The Princess Maker series of game is so popular in Asia that it’s not only developed a devoted fanbase, but also encouraged other publishers to make similar games. Ranshima Monogatari Rare Land Story: Shoujo no Yakujou is one of those games. It was originally a Chinese PC Princess Maker-style simulation, but Arc System Works decided it would work quite well on the PSP and thus ported it to the system. The result is a game that complements Princess Maker, but also adds its own unique twists to the character raising genre…

If you love import video games, you better start saving up now. June 24, 2010, is going to be one of those unimaginably massive release dates in Japan. Fortunately, almost all of the games released fall into two distinct genres – simulations and visual novels. So if you don’t fancy either, you might just walk away with your bank account intact.

Also, when I say simulations, I mean dating simulations. There’s tons for men and women making their debut that day. The one exception and general simulation/RPG game being released is Gust’s Atelier Totori: Alchemist of Arland 2 (PS3), the sequel to Atelier Rorona: Alchemist of Arland. Like Atelier Rorona, Atelier Totori uses 3D characters and environments.

To help make everything easier for you, here are the major June 24, 2010 Japanese simulation and visual novel releases organized by console. Remember, DSi, PS2 and Wii are region-locked systems, and some Xbox 360 games are region-locked as well. The DS, PSP and PS3 are region-free though, and can play games from any region…

Free games typically fall into one of three categories – “surprisingly exceptional,” “good, but I wouldn’t pay for it” and “I can see why this is free.” Sakevisual’s latest visual novel and dating simulation, RE: Alistair, definitely is a member of the surprisingly exceptional group. It’s only failings stem from it’s bland music and short storyline, and other than that it’s a really entertaining game. It also makes me wonder, if Sakevisual’s first game is this good, who knows what to expect from the next two, Ripples and Hanami x2

Merui is a gamer girl, and her favorite is Rivenwall Online, a massive multiplayer online RPG where she is the knight RuiOfTheSword, and she and her online friend FionaWings explore a virtual world and beat up monsters in hopes of getting awesome stuff. One day, they’re out venturing as usual, and fighting a difficult boss in the hopes of Merui finding a Blessed Stone. Right when Merui is about to deal the final blow, some other player called Alistair jumps in, kills the boss and takes the stone.

Merui is displeased to say the least. If the Rivenwall Online censor would allow it, she’d show it verbally. She and this rogue, Alistair, agree to duel. Just as the duel’s about to start, the school’s internet goes down…

Free games are always great, so let’s start the week out right with RE: Alistair! Sake-bento, tooaya and Thee Forsaken One have come together to create a brand new visual novel for PC, Mac and Linux owners. It’s free, so there’s no reason not to give it a try. If you’ve always been interested in visual novels or dating simulations, but didn’t want to pay for something you might not enjoy, RE: Alistair could be a good game to start with. It’s a pretty substantial download, a little over 72mb, but the game isn’t too long or complicated.

RE: Alistair revolves around a girl named Merui who adores the massive multiplayer game Rivenwell Online. She usually has a fantastic time playing as RuiOfTheSword, until another user named Alistair steps in. See, RuiOfTheSword and her friend FionaWings were fighting against a really strong boss, because Merui wanted a Blessed Stone. Right when the the Troll of Mt. Mourning is about to die, a user named Alistair appears, delivers the final blow and gets the Blessed Stone. He then just walks away. Merui won’t abide his insolence! You’re tasked with helping Merui take Alistair down, even though she has no idea who he really is! What follows is a visual novel where you try to find Alistair in real life, while also managing Merui’s daily life and maybe even finding her a boyfriend.

If you’re having trouble, the people behind RE: Alistair have even put together a brief walkthrough…

Host clubs are no secret in Japan. Interested parties will find the streets of Kabuki-cho in Shinjuku (Tokyo, Japan) swarming with sharply dressed young gentlemen bombarding women of all ages in hopes of luring them back to their love nest that is one of their host clubs.

Last Escort is a unique series, usually on the PS2, that has enjoyed success on the Japan thanks to many a fine lady interested in getting a glimpse of what the host club scene in Japan is like without committing oodles of real-world monetary funds.

The January 2010 issue of B’s Log is sure to bring big smiles to fans of Konami’s popular dating simulation game Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side (TMGS).

Gracing the cover of this month’s current issue was one of the new characters coupled with the official title of the new addition scheduled for a tentative 2010 release on the Nintendo DS.

Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 3rd Story takes place seven years after the events of the first TMGS game at Habataki Gakuen. This new chapter in the series promises new locations, gameplay, delectable date-ables (of course) and even a new main character sporting a new hairstyle and school uniform. The main character will still have a sidekick who serves as a barometer for your crushes’ affection as well as important statistics, but no additional details have been released yet.

So far, only 3 character have been introduced: Ruka Sakurai, Arashi Fujiyama, and Tamao Konno.