Kudos 2 (by Positech Games) has been on the scene a little while now and has in many ways been overshadowed by EA’s The Sims series. Kudos 2 is a life simulation game that allows you to guide your avatars through 10 years until their 30th birthday.

You being the game with the option of customising your avatar’s looks and clothing options. Those expecting Sim’s style 3D realisations will be disappointed as in Kudos 2, everything has a comic book look about it. You have a selection of facial shapes to choose from before picking from a small selection of clothes to wear. You also have access to a colour selector for every option allowing you a lot more customisation that I actually expected.

Upon completion of your avatar, you are greeted with a diary entry explaining your goals for the game. Fame, Fortune, and/or Happiness awaited however you begin the game tired, hungover and forced to go to work. From here your choices will lead you through your life. Upon getting home from a day at work waiting tables, you are given your first set of choices. You could sign yourself up for evening classes, hang out on your own, go out with some friends, or spend the night looking for another job. Each choice will effect you in some way. If you want to get a better job or look for a career then you will need to study either by taking up evening classes or buying books and studying at home. Doing this could turn you into a bit of a reculse as your friends will become annoyed that you don’t want to hang out with them. Then again, you could become a social butterfly with friends everywhere but stuck in a nowhere job to pay for your lifestyle. You are only allowed 1 activity every weekday evening (but 2 at the weekend) meaning that its all about finding a balance between friends and work which is made all the more difficult when you have to take into account your mood and theirs. Hanging out while in a bad mood can influence your friends mood but on the flip side, their characteristics can effect yours. A dishonest friend can make you more dishonest yourself.

The first thing I did was look for a better job and applied for a position as a stock assistant and woke up the next morning to find my weight had gone up due to sitting at my PC all night and I was grubbier. On the next day I went out with Mario for a Mexican and became more optimistic, persuasive and relaxed due to being with him (although I did put more weight on from all the food, and woke up tired from a night out). I returned home later on and found that I was offered the new position. From here, the game could spiral off in a million different ways all depending on your choices.

Everything in Kudos 2 is directly in front of you, which allows you to know at a glance what stats are dropping dangerously low, or which friends like you more. The activity options open a little pop-up to the side that allows you to see who would be interested in each particular activity and with the game being turn based it means that you have all the time in the world to make your choices.

One thing that niggled me about the game was the initial rate of pay you received from working, Working a full day shift would not even cover the cost of a beer in a local bar that evening. I can understand that the pay rate would be scaled down to make it harder but it took a little bit of reality away. Also the work section is a little bland and is soon clicked straight over.

However even with these flaws, Kudos 2 shines and should be considered by anyone that has ever played The Sims. Oh and for those that wondered, Clarence socialised a bit too much ending up an overweight drunk who spent a lot of nights playing video games with his male mates and stocking shelves during the day.. RESULT!!

Kudos 2 is available from: http://www.positech.co.uk/