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iwaihime sounds more comparable to higanbana than to when they cry, ryukishi's more horror-centered stuff is a lot closer to that tone than his mystery stuff like higurashi, umineko or ciconia that's still uh. a fair bit rougher than anything in higanbana though. and even that kinda lightens up its tone in the back half
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Oct 29, 2020 18:09
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If Iwahime were "aiming for people with REALLY gross fetishes" then the promotional material would reflect that, rather than billing it as a horror game. With that said there are definitely a lot of distressing scenes in the game and you shouldn't read it if you don't think you can handle those.
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Oct 29, 2020 18:27
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Okay I finished Higurashi Miotsukushi Omote, and here are my thoughts: Going back to slice of life nonsense in Hinamizawa was great. Among other things, the relatively serious/dull tone of Ura made going back to fun characters being silly more refreshing. The "misunderstanding" where the whole village showed up because they thought Mion was going to marry Keiichi was hilarious, especially with Shion egging it on, and I loved watching Mion turn into a stuttering wreck. Maybe the post-ending stuff in Rei already dealt with Keiichi and Rena and I just haven't seen that yet (I did take the ending of Matsuribayashi where it's mentioned that Mion will be graduating soon to possibly be leading in that direction), but it's still surprising that Higurashi "went there" with a relationship arc after all this time just hinting around it. In terms of the main plot, I think the biggest improvement from the original ending is just that there's so much more character service here, where it checks back in and improves on everyone's character development (except Rena, who had the big tearjerker scene in Ura that had more emotional impact than anything in this one imo, and RIka, who's a bit of a special case here) instead of just wrapping up the plot while taking that growth from previous installments for granted. I was a little concerned that Ura was going to make everything just sort of fall into place and feel anticlimactic, but Takano's madness kept her a threat long past the point where a rational enemy would have given up (even if the Mountain Dogs continuing to follow her makes no sense at all). Speaking of Ura, Natsumi and Tomoe's cameos were nice, and Natsumi's in particular gave her a bit of an epilogue that Ura failed to give her. I was pretty disappointed when it devolved back into the same shounen nonsense near the end as the original ending, with the trap stuff (some of which I think may have been literally copy/pasted over) and Keiichi and Rika dodging bullets with their fighting spirit, but that seems to have been the stuff that was most directly in both versions of this ending, so I guess Ryukishi feels pretty strongly about it. The elephant in the room is the occultation of Rika Furude by the coward Hanyuu. It's my understanding that this was something that changed even between the PS2 version of Miotsukushi and the split version here in Omote, and I feel like if Hanyuu had sacrificed herself to give Rika this opportunity (and unlock people's memories with the messages and everything) to start with instead of sacrificing herself at the end to save Takano of all people (and on that note, this story working to redeem her and Tomitake and Irie still feels wrong to me--like even without Takano's madness, Irie was basically doing Nazi experiment poo poo when he vivisected the murderer in the first year, and for the others the bio-weapon poo poo was always part of the plan even if it wasn't originally meant to be deployed against the village). Getting more of Hanyuu's perspective on how she feels about Rika and the guilt she has for forcing her to relive this nightmare over and over was nice, but Rika being a passive observer stuck outside most of the finale was a weird choice. All in all, I still have some of the same issues I had with the original ending, but I think this one still blows the other one away in terms of characterization, so it's a full upgrade for me. Probably the only advantage I see in Matsuribayashi is that it can be read without the Advanced Story Arc and that the Rika situation isn't as weird. Otherwise I might even be inclined to suggest people skip straight to this ending after Minagoroshi instead of planning to read both. It's a weird feeling finally being caught up on translated material for this loving enormous story. I'm still looking forward to reading more stuff as it's translated, but I'm also relieved to have a natural stopping point here while I wait. The new anime is doing a pretty good job of scratching that itch in the meantime too.
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Oct 30, 2020 14:56
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By the time of Matsuribayashi the character arcs are, for the most part, already complete. In fact that's largely what's supposed to be established throughout all of Minagoroshi. Going through Ch. 7 and then revisiting them is largely superfluous and unnecessary at that point in the story, it's supposed to be about Rika/Hanyuu/Takano. Also unless I'm misunderstanding what either version of Miotsukushi has or doesn't have, getting rid of the Putting the Pieces together is a pretty integral bit of character development and exposition.
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Oct 30, 2020 15:09
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That's true, losing the connecting fragments would be a huge loss, and Takano's backstory so yeah it really isn't an adequate replacement and I was wrong to think of it in those terms given that fact. Maybe right after 1-7 some of the added characterization might feel more repetitive than it did to me after the detour through the advanced story arcs, but I don't think it's fully redundant since I think it continues to build on what came before and break new ground. I think Mion in particular needed the additional time to shine, since even the arcs most about her were more about her sister. I know the original ending did try to highlight her more with beating up Okonogi and everything, but it's not the same. I think Satoko getting a moment to accept her past and move beyond it that doesn't involve being a martyr while Shion's torturing her to death or just allowing herself to be saved from Teppei is a clear improvement on her arc too.
Dr Kool-AIDS fucked around with this message at 02:28 on Nov 1, 2020 |
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Oct 30, 2020 15:21
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Finished Raging Cajun Loop. This is probably one I'm doing again some time with more background info (by which I mean having Wikipedia open in another window)- it's by a decent margin the most "Japanese" VN I've ever played, and I don't think there's much to be done there except just play with more background info on general folklore. Arguably this is a localization issue but I don't think there's much they could have done apart from a bunch of stuff nobody likes like TNs (this is probably one where a tips screen would have really helped, so I don't have to keep stopping the game to look up what a ghost leg lottery is). I have very mixed feelings about the protagonist but I'll be nice and say that it handles (spoilers) the "protagonist is a total creeper" thing in a way I don't see too often- kind of acknowledging this without making it a major focus of the game's character arc. it does help *a lot* with Darkness as a chapter, though Characters are really well done, too- especially once (minor spoiler) the journalists arrive on the scene. The folklore chats were actually some of my favorite parts of the game, especially since a ton of it was totally new to me. Anyway, by far the weakest fundamental part of the game, compared to something like R07 stuff - (big rear end spoilers for both RN and Higurashi/Umineko) it's *significantly* weaker at mixing up fantasy/fantastical elements with grounded elements in a way that feels coherent. In Umineko, fantasy and reality stuff was mixed all the hell up, but even if you didn't *fully* understand the whole breakdown between reality/story/meta/etc, I think you could get a general idea that there was a discernable structure there, while RN seems more like "ok this bit is real, this is supernatural, this is real etc" without enough care to make it seem non-arbitrary. The result is that there are certain things where a reader might feel justifiably cheated if they were trying to figure out a non-supernatural solution to certain things, given the revelations involved with other mysteries. Also, did the original phone release not support chapter skip (like the original 999)? Some of the game over messages seem to imply that going back and getting keys was much more time consuming at some point. Feels Villeneuve fucked around with this message at 16:19 on Nov 1, 2020 |
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Nov 1, 2020 16:01
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I also regret to inform everyone that I was desperate enough for a Switch game to play that I bought this. e) actually my main takeaway from this is being mad that there's no PS4/Switch version of the original S;G. It looks so good in HD!!!! Feels Villeneuve fucked around with this message at 16:08 on Nov 1, 2020 |
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Nov 1, 2020 16:04
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You get Elite instead with all the nice art replaced with clips from the anime
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Nov 1, 2020 16:31
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I think Elite is entirely fine if you haven't played s;g before but yeah. Definitely not an improvement over the original (except for an excision of a really weird, irrelevant, albeit funny part of Faris's chapter which always felt totally out of place in the main game too) I'm actually even glad it's there because given how often S;G is suggested as a "first VN", something with a bunch of animations might make it easier for people who have trouble getting over that bit of the VN hurdle but I'd at least have liked the *option* to play the original lol e) also i might as well post a quick review of the wacky s;g dating game: if you want "more funny hijinx with the SG crew with basically zero plot tension" it's entirely fine and enjoyable for that. One route Mayushiis' is a bit more emotionally "serious" than the others, and given that it's the only route that requires a fairly obtuse set of phone triggers to get to, is almost certainly intended to be played last. It's also one of the only major releases I can think of with a significant amount of Gay poo poo in it, which is a major plus, as a connoisseur of Gay poo poo (there's probably too much gay panic comedy moments in that route, but it's otherwise well done) Feels Villeneuve fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Nov 1, 2020 |
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Nov 1, 2020 16:34
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Please tell me they treated poor Luka better
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Nov 1, 2020 17:25
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Squiddycat posted:Please tell me they treated poor Luka better bonus happy Luka pic  i think like half of Luka's lines in the other routes involve attempting to hit on Okabe and him being totally oblivious to it Feels Villeneuve fucked around with this message at 04:30 on Nov 2, 2020 |
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Nov 1, 2020 17:29
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Feels Villeneuve posted:i think like half of Luka's lines in the other routes involve attempting to hit on Date and him being totally oblivious to it The Steins;Gate/Ai crossover I didn't know I wanted.
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Nov 1, 2020 23:13
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Committee of Zero wrote an update sort of promising the patch for ROBOTICS;NOTES ELITE with fixed translation errors and mouse support in two weeks, bless their souls.
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Nov 1, 2020 23:52
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woodenchicken posted:Committee of Zero wrote an update sort of promising the patch for ROBOTICS;NOTES ELITE with fixed translation errors and mouse support in two weeks, bless their souls. Well, that's good to hear.
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Nov 2, 2020 03:24
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I played through it recently and whatever 'translation errors' there were were completely unnoticeable to me lol
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Nov 2, 2020 06:08
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There's a consistency issue you're unlikely to notice if you haven't played the unofficial Chaos;Head patch.
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Nov 2, 2020 11:52
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I feel like that should be labelled as a consistency issue with the unofficial translation
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Nov 2, 2020 11:58
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How bad does R;N spoil Chaos Head btw? If there's anyone who has read both.
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Nov 2, 2020 15:19
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So what order should I be playing the ; games in? I've played Chaos;Head, Steins;Gate, that Steins;Gate sorta sequel, and a bit of Chaos;Child but want to be sure I'm not missing anything.
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Nov 2, 2020 16:17
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Always go by release order, which is Chaos;Head, Steins;Gate, Robotic;Notes, Chaos;Child, Steins;Gate 0, Robotics;Notes DaSH. Or not since I played them in whatever order and I don't think you miss much.
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Nov 2, 2020 17:16
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Sakurazuka posted:Always go by release order, which is Chaos;Head, Steins;Gate, Robotic;Notes, Chaos;Child, Steins;Gate 0, Robotics;Notes DaSH. I hadn't even heard of Robotics;Notes until now so guess I'll hunt it down!
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Nov 2, 2020 17:23
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I'm going to have to so many VNs to read when the Chaos Head Noah translation is finally done.
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Nov 2, 2020 17:42
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I think you're fine with just reading the subseries in whatever order. It's a vaguely shared universe with some cameo appearances, not an epic overarching plot. Especially don't bother holding off on s;g because of Chaos;Head which I've only heard lovely things about.
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Nov 2, 2020 17:45
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Probably read Steins;Gate first because it's really good and it would be a shame to miss it by burning out on one of the others
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Nov 2, 2020 17:50
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Steins;Gate is the only one that's like, a must-read.
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Nov 2, 2020 18:01
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woodenchicken posted:How bad does R;N spoil Chaos Head btw? If there's anyone who has read both. There's a fair bit of stuff in R;N's later chapters that's dependent on elements introduced in C;H, but nothing that spoils the actual plot of C;H. There's also a cameo from C;H's protagonist that shows up in twipo if you make a very specific set of choices, so you're very unlikely to even notice.
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Nov 2, 2020 22:36
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Oh, that's nothing. Gonna go note me some robotics, then!
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Nov 2, 2020 22:51
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Use a route guide because the 'choices' are insanely unintuitive
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Nov 2, 2020 23:02
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Sakurazuka posted:Use a route guide because the 'choices' are insanely unintuitive Yeah, whoever thought of the route trigger system for... well, any of the Semicolon;Games really needs to not work on the route trigger system anymore. Robotics;Notes is basically a linear game as far as story routes are concerned (they're even called chapter 6/7/8), but for some reason the only way you can unlock them is through very specific twipo replies at the right time and if you miss any of them you're SOL. It's awful.
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Nov 2, 2020 23:57
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mrfreeze posted:I hadn't even heard of Robotics;Notes until now so guess I'll hunt it down! R;N and R;N DaSH are the ones that just released (in english) for pc (steam)/ps4/switch
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Nov 3, 2020 05:01
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Just finished Yu-no. Decent 8/10. The middle between the end of the ADMS section and the prison felt flabby and too slow paced for me compared to what happened before and after it. Ultimately I feel that how it was described to me (especially the ending) doesn’t gel with what I played. Maybe the new version on switch and the original are that different, but I’m happy with what I played, though, it’s definitely an artifact of the 90s and probably best approached as such. Definitely a vn for someone who has played a number of VNs before. E: thanks for the catch, Gaius. numerrik fucked around with this message at 17:03 on Nov 4, 2020 |
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Nov 4, 2020 16:03
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Tags are broken my dude. Should be spoiler not spoilers
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Nov 4, 2020 16:08
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I just finished Fruit of Grisaia (thank god for Steam making companies remove H scenes from these games), and it was really loving funny. I didn't think the romance arcs were particularly effective as romances, partially because Yuuji is such a nothing character other than being an rear end in a top hat most of the time and partially because I don't really give a poo poo about teen romance melodrama, and the whole deal with Makina's romance arc was creepy as gently caress for obvious reasons (again, thank god for this version not having H scenes), but some of the backstories for the characters were pretty decent. The long common route that was easy to dip in and out of since it was structured like light skits was my favorite part, though some of the routes (particularly Makina's) have hilarious parts before the drama sets in too. I laughed at this way more than I do to most other comedy stuff, and it was the perfect distraction for soothing pre-election anxiety. There were a couple loose ends I was still curious to know more about mostly whatever happened to Kazuki, so I'll probably check out the sequels at some point even though my understanding is that they aren't as good. For anyone who's played them, do they still have funny parts, or do they mostly take on the more serious tone of the character routes?
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Nov 8, 2020 00:17
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No. Stay away from the sequels. They lose everything that make the original fun and double down on the creepy as gently caress poo poo, even in the all-ages release.
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Nov 8, 2020 00:40
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I've only played the first game but I thought Yuuji was an interesting protagonist. I liked how his backstory is split across all 5 routes and how you slowly realize how strange he actually is.
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Nov 8, 2020 01:00
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Yeah, Yuuji is great, in terms of VN protagonists.
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Nov 8, 2020 01:16
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Maybe calling him a nothing character was the wrong way to put it. There's stuff going on there, but due to his trauma he's super emotionally stunted, even for a protagonist in Japanese media. He's better in some routes than others, but imo he was pretty frustrating in the last two just in terms of being totally oblivious and (mostly in the Michiru route) casually cruel. That's a shame about the sequels though. Maybe I'll read a synposis or something.
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Nov 8, 2020 03:24
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If you have ever experienced unmodded Higurashi (no spoilers): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wOY7WXg4xI
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Nov 13, 2020 09:19
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It's been many many years but I have finally conquered Umineko ep 6. My verdict: That was a mess. Battler is incompetent. I love how he attempted to craft the entire game so it would be about the duel of love, and prank Erika at the same time with fake corpses, but it all went tits up basically immediately. I'm also super super confused/suspicious about the Shannon and Kanon situation, as well as the Beatrice one. For an answer arc, it only raised more questions.... Fortunately 7 is off to a promising start! Also, IIRC the author was having a rough time IRL while writing 6, can anyone share some details on that?
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Nov 13, 2020 19:21
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His best friend and inspiration for writing died, and he believes it probably negatively impacted his work after ep5 I think his friends name was BT?
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Nov 13, 2020 19:49
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