Clephas

It probably won't, at least not for a while. The MGS games really don't have a history of migration to the PC. I'd suggest you wait until the game price goes down to $20 and there are at least five exclusive games you want to play on the system before you bother.

No incentive for me to buy one so far... my gaming PC is more powerful and so far there aren't any games I want on that system that I can't get on PC, PS3, or Vita.

Boku ga Tenshi ni Natta Wake is actually pretty good... but it is also an utsuge, so it is definitely not for someone who can't stand horrible things happening to good people.

If you like utsuge, try Konata yori Kanata Made, my favorite utsuge.

I honestly don't understand why people don't like oppai-imoutos...

Try Clochette's games (other than Suzunone). They each have a great oniichan-obsessed imouto. Semiramis no Tenbin doesn't have an imouto, it just has an imouto-like kouhai and a really dark story. Sakusaku has a mild imouto (by normal oniichan-loving standards) and a loli-shinigami who is like a second imouto. Love Sweets is just another low-quality Moonstone moege. VNs with great imoutos (other than the ones made by Clochette). http://vndb.org/v14761 http://vndb.org/v10958 http://vndb.org/v3938 http://vndb.org/v11569 http://vndb.org/v11726 http://vndb.org/v12246 http://vndb.org/v5871 http://vndb.org/v12473 Edit: I like Reminiscence's imouto, Aki a lot... but I also like utsuge, hahaha

Already did. Check the random VN thread.

Well, I just finished Atled (http://vndb.org/v1359) by Flat. tbh, because this game has multiple protagonists, I automatically shoved it into my backlog after it came out, because I prefer a single protagonist in the story. I picked this game out at random from my backlog yesterday and installed it... only to be surprised by how much I was engrossed by the story. This is a story-focused (a title I use for VNs that are focused on the plot and don't fall into any of the usual VN archetypes) VN. It is also a kinetic novel, made when Flat was still a doujin circle. It was remade a while back, with new art and rewritten as well. In this game, I was particularly impressed with the way they consistently drew my emotions out and made me empathize with the characters. Normally, I only completely 'synchronize' with the characters three or four times during a given VN, but occasionally I run into VNs where I get pulled in completely, empathizing for their suffering and laughing with them. This is one of those rare games. To be honest, considering some of the things that happen to characters in this game, people who like moege and perfect happy ends might have trouble with this one. They did a really good job with the cathartic scenes in this game, and they made you like the characters enough that their personal tragedies and little bits of happiness could touch your heart, without feeling surreal. I do think they kind of forced the ending (I was totally cheering for an utsuge ending, but meh) but nonetheless, I felt more or less satisfied with it afterwards. I can recommend this game to someone who wants an interesting and emotional story and doesn't mind some mild tragedies being a part of the mix. The main reason I still burrow through my backlogs is because I run into games like this one, on occasion.

Yeah, if they don't delay everything, August looks like it will be good. tbh, I think Propeller delayed the release to work out the bugs in the new engine they used for Hakugin. They probably hit the same problems with animated scenes and CGs that that one did. Though, that is only a guess.

Two of my favorites, Ayakashibito and Comyu, translated in less than a year... guess it proves that I have good taste, lol. Edit: This almost tempts me to want to start a Ruitomo or Devils Devel Concept project... but I don't even have the free time to work on Ikusa Megami Zero these days.

Kagome is still my favorite heroine, even after four years...

With the H-scenes... most translators don't want anything to do with them. So, don't be surprised if their translations are much worse than the rest of the game. It's one thing to read one, it's quite another to try to translate one *Clephas is speaking from experience* Frankly, I don't have the corresponding English vocab for sexual terms in some cases. I've never had anything to do with H in English, outside of the occasional scene in a novel I was reading.

Japanese utilizes implied subjects without pronouns a lot more than English, which is a big problem for inexperienced translators. It requires you to read the context more closely, and some people just don't have the right mindset for doing so (thus meaning that they never get beyond 'basic translation'). Nine out of ten people who learn from classroom work only will fail at this point (which is incidentally why most jrpg localizations are so half-assed... even the 'good' ones). Not only that, but the basic sentence structure for Japanese is counter-intuitive for people that have English as their first language. Also, underpinning every aspect of Japanese culture and language is a collectivist mindset, which runs counter to the more individualist mindset which formed modern English.

Preferred themes 1. Violence 2. Deep plot 3. Emotional impact Top ten (though my top ten tends to fluctuate based on my mood) 1. Legend of the Galactic Heroes 2. Noir (the classic assassin anime) 3. Kiddy Grade (at the birth of moe came a brief fusion of great plot and moe) 4. Kara no Kyoukai (go ufotable!) 5. Fate/Zero (better in every way than the FSN anime, once again due to ufotable) 6. Ai Yori Aoshi (the anime that taught me non-violent anime can be interesting) 7. Sword Art Online (shutup haters who read the LNs. This series was fun to watch, though it had problems) 8. Code Geass (first and second season in Japanese only, because the dubs fucked up Lelouch's character totally.) 9. Gundam 00 (a more fantasyish and globalized Gundam Wing, lol) 10. Could be just about anything (lol)

It would be more appropriate to say that the idea of a literal translation from Japanese to English is an oxymoron (outside of object nouns and scientific terms).

http://vndb.org/v423 I just finished this, another game by Purple Soft. This one is a bit of a famous name amongst 'old hand' VN-readers. It is literally the only truly great work Purple Soft made prior to Mirai Nostalgia, and it was responsible for people buying their games so much in the years that followed, in hopes of them producing another miracle. I'm happy to say this game actually managed to fulfill the expectations I had for it. As a non-Key nakige, it manages to press all the big buttons. It has a protagonist with a tragic past, a dramatic reunion, and paths that run you through a meat-grinder of tear-jerker scenes and fear of loss before you get to a happy ending. Since this is one of the famous 2004-2007 VNs that shaped the standards for the modern genre, I think those who are used to playing nakige will find it somewhat... familiar. However, in this case, it actually works in its favor. I can honestly recommend this to anyone who wants a good nakige to play, that doesn't waste a lot of time on meaningless ichaicha before getting down to the meat of the heroine paths' plot (in other words, you don't have to endure a half dozen date scenes where the heroine and protagonist stick together before the story gets back on track). PS: This game is surprisingly long in terms of text... but I was on a roll after the first part of the game, so I was able to devour it in about two thirds of the time I normally would have. This game doesn't have a true path (though Asuka is quite obviously the main heroine), despite there being a specific route order. You have to play all the other paths first, before you can get Rika's path (which happens to be pretty good, for a path which was probably added on only when they realized they wanted a real onee-san heroine to liven up the mix).

Finished Signal Heart by Purple Soft a few days ago and here are some thoughts. Signal Hearts is a straight charage (almost a pure moege) where the protagonist ends up living in a girls' dorm after his house gets burned down. The protagonist, of necessity, is of the 'donkan' archetype. Overall... this game reminds me of why Purple Soft was so infamous for its tendency to 'fall just short' of making great games for the most part. The individual heroine paths are long, with a single choice that splits them near the beginning of the game, with almost all unique text for their paths. This is actually my favorite structure type... for games with great story. For a game that is mostly relationship-forming, it can be a bit much though. The heroines are likeable and manage to fall just outside of modern archetypes (except for kokone, who is your average big-eating hanayoridango girl). My favorite was Chisa, the seemingly mischievous manipulator of a senpai... Who is this game suited for? Since it is a charage with long routes, it is suited for people who like games mostly focused on the characters and heroines, rather than overt cuteness or story-telling. It is not quite what I would call 'high' quality, but it is better than mediocre. Unfortunately, it also fails to stand out in qualitative terms in my experience. I give it about a ninety percent probability that I'll forget the entire game's story within two months, lol.

I want to play all the IF VNs, to see if their writing quality is better than IF's regular games, lol. Edit: I tend to mostly play rpgs on console, so I hadn't bothered with them so far (too much trouble).

Tawn is more or less correct. The more serious the story, the more likely the opening is going to be good. Moege tend to have openings that are carbon copies of other moege openings...

This is the list of potential candidates for July. http://vndb.org/v12984 (Same makers as Irosekai and Hoshimemo) http://vndb.org/v12996 (by the makers of Aselia... but far less interesting, from the looks of it. tbh, the fact that zombies are the main enemy type in the game in itself kind of turns me off, lol) http://vndb.org/v14889 (This is by Whirlpool, which makes medium to high quality moege and charage) http://vndb.org/v14961 (from the looks of it, this is either a moege or a nukige... until I can be absolutely certain, I'm not even sure if it is going to remain a candidate) http://vndb.org/v14847 (I've played precisely one game by this company, Crossfire, and it was good... but not great. Also, about two thirds of the games this company makes are nukige, so if it turns out too be one of those, I'll drop it off the list right off the bat) This looks to be a really dry month, unfortunately. From what I can see, Favorite's new game will probably be first place, unless GIB is really good or it is really bad. Like I said above, after getting a closer look at the new Xuse game, I don't have much in the way of hopes for it (any fantasy story relying on zombies is iffy).

Well, with over four hundred VNs under my belt, I naturally have some favorites... so I'll give you my top ten in no particular order, lol. Hello, Lady 2nd OP Devils Devel Concept Hapymaher Dies Irae Amantes Amentes Kajiri Kamui Kagura Madou Koukaku Evolimit Soukoku no Arterial Izuna Zanshinken Chrono Belt (Ayakashibito and Bullet Butlers' fandisc)

If you intend to remake it for the Japanese markets, I'd suggest you convert to a portable medium when you do so, if it has no erotic content. The main reason I suggest this is because in Japan, the portable market for non-ero VNs is much stronger than the PC market for the same.

About good enough, if he can manage that level of quality for everything in the VN, lol. The style resembles the one that was common around 2006-2009. which was just as the medium was getting set in stone when it came to general visual archetypes. Anyway... I have two major suggestions for you. 1. If you include character descriptions, make sure they are accurate and the actual sentences show a decent level of literary flair. It might seem like a minor issue, but a lot of people will judge the seriousness of the project based on how well you describe the characters. 2. I'd avoid using the words 'dating sim' like the plague, unless it really is one. Serious VN fans will get turned off by those words immediately.

To be honest, if the visuals are too low-quality, people like me won't even pay attention if the story isn't action-focused. Hardcore VN fans are hard to please, and I'm one of the prime examples of that particular group of fans (though I know it makes me sound like an ass to say so myself). To be blunt, if you can play VNs in Japanese, even only partially, you are spoiled rotten when it comes to the visual aspects. The low-water mark for successful commercial Japanese VNs, even by small companies, is higher than the high-water mark for the few western VN companies, frankly. Sorry, I'm a pessimist when it comes to this kind of thing... very few of the western VNs I've tried has managed to please me visually, and even fewer have managed it from a writing perspective. Still, if you can please people like me, you can probably please anyone on this side of the water.

Fuwa is a good choice, simply because it is one of the major VN fan communities. If the demo doesn't suck, you might actually get followers, lol.