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Visual Novels Community Thread | A Little Something for Everyone

grim-tales

Member
It's the only VN I've read where sex scenes are important part of the story, and are cringeworthy because they are supposed to be, as opposed to terrible writing in many, many other games.

Do you think I should give it a go even if I'm not into really extreme stuff?
 

Frologic

Member
Do you think I should give it a go even if I'm not into really extreme stuff?

I'm reading it now and enjoying it. The gruesome plot is what compelled me to try it out.

You can censor the extreme content if you really want. But just the thought of the world the main character lives in is terrifying enough.
 

Sölf

Member
Ah, visual novels. I have to admit, aside from Ace Attorney and Zero Escape, I have only played Umineko (I still haven't played Katawa Shoujo, I should do that sometime soon).

I actually do have a question. Since I've read Umineko (and am awaiting the steam release of Higurashi), I know that Ryukishi is working on a new "When they Cry" (or at least a new novel) that seems to take place in space. These infos, consisting of only 1 or 2 pages from a magazin, showing of his art and that little information, were from last year.

http://imgur.com/fLx8VlK

So, since then, has there been anything related to this? I have heard nothing, but maybe I just missed it.
 

Verelios

Member
I haven't heard anything relating to Ryukishi recently. Although I would try out Higanbana if you want a more light hearted R7 story. It's really short unlike the others and has the feeling of EP7 of Umineko. I'd recommend it unless child abuse makes you squeamish. At that point...yeah.
 

Sölf

Member
I actually do own Higanbana 1+2, but I didn't really like it that much. I read through 4 or 5 of the 7 (?) stories of the first volume. But yeah, didn't like it as much. It's not really the theme, I think it's more that those are just short stories and no, well, monster like Higurashi or Umineko.

On that note, Rose Gun Days, Yay or Nay?
 

Voliko

Member
Has anyone played Hourglass of Summer? I realized I still owned the DVD copy.
Talk about your rush jobs...
Is it any good? I still have a new copy I've never gotten around to... The premise has potential, from what I've gathered by reading the back of the box at least
 

Yuuichi

Member
Is it any good? I still have a new copy I've never gotten around to... The premise has potential, from what I've gathered by reading the back of the box at least

As far as I understand it's actually supposed to be quite good, but if I ever play it I'll play the japanese PC release because DVD games make me want to jump off a cliff.

Thank you! :D Saya no Uta sounds interesting as well, but I have a feeling it will be.. well, weird, idk

It's a fucked up, beautiful, wild ride that you can finish in a day. It was even a bit extreme for me, but it's still a must play for anyone imo.
 

aravuus

Member
I've launched Steins;Gate like 5 or 6 times in the past week but never actually started playing it cause the song playing in the main menu is fucking amazing

I'll definitely start playing it as soon as I finish reading this insanely long scifi book series I'm working myself through right now which will probably be around 2017 or 2018
 

upandaway

Member
I've launched Steins;Gate like 5 or 6 times in the past week but never actually started playing it cause the song playing in the main menu is fucking amazing

I'll definitely start playing it as soon as I finish reading this insanely long scifi book series I'm working myself through right now which will probably be around 2017 or 2018
The main menu music is incredible yeah. I remember having a gasp when I first booted it up.
 

Yuuichi

Member
For some reason I remember not liking the soundtrack very much by itself, but it adds so much to the game. The clip that players at the very beginning of a new game is fucking intense though.
 
Finnally received Littlewitch grimoire .. Well better late than never.. it's the joy of airmail delivery when you need to go across europe.
 

cj_iwakura

Member
Is it any good? I still have a new copy I've never gotten around to... The premise has potential, from what I've gathered by reading the back of the box at least

The localization ranges from okay to not bad to Engrish(mostly the choices). The core story isn't bad, and the characters aren't bad.

Boy is it low budget. The portraits kind of fade out then fade in to depict movement.
 

grim-tales

Member
For some reason I remember not liking the soundtrack very much by itself, but it adds so much to the game. The clip that players at the very beginning of a new game is fucking intense though.

Another reason I only got SG was because ordering both games might (would) have pushed me over the customs limit in the UK (£15)
 
Saya no Uta is my favorite VN, there's nothing else like it and it's really an unforgettable experience.

It's weird and super fucked up, but it's beautiful.
Nothing beautiful about that VN. It made me sick to my stomach and almost made me stop playing/reading.
Especially the whole pedo part.
 
ooh nice, i've been looking for a thread like this.

I'm kinda trying to get into VN's and looking for some PSP ports to play. I just cant bring myself to read at my desktop computer, i have a shitty chair + i always have a hard time sitting straight up and reading and stuff. So i realized PSP was my savior. I played Danganronpa straight through in like a week or something and loved it. Was hyping the english patch for the second game but they apparently cancelled it when it was localized on Vita :c.

I got That Phenomeno game from the OT and on the "banner" or whatever there's a Sony logo. Is it possible to play on a psp? Or is it just that it exists on a japanese sony store to buy for ps3 or something?
 

Yuuichi

Member
Nothing beautiful about that VN. It made me sick to my stomach and almost made me stop playing/reading.
Especially the whole pedo part.

I think you may have missed the point. It's an incredibly disturbing work (I would be more worried about anyone who disagrees with that) but that fact does nothing to belittle it as a magnificently twisted-yet-brilliant piece of art.

ooh nice, i've been looking for a thread like this.

I'm kinda trying to get into VN's and looking for some PSP ports to play. I just cant bring myself to read at my desktop computer, i have a shitty chair + i always have a hard time sitting straight up and reading and stuff. So i realized PSP was my savior. I played Danganronpa straight through in like a week or something and loved it. Was hyping the english patch for the second game but they apparently cancelled it when it was localized on Vita :c.

I got That Phenomeno game from the OT and on the "banner" or whatever there's a Sony logo. Is it possible to play on a psp? Or is it just that it exists on a japanese sony store to buy for ps3 or something?

Welcome!
As for Phenomeno, I tried to make the banners as clear as possible, but the icons need to be colored for them to be on that platform, so it's a PC only title.

Hakuoki is on PSP and Vita(?) though, and Stein's;Gate will be coming to Vita (and PS3) later this year as well, so there's plenty to look forward too. That said, you might also want to try what I've done and get a cheap tablet, I bought a ~$200 windows 8 tablet and it's amazing for playing in bed.


My surprise should be ready within the next two weeks, it comes in several parts.
 

Kikirin

Member
Speaking of Hourglass of Summer, are there any tips to getting it to run correctly? I've tried running a physical copy of it on PC + DVD playing program and PS2 a long while back and had problems with the English subtitles / text not showing up while the Japanese voicing progressed as normal. Not sure if it's a problem with my game DVD, if I've been trying to use the wrong hardware, or if I failed to set it up correctly.
 

soc

Member
vn0Bf4d.jpg

I finished reading Rui wa Tomo wo Yobu (RuiTomo) today. I hadn't really heard any discussion about the game, but bought it on a whim during 5pb's recent sale, and had a ton of fun with it. In addition to some genuinely funny moments and clever dialog, it had its share of surprises and a well-developed theme.

Overview:
Six girls meet and decide to form an alliance in order to face challenges that they can't take on alone. One of the girls is actually a boy. He's the protagonist.

Thoughts:
  • Tomo is easily one of the more memorable protagonists of any of the games I've played. Basically, "the main heroine is the protagonist".
  • All the characters are likeable and unique. At first, they seem overly quirky, but even their quirks have a story purpose, and you quickly get used to them over the course of the game. The character routes are all well-written. The only disappointment is that they are sometimes one-dimensional outside of their route.
  • I like that the each route is self-contained and have a different take on the main theme, but that they all add up together and build up to the last route. I also liked the elements of mystery, but I don't think it fits perfectly with how the story is structured.
  • From what I've read, there's a bit of a mixed reaction to the writing. It has clever moments, but sometimes is unnecessarily florid. Likewise, the comedy is hit and miss, with the writer sometimes taking the easy way out with lazy jokes. Outside of some sections, it's very readable even as a Japanese learner.
  • I loved the characters and setting. It brought to mind when I read Steins;Gate, and knew I was in for something special.

Overall, I was really impressed, and I think everyone should give it a shot. Also, vndb lists this at 10-30 hours, but I think I spent about 60-70 hours with the full voice edition.
 

grim-tales

Member
Hey,
I'm a bit confused now. I just had an email from Rightstuf saying they want a copy of my CC statement and the back of the card (because I'm outside the US).
I dont remember any etailer asking me that before. How do I do that? It doesnt sound secure.
 
Hey,
I'm a bit confused now. I just had an email from Rightstuf saying they want a copy of my CC statement and the back of the card (because I'm outside the US).
I dont remember any etailer asking me that before. How do I do that? It doesnt sound secure.

That sounds really fishy.
 

aravuus

Member
Hey,
I'm a bit confused now. I just had an email from Rightstuf saying they want a copy of my CC statement and the back of the card (because I'm outside the US).
I dont remember any etailer asking me that before. How do I do that? It doesnt sound secure.

Don't do that
 

grim-tales

Member
Hmmm. I dont think I will, but apparently it seems to be a genuine step they take according to the email instructions. I agree it does sound odd when every other online shop has a way to verify your card without doing that.
I'll try and get SG somewhere else (though it doesnt seem to be in stock anywhere..)
 

upandaway

Member
Hey,
I'm a bit confused now. I just had an email from Rightstuf saying they want a copy of my CC statement and the back of the card (because I'm outside the US).
I dont remember any etailer asking me that before. How do I do that? It doesnt sound secure.
I got S;G from them without doing any of that, and everything about me is outside the US
 

Yuuichi

Member
I finished reading Rui wa Tomo wo Yobu (RuiTomo) today. I hadn't really heard any discussion about the game, but bought it on a whim during 5pb's recent sale, and had a ton of fun with it. In addition to some genuinely funny moments and clever dialog, it had its share of surprises and a well-developed theme.

Overview:
Six girls meet and decide to form an alliance in order to face challenges that they can't take on alone. One of the girls is actually a boy. He's the protagonist.

Thoughts:
  • Tomo is easily one of the more memorable protagonists of any of the games I've played. Basically, "the main heroine is the protagonist".
  • All the characters are likeable and unique. At first, they seem overly quirky, but even their quirks have a story purpose, and you quickly get used to them over the course of the game. The character routes are all well-written. The only disappointment is that they are sometimes one-dimensional outside of their route.
  • I like that the each route is self-contained and have a different take on the main theme, but that they all add up together and build up to the last route. I also liked the elements of mystery, but I don't think it fits perfectly with how the story is structured.
  • From what I've read, there's a bit of a mixed reaction to the writing. It has clever moments, but sometimes is unnecessarily florid. Likewise, the comedy is hit and miss, with the writer sometimes taking the easy way out with lazy jokes. Outside of some sections, it's very readable even as a Japanese learner.
  • I loved the characters and setting. It brought to mind when I read Steins;Gate, and knew I was in for something special.

Overall, I was really impressed, and I think everyone should give it a shot. Also, vndb lists this at 10-30 hours, but I think I spent about 60-70 hours with the full voice edition.

Sounds interesting enough, threw it on my wishlist. Tsuki ni Yorisou is gonna get played first but I could see me playing this.
 

grim-tales

Member
I got S;G from them without doing any of that, and everything about me is outside the US

Had you ordered from them before? I havent so it could be different for me?
I dont like the idea of doing what they describe though.
For first time International orders we require a copy of some form of ID (can be driver's license, passport, credit card statement, utility bill, etc.) that shows your address along with a photocopy of BOTH THE FRONT AND BACK side of your credit card. For security purposes, you may black out one set of digits. This information is to help keep credit card fraud down and is for your protection, as well. We encourage you to use our secure web site to send us this information. When viewing the status of your order on the web site, a button will be displayed if we need you to submit this additional information to us. After our Customer Care Team reviews your order, we will send you detailed instructions if this additional information is required.

Sounds like an awful hassle to me and rather dodgy even if its genuine (?) Havent they heard of encryption? I should have read this shit before I made an account :eek:
 
I've made the terrible mistake of skimming plot summaries for Chaos;Child. Now I can only sit here and cry that this will probably never be translated, but I can't bring myself to read more because I have that slight hope that it will.
 
Sölf;149047298 said:
I actually do own Higanbana 1+2, but I didn't really like it that much. I read through 4 or 5 of the 7 (?) stories of the first volume. But yeah, didn't like it as much. It's not really the theme, I think it's more that those are just short stories and no, well, monster like Higurashi or Umineko.

On that note, Rose Gun Days, Yay or Nay?

Rose Gun Days is actually quite good, but it's not mistery/horror. It's a more of a mobs fighting mobs thriller. The music is still good (though it's not as good as higurashi or umineko) and the characters are likeable.

To answer your previous question, the new "when they cry in space" you mention has been delayed till god knows when. It was supposed to come out this december i think but judging from the lack of news i'd say it will come out as soon as august. And a little tiny detail, it was never announced as a new WTC. People asumed it was because he said a while ago (probably around RGD last novel) that he was sort of thinking/writing the new one and the characters in the photo were all drawn by him, but it has never been officialy announced as a WTC.
 
Just give us Higurashi already!

Agreed! I'll throw money at that as soon as it shows up.

I'm looking for a Windows tablet that can run nearly any visual novel. Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm eyeing the HP Stream 7, but I've seen some speculation that the 1 GB of ram would cause issues in some more modern 720p/1080p VNs. I don't have much money to put toward this at the moment, so I'm curious what my savings goal should be to get what I want. (Bonus points if it runs Civ V, though I'm not willing to spend a significant amount more for that).
 

jzbluz

Member
Agreed! I'll throw money at that as soon as it shows up.

I'm looking for a Windows tablet that can run nearly any visual novel. Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm eyeing the HP Stream 7, but I've seen some speculation that the 1 GB of ram would cause issues in some more modern 720p/1080p VNs. I don't have much money to put toward this at the moment, so I'm curious what my savings goal should be to get what I want. (Bonus points if it runs Civ V, though I'm not willing to spend a significant amount more for that).

I have that model, and so far the only issues I have is that some games won't run because of DirectInput and that other games are a bit hard to control.
 

Dolgan

Member
So, I've been thinking about starting the Muv-Luv series (mainly because I've heard many times, that Muv-Luv Alternative is amazing). As far as I remember, it was recommended to play the (not so amazing) prequel(s).

Any thoughts about the order? Are the prequels necessary? Are they even that horrible?
 
So, I've been thinking about starting the Muv-Luv series (mainly because I've heard many times, that Muv-Luv Alternative is amazing). As far as I remember, it was recommended to play the (not so amazing) prequel(s).

Any thoughts about the order? Are the prequels necessary? Are they even that horrible?

You have to play through Extra and Unlimited, it's not something you can really skip as Alternative is essentially the third game in a trilogy. Unlimited is fine, though slow paced, but that's true of all of Muv Luv. Extra is a not-so-great harem comedy, but just go through the two required routes to unlock Unlimited, and there's no reason to see more than one route of Unlimited.
 
I have that model, and so far the only issues I have is that some games won't run because of DirectInput and that other games are a bit hard to control.

Thanks! Any specific titles you can recall that didn't work? I'm mostly interested in the more pure novel games, like Fate Stay Night and Steins;Gate.
 

upandaway

Member
So, I've been thinking about starting the Muv-Luv series (mainly because I've heard many times, that Muv-Luv Alternative is amazing). As far as I remember, it was recommended to play the (not so amazing) prequel(s).

Any thoughts about the order? Are the prequels necessary? Are they even that horrible?
As long as you don't expect them to be great you'll do fine, they're not unbearably bad. They're also short but not negligibly so. The order is Extra -> Unlimited -> Alternative (Unlimited unlocks after Extra so you can't screw this up), and yeah they're necessary.

edit: whoa dang you were fast
You have to play through Extra and Unlimited, it's not something you can really skip as Alternative is essentially the third game in a trilogy. Unlimited is fine, though slow paced, but that's true of all of Muv Luv. Extra is a not-so-great harem comedy, but just go through the two required routes to unlock Unlimited, and there's no reason to see more than one route of Unlimited.
I still recommend to see all routes of Extra as long as the person playing doesn't hate the first routes, they're kinda nice to have for Alternative
 
So, I've been thinking about starting the Muv-Luv series (mainly because I've heard many times, that Muv-Luv Alternative is amazing). As far as I remember, it was recommended to play the (not so amazing) prequel(s).

Any thoughts about the order? Are the prequels necessary? Are they even that horrible?

Muv Luv Extra is the worst VN I have read by a big margin.

Unlimited is pretty great all the way through; especially compared to Extra.

I thought Alternative was decent (my general vote being a 6.5-7 overall) and it was definitely far from being "10/10 BEST VN EVER" for me, but I belong to a minority.

Do play the prequels though, if you want to read Alternative.

I wouldn't recommend the series though. Not worth the 100+ hours you'll be spending.
 

Dolgan

Member
Thanks for explanations. I guess I start with the two main routes in Extra and then decide, if I want to play more.

Unlimited has only one route or are they just really similar?
 
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