General Eroge Impressions & Discussion

[Skyfall]

Completed my second route of Dracu Riot, that being Erina's, and it seems that drama that's on the exaggerated side of things is going to be a staple of this title. That said, I still found it somewhat easier to swallow than the final developments of Miu's route, and Erina's one being better structured and more consistent in its buildup as a whole.

Spoiler for Erina's route:

While eventual drama with the experiment-hungry nutsos from Russia was to be expected (they got me with Sofia, I was sure she was going to be the antagonist), much like with Miu's route drama, it felt like they took it a few steps too far. I can understand the military wanting to get their hands on a "vampire eater" for their supersoldier project, but going as far as killing their own ambassador so they could frame Yuuto for it, which then proceeded to devolve in to a city-spanning manhunt ? Yeah ... "overblown" is how I would describe that whole ordeal.

That aside, I found the rest of the route pretty enjoyable (aside from Yuuto acting like a semi-jerk in the bedroom, which is just about his only defining quality) and consistent in its theme. Erina's issues surrounding her need for vampire blood and the resulting fear of being ostracized much were more heartfelt than anything Miu's route had to offer, and the romance was built upon those things pretty decently as well. I also appreciate the fact they went to the hospital with these issues fairly quickly, rather than taking a wait-and-see approach on their own.

Erina herself proved to be a fairly dangerous mix of lasciviousness and innocent cuteness (happily rolling around her bed while hugging a pillow and giggling happily ) as well, and her background gave her character some added depth. I'm still not sure whether I find her or Miu as the most compelling heroine of the title, as both are very entertaining and quirky characters in their own ways. I just hope Azusa and Rio don't end feeling somewhat dull after these two.

What I appreciated about Erina's route, despite it happening amidst all the overblown final drama stretch, was how it displayed the friendship and bind between the little gang, as they came together to help Yuuto and Erina during the chaos. An element that wasn't really brought forth in Miu's route, so it was definitely nice seeing them portray the friendship this bunch shares. The short fragments showcasing how life went on during their absence were appropriately sentimental as well, like Rio confessing she occasionally prepares more food than necessary (And Nicola remarking on atmosphere not being the same without Erina's perverted jokes ).

So .. yeah. Despite the same issues with overblown drama, I found Erina's route to be a quite compelling experience. The romance was there and suitably mushy, it stayed consistent and focused on its introduced themes, the eventual main conflict (overdone as it might have been) was properly foreshadowed and it did a good job in showcasing the gang's friendship as a whole.

In many ways this route felt more "complete" of an experience than Miu's, and felt better structured as well. While both Miu and Erina are definitely the main attractions of the title (and I would have real trouble choosing my favorite between them), at least to me, Erina's route felt like the better journey on several levels.

Rio is up next I guess ... let's see what exaggerated drama they have come up with for the most simple-minded of their heroines.

[Mahou]

@Erina's route: The biggest advatage over Miu's route was that it felt like Yuuto realized his koibito sooner and without being a complete failure in previous events *coughpresentshoppingcough*. And it was veeery direct and funny how Erina decided to "deal" with the school rumors .

Spoiler for final drama:

It's embarrasing to admit, but I nearly thought the "showdown" at the cliff would be the real deal instead of a play Yuuto, Erina and the vampire leader's acting were - for me - awesome. E. g.: at the storehouse"I don't care if Yuu becomes a criminal as long as I can stay by his side." "I really thought we could solve this conflict otherwise, but sadly I was wrong *reloads gun`*"
And the epilogue when he narrated how his best friend was on the verge of crying due to their icha-icha at his house was very funny.

I completed Strawberry Feels: It was not terribad as debute title, but had unfortunately many ugly parts. For once they pushed too much different "mystery" elements into the VN once the drama would start and in turn it was too surreal. And the way the routes were structured caused a bit of inconsistency.
It's also a bit funny how seiya-saga named Kanna's route "Kanna route" despite that you can choose to get the 2nd ending of one of the three girls during it. But, from a pure story point of view this naming would still be correct.
Most of the drama was for my taste very stupid. The first OP was beautiful and the girs were quite likeable disregarding the obvious sterotyping.
It really felt like that a more normal theme would have suited the VN better and much more icha-icha and rabu-rabu moments ! There's no need to hold back on those two elements at all.

[Balzac]

Does anyone have a cross-reference to what other familiar works the voices of DRACU-RIOT's heroines have done? I've a penchant for matching up VAs you see, and I feel, as I read the game, that I haven't heard these girls before. Either that, or they've voiced games I haven't played.

And as to the game, so far, it's been worth the money at least compared to that koisora fandisc, grr....

[Skyfall]

Originally Posted by Mahou

@Erina's route: The biggest advatage over Miu's route was that it felt like Yuuto realized his koibito sooner and without being a complete failure in previous events *coughpresentshoppingcough*. And it was veeery direct and funny how Erina decided to "deal" with the school rumors .

Aye, Yuuto actually displaying initiative on the romance front was a welcome change from Miu's route. Well, to be fair, the circumstances surrounding Erina had a much greater sense of urgency, so I guess the plot related circumstances forced him to gather his wits early

Spoiler for final drama:

It's embarrasing to admit, but I nearly thought the "showdown" at the cliff would be the real deal instead of a play Yuuto, Erina and the vampire leader's acting were - for me - awesome. E. g.: at the storehouse"I don't care if Yuu becomes a criminal as long as I can stay by his side." "I really thought we could solve this conflict otherwise, but sadly I was wrong *reloads gun`*"
And the epilogue when he narrated how his best friend was on the verge of crying due to their icha-icha at his house was very funny.

Spoiler for Erina's end:

Sayo was quite convincing indeed in her apparent determination to shoot Yuuto, but the most obvious giveaway was actually one of her lines from Miu's route - that she wouldn't sacrifice a single vampire to protect the city, because that would defeat the very purpose she established it in the first place (a safe haven for vampires). So ..yeah, I didn't fall for that

And yeah, the epilogue had me laughing with Yuuto's friend begging them to leave ... saying he would leave himself otherwise Poor guy, driven out of his own home by not being able to stand their constant flirting

[Mahou]

Originally Posted by Balzac

Does anyone have a cross-reference to what other familiar works the voices of DRACU-RIOT's heroines have done? I've a penchant for matching up VAs you see, and I feel, as I read the game, that I haven't heard these girls before. Either that, or they've voiced games I haven't played.

And as to the game, so far, it's been worth the money at least compared to that koisora fandisc, grr....

According to the jp. wikipedia entry a few examples:
Miu's VA: Natsuno Yuki - Masamune Shizuru (Noble Works), Yazaki Hoshimi (Hatsukoi Sacrament), Chinatsu (LoverAble)
Azusa's VA: Satou Shizuku - Kisa (Diamic Days), Onigokko, Tenshi no Hane o Fumanaide
Rio's VA: Ayukawa Hinata - Iroha (Hatsukoi Sacrament), Amakasa Mayo (Majikoi)

Didn't find anything on the first glance about Erina's VA (Suzuki Erio).

[Soviet]

Originally Posted by Mahou

Didn't find anything on the first glance about Erina's VA (Suzuki Erio).

Come on, she sounds exactly like Sakura from Hatsuyuki Sakura, she's probably one of those VA's with a couple of aliases. I've heard her voice in a bazillion of other eroge too. Same is actually true for basically every female voice in Dracu Riot and considering that I have zero interest in Seiyuus they can't be very new in the business.

[Balzac]

Thanks, may have to use the jp wiki myself in the future :P

Rio's was the most generic voice, something which I could swear I've heard in all-out H-game fests (back when I bought those rabidly without thought to their content). To be frank, I was more curious about hers, because I think I had an inkling of who Miu's was, like a "where have I heard this before" moment.

...And I found Erina's voice and character annoying for some reason, which is why she's saved for last.

@hyl: Oh yeah, Kisaragi Gold Star was for me a waste of time and money. It had almost none of the appeal Natsuyume had, and which contributed to my decision not to buy Hatsuyuki. (and as I stated much earlier in the thread after reading the trial, I may not have the motivation to buy it). Makes me think they're riding on trends in otaku-land over in Japan and this wave is something to gloss over until they head back to the "great age" of 2007. Or 2005. Hm.

[Mahou]

Originally Posted by Soviet

Come on, she sounds exactly like Sakura from Hatsuyuki Sakura, she's probably one of those VA's with a couple of aliases. I've heard her voice in a bazillion of other eroge too. Same is actually true for basically every female voice in Dracu Riot and considering that I have zero interest in Seiyuus they can't be very new in the business.

Now that you mention it, they sound indeed exactly the same. I usually don't check VAs nor can I remember any names. So I just keep thinking about why the voice of X sounds so familiar

@Erina's VA: I thought it fits her characters quite well. Especially if you consider that Sakura, who Soviet mentioned, has the exact opposite standpoint regarding ecchi in Hatsuyuki Sakura .

After two drama VNs completed, I should sooner or later look for something light-hearted again or I just replay LoverAble and/or Mashiro Symphony once I'm back home during Eastern tomorrow :3.
But replaying Hoshizora Memoria now that the english fan translation is out is also tempting >_<.

[hyl]

Elina is just voiced by Shimizu Ai (under a psuedonym), anyone can hear that >_>

As for the other more well known seiyuu in dracu riot

Nikola: Nabatame Hitomi
Miu: Taguchi Hiroko. Who is known for voicng Sora in Yosuga no Sora, Yutsuki in Mashiroiro Symphony Mutssu no Hana, Miyako in Ef and many other VN's
Azusa: Nanjo Yoshino, who is probably more well known for being the current lead vocalist of the Fripside (who also did the 2nd opening of Hatsuyuki Sakura: Hesitation Snow)

edit:
For these seiyuu's i didn't even need to look up, because they are very easily distinguishable for me.

edit to balzac:
Dracu-Riot felt less worth for my money than Hatsuyuki Sakura. While Dracu-Riot is not a bad VN , it did not live up to the hype that it got almost 6 months before it's release. Also Dracu-Riot costed me 1000 yen more than HatsuSaku and my bonus item was just a stupid book or telephone card....

[Kleeyook]

I have a question for you all!

Which eroge company has the best character style (art work) in your opinion from all eroge you have played so far?

I want to draw hentai doujinshi as well as CG scenes like in VN but I am having a hard time decising which art style should I use. The ones that are suitable for drawing realistic proportion, sexy pose and ahegao... Am I being too honest?

I like artstyle from BISHOP (I don't like their games though), I want the eye part to be more refine though (more noticeable eyebrows). Any recommendation?

I hate NTR and tentacle BTW!

Oh! VenusBlood isn't really my choice since the characters' proportion are a bit off (I believe head:whole body for they are 1:5-1:6 instead of 1:7-1:8).

[hyl]

I think it depends on the character designer, rather than the company. Eventhough some companies tend to use the same artists for their games.
Overall the art from the games made by Minori are among my favorites.

[Zakoo]

Hello, Though that's not the usual thread that I creep in, I've come today to seek some information. (And because I didn't find any visual novel general thread but I'm sure it exists)

I'm training my japenese and such I'm seeking a VN that can be categorized in the "easy to read" (if you have very easy to read I take too), I know it's +18 VN but you should be as well the people who knows general VN the best.

The romance + school life settings seems the easiest for me. ( I was thinking of doing fortune arterial? maybe Clannad but I already saw everything about it). Things like Rance or Bloodvenus seems too hard for me (>imply things with battle) so I would like only dialogues (like G senjou no maou but easier).

So any idea my deviants brothers?

[hyl]

I find loverable really easy to read. Mostly because it does not have a complex ( it's almost non existent) story.

[Soviet]

Originally Posted by Zakoo

Hello, Though that's not the usual thread that I creep in, I've come today to seek some information. (And because I didn't find any visual novel general thread but I'm sure it exists)

I'm training my japenese and such I'm seeking a VN that can be categorized in the "easy to read" (if you have very easy to read I take too), I know it's +18 VN but you should be as well the people who knows general VN the best.

The romance + school life settings seems the easiest for me. ( I was thinking of doing fortune arterial? maybe Clannad but I already saw everything about it). Things like Rance or Bloodvenus seems too hard for me (>imply things with battle) so I would like only dialogues (like G senjou no maou but easier).

So any idea my deviants brothers?

Pretty much any moege would do the job. Flyable Heart, Lover Able, Koiiro Soromoyou are entertaining enough and easy to read for example.
Axanael is pretty good too because barely anything in that game is unvoiced.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Zakoo

Hello, Though that's not the usual thread that I creep in, I've come today to seek some information. (And because I didn't find any visual novel general thread but I'm sure it exists)

I'm training my japenese and such I'm seeking a VN that can be categorized in the "easy to read" (if you have very easy to read I take too), I know it's +18 VN but you should be as well the people who knows general VN the best.

The romance + school life settings seems the easiest for me. ( I was thinking of doing fortune arterial? maybe Clannad but I already saw everything about it). Things like Rance or Bloodvenus seems too hard for me (>imply things with battle) so I would like only dialogues (like G senjou no maou but easier).

So any idea my deviants brothers?

I find most Nitro+ stuff apart from Muramasa quite easy to read...


Fortune Arterial is ok too

[Dagger]

Much as I love pretty everything Nitro+ has made, I wouldn't recommend using them for Japanese practice unless you're really, really passionate about that type of story. (Which I am, granted, so it worked fine for me.) They're good for tackling once you can comfortably read a slice-of-life / reality-based story, since each game will teach you a new set of additional fantasy/sci-fi/more obscure vocab and so forth.

I think the ef series of games is absolutely perfect for someone with lower-level Japanese. Fairly short, simple language, set in the modern-day real world, lots of dialogue, basic vocabulary--and the constant barrage of gorgeous CGs and music means that you get rewarded all the time for working to understand what's going on. Even if you go through the games super slowly, you don't have to wait around for ages just to see a new CG. And if you've watched the anime adaptation (although this certainly isn't required), you'll intuitively pick up on the meaning of the story/language even more quickly.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Ef dialogue is easy but I found the descriptions a bit hard back when I was just starting to play eroge...

I do agree about the CGs and music though. It sure keeps you going...

[Mahou]

As someone who had to learn jp. without school support (and as such no structure at all), I found Fortune Arterial a bit on the harder side to get into. This, of course, depends on the route itself as well (i. e. the true roue with its large amount of vampire background, etc was very confusing other than getting a very rough outline).

Anway, LoverAble (already mentioned), Shuffle!, Mashiro-iro Symphony (I think), Amesarasa. The easiest in general would be to download the trial versions and see how you like it. Better for your harddisk + money purse as well

[Balzac]

For learning kanji, try *puts pinky finger in corner of mouth* Itsuka todoku anosorani!

[erneiz_hyde]

Originally Posted by Balzac

For learning kanji, try *puts pinky finger in corner of mouth* Itsuka todoku anosorani!

You, my friend, is a devil

On that matter, try "Kitto Sumiwataru Asairo yori mo"
and "Tenshi no hane wo fumanai de"
for good measure

Seriously though, I second the voice that most school love type games doesn't have too much of complicated words.
I suggest getting a text hooker and a kanji translator ready as well.

Makes me remember of my earlier time where I challenge an all kanji galge...which was Little Busters (not sure if it was a wise choice for first timer though). it was though, but I learned a lot out of it. And, I was able to get and enjoy the story.