What are you playing?

[Ezeefreak]

I completed now A Profile and I liked it. It isn't the best VN ever but it was entertaining for me, so I've wasted no time . I liked the endings and especially the Protagonist. At first I thought what a stereotypical boring one. But the more i learned about him, the more I liked him. I really like that kind of protagonist. He does what he have and wanna do and it doesn't matter that the decision he makes aren't popular or what other people think about that. Thats is really strong, in my opinion. So I hope i will find more of that.

 

So now I moved on to Canvas 2. I just started it and it seems to be the easygoing one. I think I will enjoy it therefore. And also there seems to be a loooot of choices, thats also not so bad. It makes me feel I really have a chouice ...

 

So thats all for now.

 

Greetz

[Kosakyun]

I'm about to start on episode 3 of Umineko. You know, this VN is fucked up. Really fucked up. I kinda forgot how dark Higurashi was. I only played the first chapter of that but I still should have known. Umineko is a different kind of dark, though, because the atmosphere is one where everything is kind of ridiculously over the top, with literal cackling evil villains and fourth wall breaking debate scenes. But even still, the depth of the brutality and violence can be pretty shocking. If they actually had event CGs for the violent images being described, Kara no Shoujo would look like a fluffy moege by comparison. 

 

None of this is a bad thing. I'm glad there are no event CGs for those scenes. Either they would dampen the effect of your imagination constructing the scenes from the narrative, or they would just be way too much. As it is, the written text perfectly provides the desired impact while letting your imagination go wild. You know, like books. 07th's games are written much more like novels than most VNs because they can't fall back on the art, and I can appreciate that. That the PS3 version added actual good art almost seems unnecessary, and I now understand how someone could enjoy this without it, but even still I appreciate the updated visuals as a good compliment to the experience.

 

Overall, I'm still really excited to continue reading. The VN goes deeper into the witch stuff than I expected at first and I thought that would turn me off but now that more characters are being introduced, I'm interested to see where they go from here. I feel like I've been marathoning this for days and have barely made any progress. That's both a good feeling and a little intimidating, but I'm not going to back down now.

 

The PS3 Version didn't add CGs?

[FinalChaos]

Well I just started playing Cross Channel, I'm not expecting anything from this so let's see how it goes.

Cross Channel is pretty good, one of my favourites along with G-senjou. And avoid its summary if you can as it has a major spoiler for the prologue's ending. Some people have a problem with the protag as he is perverted, but beleive me at the end you will definitely love the protag.

[Nerathim]

I'm about to start on episode 3 of Umineko. You know, this VN is fucked up. Really fucked up. I kinda forgot how dark Higurashi was. I only played the first chapter of that but I still should have known. Umineko is a different kind of dark, though, because the atmosphere is one where everything is kind of ridiculously over the top, with literal cackling evil villains and fourth wall breaking debate scenes. But even still, the depth of the brutality and violence can be pretty shocking. If they actually had event CGs for the violent images being described, Kara no Shoujo would look like a fluffy moege by comparison. 

 

None of this is a bad thing. I'm glad there are no event CGs for those scenes. Either they would dampen the effect of your imagination constructing the scenes from the narrative, or they would just be way too much. As it is, the written text perfectly provides the desired impact while letting your imagination go wild. You know, like books. 07th's games are written much more like novels than most VNs because they can't fall back on the art, and I can appreciate that. That the PS3 version added actual good art almost seems unnecessary, and I now understand how someone could enjoy this without it, but even still I appreciate the updated visuals as a good compliment to the experience.

 

Overall, I'm still really excited to continue reading. The VN goes deeper into the witch stuff than I expected at first and I thought that would turn me off but now that more characters are being introduced, I'm interested to see where they go from here. I feel like I've been marathoning this for days and have barely made any progress. That's both a good feeling and a little intimidating, but I'm not going to back down now.

 

It seems that you quite liked the second episode, which is surprising because it disappointed a lot of people. But it's a good thing because your mind will totally blow up with this episode 3 and you can say that Umineko really begins here, the first two episodes were more a sort of introduction to the real world and the meta world.

[madvanced]

Cross Channel is pretty good, one of my favourites along with G-senjou. And avoid its summary if you can as it has a major spoiler for the prologue's ending. Some people have a problem with the protag as he is perverted, but beleive me at the end you will definitely love the protag.

Well I am giving the game a chance .

[Nerathim]

Well I am giving the game a chance .

the translation*

[madvanced]

the translation*

Why not both? Even if the translation is good it doesn't guarantee that the game is good.

[FinalChaos]

Finally got to my first bad end in School Days in my third playthrough. It seems like the extreme yandere tendencies of the girls were laid out bare. But I gotta say it I liked the bad end much more than the good ends. 

[Kosakyun]

Finally got to my first bad end in School Days in my third playthrough. It seems like the extreme yandere tendencies of the girls were laid out bare. But I gotta say it I liked the bad end much more than the good ends. 

 

First bad end I got was

Sekai stabbing Makoto after getting her pregnant. This was after the events in which Makoto continually had sex with Kotonoha and Sekai. But after Kotonoha seduced Makoto and got him to say bad things about Sekai, which Sekai heard, Sekai left. And after a few months, Sekai went back to stab Makoto while Kotonoha wasn't around. Makoto was actually happy though, since he got to see Sekai again.

 

Wtf Makoto.

[Vokoca]

The PS3 Version didn't add CGs?

[Kosakyun]

It did, the UmiTweak patch of Rondo (episodes 1-4) just isn't complete.

[Vokoca]

But the Nocturne of Truth is complete?

[Funyarinpa]

I'm about to start on episode 3 of Umineko. You know, this VN is fucked up. Really fucked up. I kinda forgot how dark Higurashi was. I only played the first chapter of that but I still should have known. Umineko is a different kind of dark, though, because the atmosphere is one where everything is kind of ridiculously over the top, with literal cackling evil villains and fourth wall breaking debate scenes. But even still, the depth of the brutality and violence can be pretty shocking. If they actually had event CGs for the violent images being described, Kara no Shoujo would look like a fluffy moege by comparison. 

 

None of this is a bad thing. I'm glad there are no event CGs for those scenes. Either they would dampen the effect of your imagination constructing the scenes from the narrative, or they would just be way too much. As it is, the written text perfectly provides the desired impact while letting your imagination go wild. You know, like books. 07th's games are written much more like novels than most VNs because they can't fall back on the art, and I can appreciate that. That the PS3 version added actual good art almost seems unnecessary, and I now understand how someone could enjoy this without it, but even still I appreciate the updated visuals as a good compliment to the experience.

 

Overall, I'm still really excited to continue reading. The VN goes deeper into the witch stuff than I expected at first and I thought that would turn me off but now that more characters are being introduced, I'm interested to see where they go from here. I feel like I've been marathoning this for days and have barely made any progress. That's both a good feeling and a little intimidating, but I'm not going to back down now.

[Kosakyun]

It's not completely 1:1, but if you ignore the tiny details, yes, it is.

[Vokoca]

I see. Thanks!

 

Would've been nice to see all the CGs though. I think, for me, they play a vital role in a visual novel. But given that Umineko's a sound novel (amirite?), the CGs are just bonus. Just like Higurashi. You could actually feel everything that's happening. My god.

[Kosakyun]

Well, the originals were called a sound novel, either way. It's a rather artificial distinction in my opinion, but hey, if people want to call it that. The remakes are very much up to the standards - nice art, CGs, lip-sync, voice acting, loads of various effects...

 

Well, if you are patient, you might just as well end up with the 1:1 patch in your hands. There's a complete port - and a re-translation - in the works.

[Vokoca]

I thought that was for Higurashi only?

They're working on Umineko too?

If they are... Source please?

 

And also, what is Mangagamer planning to do with Higurashi?

...This isn't off-topic, right?

[Kosakyun]

The Umineko one isn't official. I have a friend who did the whole Nocturne patch, and he was in contact with some russian guys that are apparently working on a 1:1 patch - it even had the PS3 trophies from what I've seen. There was a video of it somewhere, I will try to look it up again, but I'm not sure if the project still lives or not. A professional translator was also working on fixing up the Witch Hunt translation, but again, not sure how far that got, I'll try asking. Here's the video. I've asked the translator and it's apparently still going smoothly, so it should come out some day.

 

And yeah, MangaGamer is reworking their Higurashi release. That one really needed a re-translation, badly. They're also making new art themselves, at least for the sprites - the backgrounds will stay the same, as far as I know. The PS2 version of Higurashi will still be much more superior in the end (it has a different structure, ending and a new arc, not to mention completely reworked art, voices, animations and such), but since that's never going to get translated, MG's new release is the best we're going to get.

 

Also... why did I put this in spoiler tags even?

 

That looks incredible! Can't wait to see more of it.

I hope it ends with everyone happy!

I guess I'll just get all versions and see which is superior.

 

Anyway, I was telling you about the PS2 port, which is here.

He's planning to continue everything, even if Mangagamer is gonna release a new version.

But with the pace he's going... That's gonna be hard.

 

What art do you prefer? Mangagamer's or PS2 sprites?

[Vokoca]

That looks incredible! Can't wait to see more of it.

I hope it ends with everyone happy!

I guess I'll just get all versions and see which is superior.

 

Anyway, I was telling you about the PS2 port, which is here.

He's planning to continue everything, even if Mangagamer is gonna release a new version.

But with the pace he's going... That's gonna be hard.

 

What art do you prefer? Mangagamer's or PS2 sprites?

Ooh, I had no idea something like that was happening! Amazing, let's hope that gets released one day.

I kind of like some of the new MG sprites, but some also look kind of off. They have a nice style and details, but they might be a bit too cutesy for where the VN is going? It's hard to judge until we see more, I suppose.

But if I had to pick, I would go with the PS2 version, since that also has the redrawn backgrounds, so the art doesn't clash.

[Kosakyun]

Ooh, I had no idea something like that was happening! Amazing, let's hope that gets released one day.

I kind of like some of the new MG sprites, but some also look kind of off. They have a nice style and details, but they might be a bit too cutesy for where the VN is going? It's hard to judge until we see more, I suppose.

But if I had to pick, I would go with the PS2 version, since that also has the redrawn backgrounds, so the art doesn't clash.

 

They might draw faces that are... more expressive than that of the PS2.

Personally, I like how they drew Rena. That choker. My golly.

And anyway, it's a matter of preference. I still think that the original art added the creepier effects, as I got cold sweat in the part where Rena first turns bad in Onikakushi.

 

I'm still planning on rereading Higurashi, so I have high hopes on these projects.

They aren't enclosing the Higurashi remake in Steam, right?

[Vokoca]

They might draw faces that are... more expressive than that of the PS2.

Personally, I like how they drew Rena. That choker. My golly.

And anyway, it's a matter of preference. I still think that the original art added the creepier effects, as I got cold sweat in the part where Rena first turns bad in Onikakushi.

 

I'm still planning on rereading Higurashi, so I have high hopes on these projects.

They aren't enclosing the Higurashi remake in Steam, right?

[Kosakyun]

Well, the old art definitely was terrifying, in one way or the other. The PS2 version has some pretty horrifying CGs to, from what I've read of it. It's all about the eyes there... just like the manga. Meakashi-hen, for example, has a beautiful shoujo-style art in the manga, so at first I thought there was no way it could ever get creepy, but damn was I wrong... it nearly gave me nightmares. My point is that you can achieve the creepiness with more subtle details too, rather than overdone expressions - but I can definitely see the appeal of both of the art styles.

 

I'm just really curious about the new translation. The PS2 port's translation seems... well, not really sure how to feel about leaving Japanese speech patterns in (Rika's nanodesu). It'll be interesting to see how MangaGamer tackles that.

As for whether it will be on Steam or not... I have no idea. :/

[Vokoca]

I think I'd actually like it if they left in Rena's 'hauuu~' and Rika's 'nanodesu'. Same could be applied to Hanyuu. It gives me a better uhm... cop of their personality. Only to be cruelly betrayed by the Hinamizawa Syndrome. I, too, am curious about how they'll be doing the translation again. It's been 5 years since they released the English version, if I'm not mistaken.

 

About the art... I saw one CG after applying the PS2 Sprites + Background in Mangagamer's Higurashi. It was in Tsumihoroboshi, this scene.

 

 

That was back in 2013 though, before we got robbed.

Damn it.

[Kosakyun]

If you do a well enough job, you can translate the personality traits without having to rely on Japanese. I mean, leaving in 'hauu~' is fine since it's just a noise, but leaving in an entire grammatical particles... I don't know. But you're right, MG really has to be careful with it - since they won't have the voices, they'll have to rely on the text alone to carry over the small quirks. Yen Press did a pretty good job - Rika used "sir" a lot, which is kind of a reasonable equivalent to the oddly polite 'nanodesu' - but this one is hard to translate, yeah.

 

I used to prefer when honorifics and other Japanese things were left in too, but after starting to learn Japanese seriously and dabbling in the translation madness a bit, I've started to perceive them as a half-done job instead. If you're going to translate something, at least do it completely, and not just half-way.... But then again, I get the appeal of leaving the Japanese in too, I was like that too before, after all.

 

As for the PS2 version, it handles the scarier parts very differently, but it works, too.

[FinalChaos]

First bad end I got was

Sekai stabbing Makoto after getting her pregnant. This was after the events in which Makoto continually had sex with Kotonoha and Sekai. But after Kotonoha seduced Makoto and got him to say bad things about Sekai, which Sekai heard, Sekai left. And after a few months, Sekai went back to stab Makoto while Kotonoha wasn't around. Makoto was actually happy though, since he got to see Sekai again.

 

Wtf Makoto.