[PSP] らき☆すた: Net idol Meister

Yes, I'm also a fan of Lucky Star. A BIIG fan. This game is one of the reasons I decided to get a PSP in the first place. While Kadokawa Shoten's Lucky Star: Net Idol Meister isn't what I was expecting it to be, I gave it time, and my patience was greatly rewarded in more ways than one.

I won't run away... I won't run away... I won't run away! (sneaks a peek at Kagamin Langely Sohryu)

The game somewhat pays homage to "The Idolm@ster" series of games. You play the role of Lucky Project Manager Kosaku Tori, a freelancer hired by Animate to remedy it's sagging image as an anime goods company by seeking out and promoting an up-and-coming talent that will generate otaku fandom and of course, corporate income. It just so happens that majority of the Lucky Star Characters are the ones auditioning.

Melona fits Miyuki like a glove, but... Tsukasa as Leina?

At first, your only choice for a talent to train is Konata Izumi. Progressing through the game and getting one of the 3 endings may unlock more characters. Aside from individual characters, you can also train and promote groups later on. The training part is composed of minigames that will test every last fiber of your gaming nerves, while the auditions are built on quiz games that gauge your knowledge of otaku trivia, Lucky Star factoids, Tsundere detection capabilities, as well as interpretation of Japanese kanji and symbols used in "Industry Lingo". As such, this game requires you to be adept in at least elementary-level Japanese.

"Sing for me, Kagamiku!" "Y-yes, commander... MOEMOEMOE! YAOIYAOIYAOI!"

L*S: NiM doesn't fail to deliver when it comes to showing fans the usual quirky comedy as well as the in-your-face parodies of popular anime titles and video game franchises. In between the cuteness, the manager's story is also told behind the scenes, regarding the advent of a bitter enemy in the form of Dark Animate. (Not Gamers or Tora No Ana?) Every training day increases the manager's stress level (which is called Synchro Ratio for some reason as an Eva reference) at varying percentages. If it hits critical mass, he'll totally blow his stack and the game will be over. Thankfully, there's more than one way to keep him cool... the most entertaining of which is having him watch a mini-drama of his talent doing a galge-style promotional video. Moe Power all the way!

MOTTO BARIBARI!! Cure White and Cure Va... er, Black!

As I mentioned before, this isn't one of those import games where you can get away with just using a translation sheet. Being a quiz game, expect lots of Japanese text, which is daunting enough for people who can't read nor speak the lingo. Aside from the possible language barrier issues, this game is also not recommended for people whose patience strings are about as thin as a piano wire. Since you have to do the same games over and over again for every character, it can get rather monotonous at times. For me though, these are just small things: The only real beef I have with this game is that it has no soft reset function if you goof up at any point. The only way to restart without losing your progress is to quit the game, reload it, then continue from your prior save.

These aren't panties so it's okay to show 'em off!

Overall, L*S: NiM falls under the category of niche import games that will only entertain a minimal percentage of it's non-Japanese fanbase. But don't discount it immediately. This game certainly contributed in broadening my Japanese vocabulary, and it may encourage some people to start learning the language, too.

Besides, you can't call yourself a hardcore fan of something if you aren't willing to bend over backwards to enjoy everything related to it.