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Computer Times
Editors' Choice DS Game Imagine: Salon Stylist Review by Angie Kibiloski
Ubisoft has put out a huge range of Imagine titles for the Nintendo DS, all geared towards helping young girls unlock their imaginations and pretend to be in a variety of professions, like Ballet Star, Master Chef, Interior Designer, and Teacher. This entire line has been very successful. One of the newest titles is Imagine: Salon Stylist (Retail $29.99), where the player gets to own and operate her very own style boutique. Customers come in for haircuts, styles, and makeup. The better you do with each make over, the happier each client will be. Happy clients refer more and more of their friends to you. The more clients you collect, the more famous you become in the styling world. Keep playing and practicing to be the best stylist you can be.
Basically, a customer comes into your shop, asks for a particular style or look, and you have to choose the right hair cut and colors to fit what they have asked for. Choose a hair cut, use the stylus to wash your client’s hair in the salon sink, use it again to cut and style, choose a hair color, and possibly an accessory, and hope that your client is happy. Using the stylus to cut is easy, just connect the dotted lines, follow the glowing path, or tap on the flashing dots. The closer you stay to the dots or paths, the more professional your cut will be. If you miss the mark too often, your customer’s happiness meter will go down, and you will not get as high of a tip or as good of a reputation. Sometimes, you will be asked to apply makeup instead of, or as well as, the haircut or style. You will choose your color palette to match the client’s request, and then use the stylus to apply all of the makeup steps, like foundation, eyeliner, shadow, and lipstick. Try to stay within the guidelines on the face to make your job more professional. The same principle applies here as it does with the hair cut. Get out of the lines too often, and your client will not be happy. As you successfully satisfy each client who comes into your shop, you will collect more and more hairstyles to play with, as well as more colors of hair dye, and color palettes of makeup. You will also learn new hair cutting techniques and get useful tips about makeup and beauty. Keep track of all of the things you have collected, as well as your client list, world reputation, and photo portfolio in your PDA. Also, like any business, you will be collecting money from each client. With this money, you can go next door to the mall and purchase items for your salon, like chairs, tables, and flowers to redecorate your business as often as you like. On the other side of your shop is a training center, where you can go to practice all of your hair cutting techniques, before applying them to your clients. With such a simple concept as choosing hairstyles and color schemes, this game has a surprising number of playable hours. I thought that it might get repetitive and tedious after a while, but it is remarkably fun, even after dozens of happy clients have come and gone. And that is coming from an adult! Young girls, up through teenage years, will be even more captured by the power of creativity this title provides. There is something satisfying about making a client look completely new, and making them happy enough to return. Girls will love to play around with colors and cuts, and different ways to apply eye shadow. What girl doesn’t love to get together with friends and do each other’s makeup and hair? Now they can do the same with Imagine: Salon Stylist, anywhere, anytime, with as many virtual clients as they like. Don’t forget all the other great titles from the Imagine line as well, which allow your child to discover a variety of professions and pretend to be anything she wants to be.
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