Ipad

The Real Reason I’m Returning My IPAD Pro

For those following my blog, you might already know that I’m a multimedia content creator – not just for this blog here – but as a fulltime living for a real client in the real world. I do everything marketing related for them, from print advertising, video production and editing, online advertising, tradeshow events, email marketing, social media management, and so much more.

Pre-Covid I used to work in the office, and so all the equipment I needed was right at my fingertips and provided by the company. I didn’t have much say or choice in what I used. When it came to drawing tablets we had a very small Wacom tablet. The old-school kind without the screen built-in. It wasn’t bad, I graduated undergrad college in 2006, and my MBA around 2012 or so, and so I was familiar with and used to using Wacom. Even back in my childhood, my stepdad who was the one who first bought me Corel Draw and started me down this career path back in the 90s, at some point bought me a REALLY old-school Wacom tablet, an off-white color, big heavy thing with a DONGLE. They don’t make those anymore. This was a dinosaur – but that proves that Wacom’s been around for ages… and well yes, certain things have changed, they now have better pens, and a nifty ergonomic standing base and even some very pricey Wacom that are self-sufficient stand-alone units – for a cool $3,000+ dollars. read more

The Real Reason I’m Returning My IPAD Pro Read More »

Apple IPad Pro 12.9 Inch Review & Comparison To Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio

You might have seen my recent review about the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio over here. You may remember mine met with an ill fate. A fate likely caused by a defective Surface Pen… The pen would not do anything. I changed the batteries, I knew how to charge it correctly under the lip of the laptop… And in device settings it said it had 100% battery life.

I read an article about unpairing and repairing the device… so I unpaired it… and could not repair it… because it was effectively dead…. No lights, no nothing. I’d only had the device for 10 days… but since Best Buy’s cutoff for returns is 14 days… and at least my local Best Buy is running some weird COVID19 hours still… closing at 6 or 7 pm and I had to work past that time… We had gone up the night before only to discover they were closed, and knew we couldn’t make the next night either…. So on day 12 of 14, when they offered to ship me a new pen…. well… I was nervous… What if it WASN’T the pen?! What if it was a problem with the bluetooth inside the $3,000 computer??? read more

Apple IPad Pro 12.9 Inch Review & Comparison To Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio Read More »

Food Fantasy Game Review

Food Fantasy is a brand-new cooking RPG and card collecting game from the creators of Love Nikki Dressup Queen. It combines many different styles of gameplay such as allowing you to research new recipes, gather ingreedients, explore the story, battle monsters, and collect cards known as “food souls” to add to your party or put to work in your shop. I’ve been playing since the game launched a few days ago and thought I’d share with you my initial thoughts of this cute little free mobile game.

Title: Food Fantasy

Genre: Cooking Simulation, Restaurant Management Card Collecting / Battling, RPG

Publisher: Elex

Release Date: July 2018

Price: Free

Where to Get:

IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/food-fantasy/id1366072359?mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.egg.foodandroid&hl=en_US

Geeky: 1/5 – There’s not much “geeky” about this game. If you like cooking mama and can imagine a mash up of cooking mama with love live, then you can imagine something like Food Fantasy. Mostly I can’t give high marks because the combat is very basic and mostly automated and not very engaging or challenging. I don’t see this having wide appeal unless you like cute things or love games like cooking mama.

Sweetie: 4/5 – I think girls will like the simulation aspects the best. When the game starts you can select a cuisine style to specialize in, you can research new recipes, decorate your restaurant, and you can collect cute “food souls” that can work as staff in your restaurant, or be added to your battle party. I can’t give it a 5 for appealing to girls because the story is quite weak.

Overall: 49/60 82% B- “Very Good Game for Girls”

Gameplay: 4/5 – I’m on the fence about the gameplay aspects. It is a unique and fun game for sure. But I think the combat system leaves much to be desired. But combat is not really the main focus of this game. This game tries to be a jack of all trades, but is really a master of none. There are better RPGs, better card collecting games, and better cooking games out there – but none of them combine all 3 of these things…

When the game starts you select a small thumbnail image to represent you. – Other cooking games often let you customize an avatar character and add dress up options – since this game is by the creators of dressup nikki I was surprised, and a little disappointed not to see such features in Food Fantasy as well. – But there are some female “avatars” (thumbnails), and some “fantasy” type ones – for example my avatar is a black cat with little chef hat lol. It’s pretty cute.

After naming yourself and choosing your little thumbnail picture, you’re shown a tutorial and introduced to a few characters and shown some background story. Through the tutorial you will experience many things. First you will select one of three cooking styles which will determine your first recipe – and I’m not sure if they will have an effect on other recipes you can obtain or give you a boost to certain recipes.

Next you get to fight some monsters and progress through various missions. Sometimes some monsters will drop ingredients that you need for cooking. – they don’t seem to drop often enough though.

Back in the restaurant you can assign staff to cook food or wait on customers. Different characters give different bonus effects to your restaurant. Customers will come and go to your restaurant even while not playing, or while adventuring and exploring other parts of the game. You will need to periodically check in to cook new dishes and collect your tips and other aspects of restaurant management.

You can decorate your restaurant with cute items which in some cases grant bonus effects when placed in your restaurant.

You can also improve your dishes by leveling them up by making them over and over again, or by adding spices and other items to each recipe. In addition to improving existing dishes, you can also research and develop new dishes if you have enough ingredients.

The final aspect of the game is the “card collecting” in the form of summoning new “food souls” which as mentioned can be assigned as staff or assist you in the battle field. The cards range from common to ultra rare. Drop rates seem generous, I summoned an ultra rare food soul, Peking Duck, early in the game without spending real money. There are also numerous special events, such as the launch party that will award ultra rare food souls for completing specific tasks and missions.

You can then take these food souls into battle – but the battles are really rather dull and not a very fun aspect of the game. You can tap to remove status ailments from your party members or tap to interrupt the boss from using powerful special moves, but largely, it’s more automated and you sit there watching your food souls fight, and the difficulty level is quite low. I have not lost a single match yet.

Story: 3/5 The story is very weak and poor, and there are some awkward phrasings and some questionable translation issues. I feel the story has potential to be interesting, but it’s not yet. Basically, you summon a food soul who has no powers and they tell you she is an empty shell and that usually such food souls are discarded, but you feel bad for her and take her in, because you feel responsible because you were the one who summoned her. She vows to help and often tries to protect you even though doing so without any powers would mean sacrificing herself. She is frustrated and wants to grow stronger, but you’re told it is impossible. – If I have to guess, she probably does have some special power or something, that’s how these stories usually go. Right now, the story is slow and dull, but perhaps things will get more interesting – I’ve only been playing for 2 days, maybe an hour each day, so I’m still in the beginning stages of the game. But thus far, not really impressed with the story.

Characters: 5/5 – The characters are super cute, and there is a mix of male and female characters which is rare for these summoning types of games. Also every food soul has an English Voice Actor (or Actress), and if you don’t like the English voices, you do have the ability to select the Japanese ones as well. This is a really nice plus, I haven’t seen many of these summoning games that bother to add English voice acting. The artwork is adorable, and of course it’s all inspired by various food and beverages which gives it a nice theme.

Graphics: 5/5 – Graphically this game is quite nice with a unique storybook like style. The anime style food souls and npc characters are all very cute. The backgrounds are really detailed and lovely. I can’t find anything to complain about here.

Music 3/5: Some of the music and sound effects sound recycled from love nikki? Or at least very similar in style.  It’s average at best. Nothing really stands out, but thankfully nothing is annoying, although like most mobile games it can be repetitive at times.

Voice Acting: 5/5 – I love that there’s English Voice acting – and some of them are quite good. I also equally love that they’ve left the option to switch to the original Japanese voice actors at any time as well. Great touch. I know they spent a lot of money licensing the original cast, as well as hiring all new voice actors for the English release. This shows me they care about the fans, and about the game, and it was just a really nice surprise and does set the game apart a bit from other summoning games out there.

Crafting: 5/5 – I love that you can research new recipes. This game reminds me of several other much larger cooking/crafting games such as the Atelier series of games, or Mana Khemia, or Kamidori Alchemist Meister.  The crafting aspects are probably the highlight of the game. In that regard though there are probably a dozen other mobile games which do a better job – If you’re looking for similar games check out anything by Kairosoft, Nippon Cafeteria, Sushi Spinnery, or Ramen Master being 3 that focus specifically on food – while other Kairosoft titles apply the same game mechanics to other jobs/roles. Or check out other cooking and restaurant management games such as I love Pasta and I love Coffee – which I reviewed here. Or of course, I’m sure you’re familiar with the famous Cooking Mama games. Even though these other games may have more in depth crafting/management aspects, I still give food souls a 5 in this area. Out of all the different aspects of this strange little game, I think the cooking and simulation aspects are the strongest and most fun elements.

Customization: 4/5 – You can decorate your restaurant, assign staff, and choose your food specialty. But most other mobile restaurant simulation games have a dressup aspect and I miss that here.

Cuteness: 5/5 – The food souls are super cute and the graphics and voice acting take that cuteness to the next level.

Replay Value: 5/5 – With the special events and wide variety of things to do, from battling, to cooking, to decorating your restaurant, to collecting food souls, to inventing new recipes to serve in your restaurant, or progressing through story missions, this game has a lot to offer and will keep you busy.

Overall: 49/60 82% B- “Very Good Game for Girls”

Food Fantasy Game Review Read More »

Anime Apps on Iphone

The Best Anime Apps for Your Iphone

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Technology has made it possible to participate in your favorite activities regardless of your location. Easily stream and watch your favorite anime via your smartphone with any of these apps.

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Crunchyroll has both free and paid membership plans

available for anime enthusiasts. No membership is required to watch many of the anime streams. Going premium simply means you can enjoy your favorite anime without ads, you’ll have faster release times, and you get the ability to stream to other locations besides your iPhone. Crunchyroll has access to the best anime shows with over 25,000 anime episodes available, including Naruto Next Generation, Dragon Ball Super, and Cowboy Bebop. read more

The Best Anime Apps for Your Iphone Read More »

Princess Closet : Otome games free dating sim

Princess Closet : Otome games free dating sim

Princess Closet : Otome games free dating sim

I’m testing a new plugin that will let me more easily share app recommendations with my readers. The first app I’m going to recommend is Princess Closet by Ciagram. It is an otome game available in both the IOS and Google app stores.

What I like about Princess Closet is that you don’t have to spend real money on cash shop items to reach the good ending. You can also read a few stories each day for free, making it possible to play the game without having to invest any money.

Read the full description and see screenshots below. This info was taken from QooApp. But this app can also be downloaded via the Google Play and IOS stores without using Qoo App.

Get Princess Closet on IOS Here: https://itunes.apple.com…

Get Princess Closet on Android Here: https://play.google.com…

Download

Description

◆Princess Closet will give you your Super Happy Ending for free

-A dating sim for girls where you can enjoy the love story without paying!

-Get the Super Happy Ending for free!

-Advance smoothly with no tedious missions!

-You can read 5 romance Stories every day for free!

-A game for girls who want to play otome games without spending any money!

Invited by a member of the popular fashion brand “Princess Closet,” you have been transformed into a “fashion model.”

Work together with the ultimate handsome boyfriend towards becoming a top model!

Your encounter with your dashing boyfriend… is the beginning of a romance that will change your life!

◆An extravagant cast of voice actors! Their voices will draw you deeper into this world

This romance game includes an extravagant cast of voices actors for the four handsome male leads.

You will be able to experience their sweet, charming voices as if they were right next to you!

With no real ambition in life, you luck out and manage to get a job at a large company.

Although not overwhelmingly dissatisfied, you are bored by the daily, unchanging routine work. And you find yourself wondering, “Am I okay with the way things are?”

Your only small relief from all of this is fashion.

That is, until the day that “Leo,” the up-and-coming fashion brand designer, suddenly appears in front of you.

At that moment, you never suspected that your encounter with him would change your life drastically…

“Fashion and romance will change my life.”

A dating sim game for girls who want to experience heart-throbbing romance, while enjoying fashion!

-If you love dating sims, otome games, games for girls, or romance games.

-If you are looking for romance novels, visual novels, online novels, light novels, romance comics, romance manga, or shoujo manga.

-If you are looking for sweet, romantic dating sims or stimulating dating sims.

-If you are looking for visual novels with sweet romance storylines.

-If you are looking for free otome games you can enjoy without paying.

-If you are looking for a game where you can experience romance with princes, aristocrats, CEOs, or celebrities.

-If you like situations that include a cute childhood friend with an adorable accent.

-If you are looking for dating sims with great art and graphics.

-If you want to experience forbidden love at the office.

-If you want to be a princess and experience your own Cinderella story.

-If you are looking for marriage games where your handsome boyfriend or lover proposes to you.

-If you are looking for adult games with keywords such as contract, secret, seduction, and fate.

-If you respond to keywords such as fated love, adult visual novel, or forbidden love.

-If you like popular dating sims for girls that are free.

-If you don’t mind dating sims that contain boys love.

-If you are looking for otome games where you are surrounded by handsome guys.

-If you want to find your perfect husband, boyfriend, or lover in the ultimate otome game.

-If you are looking for someone to marry who is handsome, a celebrity, an heir, prince, charismatic, or rich.

-If you like otome games as well as comics, manga, anime, or BL.

-If you have a husband, boyfriend, or lover, but you want to find someone who is more perfect for you.

-If you love romance dramas and are looking for romance apps.

-If it is your first time using a romance app and you want to find a romance app for girls that you can play for free.

-Free installation

-Uninstalling the app or clearing the cache will reset player data.

[…] read more

Princess Closet : Otome games free dating sim Read More »

Utano Princesama Shining Live

UtaPri Utano Princesama Shining Live English Version Coming in Early 2018

Utano Princesama Shining Live
Utano Princesama Shining Live

KLab sent me yet another new game announcement to share with all of you. This time, I think the game really fits in with my audience here as it is similar in many ways to various other mobile idol games I’ve reviewed such as Ensemble Stars, Idolish, IdolM@ster Theater Days, Aikatsu Photo on Stage, and of course Love Live School Idol Festival.

The new game is yet another rhythm idol collecting card game.  The game is based on the hit visual novel and anime series, UtaPri, Utano Princesama. It will feature advanced Augmented Reality features that let you take pictures with your favorite idols, as well as story modes and rhythm game modes that you can play on various difficulties. You can interact with the idols in 2D Live, an exciting technology that brings anime games to life. No more static images. It even says their facial expressions and behaivors change as you get closer to them. I also see mention of different stage outfits, so it may also have some type of dressup element as well.

Klab is currently running several pre-launch events across Twitter and Facebook – by following either of their accounts you get an Ultra Rare card of your choice once the game starts, so it’s definitely worthwhile to check out the events before the game launches in early 2018.

This game looks so cute! I hope we see more Global releases of anime and idol games soon!

Check out the full press release from KLab below:

“Utano☆Princesama Shining Live”

Global Version Coming Soon!

Social Media Campaign Featuring Poster Giveaway Contest, In-Game Rewards and More!

KLab Inc.

(TSE1: 3656)

Tokyo, Japan – January 10, 2018 – KLab Inc., a leader in online mobile games, together with BROCCOLI Co., Ltd., announced plans for the worldwide release of smartphone rhythm game Utano☆Princesama Shining Live in early 2018. The announcement was followed by the launch of the official Facebook and Twitter accounts for the global version of the game.

 

Building on the success of the Japanese release, the global version of the game will be fully localized into English and Traditional Chinese, with a Simplified Chinese version planned for simultaneous release in Mainland China.

About Utano☆Princesama Shining Live

Utano☆Princesama Shining Live is a rhythm game for Android™ and iOS mobile devices based on BROCCOLI’s Utano☆Princesama series. With over 2 million downloads* in the domestic market, the Japanese version of the game has found success with fans across the country since launching on August 28, 2017.

 Utano☆Princesama is a visual novel series that began as a portable console game. The series now spans multiple anime seasons, manga, drama CDs, live concerts, and much more.

Utano☆Princesama Shining Live features 11 idols from the groups ST☆RISH and QUARTET NIGHT. Players can set their favorite idol to appear on their home screen and tap him to see his various reactions and watch his affection go up, as well as form personalized teams to play songs in a rhythm game. The rhythm game component allows players to train their own original unit of idols as they play a suite of songs from the Utano☆Princesama series at multiple difficulty levels. Players can also unlock stories starring the characters. The game transcends the boundaries of traditional gaming with a special Camera Mode that takes advantage of AR technology, giving players the chance to take photos with their favorite pop stars whenever, wherever.

* Total includes players who have downloaded the game more than once.

Opening Act Social Media Campaign

A series of special events leading up to the launch of the game were unveiled along with the announcement. Players are encouraged to follow either the official Twitter or Facebook account (or both!) to participate in these events, as well as receive the latest updates on the upcoming title. The Opening Act Social Media Campaign is now being held worldwide, except in Japan where the game is already available and in Mainland China, where a separate series of events will be held. All players will receive increasingly extravagant gifts when the game is released based on the number of people who follow the game’s official accounts.

Details can be found below, as well as on the official website which opened earlier today.

Event Campaign Schedule

Starts on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 and lasts until the game’s release (UTC+9)

How to Sign Up

To participate in the pre-launch festivities for Utano☆Princesama Shining Live, players are simply asked to follow the official Twitter or Facebook account.

All players will receive a special ticket that guarantees them a UR character of their choice when the game is launched. Players will be able to obtain up to 300 Prisms by clearing the following pre-launch missions.

* Prisms are a type of in-game currency used in Utano☆Princesama Shining Live to acquire new characters, unlock new content, and more.

Shining Live Pre-Launch Missions

In addition to the choose your UR ticket prize, all players have the chance to receive up to 300 extra Prisms depending on the number of people who follow the game’s official accounts before launch.

– Step 1: 100 Prisms (achieved at a total of 5,000 followers across Twitter and Facebook)

– Step 2: 100 Prisms (achieved at a total of 10,000 followers across Twitter and Facebook)

– Step 3: 100 Prisms (achieved at a total of 25,000 followers across Twitter and Facebook)

Poster Giveaway Contest

As part of the excitement leading up to the global release of the game, fans will be given the opportunity to enter a contest to win one of 11 commemorative posters from the Utano☆Princesama Shining Countdown Live 2017-2018 campaign. To enter, fans are simply asked to follow the official Twitter and retweet the contest tweet. Each of the 11 posters will feature one idol, and the 11 lucky winners will receive one of these at random.

Features of Utano☆Princesama Shining Live

  1. Multiple hits from the Utapri series! Turn your smartphone into a star-studded stage whenever you want!

Utano☆Princesama Shining Live is a rhythm game featuring simple, intuitive controls that gives players the chance to enjoy the greatest hits from the popular series. Create your own personalized idol unit and utilize their unique skills to rack up points and rewards

  • Watch stories and scenes starring your idols and their daily routines unfold before your eyes in vivid detail!
  • read more

    UtaPri Utano Princesama Shining Live English Version Coming in Early 2018 Read More »

    See the Full List of Gen 2 Pokemon in next Pokemon Go Update

    100 New Pokemon Coming to Pokemon Go!

    100 New Pokemon Coming to Pokemon Go!

    Did your favorite pokemon make the list?

    I’m most excited to see new starter pokemon (Cyndaquil, Chikorita, etc), new legendary pokemon (Luiga, Ho-Oh, Raikou) , new Evee evolutions, and new kawaii cute pokemon such as Pichu, Marill/Azumarill, Mareep, Igglybuff, Togepi, and, Teddiursa, just to name a few!)

    Here’s what you can expect to see in the new version:

    100 New Pokemon Coming to Pokemon Go! Read More »

    Romantic Diary, Dressup Game, Otome, Otome Game, Dating Game, Dating Sim, Dating Sim Game, Anime Game, Anime, Mobile Game, Anime Mobile Game, Free, Free Game, Free Otome Game, Free Visual Novel, Visual Novel, VN, Free Dating Sim, Stat Raising, Stat Raising Sim, Games Like Princess Maker, Games Like Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side, Princess Maker, Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side, Games Like Hello Nikki, Hello Nikki, Cute, Kawaii, Cute Game, Cute Games, Kawaii Game, Kawaii Games, IOS, Android, Cute Games for Iphone, Iphone, Ipad

    Romantic Diary Anime Otome Dressup Game Dating Sim with Cooking and Crafting

    I just discovered, Romantic Diary, an anime Otome Dating Sim which is part Dressup Game, part Visual Novel, part Cooking Game, and has an extensive crafting system. At the core, this game looks quite similar to Hello Nikki! Which I reviewed here. However, it seems to have more robust features, and a heavier emphasis on story telling and dating elements. It’s also a “Stat-Raising” game similar to Princess Maker (which I reviewed here) or Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side (which I reviewed here).

    Are you thinking about playing this game? If so please use my friend code (input it later after the tutorial at the “friend” screen). We’ll both get free stuff! <3 Use Invite Code: 82477180 read more

    Romantic Diary Anime Otome Dressup Game Dating Sim with Cooking and Crafting Read More »

    Hello Nikki, Nikki, Line Play, Nikki Up2U, Nikki UptoU, Nikki Up to U, Nikki Up to You, Nikki World, Anime, Anime Dressup Game, Anime Game, Dressup Game, Dressup, Gacha, Limited, Limited Event, Limited Item, Limited Edition, Limited Events, Limited Items, Limited Editions, Gacha Items, Fashion, Fashion Show, Runway, Model, Educational, Cute, Kawaii

    Hello Nikki Anime Dressup Game with Limited Event Items

    geeky

    UPDATE 2018: Hello Nilki Let’s Beauty Up Has Been Closed For Almost Two Years. There is a newer app available in English called Love Nikki Dress Up Queen which I reviewed here.

    Here is some more info about Hello Nikki Let’s Beauty Up shutting down their English version:

    The game I reviewed was actually Hello Nikki Let’s Beauty Up! Developed by Gamedreamers MY (maybe stands for Malaysia? I’m not sure, but the game was released in English by a chinese publisher named xiong xiang (at least on the IOS app store)

    The game closed in November 2016

    It is amazingly similar to Love Nikki Dress Up Queen (because of the quests, overworld maps, story, characters, gacha, and online competitions with other players, etc)

    Here is a post about the English servers shut down notice: https://www.facebook.com/gamedreamer.HelloNikki/photos/a.884213698312653.1073741828.820401318027225/1204833252917361/?type=3&theater

    Interestingly enough last year the developers teased that the game may be coming back? (not sure why we’d need 2 very similar Nikki games, but then again we have 2 English versions of Romantic Diary too lol). (Unless they were hinting about Love Nikki Dress Up Queen – but I think that one’s by another developer?)

    Here is a link to that teasing post from the Hello Nikki developers: https://www.facebook.com/gamedreamer.HelloNikki/photos/a.884213698312653.1073741828.820401318027225/1241024009298285/?type=3&theater

    And you can see a lot of images, videos and past events at their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/gamedreamer.HelloNikki/

    Here is my original review below of Hello Nikki Let’s Beauty Up!

    I’ve been obsessed with “Hello Nikki”, a cute kawaii anime dressup game that lets you learn about different cultures around the world while experiencing their fashion.

    NOTE: Nikki is a series of games; you will find many other “Nikki” games available in the app store featuring the same characters AND the same basic “dressup” style gameplay. What sets “Hello Nikki” apart from any of the others is that it has “Gacha” mechanics to get random limited edition items. It’s also the only one to feature runway challenges, sky tower, quests, and more “RPG” like mechanics. ALL of the Nikki games are cute – but gameplay wise, “Hello Nikki” is the most addictive because it has that little extra something. It’s also updated very frequently with events and new items being added to the shops, etc.

    Each map has several levels, each with a new challenge. There’s also limited time events which offer you the chance to get unique items that will never be offered again. There’s also weekly “runway” challenges where you compete against other players each week. Lastly, you can craft your own items with quest rewards or buy items with one of two game currencies, both are easy to win through playing the game but also available for purchase within the app.

    The game has adorable graphics and characters which really add to the charming nature of this app. If you want a kawaii dressup game – look no further!

    Title: Hello Nikki – Let’s Beauty Up

    Release Date: October 2015

    Developer: Game Dreamer MY

    Publisher (English Version): xiong xiang – I’m assuming this is a chinese company – which is probably why the translation can be a bit rough – I don’t think it’s THAT bad, but a lot of users are complaining about it in their reviews. The Japanese version is by Line Play – Since Line is popular also in North America – I’m not sure why Line sold the rights to the English version – but whatever. The only complaint I have with the translation is they removed all the voice acting :*(

    Grab it on IOS here: https://itunes.apple.com/…

    Here is the Android Version: https://play.google.com/…

    You can play on both versions without losing your data by connecting your account with facebook – or registering a username and password before playing the game. The two versions are identical.

    Geeky: 1/5 

    Sweetie: 5/5 
    Overall: 65/80 81% B- “Very Good Game For Girls”

    Concept: 8/10 The concept of Hello Nikki is not that different from other dressup games. You collect new outfits, new hair, new accessories, etc, and use these items to put together a new look for each challenge. Hello Nikki does differentiate itself with it’s system of RPG like quests; however, those quests can suffer from a weak translation which can make some of them a bit difficult or even frustrating to complete. Hello Nikki also attempts to educate you about different cultures, food, fashion, and customs – however, it does so in a way which does not cram education down your throat and it manages to be fun and funny still. It’s not just all about Asian cultures either, which is really unique. There’s maps (and quests) for Australia, UK, USA, Egypt, and many more “western” civilizations as well. I deducted 2 points because of the sometimes quirky translation, and that the English version of Hello Nikki removed all of the voice acting :*(. I played the original Japanese version and it is 100% fully voiced. I miss that in the English version. Still, it’s a super cute, fun, and addictive dressup game.

    Gameplay: 10/10 The game is played through a series of challenges. Each challenge has a short story which involves the different characters and gives you hints and clues about what to wear. Challenges are marked by circles on an overworld map. You must pass each challenge before moving on to the next. At the end of each map, you must have a certain number of clothes in your closet and a certain percentage of high scores to advance to the next map. Challenges can be replayed multiple times. You will use “hitpoints” to enter each challenge and lose hitpoints when failing a challenge. Hitpoints refill fairly quickly automatically over a period of time.

    Dressing Up consists of layering different pieces together to create your look. This includes hair, makeup, top and bottom (or dress), socks, shoes, coats, hats, hair accessories, earrings, neckwear (such as necklaces and scarves), belts, bracelets, purses, and much more. All of your items need to look like they go together, either based on color, fabric, season, warmth, casual vs formal, or other criteria. The game does not really explain what these are – or if it does, the translation is often too vague to make it very useful, so you kinda just have to guess your way through a lot of it – still it’s not terribly difficult since it’s a casual game.

    After you present your outfit, Momo, your cat, will grade you from F to S rank. S is the best you can get, A is the second best, B, C, D, F – that’s how the ranking goes. If you get an F you will have to repeat the challenge before moving on.

    There’s also weekly “runway” challenges where you’re given a theme and compete with other players for best dressed each week. You can enter the challenge for free, and also if you vote on other people’s outfits, you can get free gems, the better of the 2 in game currencies. And if you happen to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place you can win gems or exclusive outfits.

    There are various shops and different “gacha” to help you get new outfits which you can use in the challenges. You can play Dream Loft for 18,000 gold, and get a ton of items this way. You have three seconds and just have to tap the screen as rapidly as possible. Each tap = one item. There’s also two “free” gachas each day. One you can play for free twice a day even.

    There’s a clothing shop, pretty self explanatory there. And a crafting shop, where you can make items once you have the blueprint and necessary ingredients. Blueprints and ingredients drop randomly with S rank wins from each challenge.

    Most recently (at time of this review) they introduced Sky Tower challenge where if you pass the series of random challenges you win exclusive items. There’s another tower too (or maybe I have them mixed up) where you have to guess what the outfit would be ranked as for a given challenge, matching your score to the actual score. Once again you’ll win (different) exclusive items for passing a series of challenges there.

    You can also give “gifts” to the NPCs who run all of the shops to help lower prices and unlock new items.

    They also have events frequently. Right now it’s a “clover” event, you can play once a day for free. You just pick a clover on the screen and get a random limited edition item.

    New maps, new challenges, and new events are constantly being added to the game which keeps it super fresh and fun.

    Story: 5/10 There actually really is a story in Hello Nikki – however, it’s not that great, either due to writing or translation. – But the basic gist is, on Nikki’s birthday she finds a treasure map left behind by her father. Apparently she has not seen her father in a long time. She enlists the help of her sister to travel around the world in search of their dad. There are other side stories that delay their investigation. For example one of Nikki’s friends goes missing and she has to look for her, another one she becomes an idol singer, or goes on a summer vacation.

    Characters: 10/10 Hello Nikki is one of my favorite games because of the adorable characters. You get fashion advice from your cat! How cute is that? And Nikki herself is so adorable, no matter what she wears she looks great! Like a virtual barbie doll lol. There’s also other cute and interesting NPC’s such as Nikki’s sister, Nina, or her friend, a short little lolita girl.

    Graphics: 10/10 I have to admit, I love cute, kawaii, moe games like Hello Nikki. It’s just my preferred style. I love the graphics in this game. Everything is so cute. It’s like a dream come true for me. Not only are they cute, but the characters are very large and detailed unlike a lot of anime dressup games that use chibi style characters.

    Music: 6/10 Music is enjoyable and some maps have their own music; however, many of the sound tracks are reused throughout the game. Also as I mentioned, they removed all of the voice acting from the game which is a big disappointment.

    Replay Value: 10/10 The frequent updates, the limited edition events, items, gacha, and the weekly “online” competitions with other players, will keep you coming back. It’s one of those games that I play every day just to see what’s new.

    Overall: 65/80 81% B- “Very Good Game For Girls”

    The Cutest Cafes in Tokyo
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    Pokecolo English Walkthrough

    Pokemini is Closing – Join Pokecolo – Guide for English Users

    It was not that long ago, that I reviewed Pokemini here, a cute anime dressup game that I’ve been playing for almost 2 years. – It all comes to an end next week as Pokemini will be shutting down. They are encouraging everyone to join Pokecolo – however, there’s one small problem … Pokemini was in English and Pokecolo is in Japanese! Pokecolo also has all kinds of “new” (to Players of Pokemini) features and can be confusing when you first start.

    I’m new myself and I do not speak (or read) Japanese. This is just a quick rough guide that I’ve learned the last 2 or 3 days since joining – hope it proves helpful.

    #pokecolo is very #kawaii and better than #pokemini except it's in #Japapnese but you can get much #cuter items and even have #pets

    A photo posted by jenilee (@xenokitten) on

    First, lets take a look at the “main menu” – you’ll be using this a lot! to access it you simply tap on your mini.

    Clockwise from top – Cook, Trade, dressup and decorate, travel, shop, fashion show, your profile

    Clockwise from top – Cook, Trade, dressup and decorate, travel, shop, fashion show, your profile #pokecolo #dressup #dressupgame #free #game #Japapnese #ios #android #kawaii

    A photo posted by jenilee (@xenokitten) on

    The other screen that you’ll most frequently use is the shopping screen. The easiest way I’ve found to get there is to simply hit the back button in top left corner while viewing any of the active gacha.

    Left to Right: Top Row: Gacha, Clothes, VIP, Stickers
    Left to Right 2nd Row: Scratch Card, Dressup, Room, Planet
    Left to Right 3rd Row: Pets, Seeds, “Old Man” shop, Gumball Tickets
    Left to Right Bottom Row: VIP Room, Market, and Cotton Candy (Duplicate Exchange)

    See comments for details #pokecolo #dressup #dressupgame #free #game #Japapnese #ios #android #kawaii read more

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    Star Girl Fashion, CocoPPaPlay, CocoPPa Play, CocoPPa, Dressup Game, Dressup Games, Review, Dressup Game Review, IOS, Android, Iphone, Ipad, Apple, App, Cute Game, Anime Game

    CocoPPaPlay Dressup Game Review

    geeky

    EDIT: Check Out My New Updated CocoPPaPlay Review for 2018 – A lot of improvements have happened since this first review below. Click here to read the updated review of CocoPPAPlay for 2018.

    Review from 2016 below:

    (The following review uses screenshots that I personally took while playing CocoPPaPlay. I wish I could give credit to all of the models which appear and the players who spent time creating their models – however, I did not make a note of the players’ names while taking my screenshots. I’m sorry. I started a new character, so I didn’t have many cute items to use for my own photos. Thanks for understanding! If you happen to recognize your character and either want credit, or for some reason don’t want me using their photo for my review, just leave me a comment below.)

    I post a lot of photos of this game, and other games, on my Instagram account – check it out if you want to see more! But please note, I also post other non-gaming and more personal photos as well so only subscribe if you’re okay with that kinda stuff in your feed as well ^-^. Link: https://www.instagram.com/Xenokitten/

    Title: CocoPPaPlay (the Android version is called Star Girl Fashion but it is the same game).

    Genre: Dressup Game

    Platform: Mobile (IOS / Android)

    Grab it on IOS: https://itunes.apple.com…

    Or Here for Android: (For some reason, it’s called “Star Girl Fashion” here, but same game, even same icon that the Itunes version uses) You can pick it up here: https://play.google.com/…

    Geeky: 1/5 

    Sweetie: 4/5 

    Overall: 70 / 100 70% C- Good Game for Girls

    Concept: 7/10 The concept of CocoPPaPlay is simple – play “gacha” machines or enter monthly events to win new outfits. Outfits consist of different layers, such as eyes(facial expresion), hair, clothes, shoes, hand accessories (purses, stuffed toys, swords, etc), hats, glasses, pets, backgrounds, and other items – This allows you to really fine-tune and make unique avatars. Similar to games like Pokemini (which I reviewed here) or Line Play (review coming soon). However, in my opinion, CocoPPaPlay has less robust features than these two games and operates on more of a pay-to-win model than either of the above games.

    Gameplay: 7/10 I covered the basics above: There are a number of “lottery” style games (gacha machines) where you’re awarded an item for your outfit by paying or using a gacha ticket. Gacha tickets only work in a few gacha. Once a week you can use in-game currency (the free kind that you earn by playing) to play one Gacha. This resets on Sundays, so each Sunday, you could, in theory, get a free “paid” item. The problem however, is that it’s insanely expensive. You earn this free currency by “cheering” for people’s “fashion shows”. The problem is, the gacha cost 20,000 of this free currency and you only get 5 to 10 of the currency for each cheer you do. You’d have to cheer 2,000 – 4,000 times to get enough points to get a free item each week – this is insanely time consuming.

    To give you an idea, I played it very heavily this past weekend, logging in about once an hour and using up all of my “energy” cheering – which took about 15-20 minutes each hour. I did this each hour from about 9am – 11pm each day Saturday and Sunday – and only earned around 8,000 “smile points” (the in-game, free currency). You’d have to keep this pace up for 4-5 days, without missing a day or hour/wasting your free energy refills, etc. – I also had some free “energy drinks” and since I started a new character (didn’t feel like digging out my ipad to transfer my data), I leveled up many, many, many times from level 1 to 24 within the 2 days, and each time you level up, your energy also refills – so I cheered lots and lots – but obviously, not even close to the amount needed to get to 20,000 smile points!!

    I work (as I’m sure a lot of my readers do) so I can’t log in Monday-Friday. So realistically I can only play on weekends – which means I’ll probably take 2-3 weeks to reach the 20,000 smile points necessary. Other games, like Moe can Change and Animal Boyfriend (which I reviewed here) let you play EVERY gacha for free completely free one time – so you always have nice items! I don’t like that CocoPPaPlay forces you to feel like you HAVE to spend money – I spent money willingly one time in Moe can change to get a hairstyle I wanted – but I have thousands of cute clothes for free. Every game should let you get free stuff – Line Play’s gacha’s only cost one to three thousand gems  not 20,000!! Making it much easier to earn tickets on the Gacha. I just feel that CocoPPaPlay is greedy in this regard.

    Also, let it be known, that they don’t even make their own graphics, they use some type of “free to use” avatar system called “Selphie” which is used by A TON of other games (sadly none in English). There used to be a game called Tinier Me which was in English however, it went out of business some years ago. The “Japanese Tinier Me” still exists as “AtGames” and their “free items” are MUCH nicer than those in CocoPPaPlay which only puts like the worst garbage items in their “shops” For example, in the Japanese Tinier Me (or AtGames) you can get very nice high quality eyes for free/or in game currency. While in CocoPPaPlay you only get “closed eyes” like “n_n” and “^-^” and “x_x” etc for free. I only have 2 models on my new account right now because I’m still trying to win a face for my third model in the Gachas. And that’s another thing, although at level 10 you can dressup 3 characters at once, you can only use an item in your inventory once and can’t reuse it on another model unless you “unequip” it first. Just more evidence of wanting you to pay to play – they could have a default face that you could use/start with but nope.

    Okay so I’m done ranting about the pay-to-win gamestyle – let’s move on to some other things now. There are numerous events – most recently they had an Easter event – but basically every event is the same – there will be multiple “quest givers” who request items from you – these items you can earn for free by cheering – you get “lucky tickets” in exchange (and sometimes other items like exclusive limited outfits, energy drinks, etc) – The lucky tickets can be used to try to play the lucky event gacha to win outfits/energy drinks, and/or used to raise your charm level for the event – I recommend trying to max your charm (similar to the events in Dream Girlfriend (which I reviewed here) having high charm lets you get event points and rewards much quicker! Therefore its best to max it out asap). To illustrate, I ranked in the top 5,000 (which is pretty low but in the scheme of things, with 40 million players according to their itunes profile, not bad) within just 2 days of playing, on a brand new account, at the very end of an event. So it’s fairly easy to rank – I think maybe a lot of that “40 million” is inactive or like me, hadn’t logged in in a long time, etc. Either way, it seems most don’t go for the event items, and/or don’t make good use of the charm boost, etc.

    There’s also a club feature. You can at any level, any time, and for free, create (or join) a club. You can get bonuses in the events above by having club members where certain items or do certain tasks so clubs are really useful, you can also use them to chat and make friends which gives the game a nice social touch.

    There’s a farming minigame, but it’s pretty lame, you sheer sheep. I dunno, I don’t find it that fun, you earn “wool points” and outfits when you discover a new sheep. You discover new sheep by spending wool points to improve your farm and buy new equipment to care for your sheep.

    You also can take on quests from NPCs within the game, which when you complete, will add new items to their shops, and unlock new cities to explore, and grant you some free outfits. When a city “levels up” they have a sale with half priced items – but I never buy them – because I’m hoarding all my Smile Points to use in the “weekly free gacha”.

    As a “bonus”, there’s another app by the makers of CocoPPaPlay, where you can customize your cellphone, with new icons, background images, wallpapers, lock screens, etc. This other app works best on android – because sadly, apple has a lot of bloatware that you cannot delete or modify – for example, the camera, you can’t change the icon for it on apple, the only work around is to download a 3rd party camera app, and hide your other icon in a folder somewhere. Email is another example, for example, you have to download Gmail, and hide the default mail app. You also can’t change the phone or text icons at all on the apple iphone. But it still makes your phone about 90% cuter – though it also makes your phone a little slower, as it adds an extra step whenever you click on one of the new icons it is only a shortcut to the actual program so you get prompted if you want to open the “page” with the following application. (At least on Iphone.) This other app also acts as a social media site, and if you link up your CocoPPa account to your CocoPPa Play account your avatar is carried over to both apps and appears on your social media wall – you earn some free items in both apps for linking, and can more easily login/retrieve your account by having both apps active.

    That about covers it for gameplay. There’s really not much to do – but the limited event items and limited gacha items can be enough to keep you playing (for awhile until you get so frustrated by how long it takes to get a free spin on the Gacha.)

    Customization – 10/10 – going on 2 years (they’re having a 2nd anniversary event right now) – the number of items available is incredible, and many items have already retired, rising the demand (unfortunately there’s no trading system (which exists by the way in the Japanese Tinier me lol)) – you get “bragging rights” if you have a super rare/old/obscure item equipped and well, I see this game being around 2-3 years from now, so even if you start playing today, in 2-3 years you too will have those rare items everyone else wants and be admired. I like games like this where they retire items fairly quickly. Pokemini is another example of really time sensitive items. That to me really increases my drive to play these games.

    Story: 2/10 – There’s really not much, if any, story – I think there was some type of story presented at the beginning, but it’s so bare bones I forgot it quickly. It’s mostly fetch quests and cheering and there’s also quite a few typos or improper grammar and awkward sentences thrown about in the game.

    Characters: 6/10 – Characters get high marks for cuteness – but really have no purpose or substance, other than serving as mascots.

    Graphics: 10/10 This game is super cute, the mascot girl who guides you through the story and quests is adorable, and the sheep mascot is also cute and he helps run your club. Your avatar and the items are very nicely drawn and large. a Good variety of items (though most are paid items) and different poses, and the ability to layer many items to create your avatar make this game very very appealing for anyone who loves cute things.

    Music: 5/10 – Music is standard mobile type music. It’s cute and catchy, but ultimately only consists of 3 or 4 different tracks which means the more you play it, the more it starts to annoy the heck out of you lol.

    Cuteness – 10/10 – to balance out all the negative things I have to say about this game, added this lil bonus in here –  the main reason to play this game is because it’s so cute.

    Replay Value: 8/10 – It gets repetitive, is super time consuming, and annoyingly “expensive” – but in the end, the lure of those time sensitive items keeps you wanting to press on to replay and get new items. It’s a very item-centric game.

    Overall: 70 / 100 70% C- Good Game for Girls

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    Hearthstone, Heroes of Warcraft, Warcraft, World of Warcraft, WoW, Play WoW on Iphone, Play WoW on Android, Play Warcraft on Iphone, Play Warcraft on Android, Mobile Game, Collectible Card Game, Deck Building Game, CCG, DBG, Card Game, Card, Cards, Jaina Proudmore, Thrall, Magic the Gathering, Mage, Shaman, Rogue, Paladin, Warlock, Murloc, Murlocs, Spells, Mana, Hero, Heroes, Arena, Battlenet, Blizzard, Mobile Game, Mobile Gaming, Online Game, Strategy Game

    Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft Mobile Game Review Cardgame Like Magic The Gathering

    I was a long-time World of Warcraft player. I quit about 4 years ago now, but still have fond memories of the game. Blizzard has a unique sense of humor and charm with their NPC’s and pop culture references sprinkled into their MMO and strong story and character development. Now, those same characters come to life again in the form of a collectible card game.

    For fans of the MMORPG, Hearthstone brings back a lot of fun memories of your adventures, and gives you something to do to pass time when you can’t be playing your favorite MMO. For others, who have never played WoW before, fear not as no prior knowledge of the game world is neccessary to enjoy this deck building game.

    In fact, if you like other board games and card games, such as Yugioh, Magic the Gathering, or the Pokemon trading card game, you will absolutely love Hearthstone as it lets you build your own decks and collect powerful cards. There’s a lot of strategy involved also in how you play each match against other players in real time making it one of the best trading card games for mobile devices.

    Title: Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft

    Publisher: Blizzard

    Platform: IOS, Android, or PC

    Genre: Collectible Card Game / Deck Building Game

    Go here to play it on your PC:  read more

    Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft Mobile Game Review Cardgame Like Magic The Gathering Read More »

    Game of Dice

    A Game of Dice | Review | Free Anime Monopoly Boardgame Cardgame IOS Android App Where You Can Win Real Money!

    Name: Game of Dice

    Publisher: JoyCity

    Price: Free

    Grab it on IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/game-of-dice/id946811576?mt=8

    Or Click here for Androidhttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.joycity.god&hl=en

    Geeky: 

    Sweetie: 

    Overall Score: 53 / 80 66% D “Average Game for Girls”NOTE: If we ignore lack of story and not a strong variety in characters, the score would be 53/60 or 88% B+ “Very Good Game for Girls” which more accurately reflects my own enjoyment of this game.

    Overview 10/10: This is one of the most addictive and fun and quick little IOS games in my library right now. A Game of Dice is a fast paced online boardgame available for IOS and Android. Not only is the game free, but it also hosts tournaments in which you can win $100 usd if you are able to get 10 consecutive wins in a row at the master level. It’s a game played with other people from all over the world and, from what I’ve seen, there’s never any waiting for a game match while searching for players, so it’s very active, and full of people waiting to play with you.

    Gameplay: 10/10 The premise of the game is very similar to boardgames such as Monopoly. You roll dice and move around the board collecting properties; as you pass the start line, your properties level up and the rent charged to players who land on them increases. If you roll 3 doubles in a row, you go to jail, where you can either pay, or roll a double to get out. The board itself is very small, and it is a bit disapointing that the board is always the same regardless of if you’re in a rookie match or a master tournament. I think it could do with some more levels with more advanced boards. But one of the pluses of having a small board is that the game moves incredibly fast.

    The twist of this game comes in the form of very shrewd competitive gameplay.  Initially when you begin, if a property is unowned, it’s yours, free and clear. The twist is that should another player land on your property, after paying your rent, they have an opportunity to take over your city, if they have what’s called a take over certificate.

    Now these certificates can be bought for cash (real money), or earned through gameplay. You might think it is unfair or game breaking – but the game does have some mechanics in place for damage control. They limit the number of certificates a player can have at any given time to 3 certificates.

    Who goes first is chosen at random, and if you get stuck going last, you’ll be given a free take over certificate to help you catch back up. There are squares in the game where you can get additional certificates for free if you land there, or squares which allow you to teleport to and claim an unowned city as well.

    The other twist to this game is that it is also a card game. You can take with you 9 cards, which you can customize. Some take money from your opponents, some let you roll more dice, or guarantee a double, others even allow you to claim more cities.

    You can summon new skill cards using gems – a special currency, which you can either earn while playing or buy for real money.

    In addition to your skill cards, you also draw cards for different stat-enhancing dice sets and characters. You can also upgrade, enhance, and combine skill, dice, or character cards to further increase the bonuses from them. Gold is the currency used to perform these enhancements and is sorta the “Default” or “free” game currency.

    Similar to Monopoly, the object of each match is to be the last man standing by making your opponents go bankrupt.

    Lastly, there’s another currency called “Joy” which allows you to enter higher level tournaments, purchase “gems”, or “Invest” in your properties during a tournament (which will greatly magnify the cost of rent should an opponent land on your squares).

    You win Joy by winning a tournament or sometimes through random events and cards. Higher level tournaments award you with more Joy for your victory.

    Graphics: 8/10 – Cute and colorful anime graphics, with high quality artwork on the cards and fully animated “retro” “chibi” styled sprites while in game. Could do with some more variety, there doesn’t appear to be enough characters to summon for this type of game. User interface is good, and the overall experience is very nice.

    Music: 6/10 – Music is good, but man, it gets old. There also are some characters that are voiced (in English even), and other characters are not. There’s an anouncer and other vocal cues too. Just wish there was more variety in background music, like different tracks that it would randomize through, or higher level tournaments having different tracks, etc.

    Storyline: 2/10 – When you first start the game, you’re presented a story, but it doesn’t really take root within the game. Well this is not a story based game. Monopoly does not need a story to be “fun” right? Still would like to see them implement some more story elements, such as unlocking more story scenes as you level up which you can choose to watch at your leisure.

    Characters 4/10: There seems to only be a handful of characters, maybe 6-7 “4 star” or lower characters, and a few “5 star” “exclusives”. I think they need more characters and more variety overall; but each character has destinct advantages and disadvantages in bonuses and enhancements given to gameplay. The artwork is also in the style I like (anime).

    Community: 7/10 – Each game is live with other players. There is no chat function, and even if there was, a vast majority of players are from overseas and likely wouldn’t speak english. You can’t trade with other players, and there’s no user marketplace. But the fact that each game pits you against 2 other real live humans in real time is very exciting.

     

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    A Game of Dice | Review | Free Anime Monopoly Boardgame Cardgame IOS Android App Where You Can Win Real Money! Read More »