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Style Savvy: Fashion Forward Review

August 29, 2016 Jen Ný Games No comments

I admit I initially dismissed the Style Savvy series as shovelware, but all the positive reviews piqued my interest enough to download the demo, and I’m glad I did. After playing through the entire demo, I was hooked and immediately went out to buy the full game.

My initial impression of Style Savvy: Fashion Forward was that it reminded me of Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, except you decorate people instead of homes. The demo version primarily revolves around helping one particular stalker-like customer to copy the look of another character in the game by choosing clothes, styling her hair, and applying makeup to emulate the other character. This plot point is also present in the full game. You can also change your own look and help a variety of other customers in the shop. There is much more to do in the full game, obviously.

In this game, you take on the role of a boutique owner. At the beginning of the game, you find yourself transported to a strange town under odd circumstances. You are then put in charge of the town’s fashion boutique and tasked with helping the town’s residents to become more fashionable. In addition to choosing outfits for customers based on what they tell you they are looking for, you are also responsible for choosing what inventory your shop will carry. You get a sample of every item you purchase for your own wardrobe. You can also visit the hair salon and beautician to get a new look for your character or to help give clients makeovers. It is more addicting than it seems after you play it for a while. The story is kind of silly, but it is super fun to play.

There is also an interior decorating mechanic in this game in which you make use of miniatures you collect to decorate rooms that magically appear in a chalet in town. I haven’t played with this feature too much, but it is kind of like a less robust version of Happy Home Designer. You can share a room you’ve decorated via Streetpass.

You can also become a model and a fashion designer, though I haven’t unlocked these features yet.

Certain Amiibo are compatible with this title and allow you to unlock special clothing and accessories based on the specific character. After you scan in your Amiibo, a character that looks a lot like the Mii character that the Amiibo is registered to appears in your shop wearing the Amiibo’s fashion item. I tried one of my husband’s Amiibos, and it turned him into a girl. It was kind of hilarious. There are a few male NPCs, but there doesn’t appear to be a way to get them as customers. All of the clothing items in the shop are for women.

Style Savvy: Fashion Forward is a nice relaxing game with a surprising amount of depth. I highly recommend it if you are a fan of games like Animal Crossing and Nintendogs. A lot of gamers (especially female gamers for some reason) tend to write off all “girly” games, but Style Savvy shows that it is possible for video games to cater to stereotypical feminine interests and still be super fun with solid game play.

Moco Moco Friends to Benefit Make A Wish

November 23, 2015 Jen Ný Gaming One comment

In my last blog post, I reviewed a new RPG for Nintendo 3DS called Moco Moco Friends. If you on the fence about Moco Moco Friends and need another reason to play this adorable game, or if you are still deciding between this and Yo Kai Watch, Aksys has announced that they will donate a portion of the proceeds from Moco Moco Friends to The Make A Wish Foundation.

From Aksys Games’ website:

Help Moco and Aksys Games make a donation to the Make a Wish Foundation this Holiday season! For every Moco Moco Friends game sold, Aksys will donate a portion of the proceeds to help a child realize their dream! Help us make dreams come true! http://wish.org/

As stated on the Make a Wish Foundation Website:

‘’A wish come true helps children feel stronger, more energetic, more willing and able to battle their life-threatening medical conditions. For many, the wish marks a turning point in the fight against their illnesses. Doctors, nurses and other health professionals say, the wish experience works in concert with medicine to make their patients feel better emotionally and even physically. That is why wishes matter. That is why we grant wishes.’’

‘’Make-A-Wish® grants a wish, on average, every 38 minutes to a child with a life-threatening medical condition. Wishes come in all shapes and sizes. Some are heartfelt or jaw-dropping – others funny or tear-jerkers. Enjoy your journey.’’ http://wish.org/wishes

Moco Moco Friends is available now from Amazon.

Moco Moco Friends Review

November 21, 2015 Jen Ný Gaming No comments

Moco Moco Friends is a new RPG for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Racjin and published by Aksys Games. This game is set in the world of Dreamtopia, a magical place inhabited by adorable creatures called Plushkins, which resemble stuffed animals. You play as a witch named Moco who has just graduated from Plushkin Magic School. Your goal is to become the world’s greatest Plushkin Master.

Moco Moco Friends is similar to Pokemon, in that you collect and battle monsters. You can clearly see how the designs for some of the Plushkins were inspired by Pokemon (compare Scrunchie with Pikachu, for an obvious example). This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however.

Most of the game revolves around exploring dungeons and battling enemy Plushkins. You can take a team of up to three Plushkins with you, with one additional substitute Plushkin in reserve. The rest of your Plushkins are stored in the Plushkin House in town. To acquire more Plushkin friends, you can sometimes make contracts with them after defeating them in battle. You can also summon new Plushkins by giving yarn to your mentor, Michiru’s Plushkin Konpei. There are a total of 120 Plushkins to befriend.

During battle, you can attack, use an item, or rearrange your Plushkins’ formation (which allows you to switch an active Plushkin for your substitute Plushkin or reorder your active Plushkins). You may use one item per turn and each Plushkin can use one of their moves. The moves are a lot like the move in similar games, such as Pokemon. Each Plushkin can learn up to four moves, and you can switch older moves out as they level up and learn new moves (sound familiar?). There is also an “auto” option that allows you to have the game automatically choose moves for you, but I don’t recommend using it, as it would take the fun out of the battle. As the Plushkins take damage, bits of stuffing start to come out of their bodies.

At the end of the battle, sometimes one of the Plushkins you have defeated will want to make a contract with you and become your friend. If you are battling a Plushkin that you really want to be friends with, you can give it an item during battle that will increase the likelihood of it wanting to become your friend.

The dungeons are pretty simple (so far at least. I’m still early in the game). You battle your way through a couple floors until you get to the floor containing the boss battle. All of the dungeons I’ve been in so far have been pretty small, though I’m guessing they will get bigger and more complicated as the game progresses. You can revisit dungeons that you have completed as many times as you want to gather more items or to befriend Plushkins that you might have missed.

In town you will find businesses that let you do things such as training your Plushkins, sewing new items, and gardening to create materials. You will also get new quests to progress the story from Michiru and from townspeople called Gurumins.

The graphics are cute, but simple. You will notice lots of fabric- and knit-themed textures throughout the game. The graphical style reminds me a bit of Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Yoshi’s Woolly World.

Aside from Pokemon, comparisons have also been made between Moco Moco Friends and Yo Kai Watch. I haven’t played Yo Kai Watch, so I can’t comment on any similarities.

I haven’t seen much advertising or many reviews for Moco Moco Friends. The only reason I even knew about this game was because Amazon showed it to me as an item I may be interested in. (A game about a witch who trains adorable creatures that look like plushies? Sign me up!)

So far, I am really enjoying Moco Moco Friends. While it isn’t Pokemon, it is still a fun monster collecting RPG. Though the gameplay is simple, there is still plenty to do to keep you entertained. Overall, this game is worth playing if you are a fan of Japanese RPGs and enjoy super cute things. If you are looking for a cute RPG, give Moco Moco Friends a try.

Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival Review

November 20, 2015 Jen Ný Figures and Toys, Gaming No comments

Though a lot of Animal Crossing fans were disappointed that the two newest installments of the Animal Crossing series are spin-offs, I am enjoying Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer and Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival.

Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival is a lot like Mario Party. It is a virtual board game based on the Animal Crossing series. The biggest difference is that there aren’t mini-games throughout the main board game (though there are mini-games available to unlock in the main hub). Each board features a different month, with each turn representing a day. Throughout the month, various fun events will happen, just as they do in the main Animal Crossing games.

The developers admitted that this game was made just so they would have an excuse to make Animal Crossing Amiibo. I am okay with that!

This game centers around the use of Amiibo. Each player uses an Amiibo to represent their character. The game comes with an Isabelle and Digby Amiibo to get you started, as well as three Amiibo cards. Tom Nook, Mable, and a three pack containing KK Slider, Reese, and Cyrus are also available now (Lottie is scheduled to be released this Sunday 11/22, and more characters are coming within the next few months. The Villager Amiibo doesn’t work in this game.). If you play by yourself, you will have three CPU controlled Villagers to play against (or you can select 2-4 players and play using multiple Amiibo by yourself as though you actually have friends to play with. Not that I have tried that… #foreveralone).

The only controller required for the main board game is the Wii U GamePad. Each player takes turns using it. To roll the die during your turn, you have to place your Amiibo on the GamePad. This does get a little annoying after awhile.

After rolling the die, you land on a space where either something good or bad happens. You can earn or lose Bells and/or Happy Points. The player who ends up with the most Happy Points at the end is the winner. The Bells aren’t completely useless, however. At the end of the game, Bells are converted to Happy Points (1000 Bells = 1 Happy Point). On Sundays throughout the game, Joan arrives to sell turnips. You can sell these turnips during weekdays at the end of each turn to try to make a profit on your investment, just like in the main Animal Crossing games.

As you play more games with a specific character, you can unlock new outfits for them to wear. You will also earn tickets to unlock new mini-games and new features for the game board. You can also use the Animal Crossing Amiibo cards to play these mini-games and let the featured animal move into your town and appear on the game board.

This game is a bit slow-paced, just like the regular Animal Crossing games. The overall mood of the game is incredibly happy and upbeat. It is difficult to be sad while playing this game, even when you land on a “sad” space.

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer Halloween Designs

October 30, 2015 Jen Ný Freebies, Gaming No comments

I made a few Halloween designs in Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer to help you get into the Halloween spirit! Incorporate them into you home designs to help the animal villagers decorate for Halloween! Just scan the QR codes you want into your game. They will work with Animal Crossing: New Leaf as well.

First up is a witch costume Pro Design. Let your favorite villager dress up in this costume for Halloween! (If the image is too small to scan, click on it to enlarge.)

Are you sad your character can’t wear a fun costume in Happy Home Designer? You can still get into the Halloween spirit with this witch standee Pro Design. It makes for fun photo-ops for your villagers’ Halloween parties! (Again, click the image to enlarge if the codes won’t scan).

I also made some fun designs that can be used as artwork, worked into custom furniture remodels, worn on clothing, or displayed however you want. I made a spooky ghost, spider, and Jack ‘o lantern. These are standard designs that can be used on anything.

Jack ‘o Lantern:

Creepy Spider:

Spooky Ghost:

Do you have any Halloween designs for Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer or Animal Crossing: New Leaf to share? Let me know in the comments!

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer Review

October 1, 2015 Jen Ný Gaming No comments

I got Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer last Friday before heading out to Midoricon. Though it is a bit different from the main series games, it is still just as fun! As long as you don’t go into it expecting it to be like the previous Animal Crossing titles, if you are a fan of the series, you are sure to enjoy this cute little spin off. I don’t believe that the negative reviews are justified, since it never claims to be a regular Animal Crossing game.

In Happy Home Designer, you are a new employee of Nook Homes. Your job is to design the interior and exterior of the animal residents’ new homes. As you progress, you can choose the location of their homes, unlock new items to include in your designs, and earn upgrades to make bigger and better homes. You also get to design public buildings, such as shops, a doctor’s office, and a school. You can design the homes and buildings however you want, but there are certain items that must be included for most projects. For example, the school rooms require a teacher’s desk and at least four chairs and tables.

The Amiibo cards are a fun addition, but they aren’t necessary to have fun playing the game if you aren’t interested in collecting them. Most of the cards allow you do design homes for villagers that will randomly show up in the game anyway. There are special cards, however, that let you call “Special People,” such as Isabelle or Tortimer. Each pack comes with five regular cards and one special card. As with other types of trading cards, each pack contains random cards. They’re kind of like the Animal Crossing e-Reader cards, if anyone remembers those. You can also use the Amiibo cards to invite villagers over to visit animals for whom you have already designed a home.

You can also share your designs and visit other players’ houses via the Happy Home Network. You can rate designs in the Happy Home Network for cuteness, coolness, uniqueness, and if you would live there.

The back of the box for this game says that there is Streetpass, but I haven’t found any Streetpass features so far. There is a special villager you can meet via Nintendo Zone locations right now, however. He comes with special Mario items.

You can unlock new customization features by spending play coins via a handbook on your desk. I imagine this could get annoying if you never walk around with your 3Ds to earn play coins. I wonder if this is Nintendo’s way of telling kids to stop playing games and go walk around outside. You can complete one lesson from the handbook per in-game day. The unlockable upgrades include things like custom curtains for the homes, the ability to create your own custom designs, and the ability to use the sewing machine to import designs from QR codes. QR codes created New Leaf work in Happy Home Designer as well.

I wish you could have your own house, but at least you can visit all of the homes you have already designed whenever you want. I also wish you could change your outfit. Your character is stuck wearing their work uniform. Maybe they could add the ability to have your own house to go home to after work, where you could dress however you want. Perhaps they could let you change into regular clothes after work hours while visiting public buildings as well.

Based on some other reviews I’ve read, I guess Happy Home Designer isn’t for everyone. If you enjoy decorating in Animal Crossing or want to visit your favorite Animal Crossing characters whenever you want, it is definitely worth picking up! At least this game lets you have Animal Crossing fun without worrying about losing your favorite villagers or returning to a town filled with weeds if you take a few months off!

What do you think of Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer so far? Do you plan on getting Amiibo Party too, or are you going to skip these spin-off games and hold out for a new main-series game for Wii U? Let me know in the comments!

Tomodachi Life: Pug QR Code

September 21, 2015 Jen Ný Freebies, Gaming One comment

Here is the QR code for another Mii character I made for Tomodachi Life. This one is a random pug dog. I don’t know what made me what to make a pug, I just did. He is short, has a wrinkled face, and is wearing a dog suit. If you give him a different outfit, I bet he will look really disturbing looking.

His real name is Pug Pug and his nickname is Pug. He is just a pug. Invite him to your island. Give him a rent-a-dog ticket. The possibilities are endless!

His outfit is made up of a puppy costume and the ears from a different color puppy costume to make his coloring more closely match a fawn pug.

Tomodachi Life: X-Men QR Codes – Jean Grey, Storm, and X-23

September 20, 2015 Jen Ný Freebies, Gaming No comments

It’s been a while since I’ve shared any Miis for Tomodachi Life. Today I am sharing three X-Men Miis I made for the game. I have three of my favorite X-Men characters: Jean Grey, X-23, and Storm. I may add Emma Frost at some point in the future. (I don’t know why I didn’t make any male X-Men characters. I never even thought of it.)

(Please click on the images to expand them if your 3DS can’t read them.)

Of course I had to add Jean Grey to my Tomodachi Life island. She is one of my favorite X-Men characters. I know, her outfit doesn’t match her normal outfits at all, but I liked it, and she does look like a super hero! Feel free to change her outfit to whatever you like best! I dyed her hair a slightly brighter red, so if you give her a bath, you might want to re-dye her hair, unless you like the darker red better.

X-23 is a lesser known X-Men character, but she is one of my favorite X-Men none-the-less. She was the first X-Men character I added to my island.

I gave Storm a mohawk wig to make her look like she does in the newer Storm comics. If you don’t like the mohawk, you can remove the wig to reveal her long hair. Her hair is dyed white. As with Jean Grey, if you give her a bath, you will have to re-dye her hair.

What other characters would you like to see me make for Tomodachi Life? Let me know in the comments!

Animal Crossing New Leaf Isabelle Nendoroid Review

September 10, 2015 Jen Ný Figures and Toys No comments

I got the adorable Isabelle Nendoroid figure from Hans for my birthday last year. She is my first Nendoroid, but definitely not my last.

She comes with three different faces and a bunch of accessories. My favorite accessories are the music notes and my favorite face is the super happy one. She even has a little bell in her hair!

She is well-made, like all official Nenoroids. All of the pieces fit together perfectly and the paint looks great. I don’t have any complaints at all about this Isabelle figure. She is just too adorable!

There are two different versions of Isabelle available: the regular summer version that I have and the winter version. I think the one I have has the cuter faces and accessories. I think the winter version also only has two faces, as opposed to three.

Majora’s Mask Limited Edition Skull Kid Figure Review

September 9, 2015 Jen Ný Figures and Toys No comments

Skull Kid Majora's Mask Special Edition Figure

After missing the preorder for the limited edition of Majora’s Mask 3D, I decided to hold off on buying the game just in case I managed to find the limited edition somewhere. I wanted to wait to play it until I got a new 3DS XL for the bigger screen anyway.

As luck would have it, I found the limited edition of Majora’s Mask 3D at the Cleveland Classic Console and Arcade Gaming Show in July. I paid much less than eBay sellers were charging, though it still set me back more than the original retail price. My husband also managed to get the Majora’s Mask limited edition New 3DS XL from the same scalper seller.

The figure isn’t as amazing as I expected. The plastic feels a bit cheap. Mine also had a little scuff on the mask. The rest of the paint looks fine, though.

Compared to other figures I’ve gotten with limited edition games, this one is nothing special. It’s still cool to have a figure of Skull Kid, however. It’s worth having if you’re a hardcore Zelda fan. If you’re just looking for a cool collectible figure, you might want to pass.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D looks much better than the N64 original, though if you’re like me, you probably won’t notice unless you’ve recently played the N64 version. I have a habit of remembering older games as looking better than they actually did. The added 3D effects are always a nice bonus as well.

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