've always had a mild curiosity for the Idol Master Games. I enjoy titles of the Rhythm and music varieties, so I figured a game about Producing Idols would be right up my alley. While Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection not Idol Master, it is along the same premise. Producing Perfection is all about producing the Perfect Idol group to steal fame and recognition from rivals MOB48 (a horrible play on AKB48) to grab more attention for Gamindurti while taking back the lost shares taken by these other groups. Sounds pretty fun.... “Sounds” being the operative word...
Those familiar with the Neptunia franchise will feel somewhat at home in PP, with familiar locations. and characters, but don't let the events in the game get you excited for other parts of the series, since the game will shut down any hopes of this being canon by flat out telling you “This game is not canon to the Series so don't put too much thought into it.” For those of you won't, here's a quick rundown. All the characters are Game systems which represent their parent companies in Gamindustri (Neptune=Sega, Noire=Sony, Vert=Microsfot and Blanc=Nintendo)
As the player, you are summoned to Gamindustri as a producer in order to help the failing consoles become Idols so they can win back their audience and regain their shares. As the producer, you'll focus on one of the four main characters of Neptunia and perform several tasks by which to win back thier audience. Granted, Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection is really little more than your typical anime harem fare, with cute, often-busty girls and one lone male character, right down to abusive little sisters of the female leads.
This game's flow gives you 180 in-game days to grow from an absolute nothing to number-one idol. To reach this status there are two modes to the game play; an interactive mode, which allows you to boost the stats of your idol and Concert mode, which has you adding effects and changing the camera angles of the shows your idols put on.
The interactive mode allows you get to know your Idol and “help” their stats grow through various menu selections and not much else. You can choose things such as Work, Relaxation, Rehearsing and Move. Move allows you to move into another area of Gamindustri so that you can boost your shares in another console-themed area. Working is all about getting your idol out there and getting to know their fans. Whether it be appearing on a radio show or making an appearance on TV to a meet and greet. There isn't really much to do during these segments except hit the next button to hurry through some poorly scripted text. There are also rehearsal options to get your girl ready for her concert. All of the work and rehearsing can take its toll on your idol and her stress level will rise in turn. Taking a day off will help reduce your idol's stress and allow for a more productive schedule. Relaxing is there to help your idol unwind and give you the chance to befriend the other girls or get closer to your current Idol of choice.
The bad news is, just about all of these options have you simply choosing one selection and the game will play out the scenario for you with nothing more than text and exposition. Occasionally you'll get to make a choice but for the most part just sit back and watch. Once you've made your choice, that's it, the task will complete and your day will end, often with only one menu selection... or less.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
It doesn't get much better in Concert mode, which ranks up there as one of the most boring of things I've yet played. You basically choose where you idols will stand on the stage, what they wear, their songs and any special effects that you'd like to use. Once the song starts, you control only the camera and effects. There is the added effect of pinching the back touch panel while in Concert Mode that allows your selected idol to go into their alternate hyperdrive form from the proper Neptunia games, boosting audience approval. Nevertheless, that's about it, nothing more.
I don't know if it's that I've been spoiled buy games such as Project Diva which have a lot of songs to them, but PP's handful of songs are bland and uninspiring to the point that I found myself dreading concert days. Neptune's outfits will vary somewhat in design but the other girls simply only receive palette swaps to their already existing outfits. You still have control over special effects such as lasers and Spotlights, but knowing the best time when to use these will take some practice and getting to know the songs. Regardless, the effects and stages are bland in appearance and honestly offer no real appeal to using them. Butterflies and hearts can be kinda pretty but are far from flashy enough to be used in a concert let alone a virtual one.
Producing Perfection has some replayability with its 4 characters to choose from but other than that, Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfect feels rushed and flimsy. You can feel that its sole purpose was simply to cash in or help drive up sales for the series. It's hard to recommend a game that is as boring and repetitive as Producing Perfection. This game is a prime example of producing mediocrity.
