New York Comic Con---Hirameki Panel

Visual Novel Community Archive, 2000-2009
#1

Hi everyone! Just got back from NYCC. Lots of news to share from Hirameki’s visual novel panel.

First, in a bit of disappointing news, gothic pc game Animamundi is being DELAYED until May of 2006. The reason given was that the ESRB is giving them a hard tme. Company representatives didn’t specific what rating ESRB gave, but if we assume that Hirameki targeted the 17+ audience (“M” rating), the only other possible rating ESRB could have given is an “AO” (adults only), which wouldn’t fly w/ mainstream retailers like Best Buy.

Piece of Wonder, the next PC release following Animamundi, will come out in June of 2006.

Hirameki is leaving the dvd game game market and will focus solely on pc games. Exodus Guilty volumes 2 and 3 will the last dvd game titles from Hirameki.

Hirameki does not plan to offer adult games; they want to focus on pc games that mainstream retailers are willing to carry. They also want to change the perception of bishojo gaming as being just sex and violence.

#2

Forgot to mention, I asked for reassurance that Animamundi is free of defect (unlike Ai Yori Aoshi & Ever 17), and company reps gave it.

#3

I can’t say I’m too surprised by the ESRB news. I was thinking recently, what with all the restricting game laws that states are trying to pass, that bishoujo games might eventually be effected in one way or another. It’s not really much of a shock that Hirameki is getting some flack. Ever since the whole “hot coffee” incident, it seems like the vice is getting tighter and tighter. I’m all for keeping inappropriate games out of children’s hands, but I also think that it should be more of an individual responsibility of the parent rather than a state or federal issue. The ESRB should simply be entrusted with properly labelling the noteable content within a game that warrants its rating. I wonder just how big this whole issue is going to become before a real solution (proper or not) is put into action.

#4

HI I’M NOW 18 I AM NOW SO MUCH MORE MATURE THAN A YEAR AGO

#5

I really don’t understand why Ever 17 rated a ‘Partial Nudity’ warning anyway.

I mean, that’s got to be the LEAST revealing swimsuit I’ve EVER seen on an anime girl…

The unlockable wallpapers, I guess?

At least it still managed a T. And I’m still frantically banging on doors and demanding everyone I know play it. I have no way of knowing whether my personally nagging Amazon about it helped or not, but I did and they are now carrying it, so…

#6

Way to be heard, papillon! =)

#7
quote:
By papillon: At least it still managed a T. And I'm still frantically banging on doors and demanding everyone I know play it.

I'll give you this much Papillon: you're dedicated.

You swear by this game in at least every other post. It even makes me want to try it out.

[This message has been edited by Mirk (edited 02-26-2006).]

#8

What were the problems with Ai Yori Aoshi and Ever 17?

#9

Ever 17’s first printing had a bad voice file - didn’t transfer properly onto disc 4 or something like that. The correct file was offered for download for those who got a bad disc and the CDs were swapped out or something - by January when I got mine, they were fine.

I’m not sure what problems AYA had, I haven’t heard much about that game at all. I wasn’t interested because I don’t know the related anime.

#10

Cool, thanks for the update. I’m glad for the focus on PC Games… dvd player games are a pain.

You didn’t happen to hear anyone mention anything about Galaxy Angel did you?

#11

There was a glitch that caused installation problems in Ai Yori Aoshi’s installer.
From the website:

quote:
10/25/2005 UP DATE
About problems installing “Ai Yori Aoshi” on a Windows XP MCE 2005 environment
Thank you for buying our product “Ai Yori Aoshi.” A glitch has been found that causes difficulty installing this software on a Windows XP MCE environment. We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers. We have created a corrected version of the installer which will fix this problem; please download and use it.

The Galaxy Angel translation has nothing to do with Hirameki.

#12

Are you the same Ecchifan from gamefaqs?

#13

Yes, he is.

Forgot something in my previous post.
Welcome back, Ecchifan!
Thanks for the information.

#14

Well, I figured they might have been one of the likely companies for it to be licensed out to, since I don’t think we actually know who it actually was licensed to?

Anyway, as stated before, I’m glad for more PC games of any type (as long as they’re not edited).

#15

Yes, I’m the same Ecchifan from gamefaqs (don’t know of anyone else going by this name, btw).

I’ve been on hiatus from gaming for a variety of reasons—including the death of my old desktop, and replacing it. So now I have a shiny new desktop computer, plus a huge backlog of games to play (Enzai [started playing 3 weeks ago, will resume playing next month], AYA [finally installed on my comp after installing a cdrom drive on my comp and getting the AYA installer file from Hirameki’s webiste], Ever 17, Exodus Guilty, Dragonia, Tea Society of a Witch, Ishika & Honori, Brave Soul).

Woe is me~~~~~~ >_<

#16

Thanks for the news! I re-reported it @ Anime Advanced (with source reference).

Interestingly review copies of Animamundi hae already been sent out. Gamespot will have a review up on March 1 supposedly. I wonder how hirameki will try to convince the ESRB to give them an M rating.

#17
quote:
Originally posted by Faust:
Cool, thanks for the update. I'm glad for the focus on PC Games... dvd player games are a pain.

You didn't happen to hear anyone mention anything about Galaxy Angel did you?

Galaxy Angel wasn't brought up at the panel. Hirameki DID say that they've been approached from time to time by smaller Japanese game makers about carrying their games in N.A. market. but b/c the smaller companies had to devote their meager resources to producing games for their home market, the foreign licensing discussions never got anywhere.

#18
quote:
Originally posted by Mockingbird:
Thanks for the news! I re-reported it @ Anime Advanced (with source reference).

Interestingly review copies of Animamundi hae already been sent out. Gamespot will have a review up on March 1 supposedly. I wonder how hirameki will try to convince the ESRB to give them an M rating.

I'm surprised at hearing about the review copies being sent out. I guess we'll see if Gamespot follows through and post their review on this Wednesday.

To be honest, I can see why ESRB would give an AO rating. The opener I saw had a lot of blood flowing. further more, there was a scene where two guys embraced, with lips locked. If that's indicative/representative of the game as a whole, ESRB may have felt the homosexual aspect pushed the game solidly into AO land.

#19

BTW Ecchifan, were there any questions asked regarding the next game(s) Hirameki plans to localize? Did Hirameki give any hints? Never 7? Remember 11? Memories Off?

Supposedly Hirameki hinted somewhere in their BLOG that they were bringing over Air a few months ago.

Thanks!

#20

No hints given on any future releases in the works. but it’s early in the year right now, and if they have something I’m sure we’ll hear about it over the summer (at the other conventions).