Gamertell

Originally I was going to review Otometeki Koi Kakumei: Love Revo DS!!, another DS girl’s dating game, this week. However my bid for the blue-haired guy Shouta is taking a bit longer than I thought, so it will be delayed until next week.

Instead, I’m going to talk a bit about the cultural phenomenon that is Neon Genesis Evangelion and some of the strange video game offspring it has produced. Evangelion is undoubtedly one of the most well known Japanese anime series. This is probably because it possesses most of the essential anime staples: Big robots? Check. High school drama? Check. Cute girls occasionally dressed in revealing/form fitting outfits? Check. Occasionally twisted storyline? Double check.

Frankly, you have to invest a lot of time to truly understand the series. Just watching the End of Evangelion movie one weekend (cough) isn’t going to cut it. Thankfully, many of the video games inspired by the series have nothing to do with the whole tangled storylines and hidden truths which permiate the series. So let’s look at Neon Genesis Evangelion: Ayanami Ikusai Keikaku with Asuka Hohan Keikaku, Shinseiki Evangelion: Typing E-Keikaku, Neon Genesis Evangelion Magokoro wo Kimini and Puchi Eva: Evangelion @ Game, four games loosely based on the whole Evangelion experience.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Ayanami Ikusai Keikaku with Asuka Hohan Keikaku
System? PS2, though a version called Ayanami Ikusai Keikaku also appeared on the Dreamcast and on PCs.
What do you do? You’re cast in the role of a NERV lieutenant who is charged with raising Rei Ayanami. You train her and arrange her schedule for a year. There’s also a romance option, where you can make her fall in love with the lieutenant. The PS2 version also provides the option of raising Asuka instead of Rei.
How does it tie in to the original series? Events from the Neon Genesis Evangelion series pop up throughout the game, so basically you’re behind the scenes raising the character while it happens. Its pretty closely tied to the source material actually.
Is it any good? I’ve only heard rumors of it, since I don’t own a modded or Japanese PS2. I’ve heard its fun if you like Princess Maker style simulations games where you raise a child to be the best they can be..
Is it any good if you don’t speak Japanese? Well, you’d need a modded PS2 and you’d have to read a lot of text. You could probably manage it, if you’re a die-hard fan of the series who must play it. It’d probably be fun - I play Princess Maker 4 Portable without knowing any Japanese and I love it.
My favorite part? Its essentially Princess Maker: Evangelion. Princess Maker games are inherently awesome, so this immediately becomes an interesting game. Also worth noting - there’s a version with Shinji for PCs titled Ikari Shinji Ikusei Keikaku.

Shinseiki Evangelion: Typing E-Keikaku
System? PS2 and Dreamcast
What do you do? You type - the Evangelion characters fight. Or dance. It depends on whatever the level’s goal is.
How does it tie in to the original series? While you type, the Evangelion characters fight. Or dance. They do stuff as long as you don’t screw up.
Is it any good? Typing of the Dead was fun, and this game was popular enough to merit a release on both the Dreamcast and the PS2, so maybe it is.
Is it any good if you don’t speak Japanese? No, I’d say it probably isn’t. Especially since a Japanese keyboard would likely be required to play.
My favorite part? In NCSX‘s description, they state that the characters at one point will dance to your typing. That sounds kind of interesting.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Magokoro wo Kimini
System? Nintendo DS and PS2
What do you do? Play a pachislot machine (aka: slot machine) while Evangelion scenes featuring Rei or Asuka appear on the top screen. That’s it.
How does it tie in to the original series? Clips from the series appear on the top screen while you play the slots on the touch screen. That’s about it.
Is it any good? Did you know at a local dollar store, you can probably pick up a battery operated electronic slot game for a dollar? Imagine that dollar store toy with an extra screen on top displaying Evangelion clips. Not very impressive, is it.
Is it any good if you don’t speak Japanese? Since its basically just a slot machine game with scenes from Evangelion playing on the top screen, I’d say no.
My favorite part? The fact that I can go to a dollar store and pick up a cheap, handheld game and still get a similar experience.

Puchi Eva: Evangelion @ Game
System? Nintendo DS
What do you do? Play various mini-games staring AU-chibi (aka: alternate universe mini) versions of the Evangelion characters
How does it tie in to the original series? There are Puchi Eva short computer animated cartoons starring the AU-chibis appearing on Japanese TV (and also YouTube). They mostly involve school time antics.
Is it any good? The characters and design are so cute, after fifteen minutes of play you develop diabetes. Its adorable, even if there are only four different kinds of mini-game repeated over and over.
Is it any good if you don’t speak Japanese? Yes and no. The circle-tap mini-game really requires the ability to read Japanese in order to, you know, win. The other mini games involve rearranging objects, helping characters run to a certain point or solving a pipe puzzle and don’t require any knowledge of Japanese at all to be fun. If Play-Asia had it on sale, it’d be worth picking up.
My favorite part? Its a toss up between the three incarnations of Rei Ayanami (normal Rei, Supa Rei and Chibi Rei) and the adorable way in which the angels are presented. Of course the anthropomorphic Eva Unit 01 is also too precious for words.

COMING NEXT WEEK: I’ll finish winning the heart of Shouta so I can review Otometeki Koi Kakumei: Love Revo DS!! for next week’s Important Importables. If you don’t miss a single installment of Important Importables, or want to know right away when the next column is up, then sign up for the Gamertell Newsletter and RSS feed.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables previewedSoma Bringer.

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