To those who are desperately trying to change the course of their high school lives, this is your lucky day. Konami Digital Entertainment just announced that Brooktown High: Senior Year has finally shipped to retail stores across North America.

Senior Year is a social interaction and dating simulation video game that was developed by Backbone Entertainment. Here, the objective is to create your own character which will interact with the rest of the student body against a backdrop of cliques, social pressures, and even flirtatious co-eds.

Aside from meeting various kinds of people like jocks, preppies, rebels, and nerds, players should also attempt to gain the affection of 20 unique students and probably go on dates at different locations such as restaurants, the movies, and the beach. Just like our very own high schools, the game culminates with Prom night (actually, high school culminated with graduation, but Prom was good).

In terms of gameplay, Brooktown High will feature several mini games such as strip blackjack, dancing, and make-out sessions. Each character has a different personality so you better plan your each and every move lest you want your game experience be similar to the very thing you're trying to change.

Oh well, good luck. Brooktown High: Senior Year can be purchased at your regular retail stores for US$ 39.99.

Brooktown High: Senior Year is obviously targeted at a younger audience. It wouldn't be surprising to know then that video game developer Backbone Entertainment decided to house the title's official web page over at community site MySpace. Like every single official site, "MySpace.com/BrooktownHigh" will have information, trailers, and screenshots on a regular basis.

Since it's on myspace already, Backbone decided to make it as interactive as possible. By adding Brooktown High as a friend on your own journal, you are entitled to a shot at a sweepstakes where you can win various prizes like games and letterman jackets among others.

Aside from this, each character from the game will have his/her own sub-blog where you can get to know them more. Content on these pages will depend on the different characters. This is quite important if you want to progress in this dating simulation title as hints on how to date them in-game will be revealed every now and then.

Other content are also available on the main journal such as wallpapers, IM Buddy Icons, mobile content like ringtones as well as phone resolution wallpapers. Brooktown High: Senior Year will be available this coming May 22.

Brooktown High: Senior Year is a dating sim game for the Sony PSP handheld system. Now, that might not sound "cool" to some of the more "macho" gamers out there in Gamerland, but this title looks to be one hell of a fun game. Anyway, NetJak managed to score an interview with Backbone Entertainment's Isaac Bender, the lead programmer for Brooktown High: Senior Year.

Bender revealed that there's no multiplayer planned for Brooktown High: Senior Year, but he says that if they get a chance to do a sequel, it's definitely one of the things they'd like to use. Bender also revealed some details about the characters who players will be encountering - and dating - in the game. Here's what he said:

As far as the 20 datable characters go, there's a wide range of guys of girls. We've established four basic cliques - jock, prep, rebel and nerd - and the characters generally fall into one of those categories, though many of them are a combination of two of the cliques.

But each character is really unique and most them have little quirks that make them really fun to interact with. For example, Nigel is paranoid about being hit on the head by falling space debris. If you go on a date with him anywhere outdoors, he's going to be uncomfortable and looking for shelter. Another quirky character is Delia, who is convinced she's half elf.

Of course, fleshed-out NPCs would mean squat without a good player character. Here's Bender on the player customization features that can be found in Brooktown High: Senior Year:

As far as the player character, anything goes. Players can fully customize their in-game likenesses to be whatever they want. We get you started with a "Cosmo-magazine" style personality quiz that sets your gender, personality type and initial stats. Once you set your personality, there's a character creator, where you can customize a lot of things about your character, like height, weight, hair, and skin color.

Another cool thing you can do is select your "emo type" which determines the set of animations your character uses throughout the game, and has choices like Confident, Sexy, Mellow, and Shy. The datable characters do have voiceover, but not of every single word. If their dialogue is lengthy, the first line or phrase will have voiceover, but the rest will not.

With high levels of customization and playback value, we're sure those who've played through their share of dating sims for other systems (one memorable title that comes to mind is Tokimeki Memorial, the game that inspired Brooktown High: Senior Year) will find this one worthy of being the first true dating sim for the PSP.

Brooktown High: Senior Year from Konami and Backbone Entertainment is slated for a May 22 release. For the full interview, click on the "read" link below.

Okay, guys. If you had a rough time in high school, this is your second chance. If you are having a tough time in high school, this could help you up your cool factor and get in the loop. Brooktown High: Senior Year does appear like some candy-pop franchise, and maybe it is. But for what it's worth, admit it. It does appeal to your inner desires. Or something like that.

It's the perfect place to recreate your High School minus all the stress of growing up all over again. Actually, if you want to dig more and use this as some kind of reflection tool on your character, it's up to you. But really, the game just wants you to find that special someone that you'd want to have a chat and chill out with...and maybe get to know better.

Anyhow, the game's slated for a spring 2007 release date. But we won't let that date get here without giving you as much of a glimpse as to the walls within Brooktown High, so we've got loads and loads of screenshots to fill up your yearbook. And of course, the key features are here as well. Check them out.

• The first true dating simulation for the PSP system
• Create and edit your own character
• Date 20 different male and female non-playable characters
• Interact with students in different social circles including jocks, nerds, preppies and rebels, each with their own unique personalities and tendencies
• Go on dates in different locations such as the mall, the movies, and the beach
• Fast-paced mini-games include joke telling, shopping, and tongue wrestling

Check out the the rest of 'em screens after the jump!

  

This is our first look at the gameplay for Brooktown High: Senior Year, a game published by Konami and developed by Backbone Entertainment (which is owned by Foundation 9 Entertainment). By the looks of this GameTrailers video... it's a dating-in-high-school simulator. Like... the darn thing has a grade tracker. Classes to attend. Cheerleaders to make out with. Detention to suffer. Hall monitors with purplish Force lightning to avoid.

Hall monitors with purplish Force lightning... what happened? Palpatine was tormented as a child, that's why he became a Sith Lord?

Yep. High school. Three years of my life I'll never get back. And at the end of the day? You're just playing a video game.

Through a number of acquisitions, mergers, and investments in 2006, Foundation 9 has emerged as the largest independent developer in the world, and 2007 is shaping to be another busy year for the company. Foundation 9 currently has more than 30 different projects in the works on all gaming platforms for more than 10 publishing partners. These projects will be released throughout 2007 and 2008.

Announced projects slated for release in the first half of calendar year 2007 include, Brooktown: Senior Year for the Sony PSP, Death, Jr. & the Science Fair of Doom for Nintendo DS and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for Xbox Live Arcade, all published by Konami; Call of Duty: Roads to Victory for PSP, published by Activision; and Prince of Persia: Rival Swords for PSP, published by Ubisoft.

Other projects in development include the recently announced Godzilla: Unleashed, to be published by Atari, Inc., Dirty Harry, to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, all-new original title Harker, all-new comic book property, Pherone, and many other as yet unannounced projects.

Today Konami announced Brooktown High: Senior Year for the PSP at E3. Set against the drama and excitement of players’ senior year of high school, Brooktown High: Senior Year is a groundbreaking social interaction and dating simulation that challenges players to create their own characters and find the girl or boy of their dreams.

Brooktown High: Senior Year gives gamers the opportunity to re-capture their high school days by trying to date one of 12 different male or female characters, each with their own distinct personalities. Players can make friends with different types of students such as jocks, nerds, preppies and rebels as they search for the perfect partner to make their senior year truly magical. As players find the special someone they would like to get to know better, they can take their potential love interest on dates to different locations such as the movies, the beach and the mall. The game is also loaded with wild interactive mini-games such as shopping, joke telling, and character customization that are sure to make each player’s senior year at Brooktown High one to remember.

Brooktown High: Senior Year will ship to stores in the Spring semester of 2007. Konami also showed off some screenshots to show off what the game will look like so go ahead and click the thumbnails below to see for yourself.