UPDATE: Sony decided that they're not going to close the Vita's store after all, just the PSP's. They probably did that because of all the backlash they got online. So this post is just completely useless now.
Everyone probably already knows this, but the PSP and PS Vita online stores are going to be shut down in the summer. (The PS3's store will be too, but because I don't own one of those I don't care as much...) Luckily you'll still be able to download all of your previously purchased games, but you just won't be able to buy new things.
I'm not really that bothered about it, to be quite honest. I just don't understand why the Vita's store is being shut now, when developers are still producing software for it. It had to happen eventually though. A lot of people seem to be upset about it. It is sad that some of the digital-only games might be lost forever. But there are better things in the world to care about right now.
Since this is an otome blog, all I'm going to be discussing is the romance games (English only, I don't know about the JP ones) found on the PlayStation Stores. Luckily, the PSP and Vita don't have any true digital-only otoge. Most of them you can get on other platforms. But if you don't want to play them on PC, it's probably best to pick them up while you can.
In this post, I will try to list all the digital-exclusive otome content on the PS Store that you may or may not want to pick up before it's gone. (I will also be rambling a lot, sorry)
For the Vita, the only digital exclusive games are:
Amnesia Memories (Also available on PC)
London Detective Mysteria (There was a limited edition physical copy release, but unless you're a scalper, you probably don't own one. This game is also available on PC)
Hatoful Boyfriend (Also available on plenty of other platforms)
Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star (Also available on plenty of other platforms)
With the Hatoful Boyfriend games, you could probably buy them on the PS4 after the store's closure date, and still get the Vita copy for free.
Pretty much all of these digital-only games are available elsewhere, so when the store closes, they're not gone forever. Out of this lot, I've only played the first Hatoful Boyfriend and Amnesia. I would actually recommend them both, but if you're on this blog you've probably already played them.
I'm not sure how good London Detective Mysteria is, because I never had enough space on my memory card to buy it. If you really wanted the physical copy of it, good luck finding it for a decent price. I almost bought the Limited Run version of it, but it got bought out quite quickly. I sort of get annoyed at those types of limited edition things, because they usually just get purchased by collectors who aren't interested in actually playing the game, they just want to stick it on a shelf and never touch it again.
Most of the other Vita otome library come both digitally and physically. However, the prices of the physical copies are going up fast. When I started playing, most of the games could still be found at decent prices. Now, the Vita's become the hip new obscure thing to collect for. If you are still looking for localised otome, it's not going to be long before they become expensive. I would buy quick while you can, or just grab them digitally. I've recently seen a lot of the otome go for really cheap digitally, especially Hakuoki. I got both Hakuoki games for so cheap in the sale, whereas the physical copies cost an arm and a leg. I am sad that I didn't get to see them on my shelf, but all that really matters at the end of the day is playing the game. (Plus, I have two physical PSP Hakuoki games in my collection anyway...)
As well as digital-exclusive games, the PS Store also has extra otome goodies that you can only get online! These things aren't really as important, but they're still there.
There's some DLC for the two Hakuoki remakes available. I don't know how good it is, though. I would've bought it before, but it takes up more than a gigabyte of space, which I didn't have. It looks like the DLC is just a few extra "romantic" stories, except it looks like they take place during the common route, so there's not going to be that much relationship stuff going on.
The other otome things on the store are themes! I think there are only Hakuoki ones. They cost money though. I think paying money for a theme is a bit of a rip-off, but these ones do look nice. I think they change the music of the home menu too. Luckily there's a free chibi Hakuoki theme, I've had it installed since I got my Vita.
Now let's talk about PSP games. The only two localised PSP otoge have physical copies, but if you're a Vita only player, you're only going to be able to play these digitally.
The first game is Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom. There's not much of a reason to play this over the newer remakes. The new games do have more content, different music, and redone voice acting, but I suppose if you're a massive fan of the series you might want to check out the original game. I played this game on the PSP so I don't know what it's like on the Vita, but I'm guessing it's going to be slightly blurry.
(I would also like to note that there is this random Hakuoki action game available for PSP/Vita. Apparently it is rubbish, but I have always been curious to try it out. There is no romance, but it might be interesting to check out the exclusive art and voice lines...)
The last game is Sweet Fuse: At Your Side. This game is a PSP/Vita exclusive, and I doubt it'll ever be ported anywhere else. Since it was one of the last lot of PSP games to be released, physical copies go for a higher price. This game is so good, I'm sad that I never reviewed it properly on this blog. If you're going to get any of the things on this list, it should be this one. It's sad that Sweet Fuse is so underrated, and now it's going to become even more obscure after the store closes. When I bought this game I was very unsure about it, but luckily it turned out to be much better than I expected. I've always wanted to put my digital copy onto my PSP, but sadly I don't have a PS3 to do so.
So those are all the digital only otome-related things on the PS Vita/PSP online stores. All I can say now is that if you are going to buy anything before the shutdown, I would highly recommend doing it on your PC's web browser instead of the Vita's store app. I think the Vita's app still has the outdated payment system where you can only load money in certain amounts. For example, if you wanted to buy something that is £8.99, you would only be able to load £10.00 instead of the exact amount of your purchase. They might've removed it now, but I doubt it.
Thank you for reading this post! I have no idea when my next post will be, or what I'll write about, but goodbye until then!
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