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OHR-Date vs. PIcaRDMPC
OHR-Date Hey there June; nice to see you.
Shadowiii
Download: 1.48 MB
V.S.
PIcaRDMPC
Play Time: 04 hours and 45 minutes
Review # 2 for PIcaRDMPC Hey there June; nice to see you.
Them's Fightin' Words
    As I understand it, OHR Date was made for the 528 hour contest. It was also the winner, and I believe that it deserved that win wholeheartedly. It was one of the most original, most enjoyable games I've ever played on the OHR. It just does something for you when you play it; you'd have to play it to understand what I mean.


Graphics
    Graphics wise, not much was original. Shadowii himself said that the NPC and player sprites were based off of FFVI characters. But, despite the lack of originality, the graphics were quite good, especially the close-up pictures of the three girls. The decorations in the school and other buildings also looked quite good, as did the arcade games and the backround pictures. The graphics just did what they had to do; they enhanced the playing experience, and that's all they were needed for.


 
Storyline
    The storyline, such as it is, consists of this: You are a 17 or so year-old boy who has just moved into a new town to attend the school, for whatever reason. Along the way, you can meet with up to three different girls, each with their own individual tastes, intrests, and personalities. The storyline advances as you advance in your relationship with the girls. You win by managing to kiss one of them on a date. Also, each girl has their own unique personality. Julia(a cameo from Shadowii's Pitch Black) goes for the mushy stuff, like movies, clothes, the typical romantic things you'd expect. Auora is the intelligent one; she loves stuff like computer games and books, rarity in today's teenage world. June, however, is the athletic type; strong, and loves strong men, and probably the easiest of the three to impress. All in all, the storyline is however you make it, so make it a good one. *gets smacked for quoting BTTF*


 
Gameplay
    The gameplay is quite varied in the activities you can participate in. You can go to school and attend classes(actually, you have to five days a week. The class are computer(raises Intelligence by 5) gym(raises Strength by 5) or you can cut school(raises Charm by 5)), brush up on your studies(raises Intelligence by 7 and drops Charm by 2) and/or game-making skills(raises Intelligenc by 15 but drops Charm by 5) or read a book(raises Intelligence by 2) at the library, get a job(either tutoring, baised on Intelligence, selling idiotic inventions, based on Charm, or helping someone move stuff between her 20+ summer homes, based on Strength(Or, if you have 500 of each stat, you can sign up for Unemployment insurance and be payed 750 each day automatically; no need to spend energy on a job)), play various games at the arcade(A Neo-Geo machine which raises Charm by 3, Air Hockey which raises Charm by 5, and DDR, which raises Charm by 7 and Strength by 2), and participate in different exercises at the gym(Treadmill, which raises Strength by 3, weight lifting which raises Strength by 5, or Karate class which raises Strength by 7 and Intelligence by 2). Of course, you have the relationship between you and the girls. You can even buy them gifts at the store. Lastly, you can speak with various NPCs who always have different things to say(200+ for guys and girls each), and even meet some Castle Paradox cameos(Such as Mr. B and MCW. Especially the whole Minnek thing; that was hilarious.)


 
  Battle
    No battles, but there didn't need to be any; that wasn't the focus of the game.



 
  Map Design
    Shadowii sure knows his stuff when it comes to map design; each and every map were made so that every place, be it the school or Julia's house, reflected exactly how you would expect them to look in real life. Each girls' house reflected their individual tastes; the library looked like an actual library; the only thing missing from places like the school and your house were bathrooms; not that those were really needed.


 
  Balance
    Between the activities you can do, and the relationships between you and the girls, I'd say this game is quite well balanced, although there could have been a little bit of tweaking here and there, since the game isn't difficult enough. Perhaps in an update or OHR Date 2, if Shadowii decides to make one, he can include some more features, such as the girls getting jealous. He might also want to create penalties for constantly doing the same actions every day for a while, such as lower energy to start the day with, or a certain job not being available for a while. Perhaps even have the girls start purposely seeking you out if they are ignored for some time, and have them yell at you, or maybe even having one girl whom you've already kissed catch you with another on a date and beat the tar out of you for it. ^_^



 
Music
    The music was ripped, with permission, and was both well chosen and well placed, although I couldn't tell you where they were from; I don't recognize most music these days, except for country music.



 
Enjoyment
    I enjoyed this game a lot more than I thought I would have; I had been expecting something that I'd quit after five minutes. It gives one a pleasant feeling, as though one was actually participating in these relationships. Yes, it sounds corny, but that's the feeling it gave me. Not to mention the experiance of dating each girl; each one gives you a different level of enjoyment, and I think June was almost no fun to date. That could perhaps be improved a little.



 
Final Blows
    The game surprised me in many ways. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this game exceeded any expectations I had. Most people these days are extremely shallow in the way they think, be it about relationships, their job, or anything else. But not here; here people accept you for who you are, and I think that, most of all, is what makes this game so great; that, even if it's just a fantasy, even if it's just for a while, you can feel like you truly belong.

Like I said, Castle Paradox cameos abound. Like MCW in the arcade.

Like I said, Castle Paradox cameos abound. Like MCW in the arcade.
Final Scores
Graphics: 8.5/10.0
Some ripped, others done originally. Either way, they were pretty good.
Storyline: 7.5/10.0
Loses a couple points due to the fact that there isn't much to it, but the relationships give it it's own flavor.
Gameplay: 8.5/10.0
The gameplay, while it still needs a little bit of tweaking, works out just great.
Music: 6.5/10.0
Great music, but loses points due to the fact they were all ripped.
Enjoyment: 9/10.0
You will definitely enjoy this game, no matter what you do in it. I know I did.
Overall Grade: B+
Final Thoughts
    I recommend this game to everyone. Whether you're single, married, or in a long-term relationship, whether you're 5 or 65, play this game. It'll leave you with a warm, pleasant feeling, no matter what you think about it otherwise.  


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