Shiver: Poltergeist Collector's Edition
4.3
5
140
140
Totally engrossing
Out of all the games ive played this has got to be my second favourite! I loved everything about the game. It has the spooky atmosphere with a background tune that also adds to the atmosphere. Im not going to say any more just that i throughly recommed that you buy the game and see for yourself!
March 31, 2012
Very Solid Haunted House Adventure Game!
I enjoyed the first Shiver game, but to me, this one tops it. The graphics, music and sound effects are simply eye-catching. Yes, the plot is yet another haunted house story, but it plays out like a good made-for-TV movie. Something Mary Higgins Clark might have written. And yes, I figured out what was going on way ahead of the ending, but I still had a great time going along the mansion. The added touches, like dust motes flying by in the scene as you creep around. A few ghostly interactions but nothing to make you jump. The fact that some scenes you had to use a flashlight to search around made it seem much more like being there. The puzzles were pretty standard, nothing too difficult. Sometimes I needed to use the walk-through not to solve a puzzle but just to figure out where to go next. Actually using the Hint button was easier for this, as sometimes I just needed the arrows to point me in the right direction. I play most of these HOGS on casual mode. I just enjoy the story and atmosphere. The bonus chapter was very good. My only complaint would be that you need to have the bonus chapter to see the entire solution to the mystery. If I only played the standard game, would I have gotten the entire ending? Still, this bonus game was a good add on to complete the story rather than just another excuse to leave us with a cliffhanger ending for a pending sequel. I hope more games like this are on their way. A lot of fun with a tried and true genre.
March 30, 2012
I love it when all the parts of a game come together!
Kudos to those who developed Shiver. The story line was fabulous. Perfect mood music. Art direction was so realistic I experienced vertigo looking down from the broken stairs of the lighthouse. Game play was challenging, but not so much that it got in the way of the story line. Really, really fun. Great balance between adventure and HOS. Thank you for a very entertaining afternoon. Do it again!!
March 29, 2012
There we go again !
Nothing really special about this mix of HOG and pseudo "adventure" aside from the well-crafted graphics, the convincing voice-acting, the intro movie and cutscenes which convery a true impression of realism, the 3 game modes, the diary containing the task list, a map, story and photos, a decent atmospheric soundtrack, no penalty for misclicking and a hint system that recharges fast on Casual, the SG, .... and the motion of the waves on the menu screen with the lighthouse in the background.
Part of the dialogues is scripted, but they are not too lengthy and can be skipped.
The rest is "dj vu", identical to what we've seen in many other games.
Take a manor, flog in ghosts, spirits and statues weeping tears of blood that turn into fire, and you have a new game !
As per usual, the HO Scenes are similar to hundreds of other HO Scenes, with the traditional useless items such as a monkey, a crayfish, a turtle, an elephant..... well, a zoo ! Oh I forgot... the clothespin ! Sole consolation, they are are not excessively cluttered; the whole manor is in shambles anyway.
And what on earth have all these pieces of junk got to do with a haunted manor ? Gee !
Also identical to the tasks in other games, those you have to perform require thinggies like a valve, carpet, electrical tape.....
There is no logic to theses tasks: for instance at the beginning you have to first take a valve, then place it on a pipe to empty the fountain in order to get the manor key.... WOW !
It doesn't say anywhere you need that valve ! How are we supposed to know we need it ? How do we know that key is in the water ? Pure guesswork and application of the trial-and-error method again.
Puzzles ? They shine by their absence save the two I saw which are as lame as can be. Thank Goodness, they can be skipped.
It's about time some dev somewhere started to rethink these casual games that, as they are, become so repetitive that they no longer provide any surprise and end up leading to boredom: how many times have we had to use a screwdriver or a crowbar ? How many times have we had a jigsaw puzzle, a tangram... ? How many locked doors have we had to open with a key found 4 or 5 locales away and without any indication that THIS key opens THIS door, not THAT one ?
Recommended for the wrapping, not the contents.
March 29, 2012
Not for the faint of heart
Captavating from the start , the graphics is unreal , very detailed , excellent sounds , Personally i wouldnt play this at night , it is creepy specially when you hear a heart beating and it isnt yours lol ... Expect the unexpected .
March 29, 2012
Total rehash
Ho hum. Lovely graphics, as always from this creator, but other than that I could barely make myself finish the demo. walking back and forth, back and forth - I found myself just using hint (which refills quickly) for every step out of boredom. HOS objects senseless and less than clear. Tiny twist of inventory items that need additional objects added, otherwise the entire thing is a patchwork from every other collector's edition you've ever seen; same old, same old...sigh.
March 29, 2012
Have I been here before?
My title reflects my thoughts when I downloaded the demo.
All through the demo I kept thinking I have played this one before, & no, I didn't beta it.
Good graphics, good storyline, & different approach to puzzles. It was interesting, but not enough to buy CE.
March 29, 2012
Recommend this good game nice way to start playing HOS!
Nice game .. liked the way they handled some scenes.
Cons and pros:
My personal dislikes were:
level of challenge: although puzzles were thought provoking a lot of info was given to solve making the challenge less than desirable.
Personally, I don't like so much video.. but I am unusually picky in this area. Some parts were good and memorable tho.
Glad I got the CE for the story but the bonus content seemed not quite as good as the rest of the game.
THE GOOD STUFF:
The inventory well managed. I like the multiple tasks required to make some of the inventory usable. If this is confusing playing with help you understand. It is good tho.
HOS scene were mildly challenging ehjoyed the extra tasks necessary to find some items. I give the HOS high marks.
Beginners and intermediates will find this a great game. Experts will find it doable but boring in some places.
Enjoy the story and the graphics!
April 11, 2012
Better than the 'The Hitchiker' !!!!
Just played the full hour and will definately buy this game. Only gave 4 stars as some of the hidden objects were blurry #but could have been my eyes!! :# Brilliant game and shaping up to be a great storyline. As far as I can tell, there is no penalty for over clicking, quite spooky and just the type of game I like.
No hesitation between scenes which is a plus - great atmosphere too. Loved the previous game and this one is definately one to buy. Recommending? definately!!!
March 29, 2012
Chilling
I really felt like this was real, which isnt too often with all the games I have played.
The graphics were excellent and the special effects were chilling in many of the scenes (knives being thrown at you, house catching on fire right before your eyes, etc).
The HOS were easy; I didn't use a hint for any of them.
The puzzles were also pretty easy with a couple harder ones (the ship collecting treasure one took me awhile#, but no skip was needed.
The hint was useful in guiding me where to go #instead of of telling me it actually used arrows in certain directions that I could follow). There was no map which is usually disappointing because going back and forth can become tedious, but this game wasnt too bad without a map.
The bonus play was very good too. You finally find out who the killer was/is.
March 30, 2013