Since I am an owner of a PSP now (a beaten-up hand-me-down from my daughter), I search for PSP-based VNs periodically. The catch was thin, and there aren't many games that interest me. I know that Sakura Taizen and IM@S SP had VN content, which is not quite there. Also, I learned that Idea Factory habitually publishes for PSP. Unfortunately, its Will o' Wisp and Hiiro no Kakera seem a bit vampir-y, and I am not fond of it. The last item to attract my interest was a Toradora tie-in. Come to think of it, I should probably learn about it now that it was out for a while (e.g. what the plot is, how good the writing is). But I don't know whom to ask, and this is where not being plugged into the Gaming Borg hurts me.

Symptomatically, I learned about Tokimeki Memorial 4 by accident, while flipping idly through a January 2010 issue of Dengeki-Maoh. The only concern that stops me from buying it is the recent trend in novelty tricks, such as real time play. Since I cannot dedicate the time, this is a deal-breaker for me. And the blurb at Play-Asia says, in part: "Plan your weekly schedule, spend some time levelling up and spend your Sundays with the girls." How am I to know if this is safe?

P.S. Another important question - do I need a guide to make progress in the game? I made an extensive use of walk-throughs for Hourglass.