Rance Series

[Elttharion]

I think sengoku and X are both top tier RPGs. Maybe not top tier VNs, because they have too much gameplay? But if so, why does anyone care about being top VN?

I based my reply on the vndb ranking, Sengoku is in the top 50 based on popularity, Rance X is near the top based on the score, but it has no English translation and only 825 votes.

Sure, play what you want, but I answered to Maxie's facetious reply that he had to "stoop down" from Rance to play other VNs. There are some real masterpiece VNs out there, so I hope he was only joking. Then again, Rance is pretty unique, so I can understand how it has such a cult following.

Fwiw Vndb changed their vote criteria a few years ago, I dont really remember where Rance was on the ranking before the changes tho.

 

[Jaedar]

I based my reply on the vndb ranking, Sengoku is in the top 50 based on popularity, Rance X is near the top based on the score, but it has no English translation and only 825 votes.

Goal shifting much? Oh rance isn't anywhere near the top, it's only 5th best ever! And only half the series is in top 50 of all time!

I don't think using a popularity contest like vndb is worthy behaviour for a codexer though.

 

[Vic]

I based my reply on the vndb ranking, Sengoku is in the top 50 based on popularity, Rance X is near the top based on the score, but it has no English translation and only 825 votes.

Goal shifting much? Oh rance isn't anywhere near the top, it's only 5th best ever! And only half the series is in top 50 of all time!

I don't think using a popularity contest like vndb is worthy behaviour for a codexer though.

I understand you are butthurt, but just to clarify, only Sengoku is in the top 50.

I don't know what the deal with Rance X is, why it has such a high score, is it really that good or are people pumping up the score to help with translation? We will see once MangaGamer is done with it. Seems like it's already fully translated and just needs editing.

 

[Maxie]

I based my reply on the vndb ranking, Sengoku is in the top 50 based on popularity, Rance X is near the top based on the score, but it has no English translation and only 825 votes.

Goal shifting much? Oh rance isn't anywhere near the top, it's only 5th best ever! And only half the series is in top 50 of all time!

I don't think using a popularity contest like vndb is worthy behaviour for a codexer though.

I don't know what the deal with Rance X is, why it has such a high score, is it really that good or are people pumping up the score to help with translation? We will see once MangaGamer is done with it. Seems like it's already fully translated and just needs editing.

You're in for the MangaGamer Experience™

 

[Longes]

For what reason would I steep down into the muck of the whole world of stuff out there instead of engaging with Rance more, or repeatedly? It's a series of ten+ games, barely anyone here has beaten all of them, myself included.

Rance is nowhere near the top of the best VNs.

Rance is not a VN and I'm tired of people claiming that it is. What's next, Planescape Torment is a VN because you read a lot? Fallout New Vegas is a VN because there are dialogue boxes with a face up top? Should rename this place to VNCodex really.

 

[Vic]

For what reason would I steep down into the muck of the whole world of stuff out there instead of engaging with Rance more, or repeatedly? It's a series of ten+ games, barely anyone here has beaten all of them, myself included.

Rance is nowhere near the top of the best VNs.

Rance is not a VN and I'm tired of people claiming that it is. What's next, Planescape Torment is a VN because you read a lot? Fallout New Vegas is a VN because there are dialogue boxes with a face up top? Should rename this place to VNCodex really.

I always defer to vndb when it comes to such questions. And indeed, the Rance series is a borderline case with them:

• The Rance series and other turn-based Alice Soft titles
  VN hybrids, Sengoku Rance in particular has a lot of narration, and while there is a lot of gameplay in them, they still qualify.

And general rules of what is considered a VN and can be added to their database:

For a game to qualify for inclusion in the database, it must meet one of thefollowing two requirements:

• Visual Novels that have the following characteristics:
  • Choices are the only allowed (but optional) form of interactivity. There are no other gameplay elements (including stats-based gameplay in dating/raising sims). Mini-games and simple mechanics, such as map movement, are only allowed when they play a very minimal role - at least 99% of the title should be made of pure reading.
  • The story is told employing one of the known Visual Novel presentation methods such as ADV, NVL and their variations.
• Visual Novel / Game hybrids that have the following characteristics:
  • The game consistently uses the novel narrative for telling its story. Examples include describing visuals, events, character actions or thoughts.
    This point is ESSENTIAL - dialogues, no matter how extensive, are a characteristic of such game genres as RPGs, adventure games, dating simulations, etc., NOT of visual novels.
  • The story is told employing one of the known Visual Novel presentation methods such as ADV, NVL and their variations, consistently and for a significant length - at least 50% of the game should be made of pure, VN-style reading.
  • The storytelling segments should continue uninterrupted for a significant amount of time. The game should refrain from interrupting the reading and prompting the player to interact with the environment too frequently, lest the interactive elements overshadow the novel-like narrative. Depending on the presentation and the narrative techniques, some visual novels can be more prone to interrupt the narrative than others. Ultimately, if a game belongs in the database will be determined by examining the game as a whole, rather than just the sum of its parts.
  • Grandfather Clause: Old school adventure games that serve as precursors to visual novels as a genre are in the database due to their historical value, and thus are exempt from some of the defining characteristics of a modern visual novel. There are already plenty of such exceptions in the database, so we do not accept further additions.

 

[Maxie]

Yeah let's defer to some catboy's definition because your demented database nobody here gives a shit about says so. The gayest appeal to 'authority' this week and it's barely Monday.

 

[Vic]

your demented database nobody here gives a shit about

Ah, so you're just a Rance fanboy and not a VN enjoyer. Thanks for confirming.

 

[Maxie]

your demented database nobody here gives a shit about

Ah, so you're just a Rance fanboy and not a VN enjoyer. Thanks for confirming.

Yes, you're correct.

 

[thesecret1]

your demented database nobody here gives a shit about

Ah, so you're just a Rance fanboy and not a VN enjoyer. Thanks for confirming.

You are in the Rance thread, on RPGCodex. Why exactly do you think anyone here gives a flying fuck about vndb, or that there are "VN enjoyers" here? One of Rance's strong points is precisely that it's not a VN, but actually has solid gameplay going for it.

 

[Vic]

One of Rance's strong points is precisely that it's not a VN

It actually is.

 

[thesecret1]

One of Rance's strong points is precisely that it's not a VN

It actually is.

If there are any gameplay mechanics present, ie. if you can play rather than read, then it's a game, not a novel. So no, Rance games are not visual novels

 

[Vic]

One of Rance's strong points is precisely that it's not a VN

It actually is.

If there are any gameplay mechanics present, ie. if you can play rather than read, then it's a game, not a novel. So no, Rance games are not visual novels

That's just your opinion.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

One of Rance's strong points is precisely that it's not a VN

It actually is.

If there are any gameplay mechanics present, ie. if you can play rather than read, then it's a game, not a novel. So no, Rance games are not visual novels

That's just your opinion.

Lmao ok Starfailed.

 

[Vic]

Lmao ok Starfailed.

?

 

[Jaedar]

I based my reply on the vndb ranking, Sengoku is in the top 50 based on popularity, Rance X is near the top based on the score, but it has no English translation and only 825 votes.

Goal shifting much? Oh rance isn't anywhere near the top, it's only 5th best ever! And only half the series is in top 50 of all time!

I don't think using a popularity contest like vndb is worthy behaviour for a codexer though.

I understand you are butthurt, but just to clarify, only Sengoku is in the top 50.

I don't know what the deal with Rance X is, why it has such a high score, is it really that good or are people pumping up the score to help with translation? We will see once MangaGamer is done with it. Seems like it's already fully translated and just needs editing.

Ah, I thought it was 25 results per page.
Truly my statement becomes way less meaningful of a refutation when it is "only half the series is in the top 100 of all time".

X is at least 2 years away, more likely 3, unless MG changes their release cadence completely. Very happy I played it in japanese.

Still waiting for you to recommend some VNs better than sengoku. Good games aren't that common, stop hoarding!

 

[Vic]

Still waiting for you to recommend some VNs better than sengoku. Good games aren't that common, stop hoarding!

What do you want me to say?

Sengoku is the best game in the world!!!

GAHAHAHA!!!

Fucking fanboys man, sheesh.

 

[KingDoofus]

I don't know what the deal with Rance X is, why it has such a high score, is it really that good or are people pumping up the score to help with translation? We will see once MangaGamer is done with it. Seems like it's already fully translated and just needs editing.

For myself, I played it with translation tools when it released. The translation quality was thusly... not good. But it allowed me to understand the gameplay, which I thought was excellent; I don't know of any other hentai game/VN/any game that has attempted to do the kinds of things X did with those gameplay mechanics. And with a working knowledge of the series and characters, my brain was able to re-translate those machine translations into something approximating a human sentence - from that perspective, I enjoyed the writing, I am hoping the full translation will be good. I've never rated the game online, but if I did I've give it a solid thumbs up.

And yes, the game has been fully translated by Steiner. At last check though, it had been edited... almost not at all. It's a massive script, they'll probably be editing it at least 1-2 years.

I don't... care about hard classifications of games. If someone told me Rance was their favorite dating sim then... cool. But I do like recommendations! So if you've got any recommendations for games that are fun (VN/RPG/Cooking simulator with gameplay elements) throw 'em about!

 

[Vic]

Well, I'm hyped for Rance X. I'm not going to torture myself playing with MTL tho. I can wait.

I also read manga and there are 4-6 month gaps between volume releases, with a volume taking less than an hour to read. So yeah, weebs must have patience.

 

[Reinhardt]

Fucking fanboys man, sheesh.

 

[Sunri]

I didn't know Alicesoft made Darkest Dungeon