Game review: Jane's Hotel: Family Hero

Last week, I told you about the announcement of the sequel to Jane's Hotel. Well, the game has finally gone live and I tried out the updated version. In the game, you play Jane, a hotel owner. Your grandmother has lost four of the family's hotels. It is your job to run the hotels successfully enough to pay back the loans on the properties. You only have a couple of weeks to complete your mission. Can you do it?

Admittedly, I didn't like the original game at all. However, the sequel fixes everything that was wrong with the first! You can upgrade you and your workers now so they will move faster or get better appliances for them to work with. Not only that, there are more options for upgrading your hotel. You aren't just stuck with "buy a plant" or "offer dinners to your guests." There are a multitude of options for you and you are only limited by the amount of money you bring in.

There is also a new employee to help offer new things to your customers. The bellboy will fix things when they break (yes, things break now), take pictures of your guests if they request them and carry their luggage. My only problem with this character is that he is not used quite as much as the maid. It would be nice if he could also help water the plants or something instead of leaving all that to the poor maid, who must hate her job.

Overall, this was a much better game. I actually had fun trying to decide what I wanted to upgrade next. Realore Studios has learned their lesson. More options for the player is a good thing.

Jane’s Hotel: Family Hero press release

Movie review: Hitman

My husband and I finally sat down to watch Hitman last night. While it is based on a video game, neither of us have played it. So we're familiar with the basic premise but not the actual storyline of the game. Basically, 47 is a hitman who, as a child, was trained to obey and assasinate. He doesn't know how to do anything else. In the movie, he is hired to kill the Russian president. After he successfully completes his mission, he is told that his shot missed and the president is still alive. As he tries to figure out what is going on, he is chased by the Russian police and two INTERPOL agents. He also finds out that someone has put a hit out on him so there are other Agents chasing him as well.

Overall, the movie wasn't all that bad. The storyline was fairly believable. I had two problems with the movie: his bald, tattooed head and the boring fight scenes. See, 47 is very bald and has a bar scan tattoo on the back of his head, as does every Agent. However, this makes him extremely noticeable in large crowds. Why doesn't he buy a wig or a hat or some cover-up makeup to hide it? You would think that whoever trained the Agents would train them in hiding themselves.

As for the fight scenes, they would have been good for a Bond movie or something along those lines. However, we're talking about hired killers who have been trained since childhood for this sort of thing. There should be a little more 'oomph' to their fights. The scene where the four Agents fight each other was OK but nothing spectacular.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie. I expected it to be terrible but I actually found it somewhat compelling. I truly wanted to know what happened next. Of course, the ending left an opening for a sequel. Though I'm not sure this one was a big enough hit to warrant a second one. It would be nice to have a prequel though. Give us some more information on who trained the Agents and who it is that sends them out on their missions. Background information is a good thing. Seriously.

Music review: BoA - Kimi no Tonari de

Artist: BoAAlbum: Outgrow Release date: 2/15/06 Video link: Via YouTube

English translation: Beside you, for you I want to do something for you I don’t care when Just tell me

Why does the mere thought of you Make my heart jump like this? Why does the mere touch of your hand Heal all my pain?

Did you move the wind When you suddenly sneezed? As the sunlight streams through the trees Our two feelings become one

Beside you, for you I want to do something for you I don’t care when When you feel like crying Just tell me

I hope that this time When we can talk about things Like what we were doing this time last year And where to go on the weekend Continues forever, without changing

At the crossing, you put your arm around me To protect me from the stream of people That ordinary kindness …Made me so happy

There’s so much more That I want to tell you We’ll be able to see each other again tomorrow But would it be luxuriant of me To wish I could stay by your side longer?

Beside you, for you I want to do something for you I don’t care when When you feel like crying Just tell me

I want us to share Our happiness and pain Can I say something just a little bit selfish? My heart’s trembling a little So hold me tighter than anyone else About the song: Another sweet ballad comes from the BoA camp. However, since this song is so slow, it seems like it is way too long. It is pretty and the lyrics have some nice feelings but there is nothing spectacular here. I would easily pass up this song for one of her pop songs.

Game review: Miss Teri Tale

You are Miss Teri Tale, a famous mystery writer. Your neighbor's prized pooch, Jason, has been dognapped and it is up to you to find him. Sneak into each of your neighbor's houses and rifle through their things in order to find which one of them has it out for the prize-winning show dog. This hidden object game, not-very-cleverly named after the heroine, is vaguely interesting. You start out in your office when a video message comes across your laptop with instructions on how to play the game and where to go. For the most part, this is a typical hidden object game. However, since you are breaking into your neighbor's houses, there are a few puzzles where you need to solve the alarm code in order to enter. In my opinion, the best part of this game is the way you can 'refill' your number of hints. When you run out, simply head back to your office to collect more four leaf clovers. There is usually two or three each time you go back.

While there is nothing new offered in the gameplay, it is still pretty fun. I didn't care much for the constant interruptions from the mystery person in the laptop videos, which is how the game advances the story, but luckily those don't last long. If you like hidden object games, give it a try.

Jane's Hotel: Family Hero

Back in September, I reviewed Jane's Hotel and found it to be rather lacking. Realore Studios, the company behind the game, has announced the upcoming sequel called Jane's Hotel: Family Hero. While I'm not particularly excited to see a sequel for this game, the company did something awesome. They took the beta version to the users. So you can download the game and give your opinion on it. Hopefully a lot of people will play and vote so that the company can turn a terrible game into something fun for everyone to play.

Music review: Peach Hips - Tuxedo Mirage

Artist: Peach Hips Members: Mitsuishi Kotono (Sailor Moon), Tomizawa Michie (Sailor Mars), Hisakawa Aya (Sailor Mercury), Shinohara Emi (Sailor Jupiter), Fukami Rica (Sailor Venus) Album: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S Big Box (the song can be found on other albums as well) Release date: 11/21/94 Video link: Via YouTube

English Translation: In the dish of the moonlight I take off my star earrings What should I do, my heart is, my heart is filled to the top Even if these fireworks turn into stars, even if we lose our love into darkness I beg of you, do not stop your kisses You can steal me away with your scent of velvet This is love my heart found in the galaxy

*The mantle of the evening spreads out in a rainbow More and more, I love you Tuxedo mirage Tuxedo mirage

The canary music box softly fades out What should I do, my heart is, my heart is stuffed up Even if these tears turn into stars, even if we lose our merry-go-round I beg of you, do not stop your kisses I want to be taken in by your gaze of velvet This is love my heart pledged in the galaxy

Gently held close in a storm of flower petals Never, never, disappear Tuxedo mirage

*Repeat About the song: Sailor Moon is my favorite anime series. Tuxedo Mirage is the ending theme song to Sailor Moon S, the third season of the series after Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon R. The song is sung by the voice actresses of the main characters. As love is one of the themes of the show, of course the ending theme embraces that feeling. Though it may not be my favorite song from the show, it is a sweet song with nice voices and soft music.

Game review: Magic Seeds

Magic Seeds is a weird sort of time management game. You are given some seeds and it is your job to grow the plants. While this sounds rather boring, the really interesting part comes from trying to cross-pollinate the plants. You start out with some sunflower seeds. Once the plants are mature, you can cross-breed them. Cross-breeding the two sunflowers will give you tomato seeds. (No, I'm not sure how that works either but it does in the game.) Then, after the tomatoes are mature, you can cross-breed the sunflowers with tomatoes and get corn. So even though the actual growing part isn't particularly fun, trying to figure out what pairs will give you different seeds is.

In very basic terms, this is a time management game. You have to water the plants and hoe the plants and pick the plants and sell the plants, if you so desire. There are even upgrades you can buy to help you with these chores. But I still think that this is not the point of the game. In my opinion, the point of the game is to try to obtain as many different types of seeds as you possibly can. That bumps it to more of a puzzle game than a time management one. No matter how you want to categorize it, it's still a lot of fun.

Game review: Ice Cream Craze

In the restaurant-themed time management game Ice Cream Craze, you play Jan. Her parents own an ice cream shop but they have decided to close the shop and retire. However, Jan had dreamed of taking over the shop. As her parents head off for a two-month vacation, Jan takes over the shop in order to prove that she can handle the business. The gameplay follows a lot of the counter-based restaurant games. Customers come up to the counter, order an item, you make the item, give it to them and take their money. There is a bit of a change here though. Instead of just clicking on a machine that will make your food for you, you need to stack your items in the appropriate order. For example, if a customer wants an ice cream cone with a chocolate scoop on top of a vanilla scoop, you need to pick up a cone, then pick up a vanilla scoop then pick up a chocolate scoop. While this is easy in the beginning, it gets a lot more difficult in the higher levels when they add new flavors and toppings and pies.

I found the game to be extremely entertaining. Besides just having the "satisfy your customers" goal, the challenge of having to juggle the ice cream flavors and everything made it a bit more exciting. Of course, I felt really stupid when I screwed up since all it requires is paying close attention. Luckily, you can just restart a level and fix your mistake. This was probably one of the most fun time management games I've played in awhile.

Game review: Monster Mash

While Monster Mash is listed as a time management game, it doesn't really fall under that genre. If anything, it's a strategy game. You are presented with a small village that is about to be attacked by various monsters. It is your job to set up different towers to destroy the monsters before they reach the village. Generally, I'm not very good at strategy games. For some reason, I have a difficult time figuring out where to place troops in order to defeat my enemy. However, I had a wonderful time playing this one. Each tower type shows you a range circle so you know exactly how far their guns will shoot to kill the monsters. The game challenges you by giving you more than one type of monster, which may require more shots before it falls dead. Some of the monsters even give power-ups. Sadly, I can't get past the level where there is a constant stream of monsters. Perhaps one day I will figure out the magic combination to pass the level but, until then, I will keep fighting the good fight!

I think this game would be good for people that enjoy puzzles. Since the focus of the game is based on not leaving any gaps between your towers' ranges so you get the maximum shots at the monsters, it definitely fits within a puzzle genre. I also think that people that enjoy strategy games like Starcraft might like it as well

Music review: L'arc~en~Ciel - Kasou

Artist: L'arc~en~Ciel Members: Hyde (vocals, guitar), Tetsu (background vocals, bass), Ken (guitar), Yukihiro (drums) Album: Ray Release date: 7/1/99 Video link: Via YouTube

English translation: Separately scattered about flower petals, drops of pink around the waning moon reflecting an eternal love.

Eyes...left open a body that's going to rot splendidly lost, only this consciousness left without waiting for the spring.

my beloved one, you just gently turn cold, in these arms as you are broken listen. The abyss of dreams is calling like always.

on the night that blooms out of season the melody of a restless soul the flower floating in the darkness my only parting gift.

(English: Gravity is on the increase as time goes by my body returns to earth there is sky up in the air my body is in your sky and my life is in your cosmos we never come close to each other be here we exist as it is.....) it comes to an end at last the pain of being reborn in the earthen ground I swallow the promise I'm bound to a dead world

separately scattered about flower petals drops of pink around the waning moon reflecting an eternal love

This evening...oh the ecstasy of a dream... At last my eyes closed

On the night that blooms out of season the melody of a restless soul the flower floating in the darkness my only parting gift About the song: This is, by far, my favorite L'arc song. While the lyrics are fairly morbid, the song as a whole is still absolutely beautiful. In my opinion, the best way to listen to it is to watch the music video. The etherealness of the song mixes with the symbolism of the graphics in such an amazing way. I have a difficult time listening to the song without seeing Hyde in his "vampire" costume in my mind.