Hyperdimension Neptunia PP: Producing Perfection

I don't understand all the hate. "Long Live the Queen" is a very similar game to this, and that game got better reviews than this game. While "LLTQ" had a more serious tone, Neptunia PP has the signature Neptunia humor one can expect from this series. Yes, the story may be lacking, but as far as visual novel style games though, it is fairly entertaining and for anyone who is a fan of the Neptunia series, one can appreciate the silly dialogue and charm the game has. I'm pretty sure that most people probably complain because they got this game at full price ($40)... And yes, I do admit that that is a bit too pricey for this kind of game. Personally, I picked this up new for $15, which I feel was a great buy. 8/10 #Neptuneidolwaifu

Un juego para fans de la franquicia y las idols, donde se mezclara un juego tipo visual novel con una forma particular de gameplay, donde en este último punto destaca dado que no es el tipico juego donde apretas botones en la pantalla conforme cambia el ritmo de la música, sino que seremos el manager y con el manejo de estadisticas con entrenamientos entre otras cosas con las chicas, junto a ediciones de escenarios, selección de locaciones para conciertos y efectos durante el concierto, se logra un gameplay único, pero que al ser el primer juego con estas mecanicas de la franquicia, se nota que falta púlir ciertos aspectos, pero fuera de ello es un juego difrutable.

At first i was sceptical about this game, being a long time fan of the series i found this game a refreshing and oddly satisfying play. i now play this game to get me through long journeys.

This game is repetitive, lacks any real depth, and is pretty much just one big meta joke. Like if you are looking for an actual idol game, this is not it. You get like 5 songs in total to deal with, a very small set of dance moves, and a lackluster set of visionals. Honestly dancing in this game feels more like a punishment then something actually worth doing, but I suppose that's what this game is underlining as part of the criticism for it. Like Nepuntia has always been a meta driven series mostly talking to the player about the game industry as a whole rather than what is really happening on the screen, and Producing Perfection really does well to establish the real game is going through the routes and learning more about the girls rather than being a good idol manger. If you don't mind going through some painful idol segments and just want to nep nep with the girls, this is a game worth exploring, but important to remember that this is barely a game to began with.

To be honest, this game, I had serious doubts about it from the very start. The PVs weren’t that convincing and I somewhat expected your average fan-service game. Why did I buy? Because a fan I am. And as a hardcore Hyperdimension Neptune fan, there’s no way I can miss anything related to it. In-between dating sim and Idol game, Idol Neptune PP has actually a lot of exciting but poorly executed ideas. A mysterious group of idols called MOB48 suddenly became so popular that they’re drawing the “shares” that are necessary to Neptune and the other goddesses to rule their respective country. But being popular is no crime and the 4 goddesses decide to strike back by becoming idols themselves. Up to you to manage their carrier during the 180 days of the story, with the ultimate goal to reach the top position in shares and in the top 50. It’s not difficult at all : in my second run with Vert, I cleared the game in approximately 90 days. You have a variety of commands shared between “management”, “learning”, “rest”, “move” and “live”. Management is mainly used to increase the number of fans and thus gain shares. Learning will make your heroine progress in singing, dancing, expression, self-confidence, etc. which impact directly the success of your performances. Resting reduces stress and allows you get closer to your girl through dating. Moving will transport you to another country if you aim to perform lives there. The trouble is that very quickly you learn to foresee the outcome of every type of event, there are very few surprises and some of them periodically reappear in identical form. You don’t have many negative events and nothing ever stops you in your way to the top. It ends up being boring because you feel no risk of game over. Once you team with another goddess to form a duo, shares are automatically recalculated to your advantage and you you have even less effort to do at this stage (same applies to trio). The actual show part exceeded my expectations. Graphically it’s strikingly nicer than the PS3 games, choreography felt good and the little something of fan service makes it a real pleasure for hardcore fans of the series. You can toggle various camera angles, effects, choose between an array of costumes and accessories, which ultimately determine your final score. Despite the limited number of music tracks (only 5!), I never get bored during lives. On the minus side, it’s very difficult to understand the actual levers for success during lives, making them a bit random. Also, the fact that you can only change to goddess from when alone on the stage is quite a letdown. You will only be able to do it in the first stages of a walkthrough. Speaking of fan service, Neptunia PP has a viewer mode similar to Senran Kagura’s dressing room, though far less elaborated or fun. On the dating side, Idol Neptune PP is a trainwreck. It’s all the more disappointing that the idea of seducing Noire and the others was seducing in itself. Though dating is normally done by resting, you can trigger events in pretty much every situation. Those ones are far too short and hardly fun at all! I was astonished by how flat the humor felt given that it’s been a great strength in the series so far. Worst of all, there are virtually no original illustration. Even the MOB48 who are at the center of the story aren’t shown, you never come to know what they look like! This is unthinkable in Hyperdimension Neptune. What was Tsunako fu** doing when this game was in development? All this is totally underwhelming and it’s quote surprising coming from Tamsoft who had done an excellent job in the field with Love Application. To conclude, Neptune PP seems like a lamentable accident in the trajectory of the series. Management is could be richer, good ideas are misused, it’s visually entertaining but feels incomplete. In fact, I’m under the impression that Neptune PP wanted to be too many things at the same time, without succeeding in any. And like they say “Jack-of-all-trades, Idolmaster of none”.