Hidden Expedition: Amazon - Please post your opinions here (not hints though, just opinions)

Are you ready for the latest expedition and adventure?

Hidden Expedition: Amazon



Happy Gaming and don't forget to stop back in and let us know what you think!

Ana

Woo Hoo!! Downloading now!

Got mine also. Insomnia pays off today...If the early bird gets the worm then I've got worms I guess. Looks great it will take some getting used to. How nice to have a new and long awaited game to enjoy when the family comes down this weekend.

Yay...downloaded and playing right now. Looks to be a good one.

I'm at work !!! Will have to wait til I get home, counting the microseconds.

Downloading right now! So excited!

ETA: Does anyone else feel like skipping work today so they can play this? lol!

I am downloading it now. I am on snail dial-up so it will take all day to download it! But good things come to those who wait.

I just played some of the demo and I think it was well worth the wait.

I thought about just posting this to the "Are You Ready?" thread, but I thought it might get lost there and I think this game is worth more than just a casual "Really great game, you really should try it," kind of comment.

The first thing that struck me about Amazon was the production values. In my opinion, the game is literally Disney-esq in terms of quality of production. It absolutely blew me away, and REALLY moves the genre forward in terms of game quality.

As I've posted previously, I'm a big fan of Hidden Expedition Everest and I've visited the series website and looked forward to Amazon with great anticipation, but this was FAR more than I expected.

The second thing that struck me was the storyline - good solid story and very nicely integrated into the overall game.

And the third - but really important - thing I noticed is game play technique. I'm 51 and a "casual" gamer in the most "casual" sense of the word. I'm a working professional (who should be working right now!) and, while I absolutely want to be intrigued and moderately challenged, I can't (or don't want to have to) "work" too hard at a game.

As a result, I stay away from adventure games or even HOGs that incorporate too much in the way of adventure game technique. Those games are just a little too much work and a little bit too hard for me. (If I want to feel frustrated and like I'm beating my head against a wall, I'll just go to the office! LOL)

But this game has hit EXACTLY the right balance of what I'm looking for in terms of game play techniques, including providing silhouettes upon request and the opportunity to "earn" more hints.

And I **especially** liked the blue curser and blue writing that identify and tie together the locations and items that have to be combined. It's an excellent solution for assisting novice casual gamers like me succeed in employing this technique, which is something I generally struggle with - a lot.

So HUGE kudos to Big Fish Games for deciding to swing for the fences when it comes to Hidden Expedition Amazon! You succeeded brilliantly. Indeed, I wouldn't be surprised to find that Amazon will rival Madame Fate in terms of sales and accolades.

I'm sure there are different business models the company could have used (speed and quantity versus quality, for example) but, with games of this quality, Big Fish Games is definitely building a brand and a following that I think will prove to be phenomenally successful for a long time. (I seem to recall reading about a garage start when it comes to BFG - or was that Microsoft? **twinkle**)

In any case, success can only be sweeter for BFG knowing that the team's efforts are not only sincerely appreciated but that they really do improve the quality of life for a lot of people - and at a price that, even in tough economic times, most people can afford.

Thank you!

I'm glad you are enjoying it!

Ana

Can't wait to play it! Great review! Thanks!

GPM so glad that you like it and gave us a good review so others can know what it is like

Does it have actual puzzles? I just finished Everest and I hated those puzzles. I needed twice the time.

I didn't even wait to try the demo - just bought it outright.

Linda

awwww bummer, I was going to clean this weekend. Oh well, my games have to come first.

Are all the Hidden Expedition games good? Are they connected at all? And can you play them in any order please?

Sorry for all the questions but I am a newbie to casual games.

Great review! If only I could drop all my work today to play it!

Rosaboomie, brilliant games - any order. Its great Big Fish do an hours free trial, then you KNOW you like it.
Downloading now ...

Downloading now, and I like NY Lady's way of thinking! LOL

Thank you, JennyP - I like that name you called me, Rosaboomie. Perhaps I should change my name for this Board eh??

Wonderful review. <Sigh> I just love being retired. Work used to seriously interfere with my gaming!!

This is a fun no time limit game. Played demo and bought it within 5 minutes and even then I wondered what took me so long! LOL

My favorite part is the combining items to reach other items. Putting the outline of object needed in case we need them is a nice touch. Truly a game programmer that is not out to pull the hair out of the gamer, just the right balance. Highly recommend this game also.

No time limit. Now I really really want the game.

Guybrush: Not sure why kind of puzzles are in it, but there is no timer. I actually enjoyed the puzzles in Expedition.

Rosaboobie: I loved the other two Hidden Expedition games. Worth playing!

Oops, sorry Rosaboobie - it is me who is the boobie , sorry.
Totally hooked on Amazon, I love it!

I have all of the Hidden Expeditions games and I love them all. I play them over and over. Hidden Expedition Amazon is a beautifully done game and worth buying IMO.

I'm very disappointed. I tried to download it 3 times and it keeps saying "download interrupted" and to check my connection but my cable is connected.

I guess I'll have to clean house.

Sorry to hear that NyLady, perhaps you can try later and it is just because there is too many downloading at one time. When I first started downloading it, I got the same message. I just clicked on download button again, and it worked for me. I know you will be getting it and think you will love it.

i will be 55 unday and i play pc games and jut played the demo and it is very good and well worth the waite BFG did very good with this game

I've given up on downloading it for now. I've tried several times and never get more than 9% downloaded before it stops and I have to start over. I'll try again later today or maybe Saturday. I even redownloaded the installer and it still messed up.

I had no problem downloading it.

I don't know how many levels I've played so far (a couple of hours - I stopped at the putting monkeys on the pulley things to go to bed) and I am loving this! The production qualities are excellent, storyline engaging and the mini-games fun.

Good job to everyone at BFG for putting out another winner!

Brilliant - bought it right away!!

Bernie

Guybrush
what is Fahrenheit and Fate and where did you find it? The title is entriguing

great great game ... finished it once and now playing again to enjoy the settings and to not skip by the puzzles that enable "Solve"

question about the screens where we search for 20 somethings ... I often wonder if some of them don't appear early on and then come on later ... or is it that I just didn't see them at first

as a computer programmer in my previous life, I'm always interested in how the developers put it together ... this one is one of the best yet

menahune, Fahrenheit can be found under Indigo Prophecy in our Review section and Fate is Here. to discuss them further please post in the DarkSide forum.

Also, please do not stack your posts. I combined them.

Ana

I am loving this game! I even think the music is fantastic. I find mysellf humming the tunes. Kind of reminds me of Indiana Jones.

Big Fish did it again with a wonderful game.

thracia

The music is all original scores conceived by BFG, Composed by our partner Somatone and performed and recorded by the Berlin Symphony orchestra. Not cheap, but so much better than prefab "clip" music most games use.

I love this game too. I was actually getting tired of HOGs. Then this one came along and I'm hooked all over again. Gotta be my all time favorite HOG to date.

More like this one please!

Wow!

Purchased this game this morning and I'm just now taking a break! I'm loving this game; the storyline, (some humorous points in the diary ) the music, the graphics. It's all good!

Thank you, Big Fish!

Wow, that is amazing! You really can tell the quality of the music by listening.

Amazon is so incredible in every way that I can't wait to see what you have in store for us with MCF 5 and Azada 2!

See, I knew I really liked the music!! It really helps to draw you into the game. Somatone and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra did a great job. It makes me feel like I am really there.It just helps to makes the overall package a quality item. Now, if only real life could come with a sound track.

Thanks Big Fish Guy for not skimping on the quality.

thracia

Wow!!

Just finished this game and, for a HOG, it is vast! Great story, wonderful quality, humor, beautiful to look at, and real brain teasers. One of the best, if not the best, HOG I've played. Thank you, again, Big Fish! Awesome job!

I contacted customer service about my download problem, but current response time is 72 hours. That's okay. I've waited this long for the game, I can wait longer. I may just end up getting it on cd.

Downloaded with no problem except it took forever--now I know why! This is a great game with beautiful graphics and interesting but not too difficult puzzles. I too was getting tired of HOGs but this has renewed my interest.

WW

I just love this game the music and graphics and all the animation and brillant colors. I tried the demo not five mintues went by and I bought it right away. I hope that we get more quality games like this love the distant travel to foreign lands and exotic places to make it more intersting. The puzzles make you think outside the box and test you. The best game I bought this year. Great work Big Fish Guy.

The sites up and running. Fast download. Ready to go. Any idea why BFG sent me a postcard over the big water telling me about it? Won't that add to their expenses which in turn will be passed to on us?

We have never raised prices. The cost is in making the games. Relative to that, sending postcards to our best customers is relatively inexpensive.

cris, I must say that most of us are more than thrilled to receive a postcard or anything else from BigFish. I save them and use them as bookmarks. I think it's a nice touch.

Also, I have never seen a price increase on BigFish yet and the GameClub brings the opportunity of owning a bunch of quality games, for little investment a possibility to many homes. Kudos to BigFish for running a class act site.

Ana

And let's not forget the plush toy fish....hmm...someday soon. I will have to post a riddle about that next week.

I was also pleased to get a postcard and am using it for a bookmark. I'm a designer so I like to keep well designed postcards.

Oh, more riddles re: the plush toy fish. Can't wait!

Without a doubt, this is the best casual game I've ever seen and played. The graphics are great and the music is first rate. I give an A+++++++ to Big Fish. Teddo

I have played it through twice now, love it!

What a beautiful and wonderful game. Hooray for BFG! I was completely enthralled with everything about the game. Beautiful graphics and wonderful puzzles. Can't wait for the next game that they develop, always done with quality.

I am clearly a minority - but I find a lot of the screens overly dark, many items impossible to find without a hint, and some of the graphics are done in muddy brownish colors.. Some screens are beautiful, though.

But I bought it. I do like the silhouettes and the insects that give you extra hint (I need them!). And the puzzles are great. Just did the one with snakes in jugs - delightful.

I have just finished the game. I have to say that it was one of the best I have ever played. I especially enjoyed the puzzles. I thought the game was fantastic! Thanks Big Fish

I finished the game this morning. This afternoon we went to the movies to see "Indiana Jones - The Crystal Skull" and when we saw the monkey scene, I laughed and laughed. Talk about synchronicity!!!! At the end of the game, I watched the credits.
Of course "Big Fish Guy" wasn't listed. I couldn't help but wonder which position he had. Does anyone know? Just curious.

Love, Teddo

Teddo -
You can find out here...

BFG Guy Exposed :-)

And yes...I did make it into the credits of the game!

Love the avatar BFG guy - and thanks for the exposure, very interesting.

BFG-Guy

i love all the games from BFG and i have gotten alot

I will be upgrading to broadband this week and will try to download again when I get it working. If it works, I'll use my free coupon to get it. If it doesn't work, there are still plenty of games out there I can get. But I really want this one.

Thanks so much for the info, BFG. WOW!!!! The story of your success is quite impressive. Let us know when your child is born. Thanks again for "coming out" and for your wonderful games. Teddo

Hello!


I agree with EVERYTHING GPM said! I too reallllllly appreciate the images being available, the blue colored words and arrow(!), the graphics are great and here's a couple more things that I love ... there is NO timer, extra hint available and you can use all the hints knowing there will be a fresh supply next level, can RE-PLAY the level, you can click to your heart's content (!) and most of all ... it accepts the magnifier on my mouse! I'm getting less young and it seems that most HO games coming out now are just too TINY to see the objects, even on my 22" monitor and new video card! Normally I don't listen to the music but I've tuned in on this one and it's different - I read (and it does) sound like a real orchestra. The puzzles are fun but you don't need to be in the Mensa society to solve them nor do you need to save up a bunch of hints to solve a puzzle, since the you can keep clicking on the hint and it will take you step by step but not in words, it will solve each step for you visually (!) through the the last step of the solution - same theory as that UHS website.

As you can see, I'm only on page one of this forum, and as much as I love this game, I'm stuck! I'm outside the cave with the Boat and the campfire, found ALL the hidden objects in all 3 locations, my in my Inventory is a gas can, light bulb and bolt cutter and the only blue arrow is in the boat, but none of these work there. I have 6 hints left but not one of the 3 locations shows anything when I click hint. help??

Whitney, As stated in the Title of this thread, it is for Discussion only. The thread for hints is Here. This thread is for discussion only. You can check out the walkthrough link there and if you still need help, please post on the Help thread.

Ana

The postcard is what instigated me to go your website and download it! I'm a regular visitor to BFG and even though I'm automatically buying a game credit each month, Ive run out and needed to buy more ... as in this case! Normally when I get the postcard I already know about the game, but in this case I wasn't, so happy to know it's so inexpensive for you to mail those poatcards! More games like this one - in EVERY WAY!

so sorry! I thought I was just replying to the BFG guy about the postcard. You must be talking about my previous reply from something I saw on page 1 - so sorry I added a help issue! I'm still having trouble navigating these forums. My bad.

Sad to say and yet feeling a sense of accomplishment at the same time, alas the game has come to an end. What an adventure it was. Big Fish Guy please hurry and make more games following the outline you did with Amazon. I have to say this is my all time favorite hidden object game!

I thank you that we could skip the puzzles with a simple solve. I don't usually listen to the music in games or turn it down very low, because it gets on my nerves. However your music in Amazon is beautiful and I left it on the entire time, it added to the atmosphere.

It is so much fun seeing the outline of an object as well as getting the hints. My favorite part though is the interaction with the special blue objects. The cursor size and color made it easy to navigate and see.

It was also fun having a choice of which map to go to.

The storyline kept me interested the entire time. The sense of humor even though I don't know you, from reading your posts here sounds like it could have been some of your written replies. LOL

Graphics are beautiful! This in my opinion even beat Ravenhurst and that is saying alot.

This game has been fun from start to finish. I thank you also even at the end you reward us with a trophy for our hard work. I hope this wins every reward and will be a best seller.

This game is so much more than a hidden object game, most of the puzzles were fun, though I have to admit I did use the solve a few times.

The nice touch of our names at the start of the game being engraved in stone.

The length of the game was a decent size, I didn't feel ripped off because the game was too short like some other games I have played.

Everyone that had a hand in this game congratulations are in order for you. Thanks for a fun time, it took me 2 days to finish it. Thanks to Margie for that walkthrough or it would have been longer and everyone else that helped me.

I am a member of Real Arcade also but lately I have been thinking my membership is just a waste of money. BFG always comes up with new games everyday and I have been a member for 3 years or more and loved every minute of it.

In closing thank you for making your games affordable for those of us on a budget, we can buy a game everyday and not break the bank if we want.

I almost forgot my very favorite part of the game is no time limit! Now this is a relaxing game that has a right to be called casual, laid back, no stress involved. Thank you so much for that!

This game certainly takes the HOG up quite a few notches. Has everything I would want in a game except I am having trouble on some screens figuring out what I am supposed to do next to move on. Must be my advanced age since no one else seems to be having this problem. Really glad I bought this one.

I am playing it for the third time !

Great game, what a nice surprise.

I especially liked the puzzles they integrated both into the HOG screens as well as between scenes.

The graphics were beautiful and the journal fun to read.

I hope this is the trend in HOGs as I agree they have clearly stepped it up a notch.

Thanks Big Fish!

Dyl'smom

Finished it 2 days ago! Final thoughts:

Graphics: Beautifully rendered with amazing scenery throughout. Really made you feel like you were there. Someone mentioned that some of the screens were a little dark but my take on it was that it was supposed to be that way to make it feel like you were the explorer.

Music: Top-notch! Really impressive and definitely movie-quality.

Gameplay: I thought the no-timer was excellent and that there was a way to collect more hints at each scene. I loved the interactivity in the hidden object scenes and also loved the variety of different puzzles throughout including a way to have the gave solve it for you.

Storyline: Was definitely intriguing and I have to agree with the others that the journal entries were a riot! I read every page and I normally don't do that unless it's in an adventure game where reading journal entries are crucial to the game (and even then I might not read it getting totally lost and never finishing it -- hello Darkness Within!)

I enjoyed it so much, I'm replaying it. I almost never do that with HOGs with the exception of the MCF and HE series. You have a winner here with both series, definitly!

BFG, you've really stepped everything up a notch in the genre of casual games. You were already at the top as far as quality, gameplay, etc. but now the bar has been set even higher. I can't wait to see what you have in store for us with MCF 5 and Azada 2!

The birth of H E Amazon

I close my eyes and imagine myself perched between the wings of a beautiful luminous electric blue beetle gliding through the tall trees of the Amazon jungle. I feel the damp warm air brush over me as we begin our search. We soar, dart and dive from tree to flower to vine. We make our way through thick jungle growth, along seldom used foot paths and down treacherously swift rivers. Along the way we pause to explore long forgotten ruins as we search for a way to save our home. We must find someone to help us bring back the health and vitality of our temple.

If we only had 1.2 million people to help us, WOW, that would be cool! I know what we can do. We can create some kind of game to lure people down here to help us. Do you think they would go for it? Let’s have a meeting of all the beetles next Tuesday in the big cavern on the third floor of the temple; you know the one with the river flowing through it. That way we can invite the fish too they’re pretty smart. And maybe a few butterflies. They are mostly just pretty faces, not much in the smarts department but maybe they could help with marketing. You know some flashy ads.

Next Tuesday …
Ok guys let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, we need a plan. What are our assets? What have we got down here in this hot steamy jungle that will bring in a lot of operating capital to spruce of the old temple. You know bring it back to its glory days. We need to get the infirmary going again too. A lot of us have been developing a really nasty cough lately.

Ok let’s throw out some ideas. How about Beetle Frenzy or a Beetle Dash. You know racing around frantically bumping into the trees and vines. Or may a Build-a-Wing, to see how fast we can put up a new addition to the west wing of the temple. There always the tried and true Glowing Gem Match for treasures and trophies. How about the classic Beetle Popper? Oh, I seem to remember tales of huge law suits due to injuries with that one.

We need something more dignified. Something that will bring in the masses. What about some kind of scavenger hunt? That was very high fashion in the nineteen thirties you know. People can run around and pick up things. Maybe we could get rid of some of the old junk in those ruins that are everywhere down here. Charge a little admission at the mouth of the Amazon River, maybe a small boat or canoe rental fee, concessions for food and gear, guide services, you know what I mean. The fee for admission would be the big ticket item. Let’s try something like $19.99 or how about $6.99. Maybe we should kick that around with the monkeys. They’re the ones with the head for numbers.

Hey, we need to come up with more that one angle. We don’t want all these people just running around down here picking up our trash. They might get bore and catch on to what we’re doing. Let’s give them something else to occupy them, to keep things exciting. Maybe a few traps they can trip into or mazes they can get lost in or some doors with trick locks or puzzles that keep them going in circles. Nothing too dangerous. Just enough to weed out the softies and keep the hard core treasure hunters coming back for more. We can throw in some local color with a few stone gods, maybe a medicine man, a tough chick goddess or queen. Hey some of the locals would jump at the chance to pick up some quick cash.

Great meeting guys! Great start! Let’s get this thing wrapped up and packaged. We’ve got to get some pros to polish up these ideas and pull them all together, maybe add a little more pizzazz to it. Nathan, one of the fish, has some connections up north. He and his school buddies are going to swim our package up the west coast. He’s got some relative up there that they call the Big Fish.

… And now we know the rest of the story.

misa, thanks for the quick review


Lizzie

Very creative and a fun read

Lizzie, that was awesome!

Thank you Misa. I hope the Big Fish guy gets a chance to read it. And I hope he thinks it's funny. I think the journal in the game is so funny and quirky. Kudos to the writers!

I started my story like the beginning of the game. All beautiful and flowing in the lush jungle. Then I switched over to the quirky humor like the journal in the game. I didn't intend to do that but after writing the first paragraph. I started to picture a big fat beetle in a plaid vest with a cigar and I had to go the quirky route.

Nice job Lizzie, really enjoyed reading it.

FLo

I just absolutely enjoyed this game thoroughly!! I liked(and appreciated all the improvements..especially being able to use the Hints/auto solve on some puzzles. Enjoyed the story line(and the humor was so enjoyable..just got so tickled at the Professor!)..enjoyed the different 'hunting' you had to do to retrieve some of the objects..(games within games..)This is the best HOG EVer (so far!)..for a game like this i was STUNNED by the graphics(all the movement in game was just awesome)i call them LUSH!!!! There are times when i have bought a game (i like to play Adventure games) and when done thought it was worth the price i paid and more...(not often, but there have been some!)--and really never expected to feel like this about HOG's...but...THIS IS ONE OF THEM! However, that said, i did have a bit of a problem later as i played in that it seemed to want to 'slow down'...i don't know why..if anyone knows please email me! Also...there were times when the object did not have enough contrast in a dark area (ran into this A LOT in a HOG called 'Escape the Museum'which got to be sooo frustrating i almost didn't finish that game..but did and did enjoy it over all)...but the enjoyment of the game overall kept me going!!! Please Sirs?.....can we have some more like this??!!! I just really, really enjoyed this game!

I was really surprised that the quality of the pictures is not sharp in this game. I'm glad others are noticing that too. I played Vegas Heist a few days ago and it has excellent picture quality and I was expecting the same quality in Amazon. I know they are made by two different companies but I really expected better image quality from a company with the resources that Big Fish must have. Otherwise I love the game. The story is funny and the puzzles are good. Reminds me of Madame Fate.

It was a great game and I would certainly play it again. Not especially fond of some of the puzzles, and I agree with LizzieK that the pictures were not that sharp. The story was great and I am really attracted to beautiful colours (just not the flashing ones, as in that Circle puzzle near the end). I hope there is another one like this one.

Although I gave a rave review and mean every word of it. There were some areas that I never would have seen without a hint because the area was so dark. I also hated the circle puzzle just couldn't figure it out, but with a solve, the problem was solved with a click of mouse. LOL

Sounds like a fantastic game. Will it be available in stores?

Gerry, it's generally within six months of its online release. My guess is, you'll have it for the Christmas holidays.

Ana

Thanks Ana I will watch for it. I play games on my other computer and it's not hooked up to the internet.

I finally got it downloaded. I haven't played it yet, but I hope it works.
My broadband is very slow, but I left the game downloading overnight and it worked. Now I'm going to try redownloading some of my old games.

Amen! This game certainly deserves kudos. Playing it was like watching a high budget movie! I loved everything about it, especially that you could repeat just one level. I loved finding the bugs for hints. I loved that you could skip the puzzles. Now that I'm finished with the game I'm going back to finish the ones I skipped.

So far this is my favorite HOG.

I played the one hour demo and decided not to buy the game. It was harder than the other two games, even without a time limit.

I'm probably one of the worst game players around and I didn'think it was too hard except the in between puzzles and they can be skipped. What helped me the most is the no time limit, skip puzzle feature, and the generous clues.

But like beauty, hardness is in the eyes of the beholder. What one might find difficult another may find easy. I am glad I didn't miss this game because it is my favorite and I can't wait to play it the second time. I will try to solve those inbetween puzzles.

A great HOG; I too had difficulty with some of the puzzles and when I clicked on Hints it would start to solve the puzzle or would just solve it. Would rather be given a second written hint. Also would have enjoyed actual voices.
Now did I miss something or is Rachel still missing? If so does that mean there might be more?