AnimePlay

AnimePlay is the name for the format a series of games released by Hirameki International (a subsidiary of the Japanese ren'ai publisher Hirameki ) are distributed in.

These are the only English-language bishōjo games that are playable on plain DVD players; they can also be played on PCs with DVD-ROM drives or video game consoles which can play DVDs like the PlayStation 2 or Xbox. The restrictions of the DVD format mean that these games are missing many features present in most bishōjo games, however, such as separate volume controls for music and voices; controlling the speed at which text is played; and ability to save the game at any point.

These games are also notable for being the only bishōjo games available in English which do not contain sex scenes and thus are suitable for under-18s.

The following games have been released in AnimePlay format:

• Phantom of Inferno , a crime drama
• Amusement Park , a romantic drama
• Day of Love, a high school romance
• Tea Society of a Witch , a magical fantasy
• Hourglass of Summer , a time travel romance

Hirameki International announced in 2003 that having released Phantom of Inferno earlier that year, they would be releasing fifteen more titles in AnimePlay format in the fourth quarter of 2003, and described all sixteen on their website; however, in summer of 2003 most of these titles were removed from the website. Phantom of Inferno, Amusement Park and Day of Love were the only games to be released in 2003. The full list of bishōjo games to which they acquired the rights is:

• Phantom of Inferno: released in 2003
• Day of Love: released in 2003
• The Sixteenth Night Love Song , a love adventure game: status unknown
• The Bride of Ergeners , a marriage adventure game: status unknown
• Lying on Yoshia Heights , a fantasy adventure game: status unknown
• Koimusubi (Lovers' Knot), a romance story: status unknown
• Amusement Park: released in 2003
• Snow Talk , a fantasy simulation game: status unknown
• Separate Blue , a school love story: status unknown
• Azrael, a ghost story: status unknown
• Sweet Legacy , a cooking love story: status unknown
• Five O One , an action story: status unknown
• Canary, a school love story: status unknown
• Hooligan, an action love comedy: status unknown
• Tea Society of a Witch: released in summer 2004
• Hourglass of Summer: released in summer 2004

AnimePlay is also a quarterly magazine published by Hirameki International. It features a thin print edition, with the majority of its material on an interactive DVD. The magazine mostly reviews the above Hirameki International ren'ai games that are playable on DVD players. It does review anime and manga as well. The magazine published its first issue in July 2003.

See also

• Animerica
• Protoculture Addicts
• Newtype USA

External links

• http://www.animeplay-mag.com/
• http://www.hirameki-int.com/