VEEMEE, Konami and Codeglue, Oh My!
by SealWyf, HSM Editor
On a week when an exciting new developer, Bigyama, enters Home, and the twin Home giants Lockwood and Hellfire Games have major content releases, the other Home developers may start to look like “those guys over there.”
But “those guys” are producing awesome content too — virtual clothes and items that merit more than a passing footnote. This is content that would get top billing if it were not overshadowed by the big dogs: a new real-world clothing line in Home, an extension of the wildy popular Auras collection, and a very sweet set of exotic furniture, all from “those other guys.”
British developer VEEMEE has plenty of experience translating real-world fashion into Home. They are the firm that created the Home version of the popular Billabong casual and sportwear clothing line from Australia. This week they move in a completely different direction, bringing one of the iconic American casual-wear lines into Home with the new Wrangler collection.
The initial offering features ten items, including classic dark blue denim jeans for men and women, some comfortable-looking shirts and jackets, and a short faded blue denim dress that will likely be one of the must-own women’s outfits in Home in coming weeks. The Wrangler collection will have its own section in the VEEMEE and Threads stores in the Mall and on the Navigator. New items will be added on a regular basis, creating a welcome new Western-casual look in Home, and some nice virtual buzz for the real-world company. As someone who grew up with Wrangler jeans, I’m sure I’ll be adding much of this collection to my virtual closets.
Meanwhile, Konami is extending its revolutionary Auras line with six new hand items that cast an elemental glamour around your avatar. The new auras include Hellfire, Lightning Storm and Snowstorm, as well as three more exotic choices — Plasma Shield, Rainbow Glow and Glow Dust. They join the already extensive Aura collection: the four classical elements of Fire, Water, Earth and Air, and twelve glittery Auras representing birthstones.
The deceptively simple Aura concept has revolutionized Home fashion. I’m delighted that Konami is still running with it. Adding an Aura to an outfit completely changes its aesthetic and emotional impact. When the first collection appeared, I combined the Fire Aura with the pixellated nude and a set of glowing red eyes to create a Fire Succubus. The fiery spiral Aura changed the pixel-nude from something silly and mildly offensive to an intimidating being straight out of legend. Needless to say, the Homeling Collective has adopted the Konami Auras with enthusiasm — if not as part of the official dress code, then in working practice. They lend a wonderfully otherworldly look to any outfit.
The third member of “those other guys” is the Dutch developer CodeGlue. They have a history of bringing us quirky items that sit just outside the box of the expected, from the full-body Mummy and Mime costumes, to colorful Day of the Dead skull masks, to the Hamster in a Ball companion, to the hilarious Cardboard Furniture line.
This week’s offering is more conventional, but no less welcome. It is a collection of ten Asian furniture items, in the style seen in upper-class Chinese stores such as Gump’s in San Francisco. The dark wood and delicate carving will look great in many private spaces, not just those with obvious Asian themes. I expect to redecorate my Island Bungalow with these items. And I may buy the Moon Pavilion personal space to put them in their ideal setting. But even the Harbour Studio would work well with this elegant collection.
One thing I love about Home is the weekly thrill of “Christmas morning” as new content appears over the horizon. This week is no exception. Home’s developers have presented a bright array of attractive goods to fill the stores with virtual temptations. Even if we are on a budget, it’s fun to window-shop, checking out new items — not only from the “big dogs,” but also from “those other guys” who work just as hard and creatively to catch our attention.
May 22nd, 2012 by SealWyf_ | 4 comments
SealWyf is a museum database programmer, who has been active in online communities since before the Internet, and in console gaming since the PS1. In games, she prefers the beautiful and quirky, and anything with a strong storyline. She is obsessed with creating new aesthetic experiences in PlayStation Home.
That Oriental Bundle would work well in the Plum tree Pavilion Personal Space/Clubhouse also
Indeed. That’s actually the one I had in mind when I wrote “Moon Pavilion”. Silly Seal. :/
Hmm. Well then, where’s the Plum Forest Apt?
It is great to see yet another clothing icon enter into Home. Wrangler will be very popular I think. The furniture is nice too, I especially like the lamp and screen. There is also another part of CodeGlue called U Love Green that is out as well. Nice clothing and someone told me it was user designed, now that would be an interesting trend for Home. Nice article Seal.