Gardening, cooking and online poker make up the mini-games the player can participate in. Cooking and gardening can also be hired out. As cooking skills are perfected or the garden is tended well, new flowers and recipes are opened up. Sub-plots will come in that might make use of the mini-games as well. A well-tended garden just might help the player land a spot in a fashion show, for example.Socializing with neighbors opens up a whole new degree to the game. Every character has secrets and if the player schmoozes up to them enough, they'll spill their secrets. Having strong relationships is beneficial at different times in the game, since some sub-plots are dependant upon that. It is relatively easy to build strong relationships by chatting with characters. There are usually options in the dialogue tree as to what stance to take, from super friendly to somewhat bitchy. Sometimes, using the wrong option will close the dialogue altogether, but it doesn't ever really damage a relationship irreparably or close a sub-plot (unless this is a choice point for the plot). There are four needs to address and they are fairly easy to maintain. A quick shower and change of clothes and the appearance need is taken care of. Socializing with the family and neighbors will increase social need - and since this is a fairly important part of the game, should be easy to deal with. Composure and happiness seem to take care of themselves, with little effort, just in the natural course of the day's activities. The day ends at 10 PM. You can stay awake or you can sneak around others houses and do stuff around the house, but if you choose to go to sleep, it doesn't affect the game one way or another. Most of the game will be spent socializing with neighbors and working on the goals of the game rather than doing mundane and boring activities, which is always nice.Desperate Housewives is one of the first games to really employ in-game advertising to a large degree. Many items in the house have a sponsor. For example, clicking on the shower shows it is brought to us by Suave. The vanity on the other hand is sponsored by Caress. Certain events in the game will also open up coupons the player can print out and use in real life. A casually placed package of Slim Fast is on the counter in the kitchen. It can get away with all of this over-advertising, though, thanks to the nature of the game. It is set in a modern day suburb and women do drink Slim Fast, use Suave and like coupons.
Gardening, cooking and online poker make up the mini-games the player can participate in. Cooking and gardening can also be hired out. As cooking skills are perfected or the garden is tended well, new flowers and recipes are opened up. Sub-plots will come in that might make use of the mini-games as well. A well-tended garden just might help the player land a spot in a fashion show, for example.Socializing with neighbors opens up a whole new degree to the game. Every character has secrets and if the player schmoozes up to them enough, they'll spill their secrets. Having strong relationships is beneficial at different times in the game, since some sub-plots are dependant upon that. It is relatively easy to build strong relationships by chatting with characters. There are usually options in the dialogue tree as to what stance to take, from super friendly to somewhat bitchy. Sometimes, using the wrong option will close the dialogue altogether, but it doesn't ever really damage a relationship irreparably or close a sub-plot (unless this is a choice point for the plot). There are four needs to address and they are fairly easy to maintain. A quick shower and change of clothes and the appearance need is taken care of. Socializing with the family and neighbors will increase social need - and since this is a fairly important part of the game, should be easy to deal with. Composure and happiness seem to take care of themselves, with little effort, just in the natural course of the day's activities. The day ends at 10 PM. You can stay awake or you can sneak around others houses and do stuff around the house, but if you choose to go to sleep, it doesn't affect the game one way or another. Most of the game will be spent socializing with neighbors and working on the goals of the game rather than doing mundane and boring activities, which is always nice.Desperate Housewives is one of the first games to really employ in-game advertising to a large degree. Many items in the house have a sponsor. For example, clicking on the shower shows it is brought to us by Suave. The vanity on the other hand is sponsored by Caress. Certain events in the game will also open up coupons the player can print out and use in real life. A casually placed package of Slim Fast is on the counter in the kitchen. It can get away with all of this over-advertising, though, thanks to the nature of the game. It is set in a modern day suburb and women do drink Slim Fast, use Suave and like coupons.
Verdict
Speaking of its target audience, the developers did a great job actually making a game that women might enjoy. Since most of the people who watch Desperate Housewives are women, it follows that the audience for a game based on the show is women. It is easy to jump into, has some interesting plot points that will draw fans of the show in, and has high production values in several key spots that ensures they won't be turned off, like by poor voice actors or graphics glitches. The only area that might frustrate a novice gamer, which this title is likely to appeal to, is the movement issues and that definitely detracts from the enjoyment for a casual gamer. However, if players are able to overlook that and enjoy sensationalized stories, then Desperate Housewives: The Game might just be a good purchase (and maybe even a gateway game to bigger and better for the non-gamer!)