Worst VN of The Decade?

[mitchhamilton]

just curious what people pick. since we've sucked off the decade enough listing positive i figure we now we beat it up a little for its worst vn it has released.

 

dont have one of my own!  

[Silvz]

hmmmm Himawari

[GXOALMD]

Sunrider Academy. https://vndb.org/v16221

[Silvz]

11 minutes ago, GXOALMD said:

Sunrider Academy. https://vndb.org/v16221

Do you look into VNDB screenshots before playing? I mean, 3 of them have bad sex jokes in them. Didn't play the game, but I'd hardly do so only by this

[tahu157]

Is the scope limited to VNs that were more or less serious efforts or I can choose any one of those Patreon-funded, pre-rendered 3D CG incest fantasy shovelware titles at random?

[GXOALMD]

1 hour ago, Silvz said:

Do you look into VNDB screenshots before playing? I mean, 3 of them have bad sex jokes in them. Didn't play the game, but I'd hardly do so only by this

I didn't play that one by choice, it was mandatory.  Technically still is, as I haven't finished it yet.

[Clephas]

As a matter of personal taste and sheer rage?  Aiyoku no Eustia

Purely technically?  Baldr Bringer.  It takes actual effort to completely ruin a setting like that of the Baldr series, but Giga manages it with Baldr Bringer.  They even managed to make the combat system suck.

[onorub]

Hired Gun. Repurposed art + laughable story and dialogue. Funny thing is that the rest of the series is slightly better written (at least is not laughable) but the repurposed art is still trash.

[Dreamysyu]

13 hours ago, Silvz said:

hmmmm Himawari

Well, I could say it was this one for me, but there are two problems with that:

1) The original version of the game was released in 2007, so it doesn't really count.

2) Recently I started to think that maybe the game wasn't really as bad as I remember. I mean, there are some really bad moments that completely broke the whole experience for me, but there also were some nice moments too. The second half of the 2048 chapter wasn't too bad.

So, as for my choice, if we include obscure games nobody cares about and in the language that most people here don't even understand, it's Spektr. It's one of these self-made games with repurposed art that should've never left the creator's computer. If we only focus on popular games that I personally just don't understand, than my choice will go to Phenomeno. For some reason, it just didn't work for me and felt more like a comedy rather than horror.

[Ruberick]

Picking one of the games that didn't even try would be easy, but if the game doesn't care I don't see why I should.

From the games that actually did try I had the worst time with Amatarasu Riddle Star.

It was confused at best and a completely arbitrary mess at worst. (Which was kind of the point as an Alice in Wonderland story, but it's hard to care about characters then, which also aren't very inspired, slapping some tropes onto loosely based on Alice in Wonderland characters. This one didn't work for me at all and I believe it's misguided as a Charage VN.)

Too bad Hajimete no Okaa-san doesn't make the cut by a year, that one would have been an easy pick.

[Plk_Lesiak]

Among the games that showed any kind of promise or genuine effort (I exclude Sakura games and similar shovelware then), my personal most hated is probably Carpe Diem: Reboot, recently mentioned by @Seraphim88. I despised its protagonist and nearly every piece of its "intrigue" like probably nothing else I've read to date. Looking at it from today's perspective I kind of understand what the writer was going for, but that true ending will forever stay with me as most pointlessly upsetting conclusion to a VN ever (and I really hope nothing beats it, I don't want to go through something like that again).

When it goes to JVNs, I haven't read that many... But I am finishing Harmonia and it's probably taking the price. What a sorry attempt to resurrect the Planetarian's charm. Predictable, dreary, mediocrely written and constantly attempting to be profound with no substance to back that up. Maybe the final acts will surprise me with something interesting, but I don't have much hope left...

Edit: Ok, so the main twist of Harmonia is actually even more garbage than the buildup. There's one part of it that I didn't predict, but it's stupid enough that I can't count it as a positive... I guess I have to double down on it being the "winner" of this category. Ugh...

15 hours ago, Silvz said:

Do you look into VNDB screenshots before playing? I mean, 3 of them have bad sex jokes in them. Didn't play the game, but I'd hardly do so only by this

The story in this is dumb and sometimes pervy, but that's really not what makes it terrible in my opinion. That's just silly fanservice for Sunrider fans and it would be strange to expect much more from it. The horrible part is the gameplay – one of the most boring and tedious things I've experienced (it still wouldn't be my top choice, both because it's more a dating sim than a VN and because I didn't feel much emotion about it).

Edited March 1, 2020 by Plk_Lesiak

[adamstan]

Wow, reading that about Harmonia makes me really sad. Guess I will pass on it then.

For me the worst was probably Lamunation.

Edited March 1, 2020 by adamstan

[Plk_Lesiak]

50 minutes ago, adamstan said:

Wow, reading that about Harmonia makes me really sad. Guess I will pass on it then.

Yup, I highly recommend doing just that. If the only emotion I'm feeling while reading a nakige is slight irritation, that's a pretty good indicator it's genuinely atrocious.

10 minutes ago, Silvz said:

Btw I have to disagree about Harmonia. Although it is not the best/most memorable Key game, it is far from bad.

I think it's pure contrivance plot-wise, its main theme is pretty much nonsensical and it desperately reaches for emotional impact without even one attempt feeling genuine the way twists about Yumemi's behaviour and backstory did. I have to read up on people's opinions about it, it's of course well put together, but I'm not sure how to defend it beyond that. ^^

Also sorry @Silvz for this backwards way of responding but I rather won't make too many separate posts and turn this into a Harmonia thread.

Edited March 1, 2020 by Plk_Lesiak

[Dreamysyu]

1 hour ago, Plk_Lesiak said:

When it goes to JVNs, I haven't read that many... But I am finishing Harmonia and it's probably taking the price. What a sorry attempt to resurrect the Planetarian's charm. Predictable, dreary, mediocrely written and constantly attempting to be profound with no substance to back that up. Maybe the final acts will surprise me with something interesting, but I don't have much hope left...

Edit: Ok, so the main twist of Harmonia is actually even more garbage than the buildup. There's one part of it that I didn't predict, but it's stupid enough that I can't count it as a positive... I guess I have to double down on it being the "winner" of this category. Ugh...

Well, that sucks... I really hope that you're wrong since I just bought this game on the last winter sale.

[Silvz]

3 hours ago, Dreamysyu said:

Well, I could say it was this one for me, but there are two problems with that:

1) The original version of the game was released in 2007, so it doesn't really count.

2) Recently I started to think that maybe the game wasn't really as bad as I remember. I mean, there are some really bad moments that completely broke the whole experience for me, but there also were some nice moments too. The second half of the 2048 chapter wasn't too bad.

So, as for my choice, if we include obscure games nobody cares about and in the language that most people here don't even understand, it's Spektr. It's one of these self-made games with repurposed art that should've never left the creator's computer. If we only focus on popular games that I personally just don't understand, than my choice will go to Phenomeno. For some reason, it just didn't work for me and felt more like a comedy rather than horror.

Well, I didn't know it was from 2007, but it was only released in English a few years ago, so I think it counts

Btw I have to disagree about Harmonia. Although it is not the best/most memorable Key game, it is far from bad.

[adamstan]

28 minutes ago, Dreamysyu said:

Well, that sucks... I really hope that you're wrong since I just bought this game on the last winter sale.

I bought it together with Planetarian, but somehow haven't got to reading it yet. 

[BookwormOtaku]

For me it's a tie between two games I reviewed a while back: Super Secret Sexy Spy, for being crap even for a softhouse seal game:

http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2013/06/games-for-adults-super-secret-sexy-spy.html

and Kansen Ball Buster, giving fans of the series a trifecta of awfulness in: a rushed out the door new story with an awful MC, a dead on arrival attempt at using a random assortment of  scenes from previous games as a commercial for the series ending on a confusing retcon the True Ends for Kansen 4, and the only new tracks of music for the game sucked.

http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2013/10/import-games-for-adults-halloween_10.html

[Ranzo]

Every single one of your opinions is obviously false because you have not played Kokonoe Kokoro

 

You don't know true trash unless you have played that

[GXOALMD]

17 hours ago, Ranzo said:

Every single one of your opinions is obviously false because you have not played Kokonoe Kokoro

 

You don't know true trash unless you have played that

One hour of trash is less bad than 30+ hours of trash.

[Okarin]

Why would you be interested in worst VN? I don't like to play bad games, so unless it's to keep away from them, I'm not finding much use to this discussion.

That said, everyone should use VNDB to see if a VN suits them, and if you don't, just ask for recommendations!

[Plk_Lesiak]

31 minutes ago, Okarin said:

That said, everyone should use VNDB to see if a VN suits them, and if you don't, just ask for recommendations!

Sure, but one person's treasure is another one's nightmare. Just read up some opinions on Hoshimemo or Himawari. And as you can see, few people here mentioned obvious trash. Obvious trash rarely can leave you with a strong impression and achieve real hights of terribleness, because no one expects anything from it, including its authors. When something actually tries and takes itself seriously... That's how true abominations are brought to this world.

[mitchhamilton]

not personally interested in these titles myself. im just curious what people consider the absolute worst vn they have read during the last decade, seeing as we're starting with a new one.

 

[MaggieROBOT]

On 05/03/2020 at 3:51 PM, Plk_Lesiak said:

Sure, but one person's treasure is another one's nightmare. Just read up some opinions on Hoshimemo or Himawari. And as you can see, few people here mentioned obvious trash. Obvious trash rarely can leave you with a strong impression and achieve real hights of terribleness, because no one expects anything from it, including its authors. When something actually tries and takes itself seriously... That's how true abominations are brought to this world.

Yeah, I believe expectation plays a big role in what we perceive as "worst". We do see those as more trash than we should because disappointment and frustration doesn't really have a "so bad it's good" funny meme value to poke fun at in the future.

I did play games that are sitting at 57 in Metacritic thrice from scratch while dropping titles at score 93 halfway so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  expectation is one bitch that takes time to adjust.

 

p.s. I could contribute to the discussion but no one needs to know that one bad nukige I played

Edited March 7, 2020 by MaggieROBOT

[Stormwolf]

On 3/7/2020 at 3:28 AM, MaggieROBOT said:

Yeah, I believe expectation plays a big role in what we perceive as "worst". We do see those as more trash than we should because disappointment and frustration doesn't really have a "so bad it's good" funny meme value to poke fun at in the future.

I did play games that are sitting at 57 in Metacritic thrice from scratch while dropping titles at score 93 halfway so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  expectation is one bitch that takes time to adjust.

 

p.s. I could contribute to the discussion but no one needs to know that one bad nukige I played

Ohh absolutely. Not a VN but Breath of the wild was such an example for me. I was so disappointed that i couldnt play it. I just had to wait for my anger to subside after a period of months before i could stomach finishing it.

[Okarin]

On 5/3/2020 at 7:51 PM, Plk_Lesiak said:

Sure, but one person's treasure is another one's nightmare. Just read up some opinions on Hoshimemo or Himawari. And as you can see, few people here mentioned obvious trash. Obvious trash rarely can leave you with a strong impression and achieve real hights of terribleness, because no one expects anything from it, including its authors. When something actually tries and takes itself seriously... That's how true abominations are brought to this world.

Oh, that's easy! Hoshimemo is a really nice moege, top-tier. All the hate probably stems from:

1. People reading it after hundreds of moege, and thus getting tired; and

2. The first impressions found about it on the internet were either troll or uninformed.

 

See how that guy, solidbatman, bashed Little Busters and so on, but Little Busters is really fine, if you consider the majority of VNs.

Like you can bash Key as much as you want, but if you're a Key fan, criticising it for its peculiar humour and gimmicks is out of the question. If you're a fan, you have to like that or at least tolerate it. If not, of course you're gonna bash the thing!

Then again there are genres suited and unsuited for each person, but hey, I won't rate a game shit if I acknowledge it's not my thing... unless it's moege, because that well is very dry by now. I rate moege that bring nothing new to the table as solid 5/10s, because you can read them and enjoy them but are ultimately insubstantial. The question is... shouldn't you read something more worthy of your time, instead...?