Archive for the ‘Neoromance’ Category


Corda 3 First Play!

March 9th, 2010

:D I got Corda 3 yesterday and have been busily playing through it. I love having all new characters!
The gameplay is pretty similar to previous Corda games, but there is an added minigame during performances that demands some hand-eye coordination (not too much on easy mode thankfully).
At the beginning I couldn’t help giggling, the first scene is so!dramatic! and Fukuyama Jun is being very!angsty! but it gets over that pretty quickly, and it makes sense for his character (kind of immature). And in fact, Corda 3’s plot does seem more dramatic overall, I’ve already agonized over one contest (I don’t think I cried though…). I’m actually interested to see how this works if you are going for a guy from a different school – in the beginning you have very limited interaction with non-Seisou students. According to the manual I still have semi-finals and the final to go, as well as a violin final – since I’ve already beaten one rival school, I wonder how that works if I’m trying to do their routes.
Oh, another thing that made me laugh is that they’re going a little Prince of Tennis on us(with all their crazy ‘tennis’ moves), and making the performances less realistic. You know how when you were really good in Corda 1-2 it would show effects and lights and stuff? Well now that effect is supposedly real, and is called a Maestro Field. Supposedly when you’re really good you can make the audience see/hear/feel the landscape of the music (mmmhmmm suuuuurrre).

Anyways, so far it’s lots of fun! No fairies so far, but lots of exciting!drama! plus a couple appearances by Hihara and Kiriya (I avoided spoilers so have no idea if anyone else shows up). And of course the characters and their voices are totally different, especially Morita Masakazu!
Now I’m off to train for the semi-final, wish me luck!

Edit: Tags aren’t working . I’ll figure that out later!

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Kin’iro no Corda 3 Seiyuu!

November 25th, 2009

Since there are all-new characters in the upcoming Kin’iro no Corda 3 coming out in spring, let’s take a look at their seiyuu! All the original seiyuu are here, as well as several new ones. They’re also from four different schools, so you can have rivalries with them :D You can see art and some even have voice samples up at the Kin’iro no Corda 3 site. Looking at the teaser pic, I totally thought it was the same gang but Yunoki had cut his hair…but I’m glad they’re new, there’s only so long you can drag out the original story. Yay new Corda!!!

Hozumi Shiro CV: Morita Masakazu
MIzushima Arata CV: Kishio Daisuke
Kisragi Ritsu CV: Konishi Katsuyuki
Kisaragi Kyouya CV: Fukuyama Jun
Sakaki Daiichi CV: Uchita Yuuya
Tougane Chiaki CV: Taniyama Kishou
Toki Housei CV: Ishikawa Hideo
Myouga Reiji CV: Hino Sou
Nanami Sousuke CV: Souta Yuki
Amamiya Sei CV: Miyano Mamoru
Mizushima Yuuto CV: Mizuhashi Kaori
Yagisawa Yukihiro CV: Itou Kentarou


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Why is voice such a big deal in otome games?

September 3rd, 2009

First, a long introduction (if you want the short version, skip about six paragraphs).

I’ve played video games since I was around 4 years old, back when they were just starting to become mainstream. Donkey Kong, the original Super Mario Bros., the first Final Fantasy – I played them and loved them (ye gads I’m old!).

I always gravitated to the ones with more story than action – Final Fantasy and King’s Quest (anyone remember that?), though there were some exceptions (I was pretty awesome at Mortal Kombat II). What did I like about them? Well, I love fantasy in general, and RPG’s were usually set in a fantasy world. But more than that, I love stories. I love seeing characters interact with each other and overcome the odds to save the world (or save the princess).
I loved this game.
I took a break from gaming in university, but eventually, once I had a job and some free time, I was tempted into buying a PS2. What game did I buy first? Final Fantasy X. Not only did the graphics look pretty, but I remembered the sense of adventure from the original, and the fascinating characters from Final Fantasy VII (which was, coincidentally, the last game I played before my break).

And boy, FFX did not disappoint. Not only did it have an epic storyline and interesting characters (Yuna wasn’t my favourite, but Lulu? kickass!), but they TALKED. With real voices! At the time, this wasn’t common at all, and it was amazing how much difference it made. It hugely increased the feeling of being immersed in the story, and though some of Tidus’ soliloquies seem overdone now, the first time I played through it they really got to me. Voice acting can convey so much more emotion and tone than plain text – as anyone who’s gotten into a fight on the internet over something intended as a joke can attest to.
Pretty!

A couple years later, I bought a Japanese PS2, mostly for RPGs. While I was browsing the import game website, I saw a game that had, instead of the usual army dude or swordsman, a group of cute anime guys just…standing around. One had a microphone. When I finally figured out it wasn’t a BL game, I ordered it, though I had some doubts. Of course I was familiar with shoujo manga (in a previous incarnation I was even more obsessed with shoujo manga than I am now with otome games), and had heard about ‘dating sims’, but really, it seemed so cheesy, and kind of…pathetic. I mean, trying to date guys in a game? But whatever, I thought I’d try it.
The game that changed my life…
When I first started up the game, I was unimpressed. It was just a simple background and dialogue window, and the characters didn’t even move. But soon enough, I was sucked into the story, and by the time the first minigame came (yes, I was lucky enough to get a first game that had a really fun minigame mechanic! And it was even integral to the story!), I was enthralled. The adventure aspect of the game also hooked me – I loved being able to choose how my character interacted with the others, and going down different paths depending on what I did and said. And I actually loved the romance aspect – so many times in shoujo manga I had wished for the heroine to pick the nice guy instead of the jerk (and occasionally vice versa), and now I could make the choice for her! Heaven! Of course, since I’m kind of a completist, I’d usually try to go through all the routes, but even then, it was a choice, and if I didn’t like how one route ended, there was always another I could think of as the ‘real’ ending.

But other than the fun story and the choice thing, the one aspect that made the difference between me just thinking, “this is okay”, versus falling in love with the genre like I did, was the voice acting. Few people would argue that Japanese voice actors are excellent, and if it wasn’t for the voices, the otome games we play would seem really watered down. Fans often complain about the Neoromance games not being full-voice (including me, I want more!). Often voice is significantly cut for portable versions (especially on the DS), and fans have definitely complained – when Otometeki Koi Kakumei was adapted to the PC after having voices cut for the DS version, the publisher made a point to announce that voice would not only be restored, but increased. In fact, in my unprofessional opinion, that’s one reason why the PSP is getting a good number of otome game adaptations rather than the DS – it has more memory for voice files, as well as better sound.

I took a look at the first-ever otome games to figure out when voice acting was added as a feature. I mean, Final Fantasy X was released in 2001 and was the first FF title with voices. I figured otome games couldn’t have been much farther ahead. Well, turns out I was wrong. The first otome game, Angelique (1994), didn’t have voice acting, but its first adaptation, Angelique Special2, did – just a year after the original’s release.
Otome games, kickin’ it old-school

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Kiniro no Corda 2 Encore Random Tip

March 18th, 2009

The number when you first pick an orchestra piece means the number of conditions you have to fulfill to get to the orchestra part. As you might expect, the more the conditions, the harder it usually is.

For instance: サックス奏者2人 means you need to find 2 people who play the sax. That means you have to go around asking people, then find the students, then make sure you have what they want.

I like doing these, I might do more later – if you’re stuck somewhere or there’s something you can’t figure out, email me at admin@lijaka.com and I’ll do a quick post for your answer!

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Update on Harutoki 3 figures

January 16th, 2009

A few months ago, I found these made-to-order figures of most of the hachiyou from Harutoki 3. And recently they finally came out with the last pair, Atsumori, and RizVaan.

They are very nice, but I think if I was getting one, I’d get either Atsumori or Hinoe. I lurve RizVaan, but like Kurou, his hair is kind of too big for his face. Plus his face…doesn’t quite look like him. I am being very picky though.

There’s a pre-order period for these but also an ‘on sale’ date, so I’m not sure if you *have to* pre-order to get them or not.
It’s times like these when I actually wish I lived in a bigger place!

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Kiniro no Corda PSP

October 13th, 2008

Now that I finally have a PSP, after having the Kiniro no Corda original game for, oh, about 2 years XD, I am finally playing it. It’s interesting playing through the first story while being familiar with the characters from 2 Encore and seeing them meet and develop relationships.

The gameplay has some differences from 2 Encore, and it took me a while to figure out how to play. I’ll compare the process in getting ready for a performance in each:

1. Get music for a performance.

In both games, you need a certain skill level to play each piece, and if it’s not high enough, you need to practice other pieces to raise it first. But in the original, you also have a level for each of three styles, and these also have to be high enough for each piece. Also, harder pieces have certain skills that you require, which you get by perfecting easier pieces. You can also buy skills at the fahta stores.

2. Practice pieces alone.

3. ‘Finish’ pieces.

4. Perform in concerts.

5. Win.

Other differences: