In my last post, I did a a sponsored post for the Kim Kardashian Hollywood game for the iOS (which you can download at http://bst.is/yVENW8. Anyways, I noticed that there is a Facebook version of the game (do a search for "Kim Kardashian Hollywood" and you should find it) and decided to try it out myself.
Overview of the game:
So, this game is pretty much a point and click adventure game (kind of reminds me of games like Yoville, Cityville, Sims Social, etc) where you assume a role of a guy or girl that moves to Los Angeles with aspirations to become a star or starlet. You start out as a sales associate at a department store called So Chic, but early on in the game you encounter a virtual version of Kim and she becomes your mentor and basically helps you to get started on an adventure to become a successful celebrity like she is (you almost get a virtual glimpse into her world in the game). Lots of things you can do, including:
- Meeting new people in the game (btw, you can also invite Facebook friends to play the game too and interact with them in the game too)
- Traveling to various locations (such as Los Angeles, Malibu, Las Vegas, Miami, Florence, etc)
- Take on girlfriends (if you are playing as a guy) or boyfriends if you are a girl. Btw, I think it is possible to have same sex relationships too, though personally, I'd rather date a girl over another guy (yeah, I am straight). You actually get your first relationship rather early in the game too (my guy is currently dating a girl named Michelle).
- Do photo shoots and ad campaigns.
- Visit parties
By the way, there are several antagonists in the game you will encounter (they seem to hate your player without a cause other than jealousy) and will try to make your life in the game miserable. For example, one girl my guy met got my guy fired from working on a movie because she didn't like my guy in the movie. Also, they will try to eat at your fan base too. How you stand up to them is yet to be known but it is worth mentioning too.
Pros and cons about the game:
The good:
- Fun point and click adventure with lots of variety
- Who doesn't like Southern California even though it is not the real thing?
- Who doesn't like Kim Kardashian as a celebrity? Not that I personally know her (I can't say I have ever met her in person other than "knowing" her on TV like most folks do) of course.
- Lots of tutorials, places to visit, things to do, etc. Makes becoming a celebrity look easy (I am sure it is not nearly as easy as it looks being an average joe myself).
- Dating simulator elements. This game also functions as a dating simulation game (where you meet virtual girlfriends and do some virtual dating). You get your first girlfriend or boyfriend early on in the game. Also, relationships can seem to evolve into marriages too.
The bad:
- Annoying energy bar system (which refills slowly every 4-5 minutes). The energy bar system is rather limited and drains quickly as you do various tasks (such as going to parties, photo shoots, dates, etc). Once the energy bar runs out, unless if you are willing to buy energy, you have to wait a while (usually 4-5 minutes per energy level) for the energy to refill. This can definitely put a crimp into doing some tasks in the game, especially visiting parties, dates, etc within a time frame as you can use up all of your energy points rather quickly and then you have to wait a while for your energy bar to replinish before doing anything which can make it difficult to beat certain missions (especially within a time frame). At most venues, as you do various tasks you earn stars which count as progress towards completion of them and sometimes it can be easier said than done to get them all within certain times.
- Redundancy. Some things can get redundant after a while (such as doing photo shoots, working, etc).
- Pressure to put extra hours into the game (expect to have at least 2 hours set aside per play if you want to make real progress in the game). The game does seem to operate at real time (no way to pause or save and reload progress int the game). Alot can can happen between logins (for example, missed meetings, opportunities, etc). Also, you have a fan base system that increases or decreases over time depending on your energy level. Consequently, pressure is on to log in almost every day and spend at least 2 hours minimum (preferably more) per session. This can definitely be a turn off for people who have busy schedules. Sure if one has alot of free time on his or her hands, then the real time feature would not be a problem, but for most people who have jobs, school, church, or other responsibilities to attend to, one can only do so much in a given session. Also, vacation mode might be recommended for the game too if one anticipates being offline for an extended period of time, such as vacations, work, family activities, etc (considering that summer is just around the corner, what if people have to take off for a whole week)? Who knows what can happen if that happens.
- Probably appeals more to girls than guys. Definitely a feminine style game. This is not to say that some guys will play the game, but it definitely seems to be geared more towards women (such as fashion, glamour, relationships, etc).
- Dating system is flawed and may or may not be worth the effort (you might be better off remaining "single" in the game rather in a relationship. Integrated with the Kim Kardashian hollywood game, is a built in dating simulator where you can meet "girls" or "guys" (depending on your preference) in the game. In my experience, players usually get their first "significant other" early on in the game. While the dating system does add more interactivity in the game, the dating system does seemed to be flawed in my opinion. From a guy's perspective, girls in the game can be high maintanence and you never know when they are going to call and want to break up (especially if you miss a day). Originally I hooked up with a girl named Michelle. A few days later, she called and wanted to break up (got a little busy doing other tasks in teh game too). My guy met another girl met another girl (I think her name was Paige) and today I had to work my real life job and when I came on, she wanted to break up (I guess creators of the game are expecting players to have lots of free time on their hands). You know, people can be busy in real life (I have 3 part time jobs myself, with Crossmark currently being my primary job) and I don't always have time to play the game. It might be easier to hold off on the dating sim part of the game until you have lots of time to invest into the game. It is alot easier to play through the game without girlfriends or boyfriends in my opinion.
Overall Grade: B
Good, though perhaps not the best choice for everyone. Will definitely appeal to Kim Kardashian fans though.
Well, that is all I can think of for now. This game will definitely be a hit for many people who are into the Keeping up with the Kardashians franchise and looking for some games to play on facebook (can make a good alternative to games like Candy Crush or Farmville). By the way, it appears Kim may have had a hand in making the game (see http://www.businessinsider.com/kim-kardashian-hollywood-game-history-2014-8). Of course, this game will probably not appeal to everyone, especially people not into the point and click adventure style game as well as people who don't have time to play these kinds of games. Note tthat this is only a first impression review I have and I will try and do a more detailed review of the game at a later time.
Other thoughts and tidbits:
- This game definitely makes becoming a celebrity look easy. I am sure it is not as easy as it looks.
- Important disclaimer: I do not personally know Kim Kardashian nor am I working for her in this post. I got the sponsored post via Boost Insider (fellow bloggers, you can check them out at http://bst.is/lnHPW8, sign up is free by the way, though you do need an ad enabled blog to host the referral links). Like most people, I know her on television (such as in Keeping up with the Kardashians), but I don't personally know that lady (can't say I have ever met her).
- The game definitely makes you feel like you are in Southern California. Like I said in my last post, I have only been to the Los Angeles area twice in my life (back in 2001 and 2006). I have been to California on several other occasions, but those times I usually mainly visited the Sacramento area (my aunt lives there, and so did my grandfather too before he passed away back in 2005). I have also been to the Lake Tahoe and San Francisco area on more than one occasion. I do live in the Seattle area, which is 2 stats north of California (right along the Interstate 5 corridor).
- Important disclosure: this review is based on my own experiences with the game and may not necessarily reflect the thoughts of other people who played the game. I don't personally work for the people who made the game (just an affiliate), and I may earn a commission if people click on the referral links for the game (same with the Amazon link for Grand Theft Auto 5).
Similar games:
Grand Theft Auto 5 (San Andreas is very similar to Southern California in many ways, barring some obvious differences).
Comments?
Have any of you played the Kim Kardashian Hollywood Game? What is your experience with the game? How would you rate it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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