry, but there seems to be a problem with today's Deal.

Please check back soon.


Not sure if there really is a problem or if they are discontinuing the sale. Will keep you all posted....
 
Gamezebo does not have a review of this game since Fireworks Extravaganza is older than the site.

On Yahoo Games, this game gets an average user rating of 4 out of 5. But we should note these reviews are 4 years old and the casual game market has changed a lot since then. If you like Inlay style games (Arctic Quest, Puzzle Inlay etc) then you might like this one since not many games like these are being made these days.

As for the sale itself, it seems Big Fish is now putting some of the oldest games in their catalog in the sale. A big change from back in July when we saw a lot of recent top games in it.... Hopefully we will see more recent games soon...
 
Gamezebo review:

"An instant classic, Aveyond is a well-crafted RPG Lite that serves as a throwback to the golden days of video gaming as it sucks you into this magical adventure. It may not be a typical "casual" puzzle or word game that you can play for just five minutes here or there, but it's a refreshingly fun computer game nonetheless. "

Pros: Plenty of fun and accessible game-play; terrific musical soundtrack

Cons: Missing a mouse interface option

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Click here for Gamezebo's review of Aveyond
 
Keep it up Otty Ott, your persistence is noted. :)
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My biggest gripe with Aveyond is the lack of mouse support, so I always liked the sequels better... It is still a decent game, though, and a refreshing change from all the hidden object, time management and match 3 games.

For those of you that haven't played one of the Aveyond games, they are RPGs made with probably RPG Maker and resemble JRPGs from the SNES era. Very nostalgic with a good story. Aveyond has tons of hours of playtime and for only $2.99 today, it is a steal... The more recent versions are episodic in nature and much shorter. But this one and the second one are full adventures.

Thanks, Therpson!
 
Gamezebo review:

"Dracula Twins is a hoot. A batty diversion, it will keep you busy while the kids rot their teeth on all the candy they scored. Better yet, maybe you can play it together (and snatch something yummy when they're not looking). It's a guaranteed treat you can "Count" on to spice up the holiday."

Pros: Beautifully-rendered 3D world; Hauntingly upbeat music; Great sound effects. Easy to learn, yet challenging to play.

Cons: Rotating 3D environment is sometimes confusing; Some control issues; Needs more variety in monsters.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Click here for the Gamezebo review of Dracula Twins
 
An RPG and now a 3D platformer? You gotta admit, those are unexpected genres in this sale! I hope they keep surprising us...
 
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