Starting to buy Japanese console games

Visual Novel Community Archive, 2000-2009
#1

So I’m continuing my Japanese classes, with the eventual aim of being able to play Japanese-language-only RPGs and visual novels. On console, on PC, whatever – But it occurs to me that if I wait another year or two, Japanese PS2/DC/etc games will have become very hard to find.

Unfortunately, I haven’t got enough Japanese to be able to look for something like the Japanese equivalent of Metacritic in order to find games I might be interested in.

Here seems like a good place to start. What console ports (or original releases!) should I be buying? PS2, Dreamcast, PSP, DS are really what I have the capability to play. I’ve already acquired a considerable number, but still have some coming in so I can’t list them all out yet.

Thanks in advance.

#2

Well then, have I got a website for you*?
Yes, yes, I do.

You can use the search box to search by game title, company, staff (only prominent staff like scenario writers, character designers, voice actors etc. are listed, generally), or just do a full listing of all games, sorting by average and filtering by H games or anything. You can also create your own account and fill it with all the games you’ve played, giving them scores etc.

Otherwise, I also just tend to browse around sites like getchu looking for interesting things that are mentioned on the front page and such to find new VNs.

*Note that it’s primarily a site for visual novels, but visual novel-ish things like the Rance games are listed (and you probably care more about VNs anyway =p).

#3

You can also check the recommendation part of the RAML, Nande.

#4

Oooo, excellent. I’ll have to take a look at these. Olf, where could I find the RAML?

I was also wondering what are the personal recommendations of you guys? Anything I should definitely avoid? Anything I should kill to get my hands on? [Note to mods: figuratively speaking. Figuratively. You can’t prove nothing, I got alibis. I got a dozen people who’ll swear I was outta the country when, um, nothing happened.]

#5

As a word of warning; I basically only play visual novels. Anyway, some favourites of mine:

  • G-Senjou no Maou
  • Clannad
  • Syarin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo
  • Sekien no Inganock ~What a Beautiful People~
  • SWAN SONG
  • Himawari (quite cheap, and excellent value, but you’ll have to take some unusual steps for importing it if you don’t live in Japan)

I’m afraid I can’t really recommend console titles, because I don’t have a console and I don’t play console games. And it would be a bit silly to recommend the console ports of perfectly good PC visual novels, wouldn’t it?

#6

Not necessarily. Sometimes they have stuff added. Like voice acting, for example. Definitely a good game where the PC version has no VA (or just doesn’t have full VA) and the PS2 port has full VA, I’m interested.

#7

Seconding Lancer-X’s G-Senjou no Maou and Clannad recommendations.

I’ll throw in a recommendation for Quartett!. It’s perhaps best described as a short but sweet game - a coming of age story set against a musical background that’s very moving, heartwarming and romantic, and in some places absolutely hilarious. In terms of presentation, I haven’t come across another game like it before - in some ways it’s akin to a graphic novel but with a lot of special effects that take advantage of the electronic medium. The console version has full voice acting, so I’d definitely go for that over the PC version.

#8

Console ports also often have additional stories and characters.

#9

I don’t know about ‘often’. I would say less than a quarter do, at least.

It’s not at quite the same level, but I think you’d be impressed by Katakoi no Tsuki’s sheer variety in terms of presentation. Very effective use of moving the paper dolls around, having them go behind things (to look as if they were sitting down) etc.

#10

From my experience, back back I bought console games (start of the PS2 era), it’s rather “pretty much all ports do”. It’s how the companies suck the otakus into buying them even while they already had the PC version, after all.

#11

Most often, from what I’ve seen, the only extra content is voices (if the original didn’t have them–rarer and rarer nowadays), some more CGs and some extra scenes – very rarely is the story changed much, or new characters / routes added etc.

Stuff like Killer Queen is the exception there, really.

#12

Interesting… I’ll definitely check the demo out then. I guess Fate/stay night is another game that makes excellent use of the character sprites as well, although most of the special effects there are for comical effect.

#13

Since this is a bit like a general recommendations thread, I was wondering if anyone’s played ???ZERO (Ikusa Megami Zero)? I came across it via erogamescape, where at the moment it’s ranked 4th out of all the 18+ games (Median 90, Mean 88.23 from 62 ratings). Although the smallish sample size and erogamescape are unreliable, the extremely high rating, production values and variety of gameplay suggest that this could be an excellent game.

#14

I’ve been playing it for a week now. It’s typically a very good Eushully game. Lots of (gaming) action and very hot ero scenes. Just like Eushully’s last game, it’s very long, so it will keep you busy for weeks.

#15

Thanks for the information :D. I just wish there was a playable demo to check out first, before plunking down $100 or so… still undecided about this.

#16

I came across quartett for the first time the other day on himeya shop very odd but beautiful style anyone else reminded of ukiyo-e and woodblock prints. Lancer X can you tell me anything about GSS’ s non canon cross over with Yami no Koe since it looks like the chance to play that is moot.

#17

No idea. Only Black Cyc game I played was GSS, and I don’t know of any crossovers.

#18

T_T
Spec~ Where’s my copy~~~? :frowning:

#19