What are you playing?

[Decay]

I just finished Kara no Shoujo. It was alright. I think it might have been overrated, it was good but not as good as some of the ratings and hype it gets implies. I think the alternate endings take way too much effort to achieve for how little you get. Replaying the game is actually a pain in the ass. I might have thought better of it if I could have just gotten the true ending right away and there weren't even anything else other than the bad ends along the way. Also, I find it pretty unusual that (ending spoilers)

The best ending for Toko isn't the true end. I went in expecting an utsuge, but even still that's an odd choice to have an alternate ending where she survives and is safe but with the mastermind still on the loose, while the true end has her fate be questionable but the true mastermind is apprehended. Which is the better end, I wonder? I fully expect that she somehow is alive and that will play into KnS2, but I doubt that she will be well off. Poor Toko.

 

Well, I do have one complaint about this. The choice to either save Toko or find the truth doesn't really strike me as a valid choice. There's no reason given why Reiji couldn't do both. In the end where Toko is rescued, there was nothing stopping Reiji from investigating further after the fact and coming to the same conclusions he comes to in the true end. He just doesn't. That's a lame way to handle that kind of thing.

 

I'm about to start another hyped game from my back catalog, Cross Channel. But I'm running into technical issues. First of all, full screen doesn't work, it just moves the window to the top left of my screen. This is really bad since the game is freaking 640x480. Okay, so I'll use windows' screen magnification tool (it's how I played umineko and higurashi). Except that doesn't work the way I want it to with Aero disabled, and for whatever stupid reason, the english patch disables Aero. The unpatched executable does not, so I don't understand why it's different. Ugh. I finally worked up the will to read this thing and it's trying its hardest to stop me from doing so.

 

edit: Problem solved by installing from scratch by downloading and using the original Japanese discs. Now I know why Ixrec always complains about Fuwanovel's pre-installed torrents. CC's is pretty messed up.

[hydro]

Finally started Ataraxia, enjoying it so far. A little under 20% in according to the game itself. The story progression is linear but pretty strange.

 

Ayako horror story - back with friends telling horror stories - shirou horror story (inexplicably from Bazzett's view) - bazzett dies in it - Shirou waking up with no acknowledgement of people telling horror stories (october - Shirou dies on Oct 11, "bad end" - back to oct 8 - Shirou dies but this time it was a more "official" death - next bazzett scene - back to shirou again without bazzett dying this time.

 

I was told I didn't need a guide so I'm not using one, seems accurate enough so far.

[Kurisu-Chan]

 

 

Comyu itself is good, but a lot of people seem to dislike the first route, myself included.  The pacing is quite good, actually, I have a hard time thinking of less exciting parts that went on for too long, but Benio is...well, Benio.  She gets to be quite annoying in her route.  So far I'd give it an 8, but I haven't finished the third route yet, and there's five (fifth is supposed to be the one that really makes Comyu worth reading).

 

Tbh, i liked Benio but the route itself felt like...i don't know, kinda boring, uninteresting.

 

Hisoka needs Hisoka, because you basically have 4 scenes with her, and 4 boring and short moments with her.

 

Mayuki and Ayaya would be excellent routes, if the VN was called Majikoi.

 

Kagome Saves everything for me, her route and herself are great, this i can't deny it.

[Nerathim]

Benio's route is freaking good, why is everyone forgetting Gasai ? Who gives a damn about Benio when you have you have one of the most charismatic antagonist with amazing scenes ?
Fanservice aside this route is also essential because it's introducing a lot of informations about Rondo and that's necessary for the true route. Besides, it doesn't drag too much and there's always something unsolved which incites the reader to continue to read.

And again, Comyu isn't a standard VN, there is no point in criticizing Hisoka's route for not having enough Hisoka, that's juste a name, we're reading a chuuni story here, not a date-sim. She doesn't have much screentime but what about it ? That doesn't make the route bad at all and it develops interesting elements nonetheless. (and I found it to be far more consistent than Benio route).

[Wahfuu]

Im not sure why people don't like Benio's route, it's really the only route that gives a big picture of the whole setting of the Comyunet, and while Benio can be quite annoying, she at least has a dream that she is absolutely steadfast in. Hisoka isn't even a character, she's basically just there to be Akihito's echo chamber, and her route feels extremely lazy and unfinished. Not to mention  Mayuki/Ayaya's routes are just messes of useless (I kinda like Mayuki's in a way, though)

I really wish the game had Nanase and Yoruko routes instead of Ayaya's and Hisoka's, both of their backstories are far more interesting and could let you see parts of the setting you didnt a chance to.

Kagomes route

My biggest problem with the Kagome's route is that you basically witness the destruction of a setting that you didn't see enough of. Hisoka's had an interesting concept that gets rushed through, Benio's feels very introductory and gives you a big overview, and Kagome's is the apocolypse of it. Neither Mayuki's nor Ayaya's contribute to it all, so basically the only thing that ends up contributing to the Comyunet ends up being Common route, Benio, and the rushed parts of Hisoka's.

 

[Nerathim]

The Coµnet is more of a pretext to include messages about human relationships, society and psychology than a really interesting concept. I think it's good that Hino hasn't focused too much on it, confronting the Coµnet with the real world, creating a mini-society with all the problems that it entails was good enough. (and we already know a bunch of things about the round table and Caesar's legion)

It kinda reminds me of Ayakashibito and the city of Jinyous, developing it more would have been useless by taking account of the VN's purpose.

[Kurisu-Chan]

Benio's route is freaking good, why is everyone forgetting Gasai ? Who gives a damn about Benio when you have you have one of the most charismatic antagonist with amazing scenes ?

Fanservice aside this route is also essential because it's introducing a lot of informations about Rondo and that's necessary for the true route. Besides, it doesn't drag too much and there's always something unsolved which incites the reader to continue to read.

And again, Comyu isn't a standard VN, there is no point in criticizing Hisoka's route for not having enough Hisoka, that's juste a name, we're reading a chuuni story here, not a date-sim. She doesn't have much screentime but what about it ? That doesn't make the route bad at all and it develops interesting elements nonetheless. (and I found it to be far more consistent than Benio route).

 

 

I completely don't care about Dating sim, i'm just saying for the Char, she had WAY more potential in the actual Story, but she was just used as a name for the route.

[Nyanko]

Well the fact that people discuss the routes like this already says enough, none of the routes are bad probably. It just depends on your own taste, what you are looking for in the story. Seeing you people talk about it like that makes me want to read it more. Also, I did enjoy Ayakashibito and I'm in for something like it. Having started Grisaia it will probably take a while before I actually get to it though, and Cartagra is still on the list too.

 

I just finished Kara no Shoujo. It was alright. I think it might have been overrated, it was good but not as good as some of the ratings and hype it gets implies. I think the alternate endings take way too much effort to achieve for how little you get. Replaying the game is actually a pain in the ass. I might have thought better of it if I could have just gotten the true ending right away and there weren't even anything else other than the bad ends along the way. Also, I find it pretty unusual that (ending spoilers)

The best ending for Toko isn't the true end. I went in expecting an utsuge, but even still that's an odd choice to have an alternate ending where she survives and is safe but with the mastermind still on the loose, while the true end has her fate be questionable but the true mastermind is apprehended. Which is the better end, I wonder? I fully expect that she somehow is alive and that will play into KnS2, but I doubt that she will be well off. Poor Toko.

 

Well, I do have one complaint about this. The choice to either save Toko or find the truth doesn't really strike me as a valid choice. There's no reason given why Reiji couldn't do both. In the end where Toko is rescued, there was nothing stopping Reiji from investigating further after the fact and coming to the same conclusions he comes to in the true end. He just doesn't. That's a lame way to handle that kind of thing.

I feel the same for Kara no Shoujo, it's pretty good, but there is too much hype. I didn't like the clicking parts in the investigations (which also made it a pain in the butt to go through the routes again..) and the pacing was too slow to keep me hooked a lot of times. Some endings did make up for some of that though, and made me remember it like I do now.

But still, the pacing and all made me wonder about Cartagra. I already heard there are no clicking parts in the investigation scenes so thats good! And I'm going to read it for sure but I wondered if it was really similar to KnS. Or more like, is Kara no Shoujo similar to Cartagra?

[Vokoca]

Just finished Down the Rabbit Hole 2 in Subarashiki Hibi. I don't even know what to say... it convincingly lured me into the feeling where I thought I had everything figured out, and then it just hit me over the head with an amazing mindfuck. I've really liked it! Not sure what to expect from the other arcs though... I think I've read somewhere it switches main characters between arcs, but.... Yuki is such a great MC, I don't want a different one.

 

Also those Lovecraft references, so good!

 

Also picked up Dorapeko, since I felt like trying something from Alice Soft, and this looked like a simple starting point (that and Rance not only seems hard to find, but I'm not a fan of rape and the like). Finished the first chapter, and I've enjoyed it to a certain amount. That is, I enjoyed the rather random humour, I like the overall ridiculous feel of the VN, and those bad ends are fun to collect. Can't say any of the characters are really likeable though, on the other hand - and the MC is downright terrible. None of this is such a huge problem though as nothing really is serious enough to really be bothersome, so I think I'll continue this on the side for a bit.

[Ayana]

Just finished Down the Rabbit Hole 2 in Subarashiki Hibi. I don't even know what to say... it convincingly lured me into the feeling where I thought I had everything figured out, and then it just hit me over the head with an amazing mindfuck. I've really liked it! Not sure what to expect from the other arcs though... I think I've read somewhere it switches main characters between arcs, but.... Yuki is such a great MC, I don't want a different one.

Do not worry, fellow SubaHibi reader... Yuki may be the coolest main character ever, but the other main characters are all pretty good. ^^ Though I did feel the same as you after I finished RH2 for the first time. I miss Yuki and her greatness even now, and she's pretty much one of my favorite characters in eroge (well, besides Ayana xD).

Don't you just love that feeling when a proper mystery story is leading you on through its narrative, things are just slowly making more and more sense, and yes, like you said, the feeling that you've got everything figured out is apparent...  and then all of the sudden--WHAM! huge mindfuck out of nowhere to throw everything for a loop!

That one particular mindfuck scene still sticks in my mind because it was such a large scale of WTFery for me at the time reading it. R-rabbit. Q_Q

I guess Subarashiki Hibi is very geared towards mystery genre lovers. (❀◦‿◦)

 

[BookwormOtaku]

Finished Yume's after story in DC2SC and begun Minatsu's...and wow, this one's been surprisingly good as an after story as it does a good job addressing the events of the route it continues from rather than just have them be a kind of background thing like Koko's and Yume's.

[LiquidShu]

Ayakashibito! I wish i could do Suzu's route first... They made you feel connected to her right off the bat, not fair.

[Ezeefreak]

Still "working" on KonoSora. Finished my second route -> Asa. At this playthrough I felt that one is not really a good end. But that doesn't mean i did not enjoy it. Asa is still cute and adorable. Now it's time for Kotori.

[Decay]

I feel the same for Kara no Shoujo, it's pretty good, but there is too much hype. I didn't like the clicking parts in the investigations (which also made it a pain in the butt to go through the routes again..) and the pacing was too slow to keep me hooked a lot of times. Some endings did make up for some of that though, and made me remember it like I do now.

But still, the pacing and all made me wonder about Cartagra. I already heard there are no clicking parts in the investigation scenes so thats good! And I'm going to read it for sure but I wondered if it was really similar to KnS. Or more like, is Kara no Shoujo similar to Cartagra?

There are definitely big similarities between Cartgra and KnS, but that's only natural. There are also major differences. Cartagra is pure VN with only the standard choices to guide the story (no "clicking parts", no evidence presentation, etc), and its true ending is available from the start. It feels like less of a chore to go through. Cartagra is still pretty dark with some gore, untimely deaths, and so on, but it's not an utsuge. There are a lot more comedic moments. The main heroine is a total goofball of a character, lightening the mood of every scene she's in. It's also shorter, probably only 3/5ths the length of KnS. One of the things I feel it does worse than KnS is that the protagonist feels less capable as a detective. Anyways, give it a shot, it's not bad.

[Roach]

Cartagra is pure VN with only the standard choices to guide the story (no "clicking parts", no evidence presentation, etc), and its true ending is available from the start.

I'm sure you have to finish Kazuna's normal end first to get the true ending, unless I misinterpreted something here.

[HMN]

Soooo...I passed the last choice in Ayaya's route a while ago, and just got to the Second Heavenly King fight.  I heard that Ayaya's route was basically a big joke, but this is something else  xD

hence,the title of her route is "banal story" XD

[Ayana]

Skimming through F/HA so I can laugh again from the viewpoint of a different language. It's extremely effective, in more ways than one.

I'll actually get back to Saihate no Ima when my brain manages to reform from the previous implosion it experienced reading this eroge. Seriously, Saihate is not for the faint of heart for those who're sensitive to the "mindscrew" element (or just the "I simply do not understand anything in this eroge" element).

Warning properly set in place, I now return to entertainment!

[theboxcarracer]

Started Kira Kira.

 

EDIT: I'm now a few minutes in, and it's already touching on an issue that has been the subject of a lot of contemplation for me right now. I think I'm going to enjoy this one.

[arakura]

EDIT: I'm now a few minutes in, and it's already touching on an issue that has been the subject of a lot of contemplation for me right now. I think I'm going to enjoy this one.

 

I love when this happens. Dra+Koi was kind of like that for me.

I've been stalled on G-Senjou for a while now after I read one route of Tsubaki's story, but I want to pick it up again. That said I've actually got some brutal scheduling for the next few weeks, but maybe I'll find some time. I hope I do 0.0

 

Nice to see you back, boxcar

[theboxcarracer]

Nice to see you back, boxcar

 

Yeah, I wound up getting pretty distracted from VN's for a while, then I went through this weird phase where I desperately wanted to play through Majikoi again, but I told myself I wouldn't until it's fully translated so I didn't, and then I gt a Wii U and Hyrule Warriors and Smash just came out and then I got a job for the holidays... well, yeah I guess some stuff happened. But I'm back, and I have a few VNs lined up after this one, so hopefully I wont disappear again for a while.

 

I've gotta say, the translation of Kira Kira is pretty rough. Im having a really difficult time dealing with lines like, " What is 'Indies'? ... They're so wild. so cool, so punk, and so Indies." It's Indie. It's Indie music. ARRGGHHH. The Indies are a collection of islands off in South Asia, and the term is not music related at all. Maybe I'm nitpicking, but this weird unnecessary pluralization comes up a lot and I feel like it would have been pretty easy to catch.

[TexasDice]

Yeah, the translation is kinda bad, but I still love Kira*Kira. Nothing compared to maschine translations or Konosora though.

 

Kira*Kira is easily one of my favorite VNs and yet I despise it a little at the same time. 

[sorakmony]

Soooo...I passed the last choice in Ayaya's route a while ago, and just got to the Second Heavenly King fight.  I heard that Ayaya's route was basically a big joke, but this is something else  xD

i think you will find Kagome's route more interesting than Ayaya's route   .

[Decay]

Such a bold proclamation.

[Desert35]

Just began Benio's route yesterday and I must say that:

 

the techical first time between her and Akihito made me laugh a lot because... well how can she think that punching him in the face and doing nothing can count as a first time? I think that's the first time of a character that made me laugh the most of all the VNs I played until now!

[Mr Poltroon]

Playing Tomoyo After, again. I take way longer than I should reading these things and then I forget all about it....