tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79977241733699269202024-03-13T19:24:45.032-07:00The Best and Worst Games You'll Ever ReadBookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-79969136730552761932018-10-31T00:28:00.000-07:002018-10-31T10:53:48.556-07:00Games for Adults Halloween Special: The Top 5 Things Lune Should do With the Kansen Series<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<u><b>Top 5 Things Lune Should do With the Kansen Series</b></u><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAA6n35qpIfT-AJSG2x9uinCVnpFnHIw3fNWU7UwenPMIxeY0MT2zSx8L2xaIwMflmKWYNdJd4lGXL1UUOPFYsuBG-17ttDbJJfE-RaVedjzVz1h35hcbStXVFbx6Ckoi8jhReG4CiSG0O/s1600/CompleteCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="499" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAA6n35qpIfT-AJSG2x9uinCVnpFnHIw3fNWU7UwenPMIxeY0MT2zSx8L2xaIwMflmKWYNdJd4lGXL1UUOPFYsuBG-17ttDbJJfE-RaVedjzVz1h35hcbStXVFbx6Ckoi8jhReG4CiSG0O/s320/CompleteCover.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Been a while folks, but I'm back and in time to wish you all a Happy Halloween and what better a way to celebrate than with something Kansen related? I know there hasn't been a new game announced, but the acquisition of the franchise by renowned eroge company Lune and the release of <a href="http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=989311" target="_blank">another OVA for Kansen 5</a> (which while not perfect I will say is superior to the first pair) is a sign that the series may be rising from the grave sooner or later. So that end here's a little wish list of things Lune should do with their newly acquired series*.<br />
<br />
*Edit: Yeah, due to bad info gathering on my part (and wanting to get this out in time for Halloween , I've found out that the connection between Lune and Speed is the former basically just acts as a selling proxy for them and I assumed they'd merged. My bad, but still please enjoy the list.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWamXBjuGxjA41oxJq7jMNNAjAOoss5maTK6hwNOBPDOHh4rkjw5A8kV4zx6u52YPyV9RIjlYEI71ej9QtoDrIthgPGRuVi2DVhy6qUXYiMzZm5ysx1OKR-5cxPsexBrM_4FgtuVfodAmt/s1600/Natsu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWamXBjuGxjA41oxJq7jMNNAjAOoss5maTK6hwNOBPDOHh4rkjw5A8kV4zx6u52YPyV9RIjlYEI71ej9QtoDrIthgPGRuVi2DVhy6qUXYiMzZm5ysx1OKR-5cxPsexBrM_4FgtuVfodAmt/s320/Natsu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Honorable Mention: More Games With Winnable Older Heroines </b><br />
This one's an honorable mention since this goes along with some of my other hopes for the series' future on this list, but it's still something I feel should be addressed. From Kansen 2 onwards (as I can understand <a href="https://vndb.org/c8916" target="_blank">Risa</a> not being winnable for story reasons(same can be said for Kansen 4's <a href="https://vndb.org/c11769" target="_blank">Saeko</a>) it always felt odd that of the heroines present in the games only the ones that were in about the same age range as the protagonist were pursuable while side heroines that were slightly older but had enough writing to them as characters to make them likable (and drawn just as well by artist Gentle Sasaki) weren't. From Kansen 2's <a href="https://vndb.org/c8913" target="_blank">Miki</a> and <a href="https://vndb.org/c8916" target="_blank">Naomi</a> to a certain tea shop owner who made quite an impression on Wataru right before the outbreak. Naturally it was quite the pleasant surprise when Kansen 5's heroines were revealed and the series finally had an older lady heroine in Makoto's adopted older sister <a href="https://vndb.org/c11593" target="_blank">Natsu</a>. Sadly, this didn't continue into further games, though admittedly that can be forgiven due to Clipping Chronicle's short playtime and even if the nurse heroine Naoko had a route it wouldn't have saved Ball Buster.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Js4Nq0psD8mHd40dDUAfqB26_ErnS4j03vaP9Y-iVcJ-yqPddCIlcHtyqWgsrTiCBotGLAbZPvnnBr6940pJiJAV6cHnyurhwNDpq6oznd-v0xEoCZoZM8qJywcO87NlUEsDKJi8cGBE/s1600/c775167package.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="600" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Js4Nq0psD8mHd40dDUAfqB26_ErnS4j03vaP9Y-iVcJ-yqPddCIlcHtyqWgsrTiCBotGLAbZPvnnBr6940pJiJAV6cHnyurhwNDpq6oznd-v0xEoCZoZM8qJywcO87NlUEsDKJi8cGBE/s320/c775167package.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>5) Let the Series be Localized</b><br />
With seven games to its name Kansen is an eroge series that deserves some time to shine in the english VN front. Zombies might not be as big a thing as they used to be in the world of entertainment, but given they still have a noticeable presence in popular shows from The Walking Dead to Game of Thrones as well as games like the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 7 and the anticipated remake of Resident Evil 2 there's still something of a window for the Kansen series to come over and attract some players with its zombie premise. Admittedly, one problem to doing this is that the earlier games do show their age, which brings us to the next on our list...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjLFaYyaN_SBjK9jnXYMeSLlWZy-S_p0y2-qbaNEDalyO9mnFKENmJDWGtDJTHwmuxp_bT00gG4gaiG16h_xeGTmYwilytU-z-xdLpASng1dPDfCSnhgAPI9HlcDn0waZfyIxv02IrEfg/s1600/Redraw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjLFaYyaN_SBjK9jnXYMeSLlWZy-S_p0y2-qbaNEDalyO9mnFKENmJDWGtDJTHwmuxp_bT00gG4gaiG16h_xeGTmYwilytU-z-xdLpASng1dPDfCSnhgAPI9HlcDn0waZfyIxv02IrEfg/s320/Redraw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>4) Remake Kansen 1 and 2</b><br />
The first Kansen game is what started it all and while storywise it's still good, it does show its age on several fronts from its artwork in comparison to later games in the series to its system menus. A full on remake would be a good way to reintroduce the series to newcomers as well as make for a good reason to release some new OVAs to promote the game. It also helps that since the story still holds up, changes on the writing front aren't really required. Still it would probably be a good idea to include some new things on that front for series veterans to enjoy like a new route/ending or two and definitely some new ero scenes.<br />
Regarding Kansen 2, I understand that would probably take more effort and money to pull off as that game would probably require a rewrite, but I do think it would be worth it. The story had some real potential to be a tenser situation for the characters compared to the first game with them being trapped in a zombie infested mall where a safe shelter would be harder to find and maintain than in a school and having to be constantly on the move to avoid being overwhelmed by the zombie horde. To be fair the good parts of 2 did demonstrate this, especially in Maya's route, but what helped in those parts was the investment we had in the characters involved. For example we cared about Maya's plight and her growing attachment to Hiroshi because it was well built up from the start of the game. A rewrite that gives that kind of attention to other characters would do wonders like maybe make Alice seem like less of a Yuu clone and more like her own character and subsequently get us more invested in her relationship with Hiroshi or make Ryuya more of a threat to the characters than an annoyance. Still, if there is one thing I believe a Kansen 2 remake needs, aside from a much needed route for Miki, is this: please have the good end routes have their good ero scenes because having them in the bad endings only is just plan mean.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAycXCAqoCsUYE24mhrX7SQT2ud3vzancJQhJzjH96ueRBsc2m7hdd5Dgx1TertXkjzzNopKv4l4RuR-uithL5EoLO-_yod-hbJUDUUnAhHq57J8BvLqwvOKwnTIA0PQEgTx-jrrfFf8AF/s1600/ab_n002a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAycXCAqoCsUYE24mhrX7SQT2ud3vzancJQhJzjH96ueRBsc2m7hdd5Dgx1TertXkjzzNopKv4l4RuR-uithL5EoLO-_yod-hbJUDUUnAhHq57J8BvLqwvOKwnTIA0PQEgTx-jrrfFf8AF/s320/ab_n002a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>3) Fandisks for Kansen 1, 2 and 4</b><br />
Seeing as these games are set during the first outbreak, it does leave the hanging question of where the characters from these games are and what's happening to them when the events of Kansen 3 and 5 take place. That alone could make for a set of interesting After Stories for each Good/True ending from those three games since that would mean unique stories for each of them. For a couple of examples, with Kansen 1's <a href="https://vndb.org/c8862" target="_blank">Yuu</a> maybe after the events of the first game she becomes a professional actress and the second outbreak occurs while a movie she's in is being filmed which means she and Yasuyuki have to somehow get to safety with other members of the cast and crew. Next, with Kansen 4's <a href="https://vndb.org/c11767" target="_blank">Makoto</a> maybe she and Daisuke have since gotten married and become key figures in the recovery of their hometown but when the second outbreak occurs it's up to them to rally the townspeople to somehow defend it and its non-infected citizens until help from the SDF arrives. From there for each storyline there can be choices that lead to as many normal and bad ends as needed with one correct set leading to the Good/True end. Also if the aforementioned Kansen 2 remake isn't feasible then Kansen 2 fandisk could feature a route for Miki where the story is self contained and like with the others has its choices leading to bad ends while the correct ones lead to a Good/True end.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTtRiJZ4kC3fiZlja0eCcoSitf7mo7rzPP4eHmzM6X1aGx7EYD4B16GqpO8B9dG-A8VvP5K1mldY0_UwHogpkym0k_anb3H27CdTFXwcj1DJaeAUh-YyOTKkhmvJk7NPFwap1CLy84gUz/s1600/infection2_321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTtRiJZ4kC3fiZlja0eCcoSitf7mo7rzPP4eHmzM6X1aGx7EYD4B16GqpO8B9dG-A8VvP5K1mldY0_UwHogpkym0k_anb3H27CdTFXwcj1DJaeAUh-YyOTKkhmvJk7NPFwap1CLy84gUz/s320/infection2_321.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>2) Change the Setting Some</b><br />
While thankfully no Kansen game has had the exact same setting as the previous, it would be nice to have a story where we see the effects of the outbreak occur in someplace else besides a typical Japanese city or town. Considering the virus is supposed to be a large scale epidemic it would be interesting to see a game set in another country, maybe one near Japan that would justify having a number of Japanese characters present for either business or vacation such as South Korea, the Philippines or even the Hawaiian islands. Still I would understand why that might not be feasible as that would probably require more effort than normal on the writing and art front at least, so another possibility could be a cruise ship where the characters have to try to survive in a confined area filled with zombies with a limited supply of food and the only way to get out is to either get to the lifeboats or get to the main deck and try calling for help. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNtaap75PQPbEkapReP-Sxkgt5xVWGdatep1kSyIAdnU316aKI-EeKvbnP32E6e-OMVZxDeTLvyxSkHibyvDGki9T_ajrSl_rvmzPiScCEfY9omZ17kPFxdHTmb9cuvuK5__pSgf7QfSX/s1600/naomi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNtaap75PQPbEkapReP-Sxkgt5xVWGdatep1kSyIAdnU316aKI-EeKvbnP32E6e-OMVZxDeTLvyxSkHibyvDGki9T_ajrSl_rvmzPiScCEfY9omZ17kPFxdHTmb9cuvuK5__pSgf7QfSX/s320/naomi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1) Games With an Adult Protagonist</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All but
one of the Kansen games have had one thing in common: the protagonist has been
a kid in school (the exception being Ball Buster, though while its protagonist
may have been older he was definitely not an adult). Considering this series’
premise, there is ample room to have more than just that. I can understand why
having the protagonist be young works in so many narratives, it’s a solid way
of starting so the character can grow throughout the story and have learning
experiences to solidify his/her arc. The thing is you don’t necessarily have to
ditch this set up, the main character can still be a young man who has to develop
as the story progresses and not be a kid in school. The protagonist could be a
police officer fresh out of the academy and the outbreak happens on his first
day/week on the job, or he could be someone in the medical field like a nurse or doctor
fresh out of medical school who ends up narrowly escaping being infected
himself as the first people to catch the virus start showing up in the currently
unaware of the danger hospital. The heroines could then be from the character’s
social circle and if any of the heroines need to be younger and students
that’s fine as the main character could know them through friends or relations.
Still, all that said I wouldn’t be opposed to the possibility of a protagonist
older than that; for example this could be pulled off by doing a game from the
point of view of a JSDF soldier where the main character is a veteran member and if the story takes place during the first outbreak there's plenty of suspense you could get from him dealing with something that would be largely new to him experience-wise.
From there the heroines could be made up of comrades from his team and
whoever they end up rescuing and have to protect.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hIHUv2ooG38/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hIHUv2ooG38?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
that’s pretty much my list of things I hope to see in the Kansen series should
it continue that would help freshen things up a little. A Happy Halloween to all
and hopefully things will be freed up on my end so I can start writing and
posting more reviews.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-32994398032036747032016-10-31T01:34:00.000-07:002016-10-31T01:34:04.126-07:00Games for Adults Halloween: Kara no Shojo -The Second Episode-<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Kara no Shojo – The
Second Episode Review</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIY6hBJgOG6OE5q4LpGxi9OPbIy9Av73rh3nF74cFBuAVIalLolfE7W2yd-cR1twstoQ_rtsCHg_CkKbxT_3oryGSy0NSenySHVbgHnvbrbkodcz_mtv9zdPjwHEburhOsc9GhuueDV91o/s1600/kara-no-shoujo-2-title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIY6hBJgOG6OE5q4LpGxi9OPbIy9Av73rh3nF74cFBuAVIalLolfE7W2yd-cR1twstoQ_rtsCHg_CkKbxT_3oryGSy0NSenySHVbgHnvbrbkodcz_mtv9zdPjwHEburhOsc9GhuueDV91o/s320/kara-no-shoujo-2-title.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Happy
Halloween, folks!! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For our final entry
in this year’s review-athon ,we return to another franchise, this one not
requiring knowledge of Japanese to play, Innocent Grey’s delightful little
murder mystery universe. The entry is none other than Kara no Shojo – The
Second Episode, released in Japan February 8, 2013 and released in English by
Managagmer October 30,2015 with a physical release July 1, 2016. Given how the
previous game ended a sequel was inevitable but shortly after the game’s Japanese
debut things took an interesting turn. Several Japanese players and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>importers who played the game had mixed or
negative reviews which was surprising, at least to me. While Innocent Grey is
far from perfect I’d yet to hear anything that consistently critical of their
releases and considering how good KnS was, I was curious how such an
anticipated sequel could be so bungled. Still when the English release came
about I kept an open mind and was even hopeful that what I’d heard was wrong
after enjoying the demo. No after playing the game I can say that while a good
game overall, KnS2 is one of those sequels that isn’t as good as its
predecessor even if you can clearly see and appreciate its efforts to surpass
it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MBU6rvo3Drc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MBU6rvo3Drc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Returning characters are as enjoyable as before, some
of the new characters are good, there are some really nice twists in the
mystery plotlines especially at their conclusion, story does a good job
building off plot elements from previous games, great artwork, excellent voice
acting, good music.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: The pacing, a lot of the new characters are on the
bland or forgettable side, most of the ero scenes feel unnecessary, the true
ending has issues.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: No joke, she means that literally…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_7xv2h0SM_CiUfyqQzkwGp6jPalym3uNa5-BZrGntQ7rbi1tfuXitYZ597UEuQDwGenOzzLYQoiakuc5gHlOxJ7g9Pvh0CCJSwBAjkC7dWMJuQqAh-lMdSCReMjuH36kUwLp134hRNA6/s1600/BeeLarva.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_7xv2h0SM_CiUfyqQzkwGp6jPalym3uNa5-BZrGntQ7rbi1tfuXitYZ597UEuQDwGenOzzLYQoiakuc5gHlOxJ7g9Pvh0CCJSwBAjkC7dWMJuQqAh-lMdSCReMjuH36kUwLp134hRNA6/s320/BeeLarva.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Kara no
Shojo – The Second Episode takes place two years after the first game with our
protagonist, Reiji, continuing his usual detective work while on the side still
pursuing the hanging mystery around Touko Kuchiki. While helping the police
investigate a new series of serial murders, Reiji soon finds himself taking a
suicidal suspect in the case, one Masaki Tomoyuki, under his care and strangely
enough under his wing as an assistant. As the pair dig further into the case
they begin finding connections not only with a religious cult on the rebound
since its collapse in the aftermath of the Ueno murders but also with a strange
series of events and ritualistic killings centered around a curse from an angry
god that occurred in an isolated mountain village known as Hitogata during the
early days of the Second World War. Meanwhile, the escaped culprit from the
murders two years prior seems to be making moves of his own, but to what end is
anyone’s guess…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4CmpqxSRnFsDkCzWz7BCJ062qaeZ7FHssHWsKJd4hn2K6UeJoVIqxF4KsZFGdVV3stlg3BNhhN6NlFAHqDT3OUGKSJKTOVIlg-e7-UUiqTXBgWXNHYY0_lHTCdkuMNSWp9g8rz4QVpNA/s1600/KillerPOV.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4CmpqxSRnFsDkCzWz7BCJ062qaeZ7FHssHWsKJd4hn2K6UeJoVIqxF4KsZFGdVV3stlg3BNhhN6NlFAHqDT3OUGKSJKTOVIlg-e7-UUiqTXBgWXNHYY0_lHTCdkuMNSWp9g8rz4QVpNA/s320/KillerPOV.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With a
plot summary like that I had a hard time believing KnS2 could be bad. The
premise of Reiji investigating a curse based murder set in a remote village
sounded perfect: a change in setting and murder mystery type that are almost an
opposite of the previous game that has the added benefit of giving some
Higurashi vibes. True, it did seem like hanging plot thread from the last game
would be put to the side, but it’s kind of to be expected since barring really
creative writing it you can’t really make a whole game’s worth of story out of
that, plus you would want to give the new story room to be its own thing. In
fact at the start of the game things seem to be going in the right direction,
it was good to see returning characters again while new plot threads were being
established, especially with the new character: Masaki…but then we soon run
into the game’s most apparent writing flaw: the pacing.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Rd7HR_0a0qk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rd7HR_0a0qk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Okay, I kid it's not <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0_f5fkrCTA" target="_blank">that bad</a>, but KnS2 has a habit of slowing down its plot in order to
establish future story elements that feels kind of forced. Ideally, when a
story slows down to build things up it should either feel natural or be
apparent at first but quickly pull you in by its own merits that you don’t mind
it. KnS2 doesn’t quite hit either for a few reasons and these reasons are very
apparent early in the game with a flashback arc that starts soon after the
introduction. This flashback is a slow and overly long arc that many who have
played it will nod sympathetically at you the moment you bring it up. I myself
was warned about this part of the game, but I did try to give it a fair chance
and am willing to admit there are good parts. The beginning I found interesting
in seeing how a remote Japanese village is affected by World War II and how
even though the setting is distant enough talk of the war still reaches that
far and even affects some members of the community. It gives the setting some
good flavor and while it’s there it does make for a nice contrast to the
peaceful viewpoints of the setting’s main character. Also the arc’s last part
gets interesting as it sets the stage for the murder mysteries in the present.
The problem is soon after it focuses more on the everyday occurrences in the
village alongside preparations for an upcoming festival that drag on and on. It’s
supposed to establish how life is in the village and the function of the major
families in the village and how the children of those families relate to their
relatives, but only the parts that pertain to the central characters: Ayato,
Naori and Satsuki are interesting the rest feel like information that you’re
only reading because it’s required. That last part isn’t an exaggeration as
quite a bit of the overarching case does depend on you knowing most of what the
flashback explains. It’s too bad learning this is a slog since the plot
revelations that come of it all are really good. It really makes you wish this
part had the story and characters to not have you constantly wondering when the
story will return to the present. And speaking of which…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-D68nfwH7n4JZl26cKDkNKHh36thsJUm7RCyxAi9485uliwnrPuFbTcn70BKv50wT5WSk5DavkKKBW74OhoTXyWpYBjptJuiccp1Qyh0djj0cBJGVlaJ3xAGG9B4ntiiKE1amjlxbAnf/s1600/Hitogata.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-D68nfwH7n4JZl26cKDkNKHh36thsJUm7RCyxAi9485uliwnrPuFbTcn70BKv50wT5WSk5DavkKKBW74OhoTXyWpYBjptJuiccp1Qyh0djj0cBJGVlaJ3xAGG9B4ntiiKE1amjlxbAnf/s320/Hitogata.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Okay,
let me make something clear: the new characters introduced in KnS2 aren’t bad,
but aside from the ones who are central characters the rest of them are just
bland and for an Innocent Grey game that is a significant flaw. Generally the
side characters from previous Innocent Grey games have been interesting in one
way or another from the playful Rin of Cartagra to the adorably silly Tsuzuriko
of the first Kara no Shojo, but in this case I can only think of a few
memorable side characters and this out of many. <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Some of them have aspects to their characters with interesting potential
but those aspects are either not used much or the story doesn’t do any more
than one might expect. While it’s good that the central new characters don’t
fall into this, it’s still a problem for several reasons. First these side
characters are supposed to be supports to the new story built around the new
characters; give the new setting places such as the village life or a sense of
uniqueness. I realize considering how KnS2’s story goes a feeling of dullness
and/or stagnation is fitting for the village but I’m not sure if being able to
perfectly capture that is good at least for the start of the story. Second,
having the side characters be bland doesn’t give you much investment in them,
which makes the story moments when some of them die have little impact compared
to the previous games. In those games you usually felt bad when their
characters died, heck Cartagra was even able to make you feel sorry for an
initially unlikable character’s death with a pretty well put together “we
hardly knew ye” segment following that character’s funeral. In KnS2, the most
you get from one of these characters’ deaths is a “well, that’s too bad…then
again it’s not one of the characters I was really invested in, so…” kind of
feeling. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9s47t9BFbCrcjDrjVzjOEAhQTAMGlgoe3CqtOMVvhbgn9znf_N6qh_tGBVJ6A1DHa3tP7p97JEbKzcCeEwoSxfZs8g2DZ5Vqd8jzLT3v2xdSQDlJXSf4_WzhkrSXYJrDL7YO7THaJTtb/s1600/History.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9s47t9BFbCrcjDrjVzjOEAhQTAMGlgoe3CqtOMVvhbgn9znf_N6qh_tGBVJ6A1DHa3tP7p97JEbKzcCeEwoSxfZs8g2DZ5Vqd8jzLT3v2xdSQDlJXSf4_WzhkrSXYJrDL7YO7THaJTtb/s320/History.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All that said, once you get past
the flashback the game does get better as it builds from what it establishes to
not just tie into the mystery being followed in the present but also set things
up for what for a while seem like B plots to eventually connect with the main
plot. These are done fairly well and lead into plot twists that I really didn’t
see coming (though I admit there is one mystery with a disappointingly obvious
reveal). This is helped by some good character interactions, especially between
Reiji and Masaki whose back and forth between each other make for not only make
for good character chemistry worthy of a good buddy cop movie but also make for
a good setup for a potential passing of the torch to Masaki for main character
status in future games in how Reiji does end up mentoring the other in his own
way. This leads into Masaki doing some investigation of his own in later scenes
from his point of view that, while showing he is still an amateur at it Masaki
does have some potential as a detective. In all the ways KnS2 ends, that does
seem likely, and speaking of endings…</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIO5EH8lmymwz5jzRYwRpMfNE8Hjg9ofGuJB1nSLxJ5j3wKElQ4RC7NHMs5Hp0gaR3wRjOHjrgcHT5La-TECIbtWpBOG5uGqknPeGxXW94kcL2Iwx6QL-faeUtA3YlBYmanzUWzGgK-h_/s1600/Endings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIO5EH8lmymwz5jzRYwRpMfNE8Hjg9ofGuJB1nSLxJ5j3wKElQ4RC7NHMs5Hp0gaR3wRjOHjrgcHT5La-TECIbtWpBOG5uGqknPeGxXW94kcL2Iwx6QL-faeUtA3YlBYmanzUWzGgK-h_/s320/Endings.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Once
again this is a game where I can’t do a route ranking because in Kara no Shojo
2 there aren’t really any routes just endings: most of them bad endings, 1
normal ending and the true ending. The bad endings are a mixed bag of including your
typical dead end, endings which give a sudden premature end before taking you
back to the main menu, endings that manage to mix tragedy and with a
chilling outcome pretty well and a decent bittersweet conclusion. The normal
ending just concludes the main story and the true ending acts as a continuation
from that point. Personally I like the normal ending better since I feel it
makes for a better stopping point than the true ending, but we’ll get to that
after I explain the latter a bit more.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Despite what flaws I feel it may have, I will admit the unlocking of the true
ending has an interesting aspect to it. While it’s unlocked after finishing the
normal ending, you need to start over from the beginning to see it and in doing
so you get a nice new opening and unlock some new story sequences from other
characters’ point of views that are for the most part interesting and do serve
to enhance the plot you’ve already experienced as well as answer a few
lingering questions from the normal end. There are a couple scenes that I feel
are unnecessary but those are pretty brief so I won’t count it against the true
ending path. What I sadly have to count against it though is even with the new
reading material the majority of the text is the same as before so expect to
have the game be skipping previously read text for quite a while at points. At
one point while the game was skipping text I literally had enough time to grind
a couple levels for my characters in Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel on
my PS3 before I got to new text and had to pause (and mute). While good stories
can leave you wanting more I don’t think this is quite how it should be done;
which brings us to my main problem with the true ending itself.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJYq7YZ2Y5S4KMmlQdSVRo-YIOv93ly8K2vXc7clCo1Gq66qW2EPtPBsMiYTMXm9HAtvNvkckuR2BIDvwS9HZy55t9CC1cg4flnqRBSQhukVmNo3x-Dzz8J0jodIhXRQh3whKVftGrDMH/s1600/ForTE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJYq7YZ2Y5S4KMmlQdSVRo-YIOv93ly8K2vXc7clCo1Gq66qW2EPtPBsMiYTMXm9HAtvNvkckuR2BIDvwS9HZy55t9CC1cg4flnqRBSQhukVmNo3x-Dzz8J0jodIhXRQh3whKVftGrDMH/s320/ForTE.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Okay, I’m going to do my best to be vague so as not to spoil things, but I can
say one thing in the true ending story arc’s segment is it does give proper
focus to the hanging plot thread from the first game, tying in well with the
few hints about it going on in the background throughout the main story and
bringing in a plot element said story that has interesting plot potential. The
problem is it leads into an ending that isn’t as conclusive as the normal
ending was. I’m not saying it ends on a cliffhanger or anything like that, but
it will probably leave you saying “Wait, that’s it?!” once the credits are done
rolling. Don’t get me wrong, my overall problem is not with the outcome that
kind of seemed like an inevitable conclusion even at the end of the first game.
My problem is that compared to the first game’s true ending it is just not as
good. Kara no Shojo’s true end did leave a hanging plot thread but it still
felt like a conclusion in that you had firm knowledge of where the characters
were in relation to how the case ended for good or bad. In KnS2 you’re not only
left wondering how this outcome will affect the characters but also with so
many questions about a newly introduced plot element enough that if I were to
make “five second sum up” of this ending it would include this (credit to
Linkara for making this a thing):</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nDyVeIuTQLY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nDyVeIuTQLY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
System-wise the investigation mechanic is back with your collecting evidence,
story details and even character connections based on what you examine which in
turn give you options of what to present to support certain choices and/or
deductions. There's also the return of the notes which explain various terms and references that crop up throughout which do make for a ice bit of extra reading if you're interested in Japanese history and culture. The system itself is good and works fine, but it feels underused in
part because of how much story occurs in between to actually use what you
acquire it that you would be forgiven for forgetting when the last time it was
you did this. Plus over the course of the game you’ll collect enough evidence
to fill a real life crime evidence storage room, but you’ll barely use any of
it. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the Ace Attorney games in that of the evidence
you gather enough of it is used that there’s an entertaining of mystery
wondering just which of them will be the most useful, but I don’t remember the
evidence I gathered in the first game feeling largely superfluous.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxo0t1dRD37PsPJ3etZNDqh129hyphenhyphenAb6aWr0LVWuuhSiM_CsJusJ52x94p6NjOIrn5tRrCIhd8-k0rn0KjengvSPyRnBYt6StWmo7bQ_vI6vpd4E-IuhI3XbyJEjntZ31u9QvS1lAiET2Sb/s1600/Yukari_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxo0t1dRD37PsPJ3etZNDqh129hyphenhyphenAb6aWr0LVWuuhSiM_CsJusJ52x94p6NjOIrn5tRrCIhd8-k0rn0KjengvSPyRnBYt6StWmo7bQ_vI6vpd4E-IuhI3XbyJEjntZ31u9QvS1lAiET2Sb/s320/Yukari_.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
In the area of presentation I can say that Innocent Grey hits it out of the
ball park once again. The artwork is fantastic as always for the characters,
event CG and background CG. The characters have a realistic enough look to them
but at the same time leave enough room to retain that range of facial
expression one can get from anime/manga style should a scene call for it
without it looking out of place. The event CG is always well drawn to capture
and express the events of that scene be it an emotional climax to a story arc
or the grisliness of the murder’s that occur, be they the act itself or the
aftermath that you investigate. In those latter cases KnS2 perfects the
presentation its set in previous games of using fragments of the CG to lead up
into the reveal for all the scene’s bloody horrific glory. The background CG is
just beautiful, each one creating a picturesque setting for each location. The
voice acting is phenomenal with everyone turning in a great performance
especially from Reiji’s VA who is none other than Junichi Suwabe the voice of
the Fate series’ mainstay Archer. The music is well put together as always,
portraying the mood various scenes perfectly from creepy sounding “Curse”, to
the ominous sounding “Together…” to the menu music you get upon clearing the
true ending which I will admit does a good job capturing the tone of the true
ending with it starting out small and somewhat gloomy but gradually building up
into a tune that seems to hold the possibility of hope for moving forward from
the events the true ending established. Finally the opening movies for this
game are a sight to behold; mixing in good music with some really well put
together visuals you’ll want to look at more than once for the pretty visuals
and to appreciate what they hint at in the story. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvC7OGGbZqLkZKgAt7x51TwQe768KV8peQhEcRVy3NiFOgZaq6Ue1hUk1Z7oU4Kw7B2veyd9Mwl40mZpkPkZiDYi2Aht1bpkHv6L2CvgUE6L2-Lx7h6Mj15H5eck1REUwk7O2rKV6bc8q/s1600/Hscenes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvC7OGGbZqLkZKgAt7x51TwQe768KV8peQhEcRVy3NiFOgZaq6Ue1hUk1Z7oU4Kw7B2veyd9Mwl40mZpkPkZiDYi2Aht1bpkHv6L2CvgUE6L2-Lx7h6Mj15H5eck1REUwk7O2rKV6bc8q/s320/Hscenes.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes…this is where I think KnS2 has another big weak point. There are
only eight of them in this entire game and only two of them you can argue have
any real necessity to the plot or characters. As ero scenes go they’re decent,
having good artwork and are well acted. The problem is with the remainder, four
of them are skippable depending on choice and two of those four feel like scenes
you’d access from the extras gallery like with some of Cho Dengeki Stryker’s
ero scenes. The remaining two, one of them being the first you’ll see, feel
completely pointless; you could remove those scenes and have no effect on the
plot whatsoever. The aforementioned basically as a callback to a plot element
from a previous game but it just gives off a “…did we really need to see this?”
kind of reference, while the other one I guess you could argue establishes a
character’s motivations for stuff that happens later in the story but we learn
it through character dialogue anyway and to be honest it’s effective enough
with that just being left to the imagination. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suddenly
going into prude mode; I still affirm my favorite VN series as being the
Kyonyuu Fantasy games, but in this case it’s a matter of wanting better writing
around the ero scenes and when only two scenes really have that it’s definitely
a problem.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In Conclusion:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Kara no
Shojo –The Second Episode- is an overall good game and an experience I would
recommend to any who are invested in Innocent Grey’s murder mystery series or
want a good read (after reading the first game). It’s certainly a well-designed
game and on the design front it does top previous games in the series, but I
can’t say it’s a sequel that surpasses its predecessor on the writing front or
even breaks even with it on that front. If you can get past its pacing problems
then I’d say it’s worth getting, but its sequel status may make this one
Halloween treat accessible only to some.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Final Score: 8/10 Awesome<span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Author Recommendation: For Fans Only!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And with
that we conclude our 2016 Halloween Review-athon. Happy Halloween to you all,
and here’s hoping next year time (and circumstances) can keep this tradition
going.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q8RV-9Uhdi0/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q8RV-9Uhdi0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<br /></div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-50041838130962789392016-10-24T17:23:00.001-07:002016-10-24T21:02:36.738-07:00Import Games for Adults Halloween: Kansen - Clipping Chronicle<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Kansen - Clipping
Chronicle Review</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_E4trn4XKY0EB69xQG8AC1CFqS9LPI5J_SK7LYB9VCpv6JWB3tb2P9y1EGrftz-LSLdMajrIaP3zMtPVfe_PHrWaNgCv9Gg9d3OFbj-ZdCo-6aXQp-0E00li1bhlJTcH7x0EwD6Sw_7Ct/s1600/Cover+Sub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_E4trn4XKY0EB69xQG8AC1CFqS9LPI5J_SK7LYB9VCpv6JWB3tb2P9y1EGrftz-LSLdMajrIaP3zMtPVfe_PHrWaNgCv9Gg9d3OFbj-ZdCo-6aXQp-0E00li1bhlJTcH7x0EwD6Sw_7Ct/s320/Cover+Sub.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
appears like zombies themselves, even the Kansen series won’t be gone for very
long no matter what may try to return them to the grave. Let’s continue in our
Halloween 2016 review-athon with a return to Speed’s well known series with
Kansen - Clipping Chronicle, initially released digitally December 18, 2015 (there
was apparently a limited physical edition too) and given a later physical
release May 27, 2016. After the <a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2013/10/import-games-for-adults-halloween_10.html" target="_blank">infuriatingly franchise disrespectful abomination that was Kansen Ball Buster</a> things can go is up, right?...The
answer is “sort of” but as you’ll soon see, the series still has a ways to go
before a true return to form.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Likable characters, mostly good voice acting, good
artwork.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Slow story, endings don’t feel as conclusive as in
previous games, Misuzu is unwinnable, certain plot elements feel useless, a
neat reference to previous games ends up poorly used in the end, kind of a flub
on one VA’s front.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: Glad to see Kansen’s getting into the Halloween
spirit.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5n5VAkr4TBC4Ec9dt9GHWrbVTxY1PPxO-yq6GuKImE81Y4tyjhydhxXceQY-f-yl0SY8QFI7crX09aweX0vV2AHqqCVv1XPy5T66pN5PPPTz6AIviJkd2CwhbJoeRdegR-7ih5cu2pY5T/s1600/JasonVorheesReference.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5n5VAkr4TBC4Ec9dt9GHWrbVTxY1PPxO-yq6GuKImE81Y4tyjhydhxXceQY-f-yl0SY8QFI7crX09aweX0vV2AHqqCVv1XPy5T66pN5PPPTz6AIviJkd2CwhbJoeRdegR-7ih5cu2pY5T/s320/JasonVorheesReference.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Set at
the same time as the first, second and fourth games, Kansen Clipping Chronicle
follows Akira Shibue and his circle of friends who are among a group of school fitness
clubs attending a training camp. As time passes with potential romances
blossoming, Akira can’t help but get an unsettling feeling as word of unusual
happenings not too far from the camp start going around. Little does he or any
of those around him realize the horrors that await them as these events slowly
escalate to the inevitable outbreak…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZEaFDhZA3rZkfkcsSvw9iljBA9lkcwe_uwX67JQhB-vhG59qFracPRLSpTQVEDil_J6OG33H38fhy7UEyFcJ8VJcHOiH5tyw1GCzGBDKQQBI8u5lCuod5nP9wNYDtMUR8aaNzU7g4ljE/s1600/LargeForest.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZEaFDhZA3rZkfkcsSvw9iljBA9lkcwe_uwX67JQhB-vhG59qFracPRLSpTQVEDil_J6OG33H38fhy7UEyFcJ8VJcHOiH5tyw1GCzGBDKQQBI8u5lCuod5nP9wNYDtMUR8aaNzU7g4ljE/s320/LargeForest.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Okay,
let’s get the main question out of the way: yes, Kansen Clipping Chronicle is a
way better game than Ball Buster. I also wouldn’t even call it a bad game, but
as I’m going to explain, it has problems. Still, let’s start with what this
game does right as I feel it’s enough for it to at least half stand on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FDFDFD; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> If there
is one thing that all the good Kansen games have in common, it’s having a
likable cast of characters (click <a href="https://vndb.org/v18650/chars#chars" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles). Even an almost good title like Kansen 2 at least
focused on the likable characters and thankfully Clipping Chronicle has that.
We’re given a good intro of Akira and his circle of friends, learn their
quirks, some details of their lives back home, and it’s enough to get you at
least fond of them so when the outbreak does occur you have some investment in
their fates. While admittedly that sounds par for the course for this series
considering that in the last game we had Kasumi the failure clown (because
clowns are supposed to be funny…<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_clown_sightings" target="_blank">and/or scary</a>) a cast of likable characters is
an accomplishment.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
This unfortunately leads us into one of the problems CC has though: its story
is slow. Now bear in mind I’m saying this as someone who’s played every game in
the series, which all had slow starts so as to introduce their cast and
setting. Heck Kansen 3’s pre-outbreak segment is probably longer but it never
feels slow because in that case you’re getting to know the characters and
setting all throughout. Clipping Chronicle’s problem is after you’ve gotten a
good enough intro to everyone along with some nice interactions, it still takes
a while for the zombies to show up. While to some extent this is a problem
because the character scenes start to go stale, there’s a more noticeable
reason…</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
While I can’t prove anything I can make an educated guess that I probably
wasn’t the only one who disliked Ball Buster since if you take a close look you
can tell Clipping Chronicle likely had less of a budget than its predecessors.
This could be a sign of less faith in the series, especially considering how
long it took for us to see another Kansen game, or it could be because lately
Speed has been releasing shorter titles and CC got the same budget as one of
those, but either way the budget cut shows, especially in the writing. This
means that with a limited amount of money for voice acting there’s going to be
more scenes and lines for the unvoiced characters and as a result we get scenes
that don’t feel as lively as ones where the voiced characters are present (or
if they are their lines are short if they speak at all).</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
Once again this leads into another problem as despite the writer’s best
attempts to extend the story, Clipping Chronicle still feels short for a Kansen
game. While the pre-zombie part of the story is too long, the zombie outbreak
part is a little too short. With one exception (bad ends aside), the basic
structure is after the outbreak Akira and the heroine he’s with run for the
only visible shelter, get there and that’s it. There’s some struggle in between
with the zombies they encounter but it’s minimal at best, feeling more like a
checklist of tropes from the prvious games than scenes meant to have an
emotional impact. The reason for this is there’s only a short amount of time to
show how this affects the survivors before the credits roll, which again brings
us to another issue: the endings themselves.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJuRxS1MLOk4a-vAHUrrnRLtvnTRpfvrOEJ66WGBBaAhzDkGjmMJjpFWQc-XGRI1czaRbW5oFBrHoPhKeKEqgkxc2VL6WlnFpAp9BStBC-T5KgOkj3iQN41KW0S45WUNc779-TkZ3a7JV/s1600/Rui.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJuRxS1MLOk4a-vAHUrrnRLtvnTRpfvrOEJ66WGBBaAhzDkGjmMJjpFWQc-XGRI1czaRbW5oFBrHoPhKeKEqgkxc2VL6WlnFpAp9BStBC-T5KgOkj3iQN41KW0S45WUNc779-TkZ3a7JV/s320/Rui.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
Before we get into detail I should probably explain why I’m not doing a route
ranking. This is because CC’s routes are more endings than routes. Your choices
do determine which heroine Akira escapes with, but the in story circumstances
that establish it are hand wavey at best, especially since the true route
pretty much retcons both endings. If you were to ask me which heroine I prefer
then my answer would be Rui because not only is she one of the funnier
characters in the game, but she and Akira also have the best chemistry hands
down.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSmPfykz7TUAVznNLjbOFSz3JaTMi6cnRcg3Mj9fxuQOdTe3hmRARtY1KJvbRtdLONMVbTMZHWYujJsQTDSkxtE3bgKMmRL-5iS3HiidJIfyHrllloXaT7CR90Yh4VCiVzzCaK7VTaX92/s1600/EV03_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSmPfykz7TUAVznNLjbOFSz3JaTMi6cnRcg3Mj9fxuQOdTe3hmRARtY1KJvbRtdLONMVbTMZHWYujJsQTDSkxtE3bgKMmRL-5iS3HiidJIfyHrllloXaT7CR90Yh4VCiVzzCaK7VTaX92/s320/EV03_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
As for Riri…the reason she loses in comparison is for two reasons. The first is
because while a likable character in the end, she still feels too much like
you’re typical tsundere childhood friend heroine, and while I admit the game
does try something to make her different from the mold it’s not enough to make
her as interesting as Rui. This brings us into the second problem as what’s
attempted to make Riri’s character different is a love triangle plot that
doesn’t work because it doesn’t really go anywhere. It has the right place in
the story when it comes to establishing how it figures into Akira and Riri’s
back stories and actions as characters, but it’s not given nearly as much focus
as it should in the overall story in order to give it the right payoff. This is
especially confounded when the other part of the love triangle only shows up in
brief flashbacks and a very short unlockable extra scene with no real effect on
the plot.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
Anyway, back to the subject of the endings, while the true route is the best of
them, having some actual tension and the characters taking a more proactive
approach to their survival, it too shares this same problem the other two
endings have: barely conclusive endings. All the other games in the series got
to the end of the outbreak in their endings (the ones that weren’t bad ends)
and at the very least established where the survivors were and what was in
store for them in the aftermath: good and bad. In Clipping Chronicle, the
endings leave the survivors’ fates somewhat uncertain and while that may sound
like the writers were trying something new the presentation comes off as the
endings feeling incomplete rather than ambiguous.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI53C1QKAiMuBGGNat9bToS1yvlJRLRDJ6DFaNVlsRutFZLQCH6GnMhD-LOIO7XMxAEVBbKb92yMOjhd0vWOp3sIpEXZjkmo_e7YY-PRqA8GaHhEGgAxDKXXUyjCtNGDvNMG4kvlkBjO9y/s1600/NenohiNoRoute.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI53C1QKAiMuBGGNat9bToS1yvlJRLRDJ6DFaNVlsRutFZLQCH6GnMhD-LOIO7XMxAEVBbKb92yMOjhd0vWOp3sIpEXZjkmo_e7YY-PRqA8GaHhEGgAxDKXXUyjCtNGDvNMG4kvlkBjO9y/s320/NenohiNoRoute.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
Finally these last two problems are minor ones, but problems all the same.
First, in continuing tradition from Kansen 5, we have another unwinnable
heroine in a mainly comic relief character named Misuzu Nenohi. In the game
there is a background written for her as a character, she and Akira do seem to
at least like each other as friends and there is an option at the beginning of
the game to say Akira is interested in her. Admittedly the choice is part of a
scene where the characters are joking around, but still…</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioYXQ1m7sGhEtCoXasFHNE5xnBlcFZ_C_9MA9FJ3UlGz60gsV664MYjL5DEjmrNwGd35iye98w7BK03Y_i39WIul1OA8r3hiyvfrl-8v8Illj_AXphAhLX-cNaeEiKIU9-GXFTzRc64Zc/s1600/SelfReference.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioYXQ1m7sGhEtCoXasFHNE5xnBlcFZ_C_9MA9FJ3UlGz60gsV664MYjL5DEjmrNwGd35iye98w7BK03Y_i39WIul1OA8r3hiyvfrl-8v8Illj_AXphAhLX-cNaeEiKIU9-GXFTzRc64Zc/s320/SelfReference.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
The last problem concerns a certain reference put in for the previous games. I
won’t spoil what it is because at the start it is a pretty nice reference (and
no it’s not the one pictured above), but that’s only at the start. Basically at
the end of the true route it goes from a reference you can chuckle at if you’ve
played the previous games to feeling like the series is ripping itself off all
of a sudden. It’s too bad as this might have turned into a good plot element
and potentially something to lead into stories for future games in the series
if something more had been done with it on the writing front as this does
connect to a background plot element that’s featured throughout the series.
Unfortunately the way the true route’s ending goes makes it clear that all the
writers were interested in was trying to be clever about their references to
previous games.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipX6d1XdoDEOYOI8jq5TaKKbBN-rzKeAoRvpSXGRy6LBPj6cHuep3mAOZmAGpp-XPWp74v3UQ8SWH-lbzJb1_-0xI3bwQbvgdev6yutkreegt8VW0I_ydMtLy9qAK4EaiDB2ICVHYXXpE-/s1600/EV01_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipX6d1XdoDEOYOI8jq5TaKKbBN-rzKeAoRvpSXGRy6LBPj6cHuep3mAOZmAGpp-XPWp74v3UQ8SWH-lbzJb1_-0xI3bwQbvgdev6yutkreegt8VW0I_ydMtLy9qAK4EaiDB2ICVHYXXpE-/s320/EV01_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
In the area of presentation Kansen Clipping Chronicle does all right. The
artwork is good, another staple of the series, though once again budget
limitations rear their ugly head in how the game designers figured just a
reverse image of the same CG counts as another CG. Even if they were trying to
make the characters in that scene move it’s a laughable attempt at best. In the
sound department, the music is fine even if it is all music from previous
games. Thankfully, they don’t use any of Ball Buster’s unique tracks, so count
that as a positive. On the voice acting front, the voice actresses all turn in
good performances and we even have some familiar voices such as Ruri’s VA,
Alice Sakurai, who some of you may recognize as the voice of Kyonyuu Fantasy
series heroine Isis, and Himari who voiced Kanae in euphoria. Unfortunately for
the latter, I think there may have been a line flub on her end as there is one
scene where it sounds like she’s phoning in her lines. On the other hand it is
for an overly long ero scene, and maybe the intent was to show tiredness on the
character’s part. Speaking of which…<span style="background-color: #444444;"><span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes, they’re pretty good. They’re drawn well enough at least and
mostly well acted, but some of them suffer from being too long. About the only
other complaint I have is for some reason Rui doesn’t have a “good” ero scene,
which while from a writing perspective makes some sense in that it would be
difficult to fit one into the main story, it could have been put in an epilogue
like in the first game…if the creators had bothered to make epilogues for this
game.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In Conclusion: </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Kansen –
Clipping Chronicle is an overall okay return for the series. We thankfully have
a likable cast again and at least in the true route we have a struggle for
survival for the characters that feels like a Kansen game. Sadly its lacking
budget, inconclusive ending and shortness prevent me from declaring this a
return to form for the series. Hopefully future games can improve from here,
but for now we’ll have to settle for the latest game not being good, but at
least not being horrible. It may be the equivalent of “loser candy” as Gravity
Falls put it, but like said show demonstrated it is at least edible.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Final Score: 5/10 Average</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Author Recommendation: For Fans Only!</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-43993042167461267232016-10-04T20:45:00.000-07:002016-10-05T19:09:26.869-07:00Games for Adults Halloween: euphoria<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Euphoria Review</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzMNXvyUUZjxuETd56zxRexjnn1U5upCPnXupVrJR8C_zvC-u9KNFmd4xt4Wk0w1KlSTyKQQrHfYgOvdnXcFLepNQU_dbJfdpCUFKzjNlWY6TYqzwS7jWZpSA-RZbaqImBSoGW9XknA4Xz/s1600/Blog_Euph.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzMNXvyUUZjxuETd56zxRexjnn1U5upCPnXupVrJR8C_zvC-u9KNFmd4xt4Wk0w1KlSTyKQQrHfYgOvdnXcFLepNQU_dbJfdpCUFKzjNlWY6TYqzwS7jWZpSA-RZbaqImBSoGW9XknA4Xz/s320/Blog_Euph.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Happy
October 2016, folks!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moving and new
jobs may have reduced this year’s number of reviews but this Halloween
tradition will not go way so easily, so let’s get started. A year ago I closed
out Halloween with a look at the demo for Clock Up’s euphoria. Ever since I
played the demo I knew I had a shoe in for this year’s series of reviews and
while I was right I have to also say this game turned out to be very different
from what I was expecting. Without any further delay, let’s take a look at what
many consider to be Clock Up’s best game, release in Japan June 24, 2011 and
released in English by Mangagamer November 27, 2015.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Game OP: https://vimeo.com/103621723</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Interesting premise that takes on very interesting
turns with each route, interesting characters, Natsuki, very good art, great
voice acting, good music.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: The premise is not for everyone, Rika is not for
everyone, true route has some minor writing issues, design for unnamed
characters.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: One reason I like Natsuki, we have a similar taste in
movies.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLq_XIWsnNkED5Vz9gJ6Ic96kv9XlrlHRFL3XCmO_uXIGEZH4zD5-yN1Bt5AsAYUmkfe-ianc-SRyR2QN77i_eCNX9TWSsqTSMbfO534sYDo-jpYT0xvDZeBE0DrWd4p1y5r9XhjGk8RXO/s1600/MissionImpossible+Reference.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLq_XIWsnNkED5Vz9gJ6Ic96kv9XlrlHRFL3XCmO_uXIGEZH4zD5-yN1Bt5AsAYUmkfe-ianc-SRyR2QN77i_eCNX9TWSsqTSMbfO534sYDo-jpYT0xvDZeBE0DrWd4p1y5r9XhjGk8RXO/s320/MissionImpossible+Reference.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
plot of euphoria begins with our protagonist, Keisuke Takatou, waking up to
find himself and six women, all of whom he’s at least acquainted with, trapped
in a strange white room. A mechanical voice then informs them that the reason
for their entrapment is to participate in a game that is also their only hopes
of getting out. The game’s rules are:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKLevRu8Ywqm8CnyTPK4RwyQJhscBI2Ra_UH6xBWIu_pXw2pkuhUYrzp2TykRMHRVd89PRPncr49sSySGDkV_3GdfWXCjVhzOGNtV4Kr7HPxZSdXu-3Td3kiA6d0-rAvUWmOjlQzyLHv5/s1600/Rules.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKLevRu8Ywqm8CnyTPK4RwyQJhscBI2Ra_UH6xBWIu_pXw2pkuhUYrzp2TykRMHRVd89PRPncr49sSySGDkV_3GdfWXCjVhzOGNtV4Kr7HPxZSdXu-3Td3kiA6d0-rAvUWmOjlQzyLHv5/s320/Rules.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As outrageous as the rules sound naturally there are
objections, but the group is soon given a very vivid demonstration of what
happens to those who refuse to participate, making it clear participation is
the only way to make it out alive. Yet as the group copes with this inescapable
situation, Keisuke inwardly finds the idea of the game strangely appealing to
his hidden sadistic urges, desires which he has long tried to suppress. One of
the girls, Nemu Manaka, then approaches him and reveals she’s aware of his
desires and wants to use this game as an opportunity to bring them out. Between
surviving this game, the desire to protect his childhood friend and fellow game
participant Kanae Hokari, and this, what fate awaits Keisuke and the others
only time will tell…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDDIcxbCfeT_HEbH_Dw2Vh7ShcOaEiLMFfU64F_OxeAmp4xgaV_w0fwylSFWQSNo1KAxJgEWgTJV04XAaFHON1TQRasgcUFws4jdA9JQEZF78ymY3Pq0xl-Bqf1Mayl4kJ39iCdFF5sP_/s1600/Start.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDDIcxbCfeT_HEbH_Dw2Vh7ShcOaEiLMFfU64F_OxeAmp4xgaV_w0fwylSFWQSNo1KAxJgEWgTJV04XAaFHON1TQRasgcUFws4jdA9JQEZF78ymY3Pq0xl-Bqf1Mayl4kJ39iCdFF5sP_/s320/Start.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Okay,
at first glance euphoria looks like the eroge equivalent of the Saw series.
<a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2015/10/halloween-demo-impression-euphoria.html" target="_blank">Heck, my demo impression used that idea as a lead in</a>, and yet that’s only the
tip of the iceberg. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While you do get
that at first(and a bit more in some routes), at a certain point things change
and over the course of reading each route it becomes apparent there’s more
going on besides the game the characters have found themselves in. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
there’s one thing euphoria excels at is how it’s able to get the routes prior
to the true ending to lead into it effectively. To those unaware, one pet peeve
I have with true endings is how if not done right (which can happen) it ends up
coming off as retconning more interesting stories in favor of a less interesting story
or main character/heroine<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to focus on
because it has more story revelation than the others. It comes off as the game
telling you what to be invested in rather than you finding that yourself which
breaks immersion. Thankfully euphoria avoids this by having each route work as
a setup for the True Ending, and that’s going to take some explaining…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Normally
this would be I’d do a route ranking but of the four routes that precede the true
one, only two of them can stand on their own as stories: Rika and Natsuki’s.
This is because this pair of routes function as introductory stories that offer
a good look at the game’s face value premise with brief glimpses at what’s
beyond it. As such I would recommend playing at least one of them first and by
that…well, it looks like we’re in for a (mini) route ranking after all…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Natsuki</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Rika</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx84DyIGP-HLfVsqfp94mnfNecnTuV3LUID7216Sh-TEiYzLxcc31lWB3p1V6EMKvjCA4e844ccgaSWh7GyD_1Yp8ajk9HfkA0dYaBmI9vn1L0uyMZ0fIqcVWcLA9tCZ95puKTeZ607Bto/s1600/Natsuki.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx84DyIGP-HLfVsqfp94mnfNecnTuV3LUID7216Sh-TEiYzLxcc31lWB3p1V6EMKvjCA4e844ccgaSWh7GyD_1Yp8ajk9HfkA0dYaBmI9vn1L0uyMZ0fIqcVWcLA9tCZ95puKTeZ607Bto/s320/Natsuki.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
reason Natsuki wins is for two reasons: first she and Keisuke have really good
chemistry, arguably the best on the romantic front. Their conversations are
interesting and even funny, plus they lead into some character info about
Natsuki herself that honestly has me wanting at least another story with her as
either a lead or main character. Second, the story I found to be pretty good
too as it makes for a good way of starting to analyze the mystery around the
game and through that get hints at what could be going on behind the scenes, enough
for you to start making theories but only enough for that. Honestly if I were
to do a route ranking that included the True Route, Natsuki’s would rank second
for those reasons and because even taking into account what’s revealed in the
True Route I think it can stand on its own as a “what if” story compared to the
other routes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzEAn1Nuirwcpg7U5SesWodH2X9-yYXflUWy3uaT41uf_FGZliPsGVzIKuL_IVMky9bFS8F-uvt2T76MIdCTrNXkkbLeYkAcytbP7ItTrjaZcI6InAWeLo_oFadKth9awGZzOgoFe8WaL/s1600/Rika.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzEAn1Nuirwcpg7U5SesWodH2X9-yYXflUWy3uaT41uf_FGZliPsGVzIKuL_IVMky9bFS8F-uvt2T76MIdCTrNXkkbLeYkAcytbP7ItTrjaZcI6InAWeLo_oFadKth9awGZzOgoFe8WaL/s320/Rika.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now
onto the subject of Rika’s route, this is the reason why I recommended reading
“at least one” of this pair. That’s not to say this route is bad (I have played
worse…far worse), in fact from a writing standpoint this route is probably the
best to start with. Its function is basically to introduce the story’s premise
and provide hints there’s more going on than at first and leave it at that with
its ending, prompting you to play the other routes to find out more. The
problem is Rika herself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
problem with having Rika’s route be the first you read depends on your
tolerance for<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>flawed characters, because
if it’s not high you may end up being turned off from this game. Now don’t get
me wrong, I’m not using this as a “the masses just can’t appreciate flawed
characters” kind of defense, since even from that angle I’ve read better. I’m
saying that since that seems to be what the writer was going for (that includes
commentaries). The thing is, as I indicated back in my demo impression, Rika is
essentially written as that one character in the horror movie that has you
wondering how long until the killer/monster gets them, and seeing as this is
her route that means you’re going to have to spend a great deal of time with
her and even I’ll admit that can be grating after a while.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rnSz9TOZ4xFYGtVmU8mKFuHf9YkyOOScC7332Ll5IRuV2Z6Aa0E-zN-lrqvf7uNO7orPEze66LHC66Zxv7avhlxSTK91pO6GavrBNOAa8gasNF1rGBzK4e3q_NUsh25e2o921HoActvw/s1600/euphoriaFox_006-1-1024x768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rnSz9TOZ4xFYGtVmU8mKFuHf9YkyOOScC7332Ll5IRuV2Z6Aa0E-zN-lrqvf7uNO7orPEze66LHC66Zxv7avhlxSTK91pO6GavrBNOAa8gasNF1rGBzK4e3q_NUsh25e2o921HoActvw/s320/euphoriaFox_006-1-1024x768.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ultimately
if you decide to play or skip Rika’s route (which you can do since it’s not
required to unlock the true route and you won’t miss anything critical to the
overarching plot), I can at least say the character isn’t wholly without value.
The game does some interesting things with her in other routes and I admit at
the end of her route I was invested enough to see how it ended. Heck, the fact
that I’ve written three whole paragraphs on this character means I got some
kind of impression from her. On a final note on Rika, I believe I can point out
on positive that I’m sure the majority can agree on. In keeping with Spoony’s
assertion that the horror movie trope Rika falls into should be considered
comedic, there is quite a bit of dark comedy gold in how over the top bad
things go for Rika in the majority of her ero scenes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Moving
along, we come to Rinne and Nemu’s routes, which may not be able to stand on
their own as much as the previous two, but more than make up for that in their role
of setting things up for the true route. Rinne’s introduces some interesting
backstory information and goes in a very…unique direction that has the
distinction of being penned by Banya Izumi, who some of you may recognize as
the writer the majority of Black Cyc’s good games (like <a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2012/10/import-games-for-adults.html" target="_blank">this one</a>), Koichi’s route in <a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2015/06/games-for-adults-no-thank-you.html" target="_blank">NO, THANKYOU!!!</a>, and <a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2014/10/import-games-for-adults-halloween-dark.html" target="_blank">one of our previous Halloween features: Dark Blue</a>. All I can say
further about this route is once you finish it try to remember your impression
of the route then and consider it with what the true ending reveals. You may
appreciate what it all means then, you may laugh, or you may feel like you need
a shower…or all three.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFDZQGtXp3nFRIJ4tl-6sJBZx95Fc2falnoTGvXnXEU6QzmFhLBCk814tsE3a352fykhsLurYzZC2SgpWdJxtbqcvV2u_eBzVHAyKLO56wGKF4AIkMwjZyeB8dlSMho8j5IbYhELHw83H/s1600/Rinne.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFDZQGtXp3nFRIJ4tl-6sJBZx95Fc2falnoTGvXnXEU6QzmFhLBCk814tsE3a352fykhsLurYzZC2SgpWdJxtbqcvV2u_eBzVHAyKLO56wGKF4AIkMwjZyeB8dlSMho8j5IbYhELHw83H/s320/Rinne.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now as
for Nemu’s route…this one’s a little hard to explain without even hinting at
potentially big spoilers but I’ll do my best. The key plot element here is what
you would expect versus what you don’t expect. The route essentially goes along
with what you’re expecting of it, but here and there tosses in moments where
Keisuke briefly sees something very unusual before things suddenly go back to
normal leaving you wondering what it could mean. These moments are few but are
written in a way that indicates their importance to such extent that you feel
as confounded as Keisuke when things finally come to a head and the route leaves
you with more questions and how the true route can possibly answer them.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgtCQwhejhZMt0qwOYRYzjjYj6fskrwv9yp0ahe8O6w1PMoAhShnSesmyL7dgc82cEynokEv786ruj6AaWl3U6IdtwOqxr1mku0hxhbgY3vpvDd6ju7gTZXZaSht6Pzo5qZXfVQ6HOWq1/s1600/Suspicious.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgtCQwhejhZMt0qwOYRYzjjYj6fskrwv9yp0ahe8O6w1PMoAhShnSesmyL7dgc82cEynokEv786ruj6AaWl3U6IdtwOqxr1mku0hxhbgY3vpvDd6ju7gTZXZaSht6Pzo5qZXfVQ6HOWq1/s320/Suspicious.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
brings us to the True Route, aka Kanae’s route and boy is this a doozy to write
about without setting off a veritable mine field of spoilers. While I could do
a spoiler section like usual, I’m going to make an exception here because this
route is something best experienced for yourselves. All I can say is the
following: first, that aforementioned plot element from Nemu’s route of
expected vs unexpected comes back, but in a different way than before. Second,
the big reveal of the story is handled surprisingly well by taking something
that sounds ridiculous but and not only building on it to make it
effective<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and natural, but also in
making you want to go back and read at least some parts with a new perspective
to see if there are any hints in disguise.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With
that praise though, I’m afraid I do have to point out some flaws euphoria has
in the writing department. For starters while the routes do a good job<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>building up building up to the true route
(and are at the very least interesting reads) there is the problem of the first
arc of the game getting repetitive. Basically at that point the story segments
that happens in between the scenes concerning the heroine you choose have very little
difference and after two playthroughs you’re essentially left waiting until the
text skipping is done so you can start reading something new. This even
includes the end of the arc which is an exciting read the first time but only
the first time since your previous choices really only
change a few lines of dialogue (not counting the bad end choices).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuBR_FccvlAUk4cfrpjFix3GzxF_Cncslhn-laEBnkEoFhuDAb4mFHihh9tzVX2gfRTGrrtVSuELW7I-58MeDOL4ZCAl6BtJdWvekZk_KrtHPE9oS9bp2IVIvazKnk_ecTbn82thyphenhyphenZhT2/s1600/MaybeSelfAware.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuBR_FccvlAUk4cfrpjFix3GzxF_Cncslhn-laEBnkEoFhuDAb4mFHihh9tzVX2gfRTGrrtVSuELW7I-58MeDOL4ZCAl6BtJdWvekZk_KrtHPE9oS9bp2IVIvazKnk_ecTbn82thyphenhyphenZhT2/s320/MaybeSelfAware.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
brings us into the first of two flaws the true route has in the writing
department, this one also concerning repetition. For story reasons, Nemu and
Kanae’s routes follow a very similar plot line beyond the first arc. While this
makes sense and leads into a good story payoff, it also means you’ll be
skipping quite a bit of text for a while. Enough that you can get up, eat a snack
and come back before the text skip reaches new story material. Considering this
is the true route, having it take a while to get to anything new is a bit of a
drag. It’s kind of like reading a really long and engrossing thriller and just
as you’re about to find out the big reveal you lose your place in the book and
now have to flip through almost every page just to get back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
second flaw, at least to me, concerns the ending. Don’t get the wrong idea, the
ending is really good. In fact one bit of praise I can give is it didn’t end
where I thought it would and manages to move forward from there without feeling
like its dragging. The story goes along surprisingly well during that point and
creates an interesting build up from some plot elements that time seem
reminiscent of parts from the game NO, THANK YOU!!! which aside from the Izumi
writing also shares a parent company and the same artist. The thing is I think
the last few scenes are a little too short for what the story was building up.
I can’t give any spoiler free details but I can say those few scenes could have
used a little more length considering the content of the buildup and also to
give the final scene more emotional effect.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5K0zhoKaoFzhkCEtgzf6u4mQu8Zb0zo9JUdFTgVhanRcyitj21UrqEJ0mnDIzdL_Iv2vvEriNsF3Yami_iBYJj85eaHYWjxHEyo0Y16atITQseECCkh006y1JVRoxkEmq_IFayZRp1t1t/s1600/CG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5K0zhoKaoFzhkCEtgzf6u4mQu8Zb0zo9JUdFTgVhanRcyitj21UrqEJ0mnDIzdL_Iv2vvEriNsF3Yami_iBYJj85eaHYWjxHEyo0Y16atITQseECCkh006y1JVRoxkEmq_IFayZRp1t1t/s320/CG.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation, euphoria does very well. The artwork by Shigeo Hamashima
is for the most part excellent, giving the characters good appearances and
convincing expressions as well as giving the CG some good “detail”. The
background CG is also well done, as it gives each major location the right
impression such as the story’s game location with its largely white and clean
appearance and how at odds yet at the same time strangely fitting it is as a
setting for such a game. About the only case where the art weakens is later in
the story where you see some scenes featuring other people besides the main
cast. These are mostly nameless and voiceless characters and as such are given
only the most basic character portrait but said portrait just doesn’t look very
good and clashes with the better artwork we’ve been seeing up till then.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeNwCp2Rfx79nClhfcJ1Ke0A1wIsMxB96Qe7wWXWuV2lHHqmEI38jLs_wIu7UGHOjorDphOhkTmvMkss7WGdg8rGsQTcLHGQpwCGpYV7iwr0K3OOGf4H6p5UEivmx9izj5PvBrWre-X6F/s1600/music+gallery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeNwCp2Rfx79nClhfcJ1Ke0A1wIsMxB96Qe7wWXWuV2lHHqmEI38jLs_wIu7UGHOjorDphOhkTmvMkss7WGdg8rGsQTcLHGQpwCGpYV7iwr0K3OOGf4H6p5UEivmx9izj5PvBrWre-X6F/s320/music+gallery.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of sound, euphoria does really well on both fronts. With its music most of
the scores are meant to generate atmosphere and do a good job establishing it,
be it the mysterious nature of the series of white rooms the characters are
trapped in and their seeming emptiness or the intensity of the scenes where
Keisuke and co. are suddenly in peril. There are some more unique tracks for
the really important story scenes, but describing what they invoke would be
entering spoiler territory but I can say they do a good job in making the
scenes feel as important as they’re written to be. Still, of the two the aspect
of the sound department most notable is the voice acting.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCMn0BxrsJOQjC6nYAlc9EI-adJCItuIyNeD5CiJFIY5PbO03057-6RdQiNtm5xSLhPQjXLqJmzbMTCwvGrsMD3Z5vCyYq5Pq-MglXwN8f5xDGXjn6zOw3eEjGuzkmn_KnOz0WCeP9nDk/s1600/commentary.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCMn0BxrsJOQjC6nYAlc9EI-adJCItuIyNeD5CiJFIY5PbO03057-6RdQiNtm5xSLhPQjXLqJmzbMTCwvGrsMD3Z5vCyYq5Pq-MglXwN8f5xDGXjn6zOw3eEjGuzkmn_KnOz0WCeP9nDk/s320/commentary.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While
our cast of heroines are the only ones voiced their voice actresses turn in
such a good performance you hardly even notice this. Each actress does a superb
job in bringing their characters to life from Nemu’s sadistic yet seductive
nature offset by her more mysterious moments to hint she knows more than she’s
letting on, Natsuki’s supportive and altruistic tendencies coupled with a
strangely inquisitive side, to Rika’s self-centered behavior and how the story
plays off that for her for better or worse. It’s helped that the actresses
chosen for the roles are all really good ones such as Mei Misonoo as Natsuki,
who some of you may recognize as Momoka from Eroge!, Nellis from Kyonyuu
Fantasy Gaiden and onwards, and Nadine from Kyonyuu Fantasy 2 and if. Speaking
of, similar to the aforementioned NO, THANK YOU!!! one unlockable extra that
features here are commentaries<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from
those involved in the game’s creation, including the VAs. If on commentary is
worth listening to it would be that of Konoha, Rika’s VA, as she has some very
interesting and amusing things to say regarding how playing the role went,
especially for one particular scene. This brings us right along to our next
segment…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
finally get to the ero scenes and this actually is going to take a little more
talking about than simply saying if they’re good or not. First off, let’s
dispel a little misconception one might get from the story summary and at face
value attributing this game to Saw. While euphoria does feature ero scenes of
the hardcore variety none of the scenes go into being straight up gory and
bloody. If you’ve been looking at CG for this game then I should point out that
(aside from shame on you for potentially spoiling yourself) that those CG occur
in bad ends which you can avoid.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfODRBUbAmQPzCWHn8OCazrmjN9eGrNIQJIkUdA0yrquNtWoRERThoMUq-OK1kNg5Xzbv7EXzfTqRIaiepECi-ayEx3Wgfw5zN8q2X-pd_f5skUihbf6lb93j0vMbfxLFt4uJK6vgIQtbV/s1600/TickleHScene.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfODRBUbAmQPzCWHn8OCazrmjN9eGrNIQJIkUdA0yrquNtWoRERThoMUq-OK1kNg5Xzbv7EXzfTqRIaiepECi-ayEx3Wgfw5zN8q2X-pd_f5skUihbf6lb93j0vMbfxLFt4uJK6vgIQtbV/s320/TickleHScene.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the quality of the ero scenes, they’re all good, at the very least for what
they are. Despite the story’s premise only some of the scenes are hardcore, and
some of them are so over the top they’re (unintentionally?) hilarious, so you
can expect some more vanilla-ish scenes waiting for you. I will say though that
while there aren’t any guro (look that up yourself) type scenes (that’s <a href="http://mangagamer.org/maggotbaits/" target="_blank">anotherClock Up game hopefully for next year</a>) there are going to be a few scenes that
may make you gag a little and not just those of the scat department.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Thoughts:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All in
all euphora is a well written thriller of a story that over the course of its
routes twists and turns into something quite different from where it starts.
This is helped along by a cast of interesting characters who are all well-acted,
great artwork and a good musical score. I will admit the game has some pacing
problems and there could be some factors that turn people off from Rika to the dependency
of one’s gross out tolerance. Still if you want a good dark story filled with
twists that will keep you guessing until well into the true route, then this is
a worthy, albeit unusual, treat for Halloween.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 9/10 Must Own.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Buy it now. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdj0vsphXRMAJIXG506Bvfy3tfkk4_zwIxnxrOsKXkP5QwaSkbnphNXQhRvY2tkZUZurlYGd3XQsmTIXS2wA-NQ-lDXm7WurASKZmYzg6t8hkVKKMdyevKpwmUTfRLTQPZr-VXQpTCwaG/s1600/Euphoria-Capture-500x308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdj0vsphXRMAJIXG506Bvfy3tfkk4_zwIxnxrOsKXkP5QwaSkbnphNXQhRvY2tkZUZurlYGd3XQsmTIXS2wA-NQ-lDXm7WurASKZmYzg6t8hkVKKMdyevKpwmUTfRLTQPZr-VXQpTCwaG/s320/Euphoria-Capture-500x308.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As for the anime…well all I can say is if you haven’t played the game
don’t watch it. The anime spoils a lot and at the same time really mishandles
the story of the true route…and the other routes. Strangely this OVA is 6
episodes long but the true route is handled in only one episode and it’s
episode 5 with the episode 6 being an abridged version of Rinne’s route…with a
completely different conclusion that if you’ve played the game to completion I
almost would recommend watching just for the train wreck viewing appeal
(there’s one character death scene in episode 5 that is so hilariously bad I
was laughing through what was supposed to be a serious scene).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again if you’ve completed the game feel free
to watch as a curiosity but don’t expect anything good.</span></div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-39599693132421173392016-02-14T02:17:00.002-08:002016-02-14T02:17:53.010-08:00Games for Everyone: Norn9: Var Commons<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Norn9: Var Commons
Review</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJ37_HwRz1LfBe7V9zE_Flgbp6B84BNsXFbhE9ZcJoBMUIF_Brsvm4H6nakkiVqYSWuTKkAMm41RNSynqqj97gn8rCcMaOqv8UR5mIAa6gsBGG9SutCNcTC43bGiWXQGnP_jJRAR2esmN/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJ37_HwRz1LfBe7V9zE_Flgbp6B84BNsXFbhE9ZcJoBMUIF_Brsvm4H6nakkiVqYSWuTKkAMm41RNSynqqj97gn8rCcMaOqv8UR5mIAa6gsBGG9SutCNcTC43bGiWXQGnP_jJRAR2esmN/s320/Cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Well
folks it’s a new year, and it being Valentine’s Day too what better a way to
start things off than by returning to a genre I’ve neglected: the otome game.
Once again we’ll be looking at a release from Otomate/Idea Factory and Aksys in
Norn9: Var Commons, originally released as Norn9 ~Norn + Nonette~ in Japan by
Otomate/Idea Factory first on PSP May 30, 2013, December 11, 2014 as Norn9
~Norn + Nonette~ VAR COMMONS, and for iOS in October and December 2015, with
Aksys releasing the localization November 3, 2015.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7FqExlrg42Q/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7FqExlrg42Q?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Largely likable cast of characters, story does a good
job playing around with continuity in each route, excellent artwork, great
voice acting, good music, amusing little minigame.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: The war and peace theme feels a little on the cheesy
side, a couple routes feel rushed, an unlocked epilogue feels too much like an
info dump, weak main villain.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: It’s nice to see fan service is strong with this genre
too…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPU04B6lJ-uiru2fxMJpkPhfznJF2F7Nxx5GWXXM1-3LSwfiNa2ay6tDcGGUTf97njpmgL48WAUH1_x9Ths1GybEp_ngvlWwK2da95tE_2vyqFt8Ene358KdRvmYBrQ0TrW1VfiUI-93LK/s1600/Fanservice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPU04B6lJ-uiru2fxMJpkPhfznJF2F7Nxx5GWXXM1-3LSwfiNa2ay6tDcGGUTf97njpmgL48WAUH1_x9Ths1GybEp_ngvlWwK2da95tE_2vyqFt8Ene358KdRvmYBrQ0TrW1VfiUI-93LK/s320/Fanservice.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Norn9 starts from the perspective of child
prodigy named Sorata Suzuhara, who while on a field trip to the Japanese Diet
Building gets transported back in time to what appears to be 1920s Japan where
he meets a strange girl waiting for a ship of some sort. Following her reveals
that this ship isn’t a boat, but a large globular flying vessel meant to take
its passengers, all of whom possess an unusual power, to a mysterious
destination in an effort by the major governments of the world to bring about
peace. Along with Sorata and this girl are two more young ladies and nine young
men. From there the story is played from the perspective of one these three
girls and soon you choose which of the men they partner up with as it soon
becomes clear that someone among them is working with an outside force to
prevent the ship from reaching its destination and pairing up seems to be the
only viable solution to find out who it is.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With
its large cast of characters (click <a href="https://vndb.org/v11179/chars#chars" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles), three (technically four) different POVs to play
from and the three routes each from those views, Norn9 certainly brings a lot
to the table in the story telling department. Fortunately, it mostly succeeds
in giving us a very good overall experience and this is owed to some very good
character writing. In the case of our heroines, not only are some of their best
moments when the game’s story has them being strong and proactive in the
story’s climax but also in some of the game’s more relaxed or subdued moments
as well. Moments like these not only serve to build up the heroines’
relationships with the heroes of the game, but also in establishing the
friendship the three heroines form with one another. Aside from it feeling
genuine, it’s also interesting to see each heroine’s inner thoughts and/or
intentions and how they differ from how they seemed to be thinking when you
were playing from a different point of view. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQX7abY-MFBtqCzkOaaa9-Gsajp7sBdAyAf0KP_H5__3fVDY4eRV91jOfjB3YTk12feu8KpoI6NNnohn1qpdg4u5YyD77RQEgC_bVWON_f5CSA2Q25HUHYLdQBdWXeX44IfiJ4ldnPlZYL/s1600/Norn9-Var-Commons-Angry-Heroines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQX7abY-MFBtqCzkOaaa9-Gsajp7sBdAyAf0KP_H5__3fVDY4eRV91jOfjB3YTk12feu8KpoI6NNnohn1qpdg4u5YyD77RQEgC_bVWON_f5CSA2Q25HUHYLdQBdWXeX44IfiJ4ldnPlZYL/s320/Norn9-Var-Commons-Angry-Heroines.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
actually brings us to something that the routes do that makes them (and replay)
more interesting than you usually would find in a multi-route VN. Basically it
takes full advantage of the idea that each route is its own continuity, meaning
that just because one route may start out similar to another one you say from a
different heroine’s point of view doesn’t necessarily mean what you saw in that
route will be happening off screen. This helps to not only keep each
playthrough fresh, but it also can result in some very interesting surprises at
certain major story events.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Moving
on to the routes themselves, due to the differing POVs I’m going to have to do
the rankings a little different this time. I’ll first start by showing my
preferences according to each heroine and then my overall ranking:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXdWOmCcVmB6V4IkPUqNfyxTV1oC15MZWsVNoYketsythEZsPvKUB7HWHukFFhYxSNijgE57vQCrDC27-f4BokJqG7rlYdAMNHFyzGyl5c8_388AwtdcNNhpiBj5smHq31MW9YGrfJOKI/s1600/Koharu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXdWOmCcVmB6V4IkPUqNfyxTV1oC15MZWsVNoYketsythEZsPvKUB7HWHukFFhYxSNijgE57vQCrDC27-f4BokJqG7rlYdAMNHFyzGyl5c8_388AwtdcNNhpiBj5smHq31MW9YGrfJOKI/s320/Koharu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Koharu:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Senri</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Kakeru</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Masamune</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Kiu0Tg9VH6TEtEPLMScCmCX7O9KsHcQnDiQBk6y3ksvw_EdgFPryhEtAEY4yLBk6IC3hK3LKwIR7Z9N_hSUMbPHVKep9cL4iF1YWacxhDZg7LMWx9_OLjz_veckYuAtZ10QLCdLWkbGa/s1600/Nanami.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Kiu0Tg9VH6TEtEPLMScCmCX7O9KsHcQnDiQBk6y3ksvw_EdgFPryhEtAEY4yLBk6IC3hK3LKwIR7Z9N_hSUMbPHVKep9cL4iF1YWacxhDZg7LMWx9_OLjz_veckYuAtZ10QLCdLWkbGa/s320/Nanami.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Nanami:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Akito</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Heishi</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Ron</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdWowlQoBTxjAMwebxvyAr0Zf82CClZHmA4zJjSn8JZFV6rmrgVuXs9_a_zAmaqhxhhMWHLb50MHoAlLmtkuEfHmDNJ5X8PjB6mun5m8lmdyjLYfQy-aUfoe8I6THgAqpy9aZqHxkgIj2/s1600/Mikoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdWowlQoBTxjAMwebxvyAr0Zf82CClZHmA4zJjSn8JZFV6rmrgVuXs9_a_zAmaqhxhhMWHLb50MHoAlLmtkuEfHmDNJ5X8PjB6mun5m8lmdyjLYfQy-aUfoe8I6THgAqpy9aZqHxkgIj2/s320/Mikoto.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Mikoto:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Natsuhiko</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Sakuya</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Itsuki</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Overall:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Natsuhiko</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Akito</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Heishi</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Sakuya</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Senri</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Kakeru</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Itsuki</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Tie between Masamune and Ron</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjew3IhMsyZ3Kqpd3htrn8dW_zLssWXrSEbzmyhiUTlgfdYfd57QadjVOlLW9HQHZM2taABA71dwwVyQvMirMExlxbLFcnOCqjT_RQz2ByiC-8GDWEKiXksw1ARGrn_N69GmVAyWgca2hO7/s1600/Natsuhiko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjew3IhMsyZ3Kqpd3htrn8dW_zLssWXrSEbzmyhiUTlgfdYfd57QadjVOlLW9HQHZM2taABA71dwwVyQvMirMExlxbLFcnOCqjT_RQz2ByiC-8GDWEKiXksw1ARGrn_N69GmVAyWgca2hO7/s320/Natsuhiko.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Starting
with Natsuhiko, the reason his route ranks at the top is because his route is
what an unlockable true route should be (you unlock it after clearing Sakuya
and Itsuki’s routes). It reveals things about a character we have limited
knowledge of from all the other routes and crafts an interesting arc for this
character from it, we learn a good deal more about the game’s setting and above
all Natsuhiko and Mikoto have a good romantic arc and really good chemistry.
Thanks to the latter we even get some of the funniest character moments in the
game, from how these two bounce off each other to an interesting use of the
game’s mascots, the hiyokos. Of course it’s not just the comedy that’s good,
but there’s good serious scenes like the two working well together to deal with
conflicts or quieter moments of them learning something new about each other. Also
this route is the one with the most of (sadly unwinnable) humorous sub
character Setsu.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbyFPAdTGkZ8Y2mkruXe49lA0chVHEBNtU00MNbQEMeuDpgf26oOYm_Rdv60qaUrf9KlXPj2K2jAr_wiN2BeRABhGTdTX86pKRzYljHiv5xrV_Rn8pKqH3OfZ0ep3dVvcn7KHbV4cEZhi/s1600/Akito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbyFPAdTGkZ8Y2mkruXe49lA0chVHEBNtU00MNbQEMeuDpgf26oOYm_Rdv60qaUrf9KlXPj2K2jAr_wiN2BeRABhGTdTX86pKRzYljHiv5xrV_Rn8pKqH3OfZ0ep3dVvcn7KHbV4cEZhi/s320/Akito.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Akito’s
route comes in at a close second thanks to a surprisingly good character arc
for our aforementioned hero as well as the development of his relationship with
Nanami. I say “surprisingly” because this route’s story is one where you can
call most of what’s going to happen the moment it’s first hinted at and yet the
story is still a largely enjoyable one despite that. This is because both Akito
and Nanami have good character writing to get you invested in them but it also
can’t be denied that another big factor in the enjoyment of this route is the
performance of Akito’s VA, Noriaki Sugiyama, who many of you would recognize as
Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto, Ishida from Bleach and Shirou from Fate/Stay Night.
While his role is similar enough to the aforementioned more famous roles to the
point you might suspect type casting, this route’s story direction does take
the character in a direction where we can see Sugiyama-san can do more than
just the “grumpy guy” role. Admittedly though this does lead into the main
factor that brings this route down to second place: the route’s beginning is on
the weak side since it needs to set things up for Akito to start developing into
a more interesting (and likable) character.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9s7Mf88SxkhIN8t4yC_jRVrR09xvIvC95oIUYIntvrC8TaoJI2OCtFPmMK8r-73qM8hoHlajprovv4nFX6molzaZTF-UgeK5ghqytpMhaigvcNdCaLsrFrkX-F19Al3wRfZ-FKLJu3gQ/s1600/Heishi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9s7Mf88SxkhIN8t4yC_jRVrR09xvIvC95oIUYIntvrC8TaoJI2OCtFPmMK8r-73qM8hoHlajprovv4nFX6molzaZTF-UgeK5ghqytpMhaigvcNdCaLsrFrkX-F19Al3wRfZ-FKLJu3gQ/s320/Heishi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Heishi’s
route I have to say I enjoyed almost as much as Akito’s. This comes from the
fact that he and Nanami relate to each other just as well on the romance front
as the aforementioned and Heishi does have the advantage of being likable from
the start. This is helped especially by the performance of his VA, Hiroyuki
Yoshino, whose had notable VN roles like Takumi from Chaos;Head and Heisuke in
Hakuoki and equally notable anime roles like Allelujah Haptism in Gundam
00,Firo in Baccano! And Kimblee in Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yoshino-san really does a great job in
bringing Heishi to life from making his outgoing and energetic side so likable
to doing a really good job portraying the dramatic side of this character
(which incidentally makes the route’s bad end worth viewing just for that
performance). What brings the route down to third place though is its ending,
which I must first stress isn’t a badly written ending. The problem with it is
more where it ends than anything else; basically part of the story feels<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>prematurely ended on a certain front. Still I
can say the route feels complete and as a conclusion for that particular story
it’s good enough.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEp4YSkbw2XnsSf1chcuZ0Z-5fd1lG7TBvB5rvGtxrvnyVnx3X98PyIuz92cbULrRMP75Dl33ovG84uq8uWhZ4g2bdoks4MqCAEl7w9C2f6Q7KOMejAgVcmzfBJR2UmZBfd4xz4Rfb77g/s1600/Sakuya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEp4YSkbw2XnsSf1chcuZ0Z-5fd1lG7TBvB5rvGtxrvnyVnx3X98PyIuz92cbULrRMP75Dl33ovG84uq8uWhZ4g2bdoks4MqCAEl7w9C2f6Q7KOMejAgVcmzfBJR2UmZBfd4xz4Rfb77g/s320/Sakuya.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With
Sakuya’s route I can say it’s a very good introduction to Mikoto as a character
revealing not just her backstory but also doing a good job establishing her
character motivations. It also helps that the route does a good job building on
the “childhood friend” angle for Mikoto and Sakuya’s relationship as it does a
good job establishing these two really caring about each other and the central
problem they have to deal with does make for a good enough plot point. The main
problem this route has is when it gets to the romantic drama it’s groan
inducing because of what it’s based around. Fortunately the route redeems
itself first by making a good joke out of those events soon after they’re
resolved and the story does make a good approach to the pair’s problem by
having them proactively try to solve it in a way that feels smart and at the
same time does a good job showing how well they relate to the other characters.
In fact perhaps one of the best moments in this route is a series of scenes
between Mikoto, Nanami and Koharu that really cements their friendship with one
another.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9s3k6eouLirVGcb_lsB5sLukz20p_X-RzP8wP6fVhV_otQCD0L8mjWquuxkoJCLRAv9DRag6AjbXADgR66ReQh_a4VQFiOcDOdFwoxlFZOzDQwyims2cGjYVhAvBXro3l-uX1GvkZrj26/s1600/Senri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9s3k6eouLirVGcb_lsB5sLukz20p_X-RzP8wP6fVhV_otQCD0L8mjWquuxkoJCLRAv9DRag6AjbXADgR66ReQh_a4VQFiOcDOdFwoxlFZOzDQwyims2cGjYVhAvBXro3l-uX1GvkZrj26/s320/Senri.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Moving
onto Koharu’s routes, I should say the reason they’re further down on the list
isn’t necessarily because they’re bad, but because the first two are meant to
be introductory routes (it’s recommended you play Kakeru and Senri’s first) they
do come off as weaker than most of Mikoto and Nanami’s. Of the two I’d say I
prefer Senri’s route over Kakeru’s mainly because I like Senri and Koharu’s
interactions better. The writing does a good job in showing these two
characters connect beginning with how Koharu’s able to get more than a few
words out of the most anti-social member of the crew and from there reveal
there’s more likable traits to this guy that she’s able to bring out. I’d say
the best moments of this route are the slice of life scenes between the two.
Sadly the route’s biggest problem for me is when the end route story begins.
While I appreciate the writer giving Senri something to do for the plot’s
climax, which does also have some good plot foreshadowing for another route, I
didn’t really like how they had to weaken Koharu’s character to do that.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjESiSKVoFBMhZOIBqP_8CliMkSoGoDqX83h_fTIjlIRPkXcJ5hnG_Mys9PEQ6pIUGxkO988eZQEdvGaNrAxuVjxG9Oy4e0jND8DQpj1oL5aUVIk4l0t1dnmYrJxBxgWsm7zp2VhmG2G6/s1600/Kakeru.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjESiSKVoFBMhZOIBqP_8CliMkSoGoDqX83h_fTIjlIRPkXcJ5hnG_Mys9PEQ6pIUGxkO988eZQEdvGaNrAxuVjxG9Oy4e0jND8DQpj1oL5aUVIk4l0t1dnmYrJxBxgWsm7zp2VhmG2G6/s320/Kakeru.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Regarding
Kakeru’s route, while it’s decent as a first route for this game, it’s also a
route that gets more disappointing the more you play the game. The reason for
this is Kakeru is a very entertaining character in the other routes thanks to
his role as the ship’s prankster (especially concerning Senri) and also one of
the crew trying to get everyone to get along. This is helped especially by the
performance of his VA, Yuuki Kaji, who some of you may recognize as the voice
for Erin Jaeger from Attack on Titan. The problem in this route’s case is that
for some reason Kakeru comes off as a pretty bland character with more emphasis
given to hinting at his backstory than any of the characteristics that make him
likable in the other routes. I understand why there’s a good deal of that since
his backstory does connect to an important story element in the overall game,
but the route could have used some better slice of life to get us more attached
to Kakeru and give him more chemistry with Koharu. In fact the most memorable
scenes that show chemistry between these two happen in other routes. I can say
that this route still has redeeming factors, especially at the end where we get
to see Koharu be awesome for once.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SkiyjHtxg2B9KuiqVS_aPHPhAY3hdkp8xs0Z7PZ1F7Z2qp7Jqq9305i6buWjWc8wicF550-IW0NpS3xQFToufVbprxCU8uNF6ZsSThWeg4XkUVCfJuXJY5-4CPlCqYxqFJ5tpXeeb-Yb/s1600/Itsuki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SkiyjHtxg2B9KuiqVS_aPHPhAY3hdkp8xs0Z7PZ1F7Z2qp7Jqq9305i6buWjWc8wicF550-IW0NpS3xQFToufVbprxCU8uNF6ZsSThWeg4XkUVCfJuXJY5-4CPlCqYxqFJ5tpXeeb-Yb/s320/Itsuki.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
actually brings us to Itsuki’s route since it shares a similar problem where we
have a hero who is way more interesting and likable as a side character. I can
say he avoids the problem of being bland like in Kakeru’s case as there are
good character moments between him and Mikoto. The problem is very little is
done with him as a character aside from getting him together with Mikoto, which
is a real disappointment because a lot of hints to his backstory feature
throughout the game, one of them even prominently. Unfortunately very little is
revealed concerning these hints and that gives the route a feeling of not
having a good sense of direction for its story considering you’d expect some
kind of payoff to the foreshadowing concerning Itsuki but the route doesn’t
seem to want to do any more than that and focus instead on the romance when
there’s no reason for these two elements to be mutually exclusive. It also
doesn’t help that the route ends on a note similar to Heishi’s as that route
had the advantage of a very good and complete story for its hero so you could
forgive it for doing that.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLA6U4urXn95AaQNH4u87Ub_Nzeztm3NMofDY7zwME2TTwTMFltNdGl4mb3pdAwqt4L54RAU95rJzuCKnaAktr3m_5n2m1qIiW_nxQCJiyJautAx12D0bRDEQvcnexlA10vMhdX-Mujbbe/s1600/Masamune.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLA6U4urXn95AaQNH4u87Ub_Nzeztm3NMofDY7zwME2TTwTMFltNdGl4mb3pdAwqt4L54RAU95rJzuCKnaAktr3m_5n2m1qIiW_nxQCJiyJautAx12D0bRDEQvcnexlA10vMhdX-Mujbbe/s320/Masamune.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXM6_woONQVK0hT__iH1Tx0FmRRULzCTyxm29TZLbWh7M9iJgZ1E9phsCBUHNn3ctfatxOqf8R_CkBbNgFOjiVEs4MY7VQWKiue-kMpchmQTejYD00-Vu7_sicqh19O_rE3AI5a0SOr6J/s1600/Ron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXM6_woONQVK0hT__iH1Tx0FmRRULzCTyxm29TZLbWh7M9iJgZ1E9phsCBUHNn3ctfatxOqf8R_CkBbNgFOjiVEs4MY7VQWKiue-kMpchmQTejYD00-Vu7_sicqh19O_rE3AI5a0SOr6J/s320/Ron.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
brings us to the bottom of the list: the routes for Masamune and Ron. These
routes, while not really bad, are without a doubt the most disappointing.
Remember how I praised Natsuhiko’s route for being what an unlockable route
should be? Well that’s because these two are the unlockable routes for Koharu
and Nanami respectively and what Natsuhiko’s route does well this pair fumbles
with. While Masamune’s route is better in ways than Ron’s thanks to the former
being a more interesting (and at times funny) character and it does reveal a
few things, what brings these two routes down is they barely do anything with
their respective heroes. Both of these characters are presented as being
mysterious for their own specific story reasons, but by the end of their routes
it feels like we’re only just starting to learn anything about them. The
romantic development both heroines also kind of ends up in a similar situation
as while there is an arc of them getting closer to their respective love
interests the ending leaves things a little too open to the point I suspect both
cases to be relying on a sequel or fandisk to give a more solid resolution.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are a few more flaws Norn9 has, the first of which concerns its war and peace
theme that becomes more significant in the later parts of the game. Due to it
getting only minimal focus when compared to the relationship building of the
characters and even revelations about the game’s setting, it comes off as cheesy
rather than effective, less Gundam and more Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Another
writing problem is in an epilogue you unlock after clearing every route that
shows what happens on the end of a fourth point of view character besides the
game’s heroines. While this epilogue answers several hanging questions well
enough, the end of it just dumps so much information on you and the only
character input on all this is our aforementioned fourth POV character. As
interesting as the setting’s backstory is cramming it together with, new
information about a couple characters and to explain what the motivation of our
main villain is just before the end of this epilogue was not a very good
approach.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
speaking of our main villain, this is perhaps the most notable writing flaw for
this game: the main villain sucks. I don’t mean this in the usual way like the
character is one dimensionally evil (though if it weren’t for the epilogue he’d
be) or his motives are generic (though they are); the problem is he’s barely in
the game. Again I don’t mean this in the usual way in that he just doesn’t show
up until the story for each route is almost over, I mean that by he’s only in
three routes. That’s right <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>three</u></b>
routes, four if you want to be generous and count that unlocked epilogue. It’s
really strange since those routes do a good job establishing why this guy would
be a threat and after those routes you never see him again and the explanation
for why just makes this character come off as even more pathetic as a villain.
Not only that, but what makes this even funnier is thanks to our main villain
not even bothering to show up more than half the time this game has two
pseudo-villains who not only have more screen time but end up way more villainous
and intimidating in comparison.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQcZmGoinyb_qOZR2RkxCvGD4Q5HHzWe5cSPfNvYyTg7p5BD-6n_CZD4x96rxyb5EZdswtH0ZlkWoQrBW62lfYelaSsMvAx48iI5E-mp_exWr6dg_EZJlqBfhrYEQr9BWaibQOwDRiaS0/s1600/4koma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQcZmGoinyb_qOZR2RkxCvGD4Q5HHzWe5cSPfNvYyTg7p5BD-6n_CZD4x96rxyb5EZdswtH0ZlkWoQrBW62lfYelaSsMvAx48iI5E-mp_exWr6dg_EZJlqBfhrYEQr9BWaibQOwDRiaS0/s320/4koma.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So we
don’t end talking about the story on a negative note I can say there’s a nice
little bonus for completing routes. Every time you do you also unlock unlock a
little mini story for that which you can access by spending points gained from
clearing routes, hiyoko omakes and a minigame we’ll talk about later (you can
also use the points to unlock other extras). These stories are amusing little
bits worth checking out, especially if you liked the route it ties in with. I’d
say my top three favorites of them would be Natsuhiko’s, then Akito’s and then
Senri’s since I think they do a good job adding onto the relationships of their
respective routes…and they’re the funniest of the bunch.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnY1-v2ka1S-7ImjvkyZsrHujmOkL45W2EotUIFmfk7eGqjzBE8VVrQu9ixku3lJuELHLIGXvqqnxbU_1meYlqJXEeZh7NMDIlfB12iSbS9ceabrh2Ej62z7rDmerHedI3GVXe4wV-HaZd/s1600/img-sys-NornQuest.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnY1-v2ka1S-7ImjvkyZsrHujmOkL45W2EotUIFmfk7eGqjzBE8VVrQu9ixku3lJuELHLIGXvqqnxbU_1meYlqJXEeZh7NMDIlfB12iSbS9ceabrh2Ej62z7rDmerHedI3GVXe4wV-HaZd/s320/img-sys-NornQuest.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Concerning
the system, while Norn9 is your standard VN, there is an amusing little
minigame you can unlock called Norn9 Quest. It’s a game designed to look like
an old 8bit game featuring the heroines and heroes. You pick one of them and
from there you’re put into a series of random fights where it’s randomly
determined if you win or lose points. It’s an amusing little minigame for its
design and the chuckles you’ll get from characters winning and losing.
Additionally there is an amusing little addition given to the CG where you can
get commentary from the characters about the CG, and a little thing called
Norn+Ensemble where you can play around with the heroes voices a little bit.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLaW4ivF7WNfQlvad1UU0c_X8LZ8xDVB_a3IgNAQhDJDgGApr9QhROCwVINtxPGEVyCifnLKeGfejvhmAlZHqSyaC87rW323AD0wdzdqSIqmxI5RyxI4gNh5gdpBkKuQyMbbIoIooJEyg_/s1600/Norn9-Var-Commons-Featured.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLaW4ivF7WNfQlvad1UU0c_X8LZ8xDVB_a3IgNAQhDJDgGApr9QhROCwVINtxPGEVyCifnLKeGfejvhmAlZHqSyaC87rW323AD0wdzdqSIqmxI5RyxI4gNh5gdpBkKuQyMbbIoIooJEyg_/s320/Norn9-Var-Commons-Featured.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation, Norn9 does exceptionally well. The artwork for the
characters is exceptional as is the design for a lot of the background CG,
particularly those of the ship the story mostly takes place in. The area of
sound is where the game really shines, particularly in the voice acting as
every character in this game is fully voiced and their respective voice actors
turn in great performances, which you may have noticed me mention with some of
the routes. Heck for one more example, Mikoto’s VA, Ayahi Takagaki, has
featured in anime like Gundam 00 as Feldt Grace and recently Jojo’s Bizarre
Adventure: Stardust Crusaders as Mariah as well as VNs with her two most
recognizable roles being Ein from Phantom of Inferno and Otome from Da Capo II.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last but certainly not least is the music
which gives us tunes that really do great job catching the mood of the scenes
they’re to be used in, but what can you expect when the composer for the music
is none other than Nobuo Uematsu of Final Fantasy music fame? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Norn9:
Var Commons is an excellent addition to the currently small line up of otome
games available in English thanks to its enjoyable cast of characters, all well
drawn and voiced as well as a very good soundtrack. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does have its flaws in the story department
be it a couple weak routes or a really weak villain, but in the overall scheme
of things they’re forgivable. If you have a Vita or PSTV this is one game I
would definitely recommend to add this to your library, especially for this
Valentine’s Day (and so maybe we can get <a href="https://vndb.org/v14415" target="_blank">the fandisk</a> someday).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 8/10 Awesome</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Buy it Now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fa6LPfxuQxo/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fa6LPfxuQxo?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bG4xxLSBvXA/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bG4xxLSBvXA?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the (ongoing as of this review’s posting) anime, so far I’ve only seen two
episodes and I can say I like it so far. It starts out very differently from
how the game does and there are some interesting changes like a certain
character not showing up until the second episode and in a different way than
he did in the game. From the looks of things it seems to be following Kakeru,
Akito and Natsuhiko’s routes which I don’t have any complaints about. Even if
Kakeru’s my second favorite of Koharu’s routes I must admit the anime is doing
things better than the game did. So it looks like this could end up being one
of the rare cases of a good anime adaptation of a VN. Only time will tell, and
who knows? I may write a little review of the anime when it’s done.</div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-28921127421470648612015-10-31T08:41:00.002-07:002015-10-31T08:41:37.413-07:00Halloween Demo Impression: euphoria<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
euphoria Demo
Impression</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGE2QoVu9sBEB17CptKcC9ztdCZmVWfZv6Y4Rya1hkBs_9AWuyb2_YFK4iTk385U7TKTwUOBKK0XxhAofHClzV2ZUd6R8eudfQGxH_U98GTOcokSmbOWbeFdzgKXsA8pANOomvMDSvU-v/s1600/Coversub.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGE2QoVu9sBEB17CptKcC9ztdCZmVWfZv6Y4Rya1hkBs_9AWuyb2_YFK4iTk385U7TKTwUOBKK0XxhAofHClzV2ZUd6R8eudfQGxH_U98GTOcokSmbOWbeFdzgKXsA8pANOomvMDSvU-v/s320/Coversub.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’d
just started college when the Saw series became a Halloween staple and looking
back on it, one of the first things I think of is how the guys at the dorm always mixed
in those movies into the Halloween Night Marathon we’d have playing from
evening till some point after midnight (usually by the time all the pizza,
candy and booze took their effect). I’m bringing this up because we’ll be
wrapping up this year’s Halloween with a look at what some would consider the
eroge equivalent, and Mangagamer’s upcoming acquisition from Clock Up come
November 27, 2015: euphoria.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_itbmNfgjh0/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_itbmNfgjh0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Interesting plot set up, the characters (for the most
part) are pretty interesting, good artwork, very good music and voice acting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Not sure if Rika’s character is supposed to be
annoying or not and whether that’s a good thing either way, the demo ends.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: Wonder how many guys would be thinking that in this
position…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhwcbSmCS2iWS7soCgzhNtKoO7Tq9MqCPBJBHfwkv0WHh27-Fr9lrlsik64Thvhjc_ro1P7XepeanF3kdAs4-v3IIkXdBOkzezvvMOvCMqpMz_WaPeokcOoeVkjqQu1MS1zxklf6PY_cs/s1600/Whattodo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhwcbSmCS2iWS7soCgzhNtKoO7Tq9MqCPBJBHfwkv0WHh27-Fr9lrlsik64Thvhjc_ro1P7XepeanF3kdAs4-v3IIkXdBOkzezvvMOvCMqpMz_WaPeokcOoeVkjqQu1MS1zxklf6PY_cs/s320/Whattodo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
plot of euphoria begins with our protagonist, Keisuke Takatou, waking up to
find himself and six women, all of whom he’s at least acquainted with, trapped
in a strange white room. A mechanical voice then informs them that the reason
for their entrapment is to participate in a game that is also their only hopes
of getting out. The game’s rules are:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmeyyHutjoUwplXOqi5_mr2SQraym4qenut-gPPhl4-06fbKifa1MB9F8_t6_rRMHEXFYD8_bpe9P1FEUgWyclBYOGXAJ84e7RbTCBv4vOg3FB6FXNZsD7jPidqwFDE7atH6KpAfKeh5o/s1600/Rules.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmeyyHutjoUwplXOqi5_mr2SQraym4qenut-gPPhl4-06fbKifa1MB9F8_t6_rRMHEXFYD8_bpe9P1FEUgWyclBYOGXAJ84e7RbTCBv4vOg3FB6FXNZsD7jPidqwFDE7atH6KpAfKeh5o/s320/Rules.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As outrageous as the rules sound, the group is soon given a
demonstration of what happens to those who refuse to participate and makes it
clear participation is the only way to make it out alive. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUaP517Pc0L9pExk71zjfaZ-RO4VbGGuwpuiZmRs97KDtAyIbS7xCFsdvFY4QQoTQsIRLTYOIABinHOXi-ml3cJVEZIjuJL5SnO0ifjRBSpcdqGwvcZgqu-2jSOeSgajNtdry7R8Q5lEF/s1600/Start.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUaP517Pc0L9pExk71zjfaZ-RO4VbGGuwpuiZmRs97KDtAyIbS7xCFsdvFY4QQoTQsIRLTYOIABinHOXi-ml3cJVEZIjuJL5SnO0ifjRBSpcdqGwvcZgqu-2jSOeSgajNtdry7R8Q5lEF/s320/Start.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I admit
while this game’s plot premise sounds (and if you browse <a href="http://mangagamer.org/euphoria/" target="_blank">euphoria’s very NSFW web page</a>, looks) like it’s just there in order to justify its extreme H content
(plus the demo ends on two samples of it per chosen heroine) but the story
content of this demo does hint at what could be some interesting story to come.
For instance, you can tell very quickly that there’s something slightly off
about Keisuke (even before it’s brought to light) in how strangely analytical
his narration comes across and it leaves you wondering just how the unlocking
events will affect him as the story goes on, and the mystery of the game itself
from its purpose to who’s behind it also makes for a plot thread you want to
follow. I have heard there’s significantly more story from here so hopefully
they’ll be enjoyable, plus I have a couple theories already and only time will
tell how close those guesses are…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmHV7dzZcPS0zY6LFTmph1_L4WbEZbBM1CyR7caKA2QPKlaggQ8MDhUN1o_UAwhyphenhyphenI2uIT7Ev4VgT-DIa4oyLWcP3lJUWBX1VwhtonPbZpIbTUyW9yIN3sgPcaR_pgm-hio54SK8ORolYp/s1600/Setup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmHV7dzZcPS0zY6LFTmph1_L4WbEZbBM1CyR7caKA2QPKlaggQ8MDhUN1o_UAwhyphenhyphenI2uIT7Ev4VgT-DIa4oyLWcP3lJUWBX1VwhtonPbZpIbTUyW9yIN3sgPcaR_pgm-hio54SK8ORolYp/s320/Setup.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Speaking
of which, the other characters (click <a href="https://vndb.org/v6540/chars#chars" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles) they’re mostly
interesting as the demo content does a good job establishing their
personalities based on their varying reactions to what the game entails. There’s
typical reactions like with Kanae and Rika, an attempt at rationality from Aoi,
but the most interesting are the unusual ones from Rinne’s seeming apathy
towards the game’s rules and Nemu’s amusement with it all. It gets you
interested in seeing how this could factor into their route’s plots and the
character reveals and development that will occur. About the only flaw here is
why I just said “mostly”, basically the one heroine that’s hard to get
interested in is Rika. The reason for this is while her reaction to the game’s
events is typical it’s overplayed to the point of making the character
annoying, the equivalent of that one annoying character in the horror movie
you’re just waiting to see panic and run away from group and into the waiting
jaws/claws/knife/chainsaw of the monster/killer. The thing is I don’t know if
Rika’s character is supposed to be annoying or not; whether this is a character
we’re supposed to feel sorry for and it’s just not written right or a character
I’m supposed to root for bad things to happen to. The full game will probably
better establish this though I’m kind of leaning towards the latter since
there’s some scenes of Nemu trolling Rika while she’s fretting over the
prospect of participating in the game and they really do make for a good
chuckle.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKKbHhIwWvnFtdAXkF41mwwB_JHp12QeGMWf2MQoSL5I_q5wqzbZmUSy5M01L5sLwEEA1TlUIyMR056mMkSiYsywwrBQBrX3Uc7vKLT5nti3ZXZdM2V-ZButb6LP3scST4RTjSwEYt556/s1600/Choices.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKKbHhIwWvnFtdAXkF41mwwB_JHp12QeGMWf2MQoSL5I_q5wqzbZmUSy5M01L5sLwEEA1TlUIyMR056mMkSiYsywwrBQBrX3Uc7vKLT5nti3ZXZdM2V-ZButb6LP3scST4RTjSwEYt556/s320/Choices.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation, euphoria looks to do really well. The visuals shown in
the demo have been good from the background CG with some good detail to the
facility, to the character models, to the manga-esque artwork for the choice of heroines screen, to the “very detailed” CG…I’ll explain
later. In the sound department the demo shows we can expect good on both
fronts. The music does a good job establishing the atmosphere, particularly in
making the facility the characters are trapped in feel unsettling. The voice
acting is all good, with the voice actresses doing a good job portraying the
emotions of their characters. It also helps that we have some really good voice
actresses to listen to including Ringo Aoba as Nemu, who some of you may
recognize as Qoo from the Osadai games and Kanade from Deardrops, Mei Misono as
Aoi, who some of you may know as Momoka from Eroge! as well as Nellis and
Nadine from the Kyonyuu Fantasy series, and (despite my problems with the
character so far) Yukina Fujimori aka Konoha as Rika who many of you probably
recognize as Nene from Eroge!, Ruseria and Elicia from the Kyonyuu Fantasy
series and Konomi from Princess Evangile.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes, they’re good though I should remind you that since this is
considered the eroge answer to Saw (though to be honest I’m more reminded of
the Zero Escape series) expect scenes of the hardcore variety and what you see
in this demo are just the tip of the iceberg. There is an option in the game to
make some of the more “nastier stuff” like scat and gore not show up, but
you’ll still need to read about it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
demo for euphoria does a good job showing that we’ll probably have something to
be thankful for the day after this Thanksgiving. From its interesting plot premise
and characters to the excellent artwork, music and voice acting, I get the
feeling we won’t be disappointed. A shame this game couldn’t make it for
Halloween though as according to <a href="http://blog.mangagamer.org/2015/10/28/euphoria-tl-corner-1-interview-with-chief-graphics-designer-hyoujou-aoi/" target="_blank">this interesting little interview witheuphoria’s Chief Graphics Designer</a>, we may have a zombie in the game.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
with that we bring another series of Halloween Reviews to a close. My apologies
if it seems a bit scanty this year as I did have a really good import game
planned to review go along with this demo impression and just got to the True
Route last weekend…and then a nasty head cold came along and each day up till
today made my head feel something in common with the many pumpkins being carved
into jack-o’-lanterns. Hopefully I’ll have more to offer next year, but for now
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIHUv2ooG38" target="_blank">a very Happy Halloween to you all!!</a></div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-55293402736939504102015-10-24T10:37:00.001-07:002015-10-24T10:37:52.005-07:00Games for Adults Halloween: School Days HQ<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
School Days HQ Review</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoOfG3x5DqLgEfwnJmBZXYeLutcdPCRaVX-f6i6HFetzQl1Nz2YsLiEs2xUCtj9mTqmzpDJwCArzO-yy1nwg8ZhPQAR6n7vkM3CjOr6SEzOBfoIICWmaL4pobIn8zwR-SOrVJhKuU3-Vr/s1600/School-Days-HQ_jpg_650x10000_q85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoOfG3x5DqLgEfwnJmBZXYeLutcdPCRaVX-f6i6HFetzQl1Nz2YsLiEs2xUCtj9mTqmzpDJwCArzO-yy1nwg8ZhPQAR6n7vkM3CjOr6SEzOBfoIICWmaL4pobIn8zwR-SOrVJhKuU3-Vr/s320/School-Days-HQ_jpg_650x10000_q85.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Well I
knew I’d be getting to this game eventually, and considering what this game is
perhaps known for the most Halloween makes for a very fitting time to review
it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I say perhaps because the other
aspect to this School Day’s fame is from its initial Japanese release by
Overflow on April 28, 2005 (since then it’s been ported to PS2 and PSP and
given an upgraded PC rerelease) it was advertised as a fully animated game
where you could make choices that could change the plot and take it in many
directions. When I first started hearing about this game was also about the
time I was getting into Bioware’s games (I still hope for another Jade Empire
game, someday…), so hearing that there existed an eroge with a similar sounding
concept definitely caught my interest. Of course when JAST announced they’d be
releasing the game (and to top it off it would be the upgraded version hence
the “HQ”)through cooperation with a fan translation group (turned legitimate
nowadays)called Sekai Project who’d been working on it prior to that I was very
excited to try School Days HQ out on its release date of June 28, 2012. Now
that I’ve played it I can say it’s a very interesting game with several things
to like, but…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9hD9l1bj6i0/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9hD9l1bj6i0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Interesting core cast of characters, animation is good
where it counts, very good voice acting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Too much plot diversity, game’s writing seems more
interested in rewarding one type of choice over the other, not as “fully
animated” as advertised, animation is not very good in some parts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: A movie adaptation of The Silmarillion exists in this
game’s universe?! I have so many questions as to how that’s possible. Even
aside from the legal issues from the Tolkien estate, I want to know how they go
it into one movie. I mean there’s so many time periods that book covers from
the creation and theft of the Silmarils (not to mention the very world’s
creation) to the War of Wrath, the fall of Numenor and Gondolin, not to
mention…*</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOioCytqBbXkrTJgbUPODuEAnFufSk71EBxe6Bl3txqmO70PfytnytxJkeMqhfUx2ocLWSqvV-DK1wmjjx1ESWTt9XOChbC6xCfmF58qbyXZT8qwebGnHFGqb7x_x9e6TnO7YeDDsQ875P/s1600/SilmarillionMovie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOioCytqBbXkrTJgbUPODuEAnFufSk71EBxe6Bl3txqmO70PfytnytxJkeMqhfUx2ocLWSqvV-DK1wmjjx1ESWTt9XOChbC6xCfmF58qbyXZT8qwebGnHFGqb7x_x9e6TnO7YeDDsQ875P/s320/SilmarillionMovie.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
*<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our
apologies, but it’s been decided to cut off the author’s ramblings here as uncut
it goes on into triple digit page length. Please enjoy the rest of this review.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>School
Days’ story begins with a student named Makoto Itou, who secretly admires a
girl named Kotonoha Katsura, who rides the same train as he does to their
school. In a twist of fate, one of his classmates, a girl named Sekai Saionji,
discovers his crush and decides to help get the two together. After a period of
time it seems Sekai’s matchmaking pays off, but while helping Makoto and
Kotonoha get together Sekai develops feelings for Makoto herself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Okay, I
admit the story’s premise sounds like the most cliché plotline you’d get in a
tween romance story or soap opera, but I can say School Days does make a clear
effort to work with the tropes to craft something interesting from them. For
example the beginning does a good job introducing the core cast as we get a
good feel for their situation and develop an interest in what direction their
stories could go depending on your choices. This leads into the main strength
this game has in the writing category: its core cast of characters (click <a href="https://vndb.org/v14/chars#chars" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfCiSGIUQP-x9OTPSbIEFULNX6Iy55Zh7mvJjtsLugaobvoIX-kialNdS4bInbc3wDJFyq_3PnKePNrTd0FuipYJ95s7UTJGt-U_OdFFqmVIT0V_UlIxx8-Pa3SGH99Njog0b7HwddF_U/s1600/142963_s0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfCiSGIUQP-x9OTPSbIEFULNX6Iy55Zh7mvJjtsLugaobvoIX-kialNdS4bInbc3wDJFyq_3PnKePNrTd0FuipYJ95s7UTJGt-U_OdFFqmVIT0V_UlIxx8-Pa3SGH99Njog0b7HwddF_U/s320/142963_s0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Aside
from the beginning of the game doing a good job establishing Makoto, Kotonoha
and Sekai as characters, School Days writing strength for all three stems how
well it uses system of many choices and their subsequent branching paths to
show the multifaceted aspect of them and how well it’s integrated into the
game’s episodic structure. It really is interesting to see your choices bring
out the best and worst of these three (and some of the side characters) and
everything in between. It’s rare that you see an eroge take this route with its
characters, but this game pulls no punches in how your choices can result in
one of these characters getting pushed not only into acting downright
despicable, but also outright breaking them into murderous insanity. That’s not
a joke or exaggeration, with the right choices any of our three main characters
can end up on a path leading to a psychotic break down with differing but no
less disturbing results. While I admit this aspect has over time become a
little too gimmicky for this game over time (which we’ll get to later), these
aforementioned routes are presented well enough in terms of writing and visuals
to be the factor that earns School Days a spot in this year’s Halloween review
series.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEPilyvOm3tr4tjPQl1cu09dy3yvLP7D217HZj5QmMnx8o6ZTmCXyNmOHRSiv01CULiTwGJyf4BVwNriQp8frGsD0y9zLngqKGuUWAk6ClWEIZuy1m_r2W8OlOQ0spIX4uZUotBGswUmV/s1600/FightingNemo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEPilyvOm3tr4tjPQl1cu09dy3yvLP7D217HZj5QmMnx8o6ZTmCXyNmOHRSiv01CULiTwGJyf4BVwNriQp8frGsD0y9zLngqKGuUWAk6ClWEIZuy1m_r2W8OlOQ0spIX4uZUotBGswUmV/s320/FightingNemo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
isn’t to say the game is all dark and disturbing, as School Days does have its
share of light moments, though most of them are in the beginning, and as I said
before you do get to see the characters at their best. This ranges from good
character moments such as a scene between Sekai and her best friend Nanami near the end of one of Kotonoha's routes that does a good job showing the two as friends willing to support each other when things get bad to even subtle character development that can have you
considering the quality of the characters as people and how their redeemable
qualities stack up against their negative ones. For this reason I recommend not
using a walkthrough on your first playthrough; just pick whatever choices feel
natural or make sense and see which path you end up on. It’s a good way to gain
the right impression of the characters and from there you’ll better appreciate
the other routes, be the outcomes good or bad.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqGGRxvM5gLu2XNbsXrhJwu7uvfo3GKo8IMmUrSUG37qeaDd1JIT6XbRttzDH6XIIv7v9xsAc2_cCXHA51eUji2zKhHa5Mo6yllSHk7LyzQtUbD3ROzl25pyOuS2QC4xYgfbKKGQocDUO/s1600/142963_s6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqGGRxvM5gLu2XNbsXrhJwu7uvfo3GKo8IMmUrSUG37qeaDd1JIT6XbRttzDH6XIIv7v9xsAc2_cCXHA51eUji2zKhHa5Mo6yllSHk7LyzQtUbD3ROzl25pyOuS2QC4xYgfbKKGQocDUO/s320/142963_s6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before
we get to the flaws, I guess I should address something that many consider a
flaw: our protagonist, Makoto Itou. Ever since School Days registered on the
eroge community’s radar, Makoto has been called (at least one of) the worst
and/or most despicable protagonists of all time. Having played the game…I have
to say that while I can understand why some may feel that way, I don’t. Part of
the reason is because I admit I kind of identified a little with him at the start.
I was socially awkward myself through most of high school so I could understand
why someone might act that way, especially taking into account that despite the
required characters’ age disclaimer in this game the characters in this are
written as teenagers and actually act like them. That isn’t to say I was 100%
okay with our much maligned protagonist as there are quite a few moments of his
that did make me shout “Really?!?!” at the game and some of these were when I
was trying for a “good” Makoto playthrough. Finally there’s the fact that
Makoto’s overall portrayal is dependent on the choices you make;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he can be a decent guy if you make the right
decisions and an unlikable person if you make more irresponsible decision. I’m
almost tempted to say this would be like holding it against the MCs of the
Bioware games if you play Dark Side/Renegade/Way of the Closed Fist (I don’t
think Dragon Age has a choice label), but that’s not quite the best analogy
and why brings us to our next subject…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7hyLlSacS-LMu1BWUFBHsyuJAg-ncm-tf6dFlp77stFRPQRdoq6n7Gmv3NwJ4c9IeGidWhDtfjy1xQwEiVzOUJCWNo5obRR3yltD3vDuQBKjhR1qmACXT71uTgGY73AVnNEvvlX7pjrJ/s1600/RouteMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7hyLlSacS-LMu1BWUFBHsyuJAg-ncm-tf6dFlp77stFRPQRdoq6n7Gmv3NwJ4c9IeGidWhDtfjy1xQwEiVzOUJCWNo5obRR3yltD3vDuQBKjhR1qmACXT71uTgGY73AVnNEvvlX7pjrJ/s320/RouteMap.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
main flaw School Days has in the writing department is the fact that as
impressive as its many choices and subsequent plotlines are, they’re also a
double edged sword in how there’s simply too much of it. What we have here is a
problem that’s essentially the equivalent of a problem many open world games
suffer from: lack of focus on everything in between the beginning and end
portions of the game. This is a problem because while the many paths show us
different facets to the main characters and subsequently bring up interesting
plot points, we don’t get any more focus than the bare minimum on most of them,
which is really too bad because these plot points have so much story potential.
For example, in one of the harem routes one of the plot points that comes up fairly
often is how Sekai’s friends aren’t particularly fond of Kotonoha, and while
this does serve the purpose of showing how much one of these characters cares
about Sekai even to a fault the plot point is essentially dropped once she and
Kotonoha begin sharing Makoto, leaving the player wondering how this would
affect Sekai’s relationship with her friends since it’s obvious this would come
up eventually considering how the story goes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
more writing flaw also stems from the choice system and it’s also the reason
why the aforementioned Bioware analogy doesn’t fit:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the game’s writing favors you making the more
“irresponsible” choices when it comes to Makoto’s actions. Basically more
interesting stuff happens storywise if you have Makoto do the more thoughtless
thing over what would be considered a “good” choice (though admittedly there
are still interesting plot points going that path, just not as many). Now I
know with that statement some of you are probably rolling your eyes, laughing
or about to point out my contradicting my earlier statement regarding Makoto as
a protagonist, but let me explain. My problem isn’t with the actions
themselves, my problem lies with the fact that one type of choice was given
more writing attention than the other. I admit this could be me being spoiled
by more modern games that use choice to determine character action, growth and
story progression and through that School Days may simply be showing its age,
but it’s still off putting all the same, especially taking into account this is
supposed to be the expanded version of the original release. Still, I don’t
even have to look to the aforementioned triple A titles for comparison, there
exists an eroge about the same age as SD that does a better job on the writing
front in regards to story for both sides of the moral choice system, and it’s
been updated about as much too. It’s called <a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2012/10/import-games-for-adults.html" target="_blank">MinDead Blood</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Regarding
the system, the game does well in making the fact that it’s designed to be like
an interactive anime to be as user friendly as possible. You can pause almost wherever
you want (in some key scenes you can’t for a while) and you can also fast
forward at whatever speed you like (which does make for some amusing sounds
hearing scenes fast forwarded through) or skip scenes all together. Perhaps the
only real flaw here is you can’t pause during choices, but you are given enough
time to make a choice and sometimes not picking until the time runs out leads
to interesting results.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGSe6_SOVRz4oU48rJaAl135tNN_AM4tlwR6t1Uofl1GYyq9C6kSeVuWgNuJSAVXizhVgSuW9UToa34gxT-L2n_Vku5WxneOe7NeO0Taj_n0uDB7uURLKfmyAozR22gMrpzp7kJZO8Wb9/s1600/Dance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGSe6_SOVRz4oU48rJaAl135tNN_AM4tlwR6t1Uofl1GYyq9C6kSeVuWgNuJSAVXizhVgSuW9UToa34gxT-L2n_Vku5WxneOe7NeO0Taj_n0uDB7uURLKfmyAozR22gMrpzp7kJZO8Wb9/s320/Dance.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation, School Days HQ is kind of a mixed bag and nowhere is this
more apparent than in the visual department. While there a good number of
scenes that are very well animated (which thankfully apply to major story
scenes)there are also a number of cases where the animation just isn’t very
good. This ranges from cases where the studio obviously recycled character animations
for the character’s more day to day conversations, to many awkward pauses in
conversation which I’m not sure are intentional or the game trying to remember
where in the story branch tree it’s at to what are essentially flick flubs where
you briefly see characters in scenes who aren’t supposed to be there like the
far end side of their character portrait. This brings us to another visual flaw
in that this game isn’t as “fully animated” as advertised.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFv6PnIDSs5YqIkMtmtfcuseMuT2Bom3C8dg8mpC9tBoV7cju73H6ulHSwoUhuvYla9hF4PAA_dIU1HU-VcMdtNARh-olRSiU8s8FR8wFADK-vcRicCBy2rQakcL-mtjT1GUycQXg4ie6F/s1600/PS2image.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFv6PnIDSs5YqIkMtmtfcuseMuT2Bom3C8dg8mpC9tBoV7cju73H6ulHSwoUhuvYla9hF4PAA_dIU1HU-VcMdtNARh-olRSiU8s8FR8wFADK-vcRicCBy2rQakcL-mtjT1GUycQXg4ie6F/s320/PS2image.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Aside
from the aforementioned recycling of character animation for conversations,
School Days HQ has a far more noticeable break in its “full animation”: the use
of still images during some conversations. Now I get animating a game like this
is expensive and of course cuts need to happen to stay within budget, but
seriously, I think they could have done better than what we have pictured above
which looks like a screenshot from an early PS2 game and barely looks like it
fits in this game. Even taking into account these stills are supposed to be for
background purposes, it seems strange that Overflow wouldn’t draw still images
that would better match with the game and just use some visual tricks to make
it less noticeable as a still image like having the camera pan to the left or
right as the characters’ conversation moves along. I know this may seem like
nitpicking to some, but bear in mind advertising aside this is supposed to be
the upgraded version. Kind of makes you wonder what the old version looked
like…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
sound department, School Days HQ fares much better. Everyone in the game is
voiced and their VAs turn in pretty good performances. The music’s pretty good
too, though I admit I can't name any tunes since for some reason this game lacks a music gallery.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpH_CAVpMxz_Mwp4-fS-AKRRRWijTRN06GPRQ-reETAUd22U4Y3ss9ddB1A8QCSj1UFRRoJhydiDfzONsopA0Vo7J5EvQh7eiIESK8P-pd3YNGYw492ZYkM8PZQZtM0ASb9rRldYFYAlX/s1600/ForH.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpH_CAVpMxz_Mwp4-fS-AKRRRWijTRN06GPRQ-reETAUd22U4Y3ss9ddB1A8QCSj1UFRRoJhydiDfzONsopA0Vo7J5EvQh7eiIESK8P-pd3YNGYw492ZYkM8PZQZtM0ASb9rRldYFYAlX/s320/ForH.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes, they’re overall just okay and the reason is only some of them
are well animated. The ones that aren’t have a noticeably cheap and rushed look
to them that kind of make you miss the animated ero scenes featured in games
from studios like ZyX and even softhouse seal since those may have just been
looped images but they still looked good. Plus there are cases where the
character voices and their lip movements match up about as well as a Godzilla
dub. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Still,
so as not to end the presentation on bad note and since it’s in the spirit of
Halloween, there is one scene category that School Days HQ does not mess up on:
the bad ending death scenes. Like I said before, the right route can lead to a
character’s psychotic break and from there the game is not shy at showing the
(literal) bloody culmination of it all. Let me leave you with a little sample
image below and I promise there’s more where that came from…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JrAN8fG1F1Dj1-KFnyqsyfZHqA2CPqpd7OySsEEA44UuyLljjcMvCBGUyOUqewd9nfVEUAnJptXeHnGvgmxVvg8YvaTlWNBiX8ldx_OoMa99RPDbhVcEykF0rFbiyjRxt9fd4fRvF0m_/s1600/tumblr_mq25f1UsjN1soiawno6_400.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JrAN8fG1F1Dj1-KFnyqsyfZHqA2CPqpd7OySsEEA44UuyLljjcMvCBGUyOUqewd9nfVEUAnJptXeHnGvgmxVvg8YvaTlWNBiX8ldx_OoMa99RPDbhVcEykF0rFbiyjRxt9fd4fRvF0m_/s320/tumblr_mq25f1UsjN1soiawno6_400.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>School
Days HQ is an overall decent game with its good points showing just how much
ambition was behind it in its creation. Sadly as impressive as its plot with
multiple branches is, its noticeable lack of writing to support such a level of
plot diversity leaves its story stretched thin. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end I’d say it’s worth playing but it’s
still a bit disappointing in getting only a decent story when you can clearly
see the potential for a much greater story there but not taken advantage of.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 6/10 Above Average</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Try it Out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecamAlyEAc9zpu2s_uzC2UcWddag8kKPrxSHBx-V6imn3oLwHRptuRwZwDBCVaEzKZPFmZQrbkVZHLAWveGCX2DPTgeeJp6Y0ejdiv1SYVbODc-LxV24LSscLhfl3f5D5HH36maOLmGb9/s1600/anime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecamAlyEAc9zpu2s_uzC2UcWddag8kKPrxSHBx-V6imn3oLwHRptuRwZwDBCVaEzKZPFmZQrbkVZHLAWveGCX2DPTgeeJp6Y0ejdiv1SYVbODc-LxV24LSscLhfl3f5D5HH36maOLmGb9/s320/anime.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the anime (talking about the show as I haven't seen the OVAs)…it’s okay. Admittedly it’s one of those love it or hate it kinds of
shows and while I kind of lean towards the latter I can understand why the
former appreciate it, usually as a deconstruction of harem style anime as one
could easily make that argument about the game being that way with similar
tropes in many VNs. My reason for not being all that fond of it kind of has to
do with its being an adaptation of the bad end routes, not because of that
though, the reason being the entire purpose of the adaptation just seems to be
so it can lead into an all new death scene that was created for the anime. This
is where we get to that bit I mentioned before, while I get that the death
scenes are more or less what made School Days famous I think the creators may
have let it become too much of a gimmick and let that get the focus for the
anime and thanks to that the look at the characters is more on their negative
aspects over the positive ones. To be fair though, the manga adaptation also
has some of that too but manages to pull it off better from a writing
perspective. While I recommend the manga over the anime when it comes to
adaptations I will say one point in the anime’s favor is how interesting the
story of its death scene’s censorship inspired a certain meme concerning boats.
Aside from the fact that said meme makes a nice shirt (no pun intended) I won’t
say anymore and suggest googling it if you don’t know what I’m talking about as
it’s something has to be believed.</div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-40026500806233134682015-10-17T13:04:00.002-07:002015-10-17T13:04:45.927-07:00Games for Adults Halloween: Armored Warrior Iris<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Armored Warrior Iris
Review</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7ZGsGCwlCdBc3YYX1VfS09v9mvNnA3DAr3EJwWUdzssX2LLd_3KWL_CynG4YMMWL8sBf6A9WoCrP-LW-3kIoA8LTuAels8-ld3A1NQ7tkS0lzQvfeaudhf21JRlWL8EXIAK1PfRPCuXv/s1600/ArnoredWarriorIris_Hardcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7ZGsGCwlCdBc3YYX1VfS09v9mvNnA3DAr3EJwWUdzssX2LLd_3KWL_CynG4YMMWL8sBf6A9WoCrP-LW-3kIoA8LTuAels8-ld3A1NQ7tkS0lzQvfeaudhf21JRlWL8EXIAK1PfRPCuXv/s320/ArnoredWarriorIris_Hardcopy.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Seeing
as it’s Halloween, what’s Halloween without some schlock? So for that we’ll be
turning to good old Black Lilith for what can also qualify as a sci-fi creature
feature of sorts in Armored Warrior Iris, originally released in Japan on March
24, 2006 (digitally with the physical release following a week later) and
released in English by Mangagamer July 18, 2014 with a physical release on May
4, 2015. Some of you may remember Space Pirate Sara and the praise I had for
it; it had a decent plot in between all its ero scenes and a likable heroine. I
bring this up because one of the writers for this game wrote for Sara as well.
So with that surely there’s the same level of quality, right? Well, sort of,
but…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Good story concept, the intro’s really good, Iris is a
decent heroine, very good art for the characters, mechs and aliens, good voice
acting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: The concept has been done better in another game, a
certain important plot element is given minimal addressing, can’t save at the
“customer” selection screens.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: While “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyGleM-B1zI" target="_blank">this is no Zaku</a>” it sure goes down about as
quick as one.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikk-YiiwzgAtdPY46ZbXDWR5fapDdZA5kp6nB4nKWzKR_aqscbOMmaBfOoixbC8on2IpqlSD4VoYVRTJBJfjdGsHB2m2tZr8_6hWdQjGEMPKiV0ul7f3DdFyFzQOY3pDdsK7enAaI3hvzW/s1600/NoZaku.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikk-YiiwzgAtdPY46ZbXDWR5fapDdZA5kp6nB4nKWzKR_aqscbOMmaBfOoixbC8on2IpqlSD4VoYVRTJBJfjdGsHB2m2tZr8_6hWdQjGEMPKiV0ul7f3DdFyFzQOY3pDdsK7enAaI3hvzW/s320/NoZaku.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
Armored Warrior Iris, you play as the titled character, Iris Rebel, a first
class space cop who takes down space criminals throughout the galaxy with her
partner, Mei Li Naceri. While on a routine mission the pair’s mechs are shot
down and Iris is captured, taken into hostile territory to a city known as Dark
Town to be sold into slavery and ends up being forced to work as a prostitute
by the city’s leader Bozuk and under the supervision of his top servant Riruru,
who bears an uncanny resemblance Mei Li. As she tries to find a way out of this
situation, Iris must also figure out the fate of her missing partner…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I admit
that this story doesn’t sound like much, but in all fairness AWI does put in
some effort into establishing its main character. The game’s prologue does a
good job introducing Iris and is convincing enough in showing that despite the
main events of the game she is pretty badass. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact the story segments in between all the
ero scenes help at giving her some character as depending on some of the
choices you make can alter her outlook slightly, which become especially
noticeable<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as the endings approach.
Speaking of which, aside from the many bad endings there are two possible
endings where things turn out well for Iris: a good ending and an evil ending,
the former being canon though the latter is still worth looking at since it
does have a couple minor but still interesting extra bits of info about Iris
and Mei Li’s group. Also well done are the interactions between Iris and Mei Li
as thanks to those scenes it is easy to believe these two as being partners and
from that you are curious to find out what happened to the latter character. If
only the revelation were handled better…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkCORyZRteMRCpjoXFxIqeTdRCvk9347csg7wXCgLCiFc0LACUjTDUyxi12sRacGfOnjoOF1pVcNDsrqKZw25DG-x-nWXawqXOZAup0YytodxUU7DnPgSLTKcbq0AwnvTJHfyKkPLlxGC/s1600/Riruru.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkCORyZRteMRCpjoXFxIqeTdRCvk9347csg7wXCgLCiFc0LACUjTDUyxi12sRacGfOnjoOF1pVcNDsrqKZw25DG-x-nWXawqXOZAup0YytodxUU7DnPgSLTKcbq0AwnvTJHfyKkPLlxGC/s320/Riruru.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Since
we’re starting the flaws I figured I might as well start with the
aforementioned (and don’t worry, I won’t spoil it): while what happened to Mei
Li is one of the main plot threads, the revelation isn’t handled all that well.
We’re given an answer, but it’s not given the appropriate treatment a
prevailing mystery should have (even taking account this is a nukige). We’re
basically just given a brief explanation and then the plot moves on to the
ending. It also leaves a couple plot holes regarding some stuff we’re told that
we now have to accept as false too. Sadly can’t give any specifics without
spoilers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Moving
on the root of AWI’s flaws is if you’ve played Space Pirate Sara then that may
weaken the experience of the former. Basically AWI is a proto-Sara since while
the characters are different, the structure is very similar. Our main heroine
is basically trapped in a hostile location at the mercy of its ruler, you’re
given the choice of what ero scenes are to occur while she plots her escape,
and we have a heroine in a similar position who could be a potential ally. The
thing is with Sara being the later game it manages to do it all better: Bozuk
is a pretty flat villain compared to the twins as he lacks the writing that
made them intimidating, there’s a stronger purpose behind Sara’s enduring the
events the twins force her into choosing among while with Iris it’s more like
biding time until an opportunity arises, and while Iris and Riruru interact far
more than Sara and Sylia do the latter pairing manages to have better chemistry.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0bszGGFbzC334RPoqTXG2tpFXYGbwSHGHI305Cb7QWMYSWF5Wut-JSJ6mJjbcLQBelO82754ZFYxll6nE6qfhRwD8aNRVbHHvw8afHuFx127zOuUZk1Oo3WJP99t_JU1YiEt12V1IrTO/s1600/Selection.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0bszGGFbzC334RPoqTXG2tpFXYGbwSHGHI305Cb7QWMYSWF5Wut-JSJ6mJjbcLQBelO82754ZFYxll6nE6qfhRwD8aNRVbHHvw8afHuFx127zOuUZk1Oo3WJP99t_JU1YiEt12V1IrTO/s320/Selection.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On the
technical side I’m afraid there’s another aspect where AWI falls short compared
to SPS. While you select what type of ero scene is to occur, you can’t save at
the selection point unlike in SPS. This creates a little bit of an
inconvenience since in this game scene selection determines what ending you get
so when you want to save at a branch point you have to save at some point
before the choosing and when you want go a different path you load to that
point and then use the skip function to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>get to the selection point. I admit this isn’t a big issue, but it is
still a bit of an annoyance. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation Armored Warrior Iris does pretty good. The artwork is really
good for the characters, who have a design style somewhat reminiscent of anime
from the 80s and 90s, and more especially for the aliens we see in this game.
That’s basically the qualifier for why I picked this for Halloween:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a number of the creature designs are based on
(and probably tributes to) alien creatures from various scifi movies. This
ranges from obvious ones like Bozuk being based off the Hutts from Star Wars or
a Martian based off the ones from scifi comedy Mars Attacks to ones that are a
bit more obscure like a background alien in a CG being of similar design to a
certain alien from one of the Star Trek movies. I admit it may be a flimsy
justification, but hey, don’t we all have at least one creature feature in our
queue of movies set aside for this month?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPn1sLTZH7G5E1NncOo1lHILS_2pTFPWeaHkkaJWVb0uOgLn6NkU6u8wVRKsfmXqn6o95Y5Quc1w99zVmg89EIKh0ED00kTSECFD0-fh3wBdlsHgC_CUMZCX7WvQChjMwtpPYctwkCRqy/s1600/Prologue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPn1sLTZH7G5E1NncOo1lHILS_2pTFPWeaHkkaJWVb0uOgLn6NkU6u8wVRKsfmXqn6o95Y5Quc1w99zVmg89EIKh0ED00kTSECFD0-fh3wBdlsHgC_CUMZCX7WvQChjMwtpPYctwkCRqy/s320/Prologue.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of
course there is one more aspect of the art department that’s worth mentioning:
the mech designs. While admittedly we only see them during the prologue, they
make for a good window dressing, especially with one action scene we get with
them and their obvious Mobile Suit Gundam inspiration. Really makes you wish
Black Lilith would make a game in a Gundam-esque setting…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of sound AWI does good enough. Its only problem is the music is
forgettable, but thankfully that’s barely noticeable thanks to the good voice
acting for our two heroines. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the two
I’d say the one who does the best performance is Iris’ VA: An Kasuga, who some
of you may recognize as the voice for Mizuki from Kansen 3, Makoto from Kansen
4 or Sigurd from Valkyrie Svia.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSz4uiAKK59o5FApqz5Q8oVdDBfZoN99tiU9XaZ-NqaNllZJ-2PAZJkNpGbOgW5C_SnebUaX1f3ZX5AWbFXedsHpgmSqiSPxT3nYUFuejeWBQNXA5dXqgYZ8UUkRi3b0XETVk9I0K8b0u/s1600/Picture2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSz4uiAKK59o5FApqz5Q8oVdDBfZoN99tiU9XaZ-NqaNllZJ-2PAZJkNpGbOgW5C_SnebUaX1f3ZX5AWbFXedsHpgmSqiSPxT3nYUFuejeWBQNXA5dXqgYZ8UUkRi3b0XETVk9I0K8b0u/s320/Picture2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes they’re all really good, provided you’re into the dark stuff.
I’ll say when it comes to the different types of scenes you’ll see AWI is about
as diverse as Sara, though in an interesting difference from the latter you
won’t get much of an idea as to what kind of ero scene you’re going to get from
the selection screen, which only tells you what species the client is. It’s an
interesting way to make the player see one thing from Iris’ perspective, being
as in the dark as she is as to what’s to come with each choice. What makes this
an interesting difference between the two games is how it’s a different but
still somewhat similar approach to the ero scene choice:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sara could only choose by category and what
the choice would entail on that front would be for her to find out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Armored
Warrior Iris is an overall decent dark scifi nukige. It has a likable lead and
it’s well drawn and acted. Its main problems are its overarching mystery is
given a pretty lackluster solution and if you’ve played Space Pirate Sara you
may feel like you’ve played a better version of this game already. Still I can
say it isn’t bad for what it is, and admittedly it is interesting to see for
yourself what aspects of AWI would be better used in Sara. Just don’t go in
with high expectations and you probably won’t be disappointed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 6/10 Above Average</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: For Fans Only.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZowV1hwldmAfrtV_5pn0pOZfGHDm-7KiMXwpAdTmuK3f1NbOgg4cdXi_APRcKZtR3QEhb8yCYPKr9dIL3W_1IN3aL6qiuoMkWVAgxiiimLM5xnjC5tAS9GGWvtblIG7q8DyJT8fCvzd_d/s1600/Anime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZowV1hwldmAfrtV_5pn0pOZfGHDm-7KiMXwpAdTmuK3f1NbOgg4cdXi_APRcKZtR3QEhb8yCYPKr9dIL3W_1IN3aL6qiuoMkWVAgxiiimLM5xnjC5tAS9GGWvtblIG7q8DyJT8fCvzd_d/s320/Anime.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the anime, it’s actually a pretty good adaptation that follows the good ending
path. We also get some additional scenes that would have been nice to see in
the game like some mech action in the first and last episode and I have to say
the anime does the Mei Li mystery reveal a little better. That’s not to say
this is a perfect adaptation: there are some animation flubs here and there
where the animation doesn’t look as good as the rest and for some reason not
only is the prologue skipped over but so is the good ending’s epilogue.
Strangely there is a DVD extra scene but it isn’t an adaptation of the epilogue
which seems strange since if the point of that extra was additional H content
then the epilogue had that and it would have been more memorable than the
throwaway scene we got instead. I guess that would be one more win from Iris vs
Sara as the latter’s extra scene was an epilogue…even if it wasn’t in the game.</div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-24160521297225448552015-10-10T07:26:00.000-07:002015-10-10T07:26:03.483-07:00Games for Adults Halloween: Cartagra ~Affliction of the Soul~ <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Cartagra ~Affliction
of the Soul~ Review</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8LJONsuFiHjrXedprv6obOFwMMpVz1Rux4YgDhCKDhfj1cFkmanRFg4Q4Cw-1Wl1v4hw7owdaB8AhgeprUAre3xFvrmrxv-hrSfHHgatCew4hKOSCiI8pdi1tFNS4Zq9ZK2dQ7o3d8Bh/s1600/102914_0950_TestersCorn1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8LJONsuFiHjrXedprv6obOFwMMpVz1Rux4YgDhCKDhfj1cFkmanRFg4Q4Cw-1Wl1v4hw7owdaB8AhgeprUAre3xFvrmrxv-hrSfHHgatCew4hKOSCiI8pdi1tFNS4Zq9ZK2dQ7o3d8Bh/s320/102914_0950_TestersCorn1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Didn’t
think that was all the Innocent Grey coverage we’d have this month, did you?
<a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2014/10/halloween-demo-impression-cartagra.html" target="_blank">Seeing as I’d covered the demo for last year’s Halloween</a>, it’s only natural
that I’d be presenting a review of the full game. Not only are we looking at
the beginning of what would be the murder mystery series Innocent Grey is known
for, but Cartagra is also the company’s debut title when it was released in
Japan on April 28, 2005 and on December 15 of that same year was ported to the
Playstation 2 (how that happened I have no idea). Nearly ten years later,
Cartagra ~Affliction of the Soul~ got an English release from Mangagamer right
smack dab on Halloween of 2014. The only question is was this a treat? The
short answer is yes, the longer is yes, but…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XPrmYs8_oYc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XPrmYs8_oYc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Overall good murder mystery story, cast of characters
are mostly memorable, great artwork, excellent combination of music, writing
and imagery to establish atmosphere.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Is overshadowed by its sequel, a couple characters
could have used more presence in the story, unwinnable heroines.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: As someone who always gets that soup whenever I go
out for sushi, I find Toji 100% correct.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioInlmjxt3WKecZRQvpGRf6PgOXCF-P3Bk-aLIPhnb6zu-ToEp_-I150YY5gyjvN3Vif4R0C975c37jVZqhjHbeJe6OOENDsyCfmKvYBmGIOHTkOJCYDqKthaLyU7E2M-Q8OPTkruUo44A/s1600/MisoisGreat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioInlmjxt3WKecZRQvpGRf6PgOXCF-P3Bk-aLIPhnb6zu-ToEp_-I150YY5gyjvN3Vif4R0C975c37jVZqhjHbeJe6OOENDsyCfmKvYBmGIOHTkOJCYDqKthaLyU7E2M-Q8OPTkruUo44A/s320/MisoisGreat.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Set a
few years before Kara no Shoujo, Cartagra has you playing primarily from the
perspective of Shugo Takashiro, an ex-cop turned freelance detective who ends
up taking a case at the request of his former boss. He is to find a missing
girl named Yura Kozuki at the request of her twin sister, Kazuna. Coincidence
or not unbeknownst to Kazuna, Shugo and Yura had been involved in an intimate
relationship before the former was sent off to fight in what would later be
known as World War 2. Meanwhile a series of gruesome killings have been
occurring and further events begin dragging Shugo into that investigation as
well…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsu7nWkfMx_zdPWOfiwHkCDkXXelI5iKA8FcoN7UhnG-2OF_ZwZ85HNb6hjPpCeB1CmikchJ6n3BJE3gQ9LvWbr-mUVs5q85AmLxdNvOGaLXLVqqyBXK0gSZVPXu1xYWXHnbE9mi9jGOiU/s1600/SerialMurders.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsu7nWkfMx_zdPWOfiwHkCDkXXelI5iKA8FcoN7UhnG-2OF_ZwZ85HNb6hjPpCeB1CmikchJ6n3BJE3gQ9LvWbr-mUVs5q85AmLxdNvOGaLXLVqqyBXK0gSZVPXu1xYWXHnbE9mi9jGOiU/s320/SerialMurders.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before
we get to the main review I have to say I have an odd little history with this
game. Its release was during my early college years, when I was just starting
to take a look at non translated eroge and with considerably less Japanese
literacy than I do now. I ended up trying it out as part my plan to get to know
the language better through exposure. The end result was I finished the first
two chapters, but circumstances ended up with the game on my backburner, but
through that I still became a fan of the company since I liked how their games
looked and their stories sounded right up my alley. So when the MG announced an
English release I was more than happy to finish what I’d started all those
years ago. Now that I have I can say I liked it, but I would have liked it a
lot more if I’d finished it back then instead of now.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMymnkLmhEWIS7GEuNQoXNbDMEKNcOuZydFzjZFIkJE9zONg2-3e1foFLImOpT4HU9TnouEgVSE0J4S4fXIJjeqpT3FZ2S8LYQW2skGBHeloKZ6sqvoPBrNbC1_8xO5yCBv-5zoy5tNON/s1600/KillerPOV.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMymnkLmhEWIS7GEuNQoXNbDMEKNcOuZydFzjZFIkJE9zONg2-3e1foFLImOpT4HU9TnouEgVSE0J4S4fXIJjeqpT3FZ2S8LYQW2skGBHeloKZ6sqvoPBrNbC1_8xO5yCBv-5zoy5tNON/s320/KillerPOV.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Let’s
talk about the positives first; overall this is a good murder mystery story.
From the start you’re pulled in by the mysteries presented to you at the start:
from the strange and unsettling opening scene that generates quite a few
questions in your head as you read more of the story, to the murders as Shugo
starts as an observer only to gradually be pulled in, to the missing person’s
case he takes that seems to be in the background but over time becomes more
significant to the plot. The introductions are enough to make you curious, and
the story’s cast of characters (click <a href="https://vndb.org/v515/chars#chars" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles)care written well enough to help move things
along. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsWQI8zMxdi8Etk0bvGCfg69L3-he6UGLMnS5LUSctR261uFVG02a1yRbz8FBQ2G9wPoI1ZGUvxveBYQlEbIWSdH0iCTANj2-QM-3QDNaMbUD-AV5Cq5RPvSaDom6Y1jPYnr7vk9rmWxo/s1600/KazunaGoal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsWQI8zMxdi8Etk0bvGCfg69L3-he6UGLMnS5LUSctR261uFVG02a1yRbz8FBQ2G9wPoI1ZGUvxveBYQlEbIWSdH0iCTANj2-QM-3QDNaMbUD-AV5Cq5RPvSaDom6Y1jPYnr7vk9rmWxo/s320/KazunaGoal.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What I
mean by that is that the majority of the characters in this are all at least
written well enough that you’ll remember theme for their personalities. From Kazuna’s
cheerful and silly personality that hides a strong determination, to twisted
sister Nana, to the flirtatious Rin, readers are in for a good number of
characters to like…and for whose fates you may very well end up dreading over
when the murders start happening closer to home for Shugo. I can also assure
you that just like its sequel, Cartagra is not going to pull any punches, so
enjoy that feeling of dread as you wonder which characters you like will make
it out alive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At this
point I’d be discussing routes, but to be honest there are really only two
routes in the game: Hatsune’s and Kazuna’s. I know if you look at a walkthrough
you might think there’s more, but those are just bad end paths. That isn’t to
say that you should skip them (though you can) as not only do you get some
interesting story bits and hints at stuff that will be important later, but you
also get some pretty well written horror scenes that range from gruesome to
psychological, all of which make for very fitting reading material for this
time of year. That isn’t to say the two aforementioned routes are any less
significant as stories, they’re both fairly good though there sadly isn’t much
of a comparison between the two routes as Kazuna’s wins out easily since her
route is the longest, her true ending solves all the mysteries the story has to
offer and subsequently is the most satisfying conclusion. Heck, you almost feel
sorry for poor Hatsune as her route flat out tells you it isn’t canon.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zTA81VmXii8sMrqQ_K776RXZdmxZlZjtGg0qWhj3P_Xfh2zzlFqg2xAApc90Nj1zZPZTTSQi6Ke-Q5eWYuJlATc2Uj9D36SOan-GpCbCYBpb7Wh9QGx81kZWQXdvDPlK1mQGayOvsTnD/s1600/HatsuneRouteWrongChoice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zTA81VmXii8sMrqQ_K776RXZdmxZlZjtGg0qWhj3P_Xfh2zzlFqg2xAApc90Nj1zZPZTTSQi6Ke-Q5eWYuJlATc2Uj9D36SOan-GpCbCYBpb7Wh9QGx81kZWQXdvDPlK1mQGayOvsTnD/s320/HatsuneRouteWrongChoice.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All
that said, while this is a good game, one can tell this was IG’s first work
since there are some writing flaws, some of them more apparent if you’ve played
any of their later titles, which is very likely considering Kara no Shojo came
out in English first. Honestly, comparing Cartagra to its sequel is pretty
unfair seeing as it’s longer and has better production, but you may find
yourself doing that no matter how much you try not to if you have played KnS
first. A good example would be in comparing Reiji and Shugo the latter just
comes off as a more effective investigator while Shugo only comes off as just passable
in that category. Basically if this were Detective Conan, Reiji would be one of
recurring investigators while Shugo would be one of the characters
Conan/Shinichi would knock out and solve the murder as.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugAAxqfWGITHgWOYPsvheNBlVZSnRtoOeAUMOspnQ2e9ZH_HYhm9HXE5MB0A8YIFBjEklZQrnRM9zHJSa10k_uX1s6GOAnM2xnvv3J_99iRo05yYGvGGneP32_o-cStuu8x74ZQcKTs1i/s1600/BonkHead.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugAAxqfWGITHgWOYPsvheNBlVZSnRtoOeAUMOspnQ2e9ZH_HYhm9HXE5MB0A8YIFBjEklZQrnRM9zHJSa10k_uX1s6GOAnM2xnvv3J_99iRo05yYGvGGneP32_o-cStuu8x74ZQcKTs1i/s320/BonkHead.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To be
fair though, there are also writing flaws that stand on their own and would be
apparent even without KnS being in the equation. For instance the first half of
the game is the more consistently strong part of the game’s story while right
after that the plot kind of slows down so it can set<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>things up for the final act. While it makes
sense to create a more calmer setting for that, in this case it feels a little
messy in how the writing is trying to project that so the characters have some
time to breathe after the previous events but at the same time you can tell
it’s also kind of rushing to introduce new plot elements for the aforementioned
setup. This leads us to the remaining flaws which can generally be attributed
to Cartagra’s length as it is on the short side compared to some games of its
genre, especially if you only play the good end paths (which again, I don’t recommend
doing). This results in a couple cases where it feels like some of the
characters could have used more writing to them. Perhaps the best example would
be in sub-heroine (and Cecilia Alcott look-alike) Takako, who is given an
interesting backstory connection with Shugo and there are hints at what could
have been an interesting character. The problem is her presence in the story is
minimal to the point where she’s almost more a plot device than a character. We
also have the ever present cases of unwinnable heroines with the aforementioned
Takako aside we also have Rin, Ujaku and even Toji who all have very good
character moments and chemistry with Shugo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwM9CLQfqhbBi5UGWv7SirdrQ7QPxqxr4TMy5Ntfi1zuwV31uhbqT9nwMah8a9b2TBEpPuDH3dcIPVxmDcGDr3kQgGuj_V0OAMaxLKRRTiBgAwZ-kL4S_aTBg3NhRuuv7X6Fm6hqlcl-7/s1600/KazunaPlay.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwM9CLQfqhbBi5UGWv7SirdrQ7QPxqxr4TMy5Ntfi1zuwV31uhbqT9nwMah8a9b2TBEpPuDH3dcIPVxmDcGDr3kQgGuj_V0OAMaxLKRRTiBgAwZ-kL4S_aTBg3NhRuuv7X6Fm6hqlcl-7/s320/KazunaPlay.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation, this is where Cartagra shines just as well as its fellow
Innocent Grey games. While the artwork isn’t as good as later games like Kara
no Shojo, there is still quite a bit of appeal to the slightly more anime-ish
look to the more animated characters like Kazuna that strangely mix well with
the beginnings of the more realistic look that the artist would eventually make
her main style of character drawing. Still if there are aspects of Miki-san’s
artwork that are comparable to the later games the first of them would be the
fine detail of the background CG which help to give the setting of the game a
realistic feel, like this would be a place you could expect to see in
post-World War 2 Japan. The second would be the artwork done for the murders
that are in some ways more graphic than in KnS, especially thanks to the
writing that supports it. About the only nitpick I could give for this is that they do recycle the background CG at one point when the story has Shugo stay somewhere else, obviously to save some money, but considering how well done everything else is it's easy to let slide.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQA1V1Y8G_CETZKKZLpyNefh-72b0mRBbCgz5qibZp11yVlX0v20EI_JLvDiGFMjTNSOBlmQGOw0i3wfM-FDAWjv4q7fwM3z32K2XyamIQXHurji0aA5itnorc1-4-E9fcjx_Bl6dUBU9g/s1600/BackgroundCGRecycling.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQA1V1Y8G_CETZKKZLpyNefh-72b0mRBbCgz5qibZp11yVlX0v20EI_JLvDiGFMjTNSOBlmQGOw0i3wfM-FDAWjv4q7fwM3z32K2XyamIQXHurji0aA5itnorc1-4-E9fcjx_Bl6dUBU9g/s320/BackgroundCGRecycling.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of
course the art isn’t all the game excels at, the sound department is perhaps
one of the key aspects of what makes Cartagra good. First off the voice acting
is phenomenal from how well Kazuna’s voice actress captures that upbeat aspect
of the character but can also switch to serious in the right moments to the
star power we get from Joji Nakata as Inspector Arishima, who makes up for
having a low amount of appearances until the end of the game wherein he then
turns in an awesome performance that reminds us why we hold him in so high a
regard as a voice actor be it in anime or games. Also concerning the vocals
(and leading into the next bit), the opening movie is well made thanks to how
well the imagery chosen for it is integrated with the song. Last and certainly
not least would be the music where not only are the tunes really good, but they
are an integral part of establishing atmosphere which is what really makes many
key scenes in the story so effective. Those feelings of suspense when the killer
is being tracked or the somber feeling all around as the cast mourns the deaths
of the victims, the music and writing work together in a harmonious fashion to
convey them and it’s even better when the imagery and voice acting join the
fray. It’s moments like those which make Cartagra worth experiencing despite
its flaws.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunce9hcyEXELwiV-hbpTcxcV5sURZxtc4rnd1N-cyCAACKms9GWAPMe9kVTqZBqqrn4HMx7FmaGARlfXHszJRGh5JCLfrxNwys_mc7HC8yBW6y3wYwOtdwO-SXBy05dZ88DEkG83yAEvo/s1600/Rin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunce9hcyEXELwiV-hbpTcxcV5sURZxtc4rnd1N-cyCAACKms9GWAPMe9kVTqZBqqrn4HMx7FmaGARlfXHszJRGh5JCLfrxNwys_mc7HC8yBW6y3wYwOtdwO-SXBy05dZ88DEkG83yAEvo/s320/Rin.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes, they’re mostly really good being very well drawn and acted. A
real shame some of the voice actresses aren’t in very many eroge outside of
Innocent Grey.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cartagra
~Affliction of the Soul~ is an overall very good murder mystery eroge with a
good cast of characters, all of them well acted, and a plot good enough that
while you may figure out some of the twists you will be wondering how the story
will get to that point. It does have the problem of not comparing well with its
sequel, Kara no Shojo, along with a couple more noticeable writing problems but
if you can look past all that you’re guaranteed a memorable and enjoyable tale
of murder and suspense that makes for a very good read for this Halloween. If
you haven’t played Kara no Shojo yet, then this will make for an excellent
start to the murder mystery series Innocent Grey has built.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 7/10 Great</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Buy it Now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR51Z7H5pF9-DQ7sBbaiA_6WB2H5rWeSOFBGHd3ZbZ5ikyi6CLMpCsM4ly1PI9YA74rqLCUX9gGRnz3y8KH4UG8h01DR5Dr3sxYLA3AYMhVif7XD1EKfDynImhf64zqzlmDhjjriGoWtpM/s1600/anime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR51Z7H5pF9-DQ7sBbaiA_6WB2H5rWeSOFBGHd3ZbZ5ikyi6CLMpCsM4ly1PI9YA74rqLCUX9gGRnz3y8KH4UG8h01DR5Dr3sxYLA3AYMhVif7XD1EKfDynImhf64zqzlmDhjjriGoWtpM/s320/anime.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the anime, I can say the first episode is alright and makes for a good
adaptation of this game’s demo. The second episode however feels rushed and you
notice a decline in animation quality from the first. Obviously a sign that no
one was interested in making a new episode, as was the case, which I admit is a
little disappointing. Considering Cartagra’s shortness, it could conceivably be
adapted into a four episode OVA with the proper writing and direction.</div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-85427573571479414632015-10-02T22:03:00.000-07:002015-10-02T22:03:53.677-07:00Halloween Demo Impression: Kara no Shojo 2 Trial Edition<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Kara no Shojo 2 Trial
Edition Demo Impression</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRz_emNgNL6xbiVddlbeVwplus5p7SDif-43oRRwSiNvMzRKPoZ-vf5LPB5adyed13ZfQnaNS1wDW-E8L45VwAyrslTs4f07dGQvdPsz96QCXR2-GwBIM2amw7gdYuBZokn7AlBD_16rG/s1600/TitleScreen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRz_emNgNL6xbiVddlbeVwplus5p7SDif-43oRRwSiNvMzRKPoZ-vf5LPB5adyed13ZfQnaNS1wDW-E8L45VwAyrslTs4f07dGQvdPsz96QCXR2-GwBIM2amw7gdYuBZokn7AlBD_16rG/s320/TitleScreen.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Another
year and another Halloween is upon us and so is another look at the demo for an
upcoming Innocent Grey game, originally released in Japan on November 11, 2012
and made available in English by Mangagamer July 31, 2015. This year though,
we’re looking at something a little special for unlike most demos which are
small portions of the beginning of the game this little treat is completely
original content not featured in the main game. It’s essentially a prologue set
a few days before the game it precedes, meant to give players a taste of what
new mysteries to expect, who’ll be returning from the first game and how the
clue finding and deduction works. Though please rest assured that while this
may be a short story, it’s no less interesting or bloody than its predecessors…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_Y7p9qQLnX4/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_Y7p9qQLnX4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Story does a good job getting you interested in the
main game to come, it’s good to see returning characters, Reiji now has a
voice, very atmospheric music, artwork is even better than in the last game.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Like I said in my last demo impression: The demo ends,
gory details (literally) are not for the faint of heart and stomach. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: The biggest mystery of all is why Toji fears the
takoyaki.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-6QhqWhYOoWCSWjN_9SoCfYYRvz67sZ0ulpf2V4onNX0BHShd6_YcccHNB86Uw30coLKKCU3HqItZnVuX82c5HG8GI6zTeeIKZQrKbMuBJSlT1_bFGRQJtyALTSlgcVsHLF8821jKBSs/s1600/Takoyaki.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-6QhqWhYOoWCSWjN_9SoCfYYRvz67sZ0ulpf2V4onNX0BHShd6_YcccHNB86Uw30coLKKCU3HqItZnVuX82c5HG8GI6zTeeIKZQrKbMuBJSlT1_bFGRQJtyALTSlgcVsHLF8821jKBSs/s320/Takoyaki.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Set two
years after the events of Kara no Shojo, our initial POV focuses on one
Tomoyuki Masaki, a man undergoing psychological treatment at the Kuchiki
Hospital. It seems to be going well, with Tomoyuki seeming to have developed a
good routine through his visits and routine taking of medicine. Until it’s all
undone by a grisly murder that inevitably brings returning protagonist Reiji
Tokisaka in to investigate the case…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbk-BS1KF-nrnv5zxKk9sNyjGQmaOkkd9wTO5_bJLrT8zgrOZXpvn6c_cDziF7Jjv7pbGgpwsmxl5LS2Mh66kQf2UyQvCHUiANRvs8NHXTrjEUdQ5oDCZrl-33EeVEzPeIHjPYTAM1dmWU/s1600/ReijiIntro.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbk-BS1KF-nrnv5zxKk9sNyjGQmaOkkd9wTO5_bJLrT8zgrOZXpvn6c_cDziF7Jjv7pbGgpwsmxl5LS2Mh66kQf2UyQvCHUiANRvs8NHXTrjEUdQ5oDCZrl-33EeVEzPeIHjPYTAM1dmWU/s320/ReijiIntro.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yeah, I
admit that’s not the best summary since I kind of neglected to mention
something about curses and such, but I like to leave at least a little bit for
readers to find out for themselves. In any case this demo’s story is designed
to be a big teaser for the coming Kara no Shojo 2 and it succeeds at it by
telling an interesting short story. For example, while there isn’t enough story
material for you to become endeared to our initial POV character, there is
enough to get you interested in his fate, especially considering some questions
about him introduced as his life takes a turn for the worse. Of course the main
hooks in this demo are the mysteries introduced from the new string of bizarre
murders to the one hanging mystery from the first game.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZVhl_rHikhveD3fE1zt_ZVQLo4pNLTOtF2m6wUmzLS0vqHUeJATGaa1sqTP-ffrkhrnlnjnOFo7r_Q84rUh6f9e8mN6upvvTtgx31Jltc7JN43pYbtM2PPcvvqfcdoCcRZcD3WgqaPTU/s1600/Notebook.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZVhl_rHikhveD3fE1zt_ZVQLo4pNLTOtF2m6wUmzLS0vqHUeJATGaa1sqTP-ffrkhrnlnjnOFo7r_Q84rUh6f9e8mN6upvvTtgx31Jltc7JN43pYbtM2PPcvvqfcdoCcRZcD3WgqaPTU/s320/Notebook.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Moving
onto the technical aspect of the game, the investigation system and notebook
that updates with the clues you find and scenes you see return from the first
game. It looks to work just as well as it did then and as could be seen earlier
there’s even a bit of humor to some of the clues. While there isn’t any
opportunity to move around, <a href="http://mangagamer.org/kns2/#top" target="_blank">the game’s website</a> (warning site does contain NSFW images) does indicate you’ll be able to
check out different locations and from there get clues and/or updates to your
notebook like in the previous game. Take a look <a href="http://mangagamer.org/kns2/#system" target="_blank">here</a> for a more detailed look.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh13yQv2gcQL73YAOQ0JEAxkH8j90elnOY9Cjr7A4tbBpGbsH9CXTWbPa0ttcuze_HJtpOxR1WkeZGp0mH-_44oo1C46_M4n4mIlKDgXN7uObFk49mxAkcov5YHJKRI7LHUEixt52-6Xxs/s1600/Natsume.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh13yQv2gcQL73YAOQ0JEAxkH8j90elnOY9Cjr7A4tbBpGbsH9CXTWbPa0ttcuze_HJtpOxR1WkeZGp0mH-_44oo1C46_M4n4mIlKDgXN7uObFk49mxAkcov5YHJKRI7LHUEixt52-6Xxs/s320/Natsume.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation KnS2’s demo shows that Innocent Grey hasn’t lost its touch
on any front and has in fact gotten better. This can be seen first in the art
department where the character artwork has received a noticeable upgrade but
the characters are still very recognizable and any noticeable changes to the
design can easily pass as the characters aging slightly since the first game.
The background CGs are as well detailed as ever, and there’s one more aspect of
the art done well, but we’ll be getting to that later. In the sound department
this demo really shines in demonstrating how we can expect a game with the
right music to create the perfect atmosphere for each scene and also a game
with great acting. All the voice actors turn in good performances, but the real
treat is the reveal of the voice actor for Reiji (who had no voice in the first
game) being none other than Junichi Suwabe, a voice actor almost all of you
will recognize as one of the chief characters of the famous visual novel
adapted into so many anime Archer and for a more obscure but no less awesome
example, Kuki from Ayakashibito.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1hvrYnxaAZRSCS3drxnZDA4mhDmw0rg0A-au2bc9IFtT2b42DwbhSxroZLBWlqM6bNeb1cHk3uw8M_5CVrH0RyXmVZuEP-P1OiRFodNUoiLMOTBuuRTHf0qRE0VphN9eoRLWDHei2S_b/s1600/Murder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1hvrYnxaAZRSCS3drxnZDA4mhDmw0rg0A-au2bc9IFtT2b42DwbhSxroZLBWlqM6bNeb1cHk3uw8M_5CVrH0RyXmVZuEP-P1OiRFodNUoiLMOTBuuRTHf0qRE0VphN9eoRLWDHei2S_b/s320/Murder.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Seeing
as there a no ero scenes in this demo, our final focus will instead be on the
scenes that all the aspects of the demo’s presentation work in harmony to
execute and what makes this game a worthy introduction to this year’s month of
Halloween: the kills. What makes these so special is how well it handles the
concept of “less is more” and uses it to make each of the scenes have an
impact. The visuals, while indeed bloody, aren’t as graphic when compared to
other games and instead chooses to show just enough of the gore so you’ll know
what you’re seeing but not enough to go over the top. This limit though is hard
to notice when the writing describes every grisly detail of the murder that
your imagination more than fills in the visual gaps. The sound pulls double
duty here, but not in the way you might expect. These kills have very little
voice acting; no real screams or vocal indications of pain or fear. Instead the
sound first accentuates the scenes with its sound effects: every cut, stab,
slash and every mangling action is so well conveyed by their respective sounds you
may very well find yourself flinching slightly at each action as the sound
almost makes you feel it even when the victim has long since passed and the
gruesome deed has yet to end. The sound’s second contribution comes from the
suspenseful music playing which in some ways makes you feel the killer’s rush
as each stage of the crime is carried out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Kara no
Shojo 2 Trial Edition is an excellent little teaser for what looks to be an
enjoyable murder mystery game on the horizon. It’s written well, looks really
good, and sounds great. All of this is presented best in its murder scenes.
While it introduces many new mysteries to look forward to it also pays just the
right amount of service to that one hanging thread from the prequel and
hopefully we’ll finally get closure in that come its release on October 30.
This demo is well worth checking out on those fronts plus the fact that its
story isn’t in the main game, but it’s also worth it because it has one thing
in common with most of the Halloween treats we journey through that beloved
holiday night for: it’s free and can be downloaded <a href="http://mangagamer.org/kns2/#information" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 8/10 Awesome</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: <s>Buy</s> Download it Now!! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ToyIabiNDSM9brbk7NrnVuZkU_7XI9sibCCGlijtscNs_zvRr_uEma5aI9dItpXImuV-0ywtNn5qlYEi4uEepiwKuM4eRWOK4MqHINs6BrqPrk0O8JEthIeKUjmp9DiPEHo8lC6EtF-t/s1600/Promo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ToyIabiNDSM9brbk7NrnVuZkU_7XI9sibCCGlijtscNs_zvRr_uEma5aI9dItpXImuV-0ywtNn5qlYEi4uEepiwKuM4eRWOK4MqHINs6BrqPrk0O8JEthIeKUjmp9DiPEHo8lC6EtF-t/s320/Promo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-88428836569135504952015-09-10T17:38:00.000-07:002015-09-10T17:38:34.763-07:00Games for Adults: Osananajimi wa Daitouryou: My Girlfriend is the President Fan Disc<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Osananajimi wa
Daitouryou: My Girlfriend is the President Fan Disc Review</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBVLxVklNZr0j17J4YrLRs6bZr-YsNvYrZVux3CwJxhHQag9JoqBo31Lm9qx6d9ijweBWLntn1ksgiZuElq2_fV4C9KYrVgIC4GIjwmKS6NqFtStNhuAsg8h9vB1zELif0BN0awbd2DL6/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBVLxVklNZr0j17J4YrLRs6bZr-YsNvYrZVux3CwJxhHQag9JoqBo31Lm9qx6d9ijweBWLntn1ksgiZuElq2_fV4C9KYrVgIC4GIjwmKS6NqFtStNhuAsg8h9vB1zELif0BN0awbd2DL6/s320/cover.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Well
seeing as Obama’s term will be ending soon I figure I might as well get to this
fandisc while the parody is still relevant. So without further delay let’s take
a look at Osananajimi wa Daitouryou: My Girlfriend is the President Fan Disc,
originally released in Japan by Alcot on August 13, 2010 in a special edition
for Comiket followed by a regular edition on October 29 of that same year and
released in English by JAST Densetsu on July 4, 2014. How does this revisit of
the Osadai setting turn out? Decent, but…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Vf_imMRjLhg/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vf_imMRjLhg?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: The returning characters are all great to see again,
Remi is given good character writing, Irina’s story finally let’s itself focus
on being funny.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: No after stories for Yukino or Ran, Kuon and the panda
are absent, the social commentary in Irina’s story is not subtle, text spacing
issues and typos galore. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: Very much to the point Qoo.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibc5nZ5f8fpWhwp9UU4ouPRuTCX8uZIwowhEGycPiz181fuOK-aFJwg85O3EXT6WXEmp29t7Op3Jk2xBsLwvTXlLNJ-aMcaU_meDJL7uFniDSiFutzcsv2qrLKai6WRovi352zvX10X9U/s1600/TMKuu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibc5nZ5f8fpWhwp9UU4ouPRuTCX8uZIwowhEGycPiz181fuOK-aFJwg85O3EXT6WXEmp29t7Op3Jk2xBsLwvTXlLNJ-aMcaU_meDJL7uFniDSiFutzcsv2qrLKai6WRovi352zvX10X9U/s320/TMKuu.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Osadai fan disc is made up of two after stories: one for Irina and one for Ell.
Now I know that might sound like a possible deal breaker, especially if you
really like Yukino’s route and found Irina’s route disappointing, but I can
assure you that despite how disappointing that sounds (and is) this game is
very much worth a look since overall both stories make for a good read. This is
mainly because the returning characters are all as enjoyable as they were in
the original game (some more so than before). Of course seeing as there’s only
two stories I’ll just give my preferences here: Ell’s story is the better of
the two. Also since there’s no common route let’s get to why.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaL4kuXgWf9ANKu4NImjzAI7N8XyfS0gl_aAtvE1m3l5mFOJX7dGXUYSjBzYNtYejsp170wT3YEO9VLeO0h2TUkpAbdWq7tNtlX2NOsMGlLAnLgxDgbm2Xi-us6qaeDrBJg35URUBvanp/s1600/EllAS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaL4kuXgWf9ANKu4NImjzAI7N8XyfS0gl_aAtvE1m3l5mFOJX7dGXUYSjBzYNtYejsp170wT3YEO9VLeO0h2TUkpAbdWq7tNtlX2NOsMGlLAnLgxDgbm2Xi-us6qaeDrBJg35URUBvanp/s320/EllAS.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of the
two after stories Ell’s is the one with the writing that best takes advantage
of the story it continues from. We see some progression in Ell and Junichiro’s
relationship, a plot point from the original story is addressed in a
surprisingly moving way, Qoo and Remi make for a hilarious comedy duo and
speaking of which this story manages to accomplish something I thought
impossible from playing Osadai: make Remi a likable character. I’ll give you a
minute to let that surprise sink in a bit before continuing…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj71B_0sSz8GvJE1DqWEcDkxPHyjkjxARFnt3AxAJSf3L1hhKJinpi3S3lF5mJb6N098nkAz0Rgb0IHtoEdGkYN5o4ZYl15bumpFXPupoTuM_iPVM3APL2IMCaFaf8C-RZ3nEoFxrvHFNB/s1600/Shock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj71B_0sSz8GvJE1DqWEcDkxPHyjkjxARFnt3AxAJSf3L1hhKJinpi3S3lF5mJb6N098nkAz0Rgb0IHtoEdGkYN5o4ZYl15bumpFXPupoTuM_iPVM3APL2IMCaFaf8C-RZ3nEoFxrvHFNB/s320/Shock.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I swear
I am not kidding you, the writer for this manages to give Remi a good arc and
make her a really likable character all throughout the story. Aside from the
aforementioned comedy scenes with Qoo, we also get some very good scenes
between her and Junichiro plus ones of her trying to connect with her sister
Ell. In many ways this feels like a well written apology for how annoying she
was in the main game, especially in how all the scenes end up culminating into
one brief scene that manages to cement her character development from the
positive relationships she’s formed to her desire to do good not only to make
up for past transgressions but because it’s the right thing to do. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheq4_DkETki5nPWCPshyphenhyphenrRCEHwT_1GDxDRyw_9AkggAPzSr8j_XzNlcoTFhFq_IuS_Vy1WEC6-tkyDPeOr1y34xfACMXQljXtTm6T5z1CsxX9nt6o5pz3ocNu_vdyBU2cIdnKo3uCyBC99/s1600/RemiCharacterDevelopment.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheq4_DkETki5nPWCPshyphenhyphenrRCEHwT_1GDxDRyw_9AkggAPzSr8j_XzNlcoTFhFq_IuS_Vy1WEC6-tkyDPeOr1y34xfACMXQljXtTm6T5z1CsxX9nt6o5pz3ocNu_vdyBU2cIdnKo3uCyBC99/s320/RemiCharacterDevelopment.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
any flaws this story may have, there is one nitpick on my part. Basically there
is a minor plot point where at several points Junichiro does ponder his future
with Ell, but there really isn’t any payoff to it. It’s basically written off
on a positive note at the end. It’s overall not a major flaw since it does fit
thematically with the game, but it’s still enough to make you wish this could
have been a little better addressed.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmkO0gPARwogx_wwK7C_Yof4geCSUkAavUv4FgxDO9kOYS1u3d2qzrsSgat18GK0hbDzxWxntZjQVcLeWFQtWZwlzhiRQeo4IwuERcZWZF_NeNDmfqFFgpvLBoswbXIwLCG8zoesIt5_H/s1600/UruseiYatsuraReference.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmkO0gPARwogx_wwK7C_Yof4geCSUkAavUv4FgxDO9kOYS1u3d2qzrsSgat18GK0hbDzxWxntZjQVcLeWFQtWZwlzhiRQeo4IwuERcZWZF_NeNDmfqFFgpvLBoswbXIwLCG8zoesIt5_H/s320/UruseiYatsuraReference.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Moving
on to Irina’s story, while this is the weaker of the two there’s still a lot to
like about it. First and foremost, this story excels in comedy, something the
original route really needed more of. As can be seen above there’s anime
reference based humor abound and some really good character comedy too. It’s
actually really refreshing to see interactions between Irina and Junichiro that
are not only funny but actually reflect the chemistry that existed between them
in the previous game and best of all do not devolve into awkward/forced drama.
Kind of ironic that the comparatively short after story has more laughs than
the original game’s longer route.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wK5puJOTtiL7RveOzyqo5Kf_eUC8mIm81cjYbTAhcmG4vODyFWM5MRHmvH7Ob25ZOSL7RdxVpFLobI4BNPY4xDrPM51u-rouQW61Q4JskVj16GQw5JmKLlkJ4gECCHSq5BlH-Enh9XHy/s1600/BoringSC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wK5puJOTtiL7RveOzyqo5Kf_eUC8mIm81cjYbTAhcmG4vODyFWM5MRHmvH7Ob25ZOSL7RdxVpFLobI4BNPY4xDrPM51u-rouQW61Q4JskVj16GQw5JmKLlkJ4gECCHSq5BlH-Enh9XHy/s320/BoringSC.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Still
the main factor that brings this story down is later on when it tries to do
social commentary. The problem isn’t that it’s out of place as it involves
Yukino and in the original her route did feature some; the main theme of it
being the importance of having at least an awareness of the political state of
one’s own country and what could be done to fix any problems there may be. The
thing is in Osadai that social commentary was subtle, so well wrapped up in the
story’s screw ball comedy that one could very easily miss or ignore it if not
interested. In Irina’s story there is no subtlety to it, as every scene
involving social commentary has it essentially beaten over your head to make
sure you get it. Presenting it this way only serves to make the commentary feel
out of place at best and annoyingly/boringly preachy at worst, the latter of which you
do not want in a comedy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
flaws that both stories share, aside from the lack of after stories for Ran and
Yukino (seriously, in the latter case there’s plenty of comedic story potential
considering how that route ended), there’s also the lack of Kuon and a certain
talking panda from the returning cast even though they do appear in the trailer. There is a reasonable explanation for
Kuon’s absence given though strangely the latter is only given an almost
offhand explanation. My guess is their voice actors were unavailable due to
scheduling but the characters’ absences are felt all the same. Still, there is
one glaring shared flaw that cannot be ignored, a flaw that could have very
easily been fixed by proofreading…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZSedZQtkbbjl0YRHPupm0yHszBufdf89ha7V3OF6Oa8NbccaW9Kx_9buwnjcD4OBouZZGbNzyW92kxSs0kzfgjq1tr2JOQX-b5NfiJg_zXeKLKrQmJy4LEt62Xc1PDFlPLrjBipV3uHo/s1600/SpacingIssue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZSedZQtkbbjl0YRHPupm0yHszBufdf89ha7V3OF6Oa8NbccaW9Kx_9buwnjcD4OBouZZGbNzyW92kxSs0kzfgjq1tr2JOQX-b5NfiJg_zXeKLKrQmJy4LEt62Xc1PDFlPLrjBipV3uHo/s320/SpacingIssue.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg201HuxSdKJvQThUL-jQ_53F2NPn3n1Dlnc6sCoAYvPsJDpE8n8agF_UGl3Ya39S_Ebr2WyVqfrsDmNp4_hKQBd6vLl5gi3xFLELXHlln88p6HWRASGdfrJNuHcfSBGUNaxwGUK8aOMJtr/s1600/QuotationMark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg201HuxSdKJvQThUL-jQ_53F2NPn3n1Dlnc6sCoAYvPsJDpE8n8agF_UGl3Ya39S_Ebr2WyVqfrsDmNp4_hKQBd6vLl5gi3xFLELXHlln88p6HWRASGdfrJNuHcfSBGUNaxwGUK8aOMJtr/s320/QuotationMark.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yes, as
can be seen this game has a typos the likes of which I haven’t seen since
proofreading papers typed on a broken keyboard and text spacing errors
comparable to an unpatched Kansen 5. There’s also instances where Japanese text
shows up in the text boxes. Fortunately these are all for simple things like
sighs, but all in all these are indications of the importance of proofreading a
game’s translation. There does exist a patch but it only fixes some of these
issues.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPdtLpbzAlTOlwg4JcRc77BOZe-u3oEYQFFKnLs2YSW6PIkc0Byi8761JFFcBGmMa3cja7HDSZ2rlDrZh-nMK5l5AUFOJKiNYc_7HzzZ_685txcANE1gvwevnxHTsD16wlUJxVBGk1awx/s1600/JPText.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPdtLpbzAlTOlwg4JcRc77BOZe-u3oEYQFFKnLs2YSW6PIkc0Byi8761JFFcBGmMa3cja7HDSZ2rlDrZh-nMK5l5AUFOJKiNYc_7HzzZ_685txcANE1gvwevnxHTsD16wlUJxVBGk1awx/s320/JPText.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation, the Osadai FD does about as well as the main game in
terms of music and voice acting. In the art department it’s almost the same
though there are some CG that look a little less polished than others.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4ZZUGmSDvTsFIv1CLlqj5fVVUG69klO0XAKzIenSQ7XP8V5eaBYfI6EefdPPjcqmeV7o3rLyo4w9sYYXNJCJkgHJwM_me7rAxd6TdB3rh2jCDrW7F-i3dB8oqZy01Ac34gxaHe5rmrHT/s1600/ForH.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4ZZUGmSDvTsFIv1CLlqj5fVVUG69klO0XAKzIenSQ7XP8V5eaBYfI6EefdPPjcqmeV7o3rLyo4w9sYYXNJCJkgHJwM_me7rAxd6TdB3rh2jCDrW7F-i3dB8oqZy01Ac34gxaHe5rmrHT/s320/ForH.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes, they’re good though Irina’s story has the better ones when
compared to Ell’s.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Osananajimi
wa Daitouryou: My Girlfriend is the President Fan Disc is an overall decent
follow up to Osadai. The stories that it has to tell are good, especially
Ell’s, and you get to enjoy reuniting with most of the cast. While I admit it
is disappointing that Yukino and Ran don’t have after stories and there is a
bit of a void with Kuon and the panda’s absence, and you'll have to deal with typos popping up, <a href="http://www.jastusa.com/my-girlfriend-is-the-president-fandisc.html" target="_blank">for the low price that it’s available for (less than twenty bucks)</a> it’s well worth picking up if you enjoyed the first game. Still,
I think there is one thing that we can all agree on as a plus for this fan
disc…the main villain of the first game does not come back (except for when we briefly see him in the trailer).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 6/10 Above Average</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Buy it Now. </div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-32688541957841700302015-08-30T09:37:00.001-07:002015-08-30T09:37:51.784-07:00Games for Adults: Free Friends<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Free Friends Review</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmtdVRW3K11Et7HaKzRNk-mViRz1oZiHYzEBBB62QvJFy5q2mPCQiKPzJq0tFjKTIb6WIdcE435JctdZmbPO4aAYZB3atedy2miinMrEE4vetFF9FEGwA_tKlzZEhL2a06utkTyC_mrRg/s1600/freefreinds01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmtdVRW3K11Et7HaKzRNk-mViRz1oZiHYzEBBB62QvJFy5q2mPCQiKPzJq0tFjKTIb6WIdcE435JctdZmbPO4aAYZB3atedy2miinMrEE4vetFF9FEGwA_tKlzZEhL2a06utkTyC_mrRg/s320/freefreinds01.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are two basic genres that you can divide eroge into, especially the ones with
more of a focus on the H content: the light genre with its focus usually on
slice of life and traditional romantic based ero scenes and the dark genre
which have a more oppressive atmosphere/setting around its characters and ero
scenes of the nonconsensual variety are more common. Now and then a you’ll see
games that try to be something in between the two and the kind that succeed are
usually story focused games like the Grisaia trilogy or Innocent Grey’s games,
while the nukiges usually don’t fare quite as well with cases like Gimai
Hitomi/Hitomi My Stepsister* or <a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2012/10/games-for-adults-magical-teacher-my.html" target="_blank">Magical Teacher</a> (not that it’s impossible, the
Kansen games are mostly good). The game we’ll be looking at today is one of the
rare exceptions: Free Friends, released in Japan as Furifure by Noesis, a
(sadly now closed) sub-company of Innocent Grey, on April 3, 2009 and released
in English by Mangagamer on June 26, 2015. While not anything comparable to the
aforementioned story game successes, it’s still a decent game all the same.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Interesting characters, decent story, good voice
acting, mostly good artwork.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Story feels a bit short, a couple slips in the art
department, strange gallery glitch.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: I get the feeling you’d get more than weird looks if
you listed a person as your hobby…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rPiSZtJEfCZL1w3EcH7sH9j5qHr_obJlFs_N5_jiedbL8e6kNqzFgovFDnd3CkugRr02GuOJ_yww1tWK_lBqsG0gqsm_BEbtcXnk8onBVPY6cTsnEOmwcyqYckb3q3VfXMAi4ogYxwqD/s1600/Hobby.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rPiSZtJEfCZL1w3EcH7sH9j5qHr_obJlFs_N5_jiedbL8e6kNqzFgovFDnd3CkugRr02GuOJ_yww1tWK_lBqsG0gqsm_BEbtcXnk8onBVPY6cTsnEOmwcyqYckb3q3VfXMAi4ogYxwqD/s320/Hobby.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Free
Friends story focuses on two people: Yui Kurahashi and her teacher, who you
play as. After a fight with her parents, Yui leaves her house only to find
herself without any place to stay. A friend she contacts suggests using a
message board called Free Friends which Yui does, unaware that it’s actually a
site used for hook ups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through this she
ends up meeting her teacher, and he ends up forcing himself on her. From there
your choices will determine whether Yui’s teacher will use the night’s events
as a means to blackmail her into being his slave or end up becoming involved in
her problem and become the savior she hoped for…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Okay, I
should probably get this out of the way: if you’re in this mainly for the
game’s good route then you’re going to have to go with the dark start first.
Obviously this is not going to be a vanilla romance story either way. While the
evil route is more diverse in the directions it can go it is pretty par for the
course if you’re familiar with the genre but it actually does make for a good
prelude to the good route since it drops hints about the characters that are
followed up in the good route (though just to be clear there's no enforced playing order; you can just play the good route if you want). Speaking of which, the good route has a bit more
substance to offer in how it takes some time to give its two main characters a
bit more focus on them as characters in between the route’s ero scenes. While
not as deep as you’ll find in more story focused games, there’s enough given to
at least our main character to make the story interesting as the writing does a
good job portraying him as someone beat down by the life he’s been leading and
this helps in conveying a sort of world weary atmosphere that matches with his
initial mood as a character.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqITVMlZL_TEysKhskuTPxmGZDtZqJpgH3a8Q6VcO-D2Y4qAlxtXhqffxwl2cqQLjiX__ml0PPGcigXmSD-NdhbkexysYW2zP3y_BZoz1w012O_CI18vWGC-Ub4WIq0zJm_okRVpLhgsfz/s1600/What.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqITVMlZL_TEysKhskuTPxmGZDtZqJpgH3a8Q6VcO-D2Y4qAlxtXhqffxwl2cqQLjiX__ml0PPGcigXmSD-NdhbkexysYW2zP3y_BZoz1w012O_CI18vWGC-Ub4WIq0zJm_okRVpLhgsfz/s320/What.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Basically
what makes the story of Free Friends’ good route interesting is how it’s able
to do a decent job with its premise. Two people both struggling with different things
imposed on them by society and while their meeting does not end well a connection
between them is established, and the question is whether or not any good can
come of it. It’s enough to give both Yui and her teacher arcs, though
admittedly the latter gets more of it, and it’s good enough that not only did I
get some investment in the outcome but I even forgot that the MC doesn’t even
have a revealed name.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Still Free
Friends has its flaws and the ones in the writing department can be narrowed
down to the game being short. Basically there are certain story elements that
are kind of glossed over, especially in the good route, such as the main
character’s wife having about as much screen time as Maris Crane (but less
presence) or it might have been more interesting to see more from Yui’s POV as
it could have given some scenes more emotional weight. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I admit that these are overall minor flaws as
there’s no way of knowing whether the inclusion of these would have benefited
the story or just ended up as padding. Still can’t help but wonder though…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMMyx0zzobJR2cYNZg3awdrcaK6y25k5rHQkMF5T1p1ecVgdBBDq6Lq7H1ZD2AmIy0qdp6BkmPVc7fMV-2YYvbOdBeQA9C_XqikUNI-0aX8sNoa_pF0tNQWtQ2_2163yJ6OO7Mh6gP9Gi/s1600/GalleryGlitch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMMyx0zzobJR2cYNZg3awdrcaK6y25k5rHQkMF5T1p1ecVgdBBDq6Lq7H1ZD2AmIy0qdp6BkmPVc7fMV-2YYvbOdBeQA9C_XqikUNI-0aX8sNoa_pF0tNQWtQ2_2163yJ6OO7Mh6gP9Gi/s320/GalleryGlitch.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before
we move on to presentation there are a couple system related things that bear
mentioning. The first one falls into the flaw category where there’s an odd
glitch I encountered with the galleries for this game where there’s a black bar
covering about a third of the screen on the right. Strangely the select-able items that the bar covers you can still click on with the mouse, you just can't see them. I admit I downloaded
installed the game the day it came out so it may have been patched, but I
haven’t found any evidence of one on MG’s site. The second is a minor thing I
noticed, but the game’s menu screen uses the same option select chime that
Waffle uses. Probably just a coincidence but I admit it does feel a bit strange
hearing something I’ve associated with another company pop up in a game not
from it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlatiQAt8Cr9ILrs3gRAGGHIVba_vNocmw34aW9e3ZIvTW9dVs1T719s5mNjFgtCBB7eM0QIgxJYuTCqdGxqLf2nLBsH62diN6xsTnlEPcHa5fLbXtks5ZkW1pKp7XZNCJHFwKi_1weJI/s1600/17417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlatiQAt8Cr9ILrs3gRAGGHIVba_vNocmw34aW9e3ZIvTW9dVs1T719s5mNjFgtCBB7eM0QIgxJYuTCqdGxqLf2nLBsH62diN6xsTnlEPcHa5fLbXtks5ZkW1pKp7XZNCJHFwKi_1weJI/s320/17417.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation Free Friends does a pretty good job. Concerning the
artwork, the backgrounds are well drawn as is Yui herself. We have a bit of
hiccup in this area though as the only two males with character portraits look a
little less polished, and while I get it’s because of their role and it’s to
reflect that aspect of their characters it’s something that stands out enough
for me to nitpick. The sound department fares better with the music being
decent, the tunes accomplishing their respective purposes in the scenes they’re
designed for but admittedly not that memorable. As for voice acting, the only
one who bears mention is Yui’s VA Yukina Fujimori who some of you may recognize
from her other acting name Konoha, and has played many notable roles from Nene
in Eroge! to Ruseria and Elicia in the Kyonyuu Fantasy series. She may be the sole
voice actor in this game, but she puts all the effort into her voice work for
Yui all the same and you get a good feel for what the character goes through
all throughout the game.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLFsVx2CfrlBl0tdxqZbhKnx9-nWGXw-3NiaPzs1jV5Yeo9pjxErKU3vcwb-OLjDNn_bkoTC0wvZFuZWZQGlUdNZJbiasceFzGogZCvGaZwdgv57YGQ8hKy3slcQf0Ia5MH5kJSEmwzHd/s1600/Physical.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLFsVx2CfrlBl0tdxqZbhKnx9-nWGXw-3NiaPzs1jV5Yeo9pjxErKU3vcwb-OLjDNn_bkoTC0wvZFuZWZQGlUdNZJbiasceFzGogZCvGaZwdgv57YGQ8hKy3slcQf0Ia5MH5kJSEmwzHd/s320/Physical.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes they’re all really good. First of all, the aforementioned
Fujimori-san does as good a job in the voice acting for these scenes as she
does in the story scenes, and second the artwork for the scenes is excellent
too. Whether you’re in it for the dark or light scenes you’ll definitely be
satisfied with either ones.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Free
Friends is an overall pretty good little dark nukige that manages to blend in a
little light into its plot without it feeling out of place. I admit it’s not a
particularly exceptional game, but it makes for a nice little read none the
less thanks to some decent character writing and good voice work for its
heroine. A shame this branch of Innocent Grey went under since this seems to be
an indication they might have had the makings to start a good nukige line. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>7/10
Great</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Try It Out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVEsKarshQfBcjMgGkDCLBXQZNH6pzBhhqoScNo4jkuI-2s6et6QB98STWkisE8PWFOb2pe7qCUBd3B82zq7rTYKC1Lc5uiP4ZfMD0D3WJ1hykTIcoHoIiu7OkwE7AsoB9OI7vbWJEPzo/s1600/Anime.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVEsKarshQfBcjMgGkDCLBXQZNH6pzBhhqoScNo4jkuI-2s6et6QB98STWkisE8PWFOb2pe7qCUBd3B82zq7rTYKC1Lc5uiP4ZfMD0D3WJ1hykTIcoHoIiu7OkwE7AsoB9OI7vbWJEPzo/s320/Anime.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the anime…it isn’t very good. Leaving aside the fact that the character design
for the anime just feels too jarringly different (especially the face they
decided to give the teacher), they really screw the setup up at the start. Not
only do they change where Yui and her teacher meet, they also change a pretty
major aspect of the teacher’s life from how it is in the game. The reason I
guess is so the episode could skip over the character aspects for him so they
can get right to the H content. The problem is doing so pretty much renders
this adaptation into as generic as the genre gets, so really just play the game.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
*For anyone expecting me to review, Hitomi, I've considered it, but...that would require replaying the game and I think you can guess what I think of it from there... </div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-10982682763015084942015-07-24T18:13:00.002-07:002015-07-24T18:13:57.204-07:00Import Games for Adults: Prima ☆ Stella<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Prima </span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS ゴシック"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS ゴシック";">☆</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> Stella Review</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhed1Ls24NRVJ486nDRIL9KNny4RRdPzgCNudepm8MAxNUKByHmIg0D1XGJP5PRZ6FjLOlurPCBaFzFG8nWbdMGZ_Yeqk3meZb7xFk1I7bBUuWDpsU1eggb_Pw2jOjYGwRcCyCeqOL0__/s1600/c533245package.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhed1Ls24NRVJ486nDRIL9KNny4RRdPzgCNudepm8MAxNUKByHmIg0D1XGJP5PRZ6FjLOlurPCBaFzFG8nWbdMGZ_Yeqk3meZb7xFk1I7bBUuWDpsU1eggb_Pw2jOjYGwRcCyCeqOL0__/s320/c533245package.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Well as promised, here’s the
third in my unplanned line up of all girls’ school set game reviews and a long
overdue return to Atelier Kaguya. Though my last review was of an ultimately
second rate game, I can say that I experienced the proper antidote to what I
didn’t like about Harukoi Otome in Prima </span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS ゴシック"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS ゴシック";">☆</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> Stella, released by Atelier Kaguya’s branch company Atelier Kaguya
Berkshire Yorkshire on June 27, 2008. I hope that bit of hinting from the last
review didn’t give too many people the ideas that I’d be reviewing <a href="http://www.mangagamer.com/detail.php?goods_type=1&product_code=117" target="_blank">something else</a>…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sj5TrLTUgao/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sj5TrLTUgao?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Pros: Story does a
pretty good job with its premise, characters are likable, very good artwork,
excellent voice acting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Cons: Yu is
unwinnable, the common route has a bit of a writing flub, an event in the
latter part of this games can weaken things a bit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">WTF?!: Well that’s
an interesting choice for tug of war…</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDU3aHNkklgRDh4_7tgN7TMLVILsC40DufH2x5thlVP_N9x_vllexQbMnpY6ghI31p93NSwnEfR7PR0QEcy_N5V3qaiy2cDA_HhRcBQLE4mhjsDYbRPuaJmR2q2hX6CcNwymG5UP9p3GE/s1600/ToW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDU3aHNkklgRDh4_7tgN7TMLVILsC40DufH2x5thlVP_N9x_vllexQbMnpY6ghI31p93NSwnEfR7PR0QEcy_N5V3qaiy2cDA_HhRcBQLE4mhjsDYbRPuaJmR2q2hX6CcNwymG5UP9p3GE/s320/ToW.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You
play as Kousuke Sakaki, an all-around nice guy and one of the top members of
the swim team at his school, enough to be considered for an international
tournament. Unfortunately his dreams of competing get cut short after saving a
stranger from an oncoming traffic accident, sustaining injuries that put him
in a coma and upon awakening learns that his body currently isn’t in any
condition to take any real strain. A second chance soon comes however, when a
representative of the all girls’ private academy, Etoile visits on behalf of
the person Kousuke saved. As the school’s students are mainly from rich and
powerful families, it also hosts an advanced program that could help Kousuke
rehabilitate and realize his dreams of becoming an international champion
swimmer and he’s being offered the opportunity to temporarily transfer to the
school to do so. Kousuke accepts and while his arrival is met with much
curiosity from the student body as many of the girls have had limited contact
with men, Kousuke quickly meets and befriends Shizuka Touhouin and makes more
through his childhood friend and cousin Kusumi who also attends Etoile. With
this, Kousuke’s road to recovery may also become a road to romance too…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0Kqi3p023ZN-lr_86Ipv4Xah9xVqpZe7Fm7b7K-Pzvp8mPFWzaLn0eDFQsplP7AIa0hl9sKsIIXp-F8LsH5FKD_4X_90eheSrIEOB5pTsZS-zYv7G9SYuK2IjRYu5FFnn2rwb63JnGGC/s1600/Escalate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0Kqi3p023ZN-lr_86Ipv4Xah9xVqpZe7Fm7b7K-Pzvp8mPFWzaLn0eDFQsplP7AIa0hl9sKsIIXp-F8LsH5FKD_4X_90eheSrIEOB5pTsZS-zYv7G9SYuK2IjRYu5FFnn2rwb63JnGGC/s320/Escalate.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While
the story premise has been done before Prima Stella makes for a good
demonstration of how far you can take a concept that’s been done before with an
enjoyable cast of characters (click <a href="https://vndb.org/v827/chars#chars" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles). The heroines are introduced well with their
personality quirks helping to get us to know and like them quickly while at the
same time setting things up so that when we get a more in depth look at them as
characters we’ll care what happens during those story events. Of course it
helps that these quirks fit well into the many humorous scenes throughout the
game such as Shizuka and Kusumi’s rivalry over Kousuke, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yu as the straight man to Kusumi’s often silly
antics or Miyabi’s subtle teasing/flirting with Kousuke. As for our main
character, I’d say Kousuke is good enough in terms of writing; he has just
enough depth to be interesting when the story needs him to be but at the end
his main character trait is that he’s simply a nice guy. While that may sound
too basic, I can say the writers for Prima Stella are able to utilize this
trait to give us a main character that’s likable and interacts well with the
heroines.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PAJXq1o2pMdvT7Gfx_aoORpDVG1lJhGWVHiT18ApIATWbU_Gbb2R_O_4C0U6ORLkRYCJk4iRkfleaO3-AyVxd1xw5_I7kQFB2OLTSuFr6DL_nIhGuoeWBJR7jdeobRo8kqrrZ1BiBkLb/s1600/img_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PAJXq1o2pMdvT7Gfx_aoORpDVG1lJhGWVHiT18ApIATWbU_Gbb2R_O_4C0U6ORLkRYCJk4iRkfleaO3-AyVxd1xw5_I7kQFB2OLTSuFr6DL_nIhGuoeWBJR7jdeobRo8kqrrZ1BiBkLb/s320/img_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Another
writing element of note would be how well the episodic aspect of the game works
for it. The story is divided into eight episodes; the first five make up the
common route and each heroine’s route consists of three. The first five are
constructed so as to give each main character the right amount of focus, the
first being to introduce everyone and the remaining four focusing on each of
our heroines, each of them getting a plot that at times takes a slightly
serious tone, but its resolution usually foreshadows some element of the plot
of her route. All in all this setup works because it gives the heroines the
right amount of spotlight throughout the common route and helps make the story
is easy to follow and remember, even if you should decide to take breaks in
between episodes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMxiZhg2rItAUwcVwIhqWFLPrQcqYthmPsfiUppN46SWifSigqb1f_FzqcqeRNozQ2oxJLWVQjy0pxX9aELozZxDpGpGh40vPG0SCnCW4PaKmB_E2avpePxiZLJDqLUesxT1vPie95Tyj6/s1600/YuuKusumi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMxiZhg2rItAUwcVwIhqWFLPrQcqYthmPsfiUppN46SWifSigqb1f_FzqcqeRNozQ2oxJLWVQjy0pxX9aELozZxDpGpGh40vPG0SCnCW4PaKmB_E2avpePxiZLJDqLUesxT1vPie95Tyj6/s320/YuuKusumi.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before
we get to the routes though, I feel that the two most significant writing flaws
should be discussed. The reason for this is the first one has to do with the common
route and the second one concerns a plot element the routes all share. The
thing is explaining it will involve some light spoilers so I’ll give you a
brief explanation before cordoning the spoilers off behind some appropriate
pictures. The first problem is basically during the common route some events
happen throughout it that seem a bit contrary to how one of the characters is
written and the second problem is when the common route ends an event happens
that kind of weakens things a little for the routes, some more than others.
Anyway, to those unfamiliar with how I handle spoilers, see the spoiler warning
pictures below? If you don’t want to be spoiler about anything in this game,
scroll past that first set and the text that follows until you reach the second
set which marks the end of the spoiler section. You can read without fear of
spoilers from there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6b8V1a_y4UmHJ27-FjmwntjCX9Y8RKgZqRnMLyGwdH0Dd6-X3lOf1EHTqRWpamcNMycS0giQxVMK7a4ivDkCRBGm0oINVca62gA7LQypAFK1jBw5qk52sqZM4hVcmCltCeG2KCNY-Svm/s1600/caution_spoilers.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6b8V1a_y4UmHJ27-FjmwntjCX9Y8RKgZqRnMLyGwdH0Dd6-X3lOf1EHTqRWpamcNMycS0giQxVMK7a4ivDkCRBGm0oINVca62gA7LQypAFK1jBw5qk52sqZM4hVcmCltCeG2KCNY-Svm/s320/caution_spoilers.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwrNDFLZzfJMIwcYWi-GNLLbM5GcaNSPQQdJyUy1P9Rjo3qzb8FP1M-C1bJFzmq2eTjipUwRY8rOIYNxNC8bnr3U5CMDecxk89dGUcTsdjJh-Yr734bbdvLhb3LWGiwZa_x4pjr_SAzX3/s1600/No-Spoilers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwrNDFLZzfJMIwcYWi-GNLLbM5GcaNSPQQdJyUy1P9Rjo3qzb8FP1M-C1bJFzmq2eTjipUwRY8rOIYNxNC8bnr3U5CMDecxk89dGUcTsdjJh-Yr734bbdvLhb3LWGiwZa_x4pjr_SAzX3/s1600/No-Spoilers.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdx6TbR1iPunKS4cWSn_t7kGX-VEHn8-ZVyNcTqn1LtT0JQZNmGX-3FhV6ib_qiJ4r3dhtOh4TUW6ya4on-n1ncIMZc9iwvHSZEV-bfEEOPjeAl_sK1CmwwnjDe1dkFAm_6EGWCz02y5W/s1600/spoiler_alert_300_w2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdx6TbR1iPunKS4cWSn_t7kGX-VEHn8-ZVyNcTqn1LtT0JQZNmGX-3FhV6ib_qiJ4r3dhtOh4TUW6ya4on-n1ncIMZc9iwvHSZEV-bfEEOPjeAl_sK1CmwwnjDe1dkFAm_6EGWCz02y5W/s1600/spoiler_alert_300_w2.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
problem regarding the common route is each heroine has at least one ero scene
in it. This is a problem mainly because this kind of clashes with Kousuke’s
character even if the writing tries to justify this and even though you could
write off the heroines not having a problem with this happening as “hentai
logic” it still feels a little weird that even rival heroines Shizuka and
Kusumi pretty much shrug off. Not to mention there strangely isn’t a harem
route in this game, even as an unlockable, which could have made at least a
more passable justification. I can at least say thanks to this I may have
encountered my first case of the (rightfully) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Oe0ev8bjA" target="_blank">much maligned</a> gaming term
“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m05sb1M7J4w" target="_blank">ludonarrative dissonance</a>” in an eroge. Though that does open up another
question: do ero scenes count as gameplay?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Err…anyway,
the second problem is basically what starts off the routes: Kousuke’s time at
Etoile ends and he goes back home. Now don’t get the wrong idea, this isn’t
wholly a bad idea and it makes sense story-wise, but the problem lies in the
change of scenery itself. Basically when compared to Etoile the new setting is
a bit on the dull side and even ignoring that in some routes it means there’s
none of the more entertaining character interactions with the more colorful
cast aside from the heroine of the route. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the previous case it’s not something that
ruins the game, but it’s still a flaw that would have been nice if in some way
fixed.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwkOwrVG3quuT4OSUq4PxkXuFvDpsS0s0hum0O-DjFxfn0uMOI7W8o51_X1JXnsWbTWsobtUrC8QZ2ugIzKQIkafpPL4FEbBjAQ_c6ecv9pakY0eZuJE-WHdAnbcecJdk0YNJt_yYaaQj/s1600/demotivational-poster-16989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwkOwrVG3quuT4OSUq4PxkXuFvDpsS0s0hum0O-DjFxfn0uMOI7W8o51_X1JXnsWbTWsobtUrC8QZ2ugIzKQIkafpPL4FEbBjAQ_c6ecv9pakY0eZuJE-WHdAnbcecJdk0YNJt_yYaaQj/s320/demotivational-poster-16989.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckcj-66lYRZpZtlKA8J7FUEo1yg9ocBS2khzvJZKH5-GlPdk5zJZarIxPdO5SkeKiwGjjbTZY0Vdzss_7h9tEieaARlezrFsTM4PTNgp-wEn2RiB_LU4rUdBBp_HZYSfuzOJdexAGm1Si/s1600/cd467469e045222098ce4f68a4d297c256184e6f4479f0094a4a4907f1b38062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckcj-66lYRZpZtlKA8J7FUEo1yg9ocBS2khzvJZKH5-GlPdk5zJZarIxPdO5SkeKiwGjjbTZY0Vdzss_7h9tEieaARlezrFsTM4PTNgp-wEn2RiB_LU4rUdBBp_HZYSfuzOJdexAGm1Si/s320/cd467469e045222098ce4f68a4d297c256184e6f4479f0094a4a4907f1b38062.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiTfThiKp-ofQB9I8hePwDJ9W2bjShGglrd2s4QBKjO6qkTVHpMBrm2q6dManpaOB0jIL1rqObYYMrBARIcvYYSXh4n50DowZ4TRUbcZuoQRNvQCMoahCN-C0lTA9jAIPUUUdyjFkdtKb/s1600/No_Spoilers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiTfThiKp-ofQB9I8hePwDJ9W2bjShGglrd2s4QBKjO6qkTVHpMBrm2q6dManpaOB0jIL1rqObYYMrBARIcvYYSXh4n50DowZ4TRUbcZuoQRNvQCMoahCN-C0lTA9jAIPUUUdyjFkdtKb/s320/No_Spoilers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With
that out of the way, let’s get to the route rankings:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Kusumi</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Miyabi</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Tie between Shizuka and Tomoe</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Miyuki</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXqX-SlwLp9GzsJd759cEiNfUhBu1J6DD2Eb2hdrhpWQfbXCMmvqFZK6mv34punjOPR5_wQt9GmfPHNVzLYegalq9NZiF11OZym1C62unOHizA_bzh55Wf50l-hY1rf-no-xWhYxyReHs/s1600/KusumiClearList.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXqX-SlwLp9GzsJd759cEiNfUhBu1J6DD2Eb2hdrhpWQfbXCMmvqFZK6mv34punjOPR5_wQt9GmfPHNVzLYegalq9NZiF11OZym1C62unOHizA_bzh55Wf50l-hY1rf-no-xWhYxyReHs/s320/KusumiClearList.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have
to say I did not expect to like Kusumi’s route as much as I did. The main
reason for this is in my years of playing VNs I’ve found it to be a recurring
thing where the more comical heroines tend to have pretty underwhelming routes.
We have a rare exception with Kusumi partially because it kind of maintains its
humor for most of the plot, helped by the fact that Yu also features
prominently in the plot and subsequently the routine between her and Kusumi is
maintained (which also helps lessen the effect of the second writing problem). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even when it does take its dramatic turn, and
while I admit it does seem a tad forced at first it manages to turn that around
by resolving it in an over the top way that I’m not sure was meant to be
intentionally funny or not, but it does make for a good way to buck a tired
cliché.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQ8NB8Z38ZsX7IvUBoT_vcaZMh7NwAgEHA3oB32tJy5BjFM3F_N6V2VFchBLFXFLhwVzIYN-yyCiW-HswDVOQ5HBpg-xjpxb18IOjDig8hyphenhyphenDOzYDuUnLwBLBfmexXXyT6cq7KCBQGbuMb/s1600/MiyabiFeelings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQ8NB8Z38ZsX7IvUBoT_vcaZMh7NwAgEHA3oB32tJy5BjFM3F_N6V2VFchBLFXFLhwVzIYN-yyCiW-HswDVOQ5HBpg-xjpxb18IOjDig8hyphenhyphenDOzYDuUnLwBLBfmexXXyT6cq7KCBQGbuMb/s320/MiyabiFeelings.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Miyabi’s
route comes in at a very close second for a few reasons. First, she and Kousuke
have good chemistry as can be seen in quite a few of their interactions in the
common route and second, when things get to her route there’s actually writing
good enough that you barely notice the aforementioned second writing problem.
The third reason would be a really good performance from her VA: Maki Izumi,
who many of you would recognize as the voice of Akane in the Da Capo 2 games, Chihiro
from ef, and Tatsuko from the Majikoi games. While the other actresses turn in
a very good performance too, this case is a bit more notable in that she
manages to bring the character to life and do a voice different enough from
what you usually hear that it may take you a while to recognize it. What keeps
this route from tying with Kusumi’s is the dramatic part of her route is pretty
par for the course; you’ll know what’s going to happen the moment the
foreshadowing starts.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP235IvR4bUThvj9jKTzdQkRZyf1J_4vKkjhJdCW1N9a3MJAzJeRdFqOCRZFvw0ETO9CJoVL-WN-4vtktafONPQ6X509xTA6AnJ_ykEPgEcH4tw2bq-Ur8UI3SY-qsevQb_Pz5Im8MKKsf/s1600/ShizukaSpaceOut.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP235IvR4bUThvj9jKTzdQkRZyf1J_4vKkjhJdCW1N9a3MJAzJeRdFqOCRZFvw0ETO9CJoVL-WN-4vtktafONPQ6X509xTA6AnJ_ykEPgEcH4tw2bq-Ur8UI3SY-qsevQb_Pz5Im8MKKsf/s320/ShizukaSpaceOut.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
makes Shizuka and Tomoe’s routes tie for third place is they both have the
problem of having just okay later parts of their route. In Shizuka’s case it’s
basically because while the dramatic portion isn’t really bad from a writing
perspective as it has to do with Shizuka’s own insecurities and low self-esteem
it has the problem of feeling a little too slow. In Tomoe’s case it’s that
while her story is fairly light hearted with the drama part being really short
it has the problem of being really cliché, and is in fact very similar to a
route I just recently finished playing in Da Capo 2: Plus Communication. I
should point out though that neither route is bad as they both have really good
things going for them. Shizuka has the advantage of being pretty well built up
from the beginning of the story, her interactions with Kousuke are pretty cute
and we have some good slice of life scenes before the drama of the route kicks
in. For Tomoe we have, as noted before, the advantage of a route that doesn’t
let itself be bogged down with drama and she makes for a likable and funny heroine
throughout the game. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjcEDL6_bMfnSv_qjySXz7ZDtHMPJNj2ROz7wdUu9f-7zAuHtyU9vv2LFWsHd8BKDPUKXBtMMcTSfIAU2hgaTwWZAibv0uGFbFPu823V2RUMzDilcILy2NHxvwBxOZeZVV7t1J8M8miZ8/s1600/TomoeTired.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjcEDL6_bMfnSv_qjySXz7ZDtHMPJNj2ROz7wdUu9f-7zAuHtyU9vv2LFWsHd8BKDPUKXBtMMcTSfIAU2hgaTwWZAibv0uGFbFPu823V2RUMzDilcILy2NHxvwBxOZeZVV7t1J8M8miZ8/s320/TomoeTired.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now as
for Miyuki’s route…what’s that? Some of you have <a href="http://www.foolmaker.net/game/h/primastella.html" target="_blank">taken a look at a walkthrough</a>
and seen she doesn’t have a route listed? Well, it turns out she does have a
route…of sorts. You see, PS has another extras section where you can view extra
ero scenes that aren’t in any of the routes which you unlock through
progressing through the game. Among them is a string of scenes that make up
what amounts to Miyuki’s route. I have a theory that the creators had a full
route planned, but ran out of time and only had time to write her ero scenes and
a rough draft of what the route’s plot. So they went ahead and recorded for
those scenes, made the CG and wrote summaries of the plot to give context for
why these scenes are strung together. While this means we essentially have the
bare bones skeleton of route, I can say they’re worth looking at as aside from
the (good) ero scenes, it is interesting to read hints of what we could have
gotten.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMC0D2ISMLQugENAT37Auj6_L1-0ODH2DDpcDS_S48PaFaJABLbDpR1rnJDoutV79FNWTeBLLRcdTr74BSCPnFw1qRT0sGJTPjn9js1EzQ3dH_sZQSnUQVPsbqcwap5mn1lQmnEYGaLx5/s1600/ExtraHScenes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMC0D2ISMLQugENAT37Auj6_L1-0ODH2DDpcDS_S48PaFaJABLbDpR1rnJDoutV79FNWTeBLLRcdTr74BSCPnFw1qRT0sGJTPjn9js1EzQ3dH_sZQSnUQVPsbqcwap5mn1lQmnEYGaLx5/s320/ExtraHScenes.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsLnNKfCY00bLgMPk9Bs2vlYqxSugyfyORYpBenJlk31SI37EnnUVofVHJlXtMdZNJ6iorKdREDPuQ3F1p4Wv0axNQ74HoengwQsdke5Bq-JqAC2nYHNufoHeJyJmzoGuwalv08Vt67li/s1600/YuuUnwinnable.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsLnNKfCY00bLgMPk9Bs2vlYqxSugyfyORYpBenJlk31SI37EnnUVofVHJlXtMdZNJ6iorKdREDPuQ3F1p4Wv0axNQ74HoengwQsdke5Bq-JqAC2nYHNufoHeJyJmzoGuwalv08Vt67li/s320/YuuUnwinnable.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sadly our
Lunamaria Hawke look alike, Yu, does not receive even that and joins the ever
growing roster of unwinnable heroines. It’s a shame since she does feature
prominently in the game’s story and has good interactions with Kousuke. As indicated
above, she does have a couple ero scenes, one of them probably written based on
the premise for what her route could be. It is a shame the second one couldn’t
have been incorporated into Kusumi’s route though…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Dqj1Ao59hWNMCcxpdvcY0CakaAJZte5SjGr7eGoO6WDe2Ba_bKR9HUF76q3Oo7Ztr-USUNeNgiQFE_JvGbZtSm5GNg7R3VSWSbZchJz1Kb8M_CzRqOM61jcRU39oX6PG8THaz8D-8WhV/s1600/Shizuka.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Dqj1Ao59hWNMCcxpdvcY0CakaAJZte5SjGr7eGoO6WDe2Ba_bKR9HUF76q3Oo7Ztr-USUNeNgiQFE_JvGbZtSm5GNg7R3VSWSbZchJz1Kb8M_CzRqOM61jcRU39oX6PG8THaz8D-8WhV/s320/Shizuka.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the area of presentation, Prima Stella does
really well. The artwork is really good, the music is nice and the voice acting
is excellent. The aforementioned Maki Izumi aside, we also have great
performances from Miru, Shizuka’s VA, Tomoe’s VA Yasura Chatani who some of you
may recognize as Yoruko from Comyu or Cat Sidhe Nekoko from Yume Miru Kusuri,
and Kaoru Momozono gets to be in a good game this time thanks to her role as
Miyuki. Should also mention there’s a couple male VAs in this too and they turn
in good performances, one more than the other who manages to do an entertaining
over the top performance but considering the gravelly voice he had to do I
wonder how many throat lozenges he had to take afterwards… </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMuEz0jPNBN-zXrZ9yEgob3s3BIqX3E6slP5QSMMozVq2Z-WUbcvJ5X73Vbi5XBdQbjqRP0lGWQuBgmGq3CSTnOu5Woy03rx7Jb2BOxEMPuRDEf9COjb83taOdMkAktHLjiGiNmwifKhp/s1600/KusumiGlomp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMuEz0jPNBN-zXrZ9yEgob3s3BIqX3E6slP5QSMMozVq2Z-WUbcvJ5X73Vbi5XBdQbjqRP0lGWQuBgmGq3CSTnOu5Woy03rx7Jb2BOxEMPuRDEf9COjb83taOdMkAktHLjiGiNmwifKhp/s320/KusumiGlomp.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes, they’re all really good. Atelier Kaguya once again maintains
its quality in the H department at least as well as it does in the area of
writing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Prima </span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS ゴシック"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS ゴシック";">☆</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> Stella is an enjoyable game with its
charming cast of characters, very good performances from their VAs and good artwork.
While it does have some writing flaws, they’re not too big a subtraction from
the enjoyment factor. If you want another example of the quality you should
expect from good old Atelier Kaguya, then this is certainly worth a look.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Final Score: 7/10
Great</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Author
Recommendation: Buy it now.</span></div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-33270213833791097612015-07-14T10:04:00.000-07:002015-07-14T10:04:40.219-07:00Games for Adults: Harukoi Otome ~Greetings from the Maidens’ Gardens~<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Harukoi Otome ~Greetings
from the Maidens’ Gardens~ Review</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJbR4xf4fgiRCGgBK_mNQXYADKjPQx6hn_00mHIDq54piOOcc4qamKoJRyViCEoyMwZzxh4iPXkvYmVyjPh-2H-5ngpK6HUf6DGKeEyudM8VawA9lwJceR3z82esblZRqaTpm6x2eWFPl/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJbR4xf4fgiRCGgBK_mNQXYADKjPQx6hn_00mHIDq54piOOcc4qamKoJRyViCEoyMwZzxh4iPXkvYmVyjPh-2H-5ngpK6HUf6DGKeEyudM8VawA9lwJceR3z82esblZRqaTpm6x2eWFPl/s320/Cover.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
backburner: that ever growing pile of physical and digital media all of us
human beings have that only seems to get bigger no matter what we do to make it
smaller. Some of the items that occupy it are things we greatly anticipate
experiencing but don’t have the time to yet while others are those things we
have unfinished but dropped because better alternatives presented themselves.
For normal people abandoning the latter option is perfectly natural but for a
reviewer like myself it’s a different matter. We’ll be taking a look at an
example of that aforementioned latter category in Harukoi Otome ~Greetings from
the Maidens’ Gardens~, released in Japan by Baseson on January 27, 2006 and
localized by Mangagamer on August 9, 2013. I’ll admit this review is late,
you’ll soon see why it took me so long to get this game off my backburner to
review it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CXemF4PJA7c/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CXemF4PJA7c?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Riru and
Ayaka’s routes, characters can be interesting and funny when well written,
artwork is pretty good, very good voice acting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Yuika’s route, characters can be insufferable and lame
when badly written, weak plot elements in Umi, Kisaya, and Sonya’s routes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: Sonya’s route.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnnf_Q1KbF8T0YfmaqsGxM85KKXAgavPrVQp7eQGoL4HPYLLXgLxPRR7KR603ZwDqFcRUwKBlfS5bt72DQIbVtBJy-SVKhdZjdBwO4FUs-nNzLumJKWdD8t_yc-OR8W_AFTFRQKTglH36/s1600/Ninjas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnnf_Q1KbF8T0YfmaqsGxM85KKXAgavPrVQp7eQGoL4HPYLLXgLxPRR7KR603ZwDqFcRUwKBlfS5bt72DQIbVtBJy-SVKhdZjdBwO4FUs-nNzLumJKWdD8t_yc-OR8W_AFTFRQKTglH36/s320/Ninjas.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Harukoi
Otome has you play as Akihito Hayasaka, a sophomore attending St. Francesca
Academy, a former all-girls school that still has a noticeably higher female
student population compared to the males. Attending with him are his younger
sister Umi and childhood friend Yuika and through them Akihito meets other
girls and the potential for friendship maybe romance soon presents itself.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1QQIs8TeDjUUQHMwnTN0-YuZU6hEIcJkgeHzuRAVXoKjuQl7ujKMgMMl_f9pdougssUVgjo06TmO5XOvNTGW_05d9LIqf4Y7yonNlBtAlXn7Kozvr3TBEq72e63ExLxkNWM9yBGUmmQ3/s1600/RiruMissionStatement.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1QQIs8TeDjUUQHMwnTN0-YuZU6hEIcJkgeHzuRAVXoKjuQl7ujKMgMMl_f9pdougssUVgjo06TmO5XOvNTGW_05d9LIqf4Y7yonNlBtAlXn7Kozvr3TBEq72e63ExLxkNWM9yBGUmmQ3/s320/RiruMissionStatement.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yeah,
as cliché as this story premise sounds I still had good hopes for this game
back when it was announced for localization since I’d seen the OVA and liked
it, it was not only set in the same universe as Koihime Musou but also was from
some of the creators of said game. Sadly at the time I was not aware that some
of the creators of the aforementioned also created Harem Party, and <a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2015/06/games-for-adults-harem-party.html" target="_blank">I’ve madeit clear how felt about that particular game</a>. That isn’t to say that Harukoi Otome is THAT bad,
but it’s a mixed bag where the bad mostly cancels out the good.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrRJ4o1XdWnFhGoN30U0PRZeIk7PBjzhVo9vUrQ2XZ5WVc8nPxeVlwSDOmeZgrG9c50MTE5BAZP2rOVzsSKi-9qtOpMKtScNZGMrO8VwuNvX7paD_6FNaKcXecWZ3mvObe-5ELdmGZaJB/s1600/FiredUp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrRJ4o1XdWnFhGoN30U0PRZeIk7PBjzhVo9vUrQ2XZ5WVc8nPxeVlwSDOmeZgrG9c50MTE5BAZP2rOVzsSKi-9qtOpMKtScNZGMrO8VwuNvX7paD_6FNaKcXecWZ3mvObe-5ELdmGZaJB/s320/FiredUp.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
would be where I’d discuss story elements from the common route or ones shared
by the other routes, but to be honest the common route doesn’t really have any
stand out moments and the routes are extremely different from each other. Also
the game’s strengths and weaknesses are kind of dependent on the routes, so
with that let’s move right along to the route rankings.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Riru</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Ayaka</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Sonya</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Kisaya</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Umi</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Yuika</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNZ0LWXX5o_pvRaQv0zE9455PtdrpMFdnyR-_PzYm7bqw3gR_OXqLcT0_G-8BUk6hmJwYn2arb_PMcKwLvCzOhmUe0GKq8Ba66wYagPotfEBQnwYSD_v-pNSfIQYOqkgnQ44aAPlf0TV6/s1600/RiruGetAlong.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNZ0LWXX5o_pvRaQv0zE9455PtdrpMFdnyR-_PzYm7bqw3gR_OXqLcT0_G-8BUk6hmJwYn2arb_PMcKwLvCzOhmUe0GKq8Ba66wYagPotfEBQnwYSD_v-pNSfIQYOqkgnQ44aAPlf0TV6/s320/RiruGetAlong.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Riru’s route ranks at the top for a
number of reasons, the first of which being it’s the best put together of the
routes. There’s a solid arc to both Akihito and Riru in how their relationship
starts out as a platonic friendship that feels natural but when the time comes
for it to turn romantic it’s believable. This is helped thanks to the writing
giving them good chemistry in both stages of their relationship and good use of
the side characters who help breathe further life into the plot. A good example
being a look at Yuika’s serious side that isn’t very long but manages to be written
in well and performed excellently by the aforementioned character’s VA. This
route also has the advantage of having not only good comedy, but a transition
into drama that feels natural to the story and never goes overboard about it.
Finally, this route has one unique advantage over the others in this game: it
has an epilogue and I don’t mean just a short scene followed by an ero scene
and then that’s the end. This route has a short story to tell and two ero
scenes to offer along with them. No lie here, but I actually didn’t know about
this until I actually played the end segment last since I figured I might as
well save the end ero scene of my favorite route for last since I wanted to end
on a good note and I can say thanks to this bonus, Riru’s route is pretty much
secured as being not only the best route of this game but also its chief
redeeming factor. If I were to nitpick I’d say the closing scene is a little
too long, but other than that this route is fine.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYJHjeZKCNC711eWsRfrEQHhyphenhyphenpg2vEDQ33uY54MB8Ti5k08Fw_iZbqE_2x6ormZIuYnm6o9gyRbS1IwISCOp2Jiz17SVMy1cvcFSqrhX_c8nTfVL3OjxA76iEFxm3hX4ShWrA8OjAcrkV/s1600/Ayaka5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYJHjeZKCNC711eWsRfrEQHhyphenhyphenpg2vEDQ33uY54MB8Ti5k08Fw_iZbqE_2x6ormZIuYnm6o9gyRbS1IwISCOp2Jiz17SVMy1cvcFSqrhX_c8nTfVL3OjxA76iEFxm3hX4ShWrA8OjAcrkV/s320/Ayaka5.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Ayaka’s route comes in at second
place as it too has a pretty good story to tell which does culminate in a
pretty good arc for our heroine that involves not just Akihito but also a
character from one of the other routes and a character we briefly see in the
common route but gets a better introduction over the course of the story
(including a pretty funny take on how looks can be deceiving). There’s also the
benefit of Ayaka and Akihito having some good scenes together from amusing
interactions to some decent serious ones. What keeps this route in second place
are a couple things: first, there’s a subplot introduced that’s concerning
Ayaka’s stepmother that’s only briefly touched upon over the course of the
story and second, while I don’t feel the dramatic part of the route is forced
in, the event that starts it is extremely obvious. I can guarantee you’ll see
it coming the moment it’s introduced. Won’t spoil it but let’s just say it’s a
trope we’ve all encountered numerous times since childhood in most forms of
media. What makes the transition into the dramatic part of the story not feel
particularly forced is because it makes sense for Ayaka’s character and there’s
even decent enough foreshadowing for it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemuGSr1zSt9fYm9Q6L5CGYPGgN_wz5HKJCn2Yi0jrxeV1q4e48tGnXWZjRLXBsIiobhdEl8mFYRaTM9s35H_-XZ5YN4LNMr-DcIdaUchwh_8t9CtQmphU_qSmgJePflIjQQNs1A8zmTTx/s1600/NattoSandwich.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemuGSr1zSt9fYm9Q6L5CGYPGgN_wz5HKJCn2Yi0jrxeV1q4e48tGnXWZjRLXBsIiobhdEl8mFYRaTM9s35H_-XZ5YN4LNMr-DcIdaUchwh_8t9CtQmphU_qSmgJePflIjQQNs1A8zmTTx/s320/NattoSandwich.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Concerning Sonya’s route…I’m not
entirely sure how to start with this one. This route starts out like your
typical cutesy romance and it does well at that with a combination of imagery
and the voice acting on Sonya’s part. Then things get weird, though admittedly
you might not notice that for a while since the middle portion of this route is
really boring as many of the scenes don’t feel like they go anywhere aside from
the ones concerning a puppet show Sonya and Akihito put together and even that
isn’t all that interesting since we don’t see the show when it’s made, just
told about it. The reason you wouldn’t notice is because the weirdness concerns
the dialogue, which is basically a strange disconnect between all the
characters when they’re talking to each other, like they’re talking to each
other, but each character is in another dimension. This doesn’t go well with
this slow part of the story as it creates a sense that you’re reading gibberish
and you’re either bored or annoyed and just want to get this route over with.
Fortunately things improve at the point where Akihito and Sonya start their
relationship, first by dealing with the foreshadowed dramatic part quickly and
then things get noticeably strange when logic essentially departs the story.
From there the story events and character actions just start happening with
very little (if any) explanation, but things are kept from being boring thanks
in large part to more interaction with the character Mai, played by Hokuto
Minami who matches this routes weirdness by hamming it up with her performance.
All in all while this route has its flaws and is one of the oddest I’ve read in
a while there’s enough appeal that I can say it’s something that needs to be
seen to be believed.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6E6p7fBRjvVIpz79Ptm9uoVKwAvdXsoKDfYHuDtc1Vv_4xlEyXkMY0DA9xi9gCYu3MrIUX8rjrlYaRmlE0sy_osgyoCLdjv23nS9wM4aFt4kIO1CWRnEoJGlyZPK4aS0ILcpF0oy_9hC4/s1600/Mai.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6E6p7fBRjvVIpz79Ptm9uoVKwAvdXsoKDfYHuDtc1Vv_4xlEyXkMY0DA9xi9gCYu3MrIUX8rjrlYaRmlE0sy_osgyoCLdjv23nS9wM4aFt4kIO1CWRnEoJGlyZPK4aS0ILcpF0oy_9hC4/s320/Mai.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimQ4dfJ4JgrNV1Oz_UjLFJ5JRBDpKwUGDHt-3vyOzTIP3SL5BnQuN0ngvg6ElMj8LHi2OLeHQl1FU89OyrO352hOe3X5PYZlJ6b_el2_fBOcugc_edUrPJVrbY6liMrUXe9muYA7pApwM/s1600/Kisaya4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimQ4dfJ4JgrNV1Oz_UjLFJ5JRBDpKwUGDHt-3vyOzTIP3SL5BnQuN0ngvg6ElMj8LHi2OLeHQl1FU89OyrO352hOe3X5PYZlJ6b_el2_fBOcugc_edUrPJVrbY6liMrUXe9muYA7pApwM/s320/Kisaya4.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Moving on to Kisaya’s route, I
regret to say that this is where we get to the bad stuff and it’s a long way
down from here. The thing with Kisaya’s route is that it doesn’t start out bad
at all as she and Akihito have some good scenes, especially the ones dealing
with him rediscovering a love for kendo that he had during childhood which ties
well with his growing relationship with Kisaya. Honestly this route would have
been fine as a pure slice of life route about kendo, but sadly this is where we
come to the main element that separates the good routes in this game from the
bad: forced drama. In this case that drama centers around <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ShooOutTheNewGuy?from=Main.ThePoochie" target="_blank">bringing in acompletely new character who only exists in this route</a> and this character is so
cliché and one note calling him one dimensional seems generous. About the best
thing about that part of the story is it’s brought to a close by an okay action
scene, but that’s kind of offset by an epilogue that seems pretty contrary to
the events of the route. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQzZDcL0DQ8ynwTkWefbb7U69RBTneNdfF75OdRgJwBA8NINxjBxwNjRUBdPMcZjwFwJoqibx0NSTjzTctjk64SBjO6NtLuBLmpFZqu7FAg-czx9lrl7_zhSlotWIA8FdWL8cU0AY2Aky/s1600/EvilBread.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQzZDcL0DQ8ynwTkWefbb7U69RBTneNdfF75OdRgJwBA8NINxjBxwNjRUBdPMcZjwFwJoqibx0NSTjzTctjk64SBjO6NtLuBLmpFZqu7FAg-czx9lrl7_zhSlotWIA8FdWL8cU0AY2Aky/s320/EvilBread.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Umi’s route is in a bit of a
similar situation in that its later part is what hurts it. What ranks it below
Kisaya’s is from the beginning it’s just an okay route. Don’t get me wrong,
there are good moments like Umi’s love of horror flicks, some of Akihito’s
antics are at least chuckle worthy and you can tell that the writer was doing
his/her best to sell this pairing. The thing that keeps this route’s good points
from standing out more is the fact that the story doesn’t really do anything to
distinguish this from any other “imouto heroine” route story, which I admit is
partially because HO is a bit on the old side compared to most of what’s been
released in English but even then there’s nothing to really grab your attention
with this portion of the story. As for the later bad parts, there are two main
problems on the writing front. First the drama kind of trips over itself in
that a good part of it depends on the idea that people would disapprove of Umi
and Akihito’s relationship but we never see this come about at all. I suppose
you could argue this is more about the two coming to terms with their
relationship and this is just a psychological issue for them, but if that’s the
case then it should have been better conveyed. The second problem has to do
with how Akihito is written during this portion of the story but that’s
something that bears discussing in the next route because as bad as it is in
this case, the worst is still to come.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCKYDIASNhZV-YWokxdOJIwkWOkzDg4yZf2QCRbnQKfpLS3IRnihGqD1TTO-vc65Ohk68tuDbI4Nd2IJJY7t_QLj4XAv2Q5OvBsl3l5s4uhQqb4fjcfImJJPKB928pqJxswBUEOfah69v/s1600/UmiKO.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCKYDIASNhZV-YWokxdOJIwkWOkzDg4yZf2QCRbnQKfpLS3IRnihGqD1TTO-vc65Ohk68tuDbI4Nd2IJJY7t_QLj4XAv2Q5OvBsl3l5s4uhQqb4fjcfImJJPKB928pqJxswBUEOfah69v/s320/UmiKO.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Finally we’ve come to Yuika’s route
and boy do we hit bottom here Icarus-style. No point in mincing words, this is
one of the worst routes I’ve ever played and the chief reason it took me so
long to beat this game. It has been a long time since I’ve played a route that
enraged me as much as this and over the course of at least 90% of the story.
Now some of you may bring up Sofie’s route from Harem Party or <a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2013/06/games-for-adults-super-secret-sexy-spy.html" target="_blank">Super SecretSexy Spy</a>, but this route is much worse not only because it’s longer than those
or even because this is supposed to be a story we’re supposed to take seriously
but it’s because it’s a route we unlock (by clearing Umi’s). Unlockable routes
are supposed to be special because their stories are supposed to reveal
something new and amazing compared to what we’ve played before, something that
turns<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a previously read plot element on
its head and through that gives you a new perspective on the game’s story and
characters. Unfortunately what this route has to reveal is the furthest thing
from amazing and surprisingly inconsequential to the rest of the game.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCuyzETo13EtlRwIb_CdWZiLK5_Sy4YLe8LTxwOhqt9NSJd9YoJqhlcCrW35i1GSFmMbs_cAwDzU1TTyLlTDFPxLa1rpQswXCcp9kyOpTh0UHqNZuyJYA2JJvjD0coGY640VXO5ImvW8h/s1600/OikawaPunch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCuyzETo13EtlRwIb_CdWZiLK5_Sy4YLe8LTxwOhqt9NSJd9YoJqhlcCrW35i1GSFmMbs_cAwDzU1TTyLlTDFPxLa1rpQswXCcp9kyOpTh0UHqNZuyJYA2JJvjD0coGY640VXO5ImvW8h/s320/OikawaPunch.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
One of the best examples of this
can be seen in the role they give comic relief side character Oikawa in this
route. I won’t spoil what it is, but it’s a role that doesn’t match with him.
First of all it’s too big a role for him when compared to his role throughout
the other parts of the game, second it makes very little sense considering this
isn’t hinted at anywhere else in the game (almost to the point I thought the
whole plotline was a ruse), and third it’s kind of out of character too,
especially since a major part of the role falls into the trope of “best friend
lends a hand by being a total douche”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This actually leads us into one of the main problems of this route: no
major character in this story comes out of it a likable character. And speaking
of which…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSYyUYtaJBUQIS9pf-6-ybAw8KzqmpmMui7Uk5Wqt5QHiZafPSwarKj9WC0NMbHpdJNANEN9ESaYxu8VH3pbyB-L6z7zWdgCBYv2ZLFGmvO_-rSLbx51wcLOHkyICe5ULe8liGr9nzII8/s1600/Shock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSYyUYtaJBUQIS9pf-6-ybAw8KzqmpmMui7Uk5Wqt5QHiZafPSwarKj9WC0NMbHpdJNANEN9ESaYxu8VH3pbyB-L6z7zWdgCBYv2ZLFGmvO_-rSLbx51wcLOHkyICe5ULe8liGr9nzII8/s320/Shock.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
We now get to Akihito’s role in
this story, the amplified version of what was a problem in Umi’s route: the
incessant whining. The moment things take a dramatic turn Akihito lapses into a
seemingly endless stream of self-pity, even when the drama concerns Umi or
Yuika. I understand in stories there needs to be a low point that the hero hits
that he needs to overcome, but not in a way that makes the character seem
irredeemably weak and selfish like this does. Akihito’s constant bitching and
moaning about how pathetic he is when confronted with a problem related to
Yuika or Umi makes it seem like he’s more concerned about himself than his
intended love interest. In defense of Umi’s route I can say that it thankfully
doesn’t last very long in that case, but in Yuika’s route it’s there for the
majority of the story. I’d say this makes the romance between the two hard to
believe, but believe it or not this isn’t the main cause, which brings us to
the heroine of this story.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAlsZJ6TtwC7X90cWnov6zzZIvElaJ-iQbwyZWiXxqiEeYgLQCVXz4mCnWN1q-8fZvDWi52VDE5slVmb2WSxhqsOQT454N4l1zYqABV3gc7SluLabJQ6De02jXOes25PpZgv2A1_3cIcK/s1600/Chopping.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAlsZJ6TtwC7X90cWnov6zzZIvElaJ-iQbwyZWiXxqiEeYgLQCVXz4mCnWN1q-8fZvDWi52VDE5slVmb2WSxhqsOQT454N4l1zYqABV3gc7SluLabJQ6De02jXOes25PpZgv2A1_3cIcK/s320/Chopping.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
While the main reason Yuika is
unlikable as a character in this route is how emotionally distant she is,
that’s really only part of the problem with her in the writing department and
while one could argue that’s the point as it’s her main character flaw the
overall problem negates that argument. The problem is that even though this is
supposed to be her route, Yuika herself is barely involved in it. Since we see
things entirely from Akihito’s POV, Yuika’s screen time is dependent on how much
they interact, which is very little. I’m almost tempted to say she has more
screen time in Riru’s route than she does in her own route but that would
require replaying this route for comparison, but I can say that put all the
other routes’ scenes with her together and not only would Yuika have more
screen time but more interactions between her and Akhito, many of them giving
her more character, than in this entire route. A romantic pair kind of needs to
talk to each other for the readers to buy the romance and even more so we can
experience the trials and drama they deal with in the story. As a result we’re
pretty much just “told” the plot instead of “shown”. We’re told how we’re
supposed to care about these characters even though none of them have acted in
way at all likable in this story, we’re told about Yuika’s problem and at the
end we’re told about how she resolves it herself just so we can get a happy
ending. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
If anyone were to ask me if I had
anything positive to say about Yuika’s route the only answer I could give would
that it introduced me to a new emotional cycle. That if you hate something
enough, such as the main characters of this route, all that anger and
frustration will eventually burn itself down to a weary sort of neutrality
known as apathy. By the time this route reached what was supposed to be its
emotional climax I was surprised at how little I cared. I wasn’t even rooting
against the characters at that point; the story could have had a zombie
apocalypse occur with them all dying horribly and it wouldn’t have brought me
any joy. That was certainly an experience, though one I hope to never
experience playing a game ever again (though with my luck…).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQg7DISz3NEQB8hE1SvKnDR5y3mZIRcOCLH0jR-MDIb_Jpi61xrV3lOUmbBGUG9u1V-UlAxXutHgkFqiGWj8s-xqsJVqrImTojfSI7MVTzWdc4d6UHgPUHetXIK7OJr1k_Z0HDrZL9uTJ/s1600/harukoistudy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQg7DISz3NEQB8hE1SvKnDR5y3mZIRcOCLH0jR-MDIb_Jpi61xrV3lOUmbBGUG9u1V-UlAxXutHgkFqiGWj8s-xqsJVqrImTojfSI7MVTzWdc4d6UHgPUHetXIK7OJr1k_Z0HDrZL9uTJ/s320/harukoistudy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
In the area of presentation Harukoi
Otome does alright. The artwork is pretty good though at times some of the
character portraits for some of the characters like Kisaya lack some polish.
The music is okay but forgettable, but the best part of the sound department
and the presentation overall is the voice acting. This game features some very talented
VAs and having already mentioned Hokuto Minami, others you’d recognize include
Riru’s actress: Yukari Aoyama who many of you recognize as Kazuko/Wanko from
the Majikoi games or Yuika’s: Ran Touno who you’ll probably recognize as Yukie
from the Majikoi games, Tonya from Ayakashibito and Kaede from the Shuffle!
series. A shame the latter’s character had such a crappy route…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbqDT7XJOhqPeO3lPLhIaKukE1wZ1-ED8qnMLF_WfWZ3A83oJcuLKfGZh5xIG0ddBuWajUMSz_dI_ZYz44J0BIF858HRpr-eQRCh0jplfdLETL97BYAKR6ShBYsihJnP62lHe2LfFBEh5/s1600/jPuBAdl.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbqDT7XJOhqPeO3lPLhIaKukE1wZ1-ED8qnMLF_WfWZ3A83oJcuLKfGZh5xIG0ddBuWajUMSz_dI_ZYz44J0BIF858HRpr-eQRCh0jplfdLETL97BYAKR6ShBYsihJnP62lHe2LfFBEh5/s320/jPuBAdl.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
As for the ero scenes, they’re
okay. Admittedly the better ones are the post credits scenes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Harukoi
Otome is probably one of the best examples of the term “mixed bag” that I have
encountered in a while. Of the six routes we have two good ones, a flawed strange
one that’s still worth a look, two routes that are second rate at best due to
weak story elements and a one that is absolutely awful. There’s enough good
that I can’t completely write this game off as terrible, but at the same time
the bad stuff is such I can’t give this much of a recommendation, especially at
the current price of about fifty dollars. I advise waiting for a sale or price
drop, and for that to compensate for what some may think is my having mercy on
this game I’ll be creating a new recommendation not from the days of Blistered
Thumbs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 6/10 Above Average</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Wait For a Sale.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAXT1MxKdazzuk2Ge9G1hj-dXod9wn8Bi3mommtlhC3JWKYH6xeFvWTcQArE7-6eBcljbqwLPoQCwFtaj4_58RWLHqaQHQlAemDsFFJgGIB_edokraj1_EsjdKsvDmhBTeHxUmIF2ENeD/s1600/HarukoiOtome16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAXT1MxKdazzuk2Ge9G1hj-dXod9wn8Bi3mommtlhC3JWKYH6xeFvWTcQArE7-6eBcljbqwLPoQCwFtaj4_58RWLHqaQHQlAemDsFFJgGIB_edokraj1_EsjdKsvDmhBTeHxUmIF2ENeD/s320/HarukoiOtome16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the anime, I like it even though I know it’s an okay adaptation at best. It’s
basically an adaptation of Umi’s route with bits of Yuika’s and Riru’s mixed
in. I admit some of the stuff in there is weird like Kisaya’s role being pretty
out of character compared to her game portrayal and this one scene in the
second episode where I think some of the creators may have indulged in some
recreational drugs while writing it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
speaking of clearing backburners, there’s another game I’m close to finally
finishing involving an all girls’ school where the MC ends up transferring
there after helping someone in need. Won’t spoil what it is but I can at least
say it’s been a better experience than the game I just reviewed…</div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-32090854010822042792015-07-09T16:23:00.000-07:002015-07-09T16:23:22.580-07:00Import Games for Adults: Gakuen de Jikan yo Tomare<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Gakuen de Jikan yo
Tomare Review</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1eV2RT1285kDazqom_jCJGkdgRt7x1YGuNJW63Pxg_ERK9rDW8rBvma0dbuH9kCj92IdpzItRQglDzm4n2z5cLe3BJXCVdUxOXpYqxsiTvI2NLDcC_c5K1gq3Ox1lB9CdPDExwBv-lGj/s1600/CoverSub.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1eV2RT1285kDazqom_jCJGkdgRt7x1YGuNJW63Pxg_ERK9rDW8rBvma0dbuH9kCj92IdpzItRQglDzm4n2z5cLe3BJXCVdUxOXpYqxsiTvI2NLDcC_c5K1gq3Ox1lB9CdPDExwBv-lGj/s320/CoverSub.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Having
covered a good dark nukige, let’s take a look at one that’s not only bad but
very disappointing as well. Today we’ll be looking at one of Waffle’s more
recent releases, Gakuen de Jikan yo Tomare, released in Japan on March 11,
2014. Having finished some good dark nukige recently and since this both looked
and sounded good plus was from Waffle, one of my favorite nukige producers, I
figured this would beat least a nice little distraction. I was wrong...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Good artwork, very good voice acting, good music.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Time stop gimmick is way overused, bad writing even
for a dark nukige, lazy approach to ero scenes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can say one
thing that prevents this game from being a 1/10 is this strangely funny scene
of our MC using his time stop gadget to steal food.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWGMgpDZePgl0jnahmW4w_yPy5MLmLzbsLW9WvhB7rkt1DjFofF1_JzUasUj70TXnxrcqlsLTr7joPcllLnA0tECEPygPGqEQJ7XQHGCk9w0-m9o1oLTnjDyIAHLjlYsW6r-xApUX24kU/s1600/StealBread.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWGMgpDZePgl0jnahmW4w_yPy5MLmLzbsLW9WvhB7rkt1DjFofF1_JzUasUj70TXnxrcqlsLTr7joPcllLnA0tECEPygPGqEQJ7XQHGCk9w0-m9o1oLTnjDyIAHLjlYsW6r-xApUX24kU/s320/StealBread.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In this
game you play as a bitter and impoverished man who daily sits outside the
esteemed all-girls school known as Excellent Gakuen. The reason for this is the
founder of the school is a man with whom he holds a deep and long standing
grudge towards and he greatly desires to strike a blow to the man through his
two daughters attending that school. Unfortunately the state of the art
security for the school prevents this, but that changes when a mysterious
cloaked figure gives him a strange pocket watch which can be used to manipulate
time, arming him with all he needs to carry out his plan of revenge and
debauchery.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XHtUZyCvl4O321t4JP6m-Sz5w-JNfl8wnaA5sxJ8bJ9M6vSJFImJ_IO1NMamewU-Lj3Lb5O3V5V65EDnaHP5rt1GijsWDAJ7KA9iWLK8bOe1whWFocPNZjHIGQBiFc0RWeP-aQM71XDa/s1600/MysteriousFigure.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XHtUZyCvl4O321t4JP6m-Sz5w-JNfl8wnaA5sxJ8bJ9M6vSJFImJ_IO1NMamewU-Lj3Lb5O3V5V65EDnaHP5rt1GijsWDAJ7KA9iWLK8bOe1whWFocPNZjHIGQBiFc0RWeP-aQM71XDa/s320/MysteriousFigure.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
understand with this kind of genre criticizing the writing may seem unfair, but
bear in mind I’m judging this compared to others of its genre, many of which
are shorter and have obviously lower budgets. The biggest writing issues this
game has concern the ero scenes though so I’ll only be focusing on one major
aspect here. That aspect is that the heroines (click <a href="https://vndb.org/v14161/chars#chars" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles…I know I
had to in order to remember names) aren’t particularly well written into this
aside maybe from Kanako and Megumi and the only reason I’m considering that is they
have the most screen time. While dark nukige rarely have deep or well explored
characters the good ones at least give their heroines enough character writing
so the reader has some form of attachment to them. Considering most of those
games are short there isn’t really all that much that needs to be done: an
introduction to the character and some scenes here and there that reveal some
aspects of the heroine that the player can latch onto and through that in some
way appreciate her ero scenes better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
this game all except the aforementioned are given an introduction, usually
along with two other heroines and from there it’s straight to the ero scenes.
While later on in the game there is a story event that involves all of them,
it’s just a setup for the last ero scenes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMySUNEAGRf019IMgcKTzkDqK2EBpCFvKhIKX4jWzF2NauEZtAPpe5Y1GXPp4w5wvwiOqsTTf8qC2N6GuALTb1jD0xIVDegjLTVRgil22esr-wyQTNjdiZd4HKOhcG3wfhmTalo5_dP6bn/s1600/Kanako%252BHina.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMySUNEAGRf019IMgcKTzkDqK2EBpCFvKhIKX4jWzF2NauEZtAPpe5Y1GXPp4w5wvwiOqsTTf8qC2N6GuALTb1jD0xIVDegjLTVRgil22esr-wyQTNjdiZd4HKOhcG3wfhmTalo5_dP6bn/s320/Kanako%252BHina.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation GJT does everything right. The artwork is really good be
it the character artwork and CG along with the background, and there’s even
some nice little effects when the time stop watch is used and in the choice
segments the options float around a little. Concerning the sound department the
voice acting is excellent and done by some well-known VAs like Kaoru Momozono
who many of you would recognize as Haru from Comyu, Kakouton/Shunran from the
Koihimu Musou series and Emeralia from the Kyonyuu Fantasy series. The music
also bears mention since the tracks do a good job in setting the right
atmosphere for their intended scenes from several degrees of dark and menacing,
to a surprisingly strong action beat to a genuinely peaceful seeming tune. If
only this track could have been used for a better game…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkfON_xs8n0IGc_gV-aCB2nJOKRQwhzI1mBy09MI1eUGF2gqUjw9DcN4rvIR1WMKDobhCZTOYzrkFpKUEBuNYTyFqJS6Q-q-oLFXOH7Ajbg1HQMgmtb5H_IUWtyWjh16s1OOrgf3xdw9F/s1600/Music.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkfON_xs8n0IGc_gV-aCB2nJOKRQwhzI1mBy09MI1eUGF2gqUjw9DcN4rvIR1WMKDobhCZTOYzrkFpKUEBuNYTyFqJS6Q-q-oLFXOH7Ajbg1HQMgmtb5H_IUWtyWjh16s1OOrgf3xdw9F/s320/Music.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Finally
we get to the ero scenes and this is where the game fails on so many fronts and
for a nukige that is never a good thing. Even games of this genre with bad or
little to no stories can be redeemed by having good ero scenes and with good
artwork and voice acting this game would appear to be capable of at least that.
Sadly this game can’t even manage that and one of the most apparent failings
lies in how the badly game’s very premise (time stopping) is written into the
scenes. Basically the protagonist uses this (and no, you don’t control its use)
as an enhanced foreplay during which the heroine is essentially frozen in place
and unaware of the protagonist’s actions and it is used an obnoxiously numerous
amount of times. The reason this is a problem is because ero scenes, especially
good ones, need to have a flow that the viewer should be able to get into and
the time stopping’s frequent use makes that impossible. Aside from breaking any
form of immersion the frequency of the time stopping will get annoying by the
time you finish the first ero scene, it also limits the VAs performances and it
unnecessarily pads the scenes. Put all those together and soon you get ero
scenes that are just plain boring to sit through and that is never a good thing
with a nukige. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3w4VjijYNjqDfoGzSC_Nxvi8E7jC1mlTRtgcz7gon_K01OxNNnXAYTW1-u4rD2bEqES2h3PTIPmMp-GYpuaFKLLLpiZsKwwMS4QomVbiy8yPkLQGHAXkBR3QXU30rsjDaWonK6BeB5FV/s1600/OhNo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3w4VjijYNjqDfoGzSC_Nxvi8E7jC1mlTRtgcz7gon_K01OxNNnXAYTW1-u4rD2bEqES2h3PTIPmMp-GYpuaFKLLLpiZsKwwMS4QomVbiy8yPkLQGHAXkBR3QXU30rsjDaWonK6BeB5FV/s320/OhNo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now I
know what some of you may be thinking: maybe this style just isn’t for me. To
that I could grudgingly agree with, but that doesn’t excuse the second glaring
flaw that you don’t come across until after playing for a bit. That flaw would
be the shameless laziness concerning the ero scenes which the creators do their
best to conceal. Taking a look into the extras section and you’ll see that the
main heroines have six to eight scenes with the side heroines having three to
four, but what you don’t know is all but one of those scene buttons are all
part of one long ero scene, some of the heroines’ galleries even have the same
scene buttons. Basically the setup is that the heroines are each grouped
together with the characters they’re written to hang out with which gives us
three groups and subsequently three long group ero scenes. The only exception
to that is Megumi and even though she gets her own scene like the others it’s
really long and takes up all but one spot in her scene gallery. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjheBlU0m6hRfqAF-t_58ffB06lrePz4rHI4WrmTJq3YUPiMNL7g7QDgow9d41z-WTVVHMK0n8N0c3lLAmqy_R_Cr8GmwF7llVXnm1I9zFUSez7m8SMlFlISWRu_perJ3eQJZQFgKs87FAO/s1600/Choices.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjheBlU0m6hRfqAF-t_58ffB06lrePz4rHI4WrmTJq3YUPiMNL7g7QDgow9d41z-WTVVHMK0n8N0c3lLAmqy_R_Cr8GmwF7llVXnm1I9zFUSez7m8SMlFlISWRu_perJ3eQJZQFgKs87FAO/s320/Choices.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Additionally there’s an odd placement
of the extra ero scenes with very minor characters that have no effect on the
story and are unlocked depending on where you choose to have the protagonist go
at two points in the game. These choices only determine if you get a premature
ending where the protagonist just gets bored and leaves the school or the true
ending which unlocks a few more scenes and then reveals the reason behind our
protagonist’s motivations. What’s strange is during the true ending there’s
instances where you’d think one of those extra scenes would occur but instead
the game opts to skip over that and this isn’t done just once or twice but five
times, that’s right FIVE times and in a row to boot. While I’m not sure of the
circumstances of this, you’d think it would be more efficient to just keep the
plot completely linear since it practically is already and save those extra
scenes for the later point instead as otherwise those aforementioned instances just
stand out as needless filler.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Gakuen
de Jikan yo Tomare is a truly disappointing game in the fact that it has
everything it needs to be a good dark nukige. It has a talented vocal cast, a
surprisingly good soundtrack and good artwork, yet all of that is wasted thanks
to its writing that overuses its story gimmick and its approach to its ero
scenes that come off as just plain lazy and deceitful. There’s so much better
available in Waffle’s library that I’d advise skipping this and you can
probably find a better take on the time stop concept if you look a bit . </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 3/10 Terrible</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Avoid It.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqYJv1ZzmgKsoOhqff2WnsGMs0XRAd-LlTov0sMftzpt4Wr2Y4ethBMlTSkoFbH0xqcCsdfRr8ZGqxmA0p0gWwlEOIVEeJTeIMnl9f8RHhrC7d1hSjiT4qi_cizCed5dl6AjNkF1ZmxKx/s1600/c849070table1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqYJv1ZzmgKsoOhqff2WnsGMs0XRAd-LlTov0sMftzpt4Wr2Y4ethBMlTSkoFbH0xqcCsdfRr8ZGqxmA0p0gWwlEOIVEeJTeIMnl9f8RHhrC7d1hSjiT4qi_cizCed5dl6AjNkF1ZmxKx/s320/c849070table1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the anime, to be honest it’s actually good compared to its source material.
Why? With only twenty minutes run time per episode that means the ero scenes
have to be cut down length wise and this proves to be good example of the
saying “less is more”, especially with the time stop use reduced considerably.
About the only thing the game does better is the reveal in the true end is more
effective from a writing stand point happening at the end while in the anime it’s
flat out stated at the start, but really it’s not that big a twist. There’s currently
two episodes with at least one more on the way and quite honestly I recommend just
watching those if the game’s premise interests you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
yes, I am aware <a href="http://www.waffle1999.com/game/59kanzen/" target="_blank">a sequel to this is in the works</a>. Since I could only get one
safe for work screenshot of Katie’s engrish, this will have to do as my
reaction:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ua20Hxx8xDE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ua20Hxx8xDE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-42936672276205651372015-06-30T14:00:00.003-07:002015-06-30T14:00:46.726-07:00Games for Adults: Space Pirate Sara<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Space Pirate Sara
Review</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1HiU3fleydcNJ1OjzJzXvDVXqlZ4wrNMISApUA0woKr4-7G8T9vKaLflsI5gNMwN6UvQCAqtxHTRk4LBsrSuksywcUDp-MR2aLldj_O0bCaJHYrR9qkfsIpuXMb_CZsukV01kwOn-wcr/s1600/CoverSub.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1HiU3fleydcNJ1OjzJzXvDVXqlZ4wrNMISApUA0woKr4-7G8T9vKaLflsI5gNMwN6UvQCAqtxHTRk4LBsrSuksywcUDp-MR2aLldj_O0bCaJHYrR9qkfsIpuXMb_CZsukV01kwOn-wcr/s320/CoverSub.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
strange as it may sound to say this, even us eroge players can have guilty
pleasures in this genre. For me for the longest while it was from Black
Lilith’s games partially because at the time I couldn’t really come up with a
good sounding justification for liking the rape genre of dark eroge and I admit
during my early years with VNs I was kind of a snob about them giving more
favor to the story driven games. Fortunately I grew out of that phase and now
enjoy this company’s games with very little guilt these days so when Mangagamer
announced their partnership with Lilith Soft I was very pleased. While it
probably would be more appropriate to start with their first localized release
we’ll instead be looking at the latest of them: Space Pirate Sara, released in
Japan by Black Lilith August 24, 2007 and localized by Mangagamer December 26,
2014.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Interesting story, likable main character, good
artwork, good voice acting, nice diverse amount of ero scenes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: No sequel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: I wonder if Cecil and Karin are secretly avid D&D players…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVIac_ZNoJ7GeLZfRdY09Iw0INhux-6XMuHBUcTjHdxQOACvLclt-ZC5_8QjjH0rqzJDT3YIeOSdeCcoPgGK_yl1SLLOEQ5Oz9RuDQ4eHfkGmZXtwt9Hg_rxLk3mMdoVqQJocEWXNQZe-/s1600/TwinsD%2526DPlayers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVIac_ZNoJ7GeLZfRdY09Iw0INhux-6XMuHBUcTjHdxQOACvLclt-ZC5_8QjjH0rqzJDT3YIeOSdeCcoPgGK_yl1SLLOEQ5Oz9RuDQ4eHfkGmZXtwt9Hg_rxLk3mMdoVqQJocEWXNQZe-/s320/TwinsD%2526DPlayers.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You
play as Sara Scorpion, a renowned space pirate on the hunt for a long lost
sword of great personal value to her. Upon getting a lead on the sword’s
location after doing a job for a powerful duke, Sara discovers it in the hands
of a pair of twin aristocrat girls who own a resort planet. An attempt at
stealing the sword ends in failure and Sara is left at the mercy of these twins
with her only hope of escape and obtaining the sword lying in the instructions
she gives to her right hand man and only remaining ally Hans to work on
stealing the sword while she endures the twins’ torments. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Opo1myZ-3SY291w2bg4jum1kIW6dncejG_uRRJlfvJPa1zhu6-0HxSH_sG5CyAZonA-TWOb4sXXpvfZsONQ0_Q3CAFr6DOVN-Dwd6bbZJRuYnXwIMh0NfyPZzj2CgKPJ89EyUbPXVXIj/s1600/HeistPremise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Opo1myZ-3SY291w2bg4jum1kIW6dncejG_uRRJlfvJPa1zhu6-0HxSH_sG5CyAZonA-TWOb4sXXpvfZsONQ0_Q3CAFr6DOVN-Dwd6bbZJRuYnXwIMh0NfyPZzj2CgKPJ89EyUbPXVXIj/s320/HeistPremise.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Okay I
know how the plot sounds but that’s the thing with Black Lilith that makes it
so appealing. It brings me back to why I finally found a justification for
enjoying the rape genre: it’s basically like enjoying the exploitation flicks
of old. They’re low grade and cheap but the ones fondly remembered are the ones
that had some love and effort put into them, and Black Lilith I consider to be
the eroge equivalent of those movie makers who<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>knew what they were making was schlock cranked every aspect of that up
to eleven and just let their creations be the delightful mental junk food
they’re meant to be.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgik0o5Hl9F3g9JmcdXOYaxT5ZmTUd9kGtOAE2LERh3LRp-zyZZX1qZeO6wnKWljgydtCAFb1q2XRMfnT8RFEd_8_XiGNTZ22O2BgOkGDrjULwANEKmXjQUme521GGimV2_4ln8GBbaaOix/s1600/Twins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgik0o5Hl9F3g9JmcdXOYaxT5ZmTUd9kGtOAE2LERh3LRp-zyZZX1qZeO6wnKWljgydtCAFb1q2XRMfnT8RFEd_8_XiGNTZ22O2BgOkGDrjULwANEKmXjQUme521GGimV2_4ln8GBbaaOix/s320/Twins.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>SPS may
have a plot designed to show ero scenes, but the plot itself is an interesting
read. There’s some good action scenes in the beginning and ending and we
actually get some decent villains in Karin and Cecil as the writing does a good
job at making them intimidating. More importantly Sara herself is likable with
a decent backstory (for this kind of game anyway), she has some good
interactions with Hans (and even on occasion Sylia) which helps make their
(surprisingly platonic(only referring to Hans there) relationship so believable
and her narration helps to enhance not just the ero scenes but also the key
scenes from what we the readers come to learn about her captors as the plot
moves forward to the heist aspect of the story.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSwroWMF7Llb7yfKIOY6P8KtvCg7JESVZ5WCGz3fYD38vEDFnp7iBGIT9vmzLYkaePbcOdsKxixmgyvpfKM0az-jAshn3T5j2rWeSU0-vH9UoR1ChpfMac9fV9w0ZEq0gzWZw3qT80Voz/s1600/Puzzle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSwroWMF7Llb7yfKIOY6P8KtvCg7JESVZ5WCGz3fYD38vEDFnp7iBGIT9vmzLYkaePbcOdsKxixmgyvpfKM0az-jAshn3T5j2rWeSU0-vH9UoR1ChpfMac9fV9w0ZEq0gzWZw3qT80Voz/s320/Puzzle.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Speaking
of which one of the interesting aspects of the game is the puzzles that are
encountered in between each set of ero scenes where Sara directs Hans through
the twins’ vault. Each one is interesting in how they’re set up and you do
actually have to think a bit if you plan to solve them without the use of a
walkthrough. Of course failing leads to a bad end sooner or later but I can say
since this is a Black Lilith game they make losing worth your while too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>About
the only real flaw I can say this game has in the writing department is that
the game ends and there hasn’t been even a hint of a follow up. I won’t spoil
anything but I will say that while the good ending ends on a satisfying enough
note there’s still quite a bit you’ll wish could be further explored. This
includes a few hanging questions about the twins and the lore reveals at the
end, what’s next on Sara’s agenda, and what’s in store for Sylia? Sadly the
chances we’ll see any of these questions answered are about as likely as a film
or TV adaptation of the Thrawn trilogy.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizx3aRpv93iKWc5xSnILHK82DlUKoPW-UBlQC_3obVWo7JPw6MEh-rfym8POHPWUdk2mKRVRLaKjvhLqe9vxielyVqvy95tYaUkz7s2BIL_0Vog521qw6bmF7RPvXBm2FZJLd8bCHhVC9E/s1600/Ship.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizx3aRpv93iKWc5xSnILHK82DlUKoPW-UBlQC_3obVWo7JPw6MEh-rfym8POHPWUdk2mKRVRLaKjvhLqe9vxielyVqvy95tYaUkz7s2BIL_0Vog521qw6bmF7RPvXBm2FZJLd8bCHhVC9E/s320/Ship.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation SPS does pretty well. The artwork done by renowned
doujinshi artist Seura Isago is good both for the character portrait art and
even more so for the ero scene CG. There’s even some nicely drawn space ship CG
that really makes you wish there’d been some more space battles in the story. The
voice acting is really good the best cases being Sara’s VA: Emi Motoi, who some
of you may recognize as Chou’un/Sei from the Koihime Musou series or for fellow
veterans Maria from Private Nurse; plus the VA for both Karin and Cecil: Yuuki
Kajita who some of you may recognize as Nao from Resot Boin and its prequel (I’d
mention her role in Harem Party, but I think most of us are trying to forget
that game…). In both cases it’s tied to how well they bring their characters to
life, the former in helping make her character and the latter in how well her
voice acting helps to make the twins intimidating in certain scenes. The music
is fine but not particularly memorable.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9vfmK6mvxLRM_bSDMJ-Dcg5GhpUctvg-s3gMoz827PTqWVfLvMccDDFnBc1NSUd3S6kA5WFwZdT6dNmv_9MoluAreltyspIyIP653oXvoliJI89k63EqW4qSl75PrE-F6KGRuHQg1wC0g/s1600/ChooseHScene.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9vfmK6mvxLRM_bSDMJ-Dcg5GhpUctvg-s3gMoz827PTqWVfLvMccDDFnBc1NSUd3S6kA5WFwZdT6dNmv_9MoluAreltyspIyIP653oXvoliJI89k63EqW4qSl75PrE-F6KGRuHQg1wC0g/s320/ChooseHScene.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes they’re good in the art and voice department and have quite the
varied amount for you to see. Basically each in game day has Sara choose what
type of “training” to receive from the twins and of those three choices there’s
quite a variety there too. Since you only get three days there’s quite a bit of
replay value in that along with the scenes you’ll get with each type of bad
ending depending on which type you focus on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Space
Pirate Sara is an enjoyable little dark nukige that manages to have a decent
enough plot and characters sandwiched between all its ero content. While certainly
not the best of these cases it’s still worth looking at provided the dark genre
is your cup of tea (if not this probably isn’t going to change your mind) and
of the Black Lilith games available in English right now I can say it’s the best
of them. Plus, who knows? Maybe high sales in the west will persuade someone at
Black Lilith to make us a sequel…even if that is about as likely as Bioware
making KOTOR 3.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 7/10 Great</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Buy it Now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjciNZBZ5aC3hAQGtJGw-UtPKtYHhjw6lg9ZNqWO1VoPr8DZh-zHHKeN0r6dyFaiRAleWdG1tseJXdL5Tu31pnBUekThbBo9PaHe8CB4MNU0DzFCqsPi_42iqiAm2t90Q0Eoay19FnkpZ/s1600/anime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjciNZBZ5aC3hAQGtJGw-UtPKtYHhjw6lg9ZNqWO1VoPr8DZh-zHHKeN0r6dyFaiRAleWdG1tseJXdL5Tu31pnBUekThbBo9PaHe8CB4MNU0DzFCqsPi_42iqiAm2t90Q0Eoay19FnkpZ/s320/anime.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the anime, it’s a decent adaptation even if the art style is jarringly
different from the games. The action scenes it shows are pretty good and there
even some scenes unique to the OVA. Strangely there’s an alternate/extra ending
which I think was designed to give a bit more closure to the stuff concerning
the twins but it’s a little too short to have much value as a possible addition
to canon (or H content). I recommend playing the game first.</div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-89550290964873949452015-06-13T11:04:00.000-07:002015-06-13T11:04:14.490-07:00Games for Adults: NO, THANK YOU!!!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
NO, THANK YOU!!!
Review</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjslZcbQk2ZQSy53I_CjCkcauHtOgaA2YNzPFHT9Ur6HWxFk36nIeSM09RcRzt4lBTa8dxTnLiDwypsBclQK9nnH6Q8yoMoPdPpVnIjmNxPGPIxmAJOzNFDKOIjaKRCIzMuYQ9_aF7XbA/s1600/Cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjslZcbQk2ZQSy53I_CjCkcauHtOgaA2YNzPFHT9Ur6HWxFk36nIeSM09RcRzt4lBTa8dxTnLiDwypsBclQK9nnH6Q8yoMoPdPpVnIjmNxPGPIxmAJOzNFDKOIjaKRCIzMuYQ9_aF7XbA/s320/Cover.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
there’s one genre in the area of anime/manga and games I have limited
experience with it’s the yaoi genre. Oh I’ve seen plenty of anime/manga geared
towards girls with a 99% male cast that certainly have developed their shipping
fanbases, but very few gave much if any evidence of the relationship of the
characters being any more than platonic and as a result the yaoi anime and
manga I’ve experienced I can count on one hand’s worth of fingers. In gaming my
only experiences were Bioware games (ahh, Zevran…) and the rare occasion in
eroge where the hero dabbles in bisexuality with a rather effeminate minor male
character. Yes, there were a couple yaoi eroge released in English but none of
them really appealed to me; I basically wanted my first pure yaoi game to be
something special. Fortunately that would arrive on February 27, 2015 when
Mangagamer released NO, THANK YOU!!!, originally released in Japan by parade on
August 29, 2014. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6zuCsDkBPrc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6zuCsDkBPrc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Good story, main characters are interesting, excellent
artwork, good music, great voice acting, interesting system idea.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Getting 100% completion, some ero scenes interrupt the
flow of the story, Yamato and Tatsuya are unwinnable, you’re left wanting more
at the end.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: Hiroyuki’s shirt…where can I get one?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zccakDLlv9i-uFAVx69xDNUYZ_Sg-3IiDxMO_DhUnOwmUJyubkEgt-VkD5wSV-AT0ZlDlAuq0KREcNmYksY41_6sF_UDBdYQB6xHELEuAzb3NzOnrtze8m3t6vUc7N2pr4QpfTssIUMv/s1600/HiroyukiShirt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zccakDLlv9i-uFAVx69xDNUYZ_Sg-3IiDxMO_DhUnOwmUJyubkEgt-VkD5wSV-AT0ZlDlAuq0KREcNmYksY41_6sF_UDBdYQB6xHELEuAzb3NzOnrtze8m3t6vUc7N2pr4QpfTssIUMv/s320/HiroyukiShirt.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On a
warm summer day our protagonist saves a man about to be hit by an out of
control car only to get struck by the car instead and upon awakening finds
himself with amnesia. The man he saved, sympathetic at his savior’s plight,
offers him a job at the bar he owns and a place to live. The bar staff give him
the name Haru and as he works there he learns that the bar is actually a front
for a private detective agency in which the owner and staff take cases the
police and other agencies won’t. As time goes on Haru starts to become an
important part of this agency, but the question of Haru’s identity and
forgotten memories remain…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
there’s one word that best fits the story of NO, THANK YOU!!! it’s “surprise”.
Well…I suppose there’s an exception in that it’s no surprise that the story is
good, but on the other hand it’s surprising how much better it is than you’d
expect. From what you’d see in the beginning (and the demo) you’d expect this
game to be a simple sex comedy with slightly more serious stories from the Haru
and co. take in between all that. The thing is NTY’s story goes in a direction
much different from those expectations and while I won’t spoil anything I will
say that one of the best things about the story is how it’s able to pull off
this change without it seeming unnatural in comparison to the initial tone.
This is accomplished not just through good story writing but also good
character writing as each character’s reaction to when things go from light
hearted to more serious situations come off as believable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Concerning
the characters, NTY has a sizable cast (click <a href="https://vndb.org/v8701/chars#chars" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles) and all the major characters are given
the right amount of writing to make them memorable. It’s actually really
interesting to see how a side character’s role might change from route to route
and often times it reveals (or strongly hints) something about one of the main
characters. Speaking of which, you can expect a well-rounded main cast as each
winnable hero has the right character elements to back up the stories for their
respective routes. Before we get to route rankings though, our main character
Haru must be addressed as he is without a doubt the most memorable of the cast
(a veritable leap up from <a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2015/06/games-for-adults-harem-party.html" target="_blank">the last MC with that name</a>). To put it simply as a
character he owns the show with a very charming personality that draws you in
and soon gets you invested in the many paths he takes in this game. Part of
this comes from his viewpoints which range from being light hearted and
perverted to very down to earth but at times strangely innocent, and this helps
to make his interactions with the heroes even more interesting . <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other part comes from a combination of
good writing and excellent voice acting that brings out the multifaceted nature
of Haru that make his taking very different action in each route still seem in
character for him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Moving
on to the routes, my ranking is as follows:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Ryu</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Hiroyuki</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Kouichi</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Maki</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxty-MwqJBjTdYzeZSckq7sJizpOOWMsSAfdzwvG7NXK7YNahhPA1VpTfDX7U2K2ghKY6mJm10MIr2UYQ4_Osy8Yua2PeQ4eKWrZqgHD1UqQq2D2uVLfEW-pmlZ_-ym1jHa8lcd639ARGp/s1600/RyuRoundhouseKick.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxty-MwqJBjTdYzeZSckq7sJizpOOWMsSAfdzwvG7NXK7YNahhPA1VpTfDX7U2K2ghKY6mJm10MIr2UYQ4_Osy8Yua2PeQ4eKWrZqgHD1UqQq2D2uVLfEW-pmlZ_-ym1jHa8lcd639ARGp/s320/RyuRoundhouseKick.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ryu’s route I like best for a few
reasons. First this is as close to a true end route as you can get and it’s done
the right way for me. This route is enhanced by the story and character
information you get from the other three routes yet it doesn’t in any way
invalidate the others, instead letting them stand as they are. Second the story
for this route is arguably the best, having a good underlying mystery
concerning Ryu that ends up tying in well with the main plot. Also some sub
characters are given better plot resolutions than in the other routes. Third,
Ryu and Haru have really good character chemistry of two opposites bouncing off
each other (especially via roundhouse kicks) that while often times funny also make for good character building
which gets you invested in the pair’s ultimate fate at the end.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv0xoYejNohvwrCHIwBdgqhMkcLYrmHa33M1kjwbglKTBLtkTw4N7CTE6ghClyDu6xGjTBUjAtdGQHVIPG5QhKGWYB_TQHkT6FrGKsuMyAAb4YD_Uzf5fbU__a-W8-gQ6YIOO-rqFtKUC/s1600/HiroshiHaru.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv0xoYejNohvwrCHIwBdgqhMkcLYrmHa33M1kjwbglKTBLtkTw4N7CTE6ghClyDu6xGjTBUjAtdGQHVIPG5QhKGWYB_TQHkT6FrGKsuMyAAb4YD_Uzf5fbU__a-W8-gQ6YIOO-rqFtKUC/s320/HiroshiHaru.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Hiroyuki’s
route comes in at close second because not only is his route a really good
introductory route for the game, but the story is really good too. The writing
does a good job in tying Hiroyuki’s backstory into many events of the game and
you get really invested in a subplot concerning his friend Yamato late in the
game. Also out of all the heroes I’d say Haru and Hiroyuki have the best
traditional romantic chemistry from Haru’s teasing of him which comes off as
genuinely funny and even cute at times to when we see how ultimately different
the two are personality wise becoming apparent as the story goes on and how it
affects Haru personally. The only thing that keeps this route from tying with
Ryu’s is there are some plot elements in this route that are approached and
resolved differently in Ryu’s and in that case they’re obviously supposed to be
the better resolution.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNkwn7zKojJZRaJQaJM6gbNl-O7XxRXigOXbSLpMo-nDubDVT1d29RigrFunFW7Djjv7NZHj7CSzPY1hPHRcfYdv-5GujXmHhUlBDvK9hpBYF6Gh_odlNpHyuETFxXaN9NexjfnTirApf/s1600/KouichiHaru2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNkwn7zKojJZRaJQaJM6gbNl-O7XxRXigOXbSLpMo-nDubDVT1d29RigrFunFW7Djjv7NZHj7CSzPY1hPHRcfYdv-5GujXmHhUlBDvK9hpBYF6Gh_odlNpHyuETFxXaN9NexjfnTirApf/s320/KouichiHaru2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Kouichi’s
route is an interesting one as it provides some backstory related info
concerning the main plot and Haru. There’s also a nice pace to the plot and
some very funny scenes in terms of what ideas Haru comes up with in the ero
scenes. Still the most stand out part of the route happens at the end where we
get a twist and from there things take a turn that in the hands of a less
skilled writer would come off as a cheap shock value move but it’s pulled off
thanks to good writing and the performance by Haru’s VA. I won’t spoil it but I
will say that at least your eyes will probably widen when it happens. The only
thing that keeps this route in third place is its focus is more on story
building than relationship building and the ending feels a little too open.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qJIARkspBMCOgyhne9e5veCD2xvUVsn3o8KyOmKfr_VhNOC4YOsTR8KNAvmbv9tE_w-4mMUqKu4Jep3WIlGgkjACJHGYpEr7j9vyzXWeiv01oeTwRjnkPokh-JjVl1dP_m_MbRE36mkJ/s1600/MakiHaru.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qJIARkspBMCOgyhne9e5veCD2xvUVsn3o8KyOmKfr_VhNOC4YOsTR8KNAvmbv9tE_w-4mMUqKu4Jep3WIlGgkjACJHGYpEr7j9vyzXWeiv01oeTwRjnkPokh-JjVl1dP_m_MbRE36mkJ/s320/MakiHaru.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Maki’s
route while at the bottom of the list is still a good one. Maki’s backstory is
interesting once the story starts to reveal it and there’s a very nice payoff
in the later parts of the route. This is first seen in the culmination of the
clash of Haru and Maki’s personalities where we see the former finally voice
his frustration at Maki after a certain story event and the voice acting does
carry the right emotional weight for the scene. The second is a series of some
very thrilling sequences involving the pair that make for a very satisfying
resolution of a couple plot points. The main problem that this route has is
it’s really slow. I get why that may be since that approach does match with
Maki’s character, but the pacing is off putting all the same. Also for a minor
nitpick the ending, while good, kind of leaves you wishing you could see more
of Haru and Maki now that they reach a better understanding of one another
after the route’s events.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before
I move on I should give a mention to the bad endings. If you ask me they’re
very much worth viewing as they can provide some character insight concerning
Haru a couple even have some good story elements, those two occurring in Ryu
and Hiroyuki’s routes respectively as they have the right feeling of tragedy at
the end that feels like a believable “what if?” scenario that leads to a
bittersweet closure for Haru.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Concerning
flaws NTY has in the story department, there’s a few, but first let’s get the
nitpicks out of the way. First there’s the inevitable “unwinnable” complaint
which in this case falls to Hiroyuki’s friend Yamato and his boss Tatsuya as
they’re both interesting characters and Haru does express some attraction to
the latter character. I admit it would be a bit challenging considering how the
story goes for these two, but it could’ve been interesting. The second nitpick
is the endings for all four routes end on a bit of an open note, resolving all
the necessary plot points, but you can’t help but you can’t but want more
afterwards especially concerning Haru. I file this under nitpicks mainly
because I understand a sequel would be difficult and could very well contradict
a major theme of the game’s story. One can dream though, and this is at the
moment is parade’s only release and it only came out in Japan last year so
maybe…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Anyway,
onto real flaws, the first major one would be getting 100% completion is
unbelievably tedious. While it does give incentive to check out the bad ends
plus POVs from some of the characters that are unlocked upon route completion,
you also have to go through the game again after completing all four routes so
the game can recognize that you have read every…<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">single</b>…<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>word</u></b>
contained within and the reward you unlock is not really worth it. The second
one is that occasionally an ero scene can interrupt the flow of the story. A good
example would be in Ryu’s route where we find out something about a character
but before we can continue on that plot point we have to see an ero scene
first. The scene itself I don’t mind, but I don’t really appreciate it being
placed where it kind of interrupts the story.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfODgHAA7lHuowUIYrSRUMov2GJGbeyK9qX2bhuravePlfbPCaZldU1tNO98jkVWxlCIjYpyWZtRmoBsVC0iLaJtSh27d5mAGd53gZxAeCTKT_nsZzf_SvE-E9sHjtOghgQ90IIOXTldr/s1600/NYTButton.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfODgHAA7lHuowUIYrSRUMov2GJGbeyK9qX2bhuravePlfbPCaZldU1tNO98jkVWxlCIjYpyWZtRmoBsVC0iLaJtSh27d5mAGd53gZxAeCTKT_nsZzf_SvE-E9sHjtOghgQ90IIOXTldr/s320/NYTButton.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Concerning
systems, while NTY is your standard VN it does have an interesting little
feature called the “NO, THANK YOU!!!” button, which shows up at certain scenes
in the game. Clicking it will have Haru take a certain action in the scene that
he would not have if you didn’t click the button. Sometimes clicking the button
is essential to avoiding a bad ending…sometimes it’s the opposite. It’s an
interesting little feature and does make for good save points if you’re going
to unlock everything. Another system related aspect is you can make adjustments to some of the ero scene CG by adjusting the heroes' body hair. Not really much to say about that other than turning one character's hair off does make a shaving scene rather funny. Also another interesting extra is along with the standard
CG<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and ero scene unlocking upon route
completion, you also unlock staff commentary that can be accessed in the extras
section and they all make for a good listen, particularly from the voice actors
and their impressions of the characters they played.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUck-3UKgRAmjL1nIAlqFRaP2P0c37YQzAu_aKzhPTqHmkSL0TiTsY3lPxpi9yOcKSSvqu31H2LuC_Uw_thh6VUI2uJIVJYe-ZuXsHOVrc48I7F6hvi95WKYKoKde3M7zOGggfpW_579jH/s1600/StaffCommentary.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUck-3UKgRAmjL1nIAlqFRaP2P0c37YQzAu_aKzhPTqHmkSL0TiTsY3lPxpi9yOcKSSvqu31H2LuC_Uw_thh6VUI2uJIVJYe-ZuXsHOVrc48I7F6hvi95WKYKoKde3M7zOGggfpW_579jH/s320/StaffCommentary.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhqtznL1oP047dMZ8WI9-m4fMoF64rUhx16Nc-TgFW8TIYKcGIrg6UjqOZvnjZSrqXMnhZeBoMSQQdihEkQHLbVyx0c0yQlVeoElGwBAu5dIjyWBHrHeK17UrTkicID3N-d8JKIEBeFHU/s1600/Party.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhqtznL1oP047dMZ8WI9-m4fMoF64rUhx16Nc-TgFW8TIYKcGIrg6UjqOZvnjZSrqXMnhZeBoMSQQdihEkQHLbVyx0c0yQlVeoElGwBAu5dIjyWBHrHeK17UrTkicID3N-d8JKIEBeFHU/s320/Party.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation NTY goes great all around. To begin with, artwork is
fantastic both for the character design and the CG. Interestingly the artwork
is done by Shigeo Hamashima, whose work some of you may recognize from another
game MG has localized <a href="http://www.mangagamer.com/detail.php?goods_type=1&product_code=4" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Eroge!~Sex and Games Make Sexy Games~</span></a><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> (review <a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2015/02/games-for-adults-eroge-sex-and-games.html" target="_blank">here</a> in case anyone’s
interested) as well as the upcoming <a href="http://www.mangagamer.com/detail.php?goods_type=1&product_code=141" target="_blank">Euphoria</a>. It’s definitely interesting to
see an artist’s approach to a different genre than we’re used to seeing and in
fact <a href="http://blog.mangagamer.org/2015/03/09/womens-history-month-shigeo-hamashima-interview/" target="_blank">earlier this year MG put up an interview where she discussed this a little</a>
so feel free to check it out. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rvS3FiUTF9KR2Gv0lX8p2OwmTnfGK3SbK1RISJdeBh-1iOw7IfhO2C1_rvUwWCfH5pUjKIdUGunNsjjuxpi8w5DAeuD4X5ia02ngssjd1bTo0Tl2IYBsukIkTDQMZHMZRDmhKCm8bg1r/s1600/RyuPiano.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rvS3FiUTF9KR2Gv0lX8p2OwmTnfGK3SbK1RISJdeBh-1iOw7IfhO2C1_rvUwWCfH5pUjKIdUGunNsjjuxpi8w5DAeuD4X5ia02ngssjd1bTo0Tl2IYBsukIkTDQMZHMZRDmhKCm8bg1r/s320/RyuPiano.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Concerning
the sound department this is NTY really shines. For starters the music is
excellent with a varied track that fits not just the mood of the scenes they
play in but also the bar centric setting. Most of the background music tunes
are piano based and are ones you could imagine being played on a bar piano and
the aforementioned instrument for this track has an added bonus of having a
thematic tie in with one particular character route. Of course there are tunes
designed for the scenes with action or suspense that aren’t really of that mold
but they’re good too. Finally the opening and ending themes are both great in
their own way with the former having an upbeat tune to get you psyched for the
coming story and the latter tying in well with the openness of the routes’
endings by having an upbeat and hopeful sound mixed in with some sadder
sounding notes to emphasize some of the bittersweet aspects of the ending.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUCQFJI5jLNZ32gLm6Ksd3EU1r6QhriVEKA0jPYoPK90JK0sBuYxhY5kxeKS7muWNQqHLZBVcSuexjIl1scFTppqVkGoZcJzBe9efwXyzCnU_OBWch68IzY_6foSsw-SVZdP0bfs_yv00/s1600/HaruNurturing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUCQFJI5jLNZ32gLm6Ksd3EU1r6QhriVEKA0jPYoPK90JK0sBuYxhY5kxeKS7muWNQqHLZBVcSuexjIl1scFTppqVkGoZcJzBe9efwXyzCnU_OBWch68IzY_6foSsw-SVZdP0bfs_yv00/s320/HaruNurturing.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lastly
there’s the voice acting and it certainly is not least of the sound aspect.
This game features full voice acting and every voice actor turns in a great
performance. The acting really does a good job in bringing the characters to
life from their personalities to how well they can convey how each character
feels in the more serious parts of the story, especially in their routes. Still
out of all the VAs the one whose performance stands out is Haru’s: Tetsuto
Furukawa who some of you may recognize from a number of Liarsoft games such as
Gil from Sekien no Inganock. Not only does he make Haru an appealing character
but he captures the multifaceted aspect of the character perfectly. Whether it
be a scene where Haru’s being playful and silly to outright angry or
threatening to nurturing, the voice acting works together harmoniously with the
writing to make it all seem in character even in scenes where this comes off as
a new side of Haru we haven’t until that point. I don’t know if there are any
awards given out in the eroge or VN side of gaming but if there are I really
hope Furukawa-san earned one.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OQhTyZM2Qb1RqyObF9cQQAvOEb_RqqOJP-y3JFU6Y5FGPuI48XnAnRchTekIPJ-UYrzvWgxJA8MqvkRTIaNv4HxhwPcI37DhLTV5JIIplWzFc1vlarEo3c1FIWMSeCqBqVzQg5iVfBUm/s1600/Choices.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OQhTyZM2Qb1RqyObF9cQQAvOEb_RqqOJP-y3JFU6Y5FGPuI48XnAnRchTekIPJ-UYrzvWgxJA8MqvkRTIaNv4HxhwPcI37DhLTV5JIIplWzFc1vlarEo3c1FIWMSeCqBqVzQg5iVfBUm/s320/Choices.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes, they’re good…as far as I can tell. I’ll admit as a matter of
personal preferences only some of the ero scenes, well… “reacted” with me. I can
however say I can see the appeal and appreciate the work that went into making
them. Some of the scenes have a very funny setup and a few even have an
emotional appeal to them (though one in particular won’t be in the way you
might expect from that description). I’ll also point out there’s a good number
of them so this isn’t quite the game where you can skip through the ero scenes
and focus on the story. All in all I’d say these should appeal to you if you’re
into yaoi.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>NO,
THANK YOU!!! is a very good read as eroge go with its appealing characters,
interesting story and enjoyable soundtrack and voice acting…provided you don’t
mind the yaoi aspect. The game does have some flaws but even the most apparent
ones are pretty easy to get around. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who
likes yaoi or is willing to try something different in the eroge world. If you’re
absolutely sure yaoi isn’t your thing then this is a game you’ll probably have
to quote its title to.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 8/10 Awesome</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Buy it now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Should point out that recently Mangagamer announced hard
copies for the game which you can order <a href="http://www.mangagamer.com/detail.php?goods_type=3&product_code=227" target="_blank">here</a>. Though if you'd rather save money <a href="http://www.mangagamer.com/detail.php?goods_type=1&product_code=131" target="_blank">the digital version</a> is cheaper.</div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-36283656244834860072015-06-10T10:26:00.000-07:002015-06-10T10:36:14.059-07:00Games for Adults: Harem Party<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Harem Party Review</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1e_-Zgzj7j-pC0IFZd5p501kKzmu08lCsVRRgFYnFyupSdikqitlQ3fYWtPb47Fhcl6d6oiFYdYO2K_vB1uD0vI0mBD7IK9RV38zjpCCo7UNv7NL4oO50JT2a-PORTwRSc0GiHGmC7OT/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1e_-Zgzj7j-pC0IFZd5p501kKzmu08lCsVRRgFYnFyupSdikqitlQ3fYWtPb47Fhcl6d6oiFYdYO2K_vB1uD0vI0mBD7IK9RV38zjpCCo7UNv7NL4oO50JT2a-PORTwRSc0GiHGmC7OT/s320/cover.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If you
were to ask me what my favorite literary genre is I would immediately answer
fantasy. Give me a world full of magic, dragons, elves and a cast of characters
who I can get invested in and I’m happy. When it comes to eroge I’ve developed
a fondness for games that are willing to go with the harem route and still be
able to tell a good character focused story. The game we are looking at today,
Harem Party, released in Japan on November 17, 2006 by Tactics and localized by
Mangagamer on November 25, 2011 is certainly of the fantasy genre and true to
the name it does go the harem route…but it is sadly not a good example for
either.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Decent artwork, mostly good voice acting, a few jokes
are funny.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Sofie, writing that ranges from forgettable at best
to curse spewing rage inducing at worst, forgettable music.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: I’d say we’re in agreement here, Haru.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkFIZG9WGv50V9Vf_fCMkGypILrBLDzLaZZufQCHTXkjkqj_oGtsaDDkbUVl22P0Yw3IjejyJH4CqfBz8_hyphenhyphenqzxTDTkbeItPgz2mUghhZiuP_2T2lGVszzI4ROx_rvMC4ClAV0NUOkrhN/s1600/WTH.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkFIZG9WGv50V9Vf_fCMkGypILrBLDzLaZZufQCHTXkjkqj_oGtsaDDkbUVl22P0Yw3IjejyJH4CqfBz8_hyphenhyphenqzxTDTkbeItPgz2mUghhZiuP_2T2lGVszzI4ROx_rvMC4ClAV0NUOkrhN/s320/WTH.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’d
give my own plot summary but quite honestly this game is not worth the mental
energy so here’s <a href="http://www.mangagamer.com/detail.php?goods_type=1&product_code=42" target="_blank">Mangagamer’s</a>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">“The protagonist
of our story, Moriuji Haru, is just about to complete an unnamed RPG, but just
as the final boss is in his death throes, the game's heroines appear in his
room!<br />
They say they have escaped the game world and come to the real world in pursuit
of the Demon Lord himself.<br />
Haru is understandably shocked by this sudden, unbelievable turn of events, but
the girls are overjoyed that they can finally meet the 'Hero of Legend' who is
so famous in their world.<br />
When the girls reveal that they can't remain in the real world without having
sex with him, Haru succumbs to their pleas, and so begins the story as he tries
to help in the search for the Demon Lord while educating the ignorant game
girls in the ways of lovemaking...”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Bm4yMoC15pfsc-TlTESBCCHvSGPGnmlrOeQBWGuVYRFVxW07ZfUm4eKMTTo39YAekDSPaKfd3yt8MYVhUTPryRoKW9APfi58m8CoGLd0xMI3nNLzjT9d3mkkDqQtc9OVZxi2q6RPHPCj/s1600/all_001a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Bm4yMoC15pfsc-TlTESBCCHvSGPGnmlrOeQBWGuVYRFVxW07ZfUm4eKMTTo39YAekDSPaKfd3yt8MYVhUTPryRoKW9APfi58m8CoGLd0xMI3nNLzjT9d3mkkDqQtc9OVZxi2q6RPHPCj/s320/all_001a.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As ridiculous as that sounds I
was willing to give this game a chance, especially since it was obviously a
comedy and the promotions for it sounded good enough. I went in expecting a
simple comedy with jokes on the JRPG genre (which I’m a big fan of) in between
and maybe even during some of the ero scenes. What I got instead was
disappointment at first and rage by the end.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At its best Harem Party feels
like a nukige designed by a robot given a check list of what makes a good sex romp
eroge: talented voice actresses, many ero scenes, etc. but being a robot the
execution is done with little to no comprehension of emotional appeal. As a result
the jokes often times fall flat (though I will admit there are occasional funny
ones), the story is slow and boring in how padded the arc for Haru is (if it’s
a joke on level grinding I’ve seen funnier), and that’s not helped by how bland
the character interactions usually are. That last one is unfortunately a common
problem in harem routes: the heroines (click <a href="https://vndb.org/v669/chars#chars" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles) don’t really have much to say to the MC
or each other outside of the ero scenes. The thing is a harem route can be
forgiven for that since they’re usually short and often times an unlockable
extra, but for a game that’s built around this premise is another matter. The
best scenes the heroines have are in their routes and even then it’s just
concerning that individual heroine and how that relates to her relationship
with Haru; the other heroines involvement is minimal at most. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0rTzZV-J-S6LjI7uFXdi_H1o8JYLGLgU2B0Bl5WQd9VYhmrIGJbnVAIcksUNlm_nmuVivyvfpRa5Ys_k8aKnt45ZVaUJutm62nlT41tDNblUpPS0OrN_pz5r5unGCUHdIoFQNFErRjjS/s1600/Agnes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0rTzZV-J-S6LjI7uFXdi_H1o8JYLGLgU2B0Bl5WQd9VYhmrIGJbnVAIcksUNlm_nmuVivyvfpRa5Ys_k8aKnt45ZVaUJutm62nlT41tDNblUpPS0OrN_pz5r5unGCUHdIoFQNFErRjjS/s320/Agnes.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This brings us to the routes and
normally I’d give a ranking but really only Agnes and Cleo’s routes are the
only decent ones and I like them about the same. One of the reasons for this is
because when the story gives these heroines some focus there are some
interesting moments. In Agnes’ case it’s how her more dutiful and altruistic
personality clashes with Haru’s more laidback and less confident one and in
Cleo’s case it’s mainly on the comedic end be it in how Haru’s personality grates
hers which do make for a decent take on the “tsundere” type route plus she has
some funny scenes with side heroine Anzu. Unfortunately the game’s strange
unwillingness to look more into these is what keeps these routes from being any
more remarkable than the only decent ones in the game. This is especially seen
in Cleo’s route where we get a very interesting reveal about her….but it
happens near the end of the route and is only given the absolute minimum story
focus. The other factor that makes these routes at least somewhat appealing is
their voice actresses have the talent to carry the routes to keep them from
falling into the pit of terrible. And speaking of which…</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uplTUzQdrfND2V8OHS9XqVt0XIyHGZ_9C8Db9ogkEC5RhN3AnyO7wt7EFjxmz_iPD3FWBYz03hdG_T1DQT2txNMIFcgU_BV8UAO3Toxd5rW8mi2wYHRbrApdPvlnbMWRSeZHmvZLkmgl/s1600/Sofie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uplTUzQdrfND2V8OHS9XqVt0XIyHGZ_9C8Db9ogkEC5RhN3AnyO7wt7EFjxmz_iPD3FWBYz03hdG_T1DQT2txNMIFcgU_BV8UAO3Toxd5rW8mi2wYHRbrApdPvlnbMWRSeZHmvZLkmgl/s320/Sofie.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now we move on to Sofie’s route
and oh boy…I don’t really know how to start talking about this route because
this one takes the cake in terms of awful. This is where my robot theory gets
thrown out the window as I don’t think even the most malevolent artificial
intelligence could produce a route this terrible. The fault in this route rests
squarely on Sofie herself as she is without a doubt one of the most annoying
heroines I have ever encountered in fiction. Basically she’s supposed to be the
weakling of the heroine team and her arc is to essentially show that her
weakness is actually a strength that no one but Haru can see it, but this is
botched spectacularly in the game’s writing. There is so much focus on how
useless she is to the group you don’t buy her character development, made worse
by the subsequent incessant whining we get from her throughout the route. It’s
annoying already in the common route but it’s greatly multiplied in her route
and is so bad that even when other characters are antagonistic towards her
you’re on their side even though the story wants you to be on Sofie’s. I’d
make a comparison to Jar Jar Binks, but quite honestly it feels unfair to Jar
Jar if only because he at least did stuff in the stories he was involved in…plus
he’s a hilarious character compared to Sofie. The only thing close to a good
thing in this route are her sidekicks Urr and Nia as aside from having some
funny moments there’s even a reveal about them in this route that has the
potential to be interesting but is sadly squandered in favor of focusing on
Sofie instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Unfortunately this game’s problems
in the area of writing don’t end with just Sofie’s route. The unlockable harem
end which you get upon completing all three routes is perhaps only slightly
better than Sofie’s because it’s shorter and has a few funny scenes. The
problem with this route lies in its humor premise which is basically writing it
as if the writer decided to acknowledge “yeah, if you think about it pretty
much all of this game’s characters are assholes”. It’s not the premise itself
that’s bad as like I said there are some funny scenes; the problem is this
premise quickly devolves into our heroes becoming annoying instead of funny. It
also doesn’t help that one of the running jokes toys with making Sofie the
game’s main heroine…truly a rewarding unlock.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4Z94TZbvTl2vvtZWxfyGooAiAEIlpnqYm5cPSVqYSIyv_PlahsA7iY0wCLJu7UnrmjTJoi7wIlqm_05CQ2gN8sy8i9jWMxg-D1uLJS69V6TMnsd2vzEjKJMSIbf8LnsF97UlpkElp-NK/s1600/GuessWho.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4Z94TZbvTl2vvtZWxfyGooAiAEIlpnqYm5cPSVqYSIyv_PlahsA7iY0wCLJu7UnrmjTJoi7wIlqm_05CQ2gN8sy8i9jWMxg-D1uLJS69V6TMnsd2vzEjKJMSIbf8LnsF97UlpkElp-NK/s320/GuessWho.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the area of presentation
Harem Party does a so-so job. The artwork is decent, but it’s really best when they’re
doing the SD style CG for comedic scenes. The music is forgettable but the
sound is mostly redeemed by the voice acting. The best examples are the VAs for
Agnes and Cleo: Mio Okawa who many of you should recognize as Bachou from
Koihime Musou and Iori from Eroge! and Arigatou who some of you may recognize
as Zebia from Kyonyuu Fantasy 2 and if. These two are putting in more effort
than this game deserves and as a result their characters personalities at least
succeed in making some good impression. Sadly this offset by the performance
for Sofie played by Nana Hosoda who sadly brings the annoyance to life a
little too well. I will say though that I think the blame lies in her lines than
anything else as I’ve heard her in other games and she was fine in those. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for the ero scenes, they’re
just okay. The voice acting is fine, it’s just like much of the game most of
them are pretty forgettable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">In Conclusion: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Harem Party is a game that at
its best is largely dull save for some occasional laughs and largely squandered
interesting character moments and at its worst a game that will give you
headaches followed by Hulk style rage at not being able to strangle Sofie all
throughout her route. It’s not helped any by the artwork only being okay except
for the SD artwork and the music being completely forgettable. The voice acting
for Agnes and Cleo is enough to barely salvage their routes but not enough to
save the game itself. If you’re looking for a nukige I recommend passing on
this as there are better ones available in English unless you’re a big fan of
the voice actresses.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Final Score: 3/10
Terrible</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Author
Recommendation: Avoid It.</span></div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-35542759313894401392015-04-13T21:26:00.000-07:002015-04-14T11:00:26.716-07:00Games for Adults and Everyone: Cho Dengeki Stryker<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Cho Dengeki Stryker
Review</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8iPdSNNntp5CS0IAI5nxTijj4fN0A0O8xYfm9lqGNwe8cowtnjWeizSppsFUpVImDSbIziz0vFAHMMFy_kWA0CuV9KqJ6Nbd9A4V4y4vnZ3pduMAGVUX0c-DspQRG9zOv6Dg9LM6lFdN/s1600/cho_dengeki_stryker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8iPdSNNntp5CS0IAI5nxTijj4fN0A0O8xYfm9lqGNwe8cowtnjWeizSppsFUpVImDSbIziz0vFAHMMFy_kWA0CuV9KqJ6Nbd9A4V4y4vnZ3pduMAGVUX0c-DspQRG9zOv6Dg9LM6lFdN/s1600/cho_dengeki_stryker.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Well
with Avengers: Age of Ultron’s cinematic debut around the corner, what better a
way to celebrate that than a look at the best (and to my knowledge only)
superhero VN commercially available in English? Originally released as Dengeki
Stryker in Japan on June 24, 2011 by Overdrive and an almost year later English
release by Mangagamer June 22, 2012, the game would get an expanded Japanese
version (hence the ‘Cho’ name) on July 27, 2012 which was released in English
on March 28, 2014. This localized release came in quite a few options: an
expansion patch for those who bought the original release, a full digital
release for newcomers, an all ages release on Steam and a physical
version.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously MG did all it could
to make sure as many people as possible could play this game and the fact that
I’m covering this in anticipation of Age of Ultron means I find Cho Dengeki
Stryker good, but please allow me to elaborate…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5LGUxC8ZIFk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5LGUxC8ZIFk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BuvI0gbYZF8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BuvI0gbYZF8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Excellent
stories, great characters, excellent art work and animation, top line voice
acting, awesome soundtrack.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Zero Saga is a bit weak, Hilko’s route is a little on
the short side, villains are just okay.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: Yes, one of the semi-major characters is a talking
dog (who can also fly and breath fire), and that’s awesome.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nTVBCyYdzAVy6F3ZAPOAd75RiODnxD4pfCnwnfikSc9lFQWBSziRFqH0GTnoPZQWwi29e4p_mbdFcu8kN12tGP-aoaVswf9UvDlzMnjU7hULfx56ATdEsSDRzkFYcEq0kWY7IT_hG1-s/s1600/DogWTF.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nTVBCyYdzAVy6F3ZAPOAd75RiODnxD4pfCnwnfikSc9lFQWBSziRFqH0GTnoPZQWwi29e4p_mbdFcu8kN12tGP-aoaVswf9UvDlzMnjU7hULfx56ATdEsSDRzkFYcEq0kWY7IT_hG1-s/s1600/DogWTF.JPG" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cho
Dengeki Stryker’s story begins with an innocent childhood wish by a boy, Yuuki
Yamato, after he fails at protecting his childhood friend Haruna from a group
of bullies. This wish is to become the superhero he idolizes: Dengeki Stryker,
and as it happens Yamato encounters a mysterious old man who calls himself the
Memory Collector who grants the wish in exchange for Yamato’s memories. Years
later a strange group of people with super powers appear with the intention of
conquering Japan in the name of the Balbora Empire, but a lone hero stands in
their way. A hero who bears a strong resemblance to Dengeki Stryker…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBppMkIxe0t6qEu73hyphenhyphenMKFlDF1Tjs0BaLyXdwcb6e6jOGS5dFos4U0YJBJlCU2xK897vMwRz1X0gtEHIQNZQXAAqeWMT8eI8U-IkLJDeiUc_52KS3phc0FXOSZSXUwPNNST59LbFMkd8Hv/s1600/Stryker0.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBppMkIxe0t6qEu73hyphenhyphenMKFlDF1Tjs0BaLyXdwcb6e6jOGS5dFos4U0YJBJlCU2xK897vMwRz1X0gtEHIQNZQXAAqeWMT8eI8U-IkLJDeiUc_52KS3phc0FXOSZSXUwPNNST59LbFMkd8Hv/s1600/Stryker0.JPG" height="250" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When it
comes to the plot Cho Dengeki Stryker does a great deal right. First and
foremost it tells a good superhero story that fully embraces many of the tropes
of the genre be it from the kind we see in anime and manga to those seen in
comics and movies (and even a little sentai) and does a great job in
demonstrating why they work so well. The scenes where Yamato and many of the
other characters do something heroic always carry the right emotional weight to
feel genuine and often awesome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CDS also
takes a good look at some of those trope be they comedic, such as <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClarkKenting" target="_blank">the ridiculous effectiveness of a change of clothes</a>, or something more in depth
like a look at the concept of identity in relation to that of our hero. Best of
all the view the writing has regarding this superhero story, heroism and what
good can come of it is an overall positive one, but a well-balanced one too.
It’s not afraid of venturing into dark territory at the right story points, yet
it meets it with the right amount of heart backed up by good writing that keeps
it from descending into the pit of world weary cynicism some hero stories might
go to.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BCITSLHKtwvwHfXeTf48D0Mz_WEuhpm3R_QHEmsG9YpitWt6STOijMkJza1LqMhHzoCF9V7Em33TMEccu2qZpoGoE9uDFsK-b1hOOqMhVZ6vCclLn7ZKjOdTAjwwLJTKOCrqXzUYRImi/s1600/ClarkKenting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BCITSLHKtwvwHfXeTf48D0Mz_WEuhpm3R_QHEmsG9YpitWt6STOijMkJza1LqMhHzoCF9V7Em33TMEccu2qZpoGoE9uDFsK-b1hOOqMhVZ6vCclLn7ZKjOdTAjwwLJTKOCrqXzUYRImi/s1600/ClarkKenting.JPG" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrA-gMzdAsLNds3PAsFpKanEmZff7upcFR6f7rWryGC9Qn7MfaHT63GTcw5KGRZ1X-uA6_fUCPbF__vi6-tYWz2jlgqEEET1rVnX4tG2-nso6l2e0ZuVr9AV1jf-y9AJ_tuRLMEI2C7QWg/s1600/ClarkKenting2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrA-gMzdAsLNds3PAsFpKanEmZff7upcFR6f7rWryGC9Qn7MfaHT63GTcw5KGRZ1X-uA6_fUCPbF__vi6-tYWz2jlgqEEET1rVnX4tG2-nso6l2e0ZuVr9AV1jf-y9AJ_tuRLMEI2C7QWg/s1600/ClarkKenting2.JPG" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Second
of all the story has an excellent cast of characters who are just as, if not
more, appealing as the plot is (click <a href="https://vndb.org/v2375/chars#chars" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles). Yamato himself makes for a good protagonist
with his altruistic personality fitting for a hero yet also hilariously
sticking out when in a normal environment in a way very reminiscent of Full
Metal Panic!’s Sousuke Sagara. His partner Jack the Texan ninja (sadly a rarity
here in Texas) makes for a great sidekick by bringing an even higher level of
strangeness into the mix, enough to make the already unusual Yamato the
straight man in many of their scenes. Of course in the area of character humor
the characters that have the lion’s share of good scenes are the Balboran
Vanguard from their group dynamic with one another to the contrast of how
friendly they are with Yamato outside of battle since neither one knows the
others’ secret identities. These scenes do a really good job in getting you
attached to these characters and get invested in their fates in each of the
story sagas and even the character development some of them go through.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGTWgqmTiq_QlwffOKEQXngzF8Vv6TReMiGHX3RFQx_XpATM0NzKZxrw2TUdCDkFx-mMrEE5roqZtvn9IpzTFjL-8ldFM5gWdQgiggOuHjS2gHtGLpFjRKsXCUyeQhyvyf-yOb99Teyc0/s1600/ChoDengekiStryker_Hardcopy_Slipcase.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGTWgqmTiq_QlwffOKEQXngzF8Vv6TReMiGHX3RFQx_XpATM0NzKZxrw2TUdCDkFx-mMrEE5roqZtvn9IpzTFjL-8ldFM5gWdQgiggOuHjS2gHtGLpFjRKsXCUyeQhyvyf-yOb99Teyc0/s1600/ChoDengekiStryker_Hardcopy_Slipcase.png" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Naturally
the heroines of CDS are really good too. While Haruna does come off as your
typical (non-tsundere) childhood friend type heroine at first she’s written
well enough to be likable and then gets better as the sagas give her some good
character moments later on. Sayaka brings quite possibly the best chemistry
with Yamato by essentially being the Kaname Chidori to the aforementioned
Sousuke Sagara analogy of our hero when it comes to his odd but well-meant
antics. It’s also helped that her backstory is interesting and connects well to
the plot of her saga. The new heroines of the Cho content are also really good,
but I feel I should explain a couple things first.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7c1EHzAcwAuCEupKBO7sub8QKb9AbMro4c6okPd6GqOTw926jlBAKjlZfN_dmGQLZDLDJHn2l5fIS6P50LxwrWtmG1I_5YIz_ptv_OPJv16zi0EEoyhX-Da68LRc_WKHGfWtjWzq-ZAt1/s1600/TheSagas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7c1EHzAcwAuCEupKBO7sub8QKb9AbMro4c6okPd6GqOTw926jlBAKjlZfN_dmGQLZDLDJHn2l5fIS6P50LxwrWtmG1I_5YIz_ptv_OPJv16zi0EEoyhX-Da68LRc_WKHGfWtjWzq-ZAt1/s1600/TheSagas.JPG" height="250" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Normally
this is where I’d do a route ranking but the thing is Cho Dengeki Stryker kind
of has a route structure but also kind of doesn’t. The stories this game has to
tell are divided into six “sagas” (plus what’s essentially the common
route):<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zero, Heaven, Sky, Love, Steel
and Light. In the original Dengeki Stryker release it was just Zero, Heaven and
Sky. The Zero saga is essentially<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the
introduction story and is kind of Haruna’s route; it basically introduces the
main concept of the story as well as story elements that are further explored
(and approached differently) in the next saga, Heaven. Heaven saga is a
different continuity than Zero being Sayaka’s route and Sky acts as an epilogue/true
ending that wraps up all the story elements there. Now of these two initial
continuities Heaven-Sky is unquestionably stronger due to its being longer and having
a much better ending while Zero has trouble standing on its own due to a weaker
ending<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and quite a few plot holes thanks
to the reveals in Heaven-Sky. Before the release of Cho it was assumed Zero
saga was essentially retconned by Heaven-Sky, but thankfully this expansion
fixes the former saga for the most part.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWrcTYazD_NFuQ4j0R5Lc50IC893tdBOWRHOoiIqdpEoRm7t3xBdNeuggfW58rkGgLONYB6kTFtg6ChqoNb5YY8H3HOwWpcjC17EAo7dUStjM8IyQmUTFDPZbaSePCKQU7zyPhLMQxeET/s1600/Hilko.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWrcTYazD_NFuQ4j0R5Lc50IC893tdBOWRHOoiIqdpEoRm7t3xBdNeuggfW58rkGgLONYB6kTFtg6ChqoNb5YY8H3HOwWpcjC17EAo7dUStjM8IyQmUTFDPZbaSePCKQU7zyPhLMQxeET/s1600/Hilko.JPG" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Obviously
the new sagas were Love, Steel and Light. The Love saga is Hilko’s route and is
more character focused and has less action than the other sagas. I found it
entertaining since it brought in more character dynamic from the Balboran
Vanguard and giving more insight into Hilko’s character than we see in the
other sagas was interesting and had some payoff in seeing how she is when she
genuinely cares for another person. The only problem the Love saga has is it’s
basically a side story compared to the others thanks in part to it being
comparatively shorter and the ending comes off as a bit too hasty a wrap up and
its ignoring some major story elements from the other sagas is a tad off putting
even though I know it’s supposed to be a side story.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7Xmrnq8bnwwlyEpStFCKVn4nKKG6zVPw0Vea_PhzPZ9rpPtInI40tTCYhRdwYSmXFbI7k1X2EP3oQaMohyphenhypheno0YKj2L4EBq4uaor9TdlkCv4SYkhoYByhKIxr1xd4fOmGojG8xyAEiRizV/s1600/ClieLateAppearance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7Xmrnq8bnwwlyEpStFCKVn4nKKG6zVPw0Vea_PhzPZ9rpPtInI40tTCYhRdwYSmXFbI7k1X2EP3oQaMohyphenhypheno0YKj2L4EBq4uaor9TdlkCv4SYkhoYByhKIxr1xd4fOmGojG8xyAEiRizV/s1600/ClieLateAppearance.JPG" height="250" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Steel and Light sagas are continuations of the Zero saga and like Heaven-Sky
the former is the main story and the latter is the epilogue/true ending. This
storyline does a good deal right in taking on the monumental task of fixing
what was the weakest saga in the original release. The all new heroine it
introduces, Clie, makes for a welcome addition to the game’s cast being both a
likable character and providing her own brand of humor that makes for a good
play on Yamato’s altruistic personality, especially with the context of how
he’s developed since the events of the Zero saga.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also helps that of the heroines she’s the
most badass and perhaps one of the few flaws of this saga pair is we don’t get
to see as much of her in action in the latter saga. This saga also does a good
job developing Rin as a character too as it gives her as much character focus
as Clie so it’s technically a shared route for them, though the only difference
in which of the two Yamato spends more time with is a couple of scenes. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG30aBH_9oqexfWR13ms6kvfvZoxjGMoyLTh0QNSP37aJ-itrcnwWXI5Ind0gY2ap2GAPb0gD8o5mTnWKvRkDnyAsIEJLwl783GIkJ42AKUREQsYXKguSPcpxYmuSIFyT9cgeW8U367-My/s1600/SkySaga.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG30aBH_9oqexfWR13ms6kvfvZoxjGMoyLTh0QNSP37aJ-itrcnwWXI5Ind0gY2ap2GAPb0gD8o5mTnWKvRkDnyAsIEJLwl783GIkJ42AKUREQsYXKguSPcpxYmuSIFyT9cgeW8U367-My/s1600/SkySaga.JPG" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
basically we have two main continuities: Heaven-Sky and Zero-Steel-Light. The
former offers a traditional story of heroes while the latter focuses a tad more
on world building than that. Of the two it’s a tough decision but I’d say I
favor Heaven-Sky a little more since I find it to be a stronger conclusion
while Zero-Steel-Light leaves a couple minor things up in the air and a big
dramatic scene is a bit confounded by my wondering “wait, why didn’t they
just…?” at a couple parts of it. Other than that I can say both continuities
lead to overall satisfying conclusions and are well worth reading.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
any other flaws concerning plot, the only major one is the villains are just
okay. I’m not talking about the Vanguard as I don’t consider them villains, but
some characters that show up later. While not annoying or anything like that
(though I will admit one of them does toe the line at being too invincible)
there’s no real depth to these characters and really have no remarkable traits
aside from being the quintessential final boss for the heroes to defeat (though
I suppose you could argue Zero saga’s villain as an exception). Not that
there’s anything wrong with those kind of characters, it’s just that when all
the other major characters are so good they stick out like a sore thumb in
comparison.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgmHnZY8SuthAloYicW8QkYsyChyphenhyphenQFLi3UW09hhXvhJ1jg1fI012viBpqTpXlTKkMtlsRfAFscOP_yZM93ZBcbEivJD06jQpQTdT9EcIQ6NjTFLDUxlNLT8EHDTiRfsCj8RGlOeK9h4ov/s1600/BirdvsDragon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgmHnZY8SuthAloYicW8QkYsyChyphenhyphenQFLi3UW09hhXvhJ1jg1fI012viBpqTpXlTKkMtlsRfAFscOP_yZM93ZBcbEivJD06jQpQTdT9EcIQ6NjTFLDUxlNLT8EHDTiRfsCj8RGlOeK9h4ov/s1600/BirdvsDragon.JPG" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation Cho Dengeki Stryker hits it out of the ball park on every
front. The artwork is excellent with each character having their own unique
look, the CG perfectly capture the action of the scene they illustrate and look
like a good screen shot from an anime and so much of the design harkens back to
the anime/manga designs of the 90s that were greatly inspired by the 80s
anime/manga. That was probably intentional considering the vocalist for the
game’s opening themes is Masaaki Endoh whose done vocals for several anime, one
of the most well known being <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFCIFS0nvec" target="_blank">The King of Braves GaoGaiGar/Yuusha Ou GaoGaiGar</a>
which CDS does seem to draw some design inspiration from. The rest of the music
is also really good in how well each tune captures the mood of their respective
scenes, and furthermore in the sound department the voice acting is top notch
with the vocal talent including Megumi Ogata who I’m sure many recognize as the
voice of Shinji from Evangelion, Yugi from Yu-Gi-Oh!, Cookie from the Majikoi
games and Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho to name a few. Finally the animated scenes
are directed by Shinichi Watanabe director of anime like Excel Saga and Tenchi
Muyo! GXP and also did work on the aforementioned GaoGaiGar and while these
scenes may be reserved for the beginning and end portions of the game they’re a
great site to behold and honestly has me wishing for a full on anime for this
game (provided it’s a good adaptation of course).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes, assuming you decide to get the adult version, they’re…okay.
Haruna, Sayaka, and Hilko have theirs occur at a fitting late point in their
routes and the first two also get an extra one each that you can access from
the extras menu after clearing said routes and all of them are fine as ero
scenes. Rin and Clie’s are unlocked after clearing the Steel saga after making
the choices on which of the two to focus on respectively but their scenes
are…odd. In Rin’s case it reads like a second or third ero scene as it
references a previous scene we never see, while Clie’s is just strange and I’m
not exactly sure what the writer had in mind when writing it. The overall thing
is the scenes don’t really have much plot importance which I’m sure is why an
all ages release was possible. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cho
Dengeki Stryker is a visual novel game that is well worth experiencing. It’s an
excellent superhero story filled with enjoyable characters supported by great
artwork, a phenomenal soundtrack with vocals from Masaaki Endoh, grade A voice
acting and well implemented anime scenes directed by Nabeshin himself (sorry no
cameos as far as I could find). While the game has its flaws they’re overall
minor ones and barely detract at all from the experience. In this entertainment
era of superheroes I can declare with certainty that Cho Dengeki Stryker is a
story that should not be missed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 8/10 Awesome</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Buy it now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You can buy the regular digital release <a href="http://www.mangagamer.com/detail.php?goods_type=1&product_code=111" target="_blank">here</a>, the hard copy <a href="http://www.mangagamer.com/detail.php?goods_type=3&product_code=220" target="_blank">here</a> or <a href="http://www.rightstuf.com/cgi-bin/catalogmgr/ltLoR7sQI1KVWA15WE/browse/item/104101/4/0/0" target="_blank">here</a> (warning NSFW images on those links) and the all ages Steam edition <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/321190/" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-62108315030316889702015-03-26T16:01:00.000-07:002015-03-26T16:01:29.196-07:00Games for Adults: Osananajimi wa Daitouryou: My Girlfriend is the President <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Osananajimi wa
Daitouryou: My Girlfriend is the President Review</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIeGkp-XZXSazrW4oFRpX6Y6pwpJQ6reib4N139kB4bHaNKvP9lqRG_gyGly4oJE-lHd_6ntE9MBtrL10e8JdDuHEiH5FlWv53DQmsgquxYip_8B4vrL6ghimsdmL9hj9Cnt-kTx95jPdN/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIeGkp-XZXSazrW4oFRpX6Y6pwpJQ6reib4N139kB4bHaNKvP9lqRG_gyGly4oJE-lHd_6ntE9MBtrL10e8JdDuHEiH5FlWv53DQmsgquxYip_8B4vrL6ghimsdmL9hj9Cnt-kTx95jPdN/s1600/Cover.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Regardless
of your political views there’s no denying the campaign of current US President
Barack Obama was an interesting spectacle to watch. From the sudden magnetism
of the candidate to the marketability of the guy’s image (<a href="http://www.frugal-cafe.com/public_html/frugal-blog/frugal-cafe-blogzone/2009/11/15/obama-merchandise-im-sure-the-toilet-paper-is-no-compliment/" target="_blank">which could sometimes become downright bizarre</a>), even a lot of the most politically apathetic at
least took some notice of it all. Not surprisingly this was noticed
internationally too and somehow this inspired Alcot to create Osananajimi wa
Daitouryou: My Girlfriend is the President (called Osadai for short), released
in Japan October 30, 2009 and later released officially in English (through the
help of a fan translation group’s work) by JAST USA December 26, 2011. This
game got the attention of the western VN community not only for its “moe” take
on Obama (though that’s really just in the name) and Vladmir Putin (which with
current world events context make this even funnier), but also for it’s odd but
amusing (and somehow well English dubbed) trailer. All in all, this looked like
the perfect bundle of Japanese weirdness that we otaku have come to love, but
the question is whether it managed to pull it off well.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rPlVYLu7DCg/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rPlVYLu7DCg?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Laugh out loud funny comedy, main cast of characters
are likable, excellent artwork and effects, very good music, great voice
acting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Remi, main villain should have been more over the top,
Irina’s route is pretty weak.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: This is our main villain, an alien modeled after
former Pope Benedict XVI with a name similar to a very infamous German. Never
has the phrase “Oh my God” been a more fitting reaction to the strange things I've come across in VNs.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Fo7DLOvJ_t0rLNFV3X52TwdsHT9O9XOZZSj2LuzHRwGJQ6D23PBazjPdZIN8ZBQ4pgHWSB6uy0nirVjXUffw1yD8fQ6GhneHZrJV8YvG606aNNfSLbdCQSsQnlIgdQWia0Elw18qkIuY/s1600/OMGWTF.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Fo7DLOvJ_t0rLNFV3X52TwdsHT9O9XOZZSj2LuzHRwGJQ6D23PBazjPdZIN8ZBQ4pgHWSB6uy0nirVjXUffw1yD8fQ6GhneHZrJV8YvG606aNNfSLbdCQSsQnlIgdQWia0Elw18qkIuY/s1600/OMGWTF.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You play as Junichiro Hondo who at first
glance would be your typical laid back skirt chasing student with a devoted
childhood friend who lives next door that you’d find in many an eroge. The
thing is his childhood friend, Yukino… You know what, there’s no way I can give
a summary that does this game’s wackiness justice so just check out the
aforementioned trailer.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wYIaeEnUMmo/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wYIaeEnUMmo?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As you
can see Osadai is a game that revels in its silliness and for the most part
succeeds in getting its readers to laugh. The jokes mainly range from your
typical pervert protagonist antics to references to anime, games and movies. Thanks
to good writing and presentation these jokes not only manage to be funny
despite the cliché of the former and the potential dated-ness of the latter.
That isn’t to say that’s all the jokes as there’s some laughs to be had from
many of the character interactions and the humor of the random bizarre variety.
Nothing best exemplifies that than the talking bespectacled space faring panda.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAr2Fbn-mW4n6g6cYDqAeEjOfWAyZbDbb4TDvzMHtzRr12QvHn5mk3raML_009utukFw2xfuGTktrI9MI3z3_cF1IA9yUKOC54TVyA6eYYlULP6jXEWil0jIVat6bexe9f4F-v_VgA-rn/s1600/PandaSpace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAr2Fbn-mW4n6g6cYDqAeEjOfWAyZbDbb4TDvzMHtzRr12QvHn5mk3raML_009utukFw2xfuGTktrI9MI3z3_cF1IA9yUKOC54TVyA6eYYlULP6jXEWil0jIVat6bexe9f4F-v_VgA-rn/s1600/PandaSpace.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Speaking
of the characters (click <a href="https://vndb.org/v2622/chars#chars" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles), Osadai does a good job giving us
likable main characters to follow around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Junichiro makes for good protagonist and each heroine has their own
unique personality and fitting brand of humor to bring to the table whether as
being the observer, target of or instigator of the many humorous scenes
throughout the game. We also have good supporting characters in Junichiro’s friend
Morita, Irina’s maid Kuon, and the (sadly unwinnable) wacky alien (and occasional
fourth wall breaker) Qoo and not only do they provide some very<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>funny scenes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>but each of them has at least a good character moment in one of the
routes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sadly
not all of the characters in Osadai as enjoyable the aforementioned and this is
where we get to what may be the game’s most glaring flaw: its villains kind of
suck. First and foremost, remember the subject of the WTF?! for this game? Well
I’m sorry to say that aside from the novelty of his appearance and name the
game doesn’t do much beyond standard with this character in regards to
villainy; he basically just acts like a standard foil when the story requires
it which makes the character range from bland to annoying. If you’re going to
make your main villain look like the (at the time) Pope and name him after a
Nazi you’d better make the most of that and go so over the top with this
character <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you’d hit the moon. The VA
should be hamming it up in almost every scene and the character should do stuff
like fly around in Dr. Wiley style rendition of the Pope-mobile that fires
spinning razor sharp crosses while he throws vials of holy water that’s
actually acid (heck there you’d have the benefit of a Castlevania joke/reference).
Basically in a good comedy your main villain should be at least as funny as all
the other characters.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBAFDQueISqCYOXL5JWJPth6-PskKERLdkig9Fvis_Ms874hteGloCqAedXu3tHDioV95AbPbFT_kAml4jp8YOMbE9Z__AtjP6n4Ix2vFgJ57l4t_L0wJUj8VD_uXCEu-IzZbOiH2XNo6/s1600/RemiHate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBAFDQueISqCYOXL5JWJPth6-PskKERLdkig9Fvis_Ms874hteGloCqAedXu3tHDioV95AbPbFT_kAml4jp8YOMbE9Z__AtjP6n4Ix2vFgJ57l4t_L0wJUj8VD_uXCEu-IzZbOiH2XNo6/s1600/RemiHate.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately on the villain front Osadai
doesn’t just suffer from a bland main villain, but also an extremely annoying
sub-villain named Remi. What we get from this is a character whose main character
trait is to show up and then insult and bother anyone who isn’t Yukino. That
may not sound like much, but after seeing it in 90 percent (and I think I’m
being generous there) of the scenes she’s in it gets old really fast,
especially if the first route you play is Yukino’s. In that route Remi’s
annoying traits get amplified as she’s essentially given a role that is one of
my most hated tropes: the heroine’s annoying/interfering friend. Trust me I could
go on a long rant about why I hate said trope with a passion but that’s for
another day. Suffice to say one reason I hate it is because it’s just<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a plot device to pad the story with
essentially the same scene over and over until the author decides they’re ready
for the plot concerning the hero and heroine’s relationship to advance and while
in this case it thankfully doesn’t last long it certainly feels more than long
enough. I know Remi’s supposed to be a villain and these scenes are probably
supposed to make me dislike her, but a good writer should not make scenes with
their villains a chore to sit through and especially not make me have to
retreat into a mental “happy place” to get through the character’s scenes. And
in case anyone’s curious in this case it was imagining Remi on the receiving
end <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m29iwZYTuA" target="_blank">of what another mechanical villain gets</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
regards to the routes here’s my rankings:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Tie between Yukino and Ell</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Ran</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Irina </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNBb3nLJjIAFY5oejOTjQdQoRIqNU-Tqyf6hvxNTTWiWLw9UC2vlsv3xVqDJgYBH6iauJ8CTenKhqSoj2sitwU4cfa4wEwrK78f1S7_DWriZ_0i3uFCM2wFV_Ecy91YlaVUQMS7Hud6vs/s1600/RL.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNBb3nLJjIAFY5oejOTjQdQoRIqNU-Tqyf6hvxNTTWiWLw9UC2vlsv3xVqDJgYBH6iauJ8CTenKhqSoj2sitwU4cfa4wEwrK78f1S7_DWriZ_0i3uFCM2wFV_Ecy91YlaVUQMS7Hud6vs/s1600/RL.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGlfEVui507oTEKH0d23c-uNGDWN0c01yG0gXFtz5R6ACeiSQbKzBxWLfPAwxzxfmoIdzMZCxWZtmFs_z3tF2wFcAWWVusj1xFAE9jf8IEOtSuhma84MCbP0REmDafrcXbyFg0DGDoHzO/s1600/Seeds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGlfEVui507oTEKH0d23c-uNGDWN0c01yG0gXFtz5R6ACeiSQbKzBxWLfPAwxzxfmoIdzMZCxWZtmFs_z3tF2wFcAWWVusj1xFAE9jf8IEOtSuhma84MCbP0REmDafrcXbyFg0DGDoHzO/s1600/Seeds.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The reason Yukino and Ell’s route
tie is mainly because both heroines just really click with Junichiro in their
own unique way. While Yukino does pretty much fall into a majority of the
childhood friend type heroine tropes the game’s writing presents it in a way
that keeps it from feeling stale or annoying and kind of shows why this trope
has remained so prominent. I couldn’t help but find Junichiro’s interactions
with Yukino cute as well as funny and considering it’s enough to cure the bad
taste Remi’s role leaves once she’s kicked out of the plot is saying something.
In Ell’s case not only do we have cute and funny scenes with her too, but also
an interesting backstory that ties in well with the game’s story and also sets
the ground for a good character arc. It also helps that in this route Remi
takes the most abuse. The only reason it doesn’t beat Yukino’s route is the
route is shorter by comparison and I admit the ending is a little predictable.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GQtl-djB9gJCZrWapgyNCkL1DcczrPWXllvNvnmTjbXR1dfw5P2bI-3Vyg2vGDjhZrkS4fALXzPGnKZzEwOtQPsGVwU094fdCAIy5Zvhohk_wbh2RPIien0YSnTIW0ckIRQm2i5xRP-F/s1600/RanandPanda.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GQtl-djB9gJCZrWapgyNCkL1DcczrPWXllvNvnmTjbXR1dfw5P2bI-3Vyg2vGDjhZrkS4fALXzPGnKZzEwOtQPsGVwU094fdCAIy5Zvhohk_wbh2RPIien0YSnTIW0ckIRQm2i5xRP-F/s1600/RanandPanda.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ran’s
route I liked mainly not just because Ran herself proves to be a good character
with some nice chemistry with Junichiro but also with how crazy it gets in
bringing focus to the aforementioned panda and it only gets sillier from there.
This makes for a good demonstration of how far the game can go in seemingly
random humor and pull it off. The route even succeeds in giving Remi a good character
moment late in the story which actually had me wanting to see more from her in
the plot. That sadly brings me to the route’s fatal flaw: unlike Ell’s which
while on the short side still felt like about the right length Ran’s route is
on the short side and its noticeable. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxEEWswRrt0_MSdjsOPSEJDc8xA86lXUHh2NcOsk8SmYFAJ9muc-WBnV4ZeeEZyercvpd7B49I0Bj_6hi27apeuT5lxL8DLBg5GcE9Rtlp0Xnl7C_LRhKKUBUUuuGlZpUbIm-caexbyuS/s1600/Puchin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxEEWswRrt0_MSdjsOPSEJDc8xA86lXUHh2NcOsk8SmYFAJ9muc-WBnV4ZeeEZyercvpd7B49I0Bj_6hi27apeuT5lxL8DLBg5GcE9Rtlp0Xnl7C_LRhKKUBUUuuGlZpUbIm-caexbyuS/s1600/Puchin.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now
we’ve reached Irina’s route and I am sorry I have to put it in last place.
Having played Yukino’s route first I was really looking forward to what Irina’s
would have in store seeing as how enjoyable a character she was in that route,
not to mention a lot of the people who played the game either through import or
a fan translation patch gave both the character and her route a ton of praise.
Unfortunately this route left me bewildered at the praise instead in the end.
Don’t get the wrong idea though, I won’t say Irina’s route is terrible just
really weak. This route does have some good character moments and laughs with
her plus she and Junichiro have good moments together too, but all that is
offset by two major problems on the writing front.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96yxs5cmCXKIE3nmD7Fq-itssY3f-w_FLi2G_3U-pOKf2laqiWdNJe0CH-O4w2bm-Z6HKbXgfsRQgBMQMgwBhPL4wTG8RejzBiEY9anq2jIv-UFd1hEXxeLQHbgVW3clGOWaZqptvBVmn/s1600/IrinaCompatability.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96yxs5cmCXKIE3nmD7Fq-itssY3f-w_FLi2G_3U-pOKf2laqiWdNJe0CH-O4w2bm-Z6HKbXgfsRQgBMQMgwBhPL4wTG8RejzBiEY9anq2jIv-UFd1hEXxeLQHbgVW3clGOWaZqptvBVmn/s1600/IrinaCompatability.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
first problem rears its head almost as soon as the route starts: an extremely
slow first act. Basically the route goes in a direction that I’m sure was meant
to build Irina some more as a character <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>while also building up the romance that’s
supposed to occur between her and Junichiro. The problem is the writer seems to
have forgotten you need to make scenes like these interesting in order to
properly character build. Instead we get scenes that feel like filler at best
to just plain boring at worst. The best example would be this one scene where
we’re to learn about Irina’s hobby of Judo, but rather than anything
interesting where learn about the character we instead get a boring
presentation from her about the martial art. Just take a look at the picture
below and you’ll see:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UUF4Vu1yq7BO9XUOCyAx7iGeEtvOW_Ru65-4NiN8t4raePF1_CTcUtz7I4rgNINVd_FGCtaEP_dJ27NXiHJ8atuLlemvMYFAXuq_aPCmpRhnITtwMl-02gCqCTkuqrK225leEFPdSj2Y/s1600/IrinaBoring.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UUF4Vu1yq7BO9XUOCyAx7iGeEtvOW_Ru65-4NiN8t4raePF1_CTcUtz7I4rgNINVd_FGCtaEP_dJ27NXiHJ8atuLlemvMYFAXuq_aPCmpRhnITtwMl-02gCqCTkuqrK225leEFPdSj2Y/s1600/IrinaBoring.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now I
understand that might have been intentional considering the outcome of that
particular part of the route’s story, but that actually brings us to the next
problem this route has. The problem is out of all the routes in this game,
Irina’s is the only one that seems to be taking things at least half seriously.
Bear in mind I’m not faulting this route’s writing for trying to be different,
I’m faulting it for trying to be different and failing. For example that bit
with the Judo I was talking about, its attempt to be serious just results in
awkwardness on the level of a bad episode of The Simpson where the writers
decide to be serious about something. At the end you’re just glad it’s over and
are hoping it’ll get back to being funny next time. That isn’t to say every
serious scene in this route is bad; there are some quieter moments between
Irina and Junichiro which do well on the drama end while feeling like a natural
part of the story. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just would have
been a lot nicer if the other scenes had that kind of quality.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU5N_mPlkPVINzRcezAg3r6WO7g8oZkmrnRNuY-QBr-mej83A-if0owkXn9H3h1T2qcbVBszCYhROqD3WTywhHBfpt7F94GDBdxFA4GuZhGaBhJYybjiqeZyLgBRNKMYdAwhhf3Sct1z1/s1600/Comic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU5N_mPlkPVINzRcezAg3r6WO7g8oZkmrnRNuY-QBr-mej83A-if0owkXn9H3h1T2qcbVBszCYhROqD3WTywhHBfpt7F94GDBdxFA4GuZhGaBhJYybjiqeZyLgBRNKMYdAwhhf3Sct1z1/s1600/Comic.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation Osadai succeeds in every aspect. The artwork is excellent
from the character designed to the many CG it uses, many of them for the more
over the top comical scenes. There’s actually a manga inspired presentation for
all of these with the character dialogue appearing in speech bubbles rather
than the traditional text box (which is reserved for narration) and the
aforementioned comical CG not only has a manga panel look to it, but some of
them are even drawn to parody some specific series . There are even some
effects for the character portraits that do a good job in conveying the
characters’ reactions too. The music is good and the voice acting is excellent,
a good example being from Ell’s VA Miru who does a voice different enough from
her usual that one may not recognize her at first.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes, they’re all good but there’s a bit of an unfair balance where
Yukino and Irina each get three while Ell and Ran only get two.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Osananajimi
wa Daitouryou: My Girlfriend is the President is an all-around entertaining
game with hilarious comedy and a likable cast of core characters. While it does
have some issues like not very well written villains and the second main
heroine’s route is (to me) the weakest I still say it’s well worth your time
and money if you want something light hearted and funny. You can find a copy <a href="http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/u=kEySv=-S4v167GGo/browse/item/91108/4/673/24" target="_blank">here </a>(this one is cheaper) or <a href="http://www.jastusa.com/visual-novels-in-english/moe/my-girlfriend-is-the-president.html" target="_blank">here.</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 7/10 Great</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Buy it now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-2166112873128391162015-02-14T11:45:00.000-08:002015-02-14T11:57:12.425-08:00Games for Adults: Eroge! ~Sex and Games Make Sexy Games~ <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Eroge! ~Sex and Games
Make Sexy Games~ Review</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBcvI5j9Fz-9kVzoUN6abeLZRRgUK98BlQfE-3U_-_fKk_cK3rz-LzOnYyAjnopmkeESAERTkC1-lepUwJYtoYgxgp_YmxO0ZkqU_LYiu6wchofXxLNkRxqYIJWI7-DEBiE4Udsqt794t/s1600/c827366package.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBcvI5j9Fz-9kVzoUN6abeLZRRgUK98BlQfE-3U_-_fKk_cK3rz-LzOnYyAjnopmkeESAERTkC1-lepUwJYtoYgxgp_YmxO0ZkqU_LYiu6wchofXxLNkRxqYIJWI7-DEBiE4Udsqt794t/s1600/c827366package.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ll
admit I’m a little late in reviewing this, but seeing as it’s Valentine’s Day it’s now time for
me to give my thoughts on CLOCKUP’s Eroge! ~Sex and Games Make Sexy Games/<span style="color: #dddddd; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">H mo Game mo
Kaihatsu Zanmai</span>~, released in English by Mangagamer on September 13,
2013. Some of you may have read my <a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2013/08/demo-impression-eroge-sex-and-games.html" target="_blank">impression of the demo</a>…I was less than
impressed and much less enthusiastic about playing the finished product. Now
that I have…I can say I know when to admit being wrong (for the most part).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Pretty good story, characters are likable once you get
past where the demo ends, good music and voice acting, good artwork.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The start of
the game, the beginning portions of Momoka’s route, unwinnable heroines.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kZrsyWWFJQ" target="_blank">There’s something familiar about that hairdo…</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJXBMUlEglUPqrrhFBr9r9met_laUOT_AMbNzbLlZV3owf3j8vM4NwqYXSNVJQ6qgbJaoC7PBkW58eoMhyphenhyphen1T8TveU8UiloUUp3f96OPHqQxqnRM1BWGQZavpdPlTzGa1nFwmnaF2nMR7X/s1600/Reina'sHair.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJXBMUlEglUPqrrhFBr9r9met_laUOT_AMbNzbLlZV3owf3j8vM4NwqYXSNVJQ6qgbJaoC7PBkW58eoMhyphenhyphen1T8TveU8UiloUUp3f96OPHqQxqnRM1BWGQZavpdPlTzGa1nFwmnaF2nMR7X/s1600/Reina'sHair.JPG" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In Eroge!
you play as Tomoya Mochizuki, an avid eroge player who wants to enter the eroge
industry. Unfortunately for Tomoya he has not been able to find any work with
any of the companies as he doesn’t really have any game making skills. His
chance seems to come when he’s able to land a job at an eroge company called
Flower…until it’s revealed that said company is facing going out of business
unless their next game sells well. Upon discovering the problem lies with how
each of the girls in charge of making the games is talented in their field but
not very good at applying it to making eroge, it’s up to Tomoya to use his vast
knowledge of the genre to help ensure a good game is made.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While
I’d like to get to the positives first, there’s no way of getting around it,
the beginning of this game is kind of a chore to get through. I’ll admit I’ve
never been a fan of the trope of the main character being treated like crap by
the heroines at the start of the story be it in an anime/manga or game as it often
makes character introductions a chore as it makes said characters unlikable and
often uninteresting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately this
isn’t for a long period and the story gets better but if there’s a part of the
game that shouldn’t feel like a chore to complete, it’s the introduction.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5C3dXMwQ9FXcfd0IqZdfFezLwJpIUGgtcR-dUIVADzcHjLy2q9SIKFhClUe847wyP2hrjFt9npi07uvxNK7zDVzGABCvpieXtG4CWzPhfXxoLMLaefCe9kpgVyeKIiNAw4qpyugfqIgy/s1600/RealisticProblems.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5C3dXMwQ9FXcfd0IqZdfFezLwJpIUGgtcR-dUIVADzcHjLy2q9SIKFhClUe847wyP2hrjFt9npi07uvxNK7zDVzGABCvpieXtG4CWzPhfXxoLMLaefCe9kpgVyeKIiNAw4qpyugfqIgy/s1600/RealisticProblems.JPG" height="248" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Once
you get to the main story Eroge! becomes a more enjoyable read; the heroines
start showing interesting character traits, you get your obligatory ero scenes,
and we start getting a look at how an eroge company working on a new game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last of those is perhaps the most
interesting aspect of the story for a couple of reasons: first seeing an
accurate enough (according to people who are familiar with the eroge industry)
look at the process of making an eroge was interesting to see in how it matched
in many ways with the details many indie game companies leave in posts on their
websites or blogs. The writing approach does a good job presenting the process
and the many trials and tribulations an eroge company could face in a way
that’s easy to understand and its often light hearted look at the problems that
can crop up during each phase of gaming is a good way to inform and entertain
at the same time.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnYjbWTxW-DdDZx9OQS3PC8mr4WFhYO3lybaircIb3VlinM0moC6SUGqw8doNmHIZFYRfdvzCP9quzhNUT3Nre4qMBAza5Ad2aD5Tt5Bcxp1i7s7Y2xPJfNJdPTvF-nLBntMJwS-fvgL-/s1600/ExplosionSFX.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnYjbWTxW-DdDZx9OQS3PC8mr4WFhYO3lybaircIb3VlinM0moC6SUGqw8doNmHIZFYRfdvzCP9quzhNUT3Nre4qMBAza5Ad2aD5Tt5Bcxp1i7s7Y2xPJfNJdPTvF-nLBntMJwS-fvgL-/s1600/ExplosionSFX.JPG" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Second, and certainly what helps
pull this game’s story up from its weak beginning, is the story’s sincere love
for this niche game genre it’s built around. Interwoven in all the jokes and
ero scenes is an honest look and nod of respect towards to the elements
necessary to make a good eroge and the people who work hard to make those
elements work together. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I’ll admit
at times Tomoya’s enthusiasm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for the
genre seems a little much (then again this is during more comedic scenes), the
fact that his story ultimately got me to think a little on eroge and why I like
it is a notable accomplishment. Perhaps best of all each story’s route does a
good job in portraying how good it would be to have someone to share that love
of the genre with.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijDLBZARZMF3-u3ln5wi7fG1crUmCyCF3zrepGVpgiQv6a_BMsGplUfAIDsUr7obSvlQ-FU7pigOTeSm7i_ntW3IdQnP_8RrKk0mXygCGFCv1X-fqkh64AF23_RQI3iRnWhhgF7hswWqdQ/s1600/Sincerity.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijDLBZARZMF3-u3ln5wi7fG1crUmCyCF3zrepGVpgiQv6a_BMsGplUfAIDsUr7obSvlQ-FU7pigOTeSm7i_ntW3IdQnP_8RrKk0mXygCGFCv1X-fqkh64AF23_RQI3iRnWhhgF7hswWqdQ/s1600/Sincerity.JPG" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Now for the route rankings:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Kisara</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Iori</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Momoka</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Nene</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbaI9ZVKSjkTURB-gS5FKIit6LS_Kfx0eb-vJip9InRF-UUDQ0haFOIqBfDUZoGWs09wnYcpt4g6IPrnyLZfRRfaaOroN8RfvGog4bVzcKNNCbvi0OALQn0KuFxhPPC7MVLBwAwOoW70f/s1600/HardtoBelieve.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbaI9ZVKSjkTURB-gS5FKIit6LS_Kfx0eb-vJip9InRF-UUDQ0haFOIqBfDUZoGWs09wnYcpt4g6IPrnyLZfRRfaaOroN8RfvGog4bVzcKNNCbvi0OALQn0KuFxhPPC7MVLBwAwOoW70f/s1600/HardtoBelieve.JPG" height="251" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I’ll admit after playing the demo I
would have bet any amount of money against Kisara being my top pick but count
this as one of the (good) curveballs life can throw your expectations .
Kisara’s route wins out because out of all of them it has the best written
story. Her relationship with Tomoya has a good arc and the dramatic part of her
route actually did a good job getting me to care about its outcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a side note, it’s an interesting
coincidence that the problem Kisara has to deal with resonates quite well with some
gaming related controversies that have come up recently. It also helps that
part of its resolution involves a scene with Iori where her VA, Mio Okawa,
really shows her voice acting talent by pulling off a convincing dramatic scene
with a character far more subdued than her more well-known role as Bachou in
the Koihime Musou series.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSf1XY2j1D93Pi2ZbCWh4u3xF0dxjhV_VX6Qn7tFHv8rsETLgDU0LI_T_IOHzwm8ZoEMGfUluLYLwz_knP_YAaBgMeNrb1mOu5qPZpsNQnQH2fPJoo_Y1SlUmT0sV9bHOuERAtRCWgfBr/s1600/Sincerity2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSf1XY2j1D93Pi2ZbCWh4u3xF0dxjhV_VX6Qn7tFHv8rsETLgDU0LI_T_IOHzwm8ZoEMGfUluLYLwz_knP_YAaBgMeNrb1mOu5qPZpsNQnQH2fPJoo_Y1SlUmT0sV9bHOuERAtRCWgfBr/s1600/Sincerity2.JPG" height="250" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Speaking of which Iori takes second
place mainly because her route is more simple than Kisara’s, not really having
a dramatic turn to it. Still the route’s story plays its strengths well by
portraying a strangely interesting relationship that develops between her and
Tomoya that results in a pairing that goes to interesting and amusing lengths
in the kinky department but at the same time are believable as a couple. I must
say both Okawa-san and the writer deserve commendation in this, the former for
owning this role when compared to her previous roles and the writer for being
able to portray the romance in a way that feels natural to both characters
without having to go over dramatic about it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2zYGUQQbfKki01ECaPgJUIy2DcJY6SIigsePGFzXUe8LVIzikHwC0y9oduYVkhNt3XIVH823ekK9YajGIvrtHYSkNfDfS2AtQylkaBhyphenhyphengVsNtl0Ar8b0UZn26YKiGNGtrKoan7q9IX07/s1600/Momoka.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2zYGUQQbfKki01ECaPgJUIy2DcJY6SIigsePGFzXUe8LVIzikHwC0y9oduYVkhNt3XIVH823ekK9YajGIvrtHYSkNfDfS2AtQylkaBhyphenhyphengVsNtl0Ar8b0UZn26YKiGNGtrKoan7q9IX07/s1600/Momoka.JPG" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Momoka’s route came as another
surprise as until I played Iori’s route (which I did last) hers was in second
place. I fully expected her route to suck and for a while I thought I was
right. Ultimately that’s why the route is in third place because the first
quarter or so of it is unquestionably terrible. During that time you have to
put up with our heroine being downright insufferable; I myself was gritting my
teeth grumbling curses as I was formulating how I was going to roast this route
as quite possibly one of the worst routes I’d ever had the misfortune to
play…and then the story makes a change for the better. Basically something
happens that makes Momoka’s personality do a bit of a 180, and while the
circumstances for it may raise some eyebrows the fact that it makes the route
readable makes up for it, not to mention the brief dramatic fallout from it was
good enough. Basically from there we finally get to see some surprisingly good
chemistry between the two and from there I enjoyed the route all the way to the
end. I just wish the beginning wasn’t such a mental trudge to get through.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRtXQ2c92QhdVbG980spcRJ_hdy48AZaix5Rk4RkzG0pbz0WtG42HCM_aj1kf4tsAYgz8Q0Vy8r-DwN-SIDQsKDyRHjic3hubfag2aI2LYrTjewzIeoaXIp_mO0UTGkhn89kidpYjxAne/s1600/Nene.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRtXQ2c92QhdVbG980spcRJ_hdy48AZaix5Rk4RkzG0pbz0WtG42HCM_aj1kf4tsAYgz8Q0Vy8r-DwN-SIDQsKDyRHjic3hubfag2aI2LYrTjewzIeoaXIp_mO0UTGkhn89kidpYjxAne/s1600/Nene.JPG" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Nene’s route ranks at the bottom
because while not a bad route as it does have good scenes be they her
interactions with Tomoya and several scenes of her working to become more of a
leader for the struggling eroge company than its de facto mascot, it’s overall
the weakest of the bunch. The main reason is because the route’s story,
especially the dramatic part of it, feels like a weaker version of Kisara’s
route. While that route’s conflict worked because it was more character focused
in how it depended on Kisara’s reaction to it based on what’s been established
of her as a character and how that affects those close to her, in this route we
don’t really get that since the conflict is entirely dependent on a villain
character that only appears in this route and is as annoyingly featured into
the plot as you could expect. While I get why this character is there to act as
a plot device to demonstrate Nene’s character development, I can’t help but
feel the writers could have come up with something more interesting to
demonstrate that than introducing a character that reads like a rejected
character for a South Park episode.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpH9U3ans0_rwamg-yj9SPZ68yPTr97nOGO7yYEXm636_14CtsF70WDYJP_t2paUJWS4gW83aSzhS5a_i9qQ9DgT1MwAxRmLPwV9NS1Nmnfpgp_xUrwENFziMOksswqheASke7F_bgtmXn/s1600/Better+Alternative.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpH9U3ans0_rwamg-yj9SPZ68yPTr97nOGO7yYEXm636_14CtsF70WDYJP_t2paUJWS4gW83aSzhS5a_i9qQ9DgT1MwAxRmLPwV9NS1Nmnfpgp_xUrwENFziMOksswqheASke7F_bgtmXn/s1600/Better+Alternative.JPG" height="250" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
There is one more flaw in the story
department for Eroge! and once again it’s unwinnable heroines. Basically there
are four sub-heroines (technically) who help out the core cast, and while
there is certainly potential for a route it’s actually a trick element to the
game as at a certain point in each route you can have Tomoya cheat on the
heroine for the route with one of these sub-heroines which will result in a bad
ending. While I admit it’s a clever idea, I can’t help but wish these
characters could receive a full on route. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
In the technical area, Eroge! is
your standard VN, though in the settings one can make some adjustments to the
ero scenes to make some of the “kinkier” scenes stay within the player’s comfort
level.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7LUcrMC7-0Endo3qj8LIK0GIzEZui-c-iw76JR9ra_qwTQrcvots0NCakS4ls4OYfNeU1VQCZJwVn5xhrAzuretHijUiYBnZR7PDE_tSqjQsilA1v03-t2p9RLb0EGeFE05yUFi18QWc/s1600/Settings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7LUcrMC7-0Endo3qj8LIK0GIzEZui-c-iw76JR9ra_qwTQrcvots0NCakS4ls4OYfNeU1VQCZJwVn5xhrAzuretHijUiYBnZR7PDE_tSqjQsilA1v03-t2p9RLb0EGeFE05yUFi18QWc/s1600/Settings.JPG" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
In the area of presentation the
game does well enough. The artwork is good, the voice acting is great and the
music is fine, though I do question the need for so many variants of a single
theme. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
As for the ero scenes, they’re all
good and I can say each heroine has something different to offer in the H
department so I suppose you could say that enhances the replay value. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should also mention that perhaps another enjoyable
aspect of Kisara’s route is she has some of the funniest ero scene dialogue I’ve
ever read in an eroge. I wish I could show you a sample but it’s something you
should see for yourselves…and since I want to keep the blog safe for work in
the images department…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Eroge! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>~Sex and Games Make Sexy Games~ is an
enjoyable game fueled by a comedic yet ultimately respectful look at the genre
and its game making process. While it does have the problem of a weak start and
couple other writing issues here and there it’s far from enough to ruin the
experience. If you want a romantic comedy that’s also heavy on the ero this
Valentine’s Day (or any day) then this is certainly worth picking up. Also you have the option of <a href="http://www.mangagamer.com/detail.php?goods_type=1&product_code=4" target="_blank">buying it digitally</a> or <a href="http://www.mangagamer.com/detail.php?goods_type=3&product_code=216" target="_blank">buying a physical copy</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 7/10 Great</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Buy it now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the anime, I can say that as an adaptation it’s pretty good and even has some
unique scenes in the H department. My only real complaints are first, its
handling of Momoka’s personality turn around are entirely comedic without the
brief dramatic fallout. I just feel its exclusion makes the change in her
relationship with Tomoya less effective. Second, I do wish Iori and Nene would
get a little more focus since the OVAs mainly focus on Kisara and Momoka. Other
than that it’s a good watch, though I recommend playing the game first.</div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-14016390494484567462014-10-31T08:10:00.000-07:002014-10-31T08:10:34.990-07:00Import Games for Adults Halloween: Kyonyuu Fantasy Gaiden 2<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Kyonyuu Fantasy
Gaiden 2 Review</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDryxAAr20vY-oMMV6P3WuzV517z3_U-1HYtwqWu31XzQ3avk-pOBkPrR2dgiIwbREej0hqjbSgwwXmBSTe9XXimxwWnrXRNwetKyZO6gIr9GbDIOXrXG1EReVh_ehgWwfemn6Ai0QKh3S/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDryxAAr20vY-oMMV6P3WuzV517z3_U-1HYtwqWu31XzQ3avk-pOBkPrR2dgiIwbREej0hqjbSgwwXmBSTe9XXimxwWnrXRNwetKyZO6gIr9GbDIOXrXG1EReVh_ehgWwfemn6Ai0QKh3S/s1600/Cover.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Bet you
weren’t expecting this to be the Halloween review, huh? Seeing as the latest
game in the series releases in Japan today and Halloween is about monsters and
this series has more than its share of monster heroines and characters I think
it fits…plus after playing my fair share of dark themed eroge I need something
light to lift my spirits for the upcoming holidays. Anyway, with this we wrap
up the story of Ryuto Hende in Kyonyuu Fantasy Gaiden 2, released in Japan on
October 25, 2013. There are lots of cases where game trilogies end on
unsatisfying notes such as Xenosaga Episode 3 or Mass Effect 3 (which for the
record I consider okay with all story DLC but not satisfying), but thankfully
Gaiden 2 spares us this by being a near perfect capstone to this trilogy many
of us have come to love.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Excellent story that leads to a satisfying conclusion,
great new characters (the good aligned ones anyway), both returning and new
characters get the right amount of spotlight, great artwork, good music,
excellent voice acting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Side route seems a little pointless, Selveria has a
couple character moments that feel a little rushed, an odd glitch late in the
game.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: To any who still feel this isn’t fitting for
Halloween, the zombies have something to say…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GEl8zziVkxWjUC-OEU-Ghw4OdpUXlalkZ-nJ2fqoKYHNlq6mJko1_Ebwjpf3oPI1_i7qw_2zzvrXiWyfeujGkRxCbCHwDND9mY1ACkH47rbD_XZXWtYWQz4Yc7WO3-qCohtiQSX6f-Bx/s1600/Zombies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GEl8zziVkxWjUC-OEU-Ghw4OdpUXlalkZ-nJ2fqoKYHNlq6mJko1_Ebwjpf3oPI1_i7qw_2zzvrXiWyfeujGkRxCbCHwDND9mY1ACkH47rbD_XZXWtYWQz4Yc7WO3-qCohtiQSX6f-Bx/s1600/Zombies.JPG" height="188" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Set 5
years after the events of Kyonyuu Fantasy Gaiden, the story begins in the
Kingdom of Hillsland, now sadly a shadow of its glorious days under the rule of
King Ruin Demedium more than a century and a half ago. In the midst of the kingdom’s
troubles with the kingdom of Fronce an amnesiac masked man with red hair washes
up near a harbor. Unfortunately for him, upon entering town the masked man
discovers too late that aside from memories he’s also lacking clothes and is
quickly arrested by the authorities. Soon after his incarceration the man,
taking the name Mask for lack of anything else , is given a chance at pardon
(along with a group of imprisoned mermen pirates) in exchange for defeating a
monster that has taken up residence in Boinbara’s castle. Meanwhile in the
kingdom of Edellant, King Ryuto Hende has been apparently bedridden for nearly
a month with none save the queens and his advisors having seen him since this
sudden onset of illness…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Okay,
before I continue let me give a warning to those allergic to even the most
minor of spoilers, it is going to be impossible for me to discuss the game’s
story without spoiling the “twist” to the previous story summary. I’d like to
believe anyone old enough to play these games has developed enough genre
savviness to call what it is, but since I am aware no one likes to be spoiled I
have to do this. If you want to see everything for yourself then believe me
when I say this game is really good and if you have any investment in this
series you owe it to yourself to play it. Observe the spoiler warning pictures
below and either go to another page or scroll on down and continue reading
(please be more of the latter).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFb_pTajIYigR8J3vOYX9dOSedGp99YN0WArXcKUQfti1OFR7t_gNJBxZ6PiutD7gvqITQIDWrOSjGNY9cIq366veQexWRBHQn1oRjPmM3EXjd3F_Pf0B-IqTvB4DHbLhc_7CHl2no5CX/s1600/cd467469e045222098ce4f68a4d297c256184e6f4479f0094a4a4907f1b38062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFb_pTajIYigR8J3vOYX9dOSedGp99YN0WArXcKUQfti1OFR7t_gNJBxZ6PiutD7gvqITQIDWrOSjGNY9cIq366veQexWRBHQn1oRjPmM3EXjd3F_Pf0B-IqTvB4DHbLhc_7CHl2no5CX/s1600/cd467469e045222098ce4f68a4d297c256184e6f4479f0094a4a4907f1b38062.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yagflwG4kooQK4NZk_SgZMLRfkHqth9oE0W39se-Txyn6e2JVkDfBgzwFsthFAgqF56lblH8HTP0OyLuH7w1ZpQ73YDisS2ncFTOAr5jaP1qcEC1JiaEsE4N8yMuS8s_0KE31kc_Xm_S/s1600/Motivational__Spoilers_by_easolinas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yagflwG4kooQK4NZk_SgZMLRfkHqth9oE0W39se-Txyn6e2JVkDfBgzwFsthFAgqF56lblH8HTP0OyLuH7w1ZpQ73YDisS2ncFTOAr5jaP1qcEC1JiaEsE4N8yMuS8s_0KE31kc_Xm_S/s1600/Motivational__Spoilers_by_easolinas.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_VrmzkQO1ZZfqDYfEXKcbWbaRzYUo1OTLUfouIFgJqy8tZBACTNXlKFh_9pJeVi_JbFTmDZg6xkOGwIYI-nJhxKch4hGo_cAXpBBZXo35R_IN8Sgzqxa7lvkZFN7sqKAJl9Hjrasac8I/s1600/death_spoiler_demotivational_by_thespottedfur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_VrmzkQO1ZZfqDYfEXKcbWbaRzYUo1OTLUfouIFgJqy8tZBACTNXlKFh_9pJeVi_JbFTmDZg6xkOGwIYI-nJhxKch4hGo_cAXpBBZXo35R_IN8Sgzqxa7lvkZFN7sqKAJl9Hjrasac8I/s1600/death_spoiler_demotivational_by_thespottedfur.jpg" height="278" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span> There’s
no beating around the bush, yes it’s obvious that “Mask” is Ryuto with amnesia
but the game is written with that in mind. The readers are expected to figure
this out from the start as the real story at that point in the plot is what’s going to happen
to our amnesiac hero in this new setting (for him anyway) with the mystery of
how this even happened taking a back seat until later, but still there as can
be seen when we switch to the POV of the returning characters from the previous
two games. To those of you worried about this part of the story involving Ryuto
getting amnesia, I can assure you as someone that generally hates that kind of
storyline when applied to established characters that Gaiden 2 manages to do
this trope in a good way. Aside from using it as a way to introduce new setting
information to the player without a feeling of story contradiction as Ryuto
normally would probably know this already, it’s also used as a way to introduce and
establish most of the new characters, taking full advantage of Ryuto’s identity
being unknown so these characters will treat him normally. More importantly
though, the story does not use the missing memories as an excuse to have Ryuto
act in any way out of character; at his core he’s still the good natured (if
somewhat perverted) guy we’ve come to know and love throughout these three
games. Of course this is all helped by the fact that this particular story arc
is a good one for a start as it builds up to a surprisingly awesome climax that
then leads into a satisfying conclusion…and then we move on to the main story. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have
to hand it to the writer of this series, he knew this game had to be special
and delivered. The story makes good use of its built up alternate Europe
setting not only by giving each kingdom its own identity but also in making it
somehow scale story elements up in some ways. You get a good feel of Ryuto’s
actions having an effect throughout the continent and at several points the
fate of countries end up depending on it. It all culminates into a final
conflict with an overall satisfying ending with an epilogue that wraps things
up nicely. That said, Gaiden 2 also does well in its slower moments in between
each major story event, using these periods not just for ero scenes but also to
give the characters their moments, a significant improvement from the slow
filler-ish moments of Gaiden.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsb9adKZN-4SXBJ9xX_mqKzMzOb5x_brj3P01GCLW250l3ZIOvTOdOcJ7PHCW7wUa25B3Myo3b4htholtp1CVx89YfpSDMOkQS32XPeStB0yx7YiJ6HZcJKwi0OQMAE34cyb0IbKbWWOJ/s1600/NewHeroines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsb9adKZN-4SXBJ9xX_mqKzMzOb5x_brj3P01GCLW250l3ZIOvTOdOcJ7PHCW7wUa25B3Myo3b4htholtp1CVx89YfpSDMOkQS32XPeStB0yx7YiJ6HZcJKwi0OQMAE34cyb0IbKbWWOJ/s1600/NewHeroines.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of the characters, Gaiden 2 does
nearly everything right with both the new and returning ones. Regarding the
former all the new characters are given good introductions so that we can
remember them and (all the good ones anyway) are given the right amount of plot
significance that they feel like a natural and welcome addition to the cast.
The only exception to this would be Rosalyn’s father who proves to be
surprisingly forgettable even for a minor character in this series. That aside
all the other new characters are properly fleshed out, the best examples being
with our new heroines. In Rosalyn and Estoria’s respective story arcs they both
center around each of them having to deal with the sudden responsibility of ruling
a country and the game does a good job giving these arcs their own
distinguishable events and pacing but also in showing how each heroine ends up
developing both during and after the arcs. Selveria’s makes for an interesting
tie in with the final conflict Ryuto and co. have to deal with and she does
have an interesting backstory, though I have to say her arc is weakened a bit
by it occurring so late in the game as there are some character moments of hers
that feel a bit rushed. Of course continuing what’s now tradition with this
series, Gaiden 2 gives personality all the way down to the unnamed characters
as we not only get a group of merman pirates who are in their own distinct way as
delightful as the gnolls from Kyonyuu Fantasy 2 but a group of almost as
entertaining Hillsland soldiers who do double duty as pirates and one of the
better subplots in this game is these two pirate groups learning to cooperate.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqHHrwr-H3ufbSlZFSNHb0tFYm42_I943ssjhAW1Pr3SXhl_X3Gyh0el4tw2jQh4_zuO7DV9m8qPP8JEdmUNjFZXC0g14NqXwj35N3-yE-qfiOz4SJ59YJyWuhnJ_oCPrySC55LTeI2ka/s1600/DancingPirates.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqHHrwr-H3ufbSlZFSNHb0tFYm42_I943ssjhAW1Pr3SXhl_X3Gyh0el4tw2jQh4_zuO7DV9m8qPP8JEdmUNjFZXC0g14NqXwj35N3-yE-qfiOz4SJ59YJyWuhnJ_oCPrySC55LTeI2ka/s1600/DancingPirates.JPG" height="188" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Naturally
the returning characters are given the appropriate screen time as would be
appropriate for the finale in this trilogy. Starting with our heroines, this
time none of them feel like they’re stuck on the sidelines. Isis actually has
an active role this time and has about as much plot and action contribution as
Gladys does. Even our non-combat capable heroines are given opportunities to
demonstrate their effectiveness in their respective roles from Neris’
significant improvement in magic since Gaiden to Emeralia, Roxanne and Ruseria’s
respective roles in helping the kingdom run. Still the heroine to have it best
storywise is, naturally, Shamshel as not only do we get heavy story involvement
from her but we also get some really good character moments from her ranging
from the comedic to some very believable dramatic ones, especially in the first
arc of the game. It also helps that many of these moments work to better tie
things in with KF2.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV892YMp0vCjpDYcz6FZAI1Xl2SRmEz6z_oqvfEPT_GAnmlhIbj9uxHP1nqjNyptkol6npHGlb81RgGANcgAo4xw6IfCkjTV2cbQR0au-aD2SN7_7_QNjSFnzdiIEkhffGTOrY7pItYEz2/s1600/ShamshelRyutoBackstory.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV892YMp0vCjpDYcz6FZAI1Xl2SRmEz6z_oqvfEPT_GAnmlhIbj9uxHP1nqjNyptkol6npHGlb81RgGANcgAo4xw6IfCkjTV2cbQR0au-aD2SN7_7_QNjSFnzdiIEkhffGTOrY7pItYEz2/s1600/ShamshelRyutoBackstory.JPG" height="187" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of
course the rest of the returning cast is handled well. Martel for instance not
only has more story involvement than in the last game but also has a very good
subplot focusing on the student-mentor relationship he has with Felzen. Even
minor returning characters get either a somewhat important role or a fitting
nod by the end of the game. Yes, even the Alphabet Assassins…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NNIl4Dy4PTqaiuK7svSDLXK-AmajmRWjzrhTI6DyQLEG0AbMJkMuCmB7E2J5igoixPSCmW4EkG3iww1sj1kHYp_fG-wkMPLZtlLuz8KVQfyWaMH1eSOq852VLPiqKRKWJ_G68T6oZ5RW/s1600/Alphabet+AssassinsReturn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NNIl4Dy4PTqaiuK7svSDLXK-AmajmRWjzrhTI6DyQLEG0AbMJkMuCmB7E2J5igoixPSCmW4EkG3iww1sj1kHYp_fG-wkMPLZtlLuz8KVQfyWaMH1eSOq852VLPiqKRKWJ_G68T6oZ5RW/s1600/Alphabet+AssassinsReturn.JPG" height="188" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For all
the praise I have for Gaiden 2, I will admit even it has a couple story related
flaws. Aside from the aforementioned bit with Selveria, the most glaring would
be in the side route this game has. I wouldn’t say that it’s bad, but it feels
kind of pointless and this is the only area I feel the previous Gaiden did
better. While there was one canon ending the other endings had interesting
story bits and some good character moments too that felt like nice little
accompaniments to the true ending. In this case it doesn’t really feel like
there’s much to take away from the route as it never takes advantage of
potentially interesting plot points. A good example is Ryuto has to deal with a
different set of villains this time which ends up leading him into getting on
better terms with the main villains of the true route, Enperador and his wizard
Istorias. The problem is these two are given nothing to do in their roles in
this route as even though they get involved in the story’s conflict; they pretty
much just stand aside as Ryuto inevitably saves the day…and that’s it. It also
doesn’t help that the villains for this route just come off as rehashes of the
villains from Shamshel’s arc in the previous game, except nowhere near as
effective. Add in that neither Rosalyn nor Selveria are in this route much and Estoria doesn't even make an appearance only serves to make the route feel even more non-canon. All in all not a bad route but the only justification I can find for
its existence are its handful of ero scenes. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVpAFObkWjfDxR1kbmDFsiYrDV3hJaz_pig3oW8cWmgEoXKv63h2jZQZkiXVEMHiT7UBY5ZZY4i-3d_8Ur9I-7TeuMqXd_e9LH9lfUoIL7g7S2-4QCjCDj51uAY1Ue7yhjxVnL3Pjw9jz/s1600/RosalynIrritated.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVpAFObkWjfDxR1kbmDFsiYrDV3hJaz_pig3oW8cWmgEoXKv63h2jZQZkiXVEMHiT7UBY5ZZY4i-3d_8Ur9I-7TeuMqXd_e9LH9lfUoIL7g7S2-4QCjCDj51uAY1Ue7yhjxVnL3Pjw9jz/s1600/RosalynIrritated.JPG" height="188" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
is one problem Gaiden 2 has concerning its system and that comes in the form of
a strange glitch that occurs in the game’s epilogue where after a specific ero
scene occurs, the in game screen shakes for a period of time before eventually
stopping. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation Gaiden 2 does as well as its predecessors with its artwork
as good as ever, both character and CG. Though there is one kind of exception with the former as Enperador's character portrait holds the same strange pose throughout the entire game even when his expression changes.The music is also good though the best
in the area of sound goes to the voice acting as all the VAs turn in great
performances, especially Shamshel’s as can be best seen in the aforementioned
dramatic scenes we see early in the game.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the ero scenes, they’re as good as ever and this time around have the benefit
of being better included into the story unlike in the beginning of the first
Gaiden. In an interesting change though, Gaiden 2’s creators don’t seem to have
been afraid to give the story some time before getting the players to the ero
scenes. Don’t worry, the scenes are there and as plentiful as ever plus this
time no heroine gets the short end of scenes, you just have to wait a couple
chapters.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Characters</u> (only covering the new major characters):</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy92QenvsaiADbj7Crbv1xB2SLdiTiENrIHA96YcflYvY0wdBZT_Bxy0UXJzjhlyGfJpcsJANFaRfTUdWr568ZJj7rvwMPc6-6k8GOOZ7r9WAxleOel7mK4vT8Ds8Nb9YYmK6FcGAzx5Op/s1600/Rosalyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy92QenvsaiADbj7Crbv1xB2SLdiTiENrIHA96YcflYvY0wdBZT_Bxy0UXJzjhlyGfJpcsJANFaRfTUdWr568ZJj7rvwMPc6-6k8GOOZ7r9WAxleOel7mK4vT8Ds8Nb9YYmK6FcGAzx5Op/s1600/Rosalyn.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rosalyn:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Princess and sole heir to the kingdom of Hillsland. Friendly
and outspoken, Rosalyn’s desire to help her declining country has led to her adopting
the guise of a pirate with a crew of loyal soldiers to harass any potentially
hostile foreign ships.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIGRdQZ7SjB2VrDc9TdAbWjIiDAlwvCp2uPT62oO0z2kAs15ZnSjQCob994NDoMTKC4__xPE7QH6TQ94T-vg3YEkQ1wGvw6vCo6-qKJ4snMpN-36LlJ-13lirPOtJY_af7P4fp-fxqLk_/s1600/Estoria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIGRdQZ7SjB2VrDc9TdAbWjIiDAlwvCp2uPT62oO0z2kAs15ZnSjQCob994NDoMTKC4__xPE7QH6TQ94T-vg3YEkQ1wGvw6vCo6-qKJ4snMpN-36LlJ-13lirPOtJY_af7P4fp-fxqLk_/s1600/Estoria.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Estoria:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Princess and sole heir of the kingdom of Nordlant and a
friend of Rosalyn’s. Having grown up praised and admired by many throughout
Eurodia for her beauty has given this princess a high opinion of herself that
makes things difficult for her father’s royal advisor, let alone any potential
suitors. Despite this, she is aware of her own kingdom’s coming troubles as the
impending death of her gravely ill father, the king, will mean trouble with the
neighboring hostile kingdom of Ostacia.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaS6nWBHMiYLGcMxTeI0zsFVConx9me82n8BEiEHsYZ77rZTNUcgQaX4uKNa5RCbYSA5glH3F75DHtBMJgYlbXQgqbA09781U_A6rji03EuWGM6OuVriTXOFFvd4Vcko7teh89a52c5D_/s1600/Selveria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaS6nWBHMiYLGcMxTeI0zsFVConx9me82n8BEiEHsYZ77rZTNUcgQaX4uKNa5RCbYSA5glH3F75DHtBMJgYlbXQgqbA09781U_A6rji03EuWGM6OuVriTXOFFvd4Vcko7teh89a52c5D_/s1600/Selveria.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Selveria:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Queen of the kingdom of Iberia and wife to its ruler
Enperador. A full blood nymph, Selveria is also a renowned fighter and commands
much of Iberia’s forces in their ongoing campaign against the nation of
Sultana.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCVXOR4ss28zXaJXWD4TZ9K0PBj2F91ERHR-NQhcR38RzZ8gpQAcFhfzx-XNzMhhekfjTBxtFElS74FHWVNnuogxJTrh_onHwZNe8CU-WRuiQMLCP-k_jUcEHhX9wDPRO5FvpwMAc7Uuk/s1600/Enperador.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCVXOR4ss28zXaJXWD4TZ9K0PBj2F91ERHR-NQhcR38RzZ8gpQAcFhfzx-XNzMhhekfjTBxtFElS74FHWVNnuogxJTrh_onHwZNe8CU-WRuiQMLCP-k_jUcEHhX9wDPRO5FvpwMAc7Uuk/s1600/Enperador.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Enperador the Second:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ruler of the kingdom of Iberia, Enperador is an ambitious
man who intends to rule the entire continent of Eurodia. His ambitions are
currently kept in check by his country’s long standing conflict with the
kingdom of Sultana, though that doesn’t keep him from making moves to manipulate
events in the other countries to his benefit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXF4KJy3o-9QiK2RbAVy-jv9lGU65fKnxjMZ0wGoWkreFb7vnYqOHhSKFBNC3MbqQ-igrsHwpH3gVwaZdo_NFFu7MJe2yq9soHmhKL5X7A_Xv9rU37BM84jww5kZigIBc2PlfMgv31j38/s1600/Istorias.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXF4KJy3o-9QiK2RbAVy-jv9lGU65fKnxjMZ0wGoWkreFb7vnYqOHhSKFBNC3MbqQ-igrsHwpH3gVwaZdo_NFFu7MJe2yq9soHmhKL5X7A_Xv9rU37BM84jww5kZigIBc2PlfMgv31j38/s1600/Istorias.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Istorias:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Enperador’s most trusted advisor and an accomplished wizard,
Istorias acts as his king’s right hand through the many soldiers and spies
under his command and magic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Kyonyuu
Fantasy Gaiden 2 is not only an excellent entry into the series it is a more
than worthy send off to the characters who started perhaps the best series to
be found in the nukige genre of eroge. Its enjoyable story and equally
enjoyable main characters returning and new make this a game anyone who has
experienced the previous games and liked them owes themselves to see. My hat
goes off to the creators of this series, they’ve made a story with heroes and
heroines that gave at least me some positive inspiration and through that they’ve
earned the highest score I’ve ever given to a nukige. May whatever new entries
in this series continue to do the same.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 9/10 Must Own</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Buy it now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Just a
quick note, yes I am aware of the side stories for <a href="http://www.waffle1999.com/minigame/13_app_gaiden2/index.html" target="_blank">Emeralia</a> and <a href="http://www.waffle1999.com/shamshel/index.html" target="_blank">Estoria</a> but
unfortunately I haven’t played any of them since those, <a href="http://gamesforadultsandeveryone.blogspot.com/2014/01/import-games-for-adults-kyonyuu-fantasy.html" target="_blank">like a previous side story for Kyonyuu Fantasy 2</a>, are kept completely
exclusive to certain buyers of the game. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Well, that
concludes this year’s Halloween reviews. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIHUv2ooG38" target="_blank">A Happy Halloween to you all</a> and here’s
hoping we can do it again next year.</div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-90071477189815282862014-10-24T09:06:00.004-07:002014-10-24T09:06:59.358-07:00Import Games for Adults Halloween: Dark Blue<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Dark Blue Review</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3dUkN2cdX3yzOngCQhcAdACcYEuZ4kSTEA6am2Da_X9tAZ9VmqVA6WuG_b4fQH_MyR1KzXxUeuUWvNjil82r0FZ7yYXFBvrdep_iUybU65wCrD1gRUlu4-i2DV0s1PsLCz7WvVDZIjhp/s1600/_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3dUkN2cdX3yzOngCQhcAdACcYEuZ4kSTEA6am2Da_X9tAZ9VmqVA6WuG_b4fQH_MyR1KzXxUeuUWvNjil82r0FZ7yYXFBvrdep_iUybU65wCrD1gRUlu4-i2DV0s1PsLCz7WvVDZIjhp/s1600/_cover.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
there’s one thing that’s unavoidable during the month of October it’s the
slasher movies. Oh you can go the entire month without seeing one in full, but
there’s always going to be one playing as part of some channel’s horror movie
marathon and odds are you’ll at least be glimpsing a second or two of it as you
flip the channels. I figure let’s be in keeping with the holiday spirit, but
since Cartagra’s release isn’t until this year’s Halloween, we’ll instead be
taking a look at Dark Blue released November 27, 2009 by LiLiM DARKNESS for
this game adheres quite a bit to the tropes of the slasher films…for good and bad.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/TW7QboYTs2k?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Interesting story, decent core characters, decent
artwork, good music and voice acting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: The game’s shortness leads to some story problems,
unwinnable heroines, the artwork for some of the minor characters is a
little…off.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: If you’re going to use some English to promote your
game, the use of machine translated text is not a good idea.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PhqrCLghEfD7kGMag-cGqlj4mHcCDV6t6jX1jihYomgAod2NuFM3GjIbvol92yp_orbNJMaquxvvuusSGnVQgPUtdaDsjWjZM4FFfVXHwUVCPME3sZQZe5chTTsTLH8zI7jGBvSyrciD/s1600/BadEnglish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PhqrCLghEfD7kGMag-cGqlj4mHcCDV6t6jX1jihYomgAod2NuFM3GjIbvol92yp_orbNJMaquxvvuusSGnVQgPUtdaDsjWjZM4FFfVXHwUVCPME3sZQZe5chTTsTLH8zI7jGBvSyrciD/s1600/BadEnglish.JPG" height="195" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As summer
break nears Yukito Aizawa and his sisters, Kotomi and Suzuka, are invited by
his friend Reiya to stay at his family’s vacation home for the break along with
several of their friends and classmates. As the group begins to enjoy this
relaxing trip an evening news report on the radio announces a triple murder in
the nearby town with the culprit remaining at large and the next morning one of
their own is found brutally murdered. A call to the police from the family
butler reveals that a sudden avalanche has blocked the only road to or from the
mansion and until the road can be cleared the group appears to be at the mercy
of the killer from the news…or perhaps the true culprit may be one of them…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGUypRp0DRReXJt6IwLiUGqchwHL3hYsEFN79T4mXskeXYsMJkwn6mgt89Vor0BbptRnaLVVIguXIYYPZ0i0Pypt4SEs3pcpC1G38D_Qm6KfXdK3unr9Ogfr5yrEyHbe_FW3yr0m90kn-/s1600/SearchforCulprit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGUypRp0DRReXJt6IwLiUGqchwHL3hYsEFN79T4mXskeXYsMJkwn6mgt89Vor0BbptRnaLVVIguXIYYPZ0i0Pypt4SEs3pcpC1G38D_Qm6KfXdK3unr9Ogfr5yrEyHbe_FW3yr0m90kn-/s1600/SearchforCulprit.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Okay, I
know this story sounds cliché as it gets as you’ve probably seen it countless
times before in movies and mystery shows (be they live action or anime). The
thing is you don’t see it that much in eroge so naturally I was curious to see
how this story scenario would play out in a medium where your choices would
have some effect on the story. After playing it I’ve found that it does well
enough, but there are problems, some related to the story setup some that
probably had more to do with external issues instead. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Starting
with what Dark Blue does right is first it does enough to keep its story
interesting by giving you some investment in the characters (click <a href="http://vndb.org/v2715/chars#chars" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles). While it’s only
the major characters that receive any kind of depth the majority of the cast
are likable enough that you at least won’t feel annoyed by any of them. The
writers do at least give them a quirk or two so you’ll at the very least
remember their name. Even the characters who turn out to be…not as nice as they
seem at least have the benefit of that being revealed over time. Concerning the
core cast, Yukito I admit came off as a bit of a surprise as the game gave him
a bit more development than I was expecting in this game. Basically at the
start of the game I’ll admit he comes off as a bland character though once the
initial murder occurs and you start making more meaningful choices those
choices actually end up determining what sort of character Yukito becomes.
While at first glance choices to help the main heroines at certain points in
the story seem like your conventional scoring good points with them to access
their endings, with context of the choices occurring after the murder of a
friend and various members of the cast finding ways to deal with the sudden
loss gives it another light. Basically that plus the outcome of either choice
end up creating the case of whether or not the loss makes or breaks Yukito as a
person. I’ll admit this won’t measure up to say Bioware levels of character
developing through player choice but for what on the surface looks like an
average dark nukige its notable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Moving
on to the heroines, let’s start with my route/ending preference (though seeing
as there’s only three…):</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Otoha</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Tie between Suzuka and Anise</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPQnUejYSnC0wPfTFtkzUUHBs1fBPqComqF4p5N-qW1V-3bG9fXEPK3neGyPLKAgsCrZfG7nHu62VaW_JTxL2vkCFb7VBwFXYwBjwR7z-wivipy0w7NyHyBX44gJT_rvtAPZMw_dIic08/s1600/MountainView.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPQnUejYSnC0wPfTFtkzUUHBs1fBPqComqF4p5N-qW1V-3bG9fXEPK3neGyPLKAgsCrZfG7nHu62VaW_JTxL2vkCFb7VBwFXYwBjwR7z-wivipy0w7NyHyBX44gJT_rvtAPZMw_dIic08/s1600/MountainView.JPG" height="255" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Otoha being the top pick I admit is
a bit unfair seeing as the game’s story is written in her favor, but I will
admit the writing does at least seem to be putting effort into presenting her
as the main heroine rather than just having the story expect it like other
eroge. Otoha basically has more of a story presence than the other two main
heroines and she is given good interactions with Yukito in a lot of them so you
do believe the two are close. Thankfully while she is given all this focus the
writing for the game does enough with the other heroines that picking them
doesn’t feel like an unnatural choice. About the only problem I have with the
route is its ending seems a bit disconnected from how the murder mystery wraps
up. Part of it has to do with the tone, but it’s not because the ending comes
across as too happy. It has to do with an overlying problem in this game that
I’ll discuss later.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCquKl4gjhP8Y6g4-PunYqEFTzXXOgns7ss2byT3VI5uymG-mcfo-vMqFX2uf9na3HhPcMhnj6fWfQlGKZNMfENUrcZ3ml_XPEul5T1jdK2oBW5bfbzxutsgSWn29e2z6XL53tidQhJuX/s1600/AniseinTrouble.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCquKl4gjhP8Y6g4-PunYqEFTzXXOgns7ss2byT3VI5uymG-mcfo-vMqFX2uf9na3HhPcMhnj6fWfQlGKZNMfENUrcZ3ml_XPEul5T1jdK2oBW5bfbzxutsgSWn29e2z6XL53tidQhJuX/s1600/AniseinTrouble.JPG" height="258" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The reason Suzuka and Anise tie is
because while they’re good as secondary heroines each of their routes has
something they do really well that the other route could have used. In Anise’s
case it’s because she has a more noticeable presence in the story than Suzuka
has and is subsequently better set up as a potential love interest for Yukito,
on the other hand her ending has a similar feeling of disconnect from the main
story’s finale that Otoha’s has. On the other hand with Suzuka what her route
lacks in story involvement on her end is made up for in the later parts where
we get some interesting backstory content concerning Yukito and how it ties in
with the murder mystery. Her ending also has the advantage of feeling more in
tone with how the main story wraps up though there is a minor discrepancy. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLjL17e1kB8fZ97BLUywW2Vb53Ey5_pu9PiQbJJ6P77mtFlxHxyI52Ir62DGvIjpBYTCrLkGIMAtz7TUkHQrpNrhrFGsyg9uVtZkxg5x3KZ0WkLpYqddrNYzPdPFX7riHh471wPecJPGB/s1600/Suzuka.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLjL17e1kB8fZ97BLUywW2Vb53Ey5_pu9PiQbJJ6P77mtFlxHxyI52Ir62DGvIjpBYTCrLkGIMAtz7TUkHQrpNrhrFGsyg9uVtZkxg5x3KZ0WkLpYqddrNYzPdPFX7riHh471wPecJPGB/s1600/Suzuka.JPG" height="258" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Basically, Dark Blue’s overlying
problem is that it’s too short as much of the latter half comes off as rushed.
I’m not sure if this is the result of a lack of time or money or maybe a little
too much focus given to the bad end routes (which I admit are an interesting
read to at least see the mental toll of being NTRed combined with loss and
paranoia inflicted on Yukito), but there are points in the later parts of the
game where it feels like something is missing that should be there. The best
example would be concerning that feeling of disconnect the heroines’ endings
have from how the main story ends. Said main ending is supposed to be
bittersweet but it’s brought about in a way that feels cheap and kind of hand
wavey (for lack of a better term) as it is a bit difficult to suspend disbelief
that the culprit could do all that in such a short time and it doesn’t help
that the ending doesn’t give any time to establish the impact of the events of
those endings. This is where the disconnect occurs as once the credits are done
rolling we get an epilogue that does a good job establishing how well Yukito
and the ending’s heroine have been doing since then, but it feels a bit out of
place because it’s presented as a bittersweet conclusion but the “bitter” part
is missing. Even in Suzuka's route there's a small bit of disconnect as it only seems concerned about only one character's death than any of the others, though it does make sense why it's just it seems odd neither of them would even briefly think about some of the other victims too. There are also some problems concerning the culprit one of them
being the identity of killer is a bit easy to figure out and the other being
the motives feel kind of weak.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhUGuRINSBBYFn7chj6sD3lMw36g7B7m3t2ofrCiIVPltNieaOLr76d65I99ezTVSsdcNAIiNYbnVXnYk_ZpPDk0nHufcRhtFDk0w_ZUqtuOPap0MeplVU2BAxaj7sv-8ZNkRHLuGC9K3/s1600/TwinsUnwinnable.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhUGuRINSBBYFn7chj6sD3lMw36g7B7m3t2ofrCiIVPltNieaOLr76d65I99ezTVSsdcNAIiNYbnVXnYk_ZpPDk0nHufcRhtFDk0w_ZUqtuOPap0MeplVU2BAxaj7sv-8ZNkRHLuGC9K3/s1600/TwinsUnwinnable.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Of course another problem to arise
from the game being too short is the all too common one of unwinnable heroines.
In Dark Blue’s case we have this mainly with the twins Rina and Rio Sendou as
there are brief instances that hint both girls are interested in Yukito but
it’s never given much focus. I’m hesitant to include Honoka in this because
story reasons would make a (non-bad end) route for her difficult to accomplish
even if you were to make it a secret route unlocked after completing the
others. The thing is there are scenes that hint at wanting to take a deeper
look into her character (and to some extent the butler Nigel’s) though whether
that was even on the drawing board we’ll probably never know.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
In the area of presentation Dark
Blue does well enough. The music is pretty good as the tunes all do their jobs
in matching their intended scenes and the voice acting is good especially
taking into account everyone but Yukito is voiced. About the only problem is I
think at times Anise’s VA tries a little too hard at putting on an American
accent. Its art is pretty good for the most part, but as often happens in short
games like this the minor (and often evil) male characters, are well…take a
look:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Rgm4n-xar-KvzHPntSWs_CRLwYUROnCdsj0RxPKWNQ9w8zLYKWIJ19YnOq7mDr2wewKAu8pTH5Q9AY4xPDlOHw74U5SiegGmQZAFFukqi0y0jlB80MlbS3lvgn3xIawnpWB-fpJMeVCm/s1600/LazyDesign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Rgm4n-xar-KvzHPntSWs_CRLwYUROnCdsj0RxPKWNQ9w8zLYKWIJ19YnOq7mDr2wewKAu8pTH5Q9AY4xPDlOHw74U5SiegGmQZAFFukqi0y0jlB80MlbS3lvgn3xIawnpWB-fpJMeVCm/s1600/LazyDesign.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
As for the ero scenes, they’re
pretty good both the lighter and darker variety, though I will admit this game
has a good deal more of the latter, being a part LiLiM’s “Blue” series. Rest
assured though those scenes are avoidable if not your cup of tea.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dark
Blue is an overall decent eroge that tells a good enough story, but leaves you
with a feeling that an even better story could have been achieved with more
time or money put into its creation. While much better murder mystery eroge (or
VNs in general) exist, this one makes for a nice little diversion to tide you over
if you’ve played all of them and are waiting for a new one.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 6/10 Above Average</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Try it out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for
the anime, it’s decent as an adaptation of the bad end routes even though it
does skip over a lot of the introduction just to get to the H content. If NTR and the like is your thing
then this is for you, but if you want an adaptation of the good end routes I’m
afraid you’re out of luck.</div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-51205681326507346782014-10-17T11:07:00.000-07:002014-10-17T11:07:13.058-07:00Playable Import Games for Adults Halloween: Coμ - Kuroi Ryuu to Yasashii Oukoku - <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Coμ - Kuroi Ryuu to
Yasashii Oukoku - Review</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDHpYUZCJ9Y1_j0nwtkie6OsYQY84tvVidqxnPsxQeitNd6p0fDSKY6-XLNVoGJoICyxTPN6akHr4dcLrcK2P1VQBY5OZLpES6cSLTb1KOafW7DXPvsVmn7lcQN9FOoQchWIO9IuktSbm/s1600/komyu_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDHpYUZCJ9Y1_j0nwtkie6OsYQY84tvVidqxnPsxQeitNd6p0fDSKY6-XLNVoGJoICyxTPN6akHr4dcLrcK2P1VQBY5OZLpES6cSLTb1KOafW7DXPvsVmn7lcQN9FOoQchWIO9IuktSbm/s1600/komyu_2.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s
back to PC and 18+ now for our next entry in this year’s Halloween reviews and
the game we’ll be looking at is far more fitting for the month as it’s a game
about monsters: from towering creatures of destruction…to human beings.
Released on October 22, 2009 in Japan by Akatsuki Works with a complete fan
translation patch released on July 24, 2014 by Amaterasu Translations, Comyu
–Kuroi Ryuu to Yasashii Oukoku/Black Dragon in a Gentle Kingdom – was a game
that garnered much attention after its release for a critically acclaimed story
from the creators of another well regarded game released by the same company,
Rui wa Tomo wo Yobu. Now that it’s more accessible is this game as great as the
Japanese VN community made it out to be? Well…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/J5BPXByHlH0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Good story, memorable and overall likable cast of
characters, great artwork, excellent music and voice acting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: Akihito’s narration, true route has some pacing issues
and leaves a few questions, Hisoka’s route is full of problems, unwinnable
heroines, some ero scenes have some story problems. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: I wonder if anyone would be opposed to an Izawa route
if they ever make a fandisk?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvU-hawCFbMGiigscvmwIEIpY495m7eNCHorY8sURrs9YMlWCsKtKaUtCIGWGbDFersIMVnh82fcd9apIhY_Ob2N6bELX9jHZnKa6eeESevidI8bhRLSjLkaWxLoMRp0mfi6-qcbetacjb/s1600/IzawaMaid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvU-hawCFbMGiigscvmwIEIpY495m7eNCHorY8sURrs9YMlWCsKtKaUtCIGWGbDFersIMVnh82fcd9apIhY_Ob2N6bELX9jHZnKa6eeESevidI8bhRLSjLkaWxLoMRp0mfi6-qcbetacjb/s1600/IzawaMaid.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You
play as seemingly average student and self-proclaimed feminist Akihito Mizuwa
who one day sees a mysterious girl at the top of a building who appears to be
singing, an urban legend known as Girl A. Days later Akihito finds himself
called to a rooftop by this mysterious girl and finds four others there for the
same reason. Suddenly they’re attacked by a large monster fully intent on
killing them, but before it can something blocks its attack. A great black
dragon appears before them and proves to be their salvation as through
controlling it they are able to destroy the attacking monster. However, it may
also be their eventual doom as there are many more monsters in the city controlled
by those who have no qualms against using them to kill and should their black
dragon be destroyed all five of them will die.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtjOHc_hYzWjTxwlpd1krGV1aCVMbdsC5Fn3SwFzxPzPg467uqXW_8xOQjiX69KLLG4T9e9FUbEnD7MdJbWwoPelVq4vd3Xt2UVxNu5q0l7jd3soQLeFWxxicRKJ5mIgTjRjw4hWMTS1g/s1600/TeamPremise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtjOHc_hYzWjTxwlpd1krGV1aCVMbdsC5Fn3SwFzxPzPg467uqXW_8xOQjiX69KLLG4T9e9FUbEnD7MdJbWwoPelVq4vd3Xt2UVxNu5q0l7jd3soQLeFWxxicRKJ5mIgTjRjw4hWMTS1g/s1600/TeamPremise.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
there’s one thing you can say about Comyu is that it’s without a doubt a very
interesting game. The very premise of a group of strangers suddenly given the
power to summon and control a monster and learning how to work together whilst
getting adjusted to a newly revealed world of other people with the same kind
of power is enough to get a reader’s attention and the writers do their best to
capitalize on that spark of interest. The explanation of the setting from the
monsters called Avatars to the diverse community of connected summoners is
integrated with Akihito and the rest of the group getting to know each other. The
former is presented in a way that’s easy to understand and remember and the
latter character moments are mixed in not only to better introduce the
characters but also to keep the setting introductions from feeling like an info
dump as their reactions to this information and each other is interesting and
funny at times. This brings us to what I feel is the strongest aspect of Comyu,
the characters.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha912vzpUGU9joi1fB11IaGRbc_OlyiS31MO2lcuuOkkRnlN_fgLaX-RKlqR1MDx9r2usmKbv9n4QJeLuhxvljc21Luw_qNFh3E5o32C_ZmLkGK5aogDOrVRhLDisuG33zlg2UcaWn3GXI/s1600/Bar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha912vzpUGU9joi1fB11IaGRbc_OlyiS31MO2lcuuOkkRnlN_fgLaX-RKlqR1MDx9r2usmKbv9n4QJeLuhxvljc21Luw_qNFh3E5o32C_ZmLkGK5aogDOrVRhLDisuG33zlg2UcaWn3GXI/s1600/Bar.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Comyu sports
a pretty sizable cast of characters (click <a href="http://vndb.org/v1896/chars#chars" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles) and for the most part does a good job
utilizing them for each story it wants to tell per route. While the core cast
receives the lion’s share of character development and humorous scenes every
character with a portrait is given the necessary writing to be at the very
least somewhat memorable from Gasai and his dream of attaining a kingdom by his
own hand to the troubled Yoshimori. Each character has their own story be it
big or small that in some way ends up featuring in the grand scheme of the plot
and either way it’s interesting to read about and not too complex for you to
either forget or mix up with another character’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course Akihito and co. are still the stars
of the story as aside from developing them the game does take a good look at
their varying backstories, ideals and desires and manages to tie all that in
with the themes explored in the story.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuhIE7nEKnnvLXOq8I26ai3u11jnlF_YUP8Yzwc7zQb9XqJ5jwgPvfV8QLaYNQryaMLqgioLzZy5b413W2Y39rwuURmvkgSZDxu7_N33nuxApjzDnJfo-Oi3cQjfJX63je4tDT5Wh1y5E/s1600/Conflict.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuhIE7nEKnnvLXOq8I26ai3u11jnlF_YUP8Yzwc7zQb9XqJ5jwgPvfV8QLaYNQryaMLqgioLzZy5b413W2Y39rwuURmvkgSZDxu7_N33nuxApjzDnJfo-Oi3cQjfJX63je4tDT5Wh1y5E/s1600/Conflict.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Comyu’s
overall theme is “what does a group of people do with the power to summon a
monster?” and it answers that by taking into account the differing factors that
would determine what each group would do and pretty much turns them into
sub-themes such as differing ideals, a want for some extraordinary form of
excitement or entertainment, greed, or revenge to name a few. In doing so we
get some fairly well written story segments from light hearted jokes on common
tropes from anime and movies to the seemingly endless depths people can sink to
when given such destructive power that can be used almost at a thought and that
latter category features quite a bit in Comyu’s story. Trust me when I say even
though there’s a lot of genuinely funny scenes and character moments this
game’s story is not afraid to visit some pretty dark places; just playing the
common route would be enough to show why I picked this game for a Halloween
review. Scenes showing, for example, killings that range from singular to en
masse, outright betrayal, and even social commentary on society’s almost
inhuman habit to ignore or even hide horrible occurrences for the sake of
normalcy contrasted with an almost equally inhuman fascination the masses have
for the misfortune and/or death of others if it can be in some way justified do
a good job in showing that in Comyu not all the monsters are the summon-able
kind. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Concerning
Comyu’s routes, my preference is as follows:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Mayuki</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Kagome</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Benio</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Ayaya</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Hisoka</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXAYuk6BByFzk3hptVf3ZC7s8rJEVh8_Tj2uljRQb5SUaRNEcMzJzAV-6tmCIN7F0JaRfKbJDSNaxV-bTC6erfrd20PGl-M9G3jDpnNGSBgxN-e7L_IzRl0rBspAsq8byaUCjjp1qSf2W/s1600/LoliconAkihito.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXAYuk6BByFzk3hptVf3ZC7s8rJEVh8_Tj2uljRQb5SUaRNEcMzJzAV-6tmCIN7F0JaRfKbJDSNaxV-bTC6erfrd20PGl-M9G3jDpnNGSBgxN-e7L_IzRl0rBspAsq8byaUCjjp1qSf2W/s1600/LoliconAkihito.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Not sure if this is going to get me
the treatment Frankenstein would expect from any village, but the reason I like
Mayuki’s route the best is because I found it to be a more entertaining read
than the other routes. Yes, I’ll admit it stands out by being more lighthearted
than most of the other routes but it never feels contrary to the game as it
does have moments that fit it thematically. What this route does right is its
consistently good character moments from some really funny interactions between
the core cast to some really good chemistry between Akihito and Mayuki, helped especially by the fact that Mayuki has some of the funniest lines in the game. The
route also has a story that’s a bit easier to follow and get invested in and
while I admit the finale isn’t as grand as Kagome’s I walked away from this
route with more of a feeling of satisfaction in the end.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZGVLq7cjfxWhyYqyfzsVTgK_arrxvkDmOW42_0Wt4Ic7q6RwoG-ydF_ugh0Nv9fSC9EQl5mMJ66lil8-vBOrU7mm_HBSzWSY7Rw2ui1MQYLTy4N4pfS1eNh893vl9zTdfogP3Pj-cuZT/s1600/AkihitoKagome.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZGVLq7cjfxWhyYqyfzsVTgK_arrxvkDmOW42_0Wt4Ic7q6RwoG-ydF_ugh0Nv9fSC9EQl5mMJ66lil8-vBOrU7mm_HBSzWSY7Rw2ui1MQYLTy4N4pfS1eNh893vl9zTdfogP3Pj-cuZT/s1600/AkihitoKagome.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Now that we’ve reached Kagome’s
route let me make something clear: I consider it to be a very good route and
worthy enough of being Comyu’s true ending. The story revelations that occur
over the course of the route are well implemented and some even manage to be
surprising, Kagome and Akihito have really good chemistry that does a great job
in enhancing the plot’s establishment of the two as partners willing to do
everything in their power to protect the other and to top it off the writers do
a good job paying off their initial presentation of her as this interesting,
powerful and mysterious character who’s essentially the “magnificent bastard” (for
lack of a better term) of the group by making sure the revelations and story
focus match with her character and make for an interesting read. It also helps
that this route features some of the best action scenes in the entire game.
Having said all of that one would wonder why the route is in second place. One
reason has to do with the pacing; part of it has to do with the fact that it’s
the longest route in the game, but the problem for me is I think the route is a
little too unrelenting. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Don’t get the wrong idea, I
understand Kagome’s route is the darkest of the routes and being the true route
it would have high stakes for Akihito and co. and does. My problem is it
doesn’t provide much relief as once the story moves forward it’s pretty much a
long hard march to the end with very little in between the battles and
struggles for the group to survive. I get why it’s that way as the writers were
probably trying to keep things intense and exciting but with how long the story
is it gets exhausting after a while. To the route’s credit it does try by
putting in a couple short humorous scenes and there is a bit of a calmer scene
just before the final battle, but it still feels like it could have used a
little more of that. The other problem with Kagome’s route is that while it’s
the true route it leaves some unanswered questions such as some regarding the
origin of the Avatar summoning along with its history as presented in the game,
why no connector group has taken their summoning outside the city, what happens
to a minor character who appears briefly in the route but we never see or hear
from her again. There is one more problem but I’ll be discussing that later
since it’s not confined to Kagome’s route. Suffice to say Kagome’s route it
still a really good route despite its problems and is very much worth all of
the route reading necessary to unlock and read it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFRnRAL3MOSdaAq4Kl-JcywgtdBNF9YAyd8xCkO4QN-TWB-pysS4fwaN8RKutNcw-wYNdi-YI8Ncej27rTsOq9X1cEFCKgcMa-mWGh_hoyYTfrlyJDAwz7Rb_tlwuAU4-W2QBCj_4E_er/s1600/LawfulGood.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFRnRAL3MOSdaAq4Kl-JcywgtdBNF9YAyd8xCkO4QN-TWB-pysS4fwaN8RKutNcw-wYNdi-YI8Ncej27rTsOq9X1cEFCKgcMa-mWGh_hoyYTfrlyJDAwz7Rb_tlwuAU4-W2QBCj_4E_er/s1600/LawfulGood.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Benio’s route I consider to be good
to as it excels at its function as the introductory route (you have to read it
first to unlock Hisoka, Mayuki, and Ayaya’s routes). It introduces most of the
key characters well, Benio herself is a surprisingly likable character, and
while she and Akihito don’t have the strongest chemistry their interactions are
still an interesting read. The main problem I have with the route is the
ending; it just feels like the route ends because the story runs out of steam
than a natural conclusion. Ayaya’s route is basically a joke route, but I admit
the jokes it has to tell are genuinely funny. The reason it ranks below Benio’s
is because it’s a really short route and it doesn’t really have much to
contribute to the overall plot aside from the appearance of a character who’s
kind of important in Kagome’s route.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJkS64ou-RxgdxbbHMxL-pJwavzbd3NF5ncRHYwYgdt4QArWgZP67-uov9qNmrndvbnecv1Sn31p9v3w0K7mNCZJduLnHVDCrRvvNtRwEtj3pQLZjk-CRH0GwljVCiOGY9HXAZ4cwdVaq/s1600/Hisoka.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJkS64ou-RxgdxbbHMxL-pJwavzbd3NF5ncRHYwYgdt4QArWgZP67-uov9qNmrndvbnecv1Sn31p9v3w0K7mNCZJduLnHVDCrRvvNtRwEtj3pQLZjk-CRH0GwljVCiOGY9HXAZ4cwdVaq/s1600/Hisoka.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
As for Hisoka’s route…I have to say
it’s just an okay route to me. It has an interesting premise and the story
elements it covers that end up important in Kagome’s route are a good read. One
of its major problems concerns Hisoka herself; it’s not that she’s unlikable
character it’s just that there isn’t much to her character. While I get she’s
of the character type with very limited emotions and the story does have a good
reason why she is that way, Hisoka is a good example of how if you aren’t
careful that can also result in a character with very little if any
personality. I know this sounds contrary to my praise for this game’s
characters, but let me explain: Hisoka is still memorable but only for her role
in the story rather than anything about her as a character except for her
backstory. If this were for a side character I wouldn’t have a problem, but for
a main heroine: a character we’re supposed to have some attachment to, this
doesn’t help the story. Another problem is there’s kind of a forced aspect of
the buildup to the finale of the route. I can’t really say what it is without
spoiling anything but let’s just say it something that comes off as a way to
make the final battle that occurs harder for Akihito that just comes off as too
convenient. One in particular actually creates a gaping plot hole where we have
a character pretty much become an enemy of Akihito and co. with a very
convincing scene that has you believe this character means business…and after
that said character vanishes from the plot never to be seen or heard from again
in the route. Sadly I can’t really advise skipping this route because it is
pretty important reading for Kagome’s route and you have to clear every
heroine’s route to unlock Kagome’s anyway.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1RJy6Mlkf9PGHi8tXTDlyTmbE1ZzH95tSgzAV7nvrvSJqm_mnPReZSdkOEa1kL9r2JGsvFh3HZGi_G8Iq_-GczHIPw-U4h_hHt0pisdXfiUh5xVWR0O7Y01ZXM47YiOzF4qSC9oMI7nP/s1600/AkihitoDialogueSample.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1RJy6Mlkf9PGHi8tXTDlyTmbE1ZzH95tSgzAV7nvrvSJqm_mnPReZSdkOEa1kL9r2JGsvFh3HZGi_G8Iq_-GczHIPw-U4h_hHt0pisdXfiUh5xVWR0O7Y01ZXM47YiOzF4qSC9oMI7nP/s1600/AkihitoDialogueSample.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Moving on to story flaws not
confined to just one route, there’s really just one that I’d call major: Akihito’s
narration. What we have is a narration so broody and pretentious it would put
an entire school district’s worth of high school creative writing class
students to shame. I understand Akihito’s backstory would result in him developing
a personality to think in a manner like that, the problem is over the course of
playthrough after playthrough it feels like too much, especially with the
repeated phrases. These phrases show up with the frequency of an annoying
commercial and depending on your tolerance may surpass said commercial
annoyance level. I’d make a drinking game joke, but I’m honestly worried
someone might take that as a serious challenge and literally drink themselves
to death. You will see the phrases “this is a gentle kingdom” and “I remember
the red color” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiMHTK15Pik" target="_blank">more times than you can count</a>; so many times you may end up
seeing red yourself. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsSJ26AmpifS-N5xYLPHen5CNekFBsjnPKlP8mtUGwNZSOr-QamGg3TsfdPgA4AIjk-vLot5ajuZvZJd3kM_-wo0pxLgxFNgde9a5ToHJ-mI12gT7wtzDXff8uLgu4YJdxBedsE1V7eJpz/s1600/KururiUnwinnable.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsSJ26AmpifS-N5xYLPHen5CNekFBsjnPKlP8mtUGwNZSOr-QamGg3TsfdPgA4AIjk-vLot5ajuZvZJd3kM_-wo0pxLgxFNgde9a5ToHJ-mI12gT7wtzDXff8uLgu4YJdxBedsE1V7eJpz/s1600/KururiUnwinnable.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The only other story flaw I can
give is the all too common one in VNs of unwinnable heroines. There’s a lot of
female characters Akihito interacts with frequently that do have grounds for a
route if not hints at interesting story possibilities. There’s the smart
mouthed student detective Kururi, Gasai’s trusted subordinate Yoruko (and a
route for her would mean more focus on Gasai, which would by itself be a good story),
the Round Table organization member Nanase, the morally ambiguous avenger Rondo
(and there’s possibilities with her friend Iroha), and even the school nurse
Hanako (I haven’t listed Haru because it probably wouldn’t fit her character).
I’d say maybe we’ll see a fandisk someday but considering Comyu came out in
2009 and the writers have long since moved on to writing other games I wouldn’t
hold my breath.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjatRNRxCb2y2Xtu3CHBux5Azk4ad393JnNXxsn5wxPNaHyEkBRu0mekysN1jP2crF-tbHL8ljj8IvkHQG7FnrvY9HEgPPqym9JFVhsy3mapikzvwalq46xO2AkApZcg5NFJOel5dNH2G/s1600/RedEyesBlackDragon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjatRNRxCb2y2Xtu3CHBux5Azk4ad393JnNXxsn5wxPNaHyEkBRu0mekysN1jP2crF-tbHL8ljj8IvkHQG7FnrvY9HEgPPqym9JFVhsy3mapikzvwalq46xO2AkApZcg5NFJOel5dNH2G/s1600/RedEyesBlackDragon.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
In the area of presentation Comyu
does extremely well. The artwork is really good from the character design to
the CG that provide such a good drawing of key events you’d wish it were the
still shot from an anime. There's also a neat little character effect that's used in either summoning or battle that kind of reminds me the effect the Persona games use when their persona's attack scores a critical hit. Also well designed are the Avatars, admittedly more
the unique ones like Akihito and co.’s <a href="http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Red-Eyes_B._Dragon" target="_blank"><s>Red Eyes Black Dragon</s></a> Babylon
than the generic ones that don’t really belong to anyone important. The music
is also really good as it does catch the mood for each scene very well and the
voice acting is excellent all around.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6dwxt15NJ9kQmaKFVi2qnLv99TBMdRyEdAn0JBP54nW1WDUvj5hD_-t6rYRV0q1fAVM-8bjcqbHXpPwY-BZwUIWaf414sF5Rb2-XmIhbjQV79ylfv1CC_-4jvKt80wrcEz5IF_6WsobZ/s1600/Maids.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6dwxt15NJ9kQmaKFVi2qnLv99TBMdRyEdAn0JBP54nW1WDUvj5hD_-t6rYRV0q1fAVM-8bjcqbHXpPwY-BZwUIWaf414sF5Rb2-XmIhbjQV79ylfv1CC_-4jvKt80wrcEz5IF_6WsobZ/s1600/Maids.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
As for the ero scenes, they’re good
as ero scenes. The only problem is some of them fell a little forced into the
story, almost like the creators were just trying to fill a quota. Strangely the
heroine with the most ero scenes is Benio while true heroine Kagome only gets
two.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Comyu
is an overall very good but flawed game. Its dark storyline and cast of
memorable and likable characters definitely make it a worthwhile read and its
great artwork make it equally worthwhile for the eyes. I will admit there are
story aspects that leave more to be desired and at times the dialogue of our
main character can get annoying, but at the end of the day it’s a game that I’m
glad I played and finished. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 8/10 Awesome</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Buy it now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7997724173369926920.post-86333594139569749722014-10-10T09:25:00.000-07:002014-10-10T09:25:45.070-07:00Games for Everyone Halloween: Xblaze Code Embryo<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Xblaze Code: Embryo
Review</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzSp88BHz0oYmJA6PEyGcSzSiFOfV7f_af2iquEQNvybbrjsQjVMdSTHi8xVs9pa5apVFHFdp0yfTc-O7raC_912AK-Rh0Eb5ClyE7ie09MWvu1NlK5HAZ_3cEaYxJ7XrvdVuFbFaUBsB/s1600/BlazBlue-prequel-XBlaze-Code.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzSp88BHz0oYmJA6PEyGcSzSiFOfV7f_af2iquEQNvybbrjsQjVMdSTHi8xVs9pa5apVFHFdp0yfTc-O7raC_912AK-Rh0Eb5ClyE7ie09MWvu1NlK5HAZ_3cEaYxJ7XrvdVuFbFaUBsB/s1600/BlazBlue-prequel-XBlaze-Code.jpg" height="137" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For our
next Halloween review we’ll be taking a departure from PC and make a move to
consoles as we look at spinoff/prequel to the BlazBlue fighting game series,
Xblaze Code: Embryo. Released for PS3 and Vita in Japan on July 25, 2013 by Arc
System Works and in the US June 24, 2014 by Aksys, Xblaze stands out a bit from
the main series by being a pure visual novel rather than a VN/Fighting game
hybrid. At the time of its Japanese release there was some debate over whether
we would see this localized, but considering Aksys had released VN games for
consoles before (and still do) and BlazBlue is one of its most well known
series the general consensus was it would only be a matter of time till a
western release. Obviously that was proven right, but the question is whether
or not we got a good spinoff worthy of its connection to BlazBlue yet able to
stand on its own. I’d say pretty much, but that will require some explaining…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/BV589xkIFnQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: Interesting story, likable characters, TOi is an interesting
way of unlocking scenes and routes, good artwork, decent music.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons: True ending kind of sequel baits, Kuon and Mei’s
routes suffer a little bit by being obviously not canon, glitches make the
omake route unplayable, some translation issues.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WTF?!: Maybe it’s just because of Es’ dress style and <a href="http://animanga.wikia.com/wiki/Ahoge" target="_blank">ahoge</a>,
but at a lot of points she and Touya bear an uncanny resemblance to…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtupd_-_Inuka7p2kAb2k6SH31afK3ICVOmJSR6Kb_ld_4ffaVdcrJsosFJFA3ixNlISYWPiVLMwqEuVCpZjmvWBg2U1t6piYuUvIUVcX_LpN9AVkUrMzAOENYg8gks7ExZ-9ADl4Wow4/s1600/ncxblazecodethem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtupd_-_Inuka7p2kAb2k6SH31afK3ICVOmJSR6Kb_ld_4ffaVdcrJsosFJFA3ixNlISYWPiVLMwqEuVCpZjmvWBg2U1t6piYuUvIUVcX_LpN9AVkUrMzAOENYg8gks7ExZ-9ADl4Wow4/s1600/ncxblazecodethem.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2BQ_68zQMN6qglBBsmGFjGPatl4R9HG2Vyl2_8nLpsHcAS4UOTGc8B__LbgwP34joUJB2To7hveDPcNZ5lonXaT-TKhM7uuerrbNW8h17titfy7TKjAyQrvRWQ2I4joMj_0TcNERr6ld/s1600/For+Comparison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2BQ_68zQMN6qglBBsmGFjGPatl4R9HG2Vyl2_8nLpsHcAS4UOTGc8B__LbgwP34joUJB2To7hveDPcNZ5lonXaT-TKhM7uuerrbNW8h17titfy7TKjAyQrvRWQ2I4joMj_0TcNERr6ld/s1600/For+Comparison.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Set 150
years before the events of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, you play as mild
mannered average Japanese high school student, Touya Kagari. On the way home
from his part time job Touya passes by a part of town that was cordoned off
from the public after a mysterious disaster occurred there ten years ago. After
hearing a strange sound he decides to investigate and comes across an injured
man who he immediately moves to help. However the man suddenly attacks Touya,
calling him an enemy and then begins to use a strange power with intent to
kill. Touya’s life ends up saved by a small sword wielding girl in a blue
frilly dress named Es, an agent of the Mitsurugi Agency. This begins Touya’s
involvement in a series of events with magic, super powered psychopaths, secret
organizations and a mysterious object called the “Grimoire” that everyone seems
to be searching for.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8-GmXaW9ujgbwhFiQF20dVzAQkwZ3Kbmx0dLF7zwb7sI-xKPTUNbLmlb6v4KO4z7C13PW79ZQY5e9ywwNL0-HN2iEfU70awU8R1ldPkP6Zfo5GdEohc_AovcG-w_mhLs_2vy264v9oln/s1600/XBlaze_Code_Embryo_(Illustration%2C_45).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8-GmXaW9ujgbwhFiQF20dVzAQkwZ3Kbmx0dLF7zwb7sI-xKPTUNbLmlb6v4KO4z7C13PW79ZQY5e9ywwNL0-HN2iEfU70awU8R1ldPkP6Zfo5GdEohc_AovcG-w_mhLs_2vy264v9oln/s1600/XBlaze_Code_Embryo_(Illustration%2C_45).png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Okay I
know this seems like an odd choice for Halloween as I will admit this is more
of an action/fantasy than anything else but there are some nice little
horror-ish segments including the dark atmosphere during the scenes at night
when Toya and Es are patrolling the city, the concept of the Unions slowly
losing their humanity as they advance in stages, and the insane killer Ripper. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkIJX04_9_aZgTyMQHVo4UI1DN52lWaLwt6Mmej50UhDAp8xjnwttCdnl1bXtgGusGQHTu9pHIkcIvvZiW5e12EYJ3hLKfv5gDxHdyGYglE3vI9JDZkOYmSqRvhGy_cpnUso5nhcYW_MX/s1600/XBlaze_Code_Embryo_Illustration_47.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkIJX04_9_aZgTyMQHVo4UI1DN52lWaLwt6Mmej50UhDAp8xjnwttCdnl1bXtgGusGQHTu9pHIkcIvvZiW5e12EYJ3hLKfv5gDxHdyGYglE3vI9JDZkOYmSqRvhGy_cpnUso5nhcYW_MX/s1600/XBlaze_Code_Embryo_Illustration_47.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
good thing you can say about Xblaze’s story is it takes full advantage of being
a prequel set a good while before the BlazBlue games. It basically tells a
story that ties in well with main series but can stand well enough on its own.
I say “well enough” because having at least some knowledge of the BlazBlue
series makes the story more enjoyable, especially when you start hearing names
of characters, places and things that match with stuff from said series or even
see some story related things that look very similar to something you saw from
BB and wonder if there’s a connection or not. Bear in mind I am speaking as a
fan, but regardless of whether it can fully stand alone or not Xblaze’s story
is a good one as the plot does at least manage to stay interesting as it moves
from episode to episode (which is how the story is formatted) thanks to its
overarching mystery and its likable cast of main characters (click <a href="http://aksysgames.com/xblaze/characters/" target="_blank">here</a> for profiles).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxhMM25yC3fLp2DchYRCd1L4PbP-TBesdZlELh6vVodrDkeUcSIFX-vsFtZHn4XggahRgpBCikWbCGOTQT6ZttkX4GWNOIMCoWNG7gNF5buSQ6OXxYFPKyIQ2Szgvxf2lwxyl4ZNy340P/s1600/XBlaze_Code_Embryo_(Illustration%2C_44).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxhMM25yC3fLp2DchYRCd1L4PbP-TBesdZlELh6vVodrDkeUcSIFX-vsFtZHn4XggahRgpBCikWbCGOTQT6ZttkX4GWNOIMCoWNG7gNF5buSQ6OXxYFPKyIQ2Szgvxf2lwxyl4ZNy340P/s1600/XBlaze_Code_Embryo_(Illustration%2C_44).png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
should note this about the characters, if you’re not into anime archetypes then
this game might not be for you. The main cast is pretty standard for an anime
from our main character Touya as your average guy being thrust into an
unbelievable and dangerous situation that somehow comes with being put into
what’s practically the start of a harem anime to one of our heroines, Mei,
fitting the tsundere heroine role to a T. Thankfully Xblaze does a good job at
writing the characters<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as what they lack
in originality they make up for in being distinct from one another, memorable
enough that you at least can remember their motivations and quirks, and likable
enough that you want to keep reading about them. I will admit some might not
like that Touya isn’t really much of a “tough guy” kind of character,
especially because advertisements kind of portray him as Ragna’s predecessor
(which they’re not wrong in, but…), but if you can look past that the
character’s still likable and several of the heroines have their share of
awesome moments.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpsfNjRIRk75chtQL3hITM4De3pyvYVWFYzlziZbEqCkWNPqkZufn7UMsTxGRp146OEP-8AOSxgxLTRhutVC_NieQvgCc6A0sFU_xt2afUA34IhLT5cHsct4dOMlSnj5RyEjyGsDTtoXI/s1600/XBlaze_Code_Embryo_(Illustration%2C_23).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpsfNjRIRk75chtQL3hITM4De3pyvYVWFYzlziZbEqCkWNPqkZufn7UMsTxGRp146OEP-8AOSxgxLTRhutVC_NieQvgCc6A0sFU_xt2afUA34IhLT5cHsct4dOMlSnj5RyEjyGsDTtoXI/s1600/XBlaze_Code_Embryo_(Illustration%2C_23).png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of flaws I will admit Xblaze has some apparent ones. For starters while
the true route has a good conclusion, the sequel baiting it leaves on is a tad
annoying. I realize <a href="http://www.siliconera.com/2014/08/14/meet-xblaze-lost-memories-new-heroine-nobody/" target="_blank">a sequel has recently been announced</a>, but since there isn’t
a solid release date yet or a guarantee of localization it’s still a tad irksome.
Another story flaw is one that usually comes with VNs with a true ending route:
of the four routes of the main game (Hinata, Es, Kuon and Mei) two of them, the
routes for Kuon and Mei, aren’t (Hinata’s is tied to Es’ which is the true
ending) and it shows. While Kuon’s route doesn’t suffer from this as much as
Mei’s since her route’s story has some more apparent fan service (I’m talking
about the story kind…<a href="http://www.technologytell.com/gaming/files/2014/07/xblaze-boobs.jpg" target="_blank">though Xblaze certainly does have the other kind too</a>) for BlazBlue
fans both routes have story moments that pretty much indicate the route’s
events aren’t canon. I can say though that neither or the routes are bad though and they, like Es' and Hinata's do a good job at the very least of forming a bond between Touya and the chosen heroine (will admit I like Kuon's better than Mei's). Finally, while not exactly story related, Xblaze does
suffer from some…translation issues. Bear in mind I’m not usually the nitpicky
sort when it comes to translations, for me as long as the translation isn’t
engrish I can let it slide and while I can do this for the most part with
Xblaze I can’t help but get a bit annoyed at lines that have me say or think
“That’s not what ________ said!”. This happens mostly with Touya where at times
the translation of what he says either doesn’t match the tone of voice or comes
off as barely matching translation-wise. I’ll admit this probably isn’t going
to be much of a flaw to any who aren’t familiar with Japanese (I should point
out all spoken dialogue is in Japanese, there’s no dub) but still…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
system area, Xblaze has an interesting way of implementing plot diversity
through use of the TOi (Technology of Interest) application. It’s basically an
app Touya accesses in the game that’s somewhat similar to the cell phone in
Steins;Gate except in this case you’re just viewing news articles and blog
posts that update at certain points in the game. Depending on what articles you
look at or don’t look at determines what scenes you see and ultimately what
route you start. It’s an interesting way of doing things different from the
standard “make a choice” system of your typical VN and it also helps in getting
the player a bit more immersed in the game’s universe too. Also for anyone
worried the function skip already read text stops the moment TOi updates with
new articles even if you have read them in a previous playthrough so you don’t
have to worry about potentially missing important articles.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4IOALt101eIh3jHQeQLoLGLF1g7fRre9DkdSLRtMrzcm6xjN5aB7hFURydExY54ajLfyw04hH7Cz5wZbqvlbSAhiK4e2ysPbgRr682OQX6rZsZyTDplrcWOM_r-nvi__e-FgFtrO10oK/s1600/XBlaze_Code_Embryo_TOI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4IOALt101eIh3jHQeQLoLGLF1g7fRre9DkdSLRtMrzcm6xjN5aB7hFURydExY54ajLfyw04hH7Cz5wZbqvlbSAhiK4e2ysPbgRr682OQX6rZsZyTDplrcWOM_r-nvi__e-FgFtrO10oK/s1600/XBlaze_Code_Embryo_TOI.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before
we move on from the system aspect of the game, Xblaze has one problem on that
front: glitches. Fortunately this doesn’t happen in the main story but there’s
an omake story that you can unlock using a code and from what I’ve played it’s
actually pretty funny. I say “from what I’ve played” because the omake route is
very crash prone and somewhere around the third chapter you can’t go any
further because no matter how many times you reset, no matter where you save,
the game will crash. It’s a real shame because like I said the route is a funny
one, especially since it does a good job turning key traits of each character
into a hilarious joke trait like how effectively Es’ deadpan voice is utilized
to convey some really silly sounding lines but doesn’t sound out of character
for her.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0mI33nFurUQSlezDlWgM5CktIw5aRvqlb8SsSgePnQgaadhrkTSnEHeZ1PY5Pa38sRq0Vhu1khrysgDcJUnjtFDhzwMfb1JqYr2rhePj5PX3YpmWa7RpmdfpGfl2NupeMdhYd3IIH4xi/s1600/XBlaze_Code_Embryo_(Illustration%2C_112%2C_Type_B).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0mI33nFurUQSlezDlWgM5CktIw5aRvqlb8SsSgePnQgaadhrkTSnEHeZ1PY5Pa38sRq0Vhu1khrysgDcJUnjtFDhzwMfb1JqYr2rhePj5PX3YpmWa7RpmdfpGfl2NupeMdhYd3IIH4xi/s1600/XBlaze_Code_Embryo_(Illustration%2C_112%2C_Type_B).png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
area of presentation Xblaze does a good job. The artwork is good both for the
character design and background, the voice acting is all good and the music
does a good job setting the mood for each scene, though I will admit it isn’t
particularly memorable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Conclusion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Xblaze
Code: Embryo is an overall excellent tie in to the BlazBlue games that manages
to tell a story that’s at least good enough on its own. While I admit it
doesn’t break any new ground its story is still a good read supported by a
likable cast, even enough to make up for its flaws, though it would be nice if
the omake route were fully playable. If you have either a PS3 or Vita then this
is definitely worth picking up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final Score: 7/10 Great</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Author Recommendation: Buy it now.</div>
BookwormOtakuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10419034216838088598noreply@blogger.com0