I think the most original otome game I’ve played is Heart no Kuni no Alice. It is my favorite otome game. Hell, it’s my favorite game in general. It breaks a lot of the cliches of otome games and has a very unique setting. A lot of the manga spin-offs for HnKnA are also being translated by professional companies, so perhaps the games will one day be picked up as well.
There have been quite a few otome games coming out very recently. Starry Sky (the first Starry Sky game already has an English patch, btw) is getting brought over by JAST USA. Hakuoki is out for the PSP. Dandelion (originally Korean, I think) is out. This isn’t even to mention the countless otome games translated into English for mobile devices. Otome games are growing quite a lot since two years ago when I first discovered them (they were barely a dot on the radar then). I’ve played a lot of these games. I’m an otome game fanatic.
JAST USA is even interested in bringing over some adult otome games, which I surprised me. I don’t like many of the adult otome games, though. They tend to be weird rape fests.
@Farside - JAST are usually very good, in that they bring actual adult stories rather than the weird rape fests. Eh, just stay away from those visual novels tagged nukige and you usually can’t go wrong.
Not to mention there’s some amazing stories out there, the nakige(*) and Utsuge type games can be enough to send you spiraling into depression.
I’ve seen Starry Sky (In spring) up for download at my usual VN hunting ground, seems very girly to me, perhaps that is why I overlooked it. =x
The wonderful thing about dating games is that literally any setting can work, romance can potentially be found almost anywhere imaginable after all, if you can make your characters original likeable enough and ideally tie the whole thing together with a plot that is, within its given setting, enjoyable enough to allow for the readers suspension of disbelief to do the rest.
That said I do have preferences (who doesn’t) in that I tend to like fantasy and sci-fi settings more than real world analogues, particularly those set in high school or college.
Wow what comes of this is both something I look forward to and dread how it might come out. Hopefully dating sim COGS that come of this willn’t be primary focused towards female players. Oh and does anyone know of any good free Dating sims for straight guys?
