I went through DR2 recently too, I really loved it. The new minigames were just terrible though yeah.
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Visual Novels Community Thread | A Little Something for Everyone
- Thread starter Yuuichi
- Start date
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
If you're somehow gonna be at Comitia 112 at Tokyo Big Sight on the 5th, you can pick up one of these bad boys
Ye, close to the end of chapter 3 and it's been amazing so far, every chapter has been better and more intriguing than the last. Can't wait to finally get some answers later, so many questions!
Hell, I've even enjoyed the endless references to other games (particularly the shots at DR1) and blatant double entendres, something I thought I'd never say
e: I'm gonna go as far as saying that it's easily the funniest VN I've played, maybe the funniest *anything* Japanese I've played/read/watched. Then again, I usually go for the more serious stuff and drama rather than slice-of-life or comedy stuff
Haven't laughed at a videogame as hard as I did when
nearly dead Nagito barely managed to whisper to you that he's "fine and is in fact feeling quite refreshed!" cause of the liar syndrome stuff
e2: everything that's come out of this
despair syndrome
Muv-Luv Alternative: endgame and overall impressions
Spoilers ahead! As always, I'll try to avoid speaking of the most explicit stuff, but just to be safe you shouldn't read anything below this sentence if you haven't already played the game in its entirety.
Events: BETA Invasion to End
Following that laughably shoehorned projection drama, an impromptu invasion of BETA occurs, with devastating results. As a desperate last resort, Operation Cherry Blossom is launched. Cue a bitchin' Masaaki Endoh song to the background of a speech accompanying mankind's ultimate counterattack. Of course, par for the course for the game (and pretty much all of fiction in general), things don't exactly go according to the outlined plan. After many a shocking reveal, Takeru finally accomplish what he wanted. Happy end.
Now, for the general impressions: I really liked Alternative. It was a perfect culmination of the introduction that were Extra and Unlimited. The story and writing is competent, as well as the pacing. As a whole, it's pretty effective at riling you up and making you empathize with the characters, especially Takeru, who undergoes a huge amount of character development throughout the game, which is undoubtedly one of its major high points. The mood can be somewhat inconsistent at times, but overall it manages to convey the sense of war and desperation well, notably with its attention to various military procedures and technical details.
Graphics-wise I must say it's by far the most impressive VN I've ever played (not that I have played many of them, mind), notably the animations, even if the characters' design remain pretty generic. Again, I have nothing much to say as far as voices go, but they worked well, though the recurring ellipses 'breathing' sound effects got quite grating. The soundtrack is great, especially the songs (JAM PROJECT!!!), and they add a lot to the mood.
However, I was rather disappointed by the way the game treated some of the characters, notably Sakon and the Valkyries, which were woefully underutilized. Talk about wasted potential. The last portion of the game felt rather rushed as well, though it at least explained the nature of the BETA in a logical way. Aside from that one surprise, the game isn't particularily subtle at hinting which characters are going to die either, which can kill some of the suspense.
Ultimately, despite its flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed Alternative, even if it necessitated me slogging through Extra first, and the contrast between the three games was pretty amazing. A pretty great mecha drama.
(Now I wish for the series to appear in a Super Robot Wars game...)
Spoilers ahead! As always, I'll try to avoid speaking of the most explicit stuff, but just to be safe you shouldn't read anything below this sentence if you haven't already played the game in its entirety.
Events: BETA Invasion to End
Following that laughably shoehorned projection drama, an impromptu invasion of BETA occurs, with devastating results. As a desperate last resort, Operation Cherry Blossom is launched. Cue a bitchin' Masaaki Endoh song to the background of a speech accompanying mankind's ultimate counterattack. Of course, par for the course for the game (and pretty much all of fiction in general), things don't exactly go according to the outlined plan. After many a shocking reveal, Takeru finally accomplish what he wanted. Happy end.
Now, for the general impressions: I really liked Alternative. It was a perfect culmination of the introduction that were Extra and Unlimited. The story and writing is competent, as well as the pacing. As a whole, it's pretty effective at riling you up and making you empathize with the characters, especially Takeru, who undergoes a huge amount of character development throughout the game, which is undoubtedly one of its major high points. The mood can be somewhat inconsistent at times, but overall it manages to convey the sense of war and desperation well, notably with its attention to various military procedures and technical details.
Graphics-wise I must say it's by far the most impressive VN I've ever played (not that I have played many of them, mind), notably the animations, even if the characters' design remain pretty generic. Again, I have nothing much to say as far as voices go, but they worked well, though the recurring ellipses 'breathing' sound effects got quite grating. The soundtrack is great, especially the songs (JAM PROJECT!!!), and they add a lot to the mood.
However, I was rather disappointed by the way the game treated some of the characters, notably Sakon and the Valkyries, which were woefully underutilized. Talk about wasted potential. The last portion of the game felt rather rushed as well, though it at least explained the nature of the BETA in a logical way. Aside from that one surprise, the game isn't particularily subtle at hinting which characters are going to die either, which can kill some of the suspense.
Ultimately, despite its flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed Alternative, even if it necessitated me slogging through Extra first, and the contrast between the three games was pretty amazing. A pretty great mecha drama.
(Now I wish for the series to appear in a Super Robot Wars game...)
Danganronpa 2 chapter 3 END spoilers:
Great mystery otherwise though
Mikan 
(((( I kinda sorta feel like the conclusion was a biiit cheap, I mean, Mikan is in love with someone to the point of utter insanity, I doubt that insanity would simply just disappear even if you lost some of your memories. And even if I buy her "losing memories is like losing your identity" comment, I'm having a hard time dealing with the fact that until the point we call her out in the trial for good, she acts exactly like she used to, even though she's been this crazy woman who literally cares about nothing else than her beloved for a while now.
(((( I kinda sorta feel like the conclusion was a biiit cheap, I mean, Mikan is in love with someone to the point of utter insanity, I doubt that insanity would simply just disappear even if you lost some of your memories. And even if I buy her "losing memories is like losing your identity" comment, I'm having a hard time dealing with the fact that until the point we call her out in the trial for good, she acts exactly like she used to, even though she's been this crazy woman who literally cares about nothing else than her beloved for a while now.Great mystery otherwise though
Funyarinpa
Member
Danganronpa 2 chapter 3 END spoilers:Mikan
Great mystery otherwise though
she was trying to deceive everyone that she is too innocent and frail to commit murder during the trial. I also nearly gave you end game spoilers, but know that you will learn more later.
cj_iwakura
Member
If you're somehow gonna be at Comitia 112 at Tokyo Big Sight on the 5th, you can pick up one of these bad boys
And so we've come full circle. Hope it does well.
Heaven's Feel Day 10(or so)
These choices are getting rough. So is deciding whether to have Emiya be loyal or be just.
Update: Done with Tears to Tiara and Otoboku. Will post impressions, along with a full review for Princess Evangile, on Monday, hopefully. Very, very short reviews for those:
Princess Evangile: Yay, get it if you can
Otoboku: it was okay, get it for cheap
Tears to Tiara: Meh
Are you using a guide for it or just going with whatever you think you should pick?
Princess Evangile: Yay, get it if you can
Otoboku: it was okay, get it for cheap
Tears to Tiara: Meh
Are you using a guide for it or just going with whatever you think you should pick?
Basileus777
Member
Is that the first Tears to Tiara? Yeah, it's not very good especially the original PC release.
Yeah, the first one. To be honest, it feels like a very incomplete idea, since everything feels very half-assed: not a single track of the ost stands out, the art is inconsistent, the characters feel like they are only roughly drafted and needed some polishing, with their personalities suffering as a result (read: there is none) and the game part itself feels incomplete (and it seriously needed some tweaks, like a speed-up function). Worst of all: the harem feels stupidly forced.
To be honest, I only played it because I was out of VNs to read, so I went back to those that I ended up dropping. At least it was short (10+ hours)
probably both but seeing how both are very short, start with the shortest one and move forward with the next VN
So, which one is the shortest?
Basileus777
Member
Planetarian is less than 3 hours long. Eden is about 6-9 hours.
Basileus777
Member
I hear the PS2 release improved a lot of this. Tears to Tiara 2 was certainly a huge improvement over the first game.
Edit: Oops double post.
R_thanatos
Member
It's a shame the PS3 version ( PS3 , not PS2 ) actually correct most if not all those mistakes.but it ain't localised .Better music, must robust battle system. More dynamic events , more backstory and more cohesion between the characters overall.
Even with the same story.
The battle system is like totally different. I think the PC version battle system was fine, but some battles were WAY too long and again the PS3 version fixed this problem too.
Probably. I wanted to watch the anime, since I heard that even there the fixes were already in place, but being outside the US, I have no legal and easy way to watch it (btw, fuck you, Funimation. I need to say that every time I mention them since they always screw us whenever they pick an anime for simulcast)
cj_iwakura
Member
Whatever I think, I rarely use guides for a first go unless I hear it's something really obtuse in advance(i.e. Steins;Gate's true end). F/SN makes backtracking really easy, too.
I dunno, I guess.
I suppose she just didn't strike me as the deceiving type at all. I'm excited to learn more about her beloved one and what the fuck the whole thing was all about though lol
Also, chapter 4!
I'm playing as Nagito! This is FUCKING AWESOME! Nagito's been pretty much the best element of the sequels trials, hell, one of the best elements of the whole game so far. So unpredictable and awesome, I love how he keeps throwing everyone for a loop and I def can't wait to see how this chapter's trial plays off if we're gonna stay separated in 2 groups until it.
e: jesus, I had to do a tediously long hangman's gambit to
answer the question "what device moves things to different floors in a building"?! Oh my god come on, some of these minigames are so... Blahhh
Whatever, otherwise it's been an amazing chapter
Glad you liked it. I actually really liked the Valkyries in all their points,
I didn't really mind that they died while others survived because everyone were going to die anyway. If anyone deserved to survive it was them though, captain best girl.
Could it be... another Nagito fan? He's seriously my favorite character in my entire series! <3 (Not spoilers for Muntu)
From that moment in Chapter 1 where he completely flipped my expectations ("Oh, he's either Makoto, or some Makoto ripoff..."), his interactions were one of the best parts of DR2. For whatever reason I could never get him to level up during Free Time though...
Could it be... another Nagito fan? He's seriously my favorite character in my entire series! <3 (Not spoilers for Muntu)From that moment in Chapter 1 where he completely flipped my expectations ("Oh, he's either Makoto, or some Makoto ripoff..."), his interactions were one of the best parts of DR2. For whatever reason I could never get him to level up during Free Time though...
Yup, definitely one of my favorite characters! Like I said, the sheer unpredictability keeps things super fresh. I'm in the beginning of chapter 5 and
he has pretty much surpassed himself lol, this is getting crazy as hell
About Free Time, I read that
you had to hang out with him in chapter 1, otherwise you couldn't get more shards from him. Personally I loved his stuff, so I'd suggest you Youtube that stuff or something if you never got around hanging out with him.
It was less about their fate than the way they got portrayed. They didn't get to shine much in the game, and got rather quickly and unceremoniously shelved aside.
It's funny that you should mention this, because I had exactly the same opinion on the game, and the show is leagues better. I highly recommend trying to find a copy of it if you can.
And now we're in chapter 5's trial.
Goddamn, there he goes, but at least he gave us the most spectacular, most fucked up death so far in the series. Kinda hoping that, if there is a killer among us and it's as straightforward as the other trials have been (which I doubt tbh), it's Kazuichi. Kinda boring character made later on even more annoying by his insane Sonia obsession, and he's one of the last to be standing
Chiaki and Sonia survive. I'm knocking on wood like a motherfucker as I'm typing this.
I have to say, so far most of the female characters have been far more fun than the male characters in DR2. Chiaki, Mikan and Mahiru are adorable, Ibuki, Hiyoko and Sonia are hilarious and Peko was great too. Only Akane is fairly boring, just a walking pair of tits because fan service. e: and right away she also manages to fit in a couple of actually funny jokes in the trial. Good timing, Akane.
On the male side, Nekomaru, Teruteru, Kazuichi and Gundham's shtick got boring real fast. Rest are great though, even Hajime, even if he is a bit bland.
I'm nearing the end. Fuck yeah, can't wait to get some answers soon!
If you're somehow gonna be at Comitia 112 at Tokyo Big Sight on the 5th, you can pick up one of these bad boys
Wow I need this in my life D:
No way I can be there though, me sad now.
Oh yeah, that must have been it. I "couldn't find him" in then (read: I was too lazy to look around more than a minute), and talked to Mikan instead. I think I'll go YouTube his stuff now, since I'm a bit too lazy to replay the game. :3
Also, oh man Chapter 5. That's all I can say.
I (somewhat) recently played Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shojo, I think because someone in this thread (or its predecessor) recommended it. Thanks for that, it was quite interesting.
One of those VNs where
Any other suggestions for VNs with unique/interesting settings?
One of those VNs where
you get a really great setting and story, and then in the end after its basically over a completely superfluous sex scene for no reason. Which is also the worst-written part of it. Why?
Any other suggestions for VNs with unique/interesting settings?
InfiniteNine
Rolling Girl
Actually that doesn't happen if you set it up not to happen. "Harem" ending is a pretty normal afterward with just paling around. Which ending did you get specifically?
I'll try and think of a few things while I wake up to recommend though! (I think I recommended it since I'm the only one I see recommend it.)
I'll try and think of a few things while I wake up to recommend though! (I think I recommended it since I'm the only one I see recommend it.)
Answer to question 1: Money. Sex sells. Can't do anything about it. You get over it after you've played enough.
As for recommendations, that's a tough one. I want to say Rewrite, but it pretends to be a fairly normal setting for quite a while. Maybe Umineko or Dangan Ronpa (if you somehow haven't played it) might better strike your fancy.
On the off chance you can read Japanese, it's a much easier question.
YUP
MOTHER
FUCKER
I'm in full despair mode right now
That FUCKING delay before the final tetris piece dropped, I noticed I had been holding my breath through the whole punishment
WhirlwindMonk
Banned
I have had more than six months to get over it. Six. Months. And the memory of that scene still makes me want to cry. They tease you with the pause. It's just like in DR1, when Makoto was found guilty. They tease you with the pause, remind you of DR1 and Makoto making it through alive, give you one last moment of hope, and then slaughter it. Despair mode doesn't even begin to cover how much that hurt.
the worst
chiaki and nagito were my life when I was going through the game. chapter 5 ruined me
Yeah, it was just.. Just too much
Same here! Both were AMAZING characters, easily my favorites, and BOTH get killed in such horrible ways in the same goddamn chapter.
I should have known. When they suddenly started making Chiaki into this reliable, relatable, likeable character and started bringing her closer to Hajime, I should have fucking known. Why hasn't Game of Thrones taught me anything?!
I should have known. When they suddenly started making Chiaki into this reliable, relatable, likeable character and started bringing her closer to Hajime, I should have fucking known. Why hasn't Game of Thrones taught me anything?!
I gotta admit, it's probably been years since a videogame has made me feel like this. I have to take a break before continuing. Browse funny cat pictures on imgur or something.
But I must continue. THIS DESPAIR WILL TURN INTO HOPE!
e: wow holy shit, you have got to be kidding me. is this torture or what
I have so much on my backlog and lots I'm in the middle of playing (including slowly getting through Steins;Gate, although having little time to play it), but now I really want to go through Planetarian! 3 hours, I can get that done... within the month, hopefully >_>
Darnnit Shiz!
Darnnit Shiz!
I have so much on my backlog and lots I'm in the middle of playing (including slowly getting through Steins;Gate, although having little time to play it), but now I really want to go through Planetarian! 3 hours, I can get that done... within the month, hopefully >_>
Darnnit Shiz!
Try to do it in one sitting (I did it in two). It's worth it and you can finish another game from your backlog.
If I had the time I would, but this month is killer on my free time :/ I'll wait until I actually have a good, free day to play it, but it'll probably end up being next month.
Yeah, Planetarian made me straight up weep. I kinda saw what was coming too, but... just damn, man...
@DR2 stuff:
THE BRIGHTEST HOPE COMES FROM THE DARKEST DESPAIR
Holy fuck at some of these DR2 twists during
I mean goddamn! I had my theories, but I never expected some of this stuff. It's 2am but I HAVE to finish this tonight lmao
e:
????????!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WAS NOT EXPECTING SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM DANGANRONPA
the chapter 6 "trial"
I mean goddamn! I had my theories, but I never expected some of this stuff. It's 2am but I HAVE to finish this tonight lmao
e:
"SOME TRIED TO HAVE CHILDREN WITH JUNKO'S DEAD BODY"
Wasn't that a mistranslation? I can't remember what it's supposed to have said in the Japanese version but I think there were differences.
It's possible I miss some tags so don't read this post at all if you haven't finished Danganronpa 2
I dunno, but the picture that accompanied the comment definitely had a guy who looked like he was going at something hard. It was super unexpected lol.
ANYWHO, DANGAN RONPA 2 FINISHED! So, long-winded post full of 4am rambling, mistakes and NOT full of stuff I'll forget to write down, but anyway spoilers etc etc, don't click tags yadda yadda
What a fucking ride! Really all I can say (or NOT lmao you thought I could ever write a short impressions post).
I'm not gonna do comparisons to DR1 since I don't really remember much of that game but I have to say, I was at first a tiny bit concerned cause I thought the school setting was far, faaar more interesting than the island one in DR2.
But the story got so insane after
, I'm pretty sure I can say with confidence that it surpassed the first game. I am a bit conflicted on
On one hand,
Don't get me wrong, chapter
was still harsh AS FUCK!
I was quite surprised with how seemingly dark the game got at times too. It at least felt like it had a lot more dark shit in it than DR1 did. Quite liked how it contrasted the wacky stuff.
I already commented on the characters earlier, so I'll just say that both Chiaki and Nagito were fucking amazing, easily my favorites in DR2. Not sure about the whole series, I remeber Kirigiri being prettttttty cool in the first game.
Minigames were meh. Boring, annoying, at least actually easy on easy difficulty. If I could have turned all action stuff off and made it all multiple choices and picking proof, I would have.
In short:
It took me around 40 hours, it was fucking fantastic and, like any good story, it has left me with this tiny hollow feeling inside me now that it's ended. Even with its flaws and that one twist, I kind of feel like that this might be on the same level as the Zero Escape games for me, which are pretty much my favorite VNs. It was just really, really fucking good.
I'll read the DR IF novel and do the rest of the "social links" tomorrow. I also hope my copy of Tales of Hearts R arrives tomorrow, just in case I can't get chapter 5 out of my head and I need something more light-hearted (probably) to play lol.
I dunno, but the picture that accompanied the comment definitely had a guy who looked like he was going at something hard. It was super unexpected lol.
ANYWHO, DANGAN RONPA 2 FINISHED! So, long-winded post full of 4am rambling, mistakes and NOT full of stuff I'll forget to write down, but anyway spoilers etc etc, don't click tags yadda yadda
What a fucking ride! Really all I can say (or NOT lmao you thought I could ever write a short impressions post).
I'm not gonna do comparisons to DR1 since I don't really remember much of that game but I have to say, I was at first a tiny bit concerned cause I thought the school setting was far, faaar more interesting than the island one in DR2.
But the story got so insane after
chapter 5
one twist though: the virtual world one.
it made the "you're actually the remnants of Ultimate Despair" twist and Nagito being a super good guy twist possible, which I thought were FUCKING AWESOME and, well, it did kind of work with DR's universe. On the other hand, it's a fucking "it was all a dream" twist - it enables the writer to throw cool, intriguing mysteries at you and either never explain them, or just handwave them away with "this is not real LOL" which is what unfortunately happened with a bunch of stuff in DR2. In this case it thankfully didn't COMPLETELY negate everything that happened, but it did take away from the impact, in my opinion. And I think it kind of cheapened Chiaki's character a bit too, if that makes any sense?
Don't get me wrong, chapter
5
It's just that, without the twist, I think Chiaki's death would have actually bothered me for at least a couple of days, which is quite a long time for me. I get super invested in fictional characters I like, but I usually forget about them real quick after the story ends. Now that I know she's a computer program, can't actually die per se etc... I dunno. Chiaki deserved more!
I was quite surprised with how seemingly dark the game got at times too. It at least felt like it had a lot more dark shit in it than DR1 did. Quite liked how it contrasted the wacky stuff.
I already commented on the characters earlier, so I'll just say that both Chiaki and Nagito were fucking amazing, easily my favorites in DR2. Not sure about the whole series, I remeber Kirigiri being prettttttty cool in the first game.
Minigames were meh. Boring, annoying, at least actually easy on easy difficulty. If I could have turned all action stuff off and made it all multiple choices and picking proof, I would have.
In short:
It took me around 40 hours, it was fucking fantastic and, like any good story, it has left me with this tiny hollow feeling inside me now that it's ended. Even with its flaws and that one twist, I kind of feel like that this might be on the same level as the Zero Escape games for me, which are pretty much my favorite VNs. It was just really, really fucking good.
I'll read the DR IF novel and do the rest of the "social links" tomorrow. I also hope my copy of Tales of Hearts R arrives tomorrow, just in case I can't get chapter 5 out of my head and I need something more light-hearted (probably) to play lol.
If you think that's bad, wait until we get Ultra Despair Girls. I haven't played it, but like DR2, I'm already spoiled to hell and back with that one. There are some... interesting... parts of the story that might or might not be worst than what you put in your spoiler bars.
Crash Station
Member
Well, the interpretation with the original dialogue is a bit different.
It essentially says that someone took Junko's womb and implanted it in their body rather than literally having sex with her corpse. It's speculated to be Mikan as she implied having her "lover" already inside her.
May or may not be more disturbing than the "translation error" depending on how you look at it.
The digital twist helped me get over the deaths pretty fast too, knowing that they managed to bring back those who died in the end. And Chiaki better be one of those brought back, I don't care how. Put her on an iPad or something.
Also I said this in the DR2 OT already but y'know what, having a bunch of my favorite characters stitched with Junko body parts doesn't sound so bad. Heck that's better than normal bodies.
Regarding Chiaki and Nagito, they were both my main people from the beginning of ch1. I think I maxed out Chiaki's SL by ch2 or 3, so ch5 was crazy. The executions in DR2 were pretty underwhelming compared to DR1's executions but Chiaki is easily the worst one in both games.
Also I said this in the DR2 OT already but y'know what, having a bunch of my favorite characters stitched with Junko body parts doesn't sound so bad. Heck that's better than normal bodies.
Regarding Chiaki and Nagito, they were both my main people from the beginning of ch1. I think I maxed out Chiaki's SL by ch2 or 3, so ch5 was crazy. The executions in DR2 were pretty underwhelming compared to DR1's executions but Chiaki is easily the worst one in both games.