lilyr wrote:

I bought VERMILLION WATCH: MOORGATE ACCORD, SPIRIT OF REVENGE: FLORRY WELLS,  HE: MIGNARD'S END, and DARKNESSD AND FLAME: BORN OF FIRE.

Lily, you're in for a treat with at least 2 of those games!  
I've just played HE: Midgard's End CE and loved it!  
But then I played Vermillion Watch: Moorgate Accord CE ... and wow!  It blew me away!  

HE: Midgard's End CE - one thing to note - you can't view the cards you collect once you've finished the game.  I emailed Eipix and they said that it was an oversight on their part and that they couldn't believe they hadn't picked that up.  They also said that it would definitely be rectified in the third game but weren't sure if they'd be able to do it in the second ... so does that mean that the second game is too far along to have a change like that made?  Oh, I so hope so.  I so hope there's another one soon!  They attached a file with all the cards' info so I can give you that if you want after you've played the game.  I just found them really interesting.

Vermillion Watch:  Moorgate  Accord CE ... as I said ... WOW!  Definitely joined my fav games of all time, and most likely in my top 3.  Unfortunately, I was really sick last week and so it took a week for me to finish it but it was so worth it.  I played with no BBTs, no Contextual Pointers and no Plus-Item Indicator ... ie. no help ... and it was a loooooooooooong game.  Main Game = just over 7 hours, Bonus Game = just under 2 hours.  Then the Souvenir Room took me about 15 mins - 18 out of the 30 objects needed some sort of interaction to find, and some of those not needing any interaction, that were just hidden in the scene, were hard to spot!  It then took me over an hour to get gold for all HOPs in Extras.  So all up about 10.5 hours!  You sure get your money's worth.

One thing to note when you play it ... there are some new MG achievements that are really tricky to earn ... and you can't get them in Extras if you miss them in the game!!!!  The first MG is an arcade game where you have to run down an alley, jumping over obstacles when you're told to (easy) and you get an achievement for that if you don't fall over. 

Then there's another arcade game when you have to avoid obstacles.  I had absolutely no problem with that one and got the achievement for it.  However, if you hit an obstacle, which many seemed to have done, judging by the forum, you can't get the achievement if you replay it in Extras. 

There's another MG with Irene Adler with Truth and Lies.  If you want to get that achievement I suggest you read the forum first to see how to get it as, once again, you can't get the achievement later.   The problem with this MG is that it starts as soon as it opens, before you've even had time to read the instructions, and thus you won't be able to get the achievement (this is the only achievement I missed) as you would've already missed some of the Truths. 

However, you can get all the achievements that are related to the HOPs if you replay them in Extras.

But wow, was it fun!



And Mila, I saw your photo just after I'd finished the game yesterday and thought, wow she looks like Isobel Newton!  She's one of the characters in Vermillion Watch with long dark hair, except she doesn't have a fringe like you.  You probably won't think she looks anything like you but for me, when I first saw your photo, I was taken aback.



Spirit of Revenge: Florry's Well CE - I'm afraid my recommendation for this is not even the SE, so I'll be interested to see what you think of it!

Darkness and Flame: Born of Fire CE - I got this in the sale on Tuesday.  I don't think it's going to be nearly as good as the 2 above I've played but I liked the way there were extra puzzles if you got all the collectibles - 5 of one, and one each of 2 other puzzles (one of which is one of my fav puzzles).  I don't like collectibles just for an achievement, unless they're really tricky to find and are all different.  I got it mainly because of all the collectibles (although they were all easy in the demo) and that it wasn't super simple, even though there are BBTs, the cursor changes, and plus items are indicated.  I didn't love it but for some reason I really wanted to get it in the sale.  Maybe also because all the HOPs in the demo weren't zoom scenes but rather were the whole scene.  I thought all the outdoor scenes were overexposed but found it really interesting as it made it look like real sunshine.  It's one game I'm really interested to play to see if it was worth getting the CE as I wasn't going to get it as on paper I didn't think it was worth the CE but, when I woke up at 8:30 am Wednesday morning my first thought was that I really wanted to get it so hopped straight up and went straight to my computer as I only had until 9:00 am to get it in the sale with the extra punch, as then it would be midnight Seattle time.  I obviously really wanted it!


 

jumping up and down waving excitedly HELLLLLLOOOOO Stusue!

Yesterday, GH released its latest game in the Delicious group of games:  Cathy's Crafts  

Cathy is a friend of Emily and, obviously, she makes crafts.  It plays exactly like all the other games in Emily's world and I've already bought it and have played the first 2 locations (10 levels per location).

However, I discovered one really interesting thing ... they've outsourced it!  GH is still the publisher but it isn't the developer, unlike all the other games in Emily's world, including the most recent one ... Fabulous Angela's Fashion Fever ... where GH Studios (in Eindhoven, the Netherlands) is still the developer.  But now the developer is ... I was shocked to see ... Boomzap!!!!  Yep, the developer that no longer makes the most amazing HOPAs.  They've left BFG and are now with GH?!  I wonder when they decided to join GH and develop Cathy's Crafts?  And will this be the only one they develop for GH?  I looked at Boomzap's website and the only game they've developed for PCs since their last HOPA is an RPG that's something like US$24.  Maybe they're branching out and looking into other options?



However, for anyone who loves any of Delicious games and any of its offshoots, you'll love Cathy's Crafts.  And, even though I hate doing any sort of craft work - unlike the rest of you it seems - I like it.  But it seems to be exactly like all the other games, so I don't know if Boomzap has had any input into the game or was just given the engine and told to develop the game.  I can't see what's in it for Boomzap.  And why did GH outsource this one game?  It'll be interesting to see who develops the next one in any of the Emily games series ...


 

 stusue!  Always good to see you!  I got BORN OF FIRE because someone else had played it and liked the fact that it wasn't demonic.  Someone else i know didn't care for MIGNAR'DS END at all.  It will be eons before I play any of these.  I still have games from 2010 that I haven't played yet!

lilyr wrote:

 stusue!  Always good to see you!  I got BORN OF FIRE because someone else had played it and liked the fact that it wasn't demonic.  Someone else i know didn't care for MIGNAR'DS END at all.  It will be eons before I play any of these.  I still have games from 2010 that I haven't played yet!

Hi Lily!  
Don't worry, I think I've got games I haven't played yet that are even older!  
But I immediately play any game that I can't wait to play, like Vermillion Watch.  

I also think that maybe I can give you guys some idea of which games are good value as a CE and which not, although I haven't been well enough to keep up with reviews lately.  Sorry.



But now what I'm also doing is making a list of all the series of games, noting which I have as CEs and which as SEs, then noting which ones GH has released as PEs.  Once I can play an entire series as CEs (either I own the CEs or GH has released the PEs), I can play it.  It's just a question of which series first.  It's making it easier to decide in which order to play all my unplayed games.  And GH is releasing SO many CEs that I've only got as SEs!