The Da Capo franchise

Da Capo 1 was so bland, I don't remember half the stuff that happened. The only routes I do remember and I remember liking were Miharu, Nemu and Yoriko.

I liked Da Capo 1...

I personally couldn't finish.

I'm still surprised at how much better the second one is. I found the first so bland.

It wasn't bad, I enjoyed playing it, but to me it worked more like a set-up to play Da Capo 2 than anything else. I guess I must have fallen into the Seinfeld Is Unfunny crowd, save for those routes I listed, everything felt really forgettable.

It's not really that great, no. I liked it, but it's basically the most generic VN/dating sim I can think of that's in English.

:(

^ Hey, I did like it. Mako, Kotori and Yoriko were good and Miharu and Moe routes were okay/kinda good. Just very generic and too much Nemu and Sakura. DCII managed to rescue Sakura but god I hated her in DC before that.

DC I was pretty generic, yeah.

DC IF's plotline seemed a bit... strained, to me, especially on the Nemu front, but eh.

I don't really feel like playing DCIF. Kotori is a good character and all, but if what I heard about Nemu is true, then I don't feel like playing a game where one of my favourite heroines of the prequel gets totally Flanderized.

Also, I'm not really a fan of spin-offs.

She doesn't really get flanderized. I don't even like her and I don't remember it.

Personally, I felt DCIF was a bit of a strain, yes. And I don't understand the continuity. Why is Misaki there and why is Alice friends with everyone?

DC IF is explicitly an AU, so I suppose that can explain the presence of Misaki and Alice being friends, and the One-Scene Wonder that was Tamaki.

Nemu... feels more yandere in DC IF than in the original, even with the lack of Sakura as a heroine. That's how I felt about it.

Interesting. The impression I get is that most people hate Nemu's route. (For the record: I do not count myself amongst them.)

I liked Yoriko's route for the warm and fuzzies, but a flawed (albeit well-intentioned) misdirection left me feeling a bit cheated by the route's final revelation. Yoriko is actually Misaki: considering Misaki's body is comatose, I'd posit that her family would be more concerned about this than posting flyers for their daughter's missing pet.

Also, in other news, I've finally started on DCII. I am now spending my day in a diabetic haze after getting to Christmas Eve (Anzu route lock ftw!) in the wee hours of the morning. Things are probably going to go pear-shaped at some point, in accordance with romantic VN tradition...

(I harbour suspicions about Anzu's real nature, and the existential angst that is probably soon to make an appearance...)

Anzu is the best, though she doesn't have the best route. Pretty decent though. What's your suspicion in regards to Anzu? I seem to recall she drops some pretty pointed hints. And no, I won't confirm or deny, you don't have to worry about that.

edited 26th Jun '11 11:21:12 PM by Arha

Thank you.

Well...

I think Anzu is an advanced android. What with the perfect memory and the bond she seems to have with Minatsu.

On that note, I was pretty much an instant fan of Anzu: I broke with habit and went straight for her route instead of the "default" (which would probably be Otome). She gets some awesomely sarcastic lines.

You actually can't do Otome or Yume yet. You need to do Anzu or Koko before Otome and Nanaka or Minatsu before Yume. I recommend doing the sisters last because you're more or less SUPPOSED to do them last.

And yeah, Anzu is my favorite. The world needs more trolls.

Ignoring the innuendo, I thought this might have been the case: they don't appear on the start screen, which is kind of a giveaway.

(It's just that Otome's icon is always on the location menu; that just must come to a dead end eventually.)

As I recall, once you've cleared the four first heroines Otome and Yume show up on the front. Once you finished those two you unlock a special feature that I won't elaborate on.

And yeah, I noticed the innuendo as well but didn't care enough to rephrase the statement.

Anzu would be my favorite heroine, but I don't really have a least favorite. They're actually all more or less okay at least, though Koko and Minatsu can be a little annoying at times. Though I definitely have least favorite routes.

edited 27th Jun '11 12:06:32 AM by Arha

@zeroplusalpha: I don't really know about that, the only place I ever discussed this was here, and I only remember Arha stating that he hates her.

Anyway, she's a tsundere and a childhood friend, so my overall standing with her was pretty high right off the bat.

Which is also the reason I liked Yume.

edited 27th Jun '11 12:18:53 AM by RunoEddie

I have to say, so far I think DCII is a pretty good example of how a romantic VN should be done. It is engaging in a way its predecessor never managed to be, and the protagonist has a believable friendship with same-sex peers.

The product placement in the music room makes me smile: those cymbals are Zildjian Ks, also found in K-On!. Eroge would be the last place I would expect a company like Zildjian to authorise coveted use of their logo.

edited 27th Jun '11 12:19:14 AM by zeroplusalpha

^^ Koko is a tsundere? Uh, no. Besides, I don't hate her. She can just be annoying sometimes. I certainly hate her route but that's not her fault, really. It's just poorly written garbage.

And Yume is like Nemu, only written better. So I actually do like her.

And yes, DCII is a vast improvement over the mostly okay but nothing special original.

edited 27th Jun '11 12:22:32 AM by Arha

and the protagonist has a believable friendship with same-sex peers.

This. Oh so this.

Made Nanaka's route better than it had any right to be.

Wait, Koko? I was talking about Yume and Nemu.

edited 27th Jun '11 12:22:28 AM by RunoEddie

Hm? Yume and Nemu don't fit into the childhood friend character mold. They're little sisters. Yume is Nemu done right. Childish because she's a child, clingy but not possessive, jealous but accepting. I'm not sure why you mentioned them in relation to me, though.

edited 27th Jun '11 12:24:39 AM by Arha

^ This so hard. Now, if only Yume had Hocchan's voice in the game...

I'm not sure if you can have anything original outside of the established "Slice Of Life -> Blossoming Romance -> Tragedy -> Carthasis" template.

Well, not without chucking in elements of other kinds of games.

*Effortlessly segues into pimping Sakura Taisen*