The Visual Novel Thread

F/SN has already been translated, no? So what would be a "nightmare" would be companies actually using common sense for once and sorting out a way to use the existing translation as a basis for their official product. In the same way that is happening with this mangagamer/minori hookup.

As for the Minori news, they had been "threatening" this for a little while, yeah? Still, cool to have it confirmed.
 
Ah, ef is getting a release? I am actually tempted by that one, since i did enjoy the anime series, though i haven't seen a tale of melodies. I'll need to consider it methinks.
 
Stuart-says-yes said:
why unvoiced, I mean it will cost but there is already VA's for the dubbed anime series
There's voice for the PS2 version as well. But it's the PC that would have to be ported. There'll likely be rights issues with them (seiyuu would have to agree to putting the voice from the all ages version into the R-18, and they may not want that). The only cases I know where that happend is Little Busters EX, and that used eroge seiyuu to start with.
As for the Minori news, they had been "threatening" this for a little while, yeah? Still, cool to have it confirmed
All this week from the 3 parties in question. MG twitter/ blog, Minori and NNLs websites.
Aparently they tried to have it sorted at Otakon, and there was a hint dropped at the end of MGs panel then.
 
Maxon said:
Top rated doesn't mean good. Shuffle was garbage. I'll start caring about releases when it's a Nitro+ or Type-Moon VN.

However, I am glad that Manga Gamer are doing what they should have been doing all along, and that's working with those that are making fan translation patches. The damn anime industry should learn from this.

Shuffle was good.
 
Kirrimir said:
Maxon said:
Top rated doesn't mean good. Shuffle was garbage. I'll start caring about releases when it's a Nitro+ or Type-Moon VN.

However, I am glad that Manga Gamer are doing what they should have been doing all along, and that's working with those that are making fan translation patches. The damn anime industry should learn from this.

Shuffle was good.
Nope.
 
KiraKira has probably been the best commercially released VN so far in my opinion. Shuffle was good too..only problem was i always ended up doing Asa-Sempai's route (yep....shes that great ;))
 
Kirrimir said:
Maxon said:

Care to elaborate? Just because you didn't like it doesn't mean it wasn't good.
You took up a contrary position by disagreeing with me. It's your obligation to offer your reasons first.

Tell me why you like it so much, and then I can tell you why it sucks turd covered donkey balls.
 
Maxon said:
You took up a contrary position by disagreeing with me. It's your obligation to offer your reasons first.

Tell me why you like it so much, and then I can tell you why it sucks turd covered donkey balls.

Good story telling and character development, nothing seemed forced. Likeable characters with the token loli. Flows brilliantly though it's a little easy to get the route you want. Asa's route is pretty DEEP.
 
Ryo Chan said:
Max has no intrest unless theres something to do with rubber in the topic so that'll be his reasoning ;)
You know me too well, Ryo.

Kirrimir said:
Maxon said:
You took up a contrary position by disagreeing with me. It's your obligation to offer your reasons first.

Tell me why you like it so much, and then I can tell you why it sucks turd covered donkey balls.

Good story telling and character development, nothing seemed forced. Likeable characters with the token loli. Flows brilliantly though it's a little easy to get the route you want. Asa's route is pretty DEEP.
There are no good characters in Shuffle. Each girl is made with stock personalties and are pretty much one dimensional. I prefer women that I can identify without resorting to differentiating between hair colour and academic/housewife ability. As for Rin, he's a self insert character, so he's a blank slate and has no personality to begin with. In short, everyone is a stock character you can find in every other ****** harem. Also, the "characterisation" is non-existant since each route consists of boring school life/dates, really awkward and badly written sex scenes (being given the choice to cum inside each girl? Really?) some crying about an identity crisis and a resolution where nothing is changed except for the fact that the girl has come to accept her problems.

I honestly think anyone who likes Asa's route needs a catscan because it's probably the worst route with the most retarded reasoning. "I can save myself from dying by using magic to heal myself but I don't want to use magic because I want to be human and if I use magic then I won't be human even though my mother is a demon and it makes my mother cry that I'm dying but I still refuse to use magic even though whether I use magic or not doesn't change the fact I'm half demon and half human, so I'll just cry about it all the time like a spoilt child and continue to die but still cling to life and make things hard for everyone."
 
Yep sounds like a total noob. Non-self insert characters are a recent invention, more recent than Shuffle (or around the same time as).
He's not rating it as a harem/slice of life game, it's dislike for the genre rather than the game itself.
Bad/little characterisation is valid tho'. Every other point is just attacking the genre.

It's like watching a mecha anime and complaining about there being robots in it all the time.
 
we need this inventing for him :D

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Ryo Chan said:
we need this inventing for him :D

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9GEeCIOfTyI?fs=1&amp;hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9GEeCIOfTyI?fs=1&amp;hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

The Chaos;Head clips went so well with that.
 
Reaper gI said:
Yep sounds like a total noob. Non-self insert characters are a recent invention, more recent than Shuffle (or around the same time as).
He's not rating it as a harem/slice of life game, it's dislike for the genre rather than the game itself.
Bad/little characterisation is valid tho'. Every other point is just attacking the genre.

It's like watching a mecha anime and complaining about there being robots in it all the time.
Instead of defending it you attack my argument. That's pretty weak, but I am detecting massive butthurt in your post through your use of strawman arguments, so it's no surprise. How about proving me wrong by showing me not every harem is as ****** as this instead of bitching about how I'm just bitching at an entire genre (which I am in fact not doing like you seem to think). I'm not so arrogant as to think that an entire genre can suck.

Calling me a noob doesn't make any difference to how ****** this game is so stop wording your argument in a way that makes it sound as if it's supposed to be **** and actually address my complaints. "This is how it's supposed to be" is only an excuse; not a valid reason.
 
Maxon said:
Instead of defending it you attack my argument. That's pretty weak, but I am detecting massive butthurt in your post through your use of strawman arguments, so it's no surprise. How about proving me wrong by showing me not every harem is as ****** as this instead of bitching about how I'm just bitching at an entire genre (which I am in fact not doing like you seem to think). I'm not so arrogant as to think that an entire genre can suck.

There are no good characters in Shuffle. Each girl is made with stock personalties and are pretty much one dimensional. I prefer women that I can identify without resorting to differentiating between hair colour and academic/housewife ability. As for Rin, he's a self insert character, so he's a blank slate and has no personality to begin with. In short, everyone is a stock character you can find in every other ****** harem. Also, the "characterisation" is non-existant since each route consists of boring school life/dates, really awkward and badly written sex scenes (being given the choice to cum inside each girl? Really?) some crying about an identity crisis and a resolution where nothing is changed except for the fact that the girl has come to accept her problems.
Genre/ genre tropes highlighted. It's half your arguement.
At least give an exaple of a harem game that isn't like this. You even stated it as being typical for the genre.

NB: the game is highly rated for the CG, a game isn't just it's plot.
 
I'd worry what would be said if there was a Ken Akamatsu H-game for A.I Love You or Love Hina. XD

Anyways:
Maxon, I can see what you mean about the whole doll-like and idle characterism in some of the harem-style VN. I think Reaper does make a point though that the same characteristics mentioned are something that's being made more fashionable though in the dating sims. That "Kawaii Girl: UDS" vid is a good reference here, as I believe what these souless personas are being used for is to make it more "easy" to obtain the girl of your dreams. What better/easier way to do that than to make the girls dumb, easy to talk to and simple to figure out?
This kind of ideal for the genre of VN is probably what a lot of the typical H-game fans go for; a simple story (maybe with some decent quirks to hook the audience) with an array of girl types in looks and backgrounds, give a few choices to them, add a few sex scenes and a conclusion. Not exactly great reading material but it gets results from the thrills given.

Now I know you like the more story-developed games, like Chaos:Head, F/SN and Shin Megami Tensei: Persona (?). Yeah, Persona isn't a VN, but I'm putting it in anyways...
The difference between these titles and the Harem-style ones are the aims behind them:
Dating Sim - To go out with the ideal girl and maybe learn about them a little. (I.e. find person, talk to them, swoon them, date them, overcome a relationship-splitting problem, etc.)
"Traditional" VN - To complete a story written by the mangaka team, choose the routes available and reach an ending based on the story's theme. (I.e. figure out who's in story, what its about, try not to reach a "Bad End" and survive to the end, reaping your rewards).

A good Traditional VN would not succeed with the shallow characters, as they are part of the story's development. But a Dating Sim doesn't need it, as most of them are H-games and some people just like the eye-candy. But Dating Sims would indeed be better with some thought into their characters, and give them life.

That's why Kira-Kira is becoming more and more my winner over Shuffle in Dating sims, as there is more that comes with it (plus I'm in a musical fad at this time). The choices are more limited in who to get, but so much more content and choices of actions to take. (However, I still like my Asa and Sia!)
It's also why F/SN is my overall favourite, as I like story>sex, and there's so many choices, good and bad, I've completed the game, but still go after the "Tiger stamps" from the bad endings. XD

But the main thing you have to remember Max (and everyone) is that Dating sims like Shuffle are NOT action/adventure games. The stories may/may not be as fantastic/fancy fireworks, as it is more based on slice of life "I choose you!" rather than "I must beat the end boss!" ordeal.
So if you want to play a game, play one you can guess is going to be either story>girls or visa versa.

Reaper, I think Max just hates most Dating Sims, because of the forementioned differences. I'll go over this in these situations for each girl:
Kaede - Apart from her stubborness to her guilt and housewife tasks, she is a bit of a push-over and easy prey. But she's cute and fwa-fwa.
Sia - Has a shared mentality with her twin, causing a split personality and subcomes to identy crisis. One's more Tsundere than the other, but both are kinky (Kikyo's superior though.)
Nerine - Feels like she's living another's life and stole things from them. Eventually figures out she can do things on her own, but otherwise, she's good hearted, defensive and a little slutty.
Asa - Best friend complex builds into love. She pushes her own body weak to keep back overwelming magic of which she rejects. Tomboyish but keeps a good sense of feminity. Best friend route characters are usually my fetish, as it's built on an already made trust.
Primula - Lolcats. That's all I'll say from this... Kamyu-chi... *Doom casted!*

If I could explain these characters in such small descriptions and get the general story about them like that, then I have to say they are more doll-like compared to others. And I say that as a fan of the game/anime.
I like the visuals and the art in it, and I agree that this is a good contributer. There are flaws in the game, as Max has pointed out, even if I too find it enjoyable. I treat it differently from the "Traditional" VN though, due to the style.

Now, if only you 2 could be more like me... (I'm kidding! Dont kill me guys!!) :p
 
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The Pesona seires are part dating sim not visual novels. By comaparason the Tales series have VN elements.

Some lingo for you, as you have no idea what a dating sim is.

"Dating" sim= stats based.
Simulation game (SLG) (this is the important distinction between the two genres)
Corectly romantic simulation game, they don't have to contain dates
Chose option from list (normaly, say, 6 options) to raise/ lower stat
No /little variation in options (you simply pick what to do in a given time period)
Plot determined by stats levels at given points in game time.
Examples: Love Plus, Tokimeki Memorial.

Visual Novel (general) = flowchart based
(graphic) Adventure game (AVG)
Chose from 2/3 option multiple choice question at branch point
Questions are situational to the story.
May ocasionaly have no options or player interaction whatsoever (higurashi, Planetarian)

Sub divides to:

Visual novels proper (NVL)
text covers whole screen
writen in prose
exaples: F/SN, KiraKira

Adventure game (ADV/AVG)
Text in box/ speach bubble
Written more as a script
exaples: Shuffle!, Clannad

Calling ADV games dating sims, comes from one of the early English localisers and is plain wrong. Most ADV and NVL games are set in schools and have dating in them as a plot point. Similarly most dating sims don't have dating in them, the objective being getting the girl to go out with you.

If it's not a simulation game it's a VN, or if it is a simulation game it isn't a VN. Works as a rule for which is which. Or you could just check which genre a Japanese shop gives it, SLG= dating Sim, AVG/ADV/NVL= visual novel.
 
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