A Tween Girl’s Game Come True

July 30, 2011 Patrick Hickey Jr. Video Game Reviews, Video Games 0

There are dozens of hack and slash, first person shooters and slingshot type games on the IPad, which make it a great place for male gamers of all shapes and sizes.

But what about women, especially the younger ones, who want something to divert their attention on the train ride home or while on lunch break?

The answer to that question, for now, is the Silicon Sisters’ new title, “School 26: Summer of Secrets.”

While its overall gameplay is far from groundbreaking, its simple approach, solid music by Canadian band Hey Ocean and fun, Nickelodeon-inspired story make it a worthy time guzzler for casual female gamers on the I-Pad.

“School 26: Summer of Secrets” revolves around a High School student who must rally her friends together in time for a big adventure of sorts, which caps off their summer. Following the dialogue, our protagonist must keep her friends and enemies in good graces so she can learn information vital to completing quests. By either matching the emotions of those you speak to, or opposing them, the next event is allowed to start. At other times, you’ll play a match game in an attempt to get certain characters to work together to complete a quest. This spices up what could have been a game that was overtly repetitive.

While the majority of the gameplay is straight-forward and incredibly easy, there are times when it becomes a challenge to make the right decision. These moments are when the title shines the most. The fact that everything is handled so well, in an intuitive menu that allows you to share information with other characters, is a definite plus. In the end, it’s a system that many other I-Pad games can learn from.

Because of this, you’d think this title would have something for everyone but, in spite of everything this game has going for it, “School 26: Summer of Secrets” is ruled by a story that is geared towards tween girls. Chances are if you dig television shows the likes of “Hannah Montana” and “I-Carly,” this is a game right up your alley. Everyone else will find it a bit too hokey, but will appreciate the colorful graphics, cute tunes and charming gameplay system.

Nevertheless, while it isn’t for everyone, it’s a game that is technically proficient and able to entertain if given a chance.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14262 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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