Reviews for Haunted Halls: Revenge of Doctor Blackmore Collector's Edition

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As usual another splendid and well made game in the saga of Haunted Halls, I never get tired of this games and sequences, I always want more.

We can never get rid of evil Doctor Blackmore, what the world will do without him creating mayhem and chaos.

Even with the evil and no longer mystery of the Haunted Halls story line this far in the sequence, we can not deny that Mediocre this games are not.

As a matter of fact the graphics are beautiful, well done and mesmerizing.

As long as Evil Doctor Blackmore keeps getting new tricks from his sack of evil doings I will be waiting to play some more.

Keep them coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This one is a keeper.

Review after completing game + bonus in Advanced mode ...

Well having bought the other Haunted Hall games I gave in and bought the CE just so that I could finally rescue Tim and finish the series off but I did it under protest so to speak because ...

* . The game strettttched to fit my monitor on the full screen setting but selecting the widescreen option gave me 2" black bars either side so why is there still a widescreen option when it still doesn't work .

* . The Extras comprise of the Bonus Chapter, 6 Wallpapers, 3 Screensavers, 4 Music Tracks and 13 Concept Art pictures and you can LOOK at these but MUST NOT TOUCH as they are all locked until AFTER you have finished the game + bonus and are playing a completely different game . They are useless then and to me this means that the game is not worth double the price because the bonus chapter is usually short. In this case, it took 1 hour and that included a break to make coffee and go to the ladies and I am not a fast player.



Initially the game had the hidden object scenes with silhouettes and I was enjoying these for a change but then I accidentally knocked my cursor downwards onto one of these silhouettes and I was dumbfounded to see that they were all named so what was the point of using silhouettes in the first place when naming them defeats the object of using them . Anyway the silhouette scenes didn't last for very long at all and then it was straight list after straight list with each scene being visited twice and this detracted from my enjoyment of the game.

The graphics were good and the items were all clear to see although there were a couple of instances where I, personally, wondered what I was looking for and I had to use a hint. The animals were cute and I would have liked to have seen even more of them. I liked how the game was split into 5 chapter areas and, while there was some adventuring involved, the distance wasn't too great that you forget where you were or what you were looking for.

To me the best part of the game was the puzzles and I enjoyed using the laboratory case too.

I hope that ERS do not make the SE end exactly where the main game does in the CE version because I didn't feel that it was a satisfactory ending for the series and without playing the bonus I would have felt disappointed and a bit cheated in the short-changed sense.

Cherb

well, i bought because of the difference in hog scenes......only to find out,,,the game goes back to mostly just lists very early on....

the bonus game is typical ers...in other words SHORT,,,,

the guide is limited to the early chapters in the demo....

i enjoyed it at 1st..too bad most the fun was b4 i bought it..

makes me wonder if ERS...ever visits any game forums......when players start turning away,,,(even previous fans that used to stick up for them ) its time to listin..

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess..." really? He doesn't sound like someone about to be blown up, or in extreme danger. He sounds bored. I would have been telling her to get the heck out of here!

I have the other two Haunted Hall games and really liked them. The graphics and game play are as expected from ERS, exceptional. Music is old and boring. HOGs, I like the silhouette stuff, but a little goes a very long way and gets very old very quickly. Needed to mix it up. Games are very simple.

I am not kicked out about this game, but I liked it well enough to buy it...mostly because I already have the others in the series (I know, stupid reason to spend $15). All in all, this one doesn't quite live up to the first two, but hopefully the next one will be far better, if there is another in the works.

Make up your own mind and go from there. Thanks for the reviews.

Edited for spelling error...oops!

cbtx wrote:This game, another in a series, typifies ERS' continuing slide into mediocrity. The quality of their games has been slipping for some time now.

-the story is absolutely dreadful! Dr. Blackmore is back for revenge----no explanation of how the main characters got there, nothing, just begin playing. There are many things to do, if you can figure out what the writers have in mind----beyond that, it's just all over the place. But the worst part is that the story is so convoluted that the game is simply not fun to play, just a tiresome chore.
-ERS appears to think their new style HOS of finding things in sequence is truly remarkable, but I don't agree. I think they're boring and they trivialize the point of HOS in general. I got tired of this style very quickly.
-some like it, but I'm sorry to see the puzzles getting too easy.

So, once more, ERS has cranked out another cliche-ridden, stamp it out as fast as possible, unoriginal game that I'm sure they honestly believe is CE worthy----but I'll leave it to what the character Tim says, both in the trailer and in the game itself----

"I'm so sorry for dragging you into this mess. I keep wanting it all to end. But somehow it just starts all over again"

That says it all, and I agree with poor Tim.

I agree with this review as well. And the fact that there is a new game at all negates the ending of the last one. The original game was a cliffhanger, so it was expected there would be another game, but the second game supposedly ended the bad guy. The way things are going lately I suppose there will eventually be a fourth game (Puppetshow, Echoes of the Past are two series that went one game too far to keep the quality up).

And what about wimpy Tim? Three games and in all three the fiancee has to rescue him. Why didn't they switch it around and have Tim be the player having to rescue his fiancee?

Will I buy this game? The original Haunted Halls game is my favorite HOPA. I also enjoy the sequel. Can't make a clear decision now because only played half the demo and have a migraine; I'll have to finish later. Since I have the other two games in CE I'll probably go for the CE here, too, because their strategy guides are excellent, and the other two games had good bonus chapters.

If this doesn't make sense, it's because of the migraine.

cbtx wrote:This game, another in a series, typifies ERS' continuing slide into mediocrity. The quality of their games has been slipping for some time now----beginning with "Redemption Cemetery-Grave Testimony", the "Dark Alleys" game, and, more recently, "Gothic Fiction". Here's why:

-amazingly, the graphics are sub-par----not up to the usual high standard of ERS games at all. Colors are dull, and the scenes are not clean and crisp as you can usually count on with ERS.
-the story is absolutely dreadful! Dr. Blackmore is back for revenge----no explanation of how the main characters got there, nothing, just begin playing. There are many things to do, if you can figure out what the writers have in mind----beyond that, it's just all over the place. But the worst part is that the story is so convoluted that the game is simply not fun to play, just a tiresome chore.
-ERS appears to think their new style HOS of finding things in sequence is truly remarkable, but I don't agree. I think they're boring and they trivialize the point of HOS in general. I got tired of this style very quickly.
-some like it, but I'm sorry to see the puzzles getting too easy.
-and, of course, no working widescreen. (ERS now distinguishes itself as the ONLY major dev to not take care of this )

There are the typical assortment of extras in the CE that you always find, including a musical soundtrack----which I don't understand since ERS uses virtually the same music in all their games and has since the Puppetshow series. Maybe I just don't recognize truly great music when I hear it.

So, once more, ERS has cranked out another cliche-ridden, stamp it out as fast as possible, unoriginal game that I'm sure they honestly believe is CE worthy----but I'll leave it to what the character Tim says, both in the trailer and in the game itself----

"I'm so sorry for dragging you into this mess. I keep wanting it all to end. But somehow it just starts all over again"

That says it all, and I agree with poor Tim.

What a game.. I played the entire trial and there are so many things I like about it. The graphics are of course GREAT as with every ERS game and real creepy and music goes right along with the story. I have the other 2 Haunted Halls and really liked them a lot but think this is the best one. Hints reload fast and puzzles so far are easy enough for me to solve without using a hint. Hints are avaliable after a time, so that does help. I will buy this for sure.. Give this a 5 out of 5 stars..

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I have never posted a review, but after reading the review by cbtx, I completely agree. ERS quality has been declining for some time because they appear to be targeting the "easy" players. They are no longer challenging or fun.

When they start to add simple mini-games, tutorials to the advanced/expert play, etc., it appears that they are churning these out because there is such a demand for "easy" play. Why can't there be a more complex "expert" or "advanced" selection? Why even bother having the other modes when they are not challenging anymore?

ERS is no longer a favorite. So disappointing! Luckily, there are many other great developers out there that offer CEs that are definitely topnotch!

ERS CE games that are offered on the same day as specials. Of course, they become #1 in the Top 100 chart. How can BFG actually determine the Games of the Year, etc., if the ERs games purchases in the first seven days are boosted by specials? It appears that the current trend is to offer specials with each new CE, but it is not a fair approach for those developers whose CEs did not need one.

Another very disappointing game from ERS. If I had never played their games before I would have liked it, but as other posters have said ERS does nothing new - they keep recycling their games and they seem outdated. I don't think they ever go to the forums because we've complained about this many times... they STILL have a flashing Notes/journal that won't turn off until you open it, the graphics are sub-par,sparkling hint button that gets annoying, the music loops endlessly (do they really think we like to listen to the same track over and over???), and the mini-games are all basically the same as previous games. I played the demo just to see if they ever listened to us, but they did not. I was once a big fan of ERS, but until they listen to their customers and start putting some serious effort into their games I refuse to buy anything from them.

Ok what happened to Mr. Turkey? Mrs. Turkey gave us a????????????????????? oops or was that Mr Turkey, all nice a bright feathers, well that got me to laugh, anyways......Great game but is it CE material?.............. have to think about that.

This game doesn't take after the other haunted halls games. I loved the others and bought them......................this one I can't decide................but I think I'll either wait to see what fishies say about the bonus, or I'll wait for the SE...............


SORRY DEV THIS IS NOT MY CUP OF TEA, ...........................this game will only help me to decide if it has a great bonus game........................


Oh yea forgot to mention I have to cook for a cat, I won't do that for my cat, but I have to for a stray thats so clean and fat oh well..............It's a game ..................nope no buy here I'll wait under an hr for the bonus nope not worth CE price..................happy gaming fishies

For once I find myself disagreeing with cbtx's review of this ERS game. Whilst it is true that the 'continuing slide into mediocrity' does apply to many of their games (an opinion also shared by a well known review site), I didn't find that to be the case with this one. On the contrary, I found the demo fun and highly enjoyable to play.

The scenes were certainly clean and crisp on my monitor and the colours suited the style of the game perfectly. The story was explained in some small part during the opening sequence; I imagine that ERS assumed people had played the previous 2 games in the series, thereby negating the necessity to read about the story behind this one.

As far as the HOS are concerned, they are what they are; a means to an end. Personally I prefer FROG's (as in Dark Parables) but for me any HOS is just something to get through by whatever means possible. Puzzles so far were different and required either a bit of thought or just trial and error to complete.

The 'widescreen' issue with ERS games is a longstanding one; I have never had any ERS completely fill my w/s monitor. There are always black bars down either side but I decided a long time ago that it would not stop me buying a CE. After a while I don't even notice the black bars!

I don't think the game is unoriginal either; honestly, how often do you encounter a newspaper-reading kangaroo

I am not a huge fan of ERS games; the days when every one of their releases was something to look forward to have long gone. But this CE has managed something extraordinary; it impressed me! A definite buy

As usual a total delightful game...but I think I am going to wait for the SE to come out. I love this crazy series. 5 based on the demo!

For a CE game, it's way too short. I played advanced mode. Took me 3 hours to finish the main game. I've played the other Haunted Halls games and they took almost 4 time as long to complete.

Also, the first few HO scenes were really interesting. You had to use what you found to find the next item. Very novel. Then it's like they ran out of time (or just got lazy) and had all the HO scenes be the normal (read boring) word descriptions. Just look and find. DULL!

I really liked the laboratory feature. It was fun. It would have been better if the recipe was labeled with what you were making, though. Not a problem, it just would have been nice.

The mini-games were, in my opinion, far too easy for a CE game played in advance mode. There was supposed to be a random click penalty in the advance mode. On one of the HO scenes I just clicked on every object I could find. No penalty. Maybe I was just lucky.

I expected much better from ERS. This barely qualifies as a regular game. Definitely not CE caliber. Shame on you ERS.

Finished playing the main game and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think its a great game, with a few exceptions of course! I also have the other "Haunted Halls" games, and don't remember all that much about them. I have a tendancy to forget games if its been a long while since playing them. Anyway, I like the fact that the mini-games were fairly simple. I want to enjoy a game, not feel like screaming!! The only game that really got me, was the pipe and soap puzzle. Just didn't get it at all. I agree with govols2 about the animals. Absolutely adorable!! I wanted to take every single one home with me!! The portable lab got on my nerves after awhile. I felt like I was back in Chemistry Class - enough is enough. And growing the pumpkin? It doesn't take that long to grow a REAL pumpkin!! I thought the Chernobyl place was creepy and certainly something different than you usually see in games. But to find a clean glass in Chernobyl?! What??? Anyway, I think its a great game if your not into the really challanging games and just enjoy a good, entertaining story.

feenix

(As I type, this is based on about 1/2 of the demo, then about an hour enjoying the "Buy It" full CE).

OK, so here's my take on this latest ERS "Haunted Halls" installment. It's gonna be contrary to a few other reviews--mediocre, as a game? I think not, although respectfully so.

We're (once again) on a rescue mission for poor, beleaguered Tim. (Sheesh--what is his problem?). Another "asylum" scenario, you say? Well, to me, this one isn't as claustrophobic as b4--so far, more wide open. But there are spiders and octopus tentacles--beware, if those sorts of things turn you off.

The intro/Options menu-screen is one of the most artistic I've ever seen--sliders X3, cursor choice, widescreen (sorry for some that this apparently doesn't work--bummer, eh?). The soundtrack seems very professional, and the voices are superb (where did ERS find a guy to play Dr. Blackmore? He's Evil, with a capital "E"!). The only comedown? Tim speaks like "Oh, well. What's up, boss"? Characters' lip-movement is decently in sync with the dialogue.

Graphics are typically ERS-style--colorful, thoughtful, and WAY entertaining. This is an interactive H0G with Adventure (OK--a/an H0PA). But with an imaginative "zoo"? A newspaper-reading Kangaroo? An egg-laying Pheasant? A hatchling Ostrich? The H0 scenes I've encountered so far have included something that goes into the Inventory for use later on--not just a "laundry list" of stuff to find, with no further purpose. Couple of mini-games--too easy, as far as I'm concerned.

Awright--I'm about done. Game length? I don't know yet. Extras? Buy the whole game to benefit. There is an integrated SG, "Notes"/journal, and a "Laboratory" suitcase for combining chemicals. Haven't done that yet, but I'll bet it'll test the "little gray cells", as Hercule Poirot would say.

I'll wager that there's another "Haunted Halls" in the future.

Regards, elldee

I LOVED Collector's edition, they are always GOLD class games. This is JUST that.
Good graphics, creepy atmosphere, good storyline, easy enough quite linear game play. Hint recharge is acceptable.

Easy enough to navigate the scenes, not too easy when it comes to deciding what inventory fits what. You may have to play forward some to get some inventory, then realised, OH! this must be it! Quite lots of fun. Like I had to make the electric stingray surface to recharge a drinks machine. But at that pt, I dont know what to use. After some HOS, I got some bread, and immediately realised, AH! the stingray! The game itself just say "if only I could lure the stingray, I can make use of its electricity". So its hinting without holding your hands and lets u think a little

Great fun and loving it every minute!

Love the critters and would play for that alone. Other than that, I was disappointed a bit with the game, but the critters saved it for me. Usually think ERS is spot on, but maybe missed a wee bit here.