kyrt

Anyone know if Degica is announcing anything or has a panel link anywhere to view it?

Considering I tend to skip h-scenes in vns anyway it has more to do with the fact I don't believe in censorship as it probably does with everyone else. Don't get me wrong if the game doesn't have 18+ I'll still read it I just won't care about supporting it when it first comes out. Also if you check the twitter page SakuSaku and boku to koisuru ponkotsu akuma are both confirmed to be coming to Steam and Denpasoft. It definitely seems like Sekai Project is trying to get Denpasoft more games. We don't know about Baldr Sky because of how recent it was...hopefully people ask the question again at Otakon. If they are to be believed then they just found out Friday-ish and don't know themselves yet. We also likely do not know if it will be a kickstarter or not.

Hopefully it also comes to Denpasoft...otherwise fuck GIGA. I've realized there's no point getting angry at Sekai Project for these type of things because it's obvious it's the companies. JAST fell out with GIGA because of the need for uncensored CGs...it's why more Japanese companies like Sekai Project. They are not demanding mosaic free and some demand no 18+ version which Sekai Project is perfectly happy with accepting and it makes it so they can sell their products without concern. I still want the 18+ version of games and if a game originally had an 18+ version and doesn't then I will not buy one unless it has a patch. It seems though that these visual novel companies are realizing that they can sell the 18+ version as patch for additional money for those that want it so I imagine we will begin seeing more 18+ releases simply because the patch system seems to be working well enough for other games on Steam.

Interesting enough but does anyone else think Sekai Project is becoming the new JAST in terms of announcing titles and releasing titles? Let's s see exactly how many years it takes them to release Baldr Sky Dive1 and Dive2 (if they go the kickstarter route though it will probably be released faster...not sure how I feel about that though). It hopefully will release with full content, hell hopefully everything they've announced to be releasing will release with an optional all ages and 18+ version. Get as much of the audience as possible with as few kickstarters as possible. I'm a bit disappointed about a lack of a status update on a bunch of titles but that might just be I missed them since I started watching at the start of the announcements.

Sekai Project also announced A Magical High School Girl game but uh not really a vn so I'm pretty much ignoring it. They have apparently two more announcements: Boku to Koi Suru Ponkotsu Akuma. Suggoi Ecchi! and Koi ga Saku Koro Sakura Doki

Sekai Project Announcement #1: Shining Song Starnova lol Starnova's description... When seven worst idols are cut from their production company, it falls on you, Mr. Producer, to bring them back together for one last chance at stardom. apparently Love n Space has ditched the attempt at english voice acting in their games...not sure how I feel about that. Honestly the panel is quite cringey so far but the one saving grace is Love n Space does do H-versions and apparently via patreon it's been confirmed to be as such. It could be decent I guess? Announcement #2: Baldr Sky Dive1 and Dive2 (it's happening...likely censored and kickstarter)

Phoenix Wright 6 is coming to the west it's the one in between dual destinies and six that is having circumstances preventing localization of Great Ace Attorney.

At least the pokemon this generation have been pretty solid and even Popplio looking like a clown seal from the circus makes sense especially if it ends up being fairy or psychic. I just hope the litten does not turn into a fire/fighting. I rather like the design of the bug, bird, and rodent pokemon and then both the dog and bear pokemon look pretty good as well. I imagine the FFA mode will have different specifications where you can choose 1st round knockout, or last one standing, etc...

This is actually on my "need to finish" list. It ended up taking longer to beat than I thought it would and it got pushed back in favor of other games. Hopefully I will get back to it in the future...before bard's tale 4 or Tides of Numera, or Tyranny, or Divinity Original Sin II releases...lots of good old school-ish (often isometric) rpg games been getting released these days (and that's not counting divinity original sin or pillars of eternity I need to get around to.

For those wondering why we have not seen Great Ace Attorney according to siliconera capcom has said that certain circumstances are preventing localization; so that sucks although it could potentially change considering how much people keep asking for it. At least we still get AA6 and other main games in the series. http://www.siliconera.com/2016/06/16/capcom-says-certain-circumstances-preventing-localization-great-ace-attorney/

I took a break of fire emblem after beating Birthright now I'm back to playing Conquest and am about halfway through it so I can join in discussion of euro buddies. I'll be honest I am quite disappointed at the lack of the festival dlc getting released. I'll get around to revelations at some point this year. Conquest is quite a bit harder than birthright though. I've held off on picking up the heirs of fate dlc packs until they announce the festival ones.

This is on my list need to pick it up while PS3 is still semi-relevant.

In case you haven't heard the news the Steam Summer Sale for 2016 is expected to begin June 23rd. The GoG Summer Sale is continuing for about 2 more days for anyone who hasn't looked at that. Can get some decent drm-free games over there for a decent enough price. My recommendations are the Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, Divinity Original Sin, Pillars of Eternity, Witcher 3, and Beyond Good and Evil just to mention a few. Remember during the sale to check around and see what other prices might be. Just because it's on the steam summer sale does not mean they will have the best deal. I recommend using isthereanydeal.com to check and compare prices with some of the other major distributors (many of which also sell steam keys).

My reason for liking TitS at the moment can be summed up by execution. It's a slow start but it becomes incredibly solid as it continues. For some the start will be too slow and too dialogue heavy but for others it is exactly this amount of time spent with TitS that really makes it work. It paces itself in terms of character, history, and lore development while introducing elements that may not really be noticed until later on in the story. To have a real appreciation for the game you have to look at it from the angle of how does it all work and fit together and have the knowledge that seemingly mundane events may be something much bigger than expected. The story itself is not just about a group of characters but rather about the country, the religions, the people and various powers at work. It's a traditional jrpg executed extremely well and the dialogue is superb (although there is a ton of it). The places where the game actually falters is in the combat and backtracking which while not necessarily bad is nothing new and is very similar to other mechanics you've seen before in other jrpgs. I like where the game is heading at the moment and am looking forward to finishing it.

I am currently playing Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (TitS for future reference), Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Grandia II Anniversary Edition, and Overwatch. I am almost done with the base game for Witcher 3 and then just need to go into the expansions. When I finish LoH: TitS I fully plan to go onto SC and then eventually Trails of Cold Steel...it looks great and I love what I've been playing of TitS.

So some things to additionally think about based on frontwing's latest email (I highly recommend an outcry against one of these things to try and get them to change it); Reward Contents: The game offered is only for Corona Blossom Vol.1 which honestly was to be expected based on their description. The lack of vol. 2 and 3 being offered in the rewards could be considered a bit sketchy as they could just release the game for double the cost of vol.1 knowing the game has some fans already (hopefully they wouldn't although it could be warranted if vol.2 is double/triple the size of the first vol) DRM: Digitial version is to be delivered through Steam only. The package version does have a form of DRM as it is sold in Japan. In my personal opinion DRM is a backing killer and I simply will refuse to back it based on this new information. They have time to remove this hopefully people lowering their pledges in mass in response to DRM will help them change their mind. Shipping: Currently only EMS. This says a few things among them are that the games will be shipping from Japan and will be using Japanese shipping prices which is going to increase the amount by quite a lot. (Someone else who knows more about shipping calculated costs can explain if this actually is a significant number). EMS was chosen for them for tracking/insurance/speed...according to Frontwing. They have said they will look into SAL but I can't help but think they aren't going to try very hard. Admittedly this high shipping rate probably explains why the game itself is so cheap. Unfortunately this shipping rate will probably convince many backers to simply stick with the digital version. Payment Options: No Paypal. Considering they are trying to sell an adult product this is to be expected. Artbook: no digital option (which means increase to the shipping cost if you wanna get it). 18+ Patch: Primarily available through Frontwing's website...this likely means that as was to be expected it's not going to be uncensored mosaic wise but simply add the 18+ scenes from the Japanese 18+ version. So yeah poor wording on their part is more or less confirmed now. I could be wrong but I really doubt it considering they did not allow grisaia to be uncensored. Digital Soundtrack: Strangely enough not being given as a part of steam but rather as a code from Frontwing's website. Age: All of Corona Blossom's characters are 18 years of older...well why else are they 800 year old flat chested vampires and space aliens? I imagine this might concern some but honestly those of you who care likely have naught to worry about. Note: They have received a number of questions they are not yet able to answer and may answer the question via a personal e-mail rather than on the page...what why? The whole point about the comments section is so that when you ask questions of the developers or whoever that they can respond to the question for everyone's benefit. I am confused at why they would even mention this as it shows us that they want to hide some things...admittedly they could have good reasons but at the same time speculation could possibly be a negative thing as now people will ask why do they want to do this to begin with? Should you back this? Eh. Honestly as it is now I'd likely back digital only unless you are willing to pay ridiculous shipping fees for a DRM'd physical copy...of which they really need to tell people what they can expect as far as those rates go. This will be updated as more information is released. The more crap you get via the reward tier though the more expensive the shipping will be which means you will want to consider that before making a decision on backing anything...they have also not shown designs for any of the additional crap. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they themselves would prefer more people to back the lower tiers. Anyway what are the new thoughts people have about this new information?

This is apparently available now on denpasoft for any who are actually interested. I admit I'm curious what people think of the game. Demon Master Chris was a guilty pleasure and thanks to the combat/theme/art it reminds me of that game quite a bit only likely worse (could be wrong though).

I agree fully with this one and its spin-off.

Tales of Vesperia PS3 Extended cut: Now despite Vesperia being my least favorite of the tales of franchise it was still a very good game. Hell I bought a PS3 originally to play any new Tales of rpgs that released in the future. Imagine my horror and shock when Tales of Vesperia appeared not on a Sony console but on XBOX360. But wait there was still hope; perhaps the game would still release on PS3 later. Soon enough Tales of Vesperia PS3 extended edition is announced and I'm thinking it's but a matter of time before it comes to the U.S....except it wasn't. It seems Microsoft had brokered a deal in the western market to make it exclusive to the 360 and so it never released on PS3 despite the game being made in Japan. Real annoying. I would love to see a PC or even PS4 version of Tales of Vesperia uncut edition release in the future (the likelihood of that ever happening is very low though as they would have to dub the new dialogue...which is extremely unlikely. Hell I'd take it unvoiced if need be. So yeah that sucked. I will remain hopeful it will come to PC one day though...

Do you have to use stars why not switch it up and make it some other object out of 5. Stars are overrated.

I know we already have a Corona Blossom thread of sorts but I wanted to make it more specifically on the campaign itself. Discuss what's right and wrong with it and ultimately whether or not people plan to back. So I'll ask the question (before I scare people away with the length of this thread) What are your thoughts on the Corona Blossom Indiegogo Campaign. You know I'm surprised at the low amount of backers but when it comes to flexible funding I really shouldn't be. I really dislike kickstarter and indiegogo and not really knowing the translation quality of Frontwing's in house team makes this initially questionable. It does not help that we know nothing of the length...for all we know we could be paying money for an extremely short vn less than an hour or two. I think lack of information is probably the biggest reason why this campaign is not doing all that well. Let's take a look at their actual indiegogo campaign https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/corona-blossom-a-visual-novel-by-frontwing/x/12572100#/ First thing to note is that all versions of the game will contain both English and Japanese text, with Japanese voices. This is an unexpected surprise and allows for people to choose how to read it. For those of us that know how to read Japanese we might actually prefer to read it that way instead of trudging through potentially cringe-inducing poor english dialogue. Then again nothing currently hints at that. Honestly I'd mark this as a point in favor of the game. Second thing to note is that the All-Ages version of Corona Blossom Vol.1 is scheduled to hit Steam July 29th for a mere $10 dollars. There are a number of things to take away from this sentence alone. The scheduled release date for both english and japanese version of the game is July 29th which likely means the translation is either going to be really quick or they are close to finishing it already. I can't help but think that Frontwing is simply using Indiegogo as a pre-order system. Admittedly this can save them money as well as they only need to create enough physical editions and extras for the amount of backers they receive. One area of potential caution is the fact that this is vol.1 usually this means that the story will not be fully resolved by the end of the game and that we are just getting a volume 1. The worry here is that the game is going to be really short similar to Nekopara which admittedly does have its fanbase like even the sakura titles . It means they can sell pieces of the game for cheaper. How many volumes will there be? If the game sells poorly will we even see any future sequels. How much is the game really worth? These are questions that the 'vol.1' makes people think about and is something to keep in mind when determining to back or not. edit: seems to hint that there will eventually be 3 volumes if it ends up succeeding. All-Ages version seems to imply there will also be an 18+ version and yes indeed a little further down they make mention of the fact that "ecchi fans, fear not - an 18+ patch, removing censorship and adding adult scenes, will be available at launch for an extra $10 (prices may be subject to change). It is likely the censorship being removed is not the actual mosaics and this is simply poor wording. They likely mean that any added censorship from the all-ages version will be removed and the adult scenes will be added in. Do not be expecting it to be free of mosaics. The patch is also 10 dollars which likely means the game's probably worth about 20 dollars to begin with. Not a huge visual novel but not a 2 hour one. We can probably expect something around 10-20 hours or maybe a bit more. The fact it will have adult scenes does make it likely it will have a story as this does not seem to be 'sex-romp'. If you scroll down a little bit more we get another big piece of information. "The Physical copy version of the game includes 18+ content by default, and is currently stated for release in August at a price point of ¥2000 in DVD-ROM format. This will be sold at select stores in Japan, and for anyone outside of Japan, the physical copy is available as a reward on Indiegogo". It seems that people who enjoy physical editions of visual novels their only chance to pick the game up is via Indiegogo (or buy from Japan). It does confirm the 18+ content is included on the physical copy of the game so that's also a plus. People who buy the physical version get a copy of the digital with the 18+ patch included. No hassle to install the patch on a disc version and potentially no wait to play once it releases on steam. The 18+ patch itself seems like it will appear by end of August if the perk date expectations are to be believed. What we are not told about however is whether or not the game will have DRM. This is something that I believe needs to be addressed before the end of the campaign. Honestly I'm hopeful for the translation. The website for corona blossom is actually decent as far as the english goes while the story description is a bit awkward the character descriptions are written well enough. We've yet to see Frontwing translate in-house so we can't say for sure the translation is going to be good but neither can we say it is going to be bad. The Staff: Producer Ryuichiro Yamakawa (frontwing's producer) Character Design/Art nanaca mai (she is also doing the art for Purino Party coming out soon) Super-Deformed Character Art nanaca mai (did some Pure Girl and Grisaia art) Story Yuhi Nanao (did the story or a scenario for a number of games that can be seen here Art Director Yuji Kaneko (don't know much beyond does backgrounds for trigger) Mechanical Design Hiroyuki Taiga (done a number of mech designs in numerous anime) Opening Theme "Happy! Corona Blossom" by Haruko Momoi Ending Theme "Be Myself" by Ayumi.(Astilbe×arendsii) BGM Production Fuminori Matsumoto Let's look at the pricing and perk tiers: You know these tiers are not bad...however not having anything above 550 for backing means some of those more rich-ish folks have nothing to overly back on. Which is not a bad thing as honestly these tiers are pretty decent (if you live in the U.S.) The only thing they need to do before the end of the campaign is to show off the goods. For a mere 7 dollars you can get the game on steam for backing. That's good. It does however lead into the qualms about how long a game it might be but there is also the possibility that Frontwing is simply giving backers a really good deal as well. For 15 dollars you can get the game on steam and an 18+ patch. I imagine this is closer to the amount the actual game should cost. If they release the game on steam for 10 dollars it might actually pick up enough traction to convince people to buy it and then if they like it they can try picking up the patch for 10 additional dollars which people likely will do as people on steam are that type of crowd more often than not. For an extra 10 dollars you can get the digital soundtrack with. 25 dollars for the game and soundtrack is not bad at all. For 40 dollars those of us that prefer physical copies can back and get a physical and digital copy of the game. All physical copies are 18+ so essentially this would give you an 18+ version and an all ages version plus a digital soundtrack. This is about the same that games tend to go for physical at a place like JAST (unless it's a big game) so this is yet again a very nice price. For an extra 10 dollars you can get a shikishi (likely the pre-order item in stores in Japan). For 60 dollars you get the 40 dollar perk plus an art book. For 80 dollars you can get the 40 dollar perk plus either tapestry A or B (of which neither are currently shown which is likely why they have no backers). For 140 dollars you get the 40 perk tier plus a traditional happi coat or a one color hoodie (which is neat but like everything else really needs to have an image to see what people are getting) and get your name listed in the end credits. For 150 dollars you can get the standard collector's edition which is everything from the 40 perk tier plus a shikishi, an art book, name in credits and both tapestries. For 240 dollars you get boobs. (you get a giant 3D Boob Mousepad and the 40 dollar tier). For 550 you get everything in all the other tiers. In all I actually think this indiegogo campaign is more of a way to check interest and allowing people to pre-order. There are a number of concerns about this potential release but there are a lot of positives about this particular campaign as well. It has a month to reach goal and is only at 30% the lack of any stretch goals make this all the more likely a means of pre-order. The flexible funding is a concern as they get the money whether they make goal or not but at the same time I'm pretty sure this will get released regardless of indiegogo. Would I back this? Originally I believed it was a bit too early to say. More information is needed regarding length and perks. For seven dollars (15 for adult) the price is actually quite good. Do you think Frontwing can do a good game and have a proper translation? Then I'd say yeah go ahead and try them out. I've backed a number of kickstarters and indiegogo's in the past to varying degrees of success and results. Frontwing has yet to release a game in-house and I personally have nothing to base their translations on outside of a bit of a questionable move with chirchiru idol. I'm willing to give them shot. If this ends poorly or the game isn't what it's advertised as then so be it. Decide for yourself if it's worth it and if it is feel free to back. Is there anything you believe Frontwing can do to make it more appealing to people? Why do you believe this isn't getting as much notice as other games...are people simply sick of indiegogo and kickstarter and has fatigue finally settled in? Discuss below.

edit: did I really just type all this warning wall of text ahead apologies. I definitely prefer JAST. Physical copies offered every time (with a download copy usually given as well), most of the events J-list or JAST show up Peter shows up and sometimes get wrapped up in talking with fans at his booth. His panels are often a lot more organized enjoyable and while question wise they sometimes can't answer everything the way you'd want (if he can give an answer he does). He's a professional which is a big difference from both mangagamer and sekai project panels that I've seen. They try to only release games fully uncensored which is something sekai project has yet to do for any of its japanese games (likely not their fault). Generally they also have good prices (at least in the U.S.) and a good variety. The main issue with JAST is the release schedule for games, the acquisitions, and the quality of translations are sometimes leaving much to be desired. I'm pretty sure a bunch of the people working for JAST are freelance with maybe a few actually working. I also get the feeling that they've not had the best of luck with partners. I also have to say the customer service while sometimes a bit slow is usually excellent. I'm expecting a few announcements this year and a few additional releases besides sonico but they definitely don't release quite as many games as the second best. Mangagamer on the other hand the only thing I have fully against is the lack of physical copies and the DRM. While they have definitely gotten better with that the recent issue with not giving steam keys with purchases and not doing physical editions (where they could put the steam keys and have no issues) definitely hurts in my eye. Their lineup of games has definitely gotten better over the years and their ability to release about one game a month is a very nice bonus the problem lies that they get games that are not top tier. The majority of Mangagamer's games are not anything special. They release more oelvn and nukige than good quality story driven games but like I said that is getting better. Especially recently I've been buying at Mangagamer more often now that the majority of their new games require no DRM. I have a huge stance against DRM and for the longest time the only way I bought their games was via physical copies. The problem here is that their physical copies are often limited runs and if I don't have money at a particular time there is always a chance that when I do have the money they will be out. They to my knowledge do not reprint titles nor have they gone back and gotten rid of DRM from everything which means some DRM still exists. They also are quite a bit more expensive for the better quality titles. I also have to praise their ability to keep us informed on titles they've announced. Allowing us to see where they are with each title is not just a good gesture to the community but is a good marketing strategy. Now people can predict when they will need to scrounge for a bit of extra dough (or take it from the grocery budget), this makes it more likely someone will be able to purchase their games. Like JAST the few times I have had to talk to customer service the service has been impeccable and the quickness at replying might actually be quicker than JAST. Both JAST and Mangagamer also take care of All Ages and Adult fans and release titles on both sides of the spectrum rather regularly. Honestly both are very good companies and while each will have an occasional spot of bad every so often generally they are both very good companies. Sekai Project: Oh boy this one. I may not have the most favorable of opinions on this company but I do appreciate them. It's thanks to Sekai Project that we even have the chance for official versions of certain titles and despite my dislike of how they go about their business they have spread visual novel awareness to more than regular visual novel fans. I would not go as far as to say they've made visual novels popular in the west but they have made them noticeable. Sekai Project generally releases pretty cheap games which is a plus as well however it has its fair share of problems as well. The lack of physical copies. The majority of all of their released games have been digital only or kickstarter physicals only. While business wise this is a sound method as a fan and collector it really annoys me. Sekai Project also has the bad habit of releasing only all ages titles and while they do have an adult spin-off website under denpasoft it's treated like a neglected child. Sekai Project's habit of releasing via kickstarter or indiegogo only if successful is also a real annoyance for those of us who expect acquisitions of licenses to mean they actually already have the rights to release the game. Sekai Project has made it possible for things like Clannad to release westward but has also caused a shift in the way japanese visual novel companies think about licensing. I imagine this hurts the chances of some big names coming to Mangagamer or Jast because they wanna try the kickstarter route. I see kickstarter as eventually not working as a means of funding projects and hopefully once this happens the japanese companies will try the normal way or will release titles themselves (with proper translators). Sekai Project has had a few failed kickstarters (or extremely delayed kickstarters) because they like to fund the little guy which is alright and good so long as the little guy does not fall through on his promise. Another big area of concern is that because the majority of their games are steam only they do not offer a way to get them outside of the Steam DRM which is really annoying for someone who wants a DRM-free game. Sekai Project is not the greatest of the visual novel companies but it's also not the worst either and despite most people's disatisfaction toward them it cannot be denied that Sekai Project has had a profound effect on the visual novel market in the west. Denpasoft: Technically a part of Sekai Project for the longest time denpasoft was ignored and even now is not overly hyped up. Denpasoft never has a panel or a mention at Sekai Project's visual novel panels at cons. It has a very limited selection of games the most of which are extremely short or were only added because of kickstarter. Going forward Sekai Project does not wish to release full games but rather only 18+ patches that you buy separate of the game. They don't seem to bother with trying to get titles mosaic free. Recent announcements have made them decide to try indiegogo for an adult title one of which they announced over a year ago (with no kickstarter/indiegogo...it was likely Karakara's fault this is now happening), they fail to release the higher quality titles with the 18+ content they were originally released with (G-Senjou), and they do not keep people well informed about the games in their lineup. They take no risks which business wise is probably a smart venture but is really irritating for those of us who are sick to death of funding via indiegogo/kickstarter. It is almost June and the last update on the website was back in February when they announced the removal of steam keys. They also seem to be having issues with having adult only titles and an actual payment processor which isn't their fault but is yet another thing that just isn't working. It does not help that because most of denpasoft's games were either from a kickstarter, available elsewhere, niche genre, or really short that people have a habit of pirating their games more than anyone else. Part of this likely comes from the bad rapport denpasoft has made with the fans. The change of the website from the original is a nice change but that was months ago and nothing new has been updated outside of a single release that may not have even gotten a news update. Sekai Project is essentially ignoring Denpasoft. I want to like Denpasoft as much as the others but until Sekai Project gives it the due attention it needs (which I do think will happen eventually) it's just going to be taking a backseat to the visual novel companies that do the same things better. Moenovel: The Black-sheep of visual novel localization companies. One of the worst releases of a popular visual novel yet. Censored for 12 year old french girls so they could play it. The translation was awful, the censorship was beyond simple sex/nudity, and the release was a joke. They've released a total of one game. If anything it did show what not to do with a visual novel release. It did however have a physical edition and did have a pretty decent record of keeping people informed about the release leading up to it. I think it would be incredibly smart of them to work with the current (does this exist still?) translators of the restoration patch and have them re-release the game without the cut content as they'd make some money from it but then that's unlikely as well. Nothing really worked about this release and it's considered quite possibly to be the worst of the vn localization companies. Honorable Mentions (verdict is still out): Degica (Muv-luv no idea on translation quality), Mikandi Japan (Libra of the Vampire Princess no idea on translation quality), NISA (released Danganronpa and Psycho-Pass vns), Aksys (blazblue, norn, virtue's last reward, hakuoki, fate/extra, sweet fuse), frontwing (nothing in house yet), and capcom (iffy translation for phoenix wright games but usually enjoyable nonetheless)

Finally got around to reading the information on Mangagamer announcements lol: I'm probably one of the few people looking forward to the umineko release. It seems Mangagamer has been listening to people at least and is giving a multi-language release for the game which is pretty cool, along with an option for the normal sprites or the newer-ish ones (honestly not a fan of these so I'm happy for the normal sprites), the original bgm, uncut content, etc... The fact episodes 1-4 are also releasing for only 22 dollars and no DRM means I really have no reason not to buy this. Kyonyuu Fantasy: While I am not one for nukige titles I have to admit this pick up and partnership was pretty sound for Mangagamer. Kyonyuu Fantasy has a number of sequels and Waffle is apparently a decent nukige company so it seems like they will have a number of titles to pick from in the future (4 of which are actually in the kyonyuu fantasy series if it sells well). I likely won't pick this one up but the partnership is certainly good for their nukige lineup. Other Mangagamer Announcements: Mixed bag really. While physical editions are nice I do not personally think they should take an announcement spot, nor should games that have already been announced and just now have a release date (umineko and higurashi). Admittedly I will probably pick up Kara no Shojo 2 in the near future since I haven't been able to play it yet thanks to my stance against DRM. Outside of that not really interested in any of the other games. Hopefully this is the lackluster part of the announcements from them for the year. JAST: I'm surprised by their website announcement that they will never edit their games and do actually have a new announcement planned for "in the near future" as of a week ago. I think this is essentially confirming a SDCC or AX announcement. I think we can expect Seinarukana Steam, Sonico, Sumaga, Bitch, Sweet Home, and possibly Trample to all be released by either this year or within a year's time. The progress on all of these are at least 80% translation or in editing. Perhaps that's too much to hope from JAST but hey maybe not. Then again they may just want to release some of them periodically over the next year or two to make it seem like they have a decent amount of games still releasing...

Yeah I'm well aware that hostage is not the proper word I was intending when I wrote it and have such changed it as for the life of me I can't remember the proper wordage that was supposed to be used in place of that one. I also want to say it was leveraging but even that sounds off. To be completely honest Rooke it probably has to do with the relatively newness attributed to this type of business strategy and I'm simply old fashioned and not exactly quick to accept this change which I admit I do see coming and also admit I'm not happy about it. I'm not used to a company essentially preventing a release of something if it doesn't get enough sales. Remember indiegogo they collect all the money regardless of if the campaign succeeds. Like I also said though if they plan to use it as a pre-order service of sorts then I have less of a problem with it. Can you image if Hollywood or a big game company were to say You're only going to get the next "such and such" if you kickstart/indiegogo the product. There would be an outcry. People give Sekai Project a pass because they are a smaller company but considering they are one of the Big 3 for visual novel companies there is a certain expectation people have of companies in leadership positions. I personally don't care about the game as I mentioned and if I did want it I would just wait. I've had a multitude of problems with kickstarter (specifically with Sekai Project) so this just was the final nail in the proverbial coffin for me personally as far as supporting this business strategy goes. As I said I still plan to occasionally buy games they release I'm just not going to be one of the people to back them. This if anything helps me rather than hurts me as my decision to not back means I can buy games for the price they were meant to be sold as or different products altogether rather than spending more money to try and help a game get released. I simply don't care anymore. If a game gets released and funded great if I have an interest in it I'll purchase it. If not, then that's that I can spend my money elsewhere. Regardless my personal opinion is I think the kickstart/indiegogo thing is a bad business strategy and I believe eventually Sekai Project will see this as people start feeling backers fatigue or decide to spend money elsewhere. For as much as I dislike Sekai Project's consistent backing business strategy I also do not want them to go out of business. They do give us a niche commodity and I want them to succeed. If this is how they do it then all the more to them. I will take the old fashioned method of purchasing products though.

Seriously? You see nothing questionable about this? I really regret backing Karara now as it seems quite obvious that was a huge mistake. Sekai Project is bloody going to indiegogo and kickstart every single one of their japanese vn products and while that decision is theirs to make I myself do not agree with it. The success of their karakara indiegogo campaign is obviously to blame for this. Had that failed they likely would not have decided to do this. I am a huge reader let's say that a book is announced for sale but a release is not scheduled immediately because the author needs to finish it. One year later after the author has announced they've finished it instead of releasing it they hold it hostage behind a kickstarter or indiegogo. You want this book you are going to have to back it. People have been waiting for this release and the publisher has been giving information on its progress for over a year and never mentioned of its release contingent on a campaign that may not even succeed now. Because this is what Sekai Project is doing. They are essentially saying the game will not be released unless you indiegogo/kickstarter campaign. It does not help that it comes down to expectations. The majority of their adult titles have not had a kickstarter/indiegogo campaign. People expected this to especially be true of a game announced a year ago that they've been showing english screenshots for, website of, information about its release 'coming soon', 66 percent translated, etc...when really that is a blatant lie because now the game is only coming if the indiegogo succeeds for it. Indiegogo is sketchy itself because of the way people collect money. If Sekai Project is doing this to determine limited releases of the title then my entire argument is out the window. Since I am not currently sure how it is going to be organized and can only speculate based on past releases via kickstarter/indiegogo my expectations may be subverted. If Sekai Project announces an indiegogo campaign but mentions that the game will be coming regardless of whether it succeeds (and essentially uses it as a glorified pre-order system with a way for people to get extra content and physical editions and that type of thing) then I would begrudgingly be okay with it. If however the game is contingent on a successful campaign to being released then yes I will call them out on it. What if Mangagamer and Jast pulled this? I think people have gotten used to Sekai Project's bullshit antics that they think it doesn't matter. How will anything change though if we become accepting of conditions which are simply not something we as fans should expect. If Mangagamer and JAST tried this stunt people would outrage but because it's Sekai Project people have gotten used to it. That itself is dangerous thinking. If Sekai Project wishes to take the kickstarter and indiegogo approach for all of their Japanese visual novels (and some OELVNs) then that's fine. Hell the title in question I have no real interest in to begin with however I can't make an exception just because it's a title I don't want. It's the indiegogo campaign, however, that is something I'm personally not comfortable with them doing and so I'm boycotting the purchase of their kickstarted/indiegogo attempts. I'm not saying I won't buy the games if they succeed in their campaigns I'm merely saying I will not be backing any of these campaigns. If this means some products don't get made then so be it. What difference will one person make? Probably nothing but at least I will hold true to my convictions on the topic if nothing else.