Visual Novel Cafe

[pingtoryan]

The closest thing I can think of that can backport is a fandisk for everything from Eustia to beyond...

...it's already a month? Tempus Fugit............

 

[Terumi]

No ero no life.

Not poking fun or disrespect, its hilarious why and how eroge companies still continue to push other console ports on 'safe' stories. I mean, with their endless complains about lesser revenues on their original cpu ones, and some more extreme ones who are still adamant only on japan market and not leak outside (i seriously dont blame them), this efforts are a little peculiar for me. Fund raising is 1 thing, but i feel the expenses factored should perhaps been better used to make smarter marketing strategies or improving for a new game.

Still another 1 month... Can i last that long?

 

[Mahou]

Honestly? I don't mind the all-age versions. While it feels strange sometimes to not have ero in it due to the vast amount of time you usually have it, it's not as if the h-scenes add anything to the overall plot (exceptions also here applicable). Mind you, there have been rare occasions where I complained about the tagged-on feeling of ero scenes, but I can barely remember them *lol*. Take Mashiro-iro Symphony's PSP port. It hardly feels different, although you'd know where the ero is from the PC version, and you get two additional heroines. I can play it on the train or when I join my parents at evening in the living room without "worries". That being said, Mashiro-iro is also the only all-age version I possess.

But, maybe some kind of on-off feature may become an option. It's usually the typical culture thing of what's the lesser evil in that media: violence/gore/blood or ero in whatever form and "intensity", I think.

 

[Terumi]

Haha, everyone has feedbacked on the on/off option since long though, i would vote yes too.

I dont feel strange when i get no ero from games, (i played enough of kinetic and games w/o ero actually), but those games are of another genre and market. For cute bishoujos and typical moe games, ero is still a must eventually. I dont know about others, but my experience with ports havent been the greatest, especially not with me feeling why am pressing away on my psp for a vn i can enjoy on my comp since i have the same title. Same goes back to akasaka years ago after i completed cpu version. Its just wrong?

 

[Terumi]

After much dragging and procrastination, finally done with hoshiori.

I feel extremely justified for my route order choice, and i think i did strike the right order for my personal choices of putting the 'worst' routes in front before the best at the back.
Do note my meaning of 'worst' is highly subjective and different from what everyone thinks.

 

[Chelly]

I recently finished hoshiori too, or more like yesterday. though i wouldnt really say that i completly finished it cuz i only played sora, touko, and rikkas route. i usually always play all routes, but i didnt felt like playing it so much anymore after i was in the middle of rikkas route. also didnt had so much interest in the other heroines anymore cuz soras route was the best for me.
and its fucking long, i mean every route is quite long and on every route they do this damn long school festival, everytime!
but overall a great vn for a chara-ge, and protag was way better than hatsukoi 1/1's protag.

@Terumi what was ur fav & worst route? sora was fav for me, well out of the 3 i played i didnt found any of them bad. both rikka and touko were great, but i liked toukos route and her personality more than rikkas.

 

[Terumi]

[MENTION=96891]Chelly[/MENTION];

Spoiler: no offences

Sora was worst for me, therefore the title. Along with Misa, both routes had 2 overly crazed 'otakus' into their hobby and interest too deep for my liking. Sora's route was so freaking long that i skipped all her h-scenes and whenever she starts blabbering about stars and constellations. I mean, in the beginning its all interest and nice, but they over did it. Like seriously. Too much is too much. Sora's cute at times, but the design just turns me off more than it turns me on. Same situation for Misa. Note that in both routes they focused so much on the tanabata, touched on it a little in the future (reminiscence level of revisiting only), which just shows you have pretty much nothing else touching to talk about.

If you really like developments like the 2 routes offered about realising dreams(yume) and moving on in life (mirai), then perhaps these 2 are actually the best for these people. Marika's route was pretty normal. Not bland, but certainly not very interesting as well.

For me, whenever I play a straight-up moe/rabu/koimonogatari-esque game, I only focus on how much the protagonist matters to the heroine and whether the protagonist deserves the girl or not. Say me bias or what, but thats how i look at it. Story developments come second in my opinion for such games, its the character relationships which i feel are the essence of the game.

Natsuki is darn cute. For me when i played, she felt like the perfect wife material in the after part of the game. Rikka when jealous or pouting exhibits >9000 levels of cuteness. Her route in recovering her dreams through everyone's help and determination pulls through for an excellent school part. Natsuki's after where everyone poured their efforts for the 1 lady that connected everyone at her own expense was extremely touching. Touko would be my favorite, as her story wasnt as straightforward to reach but easier to resolve. Her personality is also so darlingly cute I would not mind pampering her throughout. She is the most beautiful in the bridal dress, hands down. A little because of the artist, but I felt she was the most beautiful and pure in her motives and directions which was just simply wanting to be with the protagonist and supporting him throughout.

If anyone was looking for a beautiful story, this game would more than certain to exceed their expectations. I would rank the girls down this post later, but even though i say there are 'bad' routes or girls, this game is easily 90/100 and more.

6. Sora
5. Misa
4. Marika
3-2. Natsuki & Rikka
1. Touko

 

[Chelly]

hahaha, well everyone has their own opinions.
but yea i also agree that touko looked damn beautiful in the wedding dress and i quite liked her "i dont give a fuck/lazy" attitude at the beginning. it was also good that protag had a influence on what she does in the future.
i also rated hoshi quite high, gave it a 8/10. i mean the whole stuff with the after story thing is just too awesome, and i think for every player theres a type of heroine they might like. i hope toneworks next game will be good too~

im more of a story person, but also do play so chara-ges from time to time, as long as the protag is not so hetare.
before i played hoshi, i finished Hello Lady which was quite awesome. it was my first untranslated heavy story vn though (kinda became used from the simple writing like in Flyable Heart which was my first untranslated vn), so it was quite hard to get into it. but in the end it was worth it and i managed to understand everything, and the protag is super awesome. i would say hes actually more interesting than the heroines lol

anyone played that Ushinawareta Mirai wo Motomete btw? I remembered i had it on my backlog when i saw that heres the (horrible) anime adaption, so probably wont watch it, but the vn looks interesting.

 

[Mahou]

anyone played that Ushinawareta Mirai wo Motomete btw? I remembered i had it on my backlog when i saw that heres the (horrible) anime adaption, so probably wont watch it, but the vn looks interesting.

It's been a loooong time since I played it:
- fixed route order
- fixed ending order in each route
- supernatural element
- okayish protagonist, I think
- nice female cast
- story might get quite confusing if you cannot grasp the explanations (as in my case)

@Hoshiori: I didn't count in of the prota "deserves" a girl, but that's an interesting approach! I only consider that in case that the MC turns out to be the most useless person within the game. Otherwise, I purely ride on the rabu-rabu factor in moe-ges like Loverable, Fureraba, Hoshiori. Anyways, my favorite girl is still Rikka. I loved every bit about her route, especially the few times when the point of view changed from the MC to her :D. And her parents were one of the most reasonable perosns in VN-verse. "Honestly speaking, we don't know Kyousuke-kun too well (true as they spent most of the time in Austria) as to easily permit you two to live together. But Rikka, you are old enough to make your own decisions *snip*" Perfect.

My general "evalutation" criterias are something like "Are the girls likable?" "How good/bad is the MC*" "Drama - yes/no; if yes, does it feel forced and/or dragged out" "drama-raburabu ratio"
*MC: The MC doesn't need to be perfect and can be dense. But, the donkan-trait is only fine IF it doesn't get rubbed in your face at every possible time, i.e. the slice of life aspect can distract from it/narrative doesn't focus on it too much.
Other examples are character traits. I don't mind him being useless in battles. I bloody HATE it if he's useless in academics (mostly just used in comedy moments) or even worse, useless in academics combined with hyperactive genki-trait.

 

[Terumi]

I dont go by any guidelines or pointers to look out for when playing, but i choose games that i know i like all the heroines (most of the time). This way i would not have to need to bother asking whether are the girls cute/pretty/likable because i know i will like them.

Generally, i ask myself a few things about the protagonist;

1. Is he an idiot? Generally points to hetare and donkan fools who stumbles through much of the story being 'lucky perv' or completely oblivious to the girls' affections until he realises that he has 1. Yes, i find it extremely offensive for protagonist to be academically stupid, and makes use of 'study sessions' to cut closer ties with the heroines. Unless the protagonist is generally likable with a distinct attitude, i would not 'pass' him.

2. Does he deserve to be together with the girl? As mentioned, i had my fair share of moe/rabu-rabu scenarios. To the girl, this guy is gonna mean the world to her. But whether i can trust that guy to bring her happiness is another matter. Sometimes story and stuff as such are so badly handled i feel disgusted. Not really 'forced', but just now right. Its like writing for the sake of giving a conclusion which obviously does not make sense or sit well with me.

I am generally ok with most girls. Except a small portion of imoutos, i cant really like them on a whole basis. I love kuuderes and yanderes. Tsuns are so common it makes me yawn, but still ok. Gaps are killers if executed well. I love older girls too, especially onee-san charas or mature lady charas. Games with side routes for support/lesser charas are most welcomed as well, although i dont like any attempts by writers to try and close their stories with a normal ending, just simply give the route, h-scene and some events so we can ponder over how the guy is gonna handle/treat the girl in the future we dont get to see.

 

[Chelly]

It's been a loooong time since I played it:
- fixed route order
- fixed ending order in each route
- supernatural element
- okayish protagonist, I think
- nice female cast
- story might get quite confusing if you cannot grasp the explanations (as in my case)

@Hoshiori: I didn't count in of the prota "deserves" a girl, but that's an interesting approach! I only consider that in case that the MC turns out to be the most useless person within the game. Otherwise, I purely ride on the rabu-rabu factor in moe-ges like Loverable, Fureraba, Hoshiori. Anyways, my favorite girl is still Rikka. I loved every bit about her route, especially the few times when the point of view changed from the MC to her :D. And her parents were one of the most reasonable perosns in VN-verse. "Honestly speaking, we don't know Kyousuke-kun too well (true as they spent most of the time in Austria) as to easily permit you two to live together. But Rikka, you are old enough to make your own decisions *snip*" Perfect.

oh i see, well still gonna give ushina mirai a try sometime, the art is just too great >.<
whaaat ur fav is rikka? i was 100% sure that marika is ur fav cuz u have her as ur profile pic xD
and yup, rikkas parents were cool. im also glad that rikkas sis didnt turned out to be a annoying imouto. when i first saw her - looking from appearance i was guessing she would be annoying, like not accepting protag as rikkas boyfriend and such stuff. but luckily she turned out to be nice and the long hair in after story looks so good on her~

@Terumi same, same. i dont really like imouto heroines either, and also dont have any problem at all for onee-san heroines. i kinda find it total appealing when theres younger protag x older heroine lol and i quite like mature heroines too. but! i really came to dislike tsuns, if they arent violent and not annoying its not a problem. but i cant stand it if they treat protag like shit and are violent towards him. yanderes for the win~

any upcoming vns u guys look forward to? this month there isnt anything interesting for me, but i look forward to Aokana (Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm) it looks interesting with the plot where they fly around or something + i quite like the art

 

[kactaplb]

teru... you sound like some otousan chasing away all the males talking to his daughter...

like mahou, i couldn't understand the story well and ended up dropping it. it seemed like a good game however.

i'm usually fine with most protags, with the exception of chuuni idiots who never fail to grate on my nerves. rather than personality or story, i'm more looking for how well he meshes with the heroines. i eye my ctrl whenever they drag out meaningless or boring convo where nothing happens. if that's the case, i would have just played a pure comedy or nukige! so in the end, heroine traits and appeal can only go so far without good writing and proper storyboarding to back them up. it's one of the reasons why i strongly follow my favorite companies because i know what to expect from the charas, story, art, etc.

 

[Mahou]

^Pretty much this! There are exceptions where the enjoyable track record of a company can't keep up with a new title, like whirlpool's "Usotsuki Ouji to Nayameru Ohime-sama", which was for me a disappointment. But smee's light-hearted rabu-rabu titles? I could read them anytime and it would always plant a big smile on my face. The sillyness and often exaggerated humor somoehow fits exactly my taste. And as long as a VN can make me smile, or at least make me smile more than rage, I'm pretty much satisfied. As I mentioned earlier, I usually stay in my drama-free happy-go-lucky genre comfort zone. I can digest those much easier than some heavy titles (which can still be an awesome read!).

 

[Terumi]

teru... you sound like some otousan chasing away all the males talking to his daughter...

Oh no you dont. Lol. Haha.
Nope, not in that sense, but protagonists have to be deserving the affection he gets, ultimately if he just stumbles around before realising then a simple confession then overcoming some trouble together means they should be together then no. No. No. Its just plain bad in every literal sense. Look at the previous protagonist from tone works in hatsukoi 1/1. He was so bloody dense and idiotic that tone works had to issue a public apology. Those are the types that dont deserve anything. I absolutely adore the smarter and badass protagonists, highlighting Hatsuyuki from Hatsuyuki Sakura; Kaito from AkaGoei; Astaroth & Caym from Demonion I & II, Lute and Ruin from Kyonyuu Fantasy series. Following them is an absolute fest. They know things. They know how to handle situations. They know their girls especially, and more than anyone deserves them.

Light hearted rabu-rabu are out for me already. Obvious reasons when i first started i was pretty much playing them over and over again with nukiges. The rabu stories are just simply rinse and repeat. After 2 whirlpool games (magus and 77), i simply dropped their entire brand because its just normal. I never touched august. SMEE titles are still enjoyable etc etc. Personal tastes will differ of course.

Yes about the favorite company parts of course, as a fan you know what they will deliver for you. Thats why i am never disappointed by anything from AK, Ricotta, Waffle, yuzu, sagaplanets, astronauts and some others. Along with my favorite nukige companies, I am so sure they know what we want, and they deliver what we want.

 

[pingtoryan]

Only time will tell what it will steer me to...but collecting resources never stops...

 

[Mahou]

@Chelly: Marika was the first route I completed and it felt the right time for an avatar change :D. Furthermore, Marika was somewhat a relief to see that tonework did their homework, compared to the annoying start and late-game drama that was in Hatsukoi 1/1's Yukino's route. Only Marika's father made me roll my eyes, but still within my tolerable range *lol*.

Ushinawareta Mirai is not a bad read by any means. If any of the bullet points I mentioned does not bother you and your jp. level is good enough for most supernatural/futuristic(?) stuff, you probably won't be disappointed unless the MC annoys the heck out of you or something like that ;). You won't see too much of the supernatural part during most of the main routes, though. The art is quite good as you mentioned. When I had started reading the VN, I also just completed Hatsukoi Sacrament (which I loved) a few days before. So getting bombared by mystery after mystery was somewhat an "overkill" at that time.

 

[Animaksiat]

any news from walkure re:tell???

 

[pingtoryan]

Only available via download...?

Great...

 

[Terumi]

Seems like we need some kind soul to get it off DMM and put it up for everyone.

I demand a new title from Ricotta, Walkure has been 6 years in the making and after. I WANT MOAR NEW STUFF.

 

[pingtoryan]

Walroma is great, yes...but it looks like the knights could use some rest...

Oh, MeltyMoment FD2 comes with a nude patch...it includes a pose never seen before for one character...hmm, a hint of things to come...

 

[Animaksiat]

new thing from ricotta? i doubt there'll be anything soon.
they're really cautious when picking up a scenario writer...

 

[Terumi]

new thing from ricotta? i doubt there'll be anything soon.
they're really cautious when picking up a scenario writer...

But i believe its the end of milking franchise. Not saying enough is enough (i cant never get enough), but 6 years on 1 game is quite the task already. Need new title.
*frantically waves disappointing sept games away for oct games*

KYONYUU FANTASY 2 if TRIAL IS OUT TOMORROW.

 

[Animaksiat]

But i believe its the end of milking franchise. Not saying enough is enough (i cant never get enough), but 6 years on 1 game is quite the task already. Need new title.
*frantically waves disappointing sept games away for oct games*

KYONYUU FANTASY 2 if TRIAL IS OUT TOMORROW.

well... ricotta it self is a small company... and i heard their goods are out of sale during C86... that alone, makes a very loads of fortune, so i really doubt they're gonna release anything until next year...

at best, they'll be giving us a new info of their upcoming game NEXT YEAR, which will probably be released on 2016

 

[Terumi]

well... ricotta it self is a small company... and i heard their goods are out of sale during C86... that alone, makes a very loads of fortune, so i really doubt they're gonna release anything until next year...

at best, they'll be giving us a new info of their upcoming game NEXT YEAR, which will probably be released on 2016

That alone provides me with reason to continue believing in them. Waiting is fine, they just need to announce new project.
I cant really remember which were the more sold-out-within-minutes booths back in c86 (forgot which board i was reading from), but good sales is good news.
Let the waiting commence again~

 

[Mahou]

I have played a bit Yakimochi Stream.
My first thought: The MC's donkan level

. Somerefresco mentioned it already on the torrent thread, but that guy is not simply dense, he is BEYOND dense Not to say, I'd be better in RL, but if the first realisation follow right in the first five minutes, you'd better be prepared. Fortunately, the humor around it makes me still laugh.

If at all, watch the prologue and Sana's "anti-English" song. Hilarious!

I feel like crying and punching something. Someone can't be *that* dense *ugh* must ... resist ... the urge ... to ... punch .