General Eroge Impressions & Discussion [Archive] - Page 9

Newprimus

2008-04-07, 06:20

I just finished Kamipani! Woohooo!

Koyori's route finally reveals everything that happened during that incident, and her status and role in the story. That said I was hoping for more information about her past and her route to be a little more epic but Kamipani isn't supposed to be an epic adventure story so I guess that's expected, plus it's the company's debut work.

For me, the routes go from best to worst:

Megumi
Amane
Mizuki
Koyori
Nonoka

Now that doesn't mean that Koyori's route is bad. The above chart is more like the first four clustered near the top, followed by a good amount of distance, and then Nonoka's at the bottom (poor miko-san).

Megumi's arc is the best for me. It's by far the most emotional arc in the game, and her romance with Tomoyuki feels like that destined love that not even the world can stop, and when they finally pull through you celebrate with them. You can really sympathize with her struggle, and I can easily see some scenes getting tears from tear-jerk-prone viewers.. Her arc's only flaw is that the ending is so sudden and has a deus ex machina quality to it, even if it makes total sense. That's the only downer, but everything else about this arc is great.

Amane's and Mizuki's arcs have the most completeness in that they're both great and don't have a rushed ending like Megumi's, plus they pretty much flesh out everything there is to be fleshed with each respective heroine.

Amane's route is the most "pure romance" like of the game, in that the story's only real purpose is the budding romance between Amane and Tomoyuki. It helps that Amane's an awesomely lovable character, and her whole route is really solid, and feels the most complete. The romance between her and Tomoyuki feels "real" and it's one you can easily swallow, accept, and enjoy.

Mizuki's arc also builds a lot of sympathy factor for the heroine, much like Megumi's. The ending's not as solid as Amane's however, but it's pretty close. Incest-lovers can't go wrong with this one. :p

Koyori's arc. The most plot resolution happens in this one. I rank this one below the other three because the romance isn't as easy to swallow (felt a little bit from out of nowhere), plus it doesn't go as deep into Koyori and her past as I would've liked. Plus her ending's kinda meh as well. That said, it does give resolution to the whole incident and does close the story in a good fashion; just not with as solid a feeling. Plus the very last scene left me with a slight feeling of, "Wait she can do that!?" :eyebrow:

Nonoka's arc is by far the most lackluster. The romance feels far more forced than Koyori's, and the whole arc is pretty meh. The only really good parts were Koyori. :heh:

As a matter of fact, I liked Koyori better in the other girls' arcs than in her own arc, lol! :heh:

Overall I would say the game is good and I would recommend it to people. It's a step below "great" and "masterpiece", but it's still a very enjoyable game. I definetly feel I got my playhour's worth.

Now then, what should I play next??? Hmmmmmm~ :)

Hemisphere

2008-04-07, 09:28

Cross Vision is awesome. Hearing Kakeru voiced is awesome.

I need more buckets if I'm to get past 11eyes!

Also, LOL at their Pia Carrot reference.

Newprimus

2008-04-07, 12:19

Cross Vision is awesome. Hearing Kakeru voiced is awesome.

I need more buckets if I'm to get past 11eyes!

Also, LOL at their Pia Carrot reference.

You need buckets why? (11eyes in-joke? or something far far more.... sinister? Possibly sexual in function?) :eyebrow::eek:

Hemisphere

2008-04-07, 12:28

LOL. Nothing like that. I was referring to the "I'm cumming buckets" thing I've seen on the internet.

Anyways, Yuka and I share the same birthday. MUCH LOVE!

GAH I CAN'T FREAKING BELIEVE THIS, THE 11EYES DEMO ENDS LIKE A HUGE CLIFFHANGER! WTF THEY HAVEN'T EVEN REVEALED KAKERU'S AND YUKA'S POWERS

Ah, really? I was wondering what that did when I saw it on the title screen.

Just managed to struggle through the first bit before the English quote pops up. That was... almost painful to read :heh: They're really gonna pull no stops on describing the place to be absolute hell I guess. I'm kinda dreading what the bad ends of this are going to be like.

The bad ends aren't as grand as you probably expect. You just get one or two lines telling you how Kakeru and/or someone else dies in a gory fashion.

Danj

2008-04-09, 19:06

Kaioshin Sama

2008-04-10, 15:28

BTW I see Lightning Warrior Raidy (English version) is finally shipping from G-Collections. Anybody pick it up, and if so how is it? I'm intrigued by the RPG system, but most of the other eroge I've seen that try to do something different like that usually make a complete hash of it (Pretty Soldier Wars 2048 was terrible for example).

It's really short and kind of mediocore. I'd try something like Galzoo Island, Rance VI or Persiom instead. Any questions I'll be happy to answer on those 3 as I'm looking to introduce Alicesoft to people as a sort of cause right now.

Sterling01

2008-04-10, 18:21

I've just started the 11eyes demo and so far that looks great.

I just finished the demo of Gouen no Soleil and that game looks awsome.... even excluding the big ass hat and a loli saying "I'm Badass"

Also for people who've played Otome Crisis whose route should I do first?

Hemisphere

2008-04-11, 00:54

You can go either way, really. I went with Laurier's route first because I liked her range.

Dagger

2008-04-12, 09:09

Jesus Christ, Makoto Shinkai, stop being such a freaking genius.

ef - the latter tale promo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm8ec5U2bvU)

Kresnik

2008-04-12, 10:04

ahmad

2008-04-12, 15:39

Ok i have never played any ero-game before :(. Can you guys recommend me 2-3 games that you consider to be the best.

Featherine B.

2008-04-12, 15:48

Jesus Christ, Makoto Shinkai, stop being such a freaking genius.

ef - the latter tale promo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm8ec5U2bvU)

Oh. My. Freakin'. Gawd.

That's all I'm going to say.

(Hey, The latter tale will be out on my brithday \o/. Er, too bad I haven't even played the first game... Goddammit, will ef ever be fully translated ?!)

Kresnik

2008-04-12, 20:47

Ok i have never played any ero-game before :(. Can you guys recommend me 2-3 games that you consider to be the best.
If you haven't play any, then maybe you stop and turn away. One step into this world and you might not find any way out, like most of us here.. :heh:

Varion

2008-04-12, 21:06

Goddammit, will ef ever be fully translated ?!)
Possibly, although I wouldn't get your hopes up. Assume not and then treat it as a nice surprise if it does? It's not supposedly that long, and I doubt it's that hard...

Also, your avatar is love. I think that's the first time I've felt compelled to say that.

One step into this world and you might not find any way out, like most of us here... :heh:
And why on earth would anyone want to leave? I'm staying right here with the lack of money and free time.

Sterling01

2008-04-12, 21:10

Ok i have never played any ero-game before :(. Can you guys recommend me 2-3 games that you consider to be the best.
Just to name a few

Otome Crisis
Saya no Uta
Toheart
Shirogane no Soleil
A drug that makes you Dream

Kaioshin Sama

2008-04-13, 00:08

Ok i have never played any ero-game before :(. Can you guys recommend me 2-3 games that you consider to be the best.

Sengoku Rance
Genrin No Hime 2
Prism Ark
Rance VI
Pastel Chime Continue
Dai Banchou
Kyuutei Senki
Izumo 0 through 3

shadowplay

2008-04-13, 09:36

Hmm? I only see Mizuki there..? Is it because Chihiro got her story already covered in the anime already that her portion got pushed aside..? Then I guess Mizuki will be the star at The Latter Tale.Of course Chihiro will be inside...

http://www.minori.ph/imgs/trialbannerchihi.jpg

...animation for the latter tale is neat but I'm thinking the one for the first tale was still slightly better.

Hypertaost

2008-04-13, 12:54

Toheart
to that I will add
toheart2 Xrated,
tomoyo after, Clannad (kinda of a prequel to tomoyo)
Parfait chocolat second brew
and cartagra

on a side note, I wonder if the latter tale is simply going to tell 2 stories and include Yuuko's story in Mitsuki's path, or if they are going to present her as another story.

Kresnik

2008-04-13, 21:19

And why on earth would anyone want to leave? I'm staying right here with the lack of money and free time.
It's not that I say about don't join or something like that, but like you already said we're having difficulties of lacking both money and time on our hands. It's just that for those who haven't joining already to this side, they should think whether they have the capabilities to stay strong in this side. Should they not, then stay away or they may suffer the consequences (Not that I've experienced anything already).

That being said, I recommend:
[GIGA] Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku wo
[Nitro+] Phantom of Inferno

And yes, of course Chihiro is going to be there too, but her disappereance is the OP makes me think that her story will only become minor compared to Mizuki-Yuuko (Then again, Yuuko is the reason I love ef :heh:).

tarq

2008-04-14, 06:03

hmm...why did all instances of the ef-latter tale PV got removed from nicovideo...?

Newprimus

2008-04-14, 15:05

Gouen no Soleil's website updated with new OP movie and new event CGs (I like some of the h ones). The Getchu site is similar.

Sterling01

2008-04-14, 18:09

Gouen no Soleil's website updated with new OP movie and new event CGs (I like some of the h ones). The Getchu site is similar.
Yes, Rin-sama is very moe

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/9008/regionecg11go8.jpg

johnishida

2008-04-14, 19:52

Yes, Rin-sama is very moe

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/9008/regionecg11go8.jpg

Now I have a reason to play Gouen No Soleil :D

Sterling01

2008-04-14, 20:52

Now I have a reason to play Gouen No Soleil :D
Well it's also the first eroge I've played that features....

A choice where you can make the male protagonist who's in his dead(?) younger sister's body preform incest/masterbation

Also I've just finished the 11eyes demo and let's just say I'm really fucking pissed

Kresnik

2008-04-14, 21:25

Heh, I think Minori is very careful about their games lately. Even in Youtube, I only see the OP uploaded by their own staff. I wonder what kind of protection they'll give for the Latter Tale.

The future looks kinda grim.

Hemisphere

2008-04-15, 04:08

Yes, Rin-sama is very moe

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/9008/regionecg11go8.jpg

Rin-sama is great! Don't you think so? Don't you?!

...Doesn't translate so well in english, as compared to how awesome it is when Rin-sama says it. ;__; But if you think that that was moe enough, then you should listen to Aoba Ringo talk about her role in Gouen no Soleil (http://www.sky-fish.jp/soleil-region/wav/Comment_RIN.mp3). I think my heart nearly flatlined near the end of her talk.

MOCHI MOCHI BO~IN NA ONEESAN

Well it's also the first eroge I've played that features....

A choice where you can make the male protagonist who's in his dead(?) younger sister's body preform incest/masterbation

Also I've just finished the 11eyes demo and let's just say I'm really fucking pissed

WELCOME FELLOW CASTRATED DEMO PLAYER. Now all we have to do is wait until the 25th!

In other news, my love for Yuzusoft, Natsuzora Kanata and Hiroko Taguchi just keeps on growing, especially after having seen Chihaya Kousaka's movie. Poor girl...apparently she has amnesia and can't remember the past three years of her life, or something like that. I don't know, my Japanese is quite lacking. But it seems that Hiroko Taguchi's performance is once again going to be so completely solid and awesome that I can't help but anticipate!

First things first, of course, as this month has 11eyes and Gouen no Soleil.

Sterling01

2008-04-15, 08:36

Rin-sama is great! Don't you think so? Don't you?!

...Doesn't translate so well in english, as compared to how awesome it is when Rin-sama says it. ;__; But if you think that that was moe enough, then you should listen to Aoba Ringo talk about her role in Gouen no Soleil (http://www.sky-fish.jp/soleil-region/wav/Comment_RIN.mp3). I think my heart nearly flatlined near the end of her talk.

MOCHI MOCHI BO~IN NA ONEESAN

So Moe I'm going to die

WELCOME FELLOW CASTRATED DEMO PLAYER. Now all we have to do is wait until the 25th!

When I first read your reaction on your blog, I thought, it couldn't be that bad. I found out it was 25 times worse

Master Anime

2008-04-15, 10:38

Jesus Christ, Makoto Shinkai, stop being such a freaking genius.

ef - the latter tale promo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm8ec5U2bvU)
OMG
As expected from Makoto Shinkai

Varion

2008-04-15, 17:28

It's not that I say about don't join or something like that, but like you already said we're having difficulties of lacking both money and time on our hands. It's just that for those who haven't joining already to this side, they should think whether they have the capabilities to stay strong in this side. Should they not, then stay away or they may suffer the consequences (Not that I've experienced anything already).
Well I wasn't being too serious, but yeah. Who needs money anyway!

I wish I had the time to finish the 11eyes demo. Or start the Chaos;Head one, which I've heard so much about I can't not play it now. Damn work. I guess at least at this rate I'll avoid running into the 11eyes cliffhanger at all.

Hemisphere

2008-04-16, 08:11

SkyFish has just released Gouen no Soleil's card battle trial, and it's up for download if you guys want to see how it works!

Well I wasn't being too serious, but yeah. Who needs money anyway!

I wish I had the time to finish the 11eyes demo. Or start the Chaos;Head one, which I've heard so much about I can't not play it now. Damn work. I guess at least at this rate I'll avoid running into the 11eyes cliffhanger at all.

Trust me. Our frustrated reactions alone should tell you that the 11eyes cliffhanger is quite an excruciatingly painful one.

Good thing about Trial 2 of Gouen no Soleil is that the card battle system seems somewhat...fun. We also get to find out that, just like Shirogane no Soleil, Kirin's "Valkyries" have several forms. Rin has Blade, Gun and Spell Modes (while Sol had Blade, Arrow, Spell, Ancient Sol, and UBERHAX Wyrd modes), while Ouka only has Blade and Spell Modes.

Bad thing? Well, go and see for yourself...

http://mouyamete.oniichannoecchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/ouch01.png
http://mouyamete.oniichannoecchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/ouch02.png
http://mouyamete.oniichannoecchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/ouch03.png
http://mouyamete.oniichannoecchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/ouch04.png

AGTH won't help you with that one, though once you get the basics it's pretty easy.

EDIT: Sorry, I had to eat my words. The card battle syste, is AGGRAVATING. >________> Card battles and me have never had a good relationship in any eroge, and I guess it still holds true even with Gouen no Soleil.

Newprimus

2008-04-16, 17:25

*cries tears of blood*

I hope someone tells us how to play that thing.

Sterling01

2008-04-16, 18:43

SkyFish has just released Gouen no Soleil's card battle trial, and it's up for download if you guys want to see how it works!

Trust me. Our frustrated reactions alone should tell you that the 11eyes cliffhanger is quite an excruciatingly painful one.

Good thing about Trial 2 of Gouen no Soleil is that the card battle system seems somewhat...fun. We also get to find out that, just like Shirogane no Soleil, Kirin's "Valkyries" have several forms. Rin has Blade, Gun and Spell Modes (while Sol had Blade, Arrow, Spell, Ancient Sol, and UBERHAX Wyrd modes), while Ouka only has Blade and Spell Modes.

Bad thing? Well, go and see for yourself...

http://mouyamete.oniichannoecchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/ouch01.png
http://mouyamete.oniichannoecchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/ouch02.png
http://mouyamete.oniichannoecchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/ouch03.png
http://mouyamete.oniichannoecchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/ouch04.png

AGTH won't help you with that one, though once you get the basics it's pretty easy.

EDIT: Sorry, I had to eat my words. The card battle syste, is AGGRAVATING. >________> Card battles and me have never had a good relationship in any eroge, and I guess it still holds true even with Gouen no Soleil.
Why Skyfish WHYYYYY!!!

Hemisphere

2008-04-17, 04:23

To be fair, it's actually quite fun, and I'm getting the hang of how certain cards work.

But the big fat freaking totally aggravating annoying bother is how the cards are randomly dealt to you everytime you start, or when your deck needs to get "resupplied". And once you add random chance into the mix, you're left relying on luck, not skill. Cause no matter how I arrange the deck manually, I still end up getting screwed over by the random dealing, and it is really really really really annoying, to say the least.

PhoenixG

2008-04-17, 05:31

Finally get some time to download the demo and card battle demo of Gouen no Soleil. All I can say is.... Rin-sama XD <3 Her interaction with her master was hilarious.

The card battle system was fair, although with my poor Japanese skill and lazy to translate it, it was first a bit trail and error, but get a hang of it.

Really looking forward to this game... just one week left.....

Hypertaost

2008-04-17, 21:07

Just a short question, are these games any good?
Otoboku (Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru)
Natsushiro drops
Yoake Mae yori Ruri Iro na

Oh, and does anyone know how long these are?

johnishida

2008-04-17, 22:08

Nanatsuiro Drops is MUST READ Visual Novel! Dunno about the others...

NanaDrops is not really that long... 13 or so for Sumomo's route and 10 for Yuki and Nadeshiko. Being the first 5 or so Common for the three of them.

Sterling01

2008-04-18, 00:03

Just a short question, are these games any good?
Otoboku (Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru)
Natsushiro drops
Yoake Mae yori Ruri Iro na

Oh, and does anyone know how long these are?
Otoboku, I have to say was pretty funny
Nanatsuiro Drops is a really good game
Yoake Mae yori Ruri Iro na, I have it but haven't played it yet

serenade_beta

2008-04-18, 00:12

Yoake Mae yori Ruri Iro na

Oh, and does anyone know how long these are?

Mmm... Average, I guess. I didn't find it particularly interesting or anything, but the plot is decent. Slightly overdramatic and :rolleyes: - moments and a considerably boring protagonist though.
If there is one thing I especially like, it's the OPs (just that though...).
Just my opinion though, since it seems this was very popular with other people (-_-; )

For length... don't really pay attention to the time since I tend to play little by little... Not terribly long though.

Archer

2008-04-18, 00:22

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/4729/1208495523284ak6.jpg

My brain, it does not understand.

Sterling01

2008-04-18, 01:16

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/4729/1208495523284ak6.jpg

My brain, it does not understand.
Sacchin your route may finally become a reality

Oh and according to Tech Gen the witches game is All-ages

Hemisphere

2008-04-18, 09:29

Yuzusoft just released Natsuzora Kanata's OP! You can check it out on Youtube (http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=rJyOeG9d3m0&fmt=18) if you want to, as they also uploaded it there.

Seems like my hunch was right. Haruka Shimotsuki and Sakakibara Yui, who did the ED and the OP of ExE respectively, are also doing Natsuzora Kanata's, though this time it's Haruka Shimotsuki with the OP and Sakakibara Yui with the ED.

Sterling01

2008-04-18, 10:52

Mahou tsukai no yoru is slated for a 2009 release
The Tsukihime remake will be released after Mahou tsukai no yoru
It's been confirmed that Sacchin has a route in the Tsukihime remake.
There's a possibility that the Tsukihime remake will be voiced

So far the only detail known about Girls' work story is that the city itself is the main character

Klashikari

2008-04-18, 11:04

It's been confirmed that Sacchin has a route in the Tsukihime remake.

Fuck yes! talk about time.

I mean seriously, she was the short end of a stick in all far side of the moon routes, despite she is arguably more interesting than Arcueid and Ciel (well for me anyway :heh:)

Varion

2008-04-18, 11:41

It's been confirmed that Sacchin has a route in the Tsukihime remake.
But... but the isn't it sad joke is ruined now! Dammit. I said a while ago I'd buy Tsukihime if it was rereleased, guess I'll be sticking to my word. Mahoutsukai is a given, guess I'll wait for more info on Girls' Work though. The title and the lack of Nasu hasn't given much of a first impression. Though a city being a main character... what?

Sterling01

2008-04-18, 12:16

Fuck yes! talk about time.

I mean seriously, she was the short end of a stick in all far side of the moon routes, despite she is arguably more interesting than Arcueid and Ciel (well for me anyway :heh:)
Well here's how she's going to look in the remake

http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/2002/sawy6.jpg

Kisuke06

2008-04-18, 19:43

Damn, I'll finaly be able to buy a copy of Tsukihime. :D

Newprimus

2008-04-18, 22:07

Tsukihime in Fate/Stay Night or above graphical quality? MUST FEED.

Kresnik

2008-04-20, 07:28

I just try the Chaos;Head Trial Web 2.00 last night, and I found it very interesting. Read spoiler for my impression:

Game System:
I don't really understand about the school swimsuit preference at the beginning of this game, but there's another system which I called 'Takumi's Imagination'. If you pick the green one, he will imagine about nice and comfortable things; while red will make him imagine about scary things; and you can wait for a while not imagine about anything.

Characters:
Nishijou Takumi:
Our protagonist, who is a paranoid semihikkikomori nijikon otaku. And when I say nijikon, I mean he's crazy about the heroine from an anime named Seira. Even when there's so many beauties around, he always compare them to Seira and concludes that Seira is better because she is 'eternally 17' :heh: . It seems he got this power to 'see' weird things, like the murder scene from the 'NewGen?' cases. Currently living in the box-trailer on top of an apartment full of anime merchandise (FSN, Da Capo 2, etc). There's also a scene where he is told by a psychiatrist that he couldn't have met the girl who is after her (Sena), because he is never stepped out from the hospital for 10 years. There goes the title meanings, his head is really messsed up badly, thus Chaos;Head.

Sakihata Rimi:
There's not much of her in the trial. She appeared twice, for the prologue, where she comes to Takumi where Shibuya has been destroyed and proceed to kill him; and stopping Takumi when he is about to go to the murder scene.

Aoi Sena:
There's also little of her. She appeared to ask about Takumi, who is apparently has the ability to 'see', included the Disword? she held. Likes Garugari-kun, name of an Icepop.

Kusunoki Yua:
The self-proclaimed Yandere (She mentioned it at the Evaluation Meeting). She appeared to be a clumsy third grade anime fan who somehow meet Takumi and showing some interest in him. Later she confronts Takumi as the Shogun.

Kishimoto Ayase:
Singer of a rock band named FES. She appeared twice only humming and singing.. :confused: . Has strange tastes of food.

Orihara Kozue:
The least mention of all. She appeared only once, while getting ready to move to Shibuya. She is quiet and that is good, because if she opens her mouth it's like Meru-chan from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (She don't hold back a bit).

Nishijou Nanami:
Takumi's lovely little sister, but apparently he is treating her coldly.

Shogun:
Someone who comes in to chat with Takumi and sending him links to weird pictures of the NewGen murder cases.

Misumi Daisuke:
Takumi classmates who apparently have dated with the whole girls at the class and moving forward his target to another class. Maybe he is the only one treating Takumi as a real person in the class.

Ban Yasuji:
A police officer who is investigating the murder cases and with his pendulum hypothesize that there's something unnatural about the murder.

Grim:
Takumi online game friend. Both frequently chatting about many thing.

Suwa Mamoru:
Yasuji's co-worker. He might be on Takumi's tail.

Seira Orjeru?:
The main heroine of 'Bladetune? the Animation'. Serves as Chou-Kantoku at the Evaluation Meeting.

Extra:
Evaluation Meeting:
Rimi, Sena, Ayase and Kozue complains to Seira as Chou-Kantoku (Great Manager?) because their roles in the trial is too short. And later discussing about who is suitable for the Main Heroine role. Nanami can't become the main heroine because she is true little sister and Takumi has no inclination toward incest :heh: , so there goes one off the list. When Sena wants to defeat Rimi so that she can become the main heroine herself, Seira says she can't because there's no image of her with Disword yet :heh:. Then they decided on cooking ability, but the only ones who can is Nanami and Yua, while Rimi and Kozue can't cook anything, Ayase can cook an all-spice kare :twitch:, and Sena with her garugari-kun, which of course not a food. Continuing with singing, Ayase is certain since she is a singer and Sena apparently can sing the Garugari-kun song nicely :heh:. In the end, Takumi choose Seira to become the main heroine and suggest the others as his harem while laughing creepily. Yep, he is one messed up guy indeed.

I'll definitely pick this game up. Only less than a week to the release date XD. It would be nice too if someone would be as generous as to translate and write things written from the web here, because I can only read japanese as much.. >_>

Dagger

2008-04-20, 15:07

Just finished Zoku Satsuriku no Jango. It was fabulously good... one of those games that felt like it was made just for me. Great art, great music, short (playtime-wise) but just right for the story it set out to tell.

Sterling01

2008-04-24, 08:10

Just got 11eyes and what happens after the Demo ends can only be summed up with one thing “WTFOMFG”

Newprimus

2008-04-24, 13:04

Gouen no Soleil is also out, in case some didn't know. Wazzah!!

PhoenixG

2008-04-24, 14:33

Want to play it, but not enough disk space >.< ;.;

Hemisphere

2008-04-24, 16:43

Soon I'll be making sweet sweet NC17 love with 11eyes and Gouen no Soleil. SOON! JUST A FEW HOURS MORE!

johnishida

2008-04-24, 17:37

haha, with the release of 11eyes I think I will go with that one instead of Princess Frontier once I finish Kamipani which by the way has been very good till now. Currently on Megumi's route... Various scenes almost made cry ... too sad ...

Sterling01

2008-04-24, 17:43

Soon I'll be making sweet sweet NC17 love with 11eyes and Gouen no Soleil. SOON! JUST A FEW HOURS MORE!
I've made sweet sweet NC17 love to both of them.... At the same time :heh::heh:

Dagger

2008-04-24, 20:39

The final countdown voice for Chaos Head sent shivers down my spine~ (It's up at Nitro's main site now... if you can get there, it's been laggy all day.) Will probably have to postpone playing it until the final rush of school is over, though. :uhoh:

Sterling01

2008-04-24, 21:13

I'm in the process of translating the 131 cards in Gouen no Soleil. It's actually not that hard

Also

Her "MILF" form is fucking hot

MakubeX2

2008-04-24, 21:24

CH Initial Impression :-

First of all, there's doesn't seem to be any route for all the female characters. All you get is how a sociopath otaku save the world.

And there's nothing sexual about this title, don't even expect off screen sex or implication of it.

Sterling01

2008-04-24, 21:26

All you get is how a sociopath otaku save the world.

That's why it's so awesome. :heh::heh:

Hemisphere

2008-04-25, 03:57

Whose MILF form, Rin-sama?

Anyways, 11eyes is pure sex. So awesome. >_<

PhoenixG

2008-04-25, 04:17

I'm in the process of translating the 131 cards in Gouen no Soleil. It's actually not that hard

Also

Her "MILF" form is fucking hot

You want to torture me, when I'm not able to play it due lack of disk space ;.;

Hemisphere

2008-04-25, 06:57

Oh man, the fight with Ira was awesome. ;___;

Sterling01

2008-04-25, 07:36

Whose MILF form, Rin-sama?

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/1416/011wt5.th.png (http://img174.imageshack.us/my.php?image=011wt5.png)
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/7084/010gk2.th.png (http://img518.imageshack.us/my.php?image=010gk2.png)

Hemisphere

2008-04-25, 07:38

Aoba Ringo's got to be pleased about that, Rin-sama isn't as much of a tsurupetta as we all thought!

BanditKing

2008-04-28, 03:06

Playing Tsuyokisu 2 have high hopes for it after playing The first one and Minikisu.Anyone else play the first game?any favorite character or routes?

Hemisphere

2008-04-28, 13:59

Minase Yuka is a dorodere!

BTW, Boy Meets Girl and Kamipani share so many similarities with each other that it's just awesome.

johnishida

2008-04-28, 14:59

A moment ago I downloaded the commercial movies for Natsuzora Kanata...

Chihaya's story will surely make me cry >.> She seems to have some kind of "mental sickness". It seems she can't retain her memory for more than three days... Wonder how it will turn out.

Next, is Yuiko. The Hero's cousin. She's being in love with him ever since they were kids but just could not bring herself to confess her feeling for him, until now. It seems something happened to them in the past... The CM does not give to much details about it, though. Except it happened 8/9 years ago.

They still need to release the CM movie for the third heroine: Sasara and then, hopefully, the demo >.>

Chihaya's main theme seems to be about overcoming fate while Yuiko's is about overcoming the past. Kinda think Sasara's will be about overcoming family tradition judging for her background.

Here's a link to the main page if you want to download the videos http://yuzu-soft.com/natsu/index.html

Hemisphere

2008-04-28, 15:12

Ohoo, three days memory eh? I should have paid better attention to the video. But yeah, I'm really looking forward to Chihaya Kousaka, since she's also voiced by Hiroko Taguchi.

Also, NATSUZORA KANATA TRIAL IS OUT!

Sterling01

2008-04-29, 09:53

So I'm playing through 11eyes, 菊理's route and...

Her voice is made of moe

Hemisphere

2008-04-29, 09:54

Yeah, it is. >_< She sounds so adorable!

The plot twist in her route, though, is awesome.

Sterling01

2008-04-29, 10:09

Though I can't decide who I like better Misuzu-sempai or Kukuri. I'm leaning towards Kukuri but I haven't finished Misuzu-sempai's route yet so who knows...

I don't know why but Gouen no Soleil was a huge disappointment to me... probably part of the reason is that there was no 3P scene with Rin-sama and Ouka :heh::heh:

Hemisphere

2008-04-29, 10:17

LOL. No 3P scene eh.

Anyways, as for favorites, I'm sticking with Misuzu-senpai, with Kukuri and Yuka locked in a tie. I'm not into stealing other people's heroines, so Takahisa can have Yukiko all to himself!

Right now though, I'm enjoying the Natsuzora Kanata trial. CHIHAYA!

Okay, I'm pissed again. GAAAAAAAAH CHIHAYA!!!!!!!

johnishida

2008-04-29, 14:15

NATSUZORA KANATA TRIAL IS OUT!

What!? So fast! They haven't even released Sasara's CM! Anyways, must download!

Hemisphere

2008-04-29, 14:48

Oh, the lack of Sasara's CM won't hurt your trial experience one bit.

Mainly cause she's only shown for like one to three lines of text.

Sterling01

2008-04-29, 14:51

Oh, the lack of Sasara's CM won't hurt your trial experience one bit.

Mainly cause she's only shown for like one to three lines of text.

That sucks... I want mah Sasara. Currently DLing the demo

BTW who's the girl in your avatar?

Hemisphere

2008-04-29, 14:59

Sasara? Why settle for Sasara when you can have the glorious moeness of Chihaya!

http://mouyamete.oniichannoecchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/chihaya02.png

Don't make her hurt you!

Girl is Tenrou Kunagi from Daibanchou. Aka "Girl who can change from loli to adult to wolf form and kick severe major ass" Kunagi-sama. *worships*

Sterling01

2008-04-29, 15:06

Sasara? Why settle for Sasara when you can have the glorious moeness of Chihaya!

I have a green hair fetish :heh::heh:

Chihaya is pretty moe though.

Dammit why won't you download faster

Hemisphere

2008-04-29, 15:08

Greenhair fetish! \o/

Sasara does appear in the trial, but only briefly. That is, unless we're counting the extra ero scenes included in the trial. In which case, yes, she makes a full-blown (innuendo not intended) appearance.

Also: this quite accurately sums up my feelings for the abrupt cutoff of the Natsuzora Kanata trial.

http://mouyamete.oniichannoecchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/chihaya03.png

Sterling01

2008-04-29, 15:18

So is the cutoff as bad as the 11eyes' trial?

johnishida

2008-04-29, 16:36

Finally! It took three freaking hours to download >_< Time to read!

Dagger

2008-04-30, 10:07

Hemisphere

2008-04-30, 10:18

This is kind of not related to anything, but I was wondering... how much overlap is there between female anime seiyuu & game seiyuu? (For the record, I suck at recognizing voices unless I know ahead of time who I'm listening to.) I guess I'm curious because when it comes to male seiyuu, there's a huge amount of overlap between the people who appear in anime/non-ero games and those who appear in ero & BL games (either using their real names or really obvious aliases). It's been my impression, however, that female seiyuu are more segregated in that respect... is that true, or is it just a matter of them using aliases more meticulously?

It's the same, female seiyuus can appear in both eroge and anime. Biggest example would have to be Shizuka Ito, who is well known as an anime seiyuu, but also appears in several eroges, like ToHeart 2 Another Days, MagusTale Infinity, Tayutama -kiss on my deity-, Ina Koi, Braban!, Fortune Arterial and Daibanchou and many more! They just love using aliases.

Kaioshin Sama

2008-04-30, 13:51

Rance VI and believe it or not I actually wrote a Monster Article (http://animehistory.wordpress.com/2008/04/30/why-i-find-rance-vi-more-enjoyable-than-ffxii/) about why I like it more then a mainstream RPG. It's a great game and not that hard to get into even if you don't know much Japanese. Lots of stuff to do as well that makes it well worth the investment. Plus the music is some of the best you are ever going to find in an eroge (at least in my opinion) so you won't be bored while playing it.

Hemisphere

2008-04-30, 14:48

Kaioshin Sama

2008-04-30, 15:39

Sorry Kaioshin, but preaching about the awesomeness of games like Rance and whatnot to people who have no idea about the eroge/RPG market in Japan will just be tantamount to pissing in the ocean. More so if you try to compare and contrast games like these against the more popular and accepted titles. :(

Sad but true.

By the way, what did you think of Sengoku Rance in its entirety, after having played through Rance VI?

Big! But honestly, both have a similar style of trying to get the player to manage his resources well, be it character SP with Rance VI or troop levels, territory and funds with Sengoku. Honestly I think Sengoku Rance improved on everything that Rance VI had in terms of gameplay except in the area of exploration. There's nothing like actually going through the areas of Zeth filling out the map and finding treasure in Sengoku Rance. Sengoku Rance has more characters and routes etc and is by far the larger more involved game, but Rance VI has more of the classic characters and favourites (although there is the event in Sengoku Rance that nets you most of the regulars, but no Patton, Rick etc.) and a greater focus on each of them.

It honestly depends more on what I'm in the mood for at the time, but I think they are both awesome in their own rights. Still I'd give the nod to Sengoku Rance over Rance VI if one absolutely had to choose between the two of them.

johnishida

2008-05-01, 15:07

Well, I just finished reading Kamipani! Very good game! Clochette's first project left a good impression on me so looking forward to their next release! A very well deserved 7.5/10!

Next: Chaos;Head! :D

ahmad

2008-05-01, 16:37

Kampani is the first game i'm playing :). I just installed that and atlas +agth today. With my very limited japanese it is a little hard to understand exactly what is going on. Plus atlas alot of times just writes romaji for the hiragana instead of translating.
I also have the games you guys recommended here on my to-play list. Thanks alot for those =D

HashiriyaR32

2008-05-01, 22:09

It's time to play........SPOT THE ANIME REFERENCES!!!!!!

Take a look at this background CG from 11eyes. List EVERY single item you recognize.

http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/57/1209682967644qv7.jpg

Hemisphere

2008-05-01, 22:11

Hahaha, I know, I noticed that earlier on in the demo. I was laughing so hard when I saw that background CG!

LoSs

2008-05-02, 06:26

Oh god, i cant wait form my G-sen no Maou anymore.

Kresnik

2008-05-02, 21:22

Next: Chaos;Head!
I hope you're ready for some mental trauma for completing this game. Half-completing this game is the best way to play. Prepare to send curses to whoever making the scenario for B Route. I haven't tried the underwear patch, but considering its size (400+ MB), it better have something else added for the scenario itself to fix B route.

It's time to play........SPOT THE ANIME REFERENCES!!!!!!

Take a look at this background CG from 11eyes. List EVERY single item you recognize.
Man, that's a LOT!. Takumi's room from Chaos;Head also had some direct anime/game references, and didn't even got a censor! I think they managed to ask for permission for each thing they showed.

relentlessflame

2008-05-05, 21:13

Because the Chaos;Head discussion was already approaching 10 posts (and they were all basically talking about game endings), I split off that discussion to a new Chaos;Head thread. I would encourage everyone to continue the more detailed discussion of that game over there. Thanks! :)

DarkWarrior

2008-05-05, 21:29

Kresnik

2008-05-06, 01:14

There's already a Chaos;Head thread relentlessflame, so you might want to merge those two together.

Anyways, tried out the Natsuzora Kanata trial, and it seemed pretty interesting. Not fond of the whole memory loss thing though (ef a tale of memories comes to mind), but we'll see how it plays out.
@relentlessflame: Yes, I thought it should be merged too.

But it seems Chihaya in Natsuzora Kanata is a little different from Chihiro from ef in terms of their memory loss condition. Chihaya able to remember several days of her memories without losing it, then losing them altogether. While Chihiro will be able to remember as long as she keeps on remembering it, then if she skips the schedule she lose all of them. I don't know which one is more miserable than the other, but Chihiro might be worse off.

relentlessflame

2008-05-06, 23:17

You're both right about there already being a thread, but that makes the whole thing even more perplexing. If there was already a thread for it, why was everypme discussing the ending routes here? I thought "surely, they must be doing this because they don't know whether it warrants a topic of its own", but apparently I was wrong... :heh:

In general, I've found that this thread sometimes feels like it's becoming almost a chatroom/twitter collection for anything ero-game related, and that really isn't the point of this thread... :heh:

Dagger

2008-05-06, 23:19

Yeah, it does kind of feel like this is a "favorite eroge" thread and an "eroge news" thread and a "what eroge are you currently playing" thread all mashed up into one. :heh:

relentlessflame

2008-05-07, 02:55

Well, in the spirit of the thread, the latest game that has my attention is Fizz's Asanagi no Aquanauts. Only played through one route so far (that of the titular heroine, Mio), but I've been quite pleased with it on the whole.

Useless without pics, so...
http://www.relentlessness.com/games/aquanauts/aquanauts_box_cover-front_thumb.jpg (http://www.relentlessness.com/games/aquanauts/aquanauts_box_cover-front_200dpi.jpg)http://www.relentlessness.com/games/aquanauts/aquanauts_illust-book_cover-front_thumb.jpg (http://www.relentlessness.com/games/aquanauts/aquanauts_illust-book_cover-front_200dpi.jpg) http://www.relentlessness.com/games/aquanauts/aquanauts_bonus-disc_cover-front_thumb.jpg (http://www.relentlessness.com/games/aquanauts/aquanauts_bonus-disc_cover-front_200dpi.jpg) http://www.relentlessness.com/games/aquanauts/aquanauts_telecard_thumb.jpg (http://www.relentlessness.com/games/aquanauts/aquanauts_telecard_300dpi.jpg)(By the way, the School Swimsuit disc is a patch disc that simply converts all of the normal in-game swimsuits into school swimsuits, if that's your preference... :heh: It doesn't actually change any game files, though, so you can turn it on or off by just renaming the patch install folder.)

Shinova already posted a summary of the trial version, which is basically the first hour or so of the game, so I guess there's no need to repeat the basic premise. So I'll jump straight to impressions (I'll use two levels of spoiler tags -- one for mild spoilers/the first few hours-ish, and the another for comments about the end-game scenario/overall).

Really, like Shinova said in the trial summary, the game has a lot of fun and interesting elements all packed together in a bit of a jarring way, but my overall impression of the game, at least after completing the first and titular story scenario, is quite good.

The game combines a lot of things you've almost definitely seen before if you're at all familiar with the anime/manga/bishoujo-game culture of the last few years: the tsundere ojou-sama with a secret that only you (the protagonist) know, the kouhai with obvious feelings that just can't seem to get across, the boisetrous and doting onee-san who's more than a little protective of her younger brother, and the mysterious quasi-loli beauty of few (and very slowly-spoken) words. I mean I guarantee that you'll recognize every single one of these characters pretty much instantly, even if you can't quite place them exactly. For people looking primarily for originality, this might be a strong negative, but I personally felt the familiarity helped me get into the game's story more quickly. It felt pretty much just like an anime, so it didn't take long to get into it.

In addition to all that, though, the game offers a number of other fun little quirks that, while again not entirely original, build a pretty good dynamic between the cast pretty quickly. I won't ruin them all, but a few of my favourites were...

The whole mermaid premise itself; it's pretty cute and pretty well played-out. It seems at first to be a bit close to Seto no Hanayome, but in the end it's a fair bit different too (more about that below).
The on-going joke about Mio's conspicuous "no-pan" situation -- because, after all, mermaids don't wear them, so why should she be inconvenienced by something so troublesome? :heh:
The immediate and obvious friction between Mio and Yuriko from the moment they first meet (at Aki's house). Sparks flying, tensions rising, "fish vs. cat: round 1 -- fight!" As they say, "epic". :heh:
Yuriko's almost Haruhi-Suzumiya-like tendancy to make decisions that implicate others, inform them after the fact, and use her own very persuasive methods to get her way (without ever seeming like any sort of bad person, deep down).
Mariel (pictured in the telecard above) -- the star-crossed foreigner who's lived in Japan all her life. Her parents are English, but she totally sucks at it, and her small stature and child-like mannerisms make her the brunt of every joke. It's really hard not to feel sorry for her. :heh:
Miyuki (often pictured next to Mio in promo art, such as above) -- a blend of the kouhai and childhood friend archetypes. The shy, kind-hearted, soft-spoken beauty, popular among the guys, who always goes out of her way to offer you lunch. Envy of the school? You bet! But there's always a catch, and it involves a lot of "gomen nasai! gomen nasai!" :heh:

If there are any flaws in the content, it's not so much for the elements of the story itself -- like I said, there are just a ton of fun ideas packed in there -- it's more the way they're executed that feels a bit disjointed throughout the whole story. It's sort of like they couldn't quite figure out how to tie everything together perfectly, so it often feels like the story's changing gears -- "okay, now we're doing this!" "oh yeah, and we should probably mention this!". Maybe some of the revelations just needed a bit stronger foreshadowing to tie things together? For example (and I'll keep this vague and nondescript), you go about 1/4 of the way through the story, and all of a sudden Yuriko brings up "by the way, I'm in charge of this event and you're all helping" -- I said before that's sort of a good thing about her personality, but it's a bit weird for the story. Also, you go at least half-way through Mio's story, and then all of a sudden they bring up the fact that, actually, she's been looking for someone important to her all this while. It's totally obvious that these things are to help move the plot forward, but it sort of gives the impression that they didn't really know entirely what they were doing when they started writing the story. And that sort of continues through the entire story -- it's like they had all these really good ideas, but couldn't quite figure out how to put them together in this format. I actually think the way it's structured would work a lot better in a manga or an anime, but it's presented more like a traditional visual novel with day seperators. Maybe they should take a cue from feng or someone in this regard.

The trend I was talking about just above sort of continued all the way to the end of Mio's scenario and, again, it sort of felt like they couldn't really figure out what they wanted to do. Mostly this was because they kept teasing you with a certain ending over and over, but then took it away at the last minute. And each time they did that, they'd again shift gears, and go on another bout -- sometimes a very interesting one -- but then they'd shift gears again and start on something else. There are a number of revelations that come out of the Mio end-game scenario, but they're not really fully fleshed-out or developed. Sort of more like they're "toyed with", but then set aside. But this could be because they'll play a larger role in the stories involving other characters, so I should be careful not to assume too much after only going through one path.

All that being said, I did still like the scenario, especially including the epilogue, which actually did tie pretty well to at least a big chunk of the story. I would say they pretty much saved it, and it definitely worked. If it ever got adapated to an anime, and they decided to stay true to the game's story, I could see it easily being cleaned up and perfected without much trouble. Just forcing them to re-tell the story in a shorter timespan, and so concentrating on the important things, would probably be enough to fix all my concerns. (Not that the game needed to be shorter -- the scenario was only maybe 10-15 hours. In fact, maybe that's the problem -- maybe they felt they had to pad the story for length? Anyway, enough about this issue...)

Incidentally, the biggest difference between this and Seto no Hanayome really comes down to Mio. Although Mio and Sun are both mermaids who've had their identity revealed to a guy and need to keep their identity mostly a secret from others, that's basically where the similarities end in terms of their characters. Mio, being a tsundere, brings a totally different dynamic to the story; deep down she's distant, resigned to her fate, and lonely. Her first instincts are to run away and face her problems on her own. So, in this story, she, rather than fate/family/other characters, is basically the main "enemy" of the romance. That's the tsundere way -- you have to break through the shell to get them to stop putting up their barriers. And, I have to admit, that was one of the things I found a bit frustrating about Mio as a character and in the way they portrayed that in the game. In the end, it's always about having them run out of excuses. But that's a tsundere for you, and it sort of goes with the territory. At first I considered this a more major flaw, but after giving it some thought, I think it's just part what it took to stay true to the character.Anyway, so now that my ramblings have turned into this mammoth post, maybe I'd better wrap things up by giving my impressions about the technical aspects of the game (from what I've seen so far, at least). As Shinova said in his review of the trial, the in-game graphics are okay, but it's in the CGs (and certain ones in particular) where the game artists really shine; some of the art is just really, really well done. When I say that, though, I'm not necessarily referring to the CGs that "everyone's thinking of". All in all, for the most part, this is one of those games (like so many) that doesn't really benefit much from the sex scenes, or certainly need as many (there were 5 in Mio's scenario). The integration into the rest of the story (at least in Mio's scenario) ranges from decent to pretty bad; some of them are really just pandering throw-aways that don't really tie into the plot that much, and so stick out in not such a great way. It doesn't help that the sex scenes feature what has to be probably the single worse piece of sex-scene BGM I've heard in an ero-game... possibly ever. Other than that, though, the music in the game ranges from decent to very good, I'd say. The biggest highlight is the OP/ED pieces, which of course feature the voice of Mio, Yui Sakakibara. Speaking of which, the voice acting is definitely one of the other big draws to the game; all of the main heroines are very well-acted, with Yui Sakakibara being the obvious major highlight (and, really, you can see why they built a lot of the game's marketing around her as a main character -- it's a role she plays very well).

So, what's next? I think I'm going to try for Yuriko's scenario, followed by Miyuki. I'm not sure if I'll get to Kanaka because, to be honest, I'm just not sure if her slow-speaking dead-pan quiet-type persona is really for me (though she does get a fair bit more interesting and involved once she warms up to everyone - I guess that also goes with the territory too).Anyway, from where I stand so far, I wouldn't have any problem recommending the full game to anyone who enjoyed the trial. I didn't feel it was necessarily quite as solid as a romantic comedy as something like Tsunagaru Bangle (which was a riot), and it doesn't quite have the writing chops of a big-name production, but it brings a lot of fun (if not entirely original) ideas to the table and combines them in a pretty decent way. Worth a look, anyway. :)

Vash002

2008-05-27, 16:24

I just started this game: Chrono Belt.
It's a crossover between Ayakashibito and Bullet Butlers (Propeller's best games), and I must say, it's pretty cool. OST is awesome and the art is beautiful (Chuuouhigashiguchi is the designer, hell yeah).
Gameplay is simple, end the two paths you can select, and then you unlock the main and third route. The voice acting is superb.
http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/4550/holyshityj8.th.png (http://img365.imageshack.us/my.php?image=holyshityj8.png) http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/7307/fuckyeahpn1.th.png (http://img329.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fuckyeahpn1.png)

Too bad I still don't know how to save the game (Probably because I need to install it and I'm just playing directly from the DVD); anyway, I recommend this novel, it has comedy (Really funny), mistery, action, etc.

Dagger

2008-05-27, 16:58

Just finished Propeller's Chrono Belt (the crossover sequel to Ayakashibito and Bullet Butlers). It was really damn good, not to mention full of surprises. I cried a lot. :heh: However, I definitely wouldn't recommend playing it without knowledge of both the previous games.

EDIT: Dammit!! Beaten by a few seconds. XD

MeganeShounen

2008-05-28, 00:50

How should I put this... wasn't Marmalade supposed to release a fandisc of sorts for their recent games like Lyrical Lyric?

Just posting a blogpost link about said game. (http://xcomprandomness.co.uk/2008/05/27/nintendo-ds-getting-a-real-adult-visual-novel-game/)

Good thing it's just an advertisement for the real game, since I don't think they'd allow ero content on consoles and all. :heh:

Erhjegel would also be hot on the trail of this game, I suppose. :D

MeganeShounen

2008-05-28, 22:14

Tentacle-genre... huh? ^_^;

My pick would go to Inyouchuu (淫妖蟲). I think it's the most hardcore tentacle game I've seen so far. Then again, I'm no expert at these things... :heh:

Dagger

2008-06-03, 17:43

Just got my copy of ef - the latter tale.

Will be interesting to see how much Chihiro's story follows the anime. I just started, but I already get the sense that the ratio of regular standing drawings is higher here than in the first tale... could be just me, though; it's been a while.

MeganeShounen

2008-06-05, 09:42

Seems like the Oretsuba ~Prelude~ was leaked.
OP, in the spoiler link.

Link to Youtube video. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S_xrwfb8Rg)
The OP's not bad... even if this Prelude serves as something to tide the fans over for 4 months.
Wow. What's with the delay...?

Before anyone would ask, the song's "Sky Sanctuary" and sung by Hashimoto Miyuki.

PS: I liked the scene with the blushing Kobato. :D

EDIT: The Youtube tag won't work properly, for some reason...

johnishida

2008-06-06, 13:08

Today, I finished Yuzu Soft's latest game: Natsuzora Kanata!

There are no words that can express how much I loved this game! The story, the visuals, the music, the characters! It was worth waiting all this time for this game! Yuzu Soft didn't let me down this time either! In fact, it was better than I had expected!

My only dissatisfaction is would be:
Chihaya didn't have a definitive Good or Happy ending >_<

The first one brought her back just to slowly kill her again >_< While the second one managed to save her from her sad destiny but, as a compensation, they were forced to start from ZERO though, from the small talk they had the same Fate that pulled then apart will, once again, unite them.

Dagger

2008-06-09, 18:08

Got delayed a bit, but finally finished ef - the latter tale. It was beautiful, of course. Mizuki's story was by far my favorite in either game (unsurprising, since she's my favorite of the female characters, and Kuze ended up being my favorite of the guys).

TBH, the only thing keeping ef from being way high up in my top ten is the fact that I actually didn't like Yuuko's chapter very much. As a story and as the framework for the rest of the game, it was fantastic... this is especially apparent in the present-day epilogue. Some aspects of her character just didn't hang together very well for me, though.

Also, it's kind of obnoxious that--as was the case with the first tale--such a cinematic game doesn't have a proper scene replay list, but that's purely a gripe with the system.

Still, Mizuki makes everything better. Not to mention the powerful direction and great music and so forth. I was delighted that Shaft did a bit of animation at the end there.

Newprimus

2008-06-14, 22:47

http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=533245
http://www.a-kaguya.com/products_BY/prima/index.html

(NSFW for above links)

Played the trial of Prima Stella which is by Atelier Kaguya Berkshire Yorkshire. Here's what I have to say about the trial:

Prima Stella takes place in the typical modern day Japan that most high-school romance ero-games take place in, so I don't need to get into that very much.

Both fortunately and unfortunately the trial was pretty short so summarizing it won't be hard. You are Sakaki Kousuke, a high school student who is aspiring to be a champion swimmer, and is due to participate in an important competition tomorrow. On the way home he and his friend and swim club president (name escapes me, sorry) wait at an intersection. The light turns red but there's a car that's not stopping. At the same time a boy and a girl are starting to cross the road from Kousuke's side, and an unrelated teacher nearby tries to get them to get back onto the sidewalk but her warning comes too late as the car comes barreling towards the two.

By sheer impulse, Kousuke rushes forwards and pushes the two out of harm's way, only to be hit by the car instead, landing him in the hospital and in a coma for two months.

Fast forward a couple of months, and our hero regains his consciousness to everyone's relief. He is expected to fully recover in time and is suffering no serious physical or mental damages, but his time in bed has taken a toll on his physical condition, and now he has a massive uphill battle to regain his former strength and get back onto his road to becoming a swimmer.

Some time later, he is brought to the principal's office where Kobayakawa Miyuki, a representative from St. Etoile's School for Girls, is waiting to meet him. St. Etoile is an elite girls' school for the super rich and prestigious. It is located near Kousuke's school but it is enclosed inside its own little city-like community and compound, practically sealing it off from the outside. Girls from the upper levels of society attend their in relative isolation from the rest of society.

It turns out that the girl Kousuke saved on that fateful day is a student from that school, and as a show of gratitude (initially proposed by the girl's parents) the school has offered Kousuke an opportunity to become an exchange student and attend St. Etoile's School for Girls.

Needless to say, Kousuke's kinda flabbergasted. He points out there are a number of exams one has to take and basically be an ace student in order to become chosen for the exchange program, but the biggest problem of all..... he's a guy.

Kousuke expresses his gratitude, but insists that he can't possibly take the offer. Kobayakawa explains that when she first heard of the idea she opposed it, but took the opportunity to come in person to see what kind of person Kousuke is, and she states that he has impressed her and is a decent and worthy human being, and re-states the offer. Plus, St. Etoile's has top-notch swimming and PE equipment which Kousuke can utilize to bring himself back to shape, so he would benefit immeasurably from this. Again she asks that Kousuke accept St. Etoile's gratitude and become their exchange student.

Eventually Kousuke relents and accepts the offer in a dignified manner.

The big day arrives and Kousuke at St. Etoile's own train station (I think) waiting for someone to arrive to show him into the school. Someone does arrive, and it turns out to be the girl he rescued months earlier, Tohouin Shizuka. She first takes him aside to a secluded park and then proceeds to shower Kousuke with apologies. :heh: Kousuke says it's no big deal and eventually the two get over it and Shizuka takes him to their dorm.

And what a dorm too. It's huge, like a hotel, and each student's room is basically a luxury suite. As expected of a school for the super rich and prestigious. She offers to escort him to dinner later on, and Kousuke agrees.

Kousuke now starts getting situated to his new "room" when he notices he has forgotten to bring his textbooks. Just then the buzzer sounds and he goes to the door to see who it is.

It's a girl he's never seen before......... not really. It's Onoshima Kusumi, or Kusu-nee, his cousin who's older than him. Kusumi suffocates Kousuke with her chest, goes all "Kou-chan, Kou-chaaaaaaaaan!!!~" and etc. :D

They have a long talk to catch up for the years they were separated. Kousuke's surprised initially to see Kusumi at St. Etoile's, until he remembers that her family's rich and prestigious too. Turns out though that she's also St. Etoile's student council president.

Kousuke: WTF

(basically) :p

He's all "How can a tennen-boke like you be student council president!?" and Kusumi goes "Waaaaah, you called me a tennen-boke" and gets all depressed. :heh:

Anyway, they keep talking until it's dinner time and Kousuke notices it's time to meet Shizuka, and so he apologizes to Kusumi once they're out in the hallway and runs away toward the dining hall, but comes back cause he doesn't know where it is.

After he separates from Kusumi, who has an appointment with friends, he finds Shizuka who takes him into the dining hall. More like a five-star restaurant, really. Along the way he hears girls around them referring to Shizuka as "princess" which he ignores for now. He meets two of Shizuka's friends.

One of them is Takasu Miyabi, who's a rising star in the entertainment industry. Kousuke realizes who she is after remembering a ham commercial he heard her perform in at one time. The other is Hibiri Tomoe, a student one year below Kousuke, and Miyabi's imouto, in a upper-lowerclassmen pair St. Etoile calls a "conduct" or something (maybe I'm getting it wrong).

They get acquainted and start looking through the menu. Kousuke, being a lowly commoner thrust into the world of the upper class, has no idea what's on the menu. Tomoe comes to the rescue by giving them tonights recommendation. Dinner is ordered.

As they wait, they talk about stuff and they come to the fact that it's customary in St. Etoile's to refer to everyone by their first name. Everyone's equal here. And so Kousuke gets used to it and calls Miyabi and Shizuk by their first names. Shizuka goes fire engine red and is muttering under her breath, "He called me by my first name!" and such. ;)

Dinner arrives at last!.............. but Kousuke has no idea how to eat it. Everyone sweat-drops.

Later in the evening he reads a bunch of printouts he finds in his room (the dorm has daily room service, for crying out loud, goodness sakes!!) and one of them speaks of schedule changes for the dorm bath, now that they have a male living with them. Kousuke decides to have a go at the bath, and sets off once the time arrives.

As expected, the bath is huge. He takes a jump into it, profusely enjoying how wide it is and how he's the only one inside. He starts some backstrokes.... and finds out there's someone else in the bath with him.

It's Shizuka. Kousuke freaks out and starts getting out, but notices Shizuka's not moving. He tries to get a reaction from her and eventually he gets one: she faints. :heh:

He carries her out to the dressing room and she eventually wakes up and realizes her mistake at having walked into the bath at the wrong hour. Shizuka starts apologizing profusely again and offers to wash Kousuke's back. Kousuke resists at first, but afterwards gives in.

Back-washing, and he asks her why everyone seems to refer to as princess, and she tells him that it's because her family has been connected to St. Etoile's for a long time and had made many contributions to the school. She feels that she's inadequate for such a distinction. Kousuke says that he thought she was a princess when he first saw her at the station, so it doesn't matter what her station is or whatever; she'll still be like a princess to him. Shizuka thanks him for that, saying that it's the first time anyone's said such things about her.

He goes to take a dip in the bath, and Shizuka tries to follow but Kousuke opposes it on the grounds that she already had her time in the bath and taking another won't be good for her health (that and it'd be really bad if someone walked in and saw them :p ). She then offers to escort him to class the next morning, to which he agrees.

After bath he goes to bed, anxious to see what tomorrow and his first day in class would bring.

I said the summary should be pretty short, and I was wrong!!!

The cast of characters are as follows:

Sakaki Kousuke

Our hero. His dream is to be a swimming champion. A person with a gentle and dignified character. He's more stable than most male protagonists: I haven't seen him burst a nosebleed or react too strongly to the presence of women, so he's a really stable and likeable character. Very honorable.

Tohouin Shizuka

The girl that Kousuke saves from a car accident. Called "Princess" at St. Etoile's due to her family's reputation and connections with the school. She's in the same class as Kousuka. Her personality is gentle and dignified, but she's inconfident in her self-worth and feels really guilty about the accident. She tries her best to make Kousuke's life at St. Etoile as pleasant as possible.

Onoshima Kusumi

The daughter of a family that owns some kind of production company, and Kousuke's older cousin and St. Etoile's student council president. Energetic, dotes on Kousuke, and can seem unreliable, which makes her sad, such as when Kousuke calls her a tennen-boke. Sees herself as Kousuke's "onee-san".

Takasu Miyabi

A rising star in the entertainment industry. Expertly juggles work along with student life. Mature, dignified, and with good style. Looked up to by many, and is the "onee-sama" of the pair between herself and Tomoe.

Hibiri Tomoe

Kousuke's energetic lowerclassman at St. Etoile's, and the imouto of the pair between herself and Miyabi. Not much else known about her yet.

There's also Kobayakawa, who's also the adviser to St. Etoile's swim club. A beautiful nun/sister at St. Etoile. There's also Kousuke's friend and swim club captain of his original school but I don't how often he's going to reappear in the game.

Anyway, fascinating concept. One guy at a girls' school. And this isn't some covert op like in Otoboku or Koitate where the hero dresses as a girl. No, in this game he's himself and everyone else knows full well he's a guy. So what will happen to our intrepid hero in a school filled with beautiful and rich girls? :D

I liked the trial more than I though I would. All the characters are great, and none of them are annoying in anyway. Tomoe's not too energetic, Shizuka's not too easily-frightened, and so on. The game's production values aren't high, so that's a bit of a bummer, but shouldn't be too much of a problem. There's no fantastical catch to the story so far it seems; no magic or whatever, just a high school romance of some kind, so I don't know if the full game can give us an interesting twist to the story or not.

Plus, you can't possibly resist this CG: http://www.a-kaguya.com/products_BY/prima/sample5_2.html
:heh:

This game debuts the 27th of June, so look forward to it!

HashiriyaR32

2008-06-14, 22:52

Kobayakawa Miyuki

STOP!! HAMMERZEIT!!!!!

What are the chances that an eroge character would share a name with a You're Under Arrest! character!?!

johnishida

2008-06-15, 08:54

I finished Chaos;Head recently but, instead of playing G線上の魔王 I decided to play 11eyes and Princess Frontier first.

So far, 11eyes been pretty good... Misuzu-senpai :3

Kresnik

2008-06-15, 23:08

And anyone hasn't been playing to G線上の魔王? I will be starting it tomorrow, but still I have to finish Chaos Head and eleven eyes >___<
http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=297425

P.D. The game It's number one!
http://www.getchu.com/pc/salesranking200805.html
It's pretty nice to see Chaos;Head in the list, though it's not an eroge. I hope more high-quality non-eroge titles to come out, since it's pretty tiring to hear the seiyuu's sigh all the time, to the point that I click-skip through the scene, so an alternative storytelling is very welcomed.

From the list, I already played ef - the latter tale and Natsuzora Kanata, leaving G-Senjou no Maou from the Top-3 game. Maybe I'll make it as the next one as I've just finished ef last night. Or maybe I'll try some doujin games as refreshments before playing another eroge.

Klashikari

2008-06-16, 03:58

And anyone hasn't been playing to G線上の魔王? I will be starting it tomorrow, but still I have to finish Chaos Head and eleven eyes >___<
*raises hand* Finished G senjou a couple weeks ago, and it is definitely an excellent VN (there is already a thread (http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=66969)for it, also)

Guh, on my side, I'm completely hesitating between 11eyes, kamipani! (yup, completely late :heh:)... and yet there are also Natsuzora Kanata and Ef - the latter tale...

too much to play, geh...

Hemisphere

2008-06-16, 04:57

Honestly, I'm having problems going on with Kamipani!. Either I've burned myself out from all the sheer anticipation that I had to put up with from having to wait for it, or it's exactly the game's problem: that it's rather boring. Well, maybe that, or maybe there are just some boring parts...which I'm unfortunately stuck with.

I've also yet to finish both ExE and Natsukana. The former because I'm afraid of Aoyama Yukari, and the second because I'm buried too much in my backlog. Gah...

I ended up liking Natsukana a lot, even if I only played through Chihaya's route so I can't give rate the game overall. Her endings, however, are just so...>_____>;...well...

Also, don't forget! Fukuyama Jun's performance in G Senjou no Maou is a must-see (read?)! He'll remind you so much of Zero that you'll get goosebumps!

Hemisphere

2008-06-16, 08:25

Oh, and I forgot to ask: does anyone know if there's an upcoming OST release for Natsuzora Kanata? I keep (stalking) checking up on Yuzusoft's site, but I see nothing along those lines. Which is a shame, because Natsukana had quite some good music.

Sterling01

2008-06-16, 09:22

johnishida

2008-06-16, 12:38

From what I know... no there isn't any plans for one.

really!? :(

that's quite a disappointment, I really like the music of this one.

Do you know if the OST for Chaos;Head will be released? This 26th the single that plays during FES' live will be released but, haven't heard anything about the whole OST.

Sterling01

2008-06-16, 12:54

really!? :(

that's quite a disappointment, I really like the music of this one.

Do you know if the OST for Chaos;Head will be released? This 26th the single that plays during FES' live will be released but, haven't heard anything about the whole OST.
Seeing as Nitro+ always releases the OSts for their games it's safe to say that there will be one.

technomo12

2008-06-17, 10:44

question do you either buy or Download this game cuz i got my slave pageant through the net

Sterling01

2008-06-17, 10:51

I buy most of my eroges as I live right next to a import shop

Hemisphere

2008-06-17, 11:10

Newprimus

2008-06-17, 13:02

I forgot to post it earlier, but Shinova (or anyone else), would you guys mind posting about your experience with Princess Witches and Twinkle Crusaders (the demo of the latter)? Either one or the other would suffice, I just need some information on those two titles.

I'm really interested at Twinkle Crusaders at the moment, but I'm not sure if I need to play Princess Witches beforehand or anything like that. I don't, right?

You do not need to play Princess Witches beforehand. They have a similar elements and could possibly take place in the same universe, but other than that they're unrelated.

My experiences with Princess Witches have been very satisfying, although I haven't finished the game yet. It got a Best Game award at Getchu, and by my personal experience I'd say it is a very top-notch game with boatloads of awesome and funny.

It's about your main dude, Masaki, who dreams of being a hero to the point of delusion at occasions. One night he encounters a real monster outside the school dorms, and he also meets Kururu, the lead heroine. She fights with the monster, and mid-way through Masaki accidentally bumps into her and the two fall down and accidentally kiss. This has the effect of giving Masaki some magic power, but at the same time deprives Kururu of some of hers. She needs his help to take down the monster and they do so. From the next morning onwards she transfers into his class and the two decide to set up a Magic Club (or was it Witches Club?). Hijinks and more battles follow.

I left out a lot of character interaction and funnies cause there's probably too much to list.

This was when the Lillian crew were still part of Pajamas Soft, and like other Pajamas Soft games (and with Twinkle Crusaders as well) the production values are quite high. Animated characters on-screen like Prism Ark, and lots of motion and effects. Great art too, same person who's doing Twinkle Crusaders. And like Prism Ark, the voice acting acrobatics, as I like to call it, are top-notch in this game. :D

Totally lovable cast of characters. There's Suzumiya Ringo, the tsuntsun osanajimi with the most awesome tsuntsun osanajimi voice acting in the world. There's Iincho who's full name is NEVER mentioned in the entire game :heh: who has a sort of secret crush on Masaki and who's kinda secretly perverted (and has ero magazines in her room). Kasuga Karen, the quiet girl who's to an-pan as Shana is to melon-pan.

As I said before, the voice acting is top-notch as in Pajamas Soft games, and the game features very high feats of voice acting "acrobatics", second only to Prism Ark for the sheer ranges and energy of the voice acting. The music is also very excellent. Both OPs are some of the more distinct and enjoyable ones that I've seen.

The battle system can take a while getting used to (it would've helped if I knew some more Japanese back then) but it's not hard.

The plot structure isn't made up like most ADVs where you choose a character route. You have a single route that results in one ending in the first playthrough. You then replay the game and the same route results in new scenes and a different ending that goes farther in the story. And at the very last playthrough you have character ending branches in the very end. For most of the game you can make choices favoring certain characters but all these really do I think is to level up each character's special ability in battle sequences or something I believe.

Totally top-notch game.

As for the Twinkle Crusaders demo, it's really, really long so I haven't finished it yet. I don't know how the full game will be like.

So far, it's good but not as good as Princess Witches. Since it's a trial it probably hasn't gotten to the real meat of the plot yet, so that could be why but the trial kinda drags for a long while. Maybe it'll be different for the full game.

Sakura Shin is your name, and with the help of the former student council president, Kujou Ria, you have been elected student council president. Your fellow student council members include vice-president Misa Bridgitte Christella, and members Yuugiri Nanaka and Lolotte Rozencroitz.

The plot starts rolling when you and Ria are leaving the student council room for the day and encounter a monster. Ria, faced with no choice, transforms into a magic girl before Shin's eyes and fights with the monster. Ria asks Shin to keep it a secret for now.

Shin goes home to an apartment complex that his family owns in which he's the only resident, and finds a gift box. He unwraps it and out pops a talking panda doll who calls him Maou-sama (demon king) for some reason. And blast, I forgot his name, but anyway.

Later on Ria gathers the whole student council and explains to them the truth. In reality, the student council had been tasked with defending the world or something from demons that often try to invade from their realm. Ria was one such member and each generation of their school's student council had passed on the responsibility to the succeeding ones. Ria hands each of the student council members a magic crystal that they can use to transform into a mage and fight evil. And so the student council tasked with defending the world from evil is assembled!

Characters include Yuugiri Nanaka, your osanajimi. And almost exact copy of Ringo, a good thing and a bad thing. Misa Bridgitte Christella is the self-proclaimed eternal rival who's always trying to one-up Shin in everyting and failing miserably. Lolotte Rozencroitz is a dojikko who's easily startled and confused by things. Kujou Ria is the former student council president and now sort of an advisor or helper to the current student council; mature, huge breasts, and idolized by Misa.

There's also the school director Kujou Helena, Ria's older sister, who likes to pop in from out of nowhere and massage Ria's tits. There's that butler/maid/bodyguard of Lolotte's, that talking panda doll, and others to come.

Voice acting is also top-notch in Twinkle Crusaders, and the production values are even better than Princess Witches. For one, the screen resolution has been increased from the traditional 800x600 to something like 1000-something, giving it a widescreen look. The battle system is easier to learn yet more engaging than Princess Witches', with more tactical depth (Volt-Mega Stream and Icicle Impact.... aaah, the nostalgia). The same animated characters, numerous on-screen effects and UI animations apply here.

I can't say much about the music yet. The OP is quite good at least, though not as enjoyable and distinct as Princess Witches'.

In conclusion, Princess Witches is boatloads of awesome. Twinkle Crusaders, from the trial so far, is good with great moments. You don't need to play one to understand the other.

johnishida

2008-06-18, 10:44

Erhjegel, Could you tell me from which game are CGs you use as banners in your blog? I'm talking about this one:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/Johnishida/banner.jpg

Klashikari

2008-06-18, 11:00

johnishida

2008-06-18, 11:49

justsomeguy

2008-06-18, 14:21

Sterling01

2008-06-18, 14:47

Akatsuki no goei (http://www.syangrila.com/goei/), I believe.

*currently playing 11eyes*
Huh... Yuka and Kukuri are frigging moe, and Misuzu has her charms... though Yukiko just doesn't work on me at all :heh:
Currently on 10th october... wondering if there will be some plot twists soon, ufufu
11eyes reminds me way to much of Persona3.
Though Kukuri is fucking moe. In the sense of “I wanna have me some fucking with this moe“.
Which you don't get to do in the "main" game.

I don't want to start a new thread for a simple question, so here goes:
Does anybody own legitimate copies of Illusion's games? Sexy Beach 3, School Mate, etc. How are they packaged? In a cardboard box with a cheap and nasty jewel case (or worse, a paper sleeve) inside, or in plastic DVD cases?
I would like to buy them, but I would not want to pay big bucks for crappy packaging.

Don't they offer downloadable versions on DLsite

justsomeguy

2008-06-18, 14:56

I don't want to start a new thread for a simple question, so here goes:
Does anybody own legitimate copies of Illusion's games? Sexy Beach 3, School Mate, etc. How are they packaged? In a cardboard box with a cheap and nasty jewel case (or worse, a paper sleeve) inside, or in plastic DVD cases?
I would like to buy them, but I would not want to pay big bucks for crappy packaging.

Don't they offer downloadable versions on DLsite

Well, I already some "unofficial" copies ;)
But I've decided that having a real disc will be worth it if there is also a good case.

Sterling01

2008-06-18, 15:09

Well, I already some "unofficial" copies ;)
But I've decided that having a real disc will be worth it if there is also a good case.
Well the ones that I bought had sucky cases that broke in a week

justsomeguy

2008-06-18, 15:23

Well the ones that I bought had sucky cases that broke in a week
So legitimate brand new copies come in cardboard boxes with flimsy cd jewel cases?

Sterling01

2008-06-18, 15:33

So legitimate brand new copies come in cardboard boxes with flimsy cd jewel cases?
Pretty much

Newprimus

2008-06-18, 16:11

We all play lots of ero-games, but how many have we actually finished? From start to end, all characters, all CGs, every ending, by hand, no skipping scenes.

So out of curiosity let's see which ones we've actually finished.

I've finished:

Prism Ark
Draculius
Kamipani

And that's it, lol. :p

justsomeguy

2008-06-18, 16:18

Pretty much
Thanks. Guess I might as well look for DVD-only used copies. Is this sort of cheap packaging used for ero games in general? How about Key Visual Art's products?

Sterling01

2008-06-18, 16:24

We all play lots of ero-games, but how many have we actually finished? From start to end, all characters, all CGs, every ending, by hand, no skipping scenes.
I've finished...
Fate Stay/Night
Tsukihime
Kamipani
Gore Screaming Show
ExE
11eyes
Sakura Strasse
Saya no Uta
Gekkou no Carnevale
Kanon
ONE
Air
Devil on the G-string
Both efs
Fortune Arterial
Nursery Rhyme
Bible Black
The Whole Rance series
Beat Blades Haruka
Shirogane no Soleil
Gouen no Soleil
Inu Koi
Natsuzora Kanata
Lyrical Lyric
Lyrical DS
Miraroma
Otome Crisis
Braban
Prism Ark
and this is just when I got tired of listing them

Newprimus

2008-06-18, 17:05

Where you find the time for all that..... is amazing.

Troyd

2008-06-18, 17:35

ef the latter tale, Gouen no soleil, Lyrical DS and G-senjou, yo-you are incredible o__O
Can you stop the time or something like that? T__T

Dagger

2008-06-18, 17:52

We all play lots of ero-games, but how many have we actually finished? From start to end, all characters, all CGs, every ending, by hand, no skipping scenes.
Those are tough terms, dude. Let's see...
Wind - a breath of heart
Jingai Makyou
Saya no Uta
Quartett
Sekien no Inganock
Ayakashibito
Bullet Butlers
Chrono Belt
ONE - To the Radiant Season
Zoku Satsuriku no Jango
Kikokugai
Hana Chirasu
Chaos;Head [15+]
Daylight - Asa ni Hikari no Kanburi wo [15+ shoujo]
Togainu no Chi: True Blood [15+ BL]
Messiah [BL]
Kichiku Megane [BL]
Tamayura [BL]
Laughter Land [BL]
Live x Evil: Shakunetsu no Edema [BL]
Live x Evil: Nessa no Prometheus [BL]
Sakura Yuki [BL]
Several of those are, of course, single-path (or almost single-path) games, which does make the process rather easier. It's actually a longer list than I expected, given that I'm so lazy that I never even bothered playing the bad ends in either ef game. :heh: There are some others where I'm pretty sure I played every path, but I can't remember if I went back and hit up the bad ends too...

Newprimus

2008-06-18, 19:55

ef the latter tale, Gouen no soleil, Lyrical DS and G-senjou, yo-you are incredible o__O
Can you stop the time or something like that? T__T

I think I want to know what kind of pathetically easy but high-paying job he has to be able to play all that and still live.

Sterling01

2008-06-18, 19:58

I think I want to know what kind of pathetically easy but high-paying job he has to be able to play all that and still live.
I work as a defense Lawyer so when I don't have any case to prepare for.
I can do whatever I want.
Though, I am a fast reader so that may have something to do with it

Newprimus

2008-06-18, 20:13

Okay, not pathetically easy, but definetly high-paying. Mwaaaargh

Kresnik

2008-06-18, 21:51

Listing everything that I've played would've been too long, and listing everything that I've yet to played is even longer.. >_< But maybe those that have lurked longer here than me would have an even more longer list than mine.
In times like these, I wish that there's more than 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 4 weeks a month, and 12 months a year.. >_>

johnishida

2008-06-19, 08:04

We all play lots of ero-games, but how many have we actually finished? From start to end, all characters, all CGs, every ending, by hand, no skipping scenes.

Fate/Stay Night
Prism Ark
Princess Witches Excellent
Kamipani
Little Busters!
Fortune Arterial
Peace@Pieces
Nanatsuiro Drops
Utawarerumono
Braban
ExE
Natsuzora Kanata
Aozora No Mieru Oka
Akai Iro Soma Saka
Shuffle!
Tick! Tack!
Chaos;Head
Seinarukana
Soshite Ashita No Sekai Yori
.tan
Hajimete No Otetsudai

I think that's pretty much it!

Klashikari

2008-06-19, 18:37

geh... I'm just done with 30th october in 11eyes and...

What the BLOODY hell is that cheap twist?!

I was completely caught by the hell pace with the overkill double death in couple of days (namely, Saiko and Takahisa), then suddenly, the scripters just ruined the cake with some bunch of... oh so cliché "bad guys are not "bad"!"...
For crying out lourd, I can't take seriously how the Black Knights are supposed to be "good guys" in the lot (especially their ridiculous vocabulary, along with "In the name of ruin"...).
Yet, I don't even understand why now, Kakeru's and co are going to whack Supervia and Avaritia, considering they are sealing Lizellotte... (if anyone can help me in case I missed the point, that would be a great favor).

My suspension of disbelief was hit very hard (along with Lizette turning into "lol real copy suigintou" Lizellotte), but it went much worse with Shiori's explanations, then Kakeru's discovery that everyone are from different "worlds"... Give me a break... I was really interested that some inconsistencies were pointed by the characters here and there (especially the so convenient "everyone are from the same school), but that was kinda over the top.

I was enjoying the game a lot (despite the cruel lack of romance, and horrible development of this, if you ever happen to select confess for Yuka), but these 2 recents points were just a bully punch from nowhere.

Still on 11eyes, though I just hope the rest of the plot won't turn the things into complete "wait wuut" fest.

Sterling01

2008-06-19, 19:50

Klash, Just so you know 11eyes is full of "What A twist!!!" moments.

cyth

2008-06-20, 16:57

So it seems UNiSONSHIFT Blossom of the Nanatsuiro★Drops fame is working on their newest title. They are calling it Flyable Heart -The future has already begun-. Unfortunately, ALICE Parade's Itou Zatsuon is working hard in her greens garden on her home planet (ww), so Itou Noiji will be taking over again, accompanied by Shakugan no Shana's manga artist Sasakura Ayato and Pero (probably for SD art again). Nanairo's script writers are coming back, but they're bringing in reinforcements... AGOBARIA!! (most of Navel's popular works).

Story outline isn't all of that though: our protagonist transfers to a prestigious academy on some island. Standard student council fare continues. But who knows, maybe they'll manage to surprise us. ALICE Parade was just a very lighthearted game that set a very different tone from Nanairo, but it was still very fun (at a certain ero event, you almost get raped by tea <_<;). Sale is apparently scheduled for Winter... I'm buying. <_<;

Avisch

2008-06-20, 23:26

Those are tough terms, dude. Let's see...

Jingai Makyou
Saya no Uta
Kikokugai
Hana Chirasu
Chaos;Head [15+]
Togainu no Chi: True Blood [15+ BL]

Ooh. Heavy Nitro+ player. Do you recommend Hanachirasu? I absolutely love the look of the game. And what I know of story is really cool.

Imperialist Japan still exists, has captured Korea and possibly other places. Samurai arts are still taught(?)
The main character looks nefarious. Love that insane smile of his. They really emphasize his female side (and not surprisingly he is voiced by a woman).

Also KAIGEN~! really looks cool. ( Random note: Currently every image board note thathas a image of her always thinks of her as a communist looking general.)

Kikokugai. I heard from someone (http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi?board=amg&action=display&thread=2463) is good. Saya no Uta aswell (infact I watched abit of a recorded play through of Saya no Uta and thought it was the scariest thing I had seen in a while)

Really. Nitro+ is the best blender of story elements and character types that I have seen in a while....but I have never played any of their games..unless of course you count the Gekkou no Carnivale DEMO.

MeganeShounen

2008-06-20, 23:43

Unfortunately, ALICE Parade's Itou Zatsuon is working hard in her greens garden on her home planet (ww), so Itou Noiji will be taking over again, accompanied by Shakugan no Shana's manga artist Sasakura Ayato and Pero (probably for SD art again). Nanairo's script writers are coming back, but they're bringing in reinforcements... AGOBARIA!! (most of Navel's popular works). Seems like Zatsuon took a back seat for good ol' Noiji. Not that I care, if you know what I mean. :D
And the staff list looks like a reunion party for those who have worked with Noiji before. Only things lacking are the people from Alice Parade...

Story outline isn't all of that though: our protagonist transfers to a prestigious academy on some island. Standard student council fare continues. Sounds familiar... Fortune Arterial (http://august-soft.com/fa/index.html)? :heh:

cyth

2008-06-21, 05:52

Low-res Flyable Heart scans from TECH GIAN's August issue (found on Mixi):

http://shrani.si/t/19/I6/1uVilTv9/84534374761.jpg (http://shrani.si/?19/I6/1uVilTv9/84534374761.jpg) http://shrani.si/t/3L/lK/1tkHJEVw/845343747224.jpg (http://shrani.si/?3L/lK/1tkHJEVw/845343747224.jpg)

Dagger

2008-06-21, 10:44

Ooh. Heavy Nitro+ player. Do you recommend Hanachirasu? I absolutely love the look of the game. And what I know of story is really cool.

Imperialist Japan still exists, has captured Korea and possibly other places. Samurai arts are still taught(?)
The main character looks nefarious. Love that insane smile of his. They really emphasize his female side (and not surprisingly he is voiced by a woman).

Also KAIGEN~! really looks cool. ( Random note: Currently every image board note thathas a image of her always thinks of her as a communist looking general.)

Kikokugai. I heard from someone (http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi?board=amg&action=display&thread=2463) is good. Saya no Uta aswell (infact I watched abit of a recorded play through of Saya no Uta and thought it was the scariest thing I had seen in a while)

Really. Nitro+ is the best blender of story elements and character types that I have seen in a while....but I have never played any of their games..unless of course you count the Gekkou no Carnivale DEMO.
I really liked Hanachirasu, but out of all their games I played, I think this one is the most love-it-or-hate-it. About Kaigen...

As awesome as she is, don't go into the game expecting much of her. She's a secret joke character. Basically, the main game storyline is incredibly dark and depressing (albeit addictive and well-told, of course). After you complete the serious true ending, you unlock a couple of hilarious gag endings, and Kaigen shows up in one of them.
And yeah, the main character is unlike any other.

Kikokugai is devastatingly good. It's a one-storyline game (no choices, not even for bad ends), but once you play it, you see that pretty much had to be that way. It surprises me a little that it's not as well-known as Saya... I guess that's because Saya is such an iconic character. I've enjoyed all the Nitro+ games I've played so far, and they never settle for doing the same thing twice.

relentlessflame

2008-06-21, 13:24

Does anybody own legitimate copies of Illusion's games? Sexy Beach 3, School Mate, etc. How are they packaged? In a cardboard box with a cheap and nasty jewel case (or worse, a paper sleeve) inside, or in plastic DVD cases?
I would like to buy them, but I would not want to pay big bucks for crappy packaging.Is this sort of cheap packaging used for ero games in general? How about Key Visual Art's products?I want to come back to this for just a second because I'm confused. Not familiar with the packaging for Illusion games, but most of the games I've purchased myself have come in very nice cardboard boxes with specially designed insets for the CD cases, full-colour booklets, full-colour-labelled discs, and other inserts and extras. Do I just have a different definition of what counts as "cheap packaging"? Wouldn't just slapping it in a DVD case and forgoing the box be cheaper? If anything, I've always thought that Japanese games had much nicer packaging than most English-language stuff. It makes me wonder if we also have different definitions of what "legitimate copies" are.

Avisch

2008-06-21, 13:30

I really liked Hanachirasu, but out of all their games I played, I think this one is the most love-it-or-hate-it. About Kaigen...

As awesome as she is, don't go into the game expecting much of her. She's a secret joke character. Basically, the main game storyline is incredibly dark and depressing (albeit addictive and well-told, of course). After you complete the serious true ending, you unlock a couple of hilarious gag endings, and Kaigen shows up in one of them.
And yeah, the main character is unlike any other.

Kikokugai is devastatingly good. It's a one-storyline game (no choices, not even for bad ends), but once you play it, you see that pretty much had to be that way. It surprises me a little that it's not as well-known as Saya... I guess that's because Saya is such an iconic character. I've enjoyed all the Nitro+ games I've played so far, and they never settle for doing the same thing twice.

About your spoiler post. Is it a big spoiler because? I actually do kind of want to play the game (despite getting spoiled earlier by looking at most of the Cgs).
So Kikokugai gives you bad ends before continuing the game or something?
It is true I didn't hear of Kikokugai as much as other Nitro+ games. But from the characters and setting it sounds really awesome and dark (well the only Nitro+ game that isn't dark would have to be "Hello, World' or Drag+Koi).
'
Thanks so much for your input.

Dagger

2008-06-21, 13:49

No, it's just about where Kaigen appears in the game. As for Kikokugai, it's a straight up novel like, say, Planetarian... there's only one end and only one way to get there. But I got so into it that by the end, I completely forgot that there hadn't been any choices.

Their upcoming game (Sumaga) seems really fun and quirky. Also looking forward to the third title from their Chiral division; looks like it's going to take a leaf from Saya's book.

Newprimus

2008-06-21, 21:56

Upgrading to Firefox 3 (my version 2 started going weird on me) makes me unable to import my old bookmarks, meaning I need the link to that giant ero-game walkthrough database again. Anyone have it?

Orrin

2008-06-21, 22:59

Upgrading to Firefox 3 (my version 2 started going weird on me) makes me unable to import my old bookmarks, meaning I need the link to that giant ero-game walkthrough database again. Anyone have it?
Do you mean this one (http://kiisu.jpn.org)?

Hemisphere

2008-06-22, 00:23

Or this one (http://www.venus.dti.ne.jp/nekoneko/)?

Also: Shinova, I'm in love with the Twinkle Crusaders OP. I BLAME YOU!

Newprimus

2008-06-22, 04:06

Erhj wins!

And I love Twinkle Crusader's OP too. But I love Princess Witches' better.

Izayoi

2008-06-22, 04:08

I just barely started playing...
カタハネ - I choked on the artwork. Dead
Ef series - Oh dear, most beautiful series ever.
ExE - Hooray for Yuzusoft
夏空カナタ- Hooray for Yuzusoft
聖なるかな - Must play
Saya no Uta- Oh dear, Oh dear...
Fortune Arterial - Umm....
Purely - Umm....
リリカルDS - Umm....
白銀のソレイユ - Umm...
KEY series - SPELLS KEYSOULRAPE.
恋姫無双 - ummm
Tsukihime - ummm

Kresnik

2008-06-23, 04:58

@Shinova: That's weird because I'm basically installing Firefox 3 on top of the ol' Firefox 2 and everything is fine.

Just started playing on G-Senjou no Maou and I like it so far. Kanon's voice reminds me of Rina in Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku wo. Did both of them voiced by the same seiyuu?

Newprimus

2008-06-27, 00:55

Twinkle Crusaders got pushed back to September 26th!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!:eek::s ad::(:T_T:

Troyd

2008-06-27, 07:58

Good, now I have more time to play another games.
And sorry for those who just finish an eroge in one week.

Hemisphere

2008-06-27, 08:59

Good, now I have more time to play another games.
And sorry for those who just finish an eroge in one week.

My sentiments exactly. Gives me more time to wade through my backlog!

Sterling01

2008-06-27, 23:03

Twinkle Crusaders got pushed back to September 26th!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!:eek::s ad::(:T_T:
Well it gives more time to finish the Eroges I have in my ever growing backlog

Kresnik

2008-06-28, 09:13

There's so many releases yesterday, I got overwhelmed. But I don't see anything of great interest. Care to correct me and make any recommendation?

Sterling01

2008-06-28, 10:22

There's so many releases yesterday, I got overwhelmed. But I don't see anything of great interest. Care to correct me and make any recommendation?
Well so far I'm enjoying 夢見白書初回限定版 (http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=523645) and Prima☆Stella (http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=533245)

PhoenixG

2008-06-29, 04:29

I just start playing Prima☆Stella and I died from moe-overdose. Man Kusumi's onee-san chara is really O.o. Even DCII Otome looks pale compare to Kusumi.

DingoEnderZOE2

2008-06-29, 04:47

Heh it's amazing and at the same time nice to see this old topic that I created 4 years ago back when I was only 17 is still getting new posts. :D

As for me seeing as how Ero-games are getting rather expensive for a gaijin(I mean seriously You should check out the prices down at "Himeya" and see just how crazy the prices have become...)and I no longer have a "Decent" job to support my Ero-gaming habits, I haven't been playing that much Ero-games, so currently I don't have a new favorite Ero-game nor am I currently playing one right now........

Kresnik

2008-06-29, 09:41

Current Mood: T_T
(My post got eaten away, and I already forgot what I wrote so it will be much shorter than the original)

Just finished G-Senjou no Maou. It's terribly a sad ending.
1. My favorite heroine is Mizuha, even though her route is the most unrelated ones to Maou's scheme. But her character growth made up for it. And to top of it all, she is the loveliest of all :love: . The first time I see her, she became my favorite :love:
2. It's kind of sad seeing Tsubaki growing from a pure girl into a 'human'. Through her route, I thought 'How could she became like that?! :( '
3. It seems like that the story is written solely for Haru. It might be because in the other route, Maou is just disappear completely. Which would made sense if Kyousuke is really Maou, but since he really isn't, it makes little sense. Especially in Mizuha's route, where Maou is completely disappeared from the story, not saying if you just go through her route, which will make sense.
4. Personally, I rate this higher than ef. Even though ef has a more solid story, but they don't move me enough to the verge of tears. And sorry for Yuuko fans, but I like Mizuha much more than Yuuko. :p (While I'm at it, it seems that ef - a Tale of Melodies (Why melodies? :confused: ) is in production, so Minori might be saved from bankruptcy :D )

Dagger

2008-06-29, 11:29

Melodies makes a lot of sense as a title IMO. (Think about Kuze.)

Still have to finish dragging myself through the last chapter of G-Senjou. Would you suggest playing the other heroines' routes even if I went for Haru first, or would they just be a letdown?

I actually really enjoyed the parts where Tsubaki turned 'human,' haha. Maybe that's because pure-hearted characters really piss me off. :heh:

Klashikari

2008-06-29, 12:58

Still have to finish dragging myself through the last chapter of G-Senjou. Would you suggest playing the other heroines' routes even if I went for Haru first, or would they just be a letdown?
Seriously, Haru should be kept for the end. Her chapter is like twice/thrice the size of any other girl, and far better written and interesting.
I wouldn't exactly think it would be really that great to check their routes after haru, as the pace and the content are really some big letdown (especially Kanon's).
For further talk about G senjou, please use the thread (http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=66969) already created for it ;)

Finished 11eyes a while back, and I must say that it disappointed me a lot.
The biggest flaw was probably how romance was handled in a very pitiful fashion (basically, mere flags for H scenes, no real build ups). This becomes easely a trend, as even Yuka, the "default choice" got shafted big time by kakeru's absurd cluelessness, which reminds me of Rin from Shuffle. (no DAMN development after Kakeru's confession. I mean, c'mon...)
It was so ridiculous at times that I was wondering if there would be a open end in romance at this rate.
That aside, I was really dumbfounded to find the climax... very anticlimatic at best

I just can't swallow that Avaritia, the big boss, just got shafted that bad in the end. Kukuri and Shiori being able to keeping him at bay under his cursed dragon form wasn't exactly convincing.

The whole deal "kill the index expedition then Leezellotte" was another weird factor. Actually, I'm not exactly fond of corny twist, but It would be far more logical if Superbia and Avaritia unite with the "Fragments of Nothingness" against Leezellotte. The confrontations were utterly counterproductive and so on.

In the end, clone suigi... I mean Leezellotte was another letdown: she doesn't exactly demonstrate power that can rivalize (supposedly) Georgeius of the Rainbow. Worse, she seems as "good" as Acedia, so meh...

and speaking of her, I would really have liked if there was more about her "true self", Lizette. Rivalizing Yuka and Kukuri in terms of moe XD

And finally, LUL mai hime syndrome... in a very bad way.

Story and execution wise, 11eyes was interesting and catchy, but really unbalanced: I liked some humor parts, but the rest was really uninspiring and/or useless (hello shounen trainings).
If you add the badly written romance and the disappointing ending parts, well it is putting 11eyes in a average light. I only finished Yuka's and Misuzu's "routes", though I just can't bringing myself to do the rest... maybe kukuri, but honestly, the thing turned me off quite quickly for its share of bad script.

I can't say I didn't enjoy 11eyes here and there, but it isn't exactly stellar in what it was supposed to be, if we take the OP into account (some survival "horror" etc). Good, but nothing much past this point. (something like 6-7/10)

Meanwhile, finally got the time to play ExE (sheesh, more than 1 year after its release, looks like my mad eroge spree is working as intended XD).
Currently on Yu's route. Wasn't exactly expecting Yu to be that cute for times to times... maybe the power of tsundere ? :heh:
So far, I really like the story and execution, though I believe they could have put more "lol" moments (until they are all in Natsuki's route, perhaps?).

Hemisphere

2008-06-29, 13:02

Natsuki's route contains a lot of laughs. So does Mio's, but not so much.

Sterling01

2008-06-29, 14:12

@Klash: Kukuri's route IMHO is the best one. As it's "afterstory" makes completing it all the better

Kresnik

2008-06-29, 20:58

I also think that Natsuki's route is the best in ExE, Yuu comes in second, and Mio the last. As for comparation, you could say that Yuu story is the appetizer, Mio is dessert, while Natsuki is the full banquet course!

I too, look forward to playing a full horror story. I actually look forward to seeing some real horror when I play Gore Screaming Show or 11eyes, but I think both of them fails at it. Anyone knows a decent horror VN titles?

Rui wa Tomo wo Yobu seems interesting too.. One word in spoiler tag:
TRAPS!

Sterling01

2008-06-29, 21:55

I also think that Natsuki's route is the best in ExE, Yuu comes in second, and Mio the last. As for comparation, you could say that Yuu story is the appetizer, Mio is dessert, while Natsuki is the full banquet course!

I too, look forward to playing a full horror story. I actually look forward to seeing some real horror when I play Gore Screaming Show or 11eyes, but I think both of them fails at it. Anyone knows a decent horror VN titles?
It depends on how Dark you can take your Eroges. As most of the really scary ones have really really scary H-scenes.
On that note.... Have you tried Saya no Uta yet?

Kresnik

2008-06-29, 22:37

I don't mean scary or gory h-scenes, I actually hate it very much. What I seek is just typical ghost stories, like supernatural investigation and such, with real supernatural events of course, if it can be explained by logic, it would lose its value.

Ruan

2008-06-30, 02:55

First post on these boards... meh.

Trying to think of eroge that have truly scared me, and there's not much of a list. Gore Screaming Show didn't scare me so much as at points it weirded me out... except for the one lady who would contradict herself with the creepy voice. If they'd done more with her... then it really WOULD have been a scary game.

Ever 17, strangely enough, scared me at points (kick the can game). More of a what the heck is going on!? vibe though. Grateful I was able to play it in English.

What Kresnik seems to be going for is more psychological 'ghost' horror than physical horror, and I can't say I've seen any games of that type. Not with ghosts at least. Outside of ghosts, of course...

Tsukihime, classic as it is, has a bit of the psychological horror feel to it - and, of course, I'd recommend it to anyone. At least in that case any physical horror is not really CGed.

Couldn't really enjoy 11eyes. I enjoyed some of the concepts that they brought in... but problems in the story bogged it down too much.

If you don't mind dark and gory, I can highly, highly recommend Innocent Grey's works - namely Pianissimo and Cartagra. Both are mystery oriented, with definite elements of psychological horror, though it's more of the 'inside of killer's mind' horror. Sugina Miki, the artist for the games, remains my favorite out of all the eroge I've played. Beautiful work and artstyle. Pianissimo is worth it for the soundtrack alone. Cartagra remains the only eroge to date that has made me cheer out loud - not even once, but several times. Goes to show how involved in the storyline I got. That all said... definitely not 'nice' games. Dark, gory, horror, mystery. But very, very good.

And, of course, Kara no Shoujo, the newest game from Innocent Grey, comes out the 4th of July. Can't wait.

Games I've played all the way through, in order of me remembering me playing them.

Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien
Muv-luv Extra, Unlimited, Alternative
Akatsuki no Goei
Saya no Uta
Gekkou no Carnevale
Cartagra
Pianissimo
Da Capo
Da Capo II
To Heart 2
Gore Screaming Show
Seinarukana
Sengoku Rance
Koitate
Otoboku
11eyes
ExE
Fortune Arterial
Fate/Stay Night
Tsukihime
Nursery Rhyme
Inu Koi
MagusTale
Sakura Strasse
Wind - a breath of heart -
Ayakashibito
Utawarerumono
Aozora no Mieru Oka
Shuffle!
Tick! Tack!
Soshite Ashita No Sekai Yori
Ever 17
Crescendo
Yoake Mae Yori Rurina
Tsuyokiss
Clannad
Tomoyo After

Fairly sure I'm forgetting to list quite a few, and of course those are not including the many games I've only played a few routes in - generally, if I don't like a character, I skip that route. The above were all good enough all routes to make me play through them all.

At the moment, I'm playing through Rui wa Tomo wo Yobu, with Prima Stella in the wings.

Kresnik

2008-07-02, 20:04

noob? I don't even think you're legally old enough to play it anyway. >_>

Vash002

2008-07-03, 03:38

Have you tried Saya no Uta yet?
Even the BGM scares me, that's why it's one of my favorites.

I finally installed Ayakashibito, and well, it's damn... Freakin' awesome.
Beautiful art, awesome music and the story is, well, just incredible.
Now I'm trying to find fanart, it's one of the latest eroges I played that I really liked a lot.
As soon I end this novel, I'm going for Bullet Butlers :D

dont

2008-07-03, 08:13

Ok, let me start Kara no Shoujo

Klashikari

2008-07-03, 17:38

ExE finished recently, and it was really a nice game indeed.

For starter, I should probably begin the "genuflect" pose, as I really love Yuzusoft artist, for the character design in general (Which will most likely force me to play Braban and Natsuzora Kanata :heh:). Really pushing many buttons in either normal, cute or sexy terms, and the CG didn't displayed any QUALITY backlash.

The BGM were kinda refreshing: definitely different from what I got usually, and I got quickly addicted to "Daily life" and "Act of Violence" XD.
Seiyuu were topnocht, and I didn't have any "please don't talk!" syndrome (unlike a certain Yukiko in 11eyes >_>).

Main dish: plot wise, it was really nice. I really liked the fact that each main heroine led to a different aspect of the main plot, with a different antagonist each time (Mio's being completely unexpected to say the least).

Yu's route was indeed the good starter: straightforward with the "soul mess" and so forth. Yu was a nice character: the "bored tsundere" who turns quickly into a cute, yet wild girl... well, not like Touya didn't deserve that, as he was kinda bullying her :heh:
I think it is probably the best paced of the 3 routes, though a bit "basic" without much deeper revelations unlike in Natsuki/Mio... let's say like Arcueid route for Tsukihime (though Yu's route has many good stuff on its own). I was just a bit disappointed how Momiji ended "like this". I was expecting a much longer route just when "Suzuno" was turned into a crisp. That said, I liked how they conveyed Momiji's horrible fate of reincarnation (pretty much like Higurashi Rika).

As a character, Yu was definitely likable, albeit very irritating at the start with her "boriiiing" behavior and facade side used for school/strangers. Somehow, she reminds me a lot of Ever17 Tsugumi: not a so happy lucky past, tsundere and going stunts for good reasons. She is screaming "default choice" (as the game just prevent you to miss her bar code event at the first playthrough :heh:) and yet, she isn't exactly that basic. I really liked how she grew over the route with Touya, and being able to refuse Momiji's offer.
In the end, the only problem with her is how she is dragged a bit for nothing in Natsuki and Mio route. It was rather sad/depressing how she was still clinging on looking for her father in Mio's route, and dumb Touya just doesn't say anything (though not like they would find out that "Suzuno" was her father in this route anyway).
__________________________________________________ ___

Natsuki's route was... well, kinda unbalanced. Probably got the most epic moments, but fail to keep a certain pace, hence many events feels disjointed etc. In fact, that route seems beefier, just because of the sheer amount of events in there, but they are kinda messy times to times. I was kinda "huh" (well, very unimpressed) with the whole deal that Shiori creating a world, then Natsuki doing the same to hide themselves from Kageomi and Mio. In the end, the final confrontation was a bit... well too convenient and somewhat anticlimatic, though powerful with Suzuno.
That said, the biggest problem for me in that route is the fact that the romance was kinda "sidetracked":sure thing Natsuki and Touya were really close and all, but it seems that instead of blending both romance and plot, both were simply switching their place one after another. Not that bad, but certainly not as smooth as in Yu's and Mio's routes.

Natsuki was... well kinda ok. I really liked her quirks, but her so "loli" to the point of being "child" in my books was really a turn off for me. Not in term of attraction, but in term of balance with Touya: somehow, despite I was irritated by Touya's "SHIRO MODE" (read: go home even if you are 10 better than me in magic, I will protect you because you are a woman.child lol), I kinda understood it because well... she is really fragile in a way. Seriously, all the CG and romance felt very awkward, not only in term of physical aspect, but romantic side... Almost feel like between a child/parent or sibling so errr...
__________________________________________________ ___

Mio's route was a very satisfying "ending route": more details of the tragedy, with an unexpected plot twist (really, I didn't expect Kageomi to "betray" the group). Action packed, and nice developments for both Mio and Touya.
Conviction was the main theme of this route, and it didn't miss much, with Kageomi's resolution, and even the little glimpse of Naoyuki's.

Onee-san was really surprising: I wasn't expecting her to be that genki/moe with Touya: she had her serious and "cold" side for her duty and I didn't expect the lovely side. Somehow, she reminded me a lot of LB Yuiko and G senjou Haru, especially the latter when Mio is lively teasing touya with her big smile.
The only drawback with Mio is the fact that she simply doesn't have other cloth... yeah, her usual outfit is dead sexy, but somehow, it clashes way too much for some scenes, especially the dates. Ah well.
Favourite character!
__________________________________________________ ___

Madoka's route was a surprising little side dish: I was expecting a quick draft of a romance for her, but they basically made a proper "romance only" route, long enough and satisfying. True enough, she didn't have any drama or so, but I think it was actually the better option: Madoka is a plain normal high school girl, It would be a bit weird to involve the main plot or a random drama plot device for her. Definitely a nice service for a sub character, it is a shame she didn't have much screentime in the main heroines routes.

On her own, Madoka fills well the very kind and close friend. She really cracked me up with her yaoi fantasies (everyone agreed with her in the corridor after she yelled, LOL). They did a nice job in involving her like any other classmate, though it is a bit a shame that her "flag" is kinda hidden and restrictive. That said, the romance was well built.
__________________________________________________ ___

Saya's route was on the other hand, laughable. I mean... rather, it is Natsuki's route with an alternative end/ending, just because... you select "oppai" in the joke chest event... I mean, c'mon? that's unfair and ridiculous flag if you ask me...
Like Madoka, her "route" screams service, but this time, in a bad way. Other thing is how convenient they could use Hisashi to pull out a possible "solution" of the problem. Talk about deus ex machina. At least, they decently put a choice, in order to refuse or accept Saya's "invitation". I wonder if Natsuki knew that, considering how protective she was in the "epilogue"...

Saya is a nice character though: lot of lulz (boin ones especially :heh:). I guess that she fills the "MILF" slot as ExE seems trying to fill all the usual "girls type" in one soft :heh:
I just can't compute the fact that her Seiyuu did LB Yuiko or H2O hinata... I mean, that's sure a certain change and she did well the "motherly" side.
__________________________________________________ ___

as for the other characters:
Makina: Kurage ~~~. Funny and cute "imouto". She has a very strong brocon, and seriously, her combo with Saya in many "love tease" with Touya cracked me up. I think she would be a "friend" with Botan from Clannad :heh:

Kageomi: BADASS. Seriously, he fills the testosterone slot and he is quite the man, be it "good" or "evil". He somehow reminds me of Clannad Akio, in a VERY bad and moody day XD. I certainly liked how his objective was kinda "huh" and just self satisfactory, yet logical and reinforcing his convictions. I was just a bit taken off guard how easely he was recruited by Momiji, but heh...

Hisashi: Ichigo's hidden brother? No seriously, that guy ressembles hell lot like Bleach shingami, especially with the "light orb attack standby" sprite XD. Thought he looked like the usual idiot/pervert male support, he quickly becomes quite the guy on his own. I'm just disappointed that he has a notable role only in Natsuki's role, but nothing elsewhere...

Momiji: very interesting antagonist, with a lot of shades of grey. I really liked how her seiyuu gave her that playful side, lots of riddle and ambiguous terms/tones. It is a shame she didn't got a happy end for herself, and she was a bit "shafted" in the conclusion of Yu's route (and I still wonder if she will still reincarnate like crazy).

Shiori: no matter how he is "tragic", I didn't like him, simply how he is damn creepy and "emo". True enough, he didn't have a happy past, pretty much like Yu, but he is seriously too much to sympathize, with his uncanny sadism. He isn't badly written or whatnot, but he is certainly an insane character.

Suzuno (real): yet another interesting character. I was just again depressed she wasn't able to take over her body for once, though... well it would be a bit too corny and convenient. Suzuno was quite quirky in the dreams, and a unvaluable ally. I just couldn't get her stoic stance against Touya in Yu's route, but Natsuki's route answered mostly the issues with her torments. The bad side is the fact she simply had 0 role or whatsoever in Mio's route, and weirdly enough, she was very aggressive with Makina... huh.

Suzuno (Fake, Nomiya): plain the villain. I just couldn't relate how this "guy" was doing all this stuff without much problems, unlike Kageomi. Certainly big thumb for his psycho and frenzy demonstration. I was wondering why he disappeared in the thin air in Natsuki's route, but I assume that his fate in Mio's route answer that, right?

Naoyuki: another tragic character "the result justify the means". It is too bad that his resolution was only shown in Mio's route. The real problem with Naoyuki is how he "lacks of passion" to make his wish granted. However, since he says he isn't anything better dead, I guess it explains why he is in a "whatever" stance most of the time. I just wonder why he just doesn't have more collaborators or even assassins in order to keep the research safe, but well.

Touya: well, Touya was quite decent: not really a chauvinist (except few moments with Natsuki), Touya proved to be a lively guy who doesn't have much particularity. Devoted and playful enough, and some gar attitude. He just lack of something really "special", and might fall somewhat in the "shounen" type sometimes (especially his quest of power, but who wouldn't have that wish in such circumstance to investigate about "Suzuno" ?).

Overall, I liked the plot and the cast a lot. Structure and content were well balanced, albeit a bit short. That said, ExE perhaps lacked some "tension" here and there to really got a "MORE, DAMNIT!".
Excellent game anyway, I'm really looking forward Yuzusoft other/future games.

oh yeah, few questions though, as some things were kinda difficult to understand for me in the end

1) What exactly happens during Mio's epilogue? The way Saya is acting almost made me think that Mio will go somewhere for a long time, or being confined or whatnot.
I understood that Touya will train himself so he can catch her up (so joining her in the Magician Society perhaps?). Though her farewell was kinda "too much" for a temporarly separation.

2) In natsuki's route, isn't it a bit contradictory that Touya can be saved with his soul being rewritten? The problem I see here is that Suzuno said during the "last battle" that he will lose his "Room" ability, and here is the contradiction: It has been revealed that Suzuno modified Touya's BODY (or am I wrong?) so that his soul can be restricted to his body after his traffic accident. So, how rewriting Touya's soul would change that? Especially that the "Room" ability is used to store a soul before being implanted via the "exit" person.

3) Still in Natsuki's route, why Momiji did create that weird spell, turning whole existence into a soul? I mean I didn't exactly understand how it is related to either her or Naoyuki's goal, but only Shiori's here.

4) About "Suzuno" (Nomiya): was his pyrokinesis ability inherent like Yu, or acquired? When he used it for the first time, Yu was really freaked out, while Nomiya says it was "thanks to the research" then revealed his identity. But weirdly enough, when he tries to take away Yu, with some usual "brainwashing speech", he says they are the same, being outcasted because of that ability (so being monsters for the normal humans).
And did I understand correctly that he made change for his, so that his brain won't be restrained?

5) this will be rather how to confirm the timeline:
-Naoyuki's father was researching about how to become immortal, and ended up with the "soul transmigration" idea.
-Suzuno was working on it, along with Nomiya and Kageomi (the latter being the main chief?). Mio and Saya were orphans and had abilities, so they were taken for research as well. Yu was taken there by her father, and she is willingly doing this for his sake. Momiji was possibly already involved.
-Touya was involved in an accident, and Suzuno desperately saved him, by turning him into a "Room". Because of that, she was forced to use Makina as well for her research, the later being an "Exit".
-Shortly after, a soul migration failed, the sample went berserk. Kageomi felt it was a failure and wanted to destroy everything, setting everything ablaze. In the midst of chaos, Suzuno ended in the cat. (can't say how Nomiya ended in her body though).
-10 years later, Momiji contacts Naoyuki to restart the project. She awakens Shiori from his slumber, and as a "entrance", he will be used to remove souls of random people so they can use them as samples. After a little while. game starts from there.

Any mistake or something of that kind? That would help to insert everything in order.

phew... well, then... Time to chain it up with Natsuzora Kanata. I was so looking forward Chihaya that I got nearly impatient, hesitating with CTRL the first 4 days before bumping on her in the café :heh:

Dagger

2008-07-03, 18:09

Even the BGM scares me, that's why it's one of my favorites.

I finally installed Ayakashibito, and well, it's damn... Freakin' awesome.
Beautiful art, awesome music and the story is, well, just incredible.
Now I'm trying to find fanart, it's one of the latest eroges I played that I really liked a lot.
As soon I end this novel, I'm going for Bullet Butlers :D
And then you have to play Chrono Belt, which combines both of their awesomeness into an unstoppable force of nature. Nothing else comes close to these three games in terms of sheer epic scale + human emotion.

johnishida

2008-07-03, 19:25

1) What exactly happens during Mio's epilogue? The way Saya is acting almost made me think that Mio will go somewhere for a long time, or being confined or whatnot.
I understood that Touya will train himself so he can catch her up (so joining her in the Magician Society perhaps?). Though her farewell was kinda "too much" for a temporarly separation.

2) In natsuki's route, isn't it a bit contradictory that Touya can be saved with his soul being rewritten? The problem I see here is that Suzuno said during the "last battle" that he will lose his "Room" ability, and here is the contradiction: It has been revealed that Suzuno modified Touya's BODY (or am I wrong?) so that his soul can be restricted to his body after his traffic accident. So, how rewriting Touya's soul would change that? Especially that the "Room" ability is used to store a soul before being implanted via the "exit" person.

3) Still in Natsuki's route, why Momiji did create that weird spell, turning whole existence into a soul? I mean I didn't exactly understand how it is related to either her or Naoyuki's goal, but only Shiori's here.

4) About "Suzuno" (Nomiya): was his pyrokinesis ability inherent like Yu, or acquired? When he used it for the first time, Yu was really freaked out, while Nomiya says it was "thanks to the research" then revealed his identity. But weirdly enough, when he tries to take away Yu, with some usual "brainwashing speech", he says they are the same, being outcasted because of that ability (so being monsters for the normal humans).
And did I understand correctly that he made change for his, so that his brain won't be restrained?

5) this will be rather how to confirm the timeline:
-Naoyuki's father was researching about how to become immortal, and ended up with the "soul transmigration" idea.
-Suzuno was working on it, along with Nomiya and Kageomi (the latter being the main chief?). Mio and Saya were orphans and had abilities, so they were taken for research as well. Yu was taken there by her father, and she is willingly doing this for his sake. Momiji was possibly already involved.
-Touya was involved in an accident, and Suzuno desperately saved him, by turning him into a "Room". Because of that, she was forced to use Makina as well for her research, the later being an "Exit".
-Shortly after, a soul migration failed, the sample went berserk. Kageomi felt it was a failure and wanted to destroy everything, setting everything ablaze. In the midst of chaos, Suzuno ended in the cat. (can't say how Nomiya ended in her body though).
-10 years later, Momiji contacts Naoyuki to restart the project. She awakens Shiori from his slumber, and as a "entrance", he will be used to remove souls of random people so they can use them as samples. After a little while. game starts from there.

Any mistake or something of that kind? That would help to insert everything in order.

It's been a long time since I played this game so, I will answer what I remember...

2-. As far as I remember... Suzuno modified Touya's body so he would be the "Room", right?. Shiori used his ability to store his soul in Touya's body, that is why he could manipulate him, right? :confused:

If my memory is right... By losing the "Room" ability Shiori's soul could not longer be stored in him. Without Shiori's power that spell could not be activated OR by, rewriting his soul the spell casted on him could also be deleted.

3-. She betrayed Naoyuki in Natsuki's route. In Yu's route, Momiji's interest in the "soul transfer" investigation was so she could finally die. By turning herself into a soul existence and having her soul destroyed would finally kill her, at least, that is what she thought, I don't remember if it was ever confirmed that she did die.

4-. His' pyro skill was acquired. The guy rewrote his own soul using Yu's data from the past experiments. With it he got Yu's ability and removed the restrain from his brain. So, the whole brainwash speech was a lie.

That is all I can answer and I'm not too sure of some of what I said. :heh:

Klashikari

2008-07-03, 21:21

^

2) Actually, I understood these points as well, but as far as Suzuno said, the preparations were done so they can rewrite Touya's soul, hence why I can't understand the loss of "Room" ability. She says that rewriting the soul would suppress the spell, but as she is about to "leave" with Shiori, the Room ability is revealed to be removed as well (so both of them will disappear) which doesn't exactly make sense since that is from his body, not the soul, until she modified both?

3) Yeah I know. She basically used Naoyuki so that she has the means to develop the research about souls in all routes. The thing was that I didn't understand well the usefulness of the spell in Natsuki's route for herself. I guess she expected Shiori to destroy her soul once she is "released".
Can we then assume that she willingly let Kageomi rewriting her soul in Mio's route? I really can't believe that she would die so easely without being aware of Kageomi true goal, especially after he slaughtered all researcher, "Suzuno" included.

4) Pretty much what I got huh. I thought his brainwash speech was inconsistent/plot hole, but the way you say that is confirming how twisted that guy is. Not as much as SHiori, but still :heh:

Thanks for the explanations, now only thing that is missing is 1) (and perhaps the plot hole of 2) :heh:)

Kresnik

2008-07-03, 22:02

Well, for the sake of fulfilling unanswered questions, I'll try it:

1. Mio is just going to do another mission. Even though the past tragedy has been solved, but she still felt that her sin has yet to be gone. So with her remaining sense guilt, she can't stay and have a normal life, thus she go to a new mission. It's just that simple, which makes me think that Mio's route isn't that much of importance, just an extra from Natsuki's plot.

2. When Touya is still a kid, he got into an accident. A desperate Suzuno accepts the proposal from Naoyuki father so Touya could be saved. But in return, both Touya and Makina has to become the experiment body for the soul transmigration. I don't really recall that Touya's body/soul is modified in order to save his life. Because the actual ritual has never take place until the incident caused by Kageomi, so it makes little sense for me that Touya's soul is used for the ritual itself. But that's what I got from the game. There's just too many obscure scientific/occult terms that I got lost for the meanings >_> .

The plot branching, as you said, is really nice, as the conditions really differ from one route to another. Madoka is much better than her seiyuu's Braban counterpart, Tae, which makes me dejected for her clingliness. I also think it's a shame that Momiji don't get freed from her curse, unless if you think about 'that' particular ending :heh: . But I guess her best final moments is at Yuu's route, where Touya wish that she will lived up her best for her next life.

Klashikari

2008-07-03, 22:31

At this rate, it will turn into a thread? :heh: (I guess I won't bring up the matter further. Thanks to both of you, kinda cleared most if not all issues)

1) it was so simple but the execution was kinda "too much" that I didn't exactly confirm that idea of "simply another mission". Well, at least, it is matching what she asked to Touya before the third ero scene.
Now the question is: how will she fight without her katana? Ah well, I guess she will take another one, or go FULL light saber? :heh:

2) The thing is that Suzuno, still in "excell" body tells to Touya (before they begin the soul rewriting) that "that mother was so desperate that she would need to turn his son into a "Room" so the soul will be restrained in his body". Until I got it very wrong, I can't exactly understand why she would need to "sell" Touya and Makina to Yakasaka for the research: after all, she is a researcher, hence she most likely has money to pay any "normal" hospitalization, but certainly not something that require shady modification etc.
I think it is "making sense" as they already made the theory of the 3 required elements for a soul transmigration: the entrance, the room and the exit (otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for Shiori to have already the "entrance" ability, same for Makina and her "exit" one.)

I guess the first soul transmigration failed because they did something wrong, or the 3 persons weren't enough/mature enough.
Afterwards, either it is "luck based", such lke for Suzuno and Nomiya, and/or it is uncomplete (as Kageomi concluded that you have to overwrite the soul, instead of moving the soul itself).

Ironically, Momiji's wish is actually granted in Natsuki's and Mio's routes, though I think most people would say it is still a "bad end" for her. Her "ending" is... well, perhaps she indeed found something "nice" this time :heh:. I agree that Yu's route is most likely the "best" end for her, until she got worse than her actual condition.

*on Natsuzora* geh... I have hard time with clingy,spoiled osanajimi/sister/cousin type, but Yuiko is a bit "fine", though she is... well difficult to bear during the festival... (In the meantime, Souta is SO dense and oblivious to her dere side that I fear the worst for the romance of her route ^^")
Meanwhile, Futaba is screaming too much "LB rin"... Tomoe used her voice almost in the same fashion (albeit much more genki) to the point I expect Futuba to say "Nyan nyan" and all other neko stuff from Rin :heh:

Kresnik

2008-07-04, 02:59

Well, I haven't yet play Little Busters! yet, and still have no schedule for it. I even haven't play any Key games yet! >_>
I'm planning to play Sharin no Kuni next, both Himawari no Shoujo and the fandisk (Just got the will to do it after G-Senjou no Maou)

Vash002

2008-07-04, 03:27

And then you have to play Chrono Belt, which combines both of their awesomeness into an unstoppable force of nature. Nothing else comes close to these three games in terms of sheer epic scale + human emotion.
I already did (Damn, I need to finish it). That's why I'm playing Ayakashibito and Bullet Butlers now, because, I wasn't really understanding some parts.

Anyway, have a screenshot of the novel:
http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/4729/nowairo4.th.png (http://img73.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nowairo4.png)
Tonya has the same expression I had after 5 minutes of playing Ayakashibito, awesome VN.

Hemisphere

2008-07-04, 12:30

*on Natsuzora* geh... I have hard time with clingy,spoiled osanajimi/sister/cousin type, but Yuiko is a bit "fine", though she is... well difficult to bear during the festival... (In the meantime, Souta is SO dense and oblivious to her dere side that I fear the worst for the romance of her route ^^")

Well, I've heard from people that Yuiko's route was pretty okay. I've yet to play through her route though, or Sarasa's for that matter. I just...cant get over Chihaya. >_<; CHIHAYA MOE!

Also, right now I'm enjoying Houousenki Maimu (http://www.saibunkan.co.jp/lilim/soft/lilim1/maimu/maimu1.html) (omg NSFW). It's my favorite at the moment, though I can say with a straight face that it's definitely not for everyone. In fact, it's all thanks to this title that I'm looking forward to the sequel, 昇龍戦姫天夢 (http://www.saibunkan.co.jp/lilim/soft/lilim1/tenmu/tenmu01_1.html) (omfg NSFW too). Its's got Aoba Ringo! And Ishiki Hkaru again!

dont

2008-07-05, 15:58

Kara no ShouJo's BGM
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/nm3862583

really AMAZAING ! MANYO GJ!

Klashikari

2008-07-06, 20:02

Well, I've heard from people that Yuiko's route was pretty okay. I've yet to play through her route though, or Sarasa's for that matter. I just...cant get over Chihaya. >_<; CHIHAYA MOE!
I've just finished Yuiko's and Sasara's routes before engaging Chihaya (I have the usual "keep the best for the last" motto :heh:) and I'm glad I did like that, otherwise I would certainly drop NatsuKana right after Chihaya.

In general view, Yuiko and Sasara routes weren't bad, but they were very awkward at times, and the writing is absolutely not as balanced as in ExE. In a non spoilerish approach, Yuiko's route suffered the same issue than Natsuki's route in ExE: the romance was kinda "side tracked" from the main plot, hence both points are alternating, which is not really great for the plot progression and character development.
The real other problem with Yuiko's route is the romance itself: very shaky and absolutely fustrating at times (Souta is very very dense in this route): the dynamic and antics between Yuiko and Souta aren't exactly a good factor at all.
The plot itself required some suspension of disbelief in the long run (after the confession), especially how the game was implying weird stuff all along, with the flashbacks. Speaking of which, I really got annoyed to no tomorrow that Souta "remembers" of everything, but he just doesn't have a full flashback. Hence, everyone knows except... the player, which is really frustrating.
In the end, the pace became far better during the "drama/serious business".

As for Sasara's route, the pace is far better, and the plot progression is well blended with the romance. That said, my problem is that the characters are so stingy in information that it becomes quickly hard to bear, as it is tedious and frustrating (Fumio and Ashikaga certainly have a EX rank in the "won't tell anything" skill).
The other issue is the melodrama which was really NOT great with the dragged stuff near the end. Fortunately, both of the epilogues properly give enough development for Sasara.

That said, I noticed some nice connections between both routes (despite they are drastically pushed aside from each other), and as result, I would recommend to play Yuiko's route before Sasara's.

For the moment, I must say that NatsuKana hardly impressed me. It isn't exactly bad or plain average, but after playing ExE, NatsuKana certainly bears many flaws and awkward writing which could be avoided.

Anyway, time for Chihaya's route (and at least, I know that the moe scale can be enough to make me overlook a possible bad route... yup, I was looking forward that game only because of her :heh:)

Sterling01

2008-07-06, 21:44

Chihaya's route is filled with moe but both endings made me depressed

Klashikari

2008-07-08, 21:01

Chihaya's route is filled with moe but both endings made me depressed
After finishing her route, I can only second this statement.

Well, Chihaya's route proved that NatsuKana got the exact same syndrome than G senjou: main heroine got the love in term of character, development and plot.
To be quite honest, I was impressed by the routes, although I lowered my expectations because of Yuiko's and Sasara's routes.
In a nutshell, the plot was really well balanced and straightforward (which would look like a "Ef Chihiro" remake, but the twists and setups quickly prove otherwise): pace is just right and development of the characters are going very well.

Character wise, Chihaya is just one of the best heroine in any VN in my books, (along with G senjou Haru and Clannad Nagisa). It is just a shame that the endings are just the short end of a stick:
Ending 1 was really bitter, and the leading up to this was kinda unfair (to be honest, I think Chihaya went kinda overboard, considering how she loves Souta, so her decision in the end was really disappointing to say the least)
But ending 2 is just a fake "happy end": the deux ex machina was kinda lame... it just puts all the development in the toilet, the flush being pressed... I seriously think that they could at least use a proper deux ex machina for a nice wrapped happy (a la "key"), but heck no, this is bad in that regard.

I enjoyed pretty much the game, except few things ("System": those who played the game know what I mean). It is just a shame that the routes are utterly unbalanced and not on par to each other (Yuiko's being the weakest and the least interesting, with a awkward romance build up).

Pretty much like ExE review, here is a little "deeper thoughts".

Like I posted before, I'm really glad that I did Yuiko's first as... not only it is the weakest route of all (as I prefer to keep the best for last); but also, Yuiko's character is far more bearable in her route than elsewhere.
For her route, the first part, so the romance, was really annoying: Yuiko using the damn usual "it is a joke" confession, while Souta is so oblivious to her flustered states here and there than I wondered if he could understand even if she kisses him out of the blue. The whole deal becomes tedious when Souta actually has a very rushed epiphany for his feelings towards her. Frankly, it was really subpar.
The plot itself was okay, though the execution was awkward, or even fustrating: I feel it was really annoying that "Souta remembers everything", yet the player is left in his corner, absolutely unable to figure what is going on, except due to clues (primarily, the 3 "present" punks being chased by the spider). This is insulting when the deal is waiting for the very appearance of the monster to be unfolded.
Although the potential itself is okayish, it was rather troublesome to take seriously how they were gambling on the solutions and all. In the end, Yuiko's coma was rather a forced drama.
The plot itself is nothing to write home about it: it is only some backstory for a character and doesn't expand much.

Yuiko was basically the usual nosy and clingy Osanajimi/cousin, except that she is borderline tsundere. I swear that I wanted to scream bloody murder with the so cliché yet in "annoying type" of her jealous reactions, especially in Chihaya and Sasara's routes (thankfully, she quickly becomes "decent" in Chihaya's once she learns the truth, kinda). The only good part of her is how she can generate funny situations with Futaba and Mihou, but that's all.
____________________

Sasara's route was far better presented: unlike in Yuiko's, the romance was entwined with the plot of hers. I liked how Sasara was "learning" during her route, though her overall naivety and clingy side were annoying in the long run. The real problem, however, was the whole forced drama or even melodrama, with the retained information (not as bad as Yuiko, mind you) and some character stubbornness (read Sasara, about Fumio).
The route itself is all about Sasara's life, hence if she isn't really attracting the player, her route will seem not exactly that great...
The ending was dragging awfully on the melo side, but fortunately, the endings were a nice touch and well executed.

Sasara was a "half half" character for me: very clingy sometimes, quite cute elsewhere. I must say that the romance involving Souta felt "natural" in progression, but superficial in "substance": I do have problems with her somewhat "child" mindset and the fact she never interacted with a kind person before. Hence, Souta becomes a "default" choice for Sasara, which isn't exactly encouraging. She isn't anything bad, but her "moe" is kinda niche and not exempt of flaws.
____________________

Chihaya's route was pretty much the jewel in the rough: marvelous pace, intelligent and subtle clues, meaningful development, and adorable character. To be frank, I feared a lot of plagia effect due to the very similar setup compared to Chihiro in Ef - fairy tale of the two. However, the setups drastically changed (especially the revelation with her wound and her hair cut). As such, the interactions of Souta with the various support (Master, Chihaya's father, etc) were progressive and not stingy, nor giving away too much the points.
Meanwhile, the romance was rock solid that I wasn't really surprised that both kiss mutually at the end of the first loop (though I was wondering why Chihaya wasn't that loving afterwards... perhaps because in the second route, she had a minus flag due of Souta first approach :heh:).
I must say that Yuzusoft pulled a very sadist "Key" on us: for example, the various depressing twists were more or less timed to shatter the player's hope (the hair cut being the biggest thing), or when they exaggerated chihaya's joke to some crude level (her fake memory loss after she discovered the truth in the third loop was really some big stuff: I first cursed the fact she basically got a total memory loss due of the shock, but after the revelation that she completely recovered her memory, I was mixed between some "almost" manly tears and "Damn you and your jokes!".
the near end was really powerful, especially the beach scene, though both endings, as I stated above were not satisfying at all for me.

Chihaya becoming a Miko of the island was really unfair. She wished to live, while Souta wanted to be together with her. Yet, by pure guilt and "duty" issues, she becomes a Miko afterwards, sealing her fate. I mean... what is the point of being revived if she will live a misery for several years? Not only it is heartbreaking, but that will obviously be very painful to Souta, and she knows it, that's for sure. That is contradicting with her painful guilt that she was hurting everyone with her "memory loss".

The second ending was between bittersweet and complete silly deus ex machina. Really, if they wanted to give a happy ending, I think most people would really prefer to see both Chihaya and Souta together after the whole struggle. Here, they simply "reset", which puts the whole effort into void, which is altering by a giant margin how the couple will love each other. Of course, on middle term, they will obviously be together, but their bound won't be that strong, especially that there will be no reason for Souta to remember that he saved Chihaya.
And finally, we got the usual time paradox after such intervention: if Chihaya never became an illusion, she would never be through the hardship, so never Souta would need to help her etc.

The endings were just the only flaw I could think for that route. Aside, very "Key" in a good way.

Chihaya was basically pure love: kind, cute, "so moe I'm gonna die" and dead sexy good looking (her bed CG and the ending 2 CG were eye candy :heh:). Strong, with many quirks and lovely traits, Chihaya is just the damn default choice for epic reasons.
My only complain is: she is FAR better with long hair, so I wasn't exactly fancying her short hair sprites :heh:

____________________

As for the other characters:
Mihou: Screaming MILF, she is quite lively and very wise. I really liked how she teased Souta about girls in general, tough it is a bit too bad she didn't have her own backstory etc (such like with her (deceased?) husband)

Futaba: vastly different from Yuiko, she didn't have any important role, though she was a nice support for some fun parts. She screams "nyan nyan" to me, as her voice is pretty much the same as LB Rin :heh:

Goro: nothing exactly special: the "slightly pervert good and devoted male friend". He isn't exactly outstanding, but certainly got major role (especially for Chihaya). Too bad there wasn't any route for him with Niki XD

Niki: it is kinda difficult to consider her, as she is rather hard to "understand" with her riddles and timed interventions. That said, she is basically a "plot device" without much material to appreciate as a real character I think.

Ashikaga: a bit similar to Niki, though he obviously harbors feelings for Fumio. I just don't exactly like his very rough and crude demeanor at times, which doesn't exactly fit various situation. Nothing much to expand about.

Fumio: a very tragic character, with quite the nice resolution and kindness (I was rather surprised by her devotion towards Chihaya, despite I did Sasara's route before). It is a shame that she is doomed in every way possible, without any possibility to save her.

Master/Chihaya's father/Sasara's Father: nothing much, they are basically respective plot "device" characters. I must say that I appreciated a lot Chihaya's father stance and interactions with Souta. Surprisingly enough, I would have expected the "mother" to take this position.

General point:
The biggest problem with NatsuKana, is how everything turns around "the system". As far as I liked that the 3 routes were somehow related by this core element, it is very disappointing that the whole deal is kinda obscure and killing suspension of disbelief (I mean... a wish granting machine created by Miko, which can produce Miko... I mean, yeah? come again?).

Technically, NatsuKana received the same quality treatment in character sprites and CG than ExE (god, I LOVE their artist(s)) with an outstanding job for the different backgrounds (and a nice effect of solar rays at time). In term of CG, it is nice to see Yuzusoft is a bit less stingy in that regard (more than ExE I think), still they could give more.
BGM are far more classic and match very well the situations, though some are still subpar. (OP and inserted songs are lovely).
Seiyuu: as usual, they are nice (Chihaya's seiyuu just pile up even more love for her :3), though I would say that Sasara's father voice is kinda soso in various instances.

Overall, NatsuKana is a nice VN, though it suffers a lot from the "core" drama element, which can be a bit jarring at times. Characters are likable (somewhat in a better level than ExE), but Yuiko's and Sasara's routes weren't satisfying much, while Chihaya's just got the shaft for the endings.
I would say that ExE is better overall, though NatsuKana is still worth the adventure, especially for Chihaya's route, which could be alright without the rest.
Slightly disappointed overall (globally for the game), I nevertherless enjoyed a lot the game, and I'm looking forward next Yuzusoft project.

Hemisphere

2008-07-08, 22:51

Hahaha, glad to see you liked NatsuKana! To an extent, I mean.

I love it, even though Chihaya-kyuu's endings killed all hope in me. I JUST CAN'T GET MYSELF AWAY FROM CHIHAYA-KYUU! And it seems that a lot of people can't as well, hence why she won Yuzusoft's dakimakura contest and will be featured in a dakimakura (again...BUT I'M NOT COMPLAINING!) this upcoming Comiket.

As someone told me about Chihaya: 可愛いですよねﾊｧ(*´д`)ﾊｧ . I fully agree, ha(a)ha(a)ha(a). Her voice actress, Hiroko Taguchi, is just good at playing the roles of character archetypes similar to Chihaya: just check out Miraroma's Tsukimiya Kaede, Purely's Akisato Manaka, and ef's Chihiro.

I seriously need to start on either Yuiko's or Sasara's routes. >_<

Klashikari

2008-07-09, 00:35

Hahaha, glad to see you liked NatsuKana! To an extent, I mean.
Well "extent", not really, despite its flaws, I liked it so to speak :).
As someone told me about Chihaya: 可愛いですよねﾊｧ(*´д`)ﾊｧ . I fully agree, ha(a)ha(a)ha(a). Her voice actress, Hiroko Taguchi, is just good at playing the roles of character archetypes similar to Chihaya: just check out Miraroma's Tsukimiya Kaede, Purely's Akisato Manaka, and ef's Chihiro.Pretty much the point. What's actually awesome with Chihaya is the fact she is not a "moeblob", so there isn't any inherent annoying part (that Sasara's got however): cheezy naivete, "slowness", etc. She is kinda the winning formula, and her design + the seiyuu just turn into the winning recipe XD.

As for her seiyuu, are you sure about ef Chihiro? or are you listing these characters as reference?
Anyway, certainly refreshing and I can't exactly picture any other voice for Chihaya, though I think she "could" make more comic vibes with the "moe SD" moments (what about pulling a Shiki, as Chihaya was about to execute the cake? :heh:)
I seriously need to start on either Yuiko's or Sasara's routes. >_<I strongly suggest you to start Yuiko before Sasara. Quality aside, checking Sasara's first will give away almost everything of the "mystery/plot" of Yuiko. I don't think any order aside of Chihaya => Yuiko => Sasara, or Yuiko => Sasara => Chihaya would be better.

Hemisphere

2008-07-09, 00:41

Oooh, sorry, my mistake. I meant Miyako. She's voiced by the same seiyuu who did Chihaya-kyuu's voice, Hiroko Taguchi.

Klashikari

2008-07-09, 00:51

Oooh, sorry, my mistake. I meant Miyako. She's voiced by the same seiyuu who did Chihaya-kyuu's voice, Hiroko Taguchi.
Now that you mention it, indeed Miyako and Chihaya have pretty much the same voice, though the former is on the "genki" side (obviously not when her drama kicks in :heh:). Surely, her tone and subtle play change completely the character voice ^^

Certainly keeping note of that VN Seiyuu, most likely being my favorite with Tanaka Ryoko (Isshiki Hikaru) :3

Hemisphere

2008-07-09, 01:00

Klashikari

2008-07-09, 01:14

You also like Ishiki Hikaru? Omg. ;___; hi5

You should listen more to Ishiki Hikaru's various roles in other games like Houousenki Maimu, Kamipani!, Seinarukana, Boy Meets Girl, Pastel Chime Continue, ExE (though you've played this one already), Koisuru Otome to Shugo no Tate...hahaha, Ishiki Hikaru is just so awesome. ;___;
Yes, I know that Ishiki did Saya in ExE, and seriously, I didn't expect her being able to do the lul MILF :heh:
I certainly noticed her with her role of Yuiko-anego from Little Busters! and also Tomoyo in Tomoyo After (and I really couldn't compute she did Hikari in School days :x)

I should also add Kazane, huhu... (Loved her performance in ExE with Mio-neesan XD, and she seems nice In kamipani, as Megumi, so far I could hear. And she will be LB EX saya's seiyuu \o/).

To get back on track though...Yuiko's route first huh? I hope I don't die out of sheer frustration, because the thing that pisses me off the most when it comes to eroges are dense leads (aside from faceless ones).Fortunately, the little density won't last that long, and Yuiko is far more bearable than in the other routes. Though the true issue is that Souta will act like a tsundere (well he will be very reluctant because of many possible embarrassments, which is extremely ironic to say the least).

*deep Sigh* I don't have any clue what to play now... Either I continue my Yuzusoft spree with Braban!, or I can either go through Seinarukana, Kamipani, Sharin no kuni, Ef... *scratches his head* Any recommendation would be nice :heh:

Hemisphere

2008-07-09, 01:22

To continue the Yuzusoft fun, I recommend Braban! Seriously. You might find the plot a bit cliche, but the characters are quite lovable.

After that I'd probably recommend Kamipani! (it's somewhat slowpaced/boring, but it depends on you), then Seinarukana, ef, Sharin no Kuni, and then G Senjou no Maou (if you haven't played it yet).

dont

2008-07-09, 05:10

Finish the game Kara no ShouJo

....... not angry, just feel sadly

True End is not a "good" end , but it's good

Sterling01

2008-07-09, 08:34

*deep Sigh* I don't have any clue what to play now... Either I continue my Yuzusoft spree with Braban!, or I can either go through Seinarukana, Kamipani, Sharin no kuni, Ef... *scratches his head* Any recommendation would be nice :heh:

Braban gets kinda boring IMO.
I suggest you try Shirogane no Soleil or a Nitro+ game

johnishida

2008-07-09, 14:07

Newprimus

2008-07-09, 22:21

Lillian has released a downloadable web trial of Twinkle Crusaders. To be seen how different it is from the Tech Gian preview demo.

Troyd

2008-07-10, 08:53

Toranoana has made a top 50 of the most selling eroge in the half of the year.
http://blog.livedoor.jp/geek/archives/50694008.html

What? To heart another days o_O

The full list (you can't really see anything here -___-)
http://www.akibablog.net/archives/img-snake/2008-07-09-306.html

Will be Little busters! EX the first at the end of the year?

krisslanza

2008-07-10, 09:24

Lightning Warrior Raidy.
...
Dun look at me like that. Don't judge me. D:<
I was looking for a different H-RPG type game and couldn't find it (can't remember the damn site it was on. All I remember about it is it the first time you enter it it'll give you a page to say if you're over 18 or something) and ended up downloading a different game instead >.>

Skyfall

2008-07-10, 11:33

Finally found some time and finished 11eyes. IMO it was pretty good though, I was expecting it to be better.

The story was good enough to get you interested but, the latter twists were like "OMG!" at first and then changed into a "huh? that's it?"...

The first would be "The Black Knight aren't bad". I was kinda expecting this from the moment Gura appeared to fight. I was sure of by the time Rizetto got the "Stone of Nothingness" from the Maximillian guy (whose identity was never cleared BTW). At the point I just thought they were simply sealing her and the reason the BK had to fight against Kakeru and Co. was simply 'cause they thought they were intruders trying to free Rizetto/Rizerotte.

The "We are all from dif. realities" explained a lot of things about the red night and as to why everyone's conception of reality was dif. yet, it was just "meh". This would twist would have been better if the romance had been better handled.

Finally the "You all (but one) are part of Rizerotte's shattered soul" twist. This explained why only Kakeru and Co. could enter the red night and from where they got their abilities but, once again, if only romance had been handled better...

So, even though the story has a lot of potential it lacked in execution. Kukuri's ending is the only one I actually liked and the best, her after story explains the events at the end as well as what exactly happened after the whole fight was over so, if you are playing this... Leave her route for the end!

As for characters... My favorite is Kukuri! Apart from her story being the best her character is just beautiful! Most of her sprites overflow with moe... I just wish they had included more CGs of her "Cyberiada" clothes.

As for the other characters. I liked them all but Yuka for reasons the one who read the game would surely understand...

I enjoyed 11eyes despite of everything. I recommend it to everyone looking for some action filled eroge. A 7.5 out of 10 in my book though, I'm sure it could have been a lot better.

Next: G-Senjou No Maou!

Hm ... maybe i should finish Kukuri's route to get some more explanations. But frankly i felt so disappointed in 11eyes after finishing Yuka's route i didn't feel like getting more of it.

It had quite some potential at start, but somehow it never really lived up to it, and the last "day" is where it all crashed and burned among numerous plotholes and deus-ex machinas.

I don't even know where to start, so i will do so with the male lead - Kakeru. Besides the fact he is a typical shounen male lead, he is dead boring and inactive. One could say thats the apathy of his character, but there isn't much to gain from him when you could replace him with a piece of lumber with a nametag and have roughly the same results.

He could rival a dried fish in density as well, as watchign his "romance" with Yuka was like pulling teeth. If i were to describe the "romance" in Yuka's route in 3 words, it would be "irritating and nonexistent". At the very end of the story i was no longer hoping for something to start moving in his thick skull - rather i felt utterly pissed at the few romantic moments he got with Yuka, as he deserved a good kick in the nuts more than anything else, and what he didn't deserve was her.

The romance was more of a stagnant tease instead of anything tangible through the whole game, no thanks to Mr blockhead who remained utterly oblivious to the utterly obvious Yuka. When they failed to add any development at all after his confession on the phone was when i gave up on this pairing.

Aside from that, his growth in power is simply nonsensical. Whoopie, he got to suck on a bloody thumb of Misuzu and that is enough to grant him physical abilities like her ... and coupled with his eye of HAX, that is enough to cut down an 800 year old witch of supposedly immense power. I seriously facepalmed when he with fighting with Lizelotte in the end (who turned out to be a complete weakling that made me wonder whats so dangerous about her) ... when he was "cutting" the stones in her body, i wondered when did he switch his eyes with Shiki from Tsukihime. And don't ask me how he performed those rapid continuous attacks on her, considering she was flying.

Lets not even talk about him forming a lightsaber out of broken Raikiri and charging forwards while engulfed in aura of light and electric sparks, DBZ style.

That last fight was simply laughable, all i cared at the moment was to get over that mockery, as my sanity was screaming for mercy.

Meanwhile, the legendary warrior of index, Avaritia, whose place has been left unoccupied for the last 60 years because no one could fill it, was simply overpowered by Shiori. Ha! So much for the legend ... all this talk about there being virtually no chance of winning and then she simply blows him up. Priceless. there is no reason for me not to consider Shiori the strongest character in the show ... the powerscale was completely messed up in the end. I do wonder how the knights lasted as long as they did, because from the looks of it there should have been none of them left by the time the third night came around, considering Shiori's abilities.

Heck, she could have ended it all on the first day, by blowing up the Altar along with the knights to kingdom come ... our supposedly formidable witch Lizelotte looks rather pitiful in comparison. Well, at least she cares for her enemies - Takahisa went out in a blaze of glory while possessed by her for no good reason, thus helping the knights with their goal - destroying the "fragments of nothingness". Its good to know she cares for her enemies indeed :nod:

That said, i can't say i don't sympathize with her - she definitely had a rather tragic past, so i can't condemn her too much.

And then comes the ending that stirred withing me the unpleasant memories oh how Mai-Hime (anime) ended ... perhaps Kukuri's route explains this somehow, but it felt simply cheap and deus ex.

There are other things i can rave about, but i won't ... now, to actually say something good:

I can praise it for the rather lively character sprites that really did help in bringing the game to life. (Mouth movement is off-sync though), a memorable soundtrack, nicely handled mood for the most part and action scenes that actually felt "alive". And a fantastic OP.

Too bad the plot ultimately wasn't on par with it's technical merits, and the "school life" parts tended to drag a bit. I really wanted to like this game at first, but in the end i can't say i did ... the finale was just destructive. 5.5/10.

Playing ExE right now, and even though some thing i get annoyed with rather greatly, it is much more enjoyable to me overall than 11eyes. One thing though ... i am on Natsuki's route now (Done with Madoka and Yu), and i have to say ... damn her new looks >_>. Seriously, her new clothes and haircut makes her look like a pre-pubescent child. I was so annoyed with that look i almost stopped playing because of it. And i especially wanted to cry blood when comparing her new look with the "chinese dress with long hair" CG ... why, just ...why! :upset:

Her new look really screamed pedo bait for me ... and i don't exactly mind loli, but now she looks like 8 years old. There is a difference between looking petite and looking like just out of kindergarten, and ExE has pushed the envelope here. I never thought a mere character sprite could have such negative effect on me, but guess i was wrong.

That aside, my most hated (yes, hate ... immense burning hate of fiery passion equaling the birth of a star) character thus far is Saya. I think i lose a bit of sanity almost every time she happens to be on screen (double the effect on Madoka's route). If i could actually render her comatose by punching the screen, i would gladly pay for the repairs.

Will post some overall thoughts when i am done with it completely :)

Newprimus

2008-07-10, 23:15

Toranoana has made a top 50 of the most selling eroge in the half of the year.
http://blog.livedoor.jp/geek/archives/50694008.html

What? To heart another days o_O

Imagine Naruto fans, but to moe rather than to ninja stuff.

Not the most accurate analogy, but there exist raving fans who crave moe of the To Heart variety, not story. I think they're all carryovers from the first To Heart however, mainly fans of that robot girl character, Multi I think.

Dunno. I was so sure something like 11eyes was going to get it, but never underestimate the otaku's love for imaginary little girls! :p

PS: I do like both To Heart 2 + AD and somewhat like Naruto. Although the farthest I've read Naruto is some time before the time jump.

Klashikari

2008-07-10, 23:21

After that I'd probably recommend Kamipani! (it's somewhat slowpaced/boring, but it depends on you), then Seinarukana, ef, Sharin no Kuni, and then G Senjou no Maou (if you haven't played it yet).
G senjou was done for quite a while, and I was even raving about it (both in ero and G senjou thread + blog review :heh:)
I will most likely postpone Kamipani for a "need fluff fix" period, as... the start wasn't exactly encourgaing for me (Mizuki just freaks me out... not exactly the "imouto" that anyone can dream of :x)
And since I'm rather fed up with "read only", I guess I will try Seinarukana, though the menu etc might be a problem for me :heh:

Braban gets kinda boring IMO.
I suggest you try Shirogane no Soleil or a Nitro+ game
Currently playing it, and to be honest, it is nice but yes, without much surprise in the plot progression. I must admit that, despite Tae is most likely the character which will be my favorite (along with sumi), she annoyed me the hell out of me, with her spam of "あの... その..." when she attempted to brush off Souichiro's confession. Felt almost like a forced predicament.
Meanwhile, Noriko is a "nice" surprise as a Inchou, not irritating a lot, same goes for Yuki who is a very "tamed" Oujou-sama, surprisingly.

As for nitro+... well, never tried any of their games, though chaos;head "might" interest me, if I can past the horrible design a la Myself;yourself (i despise to the very core the facial style) and the ugly weapons (unpractical swords etc)...

Toranoana has made a top 50 of the most selling eroge in the half of the year.
http://blog.livedoor.jp/geek/archives/50694008.html

What? To heart another days o_O

That result isn't exactly that surprising considering ToHeart hype and fanbase.

What surprises me the most is that G senjou is third, despite it wasn't exactly unanimous, considering the unbalanced content.
Meanwhile, I was expecting a better place for Ef, though, thinking about it, it seems a bit more normal, considering that first tale wasn't exactly a best seller.

Sterling01

2008-07-11, 00:59

As for nitro+... well, never tried any of their games, though chaos;head "might" interest me, if I can past the horrible design a la Myself;yourself (i despise to the very core the facial style) and the ugly weapons (unpractical swords etc)...

I was thinking more in the lines of Demonbane....

Has anyone tried マブラヴ I'm thinking of starting it?

Also, I'm enjoying Lump of Suger's Tayutama quite a bit.

Hemisphere

2008-07-11, 02:55

Also, I'm enjoying Lump of Suger's Tayutama quite a bit.

;___; I hate you.

Troyd

2008-07-11, 09:11

As for nitro+... well, never tried any of their games, though chaos;head "might" interest me, if I can past the horrible design a la Myself;yourself (i despise to the very core the facial style) and the ugly weapons (unpractical swords etc)...What? ;___; the Di-swords are incredible, well maybe when you see Sena with it, it can looks a bit strange, but in the op they look really really beautiful *__*
And the character design, I think thy have good characters (Yua or Rimi) and the cg's are good too.
I don't play nitro+ games too much, but chaos; head was very interesting and, mmmm... funny.

Dagger

2008-07-11, 13:24

Anyway, there's a good reason the Di-Swords don't look like "practical" weapons.

I think Jingai Makyou would be a nice place to start WRT to Nitro+.

rg4619

2008-07-11, 13:36

What surprises me the most is that G senjou is third, despite it wasn't exactly unanimous, considering the unbalanced content.

Reception doesn't necessarily matter since first week sales (it's about pre-release anticipation, not whether a game is good, bad, or awesome) really dictate how well a game places.

At any rate, it's the momentum from Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo. The team released what was perceived to be a godly game, so word of mouth hype propelled the next one to new heights.

I was expecting a better place for Ef, though, thinking about it, it seems a bit more normal, considering that first tale wasn't exactly a best seller.

Yes, you don't usually expect direct sequels to sell as well as the original. That's especially true if reception was mixed (those who didn't like the first probably won't buy the second).

Troyd

2008-07-11, 14:17

Another ranking, this time getchu, a little different of Toranoana
http://www.getchu.com/pc/2008-1salesranking.html
Fortune Arterial is number one. G-senjou the same.
I didn't expect clannad full voice to be in the list o_O

Sterling01

2008-07-28, 12:24

I just played the スマガ trial and even though it's a Nitro+ game it's full of moe.

Dagger

2008-07-28, 17:27

I enjoyed the Sumaga trial, but I'm curious about how many times the main character keeps dying, haha. I really like how quirky and sometimes downright bizarre it is--keeps the moe parts from getting too sickly-sweet. It's unclear to me whether the naginata girl and the photographer (forgot their names) have routes... I really hope they do, but only the witches seem to be presented as heroines on the website.

Sterling01

2008-07-28, 18:57

Kresnik

2008-07-29, 00:49

So I was right to think that it's a weird game alright, with a kindergarten kid labeled as 'god', you couldn't expect less.. O_o
Currently on the 3rd loop in Cross Channel, and I say that it's very good.

Newprimus

2008-07-29, 19:13

Awesome GARness in Tayutama.

Yuuri fights with a giant bird.... on a motorcycle with wings.... GAR!!!

Hemisphere

2008-08-01, 06:29

Awesome GARness in Tayutama.

Yuuri fights with a giant bird.... on a motorcycle with wings.... GAR!!!

I've yet to reach that, but oh god, Mashiro is so awesome in so many levels. ;_;

First time I really got smitten with a kedamonomimi girl!

Kresnik

2008-08-02, 08:30

I played the 3% trial of Sumaga and thought that I've never played any bizzare eroge than this.. What was the catch phrase again? Life Revenge Adventure Game "Sumaga". That means we'll get killed and revived lots of times.. O_o
But the setting is good and that kindergarten Kamisama who's obsessed with 'Unko' and her drawn-eyebrow merry dogs is pretty hilarious to watch. I'll be looking forward to this one too.. ^_^
EDITED: There's another new trial dedicated for Spica, but maybe I'll pass playing it, waiting for the real thing.

I just finished with Cross Channel, but I still don't get something:
So in the end, is Taichi got back to the real world or stay in the solitary world all by himself? Is the other voice he heard is a hallucination or was everything is just a dream? Nanaka turn out to be his mother sure come out of nowhere.

johnishida

2008-08-02, 22:58

Today is a rather sad day for me... Finished Lump of Sugar's most recent game: Tayutama -kiss on my deity-.

The game was great! I haven't read any of LoS's previous works but, after this, I'm determined to read both Nursery Rhyme and Itsuka, Todoku, Ano Sora Ni.

What I liked the most of this game were the characters! (especially Mifuyu and Nue) all of them play their respective roles so good that it's almost as if you were looking at real people (ok, I may be exaggerating on this but, that just how great they all are).

Voice acting is also awesome! The VAs did a great work bringing all characters to life which made the experience of reading even more awesome! Yuuri's father was voiced by the same person that did the "Voice from Heaven" in Hayate no Gotoku which was both fun and weird. Apart from him I didn't really recognize any other though, I may do a little search later.

Visually, the game is beautiful. All characters look great though, Yuuri's look changed a lot between CGs but, not that it matters. Cut-in animations were also a nice add as well as the characters stats. when you go from one menu to another. My only complain would be: character sprites are not animated :(

Music is also pretty good. Can't stop listening to No Pain, No Gain (current ring tone and Mifuyu's theme :p), Shousha no Koushinkyo and Tsuki to Hoshi to Bara no Kaori.

The story is divided this way: the prologue, story (four chapters) and epilogue. Each chapter concentrates in one heroine. You will always read Mashiro's chapter first then, you will read the remaining three in an specified order from each heroine. By ignoring Mashiro's flag you will start in the chapter of the heroine with the most affection until then (other than Mashiro, of course).

The plot and routes are between pretty good and great. I enjoyed the game a lot and to be honest I want more but, it isn't really the best story I have read.

My fav. route was Mifuyu's, followed by Mashiro's then a tie between Amelie's and Yumina's 'cause even though Amelie's story was better I didn't like the way it ended. They didn't need to do that to "them".

I would recommend this game to everyone! Comedy, romance, drama, great characters, very good music, awesome voice acting and a pretty good plot! All put together in one place! This is the kind of game you just have to play!

MeganeShounen

2008-08-02, 23:08

Voice acting is also awesome! The VA's did a great work bringing all characters to live which made the experience of reading even more awesome! Yuuri's father was voiced by the same person that did the "Voice from Heaven" in Hayate no Gotoku which was both fun and weird. Oh yeah. I was also surprised when I first heard Yuuri's father. :D

Because of Hayate no Gotoku and Code Geass, I can almost pick out Norio Wakamoto's voice from a mile away. :heh:
He almost always seems to stretch out certain syllables in words. Definitely the "voice of God".

Hemisphere

2008-08-03, 08:37

Mashiro's ending just kicked my ass. ;___;

johnishida

2008-08-03, 14:05

Mashiro's ending just kicked my ass. ;___;

her ending wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It wasn't bad but, just like Amelie's they could had found a better way. Even though it was a happy ending for both of them by the time Yuuri was able to change himself into a half human half tayutai just like Mashiro so much time passed that the world they knew bad completly changed.

For me it was a rather bittersweet end yet I don't believe there was another way for them to stay together.

relentlessflame

2008-08-06, 16:54

Just finished Mashiro's path in Tayutama myself today, and there's a ton I want to say about that ending, but I'll keep it brief for now.

In short, what I want to say is that the ending is haunting but beautiful, especially with that amazing ED theme playing as the fog clears over the horizon. Of course it's also incredibly sad -- the very definition of bittersweet. If you think about the whole plot of the game and all the things they setup, it ties the loose ends together really nicely. And if you think about a the story in the sort of spiritual/"legendary" terms the story alludes to, it's even more powerful. It's absolutely poetic in the way it plays out. But of course, even with all that said, I won't lie that a part of me was wishing for that true "happily ever after" twist. It was definitely sad to see everything end like that -- and Mashiro's questioning of Yuuri about the huge extent of his sacrifice was right on. For someone to be able to give up so much for the one he loves and truly have no regrets is something else.

If (when?) 5pb turns this into an anime (and Mashiro's story alone seems perfectly suited to a 12-episode anime with very little adjustment at all, given how they had (limited) paths for all of the characters), I almost dare them to stick to the Mashiro ending as written just for the impact and power of it.

And as for me, I'm at least comforted by the fact that there are still three more paths to go, so although it feels like I had something torn away from me, I can go get it back. :pOtherwise, in terms of impressions so far (with 3 paths left to go, of course), I'd echo all of johnishida's comments. This game is just really great all around and is at least "good-to-great" in every area I could think to measure so far. In particular, I really liked the music a lot -- tons of memorable tunes and excellent themes/inserts (and like I said -- that ED combined with the scene in which it was used in Mashiro's path... wow. Also, the timing of the second OP was totally perfect and awesome.).

When I get the chance, I'll have to scan/take photos of all the awesome bonus items that came with the game. Yet another reason why people who only download and don't buy really miss out, to say the least! :p

Other games that I've played (some or all of) over the last few months but haven't taken the time to write about include (lot of catch-up games...) Eufonie's Colorful Aquarium, Hook's HoneyComing, Leaf's ToHeart2 Another Days, Lime's Nostradamus ni Kiitemiru, and Whirpool's MagusTale. And of course, C.D.C.D.2 and Little Busters EX just arrived along with Clear Crystal Stories (hard to get!), so things are getting worse in terms of backlog before they get better! :heh: A good problem to have, though. :p