Have you ever wanted to play a game that was voted to have the worst name by gaming sites? Well, if you don't then that's okay since I've already done it for you and played Yogurting, an MMORPG that has nothing to do with yogurt or the act of yogurting (I didn't know yogurt was a verb), and it was quite a memorable experience. You've got your little, fantasy highschool setting, some cute girls on campus, a pair of loli fox sisters and the weird upperclassman that occasionally speaks in broken Engrish that'd have even the most non-fluent English speaker doing a double-take as they read the NPC's poor attempt at sounding cool by utilizing the English language. Really, how many of you are obsessed with anime, and want to live that wacky school life where cute, high-pitched girls make you lunch everyday? And let's not forget about that random, obligatory trip to the beach or hotsprings. Unfortunately, Yogurting offers none of that, but hey--you can still wear a uniform.

Hello, my love: Anna~<3
     Eastern games love to entice players with beautiful artwork, and cute characters. Well, whether or not they're cute depends on if you've been infected by the J-virus and adore anime-inspired artwork, but gosh dangit, Anna is my sweet honey...even if she is a rather generic looking character whose only appeal is being a poster child, a girl, and also the fact that she's got the whole school uniform get-up. But I immersed myself into the world of Yogurting and Anna dances! She freakin' dances and you all know that dancing anime characters just get the blood boiling.















Obligatory loli character goes here: Nana >_>
    Nana is the sinister child of Anna; okay, she's not! She's actually her younger sister, and was only recently added to the cast of characters in the Yogurting world. She's pedobait so let's just move on and forget her.

Who Cares about Them? Screenies or GTFO!
(My <3 for Anna goes beyond obsession! Just check out this tattoo...so you GTFO! *flexes arm*)


(I think she's trying to hit on me by showing her boobs and asking for my birthday and blood type.)

Za warudo!: That place you play in.
    Welcome to highschool. You are the elite of the elite! The President has been kidnapped by ninjas--are you a bad enough dude to rescue the President? Okay, sorry, the premise is that you're trapped in school, and, uuuh...I don't know. You see...I can't read and understand Japanese so I have no clue what it was all about. BUT! I have a friend who's Japanese and they knew what was going on. Rather than being all fancy and typing out my take on the whole situation, I'll just post my chat conversation!

(1:04:02 PM) Tapioca Pan: Buddy pal, I have questions...questions I'd like you to answer
(1:04:27 PM) Tapioca Pan: Don't worry, I won't ask ASL
(2:50:33 PM) [Censored]: I just got home
(2:50:34 PM) [Censored]: what's up
(2:51:08 PM) Tapioca Pan: Ummm, what was Yogurting about? Were we trapped in the school? Was it some sort of fantasy school thing?
(2:51:25 PM) [Censored]: it was like
(2:51:31 PM) Tapioca Pan: And did it explain our purpose?
(2:51:35 PM) [Censored]: the school was trapped in endless vacation phenomenon
(2:51:41 PM) [Censored]: and none of the teachers seemed to notice/be worried
(2:51:44 PM) [Censored]: but the students were
(2:51:47 PM) Tapioca Pan: Oh
(2:51:55 PM) Tapioca Pan: That helps!

(Don't worry! I'm not high...I just have bad timing, and don't let those clothes fool you. I'm not high, dangit!)

    So basically, we ran through each episode trying to uncover whatever it is that's at the heart of the problem. Each episode portrays the teachers as they speak their crazy foreign language, and you've got foxes, zombies, giant robots, a girl named Alice (homage to Alice in Wonderland), some crazy butler dude and much more. Really, as an overworld it's very limited; the campus isn't a huge complex so it'll take you, I guess, +5 minutes to get around the place. There are actually two schools, Estiva and Yoi, which adds to the whole world but it's still rather small as a whole. Well, what can you expect from a school? It's not supposed to be a world with towns all over the place.

(You really should read what Hamoney says in the chat. She's pure gold!)

The heart and soul of an MMO: gameplay
    Argue all you want! Tell me that the social aspect is the bread and butter rather than the gameplay, but I believe you need a game before you can have a community so bring on the intricate controls and mind boggling features that are nonexistant in almost all MMORPG's because they're all pretty much the same. Yogurting is an "episode" driven game in the same way as Lunia and Pi Story, but with future updates the developers offered monster grinding in various areas of the school (I still believe that the episodes are the core of the game so let's pretend those jerks didn't add the grindery). Each episode adds to the story as it fleshes out sequentially. During a run-through, various objectives may pose a threat as you attempt to complete for a passing grade in order to gain experience and the items you accumulate through the process. These tasks are mostly timed, requiring certain requirements (requiring requirements? redundant much?) to be met: kill the boss, clear a room, push some boxes, carry sheep, etc. Sometimes these can't be done alone (especially at a low level as killing will be slower) so gathering a few friends or random strangers will be necessary at times. It's through these variations that Yogurting doesn't become too repetitive, but due to the fact that leveling requires constant run-throughs, that positive is nulled.

(Check out that train of sheep. I'm so proud of that teamwork! *tear*)

    In terms of gameplay, Yogurting offers nothing in the end-game department. You will ultimately hit that peak where leveling is too difficult, and you're left with nothing more than to help others out or socialize. Rare weapons certainly do exist, but they are nothing more than color swaps of their original counterparts. Even though that is the case, they will still fetch a pretty penny on the market (usually the case for rares in any MMO). The game utilizes an auction system that is, well, an auction system. It is similar to the likes of eBay where people put crap up, and buyers wait for the last second to bid in order to nab their prize at a lower price. Fun stuff, I assure you</sarcasm>

    The thing is, I still enjoyed this game despite its lack in substance. Was it my inner desire to pretend to have that crazy school life depicted in anime? I don't think so. Trying to read "moon speak" and meeting people in a rather small community was loads of fun. I've met some great people and have made some really good friends during my time with Yogurting. I guess this contradicts my speech about how gameplay > social aspect, but they come hand-in-hand. If the game isn't fun, the people you meet will disappear without you fully getting to know them. Without people, well, you're playing a console RPG if that's the case. The game is good enough for a quick run-through, but it isn't that lasting flavor that you'll come back for.

Say Farewell to Yoplait! Don't Expect an English Release...
(Seriously, don't expect one! I'm sure it's possible, but don't get your hopes up...)

Overall: That thing we call a conclusion.
    It's a tad too late to consider playing Yogurting. The Korean servers have shut down long ago, and all that's left is the Japanese server. Many have quit due to the major update, but I think most have left because of the dwindling population. The English community is pretty much dead as long-time players try to resuscitate what's left as they cling on a past long ago. I honestly can't recommend downloading the game because, like I've stated before, some episodes require a high level, friends or someone to help you. If you can gather some buddies to traverse the game, shoot, go for it! Just don't expect to enjoy it as much as I did.

And now...for some random screenies (even though you can see them
in my album). Enjoy a few and forget we even talked about Yogurting!