IT HAS BEGUN

[darkmind35]

Looking from the screenshots this game doesn't look interesting at all, but if it gets popular this VN could get Valve to release some quality VNs on Steam. Classics such as Ever17 (http://vndb.org/v17) or Sharin no Kuni (http://vndb.org/v57) (H content removed though) and even get official localizations for yet untranslated (http://vndb.org/v1306) masterpieces (http://vndb.org/v3144).

Imho only good things can come from this.

[Kuraudo]

You should give it a shot - it's not like the other VN's you listed at all and is a sort of unique beast that warrants at least checking out the demo.

As others have mentioned, it feels more like a detective story than anything else - you're literally just piecing clues together and sorting things out.

On the downside, it's not long at all. Maybe an hour and change on the first "read-through" depending on how quickly you can sort out all the Korean names, but there are numerous story fragments to unlock on multiple attempts.

[Cerzel]

I think enough's been said about how good Analogue is already, so I'll leave that be.

https://twitter.com/#!/christinelove
Take a look at those last few tweets, in response to me. Very interesting.

[darkmind35]

I think enough's been said about how good Analogue is already, so I'll leave that be.


I think they kinda missed the point of a VISUAL novel, judging from the screenshots.

[GirlPower23]

Hopefully it does mean more visual novels on Steam. Not to say this one is bad, it's quite good. Short.. but whatever.. I won't complain.

[gruntmaster1]

As much as this game screams visual novel to me, I doubt steam will change their mind to Jast USA and Managamers aproaches. A staff at mangagamer mentioned that they had aproached steam and were told that it wasn't games. I am not sure if Eve: burst error (mangagamers newest release) might be gamey enough, will probably be told is too old >_>.

I would love to see both the two companies and genre getting more awareness (as long as it doesn't cause another ♥♥♥♥ lay incident). If the western market was worth the time and money to take the risk of localising a game, then we would most likely see the VN's arrive faster* and more VN's**.

* Some of the tasks with the localisation is done by the japanese companies, so they have to take out time and money for it + extra license costs that they could instead spend on their next VN.

** The CEO of mangagamer, who is also a japanese VN developer, mentioned: "Case in point, Bamboo confirmed that “Visual Arts isn’t currently interested in the overseas market… but since their president is a business person, if there is a high demand for it…?”"

[SpaceDrake]

I just want to point out that anything that "used" to have erotic content will, at a minimum, have to not only have all in-game references to it chainsawed out, but the very data structure of the game would have to be changed to make it difficult to "fan-patch" any erotic content back into the game. Neither Valve nor any U.S. publisher can afford to have even a whiff of "official" AO-rated content in a game; Hot Coffee made that entirely, eminently clear that such things won't be tolerated from a legislative standpoint.

This is amazing and surprising and could certainly Mean Things. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, and everyone should keep in mind the realities of the U.S. market.

[pkt-zer0]

Neither Valve nor any U.S. publisher can afford to have even a whiff of "official" AO-rated content in a game;
I thought CD Projekt managed to get the uncensored version of The Witcher 1/2 to the US. (Somehow. And with some delays. But still.)

[gruntmaster1]

I just want to point out that anything that "used" to have erotic content will, at a minimum, have to not only have all in-game references to it chainsawed out, but the very data structure of the game would have to be changed to make it difficult to "fan-patch" any erotic content back into the game. Neither Valve nor any U.S. publisher can afford to have even a whiff of "official" AO-rated content in a game; Hot Coffee made that entirely, eminently clear that such things won't be tolerated from a legislative standpoint.

This is amazing and surprising and could certainly Mean Things. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, and everyone should keep in mind the realities of the U.S. market.

Hey, nice to see you here. I could see that being a problem and I wouldn't expect to see those games on digital distributers. Some might point out the witcher series, but I think the problem is not only the content, but that the characters are often either underaged or apear underaged due to the artstyle.

Here is a list of jast usa translated titles that are prohibited in Cannada:

Admissible Titles
Bazooka Cafe
Come See Me Tonight
Do You Like Horny Bunnies?
Family Project ~Kazoku Keikaku~
Heart de Roommate
Kana -Little Sister-
Let's Meow Meow!
Private Nurse
Viper STG -Limited Edition-
Xchange
Xchange 3
Yume Miru Kusuri: A Drug That Makes You Dream

Prohibited Titles
Absolute Obedience
Cosplay Fetish Academy
Critical Point
Discipline -The Record of a Crusade-
Fatal Relations
Gibo: Stepmother's Sin
Heartwork
Hitomi -My Stepsister-
Idols Galore!
Jewel Knights Crusaders
Lightning Warrior Raidy
Lightning Warrior Raidy II
Little My Maid
Pretty Soldier Wars A.D. 2048
Sensei 2
Slave Pageant
The Sagara Family
Tokimeki Check In!
Tsuki -Possession-
Virgin Roster
Yin-Yang! -Xchange Alternative-

(Compiled from the CBSA's Quarterly Lists of Admissible and Prohibited Titles, republished at Gomorrahy.com. Up-to-date from July 2003 through September 2011.)

[Cloakedboltz]

Here is a list of jast usa translated titles that are prohibited in Cannada:


Yes, be especially careful about that. Especially if you're bringing a laptop when traveling to Canada, customs have been known to confiscate laptops to search them.

One man was arrested at customs when they found he had anime children anatomy references sketches on his hard drive (it wasn't hentai, just things to help draw children). It was on the news a while ago, I'm not sure what is the status on that case.

[Cerzel]

One man was arrested at customs when they found he had anime children anatomy references sketches on his hard drive (it wasn't hentai, just things to help draw children). It was on the news a while ago, I'm not sure what is the status on that case.

Off-topic, but do you have a source for that about?

[Cloakedboltz]

Off-topic, but do you have a source for that about?

I believe this is it, I got a couple of facts wrong, but still.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=37552

[Palodin]

As much as this game screams visual novel to me, I doubt steam will change their mind to Jast USA and Managamers aproaches. A staff at mangagamer mentioned that they had aproached steam and were told that it wasn't games. I am not sure if Eve: burst error (mangagamers newest release) might be gamey enough, will probably be told is too old >_>.

I would love to see both the two companies and genre getting more awareness (as long as it doesn't cause another ♥♥♥♥ lay incident). If the western market was worth the time and money to take the risk of localising a game, then we would most likely see the VN's arrive faster* and more VN's**.

* Some of the tasks with the localisation is done by the japanese companies, so they have to take out time and money for it + extra license costs that they could instead spend on their next VN.

** The CEO of mangagamer, who is also a japanese VN developer, mentioned: "Case in point, Bamboo confirmed that “Visual Arts isn’t currently interested in the overseas market… but since their president is a business person, if there is a high demand for it…?”"

VNs aren't games? As much as I love valve they are certainly inconsistent.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/203810
http://store.steampowered.com/app/27020/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/94000/

I'd argue that these three have as much "gameplay" as your average VN.

But yes, even if steam weren't being silly, its not likely to happen. The publishers of a lot of these games aren't really willing to fund official English translations (And whilst they're all fansubbed we can't exactly use those). Plus, our idiot media freaked out over a not even nude scene in Mass Effect, considering most of these games have at least one H-scene Steam would be labelled a hotbed of debauchery within femtoseconds.

[Eat_the_Path]

I just want to point out that anything that "used" to have erotic content will, at a minimum, have to not only have all in-game references to it chainsawed out
I really don't see this as a bad thing. A sheer majority of sex scenes in visual novels are awfully jarring and badly written, this is especially apparent in games where h-content has been inserted because the box promised that you'd get to sex up some ♥♥♥♥♥es. It may make absolutely no sense for there to be any erotic content in the story at any given point but yet it appears out of a regrettable sense of obligation.

As much as I wish that the US as a whole would stop being such a god damn prude, I realize that the lack of sex scenes doesn't really we miss out on much.

[Palodin]

This thread reminds me of this old thing:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f144FRfK4Fo/TZJWK9pfeKI/AAAAAAAAAYA/kPCFRDctC_Y/s1600/katawasteam.jpg

Just a shame we'll never see it happen, eh