Since I played cat and mouse with your all for over 2 months...was my hype warranted. I hope so, as it was a lot of fun for me!



BFG_Guy

p.s. Here is your first clue for MCF 6, What do the 1900's Russian Circus performers have to do with English nobility?... just kidding (or am I???)

Hi, BFG Guy!

Personally, I'm loving it!! Everything about it! The mix of adventure and casual is something I really have most fun with. The graphics are wonderful, the music is great...

I truly have no complaints! Thank you, BFG Guy!

It's a great game well worth the wait!Many for such a great game,graphics are wonderful,no glitches,and lots and lots of Fun!!

The graphics and music are super. As someone who loves altered art, vintage images, collage, and steampunk, you know I'm gonna love the design of the puzzles.

My only qualm is that it's so nonlinear. I know that's s'pozed to be A Good Thing, but I'm just getting my feet wet with adventure games with Carol Reed and Art of Murder. I keep getting lost in RtoR and can't always find my way back or figure out what inventory item to use with what. I'm afraid that I will miss a step and not be able to complete something, which almost happened with a Carol Reed game.

Other than that, which is down to my own inexperience, I'm loving it. Love the fact it's not timed, love the way you can skip puzzles without a serious penalty, love the amount of guidance that was put in. I would enjoy this for the images and music alone.

BTW, Nancy Drew Dossiers was excellent too. This is one of the few games I'm replaying to get the alternate ending. And I may even try one of the regular Nancies.

Keep them coming, please! I also love the discounted BFGameclub prices and the forums for help.

Oh, and thanks for hinting and stuff. It's nice to know good things are on the way.

Minxs/Margaret

(ETA: one minor flaw is that some of the hidden objects are VERY hard to find, the hint system is vague, just a big circle, and the counter doesn't fill up even though I'm finding as many items as possible and clicking them all at once, since I heard that would make the hint counter fill up faster. It seems the reverse, if anything. But I found a useful help at a UPS store: a magnifier that's just a 6x2 inch strip of plastic. It's light but clear, and I can easily move it over the screen, isolating small areas at a time. I've found the tiniest and most carefully hidden items this way. But I still have to use the hint counter once in a while, and wish it identified the item better. I'm already spending enough time on this game!)

Just right I loved the game I have enjoyed the previous MCF games, but this beats the lot. Finding the objects, doing the puzles or mini games, to see if there was a new room to visit, along with a great storyline as a heck of a lot of fun.
I have always given up on the puzzles before, but this time, I kept at it and it proved to add to my enjoyment. The last part, finding the train and trvelling down to the cliffs to find Victor was a masterpiece.
Can't wait for the next one.
I have played it 3 times, and my only question is 'what do I play now, not a lot can beat that!'
hmmm, MCF6 tease eh? Russian Circus Performers were in Madame Fate,.....I think?
linward

What a wonderful game. I too plowed through the mini-games (except the whack-em one , THAT was just too much ) and was able to solve all the puzzles, some easily, some not. I loved the flow of the game, I always felt I was moving forward even if I had to backtrack at times.

Easily the best game of its type I've played in a long time. I commend the developers of the MCF series for always moving forward with their games and providing so many hours of replayable enjoyment!

OK, so when's the next one???

Thanks,

Dyl'smom

Well BFG-Guy, I have had to resort to the Walkthrough a couple of times already so I would say it is just right! I am embarrassed to admit that I am barely into the basement through the fireplace so I am not very far into the game.

No way can anyone say the game is easy. Ambiance is exceptional, sounds and effects are on target. No timer!

Thank you for asking! It's really nice knowing my opinion matters.

Linda

This is by far the best casual game I ever played. Everything is just right; no timer, story, minigames, music, graphics.

I also very much enjoyed Hidden Expedition Amazon, which I think was a step up from other casual games.

I am enjoying the game quite a bit but I also have a problem with the structure. I preferred it when it was more linear and I knew where I was going. Going back and forth between places was a bit tedious.

As for the hype? I thought it was just a bit overdone simply because I'm not that much into the story but more into the gameplay.

Again, I'm glad I bought it and will continue to buy the MCF games as long as they come out. It is SO obvious how much work was put into it.

I thought it was just right. My original comments here.

I have to admit, I tune out the hype and just go with the flow if everyone is having fun beforehand. I don't generally care one way or the other what the story is about except in rare cases. I did find the story interesting in this one once I got started though. I was happy to free Rose and the kids.

I am at the end I believe and so far I have not used a hint or skip but I have spent a great deal of time pondering over what to do next so it's not a cakewalk. I love the fact that it's not timed and the graphics and puzzles are superb.
I enjoy going back to areas and discovering a new hotspot of items to find and I think the ratio of puzzles to Hidden Object screens is perfect.

Can't wait for the next one and I'm hoping you won't make it easier.

As missa pointed out, there is a discussion thread here that may answer this question from others as well.

Ana

I thought it was the best game EVER. I enjoyed it so much that I will probably play it over and over again. It is pretty lenghty and there is so much going on that keeps you guessing and wanting more. When's the next one? Keep it up BFG, you are the BEST.
Barbara

Because the MCF games are so great the hype didn't affect me because I was getting the game anyway.

This game in particular had all the right elements, I enjoyed the music immensely. The puzzles were just right, not too easy nor so hard you gave up, except the Whack a Mole one, because it was hard to keep the cursor changed to a hand in order to whack.

I liked the fact that it was non linear, because it tends to make a game last longer, linear games, going from point A to point B then to point C, tends to shorten your game experience.

Putting in live actors, was a plus I wasn't expecting, it made it seem more like a Myst adventure game which I thoroughly love.

The wait for the game was worth it. I applaud the whole BFG team for it's conscious effort to please its customers.

One happy customer,
Flo

I'll add my congratulations on the game too even though I haven't finished it yet. The MCF games just got better and better as they went on. This one is the best yet and I don't know how you'll top it, but I hope you'll try.

I forgot to answer the question, but I think the hype was just right.

BFG! I thought it was a great game, better than a bunch of games for which I paid mega bucks and was disappointed at the "playing". Can't wait until 17?? where I assume we'll meet ze son again?!? I thought the mix of hidden objects and the puzzles was just right. Please don't make the sequel any easier, as I loved getting a game where I had to really think and plan without the answer being so obvious. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Hope production is already underway and BTW, please tell your actors they did a good job, and that I enjoyed the outtakes. Must have been a lot of fun for y'all.

Jody

I agree that this is the best MCF game to date...definitely more difficult for me as well! The non-linear aspect kind of threw me at the beginning but as I played more, I started to remember where everything was. Definitely a favorite for me!

However, I am one of those that seem to have a glitch where the twins' video did not play. Therefore, I'm not able to play anymore until there is some type of resolution to the glitch. I'm reticent to replay under a new name as I really don't want to get to the same spot and have it happen again! I did send in a ticket to customer service and will wait for their response once they're back in the office.

Gina

I thought Ravenhearst 2 was one of the best games put out. I found the music was beautiful and story and characters where fascinating. With the music you felt like any minute Charles would jump out again at you and say the famous words it is you again. And at the end he did say that and I felt like saying got you back. I think Overhype should be use in this case as it a fantastic game lots of twist and turns and kept you trying to figure what to do next one should blow ones horn when it is a great game like this. It was hard in some places which made you think outside the box what was going on. Only puzzle I did not like was the arcade game as my hands and mouse can not move like when they where young and like the idea you can past the puzzle. Time was not important having fun staying up for hours not leaving the game.

GLAD YOU ASKED.... First the hype... I loved the hype. It made me feel like a kid on Christmas eve. Yes, we all loved the hype and awaiting the game.

At first I was disappointed in the game because there was so much of the Adventure genre in it. I am really terrible at Adventure (it must use a side of the brain that I don't have). But I loved the HOG parts and through them discovered that if I just kept going from HOG to HOG I could solve most of the adventure problems... like what do I do next?

The only thing I would add in future games like this (to gain a bigger customer base) include with the hints, what we are to do with the puzzles. There were no directions. I was baffled at a few and wondered... what is the objective here? I didn't need hints for the hidden objects but could have used them for the puzzles but they didn't work on them. By the way, the HOGS in this game were the best I've ever played. The objects were not hidden in the dark nor were they miniscule... but blended in with the scenes and were "doable". I took my time and actually didn't need any hints on them at all.

I skipped most of the puzzles... I especially hate arcade type, so thanks for that skip feature. (Of course if the hints could be applied to them... I might have tried a few more, except the one where you had to hit the critters.)

All in all, I love the game and it will probably spoil every other game for me for a long time. for the game
for having it premier when we had days off, for coming to this forum for input.


my Big Fish Games

PS the Rachel Ray kitchen comments!

This game was great. I had a lot of fun with it, more fun then I've had in a long time with a game. I loved the comments when trying to use an inventory item in the wrong place. They cracked me up! Yes, I am a 'clickity pants'. Thanks loads for this game.
Kay

Kay, I just got a chance to download and play for a few minutes and I love love love the comments when I do something the game doesn't agree with. It cracks me up!

Too much hype? No way! The anticipation kept building and building... Placing Rose as a new member of Gameboomers and on Facebook were brilliant. Having her ask for help to save both herself and the twins was another stroke of genius. It really set the scene and whetted my appetite. My hands were itching to start the rescue. (I got up at 4:30 a.m. to download RtR on the member's early release day.) Your hints and riddles and teasing just lets us all know that a special game is on the way.

Not every game warrants all the promotion, hype and teasing, but since this is the 5th in the highly successful MCF series, since there were so many unanswered questions in the original Ravenhearst mystery, since the surprise ending in Madame Fate left us all hanging in shock and suspense, I would say the release of a guaranteed blockbuster certainly deserved as much hype as possible. It just heightened the anticipation.

I was amazed how many gamers replayed Ravenhearst and Madame Fate to search for clues and refresh their memories on the minute details of the storyline. Ravenhearst is developing loyal fans much like the Myst series did many years ago. On top of all that, as noted in the many posts, RtR was exceptionally well made with many outstanding features and lots of extra surprises for the discerning eye.

All I can say is Bravo! the game lived up to the hype.

I absolutely love the MCF games and this latest one really blew my mind away. The storyline, graphics and puzzles are great. Or maybe I'm just proud of myself because I did 99% of it without any hints help.

There are a few BFG that I don't even bother with the trial hour any more and MCF is definitely one of them.

Please keep 'em coming

I think it was a wonderful game and probably the best in the series to date. I loved it. It was great fun. The storyline was interesting and it made me want to explore more to find out what was next. I loved the skip puzzle option since I was no good against the trolls.

Keep bringing us these great games.

I don't pay much attention to "hype."
But I thought it was fun how you had Rose post in the forum, asking for help.

I noticed that the announcement on the download page did not mention "hidden objects" but instead mentioned "adventure-style play." I SINCERELY APPRECIATE THE HEADS UP ON THE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND COMMEND BFG FOR IT!

During the pre-release "hype" period, I was expecting another high-quality hidden object MCF game. While I was surprised when the actual game turned out to be an adventure game instead, I was definitely happy to know that before I bought it.

Upon reflection, I think there may be a distinction between casual games and casual gamers.

At 51, I am the most casual of gamers. An empty-nester, I still work full-time and most likely will for many more years. I'm still physically active, moreover, so there are a wide variety of things that compete for the limited amount of time that I have to devote to entertainment.

The prior games in the MCF series had been an especially good fit for a casual gamer like myself because the game play technique itself was easy ("find the hidden object" is kind of a no-brainer) and, while the puzzles were immensely creative and frequently challenging, they were skippable if time did not permit. The MCF series was also particularly attractive because the games themselves were especially well produced, from graphics to sound tracks to story lines. With MCF, one could depend on and look forward to an extremely high-quality production.

I join those who prefer linearity, however, because it is unlikely that anytime in the next 10 to 15 years I will devote the amount of time to playing adventure games necessary to learn the techniques, nor do I have the time or desire to seek out walkthroughs, etc.

A second issue that arises with respect to adventure games for casual gamers like myself, moreover, is the lack of chapters or other easily recognizable stopping points (such as the individual character storylines in Madame Fate) that allow one to stop the game with some sense of closure and easily pick it up later.

While I had initially thought the slow hint meter on Return to Ravenhearst and lack of synchronicity with respect to voices and captions meant that my computer wouldn't run the game, after reading comments elsewhere I learned that the slow hint meter was part of the game and that the lack of synchronicity wouldn't prevent successful game play.

As a result, I went ahead and purchased the game and have been playing it off and on for several days, as time permits. When I do have time, however, I find myself less and less inclined to choose to return to it simply because I don't particularly remember where I was at, what was left to do, where something was, etc. There's a learning curve every time I go back to it that takes time out of the limited time I have to play games.

In addition, seeking out the walkthoughs and tips and tricks to get past puzzles that were not skippable caused the ending to be revealed to me and that, combined with the fact that the darkness of the storyline is probably at the very extreme outside edge of what I would be interested in makes me think it's unlikely I will finish this particular game. I suspect that I will be a bit more cautious with respect to subsequent MCF games as well.

Since I'm not an adventure gamer, I can't really opine on whether the end product lived up to the hype, but it seems that many people who play adventure games now, people who played in the past, or people who have the time to devote to learning to play them now, are very, VERY pleased with the game. Certainly - and as all have come to expect from the MCF series - it was obviously a very high-quality production of which I think BFG can be justifiably proud.

I will, however, miss the high-quality HOGs like Madame Fate as I don't think there are a lot of competing game series out there that are reliable substitutes!