Reviews by zeeee

The Sims 3
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Sims 3 (still) offers addictive, immersive fun!

I know the Sims 4 just came out, and therefore people might not be rushing to buy the previous version. That being said - this game is needlessly, horrendously, delightfully addicting. The changes made from the Sims 2 are all positive: endlessly customizable furniture and clothing; better development of wishes, moodlets, and opportunities; the addition of housing blueprints if (like me!) your houses never turn out *quite* the way you imagined them. With the Expansion Packs, possibilities really feel limitless. I can't quite get enough! I'm not close to being done with exploring and enjoying S3 (and I've had it for over a year), so S4 is just going to have to wait...

by zeeee, USA - Oct 11th 2014

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
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Not for everyone

I originally bought this after trying to play its equivalent on my iPhone. However, I couldn't quite get into the game play: the controls felt a little stilted, the puzzles too rote... maybe growing up without video games means that I have trouble adapting to certain game styles, but this one didn't "click" for me. I wouldn't be surprised if it's leant better to iOS devices or something with a controller.

It also just didn't capture the magic of Harry Potter the way I've always pictured it. I mean, it *is* Lego - usually a good thing! - but it didn't work for me.

by zeeee, USA - Oct 11th 2014

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
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Not for everyone... part 2

My review of this is essentially the same as Years 1-4, since I had the same issues. Perhaps I need to give both a more hearty endeavor, but I never got much past the first year (be it 1 or 5) in either game because it wasn't as fun as I'd hoped.

I originally bought this after trying to play its equivalent on my iPhone. However, I couldn't quite get into the game play: the controls felt a little stilted, the puzzles too rote... maybe growing up without video games means that I have trouble adapting to certain game styles, but this one didn't "click" for me. I wouldn't be surprised if it's leant better to iOS devices or something with a controller.

It also just didn't capture the magic of Harry Potter the way I've always pictured it. I mean, it *is* Lego - usually a good thing! - but it didn't work for me.

by zeeee, USA - Oct 11th 2014

Gone Home
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Too short!

I wanted to LOVE this game. Casual exploration - with no fear of zombies lurching after you, or a time limit, or any other stressors - is really my style of gameplay. (Call me chicken; it's true!)

The graphics are beautiful and the story is compelling. However, my fiancé and I finished this game in the span of something like a couple of hours - even trying to draw it out - and we both thought the ending was a little anticlimactic. Wonderful? Certainly. Worth $20? ...questionable.

If it's ever on sale, I'd recommend it; $20 for two hours of moseying didn't add up for me - even with the gorgeous details.

by zeeee, USA - Oct 11th 2014

The Sims 3 Island Paradise
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This EP was what really hooked me on Sims 3 (pardon the pun)

I had dabbled in the Sims 3 - and enjoyed every moment of it - but I'd never committed to a certain family or location until Island Paradise. For whatever reason, the possibility to explore underwater scenes via SCUBA diving made me really eager to pursue as many opportunities in this EP as possible. There are mermaids to befriend, mysterious islands to unlock and discover, sharks to avoid, and resorts to manage... you can even live on a houseboat and mosey around the network of little islands and atolls that make up the town. Super fun!

This was also the first EP where I found it really easy to get a lot of simoleons quickly, and I definitely think that helped get me immersed in the gameplay. One of the resorts can be "bought" for free and thereafter - using funds your Sim has already accrued - be upgraded. Boom! Before you know it, you may be raking in 3,000-6,000 simoleons a day, and that means exploring other aspects of Sim life - raising a family, trying to unlock islands, working on skills - can be the primary focus.

Hint: it pays to pursue SCUBA diving because it yields great rewards: treasure chests with contents worth thousands of simoleons, as well as diving work opportunities that amount to catching something like 2 squid (worth just over $1000 on their own) and receiving 10,000 simoleons as recompense. Ridiculous. Money like that certainly helps boost the resort ratings by making upgrades affordable!

In any case, after this EP, I was truly hooked. I've combined it with many others, including Seasons, and I get a giggle out of seeing the island paradise blanketed in snow... :)

by zeeee, USA - Oct 11th 2014

Amazing Adventures The Caribbean Secret
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Oddly addictive, but repetitive and at times annoying

I got this game in a bundle of PopCap Games sold for $10, so the amount I paid for it was less than $1. Coming from that background, it's probably worth the price. It's your standard Hidden Object game, but without a large variety of locations, so you end up revisiting the same handful of spots over and over. Unlike some other HO games, this one doesn't remember previous changes made to a location, which isn't annoying but does speak to the level of detail or gameplay that the developers put into it. The scenes are often more cluttered than compelling.

The puzzles between locations are easy, but sometimes annoying - not another puzzle where you have to rotate pieces to match an image!

But hey, for less than $1, I've gotten my money's worth.

by zeeee, USA - Oct 11th 2014

The Sims 3 Town Life Stuff
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As expected, but a nice selection of additions (esp. compared to other EPs)

This EP offers additional features, mostly buildings, for your town. Pretty straightforward, right? There are a lot of added decorations, furniture pieces, and more, so many things can be utilized by your Sims without you having to make new lots.

If you're looking for a nice way of making gameplay even richer by adding more features that are functional and stylish, I'd definitely recommend this. (Compare with EPs that are kitschy or clichéd - like the 70s/80s/90s Stuff EP, or the Fast Lane EP - or that are sponsored by some external company or brand. No thanks, Katy Perry, I actually am NOT interested in having all of my furniture look like cupcakes - or bringing back disco pants and platform boots!)

I give it 4 stars because for the same price (or close to it), you can get EPs that actually change content, offer new towns, give new lifetime wishes, etc; I'm much more likely to give that 5 stars for making available way more bang for your buck and perhaps influencing the way you play the Sims!

by zeeee, USA - Oct 11th 2014

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