Hidden Mysteries: Titanic - Secrets of the Fateful Voyage
From Activision Inc.

Titanic: Mysteries of the Deep places you on board the Titanic as a passenger during its fateful voyage. Your character is torn between their past and present life in a struggle to find out what they truly want in their heart.
Amazon Sales Rank: #1329 in Video Games Brand: ACTIVISION Model: 75937 Published on: 2009-10-31 Released on: 2009-11-03 ESRB Rating: Teen Number of discs: 1 Platform: Nintendo DS Number of items: 1 Dimensions: .25 pounds

Pleasantly low key but WAY too short Nice low key game for winding down- especially interesting for anyone who is fond of Titanic material. The "puzzles" are not challenging like other games that leave you wanting to throw the system out the window. Once you get past the annoying first bird "puzzle" it's smooth sailing. Interesting story line that allows you to choose how to respond which elicits different responses from other characters in the game. I may play it again as an antagonist just to see if there is a different outcome. The music score is poor in my opinion and whoever put together the sound on this game did a poor job. When your character speaks, you cannot hear her unless you quickly turn the volume WAY up. The game is also WAY too short and can be completed in a matter of hours. Not for hard core gamers or those seeking a challenge like Professor Layton (one of my personal favorites!). Nice choice for casual gamers or Titanic fans looking for a short but simple, non brain-draining escape from reality. "I'd almost go so far as to call it rude, ma'am"---Montague Hidden Mysteries: Titanic is a titanic disappointment. As a DS player and Titanic buff who couldn't get enough of that computer game, "Titanic: Adventure Out Of Time," I looked forward to this release as soon as I heard about it on my Amazon recommendations page. The puzzles are either too easy or very frustrating and, as the other reviewers have pointed out, it is too short. I'll break down the different characteristics of the game: Graphics and Music: Graphically, the game is good as it shows the different rooms of the Titanic (including the Turkish bath, gymnasium, and the Cafe Parisien, etc.) and has realistic details. You cannot move around in the rooms, though. It is just one stationary image and you click on different parts of the room but you do not actually move around. The characters do not change expression as they converse. They are just stationary images, too. The music is surprisingly terrible. It is so repetitive I usually turned it all the way down as I got sick of hearing it. As another reviewer noted, in the few transitional movie scenes where there is a vocal narrator, you can barely hear her speak. I had to put my ear to the speaker which meant I couldn't enjoy the movie. There is an option to adjust the sound and music, so it is probably a good idea to set the music much lower, but why is that? Characters and Storyline: The programmers put some thought into the characters. They even have background stories in the booklet. You play Margaret Ashley, a young peasant woman who has just married a wealthy, British businessman. She is tough, wisecracking, and spunky, although her joking attitude as the Titanic is sinking is a little much. The only other cool characters are a fortune-teller who can't tell fortunes and a sarcastic, superstitious curator named Odette. Margaret's husband is a jerk. At no point is he nice or pleasant to his new wife. The valet Montague is stuffy and humorless and Margaret's mother is a stuck-up busybody. The Titanic hits the iceberg pretty quickly, so the story is basically finding things and solving puzzles that help you get your character and her family off the ship, although you may not care if they're saved or not. Game Play and Puzzles: The game play consists of either finding ten of a certain item or figuring our how things found in one room will help you solve a problem in another room. Some of the puzzles are clever while others I found very frustrating. In one puzzle, I knew I had the right items but, because I didn't place them in the exact spot, they didn't work. It took me a long time to finally get past that point as I began to think I was doing the wrong thing. The game does offer a spy glass that will circle whatever needs attention if you get stuck. There is also a lifesaver that, if you finally give up, will let you skip the puzzle entirely. I admit I used the lifesaver twice. I guess it might be considered cheating but it is better than not being able to advance the story until you figure out a puzzle or someone posts the answer on the net. While it took me several evenings to finish the game (I'm not as quick at solving puzzles as most people), after finishing it I played it through a different way and it probably took me less than an hour; that's how short it is. The dialogue choices don't seem to make a difference until the final choice. There are two possible endings to the game. I believe the best games are the ones you want to play again. Although I played this game twice, it was only to see if it would change with different choices. Being so short, I figured why not see another ending. It is too stale of a game to want to play again down the line. Pick this one up used if you find the Titanic theme intriguing; otherwise, use these reviews like the lifesaver in the game, and skip it entirely. Could have been amazing with a little effort, just too short! I enjoyed this game for the few hours it lasted. What little there was in the game was well done and I would have liked to have spent several more hours on it. I guess the makers of the game just didn't want to put the effort in to make it great because they assumed people would buy it anyway. It was very disappointed when it ended, I thought I must have accidentally skipped something! I would recommend the game to others, but not for [...]. I just wish there was more!

   

Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues
From Lucas Arts Entertainment

LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues combines the fun and creative construction of LEGO bricks with the wits, daring and non-stop action of one of cinema’s most beloved adventure heroes. With a unique, tongue-in-cheek take on all the Indiana Jones films – including for the first time ever Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – LEGO Indiana Jones 2 follows Dr. Jones’ escapades from the jungles of South America to the Peruvian Ruins and beyond. Fans can experience the most authentic LEGO experience yet by designing and building their own levels brick by brick, and by fusing their levels with the ones in the game to create a custom experience. In LEGO Indiana Jones 2, everyone can build, battle and brawl their way through their favorite cinematic moments – or create their own.
Amazon Sales Rank: #77 in Video Games Brand: Lucas Arts Model: 33961 Published on: 2009-10-31 Released on: 2009-11-17 ESRB Rating: Everyone Number of discs: 1 Platform: Nintendo DS Number of items: 1 Dimensions: .64" h x 4.93" w x 5.73" l, .18 pounds
LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues is a comedic action/adventure game that combines the fun and creative construction of LEGO bricks with the wits, daring and non-stop action of one of cinema’s most beloved adventure heroes. With a unique, tongue-in-cheek take on all the Indiana Jones films – including for the first time ever Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – LEGO Indiana Jones 2 follows Dr. Jones’ escapades from the jungles of South America to the Peruvian Ruins and beyond. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: -15px; } table.callout { font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1. 3em; } td.vgoverview { height: 125px; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg.png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 250px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; }
Best series for the DS The Lego games are the only reason I own a DS. I really hate playing games that rely on the stylus, it's not fun, and these Lego games make only very light use of the stylus. Moreover, when it does come time to use the stylus in little bonus games, it's actually well done! I loved the first Indiana Jones game and this one is even better. The camera angles are fantastic, and it's just plain fun. I finished the entire game in two weeks, including all the challenges and the free play. There are still a few golden hats I am searching for, though ;-) Needless to say, I had to sacrifice other things in my life such as sleep. Lego IJ 2 is basically all Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, very thoroughly done. There are 12 multi-phase levels to go through, in similar style as the first game. The "challenge" levels are great though, they are basically levels from the first three movies, and they're brand new, very fun. I only wish they could have squeezed everything that was in the first game, these new levels, AND the entire KOTCS levels! :-) I highly recommend the Lego Batman game for the DS as well, and of course the Lego Star Wars (complete series), really really great fun. I am so thrilled that Harry Potter has been announced as the next game, and I hope they will release many more using the same engine and style afterward, I cannot get enough. Maybe a spiderman game? Thank you for making this game! Lego - Indiana Jones 2 - DS - Hard but good! Hello I'm an autistic adult gamer. This is my review on Lego Indiana Jones 2 for Nintendo DS. Well I like this game but it's really hard. I can't get past the first level I'm suppose to collect as many journal pages as I can to get to next level but it's hard. There's three area's in the first level I can cut down the lego guy easy then in the other area you have to squish 16 bugs in one minute I can do that too. It's when I have to smash 8 totems with a boulder in one minute where I seem to run into the problem I keep running over the one minute. Can anyone help me with the first level? I'm stuck & really frustated with the game. I like it I'm just frustated. I unlocked all the hints by collecting the studs & saved the game. The hints didn't really help they just pointed out the basic's that were already in the first game & apparently in the second game too. For the most part this is a good game. Try it you might like it. I like it I'm just stuck. Happy Gaming everyone! Love the Original More When I first started playing this game, I wasn't too thrilled at all, but that was because I thought you had to play the games on the island in order to unlock the levels for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but this is not the case. You play those and have to do certain things to unlock the mini games that go along with each of the four movies. Sadly, I'm still missing a couple of them, but one seems kind of impossibe to get which is knocking down totems in a minute or under. Some of the journal pages are around the island and you can easily obtain without playing a sort of game. This game is a bit different than the first. It takes you through Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and you play through 12 different levels that deal with the story of the movie. In the original you had to play through the story mode and free play mode and each one had a true adventurer bar that you had to fill up by obtaining so many knuts. In this one, you can fill it up in either mode and only have to do it once per level. There are also 10 golden hats or artifacts per level, in the original it was idols. Golden legos are obtained by beating the mini games which you unlock by collecting journal pages around the island. There are 4 per each movie and they take you through various aspects of the films, basically the most imporant parts of the films. You usually play as only one specific character too like in the Maharaja Hunt you play as Short Round and that is it. The graphics are definitely upgraded and I haven't tried the build your own adventure mode since that's not really my type of thing, but I think that's interesting that they added it. A few of my complaints would be that on the island you have to reaccess certain spots. What you do doesn't stay and you have to keep redoing it in order to gain access to that part of the island again, like parts you unlock with the monkey, etc. It gets a bit tedious, especially when you only have a couple of journal pages left to obtain. My second complaint would be some of the jumps are kind of hard to do, especially if you have to keep jumping from rope to rope, especially in the Maharaja Hunt. It got a bit tedious to have to keep trying to get past these sections and jumps. Plus, I ran into a couple of glitches too, one was in a free play spot where you gained a hat, but the first one had a few glitches too. Overall, the game is enjoyable and if you like the first, you will probably like this one, even if you're not a fan of Crystal Skull. I liked the movie but I would have preferred to have more levels for the old movies than 12 for Crystal Skull. Another fun aspect was being able to throw a character over Indy. The first time I did it, it made me laugh and I liked how everytime you used a weapon and your partner was by you, it didn't make them break apart. In the end, if you like a game that is going to take up lots of time and you're a fan of the original, and a fan of the movies, you should enjoy this game, minus a few of the more difficult parts.

   

Hamsterz Life
From UBI Soft

In Hamsterz Life, you adopt a cute hamster from different breeds, raise and train him. As your hamster grows stronger, he can build his own Ham-country with its own bakery, school and bookstore and invite other hamsters.
Amazon Sales Rank: #3123 in Video Games Brand: UBI Soft Model: 16327 Released on: 2006-11-28 ESRB Rating: Everyone Platform: Nintendo DS Dimensions: .60" h x 4.90" w x 5.40" l, .20 pounds

No Ham-Country According to the Q&A area of Ubi-soft's website, there is no Ham-country per se. They say that the cage is Ham-country because it is a school (you teach the Hamsterz there), a bakery (you feed them from the food menu), etc. I think I would be happier had they just said that it wasn't included in the programming rather than trying to make it sound like the customers are all mistaken. Some people are going around claiming that you have to play the game for 72 hours to get Ham-country. However, I have it from the source that this is false and I don't recommend wasting 3 days of your life unless you truly enjoy the game. Now, for a review of what is included in the game. I find it cute and my children all find it fun to play in small doses. A few of the mini games could be frustrating for younger children (and Mom), but my 7 year-old is able to tackle all of them. He is a very computer literate child though, so your mileage may vary. All in all, the controls are very intuitive, so there shouldn't be a problem. You can not buy food and supplies. To get them you have to play mini games (only when the Hamster is in the mood) or find presents. When the Hamster asks if you want to play, you will see musical notes. Go to the main menu (i.e. so the Hamster is on the top screen) and press the button that appears with a musical note in it. If the kids have trouble playing the mini-games to get food and items, encourage them to use "Outing" then "Open Cage" to collect presents in the "bedroom." If your Hamster is hungry or thirsty and you have no food or drink items, I suggest adopting another Hamster. When you switch with "Hammy" the hunger and cleanliness of the Hamsterz will revery to "normal/ normal." That way you can get more supplies without having a tortured and complaining hamster (did I mention they complain?). You can have more than one Hamster, but only play with one at a time and they do not interact with each other. Speaking of complaining... One of my favorite features of the game is that the Hamsterz will converse with you. My kids love it and it encourages my 5 and 4 year-olds to read. They have already picked up on some phrases like "Good Evening." With that in mind, the breeds all have different dialog accents (Australian, baby-talk, etc) so you may have to explain this to early readers. My kids get the biggest kick out of the voice recognition. This feature is very well done. We have had no problems at all with settings, background noise, or changing settings for more than one user (completely unnecessary for Hamsterz). The holidays included with the game have strange (often culinary) names, so expect questioning as to why your child doesn't have A holiday from school on "Miso Day" or "Strawberry Day." All in all, this is a fun "pet" game. My kids love it with or without Ham-country and I let them "take out" their hamsterz to play with and take care of for a half hour a night after dinner. That way, they are getting the most out of the program without getting easily bored. They received it on Christmas and still look forward to Hammy time every night. The only reason I have it less than 5 stars is because I do not care for the misinformation on their advertising regarding "Ham-country." BEWARE!!! This game has a MIS-PRINT on the box and description!! It says that this has a Ham-Country with a bakery, school, playground, bookstore, etc. THAT'S NOT TRUE!!! If you are buying the game for that reason, dont do it! You will be very disappointed! I have had this game for almost a month, and I have played it for over 40 hours (total time). I raised 6 hamsters, acquired every single accessory, cage, toy, food, and everything else (of which there are generally 6 of each type of item). I played all of the mini-games, and of course I let my hamster explore my "room" every day. I clean up after the hamster, brush it, feed it, etc. The game gets very mundane & boring after a few days but I only kept playing so I could see the "ham-country" which I have now sadly discovered does not exist. I called UBIsoft about this, and they were clueless about the whole thing. Imagine that! I feel like I wasted my money and all my time on this game. It's cute that the hamster learns to "talk" (you speak to it, but it responds with text in a message box), and it's okay that you can play "catch" with the hamster (you throw a ball with the stylus, he catches it and throws it back to you). And most of the required item-acquiring mini-games are tolerable at best, but seem geared toward the pre-school aged children, so except for on the "difficult" setting, they can be done with your eyes closed, pretty much. But your hamster himself doesnt really do anything. He just runs around the cage, plays with a toy sometimes, runs in his wheel, eats, and occasionally sits on his hind legs and says something quirky to you. This is all adorable and fun the first few days, but like I said, the fun-factor diminishes greatly after that. I definitely dont recommend this game, unless you just rent it or borrow it from a friend. Just like my old Hamster I am a ten year old who recently Had her hamster die.Rather than buy a new Hamster we got this Game.It acts like my old hamster.She looks just like her too.My Hamster has been growing and growing and today I just received a roller coaster.I love the game and would totally recommend it!I like it way better than any of my other games.The hamster game is better than the dog game. sincerely Mocha

   

Nintendo DS Lite Travel Kit
From Naki


Amazon Sales Rank: #1254 in Video Games Brand: Naki Model: 65100 Released on: 2006-09-21 Platform: Nintendo DS Dimensions: 1.05 pounds

It has what I needed and I'm impressed so far. I did a lot of accessory searching for my DS Lite before buying this kit - sight unseen - because it had the kind of accessories I needed and the one and only feedback so far was very favorable. I hadn't been to fond of much of the accessories for DS Lite so far, but I took a leap of faith with this one hoping for the best. I was not disappointed! The kit came in today and, even though it's not the prettiest case out there, it is very practical and offers the protection I want for my DS Lite, especially for travelling. It comes with: 1. A two sided travel bag; one side for the NDS Lite the other for accessories. I like this bag because it has exactly what I needed. A safe singular storage area for the NDS game unit and a separate area for the accessories I usually travel with. There's enough pocket space in the accessory side for games, styli, a rumble pack, earbuds, and a cleaning cloth - which is what I usually travel with. This suits me just fine. The bag has a hook-and-loop belt strap on the back to attach to your backpack or belt. I'll likely do neither, but it's nice to know that it's there. The one fault with this bag (maybe it's just mine) is that it does not handle overstuffing very well - the zipper will separate when you try to close it. It happened twice when I was testing the bag, but it easily and securely closed again when I removed the extra bulk that was causing the zipper to separate. Between that and the ugly logo (my opinion), that makes this bag more like 4 stars instead of five. It also has an attachable wide strap/lanyard that one can sling it over there shoulder or wear around neck. 2. Earbuds. Althought I really wanted the original Nintendo headphone as my sis raved about how good they sounded, these earbuds will do nicely and easily fit in my ear. These earbuds are nicely made; certainly not your standard cheap buds I've seen out there. I'm not an audiophile, but so far these earbuds sound nice and clear. No complaints from me. 3. An extra white stylus and the comfort pen grip. The comfort pen grip is definitely a plus. The NDS Lite stylus very neatly and securely slips into the comfort pen grip allowing you to use your OEM stylus and be more comfortable at the same time. Recently I've started using my Palm stylus to be able to play NDS games more comfortably, but that will now be replace with this comfort grip pen. This is a definite plus and made me all the more happy with my purchase. 4. Car charger. I really don't know how often I'll really use this, but it's nice to have anyway. It keeps my options open. The back end of the charger glows blue when plugged in. 5. Screen protector and soft card. I already have a screen protector on my NDS Lite, so these will serve to replace them when the time comes. Soft card is for smoothing out the screen protector during installation. 6. Screen cleaner with bonus cartridge holder and wrist strap. The wrist strap was a disappointment. I was hoping for a decent wriststrap I can secure to the NDS Lite that I can wear during game play to avoid accidental droppage. This wrist strap will not fit my needs. It's not very long and barely fits over my skinny wrists. I don't see how the practicality of it. However the other items will come in handy. I'll likely keep a soft cloth inside the cartridge holder. 7. Game case. No frills here. Nice silicone fitted interior; sturdy plastic exterior. Comes an extra silicone insert for GBA games (or for rumble pack). The game case also has spots for extra styli - one for NDS Lite, one for the smaller original NDS stylus. Overall, I'm very please with my purchase at this kit will suit my needs very well. I got what I needed and it looks handsome. So far I'm happy with the quality and the great price I got this whole kit for. ABSOLUTELY THE BEST VALUE to protect your DS Lite! The value offered in this package is phenomenal! The case alone is worth more than the entire price of the kit! The DS Lite Case: Well-padded (very well-made, quality materials) with two SEPARATE compartments to hold your DS Lite and accessories without crowding or squashing! A little crowded if you want to carry everything--but will accomodate a game, power adaptor (car OR home, not both), the stylus holder, and earphones. The included neck strap is also great--substantial. It cannot slip off the case untintentionally. The earphones: Work great, but tend to slip out of your ear easily if you're not careful of the cord. The game case: Solid, hard shell, and well made. Game is securely held along with an extra sylus if you so choose. The stylus: An exact match for the one that comes with the Nintendo DS Lite. A VERY BIG BONUS: The stylus holder--great for smaller hands or arthritic fingers! The original stylus fits right inside it--with just the tip extended. Kind of like a ballpoint pen. Easy to get the stylus in and out. Great to prevent hand fatigue! The Screen Protectors: Go on easily and the touch screen functions well with the protector--a good value. Car Power Adaptor: Haven't tried it yet, but will soon on my next road trip. Another extra bonus--One Game Case with screen cleaner: Great little touch and easily fits in the case with other accessories. Getting these items separately is a HUGE expense, and the case is impossible to match! All-in-all, THIS IS A TERRIFIC VALUE if you want to protect your DS Lite, the game cartridges, and use them away home, or on the go. I had originally ordered the pro gamers kit, which included an aluminum case (bulky and smelled of oil--no kidding), and the Airform Leather Case for NDS Lite Nitendo Console + Crystal Clear LCD Protector with Cleaning Cloth sold by Best Price Center. All of those are grossly inadequate and cheaply made. I returned them all and ordered this kit. I say again, with much emphasis: THE CASE IN THIS KIT IS VERY WELL-MADE, AND THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT! Don't even bother with another case. Get this one and don't be disappointed! Close, but no cigar This is a cool case...and it would be even cooler if it actually HELD everything it claims it does. You can pack some of the game cases, and the wires and chargers, but if you do...there is no room for the game console itself. And there is no way the car charger fits in it unless it is completely empty. Nice construction...but was a disappointment. The gadgets are nice...but now we have to find case to hold it all! Save your money, skip the "kit" and just get the empty case. The console fits nicely, and the games will slip in the other side, no problem.

   

Cake Mania 3
From Majesco Sales Inc.

As Jill Evans nervously prepares for her big wedding day, disaster strikes when a mysterious "timebender" crashes to the floor. As her friends and family rush to pick up the shattered pieces, her loved ones suddenly vanish. Now, in order to rescue them and get back before the ceremony begins, Jill must travel through time and work her cake-making magic on everyone she meets in this all-new adventure based on the best-selling PC title from Sandlot Games.
Amazon Sales Rank: #1093 in Video Games Brand: Majesco Model: 01606 Published on: 2009-10 Released on: 2009-10-13 ESRB Rating: Everyone Number of discs: 1 Platform: Nintendo DS Number of items: 1 Dimensions: .64" h x 5.44" w x 5.38" l, .25 pounds
Cake Mania 3 is the third release in the beloved PC baking simulation game franchise to make its way on to the Nintendo DS platform. Continuing the adventures of Jill Evans, the game is packed with the frantic gameplay that players have come to expect over the years, as well as new features like a time-altering storyline, all-new bakeries, bakery upgrades, kitchen customization, customers and mini-games. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: -15px; } table.callout { font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1. 3em; } td.vgoverview { height: 125px; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg.png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 250px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; }
Things are too small I love Cake Mania 1 & 2 so don't get me wrong. I was so looking forward to 3. What a big dissappointment. The machines are smaller which means she now stands in front of some of the buttons so you can't see them. Picking the cake up and making the next doesn't go as smooth. When it comes to layer cakes the top layer is so small it is hard to see. I haven't yet figured out how to see the rest of the discriptions on the power ups. The machine that makes the drinks is small so it is hard to hit the refill button if you have a drink in your hand, she wants put that drink back. For example, this has happened a lot, I place the cake on the froster hit the button quick and I come back and my unfrosted cake is sittng there. I never had that problem in 1 & 2. I'll wait and read user reviews on the next Cake Mania before I buy it. I'm not sure how to rate this game. I've played over half of it so far and I keep liking it less and less. Just wish it was more like the first two. Prepare to repeat yourself Everything the first reviewer of this game said is right on. Everything is wee small and Jill is constantly confused. You have to be PRECISE with the stylus to get Jill to do what you want. In addition to the cramped controls these are my biggest gripes: - You can only have 2 ovens and 2 frosters, unlike the previous editions where you can have 3 of each. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but I missed that 3rd oven and froster. - The cake toppers are tiny and hard to see, let alone select. In the upper levels when they start ordering double layers with a topper it is extremely hard to tell just what the top cake is. The blue and purple frosted cakes are very hard to differentiate in that little bubble over the customer's head. Cake shape is hard to make out too. - It is really easy to cancel an action. For example, if I choose a cake to bake, frost, or top and then accidentally tap anything else before that process has a chance to start then that action will cancel out. This is how you end up walking away only to come back and find that the cake is still unfrosted, hasn't been baked, or is still waiting on the topper. In the other games I always thought that it was a little too easy to screw up because there was zero lag time between the screen tap and the action happening which resulted in more than one erroneous cake, but it turns out that the other (older) versions had it right. - Upgrades on equipment are too expensive and there isn't enough of them. You can't go back and replay levels to build up cash so I struggled through until I upgraded her shoes, the ovens, the frosters all the way and bought the cheapest cake topper. After that it got a little easier to make the super bakery goals, but now I am in the last "area" with enough money to buy every upgrade there is and nothing to spend it on because I have already fully upgraded everything. - The mini games should be optional. I have found myself stuck on a cake matching mini game that is stupid hard. I am too old (mid 30's) to have video games pissing me off. I wouldn't mind if it were an issue of skill. But the best you can hope for is luck because the cakes basically look like blobs with toppers. I only got through the last mini game like this one because I started clicking on every cake that had a topper like one in the picture (you'll see what I mean when you get there). - The drink machine is slow and you can't upgrade it to make it faster. Once you've bought the drink machine the only upgrade is to go from a one-drink machine to a two-drink machine with no appreciable difference in speed. Okay, so that's the annoying stuff. One neat new thing is that you can upgrade the cake display stand so that you can leave a cake in it "overnight". Before I pick up the last customer's money I make the most expensive cake I can and put in the cake display for the next level. Customers in the game are a lot quicker to buy a displayed cake than they ever have been before and the one I start with is usually requested by customer #2 of the day. Overall I feel like the game merits 4 stars. I give it two just for being Cake Mania, one for being long enough that I couldn't complete it in one day, and one because I feel like it is $20 well spent. I would like to give it 5 stars but the dismal display and it's limited re-playability just won't let me mislead you that way. Bottom line: flawed but entertaining. I've spend $20 bucks on dumber stuff. I just hope the next installment is more like the first two. Waste of Money and Time It is as though the game designers didn't have the time to make this game work at all. I'm a huge fan of Cake Mania, but this one is the worst out of all three in my opinion. Here's why: 1. There are only six levels (worlds) that Jill goes to. And once you've gone through those, there's nothing left.Done. You've finished the game. If you recall in the 2nd game, there were three sub-levels in each world. 2. The mini games are dumb and they are incorporated into the actual levels. For example, instead of making cakes for demanding customers,you're playing Cakey Makey. 3. In order to move on from one of these stages, you must complete the impossibly difficult task of playing Cake Match (or something like that...I forgot the actual name of the game). I actually had to have another person use his stylus and help me beat the level because it was that incredibly difficult to beat. The point of the game was to find the three cakes from the top screen and match them to a myriad of impossibly similar looking cakes on the bottom of the screen. Each cake at the top has a time limit and once you've identified the correct cake, another cake comes sliding down. It's a neverending, impossibly difficult task and it actually made me HATE THIS GAME. It stopped being fun and started making me really angry that I spent money on it. 4. Colors are too similar and it's easy to make a blue cake when you were supposed to make a violet one. And no, I'm not color blind, but I think the game designers might have been. Also, brown and red look very similar as well. 5.Shapes are also hard to discern in this game. Hearts and rounds look deceptively similar when they are so small that you need a magnifying glass to see them. 6.You can buy upgrades for the big-screen T.V., but it won't do you any good. The T.V. shuts off 5 seconds after you put it on. Very annoying. 7.The vocal components are not funny---they're just plain irritating. I'm talking about the things that people say when they walk into the bakery. Okay, they've always been a little on the annoying side, like in other CM games, but this one "takes the cake." Having to listen to very whiny pseudo-Asian riffs got on my nerves after about 5 minutes. And the executioner in France stating, "cake or death," in his daft, doofy voice made me really regret buying this game. 8.The cake shapes were really difficult to discern like I stated above and they were also lacking in imagination. I think each world/theme should have had cakes to match it. A police-badge-shaped-cake in a world filled with wizards and fairies? That makes no sense! What about leaves, flowers, stars, moons, and other fantastical things? 9. The mini games, while a great idea were, for a lack of a better word, dumb. The only reason I didn't give this game a 1 star rating is because the graphics were amazing. The art is truly beautiful. At least they did one thing right... This is just my opinion.

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