Picking out the right outfit, suited not only to your style but to your activities, is critical. I certainly remember high school being about the ever-expanding universe of my wardrobe, so it was reassuring to see that fashion plays a big part in the design of Brooktown High. The developer, Backbone Entertainment, got a lot of things right in the look of the game. Wild punks, soon-to-be supermodels, and arty chicks abound in this school simulator from Konami. There were some characters in my class, but nothing as extreme as the sights in Brooktown High. Though "Brooktown High" is good for a peek back and a laugh (or perhaps a wince), it hasn't convinced me that I should spend much time reliving those awkward years.I vaguely remember high school as being a little less colorful than this game. Nobody ever said the teen years offered up life's most meaningful conversations…but still, how many times can you talk to Elektra about how she feels about voodoo?Īll in all, I've always felt more than a little relieved that high school is a thing now firmly in my past. You'll spend a lot of time in your room at first and though the mini games - a fairly innocent version of strip blackjack and a "Dance Dance Revolution"-like title among them - are amusing enough, pretty soon you'll be totally bored (imagine that time you got grounded for a month after crashing Dad's car.)Īdditionally, while it feels like there's nowhere near enough time allowed at school to socialize with your fellow students, at the same time your conversations with these students - there are only 20 of them - quickly begin to grow repetitive. Now that it's the weekend, if you haven't managed to set up a date then you have no choice but to spend your time in your bedroom where you can study (snooze), purchase new clothes online (not a particularly large variety to choose from), call friends on the phone (if you've managed to get their numbers), or play a couple of mini-games. But again, you the player don't actually do anything. If you've selected an extracurricular activity - a club to join or a job - you'll see your avatar rock out in a band or go to work at her modeling job. Instead, you see your avatar in class as the rest of the week days fly by.Īnd then, suddenly, it's Friday. But once you're in class, you don't actually do anything - there's no mini-games here, there's no nothing. Once the bell rings, you better get to class before the robotic hall monitor (huh?) shocks you with his zap gun. ![]() The week progresses like this: Monday morning you go to school and, in the very short period of time before classes start, you've got to run around as quickly as you can making friends and trying to set up dates. The problem with "Brooktown High" is, you get the same feeling playing the game. When I was in high school, I remember feeling like there just wasn't enough for a teenager like me to do. While all of this is actually reasonably amusing for a little while (it's a twisted bit fun to watch the stereotypical high school dramas and social anxieties play out from a digital distance) it's safe to say that "Brooktown High" is no "Bully." ![]() (Though the character creation system is quite limited.) And after that, you're tossed into your new school where you must sink or swim in the social pool…and ultimately land yourself a date to the prom. The game goes on to have you create an avatar for yourself - selecting eye color, hair style, height and so on. And these stats are important down the line. This categorization determines your initial personal statistics in four categories: originality, athletics, smarts and charm. You pick up: An action flick? An anime movie? A foreign film?"Īccording to my answers, I was 50 percent rebel, 12 percent jock, 38 percent nerd ( ouch) and zero percent prep. He asked you to rent a movie and come over to his place. And so at the start of the game, you take a personality quiz that determines where you fit in, answering questions like: "What's the best thing about high school life: Raging parties? Fabulous formals? Knowledge?" Or, "It's your second date. Like "Bully," "Brooktown High" drops players into a school ruled by stereotypical cliques: nerds, jocks, preps and rebels. Also, late last year Rockstar Games did a truly stellar job transforming some of the most painful years of a young adult's life into a really excellent game, "Bully." That game put players in the sneakers of a teenage boy trying to navigate the social fabric of a new school, and in doing so they created an action game that managed to be thought-provoking, funny and a whole lot of fun to play all at the same time. ![]() ![]() Still though, social/dating sim games like these are big in Japan and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
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