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Cheer Up Emo

// reviews by SoyBomb

Cheer Up Buttercup

Some things I am just not prepared for. I, being a male gamer, assuredly realize that not all games out there are targeted to me. There are a wide variety of games aiming for a female demographic, most of which just end up being sexist, revolving around emotions or "things girls do" like shop and go for vanilla milkshakes at the local ice cream and float parlour. Plentiful amongst these are dress-up games, and believe me, there are a TON of Flash dress-up games out there where you get to play around with a model by switching their outfits and other personal accoutrements. And...that's pretty much it. They're a dime a dozen. Well, actually, they're less than that because nobody's going to pay for one.

In my travels, I have stumbled upon a game called "Cheer Up Buttercup", although the page it was on referred to it as "Cheer Up Emo". The description is as follows: "Get emo-creative as you cheer up your emo friend! Dress up these emo girl friends in chic new styles." Being part cat on my mother's side, I figured I'd let curiosity kill me, and I tested it out.

What have I done?!

For starters, this game is just one screen. No introduction, no story telling me exactly why our depondent protagonist is so down in the dumps — just a flat-out case of ennui right before my very eyes. The game is very straightforward: there are two young ladies and associated buttons on the left and right for each person. These labeled buttons, when clicked, change their shirts, pants, hairstyle, dress (if you'd rather they go for that snappy one-piece), and jewelry/accessories. There's also an option to change the background between a living room and a park bench. I imagine it would be a little more mannerly to change clothes in the comfort of one's own home rather than in the middle of Central Park with the pigeons eyeing you up like an oversized bread crumb.

If you click on either of the ladies' clothing directly, it comes off. It just does. I did not see that coming, and believe me, clothing removal is not that simple. There's no nudity in this game, but I'll bet they get a little cold after a while if you fail to give them the jazzy outfit they deserve. But that's not the frightening part: when you click on the sad girl's face, instead of it changing emotions or eyeshadow, it just flat out disappears! How did I manage to do this? How does anyone make their face disappear?! Did it recede into her skull? Was she so depressed that she ate her own face when I lavished some attention on her? I am truly scared. When I reset the game, her face returned, but she was crying non-stop. Did I do wrong?

After about thirty seconds of switching clothing to determine the best match, I walked away from Cheer Up Buttercup a little morose myself. How anyone can get enjoyment out of this, I do not know. Then again, like I said, I'm not the target demographic. Actually, I don't even know if little girls can get much thrill out of this. Who is this FOR?!

Should you play this?

You can play this game by clicking here.


Emo Mulan Dress Up

As an added bonus, you get to see my childhood Disney memories float out the window and into a dumpster.

I figured perhaps Cheer Up Buttercup was just a fluke, and perhaps trying out one more emo dress-up game would turn around my bad fortune and prove that there is some worth to be found nestled in this genre. We can thank the aptly-titled DressUpGameSite.com for dispelling any hope I had of digging up any substance whatsoever in an emo Flash game.

For those not aware, Mulan was a 1998 movie where the titular character, a female warrior during the Han Dynasty (spanning from 206 B.C. to 220 A.D.), to sum things up, dresses as a man to take over in her father's place in the army when the Huns were invading parts of China. The animated film was inspired by Fa Mulan, a character of Chinese legend whose character has slowly become a popular figure of Eastern literature. And that legend has taken form in a variety of media, including television, film, and further literature. Oh yeah, and a cheap Flash game where you dress her up in a variety of ethnically-fitting clothing.

I must say, having completed my entire ensemble in about fifteen seconds &mdash I would have taken less time, but there's no reason to be hasty when it comes to colour clashing — I'd say I have suckled every ounce, every morsel of playability and excitement out of Emo Mulan Dress Up that I possibly could. You basically have a scantily-clad version of Mulan on the far right, and you drag the hairstyle, dress, shoes, and accessories you want onto her body. The strangest thing is that most of the clothing on display wouldn't fall under the "emo" category at all; it's way too bright and colourful, and it makes Mulan look rather regal and festive above all else. Someone just tacked on the word "emo" to give this game an edge. I can think of one edge this needs: the edge of a cliff, to be pushed off of.

And somehow, a basement composer managed to blend traditional Chinese music with R&B grooves from the 1970s. I have to give someone credit for doing this, as I didn't believe it would be possible, even if the loop is rather short.

I think I'm going to take a break from emo dress-up games and play something far more worthwhile, like a solid RPG or action title. Or maybe I'll just vacuum up hairs from the bathroom floor. That seems novel.As an added bonus, you get to see my childhood Disney memories float out the window and into a dumpster.

I figured perhaps Cheer Up Buttercup was just a fluke, and perhaps trying out one more emo dress-up game would turn around my bad fortune and prove that there is some worth to be found nestled in this genre. We can thank the aptly-titled DressUpGameSite.com for dispelling any hope I had of digging up any substance whatsoever in an emo Flash game.

For those not aware, Mulan was a 1998 movie where the titular character, a female warrior during the Han Dynasty (spanning from 206 B.C. to 220 A.D.), to sum things up, dresses as a man to take over in her father's place in the army when the Huns were invading parts of China. The animated film was inspired by Fa Mulan, a character of Chinese legend whose character has slowly become a popular figure of Eastern literature. And that legend has taken form in a variety of media, including television, film, and further literature. Oh yeah, and a cheap Flash game where you dress her up in a variety of ethnically-fitting clothing.

I must say, having completed my entire ensemble in about fifteen seconds &mdash I would have taken less time, but there's no reason to be hasty when it comes to colour clashing — I'd say I have suckled every ounce, every morsel of playability and excitement out of Emo Mulan Dress Up that I possibly could. You basically have a scantily-clad version of Mulan on the far right, and you drag the hairstyle, dress, shoes, and accessories you want onto her body. The strangest thing is that most of the clothing on display wouldn't fall under the "emo" category at all; it's way too bright and colourful, and it makes Mulan look rather regal and festive above all else. Someone just tacked on the word "emo" to give this game an edge. I can think of one edge this needs: the edge of a cliff, to be pushed off of.

And somehow, a basement composer managed to blend traditional Chinese music with R&B grooves from the 1970s. I have to give someone credit for doing this, as I didn't believe it would be possible, even if the loop is rather short.

I think I'm going to take a break from emo dress-up games and play something far more worthwhile, like a solid RPG or action title. Or maybe I'll just vacuum up hairs from the bathroom floor. That seems novel.

Should you play this?

You can play this game by clicking here.


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