DREAM C CLUB

I don't feel like looking around for images that much so this will be the only image. It's not like I have a capture device anyway.

I haven't finished Dream Club (nor am I sure if I ever will) but I feel I've played enough to write how I feel about the game.

I should start off by saying, I cleared 2 of the girls. Mian (blonde twin tails), and Makoto ("girl" left of her). Two of the girls, Airi and Eyepatch need to be unlocked and are not available from the beginning.

I have to say, the game was a bit disappointing. You start off by becoming a member of some suspicious looking kyabakura which apparently is only accessible by those of pure hearts. I think this must be some kind of joke though, because the protagonist (and probably the player) do not have a pure heart. You also only have 1 year. You are a freeter, and during the week you choose whether to work at a place of your choice, rest, or go shopping. The part time jobs you can choose from are working at a convenience store, and gambling. After more gameplay time you get the additional jobs of working at a call centre for a 2 week period, and something called a 'Mysterious Job' (I think that's what it was) which can take up to 5 weeks I believe.

After gambling all week to make some cash, you go spend it at the kyabakura on your weekend. You choose a girl of your choice, assuming she is available, and then chat her up. The gameplay basically consists of getting her and yourself drunk (but not too drunk! You don't want to pass out) and talking to her. The talk system is kind of like im@s. You use the buttons to choose conversation options, though in this game you aren't timed. You can also order more drinks, spend money on snacks, and karaoke. Finishing your drink, buying her the drink she likes, doing well in mini-games (karaoke, some snacks, etc), making the right choices when you have the option, and giving gifts raises her affection. Her affection is represented by a heart over the dialogue box when she's talking.

Regardless, the main point is conversation. You both get drunk and enter ETS (erotic talk system) where, because the girl is drunk, talks more freely about certain things. There is usually story related dialogue amongst others. You progress through the game by seeing key story dialogue points which sometimes require giving certain items or other conditions. If you satisfy all the requirements, and she likes you lots, you'll get the happy ending, other wise you get the friend ending. You also get a bad ending if you pass the year without getting a girl's ending.

You can go on a couple dates with the girls, you get email from them throughout the game, you can obtain their info, including their real names, etc etc.

One reason I found the game disappointing was because all the girls are super old.  The youngest girls are 20, and there is one as old as 24. The game mainly focuses around drinking booze with the girls, so of course they need to be 20+. But frankly, I don't find the idea of get a bunch of old ladies drunk that attractive. I think the game would be a lot more enjoyable for me, if maybe the game didn't involve alcohol. You really need to get a girl drunk to get close to her? Too realistic! Just a normal cafe or something maybe, where you converse with girls of a wider age range would be nice. Not to mention the idea of the girls I'm aiming for, drinking with and flirting with other customers when I'm not around  isn't that appealing. A lot of the girls, to me at least, come off a bit slutty. But oh well, that's what kind of game it is.

Probably the most annoying part is the fact that two of the girls have to be unlocked in order for you to choose them. Big deal right? Only problem is, it unlocks the girls based on the number of achievements you've unlocked in the game. In order to unlock Airi, you need 30 in game achievements unlocked. In order to get the pirate, you need 35. There are a total of 50 achievements in game. Four of them require the characters that are locked. So 46 possible. A lot of achievements are maybe not 'hard' but annoying and time consuming to get. Sixteen achievements involving all the girls available from the get go. I'd have to play through girls routes I'm not that interested in, or plain don't like, and have to be constantly focusing on getting achievements during playthroughs and probably re-playthrough just to get a few others. All for two girls I may or may not like. What a hassle. But don't worry, they're so nice, that if you can't be bothered doing all that, you can pay 800MS points to unlock each, so 1600 total! Right.

The game still had it's fun points though, the tempo is good, the dialogue isn't boring. I wouldn't buy it at full price, but I got the platinum collection which is only like what, 2600 yen? So I think it was worth it. I spent too much on DLC I'll probably only use a couple times though.

A must