The Bluffer's Guide to Hentai Games

By Dave McCarthy Published 10 May, 2007

Attention: Adult content ahead!

What a brilliant sales pitch: "Feeling lonely and bored?" asked the email newsletter. Of course I am! I'm sitting at my computer, aren't I? I'm reading a newsletter about import games, aren't I? Well then, the email went on, why not check out some newly available English-translated Japanese Adult Dating Games? Why not indeed? Up until now, if you wanted to feed your Hentai videogame fix you'd have to brush up on your kanji and search out seedy game stores in the side streets of Akihabara. Not any more. In recent years, companies such as Peach Princess and JAST USA have been making English-language eroge (as it's also known) available to American gamers. Now, Play-Asia is making them easily available to us European lot.

But should we actually care? Is there any more to this heady blend of anime, videogames and porn than antique game mechanics and mildly titillating drawings? Eurogamer decided to find out.

The first part of our research took us to Play-Asia's selection of Hentai Games. A brief warning that the pages ahead contain 'Nudity', 'Strong sexual content' and 'Explicit pictures' confirm that we're in the right place. Further confirmation is provided by the selection of games on offer - a selection that also provides some pretty startling insights into the genre. There are currently some 50-odd titles available in translation at the moment. And they are pretty odd. Picking titles at random demonstrates pretty clearly that even this limited selection of hentai games caters to the broadest extremes of sexual proclivity: there's transexuality (Yin-Yang - X-Change Alternative); gothic horror (Animamundi - Dark Alchemist); historical romance (Enzai - Falsely Accused); human sacrifice (Bible Black: The Game); submission (Absolute Obedience - Zettai Fukuju Meirei); mild incest (Hitomi - My Stepsister) and much, much more. Certainly more than the odd cross-dresser in Guilty Gear, or Dead or Alive's bikini babes.

'The Bluffer's Guide to Hentai Games' Screenshot 1

According to Wikipedia, Hentai is a Japanese word that can mean 'change of shape', 'abnormality' or 'metamorphosis'. As well as all this.

There's also a wide range of play mechanics, from simple dating games, where you've got to impress the girls enough to get them into compromising positions, to choose-your-own adventure style flowchart games, where you simply have to make choices at key moments to propel the sexual narrative along. And if, for some reason you're stuck without a Windows-compatible PC, you can pick from a choice of interactive DVDs, which all play in a regular DVD player. And if for some reason you're stuck without a pair of hands, you can chose those games that include a 'hands-free' mode (whatever that means).

And talking of hands, the next part of our research obviously demanded a more hands-on approach. Three titles were duly selected and ordered. And received, although only one of them in plain cover, presumably because only one of them - Casual Romance Club - was adorned with 12 pictures of naked girls on the box.

Saving that for last, the first game to be subjected to the sort of rigorous scrutiny that you've come to expect from Eurogamer was Critical Point. Originally released in 2002, the game is essentially a choose-your-own adventure with 24 different paths scripted by Mobile Suit Gundam scriptwriter, Kenichi Matsuzaki. It's illustrated by partially-animated and still images, and accompanied by a sort of lounge bar jazz soundtrack. Rather helpfully it can be played in an easily alt-tabbed window, and for anyone who isn't a fan of Matsuzaki-san's work, the game's creators have helpfully included a 'quick' mode, which speeds through the story so fast you don't have to read it.

'The Bluffer's Guide to Hentai Games' Screenshot 2

Hentai games are known by a variety of terms, including H game and Eroge.

More patient gamers will appreciate the science-fiction take on a police procedural that plays out pretty normally until the lead character, an amputee undercover investigator, takes a tour of Moon Base D-02 and this happens: "The crew woman called Tsuei turned away from her panel and stood up. She started walking towards me. Before I knew it, she opened her uniform and revealed her breasts." The murder-mystery plot goes on to encompass sex with an older woman, female marines running round in fishnet tops; a scatterbrained assistant who accidentally falls over and flashes her panties etc. etc. There is one, frankly troubling scene, however, which incorporates sado-masochism and rape fantasies.

Which leads, of course, to the serious argument about whether games such as these are likely to dehumanise women, or encourage sinister patterns of real-life behaviour. While you might imagine such an argument to be a lively and complex one, the game's readme file boils it down pretty succinctly (some might say too succinctly, given that the game's amputee undercover investigator describes one of his amorous encounters thus: "I was consumed with anger and lust. I didn't even really hear her screams of protest"). Yep, the creators of Critical Point are pretty clear about the beneficial effects of playing these sorts of games.

The readme file makes clear that it's all just a fantasy: "We would like to state clearly that we oppose abuse or violence against any individual or living creature regardless of gender or other distinguishing personal traits... Furthermore, we assert that sex is an important aspect of adult relationships, and that sexual fantasies shared consensually between adults can enhance the emotional bond of a such relationships." It continues, with what might be considered a bit of an understatement: "the completely fictional sexual relationships portrayed by this game's artwork do not always exhibit 'safe sex' practices, nor do they necessarily demonstrate the full range of sensitivity, communication and intimacy necessary to sustain a real life interpersonal relationship." Nevertheless, for anyone who would like to base their real life interpersonal relationships on a videogame depicting domination and rape fantasies, there are some real-life sex-tips: "Always protect yourself and others when engaged in sexual activity, and always follow the principles of 'safe sex'. Always treat your sexual partner(s) with consideration. Never use force to get what you want, whether your partner is a man or a woman."

'The Bluffer's Guide to Hentai Games' Screenshot 3

Hentai games are then further broken down into sub-genres, such as Yaoi for boy on boy; Bishojo for pretty girls, and so on.

By comparison, the sexual activities on offer in the other two games chosen for research are more moderate, although the gameplay is probably more interesting. Transfer Student was originally released in the same year as Critical Point, and depicts the story of a young man drifting aimlessly through college, fantasising about women. It features a similarly branching narrative structure to Critical Point, but it's enlivened by the occasional freeform section in which you can stare at women in a bid to become so aroused that you can retire to the men's room to fantasise about them. It's also enlivened by the occasional bout of sex with your step-mother, depicted, once again, with partially animated stills.

Casual Romance Club, however, is the premium pick of the pack. Released at the end of last year, it is, according to the blurb, "the first dating-sim game released in Japan to feature a full English translation." It also features 12 pictures of naked girls on the box, and comes with a handsome hardback manual containing character biographies and plenty of advice, such as: "Relationships for only making love are wrong because some may want you to be responsible for it." Indeed, in spite of the naked girls on the box, this is a world away from the amputee rape in Critical Point. It's still, ultimately, about having sex with women but just like in real life you have to be willing to put in a bit more groundwork.

The narrative sees you participating in the Casual Romance Club, a school club formed "to offer a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere where love and romance can be discovered and explored without fear or failure or rejection." Which means you've got four weeks to persuade your chosen girl (or girls) to get their kit off - and there's a girl for every taste here, from the bookish bespectacled Sidney, to ko-gal Clare, or the worryingly youthful Amanda, or even the mature charms of Sophie.

'The Bluffer's Guide to Hentai Games' Screenshot 4

Interestingly, we shied away from tentacles. Perhaps it's not our thing?

It doesn't save unlocked images to a permanent gallery, as Critical Point does, but it is, in every other way, a more sophisticated experience. The game is a fairly typical dating game in which you have to woo your chosen honey by saying the right things. It rather artfully resembles an internet chatroom, with various windows offering different types of information, and at the key moments, the more prurient parts of images are tastefully pixellated out. Indeed, considering the plain-cover packaging, Casual Romance Club is remarkably coy, with most girls taking a lot of persuading to get to bed, and most of the pixellated-out sexual activities falling well within the normal bounds of taste and decency. For porn, anyway. There's even a parallel translation function for people who'd like to hone their language skills to graduate to playing these games in their original language.

Despite the differences in narrative, sexual mores and gameplay between even these three games, there are undeniable similarities: the bizarre internal logic; the conversational non-sequiturs that lead suddenly to sexual activity; but mostly the sense of mild disappointment. Judged by the standards of conventional porn, especially of the sort that's now freely available to anyone with an internet connection, these games demand a monumental amount of patience. Sure, those sickos who get their kicks by googling for amputee rape images might find their thing in games like Critical Point (a google image search for research purposes only turns up a Final Fantasy XII pack shot and a picture of Jean-Luc Picard, for example). But for the rest of us, it's difficult not to feel underwhelmed when the only reward for patiently plodding through acres of mundane text and/or stultifying game mechanics is one or two semi-animated cartoon pictures.

So in the end, this experiment doesn't reveal any startling insights into Hentai. These games are pretty much as you'd imagine interactive anime porn to be: more amusing than arousing, and not very entertaining as videogames. But then if you can imagine interactive anime porn, why would you need any of this stuff?

The publishers of The Bluffer's Guides have granted permission for our use of the trade mark 'bluffer's guide' and would encourage readers to visit their site: http://www.ovalbooks.com

Picture of Dave.

About Dave McCarthy

Read more articles from Dave by visiting the Dave McCarthy archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (208) Latest comment 11 months ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Machiavel #1 5 years ago

    ...

  • dirigiblebill #2 5 years ago

    What the FUCK?

    /looks over shoulder
    /goes to read article

  • kissthestick #3 5 years ago

    holy shit

    +1 to Eurogamer for having the balls to do something like this

  • Aretak #4 5 years ago

    I'd always dreamed of reading this article on Eurogamer. :)

  • dirigiblebill #5 5 years ago

    'And talking of hands, the next part of our research obviously demanded a more hands-on approach.'

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  • FabricatedLunatic #6 5 years ago

    O_O

    In my "list of things I never expected EG to cover", this was near the top. Just below stamp collecting and above existential psychology.

  • Eraser #7 5 years ago

    odd

  • mingster #8 5 years ago

    I wasn't expecting this... EVER!!
    goes off to chick the nips out..

  • AcidSnake #9 5 years ago

    Rrrrrright...

    That's.....rrrright....

    Anyway, I remember a few years ago there was a lot of hype for a game coming out on pc where the protagonist was a buxom lady in a sort of 3D adventure style game...
    And no, it wasn't tomb raider...
    Can't remember what it was, I think she got naked during the game anyway...Not sure...

  • Steroyd #10 5 years ago

    o_O

    wow Eurogamer covers all games.

    but still... WOW o_O

  • NewYork #11 5 years ago

    GOD BLESS YOU, EUROGAMER.

    ;_;

  • DB2k #12 5 years ago

    I for one, welcome a regular pr0n review of cartoon boobs with lots of pictures (please)

    Dave - you are one filthy dime store hood :)

  • Carlo #13 5 years ago

    ¨Sure, those sickos who get their kicks by googling for amputee rape images¨

    /never dreampt these things even existed. O_o

  • Gojira #14 5 years ago

    Who would want to bluff about hentai?

  • Hughes. #15 5 years ago

    What's next? A Battle Raper 2 review?

    Holy Guacamole!

  • Killerbee #16 5 years ago

    All credit to EG for covering this (and a good article too), but the conclusion pretty much nails this whole genre on the head - neither good porn nor good gaming, so what's the point of it?

  • NewYork #17 5 years ago

    Hey, you promised nudity >:(

  • Nippledoctor #18 5 years ago

    At least something interesting :-)

    Well Hentai games are part of the game industry in Japan, so why not. Something to keep going teemage boys during puberty, until they become men, get married, get a job for Square Eunix or Bandai and then divorce.

    Good on you Eurogamer for writing that article.

  • sport #19 5 years ago

    BAN THIS SICK FILTH!!!


    well....someone had to say it....

  • mingster #20 5 years ago

    Where's the scores? How will we know if they are better than halo, GOW etc..

  • NewYork #21 5 years ago

    MORE PICTURES, LESS WORDS.

  • thebuzzard #22 5 years ago

    lol "mild incest" 2 words that really dont work together.

  • mingster #23 5 years ago

    Is it better than Leisure Suit Larry?

  • mingster #24 5 years ago

    Where the hell is Errol this is right up his street..

  • menage #25 5 years ago

    They're not actually games. You just click to read the next line until you get to the pic.

    Euroclicker!

  • NewYork #26 5 years ago

    /clicks furiously


    MORE TWINCEST.

  • Genji #27 5 years ago

    I'm a bit surprised that the availability of obviously underage schoolgirls in these games didn't rate a mention in the article. Maybe the English-translated games aren't so bad, but go to Japan... there's some real sick shit there.

  • Xerx3s #28 5 years ago

    Sentimental shooter! \0/

    /coat

  • NewYork #29 5 years ago

    MORE SICK S***.

  • Xerx3s #30 5 years ago

    So where is the CG gallery rip of all the game that you finished?!

  • dirigiblebill #31 5 years ago

    There you go York.

    (•)(•)
    ) (
    ( V )

    Enjoy. (That'll be a five hundred yen, please)
    Edited by 1 at 10/05/07 @ 14:19

  • jellyhead #32 5 years ago

    Can't wait for Touch Witch! on DS me.

  • dirigiblebill #33 5 years ago

    Bugger, it broke.

  • FabricatedLunatic #34 5 years ago

    You should have played Crescendo. It's one of the best English-translated games. Uh, allegedly.

  • Genji #35 5 years ago

    In Japan, more like...

    o
    • •
    ) (
    V

    Enjoy your fapping, you MONSTERS.

  • dudefella #36 5 years ago

    Yeah I know a lot of people will want to check out Hentai games out of morbid curiosity at some point or another, but they really are boring and not at all worth it, not even for free. Bad porn, bad game, etc etc.

  • NewYork #37 5 years ago

    What's the best thing about twenty twelve year-olds?

    No, wait, that's not quite right. \o?

  • Keza #38 5 years ago

    BAN THIS SICK F- oh, bugger it, I was beaten to it.

    I find this stuff funny, as opposed to offensive or disturbing.

  • Lonestar #39 5 years ago

    PARAPPA THE RAPER

    "Lick! Thrust!..."

  • HarryB #40 5 years ago

    tentacles!!

  • zeprovinho #41 5 years ago

    You guys need to get out more times... :)

    Never the less good article ... it's good to see how you (EG) can have a "serious" vision about these "games". Only in UK u find such good quality if opinions...
    (sorry for bad eng...)

  • dirigiblebill #42 5 years ago

    MAKE IT STOP. MAKE IT STOP.

  • NewYork #43 5 years ago

    Anyone seen the Phoenix Wright porno-game?

    Semen-y.

  • Metalfish #44 5 years ago

    Hang on, doesn't this negate the whole "kiddies visit this site" rule that is occasionally used in the forums?

    /won'tsomebodypleasethinkofthechildren?

  • NewYork #45 5 years ago

    These games have BOOBIES.

  • dirigiblebill #46 5 years ago

    AVERT, STRUMPET.

    Hmmm, I need to calm down. Maybe I should go have a nice refreshing w- NOOOO. BEGONE, DEMON.

    /goes outside to flagellate himself

  • FlamingCarrot #47 5 years ago

    Just wrong on so many levels. Japan may be the godhead of gaming but its perversions are off the scale. I know its a subculture but the obsession with rape and violence is never far from view. Its not acceptable in any form.

    Porn in games just doesn't work (see the painfully juvenille ending in Fahrenheit / Hot Coffee etc) so why do these people bother?

  • NewYork #48 5 years ago

    It's acceptable in an arousing form.

    I JUST WANNA TOUCH WITCHES, DAMMIT.

  • dudefella #49 5 years ago

    Flamingcarrot: Fahrenheit's bit wasn't a cinematic masterpiece but I thought it worked decently in the game's context. It's certainly more mature than was most games have attempted with regards to the subject matter.

  • Pike #50 5 years ago

    Twincest witches, York?
    Edited by 1 at 10/05/07 @ 14:40

  • FlamingCarrot #51 5 years ago

    @ NewYork

    Back to your one handed typing pathetic twat

  • FabricatedLunatic #52 5 years ago

    Porn in games just doesn't work (see the painfully juvenille ending in Fahrenheit / Hot Coffee etc) so why do these people bother?

    These games account for something like 25% of all software sales in Japan. That's why.

  • Pike #53 5 years ago

    Why look, it seems like we have an actual living breathing moralist in the thread. How amusing.

  • NewYork #54 5 years ago

    Can we get a game where we can give Maya's breastuses a quick, cheeky squeeze? Nothing perverse - just enough to make 'em bounce a little.

  • FlamingCarrot #55 5 years ago

    @ Dudefella

    Fair enough but the game was awful.

  • NewYork #56 5 years ago

    German link, plz.

  • bonker #57 5 years ago

    lol

  • kissthestick #58 5 years ago

    "Anyone seen the Phoenix Wright porno-game?

    Semen-y. "

    Can someone confirm is something like this actually happened? 0_o

  • dirigiblebill #59 5 years ago

    Porn in games may be a bit off. Eroticism certainly isn't. Evidence for the defence: the bath sequence in Sands of Time was rather tasteful.

  • FlamingCarrot #60 5 years ago

    @ Pike

    You have a problem with that? I have no problem with porn per se its the grim subcultures that i do have a problem with. Its an open forum so im entitled to my opinion.

  • NewYork #61 5 years ago

    Here's a look at the Phoenix Wright porno game


    Look out for the classic line:

    "Aah! My breast is slimy by semen!"


    NSFW, of course.

  • dudefella #62 5 years ago

    @ kissthestick

    sadly, it did. And no, don't bother. Just... don't ask.

    @ FlamingCarrot

    I resent that statement!

  • Pike #63 5 years ago

    You can express whatever opinions you want. I just happen to think you are a bit silly when you say certain types of Japanese porn isn't acceptable.

    Sure plenty Japanese porn seems pretty damned repellant, but it's still just fantasies. If people want to fantasise in repulsive ways that is their perogative.

  • Quinch #64 5 years ago

    It's good to see the Japanese not letting disabilities dim their rape fantasies. I'm sure there aren't too many amputee detectives rolling the streets of Tokyo.

  • bonker #65 5 years ago

    "rolling"

    lol

  • stoopidgreg #66 5 years ago

    their faces are scary!

  • Verwandlung #67 5 years ago

    http://th eculturalgutter.com/movies/long...
    Edited by 1 at 10/05/07 @ 15:00

  • dudefella #68 5 years ago

    haha thanks for that link NewYork, it provided me with many laughs

  • Scimarad #69 5 years ago

    I really must stop taking all those hallucinogenic drugs because for a second I thought I saw...nah.

    /wanders off

  • zuljin #70 5 years ago

    @Pike
    "Sure plenty Japanese porn seems pretty damned repellant, but it's still just fantasies. If people want to fantasise in repulsive ways that is their perogative."

    Amen. To go one step further tho, I believe that if you're not hurting anyone, and everyone involved is consenting, I'm quite happy for people to do whatever it is they get off on.

    @dirigiblebill
    "Porn in games may be a bit off."
    Why is that? I agree it may not be right in the US, since ratings are advisory only, but in the UK, where it is illegal to buy adult games when underage, I don't see why not...

  • Aretak #71 5 years ago

    "Here's a look at the Phoenix Wright porno game"

    Absoloutely brilliant. I nearly wet myself laughing so much. :D

  • dudefella #72 5 years ago

    I considered God of Wars tits sequence more humorous than anything else, and it fit right in imo. Fahrenheit just went all kinds of crazy in the end, so considering that, I don't think cop woman having sex with a dead-but-not-really Nicholas was all that far-fetched :p The world WAS ending, y'know...

  • dudefella #73 5 years ago

    Oh man, of course! /slaps head

    MORE LIKE ERO-GAMER

    MIRITE?!


    /coat

  • kissthestick #74 5 years ago

    @ NewYork


    just read the whole thing, god damn that was awesome :D :D :D :D

  • NewYork #75 5 years ago

    Well, less sex in normal games because my whole family sees that s***. Especially in western games where it just looks ugly.

    But games specifically made for breast fondlage? Rock on.

  • BremXJones #76 5 years ago

    David McCarthy: I salute thee.

    KG

  • NewYork #77 5 years ago

    David McCarthy for President. \o/

  • dirigiblebill #78 5 years ago

    @ zuljin

    I'm thinking in terms of quality control, not age limits. I wouldn't applaud the spread of porn to mainstream gaming because porn is crude and superficial (not to mention generally sexist). Erotica can be just as explicit but manages to be intelligent with it.

    It's all a matter of personal taste, of course :p

    PS. I'm aware that I'm starting to contradict what I wrote in the Lost in Blue review thread. Just in case anyone wants to pick me up on it.

  • ecureuil #79 5 years ago

    No need to thank me for the Phoenix Drive link, you're welcome. :p

  • NewYork #80 5 years ago

    ecureuil has it in his favourites.

  • NewYork #81 5 years ago

    Wait, nothing weird about that.

  • kissthestick #82 5 years ago

    Pheonix Drive needs a sequel!

  • NewYork #83 5 years ago

    It really does.

  • Psi #84 5 years ago

    well done eurogamer, are you drunk today. this article needs to be printed out and stuffed in a hedge next to some railway lines.

  • NewYork #85 5 years ago

    Why is everyone so sickened?

    There wasn't even one ladynipple in that article. THAT'S what makes me angry.

  • Psi #86 5 years ago

    http://www.page3.co.uk that link should work mate

    nsfw for people with no common sence

  • miiiguel #87 5 years ago

    I'd love to find Rapeman (not Albini's Rapeman), at some store but I can't find it anywhere.
    I found an obscure VHS rip on a P2P network, but it wasn't watchable.

  • ilmaestro #88 5 years ago

    How can you have a bluffer's guide to 'hentai' games without mentioning Fate/Stay Night? (if by some chance my F3 key isn't working properly and you did mention it, sorry).

    York: Oh snap!! Great link.
    Edited by 1 at 10/05/07 @ 15:33

  • rodpad #89 5 years ago

    What? No mention of the brilliant game "True Love" at all!

    Pfft!

  • zuljin #90 5 years ago

    @dirigiblebill
    "I'm thinking in terms of quality control, not age limits. I wouldn't applaud the spread of porn to mainstream gaming because porn is crude and superficial (not to mention generally sexist). Erotica can be just as explicit but manages to be intelligent with it."

    I see your point. From that perspective I think its really just a case of developers/movie makers acting intelligently with how they introduce erotica/porn into media. And theres always films where nudity just wasn't necessary, I think we're starting to see that with games too. (Specifically thinking of any Van Damme film. They ALWAYS show his bare ass, not really for plot reasons, but it did get the ladies to watch... Apparently!)

    PS: Porn is a synonym of erotica :)

  • MercenaryRaiden #91 5 years ago

    @Ilmaestro

    Because Fate/Stay Night (and Tsukihime for that matter) are more about the plot than the H-Scenes.

  • MercenaryRaiden #92 5 years ago

    @rodpad

    Mmm that was a good one.

    List is also missing Seasons of Sakura which i thought was quite good.

    I mean...er...

  • ilmaestro #93 5 years ago

    Hmm, I guess they are more adventure games than ero games. rodpad's right though, True Love should have been mentioned, surely?

  • zuljin #94 5 years ago

    @dirigiblebill
    Sorry just thought of something... I agree not to take it to mainstream, but thats quite unlikely to happen anyways. Even films are not really in mainstream either, and the ones that tried (Baise Moi - I'm looking at you), were awful. Although if a developer wants to make a good game with good gameplay and lots of nudity/sex/violence, then sell it in an adult store, then I don't really have a problem with that.

    But I will admit to buying it "for the gameplay" just as much as buying porn "for the acting" :)

  • absolutezero #95 5 years ago

    <a href="http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=r8be8pL0lhw
    ">http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=r8be8pL0lhw
    </a>

    DOTE UP A CAT.

    Sexy Beach 3 is awesome.

    Someone else mentioned Rapeman, im sure the RAWs of the manga got uploaded somewhere at some point. The anime aswell. So it is out there.

    Also the comments here are far less reactionary than Ive come to expect from EG. Good job people.
    Edited by 2 at 10/05/07 @ 15:44

  • bonker #96 5 years ago

    "because porn is crude and superficial (not to mention generally sexist). "

    It certainly is.

    It cruelly takes advantage of, and manipulates, male needs.
    Edited by 1 at 10/05/07 @ 15:42

  • Ikari2001 #97 5 years ago

    lol, I have to applaud EG, I didn't see this one coming :D

    but yeah, I've played a few several years ago, and to be honest, they generally left alot to be desired gameplay wise, though the more complex looking RPG ones you just couldn't get in english (damn, I wanted those bunny-elves LOL)...

    Porn in the mainstream? That would be the end of the world wouldn't it lol Will it ever get there? LOL it won't because the (legal) sex industry is aimed squarely at the adult market (18+ with a few pervy kids nickin their dad's porn collection)... or something...

    I can't remember where this point was going... damn those naked bunny-elves :(

  • FabricatedLunatic #98 5 years ago

    Hmm, I guess they are more adventure games than ero games. rodpad's right though, True Love should have been mentioned, surely?

    I don't think the article was particularly well-researched, nor was it meant to be. The writer just picked three random games from the current crop of western releases (True Love has been out of print for years) and, er, wrote about them.

    You or I could probably have written a more informative article. Well, you could have. I don't know anything about this filth. Nothing.

  • ilmaestro #99 5 years ago

    Also, my comments have been negative, but I don't mean that as a bad reaction to the article - good idea, wicked cool to see EG publishing it.

    It's true, FabLun is as clean as a whistle. Nothing to do with the seedy underbelly of the forum.
    Edited by 2 at 10/05/07 @ 15:48

  • NewYork #100 5 years ago

    I just like those online Arkanoid/breakout style games, where the bricks are strictly where the chick's clothing are, and you have to work away at it to reveal the image underneath.

    Sometimes it comes with MULTIPLE LAYERS and makes you WORK HARD.

  • dirigiblebill #101 5 years ago

    'Although if a developer wants to make a good game with good gameplay and lots of nudity/sex/violence, then sell it in an adult store, then I don't really have a problem with that.'

    Sure thing. I can appreciate (note 'appreciate' doesn't necessarily equal 'like') a well-crafted game regardless of any gratuitous nipple coverage, providing said nipple coverage doesn't find its way into the hands of minors.

  • ecureuil #102 5 years ago

    ecureuil has it in his favourites.

    It's my homepage. :)

  • NewYork #103 5 years ago

    "You or I could probably have written a more informative article. Well, you could have. I don't know anything about this filth. Nothing."

    I think his main falling was when he tried writing about them. What is there to say? I would have just put up a gallery, if I'd wrote it. Images are worth a thousand words.

  • Dynamize #104 5 years ago

    I bought DiviDead a few years ago on the back of TheUnderDogs review of it, saying it was good. I thought it was going to be a text adventure/point'n'click with adult themes. It wasn't. It was bollocks. The artwork was nice, but it was batshit-crazy, stupidly crass, and you didn't actually do anything except exhaust dialogue options and visits to locations, until you'd done the right thing by accident.

    Truelove was a novel little RPG-lite thingy, but again batshit-crazy. I couldn't help thinking, when I played it years ago, that they could've spent more time on the mechanics and romance stuff; instead of spending it drawing lurid pictures. That would've been a better game, or indeed "dating sim", than the pr0no they actually produce/d.

  • zuljin #105 5 years ago

    @dirigiblebill
    "...providing said nipple coverage doesn't find its way into the hands of minors."

    Yes. Because the last thing we want is for minors to see covered nipples!

    :p

  • dirigiblebill #106 5 years ago

    @ bonker

    Have you ever met any males who complained? ;)

  • NewYork #107 5 years ago

    STOP COVERING NIPPLES.

  • FabricatedLunatic #108 5 years ago

    Images are worth a thousand words.
    Indeed. He could have just provided a link to J-List or Something Awful and been done with it.

  • FWB #109 5 years ago

    Hentai means pervert.

  • kincaide #110 5 years ago

    So what's the best Hentai DS games?

  • NewYork #111 5 years ago

    I just call 'em porono games.

    Why hide behind candy-coated Japanese terms.

  • NewYork #112 5 years ago

    Porno games, even.

  • spongebob #113 5 years ago

    Only in EG, and I mean that in the good way.

  • NewYork #114 5 years ago

    @kincaide

    If you want naughty DS games, Joystiq had an interesting article.

    None of them look that good, but it's a good start.

  • absolutezero #115 5 years ago

    Funnily enough the Japanese don't call them Hentai games either since someone has already pointed out Hentai means perverted.

    Why was'nt Kana reviewed?

    Imouto ;_;

  • miiiguel #116 5 years ago

    I think if these kinda games/anime movies were made by western devs they would be called sickos, and all kinda unpleasent adjectives, but since they come from Japan they tend to gain an aura of cult.

    And again Rapeman rocks.

  • NewYork #117 5 years ago

    I like that the witch touching game got rated 15.

    /pervs

  • Overlush #118 5 years ago

    So, a slow day the EG office...

  • Nillsens #119 5 years ago

    O LAWD IZ DAT SUM PRONZ!?!?

    funnies

  • KaiB #120 5 years ago

    Am I the only one that wishes that this was a C&C 3 review instead of a information that can be easilly (and is more comprehensive) found in wiki under:

    [link url=http://en.wikiped ia.org/wiki/Hentai
    ]http://en.wikiped ia.org/wiki/Hentai
    [/link]

    (for the people with tenticle envy)

    ;)

  • YourMessageHere #121 5 years ago

    It's easy to condemn the apparent Japanese fascination with rape/sexual violence etc. but perhaps it's like violent games in general in that getting it out of your system without hurting anyone tends to mean fewer actual incidents occur (this is of course debateable, but I would argue for this idea). For example, a quick websearch got me this:

    [link url=http://www.gmu.edu/facstaff/sexual/brochures/Worl dStats2005.pdf
    ]http://ww w.gmu.edu/facstaff/sexual/broch...[/link]

    which says in 1993 in the UK, 23% of 430 North London women reported that they were forced into sex, while in Japan in 2000, 6.2% of 1287 Yokohama women reported that they had been.

    Admittedly, this is reported rapes, rather than all rapes including those unreported, and the Japanese police are notoriously unconcerned about rape, and their legal system is notoriously hard to secure rape convictions under (although I seem to recall hearing that the conviction rate here is only about 2%). Even so, there's still a sizeable disparity between figures there. I'm not saying bent games stop rape, I'm just saying maybe there's some correlation and we shouldn't be so quick to judge it bad.

  • kincaide #122 5 years ago

    /tips hat to NewYork

    They'll make wonderful thought-provoking presents

  • zuljin #123 5 years ago

    @YourMessageHere
    Interesting point, one I actually very much agree with... Though I do have to point out that honour is a very important aspect of Japanese culture, and in that sense I think reports of rape made, in addition to those investigated would be lower than in say the UK.

    I read a paper a while ago that looked into the relation between porn and rape:
    [link url=http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=9130 13
    ]http://pa pers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?a...[/link]

    Download at the bottom.

  • Razz #124 5 years ago

    OMG!

    /cums on sock

  • smelly #125 5 years ago

    Come on.

    Does ANYONE really get turned on by drawings of school girls having sex?

  • NewYork #126 5 years ago

    Heterosexuals.

  • Toonster #127 5 years ago

    I just realized that if I rearrange the letters in FabricatedLunatic, I would could get LubricatedFanatic. Makes perfect sense for the article.

  • Toonster #128 5 years ago

    /cums on sock

    /expects to see Tumbleweed pop up and go 'OMGWTF?'

  • YourMessageHere #129 5 years ago

    Thanks Zuljin, that thing might even happen to be useful in the essay I have to write this weekend! Awsum gratz and the like.

    BTW nice work EG, and thankyou New York, you've made this comments section hilarious.

  • PlugMonkey #130 5 years ago

    @Dudefella
    "Fahrenheit's bit wasn't a cinematic masterpiece but I thought it worked decently in the game's context. It's certainly more mature than was most games have attempted with regards to the subject matter."

    context? it was so far out of context it was silly! there was no development between the two people involved (we are talking about the end sex scene right) that whole game started off well, but just decended into stupid. I don't see how its any more mature than God of Wars awful attempt at it (which incidently makes me dislike the game).

    Not to mention the fact that one of the protagonists was A WALKING F***ING CORPSE!!! at the time the copulation took place. Christ almightly, that game went so badly wrong. We couldn't stop playing it. It was like watching a car crash unfold in slow motion.

    I thought the boobies in God of War fitted in quite well. I took it as a tongue in cheek nod to the gratuitous nudity in films like Conan.

  • ekko #131 5 years ago

    Gonzo Journalism.

  • tumbleweed #132 5 years ago

    OMGWTF!

  • smelly #133 5 years ago

    @Newyork: "Heterosexuals."

    Do you not mean sad teenage kids and 40 year old blokes who still live in their parents basement?

  • AOFanboi #134 5 years ago

    <em>porn is crude and superficial (not to mention generally sexist).</em>

    And this is different from games how? Muscular males single-mindedly massacring opposition, whether aliens or other males. Whenever women appear in games they usually have big tits (Tomb Raider, the DOAXXX series) or else their games do not sell well (Beyond Good and Evil; various adventure games like Syberia and TLJ).

  • NewYork #135 5 years ago

    "Do you not mean sad teenage kids and 40 year old blokes who still live in their parents basement?"

    Dude, they're naked chicks. I think you're over-analysing :D

  • Jamaicangmr #136 5 years ago

    Oh may you finally done it. lol! I get the appeal of these games but i find it sad that some gamers have to resort to these types of games. I mean come on just turn of your PS3 for a while and go outside and talk to a girl. Or hell keep your PS3 on just buy Super rub a dub and your well on your way to gettin a girl in your couch. The rest is up to you but buyin into this is inexcusable. lol! I gotta admit i sometimes look under Taki's skirt when she kicks high but thats about it lol!

  • Freek #137 5 years ago

    What was that about porn being dumb and for only men? Go educate yourself.
    Edited by 1 at 10/05/07 @ 20:12

  • pjmaybe #138 5 years ago

    Holy crap..! Was this "Write a story to see if you could bait the Daily Mail" week or something?

    Nice one!

    Peej

  • prettyboytim #139 5 years ago

    "Ahhh...! Chief... May I do Onanism...?"

    Fantastic!

  • peak_performance #140 5 years ago

    Nice article, but t'was the comments section that made my day.

  • smelly #141 5 years ago

    "Dude, they're naked chicks. I think you're over-analysing :D"


    No, they're DRAWINGS of naked SCHOOLGIRLS.

    there's a difference.


  • FabricatedLunatic #142 5 years ago

    Art has been used to titillate for centuries. It's nothing new.

  • absolutezero #143 5 years ago

    @smelly

    Good job using the oldest insult on the internet and completly invalidating any worthwhile opinions that you may have had.

    OMG MOMS BASEMENT LOL

  • smelly #144 5 years ago

    "Good job using the oldest insult on the internet and completly invalidating any worthwhile opinions that you may have had"

    I dont have an argument.

    Im merely trying to figure out who'd be sad enough to find this stuff titulating.

  • NewYork #145 5 years ago

    People with a penis.

  • absolutezero #146 5 years ago

    and your doing that how?

    Come now, your trolling and badly at that, if you really wanted to know why both men and women enjoy hentai then you would have asked, not gone down the path of "all hentai is of under-aged schoolgirls who are raped". Which made you look like a fucktard in the eyes of anyone with more than 10 braincells.

    Its a fetish, get over it.
    Edited by 1 at 10/05/07 @ 21:15

  • NewYork #147 5 years ago

    People with a penis each, I mean.

    Not one penis between them.

  • NewYork #148 5 years ago

    Yeah, but they also like Paris Hilton over there.

    There's no understanding 'em.

  • absolutezero #149 5 years ago

    Its already been mentioned but alot of the sexual harrasment and rape cases are never brought to the attention of the authorities. Thats something to do with the social structure and culture of Japan not cartoon porn.

    If anyone anywhere let hentai dehumanise women then there was already something wrong there to begin with, much like the age-old videogames = violence theory.

  • bushwod #150 5 years ago

    Down with this sort 'ta thing!

    Carefull now.


    Is it worring that this is the busiest comments thread on eurogamer?!?

  • NewYork #151 5 years ago

    Nah, it's like in sitcoms where the dad finds his kid reading porn, so he gives him a deep meaningful lecture, but secretly celebrates when he leaves the room.

  • FabricatedLunatic #152 5 years ago

    York is on form today :D

  • TheUnionFrag #153 5 years ago

    Why would I want fake Japanese porn for money when I have *ahem* access to free real Western porn right here on this newfangled interweb thing . . .

  • NewYork #154 5 years ago

    I'm pretty sure you can illegally download either.

  • smelly #155 5 years ago

    "if you really wanted to know why both men and women enjoy hentai then you would have asked, not gone down the path of "all hentai is of under-aged schoolgirls who are raped". "


    No, i didnt say anything of the sort. I said, does anyone get turned on by drawings of school girls having sex?

    Ignore the schoolgirl bit, and you're still left with drawings.

    But you've answered my question i guess. Yes kids who post on gaming forums find drawings of people having sex a turn on.

    I didnt realise people outside of japan actually got excited by this stuff, i thought it was people watching it for a laugh. I was obviously wrong.

    Dunno if i feel any better or worse about the state of humanity now though.

  • smelly #156 5 years ago

    i've just drawn a picture in "windows paint" of a woman taking a dump into a girls mouth.

    Anyone want to buy it off me?

  • NewYork #157 5 years ago

    Yeah, people get turned on by drawings.

    The sky is freakin' falling.

  • absolutezero #158 5 years ago

    How long have you been on the internet smelly?

    You seem awfully naive to some of the more debased elements of real life porn to be offended and confused by cartoons having sex.

    Also it was'nt you that said this then "No, they're DRAWINGS of naked SCHOOLGIRLS. " or was that my imagination?
    Edited by 1 at 10/05/07 @ 22:51

  • ilmaestro #159 5 years ago

    I don't enter the comments section that often, but isn't smelly a pretty notorious troll? Just leave him be.

  • zuljin #160 5 years ago

    @absolutezero
    "Its already been mentioned but alot of the sexual harrasment and rape cases are never brought to the attention of the authorities. Thats something to do with the social structure and culture of Japan not cartoon porn."

    Thats what I said and if you read my post, I said it was a cultural thing as well. Follow the link to that guys thesis however and he argues that sex crime is decreasing as porn becomes more widespread.

  • smelly #161 5 years ago

    "Also it was'nt you that said this then "No, they're DRAWINGS of naked SCHOOLGIRLS. " or was that my imagination?"


    Yes but i didnt say anything about rape (as was implied).

    are they not drawings?
    and are they not schoolgirls then?

    Funny, looks like drawings of schoolgirls to me.

    Next you'll be telling me they're photos of real women?

  • smelly #162 5 years ago

    >ut isn't smelly a pretty notorious troll?

    If by "troll" you mean "someone who has a different opinion to that of the majority" then yes i fall into that category on this forum.

    It seems that if you disagree with people or ask questions, then you're a troll.

    I just dont get how/why people can get off on drawings. Its a new one on me. I knew it existed, but i thought purely in japan and teenage boys who couldnt find pictures of real girls on the internet.

    Obviously it's more popular than i thought.. and that i find quite a scary prospect.

  • zuljin #163 5 years ago

    @ilmaestro
    "I don't enter the comments section that often, but isn't smelly a pretty notorious troll? Just leave him be."

    Hahahahaha! Absolutely classic...

    Coming from someone that starts threads like this:

    [link url=http://www.eurogamer.net/forum_thr ead_posts.php?thread_id=82833&category_id=71
    ]http://ww w.eurogamer.net/forum_thread_po...[/link]

  • NewYork #164 5 years ago

    So that explains why ilmaestro said "all animé's for queers and men who like men." He was setting a trap :o

  • NewYork #165 5 years ago

    Even though he's right.

  • smelly #166 5 years ago

    @zuljin:

    Explains a lot really.

    Wonders how many other children do this.

  • NewYork #167 5 years ago

    And that joke about all catholic priests liking this smut wasn't on either. O_O

  • smelly #168 5 years ago

    So okay NewYork.

    Ignoring the trolls.

    You seemed upset when i said its drawings of schoolgirls. But to me, that's what it looks like.

    Obviously its drawings (no-one will contest that), but they do look like schoolgirls.

    Im not trying to troll here or something, i just dont understand how that is in any way erotic?

    Well any more than a drawing of mickey mouse rimming donald anyhows?

  • el_pollo_diablo #169 5 years ago

    "I just dont get how/why people can get off on drawings."

    +1

  • ilmaestro #170 5 years ago

    zuljin, have you... actually read that thread?

  • smelly #171 5 years ago

    Ignoring "ilmaestro".. so if it looks like im not making sense regarding the conversation from here on, please let me know.

  • mrharvest #172 5 years ago

    How did I miss this!

    Yeah, decent article. Though it'd have been nice if they'd mentioned visual novels, and that not all 18 rated Japanese games are crass porn. And for a bluffer's guide they sure didn't mention that many essential titles...

  • smelly #173 5 years ago

    Hey MrHarvest/NewYork.

    I'm obviously a bit naieve on these things, so i'll educate myself - maybe then i could understand.

    What would you consider to be the top 3 essential titles of the genre (in english please)?
    Edited by 1 at 11/05/07 @ 00:16

  • VMerken #174 5 years ago

    You know, http://www.somethingaw ful.com has this awesome, comprehensive Hentai Game Review section maintained by Zack "Geist Editor" Parsons... kept me from ever touching the stuff, yet have an excellent time reading about it. Inquire there for more info you never wanted to hear on titles such the ones reviewed here, and titles that will taint your soul forever by merely reading about them.

  • captain_cupcake #175 5 years ago

    Great gaming article. Very british very cool. Very true.

  • YourMessageHere #176 5 years ago

    Smelly, when you were at school, were you not in the least bit enticed by any of the schoolgirls around you? In Japan many people go straight into long hours of hard work after school and look back on their time in school as something of a golden age, including their school romances. That's where the schoolgirls thing comes from. Also, remember that in Japan the minimum age for consenting to sex is 14 (I think).

    All this "OMFGWTFBBQ how do you get turned on by drawings" talk has clearly avoided the fact that there's been erotic art designed to turn people on for as long as there's been any other art; are you saying you find it inconceivable that people found, for example, nudes by Botticelli or Rubens or the many erotic sketches by Klimt arousing in their time and context? All you need is an appreciation of the style; there's nothing deviant about that.
    Edited by 1 at 11/05/07 @ 01:08

  • Daikon #177 5 years ago

    Gameplay-wise these "games" are actually totally crap.

    Seriously, the fact that that so much cartoon porn exists - and much of it violent, featuring small girls, and that every tiny convenience store in Japan has 30 or so of those magazines (right next to the pachinko magazines) says a lot about the sexual depravity of Japanese males.
    There, I've said it. And I live in and love Japan.

    According to Wikipedia, Hentai is a Japanese word that can mean 'change of shape', 'abnormality' or 'metamorphosis'.

    That's the literal translation. The best translation I can think of would be "pervert" or "perverted".

    Oh and 10+ to EG for covering this sick filth. Even though most publications wouldn't touch this stuff with a ten yard stick it is part of gaming culture.
    You guys deserve a prize for best gaming site or something like that.

  • smelly #178 5 years ago

    >says a lot about the sexual depravity of Japanese males.

    and people who post on this forum it seems.

  • Daryoon #179 5 years ago

    People take these games seriously?!

    I thought they were meant for hilarious hijinks!

  • HelloWorld #180 5 years ago

    Probably been done already but...

    I'd give an arm and a leg for some amputee porn.

    Hahahahahahaha. Seriously though, porn with real ladies is better.

  • otto #181 5 years ago

    "Obviously it's more popular than i thought.. and that i find quite a scary prospect."

    Oh noes! People like sex! Teh human race is DOOMED!

  • smelly #182 5 years ago

    "sex with cartoon characters" the human race is doomed! You mean?

    Mind you jessica rabbit was hot.

  • jamespo #183 5 years ago

    You really are desperate for attention aren't you smelly?

    Even posting multiple times on this sad little thread.

  • zuljin #184 5 years ago

    @ilmaestro
    I did. Personally, I think provoking people (whether troll or not), is a weird thing to do. If you get your kicks on it fine, whatever. To then boast about it in the forums, is downright childish.

    Like mouse said, "What do you want, a fucking medal?".

  • bonker #185 5 years ago

    "@ bonker
    Have you ever met any males who complained? ;) "

    No but i'm right, yes?

    It really does fuck me off the whole 'degrading to women' thing, it's no less degrading to men IMO but as the media is 99% female/homo dominated that sort of thing can never be talked about ...

    Have to say that I LOLed when I saw the amount of comments on this thread when I got to work this morning :)

  • bonker #186 5 years ago

    @YourMessageHere
    "It's easy to condemn the apparent Japanese fascination with rape/sexual violence etc. but perhaps it's like violent games in general in that getting it out of your system without hurting anyone tends to mean fewer actual incidents occur (this is of course debateable, but I would argue for this idea). For example, a quick websearch got me this:

    [link url=http://ww w.gmu.edu/facstaff/sexual/broch...
    ]http://ww w.gmu.edu/facstaff/sexual/broch...[/link]

    which says in 1993 in the UK, 23% of 430 North London women reported that they were forced into sex, while in Japan in 2000, 6.2% of 1287 Yokohama women reported that they had been.

    Admittedly, this is reported rapes, rather than all rapes including those unreported, and the Japanese police are notoriously unconcerned about rape, and their legal system is notoriously hard to secure rape convictions under (although I seem to recall hearing that the conviction rate here is only about 2%). Even so, there's still a sizeable disparity between figures there. I'm not saying bent games stop rape, I'm just saying maybe there's some correlation and we shouldn't be so quick to judge it bad. "


    2 things:

    1/ Having those two sets of people perceive the same question in anything like the same way is pretty darn unlikely given the MASSIVE cultural differences. At times, Japanese girls can come across as so submissive as to make me think they wouldn't know the difference between un/forced ...

    2/ North London. I think you know what I'm saying here ...

  • FlamingCarrot #187 5 years ago

    Seems the thread turned into a mass debate!

    Geddit??

    / drinks coffee, smirks

  • bonker #188 5 years ago

    @Jamaican
    "Oh may you finally done it. lol! I get the appeal of these games but i find it sad that some gamers have to resort to these types of games. I mean come on just turn of your PS3 for a while and go outside and talk to a girl."

    Have you seen/talked to yer average English girl?! :s

    "Or hell keep your PS3 on just buy Super rub a dub and your well on your way to gettin a girl in your couch. The rest is up to you but buyin into this is inexcusable. lol! I gotta admit i sometimes look under Taki's skirt when she kicks high but thats about it lol! "

    Indeed. How many of us were getting a semi for Chun-Li and her legs in SFII?

    /holds hand up

  • NewYork #189 5 years ago

    <a href="http://www.homemedia4u.com/catal og/product_info.php?products_id=1603&osCsid=41df"&g t;I'm still hot on Chun Li</A> (NSFW).

    Those legs o_0

  • bonker #190 5 years ago

    "I'm still hot on Chun Li (NSFW).

    Those legs o_0 "

    Well Chun-Li was pretty cute and played to my hosiery fetish so I had no chance ...

    That model just weirded me out so badly lol
    Edited by 1 at 11/05/07 @ 09:52

  • dirigiblebill #191 5 years ago

    Chun Li? Tut. Kylie, on the other hand...

    @ bonker

    Arguably most porn represents (undistorted) male fantasies, but I see what you're saying. The feminist old guard tend to depict porn as the latest in mysoginistic tyranny, when in reality it can be demeaning to either sex.

    I don't agree that the media is biased towards women and homosexuals.

  • chischis #192 5 years ago

    Peach Princess have released a couple of games with gameplay; real, proper gameplay. Brave Soul is a Diablo-style RPG, although somehow it's even more repetitive than Diablo. And more recently, Pretty Soldier Wars, which is a turn-based battle strategy game.

    Not by PeaPri, there's also Wordsworth, a fun 3D dungeon crawler which, whilst not up to the standards of Ultima Underworld, has excellent cel art and a good story. Don't go near the anime, though! The WW game has an unofficial translation out there, but you have to pay for it.

    Uh, yeah, I guess this is the point where I admit I've played some of these games. ;P Seriously, it's not all senseless shagging. Kana and Crescendo have really nice stories and characters, the latter especially also has some superb art. PeaPri has put out their fair share of rubbish though, like most of the rest of the games. X-Change can sod right off. Personally I'm more looking forward to Odin Sphere...
    Edited by 2 at 11/05/07 @ 11:55

  • bonker #193 5 years ago

    @dirigiblebill
    "Arguably most porn represents (undistorted) male fantasies, but I see what you're saying. The feminist old guard tend to depict porn as the latest in mysoginistic tyranny, when in reality it can be demeaning to either sex.

    I don't agree that the media is biased towards women and homosexuals. "

    Well they're defo anti-men IMO which kinda leaves them pro-everything else ... :)

  • Nadir #194 5 years ago

    Good article. Well written.

    Interesting in that it's also granted a revealing insight into the age demographic of your average EG comment writers.

    Or perhaps that's just me.

  • NewYork #195 5 years ago

    Breasts.

  • SomaticSense #196 5 years ago

    This has managed to reach over 200 comments!?!?!? I thought this kind of mass comment activity was reserved purely for "Sony fucks Europe again" articles?

    At least I've found myself a new insult which few people will understand...

    "YAOI LOVER!!!"

  • Poorandugly #197 5 years ago

    Interesting article. Not my kind of thing, but a good read.

    Also: Yay to comment section :)

  • James173 #198 5 years ago

    Funny shit - the review and the games.

  • captain-future #199 5 years ago

    +1 to Eurogamer for having the balls to do something like this

    Nothing interesting here, just walk on. Nothing special, I thought it was pretty public knowledge what Hentai games are?

  • NegativeZero #200 5 years ago

    You're really not getting a balanced view by looking only at stuff that's been translated into English. They don't sell very well, so it's generally only the stuff with crappy plot, awful art and 'gameplay' that might have been new and fresh in 1995 which are available in English. It's doubtful that these even do well in Japan. The stuff which gets re-published with the porn removed on consoles is usually much better in terms of plot, for example. You can also look for the ones that are eventually made into successful TV Anime. Judging the whole genre by the dregs that get translated is a lot like rading a bargain bin for PS2 games you've never heard of and then assuming that everything on the system is like that.

  • VMerken #201 5 years ago

    NegativeZero: since you brought it up - it might be interesting, then, to see one of these better games actually make it over here and change our collective western minds on the matter. We can only judge based upon what is given to us, and personally I do not intend to learn Japanese in order to seek out the quality titles in this genre.

  • SmileyDudette #202 5 years ago

    What about Idolmaster?

  • Bluetooth #203 5 years ago

    "There was a time (those mid teenage years) when I sought long and hard for this kind of thing, now it's just meh."

    Let me guess, right about the time you lost your virginity?

  • mcmonkeyplc #204 5 years ago

    I go to Australia and EG gets cool!

  • ExplodingClown #205 5 years ago

    Yeah yeah, uber-late post, sue me. Just found this article.

    Best place for some side-splittingly funny (and punishingly critical) reviews of these terrible abberations is here:

    [link url=http://www.somethingawful.com/d/hentai-game-reviews /index.php
    ]http://ww w.somethingawful.com/d/hentai-g...[/link]

    On a more personal note, I suggest that anyone buying these games should have to submit a DNA sample. That way when their semen is found in some abducted schoolgirl's corpse they'll be so much easier to find....

  • cjs #206 1 year ago

    The "tasteful pixelation" is probably not due to actual taste, but Japanese law. It's illegal to show public hair or genital areas in Japan, so all porn sold Japan uses this sort of pixelation.

  • delectat #207 1 year ago

    wow, you guys are prudes.

  • tentacular #208 11 months ago

    I don't play that much hentai because ultimately finding the good ones is a massively tedious chore, and very few are translated into English, but nevertheless, if you, like many, long for games to grow the hell up and start catering to adults who want to see drama, sex, and mature themes instead of the same old crap, hentai is as close as you'll get.

    The closest thing we have in the west that is in any way related is a handful of decent interactive fiction games, and little glimpses of a better future in games like Heavy Rain.

    It's a shame the article was, ultimately, just a superficial glimpse into this gaming genre.
    The truth is there is a very wide range of stuff out there, from those that are little more than animated comics on computers with virtually zero interaction, to games that aim to simulate a (for example) college life with a lot of freedom and activity, and everything in between.
    And you've got everything from character dramas with zero sex and great stories to non-stop mindless tentacle rape porn.
    This was kind of like watching a sci-fi 50s B-movie and Star Trek VI and saying "wow, sci-fi is pretty crap".

    I happily admit most of the stuff out there is crap, but this is a universal truth in general.

    Honestly I think you'll find in hentai games a genre that simply doesn't exist in the west. By this I mean games that focus primarily on characters and their relationships. We westerners think this is pansy-ass crap for chicks and opt for the mindless "get to the point" approach whether we're talking about action or porn. But in truth nothing gets you involved like a good story, no sex scene moves you as much as the one where you know and care for the characters. The death of a stranger is an action scene - the death of someone you know is a tragedy.

    I'd say hentai games are an evolution of books and comics, while our western games are an evolution of sports and, at best, films.