Sorry for drudging up a seriously long dead topic, but I actually had a few questions to ask since I'm considering getting a Dream Club game and I really wouldn't know anywhere else to ask.
1. I don't know Japanese, but is it still worth playing/fun to play a Dream Club game without knowing it? I've played Idolm@ster 2 and still enjoyed it, but I'm not sure if I could do the same with a Dream Club game
2. Is it impossible to actually make progress in the game without being able to read Japanese? With Idolm@ster 2 I had a good guide, but I don't think there are any guides like that for Dream Club games. (also I am aware I still could have finished the Idolm@ster 2 game without a guide, but it sure was handy for morning greetings and promotions)
3. Which game should I get if I do decide to purchase one? Dream C Club Zero: Special Edipyon!, Dream Club Gogo, Dream Club Complete Edipyon, and Dream Club Zero Portable are what I could get.
Also before anyone warns me that the game is more ecchi/dirty than Idolm@ster and that it is a dating sim instead of a raising sim I'm already aware of that.
1. That's kind of up to you. Dream Club is harder to use a guide for because a lot of the conversations that come up are random (unlike iM@S' set communications); however, because of that, the conversations have a lot less negative impact if you do them incorrectly. Most won't affect anything, or have a small, easily-recovered drop in affection.
As for guides (not sure if you need them in English...these are Japanese):
Original/Complete Edipyon,
Zero/Special Edipyon,
Gogo.2. Yes, it's very easy. Get the girl drunk -> talk to her -> progress. Storyline progression options are in yellow text in-game. If she starts talking and requires you to answer to progress the storyline, I'm 99% sure it will progress even if you answer it incorrectly, with a few exceptions (deciding endings/etc.)
The only thing that stops the game from forcing you forward is in each girl's story, there's 1 or 2 items you need to go to the store, buy, and give to her before it'll continue. In
most cases, they tell you what it is. Even if you can't understand enough Japanese, just go to the store if you get stuck (or just go periodically). It'll be the first item in the store, and an item that isn't normally there, i.e. in Gogo, you have to buy Noko a pair of headphones.
3. I'm old school Dream Club -- I would go with Dream Club Complete Edipyon, if I were you. I thought Zero was much more difficult to play, and it had frustrating blocks
like Rui getting run over by a horse or something and spending 5 weeks in the hospital while I was trying to get her Christmas/New Year event in progressing the story. Gogo. is also quite easy to play.
I'd say favorite to least favorite would be: Original Dream Club → Dream Club Gogo. → Dream Club Zero
(the original had the easiest to understand characters, to me -- I was less fluent than I am now, and I could figure out what everyone's story was with no English guide. Gogo. is just...easy. Time-consuming, but easy.)