Gamezebo's Best Casual Games of 2007 & Zeebys 2008 Update
Game Article
By Joel Brodie
This past year, we've reviewed so many casual games, when we walk into a room, we automatically search for the most hidden object.
See below for our favorite casual games of 2007 as picked by our elite team of writers.
When do you get to vote on your favorite casual games of 2007, you ask? The Zeebys 2008 are coming very soon, with new dates, new categories, and a new venue for the Awards Show, in Seattle. Click here for more information.
Chuck Miller (writer, bringing Old School back into casual games)
The Scruffs - One of the year's most original and entertaining hidden-object romps, The Scruffs has humor out the wazoo, superb production values, great British voice-overs and quirky vocals, exceptional music and sound effects, great cartoon-style animations and stills, and family-friendly fun from start to finish.
Dream Chronicles - This adventure puzzler has it all -- beautiful Art Nouveau graphics and an ethereal soundtrack that brings its world to life, an engaging narrative that draws you into its story and diverse puzzles of varying difficulty to keep play interesting and challenging.
Mortimer Beckett and Secrets of Spooky Manor - A hidden-object feast du jour, Mortimer Beckett features 31 beautifully-rendered rooms and nine original music scores that accentuate the game's eerie atmosphere, rock-solid gameplay from start to finish and a great puzzling experience for fans of the seek-and-find genre.
Erin Bell (editor & writer)
ZenGems - Proving that it's not always wise to judge a book by its cover, this unassuming-looking title proved to be one of the most addictive and ingenious puzzle gamers of the year, featuring some really funny dialog between characters as well.
Ballhalla - One of the most creative takes on the match-three concept we saw this year, Ballhalla introduced the idea of a tippy container that leans to one side or the other depending on how the variously weighted colored balls inside it are distributed.
Carrie the Caregiver 2 - There were a ton of sequels released in 2007, but Carrie the Caregiver 2 went above and beyond expectations. Instead of just rehashing the first game with a few superficial changes, developer The Article 19 Group and Shockwave went all-out, giving Carrie a new setting and five new time management challenges in one to tackle as she went from nursing babies to caring for a classroom full of toddlers. If only all sequels could be this creative.
Miss Management - My pick for best time management game of the year goes to Gamelab's Miss Management. Quirky, funny and sophisticated, this game wasn't just about clicking as fast as you could to stay ahead of the clock, but instead required you to be sensitive to the needs and eccentricities of your crew of office workers to make sure the jobs got done on time.
Joel Brodie (Chief Gamezebo)
Dream Chronicles - For the longest time, I have thought, if only someone would take Myst and re-create it for the casual game world. Dream Chronicles is such a game. To be fair, I could have picked Azada or Mortimer Becket, but Dream Chronicles came out a week before these other two games so they get the official pick. Any casual game that takes me on an adventure makes me happy.
The Great Tree - This game made my list by a few days, literally released the last week of 07. I play and enjoy a lot of casual games, but this is the only one that was so addictive, I ran out my laptop's batteries on a cross-country plane ride playing it. Amidst all the hidden object and time management games this year, it's refreshing to see a game inspired by the fun yet oft-forgotten Feeding Frenzy. Now, if only someone would create a game inspired by PopCap's other fishy title, Insaniquarium . . .
Bloons - Who said my favorite casual game of the year has to be a download game? Bloons is a Web flash game where you are a monkey shooting balloons. As Renee Zellweger would say "you had me at monkey" but there are so many varied levels to play, Bloons really puts a lot of download games to shame.
Marc Saltzman (writer, the busiest man in games and high tech journalism)
Peggle - The year 2007 began with a bang - well, more like a bounce - as the ridiculously addictive Peggle was launched by PopCap Games, transforming the classic Pachinko into a digital delight with cute characters (each with their own skills), insanely hard levels to master and production values up the wazoo.
Dream Chronicles - Whoever said immersive point-and-click adventure games died out with the Myst series obviously hasn't clicked through a few levels of Dream Chronicles, a gorgeous, puzzle-filled and story-driven fantasy game that's well worth your time and money.
Mortimer Beckett & the Secrets of Spooky Manor - With items that are tied to the tale, 30 unique rooms to explore and atmospheric graphics and music, Mortimer Beckett and the Secrets of Spooky Manor proves innovation is alive and well in the hidden object genre.
Margie Bissainthe (the Queen of Strategy Guides)
Azada - My favorite game of the year because it gave the hidden object genre a different twist. I liked the fact that they had puzzles that challenged a lot of people, especially the puzzle with the map coordinates. It was nice to see a fresh game instead of the same old stuff.
Build-a- lot - Build-a-lot was a different game for me since I don't usually play these types of game. It had just the right amount of difficulty, it made you really think about what moves to make next. Just when you thought you were at the end of the level, they would throw a curve ball at you at the last minute.
Cradle of Persia - This is a nicely made match 3 game and I liked building the cities and earning the citizens. I know a lot of people preferred Cradle of Rome because they liked the mechanics of it better, but I actually preferred the click and drag method offered in Persia instead.
Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate - MCF: Madame Fate was a great way to continue the series, and it did not disappoint. It took a while for it to come out and you could tell why. There was a lot of attention to detail, from the graphics to the content. The puzzles in between were different and really made you think in order to figure them out.
Meryl Evans (writer extraordinaire)
Build-a-lot - One of the more original games that also hooked my husband, Paul.
Chocolatier 2 - Another original game that is even better than the original Chocolatier.
Scott Steinberg (writer, award-winning author, and the man who met Dr. Phil)
Jojo's Fashion Show - From its impeccable presentation to (wait for it) thrilling sense of style, no game captures the look and feel of Bravo's primetime TV favorites as accurately - let alone without an official license. It's a superb way to bridge the gap between casual and mainstream audiences - and kill an afternoon parked happily in front of your TV, even if your fashion sense is more colorblind than Calvin Klein.
Garden Defense - Yet another example of how well traditional gaming concepts (in this case, real-time strategy) translate into the casual realm, this tactical challenge isn't just beautifully orchestrated and guaranteed to appeal to any armchair general. It's also a fine example of how well urinating cherubs can work as combat units... who knew?
Luxor 3 - Just when you think the whole colored ball-blasting motif is passe, along comes this extravagant outing to prove that massive production values is all it takes to resurrect one of our hobby's favorite genres. Certain to have even the most jaded gamers walking (and frantically shooting at encroaching chains of spheres) like an Egyptian...
Honorable Mentions
We'd be remiss if we did not mention these casual games that were unique, scored well on Gamezebo, or were popular with our users:
I'm disappointed that Delicious 2 Deluxe from Zylom is not in the list. I really think this is one of the better Dash / Diner Management Games out there. All my family & friends whom I've introduced the game to are hooked on it too. Including the guys! They've even overlooked the hefty price of the game as they can purchase the game in the language of their choice on the local Zylom sites.
Posted by: Ginger at January 2, 2008 12:27 PM
@Ginger, there are a lot of games we did not add to this list, Delicious 2 is a great game (and I actually like the Zylom hidden object game, Studio, as well.
Basically, we just posted all our top 3 games, with the idea that the real Awards at Gamezebo are the Zeebys, which will be voted by players like yourself.
We'll announce when the public gets to vote for their Favorite Casual Games of the Year soon. Key dates and info are here, http://www.zeebys.com.
Thanks,
Joel
Posted by: joel at January 2, 2008 12:50 PM
Yes, I like Sunset Studio Deluxe too. As some of the objects move after each "take" I don't even mind that there are only a few locations to explore. Actually, because of the option to play the hidden object games from Zylom in another language they make nice gifts for someone who wants to learn another language in a fun way.
Posted by: Ginger at January 2, 2008 09:22 PM
All I can say is...
Puzzle Quest, Puzzle Quest, Puzzle Quest...
And I've played literally hundreds of casual games this year...
Posted by: Otty Ott at January 3, 2008 07:16 AM
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