Is there an actually realistic Dating Sim out there (apart from School

Apart from School Days (it's not exactly realistic, but it's a start as a deconstruction).

No; haven't you ever seen Welcome To The NHK? As Yamazaki says, that's exactly the kind of thing that the people who play those games don't want.

What's your criteria for realistic? Does it have to be in a world with no magic or other Deus ex Machina elements? Or are you looking for realism in terms of character's reactions/relationships?

Realistic romance is boring and vaguely humiliating for all involved. It wouldn't sell well.

I don't think there is anything closer to reality than School Days, and that in itself is skewed so bad (the Bad Ends and Nice Boat). If anyone were to make an extremely realistic Dating Sim, it would probably not sell well, because it doesn't have any quirks that people don't find in Real Life. Some guys play these because of their failure to get a real girl, so if you tune it down to the ordinary, the appeal is gone.

Just my $0.02, and yeah, ninja'd.

edited 5th Dec '09 6:45:50 PM by Mapi-chan

I don't care for a good supernatural plot to pepper the stuff. But I'd like a story in which the dating is actually difficult and sometimes unrewarding, there are unforeseen consequences for your actions, some of them being random, but making sense eventually.

An interesting story is a must. But believable romance is a must too.

It should need you to actually use your brains, like Ace Attorney.

Clannad is fairly difficult without a walkthrough; I only managed because I saw the anime. Some innocuous choices can rip you out of a girl's route and you hit a dead end.

it's not exactly realistic

Dodged a bullet there. I almost had to take you by the shoulders and give you a good shake for that.

I think a realistic Dating Sim probably would sell well. After all, if the target market isn't having a lot of romantic success in real life, they might figure they can learn something from it. Plus, they can say and do things they'd be too shy to in real life, and get retries.

Of course, that would require the staff to know how to write a realistic romance.

Hitch - The Game

The problem would be in how you sell it. Do you advertise its purported realism on the box? "With twenty per cent more awkward pauses in conversation and petty fights than other conventional Dating Sims on the market!"

And anyway, I think that the appeal of these games is that they aren't realistic, much like any other fantasy-oriented entertainment.

Plus, they can say and do things they'd be too shy to in real life, and get retries.

You get that in the games as it is.

The point is that they can feel like they're succeeding at the real thing, by being handed advantages they wouldn't have in real life.

Petty fights are easy to defuse with Good Communication Skills. Or are they not?

... In theory, yes... in practice... uh... I've never had a significant other, but from fights with friends/family, I can say that a good portion of any fight is an emotional response, so logic doesn't always apply so well.

Necessary Katawa Shoujo mention.

Hmm, Katawa Shoujo might be worth arguing about. Some routes more, some less so... Let's say you can play the game in a sensible way and not end up feeling like your character is some sort of supernatural chick magnet. A chick magnet, but not supernatural.

Have you tried Crescendo?

Dating Hero?

^A Dating Rhythm Game? Which buttons would you pre—-wait, let's not go there...

Holy shit, I'm sorry, but LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL.

Ahahahaha oh wow.

I kind of want to see a Welcome To The NHK Dating Sim now. Is that so wrong?

edited 6th Dec '09 9:51:24 PM by Tzetze

The peripheral, guys. The peripheral.

Azumanga Daioh Dating Sim. The person you play as is Kimura.

Courtly Love + Dating Sim Genre-Busting, you know it

I propose:

Raise The Red Lantern: the Dating Sim.