Scorpio, you have got to get “Tokimeki Check-In!” It’s been something like three years since I got it, it was the very first bishoujo game I played, and it still ranks the best by far of any I’ve played since.
I’m still trying to puzzle out whether my enthusiasm for it is only because it was my first trip into ecchi-land and therefore has sentimental baggage, or if it’s the game’s attributes themselves.
I’m fairly certain it’s the latter, because every new b-game I get is another exciting plunge into Japanese pop culture (reward enough in itself,) but compared with Tokimeki they’re always a bit of a letdown. Tokimeki Check-in! is just bursting with a kind of otherworldly enthusiasm for life - for me a distillation of the best elements of Japanese pop culture, and everything about it just rocks.
Using your priorities:
1 - The story is pretty standard, the scenario of “Single young dude is suddenly surrounded by insanely beautiful, unattached women, and his sole purpose in life is to, ermm, enjoy life to its fullest.” But the setting alone is what sets Tokimeki apart. It takes place in an onzen or ryokan* - a hot springs spa/resort in the country. For the player it’s like being on an extended work visa as manager of an estrogen-drenched Japanese hot springs resort;
2 - The music in this game is just great, one of the most vivid things about the game and simply the best music I’ve heard in any b-game I’ve played. Lots of songs, every single one of them is unique, and some serious thought and effort was put into their composition and execution;
3 - You won’t get a big chunk of Yamano’s life developed in this game, just a summer of serious flings as he operates the resort his parents have left in his care. But then there’s a lot to be said for reliving a brief but vivid summer of romance, passion and heady sex through an excellently-designed game;
4 - This game has incredible variety in its characters, both visually and in terms of backstory, and phenomenal voice acting all around - some of the best in any game I’ve played. This isn’t just the same face and body with different colored hair and clothing, but consciously-crafted individuals. A couple of them are WYSIWYG, but all the rest are women with initially-hidden backgrounds that motivate them to act the way they do, which are revealed if you reach the best endings with them. On this point you’ll be very, very pleased.
The “Keep in minds”:
1 - For kink, there’s not a whole lot in Tokimeki other than a scene where you have the option of whether or not to force yourself on a girl (a decision point in that context being essential IMO, if that kind of scene “must” be part of the mix - I have a high tolerance for healthy debauchery, but “Virgin Roster” pissed me off so much I just snapped the damned thing in half and tossed it in a dumpster.) There’s also a scene where you see two sleazebags trying to rape a girl and you’re given the choice of putting a stop to it or not. Though it’s not particularly kinky, there’s a very cool game of midnight ping-pong with a pair of hotties clad only in skimpy yukatas that is well worth the trip, also a cook named Makoto who digs you but basically attacks you with a knife every time she sees you;
2 - Romance? What can I say - I fell in love with every single one of this game’s dozen lusty females, and that’s pretty much the what the game’s designers intended. I’d say they succeeded in spades;
3 - Tokimeki Check-In! has something like 17 endings and a bewildering number of branch points. It’s also different in that even minor choices affect the outcome of the game, so you basically never know what’s going to happen. Some reviewers criticize on this point, saying that there’s no logic to why choosing to “Sweep the front yard” over “Clean the bath” later on gets you laid while the opposite gets you nowhere with anyone. But that’s one of the things I liked - there’s absolutely no predictability to this game, which means it always seems fresh, always a crapshoot. Great for replayability too.
You have got to check this game out - or rather, check-in!
Oh, did I mention that I love this game? Hard to tell, huh? Well I do - every last detail of it, even that entrancing “Ku-rah-oo-deh” (Crowd) in the title sequence. It demands a sequel, but I’m afraid Tokimeki Check-In! is going to remain one of those one-off flashes of brilliance. I think it richly deserves some sort of bishoujo game award like a bishoujo Emmy or something. It’s flat-out phenomenal.
'Guess you could call this a rave review - sorry for getting so long-winded guys, but I love this game!!
[* I don’t understand the distinction between the two terms “onzen” and “ryokan” - can someone clarify? Thanx…]
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Edit: D’OH! I just noticed “TCI” in the lead post. Does that mean what I think it means? Ack! Oh well, it squeezed a review out of me - maybe another uninitiated b-gamer looking for suggestions will surf in here…
[This message has been edited by Gromit (edited 09-09-2005).]
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