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Tired of the same ol' shooters? Frustrated with fighting games? Well, a new genre is emerging in Japan, the simulation. Many people have most likely heard of the popular growing egg fad in Japan where kids carry around electronic chics which grow and require you to feed them and nuture them based on a series of electronic commands. Now Datam Polystar has taken the process a step further and invited the gamer to try their luck getting along with an anime character. Now, thanks to the untapped power of the Saturn's internal clock, the gamer can live with a virtua roommate (usually female) and see if they can survive a week of getting along. This is the sim, Roommate.

The premise for Roommate 2 is simple. Your roommate, Ryoko, after a tearful goodbye at the end of the first Roommate, has been living in America. Now after a year, she is coming back to Japan for a one week vacation, and guess who she's going to live with? Now, unlike the first Roommate, which lasted a year, you only have a week to spend with her, and you'll need to make every moment count.

Now here comes the catch, Roommate games are very time sensitive. In other words, if you fail to spend enough time with your roommate, you will find yourself roommate-less before you know it. When you turn off your Saturn, and come back four hours later, the time will be logged as time you failed to spend with Ryoko. The result is a whole new type of interactivity, which while slightly stressful, is a blast to play.

Graphics- 9/10- If only some anime were drawn this well!!! Ryoko is drawn with various expressions which change depending on what you say or how she feels. This is a great touch, especially for importers, because facial expression is universal. Ryoko's outfits are quite stylish, and at times you wonder if the creators worked as as fashion designers before this game. Your apartment is drawn well. There is an overhead architectural map of your apartment. Simply put your little icon man over the room, and you will zoom in to the room. The rooms themselves are amazingly drawn with attention to detail (tea kettle on the stove, etc.) My only complaint is that there are only a few occasions to leave the house, so might want to redecorate and be upset that you can't. However, each scene with Ryoko is animated quite differently from others. In one scene, she might be listening to music. In others, she'll be watching T.V. and only slightly notice your presence. In other words, in the whole week, there are maybe one or two repeat animations, and the rest is totally original. The fact that Ryoko usually pops up within hour intervals, makes for a tremendous respect for the amount of graphic variation within the CD. In short, the quality of animation and colorful graphics are so well done, it's starring in your own anime.

Sound: 9/10 Ryoko speaks all her lines while they are written. This is also a great asset for importers, because with a good dictionary and a little patience, understanding Ryoko is not hard for first or second year Japanese students. The voice of Ryoko is also well done. Forget what you saw in Godzilla, Ryoko's voice acting is excellent to the point of where you won't want to upset her, because of how absolutely disappointed she will sound. Heck, your parents could never lay on a guilt trip this well! The music is also top notch. The music is light when Ryoko is happy, and sad when you've done something you probably shouldn't have, or Ryoko is just depressed. I would have liked more sound effects, but the fact that Ryoko speaks all her lines throughout the entire week, amazes you at the memory of the CD.

Control: 7/10 Simple. Icon and zoom in. Perhaps too simple. One might have wanted to do more stuff in the house.

Gameplay: 10/10 The idea of a dating simulation may seem strange and too simple, but the sheer complexity of the game, combined with the use of the internal clock, makes this a game I wish we would see more of so that an American company might someday pick one of these up. Even though the game is classified under dating simulation, if you are expecting sex and nudity, look elsewhere. This game concentrates on the complexity of the male/female relationship. Throughout Ryoko's conversation, you will have the opportunity to choose between choices which reflect your personality. Ryoko will respond in turn, leading to multiple outcomes, and an unlimited replay value. Surviving the week keeping Ryoko happy is relatively easy. Just be a polite young gentleman. However, the fun comes from seeing how much you can get away with. For example, at one point in the day Ryoko will leave the house. The game will give you the option to enter her room and browse around, or play it safe. If you enter the room, you will have the option of looking through her photoalbum, which she asked you not to look through. Sometimes, your gambles pay off, giving you new info. about Ryoko and her likes and dislikes. Other times, you will end knocking over her favorite flower pot, and getting chewed out. Again, part of the fun comes from seeing how you would really act in some of these instances. As far as complexity, Ryoko is certainly not that easy to please. Sometimes she may just want you to leave her alone. Other times she will be embarrassed depending on things you say or insulted depending on how you said it. In short, I've known college graduates who were easier to understand and figure out than Ryoko! This again makes the game fun, as the creators basically gave Ryoko her own personality, which doesn't always agree with yours. As far as story, due to the shortness of the game compared to Roommate 1, the game is full of events and surprises including a tennis match (which you actually have to play and test out those old video game tennis skills), a trip to the botanical gardens, and other events. Basically, you will not be bored throughout the week. Even listening to what Ryoko has learned about America is quite a treat. The real crown jewel of the gameplay comes from the internal clock. The clock follows real time, so if you're supposed to meet Ryoko somewhere the next day, you'd better not forget the time! For example, if Ryoko asks if you want to go to the botanical gardens the next day at 4, check your calendar and free up that slot, because the next day at 4 she'll be expecting you to take her. Another example is when you order take-out for dinner, the take-out man on the phone says it will take about 30 minutes for delivery. Sure enough, when you turn off the Saturn and come back in 30 minutes the delivery man will arrive. This adds an almost scary realism, and you will soon find the game playing you, and not you playing the game. Other nice touches are a morning sunrise outside between 5-10a.m., afternoon sun in the afternoon, sunset at 5-7, and night sky at night. It is a shame more Saturn games never used the internal clock. Christmas Nights was a blast because of it, but developers have seemed to ignore it.

Tilt:5/10 While Roommate is a blast to play, it is only a blast if you would be able to get into this type of game. Most people prefer the more violent fighters or scrollers compared to conversation with a virtua girl. This type of game is most recommended for people who love comic anime such as Tenchi Muyo and Ranma. Also, due to the complexity of Ryoko, a basic understanding of Japanese is a MUST if you want to get any joy out of this game. This is also a great game to practice Japanese with because of the spoken and writing dialogue at the same time. If you are looking for something different, light, and fun, import Roommate 2. It's a nice change of pace from the typical norm.