Game review: Fashion Rush

It seems that fashion based time management games are becoming extremely popular. I've already talked about Fashion Fits! and Fashion Craze. Now we've been presented with Fashion Rush. Fashion Rush is similar to Fashion Craze in that your character has to pick fabric colors and clothes styles instead of just handing out pre-made clothes. However, this game steps it up by making you keep track of how much fabric you have available. Each color has a set amount of fabric and each time a piece is cut to make a garment, the roll gets smaller. When the roll of fabric runs out, it is up to you to put a new roll on the holder. (Hm, that makes it sound like toilet paper!)

You also get to choose which styles of clothing you are going to offer to your customers. There is a limit of four styles per level but it is up to you to decide if you will sell four styles of dresses or one pants design with a jacket, a shirt and a dress. I found this part to be the most exciting. If you don't like a certain style that is offered, you don't need to offer it to your customers. Of course, the problem is that a lot of the designs are cute and you can only have four designs at a time!

While I'm not a fashion mogul, I do like the direction that these games are taking. Instead of forcing the gamer into an already determined path in the game, there are a ton of choices that are being offered. Considering that these types of games need to follow a "work your way to the top" type of theme, it is really refreshing to have at least a little bit of say in the storyline. I hope that more time management games pick up on this. Maybe one day we'll see a Diner Dash where Flo gets a say in what goes on the menu!

Game review: Hot Dish

In my day-to-day life, I don't cook. My husband does a majority of the cooking in our household. This is mostly due to the fact that I hate to cook. For some reason, I decided to load up Hot Dish to see if I'd like that any more than real life cooking. I both liked and hated this game. On one hand, the simulated cooking is a lot like Cooking Mama on both the Nintendo DS and Wii. You choose a dish and you go through the steps to cook it. From chopping the vegetables to simmering the seafood to baking the bread, you do it all. However, Hot Dish throws you for a loop by forcing you to prepare more than one dish at a time. It starts out with one dish in the tutorial but you are quickly thrown into making three dishes at once! This means you have to keep track of when to flip your grilled chicken over so it does burn while stirring your warming milk so it doesn't curdle while flipping your sauteed shrimp. It really does get to be too much.

In my opinion, this game would have been better if it had focused on making two dishes at once instead of three. As it is, you already make an appetizer, a main course and a dessert. Do you really need to make three of each at once? The game only shows one reviewer and I doubt that she is eating that much food by herself. I think I'll stick with Cooking Mama. At least she doesn't try to drive me to drink!

Music review: Do As Infinity - Wings

dai.jpgArtist: Do As Infinity Members: Tomiko Van, Ryo Owatari, Dai Nagao Album: Tangerine Dream Release date: 9/29/99

English translation: What's been the matter recently? You've been looking down Even your harsh language, which you were proud of, has disappeared Even if this world is just unfair, As for the weak, even the answers won't be found

On the nights the storm goes away, the sky is clearer than usual & the twinkling stars are blowing kisses to us

* Tomorrow is shining & the beat will stir up a miracle there We're together & time stops immediately We go beyond the horizon where the evening sun begins to melt

Let's throw away the excess baggage Let's just take the Gibson (guitar) If we can go willingly without choosing a goal, even the rusty fate will begin to pass

Even on the days of the preestablished harmony, it's better to throw everything to the shore, even if it's just the freedom in appearance

Even if the sparkling season passes by, let's hold onto the memories that don't change The fragments of the wish are in a dream You can grab them with a little courage

When you are tired of flying, it's better to rest your wings We know that you did your best

* repeat About the song: Wings was on DAI's debut single. It was rerecorded as Wings 510 for the New World album. This version of the song has a relaxed feeling to it while the rerecording sounds a lot more....well...studio, I guess is the best way to put it. The original recording has very simple instrument lines. The rerecording brings in more...stuff in the background. Both versions are very good songs. However, I like the simpler version better.

Game review: Pizza Chef

It's very difficult to classify Pizza Chef into a type of game. There's a little bit of time management in it but not a whole lot. There's a bit of three-in-a-row but that's not the entire game. It's almost like a mix between Cake Mania and Bejeweled with a shape puzzle tossed in. The basics of the game are simple. You try to match three objects in a row on your board as customers at your counter order pizzas. The pizzas are in various shapes and sizes. As you match the objects on the board, you open more spaces for you to use. In these spaces you fit the shape/size/type of pizza that each customer wants. For example, if a customer wants a rectangle-shaped pizza, you need to open a space that is 2-squares wide by 4-squares long. Then you place the customer's pizza in that space to "bake."

The bizarre combination in the game makes it interesting for awhile. However, when the levels start to get more difficult, it just gets annoying. It gets difficult to find matches in the shapes that you need them before your customers get angry and stomp off. I really think that the game designers should have picked one type of game and stuck with it instead of trying to mix two very different genres together.

Game review: Hidden Secrets - The Nightmare

Hidden Secrets - The Nightmare is a difficult hidden object game. You play a murder victim who is currently in a coma, attempting to piece together what happened to her. This mystery is solved through finding objects in rooms that she's been in as well as solving some puzzles in the mini-games. The main problem with this game is that the levels are so dark that it is almost impossible to find any of the objects on your list. Your cursor will glow a bit when you come near an object that you can interact with but that doesn't always make your job easy. There is also a ton of plot involved. If you are the type of gamer that just wants to play the game instead of getting wrapped up in the backstory, this wouldn't be for you. This game is aimed at people who really want to be absorbed into the experience of the character. However, I don't know if anyone will be able to overlook the visual darkness of the game to be able to fully enjoy it. I, personally, found it irritating.

Favorite Friday

Katori Shingo is a member of the ultra-famous Johnny's group, SMAP. Sometime around 2000, he starred in a new show where he would cross-dress as Shingo Mama and let tired housewives have the morning off. He would show up at someone's house bright and early in the morning to perform all of the duties of a housewife - waking the family members up, making them breakfast, seeing them off to work/school - doesn't your mother do that? It was extremely popular, especially with children. So, Shingo Mama recorded a song and released it as a single. Now I present it to you.

Movie review: Stardust

I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of Stardust, a movie based on a Neil Gaiman novel. Starring Claire Danes and Charlie Cox, Stardust is the story of a young man, Tristan (Cox), who crosses a wall from his mundane world into a magical one to find a fallen star. Tristan expects to find a lump of rock. However, he finds that the star is, instead, a beautiful woman, Yvaine (Danes). Of course, Tristan is not the only person that noticed the falling star. A trio of wicked witch sisters, led by Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), are after the heart of the star so they can obtain eternal life and beauty. Meanwhile, three princely brothers search for their father's stone to determine which of them will take the now-vacant throne. While all my friends gave this movie raving reviews, I wasn't sure what to expect from it. Little did I know that there would be an absolutely amazing story mixed with beautiful visuals. I don't want to give away too many things but I loved the way Yvaine's glow and the witches' magic was handled. They both added a little more pizzaz to an already amazing world. I would recommend that everyone give Stardust a try.

Game review: Dream Day First Home

Hm, I thought I had written about the Dream Day series of hidden object games but apparently I haven't. Well, you're in luck because a brand new piece of the puzzle has arrived. First we had Dream Day Wedding where you were preparing for your wedding. Then we had Dream Day Honeymoon where the newlyweds went on a tropical vacation. Now we have Dream Day First Home. I really love how each of these games progresses not only the overall storyline but also the playability. In Wedding, you have a very basic hidden object game with a bit of a Choose Your Own Adventure piece stuck in. When we moved to Honeymoon, the basics stayed the same but the difficulty got bumped up a notch. This time around, we are given more to customize - from the type of house the couple moves into down to what furniture they will put in their rooms. There is still a great hidden object game with a few little surprises but it's really the addition of the mini-games that makes it a blast.

Since the series is geared towards women, I'm not sure that men would find it interesting. Besides, there are enough games out there geared toward the boys, right ladies? So roll up your sleeves and jump into the wonderful world of home ownership!

Music review: W - Koi no Vacance

duo_uu.jpgArtist: W Members: Ai Kago, Nozomi Tsuji Album: Duo U&U Release date: 6/6/04 Video link: On Veoh (Original song sung by The Peanuts)

English translation: Your kiss, Enough to make me sigh A maiden's heart seeing a sweet dream of love

Shining in a gold color Above the hot sand Let's love in bare flesh like mermaids

Gathering your sunburned smiles The promise we whispered It's a secret between the two of us A sigh escapes my lips

Ah, love's joy in the rose-colored days The first time I saw you... A vacance of love

Gathering your sunburned smiles The promise we whispered It's a secret between the two of us A sigh escapes my lips

Ah, love's joy in the rose-colored days The first time I saw you... A vacance of love About the song: W's first album consisted entirely of cover songs from the late Showa period (1924-1989). Despite the songs not being originally written for the duo, they bring a completely new sound to them. The original version of Koi no Vacance had a very 'Japanese' sound with a bit of big band tossed in. Aibon and Nono not only gave it an updated pop sound but they were also able to hold onto the original feeling of the song. While this isn't my favorite W song, it does make the top 10.