AnimeSuki Forums

HashiriyaR32 · 2008-09-18, 19:47

XDXDXDXDXD

Handel's Messiah (IIRC?) + Cats = THAT

*unpauses*

Sterling01 · 2008-09-18, 20:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by HashiriyaR32

Handel's Messiah (IIRC?) + Cats = THAT

Actually it's Beethoven's Ode to Joy + Cats

Thany · 2008-09-19, 08:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by caddyalan

Finally, be sure to read reviews at animetric.com (partially NSFW), hentaineko.com (mostly NSFW) and http://www.erogereview.com Their reviews range from simple visual novels to experimental games, RPGs, and puzzle games.

Most of those aren't really good reviews IMO. Also hentaineko is a trojaned website now (DO NOT download the file they propose you to download, it's a trojan, tested it through AVG and it was found positive as trojan...
).

Sterling01 · 2008-09-20, 14:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erhjegel

Serious recommendation: いつか、届く、あの空に。 by Lump of Sugar.

Oh god. It is beyond awesome. I seriously, seriously recommend this one. I don't think it'll be my favorite only for the moment, but for a pretty long time.

Because of this and the 4chan thread going on at the moment I feel like replaying it.

Orrin · 2008-09-20, 15:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sterling01

Because of this and the 4chan thread going on at the moment I feel like replaying it.

That does indeed seem kind of interesting, perhaps i should give it a go after I'm done with Mindead Blood which I'm playing now. Think I might have a bit of a wrong image about Lump of Sugar.

Sterling01 · 2008-09-20, 15:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orrin

That does indeed seem kind of interesting, perhaps i should give it a go after I'm done with Mindead Blood which I'm playing now. Think I might have a bit of a wrong image about Lump of Sugar.

Lump of Sugar makes some Bawww inducing games

Orrin · 2008-09-20, 15:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sterling01

Lump of Sugar makes some Bawww inducing games

That sounds perfect, was a while since I played a game like that (G線上の魔王).

***relentlessflame*** · 2008-09-21, 14:23

So, I'm going to go back in time a bit and post about two, in my opinion, good games: Fortune Arterial and HoneyComing.

I played all 5 main paths in Fortune Arterial when the game first came out, and quite liked it, but for whatever reason I got distracted and never went back to play the True Story. Finally got back to it now, and wanted to give some comments about it.

Spoiler for Fortune Arterial True Story (no major spoilers revealed):

First off, as everyone said, the cool thing about this ending is how it sort of ties all the individual story paths together into one cohesive tale. It's the "True Story" for a reason, and you can tell that the other stories in the game were written with this larger story in mind. In particular, this path features some really great revelations that make for some awesome "oh shit..." moments. In particular, the true source of one the character's memory loss, the true parents of one of the main heroines, and the true nature of one of the character's relation to the vampires. These were just awesome, well-timed, and very well played out. I also liked the overall story with Kaya and the reason for her sort of "villainous" ways. I liked how the story wove a tragic tale that tied everything together well. The ending was great.

The only problem I had with the whole thing, really, is the way they developed the story from a storytelling perspective. It felt too guided. Basically, for 5+ hours of story, Kouhei and Erika go from one person to another to ask them questions about unrevealed aspects of the story, and they, through narrative, reveal one piece of the story. Erika and Kouhei reel in the shock from that one revelation for a bit, and then it's on to the next person who reveals yet another piece, and so on. Oftentimes, it's back to the same person again. And we even got a "I can't tell you that the way you are right now", when you know that just means you're going to go back and see them later and then they will tell you. It's like an RPG game where the NPCs are only programmed to say certain things after you cross certain checkpoints! Even the main flashback had to get split into two chunks for some reason -- "huh? That's all that's written? Oh I guess I need the other stone..."

Of course, I understand why they did this: they were trying to interweave the revelations with the progress of Kouhei and Erika's relationship so that the two would come together in the end at the right time. And in that sense, I have to admit, it worked out well in the end. Plus, they didn't want to give away all the surprises all in one chunk. But at the same time, I felt like they were dragging it out a bit more than they needed to, and each revelation just made me more eager to figure out how it was all going to end. So I guess maybe I just got impatient.

Also, I have to say, based on the way Erika's original story ended (the sort of "Normal End"), I knew going into the True Ending that they were going to have to find another way. So as they were building up all the drama, they really had only three choices, and only two of them would have allowed them to stay together. They already used up one of the two, so I sort of deduced (not very difficult, of course) that they were going down that path. Basically, the entire True Ending was, in a way, there to justify that ending so it didn't seem like those infamous "Deus ex machina" endings everyone dreads. And in that sense, I have to say it worked out well. The way the ending was explained was perfectly logical with lots of build-up and lead-in, so it felt like a pretty natural course.

Anyway, all in all, it was very good end and a great way to round out the story. I particularly liked how, during the closing credits, they gave a little epilogue blurb for each of the other heroines so you can see what happened next -- a very nice touch. Also, the music, especially in the True Story, was really excellent and the finale piece was beautiful and memorable. It just felt like they really nailed it as a cohesive whole, so I'd recommend the game to, really, anyone. Be sure to play all 5 paths and the true ending to get full effect of the story.

(And, by the way, my personal favourite heroine was Haruna. I'm a total sucker for the girl-next-door type.

That being said, all of the heroines were very good and memorable.)

So, the second game I wanted to finally get around to writing about, especially with FairlyLife only a few weeks away, is Hook's 2007 showpiece, HoneyComing. I played this game a few months ago after it sat on my shelf for a while, suffering under my mountainous backlog. Anyway, wasn't sure what to expect going into it (although it looked interesting from the manga), but it ended up being one of my all-time favourites.

Spoiler for HoneyComing (no major spoilers, not that there's as much to spoil...):

I'll cut right to the chase here. The thing that makes this game so great, to me, is the amount of epilogue. You hit the ending credits (which always hit at a logical end point in the story in terms of drama and flow), and then rather than just a single little epilogue scene, you have 2-to-3 more hours of story of what happens next. If you're playing the game for the romance aspect, this is awesome because you get to watch the real growth of the relationship and you know that the "real hurdle" is already behind you. That isn't to say that some of the epilogues don't have their share of little drama, but it's mostly about how the couple goes from a resolve to be together to a resolve to stay together. And that's cute, sweet, romantic, and all that other mushy stuff that makes me want to play these games in the first place.

Otherwise, the thing that was surprisingly fun in this game was the way that the story followed a specific set of events and allowed you, in the various path, to experience that same event with a different heroine. I'm referring, of course, to the love lessons that are the central (if a bit silly) main focus on the story. It gives it sort of more of a "love simulation" sort of feel. Some of the events that go really well with one heroine (like anything lovey-dovey with Clair), end up as total disasters with another (like the same with either Asahi or Marino

). The rest of the stories sort of get framed around these main milestone events, which gives the story a fairly cohesive feel and structure, and also helps drive home the key points of each heroine's personality.

In terms of the heroine routes, I think they were all pretty good, but it mostly comes down to personal preference in terms of which heroine's personality you like best. The stories are pretty well matched to the personality type, so if you like the personality, you'll probably like the story. I will say this, though -- the story that surprised me the most was Marino's story. The tsundere archetypes are sort of neutral for me (get pretty bored/annoyed by the tsuntsun, typically), but the way they really fleshed out Marino's background and gave her a real reason for the attitude was sort of surprising and refreshing. She ended up being my favourite heroine of the game, much to my surprise, and due entirely to the story. It actually sort of reminded me in some ways of the old kid's story "The Paper Bag Princess" in a few different ways. Anyway, if nothing else, that's a particular heroine's story I'd recommend -- it's definitely campy and silly in some ways (the "prince" and his maid are a classic comedy duo), but it's got a lot of heart. Other stories I personally liked were Clair and Asahi. My only problem with Mio's story is that I felt it was a bit lacking in tension (a bit too easy given the circumstances?) and Yuma's story was actually not bad, but I'm just not really into that archetype all that much (sort of "strong silent type" characters).

The last comment I want to make is that, if you're at all able, you should really check out the pre-order bonus Drama CDs. The problem is, of course, that these are almost impossible to get, and, I'm sad to admit, impossible to get legally at this point, since they were never sold separately. But, if you get to listen to them somehow, I think you'll find that they really bring out the charm of the HoneyComing story and characters (even if the situation is, as usual, very over-the-top). There's one for each of the main heroines. There's also a separate Drama CD that was released more recently, and that focuses on Ichigo-sensei, who'll be one of the new heroines in the coming PS2 adaptation. Another drama CD is apparently coming soon.

So anyway, both of these games would be highly recommended to anyone looking for the romantic visual novel sorts of stories. Fortune Arterial is a bit higher in action/drama (due to its theme/subject matter), while HoneyComing is edging a bit more towards romantic comedy. But both are games with excellent production values that could easily stand on their own in terms of story content. They're top-sellers for a reason!

Fortune Arterial is currently available for PC in its 18+ incarnation, but I expect the PS2 version will be announced shortly. The PS2 adaptation of HoneyComing, called SweetHoneyComing, is already on track for release in early 2009. As I mentioned earlier, Hook's next work, FairlyLife, is due on October 10th.

Kresnik · 2008-09-21, 21:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sterling01

Because of this and the 4chan thread going on at the moment I feel like replaying it.

San rocking 4chan! As expected from our Lioness! :lol:
BTW, is it mentioned the full cast for the twelve zodiacs? The game only mentioned six, isn't it? Where are the others..?

Sterling01 · 2008-09-21, 22:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kresnik

San rocking 4chan! As expected from our Lioness! :lol:
BTW, is it mentioned the full cast for the twelve zodiacs? The game only mentioned six, isn't it? Where are the others..?

I'm amazed the thread is still there

Hemisphere · 2008-09-21, 22:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kresnik

San rocking 4chan! As expected from our Lioness! :lol:
BTW, is it mentioned the full cast for the twelve zodiacs? The game only mentioned six, isn't it? Where are the others..?

MAI WAIFU

Also, I can't believe sterling01 found me out that early. Ah well, what can I say but...
*puts on shades*
Well read.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

On a serious note, I don't believe that the six other committee girls would have mattered. Still, I suppose it'd be nice to see who they are and what they can do.

Sterling01 · 2008-09-21, 23:06

The way you write is very easy to recognize

Newprimus · 2008-09-21, 23:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sterling01

The way you gush over the girls is very easy to recognize

Corrected.

Sterling01 · 2008-09-21, 23:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shinova

Corrected.

Puuu~ I was trying to be subtle.

On another note... any new eroge I should keep an eye on

Kresnik · 2008-09-22, 00:47

I don't remember many release dates, but in 4 days Star Mine Girls (Sumaga) from Nitro+ is coming out. I tried the demo and it's pretty hilarious, but the demo ver S is not very friendly with me.. >_>

Dagger · 2008-09-22, 02:31

I'm getting it at Sofmap. Chocolate banana teleka goodness~

Hemisphere · 2008-09-22, 11:17

I'm sorry if I'm so predictable when it comes to gushing over my bishoujos. ;_; SANNEEEEEE!
*sobs in the corner*

New eroges to look out for? Well, aside from Twinkle Crusaders, there's Tenkuu no Yumina, Makura Soft's new title as well as Moonstone's and Kimi ga Yobu, Megido no Oka ni. Also ALcot's Engage Links, and Lapis Lazuli's first title! Those are what's on my list.

Twinkle Crusaders is the only thing running through my mind right now...I even have Princess Witches Excellent on hand to prepare myself for the awesomeness. Too bad I don't have the time to play as I'm currently working in my internship...;_;

Halp plz. ;_;

Also, sterling: a job well fucking done. At least, I'm assuming it's indeed you. But if I can help out in the translation project in any way, count me in.

Sterling01 · 2008-09-22, 12:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erhjegel

Also, sterling: a job well fucking done. At least, I'm assuming it's indeed you. But if I can help out in the translation project in any way, count me in.

Yeah it's me, I really hope I can find a way to extract the scripts as that would make translating much much easier.
Though how did you find out it was me...

Newprimus · 2008-09-22, 15:33

What translation project?

Hemisphere · 2008-09-22, 16:24

We only have ourselves to blame.

2008-09-18, 19:47	Link #2261
HashiriyaR32 GT-R Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Toronto, Canada Age: 34	XDXDXDXDXD Handel's Messiah (IIRC?) + Cats = THAT unpauses __________________

2008-09-21, 23:06	Link #2272
Sterling01 霊夢→デレ Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: NYC, NY Age: 46	The way you write is very easy to recognize __________________

2008-09-22, 00:47	Link #2275
Kresnik Anti-Hero Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: -3 Dimension Age: 38	I don't remember many release dates, but in 4 days Star Mine Girls (Sumaga) from Nitro+ is coming out. I tried the demo and it's pretty hilarious, but the demo ver S is not very friendly with me.. >_> __________________ Blog: Hodo-Hodo ni, ne.. -We always keep moderation spirit-

2008-09-22, 11:17	Link #2277
Hemisphere 見習い魔剣使い Join Date: May 2006 Location: 大陸の片隅	I'm sorry if I'm so predictable when it comes to gushing over my bishoujos. ;_; SANNEEEEEE! sobs in the corner New eroges to look out for? Well, aside from Twinkle Crusaders, there's Tenkuu no Yumina, Makura Soft's new title as well as Moonstone's and Kimi ga Yobu, Megido no Oka ni. Also ALcot's Engage Links, and Lapis Lazuli's first title! Those are what's on my list. Twinkle Crusaders is the only thing running through my mind right now...I even have Princess Witches Excellent on hand to prepare myself for the awesomeness. Too bad I don't have the time to play as I'm currently working in my internship...;_; Halp plz. ;_; Also, sterling: a job well fucking done. At least, I'm assuming it's indeed you. But if I can help out in the translation project in any way, count me in. __________________

2008-09-22, 15:33	Link #2279
Newprimus NO ESCAPE FROM NYAAA Artist Join Date: Jan 2004	What translation project? __________________ NYAA-CEPTION

2008-09-21, 14:23	Link #2268
*relentlessflame* 　 Administrator Join Date: Dec 2003 Age: 41	So, I'm going to go back in time a bit and post about two, in my opinion, good games: Fortune Arterial and HoneyComing. I played all 5 main paths in Fortune Arterial when the game first came out, and quite liked it, but for whatever reason I got distracted and never went back to play the True Story. Finally got back to it now, and wanted to give some comments about it. Spoiler for Fortune Arterial True Story (no major spoilers revealed): First off, as everyone said, the cool thing about this ending is how it sort of ties all the individual story paths together into one cohesive tale. It's the "True Story" for a reason, and you can tell that the other stories in the game were written with this larger story in mind. In particular, this path features some really great revelations that make for some awesome "oh shit..." moments. In particular, the true source of one the character's memory loss, the true parents of one of the main heroines, and the true nature of one of the character's relation to the vampires. These were just awesome, well-timed, and very well played out. I also liked the overall story with Kaya and the reason for her sort of "villainous" ways. I liked how the story wove a tragic tale that tied everything together well. The ending was great. The only problem I had with the whole thing, really, is the way they developed the story from a storytelling perspective. It felt too guided. Basically, for 5+ hours of story, Kouhei and Erika go from one person to another to ask them questions about unrevealed aspects of the story, and they, through narrative, reveal one piece of the story. Erika and Kouhei reel in the shock from that one revelation for a bit, and then it's on to the next person who reveals yet another piece, and so on. Oftentimes, it's back to the same person again. And we even got a "I can't tell you that the way you are right now", when you know that just means you're going to go back and see them later and then they will tell you. It's like an RPG game where the NPCs are only programmed to say certain things after you cross certain checkpoints! Even the main flashback had to get split into two chunks for some reason -- "huh? That's all that's written? Oh I guess I need the other stone..." Of course, I understand why they did this: they were trying to interweave the revelations with the progress of Kouhei and Erika's relationship so that the two would come together in the end at the right time. And in that sense, I have to admit, it worked out well in the end. Plus, they didn't want to give away all the surprises all in one chunk. But at the same time, I felt like they were dragging it out a bit more than they needed to, and each revelation just made me more eager to figure out how it was all going to end. So I guess maybe I just got impatient. Also, I have to say, based on the way Erika's original story ended (the sort of "Normal End"), I knew going into the True Ending that they were going to have to find another way. So as they were building up all the drama, they really had only three choices, and only two of them would have allowed them to stay together. They already used up one of the two, so I sort of deduced (not very difficult, of course) that they were going down that path. Basically, the entire True Ending was, in a way, there to justify that ending so it didn't seem like those infamous "Deus ex machina" endings everyone dreads. And in that sense, I have to say it worked out well. The way the ending was explained was perfectly logical with lots of build-up and lead-in, so it felt like a pretty natural course. Anyway, all in all, it was very good end and a great way to round out the story. I particularly liked how, during the closing credits, they gave a little epilogue blurb for each of the other heroines so you can see what happened next -- a very nice touch. Also, the music, especially in the True Story, was really excellent and the finale piece was beautiful and memorable. It just felt like they really nailed it as a cohesive whole, so I'd recommend the game to, really, anyone. Be sure to play all 5 paths and the true ending to get full effect of the story. (And, by the way, my personal favourite heroine was Haruna. I'm a total sucker for the girl-next-door type. That being said, all of the heroines were very good and memorable.) So, the second game I wanted to finally get around to writing about, especially with FairlyLife only a few weeks away, is Hook's 2007 showpiece, HoneyComing. I played this game a few months ago after it sat on my shelf for a while, suffering under my mountainous backlog. Anyway, wasn't sure what to expect going into it (although it looked interesting from the manga), but it ended up being one of my all-time favourites. Spoiler for HoneyComing (no major spoilers, not that there's as much to spoil...): I'll cut right to the chase here. The thing that makes this game so great, to me, is the amount of epilogue. You hit the ending credits (which always hit at a logical end point in the story in terms of drama and flow), and then rather than just a single little epilogue scene, you have 2-to-3 more hours of story of what happens next. If you're playing the game for the romance aspect, this is awesome because you get to watch the real growth of the relationship and you know that the "real hurdle" is already behind you. That isn't to say that some of the epilogues don't have their share of little drama, but it's mostly about how the couple goes from a resolve to be together to a resolve to stay together. And that's cute, sweet, romantic, and all that other mushy stuff that makes me want to play these games in the first place. Otherwise, the thing that was surprisingly fun in this game was the way that the story followed a specific set of events and allowed you, in the various path, to experience that same event with a different heroine. I'm referring, of course, to the love lessons that are the central (if a bit silly) main focus on the story. It gives it sort of more of a "love simulation" sort of feel. Some of the events that go really well with one heroine (like anything lovey-dovey with Clair), end up as total disasters with another (like the same with either Asahi or Marino ). The rest of the stories sort of get framed around these main milestone events, which gives the story a fairly cohesive feel and structure, and also helps drive home the key points of each heroine's personality. In terms of the heroine routes, I think they were all pretty good, but it mostly comes down to personal preference in terms of which heroine's personality you like best. The stories are pretty well matched to the personality type, so if you like the personality, you'll probably like the story. I will say this, though -- the story that surprised me the most was Marino's story. The tsundere archetypes are sort of neutral for me (get pretty bored/annoyed by the tsuntsun, typically), but the way they really fleshed out Marino's background and gave her a real reason for the attitude was sort of surprising and refreshing. She ended up being my favourite heroine of the game, much to my surprise, and due entirely to the story. It actually sort of reminded me in some ways of the old kid's story "The Paper Bag Princess" in a few different ways. Anyway, if nothing else, that's a particular heroine's story I'd recommend -- it's definitely campy and silly in some ways (the "prince" and his maid are a classic comedy duo), but it's got a lot of heart. Other stories I personally liked were Clair and Asahi. My only problem with Mio's story is that I felt it was a bit lacking in tension (a bit too easy given the circumstances?) and Yuma's story was actually not bad, but I'm just not really into that archetype all that much (sort of "strong silent type" characters). The last comment I want to make is that, if you're at all able, you should really check out the pre-order bonus Drama CDs. The problem is, of course, that these are almost impossible to get, and, I'm sad to admit, impossible to get legally at this point, since they were never sold separately. But, if you get to listen to them somehow, I think you'll find that they really bring out the charm of the HoneyComing story and characters (even if the situation is, as usual, very over-the-top). There's one for each of the main heroines. There's also a separate Drama CD that was released more recently, and that focuses on Ichigo-sensei, who'll be one of the new heroines in the coming PS2 adaptation. Another drama CD is apparently coming soon. So anyway, both of these games would be highly recommended to anyone looking for the romantic visual novel sorts of stories. Fortune Arterial is a bit higher in action/drama (due to its theme/subject matter), while HoneyComing is edging a bit more towards romantic comedy. But both are games with excellent production values that could easily stand on their own in terms of story content. They're top-sellers for a reason! Fortune Arterial is currently available for PC in its 18+ incarnation, but I expect the PS2 version will be announced shortly. The PS2 adaptation of HoneyComing, called SweetHoneyComing, is already on track for release in early 2009. As I mentioned earlier, Hook's next work, FairlyLife, is due on October 10th.

2008-09-22, 02:31	Link #2276
Dagger Nitro+ fan Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hyogo	I'm getting it at Sofmap. Chocolate banana teleka goodness~

2008-09-22, 16:24	Link #2280
Hemisphere 見習い魔剣使い Join Date: May 2006 Location: 大陸の片隅	We only have ourselves to blame. __________________ Last edited by relentlessflame; 2008-09-22 at 23:06. Reason: link removed (contains download links)