Clephas

*fills lunchbox with a ham and cheese sandwich, a baggie of Cheetos and a pack of apple juice* Welcome back.

Always glad to help.

http://vndb.org/v551 This is my standing recommendation to anyone who likes utsuge. The protagonist's struggles and how he deals with his fate are what make this the best utsuge ever. For a second utsuge: http://vndb.org/v11193 This game is heavy on the fantasy elements, but it is based around Japanese-influenced Buddhist mythology rather than something in another world. It is also one of the top 5 best games of 2013, in my opinion. http://vndb.org/v2537 Ask Kaguya for the links to the download for this. It is very good, but it is also a doujin, so hard to find. Understand, I don't really play horror VNs, though if you really want one, the Secret Game/Killer Queen series in the post above applies for both (most of Secret Game: Revise is utsuge material, and there is definite psychological horror to the whole thing). As for nakige...(incidentally, nakige and utsuge are mutually exclusive genres, as an utsuge fundamentally rejects good endings and a nakige always has good endings) http://vndb.org/v604 http://vndb.org/v100 http://vndb.org/v10957

Survival, action, mystery... my best recommendation to you would probably be Kurenai no Tsuki. It is a decent supernatural mystery with some action and a logical progression of events (though the logic of it is generally hidden from the protag). http://vndb.org/v2031 Another possible recommendation for you would be the Secret Game/Killer Queen series, though that one is no so much a mystery as a battle royale/survival sort of thing. http://vndb.org/v5435 I'd suggest playing the latest version of this one first, as it leads right into Killer Queen/Secret Game chronologically... though some prefer to play Killer Queen/Secret Game original first.

*does unspeakable things to the moe, turning them into flaming tentacle monsters* Welcome.

*sets off a thousand supernovas in welcome* Welcome to Fuwa.

Welcome.

Yes, this.

Currently playing Sengoku Hime 5... a few pieces of advice. Do NOT play any of the central Japan routes first. They might start out easy, but one of the most basic necessities of maintaining stable progress is never biting off more than you can chew. Shikoku might seem easy because of how nobody can attack you from outside the island at first, but its vulnerability from like six different directions makes it untenable once that 'beginning of the game' protection is gone. Simply put, do the Date and Shimazu routes first. Both have lots of powerful generals in the area to capture and recruit and have the advantage of allowing you to make a measured advance and expansion. Once you've completed the game twice, you can bring in some generals from your other playthroughs using the points it gives you and challenge the central Japan routes. Also, the game's difficulty is overall a bit higher than 4 and the menus are somewhat more clunky. Not to mention the impossibility of getting to certain 'bound to be defeated and killed' generals before that happens to them in most cases, lol. On the bright side, the protagonist's presence and the overall story is more believable and less choppy for at least two of the routes (the Shikoku and Shimazu) and I enjoyed that aspect better than 4. As conquest games go, I'd say it is a mediocre game, but as ones made by the Japanese go, it is pretty high up there (Dragon Force being the highest and games like Sengoku Rance the worst). Update: Oda path is the best... 'if Oda doesn't get herself killed by Mitsuhide' path, though it differs in other ways as well.

*hands a pocket nuke to the moe, telling her the big red button will summon a free cake set for her to eat* Welcome to Fuwa *surreptitiously teleports away*

Welcome to Fuwa *summons a pretty girl who immediately falls in love with the thread's author, her eyes obsessed and a knife hidden under her clothing*

*summons two demons to possess the lolis, who immediately begin to rampage, killing dozens of civilians before escaping into the wilderness* Welcome to Fuwa.

Man on Fire, with Denzel Washington. I love most of his movies, but this one was my favorite.

G-senjou is the only one from ABS2 that uses that format. Sharin no Kuni uses the format that is mostly a straight line, with the heroine 'paths' basically only the epilogue. Basically, the aftermath changes, not the story. Akabeisoft2's subsidiaries produce some games that are similar to theirs, some significantly different. Akatsuki no Goei was by one of its subsidiaries, as was Ruitomo.

There is some iai use in Shinigami no Testament... Ayakashibito has a significant amount of martial arts (one of the main antagonists is a serious badass)... Yurikago yori Tenshi Made has some really vicious martial arts use... the Akatsuki no Goei games' have a significant amount of martial-arts related material... Shuumatsu Shoujo Gensou Alicematic goes pretty deep into the world of sword-wielding martial arts... VNs with pro-wrestling in them are nonexistent as far as I can tell. All those above have serious martial arts as a part of the game, but none of them are entirely focused on them. Completely sports or martial arts focused vns are rare, to say the least.

SAO was excellent, and I'm going to pretend like the original material went no farther, even if they release a second series, lol. Welcome to Fuwa.

My thoughts after finishing Sengoku Koihime: As to be expected of a game that follows an identical track (without a battle system) to Koihime Musou, this game has excellent writing and a great set of characters. tbh, the story is far more personal from beginning to end than Koihime Musou was (except for Cao Cao's path) in that it goes away from the historical path very early on. The appearance of the man-eating 'oni', the conspiracy behind their rise, and the rise of the protagonist's harem give rise to a mix of hilarity and serious story that makes for some truly dramatic moments. While this game requires you to suspend your sense of disbelief, much like with the other Koihime games, it also has many moments that grant you a fairly accurate glimpse into how people lived during the Sengoku Jidai. That the protagonist isn't a total wimp or incapable (just less so in some ways than the over-powered heroines) also helps to make the story enjoyable. Unsurprisingly, I can say outright that this game is a definite candidate for my game of the month for December, though I still have four more games from this month I plan to play before making the decision. Edit: as a note, I meant Shin Koihime Musou, not the original. Shin Koihime Musou has a significantly better story than the original game, as well as three distinct paths with endings and a process that vary wildly from beginning to end.

*Clephas eats Hazel's bun, looking satisfied* Welcome to Fuwa.

Welcome. I can't provide any recommendations for you until you run out of translated games and are ready to take the plunge into the abyss. However, until then feel free to check out Kaguya's thread, lol.

*makes a fire from the moe, then uses it to roast chestnuts*

.... *is a bit stunned at the excess of capitol letters* Welcome to Fuwa.

Fudge, a fake tree, presents, stockings, and lots of food.

Merry Christmas, all. If you want recommendations for reading over Christmas, please use the thread before midnight central time tonight, as I will be unavailable until the 27th.

*dances the dance of welcome, tossing flaming loli skulls into the air as a greeting to the newcomer* Welcome to Fuwa.

*becomes conflicted briefly, as the loli is a kitsunekko, but solves the problem of his fetish by making her an adult then kidnapping her for his collection* Welcome to Fuwa.