14 DAY TRIAL // Kudos 2 is a Positech game, produced with limited resources, and, as far as I can see, with extraordinary results. The game is a sort of Sims with turn based action, where you guide your character from the age of 20 to 30 in a world where kudos are a measure of your social abilities and relationships.
14:00. The game looks great, cartoonish without being tacky. The artist who illustrated it also did Phonogram, which I heard is great.
14:05. The customization options are not huge, but they allow you to create a character you can relate to. I don't know how character traits are assigned.
14:10. The first big decision I have to make is how to get to work. Walking is cheaper and I seem to be broke, so let's try that. The game doesn't let you actually work, it only gives you a short description of how you felt and then how much money you made.
14:13. Each day of the week you can perform one action after work and before going to bed. On weekends, as you do not work, you can perform two actions. There are four broad categories of actions you can choose from. There are personal actions, like walking in the park or cleaning the house or yourself, social activities, like going out or playing football, and learning activities, like learning to cook or to speak in public. You can also spend your time looking for a job.
14:19. Your character has a lot of traits displayed on the right hand side of the screen, which influence how you perform in your job and generally how you feel. Pay attention to them...
14:30. I just realized I have to take a bath once in a while, that my friends like to hang out with people that are more cultured than me and that a bath costs 2 dollars.
14:35. The game says I am not social enough and I only have two friends left. Who knew Science class and jogging really kill your social life?
14:40. Be careful when choosing new jobs because transportation costs can really go up and a bigger salary could even mean that you're left with less at the end of the day. I did not pay attention and it seems that money will quickly become tight...
14:45. Softpedia Games can now learn to drive. But all the going out with four female friends made me kinda broke...
14:50. So broke I cannot even go to the dentist’s. No smiling from me for a while, it seems.
14:55. So broke that I can only enjoy watching TV and seeing how my friends ditch me because I seem uninterested in going out. The bad news is that even watching TV costs.
15:00. Broke enough to warrant a restart. I guess I'll stay with the initial job this time, maybe even get a promotion...