I guess I'm blogging about it to help me decide. All this is basically a bunch of internal ranting to keep my mind organized because maybe if I see my thoughts laid out in front of me, deciding might be easier. After all, each game is about $20 each, and usually $30 is the max I want to spend in a week or even a month if I have to on entertainment. If I really want to, I could push it up to 40, but I really don't want to go there. I guess people can call me stingy or something. So I've decided to choose one game and not think about getting the other games until the next month or two if I really want to play them.
So here is the list of the games that I'm considering to get: Long Live the Queen, X-Note, Always Remember Me, Love & Order, and Magical Diary.
EDIT: I found more games so I'm adding them. Cinder and Cute Knight Kingdom
So yeah. I'm going to evaluate all the games so I could figure out what I like. Now, everything I say are based on the demos and reviews. I haven't actually played the full games, obviously. I usually don't do game reviews and this blog is mainly for me to decide which game I want. 8D
Long Live the Queen:
The art is super cute and I enjoyed the concept of the game. Although, there were a bunch of questions left unanswered by the demo and it made me a very hesitant to get this game over anything else. On the bright side, it's the cheapest of all the games since it's about $12.99 while the others are like exactly $20 or $19.99. I did poke around reviews for my unanswered questions, and they all kind of answered the question that I had. It was more like the lack of what I was looking for that really answered my question. I was wondering if you could have the character form any close relationships with the people around her--Be it friendships and romance, but the reviews didn't seem to mention things like that and the system of the game left little room for relationship building. As I was playing the demo, the game was a bit lonely for me since the character seemed to only have her father and some priestess woman as her constant support or consultant. I had her visit both of them a few times, but they just said the same thing which was super lonely.
On the flip side, I was surprised to find that the game was not some cutesy princess becoming a great queen with the support of everyone around her. It turned out to be a very political game and depending on the choices you make, the character either makes it or breaks it. According to the reviews, she gets assassinated many times. With so little time, yet so much to learn, there's a lot of pressure put in the game and a lot of thinking. So that was a really nice surprise for me.
Likes:
- Art
- Low Price
- Classes and mood concepts
- Strategic choices => outcomes
- Political aspects
Dislikes:
- Routine-like
- Unlikely there to be relationship building
X-Note
I really liked this game a lot. It's kind of for the same reason that's been mentioned in many other reviews. It's the tie between a dating sim and a mystery. I love a good mystery and to have it with a dating sim is just too good to be true. So far--based on the demo--it doesn't seem like it'll be at all cutesy and facepalmingly painful where the main girl is a clueless, silly girl who relies on the dudes to help her out while she cries and is helpless all the time. Although, I didn't expect it to be anything like that since the art seemed to have a serious tone about it.
So asides from the mystery in this game, the other main reason I want to get it is because the reviews informed me that the character development for the guys was pretty good compared to other games where they throw in stereotypical dudes and leave it at that. I really do appreciate character development, so this game seems like a game that I'll really like.
However, it seems very short. After all, it's a game revolving around a mystery and it has to eventually be solved. It can't really be dragged out for very long. As much as I would love to play through the game to see the different endings, I usually don't have the patience to play through again and again. Although I did hear that each route answered different questions to the mystery, I figured I'll probably have to play it to find out if the answered questions were satisfying enough.
So the big factor for me to not get this game is that it seems short, which is not good because I'm paying $20 for this game! Yes, I'm being stingy again. Also, a review mentioned that even after you play through all the routes, the story did leave some questions and that after playing through the game, it left that empty feeling of unanswered questions. I'm very big on a super satisfied ending where I'm not feeling any emptiness. So I don't want to experience a mega buyer's remorse when I finish the game.
Likes:
- Art
- Mini Games (to build up her skill)
- Character Development
- Guides are available on home website
- Storyline (mystery/drama)
Dislikes:
- Saving system (memorizing passwords are painful!)
- Seeming shortness
- Unanswered questions
- Lack of freedom to explore
Always Remember Me
This is what I thought all otome games were all about and I kind of dubbed this as my stereotypical otome game. Still, I can't deny the fact that I enjoyed the demo so it made the list of the games that I wanted to buy. The storyline is simple and there's not much I could say about it that I found unique or that I really liked. I like the art and the music is pretty entertaining. Although the vocals in the intro (now I guess this is me being a stupid meanie butt, I guess) seemed a bit amateurish. However, it's not super annoying and I would listen to it. I guess this is what I get for watching all the best performances on X-Factor on youtube.
I think the main reason I liked this game was because it is entertaining. You have to budget your time fairly wisely since (according to a review) the game ends when the main character goes back to school and it's possible to get the alone ending. I also heard that there are endings for the other characters such as "what happened to them when you picked this route" so it's not like "Oh here's your ending! 8D" and you're stuck still wondering what the other characters were doing. At least that's what I heard in a review.
Although the main character seems like your typical sweet heroine, but I guess it's not so bad. This game seems to be like a guilty pleasure to me to show that my super girly side about romances still does exist.
However, the plot of the story is that you already start off with a boyfriend and he loses his memory about you. You're forced to choose "Oh let's rekindle the luuurve!" or "Yup, we're not meant to be. I'm moving ooon." So because of the situation they start you off with, I'm flipping tables because I can't bring myself to just ditch the boyfriend and try to woe other guys because it feels wrong. After all, as his girlfriend, you would think you shouldn't give up so easily because of this horrible tragedy, right? So if I do get this game, my first playthrough will be for the boyfriend.
Likes:
- Art
- Making choices (this was the entertaining factor of the game for me)
- Music
Dislikes:
- A review stated it was short
- Stereotypical characters
- Beginning guilt trip to feel forced to pick the boyfriend (this is probably just me. =w=" )
Love & Order
So this game might be a bit biased for me since it was the last demo I played and I'm still getting the happy vibes from playing it. I'll try to keep it fair, mainly because this is my money on the line and I absolutely hate buyer's remorse.
So I did enjoy this game quite a lot. At first I hated it since I kept accidentally skipping my lunch breaks which accumulated stress and I got to the point where I had 100% stress and I was failing like everything. So I was like "I'M DONE *ragequits*" but for some odd reason I chose to try again. So if you take your breaks and try not to overwork your character and just... chill, then life is all good and you don't have to worry about breaks. Of course, the point is to not take on more jobs than you can do and keep your stress levels low.
So once I figured out how to keep my stress levels low, I was able to finally enjoy the game. I ran around doing work for most of the game and I have no idea why, but that was entertaining. Although, it did make it so that I hated the weekends because I had nothing to do since those were my day offs.
There also is a mystery in the game that you start out with, but the way it kind of showed up randomly and the way the character just never thought about it EVER unless you're taking the time to investigate it, I deemed it as unimportant, but I probably should do it anyways.
However, I did like how the romance went about. Although in reality, I don't really agree with flirting or dating at all in a workplace. Work is work, love is for... anywhere outside of work. However, the game is fun and I'll overlook it this time since the game would be super boring if all I made my character do is work. So what I do like about the romance is that once you've chosen your person, this person will take the time to go visit you and schedule dates so you don't have to take the time to do it. So it makes that super happy feeling that you're the one being pursued rather than you having to bend over backwards to pursue the character you're after.
I do have a complaint about the game. So far, the demo leaves you at a random point and you're like wondering "I wonder if the ENTIRE game is going to be like this." You know, just running around in the office with the occasional date to make you happy. Oh and the thrown in mystery that can keep you busy for a bit. If it's just that and nothing else, I refuse to pay $20 only to get bored of the format after a few days. I think I could just console myself with the demo.
Likes:
- Running around doing work
- Art
- Being asked out and not being the one to ask
Dislikes:
- Routine-like
- Unimportant mystery
- Is that it?
Cinder
The art style isn't anime at all and that at first put me off, but I have a love for fairytales and I thought "Why not? It's free!" So I tried out the demo and actually enjoyed it. It's a visual novel and there's a story that you have to follow. What you do is make choices for Cinder and depending on your choice, it changes the story. Even though it's not anime, the art isn't so bad to look at. I actually quite like the art.
So pretty much, this game is like a book where you get to make choices for the main character. It is entertaining and the story isn't all that bad (but that's probably me being a fairy tale fanatic) and there are mysteries involved where you just want to know what happens next. I seriously want to consider this game because it is pretty entertaining and I do like the story, but the major down factor is that I'm blowing off all the other games and their great aspects just for an "online book" where I can make choices for the main character.
Well, I'll think about it for a little bit.
Likes:
- Art/design
- Storyline
- Making Choices
- Mysteries
Dislikes:
- Just choices and nothing else
- A bunch of reading and less playing
- The most priciest of the bunch at about $22
Cute Knight Kingdom
This was a really cute game. Hahah. Just kidding. Sorry, that was bad. Anyways, I did like it but the trial version was a bit short, but I sort of see what kind of game it is from it. I like the choices they give you in this game. You can choose to be anything really. You can excel at different jobs like fighting, weaving, cooking, and so on. You can change your attire to match what you're doing and I can bet there are an assortment of clothes (and I really love to have an assortment of clothes).
So yeah. I liked this game and wanted to be a kick ass warrior person who went around slaughtering monsters. Maybe the demo doesn't let me play for very long to experience the best of it? Or maybe I just managed to evade it all accidentally, but I am not liking the battle system if it's all about "exertion" or "concentration" during the day. The graphics left a lot for me to desire and the art was okay. I wasn't able to get into the story aspect of the game so I wasn't sure if I could expect much from the story either. So... I'm hesitant about this game.
Likes
- Choose your job
- Changing your attire
- Seems promising in length
- Make your own story
Dislikes
- Graphics
- Experience gaining system
Magical Diary
This is the last game that I'm kind of throwing in, but I know probably won't win. It was the first demo I tried which was why I decided to throw it in. I almost bought it if I hadn't tried other demos. Gosh, thank goodness I didn't. However, I'm not saying this isn't a bad game. This was actually very entertaining. I enjoyed playing the demo. There were just a few annoying things about the game that just bumped it off the list.
So the intro and a few scenes are just clicking scenes for me. I wasn't entertained enough to read everything and it felt like pointless jabber sometimes. So I had a hard time getting into the game. However, I did get into it when they brought up my class schedule and I got all excited about being a super awesome powerful mage and tried to balance out my magic.
What drew me into this game were the possible battle scenes. I would have loved this game entirely if it was like an rpg/adventure game where you battle monsters as well as a dating sim game. However, I did look up the "dungeons" and found them disappointing and the battle scenes seemed very scarce too. So boo.
I also would like to complain about the lack of choices. I give kudos to the game for same sex choices if you wanted to play that way. However, I'm sorry but I wouldn't want to play that way. So if i narrow the two same genders out, I get three choices. Damien is the typical dude the girls will go for. He's a demon and people are scared of him because he's "cursed" and you can be the on who sees past all that. Then there's Donald who is just your roommate's brother who likes pranks. Except in the demo, I didn't really get that much interaction with him and I didn't even realize he was a choice at all. Then there's the angry professor guy who I would totally love to kick in the shin and run away. He seemed to be like an old man to me so I was a bit freaked out to find that he was a possible candidate. Maybe he's younger than I thought he was. Anyways, he was surprisingly popular when I went to make extra sure and looked it up on youtube. I'm sorry for being narrow-minded, but I guess I should probably just say that he's not my type. After all, I just don't like nagging old people and that's what he came off to me as when I first ran into him through the demo.
I would totally pick that glasses guy who appears like once in the demo as Donald's friend! D8<
So if I were to pick, I'd pick Donald. Damien makes me facepalm with his cheesy lines and I don't like the professor guy. Which goes to say, I have no choices which made me not want to get the game. 8D
Although I do feel like this game is like some kind of parody of something. After all, in the demo, the default name for your character is Mary Sue, and if you're into writing or if you're in the RP community, you know what that is. But if I wanted some kind of parody on dating sims, I'd get HATOFUL BOYFRIEND. 8D
Likes:
- Customization (you get to pick your characters' appearance and name in the beginning)
- Picking your classes
- Choice scenes
Dislikes:
- Damien
- Professor guy teacher dude
- Art could have been better (I'm just super picky)
- Lack of candidates
- Not satisfied with the dungeons and battling
And so that's it! I finished with my analysis of the games that I like! I'm going to come over this and try to focus on the likes and dislikes since my explanations make my brain all skewed and I'll be back to square one. So my choices will be based on the likes and dislikes and the one that seems the most likable WINS and I will buy the game.
I'm surprised if anyone read this, but if you did, I bet you were probably looking for a pretty decent otome game. Well, if you're curious or bored or whatever, I'll comment to this post the choice that I made. =D
Oh! Oh! And any other games that could be suggested are ALWAYS welcome.
