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    Mystery Case Files 6: Dire Grove (IHOG)

    genkicoll
    genkicoll


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    Post by genkicoll Sat Jan 07, 2012 3:38 pm

    Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove
    by Big Fish Games - November, 2009

    Series linksMystery Case Files 1: Huntsville, Mystery Case Files 2: Prime Suspects, Mystery Case Files 3: Ravenhearst, Mystery Case Files 4: Madame Fate, Mystery Case Files 5: Return to Ravenhearst, Mystery Case Files 6: Dire Grove, Mystery Case Files 7: 13th Skull, Mystery Case Files 8: Escape From Ravenhearst, Mystery Case Files 9: Shadow Lake, Mystery Case Files 10: Fate's Carnival, Mystery Case Files 11: Dire Grove, Sacred Grove, Mystery Case Files 12: Key to Ravenhearst, Mystery Case Files 13: Ravenhearst Unlocked, Mystery Case Files 14: Broken Hour, Mystery Case Files 15: The Black Veil; Mystery Case Files 16: The Revenant's Hunt; Mystery Case Files 17: Rewind; Mystery Case Files 18: The Countess; Mystery Case Files 19: Moths to a Flame

    Available at:
    Big Fish for PC as Collector's Edition / Standard Edition
    Wildtangent

    Mystery Case Files 6: Dire Grove (IHOG) Mystery-case-files-dire-grove_feature

    The Celtic legend of Dire Grove has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. Considered a fairytale, its telling was meant to frighten small children into staying in their beds through the night. A recently unearthed artifact in the United Kingdom, however, proves the dark legend to be true! Use your wits and Hidden Object talents to follow the trail of a group of missing graduate students in Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove!

    • Bonus gameplay that reveals MCF “secrets”
    • A new Challenge and Achievement system
    • Collect over 50 hidden objects that continually change shape
    • A Deluxe Strategy Guide, integrated into the game


    Click images to enlarge
    Mystery Case Files 6: Dire Grove (IHOG) Th_screen1  Mystery Case Files 6: Dire Grove (IHOG) Th_screen2  Mystery Case Files 6: Dire Grove (IHOG) Th_screen3


    Last edited by genkicoll on Tue Sep 17, 2019 11:41 pm; edited 10 times in total
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


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    Mystery Case Files 6: Dire Grove (IHOG) Empty Thoughts on Ambience, Review and Length of This Game

    Post by genkicoll Mon Jan 09, 2012 9:28 am

    Review from April 15, 2010

    Yes, I just got around to playing Dire Grove after all this time. The demo wasn't immediately compelling like RTR's was, and I wasn't sure how I felt about the video tapes, plus I finished the demo in 45 minutes.
    (This is a large file game, and you only get to demo the first chapter, and whether you finish it in an hour or not depends on how experienced a player you are)

    First, let me say WOW OH! I am SO glad I bought this, and even happier that I finally had a chance to play it! This is a game you really need to sit down with and just experience. I don't recommend starting it if you're distracted, for you'll miss out on the true atmosphere of the game.

    You NEED to have the volume turned on to truly submerge yourself into the story. If you haven't tried it yet, there is quite a bit of live acting in this game. You won't want to miss what the characters are saying, nor the music, which ranges from beautiful and haunting to downright disturbing (perfect for the tone of the game!!) The developers did a beautiful job integrating everything together!

    This IS from the Mystery Case Files series, so I, like so many others, can't help but compare it to Return to Ravenhearst. I have to say that I liked this almost as much as RTR, which I consider the best IHOG of all time. Dire Grove is now my second favorite, displacing Echoes of the Past , Hidden Expedition: Devil's Triangle and PuppetShow.

    So, the length. I read every word, every journal entry and watched every tape. I skipped most of the puzzles (not being in the mood for them today Silly face), and did make use of the walkthrough when I was especially puzzled.

    I consider myself an experienced player, and even though I skipped the brain-bender puzzles, it still took me almost 4 hours to complete the game.

    This game is absolutely, positively worth every penny Sunny

    October 30, 2011 UPDATE:

    My original review of the game is from when I first played it a year and a half ago, and it still holds true today: This is an amazing game. Last week my Sis-in-Law and I played it through together, side-by-side. It's just as spooky and beautiful as the first time I played it, and if not for the fact that I have soooo many games waiting to be played through for the first time, we'd have started it over again right there and then.

    The video tapes were an issue for a great many players - too reminiscent of Blair Witch Project, they said. I never saw Blair Witch, myself, but I was still originally thrown off a bit by the videos. If you look at my original review, you'll see that my opinion changed pretty quickly, but I can now explain WHY the videos work so beautifully in this game:

    Ambiance. The first couple of videos are done very much in the style of Blair Witch, but thereafter, they are telling the background story. What happened in Dire Grove, how the kids came to be there in the first place, the fear, the cold, the strange occurrences... all presented in a way that makes it so that those who don't like to read will be able to get the background information and the feeling that those who produced the game were trying to convey.

    If you're one of the ones who didn't go past the demo time because of the video tapes, I urge you to give the game another try. Just think of them as extra story... This really is a spectacular game. Two thumbs up
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    bribling


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    Post by bribling Wed Mar 07, 2012 2:08 pm

    DG has all the bells and whistles common to this excellent series of what started out as Hidden object games with minis and has grown into an HO/Adventure series. The graphics and atmosphere are as good as they come. Introduced in this game are the "Mighty Morphing Objects". You must find all of the MMOs to unlock the secret so be vigilant and look for them. You may need to "cheat" and check the SG if you have the Collectors edition of the game. If you have purchased the Standard edition, you can find a list of the MMOs in a WT or maybe in the game forum.

    Make no mistake, this is a wonderful game but I will say that I can do without the videos. If I wanted to watch a movie I would but i purchased this to play a game. Fortunately, there is good gameplay. You do need to watch the videos for clues though. i watched them all the first time through and twiddled my thumbs and sighed while doing so. I have played about 5 times. I never watch the videos again but still had a good long, enjoyable game. (see next post for part 2)
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    bribling


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    Post by bribling Wed Mar 07, 2012 2:17 pm

    Part 2

    Unlike most CEs, the additional gameplay for this CE is integrated into the game and is not something you play after finishing the game. I didn't like that much and many players were disappointed to complete the game and have no additional game. if you play the SE, you will see some areas that look like they should have something to do but don't. Those are the extended play scenes. One of these gives Hints of things to come in the Ravenhurst series. There is also a complicated puzzle at the very end of the game credits so be alert and watch ALL of the credits.

    One extra is a video tour of BFG in Seattle with a guest appearance from Paul Thelan and his scaley green friend. This reveals very little of the famous studio so don't sweat to find all of those MMOs. if you want to see this humorous video you must find every MMO. I played three times to find them because I didn't want to cheat and look at a list of them - lol!

    Finally, this is, make no mistake, a gem of a game and an innovation in Hidden Object gaming. BFG studios went all out for this one and they did it very well. I, however, don't need the bells and whistles. I would have been happy with less innovation. Again, I must say I do NOT want to watch a movie, I want to play a game! Still, I am glad to own it!
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    kac


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    Post by kac Wed Mar 07, 2012 4:46 pm

    If I recall correctly I didn't care for the movie scenes because they were not captioned and hard for me to understand. But on the whole, I like cut scenes in games. I play a game to be entertained. I like the art work, the story, the cut scenes and the puzzles. And I would say puzzles is the last on the list. If I was to play just for the game i.e., a straight HOG, I would get bored and stop way before the game was over. It is good they make so many different games to satisfy everyone.
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    bribling


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    Post by bribling Thu Mar 08, 2012 3:38 am

    I agree kac, I love variety! I used to enjoy straight HOGs and still do enjoy them but I like them even better with some minis included. I don't mind a brief cut scene from time to tome either. The Art sells a game to me. I am easily swayed to purchase an otherwise poor game if it has beautiful art. DG has both beautiful Art and great Gameplay. I love the MMOs too!
    JustTheFacts
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    Post by JustTheFacts Sat Jan 04, 2014 9:41 am

    Well, Dire, Of Course!
    Sunny Sunny Gah! Sunny Sunny  

    *groan* Sorry!   Silly face 

    BASED ON COMPLETED GAME

    FIRST IMPRESSIONS
    You know, I’ve rather enjoyed my role as MCF heretic, believing myself to be not as all that impressed with the series as most fishies are. But replaying them all in conjunction with the latest in the series, I have come a long way towards changing my tune.

    For the first hour or more, I found my usual objections to MCF. It was too in-your-face creepy, too ‘loud’, and altogether too over done. As well as being unforgivingly and unforgivably hard.

    SIGHTS & SOUNDS
    The videos drove me nuts!  Right from the very start. They were totally nerve wracking. They were also splendid of course. To be able to present video of this quality in 2009! With actors, not cartoons! The use made of tapes as an slowly unfolding suspense/horror movie was inspired. Admittedly, by today’s standard the graphics are a little grainy – again, not bad for a game produced in the age of the dinosaur!

    The sound track is one feature I am not at all conflicted about. It is brilliant. There are everything from haunting melodies to crashing thunderous chords that scared the living daylights out of me.
     
    WHAT’S HAPPENING
    Having survived yet another clash at Ravenhearst, you find yourself snowed in by an unseasonable blizzard near a township called Dire Grove, well known for its Celtic heritage. A stalled car, a shocking video, played on your Crime Computer, and you are knee deep in the snow drifts, trying to locate 4 missing post grad students, who have come to see some Celtic relics recently found in the area. It is a terrifying mystery and  tests all your skills as a Master Detective.

    MAKING PROGRESS
    This is an adventure game with a heavy tendency towards HOPs, which are all interactive lists and visited twice. There are also a lot of tricky puzzles, covering a wide selection of the sorts of puzzles and mini-games we have seen since then and now. There are some nastier aspects to this typically MCF utterly impossible game. No hint outside HOPs and no map!! In a game that covers about 30 locations, across a never ending supply of snow drifts inside and out. The journal is your only hope for much of the game, and it rarely spells things out. It simply lets you work out the meaning of what you’ve seen for yourself.

    FINAL VERDICT
    This is, of course, the reason MCF games have such a following. They are always cutting-edge in the game mechanics, daring to do something genuinely different with every new release. They have great stories told extremely well, usually in unusual ways. And they are demanding games, expecting more from you than any other series (that I can think of, anyway).

    Love them or hate them, MCF games are in a class of their own. And the more often I play them, the more I find them irresistible.

    I Recommend This Game!
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


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    Post by genkicoll Sat Jan 04, 2014 12:32 pm

    Awesome, Justie! Clap  You're making me want to play Fate's Carnival (which I haven't even looked at yet!)
    RenaissanceMom
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    Post by RenaissanceMom Sat Jan 04, 2014 3:21 pm

    I adore Dire Grove, but the fly in the ointment for me is... who was videotaping the students?  Yeah right  Snicker
    JustTheFacts
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    Post by JustTheFacts Sun Jan 05, 2014 1:08 am

    Yeah, that got to me too! The ghost of the banshee? Cuz she hadn't escaped yet. Best I can figure, the crime computer is a see-all big brother that anticipated our need to see what happened, ahead of it happening?

    It's a shame really, because they did try to keep it with the students doing it. I think they could have managed it if they tried a bit harder.

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