adamstan

https://vndb.org/v31125 Looked up one of the monthly releases and played some random game that doesn't take much commitment and played Hooksoft's Aikoi.
Looks like a childhood group kind of story with the mc leaving his friend group in his childhood and then returning for some reason. 
Hooksoft games are a hit or miss for me and I only played through the prologue right now and I skipped so many texts due to it presenting the prologue from the perspective of the MC in his childhood. I skipped for I think 10-20 mins and that is a lot of content if I actually read it. I really don't like children-focused dialogues, while I may understand the intent behind it, being that it tries to introduce the childhood group organically and have them grow up to serve as a contrast later on, it is a risky move that requires the writer to be competent in handling children's dialogue and making it engaging and for me I wasn't really engaged much. I read some random dialogues here and there just so I can get the gist and head on the reunion part.
I don't like skipping much and maybe this will be a miss from me, but I'll continue reading anyway until I get really bored out of it. 
Also tried reading Muramasa and its amazing albeit with a lot of unnecessary rape scenes, haven't finished it yet due to Tales of Arise

And so, as planned, today I started PSP edition of DameKoi
I just finished first chapter of prologue/common route. I see some comedy and drama potential, but I'm already a bit annoyed and tired by the protagonist. It seems that in the meantime my tolerance for the hetare protagonists has dropped significantly Well, it's too early to judge, so let's see how it unfolds. Mitoko is nice, and the three guys living at the house are funny   Also, MC's traits seem to be so exaggerated, that perhaps it's best taken tongue-in-cheek?
I have to say that language-wise this is much harder to read than 9 -Nine- was - at least for me.
Also, I guess this is caused by some compatibility issues, but when playing in PPSSPP it's quite glitchy when it come to screen changes - each time a character sprite changes pose or position, it disappears for a second, and sometimes there's a moment of a previous screen peeking out - weird. Or perhaps PSP port itself is buggy? I guess I'll never know...

Slapstick comedy is slapstick comedy.

Not much news from me, but the project is not dead - @Plk_Lesiak is gradually proceeding with proofreading and editing
But today I stumbled upon interesting thing on vndb - which further confirms my theory about common pool of assets shared between various TIARE/JAST games. Just look at this screenshot from Muchimuchi Sexy Parfait Onee-sama You which was released on Windows only (no PC98 version).

And compare with this:

 

Today I finished 9 -Nine-
Haruka's route (Ep.3) was sweet, one of the better executed romance parts in this VN. Also, in this episode the plot thickens, and we finally meet the actual villains. Overally great episode, and I gave it 8.5 score - but it was totally overshadowed by the grand final that the Episode 4 is.
That was truly an epic ride. In this part we also finally get closer to Noa and see her sweeter and cuter parts, as well as the hardships she faces. I got really attached to her, and the bad ending hit me right in the gut. Actually, my experience of this part was similar to Clannad -
 
Of course it made the final showdown leading to the true ending even more intense and satisfying. Cute romance, epic fight, great character development, emotional rollercoaster - that's definitely a 9
New Episode is just extended epilogue, that ties some loose ends and gives epilogue for each heroine. Very nice, I especially liked Haruka's part.
All in all it was definitely one of the better VNs that I played. While there were stronger and weaker parts, as a whole it did very well, and so for me Nine is 9
And I really saw some parallells with Amber Quartz - school SoL mixed with fantasy fight, superpowers, and character routes forming together the full story.
Main difference was that Nine didn't have childhood friends, troubled memories, and Air-like medieval history episode
***************************************************************************
I played Complete Edition, which is Japanese All-ages version.
Perhaps almost everybody will go for H-version anyway, but it's worth noting, that Steam/Sekai Project's all-ages versions seem to be more censored compared to the Complete Edition. First two episodes seem to be almost the same, but there are some major differences in Haruka's route. I'll list what I spotted below under spoiler tags:
Episode 3 (Haruka's route) So that means 2 CGs, one scene and one sprite version missing.
Episode 4 (Noa's route) Also, Complete Edition adds Sprite Viewer feature in the gallery menu, that Sekai/Denpasoft versions don't have.
********************************************************************
Now I think I'll take a short break, and then perhaps I'll try DameKoi (PSP version)

That's good to know, thanks
From what I remember, there were some routes that were focused more on the mystery, and the others where focus was more on the characters. But when taking the game as a whole, I think it was more or less balanced. If memory serves, main story reveals were in Miu's route, and then in true, and I think that's why guides recommend playing Miu's route as the last one.
While I gave WES "only" 7.5, I also loved it - it lost some points mostly because of the map system and its associated woes.

You can read Angel Beats without the other games. According to various sources, the game is a complete experience, with three main routes and a ton of content. The only thing it lacks are the sequels and a conclusion, but the latter you can watch in the anime version.
I'm loving WES. Loving. The map segments are bad, but I'm following a guide so it's not really a problem. I just wish there were more common scenes - as in scenes focused in the mystery instead of the characters - along the way. But I'm still in the beginning of Saya's route, so maybe it'll get better.

the text itself was good, well written, but that was not enough. The music seemed very dated to me.
Yeah, it didn't click with me, sadly. I had high hopes for it.
I decided to play it safe and stalled Grisaia. Now I'm reading Angel Beats! and gosh, it's way better - in  my opinion, of course. I'm also reading World End Syndrome. For the first time in ages I'm trying two at the same time. Since WES seems to be short, I will probably finish it early.
 

Don't worry, most of it is written in a more normal manner! From what I've heard, the Japanese original could feel quite pretentious at times, so I assume that they just wanted to stay true to that with the localization.

Meanwhile, the 9 -Nine- Complete Edition has just arrived in glorious All-Ages 1080p HD

Let's see what all the hype is about

Yesterday I finished rereading Princess Evangile (+ after stories from FD), to check all-ages version.
It was almost as much fun as it was the first time, almost year ago - it felt a little like returning to visit good old friends
TL;DR version:
   - best girl: Ritsuko
   - best route: Ayaka
   - best epilogue: Chiho (in FD)
Under heavy moege disguise, there lies another VN with family as one of its main themes. In every route the conflict is caused by family issues.
It's possible, that all-ages version made it all clearer to me, as I wasn't distracted by h-scenes (which were numerous in adult version - 5 per heroine, each consisting of two "acts". I didn't remember there being that many of them )
PE has really great cast - both main heroines and side characters. Most of the Konomi's lines or Ruriko's comments are golden
As for routes, I went with the order heroines are introduced - Rise, Chiho, Ritsuko, Ayaka. Chiho's route is kind-of stand alone, but it's connected with Rise's, so that order seems the best for me. Whatever, it's good to read Ayaka after Ritsuko.
Rise is very nice girl, if a bit jealous Truly "sun of the school" I loved the scene in her route was when she
That was really moving for me.
Chiho gets bonus points for being childhood friend The scenes in common route (and in the beginning of hers) when she fights with Rise over Masaya are hilarious I also really liked caring side of her personality.
Ritsuko - ah, Ritsuko, best girl according to many (myself included). On a surface, very serious and strict, but hidden underneath lies quite playful and sweet girl.
I love how she gradually opens up in other routes as well.
Ayaka - like her sister, hiding many surprises.
 
Now let's talk specifically about All-ages edition. I was really curious how they handled it. It turns out to be somewhere between ASFOS and Sanoba Witch. All sex happens off-screen, but it's clear that it happens. However, some of the random scenes are just cut out - and it isn't noticeable, I was actually surprised by the amount of scenes when I skipped thru adult version to compare.
First time in each route is handled similarly to Sanoba, meaning there's lead in, then black screen at the act itself, and then "cuddling (or morning) after". Introductions were slightly rewritten, and in case the scene in +18 didn't have the "after", it was added. So for each route there are new CGs for the first scene.
In Rise's route, the lead-in is rewritten so Rise asks to take a shower. After she comes out we get CG of Rise wrapped in bath towel, then there's black out, and after that the cuddling scene that was present in adult version too.
Beginning of Chihos first scene is handled in similar manner, so we also get her new bath CG (slightly NSFW - "steam censorship", but definitely most fanservicey among replacement CGs):
She also gets absolutely cute new "morning after" scene, that wasn't present in adult version.
In Ritsuko's route in the beginning there's new CG of her sitting on the bed, being a bit nervous. Masaya comforts her and then after blackout there's cuddling scene the same as in adult version.
There's also replacement scene in bath later, where they just sit in the bath (Ritsuko wrapped in towel) and talk about various things.
In case of Ayaka's route, in adult version there wasn't cuddling after scene, so it has been added (pretty nice, if you ask me):
Also, similar to Ritsuko's route there's replacement scene in bath, where Ayaka in swimsuit washes protag's back.
For other changes - in common route one SD CG was removed, and the scene with Konomi reading eromanga has been rewritten so she doesn't read it aloud.
In Chiho's route rather explicit picture of the book they use for "studying" is replaced with the cover that reads "How to...". Also, the dialogue about creating martial arts club is moved from the night in the classroom (when there was random sex scene in adult version) to some other point later.
In FD epilogues there are no replacement scenes (as in this case all-ages version was created by MG), instead there's just short description along the lines "and then we made love until the dawn" .
All in all, it was really enjoyable version, and the lack of sex scenes didn't bother me - it was handled very well. It is much tamer than AA version of Sanoba, and a bit bolder than ASFOS.
My score for the whole VN remains the same - 8.5/10, really enjoyed it.

Oh, right, to those of you who'd like to know what you can expect from the translation, here's an example:

I just finished first episode of 9 -Nine-.
I found it really engaging and enjoyable. If that was indeed the weakest part, then I see that I'm in for a treat And while some people say that Miyako makes for a rather bland heroine, I found her absoutely cute, and could definitely fall in love with her . Besides, the confession scene was amazing - very awkward and at the same time feeling very natural. I'd probably act very similar in such situation The way how the relationship between siblings Kakeru and Sora is portrayed was also brilliant - I loved their constant banter.
Another nice thing was acknowledging of the other "branches" directly in the story, making routes and different endings part of the setting.
I'm playing All-ages Japanese release, so cannot say much about H-stuff, but as for this episode I don't think anything was lacking, and I don't feel like this would be better as an eroge Kissing scene did very good job to convey the intimacy.
And I dread at the mere thought of H-scenes between Kakeru and Sora in the next episode  - that's one of the reasons I chose All-ages version
There were some points that could see some improvement, but overally it was very good start. So it's 7.5 for the first episode, and I'm looking forward to the rest

I just finished Muramasa, and, well, it was a worthwhile experience, but not much more than that. It's definitely on the good end of the spectrum; it simply fell short of my, admittedly high, expectations. To say it in clearer terms, I wouldn't place it among my top 10 VNs, as suggested on VNDb; maybe not even my top 30.
To name a few things I disliked about it:
- The protagonist. Yeah, he's pretty much the definition of an antihero and he's expected to grow on you over time, but I still think you'd need to be able to symphathize with him somewhat from the getgo to truly immerse yourself in the story. Sadly, that is something I was unable to do for a good part of the game. I realized there was probably some reason for his actions, but not knowing those, I could only judge him based on the information I had been fed. This made me not really care one way or another whether he lived or died, which made battles, among other things, lose a lot of impact. Speaking of...
- The fight scenes. They're probably my biggest issue with Muramasa, considering the fact that they make up such a large part of the game. Basically, I found them too long and over the top for my tastes. I could accept the premise of "Okay, foe, in order to beat you, I will unleash my ultimate attack, which cannot be avoided. <1 second later> Damn, he avoided it. Let's boost my power although I was already at the maximum and try again. Rinse and repeat." back in the days when I was watching Dragonball or Naruto, but I've kinda grown past that by now and don't find it nearly as entertaining or exciting as I used to. (This also happens to be one of the reasons I haven't read Dies Irae yet.)
- The rape scenes. I can't recall a single one that was actually relevant to story progression in the grand scheme of things, meaning they were all just there either for cheap shock value or to cater to the tastes of the people who actually enjoy that stuff.
- The info-dumping. I realize that many people might want to know every little detail about every little thing, but to me, it just felt tedious and bothersome. At one point, it caused me to literally start nodding off on the couch, so I ended up skipping past that part of the game just so I wouldn't get completely bored out of my mind. I think this is actually the first VN where I've skipped something that wasn't an h-scene, which should speak volumes about how disinterested I was.
- The true ending. This came so out of the blue, I had to take a moment just to realize what had happened. I was entirely convinced I was on one of the regular routes and would later end up on some true route revolving around
but then it just ended and all I was left with were a few missing CGs from earlier choices and the knowledge that all the stuff I thought were just a bunch of sidenotes in pursuit of something greater were actually what canonically happened in the story. It was a cocktail of confusion and unfulfillment.
To not end this post on a negative note, I'd like to mention that one thing that Muramsa deserves praise for is its translation. I remember seeing one person making a comment about this being the new golden standard for localizations, and while I can't attest to the accuracy compared to the Japanese original, which I haven't read, this is without a doubt one of the best VNs I've read in terms of prose.

So, I finished Kin'iro Loveriche or Kinkoi for short. 
I am not the biggest moege player as I struggle to keep my motivation when the stakes in a story are too low and there are no particularly engaging conflicts to speak of. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the cute characters, the SoL and the comedy, but I have to pace myself and be careful to not get oversaturated or chances are I'm not gonna finish the game. 
I picked up Kinkoi as per recommendation of a friend of mine who knows what I tend to enjoy very well, and he told me that I would most likely come to love the true route... and holy shit he couldn't be any more right. To be completely honest the rest of routes were nothing to write home about. They were funny and entertaining enough so long as I didn't binge, but I can't say they are spectacular by any stretch of the imagination. The romance also felt incredibly lackluster and I never felt a special connection between the MC and any of the heroines... until the true route. Hooo boy the true route. What a beautiful and powerful thing. I love how everything comes together and how tactful it all feels. It never feels cheesy or overly dramatic, it doesn't feel like they are trying to manipulate your feelings. It all flows so nicely and leaves you with such a good aftertaste and a message that will stick with you for a long time. It might not be exactly original or innovative, but it's beatifully executed and that's more than enough.
Now I'm talking about it in very vague and abstract terms because I obviously don't want to spoil the experience for anyone. I am just going to say, please, if you have even the slightest tolerance for moege, you need to give Kinkoi a try. 
PS: Ria is such a beautiful human being and she earns a more than well deserved spot in my best fictional girls of all time, and in my heart. Bless her.

Meanwhile, the 9 -Nine- Complete Edition has just arrived in glorious All-Ages 1080p HD

Let's see what all the hype is about

Meanwhile, the 9 -Nine- Complete Edition has just arrived in glorious All-Ages 1080p HD

Let's see what all the hype is about

I'm currently swamped with other stuff (one of them being Muramasa) so I've had to put this off for the moment, but I'm definitely giving it a read later on. I love Yuzusoft, and the fact that this is their (afaik) first all ages title only makes me more interested.

Okay, it isn't "main" Yuzusoft, but still...
PARQUET

Steam description:
The game is available on Steam in Japanese, English and Chinese. English translation is made by NekoNyan.
 

Sakura no Kisetsu:
 

I bought some adult editions of VNs from amazon.jp as well - no problem there. It's just that for some reasons they refuse to ship some products - but that applies both to all-ages and adult versions, and seems pretty random.
As for online shops and digital versions - I have bought them from DLSite and getchu, but had no luck with DMM.

Both Switch and PS4 are region free though. I got the Switch version and I guess this will be my first time running a foreign region game on it, but I don’t anticipate any issues.

Nice I like that kind of cheese 👍

Let's have some more 80's ID music! Vina Panduwinata sang these cheesy love songs that I somehow find really hard to resist...
 
 

Amatsu Misora ni just isn't as good as the rest of their games... it is a significant drop in quality.