kitsunebi's talking to himself again

[E-Day]

I meant high quality as far as raw pixel information goes. As far as looks go I agree with you.

[kitsunebi]

9 minutes ago, E-Day said:

I meant high quality as far as raw pixel information goes. As far as looks go I agree with you.

Well, it just having lots of pixels is the goal...my flatbed scans at 1200 dpi.  And I'm pretty sure it's possible to go higher.  So it looks like those files are in need of a rescan.

[Habanero]

I usually go for the raw unedited scans whenever possible so I can edit them myself. Storage isn't an issue so it's whatever.

[Habanero]

2 hours ago, kitsunebi said:

At any rate, since Retro managed to copy and upload everything I've ever uploaded in a single day, I figure they're better suited to uploading things than me, so I've decided to stop uploading things from now on.  Retro can find the files and upload them themselves from now on.  I've got nothing to gain by making it easy for them.  It will also allow me to dump the 85GB of books and mags which I have no interest in and was only keeping around till I could find the time to upload them.  Saving space and saving time.  I'm like Dr. Who or something.

Well, before you delete all your books just because someone else was mirroring them, would you mind taking a screenshot or running directory print so we know what you have? I wouldn't mind uploading them myself.

Edit: Hey I can finally edit my posts now.

Edited April 3, 2020 by Habanero

[kitsunebi]

2 hours ago, Habanero said:

I usually go for the raw unedited scans whenever possible so I can edit them myself. Storage isn't an issue so it's whatever.

Why haven't you ever edited anything for us then?

Oh well, it sounds like you must have edited lots of stuff already.  Let us know when you're ready to upload it here.

[kitsunebi]

1 hour ago, Habanero said:

Well, before you delete all your books just because someone else was mirroring them, would you mind taking a screenshot or running directory print so we know what you have? I wouldn't mind uploading them myself.

Too late for that I'm afraid.  Don't worry.  I'm sure someone at RetroCDN or the Internet Archive will find those same files somewhere else.  It's what they do.  Professional Internet scourers.  If there's a file out there being shared, they'll find it and upload it to their site.  It's more fun for them this way - the thrill of the hunt!

I was glad for the excuse, anyway.  I don't have much interest in gaming mags, but I have zero interest in strategy guides, which is mostly what I was uploading.  I also don't care much for Japanese games, and these were all Japanese guides (granted, most of the PC guides were for Western games, since the Japanese PC game market has always been insignificant).

And don't worry - anything I've ever scanned myself I keep copies of.  So if Retromags ever disappears, I can always reupload those mags somewhere else.  But I'll leave the mirroring of other peoples' files to the professionals from now on.

[Habanero]

1 hour ago, kitsunebi said:

Why haven't you ever edited anything for us then?

Oh well, it sounds like you must have edited lots of stuff already.  Let us know when you're ready to upload it here.

Like I mentioned before in the Japanese mag thread, I have a backlog. I can either scan stuff or I can edit scans specifically for this site. Maybe once I'm through my backlog. I did ask for a volunteer editor for my Crash Team Racing guide scan months ago, but no one offered or responded, so...

[kitsunebi]

42 minutes ago, Habanero said:

Like I mentioned before in the Japanese mag thread, I have a backlog. I can either scan stuff or I can edit scans specifically for this site. Maybe once I'm through my backlog. I did ask for a volunteer editor for my Crash Team Racing guide scan months ago, but no one offered or responded, so...

Sorry, you made it sound like you were seeking out unedited scans to download because you liked to edit them yourself, so I assumed you had already edited some things.

It's hard to get people interested in working on stuff that's already been uploaded elsewhere.  I know Migjmz will do that kind of "sloppy seconds" work it if the edits are easy fixes, but most of our "edits only" helpers work in conjunction with the scanner (these days that's typically been E-Day) to create a Retromags release which is uploaded exclusively to our site - its first appearance being that of a finished release.  It's also helpful that there aren't multiple versions of the same scan in various stages of editing floating around at different places on the net.

[kitsunebi]

Due to schools closing down because of the coronavirus, I've probably spent more time playing games than I typically do in two years' time, but with Japanese schools opening up today everywhere but Tokyo and Osaka, it's probably only a matter of days before I'm back to my non-gaming ways.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a bit about the most recent game I started.  With apologies to @Areala, I had never before played the original Tomb Raider, so decided to give that a shot.  I usually do research before starting any PC game to make sure I can run the best version available.  So for TR1, I'm using the GOG version of the game, which I then patched with a free download of a community mod called the "Tomb Raider Automated Fix." 

This patch creates a custom launcher to play the base game and Unfinished Business expansion via Windows, rather than running through DOSBox, and runs in your PCs native resolution with improved graphics.  It also includes a couple of enhancements previously exclusive to the PlayStation version, such as the underwater color tint and soundtrack cues missing from the original PC version.

I was curious about how the version I was playing compared with the original Saturn/PlayStation/PC versions, and found this pretty fascinating video.  The part breaking down the Saturn's graphics is especially interesting.  They also cover the modded version I'm playing toward the end of the video.

 

[Areala]

Oh Lara, my Lara!

I hope you had a fun time with it. The original Tomb Raider is one of my favorite games of all time. I bought the first, like, five games on GOG when they were on sale a couple of years ago, and they've given me tons of enjoyment.

*huggles*
Areala

[kitsunebi]

41 minutes ago, Areala said:

I hope you had a fun time with it.

Still working my way through.  I like how the emphasis is more on exploration than action, and finding all of the secret areas is great fun.  I've got to admit, however, that for whatever reason, I have no problem gunning down hordes of nameless minion goons in (fill in the blank game), but I feel a little guilty playing Lara Croft: Animal Slayer.  Does the ASPCA know about this game?  "Oh look!  That wolf is sleeping peacefully off in the distance...lemme shoot it to death before it wakes up!"

[Areala]

The first Tomb Raider is really the only one to prioritize exploration over action. They got progressively more action-oriented as the series went on, although Tomb Raider 2 still has some impressive set-pieces with the Great Wall of China and the mountains of Tibet.

*huggles*
Areala

[kitsunebi]

6 minutes ago, Areala said:

The first Tomb Raider is really the only one to prioritize exploration over action. They got progressively more action-oriented as the series went on, although Tomb Raider 2 still has some impressive set-pieces with the Great Wall of China and the mountains of Tibet.

*huggles*
Areala

Yeah, I had TR2 for the PlayStation, and liked the first level (which seems reminiscent of TR1), but never actually played past the 2nd level (Venice, I think).  I guess I prefer Lara exploring caves looking for treasure over running through cities with people shooting at her.

[kitsunebi]

Today we're going to look at teen romance, Japanese style.

Here's an ad for a dating sim on the PlayStation, True Love Story 2.  Please note that this is a DATING SIM, not a visual novel (meaning that unlike a visual novel, the player often will have more than 5 or 6 yes/no choices to constitute "gameplay") and it is exclusive to the PlayStation, meaning that there isn't an uncut version for the PC where the player has sex with every single other character in the game.  So in many ways, this is something of a minority in the Japanese bishoujo game oeuvre - a PG-13 take on romance aimed at adolescent males.

This ad is great in that it has so many pictures to give us a peek into the mind of the young gamer in Japan as their hormones start to fire on all cylinders.  Let's see what we've got here...

 

Ah yes, junior high school.  School uniforms in Japan are fairly standardized, especially jr. high uniforms, so this makes it explicitly clear that everyone in the game is between the age of 13-15.  If you've ever seen an English translation of an anime claiming that anyone wearing a uniform like this was in high school, you've encountered a case of a Western company trying to protect themselves from the awkwardness and potential legal ramifications of depicting underage characters in ways deemed inappropriate in most of the world outside of Japan.

Luckily, this is a PlayStation game, so there won't be any explicit depictions of 13-year-olds sleeping with each other.  But that doesn't mean we can't have...

- A bikini contest!  Sure, why not.  Jr. high school girls enter bikini contests all the time.  They gotta do something with those newly acquired boobs, and keeping them wrapped up in clothing can get so...hot...

So you've gotta cool 'em off.  Maybe go for a swim.

But boobs aren't all that the target audience of this game is into.  Here's a couple of different scenes taking place in the school nurses' office, which for some reason is one of the most common spots for hanky panky depicted in Japanese school romance fiction.  Probably because there's a bed.

But that ain't all.  You see those briefs that the girls are wearing?  Those are called "bloomers" in Japan, and if you've seen any anime set at a school EVER MADE, you will know that girls wear these during PE or sports practice.  Of course, that's complete bullshit - no school in the entire country has worn those for the past 30 years after the sexual revolution finally caught up in Japan (well, at least to the point that women finally felt comfortable speaking up about being forced to wear such things amounting to sexual harassment), but fetishizing underage girls in tight-fitting, high-cut briefs is something that will never go out-of-fashion in Japan in manga, anime, and games, it seems.

But what about the guys?  The main protagonist?  The guy who stands in for the player whose goal is to woo all of these girls?

You won't see his face, since as the player, his face is your own.  He exists as one thing, and one thing only.  Here he is.

Mr. Grabby Hands.

 

If you've ever played a dating sim or visual novel, you know Mr. Grabby Hands well.  You've also seen him portrayed as actual characters with names and faces in various manga and anime.  And then there is Real-Life Mr. Grabby Hands, as seen in every Japanese porno ever.  This guy is as ubiquitous as bloomer panties in Japanese culture, except that he'll never go out of style.  And for more information on Mr. Grabby Hands and his indelible legacy, please see articles like:

Virgin territory: why the Japanese are turning their backs on sex

or

No Sex Please, We're Japanese: The Worrisome Demographic Trajectory Of A Highly Indebted Nation

I mean, come on.  If your options were underage girls or Mr. Grabby Hands, you'd keep it in your pants too, amiright?

 

[Ethereal Dragonz]

I look forward to your posts man. Entertaining and educational .

The closest game I have played to this was a Hentai game called Three Sisters Story, which had multiple choice answers, multiple girls and several different endings. It was entertaining because it was like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book, but with boobs.

 

 

[kitsunebi]

9 hours ago, Ethereal Dragonz said:

I look forward to your posts man. Entertaining and educational .

The closest game I have played to this was a Hentai game called Three Sisters Story, which had multiple choice answers, multiple girls and several different endings. It was entertaining because it was like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book, but with boobs.

 

 

OH man.  That takes me back.  That's one of the OG translated hentai games right there. 1996 - even in Japan, that's when eroge were really starting to take off on the PC (probably due to CD-ROMs allowing for voice acting).  That's also the year Tech Gian launched, btw.  I don't really remember anything about it, but I know I played that game - probably downloaded it via dial-up modem back in the day.

Speaking of voice acting, English-language porno games aren't really much of a thing, but if they were, I suppose they'd be more or less like actual English-language porn.  Which compared to Japanese porn/eroge, would result in pretty strikingly different sounds coming from your speakers.

English-language:

" Oh yeah.  You've got me so wet.  #$%@ my #%@%.  Give me your big #$%#...oh yeah"

Japanese (translated):

"Stop!!  No!!!  It's unpleasant!!!  I hate it!!! STOP!!!!"

[kitsunebi]

Hey, I just saw that supposedly you can play Three Sisters' Story (and presumably other games as well) for free (legally) in your browser on JAST USA Classics, which I read about here: https://noisypixel.net/three-sisters-story-jast-usa-classics/

The site they link to is blocked in Japan, so I can't confirm if it works or not.  Anybody know?  What other games are available?

[ml0045]

14 minutes ago, kitsunebi said:

Hey, I just saw that supposedly you can play Three Sisters' Story (and presumably other games as well) for free (legally) in your browser on JAST USA Classics, which I read about here: https://noisypixel.net/three-sisters-story-jast-usa-classics/

The site they link to is blocked in Japan, so I can't confirm if it works or not.  Anybody know?  What other games are available?

• SEASON OF THE SAKURA – Available now
• TRANSFER STUDENT –
• THREE SISTERS’ STORY –
• RUNAWAY CITY – Available now
• MAY CLUB – Coming soon
• NOCTURNAL ILLUSION – Coming soon

Only bottom two aren't available. I tried loading one, languages are russian and english. Haven't played them but the first one boots up.

[Areala]

"May Club" and "Nocturnal Illusion" have been in 'coming soon' status for over a year now. The other four seem to work just fine. "Season of the Sakura" was the first visual novel I ever encountered, so it was fun to play through it again twenty-ish years later. "Runaway City" and "Three Sisters' Story" form the other 2/3rds of the "JAST Trilogy", the first three VNs they published in English, so they're bonafide classics in a sense for that reason, although the stories have gotten quite a bit better over the years.

*huggles*
Areala

[kitsunebi]

Dragon Ball Z sucks, y'all. 

No, I'm serious.  This is barely even parody.  It's almost plagiarism. 

SssssssUXX.

 

[Ethereal Dragonz]

11 minutes ago, kitsunebi said:

Dragon Ball Z sucks, y'all. 

No, I'm serious.  This is barely even parody.  It's almost plagiarism. 

SssssssUXX.

 

HAHAHAHAHAHA this hits too close to home and its true.

But downvote anyway because I love DBZ and I've never seen the downvote icon ever used. 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Ethereal Dragonz

[kitsunebi]

7 hours ago, Ethereal Dragonz said:

HAHAHAHAHAHA this hits too close to home and its true.

But downvote anyway because I love DBZ and I've never seen the downvote icon ever used. 

Wow, you took away one of my reputation points.  I'd downvote your comment to do the same to you, but I figure you already have the misfortune of liking Dragon Ball Z, so why kick you when you're already down? 

 

(Dragon Ball is OK, but Z?  ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssuuuuu--*)

(And if you wanna fight me over it, BRING IT ON!  Let's just make sure we set aside enough time, since it'll probably take all season.)

[Ethereal Dragonz]

[JonnyCGood]

https://archive.org/details/RetroGameArtbooksAndIllustrations

https://archive.org/details/randomartbookcollect

These two have a lot of nice books but it's all dumped in a big collection.

[kitsunebi]

35 minutes ago, JonnyCGood said:

https://archive.org/details/RetroGameArtbooksAndIllustrations

https://archive.org/details/randomartbookcollect

These two have a lot of nice books but it's all dumped in a big collection.

It defeats the whole point of archive if you have to download the files to look at them.  The only positive thing that trashfire of a website has going for it is the ability to view files in-browser (unless the uploader gets lazy, like in these two links).

Hey everybody - rather than waste time downloading random artbooks you'll flip through in 30 seconds and forget, why not catch up on any episodes of Game Center CX you haven't seen?  You don't even have to download them.

https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A"gamecentercx"