Thursday, November 2, 2017

Yuukyuu no Tierblade Fragments of Memory - Review

悠久のティアブレイド Fragments of Memory
Game: [Tierblade FD]
Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Otomate.
Platform: PS Vita.
Release date: 2017-10-05

Another fandisk? what about new games- all in due time!
I am actually really excited about this one in particular, I know the original
had its fair sets of issues but I really enjoyed it nonetheless.
There's not a whole lot to write about without going full spoilers though...
I don't want to overhype this series, it has flaws but I do believe
it should have a shot at getting localized, it certainly has appeal even if its an otome.

Pro's
- Plenty of random fanservice.
-  Expands upon the world of tierblade, telling what couldn't be told before.
- Art/BGM.

Con's
- A little on the short side... but still satisfying for what you do get so this con is none-existant.
- Wish it was easier to keep track of what fragments unlocked especially if multiple at once.


This fandisc is divided into three sections:
 - Eclipse - A new story set after the true end of the original game.
 - Fragment - Some of these tie into Eclipse, its stuff that couldn't be told before.
 - Future - After stories set after the happiest ends.

It is recommended to start with Eclipse, then do the fragments till you unlock more.
Eclipse 2 >  Future(After stories) > Eclipse 2 / the rest.
 It doesn't matter when you view the bonus future fragments it could be last or before last fragment.
Order doesn't matter much but if you value the story the above may be right.
Some could say to start with after stories(end with Roh) and then do eclipse for max story enjoyment.

So in short:
Well after the last two fandisks I sat through I thought this was a whole lot better?
The only downside... its short most scenes are to the point but there are parts they could've
expanded upon but imo they already did a great job with what they did focus on.
This FD further expands the story and covers the past... in a way that keeps it interesting
while still giving fanservice scenarios in between, some are nice.
The future aka the after stories which are self-contained, to focus on each character
the shortest would be Cradle and whichever version of him you do last will be even shorter.
You guessed it... they still copy paste for him because why not both?
For fragments its nice how we get to see scenes from the past... which gives side characters the
time of day much like ken ga kimi momoyo tsuzuri I very much appreciate this even if not all
is as interesting but uhm that is to be expected some fragment here did feel random.
I can safely say this is a good FD, definitely one of the better ones this year for sure
like I have a few problems with it here and there but most of the content was worth it.
A shame its so short, had I focused on it more it would've flown by me but in all honesty
 its better if a story knows where to end than unneededly drag itself out.
System wise... easy peasy, just go through everything and no choices so what to complain about?
I can honestly recommend this FD to a fan of tierblade, the content as a whole
 is more than worth the price, what more do you want really? So go for it if you haven't
preordered it, but if you are really worried about price/value then I suggest to wait for a sale
because there really isn't that much content hench why I cannot give it a ten of ten.
9/10
Yeah maybe I sound a bit like a tierblade fanbo-girl, but for a mecha/scifi otome
I still think its pretty great? and I really hope this series get localized.

I do not recommend reading any of the spoiler babbles about the scenarios below, I feel
Tierblade is best experienced without knowing anything. 

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Shinobi, Koi Utsutsu Kanmitsu hana emaki - Review

 
忍び、恋うつつ ― 甘蜜花絵巻 ―
Game: [Ninkoi FD]
Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Otomate.
Platform: PS Vita.
Release date: 2017-9-28

Yep... its time for another fandisk but in all honestly I don't consider myself being that
much of a ninkoi fan anymore and sincerly questioned why I even bothered.😅
 Like I expected more fanservice but got an actual story about them maturing...
I tried not to be too negative and my final score reflects this, this FD is just fine for what it is.

I had mostly a great time with the original but I am sort of eh at coming back to it after so long...
because after like a month or two I wrote off its vita port as a one off game.
The original was far from perfect as well like it having copypasta problems with Takaie all being like you got no chance make your time! and their being meromero shenanigans with Kaede
slowly falling for her partner of her choice said partners all following a trope too.
I still liked it because of it was brainless fun stuff...
Honestly speaking this FD feels more like a sequel there's fanservice but honestly I found the
graduation story for everyone lacklustre some nice moments here and there but it wasn't worth it
overall. Well I shouldn't complain atleast it got a FD right? i'll just do a general review like the original.

Pro's
- Everyones getting married... yeehaw.
- More shinobi action if thats your thang, (honestly in a FD I do not want this).
- Music, its nothing memorable but it fits the scene most of the time.

Con's
 Art, its still gorgeous but there's a noticeable difference... did the original artist really work on this?
- This is subjective but the overall writing, fluff, comedy all could've been better, overall its meh.
- Too many characters... basically only do your favorite(s).

Most of my rage/discomfort comes from the facts that originally Ninkoi is a very fanservicey game
with the plot sort of just being there, with the FD I expected more fanservice but got
more plot instead to the point this doesn't classify as a FD but a sequel instead.
They did it backwards usually its story centric game > fluffy FD afterwards...
At this point I just feel Ninkoi was one of those one time experiences there was little need
for more but we got it anyway albeit a bit too late for some.

Regarding the OP theme... its okay but I don't like it that much and they should've
 gotten the old singer back. I got nothing against Hisano but her voice just does not fit
with the background music, I liked her work for shirotokuro but here? not really.

The theme of this installment is graduation... honestly speaking I barely remember
much about the original cept some small details and I did not replay it either
because other games have been taking up my time and honestly I didn't find a reason.
Not that plot was ninkoi's strong point yes it has one, the original story(psp) all seemed
 like a light-hearted fluffy otome game to me never taking itself too seriously.
Length? about the same as the original we got fanservice and ''plot'' both of which are
fine but compared to say KBO FD the times I really laughed out loud could be count on a single
hand. The plot varies depending on character but I didn't find the writing to be exciting
because redundancy re: exams/graduating and marriage, its good to see them mature
but I expected more fanservice and was let down.
Disclaimer: no not everything is the same, every guy has their own story
of maturing/problems etc its just some stuff gets predictable to me.
System wise its just select after story... standard VN stuff if you do well in that
mero-mero practice thingy you unlock bonus stories for one of them I am annoyed
because one of them is a flashback scenario which would be better before their after stories.
The shenanigans is why I liked ninkoi to begin with but ever since setsugekka koi emaki
it feels like otomate is trying to make this series take itself more seriously like expand
on the setting in detail but stuff I came here for like fanservice felt dry and/or watered down
compared to the original which is just such a shame.
I expected a fandisc but got a sequel with more plot/lore instead of fanservice.
That aside everyone gets marriage ends! wow thanks no not really, suddenly I appreciate
it when only one or two/three characters gets one, I guess I first realized
this with Geten no Hana but happy endings come in all sorts of variations like marriage
would be icing on the cake sure but when there's 10 characters some difference in the end would be nice.
Sometimes I was just like they're just gonna get married in the end... maybe its better to skip lol. 
It is sad if your fav doesn't get one but isn't it nicer to fantasize a little...?

I think each after story is about 3-5 hours, most of which is spend with them graduating
and working together on a mission, marrying and sexy times(maybe).
Every character basically still has their charm and the comedy's decent
but I feel that's lacking overall it may still be nice to wrap things up though.😅
Its funny there's indeed a story to ninkoi but here I am... drawn to the humor, shameless stuff
and the colorful cast of characters, I don't think the core story is bad I just never expected
otomate to get serious about setting and stuff with setsugekka koi emaki's additional ninjas.
 I mostly did one after story a day for some such as Ukita or Tadehito it took me two days
because simple put I lost motivation and they were a drag in general.
Had there never been a FD err I mean sequel I probably wouldn't have cared... I feel like the past
one and a half week have mostly been an exquisite waste of time except for a few characters.
Going to add this right here and I feel its going to be my trademark line for everything 
otome now its impossible to like every character especially in a character game like this.
Sooo I came here for a fandisk with fluff not a sequel with more plot, its like otomate doesn't know
the difference and whatever plot there was felt stretched out to me, completely uninteresting like
I couldn't even keep focused and just let it auto play and I still understood it if I zoned out.
Of course there's a few nice moments but yeah that's it almost not worth to write about.
 Atleast Garaiya's as adorable and chuuni as ever even outside of his own after story. =w=
 Sadly the seal on Kaede's jutsu breaking was just an excuse to give us this poor excuse of a FD... haha round two? why not! except this time with actual character development.
This is why I can still rate it a 6 out of 10 because even if not what I come here for THEY TRIED.

Depending on how much of a ninkoi fan you are... you may enjoy this or you may not
if you're like me and its been too long its better to pass on it, its hard to write
my thoughts on this, the content in this FD(sequel) is just okay I enjoyed what I could, the end.
6/10
Its fine... might have been better if it came out sooner rather than later.

 More ramblings after the jump.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Moujuutachi to Ohime-sama ~in blossom~ - review

Game: [Beast and Princess FD]
Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Otomate.
Platform: PS Vita.
Release date: 2017-9-07

Ah yes... who would've thought otomate would release a FD for a work that was
a rather poor attempt to cater to a fanbase of Moujuutsukai,  I bought this FD because
 I still liked some of the characters and the setting.
Was it worth it? well not really... this FD was either planned or otomate
had money to burn to deliver this mediocre addition to a mediocre game.

After stories:
Set after the happiest endings and deals with problem that couldn't be told back then
and goes deeper into the character because lololol witch problems.
Each was about 2 and a half hours  so thats an okay length any longer and i'd say get out
sadly some followed the same pattern and by the last one I was pretty meh about it.

IF story:
Continues from the previous game's what if there was no fighting?
and goes further into stuff related to Julia's powers and some new guy named Czarny.

System? typical stuff, there are choice during after stories
but they might as well have not been there.
Mofumofu is also there as a bonus and you'll unlock cg from it.


In short this FD is only for those that really REALLY liked moujuutachi to ohime-sama
but honestly don't expect much... because there isn't much in terms of content.
Some after stories were nice but others were boring... the fanservice was subtle
but there wasn't much and the writing quality more of the same as the original.
Just gonna add that there's so many otomege that don't get a FD so enjoy it if you can/want.
Moujuutachi might not be as good as Moujuutsukai but really a lot of sequels
tend to leave to be desired when you think about it and/or critisize/compare.
 Moujuutachi is only really good for beginners of the otome genre
and those whom do not have high standards in terms of plot/romance developments
then again if you only get moujuutachi a lot of references to moujuutsukai will just fly over
your head and I am more inclined to recommend Moujuutsukai than this game and its FD.
SO I can't recommend this fandisc unless you liked the original and have time and money to spare
speaking of time... the length was okay each after story was two hours at most with IF being 5-6 hours.
Honestly enjoy the CG's... I couldn't be bothered to write much if at all.

I've said enough for now and typical character rambles and/or spoilers after the jump.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Otomate party 2017 roundup

Otomate party 2018 has come and gone so these are the important announcements.

Variable Barricade revived, coming to ps vita and ps4 near you in 2018.
Yay, its not dead! really looking forward to this!

Kurenai no Homura Sanada Ninpou chou, also coming to psv and ps4 in 2018.
IDK kinda getting burned out on old timey games...

 Shiro to Kuro no Alice Shinsaku(new work), PS Vita.
 Ah it must have done well enough for a FD... or maybe it was planned
since some part felt scattered and endings a little convenient.
Collar x malice unlimited... no platforms. 
I do not have high hope, probably means permanent out of jail card
for a certain character, ugh I get sick thinking about this.


Piofiore no Banshou for ps vita.
Post ww1 set in italy there be mafia idk but not excited yet.
Shiritsu Verbara Gakuen ~Versailles no Bara Re*imagination~.
Not familiar with that anime so can't say I am interested in this work
platform wasn't announced but I bet its vita.

Tengai ni mau iki na hana, PS Vita.
Its set in taishou/showa era? not really interested right now...
shares same artist as hanayaki nari / verite.

Cendrillion PhalikA, PS Vita.
 The art looks nice and the heroine's cute but idk cinderella theme and all it feels like a trap
could be surprisingly dark so uh more info please?
Charade Maniacs, PS Vita.
Personally this doesn't attract me at all so definite pass unless rave reviews.

 Triangle Project, PC seperate volume release.
Oh otomate dabbling in PC territory and try to rip us off in the process
releasing the whole series separately. lol no thanks.

Other news...
Diabolik lovers haunted dark bridal and more:blood bundled together and port to PS4.
Library cross mobage gets anime... much like sengoku nightblood. (me is meh about this)
Another Dance trips PV... well who is actually interested in this? looks so cheap lmao.
 Nil admirari anime PV was shown... well atleast they take their time in making it
hopefully at the very least its a 12 ep 24 minute series and not a mini series.

Well it seems otomate is determined to move to PS4 but still has plenty
of PS Vita otome games in the pipe line so its not over yet.
Looking forward to Variable barricade and I will keep an eye out for
Cendrillion PhalikA and Piofiore no Banshou. I will probably get shirotokuro FD
as well but untill new info is revealed most of these titles are in the back of my mind.

Friday, September 1, 2017

Sangoku Rensenki Sakigake - Trial version Review

 三国恋戦記 魁
Game: [Sangoku Rensenki Sakigake]
Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Daisy2.
Platform: PC.
Release date: 2017-08-25

Long awaited new sangoku rensenki game with new heroine and cast
with some old ones making an appearance.
Since it is very likely to get a vita port I just decided to check out the trial now
also I know its bad to judge the full game on a demo but from what I saw I liked.
Also I will write the name as spoken and english equivalent.
You should know that if you aren't into chinese history you'd probably have to give this a pass
buut you might learn a thing or two it would depend on your love for bishonen?!

Tomoe is a highschool girl coming from old fashioned family and talented with the bow
 but has no experience with romance.
The way the story starts gives us a good look at Tomoe's normal life 
but she's really dense and her best friend Nana has to play shipper on the deck
because she can't stand how Tomoe and Kouta are right now.
As in they're friends but its awkward, so Nana figures Tomoe is in love with him
and says they'd should just go out already but Tomoe is like what should I do?
So when she goes to the library Tomoe isn't there and she finds a book
related to the sangoku period and well you guessed it she gets swept away to a world
resembling ancient china in the early three kingdoms period, sadly this time
the protagonist does not choose those who saw victories she chose those who lost. 
Due to choices in the prologue it may differ where you end up
I like this because you get to the route you want right away.
Those who played the original may not sit well with some stuff...
and there's a little false advertisement of fighting heroine often she is forced
to do nothing this I felt in Yuan Shao route that is why I recommend the route of Lu Bu first
because you will see that despite being capable she's a girl and killing is not what she wants.
Its best not to compare too much with previous work but see with open mind.
System: typical VN stuff and daisy2's easy mode is there
so you can see which choice relates to what character and get on a route faster.
I think the demo itself is about 2 maybe 3 hours considering to try all route.

I found a recommended play order in a JP review so I will relay it for you its:
Lu Bu / Dong Zhuo > Yuan Shao > Sun Ce > Hua Tuo.
I think Lu Bu is a good start but according to them Dong Zhuo's not bad either.
Everything written down is what happen early on in the route
if you do not want spoiler just skip character section,  I only saw Yuan shao and Sun Ce
 to the end of demo but everything else is only a little, it probably ended shortly where I stopped.