Forum - View topicWhat are you reading right now? Why?
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zawa113
 Posts: 7358 |
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Visual novels are close enough to manga to talk about them here, right? I mean, there's color pictures, but they don't generally move too much and there's usually no real animation and there's a lot of reading and stuff.
Anyway, after like 31 hours, I finally finished Virtue's Last Reward! Pokemon isn't out for another....what, ten days? But the special 3DS XL came out last Friday, so... well this game was on my hit list too. Long game, I wasn't even mussing around, it's just a long game. Much longer than the previous game, 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors. Let me address some gameplay changes real quick because I really liked the changes. First off, you don't have to start all over from the beginning every damn time, you can jump around freely in this map thingy. Saves soooo much time. Of course, you can still fast forward through dialogue you've heard, but there's not quite as much. Second, you finish the rooms by getting these passcodes for safes. If you're ever back in the room for whatever reason (like to get the blue passcodes), you don't need to solve the escape code again, it's in your memory list thing in the game. Third, memo pad! Gotta love that! Fourth, waaaay more endings! Being able to jump easily makes it have no frustration whatsoever, of course. Here, there's one ending for each main, the true ending, and two epilogues. And it's mostly all voice acted (except in the escape sections, those aren't). You can also pick between English and Japanese voice acting, and it sounds great! I remember voice attempts on GBA games *shudder* but it's excellent here, much has changed since those days. I should note that there's essentially no 3D whatsover in the game, but do you honestly care that much? And fifth, more puzzle rooms! In 999, there were 9 rooms (more like 8). You needed to get all 6 endings to get the true ending, so you'd often go through some of the same rooms more than once and there was no easy way to skip them (as there is now here). Here, there are only 9 doors too, the first set always go to the same room (but jumping means you never actually do them more than once), but for the second set of 3 doors, depending on which initial door you went through will change where you end up with the other door. So, picking the Magenta then Green door leads to room A, the Yellow then Green goes to room B, and the Cyan then Green leads to room C. So instead of 8 rooms, there's 15. It helps cut on the redundancy a LOT (in addition to being able to jump around) So gameplay wise, lots of improvements. Storywise though, I really liked it a lot, possibly more than 999. I feel like VLR left just tons of little hints and clues to all sorts of secrets absolutely everywhere. Now, yes, it has a tendency to info dump on you in several of the endings, but I could let it slide. Partly because it's not like you ever found out everything at once. But dear Celestia, the foreshadowing in this game was amazing! As pieces come in to place, it made me go "Oooooh! So that's why Phi said spoiler["You must've done a lot of drugs to look like that at 22]" But that's not to say that every question is answered. It's almost certainly setting itself up for a third game with the second epilogue. The fact of the matter is that, if I understood correctly, spoiler[the game ends in a stable time loop wherein the characters currently in it cannot break it], so I'm guessing the third game might address that (especially since it's so damn clearly set up. Not only that, but this game addresses 999's epilogue of spoiler[who the woman in the desert is], so I wouldn't be surprised if a third game addressed this game's epilogue). And there's still just some things I don't quite get (like how, for example, does Alice's outfit work? She just appears to wearing a large circular necklace instead of anything resembling a shirt and/or bra? And some spoilerific ones too, of course) But yeah, lots of questions you might've had in one path might be shown answered in another, it makes playing through and learning more little by little just so damn much fun! 999 fans absolutely should NOT miss out on this game! People who need something to do with their 3DS before Pokemon comes out, I simply could not stop playing this so yeah, I didn't even want to sleep, so have 2 or 3 days set aside for it off the bat is what I suggest. The other question is if you haven't played 999, do you need to play it first? I say yes, 999 is a damn good game first off, but VLR definitely refers to 999 often enough that certain reveals won't have the same impact without having played 999. And for 999 fans, well you get to see some lingering questions from that answered! So it's win-win if you play 999 first. And you can get 999 on amazon for like $20 (and it's original DS too, I held out on a 3DS for ages myself, but damn this pretty well made it all worth it, even before Pokemon came out). But do be warned that VLR isn't perfect, it has game erasing glitches (the solution is to not save during escape sections and to only save during the far more plentiful novel sections, it's not too annoying to avoid, fortunately). Another minor negative is how much music it recycles from the first game. Not saying the first game's soundtrack was bad (it was awesome) but I could've used more new music, especially because the new music there was so awesome. But I've still gotta give it a 9.5/10, in terms of handheld VN/adventure games, I still like Ghost Trick for the DS more (play that too, if you haven't), but man, the Zero Escape series is destined for instant classic status for sure. |
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Tamaria
 Posts: 1512 Location: De Achterhoek |
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I love how we're getting more and more visual novels over here. If you've got a PSP (or Vita) lying around and are up for something more lighthearted, give Sweet Fuse a shot. It's a pure VN (so the 'gameplay' consists of reading and picking choices) and also a geeky otome game.
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zawa113
Posts: 7358 |
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It's strange, the last console gen wasn't too kind to me, the PS3 and 360 got tons and tons of first person shooters (which I can't play because they make me motion sick) and the Wii got tons and tons of garbage to sort through to find the diamonds in the rough in there (so did the DS, but I'll get to that)
But then the DS introduced me to two new genres of games I never really had the chance to get into before: VN/Adventure style games, and massive epic fun time wasters. On the latter, it's made the past near decade of doctor's office and DMV waits far from painful (actually, Wario Ware Inc from the GBA gen is still one of my favorites, it often stayed in my GBA slot on my DS, I only put things like Pokemon in there to unlock things for the 4th gen, but very few other GBA games ever got in that slot, I'd usually play those on the SP). I played totally different games on the DS than I did for the GBA, which is weird. But some of my favorite time wasters include: Space Invaders Extreme 2 (who'd have thought turning Space Invaders into a quasi-rhythm shooter would've been an amazing idea?), Puzzle Quest, Meteos, more Wario Ware, your standard Mario Kart DS, and it's a fantastic Sudoku machine. I actually recently learned that the PS2 did have a sort of VN game on it: Shadow of Destiny (aka Shadow of Memories), that was pretty cool to learn (it came out in the early PS2 land of 2001), had multiple endings and everything. Got it for $2, well worth it at $2 (yeah, not worth full price for, but it's cheap to get, so...). Speaking of which, the same director went on to make the decent DS VN Time Hollow. Point is, there was little to nothing before DS era. And when I look at my DS library, the rest is mostly RPGs (Pokemon and Dragon Quest mostly), and a very large chunk is VN/Adventure games. Phoenix Wright was huge of course, but I've been collecting them recently, getting any scrap I can because they're pretty cheap, so I also have Flower, Sun and Rain (because I do have a thing for Suda51), Hotel Dusk, and lots of other ones I still need to get around to playing now that I know this genre exists and is actually coming over to America. Ghost Trick is still my favorite of what I've played and possibly my favorite DS game period though. Anyway, I actually do have a PSP rather lying around, I will try to get Sweet Fuse (I'd meant to, but being for the PSP meant I kind of forgot about it because I barely use my PSP. I kind of stopped playing Persona 3 PSP because I did in fact play FES, but it's still the best PSP game so far imo. Yeah, I never got much PSP use, but Crush was a great puzzle game for it!) |
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Tamaria
Posts: 1512 Location: De Achterhoek |
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There are actually several VN games you can buy from the store, like the Hakuoki series (bishonen shinsengumi!) and the more adventure-like Corpse Party games.
As for the DS, how about the Professor Layton games and various Picross titels? I bet you spend a good chunk of time on those games as well (and if not - well, you should have!  ). There are actually some pretty cheap Picross games available in de 3DS eShop that give you something like 150 puzzles for $5.
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crosswithyou
 Posts: 2892 Location: California |
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Finished catching up on Kuragehime (except vol 9 because for some reason we didn't have it in the office) and have started reading Slam Dunk. I'm reading the kanzenban double volumes. So heavy and a lot more difficult to read on the train, but Hanamichi cracks me up so much.
Also read the prologue chapter of Shingeki no Kyojin The Birth of Levi. Levi's hawtttt. =d Looking forward to this being released as a tankoubon. |
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zawa113
Posts: 7358 |
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@Tamaria
Believe it or not, I never tried out Picross. I might want to get Pushmo from the eshop though. But I look at footage and just don't get it, I'm guessing footage isn't enough.... As for Layton, well I played the first game, but honestly didn't enjoy it. I used to mess with a lot of mind teasers as a child, so most of what I saw there was actually old hat to me, so it really didn't add much there. And the story, I was kind of "meh" on no matter how pretty the animated cut scenes were. And I'm a huge Level-5 fan (I recently played Dark Cloud 2 aka Dark Chronicle and had an absolute blast with it!) so yeah, I was kind of surprised to not really give a damn for Prof Layton. |
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phia_one
Posts: 1657 Location: Pennsylvania |
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Since the review made it sound promising, I've been reading Seiyuu Academy. At first I was a little hesitant since it's by the same author of S.A. which I didn't like, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway and I'm happy I did. So far, it's a charming series that has made me laugh and I hope it continues to stay that way since it's difficult for me to find a shoujo series that I like enough to stick with to the end.
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Minimimiau
Posts: 194 Location: somewhere on this planet. |
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Dengeki daisy. Some people that love shoujo manga recomended me the manga, so I began to read it.
Seiyuu ka! I saw a review of the manga on a blog, so because I saw it interesting I began to read it. |
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Buster Blader 126
 Posts: 1206 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
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While I wait for my 42-book list of ongoing + new manga to come in through the library system, I've been able to crack a small dent in my personal collection:
- I finally caught up with Viz's Strobe Edge release. I think it captures the feelings and thoughts of people in love very well. I actually like scenes involving Daiki and his girlfriend more than the current love triangle right now. - I tried out the first volume of Midnight Secretary. It's trashy at times, but it's the fun kind of trash where the heroine's got spunk and the series maintains a light tone. In a sense, opposite from the trashiness of titles like Black Bird. - I got around to reading the latest volume of Otomen. Fun as always, but the plot begins to thicken a little with Asuka's mother deciding to strike out against the otomen once again. - I enjoyed the hell out of the live-action Helter Skelter movie, so I was curious how the manga would turn out. The art took a bit of time to adjust to, yet I was still satisfied. It's interesting to see what the movie decided to include (the butterfly motif), what to flesh out (some of Liliko's delusions during a TV variety show) and what to change (the moments leading up to the press conference + the conference itself). - I finished off Vertical's release of Utsubora after having started it during Otakon. I get a kick out of mystery/suspense titles, and this one really sucked me in. It was hard to keep track of who was Aki and who was Sakura at times - the twists sure didn't help either! - which left me delightfully frustrated in several segments. And that ending! This work has left me curious about Nakamura's other works. - As for non shojo/josei work, I've resumed reading Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. I'm looking forward to what's going to happen to our heroes now that the landscape has changed and a new enemy is on the horizon. |
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zawa113
Posts: 7358 |
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^I'd like to tryout Mobile Suit Gundam, but my damn library doesn't have it. In fact, I just went over there to search their online catalogue for it, and it seriously asked me "Did you mean Mobile Suit Condom?", wtf? Need I remind you, I am searching a public library's database here? There's an "L" in that word y'know. Also, free marketing idea for you there, Sunrise, you just know people would buy them.
Anyway, I've been a bit busy, but did finally finish my first volume of Triton of the Sea! Which is like, 500 pages of Tezuka goodness! Anyawy, most of his children series tend to be pretty episodic in nature. Sure, Astro Boy did that time travel thing for like 3 volumes, but usually, things aren't as strong on plot. But here, Triton has an ongoing story which is pretty damn awesome. This volume ends with spoiler[all of Poseidon's 33 kids dead], which is something you'd think they'd wait a while on, but apparently not so here (if only Dororo had this sort of breakneck pacing.... or spoiler[did more than one enemy at a time], more accurately) but yeah, I really enjoyed this volume and am quite glad DMP pushed it onto their Kickstarter! And I can't wait for the second half/conclusion, especially because I'm quite unsure of where it's going to go. I'm still not entirely sure if this is meant to be only for kids, because a lot of his more adult series tend to kill characters a lot while Unico is happy not quite killing good guys, but just wiping Unico's memory every chapter. So I guess this is one of his more grown up shonen titles in comparison. To be fair though, he was making some badass Astro Boy chapters in the 70s and was doing Black Jack too, so maybe some of that rubbed off and about as they do have a bit of a similar feel in that way. Also, I will totally be the first to admit that early Astro Boy chapters were kind of terrible. I think it's why the collection Dark Horse used pushed them at the end where they could be forgotten. Oh and I also picked up Sweet Fuse online just now! It'll probably be a bit before I play it because Pokemon, Pokemon, Pokemon, Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies, Pokemon, Pokemon. And this likely won't arrive before Pokemon. I'm going to try and do as much manga and anime this week as possible as a result. Which reminds me, I finished Gestalt, by Yun Kouga! Ever read or watch something that wasn't exactly good, and was kind of messy, actually, but was still oddly compelling enough to keep going? Yeah, that's Gestalt in a nutshell. The thing somehow took ten years to complete and is usually all over the place in the story as a result. It doesn't tend to take its time on certain things. Also, even though the characters had distinct personalities, I somehow found them overall bland anyway. In some ways, it reminded me of the much more good Monster Collection, which DMX put out, in which we have a main character girl summoner who also participates in the battles fairly actively herself (or himself, the manga was kind of unclear on that, much of the time, because somehow the main was transformed into a woman, but it had no bearing on absolutely anything, so it was really damn pointless to do so), but Monster Collection, probably because it had a clear goal and was always actively going towards it without putting in other random things, was a lot more fun and engaging. Its characters were also a lot better. Actually, just go read Monster Collection and only Yun Kouga die-hards should go with this one. But I still found it oddly compelling anyway, so maybe fantasy junkies who need a fix can find something ok here too? Clearly this wasn't the way to start off with Yun Kouga, I'll tell you that much. |
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Buster Blader 126
Posts: 1206 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
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I'm now at the third volume, and it's been pretty solid. I've seen the first movie of the compilation and I found it hard to maintain my attention (granted I was tired & the movie was 2+ hours long), yet this version has had my attention from when I first resumed it. I found myself impressed with the end of Vol. 2. I'm trying to get my library to buy Gundam the Origin, but with its price tag & it nearing the end of the year (they likely don't have much budget left), it'll likely not happen until next year. Depending on how your library accepts purchase requests, I'd send them one.
I finally cracked my 3DS out of its packaging in August to finally play this game. The skipping feature is MUCH appreciated. It also plays into the storyline in a couple of instances. I'm not able to put too much time on it, so Pokemon may have to wait. |
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Tamaria
Posts: 1512 Location: De Achterhoek |
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Yeah, it's one of those game you have to try yourself to get it. Watching someone else solve puzzles is never even half as fun as doing it yourself.
Yep, a lot of the puzzles in there are old hat, but I guess I like seeing them all packaged together, wrapped in faux nostalgia and a rollercoaster storyline told with charming bits of animation. Back to manga. Read the final volume of Gunslinger Girl just now. Really ended up liking this series a lot more than I ever thought I would. What really surprised me is how many strong and likable female characters you can find in this series. It's not just the gunslinger girls themselves (loved Claes' "You shall not pass!" moment in the final volume!), there are many minor female characters who ended up playing a fairly big part in how events unfolded. The ending wasn't a classic happy ending, but it's the best way it could have ended. spoiler[In the end, all the girls were able to live and die the way they wanted. Some got years, others just a few minutes, but they all found happiness. ] |
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crosswithyou
Posts: 2892 Location: California |
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Finished reading the latest volume of Kuroko no Basket and am now on the 6th volume of the SLAM DUNK kanzenban. Hanamichi is sooooooo adorable. X3
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TsunaReborn!
 Posts: 4713 Location: Cheltenham UK |
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I've just finished reading the first volume of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (Viz edition with I have the following 2 release as well). I must say that it my favourite series to look at on my self and most likely the highest quality manga I own. The cover art on the hard back is gorgeous, the use of oranges, blacks and browns for the colouring is spectacular. Inside the book is a treat with colour pages at the beginning of each chapter and every page having a gloss finish. Quality wise this is my favourite manga I own - Good job Viz!
Now onto the story, I have never watched or read any of the previous Gundam instalments but I must say I was very impressed with the story and direction. There are a few points I thought could have been worked better like why did spoiler[Char not just steal the Suit when he had the chance, but I put that down to reducing his chances of escape. Also I was a little annoyed at Sayla for not just shooting Char when she had the chance - it would have saved a hell of a lot of hassle.]. Otherwise I am really enjoying the story, much more than I thought I would as I am not a huge mecha fan as I get a little lost during battle scenes. I rated this series as Excellent so far but if the story keeps going how it has been (which I guess it will as it such a flagship in the history in manga) the series will most likely be up rated to Masterpiece. |
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Lengarion
Posts: 19 |
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Is Gundam - The Origin really that great? I've been thinking about it, as I hear people praise it everywhere, but I'm unsure. I'm not much of a Mecha fan and I absolutely despised Gundam Wing. But on the other hand, people say it's so good... hm.
Right now, I'm reading vol. 2 of the Rumic World Trilogy. Ah, such nostalgia. Takahashi was so great in her early works. Rin-ne, on the other hand, wasn't to my taste at all, and I sold my copies. |
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