After a successful campaign, Dischan Media has released the time table for Dysfunctional Systems Episodes 2 and 3 as well as for their follow-up to Juniper's Knot. This was released on their main site so we're going to use that a launch point for the next year with Dischan:
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Well, welcome back everyone to You Asked For It: a feature on the site that is roughly equivalent to downloading a semester’s worth of World Literature 101 directly into your brain. So far in the history of this small feature, we have made it infamous. We were blamed for the failure of a Kickstarter AND demonized by an entire fandom for deriding the porcelain dolls called a cast in Starswirl Academy. But, despite my clever and acerbic wit, I do want to say for the record that this feature isn’t about mocking works in progress…despite the fact that I often mock works in progress.
No, this is about a higher calling that will be put on display today as we dig into the festering, Technicolor underbelly that is Otome. Seduce Me has already been successfully crowd-funded and is currently sitting on $8,236: more than double what the creative team asked for in backing. So, I think we should start with congratulations! No, seriously; we should all congratulate Seraphim Entertainment. Crowd-funding is far from a simple endeavor and to get over double of your requested budget means that they managed to connect with an audience that has no problem investing in their dreams. That is an accomplishment and we here at VNs Now celebrate accomplishment. So, good job guys! Oh I see it on your faces: you’re waiting for the Hammer to drop. Relax! Anyway with a demo now released, it was only a matter of time before someone suggested this title to me and, lo and behold, in the most recent news update someone did suggest I play this very demo. But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t planning on ripping this one a new one. I mean, c’mon: a teenage girl stuck in a house with a bunch of sex demons? The jokes write themselves on that one. But first and foremost, as a servant of the people and a champion of good standards, I feel it is my duty to at least pretend this isn’t going to be the bloodbath everyone in the otome faithful are assuming it will be. So I played the demo and, ironically, had a good deal of fun with it. The question isn’t whether it is bad or good though, but rather if there is anything I can say that’ll make it better. Surprisingly, I did come up with a small list of notes I took while playing the demo. So, join me as we discuss why this doesn’t exactly suck, but still has a LOOOOOONG way to go before living up to its investment. After a rough launch and negative critical reaction, Namco High will be shutting down this summer. The project was a partnership between Namco Bandai and the creator of the Homestuck webcomic and it hoped to embrace the narrative/visual novel approach to gaming that has been such a success for Telltale Games. While this website hasn’t done a review of the game yet, we have been very entertained by thoughts from such sites as Gamertell; “Namco High is too forced. It’s as though ShiftyLook did no research into the visual novel or dating sim genres, and just decided to see how far pandering could get them. The answer is, not very.” Whether or not this very website will review the title before June 30th is still in the air. However, we do hope that Namco and the Homestuck folks learn from this experience to make better games rather than surrender any attempts to create visual novels. The more the merrier after all! Now back to familiar circles, recently Winter Wolves’ Owner, Celso Riva, took to the Twitter to announce progress for the Yuri (Lesbian) DLC for Nicole thanks to a new writer. Originally, the writer for the DLC was Hope Chapman: popularly known among internet critic circles as JesuOtaku. While we will pose the question in a proper form to the head of Winter Wolves, all signs are that the parties have split. JesuOtaku’s recent contributions to the EVN community have seen both the positive profile of Cinders by Moacube on That Guy with The Glasses, as well as the unbridled panning of Sakura River’s Fading Hearts. What will happen next for JO and this particular gaming community remains to be seen, but when we have a launch date for Nicole’s DLC, this site will report it. We here at VNs Now are also happy to join with Dischan and celebrate the successful crowd-funding of Dysfunctional Systems Episode 2! While there isn’t a set launch date yet, the fact that it reached its goals isn’t just a good sign for the group, but also for the more ambitious creators in our midst. Even though it in Canadian, over 50,000 Dollars isn’t anything to sneeze at and it’ll ensure the game is the same quality as the well-received Episode 1. A new artist will be taking over for Doomfest and CombatPlayer will return to compose the soundtrack. We will be reaching out to Jeremy Miller in the near future to discuss his plans for Episode 2 now that the money is in the bank. We also want to congratulate Seraphim Entertainment with the successful crowd-funding for Seduce Me: an otome visual novel. The project will feature a young lady (of course) who finds herself in the middle of a conflict between two demon groups: one of which have decided to camp out in her house. The only problem is that they’re incubi: demons who feed off sexual energy. Hm, now I wonder why someone like me would report on this. Especially when there isn’t a…wait there IS a demo! The Chair will now entertain a motion to submit Seduce Me’s demo to You Asked For It! Considering it has been funded WELL above its requested budget, I don’t think we’ll get in trouble if we do! We are also happy to celebrate with Sakevisual and Innomen Games on successfully being Greenlit. Both Backstage Pass and Sierra Ops will be available for purchase on Steam after their release. Good work all! Moving on to new releases while the creators of Seduce Me prepare their pitchforks! Despite NaNoRenO looming overhead, there has been one notable release. Victorian Olives is a kinetic novel featuring two young people living in an alternate Victorian era. Although short, it features excellent artwork and full voice-acting. A review will be up in the near future and I hope everyone takes an opportunity to play the game and give the creators feedback as they prepare for their next release, which we will cover in another news posting.
We’ll be back to our normal news broadcast this coming weekend as NaNoRenO slides into the finish line! For now, this has been JP reporting for VNs Now!
"...By offering a story where queer is the new normal, we’re hoping to convince a generation of gamers that falling in love is fun, it’s liberating, and it can happen outside of the oppressive norms that cause people both children and adults to resort to sexual bullying."
Now, show of hands; who thinks I care about any of that? No one? You guys know me well. That isn't to say that those aren't legitimate issues. If you agree, I support your right to support any projects that addresses the same issues as LongStory does. However, when I play any game, its agenda isn’t my first concern. My concerns are the concerns I always have: story, presentation and ambition. So, for those who expected this review to have a discussion on ‘queer-positivity’ in gaming, that’s the last time I mention it in my review. With that said, gather round as we go back into a setting I just love to discuss here on VNs Now: HIGH SCHOOL! …yes I was being sarcastic…
Look at all we get from this character from just this line. We not only get a better grip of how insane he is, but also how the very notion of a relationship is absurd. We also see his misery and how ineffective ‘average’ people’s remedies for misery can be. It is brilliant. Beckett is brilliant. And anyone who tries to follow in these footsteps not only has my interest, but a long road ahead of them.
This brings me to Gods of Nowhere. It obviously follows the mold of Beckett: telling a very human tale in a very bleak atmosphere, but can it also capture the spark of brilliance that turned Minimalism into an art form? Let’s find out! Oh and, be warned, there are mild spoilers ahead! It is always a special privilege to talk to one of the hardworking developers in the EVN community: especially right now in the middle of a very busy 2014. Originally I had planned to make this a key feature in the newsletter I wanted to start in February, but after a test run I realized that it would JUST be this feature and so we are back to the old format that will, by the will of those greater than I, stick around this time!
This month I was fortunate to sit down with the extraordinarily talented Bishop Myers. Bishop leads up Project BC: a collective originally focused on Role-Playing Games, but has begun to branch into EVNs. Their next title, Vacant Sky Awakening, is a hybrid of both genres that promises a tale many secretly enjoy, but rarely admit to: the rise of the villain. I hope you enjoy the interview! Another week has gone by and the tides are shifting towards the storm that is NaNoRenO. Welcome everyone once again to the news update and I’m back to fill Will’s shoes! While there is some news to discuss, the bulk of this post will serve as an introduction for those who are unaware of NaNoRenO and also to make a special announcement that will confuse, infuriate and substantiate (couldn’t think of another word here) many! So, let’s get started!
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