Clephas

I'm more or less with the idea of a separate section for suggestions, though I'd still want people to look at the list thread before asking for recommendations.

Google translate also can't handle abstract words and concepts very well... though that's partially because the actual translation of a number of abstract words from Japanese to English is completely dependent on context. Straight 'dictionary' translations don't do any good in cases like that.

Hapymaher has no tsundere heroines... Konata yori Kanata Made Otome ga Tsumugu Koi no Canvas Just off the top of my head. Incidentally, I'm not counting heroines that honestly hated the protagonist at the beginning but got over it without that stupid 'tsundere interval' that happens so often with antagonistic heroines.

VN sucks, anime sucks, the end.

Mmm... I could suggest a number of games in Japanese, but I'm assuming your girl is Japanese-incompetent... I'd suggest Sharin no Kuni, Clannad, or Little Busters for a beginner. If she doesn't have much 'reading stamina', I'd suggest Planetarian.

I basically do it for anyone if I have the time... being polite and helpful is perfectly fine, if you are living in a civilized country where you don't have to worry about suicide bombers and the like. I dislike people in general, but I don't let that make me fail to have basic courtesy.

Google translate is worthless. That isn't translation... because it can't even grab basic grammar, which is just pathetic. You'd think that it would at least be at a level where it can take care of formulaic sentences, but it can't.

... I remember the girls' routes only taking me about forty-five minutes, other than Haru's.

tbh... after you play enough VNs, you run up enough of those moments that you could make a list of a hundred or more. However, I'll list one of my favorites here. Evolimit

Just finished both Reminiscence games. First... The original was a pretty high-quality work based 150 years (minimum) after the events of Akatsuki no Goei Tsumibukaki Shuumatsuron (though it isn't clear what the canon ending or story was). The characters that return are The protagonist starts as a washout who is working as a teacher at a girls' high school in the underground city of Hope Town, one of two such cities in the first game, the other being Dream Town. The first game centers around the events surrounding and after the protagonist becoming a tokumukan, a type of negotiator that has a very high level of respect in the community. Overall, there are two things that you should grasp. Shimazu Hidetaka (the protagonist), is not a superman like Kaito was, though he is incredibly intelligent. He is also perverted and fairly open about it. On the other side, he is very serious about his work. In the first game, there are five heroines: Nozomi, Rin (both secondary but not sub heroines), Aki, Accela (both primary but not true heroines), and Kizuna (the true heroine of the first game). Nozomi's and Rin's paths are fairly straightforward, based on their positions in life (a statesman's daughter and an idol), but Aki's and Accela's are much more serious and twisted (Aki's in particular is extremely twisted, because of the screwed up relationship with her big brother, the protagonist). Kizuna's route is basically centered around her position, and the resulting pressures that come with being who she is. The story overall is as high quality as the Akatsuki no Goei games, being frequently amusing and having surprisingly high quality narration. The second game both serves as a continuance from the main route's final split-off and a fandisc (it has after-stories for all the heroines). The after-stories are generally good, though I found Aki's a bit annoying, considering it ignored the ending of her path in the original, choosing to just do something before the critical last events of that story. The new story is somewhat short, with two new heroines: Kazuha (Tae from Akatsuki no Goei's descendant) and Suzuka (a heroine I can't reveal without spoilers). In both cases, it is more about the central story and differing out comes, rather than just the heroines. Suzuka would be considered the true heroine in this case, as her story is much longer and reveals a lot more about the central conflict of the second game. However, I found the endings for this game somewhat less satisfying than those in the first one, especially Aki's and Accela's. This is the writer's bad habit, apparently, but I still can't help but wish for a third game in the series, to bring something of a conclusion to the main character's story.

As a storytelling format, the VN is actually quite a superb medium. It appeals to hearing and visual aesthetics, in addition to allowing the imagination room for interpretation through the text. I'm an avid reader of books in general, and I am otaku. For me, Japanese VNs were something of a miracle, because they addressed my love of the written word, as well as being otakuish to appeal to my love for anime. I imagine that a lot of people that get into VNs aren't quite conscious of precisely why they like them so much (other than people who love nukige, lol).. One thing you have to grasp is that we tend to present VNs incorrectly as a medium when trying to make them appeal to westerners. People who like anime or manga might very well be unable to stand VNs, precisely because they don't like having to read text to the extent a VN requires. However, someone who is into anime, manga, and light novels is very likely to also be a viable VN fan. The problem occurs when you are trying to appeal to people outside of those narrow requirements. To be blunt, all VNs currently made, with a few exceptions, primarily hold appeal to people who are already otakus and only them. Did any of you start with VNs? I've yet to meet someone who has. Even for most of us, VNs are something we got into through something else, not something we started out of the blue from no contact with Japanese culture. If you want to market VNs to non-otakus, you are going to be forced to either turn them into otakus through one of the other options (manga, anime, etc) or take the step of encouraging the making of primarily western-influenced VNs that appeal to western values and culture. To be blunt, people who become otakus are people who tend to find it easier to accept other cultures' ideas and ways of thinking... or at least be able to enjoy them.

I'm not fond of archetypes in and of themselves... I prefer 'odd' heroines. Psychotic, two-faced, liars, manipulators, ruthless, murderers, etc. Frankly, the sweet as sugar heroine gets old after the hundredth time or so, though it doesn't actively irritate me anymore. My taste in heroines was formed by Kagome from Comyu, Tsukihime's heroines, and the heroines of Devils Devel Concept, so that's understandable, though. Heck, one of my early-on favorites was a wolf-girl who said cheerfully that she planned to eat the protagonist of the story, though she wanted to wait until he was satisfied with his life before doing so, since they were friends.

Two major issues with increasing the appeal of VNs in the west. 1. VNs appeal first and foremost to those who are functionally literate. I've addressed this reality in other threads, but the fact is, most people in the West never become functionally literate. The best you get is parroting the words they read without understanding it, for most people. 2. Sad but true... the appeal of VNs is primarily to otakus, because most of the VNs made in the West are made by or geared to those who already play translated Japanese VNs. The best way would be to utilize the format to tell more western-oriented stories... but unfortunately, that is unlikely due to the simple fact that there is no real demand that might create such an industry.

Cross Channel has the option to remove H-scenes, as does Tsukihime (with english patches).

Tokyo Babel has no h-content.

Norn's games are basically straight-up impregnation nukige with no other real content whatsoever. Because of that, most translators wouldn't touch them with a thousand-foot pole. I don't mind reading them when it starts to build up, but translating them would make me want to puke.

Probably Yurikago yori Tenshi Made... I definitely wanted more of the characters in that game, or at least a new VN in the same setting/universe.

Wrong forum, put in general discussion or anime/manga discussion please, mods.

I didn't bother with it, but it supposedly changes certain aspects of the narrative and unlocks some extras. Edit: Also, I will play the Remiscience sequel after replaying the original, but because it is a sequel in the chronology rather than a stand-alone story, it isn't eligible for VN of the Month. Edit2: If you liked Ami, don't play Sunao's route. tbh, the last parts leading up to the end are too sad. My problem was that I liked her way too much, and Sunao's route basically branches off of hers and is a 'what-if' if you don't go with Ami.

Dialog isn't narration. *Clephas sighs*

http://vndb.org/v14760 Just finished Semiramis no Tenbin. This is by Caramel Box, a company that alternates between making mid to high quality charage and medium quality chuuni. They were responsible for the Otoboku series, as well as a number of games centered around youkai. Semiramis no Tenbin is one of those games that comes out of nowhere and completely blows your expectations out of the water. Given how it begins, you can't help but expect it to be a fantasy story... but it's nothing of the sort. It is a very human drama based in modern Japan, with a rather brutally honest portrayal of Japanese society's flaws, the uglier sides of human nature, and how they relate to those having to live within the bounds of society. It is seen through the eyes of Hayami Reiji, as he watches Kamio Ami and how she... umm... influences the people around her. As a protagonist, he manages to be more than a cipher. He is intelligent, quick to learn, and quite observant for someone his age. The fact that he seems like an idiot in comparison to Ami sometimes is just a measure of how scary she is, lol. The heroines in this game are all very high in quality, with some really unique personalities (the two girls on the cover especially). This game does have good endings for all the heroines, but - ironically - only Ami's path is rape-free (all the others have one non-heroine rape scene). The bad endings... to be honest, I don't recommend watching them. It made me feel a little sick, which is probably why they give you the option to get around the bad ends when you start the game by clicking the option at the right after beginning (you basically choose a heroine and it automatically sends you down the path to her good ending without having to make any choices). The narrative in this game is top-quality and the general theme definitely makes you think. Emotionally... to be honest, I only cried for Fumika's path, but that is because most of the other paths get so incredibly grim towards the end, not because they aren't touching. Like I said above, this game flashes a lot of the worst sides of human nature, and Reiji rarely gets overcome by emotion (he's surprisingly cool-headed). This game does have a main heroine, and it is Ami. I kind of regret doing her path first now, though the run up to the ending differs enough for each girl that it doesn't feel like they screwed any of them over. Doing the central heroine first is always a bad idea, but when I chose to do so, I wasn't aware she was that, lol. My conclusion? This definitely isn't for the faint of heart. Even the mildest of drama in this game can be a bit creepy because of Ami's involvement, and if you aren't already a misanthrope, there is a small chance this might push you in that direction. However, in terms of actual game quality, it is a level above everything else released this month. My conclusion? VN of the Month June 2014: Semiramis no Tenbin PS: A little warning... don't expect to ever be able to figure out precisely what Ami is thinking. The main reason she is so scary is that you literally have no idea where the lies start and the truth ends.

Flowmaps exist in some older VNs and mystery VNs. This: http://vndb.org/v10001 for instance. However, it is simply a mechanism to progress the story that can't quite be called gameplay. Also, in some cases, such as Tasogare no Sinsemillia, it is simply an alternative method to place-keeping saves to progress the story without wasting time skipping through already-read text. Also, Kamidori has event description in text, as do all Eushully games. So does Utawarerumono and TtT. Basically, if you are looking for something that defines VNs vs regular games... that's the one huge absolute. Narration takes precedence in storytelling over actual actions outside the text box. Another example of a game which had VN elements inserted, albeit as a sort of 'side-game' was Lost Odyssey's 'Thousand Years of Dreams' which told you about the protagonist's past in NVL form with a simple background and music.

What I meant by non-dialog text being a defining feature of VNs, is that event descriptions are generally done through text (and not someone saying 'oh, you just did this' or 'why did you do this and this?'). It isn't a terribly subtle difference... in fact, it is rather obvious. A pure jrpg tells the story through the dialog and the use of actual sprite actions and in-game movies (Opening movies in VNs don't count). Example: Say a demon knight is assaulting your people. In a pure jrpg, his sprite might draw its sword and slash (maybe at the character, maybe at thin air) or you might see a full-action movie before going into the encounter screen. In a VN, his actions might be described in text, as well as a short animation or a CG with sound effects. Edit: VNs are a storytelling method, not a game type, necessarily. The fact that gameplay is often added to a VN or that sometimes the VN storytelling method is used in a game merely serves to outline this fact. It becomes a hybrid when the story is told using the VN storytelling method. A good example that English-speakers can play is Agarest, which utilizes both the ADV text box and the VN storytelling methodology in addition to the traditional jrpg storytelling methods. Frankly, the existence of a textbox and tachie isn't enough, though they are features found in every VN.

You are using the wrong logic to decide whether it is a VN or not. For one part, it doesn't use the ADV or NVL storytelling methods,and there is no real non-dialog text in the game. This is a key feature of a VN, that to an extent, the story is defined to a large extent by the non-dialog portions of the text. The way you can go back and forth in time using the flow map is a gameplay feature, not an feature born of a VN.

... Steve... *shakes his head pityingly*