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Yotek

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    Acen 2017

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    Sorry for the wait, took 6 hours to upload on my horrible internet connection. Also... anyone else think only of Tay and his trolls when they saw Sekai Projects "Maiden Voyage"....

    Videos for Sekai project and MangaGamer have been added to the main post as well as a picture of their booths and discount codes. I'll be at the con again today and they close at 4pm. If anyone has questions they want me to ask let me know and I'll see what I can do. Please no mean questions and make them easy to see. I'll be in a sea of 30,000 people.

    Acen 2017

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    Based on what they have been saying it sounds like the biggest issues they have are costs related to physical copies. Thus, the kickstarters. I'll have Sekai Project panel up tonight so people can interpret it themsleves.

    Acen 2017

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    Hey all, as usual here's my once a year post before I go back to lurking again. Today at ACEN was the Denpasoft panel. Below are the videos from today. I recommend sticking around for the Q&A, it gets funny and weird. I'll post pictures later when I'm not drunk/tired. Tomorrow is Sekai Project and Mangagamer. I'll add them when I can.

     

    Denpasoft

     

    Sekai Project

     

     

     

    ManagaGamer

     

     

     

     

    Pictures!

     

    Anime Central Speculation and Announcement Thread

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    Sorry for the wait folks:

     

    VisualArts/Key:

    Working on getting that audio fixed up and uploaded. Anyone have suggestions on where to put just pure audio? They had a ton of security to prevent people from recording so i got the best I could.


    Sekai project:

     

    First video youtube decided to flip for whatever crazy reason. Should flip to normal soon™....

    MangaGamer

     

     

     

     

    VN Reading Club - Depressive November (Narcissu)

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    Been a crazy month but finally got around to reading this. Having no computer set me back quite a bit.

     

    Narcissu is a game that pretty much anyone who knows VNs has at least heard about. While it had been on my list to read, it has been ignored due to other commitments but mostly because it is a kinetic novel. For me, I had always avoided kinetic because I figured I would have more attachment if I got to make my own choices. Narcissu proved me wrong as it was an excellent choice.

    The only negative I can really give this VN is the visuals. I didn't like that ultra thin widescreen style. I know the minimalistic thing is what they were going for and it did partially suit the VN but I felt like they could have done better.

    The quality of translation that was used was decent. Earlier people had mentioned that the writing style was a bit unique, which may have led to why I felt the translation didn't feel smooth. There were no glaring errors (that I noticed) but wasn't the smoothest.

    The story was pretty good. The story really set you up for what you were going to get, and they delivered on it. The story had an excellent emotional impact despite it again being very minimalistic. 

    On to major positives. The music was amazing. For such a short VN they had a nice collection of music and all were very well written. The music never felt like it was out of place or that it was used too much. Another nice perk was that you can maximize the game. Despite being a 2005 game, it had nice features like that.

    The length of the game was perfect. It was a short story and they made it as such. There really wasn't a single point where I felt bored. They kept the pacing going nicely.

    The ending gave me the feels which I was not expecting. It hit me suddenly like a wave. I thought I had done a good job detaching myself but with all the right elements that this game had, it got to me. It is an excellent game, and anyone who is looking for a short game and likes getting the feels will love this.

    VN Reading Club - October 2015 (Symphonic Rain)

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    Took a day to collect my thoughts and try to soften my review of this VN but it only got worse. Please don't lynch me too hard.

     

     

    Before I get deep into the story there are plenty of technical aspects of this game that deserve to be noted. While I did not truly care for the rain or the blinking eyes, I will give them credit for putting that in. It did help make the game seem more real. For its age, that seems to be ahead of its time. However, I noticed that some of the voices would max out from time to time. Also, there may have been some issues with the English patch on a Japanese locale machine. On occasion, all text would stop displaying. When going to save, no saves would be shown (It was pretty scary the first time). Saving was actually a bit annoying, you had to wait until all the text was displayed and the book appeared in the bottom right. While an old game, it was still annoying that full screen would just lower your resolution to 800x600. The rhythm aspect of the game was initially a nice feature but it grew tedious by the end. Some songs were excellent to play, like Fal and Phorni, while others boring like Lise.
     

    The game was pretty good about attention to detail. In the Al Fine routes, you could actually hear the flicking sound Chris was making when hitting Phorni. Though, they could have fixed the clock in Cordells room seeing as how you always had a lesson at the same time.
     

    For a game that focuses on music, their repertoire was very lackluster. Each character got their own song and that was about it. Characters got an arranged version of the song that you played with them. Originally, I had heard Fals song a long time ago and loved it. Since the music is never switched up, after finishing Fals route, I no longer want to hear it again. The other issue with this is that the music didn't always reflect the mood. To me, the blend of music, text, and images is what helps build the emotional attachment. In a game based on music, to fail to do that, really took away from it.
     

    The concept of the story drew me in. I had actually intended to play this game awhile back. As a musician, I thought this would be pretty interesting. However, Fal's route dragged in a lot of places. The ending to her route did make me pretty angry. My reflections on her route alone are posted prior. Lise's route was honestly boring and partially predictable. While I was pretty upset about the domestic abuse, it was really the only thing I got from that route. Torta's route I have mixed feelings for. There were a lot of things that just didn't make sense throughout the VN which they intend to surprise you with later. However, the tiny cast takes away from the surprises because they become painfully easy to solve. When "Ari" showed up the first time, I figured it was Torta. When the letters showed up, I thought she was the one writing them (though to be fair, I thought she just placed it in his mailbox). Watching her bad end was more fun because I knew she was going to get crushed.
     

    Moving on to Al Fine and Phorni, I was initially pleasantly surprised. Al Fine really took a dark turn. Torta was becoming borderline yandere and that's always fun to watch play out. However, after she made it obvious that she was "Ari" and spilled her thoughts, it grew a little stale. I don't think going through the entire route again from her perspective was needed. Only bits and pieces. I think holding back and letting the reader figure everything out is more impactful. Phorni I originally thought was either Ari herself (or a sprite that could talk to both Ari and Chris). I gave up on those thoughts near the end of Lise's route but they came back as soon as I went through Torta. There are just too few cast members all in a confined space. Drawing conclusions like these are too easy.
     

    Overall, I really did not enjoy Symphonic Rain. While they did add in aspects to help enhance the game like blinking eyes, moving rain, and map selection, it has way too many shortfalls. The clear issue with pacing makes it hard to stay engaged with the VN. When they drop surprises, it was already obvious they were going to happen. The characters themselves aren't very personable or likable(except for Fals facade). As time went on, the music becomes more annoying than engaging despite being a music based VN. If you manage to make it through all of that, the technical problems related to audio levels and text disappearing will make sure you are always detached. Maybe my expectations were too high, maybe I've played too many amazing VNs, maybe this was a gem for its time but lost its shine with age. Whatever the case may be, there were a few smiles and laughs throughout the trip but I was mostly bored and would say this VN is a bit overrated. 

     

    VN Reading Club - October 2015 (Symphonic Rain)

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    There actually is a meaning to it...

     

    Hidden Content

    Thank you. That was bugging me. Now that I'm going down the  Al Fine route it makes sense. At first I thought it was related to skill level but noticed that my score was not impacted by that. I also thought was that it would impact the ending but that didn't seem to be in the case.  Lastly, I thought it might be related to his mental state after it spiked when Fal dropped that bomb.  So in the end my intuition was right, it is his mental state or rather the rain that he perceives.

    VN is finally starting to get pretty interesting.

    VN Reading Club - October 2015 (Symphonic Rain)

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    Finally finished my first route. Went for Fal because I've heard her song before. Trying to shotgun the rest so I can finish in time.

     

     

    Hidden Content

    Hidden Content

    Despite sitting on it, I still am not happy with Fal

    Let me start off with a base that as a MC you are not a good boyfriend. If you have to begrudgingly send your long distance girlfriend letters whom you have never visited in 3 years, then you've got a lot to learn.

    There are a lot of reasons I can't really forgive Fal. Up until the very end I was super happy with her as a character. She really did play the ideal woman. However, at the end, you learn what you have experienced isn't her real personality. To me, it then felt like the time I spent with her was all fake. I'm sure there are countless Vns that do this, (most tsunderes with their tsun side) however, Fals route ended pretty abruptly. It never allowed you to see the "real" side of her other than that one instance.  If you got to spend more time with the "real Fal' then it might have changed things. Instead, you get rushed to the good end where basically as long as you are useful to her she will "love" you.

    That point in particular really pisses me off. I'm sure we've all be there be it music, sports, or smarts. People will pretend to have interest in you until you are no longer needed for their goals. In friendship and business, that is passable, but in love, that just isn't how it works.

    The bed scene (hopefully this won't get me in trouble) was salt in the wounds to me. To get the good route you have to bang her. I think that is totally out of the question in a situation like that. She compounds the horribleness by acting like nothing more an outlet for his sexual frustrations. She never even really put on an act for it. I cringed when she said “あいしてる"  which was the "I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U" notation during the bed scene. While I could be incorrect, I'm fairly certain the way she said "love" was suppose to be a very strong love for another person as a partner. Instead, she said it with a dark almost condescending voice.

    I can't argue that Fal has had a rough past. From everything she has said, it sounds bad. While it could be argued we all have some troubles (KS link for greatness) hers is probably worse than most. However, that does not justify her actions. Just because someone has had a rough life does not mean they are above morals. If life is hard, work through it, try your best, cry when you fail, and ask other for help. Using people, scheming, and being cynical will never solve the real problem.

    As for Fal and Chris healing each other. I'm not certain on it. I first would much rather see Fal heal without Chris. Chris' biggest wound in my opinion is Fal herself. I never felt he was really committed to Ari. As for Fal, if she just leans on Chris to help her, I don't think she will actually ever heal. In addition, only those who wish to be healed can be (at least related to things like depression and what nots (I am not a doctor)). Fal to me did not seem like she really wanted to change the way she was. She said she was wicked, you said you loved her, that's good enough for her.

    Will the time those two spend together resolve everything, yes and no. I think it will solve itself but I don't think their hearts will ever really open up. As a parting though, I think White Album best describes my sentiment for how their relationship would play out in the future:
    "Time Does Not Solve the Thorns In Our Heart. It Just Puts A Label of Oblivion On It."

    VN Reading Club: Cycle 1 Retrospective

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    I'll get the ball rolling on this.

     

    1. No sure what the question is for theme. Like.... which month had the best options for VNs or what theme most appealed to me from the ones we picked?
    2. Yume Miru Kusuri- I LOVE that VN. To be fair, I read it before the club. If I had to pick my favourite new one, it would probably be Ignanock, so much so that it inspired me to start transcribing again.
    3. Ati, I am obsessed with heterochromia. Puchi would probably be second.
    4. I'm torn between Kirimiya Mizuki and Shiraki Aeka's routes. Both were a bit crazy.
    5. Tsukasa
    6. Ugh such a hard question. Either Kuon or Qoo Little-Little.
    7. Despite normally not going for this heroin type, Qoo Little-Little
    8. Hopelessness from Ignanock

    9. When you're on the roof with Aeka and you are both choking Antoinette almost to death

    10. Probably would have to say the Devil on Gstring. I need an excuse to finish all the routes. Usami was just too amazing. I cried so hard on that ending.

     

    1. I think one of the challenging things it picking the VN itself. Might help to have the voting start the week before the month starts so we can have it finalized right away. Other improvements might be to only select shorter VNs to help the slower readers, like myself, finish in time. On the May voting, it looked like each leader picked a VN. Have 1 theme, the leaders pick 4-5 VNs and explain why (without spoiling) we should pick it.
    2. If you mean a gameplay one like Yumina the Ethereal, I would be game. Hopefully, there are ones out there that aren't as long.
    3. There was one I partially participated in. Had to stop because rape scenes make me physically sick.
    4. Maybe a little more attention like a post on the main site when the novel is selected or is voting. Possibly have the topic pinned and removed at the end of the month?
    5. The time for me was a little tricky but for discussion I think it was spot on. If we let it go too long, people forget what they read. Too short and not everyone can participate.
    6. I would if I had the time. Sadly, with everything on my plate. School, full time employment, and music I can't really commit much more time.
    7. Guided questions are an excellent idea. The one concern I have is that the person with those questions will have had to play the game before. If that's not a problem I'd love to see that implemented.
    8. So far the themes that have been suggested are really creative. However, I will say I love sappy romance stuff. More of those are always appreciated.
    9. I could use an excuse to finish a few VNs: The devil on Gstring, Suika, and Hoshimemo.
    10. I think that would be a fun activity. Just to throw some ideas out (not volunteering to do it... at least while still in classes) but could do quiz with polls or google forms. Maybe potential raffle on really hard questions (I'm sure I could pick up some VN swag at ACEN during May to help out.
    11. There is only one thing that hasn't been said that needs to be said..... Yukino worst girl!
      Okay, I just had to say that, I did enjoy My girlfriend is the prez. I want to thank those who brought the club back, the people who posted, and the people of the academy that made this possible... It's been fun. Let's make it even better.
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