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OHR-Date vs. Uncommon
OHR-Date Word.
Shadowiii
Download: 1.48 MB
V.S.
Uncommon
Play Time: 7 hours and 0 minutes
Review # 7 for Uncommon Word.
Them's Fightin' Words
    Simulation. That was the theme to the 2004 528 hour contest, but, really, how many of the games that came from that contest realised the theme as it should have been realised? At least one, I can tell you that. OHR Date is more than just any old OHR non-RPG, it's the final realisation of a concept that has taken years to bear fruit. OHR Date is (big surprise) a dating simulator. Pepsi Ranger started one, but the community never saw it. Moon Buggie tried it, too, he even posted screenshots, but, once again, it was never released. Shadowiii has finally done it and the world of lonely OHR nerds rejoices.
Graphics
    Graphics are slightly above-par, with Shadow's familiar FF6-based npcs. His maptiles aren't as good, as much of the texturing looks airbrushed, and the grass (which would otherwise be great) has a good deal of grey in it, I'm assuming from importing.

The backdrops, much like Shadow's earlier game Pitch Black, are imported photographs, but, this time, with drawings imposed on them, which, though they clash a bit, look decent. The drawings themselves aren't the best, and look like they were drawn in a bit of a rush. The ones I disliked the most were all of Julia's (she seems to look a bit fat, or something...) and June's date dress (for a girl so fashion-oriented, man...). June's outside picture was great, though. Prolly my favorite.
 
Storyline
    You wake up on your first day in a new community, where you have moved for school. your goal is to adjust to this new life by going to school, doing odd jobs, and, if you can find the time, meet some nice girls while you're at it. There is no pervading plot through the game, and no actual conflict, except, of course, for your own ineptitude at getting close to girls. Don't worry, this game makes it easy for you, as the nameless hero is a lot luckier than you.

Each girl does have her own personality and character, and that is very good. The dialogue, aside from a few spelling and grammar errors, doesn't alienate you at all. I can't help but feel that Auora was a female version of Shadow himself, though, what with all the game design, Tae Kwon Do, and whatnot.

Shadow makes a few appearances himself. Well, in the dialogue, at least. Just try and count how many times you see a "red-haired kid" mentioned...
 
Gameplay
    Three stats. The entire world of OHR Date revolves around three stats. Strength, Intelligence, and Charm. Each stat has a girl who prefers it, each stat has a way of interacting with the girls, each stat has a class at school, each stat has its own building that helps you raise it, and each stat has its own job that gives you money based on its value. How you build your stats can greatly affect how you interact with the girls.

Three girls. Three girls to woo and court as you will. June, the rich girl, Julia, the shy girl, and Auora, the tomboyish girl. Each girl has her own set of points, to tell you how you're doing with her. When talking to the girls, you will, at any given time, have four options. The first is talk, which will, at times, give you anywhere from 5-10 points for that particular girl. Flirt, which is based on the Charm stat, Flex, which is based on the Strength stat, and Chat, which is based on the Intelligence stat, each give you different points depending on the value of that stat and the girl you're talking to.

If, by doing any of these four actions, you get your stat high enough, a girl will let you talk to her outside of school, where you can start giving her gifts, or, even allow you to visit her at home, where you can invite her on dates. Your main goal is to get your points high enough to where you will be able to take a girl out on a date and have her kiss you by the end of the night.

You also only have a certain amount of energy, so you can only do a certain number of actions per day, and then it's off to bed to start a new day.

One problem with the game is that it has a good deal of bugs. All of Julia's Arcade Talk textboxes are messed up. When you try to give Auora a gift in the library, often the map will go wonky. There are buffer overflows if you try to give a girl a gift when you already have. Your walkabout never changes after you go on a date, so you'll be wearing your formal wear until the next time you go to school. If your points get too high, then they'll go negative (and back to positive by the next morning), making it very difficult to get a kiss if you waited too long. All of these won't totally detract from the gameplay, but they can be a little annoying.
 
  Battle
    None, except for that greatest battle, the battle for the precious heart of a young woman!  
  Map Design
    Most of it was pretty straightforward. It was decent, but not spectacular. It was not, however, incredibly simple and boring, and that I can appreciate.  
  Balance
    Well, it wasn't really so hard as it was long. If you can buy enough rings, then you can get a girl easily. Seriously, whoever said "Money can't buy...love" (yes, I know it was Paul McCartney, shut up) has never played OHR Date. All you really need to get a girl is money, energy, and patience. One thing I did notice about the game is that you can get used to it too easily. Seriously, you'll just get into a mode of "School. Flirt. Work. Sleep. Repeat." So, what the game really lacks is variety, 'cos plain interest won't always last for 3-7 hours.  
Music
    I'm without a sound card, so I can't really say. Since Shadow holds music to be the second most important thing to a game, I'm sure it's good, but I really can't tell you.  
Enjoyment
    Well, yes, it's enjoyable, until you realise how little variety it has. Well, for me, that wasn't for 6 and a half hours, so I guess it was okay. It certainly keeps you involved, but many of the choices are so obvious that it hardly seems to matter...

I know that one of my favorite parts was to talk to the npcs in the town over and over, just to see all of the random things they'd say. That was certainly an enjoyable aspect.
 
Final Blows
    It's certainly a notable attempt, but it's not perfect yet. Everyone should play this game at least once. Whether you play it again is your choice, but really, can you pass up an OHR dating sim that's actually been released? Come on, download it.
I'm sorry, but that dress </i>really<i> sucks.

I'm sorry, but that dress really sucks.
Final Scores
Graphics: 6/10.0
Npcs are good, but I've seen better maptiles out of you, Shadow.
Storyline: 3/10.0
Eh. It works for a sim. Really, though, I'd like to see a sim that has a plot. That would be interesting.
Gameplay: 8/10.0
Well-balanced stats and a nice system. One thing that would make it better, though is if, instead of saying that you did something (like playing Julia at DDR), if you actually did it. That would keep my interest a lot longer. Oh, and jealousy would be fun, too.
Music: 5/10.0
I'm sure it's good, but I'll have to remain neutral until I hear it.
Enjoyment: 7/10.0
Variety, that's what would make this game great. If it wasn't just the same thing every day, then that would be pretty special. This is certainly a great start, but you're not done yet.
Overall Grade: B-
Final Thoughts
    Terra from Final Fantasy 7. That's something I'll remember for a while...
Oh, right, and this is a good game.
 


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