Kudos
By seeing Kudos being labeled as a real life simulation game, you can easily compare it to titles such as Second Life or The Sims. Actually this Positech Games' new title has more a Puzzle game nature. The plot is simple: you'll wear a twenty's shoes, approaching the adults' world and you'll have to drive him to thirty. Just like in the real life there are no prizes nor legions for who is able to become an adult. You'll earn some kudos points that will let you interact with other characters and get your social life better. Your target is the one to grow and get more mature than possible by being happy and healthy. By your daily actions, in fact, you'll get the chance to get better or worse your mood: happiness, solitude, health, stress etc.
The gameplay is very real, we'd say drastically real. During the week you'll have time enough just for one hobby, as you'll have to work and manage the house business. In the weekend, instead, you'll be likely to have some extra fun, having enough money. The key to success is in the middle: in fact you'll have to mediate between fun and work, between will and pleasure to manage to have a balanced life. By dedicating too much time for an oppressing job and for your career purposes can increase your earnings, but will also increase your stress and will make you unhappy. On the other hand, passing too many insomniac nights at the pub with friends or at house watching a movie filling your stomach of junk food will make your job performance lower, will get your health worse and will increase your physical weariness.
The activities at your disposal are many and all of them are realizable by any adult who is between 20 and 30. You'll be free decide and call your friends for a tennis match, staying inside and watch tv by yourself; going to a rock concert, going out to take a pizza or wait for your friends to call you. Besides you'll have to get your house clean (bad but necessary work to be done), take care of your personal hygiene, do the shopping or staying steady looking at the ceiling for hours. All of these activities need to be planned not to increase your stress and fatigue level. In fact, if you are too tired or stressed, your friends won't have a nice time with you and it's not sure they are going to see you again. The same story is for your job performance. Besides, you'll have the chance to do some rich activities, but obviously these things are gonna cost much more. Starting from the choice of your TV programs (the best cinema is to be found on the satellite) you'll have to manage your money and paying a monthly bill. A pet can make you happier and decrease your stress and solitude, but who got one knows how much it costs in care and money. If, instead, you're culturethirsty people, let yourself know that tickets for ballet dancing or opera are really expensive. You may even buy some objects, such as guitars, cars, video games and much more, but you're likely to have a few time not to enjoy all of them.
The social life and the friendship will help you get your emotions better. It's known that having a good friend next to you in the worst moment of your life helps very much. You'll have to be careful in constantly cultivating and feeding your friendship. It's true that most people you'are going to meet will be simple and positive (aspect less real than the previous ones) but it's also true that if you don't pay them some quality time, you'll be sad and lonely real soon. But it's still true that you can make new friends by increasing your world life. But if you'd like to increase your emotional state levels you won't have to abstract from long-time friendships and stable relationships.
Despite its several interaction aspects and its several activities, Kudos easily becomes boring. The gameplay is so near to real life in such a way to become dreary. At the same time it's difficult to stop playing too, because the curiosity to see how your new job will be or what will happen to your new flame will keep you pasted to the screen for hours. Fairly, as Kudos is (even if atypical) real life simulation game, you're going to get bored at playing it, just like you get bored to the real life. The steps of your existance passes faster, you'll be able to move from a waitress to a doctor job just in one year of evening lessons. But you'll have to pay attention to your behaviours for this, because having several activities won't have to decrease your personal hygiene or destroy your body.
The graphic engine is of a medium level, your character and the setting are well cured in the details but are nothing special. The weather effects such as rain or snow may be better. The sound deservers a particular mention, it's excellently made but mainly it's various and imaginative. There are samples for almost any kind of activity, from the simple ?smack? of a kiss to the jupiter chords played when practicing. The control panel should be improved, everything is at your disposal but not so immediate and intuitive.
Even if Kudos takes you in a world you totally know, it will be the raw reality of this title to keep you pasted to your computer. It's known, the real life can be tough but fascinating. To be lived. |
FrancescoPontillo - 16/08/2007
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Title: Universe At War: Earth Assault
Platform: PC
Release date: January 2008
Genre: Strategy
Author: zsinger
Vote: 7.6
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Universe at War: Earth appears to be, at first sight, an attempt to deliver and old style RTS game, with some innovations. Petroglyph developers have introduced three new alien races, two of which never seen before in RTS gaming.
Plot
“And the earth stands on the brink of destruction…” it’s the year 2012 and the alien forces called The Hierarchy have descended upon the planet earth destroying everything in their path. As human force prepare for strikes back, a new mysterious alien force arrives: the Novus. Novus are sentient machines whose only will is to destroy their nemesis, The Hierarchy. .... |
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