Casual Friday: Update for October 10 – 16, 2009

Today marks yet another week where hidden object puzzles are king. This is also the second week in a row where PlayFirst is kind of letting down its regular customers. Only two brand new game made its debut there, Avenue Flo, an adventure/hidden object game starring the characters from the famous DinerTown series, and Agatha Christie: Dead Man’s Folly, a hidden object game where you have to solve a murder. Hopefully, things will pick up next week.

There are also two new spooky casual games to help people prepare for Halloween. Both are hidden object games, Ghost Town Mysteries: Bodie and Campfire Legends: The Hookman.

In other big casual news, the PC version of the WiiWare and iPhone/iPod Touch game Equilibrio has been released as a free download this week. You can pick up it and a level editor to make your own mazes! It’s a welcome surprise.

This week’s best bets are: Avenue Flo (PC, Mac) and Equilibrio (PC).

Reincarnations: Awakening
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Jane has been tasked with writing an article for a famous magazine on reincarnation. So now she has to do the research for it. Help her explore hidden object puzzles to learn more about her past lives.
Demo Available: Yes

Millenium Episode 1: A New Hope
Genre: RPG
Availability: Big Fish Games, Millenium – The Official Website
Retail Price: $13.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: There is no equality in the city of Myst, where the rich hold all the power. So Marine decides to aid her father in his effort to change things for the better after he’s been seriously injured. She starts out on her quest to find 12 companiosn to help her take down Mystrock’s 13 legendary warriors. Episode 2 will be out in December, 2009 and Episode 3 will be out in March, 2010.
Demo Available: Yes

Avenue Flo
Genre: Adventure and Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, PlayFirst, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP and Vista and Mac 10.5
Premise: There could be a wedding disaster in DinerTown, if Flo doesn’t do something to prevent it. Quinn’s wedding isn’t going as planned, and Flo will have to talk to everyone, collect everything and complete challenges to set things right.
Note: If you buy it at PlayFirst with PlayPass, you’ll also get Dairy Dash.
Demo Available: Yes

Ghost Town Mysteries: Bodie
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $9.99
Platform: Windows 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: The ghost of Evelyn Byers has been appearing in Bodie, and the gravestones of the 12 witnesses to her murder have disappeared. You must solve the mystery behind the murder of this little girl and hopefully give the ghosts peace.
Note: This game is for mature audiences.
Demo Available: Yes

Jojo’s Fashion Show 3: World Tour
Genre: Simulation (Time Management)
Availability: Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.99
Platform: Windows 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: Help Jojo Cruz with her Las Cruces fashion line as she goes around the world showing off and designing the latest clothes. Also, help her find a new partner, as her daughter Rosalind has decided to set off on her own.
Demo Available: Yes

Evoly
Genre: Puzzle and Simulation
Availability: Alawar Entertainment
Retail Price: $9.95
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Make matches to make money. Once you’ve completed levels, you can create unique planets and bring them to live by purchasing foliage and creatures.
Demo Available: Yes

Little Things
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: You search through the items making up collages with a magnifying glass, looking for specific items.
Demo Available: Yes

Equalibrio
Genre: Puzzle
Availability: DK Games
Retail Price: Free
Platform: Windows
Premise: You guide balls through maze levels by rotating the environment. It’s a PC version of the WiiWare and iPhone/iPod Touch games of the same name. A level editor, which allows you to create and share your own levels, is also available to download.
Demo Available: No

Campfire Legends: The Hookman
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: GameHouse, RealArcade, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista, Mac 10.4 and 10.5
Premise: A scary puzzle game where players must help Christine survive in the wilderness while the rban legend, the hookman, may be lurking in the woods waiting for her.
Demo Available: Yes

Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Search through hidden object puzzles to learn all about Giacomo Casanova.
Demo Available: Yes

Hostile Makeover
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: GameHouse, RealArcade
Retail Price: $19.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Ellen Byerrum’s Hostile Makeover: Crime of Fashion Mystery has been turned into a casual game. Find out who’s killed the famous supermodel Amanda Manville by inspecting scenes and investigating suspects.
Demo Available: Yes

Agatha Christie: Dead Man’s Folly
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: PlayFirst
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP, Vista and 7
Premise: Hercule Poirot has been invited to take part in a Murder Hunt game, only to discover that there could be a real murder instead of a fake one. Search hidden object puzzles to find the truth behind what’s going on and discover a murderer.
Demo Available: Yes

Editor’s Note: Due to so many casual games sites offering game plans or preferred member prices, which can cause a game to have multiple price-points, the games’ average retail prices is mentioned in Casual Friday.

Site [Big Fish Games] Site [PlayFirst] Site [GameHouse] Site [eGames] Site [Alawar Games] Site [Amazon] Site [Reflexive Arcade] Site [Harmonic Flow]