Sale! what to buy?

[papillon]

Okay, I’m the cheapskate who almost never buys these games because I can’t afford them.

A certain site is running a few-days-only sale, which includes several games for only $30 each. Finally, something near my price range! So the question is, what do I want more? Crescendo or Heart de Roommate?

Looking at the info for HdR I’m thinking that it takes a long time to play but is annoying to play again (multi-episode stuff like that meaning that you have to slog through tons of identical content if you want to get a different ending, if there even ARE different endings.) Is this correct? Or are there enough choices in every episode to keep the story feeling fresh?

Crescendo, well, I hear it’s a great story, but something about the art makes me feel a little cold. I’m more instinctively drawn to the cute-soft look of HdR. Also, I’ve seen pictures that the text overlays the whole screen instead of being in a window… Are there any problems with moving it along if you happen to be a very fast reader? (No window, no ‘go on’ button. Does it just move when you click?)

Anyone wanna pro/con these two for me?

[Noirbo]

It mainly depends on your taste in games. I personally like both games and can’t really decide which one is better. But if I have to choose one, Crescendo would be my choice because the stories are just very touching. I will try my best to provide the answers to the questions you asked in the post. Hopefully, it will make your decision making process easier.

Heart de Roommate
It does take a long time to play it the first time through as there are total 26 episodes in it but the first 13 episodes are basically the same for each girl. Real romance starts from episode 14. In the 2nd half of the game (Ep.14 - Ep.26), some episodes have very similar story lines for each girl but some have bigger variation from one another. And YES, it has different endings. Some endings are quite surprising if I may say so. Overall, I find each playthrough to be quite fresh.

Crescendo
There is no problem with moving it alone if you happen to be a fast reader as there is such setting in gPropertyh where you can adjust the speed. I consider myself to be a fast reader as well and never once did I feel strained while playing that game. As for the art style, I know what you meant, I at first also didnft find the game to be that attractive because of its arts but after playing it, I was blown away and was extremely glad that I took the time to play that game.

Hope it helps.

[AG3]

In my opinion, Crescendo is surely the better of those two games.

Like you, I disliked the art from the moment I saw it. It was dark, especially for me who’s a fan of the bright colors used in games like Tottemo Pheromone. After a while though, it grew on me. I still don’t think it’s as “pretty” as the art I’m used to, but it’s actually perfect for this game’s story and mood.

Another thing I initially disliked when I started playing Crescendo was the narration. Unlike most bishoujo games, Crescendo’s narration uses a third person perspective, not the main character telling the story from a first person perspective. I felt that this distanced me from the main character, that I wasn’t playing the role, merely watching it. This feeling, like my initial dislike for the colors, vanished pretty quickly. When you’re not limited to dialogue-style storytelling (the main char thinking to himself etc), you can get so much more of the story told. In addition, you occasionally get to glimpse the thoughts and feelings of the other characters which you normally wouldn’t (since the main chars aren’t mind readers). This usually happens when the main character isn’t around, though.

With a story that I personally feel is far superior to Heart de Roommate, I strongly recommend Crescendo. And if you like that, make sure you get Kana - Little Sister too. It’s much the same style as Crescendo, less non-linear, but a much stronger storyline.

[This message has been edited by AG3 (edited 03-24-2004).]

[wanfu2k1]

Also Cresendo has a superior soundtrack, I just love the piano music in Cresendo. If you want a more serious game and like a good storyline go with Cresendo, if you like a more light hearted game then go with roomates.

Ahh so I guess you got the advert to that sale too huh. Sucks since I have all the bishoujo games they have on sale already Might have to get some manga and hentai from them though

[jinx626]

I don’t suppose you could email me (check profile) the site or post it in here as i would like to purchase crescendo for that price range

[This message has been edited by jinx626 (edited 03-25-2004).]

[wanfu2k1]

Look no further than here at PP they should have cresendo. If you perfer to order it straight from the publisher you can do that too. Just do a search for g-collection on google and you should be able to find it.