Clephas

Don't get chara-ge mixed up with regular moege or story-focused. In the case of the latter, the overarching story takes precedence and in the case of the former, visual aspects and blatant appeals to moe archetypes tend to take precedence. The Key games are mostly story-focused, despite having a cast with a strong impact. In games like this, the drama is minimal and when it exists it is personal. Suzunone Seven, Kamikaze Explorer, and Prism Recollection (all by Clochette) are of this type. On the other hand, Hoshimemo is most definitely NOT of this type, as it focuses as much on the overarching theme and story as on the characters. It's a really fine line... Another common aspect is the lack of a 'true' or 'central' heroine... It would be a lot easier just to give you a set of common moege that have a strong set of characters (in descending order as they are on my vndb VN list) Maji de Watashi ni Koinishinasai Marginal Skip Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru (both the first and second game) Chuning Lover Konna Ko ga Itara, Boku wa Mou! Anything by the company Whirlpool Mashiro Iro Symphony Sakura Iro Quartet (avoid anything else by this company) Strawberry Feels Tayutama Toppara Zashikiwarashi no Hanashi (despite having a true heroine, this is definitely a chara-ge) WLO Sekai Ren'ai Kikou Walkure Romanze Acchi Muite Koi Anata no Koto Suki to Iwasete Dolphin Divers Duelist X Engage Flag Heshiori Otoko

Games with great soundtracks Anything by Akatsuki Works or Propeller For something more recent: Hapymaher Yurikago yori Tenshi Made Hapymaher http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4nlMwaCjjY

Homemade sushi and ice cream.

Akatsuki Works specializes in games with a faintly cynical undertone despite their apparently warm surface and seriously dark VNs with a philosophical undertone.. As an example, Ruitomo (one of the biggest classic VNs) is on the surface a fairly warm and easygoing VN, but as you get deeper into the game, it gets progressively darker. As an example of the other side, Devils Devel Concept is an outright dark killfest with an amoral protagonist who spouts philosophy on occasion. Propeller produces games that have strong tsukkomi-boke manzai comedy as well as serious action and very well-written stories. Akabeisoft2 (incidentally, Akatsuki Works parent company) produces a varied array of games, one of which was Sharin no Kuni along with less serious, far lighter games. Will, while it itself doesn't produce much in the way of unique games anymore, has many incredibly good subsidiaries who who produce games all across the various VN genres. Minori produces games that are slightly outside normal genre bounds, though its writing patterns are pretty predictable once you've played a few of their games. Light and pre-Sumaga Nitroplus tend(ed) to produce dark, twisted games that tend to leave you feeling emotionally numb. Navel produces relatively high quality moege (games focused on characters and ichalove as well as moe elements). Key specializes in nakige (such as Clannad and Little Busters, though Rewrite is outside of that). Alcot tends to produce mostly comedy games, though they have a few serious ones like Kurenai no Tsuki. Caramel Box tends to produce games with light sci-fi or fantasy elements, and most of those games are somewhat easygoing or 'chicken soup for the soul' games. Pulltop produces varying types and levels of quality in moege. Clochette produces somewhat propagandist (but well-written and fun) games that tend to have fantasy or sci-fi elements. Purple Soft produces mediocre to decent moege. Skyfish produces fantasy games, some with gameplay, some not. Eushully produces varying types of rpg/vns with fantasy stories. SofthouseChara produces light comedy but incredibly involved (and difficult to play) rpg/strategy vns. Alice Soft produces ridiculous (both story and battle-system wise) rpgs and strategy vns. Rosenbleu produces fantasy moege and fantasy vns with moe elements (Tiny Dungeon is the latter and is just generally fun). MeroMero Cute produces games that tend to escape being moege through their weird settings and storylines. 3rdEye produces straight fantasy placed in the modern era and its protagonists are generally easy to like.

I'm the opposite. I'm a writer, but I don't have any talent for visual art at all. Also, I don't have the patience to work through using any of the existing ready-made vn systems...

A lot of people find enforced playing orders irritating. However, in some games it is a necessity due to the degree of detail in an individual heroine's path or due to certain details in another heroine's path not making sense without playing the previous one. Ruitomo's story is a perfect example of a game with a legitimate reason for having an enforced playing order, and most of the best VNs have at least one heroine or path that is not available on the first playthrough. Almost all gameplay-focused VNs have an enforced playing order in the sense that they have at least one ending that can only be accessed on the second playthrough. This doesn't mean that your irritation is unjustified (it's really irritating to have an enforced playing order in a straight moege or a gameplay-focused that doesn't have new game+ that makes the second cycle much easier), but it does mean that when it is used properly in order to tell an overarching story, it can be a good thing.

Name: Rui wa Tomo wo Yobu VNDB Link: http://vndb.org/v776 No translation project No hack Reasons: First, this is a classic game and one of the few Akatsuki Works games that is 'accessible' to the average player. Second, it is Ruitomo. Third, this is easily one of the best VNs of all time and it always surprises me that a translation project has yet to appear. Other info: Honestly, this project might be a bit beyond the abilities of a translator used to moege text. Like all Akatsuki Works games, it is wordy and has a lot of long internal monologues that would be a pain to translate. Name: Yurikago Yori Tenshi Made VNDB Link: http://vndb.org/v7071 No translation project No hack Reasons: This game is a much easier project than Ruitomo, and it is absolutely hilarious while having enough superviolence to satisfy all but the most bloodthirsty. Also, it has a lot of hilariously messed up heroines: Ume - the indestructible girl who loves to break things... and people-, Tae, the ultra-masochistic angel who belongs to the protagonist, and Aria - a girl whose catchphrase is 'kimochiwarui'. Last of all, the game is surprisingly emotionally powerful, despite the psychotic setting and a protagonist who is so screwed up its hard to see what he has in common with humanity. Other info: This game is much easier on the translation front than Ruitomo, probably because it had different writers. As unlikely as such a being would be, devout Christian VN translators might have trouble with some of the themes if they take it too seriously.

Tsukihime was my first... and I haven't stopped since.

I figured that we need a thread for those just beginning to play VNs in Japanese to get recommendations, if only to avoid the danger of hitting a kusoge or five along the road. Basic rule is, recommend between three and ten non-english patched VNs that you think are worth playing, along with one or two sentences for each on why you think they are worth playing and are playable for beginners. 1) Draculius- This game is hilarious and interesting, but more importantly it has the advantage of being relatively easy to read for a beginner at playing VNs in Japanese. 2) Tayutama- Like most moege, Tayutama has very little in the way of difficult phrasing or unusual word choices (save for that involving the mystical elements) and it also happens to be one of the better works by Lump of Sugar. 3) Konata yori Kanata Made- The single best utsuge I've ever played and also a relatively easy read for beginners. 4) Rui wa Tomo wo Yobu- Though this game is not as easy as the choices above, it has the advantage of being one of the best VNs of all time, with a great set of characters and a well-written story. 5) Tiny Dungeon Series- Overall, this series is hilarious, has strong emotional appeal, and is very easy to read. For these reasons, it's ideal for beginners. 6) Yurikago yori Tenshi Made- A darker choice inserted for people who want some decent bloodshed without most of the the incredibly complex and melodramatic word choices that generally characterize the chuuni genre most of the time. 7) Tasogare no Sinsemilla- While not precisely an 'easy' choice, it's easy enough that most people could handle it after playing through a half dozen or so easier ones. Sakura Iro Quartett- For mimikko lovers, this is a great choice, inserted specifically for that type. The story is serious enough to keep it out of the 'pure' moege list, and the setting is interesting. 9) Toppara- My recommendation for youkai lovers who have just moved into the pure Japanese VN scene. All but one of the numerous heroines are youkai, and the story is good enough to set it above the average moege. 10) Evolimit- After you've gone through a few others, you might want to try this game. Propeller is one of the most consistently good action/VN makers and this game is a worthy addition to anyone's list.

lol... my total number of finished VNs went up to 283 the other day, so a pie chart made from my play habits would look like a mass of black lines with microscopic contents...haha

I'll wait until you are ready for the untranslated before I make a suggestion. Almost all my favorites haven't been translated, after all.

Also, another question - though it is not personally relevant (since I don't play translated ones anymore) - is whether someone will translate the remake... though that's getting a bit ahead of ourselves. Considering how long I've been using the original to introduce noobs to VNs, I can't help but be curious if someone will take it up when the time comes...

Since they supposedly intend to add in the Yumizuka path, I'm going for it... I already have the money set aside for whenever it comes out. I just hope they don't make me wait another ten years.

Eien no Aselia comes to mind for english-translated... Yoake Mae yori Ruri Iro na... the Tiny Dungeon series, Marginal Skip, Shinjisougeki Carnival (this is a non-ero, non-romance violence and blood-fest with no voices, so I'm unsure if its what you want). I'm pretty sure Duelist X Engage has a heroine like you are looking for... Understand, all but Aselia are only in Japanese. However, they are all decent games (Eien no Aselia being easily one of the best game stories I've ever encountered and Tiny Dungeon being just all around great as a series). This is just what I came up with on the spot... lots of heroines with aristocratic blood who are ojousamas in eroge, but princesses are relatively rare.

Problem with Utwarerumono was that certain elements were cut out besides the sexual ones... I especially found it saddening that the sickly girl didn't have his kid in the anime...

Most of my experiences with vns turned anime have been negative... Tsukihime's anime, while good in and of itself, is pure blasphemy from the point of view of the fans. Not to mention that the violent parts are so nerfed it might as well be a school drama. The biggest reason is the tendency to 'fuse' paths when making the anime. Tsukihime and FSN's anime both suffered from this. Taken for themselves, the anime were decent... but anyone who had played the games inevitably found themselves wondering just how they turned the cohesive and brilliantly written Nasu stories into that weird collage of a story. If they only turned kinetic novels into anime, this wouldn't be a problem, but trying to turn all the paths in a vn into a single anime path tends to have weird results.

Just don't make the mistake of relying on an English-Japanese dictionary for anything other than simple object nouns. Even after more than a decade, I still run into words whose meaning is subtly different from what the dictionary says in an important way. One of the reasons VNs are a good way to learn - once you've gone beyond a certain level - is that the combination between the spoken and written language helps you grasp these subtleties better....

If you mean temporarily (in the sense they 'die' during the Holy Grail Wars), then the answer is a qualified yes. If he was able to outmaneuver them (an unlikely prospect even in Nanaya Shiki mode) it is possible. Ryougi Shiki from Kara no Kyoukai could do it without a doubt (in the complete sense by killing their true existence and not just their form). Though again, it's a qualified yes in the same manner.

Dragon Force for the Sega Saturn. It was one of Working Designs' localizations, and I've yet to find a more addictively fun strategy game. As for VNs... definitely Yurikago yori Tenshi Made. A relatively recent release (only about a year old) but I've yet to find anyone else in the english-speaking community that has played it.

I propose that sub-forums be constructed for the discussion of the major types and genres of VN. That way, if people are looking for a particular type of VN, they'll know where to ask. The sub-categories I suggest are Moege, Nakige, Utsuge, Action (possible sub-category within this one for Chuuni?), Nukige, VNs with Gameplay, and Odd One Out (for types that don't quite fit into any of the genres, like Namima no Kuni no Faust). For descriptions of each: Moege: VNs where moe factors are the driving force of the game (imouto, mimikko, etc.) Nakige: VNs where cathartic release is a primarily element, but where the endings are generally 'good' Utsuge: VNs where the story is fairly depressing and where endings tend to bring out feelings of sadness. Action: VNs with strong action elements at the center of the story. Chuuni?: Games with a strong sense that everything centers around the protagonist or where he plays an absolutely vital role in the setting, and where there is a strong sense of melodrama to the story Nukige: VNs where the focus of the game is sex and ero in general (most often at the cost of weakening the story greatly) VNs with Gameplay: VNs where gameplay elements such as strategy, turn-based rpg combat, or platforming are included.

I am the type of player that has to like the protagonist of a game in order to enjoy it. 1- Devils Devel Concept: Sora is a symbol of everything that is wrong with the psychological structure of the Enja from a normal' human's point of view. He is selfish, obsessed with fulfilling his obligations, and extremely arrogant. The fact that he has the power to let him get away with it and is intelligent enough to make it seem as if it were not wasted on him is a nice cherry for the top of the cake. 2- Shiranui Yoshikazu (Evolimit): I mostly like this guy because he epitomizes what you'd expect in a 'hero' in the 'frontier spirit' sense of the word. Driven by curiosity, a sense of obligation to the girl who exists only in his subconscious mind, and a fiery (quite literally) determination to get what he wants done done, he is also something of a pervert and is perfectly willing to make a fool out of himself on a regular basis. 3- Hiro (Yurikago Yori Tenshi Made): A guy with what the people around him call 'chokketsu-nou', his id tends to open his mouth before he thinks, leading to all sorts of hilarious results (such as blushing from Tomoe - who happens to be a guy - and broken fingers or limbs from Ume). His personality is... distinct. To be honest, talking too much about his personality would ruin the game totally for you (as his personality is a central plot element), so I'll leave it at that. He is perfectly capable of conversing civilly one moment and shattering the skull of his dining mate the next simply because the other mentioned the wrong person to him.

Dies Irae: Makina's Deus Ex Machina, which is a manifestation of his desire for an eternal end... literally 'ends' anything his fists touch when it is activated. Sort of like an absolute death spell.. if it hits. Devils Devel Concept: Sora's ability to Yurikago Yori Tenshi Made: Protagonist's ability reshape his body as needed (in some really gruesome ways) when he feels threatened. This ability is merely an initial stage of his true power, but it's great in and of itself. The fact that his style of sword-fighting incorporates this ability into its (rather brutal) moves only makes it better. Yurikago Yori Tenshi Made: Ume's body. She is literally indestructible by any sort of outward stimuli (in one of the funniest scenes early in the game, she gets hit by a semi, and the semi's front caves in, the trailer flipping over). Though she is vulnerable to attacks that rewrite reality to a state where her body was 'damaged from the beginning'. This body comes along with a rather nasty set of instincts and personality traits as well... but that just makes it more fun (for the player, anyway).

Suggestions devoid as much as possible of genre bias: Konata yori Kanata Made, Rui wa Tomo wo Yobu, Ayakashibito, Moshimo Ashita ga Harenaraba. Reasons: Konata is easily the best Utsuge I've ever played, and if you aren't crying inside the first hour of playing you are heartless. Ayakashibito and Ruitomo are both 'new classics' with wide audiences. Moshimo Ashita ga Harenaraba is one of the best non-Key nakige out there. Understand, I don't need translations... these are games I've already enjoyed myself... I'd like to be able to discuss them with more people, but I'm not so hungry that I couldn't do without...lol

I'd seriously push Suzunone, Kamikaze, Tenshi no Hane, and the Tiny Dungeon series... not to mention Ayakashibito and Evolimit. The first three seem to meet your standards perfectly, the Tiny Dungeon ones in their own way, and the last two are just awesome games. Dracu-riot was good but not great and Whirlpool's games tend to imitate one another very strongly in both in visual style and general plot flow. On the bright side, there are lots of 'twin heroines both love the protagonist' endings in Whirlpool games, for people who have that fetish, haha...

Magus Tale, Ima mo Itsuka mo Faluna Luna, Suzunone 7, Kamikaze ☆ Explorer!, Dracu-Riot, Tenshi no Hane wo Fumanaide, Sukimazakura to Uso no Machi, the Tiny Dungeon series, Ayakashibito, Evolimit (if you don't mind settings that are somewhat out there), Primary ~Magical★Trouble★Scramble~, Ryuuyoku no Melodia -Diva with the blessed dragonol-, 77（セブンズ） ～And, two stars meet again～. Those are the ones that come to me off the top of my head. Ayakashibito and Evolimit are both action-centric, just to warn you. Edit: None of these are translated, incidentally