LemiusK

Yep, way ahead of ya. Currently at Chapter 9 of the story. It's not bad, though the lectures can get a bit tedious, and any conversation with Kouzuki can just drag on and on with infodump. Still, the twists and turns are good. Oh yeah, I forgot about the voice patch. Thanks, I'll give it a shot.

Thanks. I'll give it a look. The graphics do look a bit dated though, and from what I've learned through reviews, the gameplay's rather clunky too. I've already got Kara no Shoujo in my list. That's probably the first game I thought of when I was thinking of a multiple-route mystery. Higurashi's a bit difficult to read through because most of the suspense and mystery, I've already learned through the anime. While the sound novel does present a few new bits of information regarding the characters, the lack of voice acting and a limited soundtrack made the experience rather dull. Yes, 428 also didn't have voice acting, but you could clearly see a very distinct difference in its presentation with its dynamic camera work that keeps things engaging, not to mention the live action imagery and even the occasional film footage. Still, I will try to give it another read in the future. Thanks.

Nice list of solid titles... except Doki Doki, which really stands out from the list as a "Meme VN/Joke VN". I don't know. The production quality of that VN just isn't comparable to the rest, especially when you put something like Muv-Luv at the end. Still, it does provide me with a few recommendations I haven't got to yet. I added Root Double and Dies Irae to my wishlist yesterday while searching for thriller VNs like 428 Shibuya Scramble, so I'm definitely looking forward to those. I'm a bit iffy towards My Heart Had Wings since that seems a bit too sappy for me. Still, I might give it a look some time in the future.

Kinda make sense that they didn't bother translating 2U before Blood Drive since it's still technically extra material (albeit extras that really paint the backstories of new characters in Blood Drive). Oh well, glad that 2U is finally translated as well. I tried watching that pseudo-translated version on YouTube and it was just... agonizing.

Like others said, I don't mind if each episode is a different route like F/SN. When you get something akin to Telltale Games, however, that's just terrible pacing. I lost a large amount of interest waiting for each episode to come out. And even if it's separate routes, I still don't really like the concept either because one of my favorite elements of VNs is that I wouldn't know which route I would end up with based on my choices, and that's the fun of it. There's interactivity in that that episodic VNs simply couldn't achieve as effectively.

Yeah, I have to agree. This is some insanely ambitious project. lol A single episode alone (out of the eight) would take a couple days to read through, let alone dub through. And you're adding narrative dub at that? Yeah, good luck. lol Still, I guess it does give me an excuse to reread the thing. It's not too long ago that I finished reading this though. This probably won't rank too high on my priority list since it would just be a reread.

Man, I still can't get over how awesome 428 is. It has the perfect blend of comedy, drama, action, and mystery all mixed together in a grounded modern day Japan setting while offering a diverse cast of interesting characters. It's like all the right ingredients just come together at the same time. So yeah, I'm looking for another VN like that, English-translated if possible. Having many choices/endings like 428 will be a plus, but it's not necessary. What I'm really looking for (aside from the genres I've mentioned above) is something with relatable characters I could laugh and cry with, meaning it should have both tearjerking drama and comedy. The inclusion of action and suspense is optional, but again, it would be nice. Finally, I would really prefer if it's set in a realistic and modern day setting like 428; I don't really like stories set in medieval era or fantasy settings. If you need more specific details, I would also like if the protagonist is a cop or a detective, or maybe someone who upholds a sense of justice. I really loved Kano in 428, especially how he was a dumb generic shounen hero deconstructed into something more realistic by the end of the story. This part of the recommendation is completely optional, however. To summarize what I'm looking for: An epic tale of heroism and drama set in modern Japan with a diverse cast of interesting characters. Here's a list of popular visual novels I've already played: Analogue: A Hate Story Clannad Corpse Party 1 and 2 Danganronpa 1 (dropped the sequel) Fate/Stay Night Grisaia no Kajitsu G-senjou no Maou Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (technically, I watched the anime) Kanon (again, the anime) Little Busters Muv-Luv Extra/Unlimited School Days Steins;Gate Steins;Gate 0 Umineko no Naku Koro ni Yume Miru Kusuri Zero Escape: The Nonary Games (AKA 999) So yeah, most of the popular mainstream titles, I've already played them. Would love it if someone could recommend something along the lines of what I'm looking for. Thanks!

Thanks! I'll be sure to check out Cartagra first. Oh god, almost finished the 17:00-18:00 block of the game but... dammit. I cried so much. Three times, in fact. I wonder if I'll have enough tears left for KnS. lol I didn't expect how emotional 428 would be but dammit. That sad violin music really didn't help. The strong character writing for even the minor side characters really, really didn't help either. And this is coming from a VN without voice! Through the live action images and the heartfelt music alone, the VN could pull off such a feat is nothing short of amazing. I might leave a rating of 10/10 for this one. Superb experience.

428 Shibuya Scramble - First Thoughts (No Spoilers) Finally, 428 Shibuya Scramble has been released in ENGLISH! I remember this being quite high on my wish list because of its many endings. Initially, I was disappointed to find out that it only had so many endings because they were Bad Ends, but after playing it a little bit, the bad endings were actually meaty enough that they weren't just some superficial "You Died" game over screen like many of the bad ends in Corpse Party: Blood Drive. If anything, these endings bear more resemblance to School Days' format, though SD obviously still triumphs in terms of the amount of endings and branches. And having devoted quite a few days into this game, I must admit... I became quite addicted. I mean, it's strange, because I prefer visual novels with lots of branches like Clannad and School Days, but there's a satisfying feeling of piecing together the proper route to continue the story. That feeling just kept me playing, making this novel a real page-turner, especially when the intensity of the mystery keeps ascending to new heights, each time block adding new and shocking twists. But most of all, I think the characters being this interesting really helped keeping me glued. When it comes to the characters, admittedly, a few of them were a little bit dull at first. Osawa was the one I initially thought I wouldn't really care about, but his comedic banter with Kajiwara and his emotional love for his children did win me over quickly. Plus, his story added that ominous and sinister atmosphere such an intense mystery needed. I also thought Kano's story would have been blend as well, considering he's just your average shounen protagonist (hot-headed, reckless, has a good heart), but I still couldn't help but be won over by his earnestness in wanting to do the right thing, and his naivety getting the better of him was an interesting subversion as well not commonly seen in shounen stories, with his colleagues calling out on his foolishness. Kano's story also picked up a lot near the end, making me more invested and interested in his route. I really enjoyed his character growth over the course of the story, how he mellowed over time and became more self-aware. Then there's Tama, my favorite route at the beginning because... well, she's a cute cat. The costume was adorable, especially that cute little dance she does in the character selection screen. There's not a lot I could share about Tama without spoiling anything, but I'll say her route's a lot of fun, keeping things light amidst all the intensity. It's a real shame when her story ended, however. I was so surprised it ended so early because I wanted to see more of her story. Minorikawa is probably my third favorite character, ranking just behind Tama and Kano respectively. All stories like these need a witty comic relief, and he was it. Plus, his route had quite a few tearjerking moments too due to characters he interviewed opening up to him (Yanagishita's confession really got to me). There are a few peeves I had, but they're mostly minor in nature. For starters, Achi was my least favorite character. There's nothing inherently wrong with his character, but he just didn't feel as unique, even when compared to Kano, whom I had expected to be the generic anime protagonist. I guess it's because he didn't grow much, maybe? His character arc is largely consisted of protecting that someone, so it got kinda old quite fast due to the lack of variety. I would've preferred to see him dealt with the S.O.S. a lot more. Then there's the gameplay. I bear a love/hate sentiment towards the gameplay. On one hand, the incorporation of the butterfly effect into the gameplay was a lot of fun, because your choices will have a lot more impact on the story, which is why I highly recommend not to follow the walkthrough on Fuwanovel during your first playthrough of each time block. What this means is that for each time block (13:00-14:00, 14:00-15:00, etc.), just play it through and picking whatever options you like at first, and only refer to the walkthrough when you get stuck in trying to complete each entire time block. I say this because I felt like I lost that sense of intensity and interaction when I played it with a walkthrough. My choices didn't feel as important when I could just refer to some game guide. So yeah, don't do that. That said, the complexity of such a gameplay does lead to annoyances. Quite a number of the "cause-and-effect" are kinda... absurd. Certain actions that you pick have consequences that are arbitrary and would probably only happen in real life due to a stroke of bad luck, so it did break the immersion a little bit. I don't mind the joke endings because they can be kinda funny (except C.A.T.S. maybe; that one felt dumb), but arbitrary consequences that lead to bad ends can make me face-palm a few times. Thankfully, these were few and far between. Finally, there's the music. A few of these can be annoying when they're on a loop, but some of the more emotional ones like "Echo" and "Hope" were good enough that the soundtrack deserves a listen. Good music can really amplify tearjerkers up to eleven, and Hideki Sakamoto has done a good job in his composition here. I also enjoyed Tama's theme a lot. It's peaceful and relaxing, which felt fitting for her adorable cat persona but then turned oddly surprising when you find out about her real personality later on. lol I haven't quite finished the entire game yet (currently in the midst of the 17:00-18:00 block), but I'm already lamenting that the story is coming to an end. It felt kinda short, to be honest, since I managed to almost complete it in a number of days, but I could understand why due its live-action sequences, which looked expensive to make for a visual novel (especially when you consider that the acting seems professional). Still, it's kinda a shame. I wouldn't mind playing a whole week of this. lol The intensity, the drama, the twists and turns, and me piecing together all of that in hopes that people could be saved; man, it's a blast. Drama like this just feels a lot more fun when you're a part of it. I don't think I would be as addicted if there were either no choices, or if this was just an ordinary TV drama. Parting Note: I know there's an anime sequel for this game, which I've already added to my Plan-to-Watch list on MyAnimeList, but I highly doubt I would have as much fun due to me being a passive viewer instead of an active player in moving things along. Still, I suppose it's worth checking out. Accidentally found out about the anime's premise just a few hours ago, so I kinda spoiled myself a little bit on how 428 is likely going to end. Oh well. That's why you shouldn't read anything about the VN you're reading online, folks. After this is over, I think I might just hop on over to Kara no Shoujou since I heard it's also a thriller mystery with many choices and bad ends. Just one more thing. I know that this VN was untranslated for a long time 'till Steam came along (or Spike Chunsoft, I guess) and make it accessible for everyone else. It's nice to see that VNs like this are given proper translations nowadays thanks to the effort of larger companies (as opposed to independent fan-patches), and reading works that were previously inaccessible or not fully translated like Muv-Luv and Kimi Nozo is now a reality. Really can't wait for that latter title to be translated, actually, especially when I heard how massive the game was and how many routes and branches it has.

Finishing up the final episode of Umineko Chiru. It's been a long and bumpy ride. This emotional rollercoaster has been exhausting, constantly shifting from happy moments to sudden tension (no thanks to a certain troll of a witch). Still, despite my problems with the jarring shifts in tone, I'm impressed that even in these two final episodes that were deemed "unnecessary" by many Umineko fans, I'm still able to discover some inspiring life lessons. It truly exemplifies Ryukishi07's talent. Regarding the characters, I'm really not too fond of Ange, even though I could relate with her bitterness and pessimism. I suppose her character did require closure, but I could now see why people were satisfied enough with the tale ending at episode 6. Personally, I would've been satisfied if it had ended at 7 (even though I was a bit sore that the "truth" about Beatrice's actual motive for the murders was still hinted rather than explicitly explained). 8 felt like it dragged the story on just to throw in a happier outcome. I guess I can see why Ange was pissed at such sappiness. Nevertheless, in spite of all the flaws, this has been a great journey. God, this was one amazing VN, easily ranking up among the likes of Fate/Stay Night and Steins;Gate. After my trip to Rokkenjima has concluded, it's finally time to begin the juicy parts of the Muv-Luv story...

It strike me as such because it felt like they didn't want to show a child going through such a f-ed up thing. In addition, on a related note, they also censored Mayuri's fate, the fate of a child (pre-teen?) in episode 12, so there's that. But I could certainly understand why it felt out of place. On the other hand, I felt it lessened the impact of Steins;Gate dark message: don't f*** with forces you don't know about, including time itself. The whole thing with Nae was meant to show the consequences of time travel, and I felt like that scene with Nae really hit home the point even more than before. If anything else, I'm just curious what could've driven Nae into such a fate, and the writing in the VN certainly left me intrigued. It felt like an interesting sub-plot they wasted by not including in it at least an OVA or something. On a side note, Nae's sub-plot was also interesting because it showed the possibility of Anyway, I agree in part that it did feel a bit unnecessary, and that it could've been done more tactfully. I did feel a bit put off by It made sense, but it was off-putting all the same. That said, the real change I had a problem with was Braun's personality, and what he chose to do with Moeka. That was butchered characterization if I've ever seen one. I felt he became a less likable character than his VN counterpart. It made no sense at all and is the real out-of-place plot element IMO. I know they needed to change it because of what happened with Nae, but that's just lazy writing.

This is probably the only major flaw I could find, albeit one that really affects the quality of the anime.

I just reached Luka's ending in Steins;Gate. I think, with each ending reached, I'm beginning to respect these conclusions more than the original True End. They are all very well-written resolutions that felt satisfying rather than without a proper pay-off. It's little wonder why a lot of people encourage others to read the VN even if they have seen the anime, because there's a lot of life lessons and values you can take from these endings you'll not see outside of the anime.

Just reached the Faris ending for Steins;Gate. Truth be told, when I saw people commenting that Suzuha's ending was the best ending out of the character endings (Faris End, Suzuha End, etc.), I found myself agreeing when I landed on the Faris' ending.

POSSIBLE CHAOS;HEAD REMAKE FOR PC? Oh, that's probably the best part of the news, since I'm almost done with Steins;Gate. I wanted to wait for Chaos;Head Noah's fan-translation to be finished before I play it, but it seems like that will no longer be necessary, as the remake will most probably incorporate Noah's extra routes. :3

This heartbreaking OST from Steins;Gate: I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed Each D-mail becomes more painful to reverse with each chapter... Currently on the Faris chapter. Edit: S***. Accidentally posted this after realizing it's not an OST from the visual novel, but the anime... This forum really needs a "delete post" function. :/

Michiru is best gurl for me in Grisaia.

Like many others, this is my first and only VN forum. There are other VN forums out there, but they felt less... "official". Here, you have official translators like Sekai Project (I think it was Sekai?) gathering around and stuff, so it feels more professional. Aside from that, I've naturally joined other forums prior to Fuwa, including: - SakugaCity: A forum for anime, movies, comics, video games; just about anything geek-related. - AnimeSuki: Kinda stringent and cold, so it was hard to connect with people there. - MyAnimeList: The opposite of AnimeSuki. It's a mess. Chaotic, plagued with trolls, and rampant with arguments everywhere you turn. It's the YouTube comments of anime forums. - AnimePlanet: Quaint place. Didn't stay for long. - Hummingbird: A better version of MAL, though not by a large margin. Too bad it got closed down. - Crunchyroll: See MyAnimeList. Left almost immediately after I joined. - Anime League: Too many members and the members are too distanced (rarely chat up other members and merely keep to themselves). Much like MAL, without the trolling. - AnimeForum.com: Long dead forum. I didn't really like this forum before it died either. - AnimeForums.net: A perfect balance between stringency and lightheartedness. So underrated. Deserves a lot more members and attention. - Filmspotting: A movie forum with one of the most courteous communities you can find on the Internet. And that's saying a lot. - Movie Forums: What it says on the tin; it's a movie forum. Kinda uptight. The AnimeSuki version of movie forums. - BSN: Bioware Social Network unofficial forums. Left a few weeks ago due to drama. - CBR: Comic Book Resources forums. An "official" comic book forum, not unlike Fuwanovel. Lots of comic book writers gather there, including the notorious Joe Q (had an ugly argument with fans back then in the forums). - Spider-Man Crawl Space forums: A forum for Spidey fans like myself. Tends to have drama like MAL. - Roleplayer Guild: A very newb-friendly forum for those interested in Play-by-Post RPGs. Had a lot of fun myself, but never had the time to stick around a single RPG playthrough. And last but not least... - Player.me. Not technically a forum, but has a community of its own. Back in the heyday, when it first appeared, making friends was sooo easy because everyone was following each other for no reason other than to build up their number of followers. The problem with that was you get a lot of trolls and nasty types showing up. Nowadays, it's kinda hard to communicate with one another for the same reason as AnimeSuki and Anime League. People are just too distanced from each other, and they don't welcome newbs with open arms like a lot of friendly communities I've seen done (and thus thrived as long as they did because of such friendliness). Sigh. Oh well. Not every forum can be a Utopia.

Got my hands on S;G 0! Yeeeeeah! It wasn't easy buying this, but damn, now I don't have to worry about being left out once I finish the first Steins;Gate, or rather, before I get the "True End" anyway, since Zero takes place prior to the events of the True End, sort of. Now if only the PC version of Chaos;Head Noah would finish its translation so I can get more out of the SciADV series. I'm sure that would take 4-5 more years. Sigh. Oh well.

I've read the walkthrough chart, and it seems that there are certain "True End" flags you need to raise by messaging Kurisu the correct email (or rather, selecting the correct email reply). For example, in Chapter 4, when you receive the email where Kurisu asks if you have written the report. Select "scientist" to trigger the first true end flag. There are multiple parts to this process, it seems. Haven't read the entire walkthrough yet, so I don't know what raising all of the six flags would do. Anyway, I guess it's not too bad that it's a giant railroad. That means that I will have very little reason to replay the game except the parts that lead to different endings, so I guess that gives me time to play other VNs, I guess. It's a small comfort, but it's better than nothing.

Okay, then that is disappointing, I agree. I wouldn't mind if Suzuha's ending was the only one that's short, but a big appeal about visual novels for me is the multiple routes you can pick based on your choices, so you can pick a girl's route you'd like to go on and stuff. I hope the two "normal endings" won't be as short as those other character endings, or that would really be disappointing. Anyway, in spite of the short length of the other endings, I still stand by what I said about the significance of the Suzuha ending. It also explored a very important question about the Time Leap Machine's capability to travel in an infinite loop: what does happen with continuous use? Would you be a god of some sort? Or would there be side effects...? Hopefully, the other endings would be just as insightful or meaningful as well.

Sorry for necromancing but, I'm currently reading this route right now, and from the very "beginning" of the route, I already knew what I'm in for, and when the route repeated the dialogue and text a second time in an "Endless Eight" fashion, I didn't really have a problem with it. It was honestly quite disturbing, and yet served very well as a "Bad End". I didn't know it was supposed to be a "route", so I don't really care about the length of it. I feel it's an effective alternative to what could have happened if you give into selfish desires. I love Suzuha as well, which is why this felt like an especially important route to make her eventual departure much more disheartening, knowing that there's no other option aside from sending the D-mail. It gives Suzuha's ultimate fate much more impact in hindsight.