Ajogamer

 

...but Remember11 that introduced me to the series and got me really wanting to play the games by randomly stumbling upon its opening on Youtube (I remember thinking it seemed like a VERY intriguing mystery/suspense game, plus I liked the artstyle).

Ahh, I actually was silly and didn't realize the game had an opening at first. I'd just hit buttons to get the main screen (totally not thinking "oh hey, this might have an OP" so I had obviously kept skipping it. However, my version came with each individual "movie" in the game, so while avoiding the others for any sort of spoilers, I quickly played the opening and utterly agree with what you said. I think Remember11 has the best opening of any visual novel I've ever seen; I especially like that they went as far as to put the characters in anime form with their particular Jungian Psychology Type~ So, yes, I couldn't agree more, Ajo. The opening is truly a delight. (Despite having beaten the game a bit back, I still randomly play it at times to relieve that Remember11 nostalgia, heh.)

Ajogamer

 

...as a result, it also doesn't have quite as big a payoff near the end due to certain details not being fully revealed. I'd say its story is at least as good as Ever17's once you really have an understanding of it...

Mm, yes. Both stories are fascinating, although I believe because Ever17 managed the slice of life tone at times with the suspense and tension, it's a bit overall an easier game to play, on a mental level. I feel as though you really have to be in a particular place to be ready to play Remember11 -- but it's *so* rewarding. As Ajo mentioned though, they don't reveal everything. I must admit though, the game's creators really did try their best to give you as much as they could, they really did.

Also, as Ajo mentioned, there's extra material where things that weren't explained in-game have been fleshed out rather nicely, so it's a good, solid, intelligent play. (Just...a little too intelligent, ahaha. When I'm looking to pop on a VN at night, I prefer Ever17 -- again, more slice-of-life -- less 'ahh sleepy, big words.'

Ajogamer

 

I also really love how there are a lot of details and hints scattered throughout that you may not realize upon your first playthrough, but that can be pretty neat to see and give deeper meaning to certain events later on...

Agreed! I'm still replaying a lot of this for the 2nd time (In Ever17, that is) and I'll see something EXTREMELY MINUTE -- like, something so utterly unimportant at the time -- and I'm like..."oh. THAT'S why they mentioned that~" It's so much fun! On a side note, if Dubes is playing, I'd love to know if he managed to figure out anything in advance. (While I noted some things I'll mention in our PMs about the respective games, I certainly was far off-track with any sorta theory I had, haha.)

Ajogamer

 

...and Ever17 is still a visual novel. I'd say "favorite game" is a bit too broad a subject for me to have a #1, really...

Oh, I agree. I certainly meant "best VN" as well. Since it's also a "game" in a respect, I mixed the vocab up, sorry~ Yeah, it's certainly not my favorite "game" for all the reasons you listed. Seriously. The great feeling of beating a boss among other things that you mentioned that you generally cannot do via a VN.

Ajogamer

 

I guess you could say that having this discussion and seeing how much you enjoyed it is my "daily yey", hehe.

Awesome! My "daily yey" is continuing this discussion & still having more Ever17 to go through as far as replay to find those awesome little minute details. (Besides also just replaying the last chapter out of pure fascination because once isn't enough.) Regardless, I know how it feels when someone enjoys a game you've recommended to them, so I'm glad I could make your daily yey as well~

Finally -

Ajogamer

 

...which is partly why I try not to hype them up too much (even if I often find it hard to resist).

Oopsie~! Haha, I kind of did just the opposite, huh? I was on such a rush from the amazing storytelling/characters that I truly couldn't resist~ Still, I agree. If they like Corpse Party, there really shouldn't be an issue with these as they have a lot of the same themes. I think a lot of people here would enjoy them, so hopefully us chit-chatting has spurred on a few folks. ^_~