-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
English Translated Japanese Visual Novel/ADV Thread
- Thread starter InfiniteNine
- Start date
- Status
DiscoShark
Banned
Holy shit, MuvLuv Alternative is absolutely soul crushing. This is so beyond anything I've ever read and touches on so many aspects of science fiction that it's just ... the fact that the story hasn't folded on itself despite introducing so many different story mechanics is absolutely insane. It feels like an epic and I have no idea how close I am to the ending.
Basileus777
Member
It is an epic. The "trilogy" is what, 100 hours long? That's one of the advantages of the VN format, the sheer length of it can be so immersive. Though that's probably one of the reasons pacing problems and bloat are an issue in VNs too.
100 hour?
I finish it about 30 hour or so, not skipping voices either.. absolutely worth it.
But yeah, Urobuchi once said VN writer got paid with word count basis.. so often most VN got bloated.
Talking about MuvLuv.. man the MLU Finals Chronicles just released yesterday, I'm gonna cranking with machine translator aren't I? >_>
The first three part was awesome.. I wonder if AGTH could capture the text rightaway, or I must wait a bit longer..
Basileus777
Member
I can't remember how long it took me to get through all three games, it was some time ago, but I'm pretty sure it was more than 30 hours. But I read it over the coarse of a month, so I don't know how long it took me. I just added the VNDB hour counts to get that number.
Tye The Czar
Member
Call me a party pooper, but I don't see the appeal of reading a 100-hour long series just to
see just about every character you like get killed off by aliens. It sounds like if George R.R. Martin said "fuck all my fans" and kills off all the popular characters.
I only reading Meiya and Inchou route properly in the vanilla, maybe that's the reason I'm through it pretty fast.
But yeah I'm pretty sure Alternative itself not cost me more than 20 hour even without skipping voice.
When you have 40-50 hours of exposure to the characters,
it tends to have a big emotional reaction (something that's highly sought after in media) when the characters die. It's also kind of ironic to say this while wearing an SnK avatar, a manga that used MLA as inspiration and shares some of the most despairing aspects of it.
The most impactful death (aside THAT ONE) was arguably not from the muvluv cast though but from the Valkyrie member that only make appearance in MLA (and other age games)
Damn.. Lt Isumi
Damn.. Lt Isumi
The Silver
Member
I would like to read through Muvluv Alternative but I don't think i can get through the first two VNs.
My tolerance for that stuff isn't what it used to be.
My tolerance for that stuff isn't what it used to be.
Basileus777
Member
The death's become less impactful as it went on. Marimo's made my jaw hit the floor, and Isumi's was still impactful. By the final attack I had realized that everyone was going to die and their deaths did not have the same impact.
Byronic Hero
Member
I just started Umineko no Naku Koro ni, and I am liking it. The cast is both varied and memorable, and the main character has the kind of charm that a lot of VN protags don't.
While trying to find out who voices some of the characters, I mistakenly found out that (spoiler?)
I hope that isn't a spoiler.
I hope this story is as entertaining/mind-blowing as the other VNs I've played (Fate/stay Night, Ever17, Danganronpa, 999/VLR)
While trying to find out who voices some of the characters, I mistakenly found out that (spoiler?)
Beatrice and Eva have the same voice actress.
I hope this story is as entertaining/mind-blowing as the other VNs I've played (Fate/stay Night, Ever17, Danganronpa, 999/VLR)
I totally agree,
Aside for the Meiya's, damn that powerful.. I love her non-lover dynamic with Takeru, now that's pretty well done "comrade" dynamic.
Did this game got localized or something? holy smoke.. I don't know.
Napalm_Frank
Member
Fan translation. The last chapter got translated like 1,5 years ago IIRC.
I never even knew that tidbit. Ah, but I read it on PC as it came out, so voices weren't a thing for me then... But anyway, I wouldn't worry about it. Just try to stay away from spoilers in general from here on out. In fact, even after you finish every episode, I'd reccomend taking a while to ponder over things before you read other people's thoughts.
The best part of Seacats is how your thoughts about things change as you progress - some of the later revelations would seem nonsensical to you if you heard about them after just reading episode 1, but in reverse, going back to the events of episode 1 after reading episode 8 changes how you look at those events pretty drastically, as well. That's a really cool thing, to me.
On that note, I wouldn't worry about comparing the story to others. Personally, I'd say Seacats outranks all of the other VNs you posted - though many would disagree with me.
Napalm_Frank
Member
Don't quote me on this but I think it isn't exactly what you guys think it is. I think it is about
EVA Beatrice having the same VA as Eva
I'm not well informed with the VAs tho.
But that was the doujin (with that LOL art) IIRC? Above post saying he hearing the dub so I'd assume that's the retail version that he playing.
Napalm_Frank
Member
There has been patches to the original PC VN tho that add the PS3 art and VA. I dunno how he is playing it tho.
I had a huge amount of fun speculating about Umineko twists and turns back when it was coming out. That said, Umineko is still a ton of fun, but one of the most special memories I have of it was pages and pages of arguments and deductions as the entire internet laboriously tried to solve the mysteries and figure out the story Ryukishi laid out. It's sad you're not playing them with this in mind, but that's fine.
Oh! I just checked, and you're right. That makes sense, then.
On a related note, Wikipedia's character list page is the most spoiler-filled territory imaginable.
foxuzamaki
Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
So about a month or so ago my old computer pretty much died on me, and with my VNs aswell, I redownloaded some for my new laptop which is a windows 8, but probably the one I lament almost the most is otoboku which I was casually working my way through, and 'My girlfriend is the president' apparently doesnt work on a 64bit windows 8 OS so I have to find a way to get that to work again, i'll take any suggestions.
I think the general consensus on the Anime is bad to alright wheras the game is pretty highly praised. Go with the game if you have the option.
I've only watched the first episode, but the anime is pretty shit compared to the game. You might me be better off waiting until the Vita version comes out next year.
Don't have a vita and that won't change unless Vita 2.0 will have a video out or the Vita TV will ship to europe.^^
How many games are there? I know of the PSP game.
edit: Will the vita version be a remake?
InfiniteNine
Rolling Girl
Maybe after the Vita version is done.
The anime is rushed crap, just play the game.
There are two games, the first one has a fan translation. The Vita game is a compilation of both of them with updated graphics and a new "free time" mode for the first game. There's a spinoff action game coming out for the Vita as well.
Sounds like I'll dig into the Vita version then, if I ever get around one. Thanks.
A Huge Battleship
Member
Just finished a full runthrough of Aoi Shiro (all 6 routes). It was the first proper VN I've played for about 2 years, and a very enjoyable one. R_thanatos provided an excellent overview of it here.
Synopsis said:
The Good
1. Maybe I'm a masochist, but my absolute favourite aspect of the game is that it's a glorious carnival of BAD ENDs. There're 56 endings in total, of which only 6 can truly be classified as 'good'. The other endings are supposedly divided into 'bad' and 'normal', but all the ones I've seen so far make you feel like you've failed utterly. It's particularly poignant when you believe you're on course for a GOOD END, with triumphant music blaring at you from the background, then something goes horribly wrong right at the last moment.
Some of the bad endings are really awesome though (at least as far as my warped sense of "awesome" is concerned), and I intend to go back and see every last one. Not least because I still need to complete the extensive CG collection.
2. The aesthetics were the best of the VNs I've played to date, with the general presentation oozing effort and class. The OST is also rather brilliant and compliments the story effectively (with some tracks that wouldn't feel out of place in Ar Tonelico).
3. All of its other positive traits would mean little if the story itself wasn't interesting or the characters were insufferable, but fortunately that's not the case. I don't have any significant interest in Japanese mythology / folklore, but even I was strongly drawn into this supernatural tale of gods, demons and rituals. The cast as a whole were very likeable and I didn't once suffer from route fatigue, although at the same time there was no single particular character who stood out to me.
The MC also felt like her own distinct and likeable character, rather than being a vapid avatar for the player.
4. The (limited) romantic elements were tastefully handled and didn't impose upon the story to any real extent. In particular, there were no H scenes, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned (never been a fan of them).
The Neutral
1. There's a vast amount of detail about Japanese mythology etc crammed into the dialogue. It's fine if you have some interest in that kind of thing, but if you don't it can become grating. Though it's a key theme throughout the game, so if you find it irritating you're probably better off looking elsewhere.
2. It's an unfortunate consequence of Ever17 being the first VN I played, but I've come to place unrealistic expectations on 'True Routes' to impress me, e.g. to blow my mind to some degree. There was nothing particularly wrong with the final route in this game, it just didn't 'wow' me to any real extent.
3. My VN 100% GOOD END success rate was smashed to tiny fragments . If anyone told me they played through this and got all 6 good endings back-to-back with no failures and no walkthroughs / hints, I wouldn't believe them.
The Bad
1. Some of the action scenes felt clumsy, with characters who really shouldn't have been standing around doing nothing during a life or death situation... doing just that.
2. There were a few developments, primarily supernatural ones, that felt like they came from nowhere. If the game had foreshadowed them effectively (again, taking a page out of Ever17's book), they would've worked much better.
3. WILL YOU STOP TALKING ABOUT FOOD?! Seriously, give me some interesting conversation / development between the characters, not more culinary insight.
===
btw:
Best Characters
(1) (2) (3) (SPOILERS)
Best Worst Moments
(1) (2) (3a) (3b) (SPOILERS)
In conclusion, I liked it yada yada. Hopefully it'll be less than 2 years before I play another VN.
Tizoc
Member
My friend and brother actually enjoyed the anime =P ...but I keep telling them not to spoil stuff for me since I plan on playing it come next year XO
Shame, I feel like DR could have been a fantastic anime
E: Alright, finished Chaos;Head with the normal/A ending! It was pretty good, there wasn't anything that I outright hated, except for the protagonist for a few brief moments, and most of my questions were answered. Some of the answers weren't as good as I had hoped but whatever. The length was pretty much perfect, I'd say it took me around 20 hours to read it. It got pretty graphic and gruesome by the end which I really liked.
Oh yeah, and
Sena's mother and sister's
B ending, here I come!
A Huge Battleship
Member
And that's all the Aoi Shiro endings. Red = bad, turquoise = normal (i.e. bad), white = good. No freakin' idea how you're supposed to find all of these without a walkthrough.
Dammit man I knew this would be your reaction to
that
Can't wait to see what you'll say about B ending
R_thanatos
Member
Just finished a full runthrough of Aoi Shiro (all 6 routes). It was the first proper VN I've played for about 2 years, and a very enjoyable one. R_thanatos provided an excellent overview of it here.
The Good
1. Maybe I'm a masochist, but my absolute favourite aspect of the game is that it's a glorious carnival of BAD ENDs. There're 56 endings in total, of which only 6 can truly be classified as 'good'. The other endings are supposedly divided into 'bad' and 'normal', but all the ones I've seen so far make you feel like you've failed utterly. It's particularly poignant when you believe you're on course for a GOOD END, with triumphant music blaring at you from the background, then something goes horribly wrong right at the last moment.
Some of the bad endings are really awesome though (at least as far as my warped sense of "awesome" is concerned), and I intend to go back and see every last one. Not least because I still need to complete the extensive CG collection.
2. The aesthetics were the best of the VNs I've played to date, with the general presentation oozing effort and class. The OST is also rather brilliant and compliments the story effectively (with some tracks that wouldn't feel out of place in Ar Tonelico).
3. All of its other positive traits would mean little if the story itself wasn't interesting or the characters were insufferable, but fortunately that's not the case. I don't have any significant interest in Japanese mythology / folklore, but even I was strongly drawn into this supernatural tale of gods, demons and rituals. The cast as a whole were very likeable and I didn't once suffer from route fatigue, although at the same time there was no single particular character who stood out to me.
The MC also felt like her own distinct and likeable character, rather than being a vapid avatar for the player.
4. The (limited) romantic elements were tastefully handled and didn't impose upon the story to any real extent. In particular, there were no H scenes, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned (never been a fan of them).
The Neutral
1. There's a vast amount of detail about Japanese mythology etc crammed into the dialogue. It's fine if you have some interest in that kind of thing, but if you don't it can become grating. Though it's a key theme throughout the game, so if you find it irritating you're probably better off looking elsewhere.
2. It's an unfortunate consequence of Ever17 being the first VN I played, but I've come to place unrealistic expectations on 'True Routes' to impress me, e.g. to blow my mind to some degree. There was nothing particularly wrong with the final route in this game, it just didn't 'wow' me to any real extent.
3. My VN 100% GOOD END success rate was smashed to tiny fragments . If anyone told me they played through this and got all 6 good endings back-to-back with no failures and no walkthroughs / hints, I wouldn't believe them.
The Bad
1. Some of the action scenes felt clumsy, with characters who really shouldn't have been standing around doing nothing during a life or death situation... doing just that.
2. There were a few developments, primarily supernatural ones, that felt like they came from nowhere. If the game had foreshadowed them effectively (again, taking a page out of Ever17's book), they would've worked much better.
3. WILL YOU STOP TALKING ABOUT FOOD?! Seriously, give me some interesting conversation / development between the characters, not more culinary insight.
===
btw:
Best Characters
(1) (2) (3) (SPOILERS)
Best Worst Moments
(1) (2) (3a) (3b) (SPOILERS)
In conclusion, I liked it yada yada. Hopefully it'll be less than 2 years before I play another VN.
Yeeeah
Someone else played this gem of a game and enjoyed it
I keep telling people that this game was great but nobody seems to have taken the hint.
Yeah the bad end in the game are really something.
You can struggle by ytourself to find the endings if you look at the route history that show you if a path exist or is blocked during some choices .. that way with enough patience you can get them all.... some of them are really evil ...
podracer35
Member
I might have to add this to my list of VNs I need to read. I have Fate/Stay Night and If My Heart Had Wings on my plate right now, and progress is moving at a less than ideal pace. -_- I blame school, anime, and other games (namely Animal Crossing and soon, Pokémon.)
It is definitely interesting premise, and I will definitely check it out one day!
Hahaha, I really like how a bunch of text describing the events can make the scene probably even more brutal than if it was in an anime or something.
Shame I have horrible amounts of uni stuff, I probably won't finish the B ending for another couple of days. I did get to see the scene with
Sena and her father though, it was pretty harsh too.
Dropped_Off
Neo Member
So, just up to chapter 6 in Yumina.
This game is actually a bit better than I thought it would be. Anyone have a rough estimate how long it would take to finish the whole game?
Since you guys seem to be talking about Chaos;Head, is it worth it for me to go back and get the B route? (I finished the A/AA route at least)
Plus, finally got my Steins;Gate LE pre-order in.
Wow, i stopped playing Xenosaga to play this, and now I feel like I'm playing Xenosaga all over again.
This game is actually a bit better than I thought it would be. Anyone have a rough estimate how long it would take to finish the whole game?
Since you guys seem to be talking about Chaos;Head, is it worth it for me to go back and get the B route? (I finished the A/AA route at least)
Plus, finally got my Steins;Gate LE pre-order in.
The Silver
Member
Playing through Swan Song right now, this is some dark fucked up shit man.
Kuwagata holy crap.
Kuwagata holy crap.
DiscoShark
Banned
podracer35
Member
Anyone know if/when a translation of White Album 2 is coming out? I'm watching the anime and it's kind of fantastic, and I keep hearing talk of how good the VN is...
That music... sooo good!
That music... sooo good!
We rarely get translations of visual novels that manage to get attention because of their animated adaptations. About this one... I think that some person/group was working on it, but most likely it was dropped. Such is the luck with many projects of this nature.
I totally abandoned Yumina. I will continue it, but when, I don't know.
I totally abandoned Yumina. I will continue it, but when, I don't know.
Dropped_Off
Neo Member
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=White_Album_2
Soon. Although I haven't seen the progress update in a few months now (12th January this year to be exact), so progress has been slow to say the least.
Basileus777
Member
Is there any reason to believe it's not dead?
Dropped_Off
Neo Member
Pretty much none, except that one of the translators is still active on other projects, so it might just be on hiatus; A long hiatus. They also haven't announced it's been dropped, but they might of just forgotten.
But honestly, It's probably safe to assume it has been dropped, although someone wanted to apply as a translator for the project about a week ago.
Edit: I don't have a twitter myself, but you could send the project manager a tweet and ask him if it has been dropped: Velocity7
BassForever
Member
So as I'm watching Fate/Zero (it's awesome) I want to play fate/stay night but was worried that playing stay night would spoil events of zero. Can anyone confirm/deny if stay night will spoil zero for me?
podracer35
Member
I don't have a twitter either... -_-
But I really hope it gets picked up again. I'm just sad that I wouldn't be able to help even if it were.
I've seen F/Z, and plan to pay F/SN. From what I've heard, they both spoil each other in their own ways, so it's up to you?
Fate/Zero is pretty darn awesome.
I can't wait for the Fate/Stay Night remake thing to come out, since it will be handled by the same studio.
southerncross
Member
They are strongly connected and they spoil each others' storylines, yeah.
BassForever
Member
So I should finish zero before playing stay night? Thanks
Basileus777
Member
Most of the FSN spoilers are in the first few episodes, mostly relating to the Matous/Tohsakas, you might as well finish it now. FSN will spoil what happens to most of the characters in FZ, so watching Zero first may spoil less important things. Though the Fate/Zero ending doesn't make much sense unless you've read the VN.
- Status