kyrt

This was very predictable, but I am still speechless by the feels. I love every single thing about this short. 

There is one more convention left that both Sekai Project and Mangagamer are going to be going to. Anime Weekend Atlanta (September 29th-October 2nd) have them both listed as having a panel. Whether or not they will be announcing anything new at this time is unknown. I doubt either of them would be mentioning going to this if they did not plan on announcing something. That said Mangagamer, Jast, Sekai Project and even Degica (kind of) have announced a number of titles this year. I have a series of poll questions for anyone who would like to participate. You can discuss and debate in more detail below for why you picked what you did. 
Here's some refreshers to newly announced titles 2016.
Mangagamer 2016 Announcements: 
- Happymaher
- sorcery jokers
- A Kiss for Petals: New Generation
- Sona-nyl of the violet shadows
- Rance 5D
- Rance VI
- if you love me, then say so
- naked butlers
- fashioning little miss lonesome
- D.S. Dal Segno
- Maggot Baits
- House in Fate Morgana Prequel
- Funbag Fantasy
- Imouto Paradise 2
- Trinoline (I forgot this was announced)
 
Sekai Project 2016 Announcements: 
- A clockwork leyline: 
- Just Deserts (OELVN)
- Maitetsu
- Companion (OELVN)
- Still I Miss Her (OKLVN)
- 2236 A.D.
- Ne no kami 1 & 2 (note: had a kickstarter)
- love, guitars, & the Nashville Skyline
- creature romances (regular and for the ladies games) (note: surprisingly this is not an OELVN)
- shining star nova (OELVN)
- Japanese School Life (Sekai Project Original)
- Baldr Sky Dive 1 & 2
- Boku to Koisuru Ponkotsu Akuma (Denpasoft 18+ Only)
- SakuSaku (both all age and denpasoft version confirmed)
- Hoshizora no Memoria
- Sakura Dungeon (if raidy is a vn then I will count this as well)
- Karakara 
 
JAST USA 2016 Announcements:
Katahane An' Call Bell (the upcoming HD version with additional content)
Eiyuu Senki (releasing steam and 18+)
PrincessX  My Fiancee is a Monster Girl 
Sweet Home
 
Degica:
Kimi ga Nozumi Ein
 
(I may have missed something for one or more companies if so just let me know so I can fix it). 

There is one more convention left that both Sekai Project and Mangagamer are going to be going to. Anime Weekend Atlanta (September 29th-October 2nd) have them both listed as having a panel. Whether or not they will be announcing anything new at this time is unknown. I doubt either of them would be mentioning going to this if they did not plan on announcing something. That said Mangagamer, Jast, Sekai Project and even Degica (kind of) have announced a number of titles this year. I have a series of poll questions for anyone who would like to participate. You can discuss and debate in more detail below for why you picked what you did. 
Here's some refreshers to newly announced titles 2016.
Mangagamer 2016 Announcements: 
- Happymaher
- sorcery jokers
- A Kiss for Petals: New Generation
- Sona-nyl of the violet shadows
- Rance 5D
- Rance VI
- if you love me, then say so
- naked butlers
- fashioning little miss lonesome
- D.S. Dal Segno
- Maggot Baits
- House in Fate Morgana Prequel
- Funbag Fantasy
- Imouto Paradise 2
- Trinoline (I forgot this was announced)
 
Sekai Project 2016 Announcements: 
- A clockwork leyline: 
- Just Deserts (OELVN)
- Maitetsu
- Companion (OELVN)
- Still I Miss Her (OKLVN)
- 2236 A.D.
- Ne no kami 1 & 2 (note: had a kickstarter)
- love, guitars, & the Nashville Skyline
- creature romances (regular and for the ladies games) (note: surprisingly this is not an OELVN)
- shining star nova (OELVN)
- Japanese School Life (Sekai Project Original)
- Baldr Sky Dive 1 & 2
- Boku to Koisuru Ponkotsu Akuma (Denpasoft 18+ Only)
- SakuSaku (both all age and denpasoft version confirmed)
- Hoshizora no Memoria
- Sakura Dungeon (if raidy is a vn then I will count this as well)
- Karakara 
 
JAST USA 2016 Announcements:
Katahane An' Call Bell (the upcoming HD version with additional content)
Eiyuu Senki (releasing steam and 18+)
PrincessX  My Fiancee is a Monster Girl 
Sweet Home
 
Degica:
Kimi ga Nozumi Ein
 
(I may have missed something for one or more companies if so just let me know so I can fix it). 

Mangagamer has the better lineup at otakon by far. It does however bode ill for the sekai project title Chrono Clock since this may confirm no 18+ version if they went to mangagamer instead. 

Mob mentality. And to coin that famous philosopher, Terry Pratchett - "the IQ of a mob is the IQ of its most stupid member divided by the number of mobsters"

We are Pascal! The Graces cast is probably my favorite Tales cast, so of course the skits are the best

Replaying Tales of Graces ƒ en NG+. A LOT more fun than my first run. I can now play on Chaos difficulty, I'm proud of myself. x) (played on Normal then Easy on my first run, shame on me)
I'm trying to be a little more throughout, and in fact, I'm mid-game and I just passed what it took me to finish the game on my first playthrough. (33h for the main part, and 42h with L&L)
Wasn't that hyped when I decided to play again (didn't like the story as much as the other Tales of, and wasn't that good with the gameplay), but now I regret nothing!
Also, perhaps it's because I'm playing it now, but I think Graces ƒ skits are the funniest of the series!

Clearely, if kickstarter did something good, we have to thank it for the revival of the old-school RPG genre (wasteland 2, Pillars of eternity, Original sin and Tides of Numenara).
 

Interesting enough but does anyone else think Sekai Project is becoming the new JAST in terms of announcing titles and releasing titles? Let's s see exactly how many years it takes them to release Baldr Sky Dive1 and Dive2 (if they go the kickstarter route though it will probably be released faster...not sure how I feel about that though). It hopefully will release with full content, hell hopefully everything they've announced to be releasing will release with an optional all ages and 18+ version. Get as much of the audience as possible with as few kickstarters as possible. I'm a bit disappointed about a lack of a status update on a bunch of titles but that might just be I missed them since I started watching at the start of the announcements.

Hopefully it also comes to Denpasoft...otherwise fuck GIGA. I've realized there's no point getting angry at Sekai Project for these type of things because it's obvious it's the companies. JAST fell out with GIGA because of the need for uncensored CGs...it's why more Japanese companies like Sekai Project. They are not demanding mosaic free and some demand no 18+ version which Sekai Project is perfectly happy with accepting and it makes it so they can sell their products without concern. I still want the 18+ version of games and if a game originally had an 18+ version and doesn't then I will not buy one unless it has a patch. 
It seems though that these visual novel companies are realizing that they can sell the 18+ version as  patch for additional money for those that want it so I imagine we will begin seeing more 18+ releases simply because the patch system seems to be working well enough for other games on Steam.

Maybe it’s an Eushully title :3
… No? Oh okay  

Sekai Project also announced A Magical High School Girl game but uh not really a vn so I'm pretty much ignoring it. 
They have apparently two more announcements:
Boku to Koi Suru Ponkotsu Akuma. Suggoi Ecchi!  
and 
Koi ga Saku Koro Sakura Doki  

At least the pokemon this generation have been pretty solid and even Popplio looking like a clown seal from the circus makes sense especially if it ends up being fairy or psychic. I just hope the litten does not turn into a fire/fighting. I rather like the design of the bug, bird, and rodent pokemon and then both the dog and bear pokemon look pretty good as well. 
I imagine the FFA mode will have different specifications where you can choose 1st round knockout, or last one standing, etc...

Good time to be alive for RPG fans :3
It almost makes up for that dismal 7ish year run in the middle of the last decade ...

In case you haven't heard the news the Steam Summer Sale for 2016 is expected to begin June 23rd. The GoG Summer Sale is continuing for about 2 more days for anyone who hasn't looked at that. Can get some decent drm-free games over there for a decent enough price. My recommendations are the Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, Divinity Original Sin, Pillars of Eternity, Witcher 3, and Beyond Good and Evil just to mention a few.
Remember during the sale to check around and see what other prices might be. Just because it's on the steam summer sale does not mean they will have the best deal. I recommend using isthereanydeal.com to check and compare prices with some of the other major distributors (many of which also sell steam keys).
 

Well, we've already been waiting for 8 years, what's another few months I suppose  
On the positive side, Persona 5 is looking good :3

But... I still haven't played Dual Destinies yet...
>Is hyped anyway.

My reason for liking TitS at the moment can be summed up by execution. It's a slow start but it becomes incredibly solid as it continues. For some the start will be too slow and too dialogue heavy but for others it is exactly this amount of time spent with TitS that really makes it work. It paces itself in terms of character, history, and lore development while introducing elements that may not really be noticed until later on in the story. To have a real appreciation for the game you have to look at it from the angle of how does it all work and fit together and have the knowledge that seemingly mundane events may be something much bigger than expected. The story itself is not just about a group of characters but rather about the country, the religions, the people and various powers at work. It's a traditional jrpg executed extremely well and the dialogue is superb (although there is a ton of it). The places where the game actually falters is in the combat and backtracking which while not necessarily bad is nothing new and is very similar to other mechanics you've seen before in other jrpgs. I like where the game is heading at the moment and am looking forward to finishing it. 

Honestly I'm not really concerned about this whatsoever. They've already confirmed it will still maintain the Japanese audio as well so if JAST wants to try something different like this all the power to them. As long as we don't have to worry about english replacing the japanese audio this should do nothing but open up the game to a wider audience.

edit: did I really just type all this warning wall of text ahead apologies.
I definitely prefer JAST. Physical copies offered every time (with a download copy usually given as well), most of the events J-list or JAST show up Peter shows up and sometimes get wrapped up in talking with fans at his booth. His panels are often a lot more organized enjoyable and while question wise they sometimes can't answer everything the way you'd want (if he can give an answer he does). He's a professional which is a big difference from both mangagamer and sekai project panels that I've seen. They try to only release games fully uncensored which is something sekai project has yet to do for any of its japanese games (likely not  their fault). Generally they also have good prices (at least in the U.S.) and a good variety. The main issue with JAST is the release schedule for games, the acquisitions, and the quality of translations are sometimes leaving much to be desired. I'm pretty sure a bunch of the people working for JAST are freelance with maybe a few actually working. I also get the feeling that they've not had the best of luck with partners. I also have to say the customer service while sometimes a bit slow is usually excellent. I'm expecting a few announcements this year and a few additional releases besides sonico but they definitely don't release quite as many games as the second best.
Mangagamer on the other hand the only thing I have fully against is the lack of physical copies and the DRM. While they have definitely gotten better with that the recent issue with not giving steam keys with purchases and not doing physical editions (where they could put the steam keys and have no issues) definitely hurts in my eye. Their lineup of games has definitely gotten better over the years and their ability to release about one game a month is a very nice bonus the problem lies that they get games that are not top tier. The majority of Mangagamer's games are not anything special. They release more oelvn and nukige than good quality story driven games but like I said that is getting better. Especially recently I've been buying at Mangagamer more often now that the majority of their new games require no DRM. I have a huge stance against DRM and for the longest time the only way I bought their games was via physical copies. The problem here is that their physical copies are often limited runs and if I don't have money at a particular time there is always a chance that when I do have the money they will be out. They to my knowledge do not reprint titles nor have they gone back and gotten rid of DRM from everything which means some DRM still exists. They also are quite a bit more expensive for the better quality titles. I also have to praise their ability to keep us informed on titles they've announced. Allowing us to see where they are with each title is not just a good gesture to the community but is a good marketing strategy. Now people can predict when they will need to scrounge for a bit of extra dough (or take it from the grocery budget), this makes it more likely someone will be able to purchase their games. Like JAST the few times I have had to talk to customer service the service has been impeccable and the quickness at replying might actually be quicker than JAST.
Both JAST and Mangagamer also take care of All Ages and Adult fans and release titles on both sides of the spectrum rather regularly. Honestly both are very good companies and while each will have an occasional spot of bad every so often generally they are both very good companies.
Sekai Project: Oh boy this one. I may not have the most favorable of opinions on this company but I do appreciate them. It's thanks to Sekai Project that we even have the chance for official versions of certain titles and despite my dislike of how they go about their business they have spread visual novel awareness to more than regular visual novel fans. I would not go as far as to say they've made visual novels popular in the west but they have made them noticeable. Sekai Project generally releases pretty cheap games which is a plus as well however it has its fair share of problems as well. The lack of physical copies. The majority of all of their released games have been digital only or kickstarter physicals only. While business wise this is a sound method as a fan and collector it really annoys me. Sekai Project also has the bad habit of releasing only all ages titles and while they do have an adult spin-off website under denpasoft it's treated like a neglected child. Sekai Project's habit of releasing via kickstarter or indiegogo only if successful is also a real annoyance for those of us who expect acquisitions of licenses to mean they actually already have the rights to release the game. Sekai Project has made it possible for things like Clannad to release westward but has also caused a shift in the way japanese visual novel companies think about licensing. I imagine this hurts the chances of some big names coming to Mangagamer or Jast because they wanna try the kickstarter route. I see kickstarter as eventually not working as a means of funding projects and hopefully once this happens the japanese companies will try the normal way or will release titles themselves (with proper translators). Sekai Project has had a few failed kickstarters (or extremely delayed kickstarters) because they like to fund the little guy which is alright and good so long as the little guy does not fall through on his promise. Another big area of concern is that because the majority of their games are steam only they do not offer a way to get them outside of the Steam DRM which is really annoying for someone who wants a DRM-free game. Sekai Project is not the greatest of the visual novel companies but it's also not the worst either and despite most people's disatisfaction toward them it cannot be denied that Sekai Project has had a profound effect on the visual novel market in the west.
Denpasoft: Technically a part of Sekai Project for the longest time denpasoft was ignored and even now is not overly hyped up. Denpasoft never has a panel or a mention at Sekai Project's visual novel panels at cons. It has a very limited selection of games the most of which are extremely short or were only added because of kickstarter. Going forward Sekai Project does not wish to release full games but rather only 18+ patches that you buy separate of the game. They don't seem to bother with trying to get titles mosaic free. Recent announcements have made them decide to try indiegogo for an adult title one of which they announced over a year ago (with no kickstarter/indiegogo...it was likely Karakara's fault this is now happening), they fail to release the higher quality titles with the 18+ content they were originally released with (G-Senjou), and they do not keep people well informed about the games in their lineup. They take no risks which business wise is probably a smart venture but is really irritating for those of us who are sick to death of funding via indiegogo/kickstarter. It is almost June and the last update on the website was back in February when they announced the removal of steam keys. They also seem to be having issues with having adult only titles and an actual payment processor which isn't their fault but is yet another thing that just isn't working. It does not help that because most of denpasoft's games were either from a kickstarter, available elsewhere, niche genre, or really short that people have a habit of pirating their games more than anyone else. Part of this likely comes from the bad rapport denpasoft has made with the fans. The change of the website from the original is a nice change but that was months ago and nothing new has been updated outside of a single release that may not have even gotten a news update. Sekai Project is essentially ignoring Denpasoft. I want to like Denpasoft as much as the others but until Sekai Project gives it the due attention it needs (which I do think will happen eventually) it's just going to be taking a backseat to the visual novel companies that do the same things better.
Moenovel: The Black-sheep of visual novel localization companies. One of the worst releases of a popular visual novel yet. Censored for 12 year old french girls so they could play it. The translation was awful, the censorship was beyond simple sex/nudity, and the release was a joke. They've released a total of one game. If anything it did show what not to do with a visual novel release. It did however have a physical edition and did have a pretty decent record of keeping people informed about the release leading up to it. I think it would be incredibly smart of them to work with the current (does this exist still?) translators of the restoration patch and have them re-release the game without the cut content as they'd make some money from it but then that's unlikely as well. Nothing really worked about this release and it's considered quite possibly to be the worst of the vn localization companies.
Honorable Mentions (verdict is still out): Degica (Muv-luv no idea on translation quality), Mikandi Japan (Libra of the Vampire Princess no idea on translation quality), NISA (released Danganronpa and Psycho-Pass vns), Aksys (blazblue, norn, virtue's last reward, hakuoki, fate/extra, sweet fuse), frontwing (nothing in house yet), and capcom (iffy translation for phoenix wright games but usually enjoyable nonetheless)

I woke up at 5am this morning because I spent yesterday sick in bed. That gave me plenty of time to ponder life's many questions. What makes us human? Why are we on this planet? How did the first amino acids form, and over time create us? Why the fuck did the West only get one Sakura Taisen game? 

Well, only one of these things really matters. Seriously, Sakura Taisen games look so freaking cool. Many hours were logged into Sakura Taisen V (Sakura Wars: So Long My Love) and my attempts to woo Gemini, the cowgirl living with her horse, were met with failure because I accidentally courted the attorney chick from Harlem (see what I did there?). The battle system was a blast and the dating sim aspects were so much more fun than the simplistic system found in Persona 3/4. On top of that, the setting is like a wet dream, with the full series being set in 1920's Japan, Paris, and New York City. Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha games were also set in 1920's Tokyo (yet another reason I love it as well), but we here in the West did not receive any of the other Sakura Taisen games other than V, which is a damn shame. On a side note, the ARMS battle system survives today in Valkryia Chronicles, which was made by much of the same team behind the Sakura Taisen franchise. 

Another member of my localization wish list of games I know I'll never get to play, are the early Atelier games from Gust. This is more of a "I just want it to look at it" as I'm sure the game play is somewhat dated in any of the pre- Iris trilogy games. While NISA, and KT have been on top of the localization efforts of Gust games recently, the West is still missing 5 main line Atelier games, dating between 1997-2004, and virtually all of the side entries to the franchise, aside from Atelier Annie on the DS, are also missing. Luckily, each Atelier series tells a story usually in a trilogy, and stand alone from the other entries of the game, so it isn't as if we are missing chunks of story luckily.  I mean, how fucking terrible would it be to see the 2nd game in a trilogy released, and nothing else? How damn incompetent would a localization company be to do something like that?

The Xenosaga series is my all time favorite JRPG, and Namco Bandai, in their infinite wisdom, decided to only release Xenosaga Episode II in Europe. To their credit, they did release the game with a DVD of all the cutscenes from the previous entry, but they then failed to release Episode III in Europe, leaving European fans twiddling their thumbs in mild indifference/annoyance to the whole thing. Good news is that torrents are available of the cut scenes from all 3 games. It only totals about 20 hours or so, and are also available on Youtube. That said, mech battles in Episode 3 are a blast, after being horrible for the first two entries, and atrocious for the 2nd entry. How cruel is that? The only one in the franchise that Europe got, is the shitty one.

So, whats on your localization wishlist of games that you will never see released in your region? 

Yumina's great. You'll have your merry band of eccentric heroines and Ayumu charge their way through the Student Presidential Campaign all while enjoying their various banters
The gameplay combat mechanics will appear convoluted / confusing as hell at first, but it's actually pretty simple once you learn it
The VN is long. My last save file for it clocks in at 68 hours. Though, you might be able to get away with < 30 if you absolutely minimized grinding & dungeon crawling and went for story only

I know we already have a Corona Blossom thread of sorts but I wanted to make it more specifically on the campaign itself. Discuss what's right and wrong with it and ultimately whether or not people plan to back. So I'll ask the question (before I scare people away with the length of this thread) What are your thoughts on the Corona Blossom Indiegogo Campaign. 
You know I'm surprised at the low amount of backers but when it comes to flexible funding I really shouldn't be. I really dislike kickstarter and indiegogo and not really knowing the translation quality of Frontwing's in house team makes this initially questionable. It does not help that we know nothing of the length...for all we know we could be paying money for an extremely short vn less than an hour or two. I think lack of information is probably the biggest reason why this campaign is not doing all that well.
Let's take a look at their actual indiegogo campaign https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/corona-blossom-a-visual-novel-by-frontwing/x/12572100#/
First thing to note is that all versions of the game will contain both English and Japanese text, with Japanese voices. This is an unexpected surprise and allows for people to choose how to read it. For those of us that know how to read Japanese we might actually prefer to read it that way instead of trudging through potentially cringe-inducing poor english dialogue. Then again nothing currently hints at that. Honestly I'd mark this as a point in favor of the game. 
Second thing to note is that the All-Ages version of Corona Blossom Vol.1 is scheduled to hit Steam July 29th for a mere $10 dollars. There are a number of things to take away from this sentence alone. 
The scheduled release date for both english and japanese version of the game is July 29th which likely means the translation is either going to be really quick or they are close to finishing it already. I can't help but think that Frontwing is simply using Indiegogo as a pre-order system. Admittedly this can save them money as well as they only need to create enough physical editions and extras for the amount of backers they receive. 
One area of potential caution is the fact that this is vol.1 usually this means that the story will not be fully resolved by the end of the game and that we are just getting a volume 1. The worry here is that the game is going to be really short similar to Nekopara which admittedly does have its fanbase like even the sakura titles . It means they can sell pieces of the game for cheaper. How many volumes will there be? If the game sells poorly will we even see any future sequels. How much is the game really worth? These are questions that the 'vol.1' makes people think about and is something to keep in mind when determining to back or not. edit: seems to hint that there will eventually be 3 volumes if it ends up succeeding. 
All-Ages version seems to imply there will also be an 18+ version and yes indeed a little further down they make mention of the fact that "ecchi fans, fear not - an 18+ patch, removing censorship and adding adult scenes, will be available at launch for an extra $10 (prices may be subject to change). It is likely the censorship being removed is not the actual mosaics and this is simply poor wording. They likely mean that any added censorship from the all-ages version will be removed and the adult scenes will be added in. Do not be expecting it to be free of mosaics. The patch is also 10 dollars which likely means the game's probably worth about 20 dollars to begin with. Not a huge visual novel but not a 2 hour one. We can probably expect something around 10-20 hours or maybe a bit more. The fact it will have adult scenes does make it likely it will have a story as this does not seem to be 'sex-romp'. If you scroll down a little bit more we get another big piece of information.
"The Physical copy version of the game includes 18+ content by default, and is currently stated for release in August at a price point of ¥2000 in DVD-ROM format. This will be sold at select stores in Japan, and for anyone outside of Japan, the physical copy is available as a reward on Indiegogo".
It seems that people who enjoy physical editions of visual novels their only chance to pick the game up is via Indiegogo (or buy from Japan). It does confirm the 18+ content is included on the physical copy of the game so that's also a plus. People who buy the physical version get a copy of the digital with the 18+ patch included. No hassle to install the patch on a disc version and potentially no wait to play once it releases on steam. The 18+ patch itself seems like it will appear by end of August if the perk date expectations are to be believed. What we are not told about however is whether or not the game will have DRM. This is something that I believe needs to be addressed before the end of the campaign.
Honestly I'm hopeful for the translation. The website for corona blossom is actually decent as far as the english goes while the story description is a bit awkward the character descriptions are written well enough. We've yet to see Frontwing translate in-house so we can't say for sure the translation is going to be good but neither can we say it is going to be bad.
The Staff:
Producer
Ryuichiro Yamakawa (frontwing's producer) 
Character Design/Art
nanaca mai (she is also doing the art for Purino Party coming out soon)
Super-Deformed Character Art
nanaca mai (did some Pure Girl and Grisaia art)
Story
Yuhi Nanao (did the story or a scenario for a number of games that can be seen here
Art Director
Yuji Kaneko (don't know much beyond does backgrounds for trigger)
Mechanical Design
Hiroyuki Taiga (done a number of mech designs in numerous anime)
Opening Theme
"Happy! Corona Blossom" by Haruko Momoi
Ending Theme
"Be Myself" by Ayumi.(Astilbe×arendsii)
BGM Production
Fuminori Matsumoto
Let's look at the pricing and perk tiers:
 
You know these tiers are not bad...however not having anything above 550 for backing means some of those more rich-ish folks have nothing to overly back on. Which is not a bad thing as honestly these tiers are pretty decent (if you live in the U.S.) The only thing they need to do before the end of the campaign is to show off the goods.
For a mere 7 dollars you can get the game on steam for backing. That's good. It does however lead into the qualms about how long a game it might be but there is also the possibility that Frontwing is simply giving backers a really good deal as well. 
For 15 dollars you can get the game on steam and an 18+ patch. I imagine this is closer to the amount the actual game should cost. If they release the game on steam for 10 dollars it might actually pick up enough traction to convince people to buy it and then if they like it they can try picking up the patch for 10 additional dollars which people likely will do as people on steam are that type of crowd more often than not. For an extra 10 dollars you can get the digital soundtrack with. 25 dollars for the game and soundtrack is not bad at all.
For 40 dollars those of us that prefer physical copies can back and get a physical and digital copy of the game. All physical copies are 18+ so essentially this would give you an 18+ version and an all ages version plus a digital soundtrack. This is about the same that games tend to go for physical at a place like JAST (unless it's a big game) so this is yet again a very nice price. For an extra 10 dollars you can get a shikishi (likely the pre-order item in stores in Japan). For 60 dollars you get the 40 dollar perk plus an art book.
For 80 dollars you can get the 40 dollar perk plus either tapestry A or B (of which neither are currently shown which is likely why they have no backers). For 140 dollars you get the 40 perk tier plus a traditional happi coat or a one color hoodie (which is neat but like everything else really needs to have an image to see what people are getting) and get your name listed in the end credits. 
For 150 dollars you can get the standard collector's edition which is everything from the 40 perk tier plus a shikishi, an art book, name in credits and both tapestries.
For 240 dollars you get boobs. (you get a giant 3D Boob Mousepad and the 40 dollar tier).
For 550 you get everything in all the other tiers.
In all I actually think this indiegogo campaign is more of a way to check interest and allowing people to pre-order. There are a number of concerns about this potential release but there are a lot of positives about this particular campaign as well. It has a month to reach goal and is only at 30% the lack of any stretch goals make this all the more likely a means of pre-order. The flexible funding is a concern as they get the money whether they make goal or not but at the same time I'm pretty sure this will get released regardless of indiegogo. 
Would I back this? Originally I believed it was a bit too early to say. More information is needed regarding length and perks. For seven dollars (15 for adult) the price is actually quite good. Do you think Frontwing can do a good game and have a proper translation? Then I'd say yeah go ahead and try them out. I've backed a number of kickstarters and indiegogo's in the past to varying degrees of success and results. Frontwing has yet to release a game in-house and I personally have nothing to base their translations on outside of a bit of a questionable move with chirchiru idol. I'm willing to give them shot. If this ends poorly or the game isn't what it's advertised as then so be it. Decide for yourself if it's worth it and if it is feel free to back. 
Is there anything you believe Frontwing can do to make it more appealing to people? Why do you believe this isn't getting as much notice as other games...are people simply sick of indiegogo and kickstarter and has fatigue finally settled in? Discuss below. 
 

I know we already have a Corona Blossom thread of sorts but I wanted to make it more specifically on the campaign itself. Discuss what's right and wrong with it and ultimately whether or not people plan to back. So I'll ask the question (before I scare people away with the length of this thread) What are your thoughts on the Corona Blossom Indiegogo Campaign. 
You know I'm surprised at the low amount of backers but when it comes to flexible funding I really shouldn't be. I really dislike kickstarter and indiegogo and not really knowing the translation quality of Frontwing's in house team makes this initially questionable. It does not help that we know nothing of the length...for all we know we could be paying money for an extremely short vn less than an hour or two. I think lack of information is probably the biggest reason why this campaign is not doing all that well.
Let's take a look at their actual indiegogo campaign https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/corona-blossom-a-visual-novel-by-frontwing/x/12572100#/
First thing to note is that all versions of the game will contain both English and Japanese text, with Japanese voices. This is an unexpected surprise and allows for people to choose how to read it. For those of us that know how to read Japanese we might actually prefer to read it that way instead of trudging through potentially cringe-inducing poor english dialogue. Then again nothing currently hints at that. Honestly I'd mark this as a point in favor of the game. 
Second thing to note is that the All-Ages version of Corona Blossom Vol.1 is scheduled to hit Steam July 29th for a mere $10 dollars. There are a number of things to take away from this sentence alone. 
The scheduled release date for both english and japanese version of the game is July 29th which likely means the translation is either going to be really quick or they are close to finishing it already. I can't help but think that Frontwing is simply using Indiegogo as a pre-order system. Admittedly this can save them money as well as they only need to create enough physical editions and extras for the amount of backers they receive. 
One area of potential caution is the fact that this is vol.1 usually this means that the story will not be fully resolved by the end of the game and that we are just getting a volume 1. The worry here is that the game is going to be really short similar to Nekopara which admittedly does have its fanbase like even the sakura titles . It means they can sell pieces of the game for cheaper. How many volumes will there be? If the game sells poorly will we even see any future sequels. How much is the game really worth? These are questions that the 'vol.1' makes people think about and is something to keep in mind when determining to back or not. edit: seems to hint that there will eventually be 3 volumes if it ends up succeeding. 
All-Ages version seems to imply there will also be an 18+ version and yes indeed a little further down they make mention of the fact that "ecchi fans, fear not - an 18+ patch, removing censorship and adding adult scenes, will be available at launch for an extra $10 (prices may be subject to change). It is likely the censorship being removed is not the actual mosaics and this is simply poor wording. They likely mean that any added censorship from the all-ages version will be removed and the adult scenes will be added in. Do not be expecting it to be free of mosaics. The patch is also 10 dollars which likely means the game's probably worth about 20 dollars to begin with. Not a huge visual novel but not a 2 hour one. We can probably expect something around 10-20 hours or maybe a bit more. The fact it will have adult scenes does make it likely it will have a story as this does not seem to be 'sex-romp'. If you scroll down a little bit more we get another big piece of information.
"The Physical copy version of the game includes 18+ content by default, and is currently stated for release in August at a price point of ¥2000 in DVD-ROM format. This will be sold at select stores in Japan, and for anyone outside of Japan, the physical copy is available as a reward on Indiegogo".
It seems that people who enjoy physical editions of visual novels their only chance to pick the game up is via Indiegogo (or buy from Japan). It does confirm the 18+ content is included on the physical copy of the game so that's also a plus. People who buy the physical version get a copy of the digital with the 18+ patch included. No hassle to install the patch on a disc version and potentially no wait to play once it releases on steam. The 18+ patch itself seems like it will appear by end of August if the perk date expectations are to be believed. What we are not told about however is whether or not the game will have DRM. This is something that I believe needs to be addressed before the end of the campaign.
Honestly I'm hopeful for the translation. The website for corona blossom is actually decent as far as the english goes while the story description is a bit awkward the character descriptions are written well enough. We've yet to see Frontwing translate in-house so we can't say for sure the translation is going to be good but neither can we say it is going to be bad.
The Staff:
Producer
Ryuichiro Yamakawa (frontwing's producer) 
Character Design/Art
nanaca mai (she is also doing the art for Purino Party coming out soon)
Super-Deformed Character Art
nanaca mai (did some Pure Girl and Grisaia art)
Story
Yuhi Nanao (did the story or a scenario for a number of games that can be seen here
Art Director
Yuji Kaneko (don't know much beyond does backgrounds for trigger)
Mechanical Design
Hiroyuki Taiga (done a number of mech designs in numerous anime)
Opening Theme
"Happy! Corona Blossom" by Haruko Momoi
Ending Theme
"Be Myself" by Ayumi.(Astilbe×arendsii)
BGM Production
Fuminori Matsumoto
Let's look at the pricing and perk tiers:
 
You know these tiers are not bad...however not having anything above 550 for backing means some of those more rich-ish folks have nothing to overly back on. Which is not a bad thing as honestly these tiers are pretty decent (if you live in the U.S.) The only thing they need to do before the end of the campaign is to show off the goods.
For a mere 7 dollars you can get the game on steam for backing. That's good. It does however lead into the qualms about how long a game it might be but there is also the possibility that Frontwing is simply giving backers a really good deal as well. 
For 15 dollars you can get the game on steam and an 18+ patch. I imagine this is closer to the amount the actual game should cost. If they release the game on steam for 10 dollars it might actually pick up enough traction to convince people to buy it and then if they like it they can try picking up the patch for 10 additional dollars which people likely will do as people on steam are that type of crowd more often than not. For an extra 10 dollars you can get the digital soundtrack with. 25 dollars for the game and soundtrack is not bad at all.
For 40 dollars those of us that prefer physical copies can back and get a physical and digital copy of the game. All physical copies are 18+ so essentially this would give you an 18+ version and an all ages version plus a digital soundtrack. This is about the same that games tend to go for physical at a place like JAST (unless it's a big game) so this is yet again a very nice price. For an extra 10 dollars you can get a shikishi (likely the pre-order item in stores in Japan). For 60 dollars you get the 40 dollar perk plus an art book.
For 80 dollars you can get the 40 dollar perk plus either tapestry A or B (of which neither are currently shown which is likely why they have no backers). For 140 dollars you get the 40 perk tier plus a traditional happi coat or a one color hoodie (which is neat but like everything else really needs to have an image to see what people are getting) and get your name listed in the end credits. 
For 150 dollars you can get the standard collector's edition which is everything from the 40 perk tier plus a shikishi, an art book, name in credits and both tapestries.
For 240 dollars you get boobs. (you get a giant 3D Boob Mousepad and the 40 dollar tier).
For 550 you get everything in all the other tiers.
In all I actually think this indiegogo campaign is more of a way to check interest and allowing people to pre-order. There are a number of concerns about this potential release but there are a lot of positives about this particular campaign as well. It has a month to reach goal and is only at 30% the lack of any stretch goals make this all the more likely a means of pre-order. The flexible funding is a concern as they get the money whether they make goal or not but at the same time I'm pretty sure this will get released regardless of indiegogo. 
Would I back this? Originally I believed it was a bit too early to say. More information is needed regarding length and perks. For seven dollars (15 for adult) the price is actually quite good. Do you think Frontwing can do a good game and have a proper translation? Then I'd say yeah go ahead and try them out. I've backed a number of kickstarters and indiegogo's in the past to varying degrees of success and results. Frontwing has yet to release a game in-house and I personally have nothing to base their translations on outside of a bit of a questionable move with chirchiru idol. I'm willing to give them shot. If this ends poorly or the game isn't what it's advertised as then so be it. Decide for yourself if it's worth it and if it is feel free to back. 
Is there anything you believe Frontwing can do to make it more appealing to people? Why do you believe this isn't getting as much notice as other games...are people simply sick of indiegogo and kickstarter and has fatigue finally settled in? Discuss below. 
 

I know we already have a Corona Blossom thread of sorts but I wanted to make it more specifically on the campaign itself. Discuss what's right and wrong with it and ultimately whether or not people plan to back. So I'll ask the question (before I scare people away with the length of this thread) What are your thoughts on the Corona Blossom Indiegogo Campaign. 
You know I'm surprised at the low amount of backers but when it comes to flexible funding I really shouldn't be. I really dislike kickstarter and indiegogo and not really knowing the translation quality of Frontwing's in house team makes this initially questionable. It does not help that we know nothing of the length...for all we know we could be paying money for an extremely short vn less than an hour or two. I think lack of information is probably the biggest reason why this campaign is not doing all that well.
Let's take a look at their actual indiegogo campaign https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/corona-blossom-a-visual-novel-by-frontwing/x/12572100#/
First thing to note is that all versions of the game will contain both English and Japanese text, with Japanese voices. This is an unexpected surprise and allows for people to choose how to read it. For those of us that know how to read Japanese we might actually prefer to read it that way instead of trudging through potentially cringe-inducing poor english dialogue. Then again nothing currently hints at that. Honestly I'd mark this as a point in favor of the game. 
Second thing to note is that the All-Ages version of Corona Blossom Vol.1 is scheduled to hit Steam July 29th for a mere $10 dollars. There are a number of things to take away from this sentence alone. 
The scheduled release date for both english and japanese version of the game is July 29th which likely means the translation is either going to be really quick or they are close to finishing it already. I can't help but think that Frontwing is simply using Indiegogo as a pre-order system. Admittedly this can save them money as well as they only need to create enough physical editions and extras for the amount of backers they receive. 
One area of potential caution is the fact that this is vol.1 usually this means that the story will not be fully resolved by the end of the game and that we are just getting a volume 1. The worry here is that the game is going to be really short similar to Nekopara which admittedly does have its fanbase like even the sakura titles . It means they can sell pieces of the game for cheaper. How many volumes will there be? If the game sells poorly will we even see any future sequels. How much is the game really worth? These are questions that the 'vol.1' makes people think about and is something to keep in mind when determining to back or not. edit: seems to hint that there will eventually be 3 volumes if it ends up succeeding. 
All-Ages version seems to imply there will also be an 18+ version and yes indeed a little further down they make mention of the fact that "ecchi fans, fear not - an 18+ patch, removing censorship and adding adult scenes, will be available at launch for an extra $10 (prices may be subject to change). It is likely the censorship being removed is not the actual mosaics and this is simply poor wording. They likely mean that any added censorship from the all-ages version will be removed and the adult scenes will be added in. Do not be expecting it to be free of mosaics. The patch is also 10 dollars which likely means the game's probably worth about 20 dollars to begin with. Not a huge visual novel but not a 2 hour one. We can probably expect something around 10-20 hours or maybe a bit more. The fact it will have adult scenes does make it likely it will have a story as this does not seem to be 'sex-romp'. If you scroll down a little bit more we get another big piece of information.
"The Physical copy version of the game includes 18+ content by default, and is currently stated for release in August at a price point of ¥2000 in DVD-ROM format. This will be sold at select stores in Japan, and for anyone outside of Japan, the physical copy is available as a reward on Indiegogo".
It seems that people who enjoy physical editions of visual novels their only chance to pick the game up is via Indiegogo (or buy from Japan). It does confirm the 18+ content is included on the physical copy of the game so that's also a plus. People who buy the physical version get a copy of the digital with the 18+ patch included. No hassle to install the patch on a disc version and potentially no wait to play once it releases on steam. The 18+ patch itself seems like it will appear by end of August if the perk date expectations are to be believed. What we are not told about however is whether or not the game will have DRM. This is something that I believe needs to be addressed before the end of the campaign.
Honestly I'm hopeful for the translation. The website for corona blossom is actually decent as far as the english goes while the story description is a bit awkward the character descriptions are written well enough. We've yet to see Frontwing translate in-house so we can't say for sure the translation is going to be good but neither can we say it is going to be bad.
The Staff:
Producer
Ryuichiro Yamakawa (frontwing's producer) 
Character Design/Art
nanaca mai (she is also doing the art for Purino Party coming out soon)
Super-Deformed Character Art
nanaca mai (did some Pure Girl and Grisaia art)
Story
Yuhi Nanao (did the story or a scenario for a number of games that can be seen here
Art Director
Yuji Kaneko (don't know much beyond does backgrounds for trigger)
Mechanical Design
Hiroyuki Taiga (done a number of mech designs in numerous anime)
Opening Theme
"Happy! Corona Blossom" by Haruko Momoi
Ending Theme
"Be Myself" by Ayumi.(Astilbe×arendsii)
BGM Production
Fuminori Matsumoto
Let's look at the pricing and perk tiers:
 
You know these tiers are not bad...however not having anything above 550 for backing means some of those more rich-ish folks have nothing to overly back on. Which is not a bad thing as honestly these tiers are pretty decent (if you live in the U.S.) The only thing they need to do before the end of the campaign is to show off the goods.
For a mere 7 dollars you can get the game on steam for backing. That's good. It does however lead into the qualms about how long a game it might be but there is also the possibility that Frontwing is simply giving backers a really good deal as well. 
For 15 dollars you can get the game on steam and an 18+ patch. I imagine this is closer to the amount the actual game should cost. If they release the game on steam for 10 dollars it might actually pick up enough traction to convince people to buy it and then if they like it they can try picking up the patch for 10 additional dollars which people likely will do as people on steam are that type of crowd more often than not. For an extra 10 dollars you can get the digital soundtrack with. 25 dollars for the game and soundtrack is not bad at all.
For 40 dollars those of us that prefer physical copies can back and get a physical and digital copy of the game. All physical copies are 18+ so essentially this would give you an 18+ version and an all ages version plus a digital soundtrack. This is about the same that games tend to go for physical at a place like JAST (unless it's a big game) so this is yet again a very nice price. For an extra 10 dollars you can get a shikishi (likely the pre-order item in stores in Japan). For 60 dollars you get the 40 dollar perk plus an art book.
For 80 dollars you can get the 40 dollar perk plus either tapestry A or B (of which neither are currently shown which is likely why they have no backers). For 140 dollars you get the 40 perk tier plus a traditional happi coat or a one color hoodie (which is neat but like everything else really needs to have an image to see what people are getting) and get your name listed in the end credits. 
For 150 dollars you can get the standard collector's edition which is everything from the 40 perk tier plus a shikishi, an art book, name in credits and both tapestries.
For 240 dollars you get boobs. (you get a giant 3D Boob Mousepad and the 40 dollar tier).
For 550 you get everything in all the other tiers.
In all I actually think this indiegogo campaign is more of a way to check interest and allowing people to pre-order. There are a number of concerns about this potential release but there are a lot of positives about this particular campaign as well. It has a month to reach goal and is only at 30% the lack of any stretch goals make this all the more likely a means of pre-order. The flexible funding is a concern as they get the money whether they make goal or not but at the same time I'm pretty sure this will get released regardless of indiegogo. 
Would I back this? Originally I believed it was a bit too early to say. More information is needed regarding length and perks. For seven dollars (15 for adult) the price is actually quite good. Do you think Frontwing can do a good game and have a proper translation? Then I'd say yeah go ahead and try them out. I've backed a number of kickstarters and indiegogo's in the past to varying degrees of success and results. Frontwing has yet to release a game in-house and I personally have nothing to base their translations on outside of a bit of a questionable move with chirchiru idol. I'm willing to give them shot. If this ends poorly or the game isn't what it's advertised as then so be it. Decide for yourself if it's worth it and if it is feel free to back. 
Is there anything you believe Frontwing can do to make it more appealing to people? Why do you believe this isn't getting as much notice as other games...are people simply sick of indiegogo and kickstarter and has fatigue finally settled in? Discuss below.