Yumii's Dream Factory

Otome & BL news 11/10

2012-10-11T21:44:00.000+02:00

Brother's Conflict (or Bro-Con for short) is getting an anime! Not much information have been released yet so we will have to wait. Crossing my fingers for a good studio to animate it.

Karin Entertainment Sherlock Holmes otome game will be released on March 7th, 2013. The website finally opened after such a long wait and I'm really excited to play the game.

TAKUYO open the website for their new PSP game 月影の鎖 -錯乱パラノイア. The slogan is "Would you still love me..?"
My first impression is very good. I love the colors and the character designs!

New Rejet title called Ken ga Kimi.
As usual Rejet shine by choosing the most inspiring and wonderful BGM and soundtrack to the game.

Anime designs of the bishonens in Amensia are out.
I think they manged to capture each guy's style pretty good.

Why not grab a new PSP theme and wallpaper? Diabolik Lovers are celebrating the release of the game with some handsome vampires for your PSP. And while your on the website, don't forget to vote for your favorite boy in the poll.

Otomate's new game Shiratsuyu no Kai will be somewhat of a horror game.
The setting is an old japanese Shrine and there will be supernatural elements. The music on the website is enough to make me shiver.

Hinano did a research on how much you really have to pay in the end to play those "different routes per game" VNs. It's ridiculous how Japan is trying to rip-off the poor customers. I don't hate the idea of paying money per route but if so it better be at a reasonable price!

Otome & BL news 21/8

2012-08-21T14:04:00.000+02:00

The new Arcana famiglia spin-off mini game website opened.

Confidential Money got new CGs and so did Diabolik Lovers.

Voice samples and more information about the Quinrose game 24 ji no Kane to Cinderella Halloween Wedding. I have to admit that I had zero interest in the game before but after playing Oumagatoki and seeing the cast I really want to buy this (*´・ｖ・)

FD for VitaminZ teaser site has been published.

Seems like Otomate took inspiration from the Fate/ series because their newest game is Princess Arthur. Trailer looks good even though I can't ignore how similar Lancelot looks to the Fate/ interpretation.

Another newly announced title from Otomate is NORN9. The wikipedia article and trailer hints that there will be three heroines. I'm a sucker for Nordic mythology so this is right up my alley.

OZMAFIA finally updated and added voice samples to some of the characters.

CG update for Love is not bound by any rules! This game looks so good, I can't wait to get it! (*°∀°)=3

Yaoi game Taisho Mebiusline got a release date: December 21st. Let's hope they don't postpone it anymore.

Fandisk Omerta: Code TYCOON teaser website opened.

Upcoming 18+ otome game Koezaru ha Akai Hana released a trial version. The game will be released next month.

Glass Heart Princess will be in stores 11/29.

The new Amnesia game got it own website. Shin as the protagonist this time?

I'm guessing the Arabians Lost remake sold pretty good because now a sequel/FD is coming. The new installment is called Arabians Doubt and will be available next year.

Witch's Garden is one of the first games uses a new technique called E-mote which makes the characters look animated and much more alive. (Sample can be seen here)
Will all visual novels looks like this is the future? I certainly wouldn't mind. Hopefully some company will try this out on otome games too. Otomate maybe?

Game review: Oumagatoki ~ Kaidan Romance

2012-08-18T22:07:00.000+02:00

Made by: Quinrose

Genre: Otome, Romance, Comedy, Occult, School

Summary: Shizuka is an ayakashi, a descendant of a great and powerful water spirit. She and her ghost friends hang out around school at night when the humans are asleep to pass time. Her after-life becomes a lot more interesting when she meets a bunch of new friends and even fall in love.

Shikibu Hisoka
Shizuka and Hisoka go way back and they are always seen running around school, pulling pranks on everyone. On the daytime they also make themselves visible for humans and attend to human school. Hisoka uses spells and curses to attack with and he would be classified as a shinigami (death god).

Hisoka and Shizuka often tease Kyougoku, the student council president who is the perfect, strict "no fun allowed" type of character. Since Kyou used to be a human before becoming a ayakashi, he is stronger than most of the spirits, so the mischievous pair often have to make a run for it.

Hisoka is very playful and flirty type, but only when Shizuka is around. When sparring together she can't get through his barrier so she runs towards him and hug him instead, as a surprise attack. Shizuka finds out that Kyougoku used to have siblings when he was alive and she accidently bumps into his human little brother, Mitsugu. She says Kyou's name by reaction and Mitsugu is happy to meet someone who used to know his brother. They start talking about Kyougoku and without realizing it Shizuka starts talking about her little sister, before realizing she never had one.

Some Ayakashi are born when dying as a human, some born from ayakashi parents and some are born out of thin air, with no family or alike. Shizuka is one of the last mentioned, so she never had any memories before becoming a spirit.

The next day Shizuka takes Hisoka on a date after noticing Mitsugu acting weird around Hisoka. The shinigami buys her a ring and everything goes great until Shizuka asks abut Mitsugu. Hisoka admits he put a spell on him but only for a short while and did it because he thought it would be fun. Our heroine is not amused and tells him to cut it out and that this is serious stuff they are talking about.

Hisoka is really pissed off by now, saying that if Shizuka loves the humans so much, he will turn Mitsugu into a spirit. Kyougoku finds out about this and with the help of Shizuka's friend Wakako they team up to stop Hisoka. Days pass slowly and there is no sign of Hisoka. They eventually meet when Shizuka finds him sleeping in the bushes. They fight to vent out the tension and Hisoka says all kind of shit about Kyou and Mitsugu and humans in general. Shizuka finally realize that Hisoka likes her and that he is just being jealous.

This upsets Hisoka even more and the following night at school he locks her up in an empty classroom and molests her while whispering how he is going to kill her and make her his doll (ﾟДﾟ) Jesus fucking Christ.

The big showdown is here with Mitsugu and Shizuka and her gang is ready to protect him. But Hisoka is stronger and they almost lose until Shizuka makes her surprise attack, a kiss. The yandere is so surprised he lets his guard down and Kyougoku successfully escapes with his unharmed human brother. Shizuka and Hisoka hooks up in the end since Shizuka practically thinks "Oh well, even if he is a crazy yandere, I still love him".

Things are perfect until a tengu spirit named Tobiura shows up and says "You better start remember the past soon". Shizuka is confused but at the same time knows that weird feeling that have been swelling up inside her is no coincidence. That night she gets her memory back. She used to be a human, living with her family and little sister like any other kid. But Shizuka could see the ayakashi and of course people thought she was crazy. She got bullied in school and her little sister was also targeted. Their parents had no clue that this was happening.

Shizuka meets Hisoka when she still was a kid and he takes a liking to her, offering her to become an ayakashi. Shizuka rejects and to prove how useful it is, Hisoka kills a bunch of kids that bullied his human friend (((( ;°Д°)))) Shizuka grows up to be a beautiful young woman and Hisoka is happy since he finally can do ecchi things to her (lol). One day the bullying goes out of control and her little sister is forced to choose between Shizuka and her friends. Her sister, Kaori, apologizes while pushing Shizuka into the school pool, before running away.

Shizuka realizes that now that it's come to this point, her life have no more meaning, so she drowns herself. But before she can, Hisoka pulls her up and turns her into a spirit, promising to avenge her and to make her forget everything bad that have happened.
Waking up, Shizuka is beyond mad at Hisoka. Not only did he turn her into a spirit, he also killed all those other people.This was the reason Hisoka didn't want Shizuka near any humans and tried to stop her whenever she was thinking about her past. They meet and Shizuka is unable to kill Hisoka, so she leaves school saying that when Hisoka is the happiest, she will take her revenge.

Jesus Christ, Hisoka is just awful. I'm sorry but I can't sympathize with this crazy yandere at all and his constant "You're my doll" talk to Shizuka pisses me off so much. Well at least I'm done with this asshat.

Hibiya Kyougoku (Kyou for short)
Shizuka and Hisoka have always been causing trouble and messing around with Kyou for fun and since he used to be a human, he is extra strong. The downside is that he still have a "human smell" around him which causes some spirits to try to eat him.

His route starts with Shizuka going to tease him, but since it's almost lunch time they end up eating together in the garden. Shizuka is surprised when Kyou says he got a bento and when he blushes he admits that he made it himself. Shizuka steals some food and surprisingly he is a really good cook.
Before leaving she tells him they should hang out sometime again and Kyougoku is dumbfounded but happy, saying most people find him stiff and boring.

Shizuka runs into Kyougoku every now and then and her impression of him starts to change. She used to think he was stuck up and strict but now she finds him gentle and caring. Shizuka meet Mitsugu, Kyou's little brother. Kyou's death is unexplained and it is one of those rare "disappear without a trace" type of cases. Kyougoku himself doesn't remember how it happened either, but his little brother still believes he is alive.
Hisoka notice Shizuka is hanging around Kyou more and gets jealous. He blabbers all kind of shit in front of Kyou before adding "Joooking~ (◠‿◠) " by the end of the sentence.
Shizuka is pissed at him and tells him to cut the shit out before leaving with Kyougoku (Go Shizuka!)

The two of them go on a date to the amusement park and Shizuka holds Kyou's arm, who in responds blushes and go "B-Baka! Girls shouldn't do that! It's my first time holding hands with somebody!"
When they are riding the ferris wheel Shizuka confesses about Hisoka targeting Mitsugu and they decide to try to stop him together.

Because Shizuka is such a powerful spirit her energy is constantly building up and if she doesn't release it, she ends up not being able to control it. So now that she haven't had any time messing around school she is slowly building it up more and Kyougoku offers her to drink his blood since he is half-human but Shizuka says there are other ways, like (kissing for example) so they go and have sexy time in the school infirmary~

The fight with Hisoka takes place and after they win Mitsugu passes out. Kyou and Shizuka carries him home and while they are there they take a look at Kyou's old room. Nothing has changed at all and it's like his family is waiting for him to come home. Shizuka is saddened by this but Kyou kisses her and says that if he didn't die he would never have met her.

Same thing happens as in Hisokas route, Shizuka regains her memories and this time realizes that the one who killed Kyougoku was Hisoka. One day when talking to Hisoka he flirted with her and as usual she rejected him, he then asked her what type of guy she liked and she described a guy who was smart and mature and the opposite to Hisoka. So Hisoka found Kyou and killed him in order to make Shizuka happy.

Shizuka is yet again not able to kill Hisoka after all and after their fight she meets Tobiura again, who tells her that he found out something very interesting. A spirit can become a human again through a very complicated ritual. Shizuka gets the spell ready and Kyou arrives at the rooftop just as planned. They start talking about Mitsugu and when seeing Kyou's sad face, she completes the transformation.
She kisses him farewell as the last of his spirit powers disappear and she hugs him tight, even though he no longer can see her. She is happy he got his life back as a human, even if it means they can never meet again (´；ω；｀).

I'm usually pretty annoyed and biased against Yusa voiced megane character but I really like Kyou. He grows on you and his character development in the game is great. He deal with a lot of pain, seeing his little brother grow up from afar, while his family still keeps hoping for him to come back home. His love for Shizuka is very innocent but at the same time he shows that he wants to protect her and take care of her properly.

Izumi Reiji is a fox spirit who at first doesn't like Shizuka very much. Or well, that's what she thinks, but the truth is Izumi is just a tsundere~
Izumi is in the archery club and when Shizuka goes to visit him, he gets nervous and misses the target completely. The two of them got a rival-relationship going on and they end up competing against each other in everything. Shizuka discovers that she does indeed find it fun to tease tsun-tsun Izumi and make him blush, so she starts saying embarrassing stuff just to see his reaction (✧≖‿ゝ≖)

Because Izumi's health is pretty bad he often skips PE and rests in the nurse office. Shizuka finds him there and when leaving he grabs her hand and ask her to stay by his side. He kisses her quick as a way to steal some of her energy, but Shizuka takes advantage and deepens the kiss.

Izumi loves anything that got to do with foxes and on their first date Shizuka buys him a fox plushie. Izumi goes "Wow! You got great taste! Foxes rule! Go foxes!" but then they start to argue because Shizuka thinks they're cute and fluffy while Izumi insists they're cool and dangerous.
As a way of showing his appropriation for the date, he invites her to his sister's wedding.
After the ceremony they go back to Izumi's house and since it's so late his mom says it's best if she spends the night there. They both have trouble sleeping, knowing their rooms and right next to each other so they sit in the hallways and talk for awhile.
Shizuka jokingly says "Fufu, do you want to share a futon? I bet we would sleep better" but Izumi gets super serious and accepts the offer. No brainer, the two of them starts making out and I'm pretty sure neither of them got much sleep that night~

It's time for the festival and the two of them somehow lose sight of one another. They find each other in the forest again where Izumi puts on his fox mask and shyly confesses his love. Shizuka is like
"What was that? I can't hear you under the mask (￣ω￣)" so he takes it off and kisses her.

I really loved Izumi and his route was super adorable. I think he make a good choice for a first route and leaves you with a good impression that makes you want to continue playing. His personality changed a bit after they hook up, but nothing that bothered me too much.

Yurajou Keigo
The wolf spirit who is working at the nurse office. He loves helping people and have had a crush on Shizuka since he first saw her, but because he is shy and innocent and she is cool and strong, she never noticed him until now.
Since Keigo always fixes Shizukas wounds when she is hurt she repays him by helping him with his homework. One day when they are studying in the library some yokai kids accidentally nudge a bookshelf which falls right on Shizuka. But when opening her eyes Keigo is on top of her, taking the hit for her. She panics and asks if he is alright, but he just says that if it's for her sake, he can bear any pain in the world. Despite usually being turned-off by Keigo's puppy-personality Shizuka finds the gesture sweet and they share a kiss.

The two of them starts dating and Shizuka is invited to Keigo's home. He got a lot of sisters and brothers and Shizuka feels happy being around such a big family. It almost makes her wish she had one of her own. The youngest children transform themselves into puppies and Shizuka spends the day playing with them. When she and Keigo share a room he is surprisingly quiet and just says Goodnight without touching her at all. After waiting for 10 min she goes
"Don't you want to kiss me? I thought you liked me. I'm sad when you're so reserved..." which makes Keigo jump on her faster than you can say horny dog.

It's time for the festival and the pair share a lot of cute moments together. Keigo always talk about how he would die for Shizuka and how he admire her more than anything. While flattered, she sometimes doesn't know how to respond to such commitment. Keigo always tries is best to impress her but sometimes says his embarrassing thoughts out loud without realizing it which makes Shizuka laugh a lot. Keigo starts hinting that maybe it's something important that Shizuka has forgotten and after seeing his wolf form she remembers saving a wolf from a hunter when she was young. The wolf was in fact Keigo and ever since that day he have been head over heels for her.

Even though Keigo is on the verge of being too clingy and jealous and creepy, his route still managed to be adorable with a lot of good moments in it. It's hard not to fall for Keigo's puppy like charm and Namikawa did an awesome job in this.

Tono Atsuro
The badass tall guy in school who everyone is afraid of. He always gets into fights and even fight Shizuka when she need to release her daily dose of power. He have always seen her as a rival and opponent so when they start dating he realize she is actually a girl.
Shizuka and Atsuro don't get along very well in general but that change when they meet each other at the cinema. Turns out they both got an interest in movies and got similar taste to top. Atsuro asks if she wants to go and see another movie sometimes since their discussions are fun and Shizuka agrees.

Even though Atsuro seem like a bitter and grounchy person at first, Shizuka finds out he actually like fuzzy and nice things. But she is conflicted with her feelings and when Atsuro confesses she doesn't know what to say.

She likes him a lot, that is true, but she is afraid their relationship will be messed up since they are such good friends and rivals. On the school trip she and Atsuro ends up in the same group and with the help of her friends she realizes that she does indeed like him. They meet in his room at midnight and start making out while Shizuka is going "Hey, this isn't that bad~" lol.
He tells her to forget their old relationship and accept her feelings. If she becomes his girlfriend he will make her the happiest woman earth.

So Atsuro was kind of boring. Nothing really happened in his route and his character fell flat for me even though it was a bless to listen to Junichi Suwabe playing a cool type as this.

Tobiura Moegi is a tengu spirit who is very creepy and stalker-ish (why do he even have a route?!?)
Anyway so Shizuka and Tobiura goes to the town and when he sees some kids he decide it would be fun to watch them die, so he kills one of the girls walking by. Shizuka is very disturbed by this and Tobiura turns out to be a real sadist who loves watching others suffer.

Tobiura takes her to a old weird shop where she finds a cut-out from a magazine about a mysterious murder where the oldest girl in the family killed the others and then disappeared. Tobiura goes all "Oh wow! That suuure sounds suspicious *cough* *cough*" before they leave but doesn't mention it again. Since his route is only a side-route nothing really happens beside him showing off his tengu wind dance for Shizuka and doing creepy stuff to her to see her scared face, which he loves.

Nashibatake Wakako
She is Shizuka's best ojou-sama friend who also gets a yuri side-route. Her short story is about her finding a boyfriend, but in all of her endings she ends up with Shizuka instead lol. I found Wakako to be a cute but very overprotective character at times. I don't mind yuri at all so this was just a fun thing to add to the game~

Gameplay
This being my first Quinrose game, I did find the system to be very simple and a bit annoying. The skip button needs to be pressed down all times and the menu feels uninspiring. It does have it good points though; you can rewind the game at any time and even choice a different option if you happen to take the wrong one by mistake. Other than that, the game is a normal VN. I also missed the option to take screen shots which is my excuse for the lack of CGs in this post.

Final Score:
Story 8/10
Oumagatoki manages to tell a interesting story that both got comedy, mystery and love. Shizuka is truly a kickass heroine who is easy to relate to compared to the usual weak willed girls.
Most of the guys (with exeption for Hisoka) are all very funny and each route had it's own charm. The characters are well developed and overall I had a great time playing the game.

Music 7/10
Pretty forgettable and nothing that really sticks, but that doesn't mean it's not good. It's just that nothing really stood out and I can't remember the songs if somebody asked me, but they didn't feel annoying when playing.

Art 7/10
A bit inconsistent at times and the anatomy was weird in some CGs but you can tell Quinrose are improving fast just by looking at the lineup of their games.

Voices 8/10
As usual the voices were fitting and as I mentioned before I was pleasantly surprised by Yusa in his role. Toriumi Kousuke did a great job as tsundere Izumi.

Total: 9/10
Despite not loving the QR system, I do love Oumagatoki. If you want a good game with funny and interesting characters, intruding story and an awesome heroine I really recommend Oumagatoki.
I'm looking forward to the spin-off coming later this year and the sequel!

Otome & BL news 6/8

2012-08-04T09:49:00.000+02:00

PSP Otomate game Amnesia is getting an anime. The website opened today and like most of you I'm pretty excited. A sequel was also announced and planned release is 2013.

Honeybee's new project Heart Supplement teaser website is now open.

Quinrose Oumagatoki is getting a sequel. The popular PSP game not only got a spin-off but now also a new game.

The Hakuouki anime is getting dubbed in English, which the people seem very happy about. Not gonna comment anymore on that.

First CG is up on Black Wolves Saga -Last Hope-.

Popular Nitro+Chiral BL Togainu No Chi game now have a 100% complete and working English patch ready to use. The hard working ladies over at Aarinfantasy forum called "Yaoiforever" released it and any questions about the patch, help, download and etc goes here.

More information about upcoming games and drama CDs DoubleScore.

I actually didn't know before but the heroine for upcoming Otomate game Genroh is only 12 years old! As expected it's rated Cero B and I expect they won't even have any romantic implication or otherwise we will all be going to jail ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ

The butterfly game series from popular drama CDs creators Black Butterfly will not only include one guy per game, but also a teasing guy who tries to charm you. Sounds like a perfect set up for a love triangle.

Aoba from DRAMAtical Murder is getting a figurine. The company Max Factory will make it and a prototype was displayed during Wonderfestival.

A fandisk have also been announced for the game. The title is Dmmd re:Connect and will take place after the first game. It will be a mix of mini games and normal VN. More information will be reveled in this month's Cool-B.

Idol boys Otoya and Tokiya from Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ are also getting made into figures. Wonderfestival had a strict no-photo rule, but somebody manged to snap a picture of them.
Not that bad.

Spray is celebrating the 10 years anniversary of the BL game Gakuen Heaven. Special wallpapers are available.

Otome & Bl news 17/7

2012-07-17T10:50:00.000+02:00

Yet another Alice game to add to the series, this time it's Diamond version. New characters are White Queen, Black Rabbit among others.

A second fandisk for Arcana Famiglia game is in the making. This time it's a mini-game collection with all the characters, taking place at a festival in Regalo. More information to come!

Isshoni Gohan have been delayed until 2013. I'm pretty frustrated by this actually, as the game seems to be promising.

Rejet is releasing an artbook with the popular boys from Tokyo Yamanote Boys. It goes by the title FAIRYTALE ILLUSTRATIONS and will be for sale by the end of august with the price tag 3,150yen.

Update for Diabolik Lovers. The manga seems pretty well-received and the heroine not all that bad.

More information about the system in Glass Heart Princess. I used to be sceptical about this but now I'm actually looking forward to it. The alien (?) guy is my favorite so far.

Nitro+Chiral is releasing a DRAMAtical Murder anthology manga. You can order it here.

Rejet opened a website especially for the BWS soundtrack. The first CD will be out august 29

CG update over at OZMAFIA. God damn, Caesar is a badass AND tsundere? Will my poor heart survive this?

Hyakki Yakou got a CG update recently.

Twitter icons and wallpapers up for download over at upcoming BL game Si-Nis-Kanto

Karin is releasing a dakimakura featuring the protagonist of the yaoi game Omerta, JJ. I wonder if it's exclusively for Comiket or if they will sell it online too?

From the looks of it eroge company Liar-Soft seem interested in publishing their games in English.
A new website opened containing information about their popular steam-punk "What a wonderful...". series. The site is in both Japanese and English and the creators talk to the English fanbase how the games have setting in Europe and how they would like them to play their games in English one day.

Game review: Arcana Famiglia - Vascello Fantasma ~Speciale Episodio ~

2012-07-15T22:58:00.000+02:00

Made by: Hune-X

Genre: Otome, Mafia, Romance, Adventure, Fandisk

Summary: Taking place after the first game, Felicitá and the gang is back in this FD. The story starts with Felicitá getting kidnapped by a mysterious intruder who steal all the Tarot Arcana cards.

The kidnapper named Ash escapes to a ghost ship where he meets up with a man called Joshua. They take out the cards and Ash decides he will make a contract first. It's the Magician which chooses him and makes it mark on Ash neck. Joshua starts screaming all of the sudden when the Justice makes a contract with him. But something is strange and Joshua turns into a skeleton and awakes a whole army of skeletons on the ship. The Arcana Family arrives to save Felicitá but a thick fog now covers the entire ship and everyone gets lost.

Libertá
Felicitá can't see a thing but feels someone grabbing her hand. The two of them escapes to a safe room. Libertá is in his usual cheerful shonen hero mood but he notice Felicitá is scared, so he promise he will protect her. They run into Nova who is acting strange and he suddenly kidnaps Felicitá! Libertá fights him and it turns out Ash can shape shift to people too, not just a tiger. They also get attacked by a hoard of skeletons and Joshua appears. He is just about to attack but suddenly staggers when he sees Libertá, and rushes off back to the ship.

The next day Felictá and Libertá meets Joshua again, this time he is turned back to human (the two of them doesn't realize he was the skeleton). They introduce themselves and Joshua talks about his how much he wants to see his missing son and Libertá assure him that they will surely meet some day.
On the way back they meet Jolly in the hallway. They tell him about Joshua and Jolly says he used to know a man named Joshua; he was Mondo's son (and Libertás father). Jolly says it sure is strange to meet a man with the same name again and Libertá almost panic at the thought of meeting his father.
Felicitá suggests searching the ship for more information and they find a diary written by Ash's dad.

Just ans they thought, Joshua is indeed Libertás father and Felicitás half-brother. They try to find him but meet Ash who grabs Feli again, planning on using her Wheel of Fate arcana to help Joshua. Libertá saves her again, saying that he treasure her more than his father. They fight with the skeletons on the deck again and Joshua finally appears after that. He apologizes to Libertá for being such a bad father and never keeping his promise of raising his son. Everything seems find until The Justice goes crazy and turns Joshua back to a skeleton. Libertá ends up using his powers and the card finally let's go of Joshua, whom can return to heaven after finally saying goodbye to his son.
Libertá hugs Felcitiá and says he's not gonna cry.
His father left him with a smile on his face so he is gonna keep smiling too!

Libertás route was pretty cute and somewhat how I expected it to be. His reaction to whenever Feli wanted to do something romantic was really sweet and he keeps blushing and being all innocent.
Him finally meeting his father was touching and I'm happy they parted on good tems like this ( ´ ▽ ` )

Nova
Felicitá and Nova decides to focus on getting the tarot cards back, rather than finding the others or fighting Ash. They hide inside a storage while resting when skeletons starts ramping outside. Felicitá gets scared but Nova hugs her and they fall asleep together. Nova wakes up first and notice the engagement ring he gave have fallen out of her pocket. He blushes like crazy but is happy that she likes it and always carries it around.

They fight Ash who is disguised to Libertá and later again as Pace. Ash manges to swap Felicitás ring for a fake one and after fighting skeleton Joshua she demands it back. Ash jokingly says maybe the ojou-sama should hook up with him instead but seeing how Nova and she gets very serious and clearly in love, he gives it back.
Nova was really adorable, just like in the first game. I liked him a lot better now and you can see how much he likes Felicitá.
But I still don't approve of their "I'm dating my aunt" relationship.

Debito
His route was very up an down, one moment happy and the other filled with angst. He and Felictá run around the boat searching for food and the rest of the crew just like in everyone else's route. Debito gives Felicitá one of his treasured guns to protect herself and she somehow feels that he doesn't take her seriously and think she is weak. She later proves him wrong when they fight skeletons and run into Ash. Pace and Luca are surprised when they see the ojou-sama holding one of Debito's weapons, and tells her that he never ever let anyone touch them. During their time on the ship he is haunted by memories of him killing people when he was younger. Felicitá uses her Lovers arcana to help him ease the pain and Debito accepts his past.
The highlight of his route was when he and Felicitá played catch and threw around the arcana cards over Ash's head. It reminded me a lot of their fighting scene in the original game, which I loved.

Pace
Pace only has one thing in mind (as usual), food. He and Felicitá walks around for hours trying to find anything to eat when they suddenly smell lasagna. And not just any lasagna, his mother special secret recipe. Inside they room they meet the ghost of his mother, who doesn't seem to recognize him or know what is going on at all. Pace feels conflicted but doesn't turn down the offer of some lasagna. Pace says his mother is probably there because of a reason, and he figures if he eats every single piece of lasagna she offers, she will be able to go to heaven.

But Ash is back with a skeleton army and Felicitá have to fight them alone while Pace sits safe inside the room. He ends up saving her just before Ash makes the final blow and he says they will find another way of helping his mom. They continue to fight on the dock but Pace end up hurting his leg and his glasses disappear. Since he can't see a thing without them he clings to Felicitá who hugs him and Pace admits that seeing his mother's ghost upset him. He decides to live in the present and allow the past to stop hunting him. They kiss and Feli starts looking around for his glasses but is attack but Ash, whom shape shift into her while leaving her passed out body behind.
Pace notice Felicitá is acting strange and keep asking about the arcana powers, when the real ojou-sama comes back. They start fighting but Pace doesn't know which one is real, so he tells her to read his heart and when one of them starts blushing embarrassed, he knows she is the real one.
They fight Joshua and combined their power is able to send all the spirits on the ship back to where they belong, including Pace's mother. In his ending he and Felicitá visit her grave and he feels like everything finally feels right.
Pace is still one of my favorite characters. His route was better than most of the other and it feels nice settling the conflicted feelings he had with his mom from the first game.

Luca
The dear ojou-sama's butler who is still as helplessly in love with her as before. They wake up in a room together after the fog separated them and Luca apologizes, saying it's his fault Felicitá got kidnapped. He talks about how he once failed to protect her when they were younger but Feli just shakes her head and they decide to go to sleep.
Next day they fight Ash and a skeleton army and they both get knocked out. They are together in a prison cell when they come around but they are soon rescued by the other guys who tease them for being so close. They find a room for the night and after eating some apples Felicitá says she saw Lucas dream last night. The butler says it's probably because he gave her a piece of his heart (in the first game) and now their heart is as one （人´∀`*）He tells Felicitá he loves her over and over while kissing her and then it's sexy time all night~

The final battle takes place next day at the dock and when Joshua unleash a final attack on Felicitá, Luca jumps in front of her and takes the blow of thousands spikes piercing his body. She screams and tells him to stop but he murmurs that he loves her and that this pain is nothing compared to the thought of her getting hurt (´；ω；`)

Joshua returns to normal for a brief second and ask Felicitá to use her power to stop him. She successfully sends his spirit back to rest in peace. Luca notice his hat flew off in the commotion and Feli says that after he's patched up and healed, she will buy him a new one.
Luca is still my number one in the gang and I wasn't so disappointed in his route. One of his other endings was about how Felicitá had a sex dream about Do-S Luca and wakes up blushing, smacking him on the face.

Ash
So Ash grabs Felicitá to another room and wants her to spill information about the family. He keeps calling her "strawberry head" because of her red hair and they go eat food that Pace's mom made. They meet Joshua next day, this time in human form and while Ash is explaining the skeleton situation he accidentally uses his power and shape shift into Joshua. Joshua on the other hand goes back to his skeleton form and Ash transforms to the tiger, ready to attack.
He and Felicitá escapes back to the room again but Ash won't go back to human. Instead he seems ready to eat the ojou-sama and she grabs the nearest thing, an apple, and throws at him. The tiger eats the apple and with a poof Ash sits naked on the floor.

Feli is extremely embarrassed and kicks him in the face but Ash explains he have to eat apples to turn back to human again. They talk for some more but Ash notice something is off and understands she can read his heart. He pushes her down the floor and pulls her hair, saying it's unfair to violate your powers like that. He demands her to show him her arcana marks and want to use her wheel of fate on Joshua as quickly as possible. When she starts crying instead of answering he leaves, slamming the door hard behind him.

Joshua is going crazy with the skeletons and everybody is fighting on the dock. Felicitá sees Ash on the lookout post. She climbs up there and starts undressing herself, showing him the lovers arcana on her breast. Ash thanks her for trusting him and ask her for a duel. If she wins he will giver her the cards, but if she lose she will help him save Joshua. Felicitá wins after a long battle but smile and help Ash up, saying she will of course help Joshua too.

Then it's boss battle time and Joshua says goodbye to Ash, telling him he always thought of him as his son. They go to the office to find some letter left by Ash dad. He made a promise to his father that he would "send off" every spirit on the ship, which was the reason behind everything. When he was young Ash accidentally killed his father while being in tiger form and Joshua raised him as his own after that.

He hugs Felicitá tight, asking her if it's okay to stay like this a little longer. She is the only one he would show this weak side of himself to.
I really, really like Ash. I was so pleasantly surprised when playing that I found myself totally charmed by his love for apples and kick ass personality. His third ending was also hilarious; J(Tr)olly gave him a potion to solve his tiger transformation, but he ends up saying "Gao" after every sentence. Felicitá blushes surprised, saying it's cute, but Ash is not entertained. He transform himself to Jolly and says all sort of ridiculous things, making the real Jolly very uncomfortable. Oh well, at least Feli is happy about it.

Jolly
So Jolly ends up with Felicitá and he is still as smug and an asshat as before. He gets better as the route goes on and he and Feli probably have the most intimate moments in the game.
Jolly is still constantly flirting with her and at one point even admits that no one can make him this way except for her. Just like before, sorry for the short summary. I pretty much had the game on auto while doing other stuff in the background, but Jolly is just always Jolly.

Jolly and Joshua

Dante
Sorry, I tried.I really did.

Gameplay:
Every character got 5 different chapters, each chapter takes about 10-20min to complete and also 3 endings. You don't have to play the chapters in order, which mean you can start on another guys chapter when ever you feel like taking a break from your current one. There are some mini games like throwing knifes on a spinning wheel which can unlock short scenarios and the usual bonus talk from the seiyuu's and questions for the character. The game got the same quick time events as before and Felicitá having the power to read peoples mind.

Final Score:
Story 5/10
I don't think many people can resist a good ghost story but sadly the game didn't use it as much as I would have wanted to. Almost all of the routes had a similar set-up which consisted of Felicitá and the character of your choice to run around on the boat, fight some skeletons and Joshua, then it ends. Obviously Ash and Liberta had the most story in this FD, but what about the other guys?
The thing that still works for Arcana is the character interactions and humor. The baka-trio are as funny as ever and J(Tr)olly is back at trolling the rest of the cast.

Music 6/10
Nothing stood out very much and some of the music was from the original game, which was nice and gave you a familiar feeling. No character songs at the ending this time disappointed me a little bit.

Art 6/10
The art is great as usual with the same heavy shading and comic style that Arcana Famiglia uses. 8 CGs per character might not sound that bad for a FD, but when half of them is a zoom in of the previous, you will feel kind of pissed for paying over 7800yen for just 4 CGs (most of them not even good). Which brings me to my next problem: Why make a fandisk if you aren't going to have any romantic moments between the characters? Some of the characters got so shafted the only thing they did was hug. No, not even that. They almost hugged. Wow, how can we go from Debito humping her on the table to barley daring to touch her?

Voices 9/10
Everyone was great as usual and with this seiyuu line-up I expected nothing less. Sugita (Pace) is hilarious as usual and Nakamura Yuuichi (Luca) makes it impossible not to like it when he calls you "Ojou-sama".

Total: 6/10
I love Arcana Famiglia, but can't help but feel disappointed. It's over before it can start, the lack of romantic moments between some of the characters and the low CG quality makes me regret buying this. Yes, the characters are awesome and just as wonderful as before, but what's the point when it goes to waste? Maybe I had too high hopes and I admit I was way too hype for it's release, but overall I wouldn't say it's worth your time unless your a big fan of the first game.

Otome & Bl news 12/6

2012-06-12T19:21:00.001+02:00

One of my favorite BL games Omerta ~Chinmoku no Okite~ is getting a fandisk!

Black Butterfly advances from CDs to otome games. They got 3 upcoming games in a series called Dousei Kareshi. There will be one game for each guy. I'm guessing they will either be really cheap otherwise they better be really long with lots of content.

Tsubasa no Oka no Hime - A Red and Blue Moon -finite loop- is giving out an artbook with the stunning pictures from the game.

Hana Awase website open.

Glass Heart Princess release date is November this year. They also updated the character and gallery section.

After UtaPri Debut comes a new game called Uta no Prince-sama All Star. The game gives you a chance to date the new senpais.

Wand of Fortune 2 FD added more information on the site. Lulu looks as cute as ever.

New BL game from a company called Easy-Peasy. It's about a god who can change his age and is going to grant someone a wish/power (I think?). The game will be released in 2 discs for the PC.

Operetta's new 18+ otome game Koezaru ha Akai Hana put up CGs and character profile some time ago.

Here is the PV for Little Cheese game Trick or Alice. At first I thought it looked pretty nice and the music sounds like an opening for a drama but I got a bit scared when everybody starts screaming towards the ending. That last sentence is just.... (；゜Д゜)

Hope all of you have an awesome summer!

Game review: DRAMAtical Murder

2012-05-26T19:24:00.000+02:00

Made by: Nitro-chiral
Genre: Yaoi, Sci-fi, Adventure, Romance
Summary: Aoba is your everyday guy, who works at a junkshop and lives with his grandmother on the island Midori Jima. Unlike most young people his age, Aoba doesn't play the virtual fighting game Lime and neither does he belong to a gang. When people suddenly start disappearing all around town, rumors say that the legendary team Morphine is back. Aoba decides to help his friends and find the truth behind the accidents.

Let's start off with some word explanation...

All-Mate are machines that humans own. They are a cellphone/computer/HDD/GPS/everything else you could ever need in one AI. They come in many different shapes and models, changing how advanced they are depending on price and release. Aoba is extremely caring about his All-Mate and always keep him by his side. Other people often comment on how he is too protective over it.

Lime is a virtual fighting game that young people play. It can be one vs one or teams fighting each other. When fighting in Lime your All-Mate takes another shape and fights along your side.
A judge named Uzui is present at all times and if a game is played without her, it's considered illegal. Hackers often play those kind of games and cheat by changing the rules, such as if a person is hurt in Lime, they get hurt in real life too. They can also change the stadium as they please to their own benefit. The purpose of Lime is to dominate the field, aka the opposite of Lib.

Lib are like ordinary street gangs. Pick out a leader, claim territories etc. Lib-teams and Lime-teams don't often get along very well.

Aoba is one of the few people who doesn't belong to a Lime or Lib group. He got many friends who does though, for example Koujaku, who is a leader for a Lib team. His other friend Mizuki is the leader for Dry Juice and our protagonist often goes to their territories to hang out. Aoba is living a peaceful life, except the fact that many customers try to hit on him over the phone. Strangers often comment how smooth and sexy his voice is and he is sometimes mistaken for a girl.
The island Midori Jima is split into several districts. The old district, where Aoba and his friends live, the abandon district, where not many people go and then there is the Platinum Jail. The Platinum Jail is a super high-tech city where only hand-picked, rich and famous people live. The whole city is surrounded by big walls and you can only enter if you have been officially invited. Everything is owned by a man named Toue.

Ren

One day Aoba receives a Spam mail but accidentally downloads the file attached. Later at night he starts it up and it appears to be a game. Aoba asks Ren, his puppy All-Mate, to launch it. The game is an old-school rpg but before he can get anywhere it ends suddenly. The words "To be continued..." appears on the screen.

Aoba shuts it off but suddenly gets a painful headache. It's not unusual though, he have been having them for as long and he can remember. Tae, his grandmother, is always trying to find new medicine to help ease the pain but so far none has really helped. (Oh boy, where have I heard this before?).
Besides the headache Aoba's hair is also extremely sensitive and he never lets anyone touch it.

When delivering a package for a customer next day, Aoba is suddenly surrounded by a bright light. His head start to hurt but he suddenly realize he is in Lime. Ren is standing beside him, this time in human form and asks him if he is alright. Aoba shouts that whoever challenged him to quit the fight, since he never played Lime in his entire life. He can't see Uzui around either, so it must be a hacker of some sort.

A man with a green bunny mask appears before them, telling Aoba to fight him. When trying to explain, he is attacked by an army of rabbits, hurting both of him and his all-mate. Ren asks for a command but Aoba is clueless what to say or do. His headache is much more intense than usual and he suddenly blacks out while screaming. Ren runs up to him, asking what's wrong, but is instead greeted by Aoba acting very different, ordering him several advanced attacks on the rabbit opponents. Aoba starts screaming again and everything turns white.

Aoba had no memory of the fight and after spending some time resting up he is back at work.When stepping outside there is a man laying on the ground outside the shop. Aoba helps him up and the weird gas mask wearing man calls himself Clear. He says he heard Aoba's voice "calling out to him" and keeps calling him Master.

Kojaku had earlier asked Aoba to call Mizuki and check if everything was alright, since there is a lot of rumors about disappearances in Lib gangs. Mizuki casually shrugs it off, but Aoba get a feeling something is bothering his friend.
When returning home that night, he finds the door unlocked and a man he never seen before in his room, hacking his computer. The man revel himself to be the face behind the bunny mask and he is here to find out how Aoba defeated him in Lime. When insisting that he doesn't remember anything, the hacker threatens to destroy Ren. Suddenly Koujaku opens the door and starts fighting with the unknown man, all while Clear pops up outside the window. Everyone is shouting and screaming until Tae appears and tells them to shut the hell up.

Later Koujaku and Aoba talks about how strange Mizuki have been acting and they definitely thinks it got something to do with team Morphine.When they turn around the hacked guy have been eavesdropping on them and Koujaku is just bout to start fighting with him again when Tae interrupts. Before everyone leaves, the hacker tells Aoba that his name is Noize, and that he wants to fight him sometime again.

Noize vs Koujaku

Noize then shows up the next day at the junk shop, asking Aoba to join his Lime team, Raff Rabbit. Aoba declines but Noize drags him away to watch a Lime fight. They run into Koujaku who starts arguing with Noize as usual. The cops suddenly appear and everyone runs.
Koujaku and Aoba ends up in Dry Juice district, but to their shock all of the team tags have been replaces by a new name - Morphine. There is blood everywhere but no sign of anyone alive. Virus & Trip, Aoba's yakuza friends, greets them and says they spotted Dry Juice members on other territories a few days ago.

Aoba later receives yet another Spam mail. He deletes it but directly after gets 20 more of the same mail. When he finally opens it, the spamming stops. It's the same game as last time, starting off where it left the last time. This time the character goes to a castle and see an old lady being dragged away by bats. The game then ends. Aoba sighs and starts walking home, but quickly realize the resemblance between the old lady in the game and Tae.

Just as he feared, the house is empty when he arrives and when opening the doors a dead body with the Morphine logo is there. Before he can do anything else, Aoba is hit by somebody from behind and passes out. When he wakes up he is in an old, broken down apartment. A man with dreads and a pink parrot sits in front of him and orders bystanders to rape Aoba. Despite the heavy headache, our protagonist tries everything to escapes. He starts screaming and passes out, just like when fighting in Lime.

An unkown man stands before him as he wakes up, telling Aoba that he is one of the men who keeps calling the junk shop just to hear his voice. The man takes out a knife but before he can do anything the boss walks in and throws him out. His name is Mink and he says he got nothing to do with Tae's disappearance. He is willing to help Aoba find his grandmother but in return he want to use Aoba as a bait to find Morphine. Not having much choice, Aoba agrees and they head back to the junkshop.

The gang gather together and come to the conclusion that Tae have been kidnapped by Morphine. Noize had with the help of other hackers pinpoint her location to an abandoned factory in the abandoned district. When the party arrives there they are greeted by Dry Juice members with hollow, dead eyes. They immediately start attacking Aoba and his friends who fights them back. Aoba runs off to find his grandmother and makes his way to the parking lot on the other side. Mizuki is standing there with a knife against Tae's throat, waiting for him.

Suddenly something strange happens to Aoba, and he finds himself in Mizuki's territory back at the city. But things are weird and distorted and he hears Mizuki calling him. Appearing before him, Mizuki is bleeding and crying, begging for help. He tells Aoba about how Dry Juice been splitting up slowly ever since Lime got popular. But Mizuki wanted everyone stay friends and be a family, like it's always been. He wanted to stay together as a Lib team. So Mizuki seeked help from Morphine, but before he knew it everything was destroyed.

Aoba tries to calm Mizuki who at this point is screaming like a crazy man, when the headache throbs painfully and he blacks out. He hears another voice calling him, telling him to destroy everything. To give in to the dark side.

When Aoba wakes up he sees Tae safe beside him and Mizuki passed out on the ground. Tae tells him everything is going to be fine, and brings him back to their house.
Everyone sat down together and Tae admitted she had some explaining to do.When she was a younger she used to work for Toue at his research lab. She had joined hoping to find a cure to diseases and brain tumor, but soon realized Toue was searching for a way to manipulate people's minds. Toue succeeded even without Tae's help and created team Morphine. When Aoba met Mizuki in the strange dream-like space, it was actually inside of Mizuki. Aoba have the ability to enter people's mind by using his voice. This ability called "Scrap" is very dangerous to use though, because it also destroys the person who's mind Aoba is entering.

Tae continues to talk and tells them how Aoba used to play Lime. He was a very famous player but one day something inside of him awoke. There are no further details except that when Tae reached the hospital, Aoba had entered the nurse mind and completely destroyed her psyche.

When Aoba asks why he got this mind controlling ability, Tae says she simply doesn't know.

Noize
A punk-ish brat who is only 19 years old, but that doesn't stop him from anything. He is very bold and straightforward but doesn't speak his mind very often.
The next day Aoba gets a call from Virus & Trip, telling him to evacuate the house. The police is outside and Toue is on his tail. While escaping together with Noize, Aoba gets another spam mail. It's another clue to the strange game, this time the hero goes through tunnels and end up finding a key. When the game is over a letter pops up. It's an invitation to Platinum Jail. Not sure if it's a trap or not, Aoba decides to go there either way and Noize wants to come with him.

Arriving at one of the districts in Platinum Jail, Aoba used the map to find where their home during the stay was. The day after they decided to explore and saw the giant tower in the middle of the city, Oval Tower, where Toue is. On the way back Aoba buys some food from vendors and is annoyed when his companion keeps asking what the meal is called. Noize says he never eaten anything besides pizza and pasta, which leaves Aoba speechless.

When turning around to ask another question, Noize is nowhere to be seen. Aoba eventually find him in a dark ally, fighting with a bunch of punks. Before they get any major injuries, Aoba grabs the hacker and runs back to the hotel. Noize does not like this at all though, and asks just what hidden agenda Aoba has. He didn't gain anything by saving him, so why should he? Just for what purpose is he using him exactly?
Confused and unable to answer any of the question above, Aoba instead notice Noize is bleeding heavily from his hand. After several minutes of fighting and arguing back and forth, he finally agrees to Aoba helping him. Asking for his motivations again, Aoba yells that he is simply worried about him and that he isn't using him at all. Noize kisses Aoba and says it's just "human nature, instinct and hormones" (aka, no homo) so they go to his bedroom. ヾ(≧ω≦) ﾉ

They infiltrate the Oval Tower the next day, but run into problems before reaching Toue on the top floor. Aoba saves Noize and they hide in a storage room while waiting for the enemies to disappear. Noize still got hurt but when Aoba tries to help him, he once again refuses. The two of them starts fighting and Aoba notice there is something weird with Noize. The blond man sighs and tells him the truth;

He can't feel pain. His senses are extremely low so he often can't taste food or feel pleasure from sex at all. This is the reason he got all the piercing and didn't notice or care when he was injured. Noize continues the story by telling Aoba about his childhood.
His family is very rich businessmen whom never had any time for Noize at all. Like many children he got violent in attempt of getting attention but his father punished him hard. He was locked in a room with no windows and no communication with the outside, except for his tutor and maid. When he got older he finally manges to escape and started to play Lime, looking for any sort of feeling he could grasp.

Noize notice Aoba is injured when trying to leave the room, so he makes up a plan. He is going to look for medicine while Aoba stays in the storage. Noize also leaves a part of his All-Mate there, so they can keep communication if needed. But minutes go by and Noize is not coming back.
Aoba leaves and ends up on the top floor, where Toue should be. Instead Noize is there, waiting for him. Lime is activated and Aoba sees how Noize eyes are hollow and dead, just like Mizuki's was when he was manipulated by Morphine. About to die and running out of options, Aoba decides to use Scrap on Noize, hoping he can find his true self in his mind.

Noize is my second favorite character in the game. His growth during the last part is a nice touch. His sex scene was adorable and the ending made me laugh a lot. Plus, I'm a sucker for guys with piercings (｡♥‿♥｡)

Koujaku
Aoba's childhood friend whom is the leader for his own Lib team. He is a ladies man but tries not to break any hearts. He works as a hairdresser and have a fascination with Aoba's sensitive hair.
When arriving to Platinum Jail, Koujaku and Aoba is stopped by some ladies, interested in them. They flirt around with Koujaku and feeling frozen out, Aoba announces it's time to go.

But Koujaku says he'll join Aoba later, and stays with the girls. The following days Aoba is alone in the hotel while Koujaku is out partying. Aoba gets pissed being ignored and stalks his friend one night after hearing the door shut. Koujaku goes to a club but Aoba is stopped when trying to enter. A blonde man called Ryho helps Aoba getting pass the guard and says he's a friend of Koujaku. He gives Aoba a membership card and disappears into the mass of people dancing.

Koujaku and Aoba when they were younger

Our hero starts looking for his friend, but stops soon, feeling nauseous and weird. The heavy music is extremely loud and got and odd beat. Aoba passes out on the floor and wakes up when Koujaku is shaking him. He carries Aoba back to the house and helps him to bed.
Aoba can't help but feeling like an ass for not trusting his friend. They used to be so close when they were younger but now he feels they've drifted apart. Koujaku tells Aoba not to go there again, and Aoba says he's worried, wanting to know what Koujaku is hiding.

Later Aoba accidentally opens the door while the hairdresser is taking a shower. Koujaku didn't notice at all, but Aoba saw something he couldn't forget. A bright, red tattoo covering the back. The motive is blooming japanese flowers, but it doesn't look normal, it's almost as if they were alive.

Next day Aoba knocks on Koujaku's room, wanting to talk. But once again Koujaku is out somewhere. Feeling frustrated and angry, Aoba goes to the club once more. He meets Ryho, whom says he'll keep an eye out for Koujaku in case he sees him and that Aoba should be careful.
It starts to rain and Aoba runs home, hoping his friend have done the same.

Back at the apartment, Koujaku is waiting for him. He pushes Aoba down and starts biting and licking him violently, like he was possessed. Koujaku ask what Aoba was doing with "that man before"(Ryho) but Aoba keeps shouting for him to stop ripping his clothes off. Aoba finally uses his Scap ability, the voice that makes people do as he says, and his attacker finally stops.

Koujaku leaves without saying anything and Aoba is left alone, sobbing. He goes out for some fresh air and walks around town randomly, trying to make his mind up what to do about the situation.
He runs into Ryho whom comfort shim and brings him along to his tattoo studio on the second floor of the club. He drugs Aoba and starts telling him about how fascinated he is by him and "the other person inside of him".
When opening his eyes, he is completely paralyzed. Aoba smells ink and foxface is smiling beside him, telling not to worry. Koujaku kicks the door open just in time and saves his childhood friend. Ryho is congratulate Koujaku for finding him and asks how the tattoo is? Koujaku goes crazy again and is about to rip Ryho to pieces when Aoba uses Scrap to stop him again.

Ryho escapes to the Oval Tower and his chasers run after. During this time, Koujaku finally spills the beans. His family is a famous yakuza clan, and he is the heir. It's complicated though, because his mother is a mistress and not the leader's wife. Ryho gave him the tattoo on his back, which is cursed with some kind of mind manipulation Ryho use. The tattoo drove Koujaku insane and he killed most of the clan members, including his mother. When arriving at Platinum Jail he noticed the girls had tattoos made by Ryho (he have a very special style) which is the reason he went with them. All this time he have been looking for the person responsible for killing his mother.

They get to the top floor and as expected Ryho is there waiting for them. Turns out Toue got a part to play in his mind controlling tattoo ability. Koujaku is aggravated by Ryho's comments until he finally flips and goes berserk. His body size doubles, ripping off his kimono and the tattoos on his back are going crazy. Aoba pleads for him to stop and even after killing Ryho, Koujaku is not satisfied. He turns for Aoba and once again cornered, Aoba uses his Scrap ability to enter his friend's mind.

I had a hard time during Koujaku's route. He was supposed to be Aoba's childhood friend but it feels to me as he almost ended up being the worst friend of all (except Mink of course). I know he got the biggest fanbase out of everyone but...I don't know, I guess he just doesn't feel very trustworthy to me. ヽ(ー_ー )ノ ~~Maybe it's the hair fetish~~

Clear

A strange but very charming guy with extremely good hearing who calls Aoba "Master". He is a bit of an airhead and sometimes say illogical things, but you can tell his heart is in the right place.
The night before they leave for Platinum Jail, Aoba hears someone singing outside his window. It's a soft, gentle lullaby. It was Clear standing outside with his umbrella (Despite no rain, he is afraid the stars might fall down).He tells Aoba about his grampa, whom raised him and taught him everything he knows, including the song.

After finding their apartment in Platinum Jail, both of them are very tired and turn in early.
When waking up the next day Aoba find Clear in the kitchen cooking - with nothing but an apron on. Aoba punches him in the face and tells him to cut the crap out lol.

So they start to investigate things about Toue, and since Clear is an airhead he goes around asking dangerous gangs if they know how to break into the Oval Tower OTL. One of the punks wants money for the information, and when Clear denies, he attacks him. They start kicking Aoba as well, who didn't realize they were standing behind him. Clear gets extremely angry seeing his Master hurt and almost kills the guy, if it weren't for Aoba stopping him.

And what does Clear look like under the mask? Tadaa~

The next day the continue searching but end up meeting the same gang from yesterday. This time they came prepared. They beat both Aoba and Clear, saying how if the gasmask don't 't do as they say, they would hurt his precious Master. Clear agrees and Aoba desperately tires to help as the gang pour acid on Clear, the smell of burning skin in the air. But Clear just stands up calm and asks if they are done. Frightened, the punks run away, leaving a panicking Aoba with his friend.

Clear insists that everything is fine and that the damages are zero, but Aoba insists on him taking of his mask and washing his face just to make sure his skin isn't burnt. Clear gets extremely cautious and explained that his grandfather told him never to take his mask of no matter what. Underneath, he is a monster and he don't want to risk scaring Aoba off in any way.
Being the sweetie that he is, Aoba tells his friend that he would never hate him or run away from him, no matter what he looked like. He trusts him and will always be there for him.
So Clear takes off the mask slowly, studying Aobas reaction. After a moments of silence, Clear says
"I'm different after all, aren't I?"
"You're wrong. There is nothing different with you. You look beautiful"
"R-Really? Have you looked properly? Are you sure?"
"Yes. You look just like me and everyone else. Normal."
"I'm...normal? Honestly?"
Clear starts crying and Aoba just smiled gently the entire time.

(´；ω；`) God I cried like a mofo here.
Clear had his mask on the day after, and Aoba couldn't help but comment. Clear says he is still feeling nervous and his grandfathers instructions echoes in his head, but if Aoba wishes for it, he will take it off. He continues by asking Aoba a personal question, what the difference between life and death is. Clear says he sometimes is afraid to go to sleep, thinking that he might never wake up again.
Aoba says that there isn't a correct answer to the question, but from the sound of it Clear sounds scared of something. But since he is scared, it also means that he treasures what he have. Even if life is scary sometimes and bad things happened, you try to get by it day by day, sorting out your feelings.

They turn on the TV later, thinking the news may have some clue on Toue. And there on the screen is the man they have been searching for. He is talking about some upcoming event and music starts playing which causes Aoba to get extreme headaches. That other voice inside of him also starts talking and he almost passes out from the intense feeling. Clear notice something is wrong and turns the TV off, running to Aoba's side. Clear said that was a music called Dye, a special music made by Toue to control people. Clear asks if he can ease Aoba's pain in any way, and his Master says he wants to hear Clear sing again.

It was raining outside when Aoba woke up. The house was empty so he goes out to look for Clear. He finds him in an ally talking to two guards, to his surprise looks like a copy of him. The two Clear clones starts mocking Aoba, asking Clear how the hell he could chose this person as his master instead of Toue. Clear screams that he doesn't belong to Toue but is interrupted when the two clones starts singing Dye music. Aoba falls down to his knees and tries to keep the music out, but the nauseous creeps on him and he can feel his body going numb. They stop after tormenting him for awhile, saying they will be back for Clear later and that he shouldn't forget about his true master.

Clear apologizes and admit he have been keeping secrets from Aoba. As Aoba might have suspected before, he is not human. He is a cyborg made by Toue to control people with Dye music. But when he heard Aoba's Scrap voice calling out to him, he realized Toue was not his master at all.
Clear tears up and says he was afraid Aoba would abandon him if he knew that he wasn't human.
Aoba smiles reassuring and says he will always be there for Clear, no matter what. Clear says he wants to call Aoba by his name from now on and they share a sweet kiss in the rain.

They both get a mail from Toue with an invitation to the Oval Tower directly after. The two of them head there, not wanting to waste any time. As expected, Toue is waiting for them on the top floor.
He says Clear is defected to think anyone else but himself could be his master, after all, he created him. Toue explains to them that Clear was a corrupted robot which was thrown away, but before they could burn his body a man found him and was able to start him up again. The man, whom Clear known as granpa, told the android to always hide his face in order to protect him from Toue.

The two clones from before enters the room and says they are new upgrades, far superior to Clear. Toue orders the "brothers" to give their long lost brother a welcome back gift. The robots attacks both Clear and Aoba without hesitation and move incredibly fast. Laughing at Clears poor attempt to strike back, Toue explains he have a protection program inside of him, making it impossible to attack his fellow robots. Clear is stuck with an idea and turns smiling to Aoba. His mouth forms the words "I'm sorry, Aoba-san" and as he shoves the knife to the side of his head he can hear Aoba screaming his name. Without even being aware of it, Aoba activates Scrap and finds himself inside Clear's mind.

Clear ended up stealing my number one spot out of the guys. I got a thing for androids/cyborgs since way back so when I found out he was one it just made me happier. He also loves jellyfishes which ironically I do as well (´∀｀)♡. I honestly didn't really have a clue what his route was going to be like before reading some comments on forum. His track in the drama CD made me tear up again. It takes place before they go to Platinum Jail and is about how Clear shows Aoba his secret spot on top of the roof. His route goes from comedy to love to seriousness and ends with bittersweet tears. Just a perfect read if you ask me.

Mink
Big, silent guy known who is the leader for his team Scratch. He got a pink parrot with him which is his All-mate.
The day after arriving in Platinum Jail, Mink goes off without saying anything. Aoba follows but Mink stops him when reaching a club. He tells Aoba to run away and play and that he is doing "adult stuff". Aoba get's pissed for being treated like a kid and when Mink says he is here to find out about a drug, Aoba insists on going with him.

In the club the music is awfully loud and the two of them get a VIP room. They barley have time to sit down before Aoba feels like throwing up and his whole body is numb. He tires to leave but blacks out on the dance floor where two douchebags starts kicking him. Mink sighs and forces him to stand while complaining what a fucking baby Aoba is for not being able to handle Dye music.
The other side of Aoba suddenly comes out to play and the "good" effect of the drug starts working. Aoba whispers in Mink's ear to rape him as hard as he can until he is completely broken and can't feel anything else but his dick inside him. Not missing out on an offer like that, Mink takes Aoba to an empty hallway and do as he was asked while asking if Aoba always was such a dick loving slut from the beginning.

Next day Aoba doesn't remember much but he is left with the feeling that he wasn't acting like himself. Mink have a clue on something big going down with Scratch, so Aoba decides to follow.
They get to an abandoned warehouse where the gang have stored tons of illegal weapons and suddenly Aoba realize that he don't want to get involved in this.
The police raids the place and everyone is shooting at each other. Mink hands Aoba a gun but the guy insists on not wanting to hurt anyone. Mink gets his hands on a megaphone and tells Aoba to use his Scrap powers. Without thinking it trough, he does, but this also effects Mink's team members.
The two of them escapes and back at the house Aoba apologizes for messing up. Because of him, almost every Scratch member was taken by the police.

As a way of saying "Hey, don't beat yourself up about it. We all make mistakes", Mink calls Aoba a pussy and emo faggot, punches him in the face and rapes him violently against the wall. While he does so he says he wants Aoba to remember that he is in charge and that he is the one giving him this pain.

Next day Aoba hears Mink talking on the phone. He sneaks up close and hear Mink talking about "handing someone over." Not leaving anything to chances, Aoba decides to escape later that night. Mink can't be trusted. But Mink was already onto him and was waiting outside. He drags Aoba back to the apartment and beat him up until his face is covered with blood. Mink then processed by raping him so hard and sudden that the poor kid blacks out. That other voice inside Aoba wakes up instead and laughs like a manic at Mink. He says Aoba won't be submissive no matter how hard or many times he gets raped. After that, he disappear and leaves Mink with a unconscious Aoba.

When he open his eyes Aoba finds himself tucked in bed with Mink sitting beside him smoking. He feels dizzy but is still happy Mink is there and thinks that maybe he isn't such a bad guy after all.
Aoba falls asleep again but feel Mink reaching his hand out and stroking his hair before leaving.

They decide to attack Oval Tower the following night and they get in by jumping across town with Mink's rocket motorcycle. They land just below the top floor but there are already guards there shooting at them. Luckily the two of them are able to escape to the fop floor without any wounds. Toue is waiting for them in a big room.

He greets both Aoba and Mink, welcoming them to his city. He is happy to see Mink doing so well for "being the last survivor". Mink growls and Toue continues; Mink is the last survivor of "the family clan of gods". His family had the knowledge of secret herbs that could both heal and do other incredible things. The herbs also affected their blood which made it special. Toue wanted to know about the herbs but the clan only allowed faithful and people chosen by god to have it.
So Toue brutally killed everyone and destroyed their village. But the scientist failed and couldn't find anything special about the herbs at all. It was almost like it was a miracle.

Toue laughs bitterly and asks what Mink want in return for information on the herbs. He can have anything he wants. But the survivor is only interested in revenge, so Toue calls his two robots to sing for them. Mink and Aoba collapses on the floor by the Dye music when Aoba suddenly have a flashback.

It was when during the time he played Lime. His named used to be Sly Blue and one day his Scrap powers went out of control. He can hear the police officers talking behind his back about the victim
"Yes, his mind is completely broken. Very heavy brain damage. He might never wake up again".
Aoba screams that it wasn't his fault and suddenly he is back to reality.
Mink is staring out in the empty room and doesn't seem to hear him at all.
Have the Dye music completely taken over his mind? Aoba decides to use Scrap to try to save him.

Uh, yeah...that was..weird. Mink's character isn't really clicking with me at all and Aoba's sudden love for him by the end of the game is to me very unrealistic. I honestly just wanted to get his route over with. A weird thing is that in the game folder you can see 2 unused CGs with Mink which is supposed to be his non-rape sex in the epilogue, but they cut it out. Wonder why?

True Route
The true route is a special character that only is capturable after finishing everyone else's routes.
I was honestly a bit surprised and had no idea that he had a route until I actually got my game.
The true route is basically a mash-up of the other guys route except that it holds the answers to every question you had up until now.

In the true route Aoba goes to Platinum Jail alone. After he arrives Ren starts acting very strange and very emotional. The two of them have had a routine of nuzzling after finishing a check-up, but suddenly Ren starts rejecting him. Aoba thinks Ren is damaged from Lime fights and promises to fix him when they get home. In the mean time he goes to an All-Mate store in Platinum Jail to see if they have any old spare parts.

When they get there Aoba is impressed with the new models. Super high-tech and expensive with new features and accessories. Ren suddenly runs off hurt by the fact that Aoba seems to prefer new models compared to him, since he is a very very old one.
While Aoba is running around he stops next to a sleeping man on the street. The man had snow white skin and looks at Aoba with grey sad eyes. Something happens at that point. It's like a shock went through his whole body. Aoba hears something and shouts Ren's name, but when turning his eyes back, the spot where the man sat is empty.

Ren appears and says he is indeed feeling a bit strange. Aoba says not to worry and promises a thousand times to fix his hardware when they get home. They turn on the TV back at the apartment and sees Toue making a announcement for an upcoming event. Beside him is a very familiar man, but Aoba can't remember where he seen him before.

They go to the event the following night and listen to when Toue announces that his son, the heir of Toue cooperations, is here. Aoba recognizes it's the same man whom he met earlier. Just like before, he get a strange feeling when watching him. Big screens all over the city zoom in on the young mans face. Aoba get extreme headaches and everyone in the crowd is suddenly hypnotized. A moments later everyone is cheering and screaming they love Toue and his his. Toue announces that "the poor, poor, outside people" will receive a live watching too. Knowing Tae and all his friends back at the District will get brainwashed when watching, Aoba decides to stop Toue.

On the elevator up to Oval Tower's top floor, Ren is awfully quiet. Aoba asks whats wrong and suddenly notice pixels covering his All-Mate's eye. Ren says he didn't want to worry Aoba and runs off further into the building. Aoba uses his Scrap power over and over and until his headache is extreme. The other voice inside of him starts talking but Aoba screams for him to shut up and that that other voice isn't him. He turns around to find Ren shut down after a guard kicked him. Sad but determined to fix it, Aoba picks up Ren and continues running.

He finds himself in a strange lab with tanks. Inside of them were weird creatures, everything from Aliens to mermaids. Aoba hears a voice calling for him and is about to run when Virus & Trip stands in the doorway. Guards quickly surrounds Aoba and captures him. Turns out Virus & Trip are the leaders behind Morphine after all. They talk about how happy Toue will be, now that his family is finally back together. Aoba is confused and the two twins laugh at him, saying he is just as cute as usual. Aoba is actually one of Toue's creation. He and Sei, the young man from before, are actually twins. They were created to be gods, with the power to control and manipulate other human beings. Aoba does this by using his voice (aka Scrap) while Sei uses his eyes. This explains the event before when the whole city was manipulated by a look from him.

Aoba and Sei were connected by their hair when being born (like Siamese twins) and when they cut it off both of them died. But Sei awoke a moment later so Toue kept him while telling the scientist to get rid of the dead baby. Tae had a feeling something was wrong and wanted to have a proper funeral for the child, so she took him home. A few hours later Aoba came back to life and Tae decided to raise him as her own. Aoba represent death while Sei represents life. They are each others opposites yet their mind is one.

Out of nowhere, the door flies open and Koujaku, Noize, Clear and Mink runs in and saves Aoba. They get to a safe room and after checking everyone is alright and Noize starts asking about Ren. They try to start him up again which to their surprise works. But Ren is not the same anymore. He howls and growls at Aoba. The dog bites his hand and Aoba gets the feeling Ren isn't even a part of the machine anymore. Ren is a part of him.
Lime is suddenly activated and a bunch of defected All-Mates stand there, ready to attack. Noize explains a virus which makes your All-Mate have feelings and a conscious is spreading quickly in the area and guesses that it got to Ren too.

Aoba decides to use Scrap on himself, sensing that Ren is inside his mind somehow. He sees himself in the reflection of Koujaku's sword and goes deep inside his mind. He finds Ren but his voice doesn't reach out to him. An error appears in front of him asking questions considering his All-Mate and screens showing how life was through Ren's eyes was. He was always watching Aoba, never being able to reach out or protect him the way he wanted to.

They reunited after passing the questions and Aoba now understand how Ren feels. Ren explains he was originally a part of Aoba's soul, a voice he used to talk to as a child. Ren's sole purpose was to watch over and protect him. But as the child grew up the voice he used to talk to faded and Ren desperately tried to find another way to talk to him. One day Aoba found an empty and shut down All-Mate, which Ren transferred to. He could now continue to talk to Aoba and be close to him just like before.

Everything was fine until that fateful day when Aoba's power went berserk during a Lime game. He became afraid of himself and what he could do, shutting away that part of himself. Thus "Scrap Aoba" was born. Virus & Trip erased both Aoba's and Ren's memories to make sure it would never happen again. With time Ren became a soul of his own, believing he had been an AI his whole life. When the virus attacked him, his memories and feelings returned but he didn't know what to think of it. The two of them return to the real world and finally go to the top floor.

Ren's route was pretty unsuspected but I really enjoyed reading it. You couldn't really predict what would happened next and the pace in the text was good. The final showdown might have been a bit anti-climax, but I guess you can't have everything.

Gameplay
One thing that I really liked was the information about characters that flashed by when meeting them for the first time. It's a quick and nice way to introduce them and fits the sci-fi setting.
There are some scenarios in the game where you only got 10 seconds to pick your choice. Nitro skip comes in handy as usual when replaying the game. Most character got one bad and one good end and there is also a 3P-end with Virus and Trip. (/^▽^)/

Final Score:
Story 8/10
My overall impression of the story is good, but there are a lot of things they could work on. The fact that all the routes (except the true one) is just a build-up makes me somewhat bitter. All of the routes also had the exact same layout which made it very predicting and a little bit more boring to read. That being said, the characterization in the game was simply wonderful. Noize was the one who made the biggest impression on me in that apartment and he was easy to relate to. Even before hearing his story you could pick up bits and hints about what kind of life he had and why he is the person that he is today. Him going from cold and suspicious to in the end trusting Aoba and believing in himself was really nice.

Ren's human form inside of Lime

The story in general had good writing in a way that it told information without being in your face. I also liked how Dye music were present in both Clear's, Koujaku's, Mink's route. DMMD is almost like a puzzle game up and the more routes you finish the closer you are to the finale. The events felt natrual and so did the characters reaction. One problem I had was how most of the routes included them going to Platinum Jail to fight Toue - but then forgot once they were there. The game is also very short compared to the rest of N+C games, even though True Route have an extra couple of hours towards the end.

Music 9/10
Upbeat, fast techno music is how I would describe the OST. Even the slower tunes had a synth and ambient feeling to it. The bad ends had special songs which non really appealed to me except Clears. The opening song of the game is really good though.

Art 9/10
A very different approach by Nitro+Chiral compared to their earlier color palette. It's very bright colors and looks much more cartoon-ish than the other titles which works surprisingly well with the theme and storyline. The backgrounds were very pretty as well and Platinum Jails habitants changed look depending on which area you were in. The UI and color scheme in the game is extremely fitting and that alone raised a point.

Voices 8/10
Kisaichi Atsushi is Aoba's seiyuu and I think he did a really good job. Scrap Aoba have a much deeper voice which he pulls off without sounding restrained. Hino Satoshi also deserves a mention for his cool and raspy voice as Noize. At times it was a bit too quiet but most of the time he sounded very seductive and nice~

Total: 9/10
DRAMAtical Murder might not place as number 1 or 2 on my favorite Nitro+Chiral list, but that doesn't mean it's an enjoyable game. With good characterization and a solid plot I would recommend DMMD to anyone who is interested in it. I'm looking forward to see what game Nitro+Chiral makes next!

Otome & BL news 20/5

2012-05-20T12:18:00.000+02:00

Tenrin no Guneval is a upcoming BL game by Madalabo. The protagonist this time is an ossan-character. Anyone else but me see a resemblance to Kotetsu from Tiger and Bunny?

I'm not sure if upcoming Lucky Dog 1 + Bad Egg is a remake with new endings and content or if it is the long awaited sequel people have been hoping for? After being let down with cheap mini-games instead of actual stories, I've somehow lost faith in the Lucky Dog 1 franchise.

Brothers conflict released a bunch of wallpapers to celebrate the release of the game. Get it for both your PC and PSP.

Oumagatoki is getting a spin-off game called Hyakki Yakou.
The heroine is a dragon princess who tries to live up the the expectations of her family and people around her, but she really just want to live her life in her own way. The art is actually pretty nice and I prefer this style compared to the usual QuinRose.

They also put up a website for a new game called School Wars. More information will be in the next B's log. The heroine looks very cute and also pretty badass with that gun in her hand. I definitely wouldn't mind playing this.

Trick or Alice put up their CV and sample voices. There are 2 different samples for each character, one for normal and one for Wonderland. Alice voice certainly is very, very high-pitched.

New Otomate game called Glass Heart Princess. First thing that struck me was how the guy looks exactly like a clone of Shin from Amnesia. The story is about a girl who is a complete and perfect ~~Mary Sue~~ student in every way. Her one and only flaw is that she knows nothing about boys. Will be for PSP and release is set in November this year.

Popular "I'm so in love with you that I want to kill you"-theme CDs Yandere Heaven is getting a game. The website Yandere Heaven - Affection ~Bunny Cage~ sure looks intense.

Honeybee's new game 青春はじめました！ (Our youth has just started! or something) opened it's website. There is a questioner where you can answer what the word youth means to you and they will create characters and other in game scenarios around it. One lucky winner will get their name in the credits.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately OTL
Classes are really hectic this close to summer and I've also been on vacation in London, so no time for games. Please hold out a little bit more for the DMMD review, it'll soon be done!

Otome & BL News 15/4

2012-04-15T22:23:00.001+02:00

Arcana Famiglia Extra Episode website opened recently and got updated with a PV. Luca my love! （人´∀`*）♡

New otomate game 源狼～GENROH～

Brocoli announced a project with popular Kazuki Yone. Kamigami no Asobi is about a world where some of the Gods have lost faith in humanity. They pick out a human girl to teach them the meaning of love and the emotions of humans.

When Gekka first was relesed many people was shaken by the new "Dark-twisted-love" genre. That being said, I don't think anyone could have guessed exactly how far Black Wolves Saga would go in that area until now. A new scenario featured in otome magazines tells how the two sadistic cat brothers burn the heroine with a branding iron (and that's only the start of the "punishment").
I think I will settle with reading reviews from others and listening to the OST.

Issoh ni gohan finally opened their game website. I'm not sure but I think we might be in for both a PC and PSP release?

Brother Conflict got delayed. Yet again. New date is may 17th. I'm really looking forward to this but it's hard to keep up the hype when they keep pushing it forward OTL

Karin's game 断罪のマリア THE EXORCISM OF MARIA which recently got a directors-cut PSP port, is also getting a PC port.

L.G.S updated their gallery with 2 new CGs and a some chibi events.

The second Miyako novel is in stores 14/5.

A trial for upcoming 18+ otome game VAMPIRE SWEETIE is available for download.

Unboxing: DRAMAtical Murder

2012-04-04T18:49:00.000+02:00

So I usually don't post this kind of stuff, but since it's a new Nitro+Chiral game (which is a pretty big deal), and the nice artwork for the cover, I figured I might as well ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

Game with the paper cover still on.

Front (without the cover)

Back

Fully open. The picture quality is really high and the colors look bright and shiny.

Inside. A small charm of Aoba's cyber vitrual pet Ren on the left,
the game in the middle and books/extras on the right.

Booklets that came with the game.

And a close-up of the charm. Really cute!

Hope you enjoyed it! I'm off to play~ (⌒▽⌒)☆

Otome & BL news 30/3

2012-03-30T19:56:00.001+02:00

Famous Key game Little Busters is finally getting an anime, after years and years of waiting. I have no doubt that it will be as popular as earlier adaption.

Fantasy otome game Wand of Fortune 2 is getting a fandisk. I have to admit all the boys looks very handsome （*´▽｀*）

Atelier Elkrone ~Dear for Otomate~ added some new adorable wallpapers, both for PSP and PC.

Danzai no Maria ~La Campanella~ is delayed until may 17.

Hiiro no Kakera 5 announced!

Quinrose Cinderella when the clock hits 12 ~Halloween Wedding~ is getting a sister game with similar theme, but this time it's 24 hours! The Website opened not too long ago.

Hana Awase announced it's cast. I'm still a bit confused if it's going to be both a game and drama CDs, or just one of them. Yura's art is breathtaking as usual.

Ozmafia updated their site with brand new CGs.

Black Wolves Saga -Bloody Nightmare- Opening can now be seen on Youtube.

DMMD's main character Aoba plushie. Adorable~

First impression: Hatsuyuki Sakura

2012-03-26T22:20:00.000+02:00

Made by: Saga Planets
Genre: Eroge, School, Romance, Occult, Mystery

Summary: A girl in white wedding dress appears before Hatsuyuki, asking for his help to search for her rabbit. The next day the mysterious girl transfer to his class. In a town of humans, ghosts and well-hidden secrets, what will the future bring?

Note: First impression means I've only finished a few routes and not all the endings.

Final Score:
Story 8/10
Despite it's cute looks and moe character design, Hatsuyuki Sakura is a game with heavy plot and many tragic endings. If you can't handle bittersweet love, this probably isn't for you.

Tamaki Sakura is the girl in white wedding dress who appeared before Hatsuyuki. She is a very sweet and innocent person, and together with her pet rabbit Nemu, makes a nice comedy-duo with silly jokes (even if they often don't impress the protagonist). She tells Hatsuyuki that she came to the town in search of something, and that once she finds it, she will know where her heart is.

Ice princess Azuma Yoru also becomes a friend of Hatsuyuki's in the game. She appears to be a rocker-chich and though girl at first, but soon softens up. Her route is about the mysterious fact that every one of her skating partners getting hurt when training with her. Because of this people spread rumor around school and they believe she is cursed with bad luck. I grew very fond of Azuma while reading and her endings are so sad, you can't help but feel bad for the poor girl (゜´Д｀゜)

Shinonome Nozomu is your typical clumsy big breasted student committee leader. I stopped reading her route half-way through since compared to the others, it lacks everything. Magic, good pace and Nozomu ends up being the most boring girl out of all of them.

The game also have a general route you need to play first, but in my opinion it's more of a "bad end". The story is further enhanced with forced play-routes, not something I'm a big fan of.

Music 9/10
Loved the OST! The theme of the snow slowly falling, combined with the soft piano piece really made an impression.

Art 7/10
Overall good, but at times very inconsistent. Some of the CGs (H-scenes especially) looked derpy and the eyes were too far away. The snow in the game is animated, which in my opinion really increased the atmosphere.

Voices 8/10

Nothing to complain about here.

Total: 8/10
Hatsuyuki Sakura is not just your regular moege. It's a story about dreams, hopes, magic and love. But before you start reading you should know that the road ahead isn't a easy one. With many bittersweet and sad endings, Hatsuyuki Sakura is a game you'll remember.

Otome & BL news 1/3

2012-03-01T23:01:00.003+01:00

I'm sure none of you have missed it, but yet another otome game is going to be turned into anime this year! The newly announced is Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku. I'm not sure which studio will be doing the adaption, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed and planning to play the game before the show airs.

Popular STORM LOVER is getting a remake for PSP called STORM LOVER-Kai-.

Custom Drive does not only feature the opportunity to change hairstyle/clothes of your bishie of choice, you can also change personality. This was personally a big turn-off for me since it means the character ends up being a pretty empty shell that acts the way you want them to, instead of well...actually being a characters.（ಠ_ಠ）

QuinRose releasing yet another game, this one is called Grimm-Bounty Hunter-.

Kiriya Takashi, famous for her artwork in Death Connection and Musketeer is working with Otomate on a new game called Confidential Money. Looks very interesting!

Don't forget to go and grab the new wallpapers at Amnesia Later. Just thinking about Orion's route makes me go ｡ﾟ+.o((*´∀`*))o｡ﾟ+

A company called Tyrant will release a new BL game called Tokyo Onmyouji. Planned release isn't until next year, but the site has already opened and judging from the teaser picture I think it might be nice!

A sudden update with new wallpapers and yet another voice sample was updated earlier this week at DRAMAtical Murderer.

A trial for the long-awaited Lucky Dog 1 sequel is here. Download and try the game today. Release date is April 8th.

March and April has got to be one of the most busy and most expensive months for us otome-ge players. There are so many titles getting released the upcoming weeks. I'm torn between what to buy/play and not. If you still got some money to spare, treat yourself with a limited edition or first press edition with bonus item from AmiAmi or CDJapan. Bookmarks, posters, special Drama CDs or more are always included in those.

Last but not least...

I'm honestly more of a Masato fan myself, but god damn, Ren ( ﾟ∀ﾟ)ｱﾊﾊ八八ﾉヽﾉヽﾉヽﾉ＼ / ＼

Otome & BL news 11/2

2012-02-11T11:42:00.000+01:00

Popular mafia game Arcana Famiglia is getting an anime adaption by J.C Staff. While I was happy at first I'm also very worried since J.C Staff isn't exactly known for producing good anime these days. Hopefully this will be an exception.

Looking forward to Diabolik Lovers? I bet you do! Luckily, Ilinox have translated the first two Drama CDs to English so we all can enjoy them while we wait for the game. Check out the scripts here

Might be a bit old but voice samples are up for Atelier Elkrone. I'm getting pretty hyped up about the game (I'm a big fan of the Atelier PS3 series) and Meriel sounds really cute.

New Otomate games L.G.S and Toki no Kizuna (which I wrote about here) launched their official websites.

A secret collab project between Black Butterfly (famous for the Shukan Soine series) and HoneyBee. I'm guessing we will be getting some new Starry Sky drama CDs with dummy mic?

OZMAFIA updated their site with opening song, which is fully in English and some sketches of CGs to come.

Black Wolves Saga ~Last Hope~ also got updates recently. The music for this game is just going to be amazing, I tell ya.

Official UtaPri hugging pillows coming soon.

The Miyako FD will be released April 19th.

A bit older news, but for those who missed it Arabians Lost is getting a remake. Check out the new site here.

New Lucky Dog 1 game I'll even destroy the world, if it's for Gian's sake website opened about a month ago. There are wallpapers and other goodies on the site.

That is all for now! Sorry for the lack of updates lately, I've been having a hard time getting into games for some reason (´・ω・`) Hopefully I'll be back on track soon!

Game review: Steins;Gate

2012-02-03T22:58:00.000+01:00

Made by: Nitroplus, 5pb
Genre: Mystery, Scifi, Drama
Summary: A mad scientist, one conspiracy theory, and a murder. This is where it starts.
El Psy Congroo.

Okabe Rintaro
(also known as Okarin and "true name" Hououin Kyouma) is a self proclaimed mad scientist. His delusional mind is full of conspiracy theories about a certain Secret Organization, which is the source of evil in this world. The story starts off with Okarin going to a conference about time traveling with his friend Mayuri.
After several shocking events, the scientist ends up finding the famous "genius girl" Makise Kurisu, dead. Running outside, his vision gets blurry, sweat starts running down his face and suddenly the whole world stops for a brief second. When Mayuri calls his name again, everything speeds up to normal. But it's not normal. In fact, nothing is normal again.

When Okarin turns around a huge satellite is smashed right into the building of they just left. Mayuri says the presentation never happened at all because of the accident and he later meets Kurisu on the way home, safe and sound and far from dead.

Makise Kurisu
The beautiful genius girl who joins Okabe's team. She is calm, composed later in the game gets the tsundere-tag. Okabe likes to annoy her by calling her pervert and other nicknames which she dislikes. Kurisu is the true ending of Steins:Gate and overall I really enjoyed her character. She is the most realistic out of the bunch, even if she can come off as being a Mary Sue at times.

Mayuri Shiina
"Tutturu~♪" Mayuri is a very innocent and sweet girl whom known Okarin since they were young. She is very childish and an airhead which is a very cute combination compared to Okabe's seriousness (or should I say, delusional seriousness.) She got a signature pose where she holds her hands towards the sky, something she does to keep the hope going and literally "reaching for the stars". During the game many unfair things will happen to Mayuri, making me wonder if the writers maybe had a grudge against her? Either way, she is a very sweet girl and her happy ending was one of the better.

Suzuha AmaneA young lady with braided hair. She is searching for her father while working for the landlord at Okarin's flat. She soon turns out to be hiding more secrets than you first would think.

Rumiho Akiha (Faris Nyannyan)
A sweet and charming girl who works at the maid café together with Mayuri.
She is very teasing and playful, and likes to play along with Okarins delusions. Faris route felt pretty short compared to the others, but taking the fact that she feels like one of the more "regular" background characters, I'm not surprised.

Ruka Urushibara
At first look seems like a beautiful shrine maiden, but when finding out the she is actually a he, many people are shocked. Ruka is very quiet and polite and have had a secret crush on Okabe since a while back. His route is about choosing your own happiness over others and that it is alright to be selfish at times.

Moeka Kiryū
A quiet girl with a cellphone. She is looking for a computer. ????

Gameplay
Steins;Gate uses a phone to trigger the events and to make choices instead of the usual boxes that appear. You can take out your phone at any time and read email etc, but when there are choices to make you can call anyone, send an email or selecting a keyword from your notes/emails to trigger certain routes. It's easy to predicts what to do in the beginning of the game, but later on it gets harder so I recommend using a guide if you want to achieve your prefer route. The game also got achievements and tips, something I haven't seen in a visual novel before.

Final Score:
Story 8/10
A game that starts out very slow and gentle, up until chapter 5. You can actually almost say the whole story up until that part have been a prologue. The way the story moves from light to very very dark is so well done that you can't help but get caught up in it. Story itself can at first look seem confusing, with alternative timelines, characters from the future and secret organizations, but it's not hard to find well explained summaries online if you feel dizzy after finishing all the routes. It's kind of hard to tell anything else without spoiling the entire story, so I'll just leave it as this.

Music 6/10
To be honest, I didn't think the soundtrack was anything special. The usual selection of bgm with a few impressive tracks.
Art 10/10
I'm just in love with the Huke in general, so playing this game was a real treat for me. His trademark shining eyes together with the dark coloring and grungy texture on top looked lovely through the whole game.

Voices 8/10 Mamoru does a really great job as a delusional mad scientist (even though I couldn't help but think of some other of his characters while listening). Kana Hanazawa is a personal favorite of mine and her role as Mayuri was really cute.

Total: 8/10
A very well written and well made game from 5bp/Nitro+. The story might come off as confusing but don't let it scare you away. The plot, artwork, characters and mad scientist together are all worth your time. Tutturu!♪

Game review: Sweet Pool

2011-12-28T00:02:00.002+01:00

Made by: Nitro-chiral
Genre: Yaoi, Horror, Gore, Romance, Occult, Violence
Summary: After being hospitalized for a year because of sickness, Youji is back at school. Being as quiet as ever, his friend Makoto is trying to cheer him up. When cold Tetsuo suddenly starts approaching Youji, strange things starts to happen around him. Nightmares, blood and the never ending pain inside of him. What is really going on?

Youji
He is very quiet but speaks his mind when he needs to. The game tells the story from his perspective and unlike most VNs a big part of the game is just going through feelings that Youji have. His parents died in an accident when he was young but he luckily still got a big sister whom took care of him. Youji often feel that he is in debt to her for taking care of him and paying for his apartment. His sister is pregnant and he decided that after the baby is born, he will stand on his own two feet, letting her live her happy married life. without being a burden. In class not many students approach him, knowing about his sickness and he blend in well with as the quiet and silent type. Tetsuo describes Youji as having "eyes that never trusts anyone" which I think sums him up pretty good.

The game starts on Youji's first day back to school, which he soon regret going to. On the train home he is feels nauseous, dizzy but is able to get home before he throws up. Thinking it's from the stress, he goes to bed early. Next day on the train to school the same feelings overwhelm him. On the verge of fainting, somebody suddenly grabs his arm from behind, supporting him. Silently standing there, a warm feelings spreads in Youji's body. A nostalgic, light, calm feeling. Just when he is about to turn around, the train arrive at the next stop and he is pushed along the crowd, leaving the mysterious person behind on the train that rushes away. At school he also meets Zenya, a strange and unpredictable man who starts messing with him. Smart as he is, Youji tries to avoid him knowing that he is dangerous.

Tetsuo
Blond, tall, stoic and surrounded with an intimidating aura, Tetsuo starts showing up everywhere Youji goes. The second day of school Tetsuo tells Youji that they are on cleaning duty this week together and after school they both stay behind to take out the trash. Tetsuo comments that somebody throws his half-eaten food away but Youji doesn't respond (it was him). Out of nowhere Tetsuo touches Youji's neck lightly but when asked why he says "No reason".
Later when Youji is home he feels something on his back and instinctively touches his neck, realizing that he is bleeding there. The weird thing is that he can't feel any cut or wound, it's just blood coming out from the skin. Knowing now that it was the reason Tetsuo touched him, Youji feels anxious and wants to avoid him in case he asks questions. When taking a bath, Youji starts feeling sick again and when he looks down the water has turned into blood. Suddenly a wave of lust hits him and he is unable to hold himself back. Lightheaded, he closes and opens his eyes, only to see the water returned to normal.

Youji is feeling ill and skips lunch the next day and once again Tetsuo finds out and comments when they take out the trash. The science teacher asks Youji to pick up some books at the lab the following day after school and just when Youji is about the leave the rush of emotions hits him again. Just like in the bath, he is unable to stop himself. Looking down he suddenly see a pool of blood on the floor and is about to run away when he hears somebody at the door. Tetsuo is standing there, expressionless as usual and says nothing. Youji realizes Tetsuo saw the whole thing and leaves quickly, feeling embarrassed and confused.

At sience class Youji feels dizzy again and burns his hand during a experiment. The teacher asks Tetsuo to accompany him to the school nurse, which Youji immediately refuses. Tetsuo just grabs his arm and the two of them starts walking up the stairs. Just when turning a corner, the blond pushes Youji up the wall, staring at him. Youji starts feeling the same pain and sickness as usual, only this time much more intense. He runs to the bathroom and lock the door to the stall, breathing heavily and tries not to pass out. This time the pain isn't moving upwards but downwards instead. Closing his eyes, he feels the warm blood running down his thighs and hears the fleshy sound when something hits the floor. He looks down and seems blood everywhere mix together with big lumps of meat, some of them moving occasionally to the rhythm of a beating heart. He rushes out, not knowing that Zenya was watching him all along.

From here Youji and Tetsuo starts developing a strange relationship. They meet during lunch at the rooftop, Tetsuo offers Youji lunch but as usual he feels to ill to eat. Wen Youji get one of his attacks, Tetsuo grabs him and forces him to release the meat monsters. Simply by touching Youji is filled with a thousand different feelings all at the same time and the way Tetsuo acts it's the same thing for him.
Makoto is also worried about Youji, seeing how not only his body is weak but his emotional state is getting worse.

Some days later Zenya wants to chat with our protagonist during break. Youji is suspicious but agrees, the two of them going to the back of the school. Zenya blurts out "I know that you're not human" to a shocked Youji and brutally beats him up until he passes out. When he wakes up, Youji is in a small room together with Tetsuo who is covered with wounds. The same lustful feelings interrupt his attempt to wake him and Youji starts touching his face, bending down to kiss him. Right when his fingers stroke over Tetsuo's lips, he wakes up and embraces Youji.

Determined not to give up even after his plan failed, Zenya tries to lure Youji out after school with promises of telling him what is going on. Youji follows him outside in the rain, but only because he is desperate of knowing the truth. Of course Zenya doesn't tell him anything, beats him up and is about to rape him when Tetsuo shows up and tells the other man to stay away from Youji. Zenya leaves and Tetsuo starts smooching Youji up instead when seeing his wet and shivering body.

So Tetsuo is suspended from school for beating up Zenya and Youji is picked out to deliver his homework to him. After dropping it off Tetsuo's mother pulls him inside and insists on him having dinner together. Youji doesn't eat much but is happy to feel such a warm and welcoming feeling.

Some days later Tetsuo is back in school, telling Youji to go and see him at the rooftop during lunch. Makoto suddenly pushes himself between them and screams at Tetsuo to leave Youji alone. He is disturbing, annoying and only makes Youji feel bad. Can't he see how bothered he is by him!?
Youji tries to calm Makoto down which results in him getting even more angry. The argument ends with the teachers running in, restraining Makoto.

The sience teacher wants to talk to Youji about the fight once the class is over. He comments on how he have been involved around many arguments lately and his grades are dropping. Since it's noticeable Youji is still sick, the teacher says he will give him one more chance by making Tetsuo help him with study. This way Tetsuo also got a chance to redeem himself after the fights. Not giving any other option, Youji agrees.

Later that evening someone knocks on the apartment door. There, in the rain, stands Makoto. He doesn't answer when Youji calls out to him and invites him in, he just stands there whispering the same thing over and over.

"Why can't it be me...Why is it like this?"
His voice suddenly turns into screams and Youji tries to reach out to him, but his hand is slapped away and Makoto runs. Makoto skips school for the following days and Youji spends time with Tetsuo, trying to concentrate on studying (but failing).
When Makoto comes back he is back to normal and apologizes for acting so weird. He wants to talk to Youji properly and invites him to the science room after school. When Youji gets there it's pitch black and he is suddenly pushed against the wall. It's Makoto, holding a knife against his throat.
Yandere and pissed as hell, he forces Youji to choose between him and Tetsuo. Youji is silent and tries to figure out a way of this mess, when Makoto suddenly screams that he will kill Youji and take suicide directly after. Right when the knife is about to go down Youji screams Tetuo's name in his head. Next thing he knows Tetsuo is in the room, fighting with Makoto, who quickly runs away, realizing he can't win against him.

Tetsuo grabs Youji's hand and takes him back to his house where he stars kissing him before he even can catch his breath. Suddenly he stops and says "Call me. Anytime".

Youji gets a call from his sister announcing that the baby has been born. When he visits her she becomes very sad though and wants to have a serious talk with him, reviling a secret she should have told him long ago about their parents accident. Makoto is also in the hospital, and when Youji visits he have a breakdown and apologizes for trying to kill him. He says Youji has a weird smell that made him go crazy. They part and Makoto hopes they still can be friends.

At the hospital entrance the science teacher is waiting for Youji. Before he can ask what he is doing there he says "It's your fault for making Makoto crazy. You and your scent".

The teacher continues and spills the whole truth about the monsters and what is going on. Youji is a so called "Mesu", a person with female monsters inside of him. Their existence is to find a match, an "Osu", which is the male counterpart, also living inside of other humans. To show that they are ready to mate the female will release a special smell which makes them attracted and awakes their sexual instincts. Youji have during the game said that Tetsuo smells very nostalgic which makes him lightheaded while Zenya mentions in the Drama CD that the smell Youji have is like a very sweet flower. The male host is also given super regenerative powers, which explains why Tetsuo's cuts always disappear. The monsters have a leader, a god, which is a purebreed. But the god was punished and made their goal to create a new purebreed, which can only be born by two perfect Mesu and Osu mate.
The science teacher is a member of the cult who worship the monsters and try their everything to make their goal come true. Youji, being a high quality Mesu is a perfect match for Tetsuo, who is a high quality Osu. The teacher starts spewing about how the two of them are possible of creating the new highness, but Youji leaves before he can finish, disgusted with everything he heard.

Next day Youji gets a text from Zenya, who writes that he will tell him the secrets of the cult. When our protagonist gets to school the whole thing is covered in guts, meat monsters and blood. He walks pass them but is soon captured by an old man he never seen before. The man holds a big lump of meat, calling it It's highness/God/Lord etc and Youji realize it's the leader of the monsters. The old man explains that if a Mesu is killed it will surely please the monsters and His Majesty might return to his former glory. Suddenly Zenya opens the door and kills the old man, screaming that he hate the cult and everything that has to do with the monsters. He then turns to Youji, whispering that he loves him but that it is time for him to die now.

I'm sure you can guess what happens next. Youji says Tetsuo's name and a second later he enters the room, beating up Zenya and eventually slashing up his stomach. Youji and Tetsuo tries to get out, but the whole school is blocked with the guro meat. They escape up the stairs and end up on the rooftop.

Tetsuo says that the first time he saw Youji he knew that he was special just like him. The whole year when he was sick, Tetsuo waited for him all this time. Youji asks if he maybe only likes him because of the Mesu/Osu thing inside of them, and Tetsuo admits that it might be true, but that it doesn't matter. He knows he wants to be together till eternity, even if they were the only two people left in the world, he would be happy. They might not be humans, but Youji is the only one who could ever understand him. The feelings they share is beyond love. Tetsuo and Youji kiss, accepting their destiny.

A man whom Youji recognize as a friend of Zenya suddenly opens the door and points a gun towards them. Without any regret, Youji stands up and faces him.

Zenya
An extremely unpredictable man. He can switch mood very fast and got a very dangerous and wild aura. Zenya lives together with his dad Kunihito and their servant/friend Kitani, whom Zenya is very close to. His dad Kunihito on the other hand, is the leader of the meat monster cult. He never goes outside, hates Zenya with all his might and is crazy obsessed with praying for the monsters. When Zenya was little he forced him to eat the monsters, thinking the child would become a host himself (to later create the new purebreed) but his body refused and the monsters ended up slowly killing him from the inside. As a side effect his left eye started morph into the gore-like substance the monsters are made of and there are times when it suddenly starts to bleed heavily. Zenya would probably killed himself a long time ago, having to live with all this pain, if it weren't from Kitani. That man has always helped him, cooked for him and supported him when the pain was too much. Because he is a failed Osu, Zenya hates Tetsuo for being a perfect one

When going Zenya's route Youji is captured and thrown into the creepy room, but this time Tetsuo isn't with him. Zenya wakes him up and tells him about the Osu and Mesu concept and that even if he is a ruined Osu, his instinct to mate with Youji is driving him crazy. And so he rapes Youji for hours, believing there might be a chance of creating the purebreed after all.

I found Zenya, despite his craziness, to be a very interesting character. In his Drama CD tracks, which is a re-make of his ending, he starts to desperately scream "Youji, why won't you love me? Why can't it be me? Why am I like this (a failed Osu)?" and starts sobbing towards the end. He is a character filled with anger and hate but also wanting to be loved and accepted. His very playful and teasing normal voice which can turn into screams and hateful laughter any minute is something that sends chills down my spine.

Makoto
Friendly, bubbly and outgoing guy. Even though he is popular in school he keeps close to Youji, worrying about his sickness. Makoto loves to eat and when going out together he gets the biggest super special hamburger - twice. In his route Makoto get affected by Youji's smell, making him super jealous and obsessed with him. In the scene when yandere Makoto is about to kill Youji, Tetsuo doesn't appear and Makoto asks Youji is he loves him. The protagonist says yes, thinking it will help him get out of the situation, but Makoto isn't stupid. Not being able to contain his anger and lust anymore, he rapes Youji and starts stabbing him with the knife, and things get worse from there...

I honestly felt really sorry for Makoto during the whole game. You can tell in the beginning that he only cares about Youji as a friend, and getting affected by the fragrance was against his own will. The rape scene was just horrible; Youji screams in pain the whole time and Makoto doesn't want to hurt him, but he can't control his body or emotions at all anymore.

Gameplay
Sweet Pool doesn't have the normal conversation option like in most VNs and instead features only two options: Instinct or reason. If you only select instinct all the way, you will end up with Zenya's ending and if you select the opposite all the way you will get Makoto. Considering how deep and full of symbolism the game is, I can't help but wonder if they made the options like this for a reason as well. Following your heart or always listening to your brain you might not ending up giving you what you want. As for endings, Tetuso got 3 (+ one secret "true ending") while Zenya and Makoto only got one each. Even though there are no happy endings in the game, all of Tetsuo endings are still good in one way; they always love each other right until the end.

One thing Sweet Pool get bonus for is how the auto is perfectly timed. I had time to read the sentence in my slow way without it changing and the scene took it's time without it started to get boring. The game also got a "super skip mode" which was useful when replaying a special scene or wanting to try a new outcome.

Final Score:
Story 9/10
As expected from Nitro+Chiral, Sweet Pool is great. Sure it's got gore and when reading the summary about a guy shitting meat and blood, one is bound to back off and get the wrong impression. All the characters were amazing. Very realistic in terms of feelings and thinking in a way you often find yourself doing. Youji doesn't whine or is uke-ish at all which I loved and Tetsuo is very bad ass even if I find myself wanting him to show more feelings. The game also doesn't have a single "I love you"-line which was refreshing and I felt like the whole concept of it was that Tetsuo and Youji's relationship is deeper than just love and go way beyond that. My favorite moments between them has to be when Tetsuo suddenly says "Call me, anytime" which implies that he heard Youji calling for him in his mind/heart. As I mention above, the game is very often told in Youji's POV, but it also switches to Zenya and what is going on in his house with the cult.

Kitani became a favorite of mine towards the end and in a scene when Zenya starts bleeding from his eye at school Kitani rushes in and holds him all why Zenya is crying "Why didn't you come sooner? I need you here. I called you! Hurry up and come sooner!". For short, his character really enhanced Zenya's loneliness and desperation.

I should note that all of Tetsuo's endings are pretty open and gives you a "judge for yourself" kind of feeling. As some of you know I absolutely hate gore, which might makes you wonder why I would put myself through this, but after playing it I honestly thought it wasn't that bad at all and there are very few scenes involving it.

Music 10/10
Loved. Simply loved the music. The ending songs are very addictive and the background music have been on loop since I finished the game. Miracles May by Itou Kanako is just perfection and fits the game so well it's scary.

Art 10/10
Even though the designs of the characters weren't anything special, I still enjoyed the artwork very much. Onitsuka Seiji replaced the original Nitro+Chiral artist Kana Tatana, but I think their styles are pretty similar, only that Onitsuka draws more manly men. The artbook for the game had a LOT of unused CG, new poses and to my surprise the majority of the pictures were of Zenya & Youji together. You can tell the artist doesn't mind drawing gore and bondage (or the two or them together) and I remember reading somewhere that her favorite thing to draw was abs/pecs lol.

Voices 9/10
Not much to comments here. Wataru sounds a bit too much like Asato from Lamento for my taste but the guy who really stands out is Midorin. His voice can snap from happy to sad as Zenya in a second and it really tingles when he talks with his playful voice. Brilliant work and just a bliss to listen to. I don't know about other people, but I didn't think he sounded like Shiki at all.

Total: 10/10
As expected from Nitro+Chiral, Sweet Pool is a touching, bittersweet, sad and well-written story. The characters are all messed up in their own way, just like everyone in real life secretly is. The game makes you question things and think a lot, which I like. I would really recommend Sweet Pool to anyone, even as a starter BL game for newcomers. It's not about sex or having a boyfriend or shit like that, it's about accepting life for what it is and the dealing with those feelings, that fate always isn't fair and the struggle to finding someone just like you.

Otome & BL news 20/12

2011-12-20T14:50:00.016+01:00

Ever thought to yourself "I wish I could change that character's hair" or "I bet --- would look good in a tuxedo!". New game Custom Drive lets you pick hairstyle and clothes for your bishie of choice! The creators are also holding a contest where you can send in your own designs of what you want your man to wear. The winners will have their designs illustrated and maybe (?) even in the game! You can read more information about the contest on Dengeki Girl's Style website.

ASCII Media Works is creating their first original otome game for PSP, a game called Love is not bound by rules!
The story is about a girl who must get along with the student council members. Promo picture is the one here on the left and judging by the art and characters I think I'll enjoy it very much! It's nice to see a mix up from the usual archetypes and not always having the megane character being the cool-and-serious type.

Just found out yesterday but Cool-B got a calender with all the upcoming otome and yaoi game releases! The list goes as far as August 2012 and got everything from platform to expected price. Add to your bookmarks! Suddenly you realize all those games are really far away...

March 27 is the new release date for Starry Sky ~after winter~. Don't forget to grab the special limited Christmas wallpaper here. Tsukiko looks really cute!

Just found out that the hot policeman from TinyxMachinegun whom I had my eyes on is actually related to Tiny! Her big brother maybe? Looking closer there are a lot of similarities like hair and eye color. I'm not sure just how related they are yet, but they share last name OTL Incest route = No romance

By answering otomates survey about mobage you can get some pretty nice wallpapers from games like Hakuouki, Hiiro no Kakera and Nise no Chigiri.

I just got my Girl's Style in the mail today, so here are some brand hot news (sorry for the crappy quality, I had to take the photos with an old camera)

First up is this new game by Otomate. In the corner it says "February 2012" so I'll guess we'll have to wait until then to find out more. The heroine looks extremely badass and I love how her dark design contrast with the big white eagle. The boys at the bottom reminds me of Hakuouki designs, so maybe it's related? I'm incapable of reading the text in the middle, so if anyone can translate I would be very grateful.

Remember the new Sherlock Holmes detective game by Karin? Three (?) new characters have been revealed starting with Jack The Ripper and two (?) Lupin.Jr.

First profile of Lupin is a blond guy with glasses and hair covering his right eye, making him look very smart and strict. The second profile of Lupin is a guy with backslick and wild hair, open shirt and just oozes of confidence and sex appeal. Are they twins or maybe we got a double-personality thing going on here?

From the new CGs of Miyako it looks like Raikou didn't grew his hair back out! I'm so happy! （　´∀｀） There are seem to be an alternetive universe scenario in the fandisk where all the guys are working at a cafe!

Black Wolves Saga site got updated and more information about the different version have been posted. In the PC game Fiona is captured by the sadistic cat twins Mejojo and Auger Von Garibaldi. Since I'm a big sucker for "true love" I'll be getting the PSP version which focus on wolfboy Rath instead.

TAKUYO have started advertising more for PSP game Kamisama to Koigokoro. I'm not sure if it's related to Shinigami Shojo or not, maybe it's an alternative universe or something similar, because the heroine sure looks alike!

First promo picture for the upcoming Hiiro no kakera anime have been posted. For more updates you can follow the team's own twitter.

Brothers Conflict looks like it will have several interesting systems like choosing how you want to spend the day (and with whom), in what way the heroine react when talking to somebody and there seems to be a lot of heart to fill. Release date is in March next year!

The PSP port of Moujuutsukai to Oujisama~Snow Bride~ recently updated their site. The new game seem to have a lot of new functions and mini games which I'm looking forward to!

For Comiket 81 Nitro+Chiral will release a DRAMAtical Murder-INSTALL BOOK- which contains information about the characters, setting, sketches and artwork.
They will also sell the brand new Lamento Drama CD to celebrate 5 years of catboys~
I'm not sure if this is the offical art or not, but I'm very pleased to see Rai in a ponytail, even if Bardo looks like a hobo in the corner. You can check out more of their goodies for the event here.

That's all for now! Have a nice winter break and Merry Christmas~

Game review: Persona 3 Portable ~Girl's side~

2011-12-15T23:54:00.003+01:00

Made by: Atlus
Genre: RPG, Stat-raiser, Otome, Adventure
Summary: Every night, between midnight, a secret hour takes place. Normal humans are unaware of this, but those who hold the potential can be awakened. Arriving to a new city, you get caught up in a mysterious organization called "SEES", a group of high schoolers with special powers. Together you search the labyrinth of Tartarus for answers and what the purpose behind the "Dark Hour" really is.

Original Persona 3 was released back in 2006 and four years later they ported it to PSP, adding a whole new story and the option to play as female. I finished the game last summer and totally forgot about the fact that you could play as girl, until now, that is.

The heroine doesn't have a name but is fan-named "Minako Arisako" after the male lead's name (Minato Arisato). You arrive one night to your new dorm where a small boy with hallow eyes asks you to make a contract with him. Since the heroine is tired from traveling and it's soon midnight, she thinks it's for the rent or something and signs it XD

Minako is, like everyone else in SEES, a Persona user. She can summon different Personas to help her battle the monsters they call "Shadows" inside Tartarus. The tower of Tartarus, with a staggering 263 floors to climb, only appears at the "Dark Hour" and in the exact same spot the school used to be. Those with potential of becoming a Persona user attracts Shadows and sometimes get kidnapped and thrown into the labyrinth. Minako and the rest of the SEES members tries to find and explanation to the whole happening and there seems to be a strange connection to Minako's parents death and the tower.

Since I wanted to focus on the visual novel part of the game, I'll only cover the guys you are able to date (sorry ladies~)

Junpei
A loud, cheerful, laid back type of guy with lots of energy. When first arriving at school he is the first friend you make there and joins SEES right after you do.

Akihiko

Because of the storyline, the female protagonist can't become anything more than very close friends.

Akihiko
Serious leader-type of character who used to be a boxing champion.
Akihiko is very popular at school, but ignores the fangirls and simply says "annoying" if the topic is brought up. He is very protective of the heroine and at a certain point asks her to stop fighting, afraid that she will get hurt.
If you max out his social link and become his girlfriend, he will share his past and secrets with you, reviling why he is so anxious to protect the people he love.

Shinjiro
Raised in an orphanage with Akihiko, Shinjiro is a shady looking character with a dangerous feel to him. He was the one who started SEES, together with Akihiko and Mitsuru but after an accident where his persona went crazy, he refused to work with them ever again. When meeting the heroine Shinjiro puts on a tough-guy attitude and swears a lot, but when getting to know him he is actually a very gentle person on the inside. When going his route he confesses that he loves her, but that it might be a big mistake on her behalf. Even so, Shinjiro asks her to trust him.

Ken
A young boy who join SEES to find the Persona user who killed his mother. Ken is surprisingly mature for his age (even more than Junpei sometimes) but acts very shy around the heroine.
There is a lot of character development in the game for Ken and in order to start his romance you need to have very high courage. Your confidence starts rubbing off on Ken soon and he gets pretty protective of you, making sure that Akihiko and the rest of the male cast knows that you belong to him ヾ(＾∇＾) Note that I'm not the type who likes shota characters, but Ken is an exception with his grown-up yet so easily embarrassed personality.

Ryoji

Ryoji
A flirty and mysterious character who transfers to school late in the game. He and the heroine hits off well and he quickly falls in lover with her. Knowing he hides secrets from her, the protagonist can't help but wonder why his sad eyes makes her heart ache. To him, their love is forbidden.

Theodore
A new character who works as a attendant in the Velvet Room. He gives you different quest through the game and takes you on dates, saying he is interested in the human world. A very classy, handsome and polite man who soon finds you very charming yourself. Sadly his route doesn't go further than him confessing to you and thanking you for showing him so many wonderful things of the human world.

Gameplay
P3P uses conversation options, just like a regular VN, to improve or worsen your relationship with people

The majority of the game is map-based and it's also the way you get around in town. But when you inside of Tartarus the game changes from 2D to 3D. The battle system is turn-based and be prepared to grind a lot, because at the end of the game you WILL be needed to reach the top of the tower.

Every character got a special element focus such as ice, water, fire etc exept for you, who can change between Personas whenever you want. The game is day-based, but when Dark Hour comes you can stay as long as you like until your party members are hurt/fatigued. If you have a good relationship with a party member there is she/he will sacrifice themselves and take a hit for you.

To be able to create new Personas you must first get friends. By building relationship you also build social links that in the Velvet Room later can become Personas. The Velvet room is a special place which only you can enter and where you can talk to Theo, complete quests & get hints how to advance the story.

Final Score:
Story 7/10
I wish I could rate it higher, but I just can't get over the weird pacing in P3P. Having such a long story, the actual events to kick it off doesn't come until much later. The first half of the game is too slow and the last half is stressful. It's a bit of a roller coaster, but overall enjoyable.

Music 8/10
New in P3P is the heroine's music. I really enjoyed that they decided to change it since they easily could have re-used the original OST but decided to make a new one instead. The genre has everything from rock-ish battle theme to jazz in the shopping mall and relaxing blues when you're at school. The opening theme from the original game also deserves a mention and as usual the ending song is touching.

Art 8/10
The 3D models are a bit pixel-ish and the animation is nothing to mention. The classic Persona sprites on the other hand are the usual quality with different expressions and clothing options depending on season. I love the heavy shading and all the characters are

Voices 8/10
Looking at the VA list, we got a pretty nice lineup here. Hikaru Midorikawa plays the arrogant but later kind big-brother type. Kōsuke Toriumi (knowns from Vitamin X and Hakuoki) and Junichi Suwabe also got big roles. And if you are a fan of j-pop, Maaya Sakamoto plays an emotionless android in the game.

Total: 7/10
Even if P3P was unable to push Persona 4 of my top ten rpg list, it was still a fun experience to play as a girl this time around. The boys will argue over you and the heroine is a pretty kickass character who speaks her mind and can summon monsters at her will. If you're into rpg and want to play a VN at the same time, I would say Persona 3 Portable is just the thing. The system is easy to understand and you'll soon forget about real life when running through the labyrinth of Tartarus.

Special: One year celebration ~Results~

2011-12-11T00:42:00.000+01:00

********
Ayako
********

I'll contact you soon for your address ヾ(＾∇＾)

Thanks for participating everyone and for leaving such nice comments!
Let's hope the next year will be just as much fun as this with lots of bishies, sexy BL games and Drama CDs to fangirl over! I hope you'll all be there to share it with me~

Otome & BL news 10/12

2011-12-10T18:08:00.002+01:00

Kimi ga Tame, Koishi Midareshi Tsuki no Hana just opened the game site some days ago. So far it looks pretty...mediocre? I like the promo art more than the in game sprites.

Beastmaster & Prince~Snow Bride~ PSP wallpapers are up

Kami Kimi poll has ended and the results are in. Narumi is the winner with a impressing 42% votes. The other guys weren't even close!

Check out Otomate's goodies for Comiket81. I almost started drooling when I saw all that merchandise!

Diabolik Lovers is now confirmed for PSP! The music gives me eargasms, seriously.

New information about the superhero Drama CD and PSP game LOVE&PEACE by Rejet.

The Miyako fandisk website also added more information. Did Raikou grew his hair out again? If he did, I'm gonna be so pissed （；￣д￣）

Don't forget to fill in the Amnesia Later survey. Rumors says that they might add things that you fill out in the new game.

Arcana Famiglia is getting a fandisk! After refreshing the website a thousand times I was finally able to screenshot one of the two characters that you see for a brief second! Could this be grown-up Liberta?
( 'A') The new name is Vascello Fantasma which in english is the story about The Flying Dutchman. Aaah I'm so hyped!

Original Arcana Famiglia added the second secret password. If you got the game, don't forget to register to unlock the secret bonus scenario!

A bit late on this, but BROTHERS CONFLICT got delayed until spring 2012.

Ozmafia updated with new characters.

The Hiiro no Kakera 3 fandisk is set for April next year.

Tokyo Yamanote Boys character poll is up

TinyxMachinegun update the site and announced a date for the first Drama CD: 29th February. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the two thieves named Tom & Jelly (Jerry) in the corner

Please don't forget to vote for your favorite otome game at the Otome game Award 2011! It's important to support the company's as much as we can :)
Application is here

A new company called Parade are releasing their first BL game called NO, THANK YOU!! (K-ON inspired?). The appeal of the game is that you are always seme (yes, even with those 2 oyaji characters back there) and in the website corner you can press a button to turn the chest/arm hair on and off ;｀(;ﾟ;ж;ﾟ; )ﾌﾞｯ

The story is about a 22 year old man who saves a guy from being run over by a car. You get hit instead and when you wake up all your memories are gone. The man you helped takes you in and let you work at his bar, but shady things are going on behind the nice facade.

You can now pre-order DMMD and see what kind of bonus you get at different stores.

Big update for the upcoming yaoi game Gakuen Heaven 2 ~Double Scamble~

Last but not least is news about the sequel to Lucky Dog 1. The title Gian no tame nara seikai wo kowasu! (I'll even destroy the world for Gian's sake) and more sneak peak will be available in this month Cool-B

Game review: Bouyoku no Fortisimo

2011-12-08T11:19:00.000+01:00

Made by: Utsukiyo

Genre: Yaoi, doujinshi, Tiger and Bunny

Summary: Kotetsu and Barnaby don't get along. Simple as that.
When their boss suddenly announce that they will be living together from now on or else they'll be fired, Kotetsu got 20 days to make the tsundere warm up to him.

A quick introduction to those who haven't watched Tiger & Bunny:

Sternbild City is home to people called "Next," who use their special abilities to protect the people as superheroes. The story mainly focuses on veteran hero Kotetsu T. Kaburagi (Wild Tiger) who is assigned a partner, a strict young man named Barnaby Brooks Jr. However, Barnaby and Kotetsu have trouble working together as they have different opinions on how a superhero should act while at the same time trying to crack the mystery of the murder of Barnaby's parents.

Utsukiyo is a pretty famous group known for their look-alike doujin game of the butler anime/manga Kuroshitsuji. Bouyoku no Fortisimo is their first try at the Tiger and Bunny series and just some weeks after it got released they announced a sequel.

The game starts out with Kotetsu walking in on Barnaby taking a shower. Unlike most VNs where you get a list of choices what to say, Bouyoku no Fortisimo gives you a list of choices what to spend the day doing.

As I mentioned above, you only got 20 days to get closer to Barnaby. Choices like "Talk", "Go out" and "Play a prank" are the usual options. There is also a mini-game where you get to poke at your heroes, see their reaction and eventually take their clothes off.

Bouyoku no Fortisimo might be a doujin game, but you can tell the creators actually put some effort into trying to tie the game with the anime storyline. Aside from that, the game is mostly you trying to seduce the tsundere Bunny, going on dates and eventually hooking it up.

The art is nice and the coloring/shading is what makes it come together. One complaint is how Kotetsu looks 10 years younger than he should. Another is how the only character beside Kotetsu and Barnaby appear in the game is Ivan (Origami Cyclone). I know it's a fan-made game, but I think they could have squeezed in one more.
The music can become annoying and I started to turn it off towards the last route and end of the game, which is nothing trivial, but still drags down the experience.

In the end I would say that if you like the pairing, give it a try, otherwise this is probably not for you.

Oh Bunny, you and your fried rice

Special: One year celebration ~Prize giveaway~

2011-12-07T00:56:00.000+01:00

It's already been a year since I posted that badly written Starry Sky ~in Spring~ review last November.

This last year have been extremely fun and I've learned a ton of Japanese, all while gaining some new friends online and fangirling together with y'all.

As a thank you for all the visitors who keeps coming back and all the amazing otome VN blogs which I am very inspired by, I decided to have a little gift giveaway!

Prize: Dengeki Girl's Style Magazine 2012 January Number.
(Might change)

Instructions:
Just leave a comment with your name (Do not need to be your real name) and your email. I'll put all the comments under moderation so it's impossible for anyone besides me to see it.

Closing date: 11th December 2011

I'll pick a lucky winner by random and post the result here by next week.

Since the time is very short, feel free to spread the word around to other otome/VN bloggers and people. Goodluck~

New otome game announcments 1/12

2011-12-01T12:53:00.000+01:00

With 2012 just around the corner a lot of companies are announcing their new titles for the next year. These are just some of the news that popped up last week...

Otomate and Rejet have started working together on two new projects.

First is already known Black Wolves Saga which will be split in two parts. A PC version named Bloody Nightmare (by Rejet), which will focus the dark and gothic theme of the game, and a PSP version, Last Hope (by Otomate), which will be much more romantic and have a "true love" feeling to it. Which one do you prefer?

I really recommend watching the trailer on the website, not only to get a glimpse of whats to come, but because the music is absolutely amazing. I simply must have the OST when it's released.

The second project is a vampire themed game called Diabolik lovers. If I understood right, it's currently being released as six different Drama CDs, and if they sell well a game will be made. The character designs looks very interesting and the coloring is super, so I really hope they decide to make a VN out of it.

Rejet alone announced a collaboration with Ninomiya Ai (famous writer for Are you Alice?) called Tiny x Machinegun. There will be both a game and several Drama CDs released. From the trailer it looks like it will be comic-style text, just like Arcana, and the song gave me major Lucky Dog 1 flashbacks. The story takes place in NY where policewoman Tiny (blond girl in the middle) is trying to find the criminal who attempted to kill the mayor. Tiny is voiced by Tamura Yukari, which is a big big plus for me since almost no otome game (except 18+ ones) have voiced heroine.

Note that there might be a chance or yuri route with the girl on the left, as the had a scene with her saying "I can tell you like me too and you know I'm right".

Back to otomate who are porting the Hetalia Gakuen to DS and Armen Noir to PSP. I remember reading reviews for Armen Noir and how most of the characters died.
Hopefully they'll add some new routes so the fans finally can get a happy ending (´･ω･｀)

Little Cheese, creators of rapefest/siscon/yandere game KuroKin, are making a new 18+ game called Trick or Alice. Official website will open in a few days but I can't say I'm excited. The promotion pictures are cute and from the looks of it they hired a new artist, but somewhere back in my head the rape-alarm is screaming like crazy. I'll have to wait and see some more content before I make up my mind.

I'll do a another game update after I get new Cool-B and Girl's style magazine. Remember that these are just the ones announced last week, so I'm sure we'll get even more good upcoming titles~

Game review: Idolm@ster 2

2011-11-30T21:13:00.000+01:00

Made by: Namco Bandai

Genre: Rhythm game, Raising sim

Summary: You arrive at Studio 765 where you will be working as a producer from now on. Your job is to raise a unit consisting out of 3 idols and help them become number one on the music chart.
I'm a big fan of music games (project diva, taiko, DDR etc) so when they announced Idolmaster for PS3 I knew I just had to have it

Idolmaster gives you 55 weeks to get your unit to the top. You'll be doing things like dance lessons, commercials, shopping new outfits and competing against rivals. Even though a unit exist out of 3 girls, you only go the route of the leader in the group. There is 4 endings for each girl, and a lot of achievement to unlock.

Characters (Left to right)
Makoto

Tomboy with a deep but beautiful voice. Her best attribute is dance and she is known to have a large amount of fangirls who loves her somewhat androgynous look.

Miki

Carefree girl who simply just loves to sing and dance. She doesn't care about how much skin she shows or what she wears because "Miki is still Miki no matter what".

Takane

Ojou-sama from a far away country. Her beautiful silver hair and smooth voice have caused rumors saying she actually comes from the moon (?). The twins calls her "Kaguya-hime" which is a nickname from the old Japanese story about the princess from the moon.

Yayoi
Full of energy and always cheerful, Yayoi tries her best at everything. All the other girls are impressed by her commitment and her ability to make everything around her a little bit happier.

Hibiki (left, second row)
Hibiki loves animals and got all kind of different types at home. Her favourite types of song are often upbeat ones and she gets along well with Makoto and Yayoi.

Yukiho
Afraid of dogs, men and many other things, Yukiho became an idol to overcome her fears. She gets nervous a lot and cries easily.

Haruka
Friendly girl who gets along with everyone. Haruka wanted to be a star since she was young and is a very optimistic and outgoing person.

Chihaya
Often quiet and not very approachable, Chihaya got a heavy background, her only wish in life is to sing. The one member she can talk to is Haruka and Chihaya tries to become more open like her.

Mami

Got a twin sister named Ami. Mami & Ami are cheerful, teasing types who loves to play tricks and call the other girls funny nicknames. Mami and Ami was separated when Ami joined Ryuugu komachi, making Mami realize she wants to follow her dream of becoming an idol as well.

Gameplay

You and your unit is aiming to win the Idol Academy award that takes place at the end of the game. To win the awards you must gather fans all over Japan, compete against the new famous boy band Jupiter and also your former idol colleges.

A regular day consist of four events: Morning greetings, daily schedule, evening goodbye+ music chart check. You'll be producing one song at a time with 5 weeks to do promotions and commercials until the release.

Idolmaster gives you three different choices of answer, just like in any visual novel. This also shapes your relationship with your girl and the unit you produce. The game is known for the dynamic relationship indicator which changes almost every day.

And geez, let me tell you this, producing a unit isn't an easy task. One day one of my girls were jealous of the leader, which resulted in the leader getting angry at the other member. The third person were standing beside them on the verge of tears and said she hated all the tension between them. The next day the two who were fighting had made up, but the third girl was still depressed and refused to do any work. The above is just an example of all the things that can happen between your unit. You have to share the work between them properly, make sure you not give the leader more spotlight and try to do the events they tell you they want to do.

The daily schedule is free for you to decide over. There will be certain events you can't refuse and you'll eventually learn to plan your time around them.

Publicity/Promotions
Raises your fan awareness and how many fans you have in the area. Publicity/Promotions are short visual novel scenes with choices to make. Depending on what girl you chose, what choices you make and what type of event it is, the outcome will be different.

Live
The goal when doing a live is to make your audience happy. A status indicator shows the crowd reactions and you need to get the score up to a certain number. It usually starts on a negative number (-0.2) and the requirements to success the live is to make it above 4.5. Doing a live raises your fanbase a lot, but often costs to participate.

Festivals
This time it's a battle between you and another idolgroup! The group with the highest score at the end of the song wins. Festivals are great for making more fans, but you won't be paid for doing it.

Auditions
It's recommended to do a audition when releasing a new song. Just like a real audition, you dance in front of a group of judges, trying to impress the director. The goal is to raise your rank (just like when doing a Live) except this time the prize is to sing your new song on TV. There will also be chances to do an audition to sing on a nationwide TV program, which raises your fan amount greatly.

So how do you play it then? Below is a gameplay screenshot from a festival, but the gameplay is the same to both Live and Audition.

1. Your score

Based on your timing, value of button and voltmeter, the score gets higher with every buttonpress.

2. Voltage and Appeals

While playing, your voltage bar will slowly fill up. When it's 100% you can do a burst appeal. A burst appeal is when the girl whose name is listed left (you can change between the members) takes place in the spotlight, earning you more points compared to usual.You start out with only one appeal, but gets more as you spend time with your unit.

3. Dance, Visual and Vocal button

When you pick your members, it's very important to think about the stats. It's recommended to do a group who all focus on one of the following appeals. For example: Pick 3 girls who all have high dance stat, when you later play you'll notice the dance button is worth much more points compared to the other ones. When choosing an outfit and amulet, this is also very important to think of.

When pressing a button, the value will go down and the button next to it will instead rise. You can chose either to focus on just one button, or switch when the first one no longer is worth any points.
Some of the songs in Idolmaster are very fast and if your not used to a rhythm game, I can imagine it being very hard to keep up the pace. Luckily there are also a couple of slow songs which doesn't require much button pressing and will be much easier.

4. Rival's score
As I mentioned above, the screenshot is from a festival. When doing an audition and live, the score is replaced by the crowd reactions. Note that the rival also got a voltage bar and have hidden appeal hearts, how many is unkown. Be careful using your own, because your rival might have been saving theirs for a sneak attack.

Idolmaster have ofcourse other modes than just the story one. You can anytime dress up any character (up to 6 of them) and make them sing any of the songs in the game. This time you don't have to worry about button pressing or stats. Just enjoy the dancing or take some photos at the same time. You can also save the full dance if you want to keep it a memory or liked the girls sining together.

Final Score:
Story ?/10I've only finished 4 girls so far, but the stories in them have been very up and down. They all have a main storyline abou the new rival group Jupiter, but the thing you notice most when finishing the true/good end is character development. Sure, it might not be a lot, but all the characters grow during the game and all become a little more adult.

Music 8/10

I'm not one of those hardcore Idolmaster fans since years back, but I do love the music. Many of the songs are from the first game and since it's a re-relase from the 360 version, some selected DLC were added to. I'm not usually the type who buy DLC after finishing a game, but if they release any good songs, I'll be tempted to buy it.

Art ?/10

Another hard topic to judge. Compared to the 360 version, the textures are much more sharp and the colors looks gorgeous in HD. The dance animations are super b and I never noticed any drop in framerate at all. So thumbs up!

Voices 9/10

It's hard to dislike any character in Idolmaster. Sure, there are a few girls I care a little less for, but one thing is for sure, they all got great voices. Chihaya, voiced by Asami Imai, is easily the best singer in the bunch. Mayako Nigo pulls of the cutest songs with the most hyper pitch I've ever heard and Yumi Hara, voice to Takane, sings beautiful ballads with a smooth and gentle voice.

Total: 7/10
I really love rhythm and music games and I'm not even close to unlocking everything in Idolmaster. So far it's been a very fun, sometimes stressful, but also very addicting game. The anime is still ongoing, so if your interested but don't want to buy the game, I recommend checking it out instead. Well, I'm off to make some superstars (ノ￣ω￣)ノ