Ok folks, standard disclaimer: At roughly three months since I stumbled onto the J-List website (from a link at Onion.com,) and thus a total of three months’ familiarity with - or even awareness of - the bishoujo game phenomenon, the following may contain statements which are naive, impractical, and/or utterly pie-in-the-sky dreamworld material.
Nevertheless:
I somehow found my way to the Himeya.com site, where as most here probably know hundreds and hundreds of B-Games are available in the original Japanese-language, mosaic-censored and at roughly $30 above the English-translated versions.
Obviously, unless you’re fluent in Japanese and can read Japanese characters and you’ve got your PC settings adapted to accept Japanese coding, these aren’t going to be of much use. Actually in terms of keeping the B-Game translation market thriving, buying games in the untranslated original versions could be considered counterproductive (if English-speaking people are willing to buy the games untranslated, why bother translating at all?)
But the site is useful in illustrating the incredible number and variety of games that exist in the Asian market. Am I correct in assuming that English translation/distribution companies can pick pretty much any game from those available in the Asian market and choose to translate and market them in English? Obviously there are agreements to be hammered out and contracts to be drawn up, but can I safely assume that any title at Himeya.com might be fair game for imminent release on the English-speaking market?
A group of clear standout titles (at least to me - anime purists may differ aesthetically,) are several titles listed under the manufacturer Illusion/Dream:
> “Requiem Hurts - Kankin -” - reminiscent of Charlie’s Angels, three female detectives do battle against illegal drug/sex rings;
> “Dancing Cats” - dance-club dating/scamming sim?;
> “Sexy Beach 2” - a tropical vacation paradise trip;
> “Brutish Mine” - more RPG than bishoujo game, but stunning;
> “DBVR (Des Blood)” series - first-person shooter games with H-scenes!;
and from AiCherry, “Toroimerai” - 'don’t know what this is about, but the graphics look incredible!
All of these have CG quality on a par with the movie version of “Final Fantasy” and other state-of-the-art CG - and in the case of a couple of the Illusion/Dream titles, the RPG structure is reviewed as being like Tomb Raider or VirtuaCop.
If these games live up to their billing (the screenshots tend to confirm they do at least on visuals,) then they represent a vast, generational-level step up in B-Game quality.
It would seem a no-brainer that their translation and release to the English-speaking market be expedited, and that they have just the kind of “wow-factor” element the B-Game industry needs to jump-start it in the American market.
Anyone have any info on prospects for these titles being translated and de-censored for English-language release?
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A couple other standout titles - in the traditional anime art style:
“Air” and “Kanon”, both by Key.
Each has rave reviews saying it has story content that is outstanding, almost poetic. Let’s hope these are pulled to the head of the line…
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Others of interest:
> “Forest” by Liar - screenshots are of standard bishoujo-level art but look intriguingly freaky;
> “Tasogare” by Leaf - an interactive dramatic novel about genetically engineered “enhanced soldiers”. Very cool looking graphics and a story scenario that’s refreshingly new;
from Mink:
> “Princess Knight” - a combination action RPG and dating sim game with stunning bishoujo graphics and what looks to be a fairly well-executed action game as well. A possible step up from “Brave Soul”?;
> “Fu.shi.da.ra.” - looks like a standard school/college scenario but great graphics;
> “Ippai Shimasho” - voiced campus life-sim, also with incredible graphics;
> “Izayoi no Hanayome” - from what I can tell, your character attempts to pick a mate from a family of vampire chicks who hold a blood-sucking ceremony every full moon… Great camp-factor fun! Stunning graphics!;
> “Lingeries” - a sexual harassment-sim game where you apparently hit on your co-workers with panache and aplomb and anyone else who shows up. Possibly some non-consensual action but fairly tame from the looks of things. I don’t know about anyone else, but real life aside, role-playing an unapologetic workplace scammer would be great therapy for those who’ve had the experience of having to strenuously avoid presumptuous “harassment-hypochondriacs” in their real-life workplace;
> “Mi.da.ra” - cool concept: you have a magic videotape (or VCR?) in which anyone who’s ever watched appears and plays out sexual fantasies; different tapes acquired throughout the game transport the same characters to different historical periods and different social positions;
> “Realize Me” - A more conventional level game but with a cool story: a game scenarist is working on a new game and a beautiful game character gets sucked into the real world;
> “Toki Ne Iro” - conventional B-Game graphics but I’m a complete sucker for any mystery story set in a large old mansion on a hilltop - all of those Scooby Doo episodes come back to haunt me…;
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- Anyone with info on any of these titles, sound off!
- Anyone who’s seen similarly intriguing titles on other sites, let us know!
- Anyone who knows how to forward a wish list to Santa, umm…hey, I’m willing to try anything.
Happy Gaming!
[This message has been edited by ZaphodB.Goode (edited 02-29-2004).]