Konami Remastering 'Tokimeki Memorial' Dating Sim DS Trilogy For Switch

And no western release. Why am I not surprised?

I don't want to be pedantic but as a fan of the series this article gets a few things wrong.

These are not "visual novel" style games but primarily simulation games where you choose different activities and clubs in order to make connections and raise your stats to impress your man of choice.

This really is getting into pedant territory but this isn't an otome series (a dating sim aimed at women where you date men): Girls Side is an otome spin-off, but the main Tokimeki Memorial is aimed primarily at guys (but had a lot of female fans, hence this spin-off series)

@InnerSound Seems this was corrected, it's ultimately no biggie but a small acknowledgement at the end of the article would be nice - if indeed said edits were made because of my comment

Unrelated but 6000 yen really is quite the steep asking price for fairly cheap switch versions, even though each of these games have a ton of content

@Liam_Doolan These are very much otome games, but Tokimeki Memorial is not an otome series as the original text seemed to imply: the original games were not part of this genre

These games do use presentation common in visual novels for dialogue scenes, but I very much do not class these as such: reading is not the primary way you engage with the game

As I said originally, this is purely pedantry on my part lol

if there's one thing I know about these games, is that they are not "dating sims" in the lazy game journalist sense who sees every relationship mechanic as a proper date but actual dating sims that retain the simulation aspect of dating someone, nuances and all. Apparently nuanced enough that they taught Japanese high schoolers how to properly go on a date, if that old MatPat video is anything to go by.

Would be REALLY nice if someone would take the plunge to actually translate these games in an official capacity. I really wanna see what everything was about on PS1 (albeit on my Switch)

@Serpenterror You've gotta be kidding me....

@Serpenterror Yeah I can't believe Konami would want anything to do with a series that started with...checks notes

One of the most beloved dating sims of all time.

Written by Koji Igarashi.

whose Wikipedia page says and I quote "eschews the sexual content of other games in the genre"

@Liam_Doolan I guess we should praise Konami for remembering it has franchises besides Metal Gear (and sometimes Bomberman and Castlevania).
This one actually is coming up on its 30th anniversary (for the PC-Engine CD).

The game is rather well known as one of the remaining "cursed" games in the fan translation community. People have been waiting decades for SOMEBODY ELSE to translate the nearly 28 year old Super Famicom port. People want to play it, but nobody wants to be that one who actually translates the script.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb-DtICmPTY
Yes, it is six hours about Tokimeki Memorial. And you should watch it.

@Serpenterror I'm not certain if a single one has gotten a fan translation, but that still doesn't mean this game DESIGNED AND ANNOUNCED FOR JAPAN IS "a game nobody asked for". Also considering there's like a thousand sidegames for it, there's certainly some fondness over there.
Also "true gamers"? Sorry, but I don't know if I understand that one. Are people who have different tastes than you "fake gamers?" Is that how I should take that comment? That we should be all mad at Konami for not operating to how you feel is a respectable product output catalog?

I'm a manly man and I want my men localized so i can romance them again

Urgh... why does it have to be girls side?

I think we're overdue for a Castlevania DS Trilogy collection on Nintendo Switch.

@xiao7 Exactly, should read “girls, boys, queers, everybody who is into pointy-faced pretty boys’ side”

@xiao7 Girls side is basically bigger than regular tokimeki memorial as this point

In the past couple decades we've had 3 girls side titles and only one mainline game

Dating sims aimed at women sell on console, perhaps moreso than dating sims aimed at men (which are focused on the 18+ PC market)

Konami is in such a bad state right now, at least I don’t know what it stands for. And them they remake THESE games? This irritates more than it helps to reshape the brand again.

@Max_the_German 'THESE games' are massively beloved by their target demographic (women who play otome games) and are also incredibly polished and content rich experiences

They're just as legitimate as like castlevania or goemon

I am a true gamers I have a tattoo that says ABXY←→←→↑↑↓↓◯△×⬜︎LRLRZRZL➕➖GAMEZ ←→↑↑×⬜︎€>°4〆○☆♪5+87+4°7×2424545+÷>÷>€>

Why does Komani ignore my needs!?!? Why can Komani not cater exclusively to very well adjusted very not needy very cool gaming gigaliths like myself?

Come on people, no need to dump on others, even if you disagree. Goes for both sides. Let's all just get along.

I am not the target demo, but at least Konami are working on games, and not pachinko machines. And if they decide to translate this and it sells well, it could open the gates to other niche games.

Personally, I am hoping to one day be able to properly play the Suikogaiden VN's. I have the translation patch (even helped out on it) but it just doesn't feel right playing games emulated.

Why they just don't remaster Tokimeki Memorial 4 on English? Not fan of girls side. The PSP game is interesting (you can watch the anime promo). and never got a fan translation in English.

@InnerSound Of course they are just as legitimate as Castlevania etc. BUT Konami is in a bad situation for a pretty long time now. What is Konami standing for? Good Turtle collections? Bad MGS collections? Dating Sim remakes? New IPs or old IPs? It’s not an easy task to bring a brand back to live (which was half dead). Atari tries it with Atari 50 and interactive documentaries, and that seems a good approach to me. But Konami? I would maybe focus on action games, so that everyone thinks „Konami stands for hard, fast-paced arcade action games“. And THEN, AFTER you reestablished the brand, can expand it to other genres.

Girls Side...

Remake the original and lean into the 90s setting. Cmon Konami, hook me up!

Geez, nearly 6k yen each? That’s absurdly expensive. They must really be desperate for cash or something.

Konami and I are not on speaking terms after the MGS incident.

Please, localize this and Love Plus.

Wish Love Plus would as well what a great DS & 3DS duology/arcade game. Even if the DS one was unbalanced after a while of the stats and repeating day after day to 'eventually' get to the events wasn't great. It's no RPG segments inbetween which is fine but I do think it was lacking and some areas even if I thought with Dating Sims they followed the stats of Love Plus formula (or Tokimeki maybe not that I know enough about Tokimeki at all) but seems many visual novels with 'dating themes' and 'choices' with just multiple options aka ones with only bad end consequences no stat ones with more to determine just don't do that probably due to Konami patents maybe? Or whatever the case.

Either way I appreciated what was there. 16bit Sensation filled in some gaps of 90s PC ones I wasn't familiar with, how they made them and what the era was like at least a little bit.

But Tokimeki is more notable so makes sense why. No western release sadness though.

Fair price I guess for all 3 games reworked for Switch, RIP dual screen systems future. No tate mode just single screen widescreen, menus reworked, audio maybe and other details hmm.

Then again any dating sim, roguelike shooter (Coded Arms not Contagion or PS3's cancelled Coded Arms Assault), or racing games (GTI Club, Thrilldrive, Enthusia) would be nice but never going to happen from Konami IPs like those.

I care for Konami's niche IPs not their western mainstream ones so to me it's cool to hear about that like Suikoden they are pushing other IPs for remaster status at least.

I collect some of these games just be they are different types and if they come Physical cart EN they probably will not release again ever.

If they don't localise it for English audiences I'm going to commit-

These games are one of my absolute favourites, I have the roms and just play them over and over again, I even have the DS versions but they're all in Japanese
Konami seriously needs to consider translating them, they need to see how many fans they have in the western community.

Goemon Collection (with translations of Ganbare Goemon 2 & 3 on the Super Famicom) next please Konami.