D3 Publishing Goes On A Friendship Adventure
Ah, D3 Publishing. Without them, it would be hard to meet our daily requirement of mediocre T&A games such as: Onechan Bara, The Catfight, The Miniskirt Police, and The Women’s Swim Meet Water Battle.
What you might not be aware of is D3 Publishing also publishes somewhat popular independent releases from small “cottage developers” and unleashes them to the masses via PS2. An example of such a game is called “The Friendship Adventure” (Simple 2000 Series Vol.38). It was originally released fall 2003, and has garnered much attention from import gamers. You play a young anchorman for a popular broadcaster, and the mission is to have a “Best friend” between other select men who you cross paths within the station. It plays as a linear novel-type game, but you are free to move within the station and select after hour hang-outs to meet the guys.
Says you, PS2. The original PC adaptation is recognized as one of the first games that was made specifically for the gay market in Japan. No pretty feminine long-haired guys here; Just bulky, sweaty, alpha males. You can become friends with the other men, but not before several “bathroom encounters” and witnessing a horribly misplaced baseball bat. As you might have guessed, the PS2 version is slightly edited to meet CERO criteria.
Ah, D3 Publishing. Without them, it would be hard to meet our daily requirement of mediocre T&A games such as: Onechan Bara, The Catfight, The Miniskirt Police, and The Women’s Swim Meet Water Battle.
What you might not be aware of is D3 Publishing also publishes somewhat popular independent releases from small “cottage developers” and unleashes them to the masses via PS2. An example of such a game is called “The Friendship Adventure” (Simple 2000 Series Vol.38). It was originally released fall 2003, and has garnered much attention from import gamers. You play a young anchorman for a popular broadcaster, and the mission is to have a “Best friend” between other select men who you cross paths within the station. It plays as a linear novel-type game, but you are free to move within the station and select after hour hang-outs to meet the guys.
Says you, PS2. The original PC adaptation is recognized as one of the first games that was made specifically for the gay market in Japan. No pretty feminine long-haired guys here; Just bulky, sweaty, alpha males. You can become friends with the other men, but not before several “bathroom encounters” and witnessing a horribly misplaced baseball bat. As you might have guessed, the PS2 version is slightly edited to meet CERO criteria.
One of the more revolutionary details put into the game is after you input your name, you can set if you’re the “giver” or “receiver” (ahem). You can also set any of the NPC’s sexuality as “Gay” or “Non-gay”. The characters end up getting cookies at the end either way*, but the dialogue and story flow changes depending on your choice.
The Hotaru series is still going strong with 3 PC releases. However, I doubt the other two will see the light of day on the PS2 at this point. All three PC titles are available at Himeya Shop and the PS2 edition is available at most import retailers such as Play Asia.
Official Playstation 2 Website: Simple 2000 Volume 38: The Friendship Adventure
*Not recommended to be tested in real life.
Crazy Legs
Posted to Video Games on 21 September 2006
· Comments (4)
Other stuff like this: D3 Publishing, Gay-themed games, import, PS2
is this in english or japanese?
Import only, unfortunately. With Sony’s crazy rule with 2D games on the PS2 among many, many, other factors; It will most definitely remain a import-only title.
Finally! A video game about Anderson Cooper!
Hmmm, not bad. But they could be ruggeder. Is that a word?