Eroge

[HoodedMiracle]

Ever since I started playing Katawa Shoujo, I've been trying to find some that aren't 18+, if ya get my drift.

But damn, I wanna download 'em legally, and that doesn't seem too common. >_<

[PBz0r]

You played Katawa Shoujo? You mean the demo?

Anyway I can't really help you. I just got my first eroge (Kana: Little Sister) installed so I'm all new to this.

[HoodedMiracle]

Yeah, the demo. I forgot to mention it's the demo. -_-

Anyway, yeah, any updates on that game?

[omo]

a good start is the al|together freeware translations. most of these games are doujin games by Japanese devs, and then translated. They're all pretty short.
http://altogether.insani.org/
This site has a bunch of their home-cooked renpy-engine games
http://atp.manga.sk/

there are actually a bunch of western-made visual novel stuffs if you look around, and most are not ero. The quality also vary a lot tho.

[MarlinClock]

You're probably gonna be disappointed in the long run with KS if you're hoping for a lack of hentai, I'm pretty sure that's going to be part and parcel if it ever actually gets finished.

[Setre]

Try Hourglass of Summer, it's got no hentai. It's also a mystery story of sorts. Read a few reviews for it though to make sure it's your cup of tea.

[Praesul]

I thought eroge implied it had erotic content, visual novel would be the correct term to use wouldn't it?

Couldn't help you find any though, I'm not too big of a VN fan. The ones I DO like happen to be eroges though. I've only played a couple, but they're amazing.

[DickMcVengeance]

Check out MangaGamer for some of their titles, like the Higurashi novels. Really, MangaGamer and JAST USA are the two main importer of visual novels, but they're usually ero-ge.

[PBz0r]

So I just finished Kana: Little Sister, and I absolutely loved it. Thing is, I pirated it first. Sue me.

So anyway, now I'm on the verge of actually buying it, my very first eroge, but I'm having some doubts that I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with it. First off, do I really want a game like this (http://images3.jlist.com/f1/kana_little_sister_87.jpg) in the same place visitors would look for my copies of LittleBigPlanet and WiiSports when they want to play? Even though it's relatively tame for an eroge, probably not. I'd have to "hide" it somewhere. I'm not ashamed of owning a game like it (I don't even view it as porn), but I don't want to have to defend my purchase to everyone. Not to mention I'll have to use my dad's CC to buy it.

Also, it's not very likely I'll play the game again now I'm totally done with it, so owning a physical copy would only be a bother at this point. But I'm not so sure I can be arsed to pay for a digital download either. The only reason to do so would be because I still want to support the publisher, but G-Collections, the publisher in question, has apparently been out of business for years. So where does the money go? Is there really any point in buying the game? I don't know.

I don't really have a specific question for anyone, but I thought I'd just throw my dilemma out here. Thoughts? How do you all deal with this?

edit: Oh hey, it seems G-Collections is still alive. I wonder how I got the idea they were gone?

[caddyalan]

... Even though it's relatively tame for an eroge, probably not. I'd have to "hide" it somewhere. I'm not ashamed of owning a game like it (I don't even view it as porn), but I don't want to have to defend my purchase to everyone. Not to mention I'll have to use my dad's CC to buy it...

I became an anime/manga fanboy two years before I even tried any NSFW series. I was old enough to purchase adult content, but I was just kinda afraid. Buying Three Sisters Story as my first eroge didn't help, since that game had some rather unsettling scenes. It took a year -- until I found and enjoyed Private Nurse -- before I could honestly say I liked adult games.

These days, about eighty percent of the visual novels that I like are free games on http://www.renai.us . Just so you know, only four or five games on the site have any adult content. Also, ninety percent of the content there is not worth downloading... but that's true of any genre. So if you want to try visual novels, browse the site. If you're unsure, browse the Lemma Soft forums for relevant discussions about the games.


...But I'm not so sure I can be arsed to pay for a digital download either. The only reason to do so would be because I still want to support the publisher...

I hesitated about a year or two before I finally purchased an independently made dating simulation. Why did I wait, you ask? Because I can get internet access for free just a ten minute walk from where I live, and I don't want to pay for an ISP yet. And I wasn't sure if I would be allowed to play games offline, even after I had activated them.

But there is good news -- if you like the free demos of the originally-in-English games on Hanako Games (http://www.hanakogames.com) or Winter Wolves (http://www.winterwolves.com), then you can purchase just a direct-download version, or you can purchase an additional backup CD. And just in case it's not clear from browsing the sites, all of their content is rated PG or PG-13. I've been pretty impressed by Flower Shop and Spirited Heart. If you want reviews first, then you can find them if you browse Gamertell.com.

Not necessarily good news -- if you're willing to buy a download-only edition of a galge from Jlist.com , then some are available. But be aware that most of the games in English on that site are 18+, ranging from fairly inoffensive to very NSFW. (The site has some worksafe games in English, but they're only on CD-ROM/DVD-ROM. And if you only want worksafe content, stick to Jbox.com .)

Annoying news -- J-List doesn't currently offer Kana Little Sister or Private Nurse, which are pretty mild and well written, as far as officially translated adult visual novels go. Email them and ask what's going on. Or just get the CD-ROMs for cheap at Rightstuf or Animenation.

[The-Excel]

A dude I know recommended Sono Hanabira ni Kuchiduke wo to me. A translation patch (http://sonohanabira.countpacula.com/) for the first of the eight titles was released yesterday so I don't expect to hear from him for a while. The plot of all of them basically boils down to "two schoolgirls have intimate experiences over and over, the end". The only reason we bothered with them is that they are notably lacking in all of the hentai staples that make animated smut unbearable. The developer, Fuguriya, is quite proud of being the exception, so I can fully get behind these titles.

Even though it's a guilty pleasure that I know the names of all of the characters, I once went to a yuri panel a few years ago and was surprised that no one there knew about these games, so I can still feel good about it. One of the pairs is getting an OVA, but unfortunately it's not the one I wanted. Oh well.

[Edit]Also it's non-worksafe. But as I said above it's free of any kind of hentai weirdness, so.

[caddyalan]

Since I'm trying to support indie games in 2010, I bought Sono Hanabira from DLSite. If you want to know more about the series, it has a TVTropes entry here -- tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SonoHanabiraNiKuchizukeWo -- which may not be worksafe, so I left off the HTTP part.

I'm trying to stay on topic, but I noticed two things you said --


...The only reason we bothered with them is that they are notably lacking in all of the hentai staples that make animated smut unbearable...

I have just a few adult anime titles in my collection, and of those, there aren't many I can honestly say are great. Then again, I'm focusing on comics and visual novels these days, rather than animation. ...So I'm not entirely sure what you meant by "staples that make animated smut unbearable."


...I once went to a yuri panel a few years ago and was surprised that no one there knew about these games...

At my local con, I went to a yuri panel in 2008. The moderator had some rather harsh things to say about 1) "schoolgirls in love" stories, 2) male fans, 3) authors whose works have a cynical "It has lesbians! Buy it!" tone, and 4) authors whose works leave characters' sexual orientation vague.

I went to a Boys Love panel in 2007, and just about everyone in the crowd already knew about Enzai (pro-translated) and Silver Chaos (fan translated). The moderators on that panel had few, if any, negative things to say about fans.

...As I said before, I will try to stay on topic...

[The-Excel]

So I'm not entirely sure what you meant by "staples that make animated smut unbearable."
Tentacles, anything involving aliens or animals, excessive/nonhuman anatomy, blood, kink, marital aids, etc. I was referring to any peculiarity that can be considered widespread in hentai in general because they disgust me and I'm sure several others feel the same way. Unlike me, they have resolved to put up with them. I would not call Sono Hanabira ni Kuchiduke wo perfect in that all of these are missing, but it's the closest I've yet seen. I'm shallow like that.

I think it's a little sad that the translation couldn't have started with one of the later titles (Sara/Kaede = ♥) because those actually have a story to speak of. Just a little.

[Praesul]

Yume Miru Kusuri and Kana Little Sister are two amazing eroges.

I'm not even going to go into why either is so amazing, you'd really just have to give it a shot to see.

I can put it this way though...I've shown YMK to people who don't even like anime, much less EROGES, and it's blown their minds. They end up loving it almost as much as I do.

[caddyalan]

If you've ever wondered what it's like to purchase Mangagamer's content, here's how:

1. Pay with credit. (95% of their games are NSFW, so be aware.)
2. Download the zip file, and unzip it.
3. Check your email for validation code.
4. Start up the game while online.

After that, you don't have to be online to enjoy the game.

[The-Excel]

It must be my birthday.

http://axypbworld.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/banner41.png (http://bit.ly/sh4_en)
Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke wo - Itoshisa no Photograph
English translation at axypbworld.wordpress.com (http://axypbworld.wordpress.com)