Clephas

Nitroplus has an exclusive partnership with JastUSA. This isn't workable as a fantranslation, since it is likely to (eventually) get an official translation.

With Eushully's games it depends on the game. With Ikusa Megami Zero, I was careful to start using a walkthrough at the late game, when optional areas started popping up, but most of the rest of the game can be completed pretty well without that. (the optional characters in that game are some of the most powerful) Soukoku no Arterial on the other hand... most definitely needed a walkthrough. Too many endings, hidden items and the like to make it a viable choice to not play that way. Not only that, but the game got ridiculously hard at the end if you weren't careful. I never played Kamidori, because it is generally despised by Eushully fans for being the worst game on their list (besides Kodzukuri Banchou). I always find it highly ironic that the ones that got tled were the ones most hated by fans of the company... Daiteikoku is virtually unplayable without some kind of roadmap to figure out what order to do certain things after turn 15 or so. In particular if you don't choose Nihonka (or Japanization in english), the game becomes a bit too hard to manage without a walkthrough of some sort. With G-senjou, its best to just do the main route only. The side routes will only sour you on the game in general.

Most walkthroughs don't provide any real spoilers, save for who the heroines are. For games two years old or more, Foolmaker's walkthroughs provide the most efficient methods to get through the game with the least amount of repeated text and skipping while getting all the CG's. Right now, most games have seiya-saiga walkthroughs... (non-nukige anyway). As for pitfalls... moege tend to be hit and miss. There are ones that are just too archetypical for words (the greater majority of them) and ones that are truly awesome (a very small number). To be blunt, VNs are meant to be read more than played, and I 'play' them as a reader rather than as a gamer.

Understandable. However, if there is one common factor to most of the people who enjoy VNs... it is that they hate being spoiled. If you ruin the key points of a visual novel's story, just what is there left to enjoy? (besides ero) While reviews can be helpful, that is only if the writer is careful to be objective (even to the point of taking it to excess when they love the game) and avoids spoilers inasmuch as possible.

For the past year or so, I've gotten into the habit of leaving comments on games I've played on vndb for those who want more information than the summary provides but don't want spoilers. If more people who played games in Japanese did this, it would probably be easier for people to avoid surprise kusoge or games that don't match their tastes... Unfortunately, most people just vote, which doesn't say anything about the game itself, unfortunately. As for English games... there are just too few translated VNs. Most newbies will go through all of the non-nukige in less than a year and then get hungry for more while they wait endlessly for translations... unfortunately for them. Also, since not everyone has a gift for languages, suggesting they learn Japanese is not an option for many. If I had more time, I'd be working a translation myself, but I've been having less and less time - ironically - since I rearranged my schedule around playing VNs (due to the fact that I switched from one-off jobs to contract work). Real life can be such a drag sometimes...

Reviews do create undo influence on the reader. Also, they often are completely off the mark when it comes to particular games. The english review of Devils Devel Concept that introduced me to the game was so far off that it didn't even resemble what the game was when I played it. Also, reviews with spoilers for games that bill themselves on their complexity are unacceptable, but for some reason people insist on spoiling those the most often... If I could copypasta my knowledge and understanding into your brain, I would. Unfortunately that is impossible. Also, even if I find great games, nobody translates them because they inevitably focus on well-known companies or moege... Well, part of that is because the best games are almost all too wordy for most tls and a smart tl won't take on more than he/she can handle. Edit: I really do suggest that anyone who is stuck with English play Cross Channel. I don't know how many people I mention it to who say 'I keep meaning to...' and then never get around to it because it takes second place to some other game. However, amongst the translated VNs I've played, I honestly enjoyed that one the most besides FSN and Tsukihime. For those looking forward to future releases, I'm pretty sure Grisaia will eventually become the most popular fantranslated work. This is because it holds all the best elements of your average moege with all the melodrama of a chuuni game, the depth of a story-focused, and the unique personalities of a chara-ge to create truly awesome result. Also, the protagonist reminds me of Sagara Sousuke from Full Metal Panic, save for the fact that he is more messed up.

Ever17 is for those who want a good mindfuck. I enjoyed it immensely but I found a lot of VNs I liked more later...

Cross Channel, Tsukihime, Fate/stay night, and the Muv-luv series (with the stipulation that playing Unlimited and Extra is solely to prepare you for Alternative). Sekien no Inganock is also a good one if you don't mind lots of weirdness and a different art style. Cross Channel is... more than a little psychotic. Tsukihime has an awesome story but no voices... and I'd seriously suggest that you switch the music out with something more suitable. Fate Stay/night will be somewhat familiar to those who have watched the anime, though the anime is a horrible bastardization of an epic (and very long) story. Little Busters and Clannad will do for something lighter and non-H.

This is an idea I was given to get around the problems with sexual content and localization in the US, but how about an all-ages version or title? While a game with sexual content is more likely to get more direct support, it is all too likely that it would run into legal barriers that would prevent its localization. I already made a thread in this forum with a list of all-ages PC games, and anyone else can feel free to add their own obsessions to the list (all-ages, not by a company that has a strong possibility of localization already).

Here is a list of decent PC VNs with all-ages versions that I've come across over the years. (I'm not counting anything by companies that already exclusively localize with JastUSA or Mangagamer) I won't mind if people add in console VNs for LIVING consoles like Utawarerumono 2, but I am only going to list ones that had an all-ages PC release. Tokyo Babel Dies Irae Negai no Kakera to Hakugin no Keiyakusha (not out yet, but Propeller has never failed me yet) Bloody Call (yes, it's an otome game, but it was also decent) fortissimo EXS//Akkord:nächsten Phase (all-ages version coming out a bit later) Kajiri Kamui Kagura ... One thing I learned skimming my list. Regular VNs rarely make the transition or start out as all-ages games on the PC. Chuuni games seem to be the most likely to make the transition, probably because what people who play them want out of them has virtually nothing to do with ero... I literally didn't come across any that had an all-ages version on the PC that weren't chuuni (other than Key or Ryuukishi games) on my list at the rank of 7 out of 10 or above.

Hackers are as hard to find as translators. Editors are as plentiful as leaves on the ground in autumn, though good editors are rarer than natural diamonds.

Robotics:Notes is out of the question, as JastUSA still has exclusive rights to Nitroplus-related localizations. Daitoshokan... *Clephas makes a face* latest fad. Also, that sixth option is too unilateral to avoid being quashed in the legal arena (the second money gets involved, official channels become vital). Perceived legitimacy is vital to gaining crowdfunding from the type of people on the other side of the argument, Aaeru. Bashing the wall with your hands isn't always the best solution... sometimes you have to dig under it or climb over it.

Forgive me for double posting, but I wanted this to be separate from the post above. To be blunt, to create a project like this, whether you use the straight crowdfunding method or the alternative of purchasing the license (probably using donations), this would be a huge commitment on part of the founder of the project. First, the founder would have to take responsibility for whatever he chose to bring over. For this reason, it would probably be wise to choose a title with as little extreme hentai as possible (avoid anything with rape, obviously underage heroines, or BDSM). For the second part, you should choose a project that has relatively wide appeal but is not boring or along the lines of what Mangagamer prefers to bring over (no nukige, no second-rate moege or chara-ge). Competing directly with Mangagamer at this point would be unwise, as success would hold the potential to unite our community behind this idea as a whole and failure would probably mean no more projects like it for some time. I'd suggest something by Will or one of its subsidiaries or Akabeisoft2 or one if its subsidiaries. My main reason is that both are none for producing games that are high quality, have wide appeal, and have a depth lacked by most of the commercially localized games currently being released in the US and other Western nations. Will is a more likely prospect, as Akabeisoft2 and its subsidiaries block foreign IP access to their sites pretty rigorously. Be prepared to set stretch goals including multiple translations (translations into German, Russian, etc.) if you choose the Kickstarter method. This will make it more likely to gain access to crowdfunding from foreign fanboys, which will make it that much more likely that you get funded on time. Spread the news. Advertising, whether it is banners or word of mouth (or posting on otaku sites all over the net) will be necessary to draw attention to the project. Without a crowd to fund it, your project will be dead in the water. Edit: Realistically, a project like this would probably need help from all parts of the community. Ironically, the current split in the community's opinions is one of the biggest obstacles to success outside of the problems already mentioned. A sixth point that should probably be added to the first post I made is hiring or discovering someone who can figure out all the legal obstacles to a project like this. It is better to have all your ducks in a row before pulling the trigger, after all.

Aaeru and the others brought up a good point when they thought up the idea of using Kickstarter to fund the localization of VNs for various languages. However, there are a number of conditions that would need to be cleared first. 1) Convincing the company in question to get behind the idea. Many VN companies would probably be delighted to affray the costs associated with localization through a method like Kickstarter. However, as of yet, awareness over there of this idea is rather low and the Japanese are natural conservatives, and for the most part they dislike being the 'first' to do something. Not only that, many companies who sell ero-versions would be unwilling to localize due to content issues such as rape scenes, fetishism, and the love of the loli. All of these could create potential problems for them at home and abroad. 2) Setting goals. First, you have to consider... just how many languages do you want to localize it in? How will you distribute it? How do you plan to convince others to take an interest in helping fund the project? For that matter, how do you attract the attention of fans unaware of Kickstarter? Do you want to utilize the fantranslator community or will you use professionals? What kind of stretch goals will you set? What kind of rewards will you give out to donators (other than the digital or physical versions of the game itself)? 3) Preparation. Be prepared to rush the initial translation, working your translators, editors, and quality-checkers to the bone for months on end. For a project like Grisaia, for instance, you could find yourself working for six months to a year flat, even if you had several translators working through most of the day, five days a week. Another thing, impressing not only with speed but with quality would be key to producing a possible second project. Not only will this attract fan interest, it will also gain trust with developers, potentially allowing you to more easily start future projects. 4) People. Whether you use pros or enthusiasts, you have to have people willing to take on the job, or you'll waste everyone's time. Without a staff on hand, it is all too likely that the developer will ignore you outright. Most VN companies make very, very little money on their games after costs. As such, you would have to display you had the resources to do what you say you want to do before they would be willing to make an investment in your ideas. 5) Alternate Idea. Raise money to actually buy the license to a VN, rather than negotiating with the developer to do a Kickstarter project. To be honest, I find this option to be slightly more realistic than convincing most VN companies make a bet on something as unfamiliar to them as crowdfunding.

Tsukihime is pretty glitchy in the first place. It froze or died on me regularly on me when I played it through the first time. I've yet to try it on Windows 7, though.

It is more frustrating at times than a matter of pride. There are so many games I'd love to addict other people to but can't because they haven't been translated. The times when I act superior are mostly attempts to needle others into learning enough Japanese to make the dive into untranslated games. It's more than a little lonely being unable to share game stories with those who might love them without spoiling them. Moreover, the VN-playing community in general is small and the Japanese-competent are an even smaller group within that community, which makes finding people who share your interests and tastes amongst your peers incredibly hard. Yes, I'm proud that I learned Japanese with the sole original motivation of playing video games and watching anime, because I actually managed to do it solely with that motivation. However, I don't consider myself superior to others... rather, in the sense that I am incapable of escaping my addictions, I'd say I'm probably a little less mentally stable than most...lol

Currently playing Gensou Douwa Alicetale. Finished Lovesick Puppies earlier.

Pretty much the only enhanced version I want is the Ayakashibito enhanced version... it had an extra route with an unexpected character (like seriously, that one is a heroine?!!) that splits off from one of the main routes. Unfortunately, I've yet to obtain it (it's hard to find) and I have no intention of trying to emulate it... Edit: Also, it is much more frustrating to try and get someone to hack a console game when you are thinking of doing a translation project. As it is, most decent games have reverse-engineering tools hanging around, so if I ever get in the mood I can just begin work. However, with console games, that isn't the case...

Mmm... personally I don't have much of a taste for console VNs. Most of them are rehashes of PC versions and those that aren't are usually anime-related (meaning the story is already well-known or it is a side-story tacked on like a fandisc). Those that are made exclusively for a console don't tend to be all that interesting (though part of that is because I hate anything made by Nitroplus after Muramasa except Phenomeno). Also, I'm essentially lazy, so I prefer to have Jparser at hand to give me obscure word and kanji meanings rather than taking the effort to bring them out of the depths of my skull. I have played a few console VNs... but Utawarerumono 2 was the only one I was obsessed enough with to actually enjoy. *Clephas fails to mention that he finds games that lack violence, philosophy (not pseudo-philo like you see in Steins;Gate), and ero to be boring* Edit: lol, yes, I have been that corrupted by my time in eroge. If it lacks all three of those, I do indeed have trouble enjoying it... because my first loves are philosophy and violence. Also, truly great console VNs eventually end up on the PC for the most part, in any case. Edit 2: Well, if the game has a particularly good protagonist - a rarity in moege, which make up the majority of console ports and the like - I am generally willing to play it. But if there is even the least hint of a PC release, I don't bother.

True, it is Pandora's Box. I rearranged my life around VNs shortly after I played my first one in Japanese. My 10 (on a scale of 1-10 with ten being the most difficult) would probably require a minimum of JLPT 3 to just barely comprehend the gist of maybe 50% things... and if you wanted full understanding, you'd need 2 or 1 (1 probably). Most VNs hover around JLPT 2 for full comprehension... without jparser. With Jparser, I'd say you might be able to handle things if you have JLPT 2... though a 3 or 4 might be able to puzzle them out. Still, go ahead and dive in, even if you've only managed 5. You'll pick things up along the way, as you struggle to comprehend. As long as you don't go using some stupid machine translator to create a facsimile of engrish to rely on. Edit: One thing to be clear about, some obscure Japanese proverbs and sayings we simply don't have the background to interpret and have no corresponding saying in English. For this reason, even if you can read kanji straight up, you should still have Jparser on and ITH attached so you can get the meaning of new proverbs as you go. It saves the time of searching Japanese websites and lets you continue playing uninterrupted.

No, we are the minority. We are just an obsessed and addicted minority that makes a lot of noise. The limited number of translated VNs makes recommending them rather pointless, in any case.

A lot of early-era and doujin games generally need to switch out music, for reasons that become obvious upon playing them. Tsukihime is an obvious example, but Abyss- Homicide Club is another that sometimes needs a music switch out... the lack of money available to the makers tends to be more likely to create situations like that. Companies with a lot of money have a bad habit of splurging on music but getting a random music director, who doesn't have any idea of how to use the music at hand. As a result, you can end up with great soundtracks, but have them so poorly used you can't get into the game at all.

To be honest, most VN's are best on the first playthrough, though others reveal new aspects on second playthroughs and remain interesting or are emotionally powerful precisely because you've played them before... I wouldn't be surprised if a good number of people here wouldn't be happy to replay all their games from the beginning if they were allowed to forget the content.

Aaeru, almost all my real top ten are beyond beginners' ability to read. These are entry-level in comparison. Also, the top two are most definitely easy ones. To be blunt, you don't get any easier than that without being a completely vapid moege or a nukige. Ruitomo and Tasogare are both somewhat hard, but only do in a middling fashion. If you've played three or four of the other games, you will be able to handle those two. Evolimit... isn't especially hard save for the specialist terms relating to artificial intelligence and the like. For one thing, I chose these games because they use terms that are mostly picked up correctly by Jparser and edict in combination so you can easily make out words without having to guess or pull out a kanji dictionary. Ruitomo's word choices aren't that unusual for the most part. It's just really wordy, thus making it a hard sell for people who aren't readers by nature. Tasogare is similar in that fashion. If I listed my personal top ten favorites, I'd have to add Dies Irae and Jingai Makyou, as well as a few other nightmarishly hard to read games to the list. Edit: When I made the list, I assumed most people would be relying on jparser and edict to one extent or another. Digging into untranslated VNs without a working knowledge of Japanese grammar is not something I can recommend, to be honest. Vocab can be picked up as you go and unusual sentence structure can generally be figured out from that base of grammatical knowledge. However, the knowledge of common tenses, particles, and sentence structure that make up Japanese grammar is a necessary precursor to fully enjoy any VN in its original language. Machine translations are still a joke, after all. Edit2: For reference, my permanent top 5 1- Evolimit 2- Ikusa Megami Zero 3- Devils Devel Concept 4- Draculius 5- Jingai Makyou The lower five periodically switch out or switch places, depending on shifts in my tastes or the appearances of new gems. Currently, Yurikago, KonaKana, and Dies Irae occupy spaces in those lower five, but Ruitomo is a pretty constant 13-16 and Tasogare is somewhere around 50-60 depending on my mood. It's pretty hard to get into my top ten, and it usually involves being part of my favorite genre. The main reason Evolimit is #1 is that it combines great music, great music use, good visuals, awesome characters and character interactions, good action, and a truly epic story with strong emotional impact, not to mention a lot of hilarity when outside the action. In other words, it hits all my buttons without being junk food, like Yurikago is (Yurikago being a flagrant appeal to chuuni addicts) Edit3: Also, save for Yurikago (which as I said before, is genre-addict junk food and a bit too much for people who don't like bloodshed, weird characters, and strange worldviews) all those games have pretty wide appeal, which is pretty important when choosing a game to recommend to the general public, while also being readable and generally mid to high quality. No point in introducing someone to a kusoge or a generic moege for their first outing. I would have added Uruwashi no to the list, but due to times when it suddenly becomes high-difficulty (economic terms, unusual terms, quick-pace with rapid events and twists that can be hard to follow if you can't yet grasp the language well) toward the end of the individual character paths, I had to cross it out.

Around 70% of all moege reuse generic (some even using public domain stuff) music for their BGMs, with the other 30% utilizing original music made in the style particular to the genre. At least, that was the case with the ones I've played. It's a lot less trouble to name games with awesome music than it is to name ones with bad or mediocre music... especially after you've devoured a large number of VNs like I have.