|
Well, i'm in the middle of Tsumihoroboshi now, and it's pretty good. The way that Rena's POV text goes from pink to red in gradual shades as the story goes on is something I barely even picked up on until now. I do feel like i'd enjoy it a lot more if I wasn't already spoiled on the majority of the twists back when I was reading the manga. I know about Rika, I know about Hinamizawa Syndrome (though not most of the actual facts about it, just that it exists) and I also know a bit about the Yamainu. The question arcs were a bit more interesting since I could look at it with a sense of "oh, so that's why X is happening", but the answer arcs are just, well, the answers I already know of. It's disappointing, honestly - it's still enjoyable to read through, but I imagine it's a lot like being spoiled on Muv Luv would have been. e: "The true identity of the parasite... is aliens." Oh god Rena, you are just the best.  e2: Well, that's that. Pretty much everyone is their own little variety of hosed up now. At least I was wrong about where they were going when Rena said that Keiichi only targeted little girls, good lord that would have been awful. Compared to that, shooting them with a BB gun, uh, is still awful just not as awful and this is a goddamn mess. e3: Okay woah this is something I wasn't spoiled about. Keiichi is suddenly remembering Onikakushi? Clearly? In this timeline? So now this is turning into the Onikakushi answer arc, which is kinda out of nowhere but i've been looking forward to it for a while. It does seem like it's not as good in retrospect, since it's boiling down to "drat Keiichi you crazy". But now Rika's patting Keiichi on the head and being really nice, and that's good. e4: Alright, uh, so Rena has officially gone off the deep end and I don't think this is going to end well for anyone. e5:  e6: This loving RULES! e7: Okay kids like the whole maid and servant thing is funny and all but uh you're literally trying to kill eachother so if you wanna have fun and joke around maybe stop doing that first please  e8: This is the most surreal loving thing in the world and i'm loving every second of it. God drat this is starting to reach Umineko levels of  e9: Holy poo poo. They did it? What the gently caress? I mean, I know there's two stories left, but you know what i'm gonna choose to believe it for what time i've got left to do so, because this is a good thing that happened and I didn't realize how apathetic I became to the plight of the characters until things starting going right again. e10: Oh for gently caress's sake. Yeah I kinda forgot about the whole everything exploding and everyone dying bit. Uh, well, at least everyone was happy up till then? Hopefully? The ending credits did say her trial was underway though, so unless they had the trial that same night i'm pretty sure Rena might still be alive. e11: Doesn't look like it, I guess. Oh well. The staff room bit with R07 was really nice, actually. Not a summation of everything in the game, not a discussion on the parts he had trouble with or enjoyed writing, just a suggestion to reach out to people when you need help. That's really classy, he's a pretty good guy. 
klapman fucked around with this message at 22:32 on Apr 16, 2013 |
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 19:51
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 1, 2024 18:27 |
|
|
I suck and spoiled myself a little by constantly checking the Higurashi wikia while reading so I knew many of the things you say you found out beforehand. Also going backwards from Umineko I had knowledge I shouldn't have had at the time, but I really enjoyed the answer arcs where you're at right now and didn't feel cheated. Things start coming together, and it finally provides you with a reference frame to understand the story so far. Also the music was better as they stopped doing that giddy up boing-bong eight second loop every time something wacky happens. I cried at the part where you are now. Those realizations were really cathartic. I think I like the emotional procession of the Higurashi story better than Umineko.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 21:56
|
|
|
Krinkle posted:I suck and spoiled myself a little by constantly checking the Higurashi wikia while reading so I knew many of the things you say you found out beforehand. Also going backwards from Umineko I had knowledge I shouldn't have had at the time, but I really enjoyed the answer arcs where you're at right now and didn't feel cheated. Things start coming together, and it finally provides you with a reference frame to understand the story so far. Also the music was better as they stopped doing that giddy up boing-bong eight second loop every time something wacky happens. Yeah, I guess I just got too used to the "pattern" that the story followed, so my reactions got kinda dulled, which to be honest is probably the point. Judging by the introductory text when you start up the chapter and some of the Rika-centric TIPS, you're supposed to be feeling just like she is. When everything goes to absolute poo poo you're just kinda like "yeah well here we go again", and then when things start to change in crazy, new ways you're like "holy loving poo poo yes let's do this!". So now i'm having a lot of fun with the story even though I do know most of the answers, but until now it was basically just "yeah okay gotcha yep right lets move on". It doesn't help that I actually read the first half of the story revolving around Teppei and Rina in the manga because that was one of the most fully translated ones at the time, so I knew pretty much everything that went down up until just before Rena went absolutely batshit in the school. All around, definitely my favorite episode so far, probably tied with Onikakushi. Looking forward to the next two, which will hopefully be new stories. Meakashi was interesting, but just going through a retread of Watanagashi with a different viewpoint was a little bit dull, no matter how gutwrenching the torture scenes might have been. On the other hand, it also had Rika being the most badass motherfucker in the world, so it was pretty great in it's own way too.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 22:39
|
|
|
Yeah the end of Tsumihoroboshi is really special and really sets the table for Minagoroshi, which is even better. Despite the "Answer" arcs obviously having some answers to the mysteries, it's the the characterization that's the main draw. Higurashi's cast is just crazy good. With Meakashi, the main draw for me are the diary TIPs, where you directly follow Shion's train of thought as she goes from suspicious, to murderous, to  incarnate.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 22:46
|
|
|
planetarial posted:Speaking of Ever17, am I the only one who didn't find it to be good at all? The final route is great when poo poo hits the fan but all the other routes is a slog. Especially when one route is pretty superfluous to begin with and has only one scene of any importance but is required to complete anyway. It's not like Muv Luv where I felt like playing through Extra and Unlimited was well worth it in the end and Alternative was twice as long as the previous games combined too. It just wasn't worth it to go through four boring routes for a final route that gets good and lasts for all of a couple of hours. The music's pretty meh too, aside from Karma and the OP/ED themes. I feel like part of the reason why it's well liked is because back when it came out it was a rare creature. Both porn free, a focus on mystery rather than romance and commercially released overseas. Though unfortunately the last point is moot now with it being out of print and copies being overpriced by collectors. Late on this obviously but while I sort of agree with the general sentiment that the first four routes are just only okay compared to the final route, I think as a whole the payoff justifies the less exciting parts. Maybe I just like the initial routes better than most people, I dunno. Well no, Sora's route is awful in every way and unnecessary, but I liked the other three, Tsugumi and Sara especially. The repetition of several scenes is the worst part about it really.
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2013 02:08
|
|
|
Hahaha, oh man. It's like the PTSD Arc in Muv Luv all over again, Minagoroshi loving rules. It actually feels like there's a point to everything again, which is something the series was sorely lacking up until the end of Tsumihoroboshi and up to now. This is gonna be a fun ride. e1: Never mind they're playing mahjongg again e2: You know, this situation is really bad, but the thing is, Rena's got total control of her family's (vast) finances. I don't really remember if everyone knows the only reason Teppei's staying around is because he's strapped for cash, but... Even if it would leave a bad taste in my mouth, if I was in that situation i'd probably just buy the guy off. Sure, he'd be getting rewarded for his actions, but guys like him don't tend to live long anyways - he'd be dead, probably within a couple of years. More importantly though, he'd be gone. I just hope they can see this solution quickly enough and have the guts to go through with it. This is a really good arc so far. klapman fucked around with this message at 20:49 on Apr 17, 2013 |
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2013 14:27
|
|
|
(Minagoroshi)Teppei returns to Hinamizawa whenever Rina is killed by yakuza so as to lay low, not because he needs money. The situation with Rena's family was a different matter. E: Just checked, it's laid out in the fourth and fifth Minagoroshi TIPs. Nate RFB fucked around with this message at 21:57 on Apr 17, 2013 |
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2013 21:00
|
|
|
Nate RFB posted:(Minagoroshi)Teppei returns to Hinamizawa whenever Rina is killed by yakuza so as to lay low, not because he needs money. The situation with Rena's family was a different matter. Oh, I gotcha. That makes things a lot more complicated, I must have read a few things wrong or something. In that case, hopefully Keiichi can somehow not piss off Oryou while doing his whole heroic stand thing, this could get ugly quick if she gets pissed off.
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2013 21:16
|
|
|
I actually started playing Da Capo. Holy moley, this is the most generic VN. The high school, the artstyle, the jokes, the events, everything is so... typical. Every character is just a Wacky Personality Trait and a Tragic Backstory. It's stupid as hell, but at the same time it's sort of refreshing to see an unashamedly straightforward VN for once, though. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if it turns out that the world has some Big Secret, though. I've played through two routes (Kotori and Moe) so far... should I expect additional content to magically unlock at some point? The porn is awful, as expected, and the girls' tendency to worship Junichi is disturbing. I gotta say, though, the kid has an enormous penis. I wouldn't know this if MangaGamer hadn't felt it necessary to uncensor this poo poo.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 02:12
|
|
|
Da Capo is dated as hell, mostly. There is unlocked stuff, once you've completed the initial 5 girls, 2 more open up, and you get kind of an epilogue thing for completing them all. Da Capo 2 was way better, as they got better at writing the humor in between games. As an aside, I actually kinda liked Moe's route in that it was perhaps the only time a character's wacky trait became an important plot point.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 02:28
|
|
|
Suleman posted:I actually started playing Da Capo. Holy moley, this is the most generic VN. The high school, the artstyle, the jokes, the events, everything is so... typical. Every character is just a Wacky Personality Trait and a Tragic Backstory. It's stupid as hell, but at the same time it's sort of refreshing to see an unashamedly straightforward VN for once, though. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if it turns out that the world has some Big Secret, though. I've played through two routes (Kotori and Moe) so far... should I expect additional content to magically unlock at some point? I was attempting to comment with my own thoughts on it but it turns out that, despite playing through the entire game pretty recently, I don't remember a drat thing about it. Actually no, I do remember that I did have that feeling I usually have with generic tragic backstory VNs that all the girls in the routes you didn't pick are just plain screwed beyond hope of recovery but that's about it. It's not often a story/game leaves me with that little of an impression.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 02:36
|
|
|
Super Jay Mann posted:I was attempting to comment with my own thoughts on it but it turns out that, despite playing through the entire game pretty recently, I don't remember a drat thing about it. I'm sorta glad to hear I'm not the only one who gets that feeling.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 03:10
|
|
|
Working my way through Desire. Albert's story was pretty alright (Gustav's face melting off was loving AWESOME, as was Tina putting her foot through his loving chest cavity and I guess the reactor somehow made him a zombie?) but whoever it was that said Makoto's story was bad was totally on the mark. It's terrible, demeaning and I'm only doing it so I get access to the final story.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 09:23
|
|
|
kirbysuperstar posted:but whoever it was that said Makoto's story was bad was totally on the mark. It's terrible, demeaning and I'm only doing it so I get access to the final story. I'm amazed at how the writers of that scenario managed to write something that would piss off and waste hours of the reader's time and yet have almost nothing of importance happen at all.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 14:08
|
|
|
My good buddy floorislava recommended I play a visual novel called Dysfunctional Systems and this just happened So yeah, visual novels own.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 16:19
|
|
|
I've been putting off playing that for a while since i've been playing Higurashi, but hell if that doesn't make it a lot harder to ignore. How long is it so far? Is it pretty long like an episode of Higurashi/Umineko, or is it more of a 2-3 hour deal?
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 16:29
|
|
|
It's maybe 2 hours long, if even that. It's fairly short, is what I'm saying.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 16:33
|
|
|
Oh holy poo poo my friend hasn't played Muv Luv and he doesn't know loving anything about it and he said he's up for streaming it with me as a co-commentator. The cycle is complete  ^ Alright, i'll set aside an afternoon for it then. Looking forward to playing it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 17:40
|
|
|
klapman posted:Oh holy poo poo my friend hasn't played Muv Luv and he doesn't know loving anything about it and he said he's up for streaming it with me as a co-commentator. The cycle is complete Wait. Is this Alternative you guys are streaming? Because it'll be fun to watch live reactions to it without someone getting probated for it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 17:43
|
|
|
Artificer posted:Wait. Is this Alternative you guys are streaming? Because it'll be fun to watch live reactions to it without someone getting probated for it. Well we're gonna have to start off with Extra, during which i'm gonna try and convince him that Extra was just so touching to me that it affected me on a personal level, and then i'm just gonna dump Unlimited and Alternative on him like a goddamn bombshell once we're done with that. It's gonna be loving glorious e: Also if you're interested in seeing a reaction to CHOMP I think I linked it earlier in the thread. klapman fucked around with this message at 18:06 on Apr 18, 2013 |
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 17:44
|
|
|
Artificer posted:Because it'll be fun to watch live reactions to it without someone getting probated for it. Nothing wrong with live reactions, but twenty posts of a dude going "What the gently caress" isn't interesting to read. VNchat: Finished Dysfunctional Systems, I'd like to play the next one. The writing in it's a bit clunky at times, particularly Winter's internal monologues, but it's a pretty interesting setting, plus the art and music is pretty good. I also think the next episode could stand to be longer, I saw all the endings in this episode in about 1 hour's playtime.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 18:08
|
|
|
Namtab posted:Nothing wrong with live reactions, but twenty posts of a dude going "What the gently caress" isn't interesting to read. No, I got that part. In retrospect, but still.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 18:14
|
|
|
klapman posted:Well we're gonna have to start off with Extra, during which i'm gonna try and convince him that Extra was just so touching to me that it affected me on a personal level, and then i'm just gonna dump Unlimited and Alternative on him like a goddamn bombshell once we're done with that. It's gonna be loving glorious Might want to warn your friend about the H-scenes (like, in real time when one is about to happen) so he can turn off the stream, especially if he's doing this on twitch. They do ban people for those. Honestly I would even be concerned about the uniforms in Unlimited.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 18:15
|
|
|
Fenrir posted:Might want to warn your friend about the H-scenes (like, in real time when one is about to happen) so he can turn off the stream, especially if he's doing this on twitch. They do ban people for those. klapman's own streams went fine, uniforms be damned.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 18:21
|
|
|
Fenrir posted:Might want to warn your friend about the H-scenes (like, in real time when one is about to happen) so he can turn off the stream, especially if he's doing this on twitch. They do ban people for those. Yeah, Livestream doesn't seem to care about that sort of thing so long as it's not brought to their attention and if it's not a particularly popular channel. I'll definitely tell him to skip through though, unless he thinks of something like putting Tenacious D over the scene or something dumb like that. Also he's Finnish so he's got a funny accent. Star power right there! klapman fucked around with this message at 18:27 on Apr 18, 2013 |
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 18:24
|
|
|
I haven't thought too much about it, but I'm thinking about just making an IRC channel, and typing my live reactions there when I get to HF or MLA. F/SN UBW spoilers: Gaaah how the hell are things supposed to work out now that Caster has both Saber and Archer. Shirou is even more useless since he doesn't heal, but just as stupidly reckless, and Rin won't be able to do poo poo against Caster or Saber. They mentioned trying to cooperate with the other masters, no doubt that's Ilya coming back into the picture, but even then, it's 3 or 4 servants against 1. Berzerker has lots of lives, but that'll only help so much when you're being ganged up on  .Maybe Shinji and Gil are going to break onto the scene and wreak everyone's poo poo, I don't know.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 18:56
|
|
|
klapman posted:Yeah, Livestream doesn't seem to care about that sort of thing so long as it's not brought to their attention and if it's not a particularly popular channel. I'll definitely tell him to skip through though, unless he thinks of something like putting Tenacious D over the scene or something dumb like that. Klapman you bastard. I. I mean... One of us! One of us!
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 18:58
|
|
|
I'm going to be honest, that seems like a terrible way to experience a VN for the first time.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2013 19:17
|
|
|
Endorph posted:I'm going to be honest, that seems like a terrible way to experience a VN for the first time. Eh, I figure we'll go through Extra and see how it goes since Extra's pretty much a huge slog anyways. If our dynamic is good enough, it should be alright since i'll know pretty well when I should shut up and let him enjoy what's going on. I do think that during the PTSD arc at least I might have a sudden disconnection from the internet though. What can ya do?  Also, i'm at the end of Minagoroshi and it turns out I wasn't spoilered on everything. Oh my god this is the saddest thing in a while now. People are just getting sent to their deaths, and the people doing the killing think that they're doing the right thing. And to be honest, if it were that cut and dry, I wouldn't even be able to say they weren't. gently caress Takano and the Hounds, they're the loving worst. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2013 00:10
|
|
|
unpronounceable posted:I haven't thought too much about it, but I'm thinking about just making an IRC channel, and typing my live reactions there when I get to HF or MLA. I do hope you continue giving us your Fate impressions. I'd quite enjoy reading them, especially since I know how things will happen.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2013 02:09
|
|
|
Sylphid posted:I do hope you continue giving us your Fate impressions. I'd quite enjoy reading them, especially since I know how things will happen. I plan to. I've seen enough of the thread to realize that seeing other people's reactions is at least half the reason to read it. Since I'm here, I just got past the Berzerker fight in UBW. I figured they were going to go ask Ilya for help, but I didn't expect her to die after one loving scene! God drat Gilgamesh is a bastard. He was just toying with Berzerker the whole fight. That interlude, though, with Berzerker's memories of Ilya, that was so evil, especially juxtaposed against the bastard just ripping out her heart. Like I don't already loathe him enough already. So Shirou is a broken idiot, they know Gil is out and loving poo poo up, and Lancer has offered help. I stopped there for the night because I am a baby that can't make decisions. What is Kirei thinking? He must have some way of getting Gilgamesh back, otherwise he wouldn't give him to Shinji. If nothing else, Shinji should be easy enough to kill, as long as Gil cooperates. Lancer not helping Gil because he doesn't like him is most likely a lie, so what's his reasoning with telling Lancer to help Rin and Shirou. Are they supposed to distract Caster et al. and let Gil demolish them all? What is going to happen to the Grail? Ilya can't be the vessel for it anymore, so what is Gil going to do with her heart? tl;dr: -> -> 
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2013 07:31
|
|
|
unpronounceable posted:I plan to. I've seen enough of the thread to realize that seeing other people's reactions is at least half the reason to read it. First time I read that scene, when you get the choice to either help Ilya out and run out into the open like a dope or stay hidden, I chose the latter. I was thinking Gilgamesh was in no mood to chat, and ended up in a Bad End because of it. Clearly, I don't think like Shirou. I'm thinking that's a good thing.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2013 07:47
|
|
|
unpronounceable posted:tl;dr: "You're strong, Berserker." One of the scenes that made me cry, and made me start liking Ilya as a character. Also, I'm just gonna say this because it seems you didn't get it, even though it should be rather obvious with Fate as a context: Shinji doesn't have Command Spells, and can't provide mana to Gil anyway. He has no more power over Gilgamesh than the King from The Little Prince had over the heavens. Only one person has the right to call themselves the Master of the King of Heroes, and that's Extra CCC's protagonist
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2013 07:55
|
|
|
Started playing Miharu's route in Da Capo. She's a robot. ...what.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2013 10:42
|
|
|
Yup. And the other extra route is equally out of left field.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2013 10:55
|
|
|
Blhue posted:Yup. And the other extra route is equally out of left field. Finished it. Despite its premise, the route actually turned out to be one of the best ones in the VN. I'll probably make a more detailed post about Da Capo once I'm done with the second extra route. EDIT: ...catgirl maid. Okay, then! Suleman fucked around with this message at 12:11 on Apr 19, 2013 |
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2013 12:03
|
|
|
As dumb as they are, those two are probably the best that Da Capo has to offer.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2013 12:22
|
|
|
Suleman posted:Started playing Miharu's route in Da Capo. I LOVED Miharu's route.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2013 13:03
|
|
|
Reading a little bit into Matsuribayashi. MAJOR UMINEKO AND HIGURASHI SPOILERS I loving knew I remembered the name Okonogi from somewhere, and seeing the guy's sprite confirmed it. But Higurashi is just supposed to be a story in the Umineko universe, so how the hell is Okonogi a prominent political figure? God, I really wish i'd read Higurashi first, because looking back on it there's a lot of little references. For example, at first I thought Lambdadelta looked like Satoko, but now that I think about it she's a lot more reminiscent of Takano. This ride is going off the rails and i'm loving every second of it. I do wish they weren't so blatantly trying to give Takano a tragic backstory though. I might be able to understand why she did what she did, but that doesn't mean I sympathize with her killing an entire village to satisfy her grandfather's ego. I'm only a little bit in but unless they pull a complete 180 it's pretty clear what they're doing. On another note, it's finally starting to hit me just how many Japanese visual novels have to do with time travel/quantum physics fuckery. I don't see myself getting sick of it any time soon either, even if a lot of it doesn't make sense because the idea is just so drat cool!
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2013 13:19
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 1, 2024 18:27 |
|
|
klapman posted:MAJOR UMINEKO AND HIGURASHI SPOILERS Lambdadelta is indeed meant to resemble Takano. Lambda=3, Delta=4, and Mi=3, Yo=4. Lambdadelta's power of "certainity" also greatly resembles Takano's role and approach. This Umineko TIP further connects the two. However there are some superficial similarities to Satoko as well, such as their ohohoho laugh. After you finish with Matsuribayashi, I recommend getting the secret ending and playing Saikoroshi-hen in Higurashi Rei.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2013 14:48
|
|