Messages

1

News/Info / Re: Bet some of you retrofans would like one of these... ;)

« on: Oct. 04, 2012, 05:41:52 PM »

I'm glad my faith in this project wasn't misplaced.  I've avoided playing The Dawn of Ys this long specifically because I was waiting for the dub patch to be completed.  Bravo, guys!

I don't know what it is, but the fact that it's Ys VI art on Ys IV just bothers me.
Still, Sadler did a nice job putting this light scribe together!

I have to agree with that.  Every game has its own art style, and I'd prefer to stay consistent within each title myself when making cover art.  It'd be just as odd if you had used the PS Vita art instead...

2

Rants / Re: * The Great Merry "Fuck You!" (Better late than never)

« on: May. 23, 2011, 12:04:37 AM »

Whoa, what happens when I haven't been around for a while...

tsbaron, there's something fundamentally wrong with your understanding of the situation that I feel I should point out: NightWolve wasn't charging for the Felghana patch.  He was granting early access to the work-in-progress patch to those who had donated to him or Psycho DeuceBag in the past.  After a while, he decided to extend that thank-you to new donors, and he has been regretting that decision ever since.  NightWolve was planning to release the patch to the public after 4 weeks had elapsed (ie: after the donors had the time to play through the game, comment on it, and report any bugs; leechers typically don't give useful feedback).  It's the same thing that happened with No Name Losers' English patch of Wind -a breath of heart-; the moment someone tells 4chan or the like that they can't have something (even if it's just "not yet"), they'll find a way to forcibly get their hands on it.  The pirates just made up the "he's charging for work that's not his!" spiel to rationalize their antics.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: it really is past the time to let this go.  My translation group released the English version of Rosenkreuzstilette back in July 2009, but the game was ripped and uploaded to MediaFire, RapidShare, MegaUpload, etc. despite our expressed wishes.  I've been keeping an eye on the sales of the game (digital download for ~$13.50) versus the number of English patch downloads; two years later, the stats are 108 legitimate purchases to 1516 patch downloads from our backup MediaFire account alone (we also have a primary HTTP mirror which does not count downloads, so the real value may be many times more than that).  While I'm irritated by the blatant disregard for our wishes and the obvious greed of the pirates, I'm not going to post a rage-fueled tirade about the situation on our website, far less give anyone the finger.  It's unprofessional and unbecoming.  The best I can do is ignore their pleas to remove the anti-piracy measures in the patcher and redouble my efforts in the next release.

3

Rants / !

« on: Feb. 20, 2010, 12:33:57 PM »

Three years already, huh...?  My, how time flies.

If you'll excuse my bluntness for a moment, NightWolve, I've noticed a trend with the leads of every fan translation project I've worked on in the past.  In every single case (Wind, Felghana, and even my own Rosenkreuzstilette project), something "undesirable" happens (usually involving proof of ownership of the original game), the warez pirates bitch and take action (usually harassment), and the project heads quickly loses their faith in human decency.  The leads' actions from that point on, however well intended, end up making them out to be petty, vindictive pricks.

Now, if this was my first time visiting the site, I would probably think NightWolve was an @sshole with one hell of a grudge.  It's one thing to be justifiably indignant after being slighted.  It's another thing to begin a tirade at pretty much every opportunity long after the fire should have burned out (the insults below the Donate button and in the installer, for starters).  I've had to deal with similar crap with the RKS "Dramasbombe" myself (people were pissed that our patch installer checked every file on the game disc before beginning the installation - which mirror moon has done in all their major releases, I might add), and I completely sympathize with your anger.  Still, I think I should echo the words of my lead playtester:  it's time to put this crap behind us and move on.

That said, I'm amused and irked that the installer has the nerve to call someone in NightWolve's Top 15 a "cheap WAREZ fuck!" .  Exactly how are you telling the donors apart from the leechers?  Whatever you're doing, it's not working...

Edit:  Come to think of it, I didn't update the game before running the English patch...  If that's the decider, that's actually a pretty clever way to do it  (seeing as only legit customers know where to find the VE patch).

4

News/Info / Re: Look what someone got for Christmas '09!

« on: Jan. 15, 2010, 07:07:41 PM »

Heheheh.  This is one of the many Limited Editions that I wish I owned, but can't find anywhere (at least, not at a price I can afford).

Well, I'll just have to be satisfied with my Vista version.  Some of the video comments claim that that version is crap, but I don't see how they figure...

I wonder if anyone was able to recognize all of the background music.  I can place Lost Painting (Symphony of the Night), Bloodlines (Rondo of Blood), and First Step Towards War (Ys I).  Any idea what the tune playing during the G.I.Joe unwrapping was...?

5

Announcements / Re: Ys IV Dubbing Project Revival

« on: Jan. 15, 2010, 06:23:44 PM »

Haven't you noticed the shouts ? Mostly X-Calibar and myself as of late, but that's where the activity's been.

You hadn't logged in for quite a few months there.

Well, I did try to reach you via email 6-7 months back (I had a question for you about building an installer), but I never received a reply.

Anyway, I've got quite a few sites that I check whenever I go online (Ys Utopia included), but I don't really spend a lot of time on each one unless something grabs my attention.  I typically skim the latest posts and the recent forum activity to see if anything's new before moving on.  I usually only log in whenever I have something to contribute.  I never really needed to scroll down the page here, so I forgot about the Shouts under the recent forum activity.  Yeah, lame reason, I know.

Just click on my profile. It's always been there.

The only state mention that I noticed was Illinois (in the name of your alma mater).  I imagine you graduated quite a while back, so it's entirely possible that you've moved since then (I can't say for sure since I recall you talking about renovations in the forum, so I figured I'd just ask).

I'm still distracted with other things and haven't gotten this thread off the ground yet, so it's entirely WIP.

I've been busy myself:  finishing university, working on Rosenkreuzstilette (which has since been released, though no one in the forum seems to be interested; odd considering a lot of us are fans of retro gaming), and trying to find a new job (Pratt & Whitney has been facing hard times, so I can't return to my old job even though they loved me there).  Oh, and dealing with a lot of butt-piratez -- you won't believe how many people have been asking how to crack our releases or how to get a ~$14 game for free.

Good to see you're about again.

Thanks.  At least now we're back in touch

As a fellow game translator, I'd love to hear your thoughts on our work, so check it out whenever you have some free time.  The demo version is free, and a couple of players have uploaded their runs of the full English version to YouTube.

6

Announcements / Re: Ys IV Dubbing Project Revival

« on: Jan. 10, 2010, 03:08:11 PM »

Nice to see that you're doing fine.  It's been so long since a front-page update that I was beginning to wonder if something happened.

I wonder how long it would take to properly dub The Dawn of Ys...  My partner on the Rosenkreuzstilette translation tried to get a dub project off the ground over at the Voice Acting Alliance, but there doesn't seem to have been any major progress on that one.

This is a bit off-topic, but where do you live, NightWolve?  I know you're an American, but I keep forgetting which state.  I'm sure you've mentioned it before...

In any event, it's great to hear from you again.  Happy New Year!

7

General / Rosenkreuzstilette

« on: Jun. 02, 2009, 12:01:31 PM »

Hello everyone.

Forgive me for this shameless bit of self-promotion:  Darkside Translations and Zeppy released an English trial of Rosenkreuzstilette yesterday.  RKS is an entertaining side-scroller inspired by many old-school games including Castlevania, Bomberman, Mario, and Megaman.  Especially Megaman.  Hardcore Gaming 101 posted a review of the game here, if you're interested.

If you're wondering why I think this shameless, have a look at my current location...

8

Ys I & II Complete / Re: Ys COMPLETE Bonus Items and Events

« on: Apr. 25, 2009, 07:40:10 PM »

Ummmmm, OK? I'll make a very special effort in the future just for you!

Hahahah.  I appreciate the thought.  You don't really need to go out of your way since you've done so much already.  But thank you. 

To expound a little, you have no idea how many times I've told my mother, "I just finished saying that!"  I'll readily admit that she's not the most attentive, but I really can't stand when people I know are intelligent do the same.  This kind of slip-up tells me one of three things:
1) You're an airhead
2) You're distracted by something
3) You really couldn't care less what I have to say, but won't actually be honest about it

I take offense only when I know for sure that #1 and #2 don't apply.  I don't think I need to explain why.

9

Ys I & II Complete / Re: Ys COMPLETE Bonus Items and Events

« on: Apr. 23, 2009, 01:25:05 PM »

Probably, just my memory. Mejilan's comments came the other day over email so they were fresh in my mind. They were good enough to paste:

No offense taken.  One of my pet peeves is having something I just finished saying go completely ignored.  Since Mejilan's comments were more recent and better fleshed-out, I can let this slide.

On the other hand, I was rather miffed when I went to meet an online friend in Toronto last year (our first face-to-face meeting).  I repeatedly mentioned before the fact that it was my first time in the area (via email, and yes, he replied to each of them), yet he had the nerve to tell me when we met that he would have planned something had he known it was my first time in Toronto (!!!).  Instead, we hung out at his place (and he was pretty quiet for the most part) before going to grab some grub at an overpriced French restaurant.  Considering Videogames Live was in town and his penchant for conventions, that could have been a much more eventful day.

For the record, I live just south of Montreal and was in Ontario for three days / three nights for my cousin's wedding.  I was a little disappointed that I would finally get the opportunity to meet someone I had worked with on several translation projects, yet didn't receive anywhere near the same level of esteem (he introduced me to his group's co-founder via telephone as "that guy from the Internet").

Well, I'd be interested in hearing your opinion on which you'd prefer best.

1) Storm Barrier
2) Stormwall
3) Veil of Storms

I'm pretty fond of "Veil of Storms", actually.  I would have thought of "shroud" instead, but "veil" seems much more fitting if you ask me.  I like the subtext in either case - that it effectively hides Esteria from the rest of the world (and vice versa).

Yeah, been trying to figure that out for some time now and success came moments ago! Hey, this is better than VBulletin which reloads the whole page for a preview.

Heheh!  It works again!  Now, I don't have to rush to edit my posts because of formatting slip-ups anymore.

10

Falcom Specials / Ys ζ - Screenshots & Artwork

« on: Apr. 08, 2009, 10:45:19 AM »

Hmmm...  It seems Game Watch Japan managed to get ahold of preliminary screenshots and artwork for Ys ζ.  RPGamer has mirrored them here:  http://www.rpgamer.com/games/ys/ys7/ys7.html.

To be honest, I'm not too fond of the new artwork; I would have much preferred they recommission the artist for The Ark of Napishtim, The Oath in Felghana, and Ys Origin.  It looks as though Falcom is trying to cater to a younger crowd with the new art style.  Then again, the game is multiplatform and each version isn't a mere port of another, so it's entirely possible that the different incarnations of Ys ζ have their own development teams (including artists).

This version is entirely in 3D, as opposed to the 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds that we're used to.  To the looks of it, you can recruit party members and switch between them during combat (playable Dogi!).  The camera seems to be much more dynamic, pulling back and changing angle during boss fights.  It's tough to judge from stills, but the interface looks a little too cluttered for my liking.  In any case, I'll reserve my judgement on that until I see it in action.

At least the boss designs are looking pretty solid.

Since there are supposed to be multiple incarnations of Ys ζ (not unlike Final Fantasy XIII), I'll have to take a wait-and-see approach until we have more info...  Well, enjoy.

11

General / Re: Hobbies other than Ys.

« on: Apr. 08, 2009, 07:07:49 AM »

Magic and Card Manipulations : Since 2006. I have a lot of books, dvds and materials. 99% Card magic (I also know a bit of coin magic). I have like two hundreds decks. It's a time consuming hobby, but I love it.

Sports : I like playing basketball when I can. Swimming in summer, and cycling too.

I like reading books : Novels, Math books (from the beginning to the end, doing all the exercises and taking notes), and I often read magic books of course.

Chess : I play from time to time against my father or against the computer (using Fritz 10). I'm not that good since I don't play that much. I also give some courses to the children at school (I'm a math teacher).

Drawing : I draw from time to time, following a course in a book.

Coding & Reverse Engineering : I like coding a few stuff sometimes (mostly asm) or reversing. Not as much active as ten years ago.

Movies : I go at least once or twice to the movie theater every week. I have a pass card to watch as much movies as I want. I prefer original versions with subtitles over french versions.

Opera : Since last september, I often go the Opera. So far I've seen Rigoletto, Madama Butterfly and Idomeneo. I always read the libretto before and get as much information to fully understand the story and music. Two more operas to see in may (un ballo in maschera and Macbeth both from Verdi). This is a quite expensive hobby.

Restaurants : Since I mostly eat the same stuff every week, I often go to the restaurant. I try to find some of the best tables, and there are several of them because I live in Paris.

He... Vous etes un parisien?  Je n'avais aucune idee...  Et un enseignant aussi...  Moi, je suis quebecois, mais souvent j'evite a parler le francais grace aux lois ridicules de l'office de la langue francaise...

[Translation for the others:  Hey!  You're a Parisian?  I had no idea...  And a teacher, no less...  Me, I'm a Quebecer, but I more often than not avoid speaking French to spite the ridiculous laws passed by l'Office de la Language Francaise ("The French Language Office")...]

FYI:  The OLF is officially a government body for the preservation of the French language.  However, the gist the bills that have been passed state that French must be so much bigger than English on public signs and the like.  Failure to respect these incurs a hefty fine (though other languages can be the same size without penalty).  This is among the reasons why, if Quebec ends up separating from Canada, I'm moving back to Canada.

I used to be great at chess (won a tournament back when I was in Boy Scouts...), but I don't play often and thus my skills took quite a hit.  I'm not much a strategist, nor am I very good at manipulating others.  I guess I'm a little too straightforward to be an effective player...  I've played quite a few games since back then, but I only won once (...it was a draw far more often than I would like...).

Though I guess this might be obvious, I'll ask anyway:  what is your favorite kind of cuisine?  Personally, I'm a fan of Italian and Asian cuisine (a Chinese buffet not too far from my place has the absolute best General Tao I've ever tasted, and I visit a lot of Chinese places...).  The last time I tried French, it was pretty decent, but it certainly wasn't among my favorites...

12

General / Re: Ys Utopia !

« on: Apr. 07, 2009, 04:41:17 PM »

I can't believe I didn't bother popping in to say "hi" even though I've been lurking here from the moment NightWolve filled me in.  It's nice to see so many familiar faces (and a couple new ones).

This kinda makes me wonder how long I've been a part of this community, especially considering I've seen it rebuilt at least twice (RIGG, Plight of the Fan Translator, then Ys Utopia)...

the site is looking awesome!! love the red leaf cursor too, nice touch.  Glad youre back.

I take it you haven't played through any of the umpteen remakes of Ys I?  That's not a leaf; it's a <<FLAME SWORD>>.  May as well turn in your Ys badge now - you are not worthy.

(Relax, I'm kidding.)

13

General / Re: Ys I and II for Nintendo DS

« on: Apr. 07, 2009, 04:33:36 PM »

I've essentially been giving NightWolve a play-by-play of the game via email.  I don't really feel like repeating the bulk of my impressions here since I really should be studying for tomorrow's midterm, but I'll give a few bullet-points summarizing my thoughts:

- The 3D graphics are terrible.  The DS is capable of much better than this.  The hand-drawn graphics take a hit in both color depth and resolution, unfortunately.
- I have some complaints about Atlus' romanizations, but I'll cut them some slack since the bulk of them are taken directly from Falcom.
- The script in Ys I is decent, if little else, whereas the script in second game really fleshes out the NPCs.  I made a point of speaking to every character three times after I triggered each new plot flag.
- Many of the easter eggs from Ys Eternal were removed, even in places where it made little sense to remove them.
- The new play style takes some getting used to, but it's not bad.  It makes bosses really tough since you have to time your attacks, but it's not too difficult.
- The new stage unfortunately ruins the difficulty curve of the first game.
- The music quality is so-so: not bad, but could be better.  I question why some of the songs were removed (ie: "Dreaming" is no longer used in the mirror maze) or why the extra stage didn't use one of the unused songs available in the sound test.

All in all, the game is decent, but the next time I decide to replay the games, it'll be the PC version and not this.

14

General / Re: Hobbies other than Ys.

« on: Apr. 07, 2009, 04:10:01 PM »

And @TDOMMX, congrats in advance with graduation approaching

Why, thank you.  You deserve a cookie.

Cookie [Consumable]

A baked homemade treat.  Permanently increases karma by 3.

Just when I think I'm not much of a gamer geek anymore...

15

Ys I & II Complete / Re: Ys COMPLETE Bonus Items and Events

« on: Apr. 07, 2009, 03:51:49 PM »

Hmmm...  To an extent, I agree with you -- it's tempting to stick with what you grew up with.  I still think Ilvern is a more suitable name than Illburns, even without considering its meaning (or perhaps because of it).  On the other hand, I much prefer Valestein to Ballacetine despite Ys III's undebunkable status as the first game I ever owned and loved.

If I were to localize the game myself, I'd use either "Rhea" or "Leah" instead of Lair / Reah, nostalgia be damned.  I'd lean toward the former since that actually looks like a real, exotic name compared to the others (and parallels Feena by ending with an 'a').  It also gets the original pronunciation right.  On another note, I see I'm not the only one who thought of Princess Leia when seeing her name (though I think I saw Star Wars after I first played Ys I...).

To be honest, I prefer Lance Village to Rance, though I'd stick with the latter if I wanted to pay homage to the original dub.  "Galvaran" sounds cooler for a villain than "Galbalan", if you ask me (though there's the cross-reference with Demi-Galba to consider as well).  Like I said before, I'd consider each name on a case-by case basis if I were in charge (and, if I thought my choices would cause heads to roll, I'd include an option to use the fan-preferred names as well, kind of like what a few fansubbers do thanks to Matroska containers).

I think MP83 got in touch with the project leader through Atlus' message boards.  He was pretty vocal in their forums since news of the official localization first hit.  I lurked around there near the beginning, but didn't stick around for very long (I'm sure I'm not the only one who facepalmed after reading the line: "This press release is brought to you by the letter 'Y' and the numbers '1' and '2'")...

I agree with your argument about their localization decisions; if an high-quality localization exists, I'd definitely use it as a reference and only change things where I was sure I could improve upon the original.  I'm hesitant to call the project head lazy as much as I think s/he was oblivious (more on that later...).

Wait a sec... didn't I already tell you that the script fleshed out the characters in Ys II pretty well?  The script for Ys I was passable, but Ys II's pretty much ensured that I spoke to every NPC at least three times every time I triggered a new plot flag (yep, my game timer is over 20 hours as a result - I'm glad I spend so much time on the bus in cases like these).

Yeah, I see what's missing.  Damn them for forgetting my favorite version of my favorite Ys game.  DAMN YOU!  Damn you, and such...  Ys Origin made it onto the release history, but not Felghana?  What the hell...  I don't see any consistency in that timeline.  They didn't include Ys Strategy or Ys Online, but we can't really blame them for forgetting those...  They didn't even bother noting which games never received a US release (Nintendo is better in this regard...).  I'd bet they checked the front page of Falcom's site and didn't do much more digging than that.  Okay, I'll take back my earlier comment; they were pretty lazy.  At least they put their effort into polishing the script, if nothing else.

16

Ys I & II Complete / Re: Ys COMPLETE Bonus Items and Events

« on: Apr. 06, 2009, 06:06:58 AM »

Personally, I wouldn't let nostalgia cloud my judgement about the names; I'd rather consider them on a case-by-case basis.  Ironically, most of the names Atlus used are verbatim as they were given by Falcom themselves (hence why I don't automatically trust official romanizations -- I've harped on too many times about the use of "Teletha Testarossa" when it should be obvious the name is "Theresa").  That's among the reasons why I'm correcting the mistakes I come across in my current translation project.  Incidentally, Atlus can't quite decide if Lance's watchman is Rasen or Larsen...

Tangentially, am I the only one who realizes that the playboy king's brother in Final Fantasy VI is supposed to be "Matthew Rene Figaro"?

As for not owning a DS, I'd suggest using an emulator like No$GBA for try-before-you-buy situations.  On the other hand, it's not really that good of an alternative since you can't change the resolution and are stuck using squinty Eye-Strain-O-Vision (a cookie for whoever gets the reference).  Still, I'm glad I used that option instead of wasting money on importing Ys Strategy (pre-emptively:  no, I didn't finish the game, and I likely never will)...

By the way, the Preview Post option on the forums doesn't seem to be working.  The box above the Post Reply form says "Fetching preview...", but never manages to actually load it...

17

Ys I & II Complete / Re: Ys COMPLETE Bonus Items and Events

« on: Apr. 05, 2009, 04:12:12 PM »

Actually, you can give items to anyone in Ys II except for enemies and Roos.  The DS version still keeps track of your "degree of impression", but it doesn't seem like it's possible to reduce this score.  You can't light people on fire, and if you do something mean like return Zalem's pie to her, the NPC in question will forget about the incident the moment the conversation is over.  I made a point of giving every character 5-6 items so that I could see how Atlus translated each of these.  Honestly, the NPCs are really well characterized, but the rest of the package leaves a lot to be desired.

I won't harp on about the graphics since everyone knows that they suck.  I'm not convinced that Atlus did a thorough job playtesting the game.  I stumbled across a couple of bugs - some excusable, others, not so much.  For instance, the menu for deciding whether to give an item to an NPC or simply talk to them:  many of the items you can give don't fit in the window, so the beginning and end of the item name are truncated.  I chanced upon an untranslated string when I snuck into the meeting room in Solomon Temple, and I somehow managed to circumvent a map transition in the underground canal.

On that note, there are really too many map transitions in the game.  Lance Village takes two maps, not one;  the field outside takes three; Noltia Ridge loads a new map every other time you pass a set of stairs; and the underground canal treats the catwalks and the canals themselves as two separate areas.  Couple that with shoddy collision detection and you suddenly find that the door to Duless acts just like a solid brick wall, all because you managed to "avoid" the transition on the stairs.

18

General / Re: Hobbies other than Ys.

« on: Mar. 27, 2009, 10:55:45 PM »

I've got quite a few, actually.  I'm a gamer, an anime fan, a visual novel enthusiast, a game / VN translator, a martial artist (a black belt in karate -- albeit an out-of-practice one as of late), a programmer, a (novice) graphic artist, and an all-around jack-of-all-trades.  Since my final semester in university and my current translation project are taking up most of my time, I'm not up-to-speed on the latest anime titles (I intend to catch up on that once I graduate 2-3 months from now).  What little game time I get each week is made during my commutes.  I'm hoping I'll be able to enjoy my massive backlog of stuff once I've closed the book (no pun intended) on my academic career.

19

Ys I & II Complete / Re: Ys COMPLETE Bonus Items and Events

« on: Mar. 27, 2009, 10:41:12 PM »

Hmmm...  I didn't know that you could heal wounded NPCs; I only knew about healing Talf in Ys II.  I'll have to check this out later.

Unfortunately, many of the easter eggs from Ys Eternal no longer work in Legacy of Ys:
 - The mirror no longer has any effect on humans in Ys I.
 - All of the animals in the two games (save Pickards, Roos and enemies) have been removed.  No ducks, goats, or even housepets (even though one of the characters directly mentions where to find the ducks...).
 - The Bestiary Potion no longer exists (it's replaced by a Roda Leaf Herb in Ys I, and the wall around the chest in Ys II cannot be destroyed).
 - You can no longer lift countertops and thus can no longer piss off whoever is in Flair Fleah's clinic when you do so.  There are no apples on the counter to send flying, either.
 - Humans are now immune / apathetic to fire damage (which is odd considering one of them notes that it's not nice to use magic on other people).
 - The pigeon loft no longer exists (the stairway is replaced by a pair of wooden crates...).
 - You can no longer feel up little boys in dark caverns find out Talf's measurements (though you can still do so for Feena).
 - You cannot teach Talf to not throw rocks at the Roos (he will still react to your transforming in front of him, but he'll continue tossing pebbles whenever he sees a Roo other than Ado-Roo).
 - You can no longer sleep in Lilia's, Zalem's, or Maria's bed.
 - Nash and Rimr will not complain if you return their bonus foods to them -- they'll just give you another as if you had given them something else.
 - All of the hidden scenes are enabled at the start of a new game, regardless of difficulty setting.  No need to clear the game to see them all.

I'm inclined to list other things as being removed, but I can't confirm if they're disabled or if I just messed up in finding them:
 - Leveling up Feena
 - Feena's comments when she loses sight of Adol around corners
 - Getting Guido to pay double for Iron Ore
 - The mosquito pillars
 - Rhea Lair Reah whistles / winks

Everything else that is listed on the bonus page has been retained (yay!).  If you can confirm if the last six events are in the game and I just screwed up on one of the criteria, I'd appreciate knowing if I did something wrong.

Edit:  Aww, nuts.  You can't heal Luther or Rabah Labah in Legacy of Ys...

20

Ys: The Oath In Felghana / Re: Wanna help finish the Felghana patch? I need volunteers for remaining tasks!

« on: Jun. 08, 2007, 05:48:37 PM »

But most especially though, I wanna thank Cortney D., Mjmmx, Dave S., Jacob B., GillianSeed, Carroll K., Indalecio, Mejilan, Miles (YOU RASCAL!), Jonathan L. , Justus, TDOMMX, Richard L., Escarioth, and Raigan. These are my top 15, amazingly generous donators most of which helped save the day to some extent.

(Steals a bow) Don't mention it, Night' .

This may be bad timing since I left this on the backburner for so long, but I made a list of all the problem areas I noticed when I was playing through the work-in-progress patch.  I finished Felghana about a month ago, but I didn't get around to typing my notes (from paper) until this morning.  Sorry .  It's mostly minor typos and grammar fixes, but I noticed a few glaring problems such as text being truncated on the right side of the window.  I look forward to the finished version of the patch.

21

General / Missing fragment of THE LIST

« on: May. 24, 2007, 10:20:45 AM »

Hitomi -My Stepsister- is the story of a teenager who essentially lives alone.  His father is a workaholic, and his parents divorced ages ago.  Strangely enough, his father is getting remarried, so his father's new wife and her daughter become the family he never had.

The story offers quite a bit in terms of variety (though there is a mental domination theme in every path - whether you are the dominator or dominated varies).  Unlike the other dark titles I have played (in which you take the role of unrepentant rapists), I found the justification for the dark subject matter to be frighteningly realistic.  Especially the reason for the blank look in Hitomi's eyes...  I can easily recommend this as the best dark title I have played (far better than Sensei 2, Tsuki, Virgin Roster, and the like; all of which made me feel like destroying the game discs).

There's a good reason why the Viper series has its ridiculous subtitle ("Hyper Animation Series"); every title is fully animated on-the-fly despite being a visual novel.  The animations flow seamlessly and the artwork is nice despite being retro.

Imagine is the story of a young computer science major and three of his university friends: a tomboyish actress, a shy voice actress, and an energetic singer.  Typical setup for a short romance story.  I enjoyed it, but the endings were so sudden and formulaic that it left a bad taste in my mouth.  It's rather short, but it's not a waste of time.  I doubt you'd be able to find a copy, but it's not bad considering Viper V16 has a low price tag.

The other Viper titles I have played had terrible premises.  I won't list them all, but one of them revolves around a trio of Anna Miller's waitresses being kidnapped by a subterranean race to be used as breeding vessels.  Ugh.  Suffice to say, there's a lot of rape in many of them.  STG "Limited Edition", on the other hand, is a two-stage horizontal shooter in which you play a flying succubus.  Really short playtime and non-existent story make me question if the "Limited" is an unintended play on words.

You can pick up Eve Burst Error at HimeyaShop.com for a mere $10.  Adam -The Double Factor- is the sequel to Eve, whereas Love Potion is Eve's semi-prequel (in the sense that two characters return in Eve, one as a cameo and one as a major character).

Eve itself is an intriguing story told from multiple viewpoints.  Kojiro Amagi is a private investigator who ran out of luck after he was forced to arrest his boss / mentor / foster father / girlfriend's dad.  He is suddenly hired to track down the whereabouts of a missing piece of art for a ridiculously high reward.  Marina Hojo is a Special Agent with an amazing track record who has been assigned as the bodyguard to a foreign ambassador's daughter.  As can be expected, the lives of these two people, along with a handful of others, influence each other in a way that none of them expected (pardon the cliche).

I love the way in which the various perspectives shed light on the story of Eve without revealing too much and constantly making you hungry for more.  The gameplay is a little repetive, especially having to switch characters in order to trigger specific flags.  The ending is a shocker a la Hideo Kojima.  As an added touch, you can only watch the final scene of the game once you have figured out who is responsible for the various killings that take place through the story (yes, there is a quiz!).

Adam -The Double Factor- takes place two years after the events in Eve.  I have not played through it yet, but I have heard that it is rather rushed and abruptly ends at one point.  The completed version of the story has been released under the name Eve -The Fatal Attraction-.  I have not yet played Adam, but it's on my list.

Love Potion is very disturbing and makes me question if it was written by the same guys as Eve.  Students have been disappearing from a Private All-Girls' Academy, and an agent of the Japanese Ministry of Education has been hired to go undercover as a teacher to find out the cause.  The story is tastelessly dark, and I can only recommend it to those who really want to see the backstories of Kyoko Himuro and Hiromi Matsuno from Eve Burst Error.  Otherwise, stay far, far away.

Critical Point is probably the first PP title I'll tackle once I finish with GC.  I played it for about 15 minutes, and I'm definitely looking forward to it.  Depending on my mood, I might go after Yume first, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

I can't believe I forgot to mention the non-VN publisher titles.  Shame on me!  I guess that's what happens when I write a huge post when I'm tired.

Anyway:
 - Snatcher [Hideo Kojima!]
 - Planetarian -The Reverie of a Little Planet- [Nice but saddening]
 - Narcissu [Beautiful with a sequel on the way]
 - Red Shift [Good but heartbreaking once you understand the ending]
 - Every Altogether translation festival release

I have never had a chance to play Policenauts.  I know Meryl Silverburg from Metal Gear Solid is in it, but that's about all I know.  Plus, more WTF Hideo Kojima writing.  I enjoyed Snatcher, but had a couple of issues with the ending.  Nonetheless, I don't think it was a waste of time.

Planetarian was sweet but tragic.  I can say the same for Narcissu and Red Shift.  As a side note, I'm shocked at how desperately optimistic some players can be; even if an open ending is painted in a dark, pessimistic light, some people cling to the belief that, since the final events are only implied, somehow everything is gonna be okay.  Planetarian and Red Shift both have such endings.  I recommend you check out Red Shift and share your thoughts on the matter.

22

General / THE LIST

« on: May. 22, 2007, 02:29:19 PM »

My visual novel backlog is pretty big at the moment, but I'm going through it at a pretty good pace (I have played through 10 titles in the past 2 months).  Since I'm on break until late June (when my university night classes start), I expect to be able to read through a lot of them.

Well, here I go.  I'll skip synopses if I would be forced to include any spoilers.

Tsukihime is probably the most popular amateur-made visual novel in existence.  It spawned several sequels, an anime adaption, a manga retelling, and tons of merchandise.  Although set in present-day Japan, it includes many supernatural elements, most notably vampires and demons, plus the usual dark themes such as insanity and sexual violence.  It is highly acclaimed for its character development and intricate backstory, which is a rarity in dojin works.  Although I am usually adamant about playing through games / watching movies in their original format, I recommend using the R-rated patch instead of the uncut version as there are many scenes that I thought were quite tasteless.  The anime version, as I said before, is attractive but terrible.  The manga, on the other hand, is pretty good from what I've read.

Melty Blood is a semi-sequel to Tsukihime in the sense that it does not follow any of the endings in the original title (it combines many elements from the various routes, which can be a bit disorienting at first).  It combines the visual novel component of its predecessor (and higher production values) with a fighting system very similar to Guilty Gear.  As I mentioned before, I was first introduced to MB in college, and I have been interested in the Type-Moon world ever since.  Unlike Tsukihime, it has no adult content.  I plan to play through it once the revised version of the patch is released.

Fate / Stay Night is Type-Moon's commercial debut following the success of Tsukihime and its official sequel, Kagetsu Tohya.  You've played the demo, so I don't need to give a synopsis.  The art quality and writing are greatly improved since Tsukihime, and I am looking forward to the 100% English patch.  I was disappointed in the ending of the anime; I hope the original version is better.

Ever 17 is one of the better VNs I have played, but I don't consider it to be the best (yeah, I'm picky).  I loved Tsugumi's scenario despite its heartbreaking ending.  The final scenario is quite a shocker (in the same way as the endings to The Sixth Sense and The Usual Suspects), and it will have you thinking for quite a while after you complete it.

Kana ranks among the Top Five VNs I have ever played.  It is the story of a bratty kid who is jealous of his kid sister, who is always being showered with attention.  He completely changes his attitude when he realizes the reason why she is getting so much attention.  Six ending in all, five of which are heartbreaking.  The art style isn't very good, but the story is excellent and the music is nice.  I wish the remake and/or sequel were translated...

Crescendo is the current reigning champion on my VN list.  The premise is nothing special:  Ryo Sasaki has four days remaining until graduation, and he is spending his last days tying up loose ends.  However, where the story goes from there ranges immensely.  Scenarios range from rosy high-school romance to outright tragedy.  Because of a direct tie-in with the true ending of Kana, I highly recommend you complete Kana first before playing this.

Heart de Roommate is the next title on my list.  From what I have heard, it is the story of a guy who is forced to masquerade as a girl in an all-girls school dormitory.  Supposedly quite good, but I'll reserve my judgement until I have played it myself.

Figures of Happiness was supposedly G-Collections last title (well, prior to being bought out by Peter Payne), and I hear they went out with a bang.  It is the story of the ghost of a young girl who died before having the chance to confess her love to the man of her dreams, and she asks the protagonist to help her out so she can move on.  I hope it lives up to the hype.

D.O.R. is a pretty crappy set of short stories that can be plowed through in less than 15 minutes each.  The art is dated, the music isn't very good, and the stories are downright terrible.  Don't waste your time.

Chain is a pretty good detective story.  I'll stick to my "less-is-more" stance on this one.  My only complaints, if anything, are the fact that it's entirely linear (despite the illusion of branching), and the sheer gratuity of some of the adult content.  Nonetheless, it is quite long and quite immersive.  Recommended.

I am also interested in A.D 2048 and Raidy, but I have some reservations besed on what I have seen.  I am very much looking forward to Snow Sakura, which was created by the same devs as Kana and Crescendo.  I couldn't care less about Bazooka Cafe.  Since there isn't much info available on these titles as of yet, I'll just have to wait and see.

Truth be told, I haven't touched most of my Peach Princess catalog.  I finished Water Closet (which is shitty in every sense of the word -- I mean that literally).  I hear Tokimeki Check-in is great, as is Yume Miru Kusuri.  Yin-Yang is a take on the Xchange premise with a new cast (hence the subtitle, "Xchange Alternative").  I plan to finish my GC titles before I move on to the PP ones, so I'll tackle those in due time.  The ones I am most looking forward to aside from these are Critical Point (good sci-fi story) and Snow Drop (which I have heard GREAT things about).  Little My Maid is also reputedly quite good.

As pompous as this may sound, I'd like to be able to play through every visual novel that gets released in English (be it officially or fan-translated).  I'm fairly liberal when it comes to content (ie: I don't care if there are tons of sex scenes, as long as said scenes have some bearing on the plot), but I draw the line at yaoi (shonen-ai is okay).  My current list of completed titles is pretty big considering I've only recently gotten serious.  Feel free to ask about any of them.  I have marked all the noteworthy titles.

G-Collections
-AngelSmile-
 - Private Nurse [Beautiful atmosphere & music, but disappointing ending]

-Digital Objet-
 - DOR
 - Crescendo [Excellent]
 - Kana -Little Sister- [Good]
 - Sensei 2

-Sekilala-
 - Come See Me Tonight
 - Come See Me Tonight 2
 - Idols Galore!

-Zyx-
 - Chain [Good but gratuitous]
 - Do You Like Horny Bunnies?
 - Do You Like Horny Bunnies? 2
 - The Sagara Family [Light-hearted but shamelessly gratuitous]
 - Tsuki
 - Virgin Roster -Shukketsubo-

-Other-
 - Hitomi -My Stepsister- [Dark and disturbingly realistic]
 - Jewel Knights - Crusaders
 - Let's Meow Meow
 - Slave Pageant

Peach Princess
 - Water Closet -The Forbidden Chamber-

Himeya
 - Amy's Fantasies
 - Eve Burst Error [Good but slightly convoluted]
 - Fatal Relations
 - Love Potion

Hirameki International
 - Day of Love
 - Ever 17 -Out of Infinity- [Good with superb endings]
 - Phantom of Inferno [Excellent]

Fan-Translated
 - Tsukihime [Insane and convoluted with tearjerker endings]
 - Neon Genesis Evangelion -Girlfriend of Steel-
 - Wind -a breath of heart- [Good but melodramatic]

Other Publishers
 - Fairy Nights
 - Hyper Animation Series Viper M1
 - Hyper Animation Series Viper V16 -Imagine- [Good except for the endings]
 - Hyper Animation Series Viper V16 -Rise-
 - Immoral Lesson
 - Immoral Lesson - Session 2
 - Legend of Fairies

Not really visual novels, but I'll list them anyway...
 - Hyper Animation Series Viper STG ("Limited Edition")
 - Love Love Show

Feel free to ask about any of these.  If a title isn't here, that just means I haven't played it yet.  You'll notice there's a lot of filth on this list.  I should mention that just because I'll played it doesn't mean I liked it.  I have given away quite a few games because I didn't want to possess something that disgusting (such as Water Closet).

23

General / Re: Visual Novel Translations~

« on: May. 20, 2007, 12:10:49 PM »

While I always keep myself up-to-date on English visual novel news, I appreciate the the effort on your part.  Thanks.

I spent almost all of last week playing through Tsukihime.  Although I already learned the characters' backstories when I first became interested in Melty Blood way back in college (and had no idea that the original game would ever be translated), the way the events actually played out was different than I had imagined (that's both good and bad).  As I expected, the anime version was a pretty-looking travesty, and, to be honest, I see no possible way in which a made-for-TV anime adaption of Tsukihime could have worked.  An OAV series or manga retelling would have turned out nice, but there's too much they would have to censor for a TV broadcast.  Well... a manga adaption is currently being published, so let's see how well that pans out.

Anyway, I've played through all of Insani & NNL's demos, and I agree with you about Fate.  I won't play through the game until a 100% patch has been released, though (I hate stopping partway in a VN).  I have already seen the anime, but I am somewhat disappointed in the ending and some of the censorship techniques they used.  Here's hoping that the original version is better...

As for Melty Blood, a new patch is going to be released at the end of the month, and I have half a mind to wait until then before playing through it (I have tons of stuff I can go through in  the meantime to keep myself busy).

I was trying to add a couple of anime recommendations to my list earlier, but my internet connection crapped out then.  This season, my anime picks are Hayate no Gotoku, Romeo x Juliet, and Sola.  I'd give a synopsis of each, but I think "less is more" in the case of these three titles.  I recommend checking out 2-3 episodes of each and seeing if you like them.  Romeo x Juliet is to the original story as Gankutsuou is to The Count of Monte Cristo.  In this case, that's definitely a good thing.

In the past two months, I have  played through I'm-not-quite-sure-how-many new visual novels.  I haven't been keeping count of how many titles I have played through, but I think I can give a pretty fair evaluation of titles if anyone is interested.  Most of the titles I have played through are from G-Collections, but I know quite a bit about other titles as well (I own almost all of Hirameki's catalog despite only having played through three of them).  If anyone has any questions, ask away.  Who knows; sudden questions may prompt me to bump a title to the top of my queue.

24

General / Re: Visual Novel Translations~

« on: Apr. 11, 2007, 05:16:40 AM »

Interesting list.  It contains a lot of series that I wanted to check out, but never had the time to.

Since you seem to like dark anime, I'll throw in a couple more recommendations.  I already mentioned Gankutsuou and Gungrave, so here are a few others.

Basilisk is a tragic love story a la Romeo & Juliet, but with ninjas.  The action is on par with Ninja Scroll, which is surprisingly absent from your list.  A bit over-the-top, but a worthwhile watch.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni ("When the Evening Cicadas Cry") is an excellent series that juxtaposes cute characters with horrific situations as the mental state of a group of schoolfriends gradually deteriorates.  Based off a (non-adult) visual novel with the same name.  A sequel is currently in the works.

Jigoku Shojo ("Hell Girl") is a series focusing on the concept of revenge.  It is mostly episodic, so knowledge of previous episodes is not required to enjoy the next.  As such, the writing quality fluctuates, but when it's good, it's very good.  A second season is currently airing in Japan.

Despite its terrible Japanese voice acting, I also enjoyed the remake of Mermaid Forest.  It's a series about a pair of humans-turned-immortal who are desperately trying to regain their humanity.

Monster is an excellent story about a doctor's good intentions and their unexpectedly horrific consequences.  I believe it has earned prizes for Best Story and Best Villain, and I wholeheartedly think it deserves it.

Grave of the Fireflies is a tragic film about two orphans struggling to survive in post-war Japan.  I really cannot say more than that without spoilers.  Be warned that if you are sentimental, you will definitely find yourself in tears.

Hellsing Ultimate is a remake of Hellsing that more closely follows the plot of the manga (which I have not read).  The series has a similar, but distinct feel from the original anime series.

Death Note is a twisted story about a overachiever with a lot of time on his hands who suddenly finds himself with the powers of a Grim Reaper.  Critically-acclaimed, and rightly so.  Based on a manga with the same name.

Lastly, to offset all this darkness, I recommend a short, light-hearted comedy:  Today in Class 5-2.  Based on a single-volume manga, I never would have expected fifth-graders to be this hilarious.  Each episode is split into about 5 segments, making it great for when you need a quick pick-me-up.

Back to the main topic of visual novels:

I'm pleased to report that School Days is finally being translated.  I have been looking forward to this title ever since the prologue was fansubbed on AnimeSuki.  While an anime adaption is due out in July, I'm sure that much of the content would have to be cut out (namely, very graphic violence and some sex).  Although the prologue makes the series look quite "sanitary", the animated gifs I have seen of the endings (damn you, spoilers) make me intrigued as to how the story could become so twisted.  Being able to see the original title, even with its dull (and probably realistic) voice acting, is something I am definitely looking forward to.

25

General / Re: Visual Novel Translations~

« on: Apr. 07, 2007, 09:53:55 AM »

Nice resume, X-Calibar.  Lodoss was one of the many titles I rented from local video stores when I was first getting into anime (back in high school, long before I had internet access).  Lisa Ortiz does an absolutely perfect job as Deedlit, and most of the other characters are well-done too (well, everyone except Shiris and maybe Etoh).  I'm annoyed that the follow-up TV series' dub is nowhere near as good as the original OAV (Parn sounds like a superhero!  But at least the "Welcome to Lodoss Island" segments are well-dubbed)...

Just a few quick comments regarding a few of the series you listed:

Evangelion - My official swearing-in to anime.  Prior to this, I had seen Ninja Scroll, Teknoman, Fatal Fury, and Street Fighter II V.  However, it wasn't until I saw Eva that I was totally indoctrinated into anime.

El-Hazard - I have seen all of the incarnations of El-Hazard.  AIC's quality varies from series to series...  The first series is probably the best.  Minor correction:  it's avoiding booze, not cigarettes, that gives Sensei the FUJISAWA POWAH.

Macross Plus - I've seen both the anime and movie versions, and I find some parts of the movie to be more believable (ie: Isamu not answering Myung's distress call because he's busy getting laid).

Kenshin OAV - Yep, I loved it too.  It would have been nice if the TV series had the same tone.  Oh well.

Tenchi Muyo - About halfway through, I started rolling my eyes at the Tenchi OAVs.  I think the two TV series and the movies are better (though I have not seen the entirety of Tenchi Universe yet...).  GXP, on the other hand, is absolute garbage.  If you haven't seen it yet, trust me, you don't want to.

I can highly recommend both Gungrave and Gankutsuou.  For best effect, however, skip the first episode of Gungrave.  You'll thank me for it later, and you won't miss a thing (the first episode is a flash-forward, and the plot twists up until that point are best enjoyed without advance knowledge of what's going to happen).

I suggest you stay away from Ergo Proxy.  The series can be euphemized as a mind-fuck, and you have to be able to stomach random game-show and Alice-in-Wonderland themed episodes (completely out-of-place in a dark, serious series) as well as incoherent psychobabble.  On the positive side, I'm amused by the messed-up idea of a game show host offering to commit suicide if the contestant wins...

From what I've seen RahXephon is interesting, but it's not high on my priority list at the moment.  The opening theme is quite catchy, I must admit.  Apparently, the movie is a condensed retelling of the series.

Let me know which genres you are interested in (romantic drama, harem comedy, sci-fi, giant robot, horror, etc...) and I can make a few personalized recommendations.  I have successfully converted the mother of my niece from a naysayer into an anime fanatic in a matter of months, so I'd like to think my recommendations are pretty worthwhile.

26

General / Re: Visual Novels & Voices

« on: Apr. 06, 2007, 05:21:00 AM »

My point is that, in all the anime I've seen in my 20 or so years of watching it, that has uniformly been the case.  Yes, it's deliberate, but that doesn't make it any more tolerable.  It's all done on a grander scale than anything seen in English, with the possible exception of childrens' cartoons.  And unless one is familiar with Japanese on a conversational level, one does not pick up on this, no matter how much one may wish to claim otherwise.

While I don't totally agree, I can see your point.  There are plenty of VN / anime characters that I would enjoy seeing killed solely because I find their voices obnoxious.  Lisianthus from Shuffle, Wakaba from Wind, and pretty much every spaced-out airhead character in existence grates on my nerves (both genders).  I don't mind so much when the voice is a subtle way of hinting that the character is putting up a pretense or indicative that something's a little off (Kaede from Shuffle), but some actors make this distinction quite difficult.  It's refreshing to find a title wherein none of the voices are overacted or underacted, but titles like these aren't the norm.

I think anime has desensitized me to melodrama a bit.  After I reviewed a VN stating that the dialogue never gets overly melodramatic (in my opinion), some of the readers criticized me for not acknowledging some particularly over-the-top scenes.  However, I notice a clear (and sometimes jarring) difference between a character's voice and the actor's natural voice in any behind-the-scenes footage.  I suppose the best way to get otaku to acknowledge that anime doesn't use real Japanese is to force them to watch these segments (and club them upside the head until they get the point ).

The Japanese like melodrama.  It's just as ludicrous as the claim from the same group that says anime "isn't cliched like American stuff is."  It's just as cliched as anything else... it just has a different set of them.

If you like Japanese voice acting, that's all well and good.  I like it too, up to a point. But don't try to claim it's somehow inherently great, because it isn't.

Point taken, though I have never considered either forms of animation to be cliche.  I have recognized tons of cliches within each respective medium (ie: anthropomorphic characters and exaggerated movements in cartoons, character stereotypes and cheesy dialogue in anime, predictable plot twists in both).  I have a tendency to favor anime that strays away from tried-and-true formulas; I have personally condemned Lamune for being nearly identical to other series I had seen, only not nearly as well executed (I could use the same argument on tons of games).  On the other hand, series such as Ergo Proxy and Noein are so out there (not to mention pretentious) that you cannot help but become confused (unless, I kid you not, you are currently a graduate student working on a Master's Degree in Quantum Physics).  On the other hand, I love it when cliches are done right (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Crescendo).

I don't think any language is inherently superior or inferior to any other.  I have dealt with English and French since I was born.  Americans have a tendency to romanticize French, and I have grown to hate the language for a variety of reasons.  I *could* take a quick trip south of the border and pick up a few girls with my knowledge of "the Language of Love" (Bwahahahah!!! ...I'm sorry, I can't say that with a straight face...  ), but I don't because the language disgusts me (that, and it pretty much guarantees a girlfriend with lower IQ than me).  I guess it's fair to say that the way you view Japanese in anime and the way I view "American" French is the same.

27

General / Visual Novels & Voices

« on: Apr. 04, 2007, 04:57:41 AM »

I have been a fan of anime for a little over ten years, and I have been a fan of visual novels for around three.  I have to disagree with the claim that all Japanese voice acting sucks.  Granted, I have seen many series with terrible acting, but I have also seen series that couldn't have been done better.  No, most anime doesn't use conversational Japanese, but most American films don't use conversational English either -- both dramatize scenes to make them more immersive and enjoyable to watch.  If that didn't happen, movies and TV shows would sound the same as anything caught on hidden camera.  Even candid news report interviews are dramatized to a certain degree.  I will admit that the Japanese dramatize their stuff a lot more often.

On the other hand, I absolutely hate it when an actor (voice or otherwise) overdoes their part to the point of nausea.  I detect this alot in English anime / game dubbing.  Either that, or the actors don't really care and the voices sound quite flat.  However, some people put the extra effort to make the voices sound great (Megaman X8, the Metal Gear Solid series, Indigo Prophecy).  In the case of X8, I cannot bring myself to switch back to the Japanese voices simply because the dub is done so well (making the original sound crappy in comparison).  Sadly, I cannot include Ys VI on that list (ugh... Terra...).

On another note:  I have actually seen people complaining about non-literal translations precisely because they intended to use the game in question as a learning tool instead of a textbook.  HAH!

Although my visual novel resume isn't as extensive as that of others, I can definitely vouch for Phantom of Inferno, Ever 17, Kana, and Crescendo.  I have heard great things about Figures of Happiness, Private Nurse, Snow Drop, and Hourglass of Summer, but I'll reserve my judgement on those until I've completed them myself.  I have to disagree with those who believe that VNs are the same recycled teenage-schoolboy-finds-love cliche or anime-porn sex romps.  Granted, there are plenty of them (Crescendo is an *excellent* example of the high schooler theme done right), but the others I have recommended are counterexamples to this gross overgeneralization.

In Phantom of Inferno, you are a young amnesiac who is forced to learn the ways of an assassin.  In Ever 17, you play as one among a half-dozen people who have been stranded in an underwater theme park, the result of an accident which will cause the park to implode in a matter of days.  In Kana, you are the older brother of a terminally-ill girl, and are forced to come to terms with her (almost) inevitable demise.  None of these titles can be branded as "dating sims" (if anyone dares try, they must admit to having a really f#$%ed-up concept of a date), and all of them explore a variety of thought-provoking themes such as death, revenge, morality, and unconventional topics like cloning, alternate realities, suicide, and the Pygmalion effect.  Even Crescendo, as cliche as its premise may seem, explores its fair share of interesting topics and earns my prize as the best visual novel I have ever played (with Phantom coming in at #2).

On the amateur side of things, I can recommend Narcissu and Red Shift.  These titles are too short to summarize without giving away major spoilers, but I'll mention that they touch on mortality, terminal illness, suicide, arrogance, and self-sacrifice, and don't try to touch romance with a sixty-foot pole.  Tsukihime (which I have not played through as of this writing) has spawned a number of sequels, an (atrocious but atmospheric) anime adaption, and a manga retelling, recounting the story of a boy who is suddenly able to see through the eyes of Death itself.  This title has been acclaimed for its fully-fleshed-out storyline despite its low production values.  Lastly, Higurashi ni Naku Koro ni (again, not personally played) has similar claims to fame (spinoffs, anime, manga, low budget) and tells the story of a group of schoolkids and their gradual descent into madness.  Like I said before, if these are dating sims, someone really needs to learn what a date is like.

I'm not saying all Visual Novels are great.  I've played a fair share of bad ones as well (Day of Love, Tsuki, and the Do You Like Horny Bunnies series, to name just a few).  I have also played decent but flawed titles such as Chain and Wind -a breath of heart-.  I'm beginning to ramble, so I'll close by saying that branding a visual novel as a pornographic dating sim is the equivalent of comparing all live-action films with porn videos.

PS:  A Midsummer Day's Resonance is pretty nice, but its not spectacular.  It's pretty short, so I suggest you check it out.

PPS:  I don't like it when people abuse the applaud / smite system.

28

Ys: The Oath In Felghana / Re: Ys: The Oath in Felghana Translation

« on: Dec. 29, 2006, 10:36:50 AM »

Is the patch out?  Can I get a copy? 

The patch is only available to contributors (donators and image editors) for closed beta testing.  If you really want to check out the (still incomplete) patch and help NightWolve out at the same, buy him lunch or something via PayPal.  Once the beta is finished, the patch will be complete and available to the public.

Hey, at least Night isn't like Sony asking the early-adopters $600 a head. 

29

General / Re: Christmas

« on: Dec. 29, 2006, 10:27:09 AM »

This sounds like my situation   I've only played through Phantom of the Inferno, one ending; Tea Society of a Witch 1 ending, and Ever17 2-3 endings [not going to stop till I get the final ending!]; While Yo-Jin-Bo, the Exodus Guilty games, Hourglass of Summer still to go~
The only time I've been able to play recently is usually in the dead of night/morning, which leaves me sleep deprived

Whenever I play through visual novels, I make a point of starting them only when I'd have enough time to play it through to the end.  I do not like starting something, going to work during the week, then picking up where I left off 5-6 days later.  Especially when Phantom of Inferno takes a week full-time to finish and I do not have time to replay large chunks to refresh my memory.  As a result, Hourglass of Summer has been on my back-burner for 2 years.  Sad, but true.

Since you seem to like Hirameki stuff, I'll give you my comments for future reference:

Phantom of Inferno (Completed with all 10 endings)
-Definitely worth it.  I first played this 2 years ago, and I made a point of replaying it during the summer since two friends were interested in checking it out.  I only caught 7 of the 10 endings when I first played it (before I made a point of catching every ending -- this was my first, after all), and I had come across the PS2 version's official player's guide, so I decided to give it another whirl.  Definitely better than the first time around since I got to see everything.

Day of Love (Completed with every ending)
-Charming, but not really recommendable.  Extensively censored, to the point that only two of the endings actually feel complete.  Don't pick it up unless you have cash to burn.

Amusement Park (Finished with only 2 endings)
-I can't give a fair judgement this early, but so far, it seems alot like Day of Love, but with a better scenario.  I've noticed some censorship, but nothing seems too bad compared to DoL.

Ishika & Honori (Stopped playing after an hour)
-BORING.  Annoying characters, dumb premise, and the story changes are influenced somewhat arbitrarily by whether you attacked, used magic, or defended in its equivalent of a random RPG battle.  Not recommended.

Ever 17 (Completed with all 8 endings and all 3 epilogues)
-THIS is the reason why I make a point of playing through every ending within the same expanse of time.  The hype you have heard about the Final Chapter's ending is well-deserved.  If you enjoy endings like The Sixth Sense or The Usual Suspects, you will love the final scenario.  It's not my favorite scenario in the game (that would be reserved for Tsugumi's ending), but it's definitely unique in the best sense of the word.

I own every Hirameki title except Exodus Guilty Vol. 3 and Dragonia.  Hourglass of Summer and Exodus Guilty are at the top of my to-do list, once I finish with Dawn of Sorrow and beta testing.  Sucks that I return to university next Wednesday...    Fortunately, I only have class 3 days a week.  University life can be sweet. 

On top of that, I have Portrait of Ruin, every Zelda title released since Majora's Mask, Tsukihime, and the releases from Insani's Altogether translation festival left to go through... wait a sec... I already went over this.  Sorry.  I have a tendency to rant when I get into something.

As for fan translations, I have kinda phased them out unless the game looks really good.  When free time is scarce, you have to be discriminating.  That's why I've stopped playing RPGs that take themselves way too seriously (a serious tone can be nice, but when the story becomes cliche, it's time to move on).  Action-RPGs and Side-Scrollers are more my cup of tea.  I have never had the patience for Strategy games, despite the fact that I would really like to play through my copy of Growlanser Generations.

Nice mugs & shirt, Joe.  Kinda reminds me of the T-Shirt my brother got me.  It reads:  "1f j00 c4n r34d 7h15, j00 n33d 70 g37 l41d." 

30

Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim / Re: Should I get Ys VI for PC?

« on: Dec. 29, 2006, 09:46:46 AM »

Does that means that you will be able to insert Crevia and the Alma trials on the PC version? 

That'd be nice, but no.  Konami designed Crevia and Alma's Trials exclusively for the PS2 version, just as they designed the minigames and gallery exclusively for the PSP version.  It'd be nice to consolidate them all together for the complete Napishtim experience, but it's not going to happen unless it's done by Konami themselves (and I doubt they'd give away the only reasons to buy their versions).

What NightWolve meant was that he is working with two versions of the script:  Konami's dry-but-accurate translation, and Psycho DeuceBag's more colorful translation, and he's comparing the screens side-by-side to get the best of both worlds.

Anyway, I'd have to vote for Ys VI for PC instead of PS2.  I have both, but the PC version just looks better, in my opinion.  However, it would be a good idea to get the PS2 version as well if you want to bank on the slim possibility of Felghana coming out legitimately in the US.

31

Ys Origin / Re: Ys Origin

« on: Dec. 22, 2006, 01:13:04 PM »

Doesn't "seinen" mean "adult", not "man"?  I'm no expert in Japanese, so I have to ask.  I never grouped bishonen and shota together in the first place, so the distinction between bishonen, bishouta and biseinen is somewhat inane in my eyes.  Still, I like to correct myself whenever possible.

Anyway, it's pretty commonplace that a Japanese word has its meaning changed when it is adopted in America.  Like "ecchi" and "hentai", for instance.  Most people misuse these words so much that it's been accepted that "ecchi" means heavy on fanservice while "hentai" means sex.  (Note:  "ecchi"="kinky / racy / suggestive" in the sexual sense, "hentai"="sick / perverted", not necessarily related to sex).  Not to say that your comment is wrong -- I'd just like to point out that you won't get anywhere if you try to correct people in this regard (besides furthering my own knowledge).

Wow, that's one hell of a tangent.  Back to our regularly scheduled programming:  Joystiq gave the release some fanfare (not much).  I have not been able to check yet (damn content filters), but I think RPGamer and RPG Fan mention it as well.

32

General / Mountains of Stuff

« on: Dec. 22, 2006, 12:53:26 PM »

Let's see... where to begin...

I have been a full-time intern for the past few months with a killer commute (2 hours each way), so my free time has been essentially non-existent.  During my commute, I have been able to finish New Super Mario Bros. and Castlevania - Aria of Sorrow entirely (every mode, every secret, etc...).  I am currently playing through Dawn of Sorrow (GREAT game, BTW).  If not for the commute, I would have NO game time whatsoever.  As of 4 pm today, my internship is over, so I finally have the time to go over my backlog of stuff (for the record, it's my lunch break right now).

I already know I am getting Portrait of Ruin, Kirby Squeak Squad, and a Wii for Christmas.  I already received my preorder copy of Twilight Princess, as well as the English translation patch for Tsukihime and another translation that I am supposed to beta test.  Throw in a mountain (not an exaggeration) of Hirameki visual novels I have yet to play through, and I have enough entertainment to last me 'til summer.  And that's not even mentioning anime, which I follow almost religiously.

All in all, I have plenty to do, and I finally have the time to do it.  I wonder what's worse:  being poor and not being able to buy what you want, or being well-off and not having the time to enjoy your purchases.  At the moment, I am putting off picking up Origin until my mountain becomes more manageable.  By then, the beta testing I have to do will be done, and I will not have to spend as much time resisting the urge to play Origin.

33

Ys: The Oath In Felghana / Re: Wanna help finish the Felghana patch? I need volunteers for remaining tasks!

« on: Dec. 22, 2006, 12:21:13 PM »

I spoke with NightWolve about this issue (among other possible tweaks and inconsistencies).  He gave me two reasons for leaving the name as "Redmont Town":
1)  It would take too much time and effort to update every instance of "Redmont Town" with "Redmont" or "The Town of Redmont", especially without clean source material (ie: non-JPEGed version of the map, without captions).  Remember that all of these are graphics, not regular text.
2)  He wants to maintain consistency with Ys I-II Complete's and The Dawn of Ys' "Minea Town" (the alternative being extensive retconning of all current patches).

I find reason #2 to be suspect since we have Ruins of Illburns instead of Illburns Ruins (vs. Moondoria Ruins in Ys II), but the first reason is good enough in my book.  If he were to erase "Town", for instance, without a clean source, whatever he puts to cover up the removed word will stick out like a sore thumb.  If we had a lossless version of the map in the exact same dimensions as used in the game (or larger), then it would be another story.

34

Ys I & II Complete / Re: Popular edition?

« on: Dec. 21, 2006, 09:15:49 AM »

Nope.  Just a change in the version number in the Details tag.

35

Ys Origin / Re: Ys Origin

« on: Dec. 21, 2006, 09:14:34 AM »

I find it funny that Dalles was a bishonen before he officially crossed over to the Dark Side (a la Senator Palpatine).

36

Ys: The Oath In Felghana / Re: Ys: The Oath in Felghana Translation

« on: Dec. 15, 2006, 01:21:04 PM »

Remember that patches in general are applied on top of an existing install of the game; they don't do the initial installation for you.  The only exception I can think of is the Tsukihime translation patch, which searches for a particular file on the original installation disc before extracting the required files onto the hard drive for you (kinda necessary, since the translation was essentially rebuilding the game from scratch).

You're going to need to region-swap or use AppLocale to install the game before you can patch it.  However, once that's done, you'll never have to bother with it again.  NightWolve eliminates (at least, to my knowledge) disc or locale checks performed at runtime, so you shouldn't need to switch between character sets.

37

Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys / Re: Just can't seem to Patch my YS4 Dawn Of Ys to English!

« on: Nov. 28, 2006, 11:03:53 AM »

No, it hasn't been finished yet.  Larry mistook NightWolve's PCM audio dumper program for the dub.  As far as I know, Justus' dub project is on indefinite hold.  I am definitely looking forward to seeing the dub finished, but Night has said not to hold my breath.

Larry, here's the official word on the program that you have:

YsIVADPCM.zip - This will dump all the ADPCM sound clips from an Ys IV data track. The data track (track 2) must be ripped in MODE1/2048 form, and you must edit the batch file included to point to whatever name you then give the track file thereafter.

I'm pretty sure you know the saying about making an ass of yourself...  Assumptions can be dangerous.  I won't fault you this time since there was no readme in the zip file, but next time, read the descriptions on the site before you download.

38

Ys Origin / Re: Ys Origin

« on: Nov. 24, 2006, 09:05:50 AM »

Feena and Reah sure looked better in I-II Complete, they look like teenagers in the new game. But I guess that's ok, after all they were 700 years younger (even godesses grow older, I guess). As for their clothes, I also think it fits, since in Origins they were the most important people of Ys at the height of its glory, and in Complete they were just exiles hiding among the normal populace of Esteria.
Anyway, I'm highly anticipating the game.

That's what I was thinking at first; the goddesses changing their garb to remain incognito.  Then I remembered that the two (Feena, at least) had amnesia.  I was wondering if that might have had some influence.

As for Ys being at the height of civilization:  I was tempted to agree with that argument, but then I remembered the attire worn during the prologue of Ys I.  Then again, the prologue depicts mostly commoners.  It's possible that, the higher the position, the more elaborate the costume.

Either way, it doesn't really matter.  As a medium evolves, so too do the tastes of creators.  I don't think there are that many 1980's games (save maybe dating sims) that have characters wearing thigh-high socks and lace stockings.  Just have a look at Link:  it took him nearly two decades to start wearing pants (I wonder why they made him pantless to begin with...).

Feena's hairdo has changed quite a bit over the years, too:  on TurboGrafx, she had bangs; in Ys I-II Complete, she had a center part; in Origins, she has more of a rich-girl hairdo.  I`m thankful they didn't consider giving her those cliche debutante rolls (that'd be a reason to be pissed).  Leah, on the other hand, has been quite consistent.

I don't think anyone could sanely mistake Hugo / Yugo for anyone other than the ancestor of Dark Fact.  If I recall, they gave his first name at one point, but I can't remember it for the life of me.  All I remember is that it didn't sound at all like Hugo.

39

Ys Origin / Ys Origin Artbook

« on: Nov. 23, 2006, 08:26:16 AM »

The Ys Origin artbook is 120 pages long.  At least, that's what it says in the trailers and the website.

I saw the new trailers for the game last night.  I'm intrigued, but I'm still not sure if I'll preorder it or wait until my next Falcom batch order.  I'd like to get that Entry Book, but I don't know if the shipping charges will make it worthwhile.
-Not two, but three playable characters?  Not bad at all.  Strange how none of them are redheads like Adol and Abel.
-The in-game artwork is nice (typical Falcom style, ie: gorgeous), but the artwork on the site looks a little... off.  Am I the only one that thinks Feena and Leah looked better in Ys I-II Complete?
-Small continuity nitpick:  Ys Origin takes place 700 years before Ys I.  If that's the case, why are Feena & Leah's outfits more elaborate and "modern"?  They look very nice, I'll admit, but if they were wearing lace and stockings 700 years ago, why switch to more primitive attire (cloaks, one-piece slipons, etc...) 700 years later?  (Can amnesia influence someone's taste in clothes?  I dunno.  Like I said, just a minor nitpick.)

I'm wondering which of the playable characters will be my favorite.  Yunika, Yugo, or "The Claw"...  Either way, many forces are struggling for my salary and free time this season.  Falcom, Christmas presents, Twilight Princess, Portrait of Ruin, Hirameki visual novels.  I'm not poor, but I still have to exercise some discretion.

40

Ys: The Oath In Felghana / Re: Ys: The Oath in Felghana Translation

« on: Nov. 20, 2006, 11:04:06 AM »

I wanted to ask if this patch will be applied to a ISO or Bin image or if this is like some patch mad by Ninja where you first install the game and then the patch replace the installed files.

NightWolve makes a point of having you install the game normally first, then patching the game with his dummy-proof patcher.  No respectable fan translator ever packages their translation with a copy of the original work in order to avoid legal issues.  The only exception to this rule thus far has been Roxfan's translation of Neon Genesis Evangelion - Girlfriend of Steel, which was originally 4 discs, but had the audio resampled to fit just one.

Just have a look at the Ys I-II Complete patches if you want to see how his patchers works.  No need to look for the translated opening video, official Falcom patches, or the like, as the patcher does that for you.