Differences between Shiren DS 1 and Shiren DS 2

shiren the wandererI’m still playing Shiren the Wanderer, on and off, since I’m planning to go on 100 adventures before I quit and I’m only in my 50s. I have long since lost all the equipment I talked about in my last post, but still, a luta continua. One time I made it all the way to the boss of Table Mountain with what I thought was a foolproof strategy -> I had the Bufu staff from completing Naoto’s sidequest. My plan was to turn one of the enemies in the final stage into meat, throw that meat at the last boss and then kill everyone at leisure, making liberal use of my two Staffs of Postpone.

Well, as Mike Tyson said, “Everybody has a plan till they get punched in the face.” I arrived at the boss floor all right. To my left was a Skull Mage, accursed creature. To my right was one of those Tiger Uho thingies. The boss was right in front of me. I reached into my bag and took my Buff Staff out. It was here that I made a fatal mistake. Instead of swinging it at the Skull Mage, I swung it at the Tiger. Folks, always, always get rid of the Skull Mage first! Always! There’s no telling what it’ll do to you if it gets the chance, but I can tell you what it did to me: turned me into a rice ball, argh! I tried my best to escape, hopping along pitifully, but I was cornered in two moves and that was all she wrote. *sigh* Do please go on, this is most interesting →

Sakura Taisen 2 – Kanna GET again!

"Reni! I command you by the power of this wreath, jump into my arms in 3...2...1..."

“Reni! I command you by the power of this wreath, jump into my arms in 3…2…1…”

I spent a little more time after the last post deciding who to pair Ichiro “Ladykiller” Ogami with in Sakura Taisen 2. Ultimately I decided not to encourage his philandering ways and paired him up with Kanna again. It’s unfortunate that Sakura Taisen 3 features a harem of new girls in Paris (the city of l’amour) but if I ever play ST4 you can be darned sure Ogami will be teaming up with Kanna yet again. Just because you’re the only guy in a group of girls doesn’t mean you can have your way with whomever you please. All in-game evidence to the contrary, that is.

Actually the one thing I learned from coupling Ogami x Kanna in both this game and the first one is that Ogami just isn’t into Kanna. At. All. They’re on very friendly terms and he clearly sees her as “one of the guys,” but romantic feelings? Zero on his part. The most blatant crush he had was on Ayame in game one, but this time he seems to keep most of the girls at arms’ length, including Ayame’s inferior younger sister Kaede. Do please go on, this is most interesting →

Sakura Taisen 2 – Hmm, who to pick this time

I got full love points for doing this. Obviously.

I got full love points for doing this. Obviously.

I played the PSP port of Sega’s Sakura Taisen right around this time in 2012 and had a great time. I was looking forward to Sakura Taisen 2, which I hoped would fix a few tiny issues I had with the first game:

1. Add a fast-forward/scene skip option.
2. Add a quick-save/quick-load option.
3. Don’t drag the story out so long and don’t make the second half so nonsensical.

They haven’t done a thing about #1, alas. I don’t mind #2 any more because I realize quick-saving/loading would make nonsense of the timed choices the Sakura Taisen series is famous for, so it’s just a matter of learning to cope. Re: #3 it’s too soon to tell because I’m only… uhh, let me see… where’s my PSP… 7 hours, 33 minutes and 51 seconds into the game, so there’s plenty more to come. Do please go on, this is most interesting →

List of Otome games with actual gameplay

tokimemo banner_all_370_07I’ve been meaning to jot down a list of otome games with actual gameplay, i.e. not visual novels but the work and research involved turned me off. But I realize I’m never going to get started if I wait to get all the information I need, so I’ll start with what I know and update it as I go along.

Why otome games + gameplay? Because I enjoy romance games but I’m not a fan of reading-reading-reading “games.” When I pick up that handheld or controller, I want to DO something, not read a poorly-written teen novel. I figure I’m not the only one who thinks this way, so this list might come in handy for other readers. To make it onto this list, a game must:

– Be an otome game i.e. have a female protagonist and a heavy romantic element. I’m not including games where you can choose to play as a male or female protagonist either. It must be a game about dating cute guys (whatever else the premise may claim) and you must play as a girl.
– Have something for gamers to do other than read for 10 hours.
– Not be an 18+ game (I don’t play them so I don’t catalog them).
Simple, right?

Let’s get started, all the games I know. I was going to put them in alphabetical order, but maybe a Type of Gameplay order will be more helpful. I’ll update it later with consoles and release dates and all the other stuff I was waiting to find out before writing this list. All titles are in Japanese unless otherwise noted.

Turn-based/Action/Strategy RPG gameplay (game summaries on a separate page)

Akai Suna Ochiru Tsuki
Arabians Lost: The Engagement on Desert
Crimson Empire ~ Circumstances to Serve a Noble~
Goddess Princess
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 2
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 6
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Yume no Ukihashi
Jewel Princess Ellejou/Destiny Stone [Korean]
L2 Love x Loop
Little Anchor
Neo Angelique
Princess Battles [English]
Real Rode
Sengoku Night Blood
Tensei Hakkenshi Fuumaroku
Ururun Quest Koiyuuki

Stat-raising gameplay (game summaries on a separate page)

Always Remember Me
Brother’s Conflict – Passion Pink & Brilliant Blue
Dandelion – Wishes brought to you
Glass Heart Princess
Hanasaku Manimani
Houkago Colorful*Step Undoubu & Bunkabu
Kami-sama to Koigokoro
Kimi ni Todoke ~Sodateru Omoi
Kimi ni Todoke ~Tsutaeru Kimochi
La Corda d’Oro/Kiniro no Corda
La Corda d’Oro 2/Kiniro no Corda 2
La Corda d’Oro 3/Kiniro no Corda 3
La Corda d’Oro 3/Kiniro no Corda 4
Lucky Rabbit Reflex [English]
Mermaid Prism
Miss Princess: MisPri!
Nicole [English]
Otometeki Koi Kakumei ★ Love Revo!! [has English Patch]
Prince of Stride
Ratirica
Star Project [English]
Storm Lover
Storm Lover Natsukoi!!
Storm Lover 2nd
Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 1st Love [has English patch]
Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side: 2nd Kiss/Season [has English patch]
Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side: 3rd Story [has English patch]
Trouble Fortune Company★ Happy Cure
Vampire Knight DS
Wand of Fortune
Wand of Fortune 2 ~Jikuu ni Shizumu Mokushiroku~

Life simulation gameplay (game summaries on a separate page)

Albaria no Otome
Angelique
Angelique Special 2
Angelique Trois
Angelique Etoile
Arcobaleno!
Clover no Kuni no Alice
Datenshi no Amai Yuuwaku X Kaikan Phrase
Duel Love – Koisuru Otome wa Shouri no Megami
dUpLicity ~Beyond the Lies~ [English]
Elkrone no Atelier ~Dear for Otomate~
Enkeltbillet
Hanayaka nari, Waga ichizoku
Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku Kinema Mosaic
Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku Tasogare Polar Star
Hana yori Dango – Koiseyo Otome!
Heart no Kuni no Alice ～Wonderful Wonder World～[English]
Hoshizora no Comic Garden
Houkago no Love Beat
Issho ni Gohan.
Joker no Kuni no Alice
Kaiketsu! Gakuen Nandemoya
Kanuchi: Futatsu no Tsubasa
Kimagure Strawberry Cafe
Koibana Days
Koi wa Kousoku (Rule) ni Shibararenai!
Last Escort
Last Escort 2 ~Shinya no Amai Ibara~
Last Escort -Club Katze-
Love & Order [English]
Meine Liebe Yuubinaru Kioku
Meine Liebe II ~Hokori to Seigi to Ai~
Meshimase Roman Sabou
Nana – Subete wa Daimaou no Omichibiki?!
O*G*A Oni-gokko Royale
Palais de Reine
Princess Debut [English]
RE: Alistair++ [English]
Reijou Tantei ~Office Jiken~
Ren’ai Banchou! Inochi Mijikashi, Koiseyo Otome! Love is Power
Ren’ai Banchou 2: Midnight Lesson!!!
Ripple no Tamago ~apprentice magician~
Saikin Koi Shiteru?
Shin Tennis no Ouji-sama ~Go to the top~
Spirited Heart [English]
Tennis no Ouji-sama: Doubles no Ouji-sama – Girls, be Gracious! [has English patch]
Tennis no Ouji-sama ~Gakuensai no Ouji-sama~ [has English patch]
Tennis no Ouji-sama Gyutto! Dokidoki Survival Umi to Yama no Love Passion
The Flower Shop – Winter In Fairbrook [English]
Tokimeki Restaurant ☆☆☆
VitaminR
VitaminX
VitaminZ

Miscellaneous gameplay (game summaries on a separate page)

Amnesia Memories [English]
Area-X [English]
Atelier Annie: Alchemist of Sera Island [English]
Ayashi no Miya
Cute Knight Kingdom [English]
Cute Knight Deluxe [English]
Dear Girl ~Stories~ Hibiki: Hibiki Tokkun Daisakusen!
Dear My Sun!! ~Musuko Ikusei Capriccio~
Drastic Killer
Fantastic Fortune
Fantastic Fortune 2
Hana Awase
Hanayoi Romanesque
Harajuku Tantei Gakuen Steel Wood
Heileen: Sail Away [English]
Heileen 2: The Hands of Fate [English]Heileen 3 [English]
Issho ni Gohan.
Kaeru Batake de Tsukamaete Portable
KLAP!!~Kind Love and Punish
Koi Sentai Love & Peace the P.S.P.
Library Cross
Long Live the Queen [English]
Magical Diary: Horse Hall [English]
Memoirs of an Angel [English]
Ouji-sama Platonic Keikaku
Pandora ~kimi no na wa ore ga shiru~
Princess Maker [English]
Princess Maker 2 [English]
Princess Maker: Yumemiru Yousei [English]
Princess Maker 4
Princess Maker 5
Ranshima Monogatari Lair Land Story
Scared Rider Xechs

Please help me flesh out the lists by telling me if I’m missing anything, especially for English-developed games and those on the Android/iOS (both full game releases and gacha). Thanks in advance!

Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer redux – Aha, now I remember why I quit

shiren the wandererI said I’d give Shiren the Wanderer another try now that I have more roguelikes under my belt so, here we are. And here we’ll be for a while, because I’m not going to run away so easily this time. Even though I really want to <_< >_> because it’s boring. I’ve been doing the same stretch from Canyon Hamlet to Cryptic Rock Valley over and over again because apparently that’s the “recommended” way to finish Table Mountain. See, I’ve actually done some research this time, and the ‘easy’ strategy goes like this:

1. Keep adventuring until you get a good sword (Katana or Mastersword) and a good shield (Armor Ward).
2. Go back and forth between Canyon Hamlet and Mountain town beefing them up with the Blacksmith and Earth/Air Bless Scrolls until they’re around +10.
3. Work on the Oryu/Pekeji sidequests while you’re at it so you can get two sidekicks.
4. Use a melding jar to meld 2 or more Hide Shields onto the Armor Ward so it doesn’t make you hungry so quickly (optional but recommended) –> don’t waste the free jar you get from Gaibara like I did ^^;;
5. Stock up on Riceballs, especially the free ones you get in Canyon Hamlet.
6. Once your weapons and sidekicks and items are the way you like it, make your way to Cryptic Rock Valley and continue the story.
7. ???
8. PROFIT! Do please go on, this is most interesting →