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Visual Novels Community Thread | A Little Something for Everyone

A

Anko

Member
Basileus777 said:
It's not really a good sign for the quality of the localization if they need to delay the game to get some last minute editing in.
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Still, better than if they don't bother at all. *coughjastcoughalmostcough*

Maybe they heard the complains about "Asky" as a substitute for (Asuka) onee-chan.
 
S

Shizuka

Member
Basileus777 said:
Higurashi episode 3 is releasing early. It's already out on MangaGamer's site and is going up on Steam later today,
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The pace is so slow, I haven't bothered playing chapter 2, knowing they're maintaining that six months gap between chapters.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni, on the other hand... I know they didn't have to retranslate it, but the first four chapters alone should take 50+ hours.
 
K

Knurek

Member
Shizuka said:
Umineko no Naku Koro ni, on the other hand... I know they didn't have to retranslate it, but the first four chapters alone should take 50+ hours.
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Only if you play with the voice patch (will there even be a voice patch for Steam version?)
It took me roughly 13 hours per episode. Without voices and with a fast reader, I'd wager 8-10 hours per episode tops.
 
S

Shizuka

Member
Knurek said:
Only if you play with the voice patch (will there even be a voice patch for Steam version?)
It took me roughly 13 hours per episode. Without voices and with a fast reader, I'd wager 8-10 hours per episode tops.
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I played the PS3 version before, so I'm betting on an image and voice patch. Just look at my avatar!
 
B

Basileus777

Member
Higurashi Ch.3 is out on Steam.


And Witch Hunt has posted some comments about the improved translation for Umineko Steam:
The Witch Hunt translation of Umineko is solvable.

Considering all the time fans from across the world put into it, there's nothing I'd rather say.
Unfortunately, I'd have to stretch the definition of solvable a bit to do so.

True, the puzzles as a whole can be answered with our first translation, but in Ryuukishi's own words, there are "treasure chests" hidden throughout the series for people paying attention. Many of these treasure chests end up being at least as important as the main story, and we ended up crushing several of them. A few were outright translation errors, though most probably couldn't have been translated without guessing an answer first.

The end result is that no one in the English community has ever experienced Umineko in full, except for a few lucky people with access to Japanese knowledge. Even the excellent manga renditions couldn't possibly have told Umineko in quite the same way as a Visual Novel. (Though this is not one of those manga adaptations that you're allowed to skip if you’re a fan of the original. Read them.)

To rectify this, the Witch Hunt has put in more hours this past year than any previous one in the history of our team. Building this Steam version involved editing more than 75% of the lines in the original translation (almost 90% in EP1) and well over 3,000 images for HD support. And that's even before the Mangagamer pass that included drastic improvements to every chapter. Nearly all of the text changes were to bring our paranoid, hyper-literal translation more in line with what we had in Rose Guns Days, getting the scenes to actually read well instead of worrying about every conceivable loophole that might be hiding a clue we didn't know about. Unfortunately, if nearly every line doesn't sound quite right, the chances of you noticing something that's supposed to sound strange are pretty darn small.
Also, we've had some practice since then.

In the end though, what really matters are those scenes strewn throughout the series that will finally make sense, especially if you've never reread EP1-4. Umineko is a VN built to be read multiple times, and I guarantee you that using Steam as an excuse to try it again will turn it into an entirely different game.
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K

KuwabaraTheMan

Banned
I'm glad it's finally out. Although I still need to finish up the last bit of Root Double, so I might not get to actually dig into it for a couple of days.

There's pretty much a steady stream of visual novels coming out for awhile now.
 
B

Basileus777

Member
KuwabaraTheMan said:
I'm glad it's finally out. Although I still need to finish up the last bit of Root Double, so I might not get to actually dig into it for a couple of days.

There's pretty much a steady stream of visual novels coming out for awhile now.
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It's actually reached the point where there are more releases than I have time to play and it's going to get even more crowded with how many publishers are getting into the VN localization business.
 
M

Marche90

Member
Basileus777 said:
It's actually reached the point where there are more releases than I have time to play and it's going to get even more crowded with how many publishers are getting into the VN localization business.
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Huh. Mind compiling a list of recent releases? Think from three months ago to the end of this month.

Tbh, I haven't played jack lately. Full-time employement does *wonders* for one's free time ._.
 
B

Basileus777

Member
Marche90 said:
Huh. Mind compiling a list of recent releases? Think from three months ago to the end of this month.
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Last three months?

Fata Morgana
Root Double
Seinarukana
Tokyo Babel
Higurashi Episode 3

Most of these are fairly long and there are some smaller releases that have come out too. Umineko, Zero Escape 3, and Grisaia 2 are coming out within the next few weeks as well.

But you should play Fata Morgana.
Full-time employement does *wonders* for one's free time ._.
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Oh indeed.
 
H

Hours Left

Member
The upcoming LGBT visual novel Eldet, which I've been folllowing for awhile, has just launched their Kickstarter.

It's really cool to see a game focusing on highlighting different ethnicities and body types not always found in VNs/dating sims. The artwork and music are absolutely beautiful, and the story seems quite intriguing. There's a free demo available on the KS page for anyone interested.
 
A

aravuus

Member
After a short break between routes B and C, I'm back to RD. Couple of hours into route C, and this is.. Weird.
Natsuhiko creating memories like he was editing a video for Youtube was hilarious.
 
K

Knurek

Member
Muntu said:
After a short break between routes B and C, I'm back to RD. Couple of hours into route C, and this is.. Weird.
Natsuhiko creating memories like he was editing a video for Youtube was hilarious.
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Huh?
The route is very short, took me 2-3 hours IIRC.
D is extremely meaty though.
 
A

aravuus

Member
Knurek said:
Huh?
The route is very short, took me 2-3 hours IIRC.
D is extremely meaty though.
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Well, maybe it's closer to something like 30 minutes in reality. I'm watching a Final Fantasy speedrun stream at the same time.

e: and played a round of Overwatch just now without quitting RD lol. Would you say D is even longer than A or B?
 
K

Knurek

Member
Muntu said:
Well, maybe it's closer to something like 30 minutes in reality. I'm watching a Final Fantasy speedrun stream at the same time.
e: and played a round of Overwatch just now without quitting RD lol. Would you say D is even longer than A or B?
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It might be (especially if you go for a good ending), I'm still going through it.
But unlike B and (especially) C, it's actually interesting.
B was just fluff and exposition until the final chapter, C was mostly a recap (with some new explanations).
D is all new, and goes in extreme detail to explain every single thing A left in the dark.
 
J

jonjonaug

Member
Tizoc said:
Anyone played Hanachirasu?
How is it?
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Short and good. It's written by a kendo nut, so the fights are quite different from what you normally see. The protagonist is refreshing in how much of an unrepentant asshole he is. Also the prose and translation quality is quite good, it has some of the best individual lines in a translated VN outside of Urobuchi works.
 
B

Basileus777

Member
I found Hanachirasu to disappointing and shallow, but it's been so long that I'm can't remember a whole lot of specifics. I'd recommend one play Kikokugai instead.
 
K

KuwabaraTheMan

Banned
I finally got the Grand Ending in Root Double. I'm still thinking on it, but overall this game was definitely one of my favorite VNs. The plot held up really well, the characters were strong, and I had a great time with it overall.

I do have a few issues with just how neatly everything ties up at certain points, and how connected everything is (much like Steins;Gate, this feels like an 11 character universe, essentially), but I think the general strengths in the themes of the story, the development of the cast, and the excellent pacing and tension during After and the second half of Double in particular are enough to make up for those few weaknesses.
 
B

Bowl0l

Member
cj_iwakura said:
Friendly reminder that if Umineko does well, Ougon Musou Kyoku has a chance of hitting Steam.

And you probably know why I have a vested interest in that.

Steam page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/406550/?snr=1_5_1100__1100

Surreal to see this happening.
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i will buy Umineko Question arc since i only watched the anime before playing the Answer arc. I stopped reading at 7. Didn't follow through with 8, the final chapter. I prefer the original sprites than the anime ones.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
Basileus777 said:
$22.45 at launch.
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Wait, they're dropping all four at once? Insane.

Bowl0l said:
i will buy Umineko Question arc since i only watched the anime before playing the Answer arc. I stopped reading at 7. Didn't follow through with 8, the final chapter. I prefer the original sprites than the anime ones.
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I agree. The new sprites are nice, but they lose a lot in the translation.

They're still... lacking in basic anatomy, but way better than Higurashi's(which I still prefer to the remake).
 
K

Knurek

Member
cj_iwakura said:
I agree. The new sprites are nice, but they lose a lot in the translation.

They're still... lacking in basic anatomy, but way better than Higurashi's(which I still prefer to the remake).
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They do gain a lot of something as well
bust size, Mangagamer wanting to cash in on Sakura crowd?

Personally, I can't imagine playing Umineko without voice acting. Yes, it adds a few hours to playtime, but considering how well it's acted out (shinjaEBA) it's critical for the title.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
Knurek said:
They do gain a lot of something as well
bust size, Mangagamer wanting to cash in on Sakura crowd?

Personally, I can't imagine playing Umineko without voice acting. Yes, it adds a few hours to playtime, but considering how well it's acted out (shinjaEBA) it's critical for the title.
Click to expand...

Oh wow, I forgot this has VA. I never used it, and still loved it. My first exposure to VA was the fighting game.
 
E

elyetis

Member
Kieli said:
Oh shit, Seinarukana is finally out? Gotdang.
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It was pretty much stealth released yeah.
Got my copy a few weeks ago, I'll finaly have time to really play it next week.... to think I have been interested in it since tenka.seiha blog entry in.... 2007... that was quite the waiting game.
 
J

JulianImp

Member
cj_iwakura said:
The steam page doesn't say so... but it'll probably get patched for it.
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But it might not match with MG's translation, requiring a script patch as well.

Anyway, I bought Higurashi #3 since I had $3.50 rotting on my steam wallet already, and will obviously be getting Umineko for my birthday. 7th Expansion games are some of the few things I actually double-dip on because of how much I like them (except for the Umineko anime... ugh).

I wonder if we'll ever get a Higanbana release on Steam, mostly since its darkest points are even harsher than Higurashi and Umineko's IMO, which is actually quite a feat..
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
JulianImp said:
But it might not match with MG's translation, requiring a script patch as well.
Click to expand...

Eh, not much different from any other undub project. Won't be too hard to mentally fill in the blanks. Happens all the time when I play a JP voice-only release. I could tell Muramasa's translation was wildly different from the text. In both the Marvelous and Aksys releases, heh. One loses all the soul, one wildly changes things(though for a great script).

Kind of wonder why people put Victor Ireland over the coals but give Aksys a free ride. Muramasa's translation was extremely liberal.
 
B

Basileus777

Member
cj_iwakura said:
The steam page doesn't say so... but it'll probably get patched for it.
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It doesn't have it, but I believe the people who have been patching Higurashi have said they will work on this too.

Kieli said:
Oh shit, Seinarukana is finally out? Gotdang.
Click to expand...
Yeah it's out. I finished it (or two routes of it anyway) a few days ago. The story is a step down from Aselia and the routes are barely different from each other, but the gameplay is still pretty fun and a nice refinement from the first game.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
Basileus777 said:
It doesn't have it, but I believe the people who have been patching Higurashi have said they will work on this too.


Yeah it's out. I finished it (or two routes of it anyway) a few days ago. The story is a step down from Aselia and the routes are barely different from each other, but the gameplay is still pretty fun and a nice refinement from the first game.
Click to expand...

That game has been through some serious hoops. It's been in the works for a long dang time.
 
B

Basileus777

Member
World End Econ 3 is finally 100% translated (or will be tomorrow).

By tomorrow we should be 100% done with the translation of episode 3. Editing and programming is coming next and we will commit to a release date after this question to backers is answered:

Would you rather see the game out sooner by using the older engine? Or do you want to wait for the new engine to be ready?
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I don't really care about the engine changes so I'd take it sooner unless they'd be using that time for editing as well.
 
K

KuwabaraTheMan

Banned
I'm glad it's finally complete. Hopefully they'll get it out sooner rather than later. I'd much rather just see the game out as soon as possible. What difference does the engine really make for something like it?
 
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