Game Review: Design Home vs Home Design Makeover – 2 Similar Apps With Similar Names – Which Home Decorating Game Is Better?

I recently began playing both Home Design and Design Home Makeover. 2 Android mobile games that allow you to decorate your own homes.

Home Design Makeover is available here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.loop.hdmakeover&hl=en_US

Design Home is available here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.crowdstar.covetHome&hl=en_US

Both are free games with optional in-game purchases.

First, Home Design is by Storm8 Studios. They have an upcoming Property Brothers game coming soon too. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.storm8.propertybrothers

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzM7KPsXkW4%5B/embedyt%5D

Storm8 Studios also has a lot of other kawaii games including Bakery Story and Dragon Story. Check em out.

Home Design Makeover is a Match 3 game, similar to Homescapes, Gardenscapes, etc. Yes, you do have some options in how to design the home, but not nearly as much flexibility as Design Home.

Design Home is by Crowdstar Inc. They have only one other game, a popular dressup game called Covet Fashion. I have played Covet Fashion for a long time. Design Home plays almost the same as Covet Fashion but the concept is to decorate your room instead of dressup your model.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJjyORH4C-o%5B/embedyt%5D

The concept is similar, you enter timed events and can borrow from your friends’ inventories, or use currently owned items, or purchase furnishing for gems or dollars in game currency. You can also vote on various events to earn more event tickets (called keys in Design home). And like Covet Fashion, the items are from real-world brands and have links to purchase or view the real-world equivalent of the item outside of the app as well.

The thing I love about Design Home is how much flexibility it has. You don’t just pick from 1 of 3 couches or 1 of 3 wallpapers, but hundreds of different items and there are many many items in each room, tables, chairs, accessories, wall decor, etc. This makes your design truly unique and much more exciting and creative than the match 3 system in games like Home Design Makeover or Homescapes.

In the end, I prefer Design Home, it’s more creative and enjoyable. But Home Design Makeover is fun especially if you are a fan of similar Match 3 games. Check them both out and leave a comment below for which game you prefer.

Game Review: Design Home vs Home Design Makeover – 2 Similar Apps With Similar Names – Which Home Decorating Game Is Better? was originally published on GeekySweetie.com – Geeky & Kawaii Anime, Tech, Toys, & Game Reviews & News

Cortex Complete Smart Dolls Will Release Soon

According to this post on the official website, the first full, non-hybrid, cortex smartdolls will release for official launch in just 2 weeks on 6/13/19. The models available will include Mirai Anniversary, Gaia, and Melody. They will be fully assembled dolls, and not model kits.

They had a soft launch of Mirai Anniversary and Gaia Complete Cortex dolls earlier this month, which I completely missed.

I am anxious to see what the prices will be on the 13th when the official launch begins.

The vinyl version Smart Dolls cost 52,000 yen, which is approximately $475 USD. For those not familiar with Japanese import dolls, such as Asian ball-jointed dolls or Dollfie Dream, this price may seem shocking. However, for those who are already collecting other similar dolls, these prices are quite reasonable.

I’ve long wanted a Smart Doll myself, but have been waiting to purchase, wanting to see how much cost savings the Cortex version will provide.

The dolls aren’t exactly the same. The Cortex version will have seam lines and gaps and other imperfections. But if the savings justifies the quality differences, I’m all for waiting for the Cortex dolls. I’m completely in the dark here as to what it will cost so I don’t even want to begin to speculate in this blog post.

The official site has much more info about the differences between the various materials that Smart Doll uses for manufacturing.

A few days ago Pre-orders opened for a Hybrid Cortex officially licensed Idol M@ster Smart Doll modeled after Mika Jougasaki. Of course it sold out quickly. Due to being an officially licensed character, this Hybrid Cortex doll actually cost much more than the vinyl versions of Smart Dolls own characters. So that’s not a very good indicator of how much the Smart Doll Complete Cortex version will cost when it launches next month. We will just have to wait and see.

Are you excited about Smart Doll Complete Cortex Dolls? Do you prefer Vinyl? Waiting for the Model Kits? Share your dolls with us in the comments below.

Cortex Complete Smart Dolls Will Release Soon was originally published on

Football Manager Heroes Who Flopped In The Premier League In Real Life

Football Manager heroes who flopped in the Premier League in real life

So, your team has been linked with or even signed a player who is a star on PC game Football Manager. Time to get excited? Maybe not just yet. The Sports Interactive hit is renowned for predicting the hottest unearthed talent in world football but the truth is, not all of them come to fruition.

Like the vast majority of football fans, you most likely spent a large portion of your teenage years playing Football Manager, and will be more than aware of the young talent who become icons in the game. Arguably, the best buzz was finding an unheard of prospect and seeing him flourish and become the star of your team.

More often than not, those players do go on to hit the big time in real life and some have made it in football’s elite. However, some have signed for Premier League sides and been nothing short of a disaster. Let’s take a look through some of the biggest disappointments from the hugely popular game, but before we do, check out the latest Paddy Power Games offerings right now to win instant cash prizes.  

Valeri Bojinov

Those of you who remember Manchester City’s spending spree from 2007 will recall Valeri Bojinov, who joined the Sven Goran-Eriksson revolution alongside Vedran Corluka, Martin Petrov and Elano et al. Bojinov arrived at City from Fiorentina with a glowing reputation, but did little to justify why he was so highly rated in real life and on FM05. During three years at the Etihad, he mustered just one Premier League goal in 11 outings.

Federico Fazio

Even today, Federico Fazio is regarded as a Football Manager legend, and if you signed him on the 2008 version of the game, you were destined for greatness. Unfortunately, Tottenham Hotspur fans would tell you that in reality Fazio was nowhere near the high standards the game predicted. He certainly had chances to impress Mauricio Pochettino but too many costly errors and a failure to adapt to the rigours of Premier League football saw him depart for Roma in 2017.  

Kim Källström

At the turn of the century, Kim Källström was arguably the game’s biggest bargain and you could snap him up for roughly £500k – an absolute steal even back then. Within a season or two, his value would sky-rocket and a whole host of clubs would be haggling to acquire his services. In real life, Källström did enjoy a largely successful career in France but his time at Arsenal was one to forget. Arsène Wenger signed him on a six-month loan in 2014 despite Källström being injured. He did manage three Premier League appearances and chipped in with an FA Cup goal against Reading.

Henri Saivet

FM08 had him billed as the next Thierry Henry, and if you signed Henri Saivet on the game you came mightily close to replicating the legendary Arsenal striker. In real life, Saivet came through the youth set-up at Bordeaux and was pretty woeful before Newcastle United took a gamble. Boss Rafa Benitez saw little development from the striker-turned-winger and he is currently on loan at Bursaspor in Turkey.

Julius Aghahowa

Championship Manager 01/02 (Before it was re-named Football Manager), is perhaps one of the best versions of the smash-hit game, and there was a plethora of wonderkids you could snap up for peanuts. The best of the bunch was surely Julius Aghahowa, a striker with electric pace and acceleration who would regularly hit 30+ a season. In real life, Aghahowa was relatively successful at Shakhtar Donetsk but he was truly awful when he signed for Premier League side Wigan Athletic in 2007. In 20 appearances, he failed to score a single goal and he retired from the game in 2012.

Football Manager Heroes Who Flopped In The Premier League In Real Life was originally published on

The Origins of the Slot Machine

The origins of the slot machine

You’ll see them in pubs, clubs, bookmakers, hotels and casinos to name but a few – but what is it that makes slot machines so entertaining? Perhaps it’s the colourful themes, sound effects, the bright lights or of course, the chance to win instant cash prizes.

Ever since slot machines have been made widely available and accessible, the interest in them has continued to increase as software and gaming developers continue to improve users’ experience to make them as enticing as possible. But where did it all begin? Let’s take a look through the history of the slot machine. Before we do, be sure to check out the latest online slots via Betfair.

19th century development

You have to go all the way back to 1891 to trace the origins of the slot machine, which was developed by New York based company Sittman and Pitt. As you can imagine, the slot machine was fairly basic compared to what we know today and contained five drums with a total of 50 playing cards – with the aim of making a winning poker hand to be awarded a pay-out.

These slot machines would typically be found in bars and casinos, costing just a nickel to play and the user would have to pull down a lever to start the game. It wasn’t often that users won, as the house edge was increased as the ten of spades and jack of hearts were removed, cutting the chance of getting a royal flush in half.

Although Sittman and Pitt are recognised as being the company to develop the first slot machine, Charles Augustus Frey is credited with actually inventing the first prototype between 1887 and 1895. Frey altered the way slot machines worked somewhat and replaced the existing five drums with three reels.

Frey also replaced the playing cards with symbols – hearts, diamonds, spades, horseshoe and a liberty bell. Players would win by lining up three bells which in turn, saw the machine named Liberty Bell. Frey’s newly devised slot machine saw the popularity in playing them skyrocket, leading to the continued improvements over the coming decades.

20th century enhancements

At the turn of the 20th century, slot machines were banned in the United States which led to the development of the fruit machine. All the symbols were changed to represent different fruits and as opposed to cash prizes, players would win sweets and other similar treats. Hardly the same as real cash, but it carved open a new era for the fruit machine to flourish.

In 1907, manufacturer Herbert Mills devised another new slot machine, this time it was called the Operator Bell. Mills adopted the famous ‘BAR’ symbol which is still commonly seen today, thus starting the Bell-Fruit company which is still going strong.

It wasn’t until some 45 years later that slot machines developed into fully electromechanical machines, and the lever was removed as it was considered out dated. Popularity in the newly-improved slots increased tenfold and automatic pay-outs of up to £500 were awarded to jackpot winners.

From the 1970s onwards, slot machines underwent numerous tweaks and changes to keep improving players’ experiences. The first real video slot was introduced in 1976 and was quickly approved by the Nevada State Gaming Commission, seeing an explosion in popularity from players all over the US.

During the 1990s, slot machines hit another major milestone with the release of “Reel Em”. This was the first-ever slot to incorporate a second screen bonus round, which provided players with a stronger chance of winning and altered the way slots would be played in the future. Reel Em was a major hit in bars and casinos throughout the US and the start of the 21st century has seen a range of improvements.

The vast majority of slot machines we see now days will have a theme based on a TV show or movie, and the pay outs have increased massively in recent times. The rise of online slot machines has seen a large number of players opting to try their luck via the internet, but at the end of the day, it was Frey’s invention that has provided a fun and entertaining way to gamble.

The Origins of the Slot Machine was originally published on GeekySweetie.com – Geeky & Kawaii Anime, Tech, Toys, & Game Reviews & News