3RRDC SentGraf2

It's that time again! The girls from the original Saturn Sentimental
Graffiti are back in an all new adventure! And while the game is still a
dating sim, the style has changed dramatically from the first game.
Now on the Sega Dreamcast, the production values are much better
and the art work is terrific. The story is shocking and original, the
music appealing and soft, the overall experience-one to treasure. This
is one dating sim adventure that no one should miss. And with that
said, let's see what the ladies of the first game have been up to.

The game starts off with a well done anime cut scene. Seems the
original playboy from the first game is gonna meet with his ladies again
and he mails them to inform them when to meet him. But upon rushing
to meet his dates, he is run over by a bus and is killed. The girls wait
for their hero, but he never comes. Soon, they all get contacted and
they hear the news. The man they love is dead. So tragically, they all
go to his home town to pay respects at his funeral. It's an emotional
time, and they can't seem to move on with their lives. That's where you
come in. You were a friend of the recently deceased and you come to
notice that there are all these new girls in town that are really nice.
Maybe the doors to sweet loneliness will be opened once again. So
yeah, the story is a bit different, and maybe some won't like the idea
that a friend of the deceased is moving in on the ladies, but the
characters themselves do have a hard time with it so it is handled with
care. An excellent story.

Twelve girls, 12 stories, and 12 different experiences. They're all back,
and the Sentimental Graffiti girls are a very good bunch. Now that they
are staying in town, they have to take up part-time jobs. That means
you'll get to meet them as nurses, waitresses, bookkeepers, etc. You
also have a male friend who gives you tips on what to do. So basically,
if you liked the girl selection in the first game, you'll feel right at home
here.

The gameplay has taken a complete overhaul. If you remember, the
first Sentimental Graffiti involved you taking various means of
transportation to go to different towns. Now, things are done in one
town and you have a little character who walks the streets in cute
anime style. Some of the buildings can also be entered and you can
walk around in them too. There are 29 different places to go to in town
from the CD store, karaoke bar, girl's university, and park. And when on
the world map, all the places will have a triangle marker in front of
them. The marker will change colors every hour depending on if
someone is at that location. Therefore it makes it very easy to tell
when an event might take place. Each night you will return home and
sleep and save your game. Gone are the days of calling to set up dates
and marking them on the calendar. Now you first have to meet them
and talk to them to set up dates. This makes things a little harder, but
still not too bad as long as you know where the girls frequent, and
usually they like to go to the same places around the same times.

Visually, the game looks very nice. The drawings are great, the girls
have many different expressions, and the art work can be zoomed in
on for closer inspection. There are also many short few second anime
snippets, many of which are just the girls' hair blowing in the wind, but
others can get a little more interesting, such as kissing. The world map
looks bright and cheerful and as the hours pass the town gets darker,
and it all looks very nice. Really, this is one of the best looking dating
sims I have seen. It's cute and playful, but also serious. If you are a fan
of anime, then you'll love the look of the game.

All the girls have full voice-overs, and they are good. The music is one
of my favorite parts of the game. It sounds very relaxing, and many
times I'll just have it playing in the background of my room because I
just love it so much. Many piano tracks, in fact there are somewhere
over 50 different pieces of music. And I have gotten 3 different ending
theme songs. Completing the sound test is fun itself just so you can
hear new cool music.

As for replay value: 12 girls, each with 3 endings. A bad, good, and
great ending. This will take some time to finish. Also trying to get every
CG to complete the gallery will take time as well. You can also replay
certain parts of the game in scenario mode so you can relive your
favorite dates. The game spans 2 GD-roms and both are game discs.
You will want to return to this pleasant game again and again to see
what happens next.

Import Warning: as a dialogue-based game, you might not know what's
going on all the time. But the marker system, which essentially tells
you if something is gonna happen or not, helps out big time, and it is an
easy way to help get more CG. Currently, there is a walkthrough for 3
of the girls on GameFaqs, as well as an ending translation guide. There
are not as many choices to make in dialogue as other games in the
genre, but that just means that the choices you make are even more
important. Overall, this is another great game to get started on with
dating sims. It's fun and very inviting.

I had more fun with this Graffiti then the first one-and I really liked the
first one. Sure it's not as easy to set up dates, but it's still pretty
painless. This is the kind of game that is just soothing to play, and it
relaxes me. Also I have found that I can play it for 4 hours at a time (ha
ha, oh boy). It's also family friendly. No nudity here, just a swim suit
here and there. So it's fun for everyone. And that's what gaming is all
about: having fun.

Review By: Orochi Sonic