General Visual Novel Appreciation Thread

Well, there's all these threads about various specific VisualNovels flying around but I sort of feel that there's quite a few...uh, oh, am I bad with words...ITT: We gush about VN's.

Anyone has pics of Mana Sharing with Rin Tohsaka?

Heh, FSN hijack, already? Sorta I was being kinda vague.

Alright, let me start. Just yesterday, I was playing a freeware game called A Midsummer Day's Resonance and it kinda made me smile a little... The thing about them being on different worlds altogether and could never really meet sort of, well, resonated a bit with me. It kinda reminded me of the Internet in a way. You could meet someone far away, be friends and even fall in love without ever being able to meet them face to face. But, I sort of felt like it couldn't really hold its own thread. It being a barely over an hour long may have something to do with it. I'm not even certain myself why I feel this way... Anyway, I'll leave it be...

^^There's plenty out there on the Web. Just google her name with safe search turned off.

The canon CGs are pretty tame (and the accompanying text is seven shades of awkward).

edited 18th Jan '10 11:32:44 PM by zeroplusalpha

Well, I played a game called "Ever17" for a little while a ways back, because I heard it was good. I don't remember why I stopped? It seemed pretty decent to me. I think the real problem isn't that it was a bad game so much as that I don't think visual novels really do it for me, for some reason. Which is kind of strange, because I love story-heavy games like Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, etc. Go figure. Oh, another thing that you'd think I would like but I don't is point-and-click adventure games. So Yeah.

Ever 17 is okay for the first 4 routes, then becomes awesome for the last one. Unfortunately, it kinda needed that merely okay build-up to be awesome so I can't full-heartedly recommend it. Incidentally, it's also emblematic of the kind of storytelling only possible in a VN. I'm going to have to half-heartedly say that if you're going to play it you should finish it. Playing only halfway through is only going to give you a bad impression. I think it's probably better to think of it as a novel rather than a game though. That applies to all V Ns actually.

edited 18th Jan '10 11:51:25 PM by Clarste

Oh, I intend to finish it at some point.

As usual, Clannad VN ftw. I can post C Gs if you guys like. Mostly spoilers though.

Also, I so want a Maria Sama Ga Miteru Visual Novel.

edited 19th Jan '10 2:02:31 AM by Mapi

I play this game called 'Hourglass of Summer' from time to time.

There are so many reasons why I should hate it. First of all, the main love interest is such a Yamato Nadeshiko that makes me puke my balls out every time she says 'Gomenasai' in that figging whispering voice of her. Hate that.

And the translation is just bad. Those few times that I find the chance to pay for my Japanese entertainment, I would like to see quality work. Not glaring typos and grammar mistakes that even a non-native Englishspeaker like myself can point out. Its especially bad with the menu screen ('Returns to a game'? 'A password is displayed'? WTF?)

No animation to speak of. Even the conversations in Fire Emblem seem to have more technological backing. Complete artworks for a few key moments are few and far between.

That being said, I like it overall, and it was cheap anyway. It has a charming story with some well written dialogue. And it's fun to play Spot The Trope with, in a Troperriffic way. Should finish it one of these days.

Heck, might as well do now. See ya!

The freeware game The Best Eroge Ever. Short, crash prone and very minimal, but funny as hell if you're familiar with the genre conventions: http://www.tsukuru.info/tbee/

I just got finished installing the english-translated version of Fate Stay Night. I expect the next few days to be full of boredom and general ennui. All in all I expect the next few days to not be worth the investment, and I expect this to leave me feeling rather-

USO DA!

k'chunk

Re..Rena? What are you doing here? And can we please put down the hatchet... cleaver thing?

"zzzdragon-kun was lying. Lying is a very bad thing to do. You also insulted Rena's unit commander."

The lying was joke... wait unit commander, how does that?

"Voice Actress Proxy Principle."

I don't think it works like gah!- k'thunk -And I asked you to please put that thing down.

"Dame desu. Even if you are technically an adult, if you do bad things like lying you need to be punished."

Wait, sto-

K'SHIIING f'sssssssshhh

Um... Hello everyone, my name is Ryuuguu Rena. I'm sorry, but zzzdragon is going to transfer schools soon, and he won't be able to post here again. I'm sorry if this causes anyone any inconvenience.

I think we just a bit to much fun right now, didn't we Rena?

edited 20th Jan '10 5:22:53 PM by zzzdragon

I've played a couple V Ns before Fate/Stay Night.

First there was Kana Imouto, which was pretty short (didn't bother getting all endings) and very bittersweet...or just bitter I guess, lol. I didn't shock me as much as it should have because the reason I played it was on hubby's recommendation, who tried it because he heard it was the saddest thing anyone has ever read.

Then I played Utawarerumono which was more of a cross between a VN/strategy game but I never finished. I will finish some day, though.

Needless to say, FSN is my favourite EVER and it was very, very enjoyable and very addicting. I could not put it down. The anime didn't impress me too much (I watched it first) but the VN made me fall in love with the characters triple! <3 FSN is awesome, especially after you get done with the first route.

Currently, I'm thinking of playing Kanon, Higurashi and Umineko, eventually. And maybe Clannad and its sequels, I guess. But all that will have to wait until I have free time in the summer. X3

Also, I downloaded the first chapter of Katawa Shoujo, so hopefully I'll get a chance to try that someday soon.

Bah, when I watch the Fate Stay Night reboot anime or finally resume the VN, I will not be able to not laugh when Rin and Taiga are in one room thanks to Maria Sama Ga Miteru.

Not sure why this is on this board but whatever.

I started playing Ever 17. This has actually lowered my respect for the medium. I'm not far in (although I intend to finish) but I have some thoughts.

1. Why does the narration describe the pictures? Is this normal? I mean, it goes on about the blue sky and clouds as I'm looking at a picture of blue sky and clouds. Rather redundant.
2. Is Purple Prose normal? Because, ew.
3. This is something I have with anime in general but jesus fucking god, why do the women talk like that?! Do they have a special speech bladder full of helium?! D:
4. What's the advantage of making a VN over, say, an anime?
5. Why not an Adventure Game? I like those.

VNs are cheaper to make and have pictures.

Phoenix Wright, anyone?

Granted. I'd still prefer an anime or Adventure Game, though. I mean an independent group made the white chamber, so why not?

1. Why does the narration describe the pictures? Is this normal? I mean, it goes on about the blue sky and clouds as I'm looking at a picture of blue sky and clouds. Rather redundant.

Yes, it is normal. There have been exactly 0 Visual Novels I've played that relied on the pictures to describe anything. I think "novels with music" is probably the best way to think of them, since the pictures don't add too much.

2. Is Purple Prose normal? Because, ew.

Maybe? I get the feeling that Japan has different standards for how much description is too much, as well as what kinds of things deserve description, but I dunno. I don't recall it being particularly bad in ever17, but I'm not especially sensitive to that kind of thing in the first place.

3. This is something I have with anime in general but jesus fucking god, why do the women talk like that?! Do they have a special speech bladder full of helium?! D:

I tend to turn the voices off, since I have text anyway. More relevantly, this is apparently a Japanese thing related to the whole Kawaisa thing. Supposedly real Japanese women sometimes talk like this when trying to sound cute, which is a terrifying thought.

4. What's the advantage of making a VN over, say, an anime?

Hmm? Shouldn't the real question be what advantages it has over pure prose? In which case the answer would be music. The best Visual Novels suck as anime, because of the storytelling conventions. Not to spoil it, but Ever 17 in particular could never possibly be an anime that didn't suck horribly.

5. Why not an Adventure Game? I like those.

Again, novel first, game second. Interactivity is so not a concern for the people who make these that your statement confuses me greatly. These aren't text games, they're Visual Novels. Why does this confuse people?

That was completely intentional Mapi, in case you thought for a second that I wasn't insulting Clannad.

edited 13th Feb '10 10:42:30 PM by Clarste

Don't worry about it; unlike certain other people, I know how to respect people's opinions.

Yes, it is normal. There have been exactly 0 Visual Novels I've played that relied on the pictures to describe anything. I think "novels with music" is probably the best way to think of them, since the pictures don't add too much.

Uh, okay. Seems rather pointless.

I don't recall it being particularly bad in ever17

It's not, really, but a few moments make me think that the writers were amateurish.

I tend to turn the voices off, since I have text anyway.

I will be doing this in the future.

More relevantly, this is apparently a Japanese thing related to the whole Kawaisa thing. Supposedly real Japanese women sometimes talk like this when trying to sound cute, which is a terrifying thought.

I've heard that before. Again - ew.

Hmm? Shouldn't the real question be what advantages it has over pure prose? In which case the answer would be music. The best Visual Novels suck as anime, because of the storytelling conventions.

The music has been mostly mediocre so far. I suppose that it did help the mood in the escape sequence, but that's about it. I'm not really sure what advantages the VN medium has, here.

Interactivity is so not a concern for the people who make these that your statement confuses me greatly. These aren't text games, they're Visual Novels. Why does this confuse people?

I meant graphical adventure games, like the white chamber (which I'm fond of).

Because those are harder to make?

"It's cheap" really doesn't help my perception of the medium.

Quite a few now big name studios got their start with visual novels, IIRC. It's pretty much a stepping stone into world of Japanese animation.

edited 13th Feb '10 10:51:06 PM by Solstace