Post by: jackbod on June 27, 2012, 01:14:34 pm
I was realy bored at first and so decided to play it and I was blown away! yet whenever I try to introduce it to other people they ussually laugh in my face
So my simple point is DONT LAUGH PLAY THE GADDAM GAME!
http://katawa-shoujo.com/
And also a question, are there any other visual novels as good as this one?
My life is bleak without the tension of finding out what happens next when I get home
Post by: inEQUALITY on June 27, 2012, 01:24:59 pm
As for good VNs, good luck acquiring them outside of living in japan. However, if you do manage to find ways to do so, pretty much any VN by Key is going to be good imo - especially Clannad (and is obviously my exception to going through more than one storyline of a VN; you'll understand when you play it).
Also recommended: Shuffle! and School Days.
Post by: Reyn on June 27, 2012, 01:26:45 pm
And also a question, are there any other visual novels as good as this one?
List with all the VNs ever(probably) made. (http://vndb.org/v/all?q=;fil=tagspoil-2;o=d;s=rating) Rated by the site's members. Have fun wasting years on all of these, you won't regret it! In case you've seen the anime adaptation of a VN, do not skip it. It's worth it, and most of them are better than the anime anyway.
I didn't enjoy Shuffle all that much. Seemed a run of the mill VN, but then again I only played the first one.
Post by: inEQUALITY on June 27, 2012, 01:28:21 pm
I didn't enjoy Shuffle all that much. Seemed a run of the mill VN, but then again I only played the first one.
It pretty much was with a little bit of an exception, but I guess I enjoyed the anime enough that it stands out for me.
Post by: Dariush on June 27, 2012, 01:32:25 pm
Post by: fenrif on June 27, 2012, 01:34:19 pm
Post by: UltraValican on June 27, 2012, 01:37:41 pm
Isn't this the game that caused an uproar because of its portayal of disabled people? What was all that about anyway, is it seriously offensive?I thought it was because you nailed the disabled people
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Nighthawk on June 27, 2012, 01:42:27 pm
As far as I'm concerned it IS because you nailed the disabled people.Isn't this the game that caused an uproar because of its portayal of disabled people? What was all that about anyway, is it seriously offensive?I thought it was because you nailed the disabled people
Still, pretty well made visual novel. I played it, and enjoyed trying to figure out each of the characters and how to respond so they wouldn't hate me. It's satisfying to play if you want to kill an evening or two getting one or multiple endings.
Post by: jackbod on June 27, 2012, 01:50:56 pm
A major part of the story is acheived through conflict born through the disability
Post by: majikero on June 27, 2012, 07:36:18 pm
The negative uproar is mostly because of the title. "Katawa" has a negative connotation and kinda offensive in Japanese.
Post by: sluissa on June 27, 2012, 10:14:57 pm
I'll be honest, I went into it not expecting much. What I got was better than anything in my admittedly very limited experience of the genre.
Post by: Microcline on June 27, 2012, 10:37:30 pm
The negative uproar is mostly because of the title. "Katawa" has a negative connotation and kinda offensive in Japanese.I would suspect that it has more to do with the fact that the game can be mis-labeled as "fucked-up cripple fetish porn made by 4chan" (note the infamous "gimmie the chocolate" comic, possibly the most entertaining thing to come from the game's development), when in reality it's just another paint-by-numbers VN.
Post by: PrimusRibbus on June 27, 2012, 11:24:46 pm
As for finding out more about the game, from the replies it doesn't sound like something I'd want in my search history. :-\
Post by: Aoi on June 28, 2012, 01:43:56 am
As far as recommendations go though, I'd say anything by Type-Moon; Tsukihime and Fate/Stay Night in particular. They tend to have a very different feel from most other visual novels, especially the Far Side path in Tsukihime. (Which, as an added perk, almost completely diverges from the Near Side path less than 15% of the way in, so it's not like you're reading the same text over and over.)
For something with a more traditional style, anything by Key is a very solid pick, though I'd personally rank their big three in the order they were released: Air, Kanon, Clannad. (Yes... Clannad was my least favorite out of the bunch...)
Post by: frostshotgg on June 28, 2012, 01:53:57 am
I'm a bit surprised that people didn't jump on the OP for not including any actual information about the game in the first post. I can't say I'm that compelled to click on a link and download an executable for something that I know zero about.I was about to, but then realized how much of a dick I'd look like.
As for the actual game, I enjoyed it, but only some of it. Shizune was really bitchy, Rin's everything stank of 2deep4u, and no Misha route.
As far as Visual Novel recommendations go, anything by Type-Moon, Kira[that funky star symbol I don't know the unicode for]Kira, Planetarian, and Narcissu are all good places to start. If you want more from there, head over to 4chan 's /vg/ board and refresh until Visual Novel general pops up. They know what they're talking about, and can direct you in the right direction once you know what you like.
Post by: Megaman on June 28, 2012, 01:59:04 am
What?
edit: Read characters and about section, already feeling self-righteousness. Definitely playing this
Post by: frostshotgg on June 28, 2012, 02:12:34 am
Post by: Aptus on June 28, 2012, 02:20:53 am
It is obviously influenced by Harry Potter (you play a young girl who gets accepted into a school of witchcraft and wizardry.) but it does it so much better than the actual Harry Potter games. I never wanted to play as Harry running around yelling stupify at deatheaters in a HP game, I always wanted to make my own character and go to goddamn hogwarts.
I don't know, I find it alot of fun atleast, now please proceed to belittle my manhood.
Post by: Farce on June 28, 2012, 03:25:21 am
Anyway, I too also only played through to just one route. Probably stupid of me, but Rin's route is the Master Route. Her chapter cinematic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3NSMgsLfYM). Other music I liked from it! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoxighJSKmU)
Regarding that Magical Diary: Horse Hall game. It was fun. I enjoy games where you raise a character's skills over the course of so-long while random events and such happen. Kinda like Academagia, but lighter and sillier.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Rabek Jeris on June 28, 2012, 11:04:25 am
"Don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story" is an interesting one. Some people might be bothered by its statement on privacy, but I liked the story anyway. "Digital: A Love Story" is excellent and by the same author, but less a VN. More like a hybrid between VN and Interactive Fiction.
And then there's "RE: Alistair" which is like the only other VN I've played. Hard to explain. It's here: http://www.sakevisual.com/realistair/
Post by: Blaze on June 28, 2012, 11:34:40 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I've been playing Kamidori Alchemy Meister recently and enjoying it. And I've ordered GALZOO Island a week ago; it's a bit old, but Alicesoft hasn't failed me yet.
Then again, those are less VNs than games that happen to have a story with sexx0rz.
Post by: Sirus on June 28, 2012, 04:46:47 pm
Anyhoo, I've played this game, gotten good endings on all the routes except Rin's, which I haven't even started. Is my first foray into the VN genre, debating whether or not to try a different one.
Post by: varnish on June 28, 2012, 05:07:36 pm
Anyway, I saw that Magical Diary game on steam and misread the title as "Magical Dairy: Horse Hell", and now I want to play that game.
Post by: Sirus on June 28, 2012, 05:10:40 pm
Post by: sluissa on June 28, 2012, 05:28:28 pm
Relevant to this thread, especially Blaze's post. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrznWdos73A&list=FLauh-5kWgTrXHnQPX3g7OZA&index=1&feature=plpp_video)
Anyhoo, I've played this game, gotten good endings on all the routes except Rin's, which I haven't even started. Is my first foray into the VN genre, debating whether or not to try a different one.
Those are amazing.
Post by: varnish on June 28, 2012, 05:33:20 pm
The thing that I (and presumably other people) liked about it was that it wasn't about making fun of the disabled or treating them as abnormal. All of the characters were treated like, y'know, people.
That was it.
Post by: Farce on June 28, 2012, 07:12:43 pm
For regular ol' VNs, I probably have to suggest Saya no Uta. The love interest is a
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Also OMGWTFOTL. That one's good for a few kicks, genuflect.
Post by: Nilum on June 28, 2012, 07:41:01 pm
I've been playing Kamidori Alchemy Meister recently and enjoying it.I think I played something like thirty hours of Kamidori before I realized I wasn't really enjoying it. I guess the mechanics weren't particularly satisfying, and grinding for materials was bothersome. If we're including tactical RPGs, literally the best experience I've had on the PC has been Battle Moon Wars. Some experience with Tsukihime and Fate/Stay Night heavily suggested. I might be biased, as I've always liked Super Robot Wars games, but never felt particularly attached to the series/characters; Battle Moon Wars is basically SRW except with Type-Moon characters which handily solves every problem simultaneously.
My recommendations as far as visual novels go:
- Fate/Stay Night. This is still the first VN I recommend to anyone interested in the genre. Set in the Nasuverse, which is probably my favorite fictional setting. It was my first VN -- bias may be creeping in here -- but it's the one of my favorites, second only to Tsukihime.
- Tsukihime. Probably best played after Fate/Stay Night despite being released before it. No direct relation, but it's set in the same world. The art is much inferior, and there's no voice-acting, hence why it's probably not a great VN to start off with.
- Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni. It's a murder mystery where you or your friends are frequently the murderers. I've only played the first four arcs so far, which veer into 'horror' territory at some points. If the anime is anything to go by, the rest of the arcs lean less on horror and should provide deeper solutions to the mysteries of the first half.
And if you own a DS or otherwise have the capability to play DS games:
- 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. It's a mystery game with puzzles and murder and death and it's really really great and everyone should probably play it.
- Phoenix Wright series. These are also pretty good, usually, but I think everyone's played them by now.
I'll refrain from passing judgment on Katawa Shoujo as I only played a few hours. It didn't capture me at all and I found myself really disliking most of the characters which is basically fatal for a VN that relies entirely on them.
Post by: neotemplar on June 29, 2012, 12:04:09 am
DS:
Time Hollow
Lux Pain (albeit with terrible translation)
Pheonix Wright (Straddling Puzzler and VN)
Also I've heard that 9 persons, 9 hours, 9 doors is not really a visual novel but more of a puzzler like Trace Memory. I'm not completely sure though. Pretty much the dividing point is "Do you spend more time on the plot or on the puzzle".
PC:
Analogue: A Hate Story (My favorite VN ever at this point)
Aselia the Eternal (Think Ogre Battle only it takes you 3-4 hours to get through plot to the first battle and then the battles kick your ass)
True Remembrance (This got me bored.)
Brass Restoration (Also a little boring.)
Also I noted some people have suggested some stat builders like Magical Diary which are also not true VN but are a close cousin.
The most fun I've had with these are:
Cherry Tree High
Princess Maker 2 (If you like stat builders and don't know Japanese this one is the absolute king)
I recommend avoiding most of the stuff by White Wolf, especially Cute Knight, as the tend to knock off Princess Maker (Unless they've changed in recent years.)
Also one can use RenPy to make their own VNs if they want to. I'd be totally up assisting a bay 12 VN of dwarfy epicness but am too unambitious to lead one myself. But I keep imagining "Dwarf Fortress: The Visual Novel that Menaces with Spikes of Pitchblende" .
Post by: ToonyMan on June 29, 2012, 12:21:21 am
I'd also recommend Umineko and all the many fan games for Umineko and Ace Attorney. Quality can vary but I can recommend a few good ones.
Ace Attorney:
The Contempt of Court - has two cases right now, uses PyWright and they have really good production values. Third case WIP
Ace Attorney: Judgement Seekers - two cases right now, uses Ace Attorney Online. First case isn't too too impressive but the second case is much cooler. Third case WIP
Umineko:
Witches & Woodlands - requires knowledge of at least the first 6 episodes I think? (might be 8), very very fun and feels authentic. Basically a D&D parody but Seacats. Has three parts. Part 2 and 3 are great.
I am currently playing One Hell of a Turnabout and When The Seacats Cry, but I shouldn't give recommendations yet.
I also highly recommend a few Alicesoft games. Daibanchou and Sengoku Rance are both 100% translated and quite fun. Although I haven't finished Daibanchou yet and SR is much more accessible. Daiteikoku is only 35% translated so I don't recommend it until you at least do the others.
Sadly I can't recommend the KID games Ever17 and Remember11 too much. Ever17 has a great ending but it's very boring (then again if you liked Katawa Shoujo maybe you'll like that?). Remember11 is pretty good overall but it suffers from huge budget issues and if you know MGS2 the ending suffers HARD
I think that's all I have to say for now. Listen to Nilum.
Oh.
Never ever ever play Tsukihime first. That's a bad first VN, I'd say Ever17 is too even.
EDIT:
Higanbana completely slipped my mind. If you liked Higurashi and Umineko it's pretty much a given since 07th Expansion. I thought it was pretty good. Great music as always, some good chapters too. Only the first game is translated so far.
Aselia the Eternal (Think Ogre Battle only it takes you 3-4 hours to get through plot to the first battle and then the battles kick your ass)Have you even finished that? I have like 14 hours and I'm only on chapter 2 and nothing has really happened. I mean it's decent at best but we need faster battles and MORE PLOT not trivial interactions.
Post by: Trapezohedron on June 29, 2012, 12:33:17 am
Regarding gameplay, I totally suggest Sakura Wars 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDILmJolnaM&feature=player_detailpage#t=349s). It has a tactical robot fighty thing that happens once or twice every chapter, between all the talking and reading stuff. Also, style (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCev9SUZKOY).
For regular ol' VNs, I probably have to suggest Saya no Uta. The love interest is a [SPOILER_REDACTED].
Also OMGWTFOTL. That one's good for a few kicks, genuflect.
Oh, and spoiler that plot twist, please?
Post by: frostshotgg on June 29, 2012, 12:35:43 am
@OP: You might want to change the top title to Visual Novel Thread or something like that.
Post by: ToonyMan on June 29, 2012, 12:39:06 am
I'm pretty excited that Nilum should be starting Higurashi Kai soon. It's amazingly great.
EDIT:
Oh here's three I forgot for PSP fans (although one might be hard to do).
Corpse Party Blood Covered was done recently. I really enjoyed XSEED's translation.
You might like Fate/extra too. I couldn't get through the gameplay sludge.
Lastly and most favorite, Dangan Ronpa. It's not translated ingame at all but there's a translation on the Something Awful forums being done here. (http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3447397) Pretty much Sony's Ace Attorney but I enjoy it vastly.
Post by: jackbod on June 29, 2012, 10:25:25 am
What, am I the only person who played KiraKira and liked it or something?
@OP: You might want to change the top title to Visual Novel Thread or something like that.
Done ;) also kira kira? whats tha about
Post by: Caz on July 01, 2012, 10:36:59 am
Post by: Xeron on July 01, 2012, 11:53:44 am
Post by: Leafsnail on July 01, 2012, 01:25:46 pm
Post by: Caz on July 01, 2012, 01:39:35 pm
Tsukihime definitely has its moments, although being a psycho isn't really the focus.
Yeah, like meeting Arc for the first time. Settle down, Shiki.
Saya no Uta also has you involved in certain unneighbourly actions. Am I the only one that preferred the 'Bad' ending to the 'Good' and 'True' endings? Ryoko is a crazy awesome bitch.
Post by: Sirus on July 01, 2012, 02:04:16 pm
Spoiler: Review of Magical Diary - Minor Spoilers Within (click to show/hide)
Post by: h3lblad3 on July 01, 2012, 02:22:51 pm
Yes. Just... yes.
Post by: ToonyMan on July 01, 2012, 03:46:53 pm
Saya no Uta also has you involved in certain unneighbourly actions. Am I the only one that preferred the 'Bad' ending to the 'Good' and 'True' endings?That was also my favorite ending, yes.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: inEQUALITY on July 01, 2012, 07:42:14 pm
Post by: Leafsnail on July 01, 2012, 08:08:31 pm
Post by: Nilum on July 02, 2012, 09:04:57 pm
If you don't like drudgery then you should probably stop playing FSN.This is definitely true. Nasu's writing is some of the most -- meandering? Rambling? I don't think either of those words really accurately describes it. It's the opposite of a prototypical galge. Tsukihime is even worse than FSN in that regard.
Some parts of FSN are really amazing, but there's a lot of sludge in between that won't appeal to everyone. Or even most. It picks up eventually, but even after it picks up there are sections that feel like a chore to read. And this is coming from someone who loves FSN to death. I seem to remember the entire second route, Unlimited Blade Works, being great, but I think I may have been intoxicated on the Nasuverse and as such cannot vouch for my memory's validity. It does get better as you get further in. The first time I tried to read FSN I stopped at the prologue (admittedly I was 13 and did not have the best attention span,) but the second time, years later, I stuck with it; now I'm a fan.
Post by: frostshotgg on July 02, 2012, 09:10:49 pm
Nasu does have that annoying habit of wandering off topic. I think I screamed at my monitor "What about [important topic that stopped being talked about" at least a dozen times in the first route of FSN at least a dozen times alone.
On the plus side, the universe is absolutely massive, and for anybody who enjoys it, there's easily 6th months worth of entertainment all considered. There's even a bunch of tie in paper books, animes, and movies, although the quality of some of them is questionable. (Seriously, I read Unlimited Blade Works, and I still have almost no idea what was going on in the movie.)
Post by: Elfeater on July 02, 2012, 09:46:19 pm
Post by: Nighthawk on July 02, 2012, 09:52:12 pm
It will not put any viruses into your computer.
It does, however, have some *questionable* content, if that's the kind of trouble you're talking about.
Post by: frostshotgg on July 02, 2012, 09:56:34 pm
Post by: Elfeater on July 02, 2012, 09:58:08 pm
Post by: Leafsnail on July 02, 2012, 10:00:36 pm
This is definitely true. Nasu's writing is some of the most -- meandering? Rambling? I don't think either of those words really accurately describes it. It's the opposite of a prototypical galge. Tsukihime is even worse than FSN in that regard.I haven't gotten that far into Tsukihime but it's felt better in this regard so far. It hasn't had the extremely long irrelevant lectures of FSN (the only lectures have been on the nature of vampires and that actually seems kindof interesting and relevant, unlike the bizarre philosophy and magic system infodumps in FSN).
The main consolation is that UBW is a clear improvement on Fate in almost every way, although there are still some useless scenes.
Okay, well I don't want to get my ass chewed out by my mom, that would make high school a living hell.Maybe try something else then?
Post by: Alkhemia on July 02, 2012, 10:34:42 pm
Post by: Tellemurius on July 02, 2012, 11:30:36 pm
Post by: HenAi on August 10, 2014, 06:14:25 pm
Seems Valve is now fine with releasing all age versions of adult titles on Steam, so I guess this trend will probably continue.
Oh, and euphoria will actually be getting an English release.
Post by: Sirus on August 10, 2014, 06:20:42 pm
Post by: Leafsnail on August 10, 2014, 06:22:06 pm
Seems Valve is now fine with releasing all age versions of adult titles on Steam, so I guess this trend will probably continue.Is it? None of those games were adult before.
Post by: HenAi on August 10, 2014, 06:30:04 pm
Chou Dengeki Stryker was.Seems Valve is now fine with releasing all age versions of adult titles on Steam, so I guess this trend will probably continue.Is it? None of those games were adult before.
Post by: frostshotgg on August 10, 2014, 06:39:18 pm
Comyu was decent, though. Certainly not more than a 6/10 or so, but better than most of the crap MG puts out.
Post by: Leafsnail on August 10, 2014, 06:48:56 pm
Post by: HenAi on August 10, 2014, 06:49:16 pm
None of the good novels are coming to steam, move along. None of the stuff MG announced is worthwhile, move along.Now I wonder what kind of VNs you prefer...
Comyu was decent, though. Certainly not more than a 6/10 or so, but better than most of the crap MG puts out.
Post by: frostshotgg on August 10, 2014, 07:04:45 pm
Post by: HenAi on August 10, 2014, 07:35:04 pm
Higurashi's already released in varying capacities, and if the art bothers you it's probably less your speed. I prefer vns that have actually good writing. I'm not reading novels for waifu fap bait.Higurashi is getting a new translation, too. Even if you don't care about the art, that's kind of a big change.
And only a single one of the announcements could qualify as waifu fap bait, really. So I'm not sure where the vitriol is coming from.
But moving along, you ever give Kara no Shoujo a go?
Post by: frostshotgg on August 10, 2014, 07:58:18 pm
Post by: ToonyMan on August 10, 2014, 09:24:07 pm
None of the good novels are coming to steam, move along. None of the stuff MG announced is worthwhile, move along.Probably going to finish Comyu soon. Do you have a VNDB page?
Comyu was decent, though. Certainly not more than a 6/10 or so, but better than most of the crap MG puts out.
Eh, translation doesn't exactly matter to me. Most of the best stuff isn't translated anyways, so if you're interested you're going to have to take the dive and learn moon. Yes, I've read KnS, as well as Cartagra and KnS 2. Good reads.Do you think KnS 2 is an improvement over the original? I'd like to try Cartagra too but those moonrunes...
Post by: frostshotgg on August 10, 2014, 09:42:56 pm
The last route almost isn't worth it. It's mostly Kagome being a bitch and not suffering consequences, but it was nice in that Hisoaka gets to be the only character to tell her to go fuck herself and mean it.
KnS 2 is really close to 1. It's pretty much second verse same as the first. If you want to read Cartagra, at this point you'll probably get it faster by waiting. It's very, very close to being released; it's done being translated and edited but the technical guy is making the engine behave. KnS 2 is also being worked on, but if you're willing to grind through it slowly while you can read it with a text hooker and some basic grammar.
Post by: Mookzen on August 11, 2014, 06:03:34 pm
Post by: frostshotgg on August 11, 2014, 07:33:56 pm
Post by: Apokaladle on August 11, 2014, 10:10:31 pm
Post by: HenAi on August 13, 2014, 12:10:30 pm
Eh, translation doesn't exactly matter to me. Most of the best stuff isn't translated anyways, so if you're interested you're going to have to take the dive and learn moon. Yes, I've read KnS, as well as Cartagra and KnS 2. Good reads.True, most of the good VNs are untranslated. I can read moon, too, but I think most of the people here can't. And for those that can't, this does make a pretty big difference.
If you liked KnS, you might want to give euphoria a go. It's advertised as essentially a torture porn nukige, but it's really much more than that. I think it's very much possible to enjoy reading it without enjoying the sex parts.
Post by: Leafsnail on August 13, 2014, 12:51:05 pm
Post by: Hawkfrost on August 13, 2014, 01:41:43 pm
None of the good novels are coming to steam, move along. None of the stuff MG announced is worthwhile, move along.
Comyu was decent, though. Certainly not more than a 6/10 or so, but better than most of the crap MG puts out.
I'm going to be the butthurt guy here and say I liked The House in Fata Morgana, at least the two chapters the demo shows. Does it go to shit after that or something?
Because that VN was pretty far from being waifu fap bait, especially the second chapter.
Post by: Krath on August 13, 2014, 02:00:04 pm
Post by: frostshotgg on August 13, 2014, 02:21:36 pm
What would you regard as the best untranslated VNs?Of the ones I've read, Cross Channel, Baldr Sky, Subahibi, and the Grisaia sequels. I haven't read a lot of the stuff praised as kamige, so I can't say absolutely, but those rank highly regardless.
I'm going to be the butthurt guy here and say I liked The House in Fata Morgana, at least the two chapters the demo shows. Does it go to shit after that or something?I missed that announcement; Fata Morgana is decent, solid read but not life changing.
Because that VN was pretty far from being waifu fap bait, especially the second chapter.
Post by: Shakerag on August 13, 2014, 02:34:06 pm
Also noting that Steam is getting Hatoful Boyfriend. Or maybe it's released already. I can't remember.
Post by: Trapezohedron on August 13, 2014, 09:49:07 pm
Post by: Mookzen on August 15, 2014, 07:04:30 pm
"If you've always wished your porn games had more political debates and international diplomatic impasses in them, My Girlfriend Is the President is the game for you. The plot starts when an alien spaceship crashes into the White House and kills the entire Japanese government (yeah, the game can't quite decide what continent it takes place on). To cover up the disaster, the alien in the spaceship brainwashes the entire planet into thinking the president is actually a random teenage girl ... who happens to be your next door neighbor.
Since you're the only one who knows the truth, the alien names you vice president. At this point, you reach that important moment in every young man's life when you must decide whether to pursue romance with the president, your other neighbor (and childhood friend) turned chief of staff, a female version of Vladimir Putin ("Russian President Putina") or the physical embodiment of the alien spaceship. All of whom look like 12-year-old girls.
As far as we know, this is the only dating game where your objectives include solving a missile crisis in North Korea (which isn't even a metaphor for boners), dealing with the political tensions between Japan and Russia (caused by the fact that both presidents have a crush on you) and still finding time to spy on the girls as they're bathing nude together. Thankfully, you have a squad of crack commandos at your disposal to help you with that last mission.
Meanwhile, you and all the other characters still have to attend high school, because, come on, you're teenagers, and not doing that would be unrealistic. The school scenes are pretty much normal, except one of the teachers is a panda with spectacles and another one is secretly an evil alien hiding under the most inconspicuous disguise ever: a combination between a child-molesting priest, Emperor Palpatine and a Nazi scientist.
In the end, you and the girls team up to fight Evil Space Nazi Pope, and everything goes back to normal. Whether your brain will ever do the same thing remains unclear."
Post by: Sirus on August 15, 2014, 07:07:38 pm
Post by: Scripten on August 15, 2014, 07:32:40 pm
Post by: HenAi on August 15, 2014, 10:02:47 pm
I... I want to play that. >.>http://vndb.org/v2622
There's an English translation, so you actually can.
Post by: Hawkfrost on August 15, 2014, 10:20:40 pm
Post by: BlitzDungeoneer on August 16, 2014, 01:51:10 am
Just...
I am so gonna play that at the first opportunity.
Post by: Nighthawk on August 16, 2014, 10:13:33 pm
Post by: Orange Wizard on August 16, 2014, 10:18:45 pm
Post by: Tellemurius on August 17, 2014, 01:33:30 am
Post by: frostshotgg on August 17, 2014, 02:04:32 am
Post by: miauw62 on August 17, 2014, 03:18:39 am
Post by: Orange Wizard on August 17, 2014, 04:07:16 am
Now I'm waiting for the arguments between Prospective Girlfriend Churchill and Prospective Girlfriend Hitler.
Post by: HenAi on August 17, 2014, 06:22:15 am
Why don't we just make a bunch of My Girlfriend Is X games? Base them around some random historical conflicts and you're all good."So, what's this game about?" - "Well, you can date Hitler. Schoolgirl Hitler."
Now I'm waiting for the arguments between Prospective Girlfriend Churchill and Prospective Girlfriend Hitler.
Related: http://alicesoft.wikia.com/wiki/Retia_Adolf (http://vndb.org/v3066)
Post by: frostshotgg on August 17, 2014, 09:55:42 am
Post by: Furtuka on August 17, 2014, 12:06:44 pm
Post by: ToonyMan on August 17, 2014, 02:26:08 pm
Daiteikoku, the only game where savescumming is a game mechanic!Daitei was the first Alice game I bothered finishing so I have a soft spot for it. Apparently, some group is translating the Core route if you check TLWiki, but I already played that with a text hooker...
We have a thread for this? Huh. Well I plan to play Muv-Luv once I finish getting my labtop set up.Extra first, always. I'm also still waiting for someone to edit TheDayAfter01 since it's a machine translation.
Post by: frostshotgg on August 17, 2014, 02:46:12 pm
That said, if you like the gameplay, Big Bang Age is fantastic. Just make sure to keep a character clear guide open, because some of them are just ridiculously obscure, "Station X character with Y, Z, A, B, and C, at W for V turns. This is a low priority event, so you may need to wait a while for it to appear"
Post by: ToonyMan on August 17, 2014, 03:57:13 pm
Post by: Shakerag on August 18, 2014, 09:31:11 am
If you've ever enjoyed Shining Force and thought "I really wish this game was a bit more like Recettear and I could sex up every female character" then I've got good news for you.
Post by: frostshotgg on August 18, 2014, 10:11:16 am
Post by: Shakerag on August 18, 2014, 12:06:54 pm
Kamidori is fun, but it's far from the best Eushully game. I wonder why Aroduc chose it to translate of all the possibilities, but I trust he made the right choice, as his taste is pretty good. It's ridiculously finicky to get working though, the underlying engine is total garbage.Kamidori is finicky to get working? I never had a problem ...
I certainly would be interested in further Eushully games though.
Post by: HenAi on August 18, 2014, 02:07:18 pm
Post by: Sirus on August 18, 2014, 02:17:49 pm
Post by: ToonyMan on August 18, 2014, 02:42:46 pm
Nekohen (http://nekohen.org/) (warning, anime as hell) have been doing interface patches and machine translations for a ton of Eushully stuff, along with other gameplay VNs.Kamidori is fun, but it's far from the best Eushully game. I wonder why Aroduc chose it to translate of all the possibilities, but I trust he made the right choice, as his taste is pretty good. It's ridiculously finicky to get working though, the underlying engine is total garbage.Kamidori is finicky to get working? I never had a problem ...
I certainly would be interested in further Eushully games though.
Kamidori is fun, but it's far from the best Eushully game.I hope so. I liked playing the game, but that writing was so mediocre.
I'd recommend Soukoku no Arterial (http://vndb.org/v8424) then.Yes. Anything that involves fighting demons with card games. (I actually have no idea what it's about)
Post by: TamerVirus on August 24, 2014, 11:35:14 am
Also. Majikoi will never be fully translated
T_T
Post by: Sirus on August 24, 2014, 11:46:41 am
There's a thread for this sort of thing? Sweet.Clearly the solution is for you to learn moonrunes and translate it yourself :D
Also. Majikoi will never be fully translated
T_T
Post by: ToonyMan on August 24, 2014, 12:01:44 pm
oh wait it doesnt matter its majikoi
(I would like to see that true route)
EDIT:
If you're really dying for some Majkoi you could play Majikoi S. It doesn't really require the original game and it has a good route or two, maybe. Tsubame's was pretty good. The other translated ones...not so much. The common route was pretty great too.
Post by: TamerVirus on August 24, 2014, 12:02:57 pm
And A-1
and A-2
and A-3
....
You get my point
Post by: HenAi on August 26, 2014, 07:34:09 am
There was an april fool's gag of a sequel. "My girlfriend is the executor-general" or some such.Stumbled upon this https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wargirlgames/my-little-dictator-a-battle-visual-novel.
It seems someone had that idea already a while ago.
In other news, Imouto Paradise is out.
Post by: Orange Wizard on September 11, 2014, 05:57:04 am
"Starin, leader of Sovia"There was an april fool's gag of a sequel. "My girlfriend is the executor-general" or some such.Stumbled upon this https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wargirlgames/my-little-dictator-a-battle-visual-novel.
It seems someone had that idea already a while ago.
...
Yesssssss
Post by: TamerVirus on November 05, 2014, 03:29:04 am
Rule 1- don't make any emotional attachments to any female character
Post by: ToonyMan on November 05, 2014, 08:07:19 am
So I picked up Cartagra today.If I learned anything from Kara no Shoujo, it's that everybody will die from your incompetence.
Rule 1- don't make any emotional attachments to any female character
Post by: Ak-Sai on November 05, 2014, 10:48:02 am
So I picked up Cartagra today.
Rule 1- don't make any emotional attachments to any female character
Is Cartagra translated to English or you used some translation magic via some software (if so - is it readable enough?)
Post by: HenAi on November 05, 2014, 11:13:15 am
So I picked up Cartagra today.
Rule 1- don't make any emotional attachments to any female character
Is Cartagra translated to English or you used some translation magic via some software (if so - is it readable enough?)
There's an English release by mangagamer out.
Post by: TamerVirus on November 05, 2014, 01:40:09 pm
I like it so far. It really develops that foreboding, dreary, and cold environment really well
Post by: TamerVirus on November 05, 2014, 07:36:37 pm
My reaction: Well.......Fuck...
Post by: frostshotgg on November 05, 2014, 10:30:25 pm
Post by: TamerVirus on November 06, 2014, 12:15:54 am
Cartagra's art seems to be a little less precise and more 'animey' and the lack of an investigation mode means you could pinpoint where you flubbed your mission more accurately.
The true is incredibly well done and just had me going 'What....The...Fuck"
Medium length read: 8 or so hours
And now we wait for KnS2 to be translated
Post by: ToonyMan on November 06, 2014, 07:36:21 am
Post by: TamerVirus on November 20, 2014, 02:32:41 am
The RUSSIANS released an 18+ eroge
ON STEAM
Post by: Sirus on November 20, 2014, 02:33:43 am
Of all places and of all people to release a VN...For free, too!
The RUSSIANS released an 18+ eroge
ON STEAM
Post by: Ak-Sai on November 20, 2014, 03:03:25 am
Of all places and of all people to release a VN...
The RUSSIANS released an 18+ eroge
ON STEAM
Cool ) But what about the title of game?
Post by: TamerVirus on November 20, 2014, 03:18:45 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Shakerag on November 20, 2014, 09:46:06 am
Of all places and of all people to release a VN...... how? I thought Steam was pretty uptight about that. Something about a game called Seduce Me comes to mind?
The RUSSIANS released an 18+ eroge
ON STEAM
Also, I just learned recently that J-List (I think) is going to be selling Little Witch's Romanesque by the end of the year. This kind of surprises me.
Post by: TamerVirus on November 20, 2014, 10:24:39 am
Post by: Leafsnail on November 20, 2014, 10:53:52 am
Post by: Nighthawk on November 20, 2014, 10:58:32 am
They probably got it through steam via massive misrepresentation of what the product contained. It's not like its ERSB certified or anythingIf it was ESRB certified it'd be 17+, not 18.
Because logic.
On the subject of mature VNs, though, I've been wondering: is it really necessary to put sexual content in visual novels? Is there anything to gain from it (aside from the obvious: sex sells)? I'd like to think that putting sex in a story doesn't really make it any deeper (pun not intended oh lord that was bad) or more emotionally engaging, since I've seen plenty of good stories that don't involve it and a number of awful ones that do.
I've been pondering this for a while, especially since I started hearing an abundance of short stories in this class I'm taking, where at least 50% of them somehow involve sex. Sometimes it feels like they just throw it in there for the hell of it, and to be honest it kind of bothers me.
Do I have the wrong idea? Can a story itself really gain from mature content in any way?
Post by: USEC_OFFICER on November 20, 2014, 11:43:48 am
They could just censor it for Steam? I thought that was already happening.
Considering that the Steam Community page for Endless Summer is blocked behind one of those 'I confirm that I am 18+'/'This content is not safe for all ages nor for work' pages... I'm going to guess that they didn't censor it for Steam. In fact, I've found at least a one other VN with explicit nudity and sex on Steam. (http://store.steampowered.com/app/313740/) And it shouldn't be too hard to find more, since there's now a user-defined nudity tag for these sorts of things...
Post by: Leafsnail on November 20, 2014, 12:33:06 pm
Post by: USEC_OFFICER on November 20, 2014, 12:34:34 pm
Post by: frostshotgg on November 20, 2014, 12:56:24 pm
Also, I just learned recently that J-List (I think) is going to be selling Little Witch's Romanesque by the end of the year. This kind of surprises me.JAST, not J-list. J-list just resells stuff to scrublords for a ridiculous markup. JAST translates stuff, usually decently, but releases like once every eternity. LWR in specific had quite a bit of controversy around it, as Aroduc (the specific translator who worked on it, really cool dude) originally wanted to do a crowdfunding thing for it and got hella C&D'd.
Post by: TamerVirus on November 20, 2014, 02:30:24 pm
Post by: Shakerag on November 20, 2014, 02:39:03 pm
JAST, not J-list. J-list just resells stuff to scrublords for a ridiculous markup. JAST translates stuff, usually decently, but releases like once every eternity. LWR in specific had quite a bit of controversy around it, as Aroduc (the specific translator who worked on it, really cool dude) originally wanted to do a crowdfunding thing for it and got hella C&D'd.Ahh, yeah, that's it. I knew there was a 'J' in there somewhere >_>
Still, surprised it's being brought over here and apparently not censored to all hell.
On the subject of mature VNs, though, I've been wondering: is it really necessary to put sexual content in visual novels? Is there anything to gain from it (aside from the obvious: sex sells)? I'd like to think that putting sex in a story doesn't really make it any deeper (pun not intended oh lord that was bad) or more emotionally engaging, since I've seen plenty of good stories that don't involve it and a number of awful ones that do.In so far as no-sex VNs are concerned, I hear Ever 17 is usually at or near the top of that list.
I've been pondering this for a while, especially since I started hearing an abundance of short stories in this class I'm taking, where at least 50% of them somehow involve sex. Sometimes it feels like they just throw it in there for the hell of it, and to be honest it kind of bothers me.
Do I have the wrong idea? Can a story itself really gain from mature content in any way?
I have more to say on that topic in general, but my lunch break is kind of over >_>
Post by: TamerVirus on November 20, 2014, 03:59:42 pm
Ever17 - a major mindfuck
Little Busters - a major feels game.
As it is, many highly received eroge tend to do updated rerelease that expunge the porn...while some celebrated all ages VN go on to having an 18+ rerelease/ expanded after story
Post by: Leafsnail on November 20, 2014, 04:23:20 pm
Umineko no Naku Koro ni - spiritual sequel to the above, it's like And Then There Were None with witches. Expect an amazing soundtrack and constant audience manipulation.
Post by: Furtuka on November 20, 2014, 07:55:59 pm
Post by: Tellemurius on November 20, 2014, 08:19:43 pm
There actually is a VN with H scenes on steam, but they were clever and made the H scenes only included as part of a patch availiable through te games website.Which isn't technically wrong, as long as the content isn't included in release they can't be nailed for adult content for something people have to get out of their way to install. Its not like Hot Coffee thats just disabled code hidden away. While these large influx of "adult" VNs flood Steam, just remember that A.O. never sells. Valve has a policy to keep out A.O. games on their lists. Mature rated will always be fine no matter the amount of skin shown or rubbing here and there.
Post by: Furtuka on June 29, 2015, 11:26:46 pm
HOLY SHIT MUV LUV IS GONNA DO A KICKSTARTER TO GET AN OFFICIAL ENGLISH RELEASE ON STEAM!
Necroing for crosspost of ^
Post by: frostshotgg on June 29, 2015, 11:59:13 pm
Post by: Sirus on June 30, 2015, 02:23:32 am
Spoiler: actual end-of-story spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Leafsnail on June 30, 2015, 05:30:50 pm
Disaster. That should not be applauded.Huh?
Post by: ToonyMan on June 30, 2015, 05:37:16 pm
I can't wait for the Steam achievements.HOLY SHIT MUV LUV IS GONNA DO A KICKSTARTER TO GET AN OFFICIAL ENGLISH RELEASE ON STEAM!Necroing for crosspost of ^
So I've been giving so-called "kinetic novels" a shot; VNs that have no choices or gameplay basically. The one I completed last week was "planetarium: reverie of a little planet".I couldn't care for Planetarium. It was too short for me to care and also Key.Spoiler: actual end-of-story spoiler (click to show/hide)
Setting was neat though.
...I haven't finished any VNs in awhile...
Post by: frostshotgg on June 30, 2015, 09:27:22 pm
Something something, selling out, something something quality.Disaster. That should not be applauded.Huh?
Basically, as VNs become less niche the average quality on them will drop dramatically as they go for larger appeal (see Sakura Spirit and Nekopara), and as older/higher quality VNs are officially translated, they get bowdlerized in a way that ruins the work (You can see some bits of it in stuff like Konosora), especially in the transition from 18+ > all-ages. This is amplified because of the way that VNs are coming to the west through crowdfunding like Kickstarter because they're trying to cash in largely on the western otaku market who can't read moon runes and have no intention on ever putting the forth the effort, a section of the market that also largely wants waifu simulators. What will wind up coming to the west because of this are shitty moege and the like, as opposed to some of the important works that actually push the medium or take advantage of it to be more than hentai anime you watch at your own pace.
MLA especially holds a place in mine, and a lot other people who've been reading VNs for a long ass time because A, it's one of the few legitimately 10/10 VNs to ever come to English for mass consumption by the western world, and B, successfully installing it is a natural gatekeeper that keeps idiots who can't use google out of discussions over it because of how difficult it is.
Part of it is a "muh sekrit club" bitching, but part of it is a legitimate criticism with the fact that the quality of the medium as a whole will drop dramatically as it enters mainstream. The day Comyu becomes above the curve is the day I put on my grandpa outfit and rose-tinted glasses and reminisce about the days when non-shit was produced.
On another note, Subahibi translation is coming out very soon, which led to our lord and savior Moogy to declare it kusoge now. Get your shit game while it's hot.
Post by: Tellemurius on June 30, 2015, 11:20:36 pm
edit: I also want to make note about the VN translation scene as I had some experience with xml rewrites. Not all of us want to learn a new language and if you did, it would take years before you can read with a flow. I rather translate it as its easier on the eyes plus it can be made grammatically correct since japanese can be backwards as hell when converted to english. months spent decrypting data files and creating XML pointers is hard word and honestly you dont make a single dollar. In the end its the satisfaction. Translation groups are going to continue, hell with the Vita getting closer to being completely hack we should see VN english patches in the near future. The big difference with this is that you can even purchase the game from the japanese store and patch it from your computer.
VN market is expanding whether you like it or not. There was crapton of shitty ero novels back in the day anyways so its not even different at all. You just gotta look for the dime in the dozen. For instance, SteinsGate VN has been announced for NA release for PS3 and Vita on August 25. Mangagamer, which produces a ton of the ero VNs and such, got their hands on the translation license on Liar-soft's Gahkthun of the Golden Lightning which comes from a very good steampunk series.
Post by: frostshotgg on July 01, 2015, 12:32:32 am
That's exactly the kind of bullshit that can and will happen to VNs in their current direction. There's far too many shitheads like Dovac and too few companies that are actually translating worthwhile stuff, because worthwhile stuff isn't profitable. The last big official release of something that wasn't nukige or moege was Cartagra and that was a big flop. Going down the weekly rankings on Mangagamer is 1. Nukige, 2. Fucking HuniePop, 3. Moege, 4. Nukige, 5. Nukige. Goddamn fucking HuniPop is #2. If you haven't read it, I'll spare you the pain and tell you that calling it absolute garbage is an insult to garbage. At least Sakura Spirit had a good artist.
The western market isn't interested in anything interesting, they want waifu simulators and fapping material. I'll stick to being a masterrace moonreader if the only thing that beats trash like HuniePop is a new nukige that was released this week.
Post by: Orange Wizard on July 01, 2015, 12:51:59 am
Post by: Malus on July 01, 2015, 03:21:41 am
If you're actually interested in the future of VNs (and I don't mean godawful OELVNs) then it'd be better to acknowledge that a lot of these issues are just growing pains. The state of the "scene" is significantly better than it was ten years ago.
...and maybe someday we'll get a Mahoutsukai no Yoru translation. Maybe even before Tsukihime 2.
Post by: Tellemurius on July 01, 2015, 07:44:37 am
It's funny that you mention Clannad, because that's exactly my issue. It was a terribly done fan TL of a really, really good VN, and then shitkai project picked it up and basically got half a million dollars to put it on steam and that's it. They were not going to even touch the actual TL until there was unending bitching at which point they caved to "touch it up".You have a lot of hate or didn't really read the rest of my post. VN market has been at the same state years ago except now you got western markets incoming. All those Nukige and Moege you are complaining about obviously released in Japan first. If anything blame them for continuing to let this shit thrive.
That's exactly the kind of bullshit that can and will happen to VNs in their current direction. There's far too many shitheads like Dovac and too few companies that are actually translating worthwhile stuff, because worthwhile stuff isn't profitable. The last big official release of something that wasn't nukige or moege was Cartagra and that was a big flop. Going down the weekly rankings on Mangagamer is 1. Nukige, 2. Fucking HuniePop, 3. Moege, 4. Nukige, 5. Nukige. Goddamn fucking HuniPop is #2. If you haven't read it, I'll spare you the pain and tell you that calling it absolute garbage is an insult to garbage. At least Sakura Spirit had a good artist.
The western market isn't interested in anything interesting, they want waifu simulators and fapping material. I'll stick to being a masterrace moonreader if the only thing that beats trash like HuniePop is a new nukige that was released this week.
Post by: ToonyMan on July 01, 2015, 08:29:40 am
On another note, Subahibi translation is coming out very soon, which led to our lord and savior Moogy to declare it kusoge now. Get your shit game while it's hot.fuck yeah
Post by: Leafsnail on July 01, 2015, 11:19:18 am
Yeah, I wish people would stop liking things that I don't like!And also things I do like
Post by: Furtuka on September 24, 2015, 02:46:04 pm
kickstarter's up! Those stretch goals O_O
Post by: Shakerag on September 24, 2015, 03:49:58 pm
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/muvluv/muv-luv-a-pretty-sweet-visual-novel-series?ref=videoIt's almost hard to fathom there being even more content when you look at just how goddamn big Muv-Luv Extra/Unlimited/Alternative are.
kickstarter's up! Those stretch goals O_O
That said, having just finished the trilogy recently, I'm a little burned out on Muv-Luv at the moment. Well, that and I really hate Takeru.
Post by: frostshotgg on September 24, 2015, 05:42:19 pm
In this case I'm fairly supportive because they're obviously trying to add a lot to the fan tl and if they can actually get MLA to work properly on 64 bit machines without jumping through an ungodly number of hoops, more power to them. I'm still a little cautious after the Clannad bullshit. At least it isn't shitkai project this time.
Post by: Shakerag on September 24, 2015, 06:55:36 pm
I'm of two minds on it. On one hand, it's great that it's finally getting done all nice and official, and it seems probable that a lot of new stuff will come, but on the other it feels fairly shitty to take work someone did for free (the fan TL) and profit off of that.
In this case I'm fairly supportive because they're obviously trying to add a lot to the fan tl and if they can actually get MLA to work properly on 64 bit machines without jumping through an ungodly number of hoops, more power to them. I'm still a little cautious after the Clannad bullshit. At least it isn't shitkai project this time.
Quote from: Kickstarter page
The Translation
With more than 2.7 million Japanese characters, the Muv-Luv series is a huge project to translate.
We're assembling a joint task force to tackle this. A mix of dedicated fan translators and professional translators from Japan will work directly with the creators of Muv-Luv series to ensure the highest quality translation for this release.
Doesn't sound like they're just jacking the fan tl?
Post by: Furtuka on September 24, 2015, 09:14:14 pm
BTW the kickstarter hit its goal sometime in the last hour or so
Post by: Leafsnail on September 25, 2015, 02:20:52 am
Post by: frostshotgg on September 25, 2015, 02:44:19 am
Post by: ToonyMan on September 25, 2015, 10:36:52 am
Post by: Tellemurius on September 25, 2015, 12:31:16 pm
Well no. age has little to do with getting this licensed. What likely happened behind the scenes was "Please, let us do this" "No" "Please, we'll pay you" "Why are you worth our time?" "Okay we'll do a kickstarter to show you". And then they realized that they didn't actually know if there'd be enough support for a kickstarter so they did the prefundia first and when that was successful they went for it. The most that'll happen from this point, if the stories told by the other companies that do translation are true, is either A, the company will okay whatever they see because they don't know what they're looking at, or B, the company will demand something unreasonable or just plain bad because they don't know what they're looking at.Considering that Sekai was able to convince Key to not have disc DRM im going to say its both A and B. Dub licensing has got to be a bitch to manage. :P
Post by: Leafsnail on September 26, 2015, 12:50:36 pm
Post by: Krevsin on September 27, 2015, 03:23:10 am
It wasn't easy to get the games running and a glitch prevented me from properly finishing Extra (the game would crash when going into ending credits, thereby locking me out of Unlimited) so I just downloaded a save.
I certainly did not expect the characters would grow so much on me.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
But boy is Takeru a thicko.
Post by: Cruxador on May 02, 2016, 12:33:59 pm
Trigger warning: It's mostly about mental health, so if you have problems there it could really fuck you up.
Post by: frostshotgg on May 02, 2016, 12:50:24 pm
Meanwhile, JAST finally managed to actually push Seinarukana out. That shit was haunted, I'm surprised they didn't mothball it after it went on a hard drive killing spree. JAST also put out a mindbogglingly horrid demo of Flowers, much to everybody's horror/grim amusement.
In Sekai land, they licensed Hoshimemo, according to Insem, they haven't contacted him about using his translation at all so presumably they're doing it from scratch. I think a lot of people will be genuinely surprised at how different it comes out when it's straight Japanese > English, rather than going through a middle language.
Post by: Cruxador on May 02, 2016, 02:40:46 pm
industry sideI know people generally prefer JVNs to EVNs, but the development side seems a lot more interesting from a market perspective to me, and there's more narrative innovation. Of course, since there isn't the situation that weak content doesn't get translated, it can be harder to find the really good stuff. But there's still a ton of interesting stuff going on to keep an eye on, even if a lot of it is marked by drama and incompetence that would never reach your ears from the Japanese market.
Quote
Mangagamer is pushing super hard for Steam recently.Well, yeah. Steam is great. It has the biggest gaming audience out there, and is also convenient to use. Even if your game is free, a lot of people go for it to reach the bigger audience. If you're trying to turn a profit, it's a no-brainer.
Post by: frostshotgg on May 02, 2016, 03:19:50 pm
On the English side of things, the only dev I even recognize is Winged Cloud and they're pretty much silent to my ears. The most interesting thing I have to discuss about them is the flip flopping between Sekai and Mangagamer as a publisher, but I have no context for that.
Post by: Cruxador on May 03, 2016, 02:25:55 pm
In EVN news, the tie-in game for The Huntsman is an EVN, which might draw interest to the market.
Also, Selenon Rising launched on the 29th and now, four days later, has one (negative) review. This is a bit of an embarrassment for Sekai, who published it, and triggered some people in a certain anonymous industry hangout to complain about how proactive Sekai isn't. This is second-hand, but it seems that they won't do jack shit unless you specifically ask them, which is annoying their clients a bit. It's a typical workplace gripe, and not necessarily a major point against them, but if the folks doing Selenon, I guess, weren't assertive about getting things done and now they're paying a percentage without reaping a whole lot of benefits. It's a shame for a game that doubtless was a labor of love.
Post by: Drakale on May 03, 2016, 02:40:47 pm
Post by: Sirus on May 03, 2016, 03:18:42 pm
Post by: Drakale on May 03, 2016, 03:45:06 pm
Post by: Cruxador on May 03, 2016, 07:45:22 pm
isn't a dating simulator?Does this mean "doesn't focus on romance" or "doesn't include any aspects of romance"? Lucid9 comes to mind immediately for the former, since that's the one I've just been playing (and it's free on Steam or itch.io). It doesn't satisfy the latter more stringent requirement, though.
Post by: frostshotgg on May 03, 2016, 09:03:26 pm
Post by: Trapezohedron on May 03, 2016, 10:26:29 pm
I'd define Dating Sims as where you, the protagonist, are actively going out of your way to gain the interest of a girl culminating in you starting a relationship. It is also where romance is at the very forefront and not a mere "consequence" of action.
Post by: Drakale on May 04, 2016, 08:38:24 am
I'll check out Lucid9.
Post by: frostshotgg on May 04, 2016, 09:34:55 am
Never7, Remember11, and Ever17 are probably also worth reading.
Post by: Drakale on May 04, 2016, 10:06:42 am
Post by: Sirus on May 04, 2016, 12:01:26 pm
Post by: Shakerag on May 06, 2016, 08:59:05 am
I think if you liked 999/Virtue's Last Reward you might enjoy Ever17. Also the third Zero Escape comes out this year!
Post by: frostshotgg on May 06, 2016, 09:17:55 am
Post by: Drakale on May 06, 2016, 09:26:59 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Cruxador on May 06, 2016, 11:33:09 am
Stereotypical characters,They're not all winners, but I didn't generally find them lacking even though it focuses on the MC, and the way they dole out information about him so sparingly, he seems pretty bad until like halfway through.
Quote
foreshadowing,I'm not sure if you're saying that there was too much or too little. Personally, I didn't discover much of importance ahead of time, but realized what was going on when the details were revealed, so it seemed appropriate to me.
Quote
meaningless decisionsYeah, there's a lot that's "meaningless" in one way or the other. A common criticism is that there's too much SoL. I disagree with that in the general sense because I think it's necessary, both for characterization (which comes pretty slowly) and to provide a smokescreen of content which prevents you from going "Oh, the story paid attention to this so it must be a clue". I do agree that there are specific scenes which could have been cut, though. Regarding decisions, they're mostly used as opportunities for you to think and to give you a pat on the back when you figured something out ahead of time, they're not supposed to lock you out of the true end if you're not sufficiently deductive. Although there's a certain part where this does happen, and you have to behave intelligently based on realistic factors rather than on narrative tropes, which throws people off and I had a lot of bad ends before I figured out how to stop being a dumbass. Overall though, yeah, the novel is largely kinetic in structure. They say the sequel will have routes, so things may change but personally a mostly linear story doesn't bother me.
Quote
I don't remember finding that part unreasonable, though I also don't remember exactly what the details are. This seems like a specific enough criticism that it could be useful if you tell the devs about it.Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Thanks for saying something with enough detail to actually generate some discussion, by the way.
Post by: Drakale on May 06, 2016, 11:46:16 am
Although there's a certain part where this does happen, and you have to behave intelligently based on realistic factors rather than on narrative tropes, which throws people off and I had a lot of bad ends before I figured out how to stop being a dumbass.
Precisely what I am after, I'll look forward to that. That's the part where games like Phoenix Wright shine, putting clue together and getting involved in the story, even if it's a bit silly at times. Or very silly.
Post by: Cruxador on May 06, 2016, 12:31:07 pm
I'll hold out on the foreshadowing part, as maybe my impressions are actually wrong so I may have jumped to conclusion a bit too soon.There are multiple red herrings. I won't say more to avoid spoiling things.
Post by: Coolnesstod on May 06, 2016, 08:52:23 pm
Post by: Stuebi on May 07, 2016, 04:38:15 am
Has anyone played ACE Academy, or well, the 3 episodes that are out for it so far? I quite enjoyed myself surprisingly. I like the fact it's English voiced, and not just text. For once, the characters feel natural and not a forced trope of what's used in VN's/Animes. I don't know, but this might take my #1 spot instead of Clannad if it goes well. I just hope they can 'end' it nicely.
Just started with Episode 1 and got a good impression so far. I'm also curious on how it's gonna go.
On a unrelated note, is there a seperate term for VN's with a focus or at least big part of gameplay? I've been playing some of the Rance games, Aselia the Eternal, Seinarukana and Princess Waltz the past couple months. And while they definetely have the VN style story, theres a lot of actually very decent Gameplay to go around. Well, except in Princess Waltz. The Card game Bitz were actually kinda annoying in my opinion.
Post by: Sheb on May 07, 2016, 04:44:14 am
Post by: ToonyMan on May 10, 2016, 09:31:59 pm
Post by: Shakerag on May 17, 2016, 02:54:56 pm
Playing Tokyo Babel and Root Double concurrently right now, a funny parallel to two years ago with Ayakashibito and I/O. I might have full thoughts at some point.Sup, Toony?
Going back and trying to finish up unlocking everything in Romanesque. Hot dice whipping action.
Post by: Mookzen on May 17, 2016, 06:49:39 pm
Post by: frostshotgg on May 17, 2016, 07:09:04 pm
Post by: Shakerag on May 18, 2016, 01:17:04 am
Kindred Spirits on the RoofHeard good things about this one. Thinking of picking it up soon.
Post by: francesprince on May 19, 2016, 06:14:11 am
Post by: Sirus on May 19, 2016, 06:49:09 pm
Post by: Tawa on May 19, 2016, 07:13:11 pm
Post by: ToonyMan on May 20, 2016, 02:02:32 am
Hi. I haven't played any of the Littlewitch games so I can't say anything about that. The art style is super shoujo though.Playing Tokyo Babel and Root Double concurrently right now, a funny parallel to two years ago with Ayakashibito and I/O. I might have full thoughts at some point.Sup, Toony?
Going back and trying to finish up unlocking everything in Romanesque. Hot dice whipping action.
I've basically finished Root Double at this point (got the true end) and I've finished one route in Tokyo Babel (the Raziel one). I've actually enjoyed Root Double more than Tokyo Babel at this time, but that might change once I go back to Tokyo Babel.
I've been really meaning to do a write up about the man Nakazawa Takumi, because I've finished six of his games in the last four years and I really want to say something about his works at some point...
Those being Ever17, Remember11, I/O, Secret Game, Root Double, and Rebellions: Secret Game.
So that might happen.
So, anything new worth checking out lately ?Root Double, Tokyo Babel, and House on Fata Morgana have all released on Steam in the last month or so.
For handheld titles, Zero Time Dilemma is coming out next month on 3DS and PSVita and of course, Ace Attorney 6 will release in September for 3DS.
Post by: Cruxador on May 20, 2016, 03:35:58 pm
Hi. I haven't played any of the Littlewitch games so I can't say anything about that. The art style is super shoujo though.It is cute and fun. Not really as much about story as just a slice of life about being a wizard and also a single man with his own place, but mostly about raising/educating two girls.
Post by: Aoi on May 21, 2016, 08:34:43 pm
It ends as soon as you finish a "path" though, so if you wanted to see what happens to other people, you may not want to forge ahead at full speed in a specific person's direction.
(Also, just finished Cursed Sight and... just didn't sit well with me. Plot points were visible a mile off, there were so many dangled threads that could've been explored that weren't, and the endings all felt depressingly unfulfilling. And there was just something distressingly anachronistic with the protagonist.)
Post by: frostshotgg on May 21, 2016, 09:21:31 pm
Post by: Leafsnail on May 22, 2016, 05:08:58 pm
Post by: Shakerag on May 23, 2016, 02:42:46 am
And if you have Editio Perfecta, add on "... and having sex with anything with a pulse."Hi. I haven't played any of the Littlewitch games so I can't say anything about that. The art style is super shoujo though.It is cute and fun. Not really as much about story as just a slice of life about being a wizard and also a single man with his own place, but mostly about raising/educating two girls.
Post by: Cruxador on May 23, 2016, 08:11:36 pm
I considered that to be included in the "single man with his own place" bit. Although the sex itself isn't really a major focus.And if you have Editio Perfecta, add on "... and having sex with anything with a pulse."Hi. I haven't played any of the Littlewitch games so I can't say anything about that. The art style is super shoujo though.It is cute and fun. Not really as much about story as just a slice of life about being a wizard and also a single man with his own place, but mostly about raising/educating two girls.
Post by: Shakerag on May 24, 2016, 08:57:44 am
I considered that to be included in the "single man with his own place" bit. Although the sex itself isn't really a major focus.It's all about that hot dice bumping action. And trying to hunt down those goddamn random scenes for 100% completion.
Post by: ToonyMan on May 27, 2016, 04:18:49 pm
I considered that to be included in the "single man with his own place" bit. Although the sex itself isn't really a major focus.It's all about that hot dice bumping action. And trying to hunt down those goddamn random scenes for 100% completion.
I considered that to be included in the "single man with his own place" bit. Although the sex itself isn't really a major focus.And trying to hunt down those goddamn random scenes for 100% completion.
And trying to hunt down those goddamn random scenes for 100% completion.
goddamn random scenes for 100% completion.
100% completion.
Spoiler: 98.654% (click to show/hide)
Post by: Stuebi on May 27, 2016, 08:25:44 pm
A friend of mine has also been nagging me to go give Muv-Luv a go, but I've heard it's quite on the tragic side of stories. Downer Endings or just heavy tragedy in general tends to just depress me for a week or two, so I'm not sure if I should read it or not.
Post by: frostshotgg on May 27, 2016, 09:15:52 pm
This patch (http://fuwanovel.net/novels/if-my-heart-had-wings-restoration-patch) adds back in sex scenes and redoes the route which got absolutely butchered, as well as cleans up some of the worst Engrish in the translation. I haven't actually tried it so I can't speak to it but I've heard good things about it.
Post by: ToonyMan on May 27, 2016, 11:10:02 pm
A friend of mine has also been nagging me to go give Muv-Luv a go, but I've heard it's quite on the tragic side of stories. Downer Endings or just heavy tragedy in general tends to just depress me for a week or two, so I'm not sure if I should read it or not.Muv-Luv is suppose to come on Steam this summer so you might as well wait a month or two if you are going to play it. I probably wouldn't recommend the entire series if tragedies aren't your thing though... The Steam version will be the updated version that has the latest Age engine so it'll look nicer at least, with widescreen and lip sync. We got some sample screenshots in the Kickstarter activity and they're also on the Steam page now.
Spoiler: Comparison Screenshots (click to show/hide)
Post by: Cruxador on May 28, 2016, 07:08:34 am
The Steam version will be the updated version that has the latest Age engine so it'll look nicer at least, with widescreen and lip sync. We got some sample screenshots in the Kickstarter activity and they're also on the Steam page now.I'm not sure getting rid of the text box should be called an upgrade. It may look prettier, but legibility is more important. And honestly, with the font and typeface choices they made, it doesn't even really look better.Spoiler: Comparison Screenshots (click to show/hide)
Post by: Stuebi on May 30, 2016, 10:36:11 pm
Assuming you got the Moenovel version, you got the horribly butchered version that everyone hates. The Japanese devs who made it (Pulltop) decided they wanted to translate it, but they made their own company to translate it, Moenovel. Being that the devs were Japanese they had absolutely no idea how to translate to English, and they tried to cut it down to all-ages from 18+, so all of the routes but particularly one girl who's a huge slut got butchered.
This patch (http://fuwanovel.net/novels/if-my-heart-had-wings-restoration-patch) adds back in sex scenes and redoes the route which got absolutely butchered, as well as cleans up some of the worst Engrish in the translation. I haven't actually tried it so I can't speak to it but I've heard good things about it.
Thank you for the Patch. It seems much better now!
A friend of mine has also been nagging me to go give Muv-Luv a go, but I've heard it's quite on the tragic side of stories. Downer Endings or just heavy tragedy in general tends to just depress me for a week or two, so I'm not sure if I should read it or not.Muv-Luv is suppose to come on Steam this summer so you might as well wait a month or two if you are going to play it. I probably wouldn't recommend the entire series if tragedies aren't your thing though... The Steam version will be the updated version that has the latest Age engine so it'll look nicer at least, with widescreen and lip sync. We got some sample screenshots in the Kickstarter activity and they're also on the Steam page now.Spoiler: Comparison Screenshots (click to show/hide)
I might give it a birth then. I know it makes me sound like the worlds wettest tissue, but I just prefer a "happy" conclusion to my stuff. Bittersweet endings or outright downers tend to stick with me for quite a while and just leave me unsatisfied.
Post by: Ak-Sai on June 05, 2016, 07:26:56 am
Could someone suggest a vampire-themed VN with a good plot? I've played Tsukihime and Melty blood so far, and looking for something good to experience.
Thanks!
Post by: frostshotgg on June 05, 2016, 12:30:30 pm
Past that the selection is pretty much entirely limited to untranslated stuff. Vampires are fairly niche you know.
Post by: Shakerag on June 05, 2016, 08:46:25 pm
EDIT: Well, here's a good starting point. I'm not going to do all the work for you.
https://vndb.org/g5
Post by: Furtuka on July 15, 2016, 12:20:30 am
Post by: ToonyMan on July 15, 2016, 01:28:27 am
Muv-Luv is now out on Steam
Spoiler: Save In The Name of True Love (click to show/hide)
Post by: Leafsnail on July 15, 2016, 07:20:06 am
Post by: ToonyMan on July 15, 2016, 02:56:19 pm
Post by: Shakerag on August 02, 2016, 11:49:59 am
Everything is either all-ages versions, or sketchy unofficial/conversion jobs.
Having said that, I did play through Katawa Shoujo again using an unofficial Android port, and it wasn't a terrible experience.
Post by: Hawkfrost on August 02, 2016, 04:07:19 pm
So I have apparently discovered the English VN market is crap.
Everything is either all-ages versions, or sketchy unofficial/conversion jobs.
Having said that, I did play through Katawa Shoujo again using an unofficial Android port, and it wasn't a terrible experience.
I wish I had read the all-ages version of Fate/stay Night instead; having horrible sex scenes crammed in for no reason all over the place certainly did not enhance my reading experience.
Post by: Sirus on August 02, 2016, 04:12:26 pm
So I have apparently discovered the English VN market is crap.Please tell me it didn't have ads.
Everything is either all-ages versions, or sketchy unofficial/conversion jobs.
Having said that, I did play through Katawa Shoujo again using an unofficial Android port, and it wasn't a terrible experience.
Post by: Leafsnail on August 02, 2016, 04:31:36 pm
I have been enjoying Root Double so far though, I may add that to the list if it sticks the landing.
Post by: frostshotgg on August 02, 2016, 04:35:59 pm
Post by: Shakerag on August 04, 2016, 12:51:49 am
I wish I had read the all-ages version of Fate/stay Night instead; having horrible sex scenes crammed in for no reason all over the place certainly did not enhance my reading experience.I'd take 'em over the Muv-Luv ones any day of the week.
Please tell me it didn't have ads.No, it did not. However it was a little wonky with gallery unlocks and remembering previously read text.
Post by: Hawkfrost on August 04, 2016, 03:42:53 am
I wish I had read the all-ages version of Fate/stay Night instead; having horrible sex scenes crammed in for no reason all over the place certainly did not enhance my reading experience.I'd take 'em over the Muv-Luv ones any day of the week.
And yet I've seen people blowing up over "censorship" and "muh artistic vision" about both series.
In fact, I once saw someone posting how the cut version of Fate/stay Night "ruins" the VN because it "destroys context" and "character development" (paraphrased).
Look, if people want to look at porn, just admit you want to look at porn; don't try to pretend it's about maintaining some sort of artistic dignity.
They crammed that stuff in to tell copies to perverts in the first place, not because any of it actually fits the story. (In fact, it even causes a plot hole in Fate/stay Night.)
Post by: Orange Wizard on August 04, 2016, 05:04:58 am
Post by: ToonyMan on August 04, 2016, 03:56:07 pm
I feel obligated to mention that YU-NO is one of if not the single best translated visual novel. It's getting a remake release mid-November.The epilogue spends too long establishing itself before rushing the ending. I didn't find it very satisfying.
On the other hand, the first like 40 hours are pretty good when it's an actual adventure game with divergences and puzzles. Pretty much each "route" had at least one good scene.
Post by: Cruxador on August 05, 2016, 06:06:14 pm
So I have apparently discovered the English VN market is crap.EVNs often have uncensored versions, and there's always ways to restore VNs that were censored as part of a localization effort. Unofficial stuff isn't necessarily bad, and there's good options for lots of prominent VNs in that arena. You do have to be a bit net-savvy, but such is the price of following a niche medium.
Everything is either all-ages versions, or sketchy unofficial/conversion jobs.
In general I kind of agree with the anti-censorship bent. Even if something's terrible, let me, the consumer, decide that it's terrible. The type of sex scene omission matters too. Like, I have no interest in reading "ah!" a dozen times and see the screen flash as squishy-sounding FX play, but the lead-up to the sex can be important to characterization or interesting in other ways, so although I don't mind fade to black, total omission of the scene is bad. In the end, I'd rather annoyedly click through too-long sex scenes to be sure I'm not missing out on something I'd actually want to read so I prefer uncensored.I wish I had read the all-ages version of Fate/stay Night instead; having horrible sex scenes crammed in for no reason all over the place certainly did not enhance my reading experience.I'd take 'em over the Muv-Luv ones any day of the week.
And yet I've seen people blowing up over "censorship" and "muh artistic vision" about both series.
In fact, I once saw someone posting how the cut version of Fate/stay Night "ruins" the VN because it "destroys context" and "character development" (paraphrased).
Look, if people want to look at porn, just admit you want to look at porn; don't try to pretend it's about maintaining some sort of artistic dignity.
They crammed that stuff in to tell copies to perverts in the first place, not because any of it actually fits the story. (In fact, it even causes a plot hole in Fate/stay Night.)
Post by: frostshotgg on August 05, 2016, 08:03:47 pm
Post by: ToonyMan on September 07, 2016, 10:29:26 pm
Post by: Leafsnail on September 08, 2016, 08:16:11 am
Post by: Drakale on September 08, 2016, 09:05:27 am
Post by: Shakerag on September 08, 2016, 02:24:25 pm
Ahh, whoops. I just now went back to read this and realized I omitted a crucial bit of info. I meant the English Android VN market is crap. The management would like to apologize.So I have apparently discovered the English VN market is crap.EVNs often have uncensored versions, and there's always ways to restore VNs that were censored as part of a localization effort. Unofficial stuff isn't necessarily bad, and there's good options for lots of prominent VNs in that arena. You do have to be a bit net-savvy, but such is the price of following a niche medium.
Everything is either all-ages versions, or sketchy unofficial/conversion jobs.In general I kind of agree with the anti-censorship bent. Even if something's terrible, let me, the consumer, decide that it's terrible. The type of sex scene omission matters too. Like, I have no interest in reading "ah!" a dozen times and see the screen flash as squishy-sounding FX play, but the lead-up to the sex can be important to characterization or interesting in other ways, so although I don't mind fade to black, total omission of the scene is bad. In the end, I'd rather annoyedly click through too-long sex scenes to be sure I'm not missing out on something I'd actually want to read so I prefer uncensored.I wish I had read the all-ages version of Fate/stay Night instead; having horrible sex scenes crammed in for no reason all over the place certainly did not enhance my reading experience.I'd take 'em over the Muv-Luv ones any day of the week.
And yet I've seen people blowing up over "censorship" and "muh artistic vision" about both series.
In fact, I once saw someone posting how the cut version of Fate/stay Night "ruins" the VN because it "destroys context" and "character development" (paraphrased).
Look, if people want to look at porn, just admit you want to look at porn; don't try to pretend it's about maintaining some sort of artistic dignity.
They crammed that stuff in to tell copies to perverts in the first place, not because any of it actually fits the story. (In fact, it even causes a plot hole in Fate/stay Night.)
As to the other issue, I oppose censorship as a principle. If the original creator put something in, then for fuck's sake leave it in and/or translate it to be as close to the original as possible. I've all but given up on trying to watch cartoons brought over here from another country (the dub versions, at least) because we seem to mangle the fuck out of them. Digimon was butchered. Rockman EXE was heavily modified (or so I've heard). LBX's first season was so eviscerated that the dub has *half* of the episodes that the original did.
Post by: ventuswings on September 10, 2016, 04:07:05 pm
I'm probably biased since I prefer "visual novel" over "dating sim" though. Most of my favourite VN have been all age, such as Stein;Gate and Key games. Contrarily, I find VN with sex tends to veer toward formulaic moe love love nonsense...
Post by: Cruxador on September 10, 2016, 10:34:28 pm
Ahh, whoops. I just now went back to read this and realized I omitted a crucial bit of info. I meant the English Android VN market is crap. The management would like to apologize.Ah, yeah. Can't argue with that. It seems like it shouldn't be too hard to just export your VN into an Android format, since most are made in Ren'Py anyway, which supports that, but I guess it's too much hassle for projects that aren't designed to work well in both.
Quote
As to the other issue, I oppose censorship as a principle. If the original creator put something in, then for fuck's sake leave it in and/or translate it to be as close to the original as possible. I've all but given up on trying to watch cartoons brought over here from another country (the dub versions, at least) because we seem to mangle the fuck out of them. Digimon was butchered. Rockman EXE was heavily modified (or so I've heard). LBX's first season was so eviscerated that the dub has *half* of the episodes that the original did.The argument that's come up here before is that often the sex scenes are added for reasons other than art in the first place, which is true. Personally, I prefer having extra stuff (which you can skip) than omitting stuff (and not knowing it was there). I can see the arguments for both sides, but I think that the best case would be if artists could just make what they want and what fits the story best without having to have sex or having to omit it according to the preference of their local market. But sex is far from the only thing where this is an issue, just the most prominent, and saying that artists should be uninfluenced by practical constraints us a utopian to the point of irrelevance anyway.
I'll also say that I'd rather have sex scenes than titillation and romance that completely dance around the subject of sex, which is more pandering, in my view, than an easily skippable shoehorned sex scene, and I much prefer something that doesn't fit when it's a small part of the package compared to when it creeps into the narrative but isn't an aspect of it which progresses reasonably.
Eh. I wouldn't mind introducing all age version as default, if there is option to toggle back the "original" version. Besides widening audience appealThe thing is, it doesn't typically widen audience appeal. The VN audience in Japan is only a certain size, because it's a stigmatized hobby, and kids are going to find it weird regardless of the content. Combine that with the fact that personal computers for recreational use are much more limited in market penetration compared to the west, and there really wouldn't be a significant new base of potential buyers opened up for most games.
Quote
I'm probably biased since I prefer "visual novel" over "dating sim" though. Most of my favourite VN have been all age, such as Stein;Gate and Key games. Contrarily, I find VN with sex tends to veer toward formulaic moe love love nonsense...The thing about those games without sexual content is that in order to succeed, they face a much steeper battle. They need something to set them apart, and must be high quality, or else they fail. VNs with sex are a much safer bet, and more experimental things do better in this large subset of the market. So you do get a lot of generic stuff, but you also see a lot more innovation. Of course, this perspective of mine seems to be a bit dated. It's been a while since Sengoku Rance, and even since Monstergirl Quest, and non-sexual content is doing better, not least because VNs are becoming popular in the more sex-averse west. I think things are changing, but for the time being a Japanese developer who wants to succeed still has a better chance with sex scenes.
Post by: Shadowlord on September 11, 2016, 02:17:24 am
I remember the outcry over "hot coffee" (a mod!), nude patches (mods!), and "alien sideboob" (in mass effect), but today we are the land of Game of Thrones and the Witcher series, and Jack Thompson is permanently disbarred and has been for 8 years.
Post by: Sirus on September 11, 2016, 08:35:15 am
Post by: Hawkfrost on September 11, 2016, 12:12:38 pm
The difference is that Japan has a core audience of single men who live either alone or with their parents and who are willing to spend a lot of money on things designed to titillate and pander to them and their demographic, while over here for a long time pornography was generally in the form of magazines or movies.
If you want to see the same example of random sex scenes thrown in for no reason, try watching movies from the 70s and 80s made in Hollywood. Often they will have an out of place erotic scene that only existed because young men would buy a ticket to see some boobs for four minutes.
Nowadays this is a lot less common because of the internet, and it's a damn blessing.
Japan is not some haven of free sexuality.
Post by: Cruxador on September 11, 2016, 07:22:52 pm
> sex averse westI'm speaking comparatively here. And while there's less media boogeymen, explicitly sexual games are banned from the game merchant that deals in the vast majority of PC game transactions.
I remember the outcry over "hot coffee" (a mod!), nude patches (mods!), and "alien sideboob" (in mass effect), but today we are the land of Game of Thrones and the Witcher series, and Jack Thompson is permanently disbarred and has been for 8 years.
And it's not like visual novels are some widely respected art form in Japan either; even mentioning you are a PC gamer in Japan is likely to get you flagged as someone who plays porn games and is a pervert.Well yes, I'm talking within the context of the market rather than the culture at large.
Post by: Leafsnail on September 11, 2016, 11:18:11 pm
Ah, yeah. Can't argue with that. It seems like it shouldn't be too hard to just export your VN into an Android format, since most are made in Ren'Py anyway, which supports that, but I guess it's too much hassle for projects that aren't designed to work well in both.I don't think anyone really uses Ren'Py in Japan. The standard used to be NScripter (eg Higurashi, Umineko, Tsukihime) and is now Kirikiri (eg FSN, G-Senjou, Fata Morgana), while the professional ones can use strange in-house engines.
I don't think any of them have native support for Mac or Linux so good luck running them on Android.
Post by: Leafsnail on October 04, 2016, 04:47:29 pm
Post by: ToonyMan on October 04, 2016, 10:06:01 pm
It's good.
Post by: Shakerag on October 05, 2016, 12:04:16 pm
I know some companies would release all age product, only to later make 'upgraded 18+ edition' with random sex scenes thrown in due to Consumer Outrag.... cough, Demand.This I did not know about. Although it might explain some of the god-awful scenes I have seen ... But still, awful or not, it's kind of a principle thing for me.
I'm probably biased since I prefer "visual novel" over "dating sim" though. Most of my favourite VN have been all age, such as Stein;Gate and Key games. Contrarily, I find VN with sex tends to veer toward formulaic moe love love nonsense...I'm much more on the "more interactivity the better" end. I pretty much can't stand kinetic novels. I think my favorite VN game of all time is Kamidori Alchemist Meister (although the sex scenes were a bit much). Although True Love 95 has a special place in my heart.
Post by: frostshotgg on October 05, 2016, 01:05:35 pm
I know some companies would release all age product, only to later make 'upgraded 18+ edition' with random sex scenes thrown in due to Consumer Outrag.... cough, Demand.I missed this before but Shakerag responding pointed it out to me. I've never, ever heard of this being a thing. Can you provide some example?
Post by: Leafsnail on October 05, 2016, 01:51:06 pm
I finished The House in Fata Morgana.Yeah.
It's good.
Post by: frostshotgg on October 05, 2016, 01:58:47 pm