What are you playing?

[ChaosRaven]

8 hours ago, Eclipsed said:

YO I FEEL SAD THAT THE DIVINE SELECTION ELECTION ELIMINATIONS BASICALLY BOIL DOWN TO LIST YOUR OPPONENT'S 1-2-3 LINERS AND NOT HOUR LONG DANGANRONPA CLASS TRIAL SEGMENTS

So can tastes differ. I actually liked the straight to the point style in the VN and would have probably hated some comedic streched out debate battles. The main work is done out of the divine elections anyway. No reason to talk around the bush there.

[Seraphim]

Man, Magpie is awesome.

I just started reading Making Lovers and was slightly annoyed by how blurry everything looked compared to the delightful 1440p of Kinkoi, which I finished a few days ago. (It turned out to be a great read; especially the final route. Can't go into any details without spoiling it though, so I'll just leave it at that.)
Aaanyway, the whole "blurry" situation was easily remedied thanks to this wondrous app. I don't know how it works from a technical standpoint, but it basically lets you sharpen the image through upscaling. If you haven't tried it out already, I highly recommend doing so. You can pick it up here, and then you just boot it up, choose which filter to use (Anime4K has some serious sharpening, but I think I prefer the slightly less defined ACNet option), launch whichever VN you want to use it in and hit Alt + F11 when you're in windowed mode.
Unfortunately, the upscaling forces the game into fullscreen, so I think you're out of luck if you prefer playing in windowed mode. For me personally, I always play in fullscreen anyway, so that part doesn't bother me.

In any case, here's a comparison shot of the original image and one with the Anime4K filter I mentioned above.

Original:


Anime4K:


I suggest you open the images in separate tabs and switch between them, as that makes the difference a lot clearer. Also, it's obviously much more apparent on a large screen. I dunno how much of a difference it makes on a laptop or the like.

[Silvz]

45 minutes ago, Seraphim said:

Man, Magpie is awesome.

I just started reading Making Lovers and was slightly annoyed by how blurry everything looked compared to the delightful 1440p of Kinkoi, which I finished a few days ago. (It turned out to be a great read; especially the final route. Can't go into any details without spoiling it though, so I'll just leave it at that.)
Aaanyway, the whole "blurry" situation was easily remedied thanks to this wondrous app. I don't know how it works from a technical standpoint, but it basically lets you sharpen the image through upscaling. If you haven't tried it out already, I highly recommend doing so. You can pick it up here, and then you just boot it up, choose which filter to use (Anime4K has some serious sharpening, but I think I prefer the slightly less defined ACNet option), launch whichever VN you want to use it in and hit Alt + F11 when you're in windowed mode.
Unfortunately, the upscaling forces the game into fullscreen, so I think you're out of luck if you prefer playing in windowed mode. For me personally, I always play in fullscreen anyway, so that part doesn't bother me.

In any case, here's a comparison shot of the original image and one with the Anime4K filter I mentioned above.

Original:


Anime4K:


I suggest you open the images in separate tabs and switch between them, as that makes the difference a lot clearer. Also, it's obviously much more apparent on a large screen. I dunno how much of a difference it makes on a laptop or the like.

me trying to see the difference in my 1080p screen

[Seraphim]

Yeah, I haven't tried it myself, but the improvement might not be that significant on a 1080p monitor. I usually play on my TV, meaning large screen and 4K, and the upscaling works wonders then. I'm especially glad I don't have to put up with blurry text anymore!

[Fujoneko]

I have been reading Higurashi: Tsumihoroboshi these past two weeks and boy, it was a ride! It's not my favorite one but it might actually be pretty close!!  

Spoiler

Chapter 3: Rena getting all comfy in her hideout almost made me tear up, what the hell. I miss being a little kid... I mean, I could still do those things. I can't wait until I move to the countryside again... sigh.

Chapter 6: I cried like a bitch, damn. I was fine until Satoko joined and forgave Rena... cries. Also, is it just me who prefers the original CG of Rena crying over MangaGamer's or the console one? Idk, I just found it more emotional, even tho I'm playing with the console sprites.

Chapter 13/Finale: Man, that fight was epic! But agh, that last tip left me so freaking confused again... I mean, a lot of stuff has been cleared up but I'm wondering how Keiichi and his friend will overcome the big Hinamizawa Disaster because I sure want them to do that 

This chapter might fit neatly into maybe third place (in my personal rank), hehe~ I'll give this one an 8,3/10!

Next is Higurashi: Minagoroshi! I can't wait! 

[adamstan]

I just finished Parfait ~Chocolat Second Brew~ Standard Edition

It was very good charage, with nicely written characters and their interactions - as expected from Maruto  

I started with Yui's route -

and it was very good. Yui is absolutely adorable lump of love, and perhaps the moest  of them all . Also, her being a musician additionally tugged at my heartstrings. Strongly intertwined with Yui's route is Rea

Spoiler

(actually they are step-sisters - Yui got adopted by Rea's family)

Rea is lovely classic tsundere - and I'd dare to say one of the better ones. Her banter with Hitoshi, the way she tries to hide her feelings, the way she blushes, her deredere side... Ahhh... I'm in love .

Those two girls are actually game's "cover girls", and I can totally understand why.

Next I've read two more standalone routes - Asuka's and Kasuri's. Those two routes, while not bad, felt a little flat - something was missing.

Asuka is actually the only high-school student in the whole VN, and Hitoshi is her tutor. Their relationship was nice, but, idk, somehow the route felt a bit like a side one.

As for Kasuri - I felt like there was lots of wasted comedy or drama potential - considering that in the prologue we meet her scary overprotective father, and then escape together in the middle of the night. Yet the man never reappears again. I guess that perhaps those two routes were relying mostly on h-scenes to make an impression? And of course that would get significtantly weakened in all-ages edition that I've read

Next pair was Ema and Rikako - they also share large part of common route, and the beginning of the two's respective true routes - here we face the only choice in the whole game other than map movement in common route.

Let's start with Ema

Her relationship with Hitoshi is quite complicated - she was his childhood friend (and perhaps the first love), then she became his stepsister, and then sister-in-law by marrying Hitoshi's (now deceased) older brother. Good route, with the two trying to untangle that mess and sort out their feelings.

And then Rikako's epic route

She's obviously designed as a main heroine - her route being perhaps the longest in the base game, and with three endings. When first entering Rikako's true route, we meet a bad end somewhere in the middle. It was really heartwrenching, but understandable, considering the mess their relatonship was, and their personalities. To unlock good end, you have to complete all previous routes (Yui, Rea, Asuka, Kasuri and Ema). Then there's Rikako's "normal" route, which is kind of glimpse, or preview, of good ending. And finally, after entering her true route again, it picks from the moment a little before bad end, and goes from there on quite an journey - to finally arrive at the sweet and heartwarming ending.
 

Spoiler

 

Yay! The family ending

 

The there were two additional routes exclusive to all ages version.

First was Mizuna

She's the waitress at Curio, and Rea's best friend. It was interesting route about insecurities, and how they can harm the relationship.

And then there was Mio

At first glance, quite tomboyish coffee vendor and genius barista. But there's much more to her. Her route was almost as epic as Rikako's, and outside of her route, she was quite good side character.

As mentioned before, I've read all-ages version. It has been rewritten in a very natural way. Some of the sex stuff has been replaced with kissing, and the stories were also extended significantly - there were some very good scenes that were not present in +18 version. Also, I was very surprised to discover that Mio and Mizuna were totally new characters (and not just side characters getting routes). They got integrated into the common route so seamlessly, that I thought they were always there. Their routes were also on par with the rest quality-wise despite having different writer.

When reading all-ages versions sometimes I think "Hmm, that's nice and all, but perhaps a bit of H stuff wouldn't hurt". It happened with that VN too. But then I checked out +18 version and was like "NOPE! Not that way!" . It was way too porny, and some scenes were inserted pretty randomly. So, for this game, all-ages version FTW.

So, to sum this up - very good charage, with amusing character interactions, nice art, voices and music. Out of 8 routes, there were only two a bit weaker ones. All in all - 8/10, great stuff.

Edited August 10, 2021 by adamstan

[adamstan]

Talk about coincidences, and deep roots of some tropes... After finishing Parfait, I just started playing ancient and obscure charage from 2000 (or 2003 for voiced edition) called Hachigatsu no Nostalgia ~the summer with you~ - since it's August right now  

In Parfait one of the heroines was Ema - blue haired sister-in-law, currently widow.

Imagine my surprise when I started playing Hachigatsu no Nostalgia and met Chitose - blue haired sister-in-law, currently widow

 

Edited August 10, 2021 by adamstan

[Seraphim]

I love the fact that "Heroine with Jeans" is an actual tag.

[Novel21]

I'm playing Steam Prison on Switch and I really enjoy game very much.

I'm going to play Island as well, curious about that one, since I have watched anime and like anime very much.

I'm not sure about other VN's for Switch.

[adamstan]

I just finished Hachigatsu no Nostalgia ~the summer with you~

What a letdown and wasted potential...

I took me 10 hours to complete four routes in Japanese (!) - it was unexpectedly short. The events feel quite disjointed and romance unconvincing. That's because the writing is so sparse that it feels like reading an abridged version or a summary For each character there's bunch of semi-random SoL events, one short H-scene and brief epilogue. I think it doesn't even reach the "charage level", since the characters are way, how to say it, undercharacterized? It's simple, short, old-school "bishoujo game".

Nanao's and Eri's routes feel like typical "summer eroge adventure" Natsuki's route promised more, with flashbacks and childhood promises - but it failed to deliver, because it feels like 90% of text has been cut out, and we're left with some random scraps. Chitose's route seems to make the most sense, and I think the writer has given her route a bit more attention - it felt a bit less unconvincing than the other three Besides, she's pretty hot

The engine is very crude, not having even a skip mode (!).

All in all - it's no surprise that this VN is so obscure - it certainly deserves it Not great, not terrible, but still a letdown - 6/10

Edited September 12, 2022 by adamstan
dropped the score from 6.5 to 6

[ChaosRaven]

2 hours ago, adamstan said:

I just finished Hachigatsu no Nostalgia ~the summer with you~

How do you decide, which of those old relics of VN development to play anyway?

It looks so incredible niche, that it's more something I'd expect to show up when clicking on "Random visual novel" in VNDB. 

[adamstan]

1 hour ago, ChaosRaven said:

How do you decide, which of those old relics of VN development to play anyway?

It looks so incredible niche, that it's more something I'd expect to show up when clicking on "Random visual novel" in VNDB. 

Sometimes I'm lured in by random images on VNDB front page. When image catches my attention, I then check out the VN page. If I find something interesting in the summary or in the tags, then sometimes I decide to give it a go In this case, I liked the setting and the mention of "buried memories" - it's a trope I'm pretty fond of. Sadly, this VN utterly failed to deliver what it promised

If not by images, then some of those obscure titles turned out when I did some searching by tags. Or they share some staff with other titles that I enjoyed. But it's all pretty random. Sometimes I stumble upon a hidden gem - or at least the title that I personally enjoy, even if it's unpopular, like Konneko or Amber Quartz, but then sometimes there's just disappointment.

Edited August 12, 2021 by adamstan

[ChaosRaven]

2 minutes ago, adamstan said:

Sometimes I'm lured in by random images on VNDB front page. When image catches my attention, I then check out the VN page. If I find something interesting in the summary or in the tags, then sometimes I decide to give it a go In this case, I liked the setting and the mention of "buried memories" - it's a trope I'm pretty fond of. Sadly, this VN utterly failed to deliver what it promised

If not by images, then some of those obscure titles turned out when I did some searching by tags. Or they share some staff with other titles that I enjoyed. But it's all pretty random.

My backlog of English VN's alone aready demands a high amount of discipline against random VN's. 

Not to mention that I'm still struggling to get my current Japanese VN Shin Koihime † Musou -Kakumei- Ryuuki no Taimou finished - it's just so ridiculous long. 

[adamstan]

3 hours ago, ChaosRaven said:

My backlog of English VN's alone aready demands a high amount of discipline against random VN's. 

Not to mention that I'm still struggling to get my current Japanese VN Shin Koihime † Musou -Kakumei- Ryuuki no Taimou finished - it's just so ridiculous long. 

Yeah, my backlog is quite big as well. However recently I tend to prioritize reading in Japanese - it got strangely addictive. And well, I keep adding VNs to the backlog, and the order/queue often gets shifted around - when something seems to grab my attention, I might read it immediately, regardless of backlog

[Silvz]

I'm almost finishing Flowers 3 after reading it non-stop for a week after months stalling. I'm glad I did, because the story is so enjoyable, well written and engaging. The romance flows naturally and the mysteries actually made me interested in what was going on. I'm pretty excited for Flowers 4 [come on, Jast, release it already!]

 

That said, I just bought a fan-favorite on Steam - yeah, Steam! because from what I researched, for me it is the best version - Fruit of Grisaia! Unless something major happens, such as Reflection Blue being completed, I'll read Grisaia next. Do you have a recommended route order? Or should I go blind?

[adamstan]

6 hours ago, Silvz said:

I just bought a fan-favorite on Steam - yeah, Steam! because from what I researched, for me it is the best version - Fruit of Grisaia! Unless something major happens, such as Reflection Blue being completed, I'll read Grisaia next. Do you have a recommended route order? Or should I go blind?

Sadly I have no idea. I also have Grisaia on Steam, but it sits in my backlog for two years already, and I keep postponing it

[Seraphim]

Didn't they censor even dialogue outside of h-scenes in that version? Or maybe I've got it confused with some other VN.

[adamstan]

7 minutes ago, Seraphim said:

Didn't they censor even dialogue outside of h-scenes in that version? Or maybe I've got it confused with some other VN.

It's translation of console version and apparently it contains some rewrites.

[Silvz]

2 hours ago, Seraphim said:

Didn't they censor even dialogue outside of h-scenes in that version? Or maybe I've got it confused with some other VN.

According to what Reddit says,  some jokes and dialogue that contain explicit sex/illegal themes were rewritten, and one route has a major scene changed. Besides those, it's mainly the h-scenes, which I'm not interested into.

[Seraphim]

I looked into it a bit as well and it seems like there are some added scenes and CGs in this version, so that should definitely make up for any censored content, to the point where I'm deliberating rereading the VN myself. It's one of my personal favorites, but the h-scenes were awful and way too long (and this was back in the days when I used to sit through the entire scenes to make sure I didn't miss anything plot-related). We're talking a huge time investment though, so I dunno when I'd find the time, considering my current backlog and all the other stuff that's being released.

[Dreamysyu]

On 8/14/2021 at 11:25 AM, Silvz said:

That said, I just bought a fan-favorite on Steam - yeah, Steam! because from what I researched, for me it is the best version - Fruit of Grisaia!

I personally played the Steam version for the first Grisaia, with the exception of one route which everyone said was ruined in that version, and I never played the full 18+ version, though I skipped through some routes of the other version, and I've seen some skipped scenes. So, take everything I say with a grain of salt. That said, I personally believe that the 18+ version is superior, though not to the point that I recommend going for it if you absolutely despise h-scenes. Lots of changes are pretty minor: some jokes are missing, and some foreshadowing is skipped. The protagonist in the all-ages version appears as a lot more decent person, and it will probably make him a lot more bearable for some people, but you can also argue that it breaks his characterisation. On the other hand, there are some changes in Michiru's route that I personally find really nonsensical. The route is pretty much big mess to begin with, but I personally believe I could enjoy it if I came with a right mindset, though the changes in the Steam version certainly didn't help.

Ironically, I probably should've gone for the Steam version for the third game.

Edited August 15, 2021 by Dreamysyu

[chemixalyu]

Tsukihime :3

[adamstan]

1 hour ago, Dreamysyu said:

Ironically, I probably should've gone for the Steam version for the third game.

I think I remember reading somewhere about translator saying that for third game (and I think for the second one too) he found all-ages versions to be superior and recommended them over +18 ones.

Edited August 15, 2021 by adamstan

[Seraphim]

Reading Making Lovers, and...



People who have read Bokuten be like:



People who haven't read Bokuten be like:

[adamstan]

Guess finally I have to read Bokuten

Meanwhile, I'm currently doing my third playthrough of Princess Evangile - this time it's PSP version (Japanese all-ages). Even though it's the third time, I'm still enjoying it very much. It's definitely my "Comfort VN"

Edited August 16, 2021 by adamstan