3RRSS Douky 2

There are times in one's life where a gamer simply has to look back on
it all and remember why they are a self proclaimed hard-core game
nut. They look back on certain games that the general public finds
obscure, or even unknown. The hard-core gamer embraces these
games, regardless of language barriers or what system it is on. My
friends, I have found a game that has changed my outlook on what a
game can be. A game that transcends languages, customs, and
traditions. A game that breaks taboos and shows more emotion then
any other. Join me now as we take a very in depth look at Doukyusei 2,
otherwise known as "classmates 2," for the Sega Saturn.

While this game may sound unfamiliar to most Westerners, Doukyusei
is actually a rather popular series in Japan. Originally released by Elf
(very popular hentai game company) for DOS, the original "Doukyusei
if" was semi-successful enough to warrant an anime based on it, and
ports to Windows and Saturn. This was followed by Doukyusei 2 which
also saw release on the pc-fx, Japanese and Chinese Windows, and
even the PS1 and Super Famicom. The sequel also spawned anime
versions, toys and much more. You can also find a Doukyusei strip-
mahjong game on Saturn.

The object of both games is simple. In Doukyusei 2, you play a high
school senior who has just entered winter break. It is the perfect time
to relax and find love. But there are only two weeks to do so before
school starts back up. Can you find true love within the city? As you
can see, this game helped define the words "dating sim". There are a
total of fifteen eligible ladies to hook up with as well. Each one of them
is unique and special and each one of them supplies a very rewarding
gaming experience.

The gameplay is very fun and wonderful to experience. The graphics
are done up in cute 2D. The main character then walks around from
place to place on the town map. There are a number of different places
that you can go and many people (friend and foe) to see. Also the game
is time based. The actual game starts on December 22nd and time
passes in the game each time you enter a new building, or area.
Therein lays the difficult task. For, it is here that you must somehow
find a way to meet these girls at the right places, at the right times,
and say the right things to them. Aha, so you have to find the girls first.
And they all have very unique schedules; some are easier to track
down then others. Take Sakurako for example. Now this girl's story
revolves around her being in the local hospital for the past three years
while she yearns to leave her bed and see the outside world. The hero
stumbles upon the hospital and climbs the tree outside. This tree leads
to Sakurako's window where they meet. Then the hero must continue
to visit her practically every day at 2:00 p.m. to become friends. Some
of the girls though, have more complicated schedules and are not so
routine.

There are over a dozen girls, and they range from your step-mom and
step-sister, to underclassmen, the biker girl, the nerdy girl, to older
women like the bus guide, your teacher, the kindergarten teacher, the
owner of the hot springs; it's all good. A girl for everyone.

The first thing you will do when you pop disk "A" in (the game is
stretched over 2 disks) is watch the prologue. This involves the last
few days of school before winter break, and basically serves as a
chance to meet some of the girls before you try and get with them.
This is followed by a short, but very nicely done anime sequence. It is
of note that this anime scene looks very nice, and is hardly grainy at
all. After this, you then pop in disk "B" to begin the main story. Once it
becomes January 7th (the final day), you save, pop in disk "A" again,
and watch the epilogue. It is here that you find out if you were
successful in falling in love. After you successfully get one good ending
(there is a generic bad one that you can get if you are rejected) you
open up bonus omake mode. More on that later. The game can be
played with a standard controller or the mouse (if you have one).

And the mouse makes perfect sense, as you have a little arrow that
moves around the screen and you can click on things. Highlighting the
arrow over people's mouths makes you talk to them and you can also
inspect some items here and there. Dialogue and text can be quickly
skipped by holding down the r trigger. There's also more then just
talking though, as when you encounter Yoshiki, the perverted fat kid
who likes to take risqué pictures of girls, your cursor can change into
a fist and punch him. This is necessary to do so in the game at certain
points. Also, when your getting intimate with a girl, the cursor can
change into a pair of lips so you can kiss the girl. Sometimes though,
it's best to just keep with talking. Sometimes when you meet girls, you
can drag the cursor over their breasts or parts of their clothing and
grab at them. This usually is not recommended, and makes the girls
dislike you. But if you wanna reach out and touch someone, there you
go.

Ahhh the sex. Doukyusei 2 is rated 18+ with a yellow label, but to be
fair, the game's sex scenes have been highly edited. That's not to say
that there's no nudity though. On the contrary, if you trigger the hot
springs trip, you can get to see some of the girls in the water, and
there are some butt shots. Lot's of cleavage, but nary a nipple, (I
thought I saw one once though. Oh maybe twice…). The sex scenes
have the camera panned over the girl's face on the picture and it's
zoomed in, so you don't really see what's going on "down there", but it
is implied. There is also a good deal of panty shots abound. All in all,
although edited the game is still sexy with great art, sexual or not.

There's really a lot to do and keep track of in this game. If you wanna
save, you can go to your house and up to your room and click on the
bed. Be warned, as this game takes up more then 100 blocks of the
Saturn's memory, but hey it's worth it. Also once you find out where
every place is, the town is very easy to navigate. Attached to your
house is a coffee shop that your step-mom runs (Step-mom? Yep, even
she is a potential lover). Other classmates also have houses that you
can visit the outside of, and once you learn who lives where, it gets
very easy to figure out where to go. Money is kind of important if you
wanna take the girl on a date and buy her a drink or ride the train to
the other side of town, but overall it's not something to pay too much
attention to. You don't have to worry about statistics or stamina in this
game as the hero can stay up as long as he likes. Most places though
will be closed. Also in the upper right of the town, there is a house
where an old man lives who can speed up time up to eight hours. Very
nice to help you finish the game fast.

The graphics are very nice. The background locations all look superb.
This is all very cool since originally this was only a sixteen color DOS
game. But the Saturn houses a 32-bit work of art. Character art work is
wonderful, and the 2D sprites are cute. There is really nothing to fault
about the graphics. There are tons of places to see as well. You can go
to the mall, the game center, TV station, school, clinic, kindergarten,
tennis court, convenience store, train station, beach, a shrine and
more. Loads of places to go, and they all look wonderful. The character
art is amazing. The designs on these characters look great. Pictures of
the girls change emotions as you talk to them and say various things,
but the mouths do not move when they talk (ala Pia Carrot 2). Still, I
can't stress how beautiful this game looks.

One of the best parts of a dating sim is surprisingly the sound track,
and Doukyusei 2 is no exception. The music here is great, each girl has
her own theme, scratch that, each character does as the guys at
school do too. I love the music; it really is fun and upbeat. The ending
theme song is one of the most memorable ending themes in recent
memory. Prepare to sing along in your best Japanese because it is
moving! So, the music is great, and all the characters feature voices
(except the main character that you play, but that is common practice
in the genre).

So with over a dozen girls to woo you better believe that there is some
good replay value here. Finishing a girl's story can take anywhere from
1 to 3 hours each. I spent a load of time in this game with late night
sessions. Believe me, it was worth it. Once you unlock omake mode,
then you get to look at all the girls CG (that's like the special picture
events that you trigger) and hear all the music again. Oh yeah, there's
also a new side quest where you play another new character and it
features a new girl (your tutor) to chase after. Happy days are here
again. In short, this game will keep you busy.

So then, you have a Saturn and it can play imports, but you're not
really sure about getting this game. I've told you how it excels
everywhere, in graphics, sound, and gameplay, but it is very story
driven and in Japanese. Will the language barrier prevent Westerners
from enjoying this gem? Hmm, depends. English walkthroughs are
available online so that gets rid of most of the guess work, but still, you
won't get the full story. But the art and dialogue comes out in a way
that you can feel the emotions. Love is universal. This game has
proved to be so powerful and addicting, that I think I would put it in my
Top 10 of gaming history. School's out and if you're ready for love try
some Classmates 2 on for size, you won't regret it!

Review by: Orochi Sonic

Note: for those with no knowledge of Japanese and no walkthrough,
subtract 30 from gameplay, replay, and overall.