Re: Katawa Shoujo
Having spent most of last night playing Katawa Shoujo, I have come to the conclusion that is based almost entirely on the story. If you're just in it for Porn, you'd be better off running off to one of the other haremy type visual novels.
That said, the animations, the dialogue, a lot, and I mean A LOT... Of this game, is done superbly well. My first impression is that it is a first-class matter. -Not that I don't have criticisms though, but my only criticism is just a hunch about something that MIGHT happen that I MIGHT dislike. I don't know yet because I haven't even played the game far enough to get into the part where it might be considered pornographic.
My problem with this game, is that it's feelers seem pretty ambiguous. With most visual novels they tend to probe you for answers about which girl you would rather be with, and if you answer specifically enough you end up with a nice, romantic soppy ending that you can be more or less happy with.
A problem with this system is that it doesn't give you time to decide which of the characters you're actually the most interested in. It took me a long while to even meet the character who I liked the most, Rin. By that time I thought I'd already decided that I would try to romance Hanako on my first play-through. Now I'm afraid that I'll end up with a negative and indecisive ending purely because I changed my mind part-way through after meeting whom I would say is a very interesting character, who although strange, is strange in such a way that I can relate to it.
Which brings me down to my next point. I would want more control over which characters I get to interact with next. I of course, want to see more of Rin, which is actually pretty difficult as far as I can tell. The most effective way seems to be hanging around with Emi.
That managed to trigger an animation at chapter two with the Protagonist and Emi running, which seems like an ominous and foreboding warning that I'm heading for something I wasn't trying for. Maybe I'm just over-worrying, and maybe I'll end up more in control later on, and even get to be with Rin, but I'm just not seeing any distinct feelers just yet.
Then again, I ought to be reading all of this more like an interactive story and less like a game I guess. I am not Hisao, I am myself, after all.
Rant over, this game has had me killing myself with laughter for a good few hours, Kenji breaks me up to the point that I can't understand how Hisao has the heart to dislike his rants.
. It also may have to do with me just not liking Shizune as much as the other girls.
