Clephas

Bradyon Veda... that is on my list of games as a potential candidate for January's VN of the Month. Because it is in my favorite genre, I'll put down comments on it, but I won't make it VN of the Month unless there is nothing that matches it in another genre (it is hard to impossible to make an unbiased comment on my favorite genre, so I've decided to compromise that way).

Cool. Incidentally, look forward to Kagome's and Hisoka's routes, as they are the best of the group. Mayuki's is a bit lighter than the other main heroines' routes, and Ayaya's is a joke/side route. Kagome's route is the true route, and it reveals pretty much all the most important secrets of the setting.

Without grammar as a framework, it is impossible to learn a language (edit: in a reasonable amount of time). With most languages, you pick up the ands ifs and buts of the language first, along with basics like hello, no, I, you, and the like. You then move on to making small sentences, along with learning simple vocab in a concentrated area (like food, shops, clothing, etc) before expanding into more complex grammar. If you don't know the sentence structure a language uses, for instance, you can't comprehend just what the mass of words in a sentence mean. Kanji is basically a shortcut for understanding individual words, since it is a symbolic rather than a phonetic written language, but without the grammar, it is like having a bunch of puzzle pieces with no reference points as to how to put them together.

I learned grammar and a limited vocab first... then I filled in the vocab watching anime and studying on my own... I didn't learn any kanji until after I'd started playing VNs in Japanese, lol. By then, I had a complete knowledge of the vocab, grammar, and linguistics of Japanese... so playing with jparser was a piece of cake (I knew how Japanese syllables worked, so I was able to figure out correct romaji for times when it was obviously incorrect through linguistic reverse-engineering, lol) However, the other way, learning in a balanced manner, makes a lot more sense. tbh, my way is really roundabout and as a result, I can think in, speak fluently, and understand spoken Japanese completely, but I'm more iffy on kanji than someone who learned it all in the traditional manner. I can only recognize at a glance about a thousand kanji, and the rest take time and sometimes a dictionary to figure out. On the other hand, if I have the correct pronunciation available, I never miss, so my way might work for some people...

Ayakashibito is definitely something to look forward to, for you all who are condemned to the fate of playing only translated games. I would also suggest that you look forward to Comyu's completion, whenever the project hiatus ends. For me, I'm looking forward to: http://vndb.org/v12609 http://vndb.org/v12455 http://vndb.org/v14069 http://vndb.org/v13108 There are others, but these are the ones that come to mind.

This is a HUGE spoiler: Also, all h-scenes in this game are automatic. There are no secret ones.

I'm generally not a fan of manga/anime to VN transformations. Most anime and manga's VN versions are third-rate or outright terrible.

When I have the energy to revive it. Probably this Saturday, since that is the next time where I don't have anything scheduled, lol.

One thing to recommend for checking out non-nukige doujin VNs is that occasionally you come across a truly superior writer who just has no interest whatsoever in being bound by industry standards. Here are a few examples of that... http://vndb.org/v3068 http://vndb.org/v2537 http://vndb.org/v1813 None of these had voices, but all three were great or at least good. Nonetheless, such games seem to be the exception to the rule, unfortunately. I've played a few doujin moege and charage... and they were universally horrible. It was basically like reading something by Feng without the voices and with crappier art... a pure nightmare.

Some games do suffer, others don't, when they don't have voices. Abyss Homicide Club didn't suffer from a lack of VA, and neither did Tsukihime... but that is because their stories and writing were exceptional enough they didn't need voices to help push them along. The idea of playing ANY moege without voices... makes me want to shudder in horror. Those games cover up for so much with character voice and tone...

I'll repeat my recommendation of the Secret Game series from above, but I'll also recommend Harumade Kururu (this game is a serious mindfuck, though its beginning doesn't show it) and Natsukumo Yururu (same company). Most utsuge don't quite make it onto the mindfuck train, because confusion often takes away from the emotions they are trying to induce. For utsuge, I'll recommend Konata yori Kanata Made again, as well as Boku ga Tenshi ni Natta Wake (this one has some mindfuck, though it is relatively minor). Konakana is an emotional hammer, but Tenshi is significantly darker, because of the hidden aspects that are only revealed near the endings.

It is true the protag generally has the highest number of lines. However, the 'personality-less protag' that is common to old jrpgs and FPS games in general is a tool that has increasingly served to weaken the plots of the games it is used in. This flawed perception that the protag should either have a 2D personality or be a cipher for the player's own psyche is deleterious to story-telling in general. If anything, the protagonist should have the strongest and most overwhelming personality in the game, because he/she is inevitably the center of events, or at least the eyes through which you are supposed to be viewing the world. His personality, views, and way of thinking should all influence the way you see the world of the game, and it is the duty of the player to get behind the eyes of someone who is completely different from themselves and has a distinct personality, rather than a cardboard cut-out that has no reason to exist but to provide a pair of goggles for you to mechanically view the world through. Sorry, vented a little. I absolutely loathe the trope of the 'average guy' protag in VNs. It is so overused that I'm starting to get to the point where just having an average, everyday guy for a protag is enough to give me a bad impression of a game's story. Basically, my complaint is that most people have something they at least do moderately well in, and the idea of a completely average person providing protagonist material is fundamentally ridiculous, as your average person would probably never get into the situations you see in VNs. This makes the believability of the story (already frequently weak in the first place) vanish completely. The 'everyone loves the protag' trope, in particular, is something that makes absolutely no sense with most of these protags, though there are exceptions. Unless it is a chuuni game, I won't ask for the protag to be a genius or excel above and beyond all those around him... but at least let him be capable in one or more areas or have some qualities that are worthy of admiration. Edit: Sorry, to come back to my point, the game that converted me to the 'voiced protag' point of view was Evolimit, one of my two all-time favorite VNs (will never fall from the list). The way Shiranui's voice-acting served to enhance the story in general, both the humorous and emotional aspects, made me realize that voice-acting does not in any way serve to weaken the player's connection with the protagonist. If anything, it can bring the protagonist to life in the same way it brings other characters to life. As for the money aspect... nothing to be done for that. If the makers aren't willing to invest the time and money, that is their decision. However, 'protagonist immersion' isn't a legitimate reason.

Cthulu Mythos falls into the fantasy arena, so that is where Demonbane is, despite the mechs. If you start putting everything with mechs in it into sci-fi, all sorts of things that have no business being labeled sci-fi will end up there. You'd have to put Jingai Makyou and Muramasa there as well. Neither belongs in the sci-fi arena, for similar reasons. Planetarian... forgot about that one. It was one of the first VNs I played, but it got buried under everything else. As for Galaxy Angel, I couldn't get into that game, overall. The series as a whole never held much of an attraction for me. This is a list of 'great' sci-fi VNs, so while Planetarian probably qualifies, Galaxy Angel doesn't, at least in my opinion.

The money factor isn't a non-issue, but also isn't the driving issue. The biggest reason seems to be that it is a tradition for moege and moege-hybrids (as well as nukige) not to have the protag voiced. Games with voiced protags tend to have better stories (though there are exceptions) as well as generally more interesting character interactions. Sometimes, VN companies release protag voice-patches later on, such as in the case of Ruitomo and Tsuki ni Yorisou, Otome no Sahou. In other cases, such as with Propeller's games, the protags are voiced from the beginning. Voices for Phantom only came into play beginning with the DVD version, incidentally.

Welcome to Fuwa.

Welcome to Fuwa.

Welcome to Fuwa.

*sets the moe on fire as usual* Welcome to Fuwa.

Personally, I never did grow fond of space elves...

It's a bad habit born of the belief that it is easier to get behind the eyes of a voiceless male protag. tbh, I think this is the absolute worst idea anyone has ever had, since the protag being the only one not voiced frequently makes for a less interesting story...

You'd love Kei in Dies Irae then... she wants to kill the protag through most of the game, even in her own path. Welcome to Fuwa.

Welcome to Fuwa

Geh, lost the fantasy vn list I put together... guess I'll have to go through the trouble of skimming the ones I've played again...

Welcome to Fuwa.

Mmm... I gave most of the Baldr games a 7 or a 6 out of ten, and the ones listed here all have 8 or better. The Baldr series has average to decent story, but the games tend to rely too much on the frenetic battles to draw the reader in. I've yet to run across a game in that series that I would consider to be truly great...