ShaunVMA

I second YU-NO and Kara No Shoujo. These two should be mentioned more.

I think vns are a great learning tool for japanese but I think it's not something good to start with. If you want to practice reading your hiragana and katakana you could read through one for a bit. For some easy practice these links aren't very intimidating. http://www.textfugu.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/it-is-a-worksheet.pdf http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/sheaa/projects/genki/hiragana-timer.html Learn some grammar. Tae Kim, Genki, Imabi, Ixrec's Guide. Learn some Kanji and Vocabulary. WaniKani, Remembering the Kanji, Anki, Memrise(not much material but nice UI if you want an alternative to Anki), KanKen 3 DS(intermediate, good writing practice as well) As for reading practice try out Yotsuba(manga) and for vns just pick something you've already read in english to start out with. When you've internalized about 1000 kanji along with with vocabulary. Just start reading everyday vns, novels, etc (That's about where I'm at currently).

I first discovered visual novels on Eroge Download when I finished watching Kai or Rei in Higurashi and I didn't quite understand certain aspects of certain arcs. If I remember correctly I think it took me several days after downloading it to realize there was a PS2 graphics patch on the site as well. Even after somewhere around three and a half or so years later I still haven't finished reading all 8(11) arcs of the visual novel(to date I've completed 1-3,5-7). The first visual novel I completed 100%(except the unlockable 3rd choice which I didn't discover until this year) was the next one I downloaded, Swan Song. It would've been at the time when it was on the main page of Eroge Download and I really enjoyed the translator's writing style and the whole atmosphere of the book. It got me wanting more from the medium, when I finish a few other visual novels in japanese I definitely intend to read it raw.

PS3: るいは智を呼ぶ リトルバスターズ！Converted Edition マブラヴ マブラヴオルタネイテイヴ Chaos;Head Double Pack PC: If My Heart Had Wings (English)