Otome Options: March 2010 Report

Quite a few otome games, dating simulations for girls, were either released or announced between February and March 2010. Here’s a quick look at some of them, along with their websites so you can check out more about each one, in case one looks or sounds particularly interesting. Remember, PS2 games are region-locked, but DS and PSP games are region-free. Also, most otome games can be text heavy, so be prepared to do a lot of looking up, or text skipping, if you decide to import any of them.

• Anniversary no Kuni no Alice is a remake of Heart no Kuni no Alice that’ll be out on PCs on March 14, 2010. It’s an enhanced version of the original game. There are new endings, and all the CG images are being redrawn.

• B’s-Log Party is an Idea Factory PSP game that’s basically a board game dating simulation featuring popular characters from Idea Factory Otomate games and a few other company’s games. For example, there are guys from games like Hiiro no Kakera, Otometeki Koi Kakumei Love Revo and Hakuouki.

• D.C. Da Capo Girls Symphony Pocket is being ported to the PSP by Idea Factory and Sanctuary. It’ll be out in June, 2010, and is a visual novel style otome game

• Datenshi no Amai Yuuwaku x Kaikan Phrase the DS visual novel dating sim based on the anime/manga Kaikan Phrase/Sensual Phrase came out February 18, 2010. It’s got a mini-game, but is mainly a visual novel, so you’ll probably need to know some Japanese. (Or, at the very least, be familiar with the series.)

• Desert Kingdom another Idea Factory otome game, this one for the PS2.

• HimeHibi 2 – New Princess Days!! – ‘s PSP port just came out on February 25, 2010. It’s primarily a text-heavy visual novel, with a few mini-games thrown in. Like the first game, Players step into the shoes of a girl who is the only female student at an all-boys high school.

• Last Escort: Club Katze came out for the PSP and PS2 on February 18, 2010. In it, a PR woman who’s going to be working on a host club account starts visiting the host club Club Katze as research, and depending on the choices you make could end up falling for a host. It’s a mature rated game, for people ages 17 and up, and is very text heavy. Primarily visual novel, though there are some stat building elements.

• LoveRevo Portable is a PSP port of Otometeki Koi Kakumei Love Revo from Idea Factory. It’s a simulation style dating sim, where the main character is a morbidly obese high school girl who’s losing weight and trying to win a boyfriend. It’s fairly import friendly, and there are some guides available online for the PC and DS versions. It’ll be out April 28, 2010.

• Moujuutsukai to Ouji-sama is a PS2 otome game from Idea Factory out in June, 2010. Players follow a girl who wants to become an animal trainer. She heads to a foreign country and buys four animals and a broach. It turns out the four animals are really four princes under a spell, and she has to set them free.

• The Starry Sky PC otome games are all being ported to the PSP. Each one features guys based on astrological signs. Starry Sky ~In Spring~ will be out June 24, 2010, Starry Sky ~In Summer~ will be out September 30, 2010, Starry Sky ~In Autumn~ will be out December 22, 2010 and Starry Sky ~In Winter~ will be out March 24, 2011. You’d think they’d have tried to release the games in the right seasons. Primarily visual novel and text heavy.

• Storm Lover is coming to the PSP in Summer, 2010. It looks like yet another otome game visual novel revolving around a high school girl finding love with one of her classmates. There’s little to no information out on it yet.

• Tennis no Oujisama: Motto Gakuensai no Oujisama: More Sweet Edition is a DS visual novel/mini-game collection/simulation game from Konami. It’s based on the Tennis no Oujisama/Prince of Tennis series and is a port of the PS2 game Tennis no Oujisama: Motto Gakuensai no Oujisama. It came out February 11, 2010.

• Vitamin Z Revolution, the sequel to Vitamin X, is coming to the PSP. (It’s a port of the PS2 game Vitamin Z. Once again, you’re a teacher who’s stuck with a class of problem students who you have to help graduate. Aside from trying to keep them from being idiots their whole life, you can also date the students. There are multiple character cameos from the guys from the first game. It’s out March 25, 2010. Don’t get it if you’re not fluent! There are tests at the end of each chapter on history, literature, pop culture and such!

If you’re hooked on Alice in Wonderland after seeing Tim Burton’s latest, you may want to check out Quinrose’s site. The company has a number of games inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland books. There’s Heart no Kuni no Alice, Joker no Kuni no Alice, Clover no Kuni no Alice and Anniversary no Kuni no Alice.