DESIRE was 1994, making it not only another good early title but possibly (I’ve yet to see a counterexample, anyway) the first good story-oriented eroge altogether.
1995 also had Abogado Powers’ excellent Kuro no Danshou and elf’s classic predecessor to things like Leaf’s Kusari, Isaku. Oh, and Nocturnal Illusion also came out in 1995.
So I guess the 90s were the equivalent of the Golden Age of comics for eroge…so has eroge had a Silver Age yet?
Probably 1998-2003 or so, covering things like ONE, AIR, Eien no Aselia, Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, Cross Channel etc.
Honestly, I think we’re in one of the best ages for eroge at the moment anyway, so it doesn’t quite follow that of comics. We’re still seeing plenty of titles that could be considered highly experimental (France Shoujo etc.) as well as more traditional companies trying go to for more elaborate storylines than ever. 2012 is definitely shaping up to be an interesting year.
I’m afraid not. Age hasn’t made YU-NO cheaper, just harder to get.
Good thing you have brought this up. The best definition that I have heard to this day: If a game depends on stats for its outcomes, then it is a dating sim; if, instead, it depends on decision point flags, then it is a visual novel. The difference lies in the game mechanics, but I have noticed that some publishers (such as J-List!!!) prefer labeling their products as ‘dating sims’ in an indiscriminate manner. Another definition of visual nove could be – electronic adaptation of choose-your-own-adventure novels.
If having more H-content is one of the purchase criteria, then I think a rule of thumb would be to look for titles containing kinky/deviant themes, and to a lesser extent, containing harem themes. By contrast, most drama or sit-com type titles do have H-content, but only to a moderate extent as most of sexual scenes are incidental to story plots.