big bad birtha's suggestion box 2: secret passions unveiled

[big bad birtha]

Gahh! Moon Phase is so...*bangs head against the wall* The ONLY thing that has kept me on this title is the fact that I'm interested in Hazuki's story, but this is getting ridiculous. One complaint is during fight, the fight is NEVER shown. While it's going on, they make a closeup of a near object and make it sound like they're fighting. I would normally forgive it, but the rest of the show is so freaking boring. The "action" shouldn't be incredibly boring as well.

I'm playing through Soul Link and so far, it has potential. The first hour or so is really dull, but when things get started, it's pretty exciting. This is sorta like taking Ever17 and combining it with a Type-Moon title. I won't get into the plot until I finish or I feel less lazy.

[Talon87]

I had no idea that MirrorMoon completed the third arc ("Heaven's Feel") of FSN ages ago. I thought they were still working on it and all we had were Arcs 1 and 2. When I found out the truth last night, I wasted no time in snagging a copy and starting up the adventure.

There's a lot of pointless introduction with NPC characters so far. Kind of a drag, really. I understand it's meant to be character-building for Tohsaka, but still.

Also, why the heck am I Tohsaka? ^^; I expected I'd be playing this game as Shirou. Does control switch over at some point? This is certainly going to end up being one weird game if it doesn't.

[Doppleganger]

That's the prologue. It's supposed to give you a bit of insight into Rin because Shirou is so dense he doesn't really grasp her real personality until deep into the route you're playing.

And while FSN being fully translated IS old news, it's still big news because the delay was to rip the X-Box 360 voice patch (Realta Nua) for the PC game. I don't know what works for the H scenes though since those were censored for that release. Are you listening to it with the voices?

...

In my world, I'm trying to get a new VN working but sadly I'm having patch/torrent troubles. I'll even devote a new topic to it but this one will likely be a tough sell.

[Talon87]

No, I didn't download the voiceovers because MirrorMoon said I'd need the original disc for it to work and my torrent of FSN didn't contain that disc. My playthrough has no voices, making for a sometimes confusing read-through since it's hard to tell apart A from B:

A:
"So, what should we do now?
"I think we should investigate more."

B:
"So, what should we do now?"
"I think we should investigate more."

Yes, I do appreciate that when using quotations you're supposed to start each paragraph with them even if it's the same speaker talking, and that the clue which signifies this is that the previous paragraph ends with no quotation marks present, but still: it's very confusing, especially when certain conversations are like the example I gave and you're inclined to read Sentence #2 as the reply and not as the first speaker's opinion provided before the second speaker can even get a chance to reply.

[big bad birtha]

I finished Soul Link. I played the first chapter of this and I was really getting into it. This title had the whole surviving while being stuck on a space vessel, but it also had surviving against a terrorist group. Not to mention that the character you play as is a straight badass. The story was really interesting too.

Unfortunately, my enjoyment was short lived. After the awesome chapter one, everything went down the toilet. The awesome badass main character is no longer around and you're controlling the whiny guy. All of the positives from chapter 1 turn into nothing but incredibly dull romance. The whole path is all "I love talking to you because you're compassionate." They also just throw away some characters and give them little closure.

Now lets go on chapter 3, shall we? I was disappointed with chapter 2, and thought, "Hey, maybe this chapter will make up for the previous one?" Oh boy was I wrong! This chapter concluded the story, and it concluded it VERY poorly. It was just "the main villain dies and everyone lives happily ever after." The lingering questions I had were left completely untouched. Not only that, but the villain's death was absolutely lame. I seriously think the creators had some good ideas for a story, then when going through with it, a bear attacked them and the writers were replaced with poodles.

________________________

Due to its popularity, I decided to watch the Black Rock Shooter OVA. If this is a trailer, I look forward to the continuation of this because it's pretty interesting. If it isn't, what the fuck?! The title left a bunch of questions unanswered, so I'm really hoping it's a preview of something else to come.

I think I'll start playing Cross Channel now.

[Doppleganger]

Originally Posted by Talon87

No, I didn't download the voiceovers because MirrorMoon said I'd need the original disc for it to work and my torrent of FSN didn't contain that disc. My playthrough has no voices, making for a sometimes confusing read-through since it's hard to tell apart A from B:

A:
"So, what should we do now?
"I think we should investigate more."

B:
"So, what should we do now?"
"I think we should investigate more."

Yes, I do appreciate that when using quotations you're supposed to start each paragraph with them even if it's the same speaker talking, and that the clue which signifies this is that the previous paragraph ends with no quotation marks present, but still: it's very confusing, especially when certain conversations are like the example I gave and you're inclined to read Sentence #2 as the reply and not as the first speaker's opinion provided before the second speaker can even get a chance to reply.

Hmm, I don't remember having that problem, but I do recommend getting the voice patch. BBB didn't use it, but I plan on getting it and maybe replaying Fate. The reason is, in UBW at least, the voices add another dimension to the experience that one wouldn't get from reading the text alone. It's tough to tell when characters are sarcastic or serious in FSN given the nature of the material, but some vocal cues are helpful for leading the reader at the right interpretation. A spoiler for the end of UBW:

Spoiler: show

Shirou has this distinctive bumpkin speaking style, his CV is the only person I've heard use it so I don't know if it's a dialect or just a personal way of speaking, but it's enough to tell the player Shirou is talking even if not in Shirou's voice. This plays a major role in the goodbye scene with Archer, as Archer reverts from his cool/mature voice to the distinctive speaking style of Shirou as he fades away. Archer never claims he is Emiya Shirou, he always refers to Shirou himself as "Emiya Shirou" and says stuff like "Emiya Shirou thinks this and that" which is meant to double play on his own identity and curse himself along with the FSN universe's Shirou. The novel itself never explicitly names Archer as Shirou, though people seem to understand it, but that last vocal change to me was perhaps the most blatant hint, as close to Archer revealing his name as he could come.

BBB, do tell me about CC. I've also got a few questions for you, since there's a novel I'm having a bear of a time installing. T_T

[big bad birtha]

What's the problem and what title is it?

EDIT: Cross Channel might take some time. Something seems to have messed up with the patch and the text has way too many spaces. I can still read it fine but some it might get annoying later on.

[big bad birtha]

I've played a bit into Cross Channel, and so far, it's kinda like Kaghetsu Tohya, except instead of repeating the same day, you repeat the same week. This game started out as pretty bland, but it's getting a little better. I'm not really far enough to decide anything yet, but I'm looking forward to whatever this title has in store. Also, the main character is great. Instead of the typical "nice guy" character, this person's thought process is actually fairly normal/believable (excluding his exaggerated reactions to stuff.)

[Talon87]

There is no anime right now for me to follow except K-ON!! and Kaichou wa Maid-sama.

I am very, very sad. -.-;

Where is Kaiji Season 2!? It's been almost three years now since Season 1 aired. And we were teaser-promised Season 2 right at the end of Season 1, too!

[McSweeney]

I've been thinking about just reading the manga to get my fill. Seeing it for the first time in anime form would be so much better, though!

[Doppleganger]

While I'm here I should apologize BPK. I thought I might have confused Kurosawa for another Fukumoto work that recently finished, but checking my Notepads it looks like I just fell for an exaggeration/troll. Sorry. :/

And Kaiji's second season is in limbo, because it's been in development for the past 2 years since an announcement at Otakon 2008 (iirc). Supposedly, poor sales for Kaiji's DVDs (high DVD sales for Akagi) were not enough to renew confidence in the series prospects despite its high ratings. I think One Outs might have also harmed its chances, since OO had the same team as Akagi and Kaiji.

It's ironic, because while I'm a big Fukumoto fan I gave OO a higher rating than either Fukumoto anime because it's a perfect adaption. The ending, which a lot of people didn't like, gives the endings of Akagi and Kaiji a bloody nose. I'm so surprised OO hasn't attained more widespread acclaim.

[Talon87]

Kaiji shouldn't be that difficult to animate, though. If you look at Season 1, it's a pretty evident case of Paint Bucket applications everywhere. Like, Kaiji's face may have three color tones to it tops: base color, shadow color 1, and shadow color 2. It's by no means the "fireworks in Mikuru's eyes" animation Sistine Chapel that is Haruhi.

[Doppleganger]

It might be a manpower issue. Madhouse hasn't released a ton of TV series in the past 3 years, versus back in 2006/2007 where they were pumping out like 2 per season. Madhouse has been the studio selected for a lot of recent movies (Summer Wars, Red Line), OVAs (like the upcoming "Iron Man anime") and western animation like The Boondocks, which might contribute to the delay.

Literally, the only major budget Madhouse TV series produced in years has been Hajime no Ippo's second season.

[big bad birtha]

I've played further into Cross Channel. It's been really good as well. It started as a bit dull, but as I go further into it, the characters' personalities become deeper, and there's more meaning to the relationships they had with the main character. I say Doppel should play this since I need someone to blather about the specifics to without fear of spoilerating. It's also kinda refreshing that the school everyone's in is a school for "dangerous" students.

Anyway, this title is like Higurashi. Not the horrible murder parts (even though there is a fair bit of murder in this) I mean the whole time loop thing. You run through one week and get closer to one character. You eventually learn what put that character in the school and learn about them. After that, the week ends, and everything is reset, including your memory of the relationship. Different things do happen after a few weeks, but I won't say anymore due to spoilerating.

What gets my interest is probably the depth in all the characters' personalities. They're all driven by some personality disorder (can't think of a better way to say it.) It probably seems lame, but watching these hardened souls soften up over time just gets to me. I think I'm near the finish so I'll report when I'm done.

[Doppleganger]

Fast. Is it a large game? It seemed pretty large from what I saw...

Also, regarding Kaiji season 2, it looks like we're finally getting some evidence Madhouse might be in financial trouble.

This is a sample of the Iron Man anime that was supposed to be released this year. It looks pretty good animation-wise and has a weird style, but is very watchable.

A year later, Madhouse tells us the IM anime is again another year's wait, and they released a new trailer.

What's different? Well, the CG should be most apparent. Pre-2005 anime CG, really primitive, bad stuff. The animation budget looks like a quarter of what it was from the first trailer, and stylistically it looks simpler to animate as well. Overall, a much cheaper, uglier project.

[Talon87]

Doppel, your first URL is broken. Will comment when I can watch both videos together back-to-back.

[Doppleganger]

Link's fixed. Darn embed URLS. >_>

[Talon87]

Okay, just watched them both. If I had only seen the second trailer, I honestly wouldn't think that it was that bad. There were a few glaring parts where the Iron Man character seemed to freeze in the middle of an action, and those bits were jarring, but aside from that the animation looked 21st century. No alarms, no nothin'.

But that's only if I hadn't seen the first trailer, too. Having watched that one first, the drop in quality evident to the fans in Trailer #2 was crystal clear even to someone like me. Where the first one felt like it had the liquid gold feel of a high-budget hentai production, the second one felt like it was working with the animation budget Sunrise had for Planetes. While the designs were fine and all, they weren't liquid gold. They were more like concrete: sturdy but lackluster.

There are two ways to interpret this, Doppel. The first is your doomsday scenario where MadHouse is going bankrupt. The second is a more optimistic scenario where MadHouse has reasserted themselves by saying, "Look: Iron Man is a fun li'l commissioned project to us, but it's not our main banquet. We have bigger fish to fry."

Unfortunately, the doomsday scenario seems the more likely of the two. Which is unfortunate. But only time will tell.

[big bad birtha]

Cross Channel actually isn't very long at all. I'd say going by the standard length comparison between Ever17, it's probably less than half as long. If you mean large as in file size, it's only 1g, so it's small in that area too. Anyway, I finished it.

While not one of the best visual novels I've played, Cross Channel definitely left me with lingering feelings and craving more. I do have complaints, and that's about the fact that the ending kinda left me hanging dry in several areas. I saw no explanation about why the world became the isolated weekly loop. The ending for the main character was kinda cruel too (I can't fully say it's a bad thing though.) They also really bumrushed it around the ending. For positives, I already went over most of them in previous posts. It's one of the few titles that I actually appreciated the characters' personalities and was really into the flash backs. This can also get really funny at times. Anyway, I'm done with my thoughts, but I'll talk about the main characters and attach a cg with each of them.

Taichi: He's the main character of the story. At glance, he's just a mischievous guy with perverted tendencies, but an overall nice guy. Under all that is broken emotions and a tendency to go berserk. He's most definitely one of the better main heroes from a visual novel.

Touko She's the rich girl who's always alone. Due to her lack of independence, if you don't enter her path during the week, she'll die of starvation. She was previously in a relationship with Taichi, but they broke up due to reasons I won't say. Her path is incredibly sweet, but also incredibly sad. Due to the fact that she's alone, when Taichi enters her life, she becomes REALLY attached.

Miki: Miki is a bit difficult to describe. She's generally the energetic and cheerful girl, but I can't tell if that's a false front or not. Miki is a funny character, but her path is sorta dull. I wish there was more to say about her but I can't think of anything.

Kiri: She's Miki's best friend (the two of them are known as the two flowers.) When the game begins, due to something that happened in the past, she absolutely hates Taichi. Every week, she ends the week by wielding a crossbow and killing Taichi (or Touko if you're on her path.) Her path goes over why she hates Taichi. It's one of the better paths in the game.

Mimi: The glasses girl who always abides by the rules...*sigh* Mimi and her scenario are probably the down parts of the game. They all involve her fixing the radio tower and her conflict with her brother. There's really nothing interesting about her to be honest.

Youko: Youko lived with Taichi since they were little. She's basically obsessed with him. The reasons will spoil their past so I won't say why. Anyway, she's also incredibly strong, and if anyone harms Taichi, that person will be mercilessly killed by Youko. Unfortunately, her affection for Taichi is unwanted by him.

I would've said more, but it's 6am and I'm tired. I still think Doppel should play this.

As for what I'll watch/play next....I dunno....

[Muyotwo]

What you should read next: Dragonhalf.

[big bad birtha]

I'm about to drop Ookami. This latest episode just killed what little interest I had in the show. I was mostly watching because I was interested in Ookami herself, but I just can't take how cliche and annoying this show gets. First off, this show pounds their gags into the ground...and hard. It also tries to make everything lighthearted by throwing incredibly lame jokes at you. I'm usually all for a good lame joke, but these aren't clever in the least. Haah...the next episode will decide it. I like the art style and I like Ookami (the character) so I want to give it one last shot. Any more cliche lame bullshit and I'm done with the show.

I'm stepping into yet another visual novel. The translation isn't complete yet, but my anticipation is getting the best of me. Only two paths are translated, but if this title follows the pattern of the company it's by, the two paths will be ungodly long.

[Talon87]

Do tell. What is it?

As for me, well, you know. I'm enjoying my first playthrough of the Fate / Stay Night visual novel. I'm currently about halfway through Unlimited Blade Works, I think. Its heating up!

[big bad birtha]

Little Busters. I wasn't going to play it until the translation was 100% complete, but I got anxious and decided to start playing the 60% that was translated.

So far, I've really enjoyed it. Most of my time has just been hanging out with dumb guys (and a sister.) We've also started a baseball team. Practice always involves a surprisingly addictive baseball minigame. The RPG-like battles are amusing as well. Both players are given a random (and often hilarious) weapon to fight with. It doesn't effect that story (atleast that's what I was told) but they're fun to watch. This title has been mostly hilarious. Here's a quote from a person who isn't athletic at all tries to join the baseball team.

Coach: What's the fundamental rules of baseball?
Applicant: Guts, courage, and friendship!
Coach: Accepted! (I think it's funny because the coach is obsessed with shounen manga.)

[big bad birtha]

Man. After an extremely long common route (20+ hrs?) I finally hit a path. I decided to hit Rin's path, even though I'm making the mistake of going on my favorite character's path first. A disappointing event happened as soon as the path started, but hopefully it'll all play out well. Her path seems to be focused on her doing tasks that are given to her via someone tieing a letter to her cat's tail. The purpose and the person giving the tasks is unknown, but I think I've figured both of them out. Due to Rin's personality, this has potential to be a very very sweet path.

I'm looking forward to when Kud's path is translated.

[big bad birtha]

Ugh...this game is as bad as freaking Clannad when it comes to being difficult to make it on your own.... After raging for about 3 runthroughs of the common path, and STILL getting bad endings for Rin, I gave up and went with a walkthrough. Well I realized I had to go through Kurugaya's route before being able to finish Rin's. That said, I'm on Kurugaya's route.

One thing I noticed on one of my playthroughs is that after going all the way through to Rin's bad end, when I started the game over, Rin had more common sense and she wasn't as shy as she was when I first started the game. This game might have an effect where the characters keep their growth from a route. I bet something in Kurugaya's route makes Rin less ridiculously dense. Hell, when Rin's path started, she said "Hey, lets go out." really suddenly and without a care. I was like "What the hell kind of development is this!?"