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your best and worst vn of 2016


mitchhamilton

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If we are just talking games that came out in 2016, either through localizations, fan TLs or new releases and not just games we played this year in general then my list would be:

 

New JP releases: Nikuniku is still the best game this year that I got to play. I didn't really pick up any of the bigger moege/ charage releases as my backlog kept me reading old games all year, so I mainly stuck to short/ medium games. That being said, had I finished Bloody Saga before 2016 ended, I might have picked that. I'm not done with it yet, but so far it's shaping up to be a really nice read actually.

Anyways, all the assets in Nikuniku just combined so well in my opinion. Stunning art, fantastic music that really helps bring out the dark-ish atmosphere and good writing + a pretty good plot. Also very satisfying endings. Of course, the game is in a genre a lot of people don't like from the get-go, and I can see why it could be a game even some guro fans wouldn't take a liking to, but to me the game was great.

 

Official localization: I'd probably have to say Nurse Love Addiction, simply because I wasn't expecting anything great from it and it just blew my mind after I started reading. It's one of those games I will go back and read again sometime for sure.

 

Fan TL: I haven't read too many of these this year, as I have been focusing mainly on JP games and a few localized titles. I think Koiken Otome is the only one I can mention tbh. I liked that game quite a lot and read it rather fast.

 

Worst game of 2016? Hmm... don't know tbh. I don't think I played a game that came out this year that I thought was bad.

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On 2017/1/1 at 5:32 AM, mitchhamilton said:

my worst would have to be natsu no kusari.

all fault lies on me for this one since i knew exactly what i was getting in. i didnt get far in this vn before uninstalling it from my pc. i only got it because clock up had made it. its pretty much about a young man who has kidnapped some girl and he rapes her in his basement. yup, knew that before going in but i love clock up so i gave it a shot.

Weakling :makina:

It's kind of amusing, since we're so used to rape no one gives a damn when it's used as a lousy plot device; everyone just rolls their eyes, when it happens. But give them a well thought-out vn, which actually portrays rape as-it-is and people suddenly get offended. Actually, maybe for the better. After all, if you got offended, it must had mean the story left you with a desirable impact, regardless whether you liked it, or not.

I don't think I actually read that many vn's this past year, to actually have any sort of solid candidates. I'd say VA-11 HALL-A might prolly be the best game I had the chance to interact with (even though it's not a 100% vn, YMMV); the biggest (positive) surprise goes exactly to Natsu no Kusari, while the weakest link would be Inochi no Spare; I had a better initial view of that visual novel in the beginning, but once I got into it, I couldn't believe how absurd it actually is; we're literally talking about legally consented medical homicide; what sane parents would actually do that to any of their children? Sacrifice one, so another may live? Or better, perhaps - give birth to one to save another? It not only doesn't make sense; there's literally no actual ground for the events portrayed in the story to be based upon. That said, art was gorgeous, but that alone can't save the writing.

I have a feeling AkabeiSoft3 is starting to get overboard with their latest projects; I still have Gusha no Kyouben to read, but regardless of it - almost all of their games have been more or less a huge disappointment to me. I actually feel offended, because there's no way any self-respecting writer would drop down that kind of shit and expect to be treated seriously by their readers. I - for one - couldn't. The more astonishing it was considered one of the very best japanese releases of 2016. It seems like there's really not much to chose from nowadays - you either get all the garbage tier charage/moege with no actual plot, or pseudo-intellectual stories that try to sound better than they really are, with end results being no less than insulting to any person with a slightest bit of intelligence.

Edited by Narcosis
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1 hour ago, Narcosis said:

Weakling :makina:

It's kind of amusing, since we're so used to rape no one gives a damn when it's used as a lousy plot device; everyone just rolls their eyes, when it happens. But give them a well thought-out vn, which actually portrays rape as-it-is and people suddenly get offended. Actually, maybe for the better. After all, if you got offended, it must had mean the story left you with a desirable impact, regardless whether you liked it, or not.

I don't think I actually read that many vn's this past year, to actually have any sort of solid candidates. I'd say VA-11 HALL-A might prolly be the best game I had the chance to interact with (even though it's not a 100% vn, YMMV); the biggest (positive) surprise goes exactly to Natsu no Kusari, while the weakest link would be Inochi no Spare; I had a better initial view of that visual novel in the beginning, but once I got into it, I couldn't believe how absurd it actually is; we're literally talking about legally consented medical homicide; what sane parents would actually do that to any of their children? Sacrifice one, so another may live? Or better, perhaps - give birth to one to save another? It not only doesn't make sense; there's literally no actual ground for the events portrayed in the story to be based upon. That said, art was gorgeous, but that alone can't save the writing.

I have a feeling AkabeiSoft3 is starting to get overboard with their latest projects; I still have Gusha no Kyouben to read, but regardless of it - almost all of their games have been more or less a huge disappointment to me. I actually feel offended, because there's no way any self-respecting writer would drop down that kind of shit and expect to be treated seriously by their readers. I - for one - couldn't. The more astonishing it was considered one of the very best japanese releases of 2016. It seems like there's really not much to chose from nowadays - you either get all the garbage tier charage/moege with no actual plot, or pseudo-intellectual stories that try to sound better than they really are, with end results being no less than insulting to any person who even has the slightest bit of intelligence.

rape just never really did anything for me except bother me. i mean i wont really damn the vn as i havent played it all so it might be a fantastic read but out of all the vns i played this year, i remember disliking it the most. if i did ever pick it up, is it really worth it?

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50 minutes ago, mitchhamilton said:

rape just never really did anything for me except bother me. i mean i wont really damn the vn as i havent played it all so it might be a fantastic read but out of all the vns i played this year, i remember disliking it the most. if i did ever pick it up, is it really worth it?

I'd say it's a sort of catharsis on an entirely different level. It makes you aware of certain things. It also reminds you that kidnapping and rape are - indeed, obviously - horrible and not really a subject matter for silly joking (sorry, AliceSoft). I guess it's the reason why majority of people I knew actually dropped it - they couldn't get past the point, where it becomes apparent the "rape" part is not a joke. It reminds you, it is not something you should be enjoying, as opposed to majority of darker/edgier eroge. That aside, even on a sliding sociopathic scale, Shinichi (Shinji?) makes for an incredibly interesting character, you're actually - somehow - able to relate with, if the topics mentioned within the story aren't completely oblivious to you. Feeling of social isolation, sense of loss, lack of drive towards your very own life and future, complete rejection that leads to non-existence... yet, those things are something we're not able - as human beings - to fight against. We want to love and be loved by others. It's what makes our lives fulfilling and worth living for. Everyday, we strive to build our perfect utopias, mostly unaware of the fact our freedom ends where it starts for someone else and only end up hurting them in the process. Even though, it is something we cannot influence; it's an integral part of us being a part of this society, whether we like it or not.
Doesn't make a difference Mitsuki isn't any less interesting, nor important; albeit her role is designated more to one, who makes the protagonist "whole". It's an apparent theme throughout the whole game, whilst the different endings cope with different outcomes of our couple (no pun intended) coming to terms with their own existence and place in this peculiar relationship.

Spoiler

nnk_013.png

 

I daresay, this is actually their best game so far, mostly because of the themes they chose; it's propably even better than Maggot Baits and Euphoria, considering how disconnected they feel in regards to our world and reality. This is, mostly because of it's presentation - which not only plays a tremendous role, but remains perfectly executed. I have yet to see a visual novel, that is *so close* to being the defining factor of it's own genre and remaining - even despite it's gritty, twisted premise - so artistically pleasant.

Edited by Narcosis
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7 minutes ago, Narcosis said:

I'd say it's a sort of catharsis on an entirely different level. It makes you aware of certain things. It also reminds you that kidnapping and rape are - indeed, obviously - horrible and not really a subject matter for silly joking (sorry, AliceSoft). I guess it's the reason why majority of people I knew actually dropped it - they couldn't get past the point, where it becomes apparent the "rape" part is not a joke. It reminds you, it is not something you should be enjoying, as opposed to majority of darker/edgier eroge. That aside, even on a sliding sociopathic scale, Shinichi (Shinji?) makes for an incredibly interesting character, you're actually - somehow - able to relate with, if the topics mentioned within the story aren't completely oblivious to you. Feeling of social isolation, sense of loss, lack of drive towards your very own life and future, complete rejection that leads to non-existence... yet, those things are something we're not able - as human beings - to fight against. We want to love and be loved by others. It's what makes our lives fulfilling and worth living for. Everyday, we strive to build our perfect utopias, mostly unaware of the fact our freedom ends where it starts for someone else and only end up hurting them in the process. Even though, it is something we cannot influence; it's an integral part of us being a part of this society, whether we like it or not.
Doesn't make a difference Mitsuki isn't any less interesting, nor important; albeit her role is designated more to one, who makes the protagonist "whole". It's an apparent theme throughout the whole game, whilst the different endings cope with different outcomes of our couple (no pun intended) coming to terms with their own existence and place in this peculiar relationship.

  Reveal hidden contents

nnk_013.png

 

I daresay, this is actually their best game so far, mostly because of the themes they've chose; it's propably even better than Maggot Baits and Euphoria, considering how disconnected they feel in regards to our world and reality. This is, mostly because of it's presentation - which not only plays a tremendous role, but remains perfectly executed. I have yet to see a visual novel, that is *so close* to being the defining factor of it's own genre and remaining - even despite it's gritty, twisted premise - so artistically pleasant.

i mean, i can respect it for its portrayal on the subject. its not like i was going in it thinking "Man, thisll be good for some lols." i knew what i was getting into and because it was clockup, i thought id give it a shot. hmm, i may give it another go.

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2 hours ago, Narcosis said:

Weakling :makina:

It's kind of amusing, since we're so used to rape no one gives a damn when it's used as a lousy plot device; everyone just rolls their eyes, when it happens. But give them a well thought-out vn, which actually portrays rape as-it-is and people suddenly get offended. Actually, maybe for the better. After all, if you got offended, it must had mean the story left you with a desirable impact, regardless whether you liked it, or not.

 

20 minutes ago, Narcosis said:

I'd say it's a sort of catharsis on an entirely different level. It makes you aware of certain things. It also reminds you that kidnapping and rape are - indeed, obviously - horrible and not really a subject matter for silly joking (sorry, AliceSoft). I guess it's the reason why majority of people I knew actually dropped it - they couldn't get past the point, where it becomes apparent the "rape" part is not a joke. It reminds you, it is not something you should be enjoying, as opposed to majority of darker/edgier eroge. That aside, even on a sliding sociopathic scale, Shinichi (Shinji?) makes for an incredibly interesting character, you're actually - somehow - able to relate with, if the topics mentioned within the story aren't completely oblivious to you. Feeling of social isolation, sense of loss, lack of drive towards your very own life and future, complete rejection that leads to non-existence... yet, those things are something we're not able - as human beings - to fight against. We want to love and be loved by others. It's what makes our lives fulfilling and worth living for. Everyday, we strive to build our perfect utopias, mostly unaware of the fact our freedom ends where it starts for someone else and only end up hurting them in the process. Even though, it is something we cannot influence; it's an integral part of us being a part of this society, whether we like it or not.

this is so fucking important

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It's worthy to note, at that point it makes it obvious what points Natsu no Kusari makes; that we're all slaves. There is no escape - we can't live outside society and Shinichi is completely aware of that. In fact - he's aware of that to such an extent, it literally hurts his very own existence.

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I think one of the reasons why this game is so good and connects with the people who like to read a well-written story is that Natsu no Kusari is not trying to sugarcoat anything. Shinji is a bastard. The game never glorifies what he does and even in the instances when he succeeds, there is a bitter aftertaste for the reader to stomach.
That may not seem like much, but it's really fundamentally different than 99% of all the other eroge out there which are constantly trying to pander to the reader.

For example, usually if you have a villainous protagonist, there is some kind of dark desire the reader has and the game wants to satisfy. (And there is nothing wrong with this as this is fiction and having some dark fetishes is perfectly normal.)
In a normal corruption eroge, even though the reader knows it's wrong to do the things shown in the story, the corruption of the heroine is in the end shown as something glorious, a feat worth praise. And the evil protagonist, although without a doubt the reader knows he is a bad person, is looked upon with envy and respect. And the reader might even wish he was as awesome as he is.

But none of this is in Natsu no Kusari. Even though the game knows that the majority of its players will identify with the protagonist, it doesn't give us the satisfaction of enjoying the torment of the girl or putting ourselves in Shinji's shoes. We only get a reason, no justification for having these feelings, the feelings of being social outcasts, not being able to find our place in society or even happiness, even though the game definitely understands why we are thinking like that and why we can relate to Shinji's line of thought.

When I'm thinking of the best game 2016, there is no doubt in my mind that it's Natsu no Kusari. For telling a story without compromises alone, even though the reader might, no, certainly will find this off-putting, it deserves this title.

28 minutes ago, mitchhamilton said:

i mean, i can respect it for its portrayal on the subject. its not like i was going in it thinking "Man, thisll be good for some lols." i knew what i was getting into and because it was clockup, i thought id give it a shot. hmm, i may give it another go.

There is no reason to force you to read something that you will obviously not enjoy. Natsu no Kusari is a very good game, but even the best story can't make you enjoy something that is conceptually repulsive to you.

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I may sound repetitive here, but I also think Fata Morgana was the best of 2016. Other than that, I really loved Key's Air, but Jesus, that ending made no sense to me and it lost a few points for that.

The two worst would be Period, which I didn't finish since it was simply bad, and Nurse Love Addiction, which I did finish but hated, mostly because I had a high expectation for it and it didn't stand to any of them. Also, half-a-screen textbox doesn't help any games.

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3 hours ago, Narcosis said:

It's worthy to note, at that point it makes it obvious what points Natsu no Kusari makes; that we're all slaves. There is no escape - we can't live outside society and Shinichi is completely aware of that. In fact - he's aware of that to such an extent, it literally hurts his very own existence.

We are the society, we are slaves of society.

We are slaves of ourselves.

Give me a nobel that i'm a genius.

Joke aside, to me Shinji is much more a slave of herself than of the society. 

 

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I will take into account only VNs that was released in 2016 in english, on PC.

So, best from what I read:
FataMorgana. No doubts. Great production values, fantastic story.

Worst? Well... Still haven't read Grisaia 2, so I will say:
Himawari. Overhyped, boring, creepy and cliched story with vile, shallow but 'preteding to be deep' characters, and ugly art.


Other worthy mentions, positive:
Flowers 1, which is, while flawed, a way ahead majority of other VNs in terms of overall quality. It's actually kinda strange, since I'm reading both Hiamwari and Flowers right now.


...just saw my vndb profile and those, Lucy and Majikoi A1 are only ones released in 2016 that I read. :P Oh well. :P

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11 hours ago, Tyrosyn said:

I think one of the reasons why this game is so good and connects with the people who like to read a well-written story is that Natsu no Kusari is not trying to sugarcoat anything. Shinji is a bastard. The game never glorifies what he does and even in the instances when he succeeds, there is a bitter aftertaste for the reader to stomach.
That may not seem like much, but it's really fundamentally different than 99% of all the other eroge out there which are constantly trying to pander to the reader.

For example, usually if you have a villainous protagonist, there is some kind of dark desire the reader has and the game wants to satisfy. (And there is nothing wrong with this as this is fiction and having some dark fetishes is perfectly normal.)
In a normal corruption eroge, even though the reader knows it's wrong to do the things shown in the story, the corruption of the heroine is in the end shown as something glorious, a feat worth praise. And the evil protagonist, although without a doubt the reader knows he is a bad person, is looked upon with envy and respect. And the reader might even wish he was as awesome as he is.

But none of this is in Natsu no Kusari. Even though the game knows that the majority of its players will identify with the protagonist, it doesn't give us the satisfaction of enjoying the torment of the girl or putting ourselves in Shinji's shoes. We only get a reason, no justification for having these feelings, the feelings of being social outcasts, not being able to find our place in society or even happiness, even though the game definitely understands why we are thinking like that and why we can relate to Shinji's line of thought.

When I'm thinking of the best game 2016, there is no doubt in my mind that it's Natsu no Kusari. For telling a story without compromises alone, even though the reader might, no, certainly will find this off-putting, it deserves this title.

There is no reason to force you to read something that you will obviously not enjoy. Natsu no Kusari is a very good game, but even the best story can't make you enjoy something that is conceptually repulsive to you.

ill still give it a another chance. seems to be a nice read and im done for that.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 2/1/2017 at 8:43 PM, Tyrosyn said:

I think one of the reasons why this game is so good and connects with the people who like to read a well-written story is that Natsu no Kusari is not trying to sugarcoat anything. Shinji is a bastard. The game never glorifies what he does and even in the instances when he succeeds, there is a bitter aftertaste for the reader to stomach.
That may not seem like much, but it's really fundamentally different than 99% of all the other eroge out there which are constantly trying to pander to the reader.

For example, usually if you have a villainous protagonist, there is some kind of dark desire the reader has and the game wants to satisfy. (And there is nothing wrong with this as this is fiction and having some dark fetishes is perfectly normal.)
In a normal corruption eroge, even though the reader knows it's wrong to do the things shown in the story, the corruption of the heroine is in the end shown as something glorious, a feat worth praise. And the evil protagonist, although without a doubt the reader knows he is a bad person, is looked upon with envy and respect. And the reader might even wish he was as awesome as he is.

But none of this is in Natsu no Kusari. Even though the game knows that the majority of its players will identify with the protagonist, it doesn't give us the satisfaction of enjoying the torment of the girl or putting ourselves in Shinji's shoes. We only get a reason, no justification for having these feelings, the feelings of being social outcasts, not being able to find our place in society or even happiness, even though the game definitely understands why we are thinking like that and why we can relate to Shinji's line of thought.

When I'm thinking of the best game 2016, there is no doubt in my mind that it's Natsu no Kusari. For telling a story without compromises alone, even though the reader might, no, certainly will find this off-putting, it deserves this title.

There is no reason to force you to read something that you will obviously not enjoy. Natsu no Kusari is a very good game, but even the best story can't make you enjoy something that is conceptually repulsive to you.

Seems like you really enjoyed Kusari. One question, did you follow the release of the game, or just were curious when I opened up that thread? Because if it's the latter, I might have (involuntarily) influenced you into reading something you enjoyed. And that's good. Of course, everyone should reflect how our tiniest act influences the world, and how our absence is deeply felt in the grand scheme of things. If there's anyone feeling suicidal here, keep this lesson in mind ;)

Love ;)

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