Stop off at Boutique Boulevard for a little time management fashion play as you attempt to bring this strip of cold concrete sidewalk back to its former glory days as a fashion hub for the rich and trendy. Challenging gameplay mixed with impressive graphics makes this a solid choice for time management fans. 

Can I just tell you... I am not having the best day. I've been training for a 10 mile run that I'm doing at the end of the month. It's the Tower of Terror run at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and while yes, that sounds fun, and there's a party with the Villains after, where we get to play in the park until about 2 in the morning or whenever I fall down exhausted crying in the corner, let me again say... it's 10 miles.

Not a 10K... 10 miles. Almost a half marathon. So that means, I've been getting up early every morning and running a 5K every day... then on the weekends I run a longer distance. This weekend I'm supposed to hit 7 miles. Do you know what my body feels like right now?!

I've never done anything but 5Ks before... this... this is a whole new level of madness. And the worst part is I'm actually considering doing a half marathon after this... because, for goodness sakes... what's 3.1 more miles on top of this? Right?

Every time I move my chair, I groan. Muscles I haven't used since high school soccer are reminding me how long ago it has been since I was truly active. I think... I think it's safe to say I am a little cranky today.

Which brings me to the point of this rambling whinefest. I need a pick-me-up and I need one now. So when I saw there was a new time management game out, I snatched that thing up almost faster than the 2 aleve I just downed.

Boutique Boulevard... please be good... or at least good enough so that I can take my mind off my poor aching butt. 

So, here we go... when I first launched Boutique Boulevard, my initial reaction was... OK, you got my attention. You're kind of impressing me with the shadowy and realistic looking graphics paired with a cute cartoony red head. The lighting was nice, the showroom warm and inviting.

This could be something I could waste a few hours on, I thought, and I could feel myself slowly perking up... although that could have been the pain killers.

The premise of the game is that you are hired to bring Boutique Boulevard back to its former glory. Apparently, it used to be a real happening place, a hub of fashion, but sadly someone boarded up all the windows and painted graffiti on the walls and everyone left.

You begin with one store... Merika! Which is obviously supposed to be American Eagle. Here you go through the tutorial where you learn the basics of gameplay. 

You start off with one lone little worker and two shelves that you have to stock with the outfits that people will come into the store to purchase. There are different stations throughout the store... that you have to drag your little dude to. That part was really annoying. You can't just click to make them go to the station. You have to click, drag, and release.

And, apparently your customers are complete invalids and need help with EVERYTHING. They go to the clothes shelf... you have to help them pick out the outfit... dude... there's only one there... it's not that hard. Then you have to go to the changing room and it appears as though your worker is saying encouraging things to the person in the dressing room... yes sir, that shirt makes you look just like Ryan Reynolds... no I don't think it makes you look fat or reveals too much chest hair. That is just the right amount...once you're done inflating their ego, then you have to, of course, cash them out at the register.

Also, if the shelf is cleared of the two items you can fit on it, your worker dude will totally ignore everyone else and begin loading up the shelf with new merchandise... which is just great when you have people screaming at the register, people whining that they don't have someone to help them pick out which pink shirt to get, and no one to compliment them at the dressing room...

No matter how much you click on that worker... they won't be available until they are done completely laying out the new clothes... sigh... this did not make me a happy camper. 

Boutique Boulevard does provide a good amount of customization, I will give it that. And it has a lot of little details that I appreciate. First, you need to put together outfits for customers to buy. So you need to unlock them first by purchasing the pieces that complete the outfit.

At the beginning of each day, you'll find out what people are in the mood for... they've worked out this neat little trick where if someone is just coming in to buy jeans... they can't... they have to buy the complete outfit... so if jeans are on the menu... make sure you pick the outfit that's worth the most to make them pay through the nose!

You also have a nice selection when it comes to decoration. You can change the flooring, the walls, add some fancy artwork, a few plants... display shelves. Anything your heart desires. I went for an earthy artsy feel here.

The only thing I have to say is the decorating tended to be just a little awkward with where you could place things. I would try and try to place a plant, but I couldn't figure out why it wasn't working... I still can't. I had to put it by the counter instead of by the door.... what is symmetrical about that?? 

As you progress through the game, you'll gain stars for your store. Once you've earned a certain amount of stars, you can start buying and opening up more of the stores on the boulevard. Here's me opening up the Tokyo store where they sell cute cat shirts and feature a giant Godzilla in the corner. 

Overall... how did I feel about Boutique Boulevard? Meh... could have been better. It was so close to being awesome... but some of the gameplay dragging issues just were too annoying to truly say this was a great game.

It definitely was worth the few hours I played it... and I only got to store two, so there are plenty of levels of play to make it a good buy if you're into time management games. However, I think I need to find something a little less aggravating than Boutique Boulevard if I'm going to forget about the way my butt feels when I move just so...