Kim Kardahian Hollywood-August Update

The August update for Kim Kardashian Hollywood is here! Aside from a new location where we can film street fashion  shoots (alas, I have yet to be offered one by Simon and I don't have any new storylines), there is a reason to go house hunting: international locations for our reality shows! Each location gives us a new achievement (Big in Japan, etc), plus five of those locations are eligible for product placement deals. The best news about it though: Players can finally choose where they want to shoot from a pull down menu, instead of repeatedly asking Matthew until the location they want to shoot in comes up.

The new location, Havana, has three tappables for energy (the bike, the car, the crab), as well as a PopGlam outpost, a new $120,000 home, and Alejandro's. Alejandro's appears to have only one activity costing $75 (note: this is based on only two dates and there's a chance this information could be incorrect), so make sure you have a full energy bar before you head there.

The other notable part of this update is the Karl Lagerfeld shop in Paris has been replaced by Balmain, and new Balmain clothes are coming. Personally, I am dying for these thigh-high boots and am desperately hoping they're included:

There weren't too many clothes in the update. I was extremely happy to see the $750 shorts, since I was about to plunk down 35 K Stars for another pair. Some other notable additions:

Finally, there won't be a review this Friday. I've been working on a video for our coming YouTube channel and haven't devoted a lot of time to review new apps.

Yahtzee With Buddies for Android Review

It’s time for another #freemiumfriday! Today we look at Yahtzee by Scopely. Big fans of the dice game have undoubtedly already downloaded the app and decided for themselves, but is it fun for everyone else?

I preface this by stating that Yahtzee was never a popular game around my house. We always had it and never played it, because putting die in a cup and shaking it out didn’t really hold our attention. Besides, poker (the game that inspired Yahtzee) exists. But there are real-world Yahtzee tournaments, Yahtzee fan groups, and specially branded editions of the game, so we’re probably just oblivious to its charms.

Yahtzee is a fairly fast game when played in the real world. Add the “with buddies” part, however, and you could have games that stretch on forever. This is assuming your opponent still plays—I had an issue with the game suggesting I start games with people who went ghost. An automatic forfeiture after one week would be a great addition. Accidentally starting games is also an issue, as the app lumps suggested new games in with your turn in games already in progress.

I would suggest that any potential players change their name at the very beginning. The game will lose your progress if you change it later. There does not seem to be an option for uploading an avatar if you do not connect the app to your Facebook.

Users are able to play in dice duels, in which players may take no more than three minutes per turn. I nearly lost a tournament when the game hung on a screen for over a minute, however. The glacial loading times are worse during prime time in the eastern United States. Achievements (XP), claimed one at a time by the user, take forever to enter. The loading speed ruins the experience. Additionally, I did not receive anything for winning duels, despite the promised prizes.

There are also special tournaments. However, I have never been able to place in one and cannot review this portion. There is one free tournament and dice duel entry per day, along with some tournaments and dice duels that cost diamonds.

Finally, there are special “ladders” in which the player defeats one foe per day to earn special die and other prizes. Have you seen the commercials in which Yahtzee has film tie-ins and wondered what that could be about? Players currently play either tropical fish or Ghostbusters characters to win. Players must achieve a certain score as well. I won, but fell eight points shy and failed to move on. 

There are several problems with the game that go beyond whether or not a person finds rolling dice fun.  Nag screens abound. The ads between every single turn are obnoxious, especially since the player then has to manually back out 2-3 times to get to the screen with their next game. The game’s computer allows opponents to start multiple games against you at once, which can be confusing. The game suggests you play opponents who are inactive, and there is no way to back out of those games unless you forfeit. Frozen screens and force closes cause this app to be almost impossible to enjoy. Finally, and this is the biggest issue, the app sometimes deletes dice (bonus rolls) that players have earned and many reviews reference paid dice disappearing. 

As it is now, this game is the worst freemium game that I have encountered. Life is unfair, silly phone games should not be. There are numerous dice games in Play Games and users should turn to those before downloading this garbage app.

Yahtzee At a Glance

Category: Board

Developer: Scopely

Last updated: 20 July 2016

Is it worth playing? Only download if you really and truly love playing Yahtzee. The inherent unfairness of this game makes it worthless to anyone else. Even if these issues are fixed, players who prefer speedy games with fast loading times are not going to have very much fun. One more caveat: If you download this game, you will eventually run into near-constant ads. Do not download if data caps are a concern.

What is the time commitment for this game? A few minutes a few times a day, although tournaments must be played in one sitting and theoretically could take nearly half an hour if each player takes the entire three minutes they are allowed each turn. In my experience, most time is spent waiting for new screens to finish loading.

How long does it take for free games/energy to refill? Not applicable

How intrusive are the ads? In the beginning, the only ad is a tiny banner at the bottom of the screen. But once I reached level 10, BLAMMO! Constant 30-second ads between turns ruin the experience. I don’t object to ads, or even frequent ads. But the ads in this app are truly excessive and do not work quite right—instead of leaving the player on the page they had before, the player must back out an extra time to reach their games in progress. 

How is premium currency earned? Two extra bonus rolls are given upon leveling up, or may be purchased. Avatar frames and decorative dice can be earned through gameplay. I have seen people reference receiving free rolls by watching videos, but I never found this option in-game and it may have been removed with an update.

Top tip: Achievements (XP) must be claimed manually. If you are at a low level and have a large achievement to claim, it might be better to wait—if you jump up two or three levels at once, you only receive the two die you would claim while leveling up once.

Does the game utilize Google Play Games? Yes, although I did not find a way to play the people on my Google+ profile. 

Does the game grant achievements? Yes.

What permissions does the app ask? 

Version 4.20.0 can access:

In-app purchases

Identity

• find accounts on the device

Contacts

• find accounts on the device

Location

• approximate location (network-based)

Phone

• read phone status and identity

Photos/Media/Files

• modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
• read the contents of your USB storage

Storage

• modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
• read the contents of your USB storage

Wi-Fi connection information

• view Wi-Fi connections

Device ID & call information

• read phone status and identity

Other

• receive data from Internet
• Google Play license check
• prevent device from sleeping
• full network access
• view network connections
• run at startup
• control vibration

WWE SuperCard for Android Review

Welcome back to Freemium Queen! This week, we look at a card trading game, WWE SuperCard by 2K Games, Inc.

Players start out with a pack of Common trading cards, which they add to by playing Exhibition matches and event games. They can improve these cards by training them (feeding them lower-tier cards), combining them with identical cards (turning them “Pro”), or putting them in the Fusion Chamber. However, this last step was not one that I had a great deal of success utilizing at any tier above Uncommon. I always beat opponents who had Fusion Chamber cards.

As players collect better cards, it may be tempting to add every new high-tier card to the Exhibition deck. This is a bad idea—until players have every card (including Divas) on a tier, it’s best to keep only one in your Exhibition deck so that you can continue to play a lower tier and win more. What puzzles me—and feel free to tell me in the comments—are the opponents who have 20,000+ matches and are still playing the Super Rare tier. The tier you play limits the cards you receive, and I would think they have a full deck of Epic, Legendary, or higher cards by now. 

Exhibition players can choose from among four opponents. Pay attention to the tier of the person you choose to play—matches seem to be offered based on players who are online at the time and sometimes high tiers are included, especially if you are playing at Epic rarity. Three matches are then played (unless there is a tie, which happens quite rarely). These matches may be either single or tag team and the important skill will be highlighted to make choosing your card easier. If a player has a support card that they want to use (such as the Kendo Stick, which gives extra points to Power and Speed), they must tap it before they tap the card they are using that round. If it is a tag team round, make sure the cards you choose are compatible (including both halves of the yellow or blue diamond).

Once an Exhibition match is over, the winning player receives an Energy card (see below). Players then draw 1-3 cards based on the number of matches they won. Players who were defeated in all three matches still get to choose one card. In my experience, drawing Divas is so rare that the player must engage in a King of the Ring Tournament. 

King of the Ring is a two day tournament that pits your team against 15 other teams. Remember a minute ago when I said to stick with lower tiers in the Exhibition? The opposite is true in KotR. It seems that all anyone who wants to make it to the semifinals has to do is open the app frequently and play a lot of Exhibition matches to earn Energy cards. Energy cards are then used to increase stamina, which depletes as the tournament grinds on. This will knock out a lot of players who have better cards than you. Players in the semifinals will win one card at their current rarity tier. YMMV, but I have made the semifinals (and often won) every single time that I have participated in KotR.

There are also events every weekend, and sometimes events as well. The rules for these are clearly laid out. There are frequently team events and players can opt into joining others. Players have the ability to private message and block one another, although I did not test these out. There is both a global chat and private team/KotR chat rooms. I read several older reviews alluding to racist or sexually-oriented chat, but did not witness these comment types myself. Hopefully, game devs have put in a screen.

The biggest downside, by far, is the too-frequent appearance of the “Waiting on Network” screen. This is the only thing that kept me from rating it five stars in Play. Also, since the last update, the images on the cards seem to be a lower resolution. The last minor quibble—it would be better if we could have higher limits on the number of cards we’re allowed. 25 Energy refills equal two and a half rounds of KotR. 150 wrestler cards is a low ceiling. After a certain point, players will find themselves improving Rare cards, even though they no longer play them, just to have the space free. However, the game is overall a very enjoyable experience.

WWE SuperCard at a Glance

Category: Sports

Developer: 2K Games, Inc

Last updated:  20 June 2016

Is it worth playing? Yes

What is the time commitment for this game? All a player really has to do is check in each day to work toward their daily bonus. Five daily bonuses are awarded per month. But if a player is involved in a King of the Ring tournament, they will need to play for a couple of hours a day for two days on order to collect energy cards.

How long does it take for free games/energy to refill? During special events, bouts fill at varying speeds, usually fifteen minutes but sometimes an hour. However, players can play as many Exhibition matches as they like at any time.

How intrusive are the ads? There is an ad for purchasing cards and credits that displays when the player opens the app, and infrequently between bouts.  Players can watch a few videos each day to earn more Draft Picks. 

How is premium currency earned? Players must purchase credits. Better cards can be purchased, earned, and received as a login bonus.

Top tip: In my experience, the only way to earn diva cards at your current rank is participating in a King of the Ring Tournament.

Does the game utilize Google Play Games? Yes, but having friends who play is not necessary. Players complete against others worldwide.

Does the game grant achievements? Yes. After two months of play, I have earned all but one.

What permissions does the app ask? 

Pets Unleased for Android Game Review

It’s another #freemiumfriday at Freemium Queen! Today we look at Electronic Arts’ Pets Unleashed, a tie-in for the Universal film The Secret Life of Pets, which comes out today. 

Pets Unleashed is no different from Candy Crush, Bejeweled, and other match-three games. It’s prettier—at least when it doesn’t lag and blur the animation—but it doesn’t really differ in any remarkable way. The game is a cute way to introduce characters such as Gidget, who clearly loves her spa days, and also has cute moments (the pug scooting across the rug to clear the toys).

When the game begins, you have only Max to play for. You match toys and receive bonuses in a near-identical manner to Candy Crush Soda. Eventually, other characters are unlocked. Depending on which character has that level, the goal is to score a certain number of points, obtain a certain number of a type of toy, drop down items, or play other types of games. There are currently 150 levels, but the game promises more in the future.

Players who beat levels are awarded 1-3 stars, depending on their score. However, this reviewer experienced a glitch where some levels were shown as having been cleared, but the game did not retain the stars. Another glitch experienced was the app frequently crashing between levels. Hopefully, these will be fixed on a future update.

There are a lot of downsides for Pets Unleashed. It’s much more of a battery hog than a game of this type should be. The graphics are more advanced and there is more animation, but those are not strictly necessary for a match-three game. Second, the loading times are almost unbearable. It feels like you spend as much time looking at game tips between levels as you do actually playing. Third, this reviewer experienced a lot of force closes. Finally, it’s a little frustrating that the game requires constant Wi Fi.  Given these downsides, we can’t really recommend the game to anyone who isn’t waiting for their Candy Crushes to refill.

Category: Casual

Developer: Electronic Arts

Last updated:  30 June 2016

Is it worth playing? Not really. Download only if you’re a Candy Crush/Bejeweled/Cookie Jam superfan.

What is the time commitment for this game? There is a daily log-in reward, but players should expect the same time commitment they make to Candy Crush—that is, you can play for a long time in the beginning, and a few minutes here and there as the levels get progressively harder.

How long does it take for free games/energy to refill? 30 minutes

How intrusive are the ads? The only ad displayed is one at the very beginning for movie tickets.

How is premium currency earned? Players earn five coins logging in daily and playing fetch with Max. There is also an option to purchase coins or pester your Facebook friends. 

Top tip: Make sure you play fetch with Max every day to receive coins that can be traded for level-clearing items.

Does the game utilize Google Play Games? Yes

Does the game grant achievements? Yes

What permissions does the app ask? 

Kim Kardashian Hollywood: Second Marriage and VIP Weekend UPDATE: Confirmed!

Welcome back to Freemium Queen! Today's topic is remarriage in Kim Kardashian Hollywood.

Many KKH players get married fairly early on in their game. For those who haven't taken the plunge yet, here's a brief recap: The first marriage is the most expensive and time-consuming, with challenges that must be completed within a short window. After you become engaged, Kim invites you to her home and tells you to buy a dress. You then have your pick of two $9995, two 90 K Star, and one 120 K Star dress, plus three optional hairstyles at 50 K Stars each. But once you buy this dress, the clock starts ticking. Your wedding planner calls you and tells you that Crystal Fletcher and Chad Dylan Parker are going to snap it up unless you come up with $7500 in 24 hours. You will lose fans if you don't hand over the money. After you pay, you have some gigs to perform before the wedding. While you're performing these gigs, you can pay for items to decorate your venue--but if you don't decorate at all, there are no consequences. Once you are finished decorating, you can get married. After the ceremony, Maria calls you and tells you that nasty rumors are being spread about your union and you and your spouse have to do some more gigs within 24 hours. If you don't complete these gigs, there are no consequences, but you will miss out on the K Stars and rewards at the end of the challenge. TIP: You can tell Simon to call you back later when he calls you about other gigs. Then change screens and he will offer you the wedding gig (assuming it's marked "available soon").

For any player who has not married in their game yet, I would recommend not getting hitched until you have bought a private jet (120 K Stars) and a vehicle ($20000 and up), as well as 999 points' worth of Gold Star and Gold Heart clothing. If you're constantly scrambling for gigs and waiting for your energy bar to refill, having to date your spouse every day can feel like a burden. If you want to rid yourself of your spouse, either stop dating them (eventually they will divorce you, costing you fans) or delete them from your phone.

Which brings us to today's topic: remarriage. Find a new NPC or friend, fill up the relationship bar to 200 or more to trigger a proposal, and get engaged. Your wedding planner will call and ask you to look at the venue. You can then redecorate (or not) and buy a new dress (or not).

After the ceremony, Daisy (Kim's crazy British friend) will call and ask you and your new spouse to perform as her fairy tale couple. After two gigs (a photo shoot and an appearance), you will learn that you lost the film role to Crystal and Chad Dylan Parker.

This weekend will be a VIP weekend, where players can earn items by spending their K Stars. These images, found here, show what the girls can expect:

City Island 4 Review

Welcome back to Freemium Queen, where a new app is reviewed every #freemiumfriday. This week, we look at Sparkling Society’s City Island 4.

City Island 4 gives players seven islands (more may come in future updates) on which to place housing, commercial, and community properties. The goal is to have your residents (housing) and jobs (commercial) keep pace with one another, while not allowing your overall happiness (increased by building community properties) to fall too far below 100%.

Players start out with a small square of land on Pleasant Plains. More land can be purchased with gold or cash. Cash and XP are earned by tapping commercial buildings when they’re ready to harvest. Gold is earned by achieving goals, such as enhancing a certain number of buildings to level 10. Gold is also earned by watching ads, and twenty or more per day are available. Gold, XP, and cash are also occasionally earned by tapping on transportation (there will be a speech bubble). 

Besides erecting and enhancing new buildings, players can improve their construction firms so that more workers are available. And since players will quickly outgrow the small square the game gives them, they can expand by paying cash or gold. Players who wish to expand to other islands will need to buy the land connected to the port, then wait as the port is built. Once on new islands, more land and access to ports must be bought.

There are over 250 buildings, although some of them remain locked until future updates. After placing the same buildings on your islands a few times, the price will either increase or require gold instead of cash. Each time players build, there will be two prices displayed: the price to build over a period of time, and the price to build instantly. Players who do not wish to wait for construction to finish (construction takes as little as one minute to as long as forty hours) can pay gold to speed it up. Players can also pay cash to start the build, paying gold to speed it up later.

Players will notice that the ground beneath buildings in the store is different. That’s because all buildings must be placed on their own surface, like the Dive Shop goes on water, etc. Players looking for space to place items can toggle to grid view. Unfortunately, there is no option to move the screen around, so placing tall buildings in front of short ones may require to player to toggle to grid view in order to upgrade.

Buildings can be moved, and roads are free to build or bulldoze. Players also have the option of placing trees or beach umbrellas, at a cost of roughly 3000 cash. These will give a small population boost to the surrounding buildings. Parks also give a boost to surrounding buildings.

Buildings occasionally need to be repaired. These repairs will use construction workers and cash. 

The biggest downside to this game might be considered an upside by some—its repetitive nature means that it is pretty boring after a while. A lot of reviews in Google Play mentioned force closing and losing progress after ads, but this reviewer has not experienced either of those things. The game even remembered progress made while away from a Wi Fi connection.

This app is great for players who don’t remember to log in every day, as there are no daily bonuses and no competitive aspect for players to fall behind on. The only problem faced by the infrequent player is that cash and XP earned on commercial buildings do not accumulate and progress will be slowed.

Category: Simulation

Developer: Sparkling Society

Last updated: 29 May 2016

Is it worth playing? If you're not bothered by the repetitive nature and plodding pace of the game, yes.

What is the time commitment for this game? With no daily sign-in or tasks, it takes only a small amount of time. Budget 2-3 minutes each time you want to collect from your islands, with more time needed to build. 

How long does it take for commercial buildings to be ready to harvest? This ranges from once a minute to once every two hours.  

How intrusive are the ads? I would describe the ads as being not very intrusive, except since the May update, the app freezes for several seconds before the ad is shown. Strangely, the app frequently displays an ad for itself. Players who spend money on the game still have pop-up ads.

How is premium currency earned? By “discovering apps,” i.e., watching ads.

Top tip: If you place properties that require different types of roads side-by-side, you can layer the roads on top of each other to save space.

Does the game utilize Google Play Games? No, although players can create accounts through Sparkling Society.

Does the game grant achievements? No

What permissions does the app ask?