Neilie Johnson

I'm a video game critic, game designer and obsessive gamer. I play everything, but my real love is old school point-and-click adventure games so when the zombies come, I'll be hunkered down in a bunker with my Keurig, my dogs, and a copy of Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within.

Reviews
December 5, 2012
Atlantis: Pearls of the Deep Review
By Neilie Johnson
Few things are more exciting to us gamers than finding gameplay we've never seen before. The problem is, shortly after a new idea hits the scene, hundreds of copycat developers inevitably run it into the ground. That's definitely been the case with the bubble popper concept—that is, until now. In Alder Games' Atlantis: Pearls of the Deep, the miraculous has happened: someone's actually found a new way to play the shopworn bubble popper.
Reviews
November 30, 2012
Strike Solitaire Review
By Neilie Johnson
Big Fish Games had an unexpected hit with Fairway Solitaire, a golf-themed take on a well-known card game. Fairway's attraction went well beyond golf enthusiasts, keeping gamers of both genders (including yours truly) playing until the wee hours. It's natural other developers would try and emulate that kind of success, and 8 Floor Games tries by blending solitaire and bowling. It's an idea that really should work; unfortunately, due to a lack of charm, style and depth, it doesn't quite.
Reviews
November 20, 2012
Full Bloom Review
By Neilie Johnson
In the realm of social media, there's no question the Disney Company has planted its flag. Having joined forces with developer Playdom, they've hooked us already with colorful, evocative titles like Ghosts of Mistwood and Gardens of Time. This month, the entertainment giant makes another bid for our leisure time (and dollar) with the garden-themed social game Full Bloom. Though not the most inventive, and guilty of the usual social game shenanigans, this space-planning/match-3 hybrid is still a fun way to spend a work day break.
Reviews
November 6, 2012
Mystery of the Ancients: Curse of the Black Water Review
By Neilie Johnson
It's common for hidden object games to take place in empty settings; most of them occur within closed insane asylums, condemned manors and abandoned villages. Mystery of the Ancients: Curse of the Black Water falls into the third category, and its not-very-unique premise sends you searching an abandoned seaside village for two missing scientists. Despite its solid mechanics, the game is unspectacular. In fact, the only thing that prevents it from being utterly forgettable is its unusually well-constructed bonus chapter.
Reviews
October 18, 2012
Web of Deceit: Black Widow Review
By Neilie Johnson
With any luck, bullying's next on our list of societal ills to become extinct. But when that happens, it could mean the end of the uber-villain. In stories, the villain is usually born after being mistreated by his peers; let's face it—revenge is a great motivator. In Web of Deceit: Black Widow, we meet a particularly interesting evildoer—one who uses her lethal charm to settle a few old scores—and in the process, we learn something about how villains are made.
Reviews
October 16, 2012
Mystery Trackers: The Four Aces Review
By Neilie Johnson
I admit, I'm a confirmed pessimist. While I've played (and loved) all the Mystery Trackers games, I can't help but harbor the perverse expectation that one day the games' makers—Elephant Games—will let me down. Fortunately, today is not that day. With the release of Mystery Trackers: The Four Aces, the fourth in the Mystery Trackers series, Elephant has once again proven its hidden object/puzzle game prowess with a near-perfect example of casual interactive entertainment.
Reviews
October 9, 2012
Fishdom 3 Review
By Neilie Johnson
It's a common developer mistake: thinking that a graphics upgrade is all a sequel needs. While improving the look of a game is certainly less risky than expanding upon its mechanics, most gamers are unlikely to appreciate paying twice (or in this case, three times) for the same game with a new coat of varnish. Regardless, Playrix Entertainment, the makers of the Fishdom series, have apparently gone that unsatisfying route with their latest aquatic match-three game, Fishdom 3.
Reviews
October 7, 2012
Where Angels Cry Review
By Neilie Johnson
Why do they do it to us? Why do developers tantalize us with cool-sounding game ideas and then fail miserably to realize them? Where Angels Cry, the new hidden object game by Cateia Games, has the potential to be a dark religious mystery along the lines of Umberto Eco's incredible novel, The Name of the Rose. Instead, it's an ill-conceived, shabbily constructed narrative, weakly propped up by a collection of unattractive graphics and predictable puzzles.