Dating sims...who plays them?

Yukito Kunisaki · October 25th, 2007, 08:54 AM

There are many out there, and are like games, just without actual gameplay (Well, most without fighting, and all that other stuff). Most you do is take the role of a character, and go forth on the story. Personally, that is what makes me like alot of games, the stories, so some dating sims might be fun to me, and I was curious to if anyone else plays/played any/one? I just beat my first one on a correct path today, but beat it a few days ago down the wrong path.

I think they are fun and great to try out to escape the violence in games sometimes, yet still fulfill an interactive atmosphere. I am thinking of playing another after i check out all routes on this one.

Does anyone else play them?

germanturkey · October 25th, 2007, 09:09 AM

i played the original sim girl when it came out on the internets 6 years ago. thats it.

tenshi_a · October 25th, 2007, 09:52 AM

I quite liked the dating sims I've played but I haven't played any in quite some time now.

Tokimeki Memorial is definitely the definitive dating sim series for me, I've played the first the most, but the 2nd one was better in lots of respects... I never played all the way through either the 3rd game or either of the "Girl's Side" versions, I'm not the kind of person who likes to spend ages accessorising... some of the girls are really amusing! Great characters!

True Love Story is also a good series, but I only played the first game (for PS1). It's cool in that you get to talk to the girls on the way home from school, real time. As in you choose what to talk about from a list of things, really. ("True Love Story" is not to be confused with "True Love" which is a far more ecchi game). There's a sequel; True Love Story 2, but I never found a copy for sale.

I tried Sentimental Graffiti for a bit, as in, started the game once, that's all. Too much text for me to understand.

Meltylancer is a series I liked... I liked the 2nd game - "Meltylancer: Reinforce" the best. It's maybe not really a dating sim as much as it is... working with a futuristic police force to defeat criminals and ending up with one of the girls at the end.

Same as the Sakura Taisen games I guess (but I've never played all the way through a Sakura Taisen game yet, well, other than the columns puzzle games)

I've been meaning to try out "Fantastic Fortune 2 - Triple Star" for a while but haven't gotten round to it... it's one of the few where you get to play as a girl... aside from the Tokimemo Girl's Side games...

I prefer the type that's "build up your character" & "build up your relationship" to proceed, rather than the type that's mostly interactive fiction with few choices...

grgspunk · October 25th, 2007, 01:51 PM

Hmmm.... *Looks at his pile of eroge*

I'd say yes.

**Gibb** · October 25th, 2007, 02:00 PM

I played Thousand Arms when it came out for the PS1 years ago. I think it was one of the only dating sim games to make it to the states, and it was hysterical.

Aside from that I've played Kimi ga nozomu eien and Love Hina on the Dreamcast, Love Hina on the Gameboy Advance, Negima 1 & 2 on the PS2 and some others.

Like tenshi_a, I like games to have a little bit more substance than just the "Choose A, B, or C every 20 minutes" type of game. Since I don't understand written Japanese all that well, those games bore me to tears pretty quickly. I can understand a decent amount of spoken Japanese, so hearing the voice acting helps quite a bit.

I think the Negima PS2 games are some of the best games of the dating-sim/adventure category because they're hella fun. The games revolve around a day schedule and everyday you get to run around the campus in a full 3D environment and talk to whoever you want to. Your students are scattered around the campus so you can go find them and see what they're up to and increase your relationships.

Brutist · October 28th, 2007, 05:14 PM

I've played a few, I think visual novels/dating sims are pretty fun.

I wanna get Yume Miru Kusuri and ever17.

Ironbear · December 10th, 2007, 10:13 PM

I've heard of many and played some.

It's a really interesting genre, and I think under-appreciated.
Well, interesting to us. But I just wish I could get some english portable dating sims, preferrably on the DS, as I use mine way too much.
The current ones on European market are total garbage, though. Still, there's only a couple...

Would Sims 2 technically count as a dating sim?

It's nice that people are making flash-dating sims, but their sometimes just poor quality or follow the current trend of hentai and excessive language too faithfully... Have mostly given up on those...

As a sidenote; does anyone know or remember Princess Makers? I think I've played only 2, and it was really cute, even if off-topic.

Malon · December 10th, 2007, 10:22 PM

Dating sims are fun because of the roleplaying aspect you brought up.
I've never really found a true dating sim though that was in English.
I'd love to play them if I could but there's no point in playing a dating sim if you can't understand the language.

Reidar · December 10th, 2007, 10:48 PM

The only game I've played that could be considered a dating sim is Doom:

But seriously, not me. When I have the opportunity to spend my time as a seven-foot tall space marine, dating is the last thing I'd want in a videogame, right after having my roof cave in on me. That'd actually be pretty cool.

This thread reminds me of a similar one on GameFAQs a while ago, except that the topic-creator was chastising the entire country for not allowing dating sims to become popular in America. Seriously. When someone would respond with, "I've played some, and they're just plain boring to me", he'd launch a maniacal tirade against that person, scolding them for drying up the market, and he'd end with something like, "Go back to your pathetic Gears of War." Hilarious.

Leader Desslock · December 10th, 2007, 11:03 PM

^ Nice comic!

I remember feeling much the same way when I finally got my hands on the BFG.

I still play works of interactive fiction, but none of it involves dating. I... just can't imagine being interested in that sort of game.

Ironbear · December 11th, 2007, 12:11 AM

Well, the upside of dating sims is that a disaster date can be erased from the memory easily.

I'm all up for Space Marines and the Undying Emperor, but sometimes I just wan't to remove my power armor and grab a can of cola and a cool movie or something else.
If your not tired of constantly shooting everything up, I guess that's your thing. But a "vacation" every now and then is just nice.

By the way, Reidar, what game are you talking about? Warhammer 40,000 RPG or a simple PC game?
Sounds a bit too cool to be just a PC game...

Reidar · December 11th, 2007, 02:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ironbear

If your not tired of constantly shooting everything up, I guess that's your thing. But a "vacation" every now and then is just nice.

Absolutely. Sometimes, I relax by punching everything.

Quote:

By the way, Reidar, what game are you talking about? Warhammer 40,000 RPG or a simple PC game?
Sounds a bit too cool to be just a PC game...

Take your pick. Doom, Dawn of War, PSO...that wasn't in reference to a specific game, although Dawn of War is a Warhammer game and is that cool. But space marines are a dime a dozen, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Gasaraki · December 11th, 2007, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brutist

...I wanna get Yume Miru Kusuri....

GOOD game, in more ways the one.

And yes to the topic, but only in eroge form.

ZeroRyoko1974 · December 11th, 2007, 12:01 PM

I really liked Tokemeki Checkin, and the first X-Change game. They were a lot of fun. There was that one kind of suspense horror one, that I can't recall right now. It was horribly random in trying to get through. Like to to A then C then back to A for no reason, then to E and back to C, and then B, and back to A. I tried playing Kanon, but can't read or understand Japanese so somehow I kept ending up with Nayuki.

CrossboneGundam · December 11th, 2007, 12:49 PM

I've never played any and intend to keep it that way.

October 25th, 2007, 08:54 AM	#1
Yukito Kunisaki Registered User Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 3,892	Dating sims...who plays them? There are many out there, and are like games, just without actual gameplay (Well, most without fighting, and all that other stuff). Most you do is take the role of a character, and go forth on the story. Personally, that is what makes me like alot of games, the stories, so some dating sims might be fun to me, and I was curious to if anyone else plays/played any/one? I just beat my first one on a correct path today, but beat it a few days ago down the wrong path. I think they are fun and great to try out to escape the violence in games sometimes, yet still fulfill an interactive atmosphere. I am thinking of playing another after i check out all routes on this one. Does anyone else play them?

October 25th, 2007, 09:09 AM	#2
germanturkey Sheryl wins by default Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Penfield NY Posts: 2,932	i played the original sim girl when it came out on the internets 6 years ago. thats it. __________________ *ARIA* Watch this show and you will die happy. Everything else is second place.

October 25th, 2007, 09:52 AM	#3
tenshi_a i <3 leftovers Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: England Posts: 7,440	I quite liked the dating sims I've played but I haven't played any in quite some time now. Tokimeki Memorial is definitely the definitive dating sim series for me, I've played the first the most, but the 2nd one was better in lots of respects... I never played all the way through either the 3rd game or either of the "Girl's Side" versions, I'm not the kind of person who likes to spend ages accessorising... some of the girls are really amusing! Great characters! True Love Story is also a good series, but I only played the first game (for PS1). It's cool in that you get to talk to the girls on the way home from school, real time. As in you choose what to talk about from a list of things, really. ("True Love Story" is not to be confused with "True Love" which is a far more ecchi game). There's a sequel; True Love Story 2, but I never found a copy for sale. I tried Sentimental Graffiti for a bit, as in, started the game once, that's all. Too much text for me to understand. Meltylancer is a series I liked... I liked the 2nd game - "Meltylancer: Reinforce" the best. It's maybe not really a dating sim as much as it is... working with a futuristic police force to defeat criminals and ending up with one of the girls at the end. Same as the Sakura Taisen games I guess (but I've never played all the way through a Sakura Taisen game yet, well, other than the columns puzzle games) I've been meaning to try out "Fantastic Fortune 2 - Triple Star" for a while but haven't gotten round to it... it's one of the few where you get to play as a girl... aside from the Tokimemo Girl's Side games... I prefer the type that's "build up your character" & "build up your relationship" to proceed, rather than the type that's mostly interactive fiction with few choices... __________________ "We don't stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing." Blog! \| 360voice blog! \| Gaming network tags \| Current Avatar Seiyuu database! <-- not just anime roles, lots more videogame data than ANN Also, visit #ANationDivided on rizon. ^_^ Last edited by tenshi_a; October 25th, 2007 at 09:57 AM.

October 25th, 2007, 02:00 PM	#5
Gibb さよなら、アヤブレア Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 8,033 Blog Entries: 1	I played Thousand Arms when it came out for the PS1 years ago. I think it was one of the only dating sim games to make it to the states, and it was hysterical. Aside from that I've played Kimi ga nozomu eien and Love Hina on the Dreamcast, Love Hina on the Gameboy Advance, Negima 1 & 2 on the PS2 and some others. Like tenshi_a, I like games to have a little bit more substance than just the "Choose A, B, or C every 20 minutes" type of game. Since I don't understand written Japanese all that well, those games bore me to tears pretty quickly. I can understand a decent amount of spoken Japanese, so hearing the voice acting helps quite a bit. I think the Negima PS2 games are some of the best games of the dating-sim/adventure category because they're hella fun. The games revolve around a day schedule and everyday you get to run around the campus in a full 3D environment and talk to whoever you want to. Your students are scattered around the campus so you can go find them and see what they're up to and increase your relationships. __________________ Check out kimi ni todoke and Nodame Cantabile! Otakuwiki.com: Atelier Rorona (PS3), Toradora!, Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3 (PSP, Disaster Report 3), Fate / Unlimited Codes (PS2) Current Avatar: Aya Brea from The 3rd Birthday

December 10th, 2007, 10:13 PM	#7
Ironbear would make a decent Evil Genius Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Helsinki, Finland Posts: 410 Blog Entries: 1	I've heard of many and played some. It's a really interesting genre, and I think under-appreciated. Well, interesting to us. But I just wish I could get some english portable dating sims, preferrably on the DS, as I use mine way too much. The current ones on European market are total garbage, though. Still, there's only a couple... Would Sims 2 technically count as a dating sim? It's nice that people are making flash-dating sims, but their sometimes just poor quality or follow the current trend of hentai and excessive language too faithfully... Have mostly given up on those... As a sidenote; does anyone know or remember Princess Makers? I think I've played only 2, and it was really cute, even if off-topic. __________________ I consider being called "inhuman" a compliment, considering all the things humans can do to eachother. -Ironbear animegurl's big bro. A big thank you for Gisele Lagace for the avatar.

October 25th, 2007, 01:51 PM	#4
grgspunk Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 628	Hmmm.... Looks at his pile of eroge I'd say yes.

October 28th, 2007, 05:14 PM	#6
Brutist Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 437	I've played a few, I think visual novels/dating sims are pretty fun. I wanna get Yume Miru Kusuri and ever17.

December 10th, 2007, 10:22 PM	#8
Malon Tails Obsessed Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Flying Posts: 123	Dating sims are fun because of the roleplaying aspect you brought up. I've never really found a true dating sim though that was in English. I'd love to play them if I could but there's no point in playing a dating sim if you can't understand the language.

December 10th, 2007, 10:48 PM	#9
Reidar Heroes shed no tears Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Amerika Posts: 2,391	The only game I've played that could be considered a dating sim is Doom: But seriously, not me. When I have the opportunity to spend my time as a seven-foot tall space marine, dating is the last thing I'd want in a videogame, right after having my roof cave in on me. That'd actually be pretty cool. This thread reminds me of a similar one on GameFAQs a while ago, except that the topic-creator was chastising the entire country for not allowing dating sims to become popular in America. Seriously. When someone would respond with, "I've played some, and they're just plain boring to me", he'd launch a maniacal tirade against that person, scolding them for drying up the market, and he'd end with something like, "Go back to your pathetic Gears of War." Hilarious. __________________ "A somewhat expected response of you, Reidar. I abhor any human being who devotes his existence to creating anguish for other human beings. The hideous ritual of boxing will ebb from society much like gladiatorial games did so centuries prior. No matter your nonsensical jabbering on a message board—your proven function in life (to destroy) essentially renders you an animal." -Eomagro

December 10th, 2007, 11:03 PM	#10
Leader Desslock Here come de Judge... Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 9,002	^ Nice comic! I remember feeling much the same way when I finally got my hands on the BFG. I still play works of interactive fiction, but none of it involves dating. I... just can't imagine being interested in that sort of game. __________________ All your doing is just trying use your "critical thinking words" playing card once again. ~Walt

December 11th, 2007, 12:11 AM	#11
Ironbear would make a decent Evil Genius Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Helsinki, Finland Posts: 410 Blog Entries: 1	Well, the upside of dating sims is that a disaster date can be erased from the memory easily. I'm all up for Space Marines and the Undying Emperor, but sometimes I just wan't to remove my power armor and grab a can of cola and a cool movie or something else. If your not tired of constantly shooting everything up, I guess that's your thing. But a "vacation" every now and then is just nice. By the way, Reidar, what game are you talking about? Warhammer 40,000 RPG or a simple PC game? Sounds a bit too cool to be just a PC game... __________________ I consider being called "inhuman" a compliment, considering all the things humans can do to eachother. -Ironbear animegurl's big bro. A big thank you for Gisele Lagace for the avatar. Last edited by Ironbear; December 11th, 2007 at 12:12 AM. Reason: An open mind is like a fortress with it's gates unbarred and open

December 11th, 2007, 12:49 PM	#15
CrossboneGundam Balmar Admiral Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,429	I've never played any and intend to keep it that way.