My first Xbox 360 game... once

(tags game, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, love-sim, simulation, cross-dress, dance, cel-shading, training, pre-order, ECsite)

I was in Sofmap Kobe making my rounds and I finally decided to pre-order the Princess Princess - Princesses' After-School Danger (プリンセスプリンセス：姫たちのあぶない放課後後) SPLS-25693 game (previous post about it) there when I spotted a video of the IdolM@ster game for the Xbox 360. I was impressed by the animation, heh. It keeps reminding me of my time with Yumeria. Are these two games developed by the same teams? Both were published by Namco, right? I gotta look this up sometime.

Anyway, I was watching the video (low res available at official site) loop over and over again, impressed with the motion capture movement and 60 FPS Hello! Project-like dancing (you know, cute and not vulgar). The music sucked, really. I am concerned. I did read the Insert Credit New Gaming Journalism entry on The IdolM@ster, which clued me in on the heart-wrenching, coin-gobbling arcade version. BUT! The last pre-order slip was hanging in the box. It has dancing and seiyuu-activated music! It comes with this crazy diorama complete with figures (I first saw it from Kotaku, thanks). What is the scale for these figures, please.

And the "new face" is a blonde hair Miki Hoshii! Very fresh! I'm sold!

So I checked the price. Oh yeah, only 20000 yen. And the pre-order is only 2000 yen. (Usually pre-orders are 500 yen for PS2 games, and free for Nintendo games. I wonder if this is related to limitied quantities?). No biggie, make no payments till January 2007, to paraphrase a commercial sound bite (but it comes out on 2007/01/27, truth in advertising indeed). I did the deed and while I was at the register, some other Sofmap dood took down the pre-order slot for the game. Does that mean I'm the last person to get a guaranteed limited edition copy? Hahahaha.

But no telephone card so I am disappointed. Just kidding.

This makes three systems where my first game is crass risque sexy.

• Xbox : Dead or Alive Ultimate (no I think I'm mis-remembering but it makes good blog material)
• PSP : Princess Maker 4
• Xbox 360 : The IdolM@ster.

What of the Wii? Will it be Tecmo's Super Swing Golf Pangya (Wikipedia) that does me in?

(photo thanks: Dengeki Online, Game Watch)