B-game suggestions?

Visual Novel Community Archive, 2000-2009
#1

Anyone with any suggestions for a 1st time buyer of B-games? I’ve played a few to date including (Divi-Dead=6), (Critical Point=6), (Season of the Sakura=8), (X-Change=7)<-NOTE…#'s next to game is my personal liking to the games on a scale of 10. These are some games I plan to buy in no paticular order;
1)Brave Soul (RPG!!!)
2)Snow Drop (It’s cheap only $25)
3)Crescendo (Story seems likable)
4)Virgin Roster (Curiousity)
5)My Little Maid (Heard it should be good)
6)Gibo (Seems like a weird darkish story)
7)X-Change 2 (Because I played the 1st)

Well would be greatly appreciated if anyone gives me any feedback on any of these titles. I have a newly set aside $260 US/9 month buget I worked out so I can buy these games. I also like anime’s like (Shaman King=7), Hikiru no Go=10), (Chobits=7) if that give’s you any idea of some anime I like. Anyone know avg. time on S&H for J-list to send games to OR or WA in USA? Using there special $1 S&H this month?

#2

I’d recommend Kana, Brave Soul, and Crescendo, in that order. Kana has a great, though depressing, story. Brave Soul has some nice character interaction, though the plotline is kind of nonexistent/slapped together. But it does have actual gameplay, which is more than you can say for most of these games (not so much a criticism as a statement of fact–I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t appreciate these games). Crescendo also has a nicely built-up story (thus the name), with very engaging characters. But these are just my personal recommendations. Even knowing your general tastes, I’m not going to recommend a game that I didn’t feel anything special for myself.

#3

Brave Soul and Crescendo are both good, in my opinion, for different reasons–Brave Soul for its playability, and Crescendo for its strong story. If you liked X-Change, then, by all means, go for the sequel, since it’s supposed to be better than the original–although it’s not in my particular taste. You might want to hold off on Little My Maid, since it hasn’t been released yet–although it’s supposed to be very good, and worth waiting for. I haven’t played any of the others on your list, so I can’t offer any valid opinions, although I understand that Gibo and Virgin Roster are both supposed to be somewhat “dark”, so you may want to consider that, and I understand that Snow Drop is actually supposed to be pretty good–at least according to what I’ve generally heard.

#4

Wow, it’s a shock to see that Tokimeki Check-In never makes the list, when I think it’s the best one released to the American market yet…sweet, funny, romantic and loaded with personality.

#5

I didn’t include TCI cause I heard some of the CG’s were slightly out of date. And you can DL pirited B-games. I know that sounds bad but I can’t repair past mistakes. But from now on I acually am going to buy games legally so I’ve set aside a gaming budget. Acually I wasn’t into X-change that much cause of story and CG’s but I’m trying to find games that have fairly decent pics and hopefully a decent story so just hoping it’s an improvement from the 1st game. Thank’s for the reply guys and or ladies. I’ll defintely get both: Brave Soul and Crescendo I think. And about Kana it just seems $50 is a little high for me for that game. Come on it’s been out like 2-3 years right? And the CG’s I’ve seen don’t really impress me much. But I might reconsider cause I heard the story is good but really sad

And BTW does J-list censor the games or something? I read in another trend about something with censorship using palm leaves because of possible issues with the company that handles there credit card transactions?
[This message has been edited by Wizard Blue (edited 10-11-2004).]

[This message has been edited by Wizard Blue (edited 10-11-2004).]

#6

I can never understand why people say TCI’s graphics are outdated. Last time I checked, I didn’t think so. Anyway, I think it’s an okay game, but the randomness of the choices puts me off. It doesn’t really have a cohesive story either, and that’s another strike in my book. But to each his own. I can understand why others like it.

Kana isn’t about eye candy, though I will say that I think the realistic CG-style fits the mood of the game perfectly. It’s all about the wonderful, gripping story. I should mention it isn’t voiced, though. But that doesn’t inhibit its poignance in the least. As for the story being sad…well it’s not sad all the way through. I thought much of it was rather light-hearted, actually.

#7
quote:
I didn't include TCI cause I heard some of the CG's were slightly out of date.

"slightly" is the key word here. They still look great compared to today's standards. Look at the CG on the game's page for examples.

But still, graphics don't make a game. They shouldn't influence what games you buy.

quote:
And you can DL pirited B-games. I know that sounds bad but I can't repair past mistakes. But from now on I acually am going to buy games legally so I've set aside a gaming budget.

Hey, don't worry about it. Most of us here discovered these games through pirating them, and then we started buying.
The important thing is that you're now buying, which we applaud. [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/smile.gif[/img]
quote:
And BTW does J-list censor the games or something?

All the games are 100% uncensored. The censoring on J-List's website is just on the CG. The games are left intact.
#8

Brave Soul, Crescendo, Snow Drop is a go for me to buy. Well the CG’s are a determining factor for me to buy the games along with story and playabitilty. Guess I’ll past on Virgin Roster cause it really is ridious on the premises that it demoralizes woman and to add insult to injury it piles on the silly notion that any woman would enjoy being raped or brainwashed like what I’ve heard in reviews of the game. Any suggestions on the games Hitozuma Hime Club-Secret Wife’s Club and or Tottemo Pheromone?

You all really must forgive me for my really bad grammer and spelling errors. English is definitly not my strong point cause you’ll tend to notice a lot of grammer/spelling that is most likely wrong with 80% of my stuff that are run-on sentences.

[This message has been edited by Wizard Blue (edited 10-12-2004).]

#9

I’m playing Tottemo Pheromone right now and i just love it!!
Its great, nice caracters ,music and a lighthearted story.
So i can realy recommend it

#10
quote:
Originally posted by Benoit:

But still, graphics don't make a game. They shouldn't influence what games you buy.

I don't know about that. If the girls aren't pretty, I think a main draw of the bishoujo genre is lost. Good graphics don't make a game, but bad or inappropriate graphics can severely limit one, IMO. In bishoujo games, graphics become even important than say, your typical RPG. When I'm deciding what bishoujo game I want to buy, the first things I look at are the premise (story) and cg. If I find either of these lacking, I'm not likely to buy it.

Tottemo Pheromone is alright for a light romp, and has a passable story, IMO. A similar game is Heart de Roommate, which I'd recommend a little more. I find the story a little more compelling, though the ecchi level is a fair bit lower.

[This message has been edited by Dark_Shiki (edited 10-12-2004).]

#11

Of course, if the graphics are bad, it will put off. My point is that the quality of good graphics shouldn’t be a selling point.

#12

Why not? I see two B-games on a shelf at the store. Both look interesting, but one has really nice CG’s. Which do you think I’m going to get?

#13

From the ratings you gave on the games and anime I say Crescendo is your best bet. Other good ones include X-change2 since you like the first one the sequel has better graphics and slightly better story. Chain might also suit your tastes, although it’s a linear game.

If CG quality is a concern than make sure to check the screen shots of the games here and at g-coll to make sure the character designs don’t bug you. I know Gibo’s and Come See Me tonight’s character designs look funky to me, but that’s just my personal opinion.

#14
quote:
Originally posted by Wizard Blue:
Anyone with any suggestions for a 1st time buyer of B-games? I've played a few to date including (Divi-Dead=6), (Critical Point=6), (Season of the Sakura=8), (X-Change=7)<-*NOTE*..#'s next to game is my personal liking to the games on a scale of 10. These are some games I plan to buy in no paticular order;
1)Brave Soul (RPG!!!)
2)Snow Drop (It's cheap only $25)
3)Crescendo (Story seems likable)
4)Virgin Roster (Curiousity)
5)My Little Maid (Heard it should be good)
6)Gibo (Seems like a weird darkish story)
7)X-Change 2 (Because I played the 1st)

Well would be greatly appreciated if anyone gives me any feedback on any of these titles. I have a newly set aside $260 US/9 month buget I worked out so I can buy these games. I also like anime's like (Shaman King=7), Hikiru no Go=10), (Chobits=7) if that give's you any idea of some anime I like. Anyone know avg. time on S&H for J-list to send games to OR or WA in USA? Using there special $1 S&H this month?

Interesting you would rate Season of the Sakura highest, followed by XChange. They are basically diametrically opposed in how they appeal.

Hmm. I guess I'll go with two sets of "if you liked this, try that".

If you liked Season of the Sakura, you might like G-coll's translated Angel Smile titles - that includes Private Nurse and Heart de Roommate. You'd also probably like Snow Drop and Crescendo. LMM isn't out yet but you'd probably like it as well. Also you might want to email G-collections and politely ask they consider translating Kazoku Keikaku (I think that was it anyway).


If you liked XChange, you'll like anything.

*thwack* *crunch* *thud*

Sorry, did I say that out loud? If you liked XChange, then I'll go ahead and recommend Gibo (but I've never played it) - I hear it's good. You'll like XC2. You'd probably also like games with a lot of easily-obtained sex scenes, which covers Do You Like a Horny Bunny 1-2, Come See Me Tonight 1-2, and Tottemo Pheromone.

I'd also recommend TCI and the two J-list compilations, (those if only because you should play Nocturnal Illusions). Haven't played Brave Soul but it's an RPG, can't really go wrong there.

#15
quote:
Originally posted by Nandemonai:
If you liked XChange, you'll like anything.

Gwahaha. [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img] You don't pull any punches, do you?

Ahem...anyway. Nocturnal Illusions is one of those "look and think" early types of bishoujo games. Personally, I fear them like I fear death itself. They take bishoujo games to a new level of anti-gameplay. This is one of the few points I agree with SomethingAwful.com on. That said, Nocturnal Illusions isn't a bad game, which is frankly quite amazing. But it is very tedious, and I couldn't remain in good conscience without giving potential buyers fair warning. [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/wink.gif[/img]

By the way, I would recommend Private Nurse out of principle, but my copy's still somewhere in California...Peach Princess doesn't seem to like my credit card anymore. [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[This message has been edited by Dark_Shiki (edited 10-12-2004).]

#16
quote:
Originally posted by Wizard Blue:
I didn't include TCI cause I heard some of the CG's were slightly out of date. And you can DL pirited B-games. I know that sounds bad but I can't repair past mistakes. But from now on I acually am going to buy games legally so I've set aside a gaming budget.

*nods*

Neither can the rest of us repair past mistakes (well, aside from buying the collections). Most of us here got our start in the industry the same way you did (and even mostly with the same game, Season of the Sakura). We've all gone legit, and a large part of that is that we found out how fragile the industry is over here, and we want to support it.

As for the CG, Tokimeki Checkin! has better looking CG than any of the 4 games you listed.


quote:
Originally posted by Wizard Blue:
And about Kana it just seems $50 is a little high for me for that game. Come on it's been out like 2-3 years right? And the CG's I've seen don't really impress me much. But I might reconsider cause I heard the story is good but really sad :(

It basically works like this. Kana is widely regarded as one of the best storylines in English. More than that; it is widely regarded as being leaps and bounds above most of the rest of the titles translated to English. And your highest rated title was Seasons of the Sakura, a title without a lot of sex and with fairly dated CG.

It is also true that "titles with lots of sex" consistently outsell "titles with lots of story". If no one buys games with lots of story, then they won't get translated anymore.

In short - come; join us. You'll like it, it's fun! Don't worry, this won't hurt me a bit ;)

quote:
Originally posted by Wizard Blue:
And BTW does J-list censor the games or something? I read in another trend about something with censorship using palm leaves because of possible issues with the company that handles there credit card transactions?

That's ... an interesting combination of two true facts to produce something that's not true.

The short answer is "no". The long answer is, J-list had to censor the pictures on their website (but not the actual products) because their credit card company got silly. The other grain of truth is that these games are all censored in Japan, because Japanese law requires it, but when the games are brought to the US they are uncensored.

#17
quote:
Originally posted by Dark_Shiki:
Why not? I see two B-games on a shelf at the store. Both look interesting, but one has really nice CG's. Which do you think I'm going to get?

The one with the most interesting story after I thwap your head with a newspaper? [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/tongue.gif[/img]
quote:
Haven't played Brave Soul but it's an RPG, can't really go wrong there.

o_O
How could you?! PLAY IT NOW!
#18
quote:
Originally posted by Dark_Shiki:
Nocturnal Illusions is one of those "look and think" early types of bishoujo games. Personally, I fear them like I fear death itself. They take bishoujo games to a new level of anti-gameplay. This is one of the few points I agree with SomethingAwful.com on. That said, Nocturnal Illusions isn't a bad game, which is frankly quite amazing. But it is very tedious, and I couldn't remain in good conscience without giving potential buyers fair warning. [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/wink.gif[/img]

Basically, I recommend it because the guy said he likes story, and that's one thing Nocturnal Illusion does better than some recent games; establish story and atmosphere. Unfortunately, it is a very dated game, and is hurt by its old school design, both in terms of "look and think" (as you put it) and also in terms of the "please take a number and the main character will be in bed with you shortly" manner in which the story progressed.

I like Nocturnal Illusion in spite of these flaws, because it really is a nice story and it does have interesting characters.

#19

Casual Romance Club, Brave Soul, TCI, Crescendo, and a guilty pleasure in DYLHB

#20
quote:
Originally posted by Benoit:
o_O
How could you?! PLAY IT NOW!

I was going to buy it at ACen, but no one had it for sale. I buy b-games in bunches, so as to minimize the chance my father will accidentally open the package because his name is on it. And I haven't finished Crescendo yet, or started Gin Iro or Casual Romance Club.