The Visual Novel Thread

Dengeki Stryker trial version is out! You can pick it up from Manga Gamer's adult section of their website.

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I have a backlog too but I'm not that bothered about completing it since that would mean I have nothing left if I did.

Been looking forward to Dengeki Stryker for ages, which is funny since I never liked Overdrive's VNs much.
 
It's another interesting month for visual novels. School Days is out, and I have it. I found the anime compelling but the ending strayed too far into wtf-ville for my liking, so I'm hoping to put that right by reaching a more palatable conclusion.

ef: the first tale is out next week as well. Looks a far more interesting "pure love" game than Da Capo or anything else Jast or MG have released (except maybe Suika).

Still haven't got around to buying Dengeki Stryker. That Deardrops got a disc release so soon after the digital version has made me cautious of committing too early where Overdrive titles are concerned.
 
fabricatedlunatic said:
ef: the first tale is out next week as well. Looks a far more interesting "pure love" game than Da Capo or anything else Jast or MG have released (except maybe Suika).
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I found ef pretty dull. It was trying to be a Key/Visual Art's work without the good characters. I really didn't care for the "Oh woe is me" atmosphere of the story and characters either.

fabricatedlunatic said:
Still haven't got around to buying Dengeki Stryker. That Deardrops got a disc release so soon after the digital version has made me cautious of committing too early where Overdrive titles are concerned.
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I feel annoyed that I was hyping up Dengeki Stryker. It was pretty disappointing. There's only two routes and the first one is only about 5 hours long, so it's pretty damn short. In terms of story the first route was OK, and the second route's first half was good, but I expect more from something I paid about £30 for. That'll teach me for getting interested in an Overdrive visual novel. From now on I'll just sit and moan about Steins;Gate still being in limbo.
 
Recently received Robotics;Notes on PS3. I was half considering playing Steins;Gate despite having watched the anime, but I think this makes more sense just in case they mess up the adaptation of R;N.
 
Gone back to Kara no Shoujo (hence the avatar) in search of the true ending. I'd moved on about a year back, traumatised by all the grim ends I kept stumbling into. This game is dark, even if you make the right choices and find the right clues, but despite that (or perhaps because of that), it's one of my favourite visual novels ever. And nobody bought it ;_;

In the probably vain hope of generating some awareness, I wish to direct the attention of all 3 VN fans at AUKN to this excellent Broken Forum Let's Play. It's been running for a month and makes for great reading, even for me--and I'm past where they're currently up to.
 
fabricatedlunatic said:
In the probably vain hope of generating some awareness, I wish to direct the attention of all 3 VN fans at AUKN to this excellent Broken Forum Let's Play. It's been running for a month and makes for great reading, even for me--and I'm past where they're currently up to.
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Well, take some solace in the fact that the first page of that thread might very possibly have just sold me Kara no Shoujo. That's the most interesting looking VN I've seen in a long time - It looks atmospheric as all Hell.
 
I'm chuffed to bits that you're even considering it.

KnS is definitely atmospheric. It also has beautiful art, a great story, and a diverse cast of intriguing characters. Unlike a lot of eroge, it feels like an adult game by virtue of its writing as much as its sexual content. I'd love to see more from the developer, Innocent Grey, including the sequel to KnS, but if the first KnS doesn't sell then that's probably not going to happen.
 
Might have a go at this as well. I'll probably enjoy it, by what you're saying and from the promo. It really does look like it gives VNs a little more respect than slapstick fantasy trash. Good for IG, and I hope I do like it.

Edit: Just tried the trail version - still on 4th March (second day), and I'm already in love with it! :D Just need to see if I have any spare spending money after my seasonal expenditures are sorted.
 
I tried Kara no Shoujo but it seems to suffer from poor decision making that requires guessing rather than intuition.

Chaz said:
It really does look like it gives VNs a little more respect than slapstick fantasy trash.
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I don't see anything wrong with slapstick fantasy stuff. Sure as hell beats Moe Moe Pantsu Flash High School type stuff.
 
Glad you're enjoying the demo, Chaz!
MaxonTreik said:
I tried Kara no Shoujo but it seems to suffer from poor decision making that requires guessing rather than intuition.
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Hmm, yes and no. There are a few choices that are absolutely crucial (the two places you can choose to send Reiji every day, for example, have no bearing on the plot) and for the most part they make sense if you think about them--at least in retrospect. But so far there have been one or two moments that bordered on unfair. I just save at every decision that looks important, at investigation scenes, or just every couple of days, so it's easy enough to go back and put yourself on the right path.
 
fabricatedlunatic said:
I just save at every decision that looks important, at investigation scenes, or just every couple of days, so it's easy enough to go back and put yourself on the right path.
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That's the proper way to play VNs! :D And remember people: Save your Flags! Never wave them off!
 
Not sure if this is the right thread for it, since this is a VN in English, but has anyone else played Katawa Shoujo?

The amount of feels sloshing about my body after finishing it tells me it was good heh...
 
Katawa Shoujo is a cookie cutter coming-of-age romcom with bad art and slightly above average music.

It's nothing to take particular notice of, other than the fact it's a OELVN that started on 4chan.
 
Having recently finished Katawa Shoujo as well, I thought it was okay, but, considering my enthusiasm for it back during the demo stage, I was disappointed with the way most of the routes eventually played out. It's well enough written, but I would agree with Maxon - the story is mostly by the numbers, once you get past the unusual setting.

Saying that, I would not turn up my nose if someone actually produced the much joked about Kenji route, in which his insane theories turn out to be true, leaving you and him to battle against the global feminist conspiracy...
 
I've heard of this Katawa Shoujo thing, and I must say, it sounds very odd. I was reading some write up about it (by Leigh Alexander I think?) and it seemed to suggest that it's actually quite sensitive, and just wants you to sympathize with the girls and their situations, and doesn't really want to objectify them or make them titillating. But then...why include all the sex? I can't fathom it. Though I think the author of the article came to a similar conclusion, that it was kind of neither here nor there. It sounds baffling.
 
I suppose the writers were aping the Japanese convention of putting explicit sex in most (but not all) of their visual novels.

Bearing in mind that I'm yet to play Katawa Shoujo and therefore couldn't tell you how tastefully (or not) the sex scenes are presented, what I would ask is, why not include the sex? Katawa Shoujo is a game about romantic relationships, and sex is an important part of romantic relationships. Now, I'm not going to deny the obvious and claim that sex scenes in visual novels aren't intended to titillate, because most of them are, but a) I don't necessarily think that's a problem, and b) they can also be touching and powerful climaxes (no pun intended... I think) to well-developed character relationships.
 
The problem is that you can choose to omit the sex in Katawa Shoujo. I don't have to spell out the implications of that.

While I do agree with you, Fabio, about sex being a powerful event on an emotional level, it's not the only highlight of a relationship and I'd like to see emotional connection beyond the horizontal dance. Basically, variety is the spice of life.

Edit: I think it's also important to point out that they're reducing their market presence if they reduce themselves to the adult market.
 
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