2008 has definitely been a big year for DS otome (girl’s life/dating sim) games. Looking back, I can see at least eight recent games which fall solidly into the otome catagory. Plus, another – Vampire Night – is supposedly scheduled for December 2008. There’ve also been a few games released in North America which can even qualify as otome style games.

If you’ve been waiting until the holidays to start picking up your titles, you’re going to have some tough decisions to make. Plus, some of these games may be difficult to find, so you’ll want to order them early to make sure they arrive in time.

Here’s a quick compilation of all the recent otome games released, divided into English and Japanese so you can quickly jump to the section you desire

I’m so glad to hear that Natsume is localizing Princess Debut rather than Ubisoft. I know Natsume will do a great job with it. Princess Debut, also known as Ohimesama Debut, is a dancing game in which players step in for a princess to enter a dance competition with one of six elligible princes. The bottom screen offers patterns to follow to make the princess substitute dance.

The game is also a bit of a simulation. You have to practice and learn dances to succeed. You also have to meet princes and build a relationship in order to find a suitable dancing partner. There’s only one month before the ball and dance competition, so players have to work fast to become fabulous ballroom dancers once the game is released in Fall 2008.