Casual Friday: Update for December 19-25, 2009

Merry Christmas! And to readers who don’t celebrate Christmas, but get the day off, hope you’re enjoying your vacation day!

As you can probably guess, since it was the week of Christmas there weren’t a lot of new casual games released. Big Fish stepped up though, and a number of new hidden object adventures did debut there.

Actually, the entire week has been a hidden object festival. Of the five games released this week, only one wasn’t a hidden object game. And, sadly, not one of these games is also available in a Mac version. Sorry Apple fans!

Anyways, thanks for stopping by Gamertell today, and I hope your day is festive and happy.

This week’s best bet is: Where’s Waldo: The Fantastic Journey (PC)

Where’s Waldo: The Fantastic Journey
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/6928/wheres-waldo-the-fantastic-journey/index.html, Harmonic Flow http://www.harmonicflow.com/game/wheres-waldo-the-fantastic-journey/
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: You must search through hidden object puzzles to find Waldo and other objects and people.
Demo Available: Yes

Broken Hearts: A Soldier’s Duty
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/6924/broken-hearts-a-soldiers-duty/index.html, Harmonic Flow http://www.harmonicflow.com/game/broken-hearts-a-soldiers-duty/
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: A game that may hit a little too close to home for some, Broken Hearts: A Soldier’s Duty is a hidden object game about Maria Lopez and her fiance, David Fox. He’s entering the military and you explore Maria’s memories to discover the truth about the past.
Demo Available: Yes

Cassandra’s Journey 2: The Fifth Sun of Nostradamus
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/6959/cassandras-journey-the-fifth-sun/index.html, Harmonic Flow http://www.harmonicflow.com/game/cassandras-journey-2-the-fifth-sun-of-nostradamus/
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows
Premise: Cassandra must use her magic ring and spells to find Violet’s brother Michael and save the world from a demon.
Demo Available: Yes

Virtual City
Genre: Simulation (Time Management)
Availability: Big Fish Games http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/6962/virtual-city/index.html, PlayFirst http://www.playfirst.com/game/virtual-city, Harmonic Flow http://www.harmonicflow.com/game/virtual-city/
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista and 7
Premise: Create and manage your own virtual city. You get to be the mayor and manage the flow of events and goods.
Demo Available: Yes

The Mirror Mysteries
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/6964/mirror-mysteries/index.html
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: A magic mirror has taken a mother’s children and sent them to another world. You must help the mother save her children and an otherworldly figure which is facing another, mirror-caused dilemna.
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]