May Club Publisher: Milky House Cost: $34.95 Technical: Pentium Recommended. Win95 based, runs in Win98 Graphics: Good. Music/Sound: Decent, but LOUD. NPCs: Good. Writing: Good, though not impressive. Plot: Good. Interface: Could be better. Sex: Good. Kinkyness: Rather heavy. Humiliation, Bondage, Sadomasochism, Adultery, Exhibitionism, Threesome (M/F/M), Transgender, lesbianism. In Short: Good use of an original premise elevates this otherwise average romance sim. It's far from uncommon these days to see a game that relies on a "gimmick" to sell itself. What is uncommon is to see a game that uses its gimmick effectively. May Club is that kind of game. This is a game about cybersex taken to the next level. In near future Tokyo, there's a virtual reality club that provides what we can only dream about- total sensory immersion. A true "virtual world," the May Field is a meeting ground for people who want to get away from reality, meet new friends, and, with luck, find love. The allure of this place attracts a young man called Hajime, fresh out of college and eager to find a girlfriend before he starts work as another wage-hound. All things considered, the May Club is little more then a high-tech watering hole. You can't do anything extrordinary, or even change your external appearance while in the VR booth, unless you hack the system. The prudish businesswoman who works for the "Virtual Morality Association" says you can't even have sex in the virtual world, though of course noone listens to her :) It's a bit odd at times to see the characters treat May Field as something special. That's okay, though. The May Field is not meant to be a straight-up prediction of our future as much as an allegory for the virtual meeting ground of the internet, and the personal relationships that evolve from it. The game's goal is to choose one of the nine available women and woo them over the course of a month and a half, leading up to the inevitable real-life meeting. You'll be racing the clock in three ways: you have to find a lover before starting your job on April 1, you have a limited number of admissions to the club, and certain events only happen within certain time frames. The cast includes the shy, reserved Rei, the vivacious, elegently-dressed Keiko, the perennially angry Akiho, and several others. One of the things that makes the game interesting is that each of the characters has a reason for favoring the May Club as a meeting place over real life. Of particular interest to me was Kazumi, a hacker who has her fingers in a lot of the things going on offstage. At least two, possibly three of the other women are aided by her, and her tinkering facillitates an encounter with a fourth. That said, May Club is kept off the A-list by the same problem as Nocturnal Illusions. Namely, a myriad of minor flaws. The game's scope is very narrow- there are five locations in the VR world, and if you're not in VR you're at home. There's nothing you can DO while you're at home, either, except rest. I would have liked the ability to explore the real world just a bit. You can only save the game at home, which is somewhat annoying at times. The writing is decent, but foreshadowing is so thick that you'll see the "surprises" coming a mile away. The interface gives you only movement, and so gameplay basically degenerates into deciding, at the start of a given day, at what time that day you should go to the club. If you're playing with a specific "target" in mind, finding her at the club may prove difficult, or you may have to go with another woman to find her. Most annoying of all is the music. It's not particularly bad, but the volume defaults to a level that registers on the Richter scale, and the only way to turn it down is to adjust your speakers. If you don't have speakers that can be adjusted, you're stuck either having no music, or having blaring music. And the blaring kind can have the effect of blotting out any other sound from the surrounding area- such as, say, the sound of someone who wonders what the racket's all about opening a door, walking up behind you, and peering over your shoulder. (Fortunately, the person in question already knew about my little hobby. :) Still, if you can tolerate loud or no music and less then subtle writing, May Club is a worthwhile addition to a Hentaist's library. - Craxton