I think the gameplay is the most important and the plot… the relationship between character and the girl which develops emotionally (?) through the game. Well… I personally like Kanon, and Air-type games.
Ah, gomen… (ToHeart is a very nice game… I like it too… Akari-chan ^.^)… If restricted to just english games… The ones I definately like are games like Divi-Dead, Desire… for their story, while for gameplay… things like True Love & MayClub (?) which has replay value.
Even so, the artwork and the sound also comes into factor… (I personally am a sucker for eyecandy even if the game utterly sucks. )… I love it how the music fits right into the situation that the main character is in, and somewhat twists at your emotion at certain times… Ah I’m babbling…
Bye Bye
-Omi
[This message has been edited by Tsukiyono Omi (edited 04-17-2001).]
For me, the most important thing is the storyline, The artistic part is second most inportant to me. I want a story that keeps me engrossed in the game until I’ve finished it. I also like some mystery to the story. The other critical factor that really makes the game enjoyable for me is to know that every decision I make in the game has a factor in it that determines the outcome. So you can understand why I was disappointed with games like Fatal Relations, Love Potion, Runaway City, and Three Sisters Story. There was only one correct or “Good” ending. These games really didn’t reward the players for doing something that went against the designers vision.
Eve burst error and Desire I liked because the story, with its insights into the two main characters, really made the game interesting. Like I said before I really like some mystery to the game and these two had plenty of it. (The animated scenes were really cool,too.)
I really can’t comment on RPG’s, bishojo wise, because we’ve only had one transscripted into English, Knights of Xentar (I can’t say it was translated because Megatech did a Macross/Robotech alteration on it) Though it seemed to me that most of storyline elements were intact.
I thought Gloria, Season of the Sakura, and Divi-Dead were great because of the multiple endings involved and the excellent storylines. (Although the Sachiko ending in Divi-dead was virtually impossible to get without the walkthrough)
well…
for me the first important factor in a game is the quality of images… cause (examples) some of otaku’s or jast’s games were very good in their story (others really s***s)
but in the “graphic dept.” they were REALLY bad… cuzz many of then only used the 256 screen format so… what i can expect of a game that uses that kind of palette?
also… other very important factor is the music, cause… many good games had a problem with the music factor… you can easily guess what will come next because the music was always the same in “x” kind of situations during the whole the game so… that really spoils the complete game plot!
well… the storyline’s very important too… but… more that the story itself, the very important thing is that all the desitions that we would make in the game REALLY changes the end of the game… cuzz many games have the option that we could change the course of the game but we can also change this desition latter during you advance in the game… so… what’s the matter then?
for example… a very good game was otaku’s “true love” cuzz it has many different endings depending where you will be in each day and many of the situations only will happen during “this day” and never again…
but in game’s like sakura jast’s / sakura’s “three sisters story” if you don’t do the right “movement” in each day… you can also try to do that the next day… so… that kind of games are more for “game newcomers” than for people that are really familiarized with the genre…
For me if a game has mutiple endings is a plus because if gives a chance really enjoy it.
Gloria was a real challenge to get all of the endings and the CG.
Good art visuals are also plus.
well that’s true… i remember the old good times of the first home consoles and their games… the graphics were really bad (systems like 2600 and their successors)… but the games were very large and quite funny…
and remember that all those old games with that bad quality images and sound were the pioneers of the game development so… let’s appreciate them cuzz they make posible that today we can enjoy this new generation of better-quality games and today’s games will be the foundations of the future of the game development
Hello again,
I have been playing for awhile as I even played MegaTech’s Metal and Lace and Cobra Mission as well as the aforemetioned Knight’s of Xentar. I have played a most of the others too. I mean I have had some real dislikes such as Ringout as there were NO good endings, I mean the main character as some form of slave with no way just gave me a bad feeling. I liked Divi dead and EBE as well as Desire inspite of the Linear aspect. I mean I have played the other ones mentioned too.When I look back at them all, it comes back to Desire because I REALLY became attached to the characters, EVEN thought it was litle more than a story than game, NOTHING yet as really hit that spot in me. The only game that was a TOTAL waste for me anyway was the SCOOP game Immoral Studies. I am sure others will feel differently but hey those are my MERE 2 cents worth…
quote:
Originally posted by Kumiko Kamiyama:
As a side note, just in case anyone did not know... MegaTech's Knights Of Xentar is actually Elf's Dragon Knight 3. At that time, Dragon Knight was probably Elf's top game (before they did Doukyuusei... and the rest is history, more or less... [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/smile.gif[/img] ) Kumiko's understanding is that the change of the title and elements within the game was required for reasons beyond MegaTech's control, but she doesn't remember the details. She DOES remember the original ads stating it was Dragon Knight, though, and how everyone was very excited about it coming out here... but again, due to the problems with the English market not supporting a top release, it showed Elf that no one wants their products in the English market. Of course, times change... things aren't exactly the same now as they were back then... we have every hope that customers and the market will open to the bishoujo genre, now...
Kumiko, if I remember it right, it had something to do with another US company (TSR if I'm not mistaken) had the US Rights to the name Dragon Knight which prompted the name change.
Initially I look for romance and character interaction. I want to be able to sweep at least one of the chacters, that I am interacting with, off her feet. As long as I get the romance, I don’t mind a simple storyline (as long as it is sensible).
If I pick up a title in which I don’t expect a great deal of romance, I want a good storyline. Divi-Dead was great, even though I couldn’t finish with the girl I wanted.
When all is said and done I an rather flexible. If I know the type of game I’m playing, I am very good at adjusting my mindset it.
[This message has been edited by Mischief (edited 04-18-2001).]
I usually go for the setting, then the storyline and finally the multiple endings. Sometimes, not necessarily on that order.
Some settings and situations are way too overused that it no longer attracts me. Could I say the change of pace (of bishoujo games) is a plus, too? The (adventure game) setting of “you must become a hero to save the world/prince/princess” is repetitive. That’s why, among my favorite adventure (US made) games are Sierra’s Laura Bow serie (“Colonel’s Bequest” and “Dagger of Amon Ra”). On the other hand, among my personal bishoujo favorites (English translated), Seasons of the Sakura and True Love, takes me back to the worst years of my life, without worrying on what made it so miserable.
CG is usually a plus. I don’t expect true color graphics; as long as the story is good, and you can “look” on what you are doing, it works for me. (No, please DON’T bring those old character games!)
The amount of characters you can interact is usually a plus, too, giving you the feeling that you are not enclosed to a singularity. That’s why I was somewhat dissapointed with Three Sisters, as you didn’t have that much interaction. But, if the setting forces that, it is not that much of a problem (Nocturnal Illusion, et al)
i’m still thinking that the images and sound are almost the most important thing in a game… ok ok… i agree with fxho-san’s “able to look” point of view… but honestly i think that this kind of “mediocrity” was acceptable years ago… cuzz… how could be possible that with today’s advance in game development we should still be resigned to view poor quality graphics? and of course the matter of the music… years ago the use of the MIDIs was ok… but today (as happened with all the titles in the other genres of pc games) the MIDIs must be replaced with the use of other sound formats that fits with the new technologies (many of the new games have MIDIs but most of their music is in mp3 format)
well i also think that the amount of the characters and the differences in their moods is a very important factor cuzz how i can get “trapped” by a game that only had a few characters and their moods are almost the same? for example three sisters… only 3 characters (cuzz the teacher, the nurse and the 4 “extras” don’t make an important change in the game plot, cuzz if you “wear the comdom” everything will be fine) and the differences in the sisters’s moods was almost none cuzz the three were worried about her father… so what’s the point? well it’s that there must be many characters and, of course they must interact, but their moods should have differences so different people will be identified and worried about different character’s problems and how to solve the “misteries” that each character hide in their pasts… pretty interesting plot right? i think that this should be the goal of all the bishoujo games
well i’m leaving … for now
[This message has been edited by Sandalphon (edited 04-19-2001).]
it’s true that the matter of multiple endings is one important thing in a game… but more than the challege of getting all the multiple endings… is that each of all those endings differ of each others…
cuzz true love has many endings… but all of them were happy endings! (even with the Remi and Mikae’s situation)so… how it’s possible that a game of a genre that’s supposed to “emulate” situations of the real life (many of the titles others are about fantasy topics or demon’s stuff)have only happy endings? cuzz in the real life not all the things end with a happy end for everyone… there must be “bad endings” “misterious endings” “normal endings” “happy endings” “dark endings” well we must be able to see a variety in the ending’s plot even if they are from the same kind
i’ll tell you what i want
now, youve all seen the graphics for Season of the Sakura, right? you know what i mean…where you can see individual pixels?
well i want a 3d game, with a graphics algorythm capable of converting the sterile flat lines and polygons into the cute colorful pixels of SOS style games.
3d freedom of motion, with the classic 2d artstyle, you could even seamlessly merge the 2d characters into the environment
this technology is possible, i have seen simlar graphics in 3d Studio Max plugins, someone only needs to apply it
heck, if someone else doesnt build it, wait about 4 years till i get in and out of college, ill do it myself!
[This message has been edited by exoarchaeologist (edited 04-20-2001).]
humh…perhaps i need to be more clear
i think 2d artwork is MUCH prettier than 3d stuff
i hate squaresoft type graphics
i am suggesting a concept, where you take a 3d engine, and convert its graphics style to 2d
flatten all the shading, darken all the edges, so that it doesnt look 3d anymore
think of it as a normal game, but instead of an artist drawing all the backgrounds, the computer can generate them itself
so it can be dynamic
like…remember Immoral Studies? that game is 2d but has nicely done animations in it
think of it as, a game where Everything is animated
a 2d world that has motion
well, i can see what you mean
there do exist games which have nice animation
but i wanted the motion to be truly interactice, and not pre-rendered
which is why converting a 3d engine down to 2d is necessary
sigh, i suppose youre right, no company will ever take the time to build such a thing, the idea is too different, risky
i guess it will be up to me then, programming is fun, ill figure it out one of these years
Well to throw in my 1.5 cents (don’t really have the time to throw in both cents ), I’d have to say these are the most important things in a game for me. And I’m fairly sure people have already mentioned it, but, hey, it is useful to mention again.
1) story. If the story isn’t good, then I really won’t get into the characters of the game. Desire, Divi-Dead, Gloria, (just to name a couple bishoujo games) have excellent stories that pulled me in, and didn’t let me quit playing. “Tender Loving Care”, Valkyrie Profile, and Lunar 2 also had stories that I was really getting into. At several points in Valk Profile it brought me to tears. So… for me the penultimate is the story.
2) Replayability. It’s kinda fun being a sleuth and seeing what would happen if you chose “B” over “A”… it’s nice to see how friendships, affairs, personalities, and the like are all changed by the most seemingly inncouios stuff. That’s one of the reasons I really like Gloria and TLC, every choice I made, every question I answered, helped to shape the story, and really made me feel like I was affecting the enviornment… instead of justing playing a scripted part.
So… those are the 2 most important things for me. Graphics are nice, but I could do with average graphics, if the story is just plain mind-boggling.
Hope that helps answer the question/poll.
Mike
hey hey hey!!
wait a minute… i think that now i’m able to understand what’s your problem guys and girls… you are judging bishoujo games as an AMERICAN product… c’mon! we’re talking about JAPANESE stuff… and that’s the problem… in america the important thing is the story and playability… the other things are just “add-ons”… instead in japan they value the things in different ways… so if we don’t start viewing the stuff in the right point of view we won’t be never able to understand and appreciate completely the whole world of bishoujo
(BTW i’m the one who said about the 256 colors and the 32-bit format)