What are you playing?

[Vorathiel]

It's not so hard to check guys.
https://vndb.org/v5154

[wolfrayet]

13 minutes ago, Vorathiel said:

It's not so hard to check guys.
https://vndb.org/v5154

Ah, well there you go. Temporarily forgot about that lovely staff update.

[Fred the Barber]

All the advice is helpful, but I remain indecisive; I think it's mostly going to come down to random chance. Or maybe most realistically, I'll probably just land with Amane since she's going to proposition me first.

3 hours ago, ittaku said:

I heartily approve your new signature Serious question though, do you think editing the game has spoilt your ability to enjoy it since you've had to examine 2 routes so carefully? Just as a reference point, I have not found that when translating a game, even if takes me more than 10x longer to get through the route.

I'm not actually sure myself. I can certainly say that editing has given me a lot more tunnel vision than I would normally have - usually my mental map of the game would include a broad view of the characters, a fair bit of interest in all of them, and a lot of indecisiveness about whose route to play next (see the above Grisaia discussion...), but instead I've been completely fixated on the characters whose routes I've been editing and not paying attention to the other characters. To some extent I almost get annoyed when I have to read scenes with them, since they're getting between me and what I need to do. Even among the characters I'm interested in but not editing, I largely can't remember their names

But aside from that oddity, no, I don't think it's hurt my enjoyment. If anything I might be enjoying it more this way than if I were just playing it, because I get to see more of the effort put into the VN. I notice a lot more consistency across distant scenes, for instance, which I otherwise would probably miss.

[Kawasumi]

I just finished my first vn in japanese! finally lol.

Amane switch, the drama and story was solid, im gonna write a review or more like right after impressions in a blog.

[Barktooth]

Finally started reading Hoshizora no Memoria today, somehow it's actually meeting my expectations so far (they were pretty high). Really loving the music and backgrounds which create a great atmosphere, and it seems to have some of the most beautiful sprites ever... If only they weren't so pixelated at 800x600 :(

I'm also enjoying the story a lot, I'm a sucker for the whole idea of returning to your childhood town and reuniting with your childhood friends. Now if only there would be less boring comedy scenes with Chinami.. I mean, I don't think they could have made her ANY more annoying.

[ittaku]

10 hours ago, Kawasumi said:

I just finished my first vn in japanese! finally lol.

Amane switch, the drama and story was solid, im gonna write a review or more like right after impressions in a blog.

\o/ Time for you to help keep this thread then alive:

 

[Eclipsed]

Finally completed my pilgrimage and finished Tokyo Babel

Lilith's route was great. Samael and Cerberus made for great companions, they seriously blew every other side-character out the window. And let's not forget Mini-Lilith

Spoiler

KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I also liked the implications regarding replicas and individuality. Anybody who's played the sci-fi horror game SOMA knows how fun it can be to ponder about that

Best of all though, I finally got my heavily, heavily desired

Spoiler

Heroine ganks Protagonist scene. And who better to do that than Lilith  so this VN gets automatic 10/10

Well, almost ganks. But yeah, it was AWESOME seeing Lilith casually Bang!!! Setsuna's arm and leg off while he refuses to fight her

Then they make Samael go through the SAME thing, as painful as that was to watch, but she manages to trooper up and near-death crawl her way back to the also-near-death Setsuna so they can polymerization. 

So touching

...I'm a sadist

BUT, I feel the story could've, and should've, wrapped up around here, given how climaxy and powerful this moment was. But nope! Turns out you're only 50% of the way through, GLHF with 40% more filler battles before you can finally do final boss round 2 (which then only lasts like 5 seconds). TL;DR the second half for me suffered from ughhh pacing from the oversaturation of battle scenes.

That difference between the Setsuna End and Lilith True End, though. Simply laughable. Like C'MON MAN, WHAT HAPPENED, YOUR POWER OF LOVE AIN'T STRONG ENOUGH SO YOU DROP HER, SETSUNA?!!! WTF!@#$

True End epilogue is one of the best epilogues I've ever read. And it was only 2 lines

Spoiler

It just felt simply wonderful that these characters, after everything they've been through- Heaven, Hell, Angels, Demons, God, Tiamat; after all of the conspiracies, reisen d'etres, and fate-of-the-universe BS, we finally get to see them be normal.

Have fun guys, you've earned it 

 

[Decay]

I liked the battles. 

[Eclipsed]

14 minutes ago, Decay said:

I liked the battles. 

Yeah, I'm probably being a lot harsher since I was just sooo hyped during the SvL confrontation but then it's like nope, gotta wait for round 2, here's two more hours of other fights in the meantime!

Spoiler

I would've liked to see Lilith v. Leviathan and Lilith v. God in more detail rather than her offscreening them and then having (essentially) repeat Setsuna v Adam and Setsuna v Astaroth 

I've reworded my post though to sound less harsh in that criticism, this VN is solid 8.5/10 for me and it was silly (blasphemous) of me to stall it 

[Decay]

The Setsuna v Astaroth fight was so cool, though! It was completely different from the first one. The second adam fight was kind of meh, though, it really did feel like a retread. The ending to that was good, though.

[Yuuko]

Trying out memes

 

[DarkZedge]

I have to start a new vn so i've been searching for something kinda like Tokyo Babel.

[Decay]

There's not a lot of action stuff translated, really. Looking at your list, you've already read almost all of them. Maybe give Cho Dengeki Stryker a shot. It's way more light-hearted than TB in that Overdrive kind of way. It's not amazing or anything but it's decent, I thought.

[Deep Blue]

After many days without reading anything I finally read a vn again, "1993" from a little iris dlc of narcissu, what an amazing tale from Kataoka Tomo, 10/10. 

[ChaosRaven]

Progressed a bit more with Tokyo Babel. Unfortunately the writer doesn't really seem to care about his own apocalyptic story, because he's pretty much just given a bunch of school clowns fancy names of angels and demons. Apart from that it's just run of the mill school life moege. Since it more or less already disqualified itself as a serious story VN, I try to do the same like in Comyu and just enjoy it for the slice of life comedy. It's a lot harder though because characers and writing are several leagues below Comyu. Well, maybe it'll get better sometime... 

[Eclipsed]

6 hours ago, ChaosRaven said:

Progressed a bit more with Tokyo Babel. Unfortunately the writer doesn't really seem to care about his own apocalyptic story, because he's pretty much just given a bunch of school clowns fancy names of angels and demons. Apart from that it's just run of the mill school life moege. Since it more or less already disqualified itself as a serious story VN, I try to do the same like in Comyu and just enjoy it for the slice of life comedy. It's a lot harder though because characers and writing are several leagues below Comyu. Well, maybe it'll get better sometime... 

I haven't read Comyu, so I'm spared from the dreaded-comparisons-that-ruin-my-enjoyment-of-something-else, but I can understand how some people wouldn't enjoy the clash between SoL-clowny-moe-shenanigans in a serious/apocalyptic setting such as Tokyo Babel's.

I loved all of those moments, though

Idk if it'll get better for you, but for all routes the story usually drops / tones down those shenanigans after the Second Stratum starting on Third Stratum.

[ChaosRaven]

3 hours ago, Eclipsed said:

I haven't read Comyu, so I'm spared from the dreaded-comparisons-that-ruin-my-enjoyment-of-something-else, but I can understand how some people wouldn't enjoy the clash between SoL-clowny-moe-shenanigans in a serious/apocalyptic setting such as Tokyo Babel's.

I loved all of those moments, though

Idk if it'll get better for you, but for all routes the story usually drops / tones down those shenanigans after the Second Stratum starting on Third Stratum.

Well, Comyu had two really outstanding characters with Kagome and Mayuki that could almost run the show on their own. I didn't see a character with comparable qualities in TB yet, so I'm still searching for something that captivates me.

Things would be probably much easier if the writer had a more consistent self-ironic writing style, instead of constantly jumping between serious and comedy. I've real problems to follow those mood changes and distinguish between the parts where he wants to tell something serious or funny.

[Suzu Fanatic]

1 hour ago, ChaosRaven said:

Well, Comyu had two really outstanding characters with Kagome and Mayuki that could almost run the show on their own. I didn't see a character with comparable qualities in TB yet, so I'm still searching for something that captivates me.

Things would be probably much easier if the writer had a more consistent self-ironic writing style, instead of constantly jumping between serious and comedy. I've real problems to follow those mood changes and distinguish between the parts where he wants to tell something serious or funny.

Seemed like smooth enough transitions for me to follow along with.

Tbh I disliked Comyu - I found it was trying way too hard to be dark and edgy for some routes - and completely nonsensical and silly in the others. That is my personal experience in regards to themes at odds with each other.

Can't really offer any insight on how to appricette it, other then  "just take it for what it is". Otherwise, you should really ask yourself if you are spending your time wisely, reading something you clearly have no interest in?

[ChaosRaven]

1 hour ago, Suzu Fanatic said:

Tbh I disliked Comyu - I found it was trying way too hard to be dark and edgy for some routes - and completely nonsensical and silly in the others. That is my personal experience in regards to themes at odds with each other.

Yeah, I had my issues with that too, but I found it easier to tolerate them because I liked the characters much more.

1 hour ago, Suzu Fanatic said:

Can't really offer any insight on how to appricette it, other then  "just take it for what it is". Otherwise, you should really ask yourself if you are spending your time wisely, reading something you clearly have no interest in?

True words. Though I don't want to give up too fast. Sometimes I need a bit more time to get used to the style of a VN. I'll therefore stick to it some more time and then decide if it makes sense to continue.

[Canicheslayer]

Finished Kara Shoujo - The Second Episode. Clearly a wonderful sequel to KnS...and Cartagra. I prefered the atmosphere, the mysteries (and the horror scenes) of the first KnS, but I must admit KnS2's plot and art are globally better (especially Art...the CGs ). In the same way, I really loved the relation, the link between the two protagonists.

Otherwise, the True End is just...terrific : I want KnS3 

 9/10

[Suzu Fanatic]

2 hours ago, ChaosRaven said:

Yeah, I had my issues with that too, but I found it easier to tolerate them because I liked the characters much more.

True words. Though I don't want to give up too fast. Sometimes I need a bit more time to get used to the style of a VN. I'll therefore stick to it some more time and then decide if it makes sense to continue.

Hopefully you will find something redeeming in it - I will admit, while I liked most of the characters in TB, I would say I never really felt very invested. With the exception of one certain character, (but that would be a spoiler. ) Needless to say, I found that character to be really well done, and conveyed a bond I was emotionally drawn into far more then anything else in TB.

As for Comyu - I dunno, I couldn't forgive it for it's choice of storytelling, I felt like I was robbed of half the VN's setting - what with the completely random side-stories that consisted as the other two routes. I had esp. high hopes for one of those characters, whos' story turned out to be reallllllly weak.

@Canicheslayer I really should try starting up KnS1 again - I stopped shortly after:

Spoiler

The first murderer was caught. I just kinda lost my adrenaline after that part, and got frustrated with the slow and meandering pace it set after~

Loved Cartagra though, was the first "dark" VN I had read in ages...last being...Muvluv I think? wow, 4 years...that really did leave a mark on me, huh? lol.

[Canicheslayer]

26 minutes ago, Suzu Fanatic said:

[...]

@Canicheslayer I really should try starting up KnS1 again - I stopped shortly after:

  Hide contents

The first murderer was caught. I just kinda lost my adrenaline after that part, and got frustrated with the slow and meandering pace it set after~

Loved Cartagra though, was the first "dark" VN I had read in ages...last being...Muvluv I think? wow, 4 years...that really did leave a mark on me, huh? lol.

You're right : there was a little problem of rythmn/pace after the famous scene. However the True End's revelations are really, really interesting... And If you loved Cartagra, KnS 2 is for you (but you MUST finish the first one)

Edited May 22, 2016 by Canicheslayer

[Eclipsed]

3 hours ago, Suzu Fanatic said:

I really should try starting up KnS1 again - I stopped shortly after:

  Reveal hidden contents

The first murderer was caught. I just kinda lost my adrenaline after that part, and got frustrated with the slow and meandering pace it set after~

Loved Cartagra though, was the first "dark" VN I had read in ages...last being...Muvluv I think? wow, 4 years...that really did leave a mark on me, huh? lol.

If you wanna build up some tolerance against The Darkness, go Corpse Party -> Swan Song -> euphoria  (jk don't)

Gogo finish up KnS!

[Eclipsed]

So here I was about to finally start Amnesia: Memories after spending years of internal-conflict-deciding to bail on Fate/Stay (dw, I'm planning on reading it this summer for sure, trust me ) 

But then I remembered Root Double exists, so I'm going with that. 

~~
I also went through The Leisure of Grisaia.

HeheheheheHEHEHE, it's been too long.

You can pretty much consider it an extra chapter 30min ~ 1h in length that could be tossed into Grisaia's common route. 'Cept it's girls-only, and they're full of hormones, so take that as you will

Spoiler

I forgot how great Sachi's impersonations of Makina were 

 

 DOOOO IT, DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IT!!!!!!!!!@#

 

 FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHH

I'd love to make Yumiko MY bi- err, pet 

 

 ^Btw, can you guess why Yumiko got shafted and wasn't included in this CG?

Spoiler

Hah... Meikyuu + Rakuen needs to come out already.

[Decay]

So... Yuuji isn't in it at all? Huh.