Completed Steins;Gate 0 recently, and, what can I say, it was rather underwhelming experience. I'm rarely against fandiscs, even if they are made just for milking the successful series, because hey, at least I get to see some characters I liked or something. But this felt so forced, boring, not engaging at all plot-wise, ugh! Rintarou is annoying af through the entire game (not counting two badass moments), Suzuha isn't as fun as Suzuha from the main game, Kagari is boring, Maho is okay, probably the only addition I really enjoyed. And Mayuri gets to finally do something, but that's about it.
Also, some things were just RIDICULOUS, and made me unable to treat this vn 100% seriously. Like that thing straight from soap opera:
Kagari getting plastic and voice surgery to look EXACTLY EVERY BIT like Yuki... Okay, I didn't expect THAT, but just making it an unexpected twist doesn't make it good, geez
Also, artstyle is noticeably different, like when you see Mayuri's new sprite, and soon after that her old one, she looks like two completely different characters, it's just awkward :v
I guess it's not the worst vn ever, but compared to the original it's just meh. I'm looking to anime a lot less now :< At least it made me appreciate S;G comedy and chuunibyou Okarin more, I guess? 7/10
I got pretty much what I was expecting from this, only with more girl on girl action, which was a bit surprising. I mean seriously, Cinnamon is so gay, it seems like she doesn't need Kashou at all :>
Okay, so ever since volume 1 theme for the sequels was already established, but what now? Shigure and Milk? The latter one didn't appear at all in this volume, so maybe she's more grown up by now, I can totally see this happening.
And apparently there are doggirls in this universe as well, sooo InuPara spin-off maybe?
@_katz_
That's true, plus this volume had 5 h-scenes in total, which is the biggest number so far in the series. Then again, Neko Para was all about threesomes since the very beginning, so it'd make sense for Shigure to have someone to pair with as well...
Right now, I'm almost done with Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru, episode 7. Currently finishing up the episode 7 Tea Party and the, uh, "???" thingy. Episode 7's main story was kinda... unsatisfying. I mean, sure, I got a chunk of new information that's very helpful in learning the criminal motive, but the whodunnit and the howdunnit are still not crystal clear. I know Ryukishi07 wants to let readers figure it out for themselves, but it's kinda frustrating not knowing what actually happened at Rokkenjima on October 5th, 1986.
Also, the pacing of episode 7's beginning really dragged on. Lion was boring as a character, and I just couldn't care about him, and I wanted the story to move on already whenever he showed up. Thankfully, Yasu's introduction really moved things along and showed what kind of scumbag Battler can be. It's just such a shame that we never really got proper resolution on that particular issue with Battler, but I suppose it's better that way, since real life doesn't have convenient closures for every angst you have.
Maybe in episode 8, we can actually see Battler reconciled with you-know-who? That would make a nice ending... but I could understand why the fans wouldn't like this kind of ending - it's a trite and contrived happy end. Very unrealistic.
@RyderFlynn be sure to share your thoughts after the last episode of Umineko, these are always the most fun to read :>
As for me, played 1st Sono Hanabire ni Kuchizuke wo and later the sequel with the same couple, to check whether it's a series for me, and it turned out to be surprisingly decent. Cute and not as perverted as I expected from my first nukige. Some of the CGs were just hnnnng, I can forgive story being boring and predictable :3 Definitely gonna check out other couples in the future as well. 5/10
Kitsu-nee said: @RyderFlynn be sure to share your thoughts after the last episode of Umineko, these are always the most fun to read :>
It's been an amazing ride. I really love its deconstruction of the mystery genre and mystery buffs. There were a lot of meaningful life lessons there too. The one that was especially relevant to my life at the moment was the one about changing your perspective with "magic". Very inspirational stuff with how Ange protected her "truth" in spite of what the whole world said.
It's been an amazing journey with Umineko. I was surprised that the two final episodes would be my favorite as I heard people said that they were "unnecessary" because they gave some trite happy ending. I felt like those two episodes have the most to said about life and how you think about what the "truth" is than the rest of the VN, so yeah, definitely not unnecessary.
I started playing Ever17 years ago, but for whatever the reason I stopped playing part way into Tsugumi's route. Two months ago, May 1st, 2017, I started back up because it was too perfect to not. It was the first day of the story's events, so I can say that I had a proper start on the very same day in real life. Unfortunately, things had gotten in the way over the past two months, but I managed to sneak in a little time every now and then to make it through the game. Finally finished it just now, though it required losing a bit of sleep since I wanted to make sure I could finish it within the summer. Glad I stuck with it though.
Just completed Grisaia no Kajitsu, which took a good portion of my summer vacation - I know, I know, everyone played it years ago, but I need to leave some comment on it behind, I'll try to keep it brief.
I must admit that I am slightly disappointed with it - the hype was too strong, everyone praising it and keeping this title on their top favourite lists certainly didn't help me in this case... It's a quite simple fanservice fun, which I normally adore, but maybe because of overly high expectations I didn't enjoy it that much. Common route had its moments, but I was never really laughing that much during it anyway. Plus it was too long, I got tired quickly, and halfway through I just wanted to get to heroine routes ASAP, which normally doesn't really happen to me, especially during first playthrough :<
Some of routes had really good moments, but in each route there were things I could complain about and they left me more or less unsatisfied. The weirdest one was probably Amane's case:
First third is basically a nukige, then there's Angelic Howl - very fun to read, felt almost like Higurashi (no wonder I enjoyed it!), and then comes the ending, which was some sentimental bullshit almost out of Brazilian soap opera - WTF
They didn't even bother to include one line of explanation why they never returned to check out what Kazuki left behind, sigh!
And it was the same with every other route, only not quite to this extent.
It's like they wanted to create something more complex and thought-provoking than your usual eroge, but weren't able to convey it properly.
CGs, chara-design, music, voice acting - all that stuff was absolutely top-notch (not counting these ugly chibi-scenes, just hated them ugh). Not losing hope, I'm still looking forward to sequel stories, because I did like heroines' interactions, and maybe the storyline in Meikyuu/Rakuen will be more engaging?
Obligatory best girl order: Kazuki>Michiru>Makina>Sachi>JB>>Yumiko>Amane
I don't really have favourite route, they were more or less on a similar level - I guess I can say that Michiru's, Sachi's and 1/3 of Amane's are the least flawed. Just thinking of Yumiko's and Makina's makes me wanna cry from boredom or plain irritation ;(
Out of curiosity, I've checked out steam version as well, and it seems that they didn't cut-out that much besides h-scenes - most of erotic humor was left untouched, and you get 17 brand new CGs (most of them super cute), which is quite a good deal imo.
Anyway, Grisaia gets 7/10 from me, because it was decent enough. FAR from acknowledging it as kamige though.
Far more character focused than the infinity series, and less mindfuckery for better or worse (I liked it). Some pacing issues but nothing on the level of endless repeated convos about chicken sandwiches in Ever17. It's interesting to see how Nakazawa's concepts have evolved over time.
I don't get the whole "it was disappointing, I didn't enjoy it that much, very flawed...7/10" mentality.
7/10 means GOOD, not mediocre/decent/not that good. I wouldn't rate something 7/10 if I found most of the content boring. Just give it a 5/6 or something that's more accurate.
@SuperRed
Welp, my post was mainly whining so it probably looks that way, but there are more important aspects of this vn that I really enjoyed - some of comedy was good, there were two or three scenes where I got teary-eyed (Michiru's and Sachi's routes), technical stuff was top-notch (and that's important factor for me), protagonist was likable and there were no heroine I'd particularly dislike, while there were a few whom I totally adored. I could write a few paragraphs about each heroine and route, but decided to keep it short and focus mainly on stuff I was disappointed with, because most of comments on Grisaia here were very positive.
Like I said, it is "decent enough" for eroge, but since I expected kamige masterpiece, it led to having mixed feelings about it, and being slightly disappointed.
But I still appreciate them trying to do something different than usual school setting, even if they didn't completely succeeded in that area. I've played a lot of simpler, more boring and predictable eroge, that didn't take any chances - and even when I was bitter or annoyed with some of Grisaia's plot-holes or weird MC's decisions I was still curious to find out what's gonna happen next.
Anyway, I don't think about my scores that much, considering other eroge I played, it deserves a 7, which is good minus or mediocre plus in my book.
@Kitsu-nee
Too bad you didn't enjoy Grisaia no Kajitsu as much as I did. To be honest, I was in it for the characters and slice of life. Needless to say, my fav part was the common route.
You don't have to agree with me at all, but to me Grisaia is awesome because the way it's written. Most things are consistent and it's like a puzzle that fits together. Thinking back, there are no sudden changes in personality. Things either changed gradually or they just weren't what it seemed at the time. To me consistency/logic are important.
doom19876 said: @Kitsu-nee
Too bad you didn't enjoy Grisaia no Kajitsu as much as I did. To be honest, I was in it for the characters and slice of life. Needless to say, my fav part was the common route.
You don't have to agree with me at all, but to me Grisaia is awesome because the way it's written. Most things are consistent and it's like a puzzle that fits together. Thinking back, there are no sudden changes in personality. Things either changed gradually or they just weren't what it seemed at the time. To me consistency/logic are important.
From what I've heard most people adore common route, and I don't think it's weird you know, it's just this comedy didn't exactly match my taste.
But I disagree with logic part, it wasn't horrible, but there were at least a few times during most (if not all) routes that I'd just facepalm. I named my problems with Amane's route/ending, I'll put some other here:
Michiru - I won't call it a plot hole, but the whole supernatural thing was completely unneeded, and inconsistent with the rest of vn - wasn't Grisaia supposed to be taking more realistic/psychological approach? Nope, here it's just another girl that exists within her! Her route would be so much better and more engaging, if this was actual split-personality or some other mental disorder, not something almost out of Key vn, sigh. But I could still live with that, if during ending she made peace with her death and dunno, went to heaven or whatever. But nnnope! They're gonna co-exist in one body forever! Maybe I wouldn't be so angry about it, if I didn't just play her after story in Meikyuu, which ruined her route even more for me ;(
Oh, and it's never explained how the heck she even talks to dead girl's mother after they come to US, we know her level of Engrish and the mother obviously didn't speak Japanese, so yeah.
Sachi - alright in general, but blowing up the school didn't make any sense to me, I know that Yuuji was like, this is the only possible solution to cure her! But for me it was too ridiculous to treat it seriously. Them having sex scene right after it certainly didn't help either.
Yuuji's choices in all routes are in general so over-the-top and extreme, it's hard to take most of it seriously.
@Kitsu-nee
Actually, that was pretty much what I thought about michiru's route the first time. I tried it a second time after I actually got more fond of her during the reread of the common route v3.2.
I can clearly see why you aren't happy with it as I wasn't either. But I just accepted it for what it was and then it was pretty much ok for me. Sure you can brush things of as super natural, but the truth is, there are people out there who claim it's real, so if you just assume it's not impossible in the universe you're reading in,it's not all that bad.
And I totally agree with you that yuuji is way over glorified and his decisions made into acts of god.
All the sex scenes could have been left out. They only contribute in Amane's route and if stretching out a bit also that one time in chiru's route.
The part I showed you was just there for good humor 😄
Also when I meant the logic was fine, I meant how their personality add up and can be explained. Since for me personalities and characterization are most important.
About why stuff didn't happen for instance after the Amane story, I can't tell,I mean I could think up some theories,but maybees and probablies don't really help anyone
Playing SakuSaku now(finally).
Finished Ann route and it was pretty boring tbh. Going with Finished Tina now, seems much better.
I love all the lolicon jokes. The way protagonist is so self-conscious about it and gives logical excuses for going further and further is gold.
I also like drama here so far. Not forced, natural and relatable.
Ok, the last arc was shit. Drama totally out of nowhere and even more forced ending. To make it worse they didn't explain anything outside of one ambiguous sentence from Ann. We can only guess how it turned out the way it did and if she is going to stay or disappear.
Other characters don't seem that interesting. Maybe Konami? WTB Aoi route.
Ozmafia!! - otomege with cute bishies by Satoi, but that's all there is to it. The setting is all over the place, on the one hand we have this adorable fairy tale setting, on the other - there's brothel route, where main heroine can become a prostitute lol. And it's not even eroge! Replay value is about 0, and it's not fully voiced, sometimes voice just cuts off in the middle of conversation >_> Just because I enjoyed a few cute moments - 6/10
Rewrite: Oka-ken Katsudou Kiroku Gaiden - I had a hard time finding this one, but finally it got uploaded online. And hey, it's nothing much, both parts combinded take maybe 40-60 minutes to read through, but I was so happy to be back to Rewrite's world and meet (almost) all girls again <3 Plus seeing cranky Akane in idol's outfit - made it totally worth it. 7/10
Been reading Tsukihime after Fate. Already finished Arcueid and Ciel routes. It's nice, but I'd love some voices. Though I suppose lack of voices makes it faster to read (yes, I listen to voices).
Recently finished Black Wolves Saga Bloody Nightmare, and liked it a lot, enough to give it a 10/10 and fiddle with my MAL profile. Really solid otome game. Interesting plot, most characters were actually kind of fascinating. Common route was rather long. The character-specific routes are a bit on the short side but it was a good enough ride that I don't mind it much in this case. Now I'm on to play Black Wolves Saga Last Hope (which is like an AU of the first game if something else had happened in the beginning instead of what happened in Bloody Nightmare). I hear it's got the "real" true ending of the game, so that should be cool to see.
TL;DR Black Wolves Saga is a good pick if you're not usually into otome games, the heroine is (mostly) competent and it's got an interesting story, it's not just fluff. Also the OST is fantastic.
P.S. Kaji Yuuki has a role in this VN (actually, there are quite a few good seiyuu here) and I gotta say this is by far my favourite role for him. I didn't recognize his voice at all. It's quite different from his usual.
Also just started playing Doki Doki Literature Club. I've managed to keep away from any spoilers, all I know is that it's pretty hyped up, so I'm expecting to be entertained.
Little Busters!
I'm done with all the routes and stuff, but there are still little things you can find, especially after Refrain.
But I have to say Little Busters! is one of the best Visual Novels I have ever read. I cried several times and there are not many Visual Novels who have succeeded with it.
Li_Syaoran said: Little Busters!
I'm done with all the routes and stuff, but there are still little things you can find, especially after Refrain.
But I have to say Little Busters! is one of the best Visual Novels I have ever read. I cried several times and there are not many Visual Novels who have succeeded with it.
It makes me happy when people express their love for LB! since it is also my favorite visual novel. Haruka will always be my favorite girl.
On the topic, currently playing several. Grisaia no Meikyuu and Zero Escape. I stopped playing House in Fata Morgana and Root Double halfway through. Guess I'm no fan of super long VNs anymore. Eagerly waiting on Fault Silence the Pendant.
"I've always seen failure as a possibility, but never as an option." vndb||Serumeito Twitter||Discord: Bunny of Wrath#3201
Grisaia no Meikyuu
Took me over half a year to complete all routes, and god, was that shit xD This would work out way better as simple erotic comedy. Too bad they decided to mix it with "boohoo, tough life of a soldier" drama :x I guess the idea itself wasn't that bad, but the execution of it, ughh. This vn series has probably one of the worst styles of writing I've ever seen. There are no subtle forshadowings, every big event happens just because, and we get explainations later, which makes me think none of it was well thought through. Yuuji's past rather than show his
traumatic life with parents and forming bond with Kazuki, brushes it off, so we can get interesting stuff. Like, you know, reading about dumb asshole playing imouto eroge during some military mission (xD)
It's not that I hate silly stories, I just hate that Grisaia is the worst case of wannabe kamige I've ever seen. The first vn ever where I was skipping through some of the voiced dialogue, because even I have my own limits.