Love Hina: Totsuzen no Engeji Happening

"Tenchi Muyo without the aliens and the excitement"

Love Hina is an import title based off an anime and manga series in Japan. The game could most be described as a dating sim(Tokimeki Memorial,White Illumination,etc.)without the ability to control many factors. As for the story you play as a young man named Keitaro. Keitaro made a girl a promise as a child he would marry her and go to the Todai institute. The problem is he doesn't have the grades to get in( nor the money to keep taking the exam), and he cannot remember who the girl was. His grandmother tells him to make money by managing her spa/dormitory that is filled with beautiful girls, and one may even be his love from childhood.
The game leads you through various scenarios spanning six chapters in which the object is to find that special girl and marry her. To achieve that you talk to each love interest,and spin a roulette wheel for good outcomes or bad outcomes. The roulette is what really put a damper on the playability, because it is basically luck as to whether you succeed with the chosen girl. All you do is run around in a 2-D house( RPG style ) and make conversation that leads to the roulettes. No mini games or different modes are present to break up the monotony of your quest. An e-mail option is available for those in Japan, but what it lacks in options it makes up for in being a funny game through featuring wacky talking turtles and '' Golden Boy '' like moments.
Graphics: Artwork in the game is very good, and the graphics in conversation mode are great. Each female appears just as they do in the anime. The downside is the SNES-esque visuals in exploration mode. A moderate effort, but it could have been done on the PS One.
Sound: Descent in some areas like the conversations with voice acting for each character and in the opening movie. In the exploration mode the music never changes and it does get aggravating by the third chapter. Overall it is tolerable.
Control: Little to speak of, besides the exploration mode. Each roulette grows more tedious as you are forced to watch how little control you have over the scenario's outcome.
Replay factor: With the ability to collect pictures of game scenes, many different endings, and various roulette changes the game could be played for a long time. I doubt anyone would play through more than twice though since it forces the player to sit through the same story elements each game.
Overall: An average dating sim for your Dreamcast. It can be bought pretty cheaply for an import game, and will provide you with a few laughs. Just don't expect to be thrilled by the gameplay, you will be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 10/24/01, Updated 10/24/01