[Review] Meet-Me 「ミートミー」

I was really surprised to get a message on my Facebook from none other than the wonderful Hieroglyph. Hieroglyph is one my favorite Pico players and definitely my favorite Pico Blogger. You should check out the two blogs she runs, if you haven't already! [R080: Type MAG; PicoStyle].

She included a link to a game in the message that leads to a Japanese simulation game because she thought I might like it. She's right, I can't resist a simulation game. I mean, SIMS is my all time favorite game. I've been playing SIMS since the first game and haven't grown tired of it yet.

If you can't tell, this blog grew from my love of Pico and Pigg. However, you might have noticed that 95% of all entries are Pigg Life related. I used to have so much fun with Pico but recently, I can't seem to get back into the game. It's a combination of things but one thing's for sure, I haven't lost my love for simulation games, I just have to find the right one!

Therefore, I jumped at the chance to play this Japanese simulation game and I want to thank Hieroglyph for introducing it to me!

Without further ado, If you want to read more about this game, please click the [read more...] link below.
Warning: Long & Picture heavy!

The game I will be reviewing today is called ミートミー, which is Meet Me in English, but is often shortened to MM.

I immediately went to the site to sign up to play the game and was  pleased to find that it is a downloadable game, which puts it on par with other heavy duty virtual reality/simulation games such as IMVU and Second Life.

While I was downloading the game, I decided to do some research on it before hand. Apparently, the game was introduced as the "Second Life Killer", and "Japan's answer to Second Life". I know I keep referencing Second Life but I can't tell you much about it, as I don't play it myself, but please refer to the Wikipedia link at the end of the article if you are curious.

 Here is a quote from Kumimasa, who oversees Meet Me, "Japanese are so well-behaved and conformist, he says, they would prefer a more predictable and secure virtual environment over the free-spirited anything-goes of Second Life". Therefore, Meet Me plays on cultural differences and is a game suited and tailored to the Japanese. Kumimasa went on to say that Second Life is truly "American" and wants to make Meet Me a strictly Japanese Hit but foreign tourists are welcome for a visit.

Even though I was kind of put off about how the idea of MM came about, I still wanted to take him up on his offer and visit MM!

Due to the game being a little more than a Gig in size, I had a while to wait until it I could start playing. I did more research and came across other tidbits of information such as, it was due to be translated into six other languages -dropped- and that only Japanese citizens could play -not true-. Ahh, at that point I became a little worried that I wouldn't be able to play, but I continued the download anyway.

I also came across a MM tutorial site in English. I was really grateful for this little tutorial but it could use some maintenance. However, it is something and there is not a lot of information about MM in English...and surprisingly, there isn't alot about it in Japanese as well.

---

So, the game finally downloads and you're ready to go. You are asked to use your MM ID to log in and you are immediately brought to the lobby of some place and asked to name your avatar and choose its sex (can't change them).

Log-in Screen

Welcome to Meet-Me!

Name and Sex Please!

The employee walks you through a few instructions on how to move and then awards with you 3000 ココア, which is the currency in MM. They actually have two currencies just like Ameba Pico/Pigg. Kokoa are similar to Gummy and MMP is similar to Ameba Gold, as in you have to purchase MMP with real money, but can earn Kokoa for free.

With our money we are then asked to purchase an outfit from the catalog. Once finished, we are basically citizens of Meet Me.

Tasks for beginners

---

 What is Meet Me?

 Meet Me is actually a virtual world that's a replica of Tokyo, Japan.

Every MM player is given a random Tokyo Address at the start of the game. For example, I am a resident of the Koto Ward in Tokyo, and I live in an apartment building in the Toyosu neighborhood. -Yes, these are real places-.

My "ID"; name and address

You can buy property in other districts of Tokyo and build your own house, but I'm not at that level yet. So, I'm stuck with my beginner's apartment.

My one room apartment

---

How to get around to various areas of Tokyo? 

We cannot fly like Second Life but we take normal transportation. We can walk, drive, take the bus -free-, take the subway -100ココア, or even a taxi 300ココア.

At the bus stop near my apartment

With my car at the garage. Green, Yay!

Now, this is where the problem lies. Everything is in Japanese. If you don't read Japanese, it's really hard to know where you are going. Can't read your own address? Don't know the Japanese for Shibuya or Harajuku? That makes things hell of lot harder because this game is very detailed.

bus stop guide and map

The second problem is not knowing the locations of the wards in conjunction with one another. For example, If I need to go to Meguro, Tokyo but I am Akihabara. I really can't tell if I need to go west, east, south or north. If I take the bus to Shibuya is that going the wrong way? etc. etc. This game is totally tailored for real life citizens of Japan and more so Tokyo.

However, once you get the hang of it, it is not so bad because you can also make a note on the map bookmarking your favorite spots. I've dotted my map with my favorite hang outs and if you buy a car, which I did, you can basically reserve parking spaces in that area and use your car to drive teleport there.

Driving

---

How do we make money? The only way I know for sure is through fishing and selling your fish. You can also plant flowers and vegetables and sell those as well.

I've yet to explore further but it seems that you can also make money through playing other games and running a shop.

at a random shop with  TVs that really work!!

caught my first fish!

---

The social aspect of the game

Probably the most important part. Of course, for foreigners it's going to be more difficult to socialize because the majority of players are Japanese and if you don't speak Japanese, it  might be hard to strike up a convo.

With my new neighbor who is wearing an axolotl costume!

However, I find that's not really an issue if there is no one to talk to. Yes, that's right. This game is very quiet. It's rare I run into someone. It's like a ghost town. The only time I see other players is in front of my apartment building -my neighbors-, In an area heavily populated with shops -For example, Shinkjuku and Shibuya - or if there is an event.

There was an event last night. Lots of players.

I don't know if it is because the virtual world is too big, or if there really is a lack of players. I thought it was because I was playing during my day time, which is Japanese nighttime -MM runs on Japanese time- and so players could have been asleep but that's hardly the case.

Vast emptiness 

MM seems like it's too big for its population. There are pockets of life but then there are large stretches of vast empty land. For example, in certain neighborhoods such as Yotsuya, Shinjuku. It's desolate. But then there are other neighborhoods that are lively such as my favorite Asakusa, Taito.

Window shopping in Jingu, Shibuya

So, if you can't read Japanese nor know the relevancy of each Tokyo Ward, you might be roaming around for a while by yourself. D:

Cute cafe but empty.

Another empty cafe in the heart of Shinjuku

Other than that, I haven't really sat down and socialized with anyone. Everyone seems to be on a mission and I haven't seen many people sitting around chatting because trust me, I've been to a few bars in MM and they've been pretty empty.

Nice bar but where is everyone?

Am I going to have to eat this all by myself?

---

Ease and aesthetics

As mentioned before, this game just isn't really ideal for non-Japanese speakers. It's way more complicated and technical than Pigg life. You need to know your code to your apartment/house and your garage code for your car. You need to know your address and remember the addresses of other places.

It's also like real life because there are times when you need to go to the government offices, post offices, and real estate offices.

On the other hand, I do find the game to be really easy to play. Click and go/drag and drop. I think MM is easier than Second Life and pretty on par with Pigg/Pico.

The game is realistic in the sense that it looks like an anime. xD and I actually don't mind because it's just  realistic enough for me.

I see Tokyo Tower!

At the end of the day, I like the game and I'd like to get to know it better. I do feel a bit lonely but hopefully, the more I explore, the more hangouts I find. I'll do a follow up in about a month and let you know where I am with it!

Thanks for reading!

---

If you'd like to play MM, here is the link. 
Send me a letter or come visit me some time!

MM name: Ten.Ten.

東京都江東区豊洲 : Toyosu Koto とよすこうとう　

Credit:

Wikipedia link for Second Life
Wikipedia link for Meet Me
Meet Me article