snowbell55

How did you find Steins;Gate on your reread? Did knowing what happened diminish the enjoyment any? I'd kind of like to reread it but I'm afraid that doing so would lessen the memories and impact.

Just want to ask quick - how do you read so quick? You really seem to be flying through them...

As with some others, I don't read the whole thing in full, but do read the common route and my favorite route. The two biggest examples of this would be Katawa Shoujo and Princess Evangile. For KS, I've taken to rereading the common route + the Hanako route (my favorite) every year. It's the route that got me hooked on the medium and even now I still find it fun and relaxing to read. As for PE I haven't yet reread it, but I greatly enjoyed it and plan on rereading the common route and Rise's route, before jumping into W Happiness for the first time. I'm also strongly considering rereading the Konomi and Tama-nee routes from To Heart 2 (I really REALLY liked those routes and heroines - ) and also the Chisato route from Koichoco (I'm a fan of her as well).

I wonder if they'll wind up releasing a complete edition that bundles all the content on one disc for PS4. Makes me wonder if maybe waiting for that would be better than just getting the double pack that released not long ago. As for Denpasoft, I was hoping for an announcement for Wagamama High Spec OC. Hopefully that can happen sooner rather than later.

Excellent! :D. So it's definitely her and not Tamaki then, because of the above-listed reasons? 2 -

Okay, so I know this is a stupid question (I seem to ask these a lot) but, still. Is it safe buying from Denpasoft? Like, would I get in trouble for doing so? Are there any concerns or issues with doing so? I really want to buy The Fruit of Grisaia (it's been one of my most anticipated VNs for a while now), and it seems like the 18+ version is the more recommended one: the thread yesterday (as well as several others) swung heavily towards suggesting that, and apparently the cut content does wind up making the VN funnier and advancing the plot. I read a very upvoted comment on Reddit that keeps playing in my head: "I feel bad for people who buy the steam version not knowing what they miss. The dirty jokes are one of the highlights of Grisaia.". Another VN I'd like to get is WagaHigh, and I've posted before about really enjoying the demo, the characters, the art, and the setup, as well as the engine, though with that I'm concerned as there's the Toa route. The thing though is that I've not bought something from an adult store before (I usually buy from Steam or eBay/Amazon for physicals) and I'd of course very much rather not get into trouble for doing so. I don't mind getting the Steam versions of both, and honestly it'd be more convenient (same place as my other games, playtime tracking and chat support), but the prices are about the same. I am over 21 and in the US though. Thanks for any help :).

Seeing as I've finished To Heart 2, well, the routes I intend to finish, that is, I wanted to ask a pair of questions that've been bugging me. 1 - Is there a case to be made for calling Konomi the canon heroine? Considering her prominence in the artwork (she features near the center rather often), her prominence in the OP (which focuses more on her than any other character, and shows her both first and last) and the comments about how hers (and Tamaki's) can be considered something of a common route, it seems like it wouldn't be such a far-fetched idea. Plus tbh she's obviously a sucrose-based lifeform. I really liked her haha. 2 - I liked this VN though and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a lighter and more relaxing read. My biggest issue with it was that the routes were quite inconsistent, but the characters were well done and memorable, and as has been said before, there are a lot of elements that have become commonplace in later VNs so it's nice to see them make their start here. I was also really surprised to see quite a few VAs I've recognized from other works: Itou Shizuka (Amagami), Nabatame Hitomi (Noble Works), and Rikimaru Noriko (Majikoi) being some examples. Plus it has a very very good soundtrack, with a lot of relaxing songs that just set your mind at ease when you listen to them. Feeling Heart is my favorite, but there are two other really good ones I'd like to link here: As far as best route I think it'd be Sasara's or Konomi's, as I felt like As far as best character I think it'd be Konomi, with Tamaki and Sasara coming in second and third respectively. Best scene has to be Yuma's first rant, with one of the funniest lines I've ever read: "I hate people like you! I hate them so much I could just pour mayonnaise all over them! You pervert!!!". Though, having said all this I get the feeling I might need to reread at least some parts of the Konomi route :D. Thanks again ittaku for the recommendation, and the translation too, along with all those who helped out along the way.

I think it has the potential to do so. After all look how many VNs came to the Vita (even in English) and the Switch is able to offer that portability that no other current console does. Plus we're already seeing publishers like Spike Chunsoft, Aksys, PQube, and Limited Run Games move over to Switch and those are all publishers that've had a hand to play in pushing VNs on Vita (especially if you include otomes in the definition). Couple all of that with a really nice screen and hardware, and a large and growing install base, and it stands to reason that it could wind up being common for VNs to come onto Switch and possibly get more people interested in reading them. As for me I would enjoy reading VNs on it, and I'm hoping somehow that we get the Switch version of Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm to come over (not sure that that's likely though), along with anything else. I originally liked playing VNs on TV (weird, I know) but being able to combine that with playing while out and about would make it incredibly convenient and easy to play.

I'd been planning on skipping this sale and going for the Christmas sale instead, as I already have a lot I want to play / read truth be told but I think I'll bite anyways. Planning on getting G-Senjou no Maou, Subahibi, and The Fruit of Grisaia. Also possibly Planetarian and Lucy: The Eternity She Wished for, if I have the money left over. You can say that again...

Haha fair enough. I mean, I'm enjoying it and it's keeping my interest but it's not as amazing as I was expecting given the ratings. I'm still looking for the next, spend-the-whole-day-watching-and-doing-little-else, "this is one of my favorite stories ever" anime that leaves me wishing I could watch it again from the beginning without knowing anything about it. I thought this might be it but it isn't.

I'm watching Psycho-Pass atm so I can go through the VN. It's not bad, and it's holding my interest, but I wouldn't say it's amazing. Maybe a solid 7 or a low 8 out of 10.

Drat :(. It's so nice looking, too... *sighs*. SO tempting... Please do! There are far too few "deep dive" pics of physical VNs so adding more cannot be a bad thing :D.

This. Alternatively, download K-Lite Mega Codecs Pack and try MPC-HC (it's bundled in the installation) if you want to try another option and/or don't like VLC for some reason.

YES! Tokido Saya Best Girl! :D. I really liked how the route tried something different and honestly managed to pull it off. The character too was really excellent though she in several ways needed help XD. The scene where That was an excellent route :D.

Was literally just looking at the store page for this. Thanks for the post. I'm super tempted to buy it (it's one of my favorites and I've yet to find a romance VN that's quite as good) but at the same time I've already read the All Ages release and can't help but feel like the money could instead go towards reading something new. Does anyone know if Mangagamer do reprints of physical copies?

Hmmm. Tough one to answer. I'm just going to list them but not in order as that'd be too difficult Haruka route - Little Busters: This route really hit me on a personal level. I thought she was just a pest and silly, but that wound up being a really wrong impression. I do think the route was a bit overdone to elicit feels, but even so the themes it touched on and the struggles she had to face had me riveted to my seat for a long while, and left me thinking about the route even months later. Sasami route - Little Busters: As with the Haruka route, this route really hit me on a personal level. I really liked her whole "OHOHOHOHO" ojousama schtick throughout the VN and when it came to her route I didn't know what to expect, so when things started happening I was really really hit hard. True route - Steins;Gate: This was really well done. Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (plus Sunny Day ending). I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with UBW, having watched the anime and thought it was too convoluted, then going back and reading the VN and all three routes in order. It's my favorite route in FS/N though, for a couple of reasons. I'm biased towards tsunderes (especially those with twintails) but Tohsaka is a great example. Not just that but the route itself feels pretty balanced IMO, and the action and events strike the right mix of feels + action + philosophy, where I felt Heaven's Feel went over the top. As for Sunny Day - I don't really like the main ending (it feels kind of just "there" to me) so while Sunny Day is far shorter and less descriptive I thought it made sense even if it is a bit cliche in the end. Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate - Chisato route: This might be a bit controversial but I liked the route and Chisato herself (again, twintail tsundere :D). I'd say most of the characters were pretty well done, but between the VN's focus on Chisato and the "hook" they used, I felt was unique and well done without going too far off the rails. That hook, especially, touched on a few themes that I felt were poignant, and though I wasn't entirely happy with the execution it still was a pretty solid, enjoyable, and memorable route.

Hmm. Why not give Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate a try? Sounds like it might be up your alley.

Seconding this recommendation. It probably gets tossed around a lot as a recommendation for new readers, but it's a fun and engaging read - especially for being free. Also, been meaning to ask - who is the character in your avatar? Guessing Michiru from Koichoco? If you are looking for science and deep stories, perhaps give the Science Adventure VNs a read - the stories involve science rather heavily and are really engaging. Steins;Gate is a really good one (my personal favorite VN and one of the best stories in any form I've ever encountered) and the sequel (Steins;Gate 0) came out on Steam just a couple of weeks ago. If you do decide to read those though, it deserves to be emphasized. Do not read 0 first. There is also Chaos;Child (which is on PS4 / PS Vita and getting an English fan translation for PC this month).

In terms of actual favorites on a "each VN on its own merits" rating, I'd agree here. My favorites have wound up being ones like Steins;Gate where I go in expecting one thing and being given something else - a story that becomes more than the sum of its parts while touching on a bunch of pretty deep themes. It's a bit hard to describe, though, but I think the three points above do so well. If you can tell an interesting story I'd be willing to give it a shot, but it has to hold my interest (which isn't necessarily easy) and the protagonist can't be super oblivious. In terms of genres, however, I'd have to give the edge to the rom-com SoL VNs, which I'm very partial to. I'd say most of the VNs I want to read fall under this category and I don't see that changing for a while. I also really enjoy the tropes - the tsundere trying to hide their liking the MC even when it's blatantly obvious, the childhood friend who's always secretly liked the MC, and so on. The benefit, too, is that compared to an anime that often will wind up just going to a harem ending you get to see more of each character in their route so as said in the OP it gives time for the events to develop and get you immersed. It's relaxing, and funny, and puts a smile on my face, and at the end of the day that's what I'm looking for.

Hope you enjoy it - Refrain is one of the best routes in the VN. Planning on doing the EX routes after or?

This one from To Heart 2 has been stuck in my head for a couple of days (I think it's from Konomi's route). I really like it, and it helps that Konomi herself is most likely composed of sucrose.

Happy birthday!

Hahahahaha. I really wonder how the voice recording sessions went, but it does go to show how well she can switch between them. I had no idea she did so many voices. The dynamic between Sasami and Rin is really excellent, too, with Sasami being all prim and cultured (and doing the OHOHO laugh even :D) and Rin constantly butchering her name and not caring at all :D. SA-SA-SE-GA-WA SA-SA-MI! Little Busters spoiler

I loved it. It's really, really good. Not going to say too much about the story because spoilers, but I was skeptical at first and grew to really love it, to the point where I'm going to buy Rewrite+ as soon as I can (and I rarely preorder stuff). Several of the routes really resonated with me on a personal level and I couldn't help but feel invested as time went on. Even the ones I wasn't as concerned about felt like they were well done and I can't think of a single route that was bad or boring. The soundtrack is a masterpiece, and while some songs seem like they don't quite fit in, they do wind up being catchy, and/or rather impactful. The character songs are one such example - they really encapsulate the characters. The heroines themselves are also very good, and while some might seem a bit silly and needless at first they do wind up growing into their own and feel fleshed out. I was especially happy with the EX heroines, as they seemed like they could've just been tacked on, but even they wound up being well done. The CGs are really good (though personally I don't like how difficult it is to get some of them without a guide but that's a minor nibble. The background art is also well done IMO. The other really nice thing is that the engine works really well (this for the English Edition). It has options for everything I can think of (the only thing I can think of that isn't there is displaying both Japanese and English at the same time like WagaHigh can but that's not a big deal especially since switching languages is super easy and fast to do), and I didn't notice any bugs or "quirks" like a broken Steam overlay or something else like that. It felt really polished aside from a few typos (but I read it before a patch was released to address those). Plus it's also really long, so if you want to sink your teeth into just one VN then it is one that will have a lot of content to keep you occupied. Oh, and lest I forget, it is *hilarious* as well with certain parts most likely needing you to pause so you can laugh for a few minutes. Umu