Gamertell

If you’ve been following Important Importables for a while, you might have noticed that I like to touch on not only games but game-related imports as well (or at least things from Japan that might interest gamers). Today’s column is one of those days.

Due to coverage of titles like Tokimeki Memorial: Girl’s Side 2nd Season, Otometeki Koi Kakumei Love Revo DS!! and Duel Love, Important Importables has acquired a few otome fan readers (fans of dating/life sims for women). I figured today’s column would be a good chance to highlight an anime episode that they’d enjoy - Ouran High School Host Club episode 4, “The Invasion of the Female Manager.” it has a hilarious storyline involving a devoted female otome fan, a club filled with otome stereotype guys and a series that is going to appear on DVD in the US in the coming months…

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It’s a given that not all Japanese games will make it outside of Japan. Some didn’t sell well enough in that country, others were too focused on a certain age group and sometimes they’re just too weird.

At the same time, there are quite a few phenomenal or funny games which should get a worldwide release, but don’t. Sadly, gamers don’t get a list of reasons from publishers or developers as to why we’ll never have the honor of playing a domestic version of one of these titles, but usually it is pretty easy to understand why.

So this week we’ll review four DS titles which will very likely never, ever be released in North America.

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Title: Otometeki Koi Kakumei: Love Revo DS!!
Price: $48.90
System(s): Nintendo DS
Release Date: 2/14/08
Publisher (Developer): Interchannel-Holon (Interchannel-Holon)
ESRB Rating: N/A
Pros: Pretty English friendly, good character art, funny storyline, handy quick save/quick load options and CG events happen naturally provided you meet the stat requirements.
Cons: Get out your Action Replay DS - you’re gonna need it. These guys are hard to please, and the hara heri hunger/stress gauge just keeps rising. Some people may also find the story insulting.
Overall Score: 8/10

Otometeki Koi Kakumei: Love Revo DS!! sends a pretty clear message to players - gorgeous guys will only date and fall in love with thin, toned and intelligent girls who are willing to tell the guys what they want to hear. Of course most dating sims require the player to tell their in-game mates what they want to hear, and many also require players to improve their avatar’s traits to win a character’s heart. However Love Revo DS!! is the first game I’ve played where weight can make or break a relationship.

Amazingly enough, it accomplishes this task without being insulting. Rather than feeling like the boyfriend candidates are shallow individuals, the whole set-up seems rather funny. The girl (the player) was adorable as a child, she won beauty pageants and was just precious. Then she got lazy. At the start of the game she’s a 100kg (~220lb) slob who’s dumb as a stump. 

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Title: Tokimeki Memorial: Girl’s Side: 2nd Season
Price: $48.90
System(s): Nintendo DS
Release Date: 2/14/08
Publisher (Developer): Konami (Konami)
ESRB Rating: N/A
Pros: Improved skinship mode, more guys, lots of extras for the DS release, bombs are easier to defuse, extensive voice acting
Cons: If you don’t speak Japanese, you’ll need a guide for your first play-through. CG scenes are harder to get.
Overall Score: 10/10

Tokimeki Memorial: Girl’s Side: 2nd Season is amazing, and is now my all time favorite DS title. Before you start thinking this is some single 20-something’s chance to recapture her youth, check out Amazon Japan, where TMGS: 2nd Season has been in the top 25 DS sellers for months. TMGS: 2nd Season is a quality game and an example of how all ports should be executed. It features additional content, characters, voice work, mini-games and extras without tarnishing the memory of the original title.

I just completed my first play-through about fifteen minutes before writing this review. Since much of the gameplay is identical to the original TMGS: 1st Love DS game, I will use the review to chronicle my first TMGS: 2nd Season adventure. 

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