One thing I've always been completely intrigued by is the Japanese Host Club. It's something that in American culture we really have nothing that remotely resembles it. I've been playing Yakuza 2 lately and of course there is a Hostess Club. I've been completely drawn into the complexity of the Dating Sim element.I'm sitting here playing it trying to figure out this girl Madoka's likes and dislikes. I'm worried about how my answers will effect her opinion of me and although there are two other girls, I have this sense of responsibility to not see them while I'm "seeing" Madoka. It's kinda a weird feeling. To kind of be in a virtual relationship. As well as a little dangerous. You've seen the sci-fi films or the theories where a human falls in love with a robot, losing interest in real relationships. I could see someone becoming a shut in and just playing these types of games.
So this makes me wonder, How in depth do these games get? I'm sure a game like Yakuza who's main focus is the mafia storyline and action combat RPG element doesn't so the genre justice. Does anyone have any experience with these games? Maybe know one with Japanese Language with English Subtitles? Or possibly just one in english? If you do not feel comfortable leaving a comment, please feel free to send me an email.
Thanks,
David
5 comments:
David, I think you should take some donations and make a Hostess bar in Texas....bring this yummy Japanese trend to america
I’d also like to know if there’s one of these games with English subtitles or English voice acting. I doubt it though. :(
There are actually many dating sim games with english subs/japanese audio.
but almost half of them just get inappropiate the more you go.
You just gotta look around for them. I think www.jbox.com has some dating sims, just look to see the rating. :D
normally the basic principle in this game is like if you select more options that is relevant to the character you will likely to get her ending. there's aren't much
most good ones don't really let you have a lot of choices, as players tend to get absorbed into the plot of the different routes. That's why I prefer to call them visual novels than date-sim.
interestingly david, if you haven't realised, the picture you put up is from a VN called CLANNAD, which is good for all ages and had some very good storylines. give it a try sometime. not sure if it had been released in English yet.
another one i recommend is called Ever17, which is also good for all ages. It's a sci-fi themed VN, and I had to say I really enjoy the story, especially the gigantic major plot twist in the final ending. Think it's out in English now.
On a serious note I think all these romance side things like the Hostess bars and the videogame arcades in games is just to add to the playability, much like a MMO Metagame where even after you beat the main chunk of the game you still have sidethings you can do to extend your play even further. I am glad to see these in games to help break the monotony of gameplay, but too few games do that now. So now you get an 8 hour story that you are finished with in well....8 hours and then there is nothing else to do, while older games, mostly adventure titles, have alot of extra stuff you can do, like the Guilds in Oblivion, or Side quests in Mass Effect, or hell even collecting banners in Assassins Creed, while these arent all good, they do help break the Monotony of "go here, kill dudes, then go here" you can choose if you want to do something different, like go hang out at a hostess bar or go rescue a ship in distress
Post a Comment