Clephas

仕方ない, usually translated as 'it can't be helped' is a statement of resignation in Japanese that is so common at all levels of Japanese society that it is impossible to avoid. It can refer to taxes, work, natural disasters... or your friendly neighborhood extreme nationalist chapter/Emperor worshipers. Just give up, it is everywhere. *Stupid/normal/average protagonists who are beloved for no apparent reason from the beginning. *tsundere *lolis in VNs up to a few years ago *kyonyuu (massive breasts) in newer VNs *donkan (dense) protagonists *DIDS (damsel-in-distress syndrome)

Even in Japan, VNs have only really exploded beyond ero-fans in the past decade and a half. In previous decades, 'serious' VNs were a rarity. However, the relatively recent (the last fourteen to fifteen years) expansion of the plot-focused side of the industry is slowly altering the way they are seen, both over here and over there. As the thread author states in the video, VNs will never be other than niche, precisely because more people are functionally illiterate (they can't sit down and read a book and feel that it is enjoyable) than ever before. Anime fans that never get beyond dubs are classic examples of this type of person... they don't want to read subs, so they live with sub-par English voices instead. You have to be introduced to reading for fun pretty early, if you want to be able to enjoy it. With more and more kids raised by their televisions, I doubt this trend will reverse itself anytime soon. (incidentally, studies have shown that the human brain's cognitive functions develop faster the more you actually read, rather than watching videos or listening to lectures) I started out as a speed-reading bibliophile... and so becoming a VN-lover was just a natural step, once I was introduced to them. I've watched the fanbase and market for VNs expand rapidly over the last five years here in the West, but I've yet to meet a person who started their otaku life as a VN fan, who was born in the West. Almost everyone enters into otakudom through role-playing games, anime, or manga. So, it is only natural that VNs would be the weakest branch of the otaku tree here. Like the author says, the biggest barrier besides the reading aspect (which is ultimately the biggest one), is the sexual aspects. One of the most ironic things about the VN industry is that better than 90% of the best VN plots come out of the eroge (VNs with erotic content) part of the VN medium. This sometimes gets me to thinking about whether good writers just want to write about sex... or good writers are using the sex to get people to pay attention to their writing. Another barrier is that, unlike manga and anime, there are relatively few VNs that appeal to both genders. Otome games are basically unplayable to the average guy, outside of a few truly excellent entries, and only the best male-oriented VNs are enjoyable to both sexes. For the otome game side of things, the issue is really, really simple... DIDS (Damsel-in-Distress-Syndrome). Almost every otomege I've tried has had this fatal flaw, where the protagonist spends most of her time either afraid of the guys, looking to be saved by the guys, and/or actually being rescued by the guys. Since I grew up respecting women as equals, this pisses me off when I have to deal with it - especially when the female protagonist is otherwise capable and strong-willed. The reason behind this seems to be that otome games get the same treatment as romance novels as a genre over there. Who takes romance novels seriously as a genre here? There is a reason why most of them sell for less than the other genres, whether in paperback or hardcover. Another problem blocking growth of the market is translator burn-out. Fantranslation is an incredibly thankless job. If you do badly as a group, people bash you for your horrible translations, and if you do well, you get other translators nitpicking about your mistakes. Not only that, but you are basically giving up dozens of hours of your time for free. Volunteer spirit only takes you so far, and the appreciation of the community starts to feel empty after a surprisingly short time. Even passion eventually burns out entirely. In my case, what was left when all of the above occurred was the simple fact that I want people to be able to see what I've been seeing for the past five years, as I've delved into the depths of the VN abyss. I don't like people... but even I want to be able to share my passions on occasion. Since I've spent most of my free time on niche hobbies for the past twenty-two years, that's definitely been lacking overall, but with untranslated VNs, it has gone to another level. Now that I've ranted, a few serious thoughts. VNs in the US will ALWAYS be balanced on the precipice, for several reasons. 1. Erotic content: A society influenced by Christianity or Islam is inevitably going to be prudish... and democratic political parties are always looking for the next social lever to use at the bully pulpit 2. Piracy: The entire medium's growth in the West beyond nukige is due to fantranslators making patches, thus resulting in mass piracy. Since game piracy is seen as a big issue and the government is always looking for a new criminal issue to distract people, all fantranslators are taking a risk to a greater or lesser extent by working on such projects. 3. Niches tend to narrow when times are hard 4. For those who aren't in the last stages of Otakuitis (the disease that causes one to become an otaku and grows worse as one indulges the accompanying impulses), VNs are difficult to get into. As such, if there was a movement to get VNs out of Western markets, there is a good chance no significant opposition would even be put up by the otaku community. 5. Most bibliophiles, those most likely to enjoy VNs, would rather read actual pure-text literature. These define both the limits and dangers that will always keep the medium on the precipice in the West.

http://vndb.org/v14061 Just finished this. For various reasons, this game probably deserves a better rating than I feel like giving it. Technically, it is quite a good charage/almost nakige. It has the usual moege flaws (longer common route, relatively short heroine routes), but the heroine routes managed to make me cry... the only problem was that they all made me cry for exactly the same reasons, lol. All I could think when I finished this game was 'What? They couldn't think up more varied ways for things to end? Why does every heroine route in this game have exactly the same way of ending, even if the details differ?' I'm going to be blunt... I had trouble getting into this game because the protagonist, for all that he is supposedly capable and talented, has a distinctly bad habit in the form of blinding himself to his situation and the consequences of his actions. This kept jerking me out of my attempts to get emotionally involved with the characters and was my greatest complaint with the story. On the upside, this game has some great heroines... even it doesn't even approach same level of quality as Tsuki ni Yorisou, Otome no Sahou and its sequel (the most recent games before this one by Navel). If I were to assess the enjoyment value for those who like moege and romance, this is a fairly high quality game. This reminds me more of Shuffle than Navel's more serious efforts, and fans of the Shuffle series will probably enjoy it, though the heroines are all humans. Now, it is time for Umizora no Fragments... which, to be honest, I have absolutely no hopes for whatsoever. To be honest, it has been quite some time since I've seen a month with so few prospects for even decent play, so there might not be a Game of the Month for April's releases (neither of the games so far has the level of quality necessary). Yes, I do know about Love Sweets and Natsukoi High Pressure, but both show all the signs of being exactly what I can't stand at this moment (honey-sweet renai ichaicha raburabu). Two games in a row where the protagonist getting lovey-dovey with the heroines is the sole purpose is about my limit. If this one revives me, I might do Love Sweets, but Rootnuko produces really weird games sometimes, so I can't help but feel some trepidation. Edit: I stated this in a previous post, but I intend to marathon the Ikusa Megami series chronologically from Zero until the original's remake (which got released in April), but it will be assessed in my random VN thread, rather than in this one. For one thing, IM games take a long time to play, and for another gameplay can't be sped up the way reading a story can, lol.

It will be mediocre, except amongst desperate Japanophiles and VN fans. The gameplay isn't good enough to justify strategy-lovers purchasing it independent of Japanolove.

Agarest is the kind of series that appeals to people with a really niche sort of taste. I liked the battle system, but I thought they should have spent more time with the heroines for each generation. Most people who complain about it hate the battle system... I was already accustomed to a much more annoying one - the Spectral series - by IF, which uses the same tech-link-combo system in a different format, but for people who aren't used to that, it seems clunky. I can finish each battle in about thirty seconds, but I've heard about others taking ten minutes for each battle and taking KO's... for me that was unthinkable. I only lost a character in the very first battle against the Black Knight... and you are supposed to lose that one. Also, having to raise a new protag with each generation gets to some people, because they lose the characters they spent so much effort raising (though you can bring them back through one of the game's system as clones). Also, for people whose eyes aren't used to VN-style storytelling, it frequently seems like they put less effort into the storytelling. Most jrpgs use sprite body-language and actions to tell the story, along with the dialog and voices. However, with VN-style storytelling you are limited to the tachie and voices in most cases...

Bigger harem than Koihime Musou, similar concept, different execution. Basic battle system is basically sending in a party of up to six generals that fight with the enemy's defense forces (or the reverse) and taking the fortress/city/etc. Generally speaking, the story is a bit out there (sort of like if Koihime Musou had Lovecraftian elements grafted randomly onto it). You can only move along certain lines and invade one nation at a time. Endgame difficulty spikes predictably, though it isn't as hard as a more serious strategy-VN. To be honest, if this were just taken on its merits for gameplay, it probably wouldn't garner any attention whatsoever. In order to make the story make sense, they had to make the progression of your invasion predictable, and as a result, you are restricted greatly.

If you want something darker, Sharin and Hanachirasu are good choices...

The interface, duh. I helped start this project, lol.

The interface patch is... terrible. To say the least. We might have a partial by the end of summer, but that guy is just trolling... I mean, he used Google Translate, lol.

Kefka much? (FFVI)

There are a few random scenes... gameplay-story ratio is about 3:1 (small for a game with serious gameplay). The card battles are surprisingly easy to work with (see my dead thread in this forum), and the characters are fairly interesting. There is only rape on the demon path, and you are supposed to do it last, in any case. There are some random-feeling H-scenes... but that is unavoidable. As for stuff similar to Kamidori... if you get rid of the alchemy, give the game a much better story and a normal rpg battle system, Ikusa Megami Zero comes the closest. To be blunt, if you loved Kamidori, you probably didn't love it for the story, lol. Protagonist from it makes a cameo appearance as a usable character in Soukoku no Arterial with the append disc on a second playthrough, along with Haishiera from Ikusa Megami Zero, and Mao from Himegari, incidentally. Late in the game, Soukoku no Arterial lets you create new cards by fusing others, including cards of characters from other Eushully games (though those only become available on a second playthrough).

First, I would sterilize anyone with an IQ below 100, then I would equally distribute industry across the world while decreasing the actual output to a level sustainable within our environment. I would also institute a one-child a person law, with a birth-rights lottery for when the population falls too low (below 1.5 billion, lol). I would also begin the construction of spacecraft-construction sattelites in orbit, as well as massive asteroid-mining, eventually leading to the creation of space-colonies and generation ships headed out to terraform and colonize the galaxy. I would also make treating genetic diseases in the womb and immunization mandatory, on pain of death or sterilization and enslavement. Petty crimes would result in time in time in a chain-gang, repaving roads or working as a sanitation worker (traditional prisons only existing to provide beds for the night after their work on the chain gangs). Political criminals (anarchists) would be implanted with control and monitoring chips in their brains, sterilized, and given productive work in service to the community for the rest of their natural lives... or the death penalty. Their choice. Needless to say, my world would not put much value on individual life versus the good of the world and community at large, mwahahaha. Edit: Oh, and rape would be punishable by summary execution, after a full scan by a telepath to ascertain the truth of the matter. Since you can't do away with prostitution, I would make it a government-regulated institution, with protections for the identities of those who get out of it, extensive healthcare, protections from exploitation, and help in getting education for other work while in it. Edit2: Oh, and mandatory birth control implants at birth, for both males and females, only deactivated when they apply for the right to produce a child.

Asagao's route was my favorite, in-game. lol

Generally speaking, VNs with serious gameplay tend to fall into one of two types... sort of spoofy/goofy with rape or story-heavy and with rape that is part of the plot. Alice Soft's games fall into the former, with Eushully's games being the latter. It is possible to get a sort of 'nice' ending in Meishoku no Reiki by keeping the evil protagonist's promise to the elf princess (protect her virginity), but the game is much easier if you don't, lol. Alice Soft's games almost always have compulsory rape, with some joke rape thrown in. Edit: Danganronpa is mostly a point and click adventure game, so it doesn't really count...

Yes. Also, these are all heavier on gameplay than ones where the gameplay is sort of just tossed out there, like Twinkle Crusaders (where it was used to cover up for a lack of writing talent for combat scenes). Wizard's Climber and Kanojo wa Sora ni Inoranai are recommendations more from a friend of mine than me, though I've played both. With Sengoku Hime, as a series, I ended up getting swallowed by the gameplay, and the story in general wasn't all that interesting in III, though V has a surprisingly good story for some of the factions. Yes, there is a lot of Eushully up there, all of them ten times better than Kamidori (which was one of the worst games by that company). Daiteikoku is my one nod at Alice Soft, because it was surprisingly good, despite the usual whacked-out antics common in their games. Shinobi Ryuu and Ouzoku are HARD, though good. Meishoku no Reiki... is basically a conquest game where you use an elven princess (sexually) to power your magic. Demonion was a dungeon defense game I played randomly a year ago, and it was surprisingly good, despite being full of heroine choukyou. The good ending is also surprisingly pleasant, considering your protagonist is a demon lord. Eiyuu Senki vies with Koihime Musou for harem size, while being more of a conquest game. My description of Soukoku no Arterial can be found in a thread in this forum. Genrin no Kishougun's gameplay resembles that of Fire Emblem and is based in between Ikusa Megami Zero and Verita chronologically in the mythos. Madou Koukaku is a HUGE conquest game, with an excellent story and lots of resource micromanagement and building. Seinarukana is basically Aselia with a weaker story and an improved combat system. Edit: Incidentally, this is roughly 60% of the untranslated VNs with gameplay I've tried. I really don't play them as much as I do normal ones, even proportionate to their numbers when compared to regular ones. However, I do try those recommended to me by others... I've played about seven Alice Soft games, and my opinion of them is almost universally negative, both from a gameplay and story perspective. The exception is above, which managed to keep my interest despite its flaws (which are shared with all Alice Soft games). I have a friend/fellow madman who plays gameplay-VNs almost exclusively, and I generally only play those I'm already interested in or that he has recommended to me. Eushully's I generally try, because - with a few exceptions - their stories are generally good. I usually at least sample SofthouseChara games as well, though those tend to be even more hit and miss.

4. About the only thing you miss by playing Tsukihime but not FSN is... FSN. Personally, I skipped Fate every time I replayed that one after the first time. FSN also gets deeper into the mythos of the Nasuverse in general, because its focus is less narrow than Tsukihime and more focused than Kara no Kyoukai (which touches on a lot of things that are way out in the distance, lol). Also, there is a sort of off-hand (and off-screen) appearance by 'Sensei's' sister, who is a major character in Kara no Kyoukai.

My first VN was Tsukihime, my first untranslated was Jingai Makyou. I was introduced to VNs by a fellow fansubber, and I haven't looked back since.

This is a list of untranslated (though some might have interface patches) VNs that are generally good. One warning... for some reason, rape is almost a universal presence in VNs with gameplay, though it isn't the focus of it in most cases. Also, though Debo no Su Seisakusho is one of the most famous/infamous producers of such works, most are of extremely low quality. I will definitely take input from others who have ones they love and add them to the list. Edit: Incidentally, if you don't see a vote from me, it is because I didn't have the energy to go through all the paths of the game. Generally speaking, one playthrough is all I can manage with most gameplay VNs, simply because of their immense length. Ouzoku (sort-of comedic strategy VN by SofthouseChara) Madou Koukaku (strategy by Eushully, based in the same world as Ikusa Megami series) Ikusa Megami Zero Ikusa Megami Verita Genrin no Kishougun (both) Meishoku no Reiki (tons of rape in this game... but it is surprisingly fun being the bad guy from the beginning) Soukoku no Arterial Wizard's Climber Demonion (tower-defense and conquest VN... lots of rape, but the battle system itself is fun to mess with) Sengoku Hime III-V (VERY gameplay-focused Sengoku Jidai strategy) Kanojo wa Sora ni Inoranai -quantum girlfriend- (decent Japanese mythology-based rpg VN) Eiyuu*Senki Daiteikoku (the only Alice Soft game I played that had a relatively good, if whacked out, plot) Seinarukana (technically the translation isn't done) Shinobi Ryuu (SofthouseChara, spy/ninja/strategy sim VN) Baldr Sky Dive (both) Baldr Sky Zero (both) Last of all: I LOATHE the Rance series. Don't ask me to include it here. When I can't stand a protagonist, I can't stand the game... and Rance pushes all the wrong buttons with me. Edit2: SofthouseChara is one of the big names in the gameplay-VN business... but their games have really complex systems that are very hard to master without an extensive knowledge of Japanese or an interface patch. tbh, rather than simple games like Eiyuu Senki, these games make a lot more sense to make an interface patch for, in my opinion.

Cinders, the English-language VN that is basically an adult (non-ero) take on the Cinderella story with multiple paths and endings, is up on Steam, for those who are interested. http://moacube.com/ There is a review on RPGfan for those who need one to decide, lol.

That one should have been locked as soon as the thread's author's assignment was over.

For some reason, some VNs just have great quotes thrown out there that sum up one of the major themes of the game. Have you ever come across such a quote, that you felt you just HAD to share with other people? Well, feel free to do so here. Rules: Limit of thirty lines, anything over two lines to be put in a spoilers box to keep from creating walls of text. Hapymaher

Just finished Racial Merge by AXL. A few thoughts: This game uses the same visuals as most AXL games, mostly because AXL basically just interchanges certain features of the heroines and their tachie and their style is easily recognizable. Because of that, if you've played any of their other games, you will instantly feel a sense of nostalgia if you liked them, lol. Pros: A decent charage with decent individual heroine stories based in a fantasy setting. Protagonist is like the ultimate nice guy, but he is also capable at just about anything and everything, save for understanding common sense. Interesting setting. Cons: Reused visuals and music. Lack of any really exciting fighting, despite the protagonist being a good fighter. Basic heroine plots are reused from similar games, with only mild twists on the basic themes. Drama never goes beyond the point of no return (for those who want serious action/drama) Overall: A decent charage, with a protagonist who is likeable, if even more donkan than the average VN protagonist. The setting would be better used in a more serious VN, but those who want something relatively but not too light will find this to be nice and tasty. Edit: A few things. I'll be delaying the new Ikusa Megami until I can replay Zero and Verita, because I want to get a feel for how they linked the stories. This means that it won't make it for the April game of the month, but I'll give a full report on the overall story flow and gameplay for all three games in my random VN thread sometime in early June.

If a game has more than seven choices before a path split, it is enough to annoy me. Generally speaking, there is no need for a lot of scene variation up until a path split, and a good story shouldn't be interrupted constantly with meaningless choices. Of course, meaningful choices are another thing entirely...

I thought Ikusa Megami Zero had about the most ideal balance... minimal grinding (well, unless you wanted to turn everyone into magical monster powerhouses) and a great, massive story spanning over half a millennium. I'd say that most of Alice Soft's games are the reverse... too much grind, too little story. Also... basic requirement of any VN with gameplay... the gameplay has to be relatively easy to master. Games with a steep learning curve have no place in VNs, lol. That said, it is best to stick with role-players or strategy when it comes to VN gameplay. Madou Koukaku is about the most gameplay-leaning I can stand... and that is only because the gameplay is good enough that I didn't feel like I was wasting my time. Edit: If you want an example of a game that goes way too far in the gameplay direction... the Sengoku Hime series. While the story isn't weak, the ratio of gameplay to story is about 80%-20%

Wild Arms Nier