It took Crypton little more than a week to realize that it wasn't such a brilliant idea to put a stop to the distribution of fan-made games based on their Vocaloid singing loli, Hatsune Miku. Earlier this month, we wrote about one such banned Miku doujin game, whose developers (Ejin kenkyuusho) apparently continued to beg negociate with Crypton... and eventually received their approval, on the sole condition that they change the game's title.

Canned Dogs further notes that Crypton also took the time to revise their official guidelines, by removing the part that prohibited all doujin games featuring their Vocaloid characters, so now "people are free to make and distribute doujin games as long as it doesn’t damage [Crypton's] product image". Nice turn of events, Miku is a happy loli once more.

Then again, it could've been even nicer, if the same "liberalization" would have also applied to Hatsune Miku figures. As you may know, Wonder Festival Winter 2008 begins today, and it seems there are still problems with the licenses for Miku garage kits (unofficial figures). Well, can't win 'em all.

Another one bites the dust... Yes, sadly, another doujin game has been outcast in Japan, not long after Crypton put a stop to that Hatsune Miku doujin game exploiting their singing loli. This time, however, publisher Kadokawa Shoten is the party pooper (they're the ones handling the Suzumiya Haruhi and Lucky Star franchises). From what Canned Dogs bark, Kadokawa forced the doujin group souvenir circ. to halt the distribution of their doujin game Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekitou - which was little more than an enhanced version of last year's Suzumiya Haruhi no Chourantou (that demo version we got to try then is also gone by now). Well, not much we can say about it, other than the usual "Boo!".

With just a couple of weeks left until the much-desired release of Leaf's eroge ToHeart2: AnotherDays on February 29 (assuming it won't be delayed yet again), the game's website (via Canned Dogs) proudly announces that there will be over 100,000 copies available upon its release - which you can imagine is a pretty generous amount for an ero-game. But even so, ToHeart2: AD might sell out pretty fast, at the rate it's being hyped on the streets and otaku-infested basements of Akiba these days.

This notice is also accompanied by a new Valentine-themed wallpaper that we added in our gallery, unscrupulously so. And if that's still not enough, here are some more pics of it. As a reminder, the ToHeart2 ad OVA will be launched on March 26.

Since I was so busy sleeping through yesterday's Valentine nonsense, I'm a bit late at reporting that the visual novel game True Remembrance (originally created by Shiba Satomi in 2004) was fully released in English by insani (thanks HD). It's just a tiny 67 MB download and it should take you no more than a couple of minutes to watch its opening movie, and a (very) few hours to go through its perfectly safe for work story. Yeah, sorry to disappoint you. But if you really need some Valentine's Day eroge goodies, scroll further down in HD's article...

Crypton is such a party pooper. Just because they created Hatsune Miku and own her ass, they think they're the only ones allowed to have their way with her. Well, technically, that's about right. But still, unlike other companies whose loli idols are free to be (miss-)used in fan-made games, Crypton is decidedly opposed to such preposterous things. And to make their point, they ordered some doujin circles (Ejin kenkyuusho and Murder koubou) to stop distributing their doujin game, Tatakae! Ore no Hatsune Miku. Nevermind that the game is perfectly safe for work and doesn't contain any ero scenes; they just don't allow any doujin games based on Hatsune Miku, no matter what. Boo!



Canned Puppies poop scoop.

If you even thought that Sony's Playstation 2 is slowly becoming (or already did become) obsolete, then... think again. Here is your average Hare Hare Yukai (a dance I've seen so much that I already know how to masterfully perform it) in 3D, a small and pleasant rip from The Perplexity of Suzumiya Haruhi, a game that hit the reasonably old console recently.

About the game, some have stated it has 3 big chapters, one being Kyon's adventure through Loliland, one some sort of good old fashioned JRPG, and the last one... well, let's just say it has something to do with raising your own daughter. To do what, it is up to you.

Gief English version, plx.

I don't recall writing about the release of particular ero-games here on Animekon before, other than general trends and tops. But this definitely needs to change around here. And it needs to change today, because January 25 turns out to be a huge release day for various ero-games - almost 40, all in all! Feel free to inspect them over on Galge.com (scroll all the way down for the full list), and don't forget to bring tissues.

From these, (one of) the most awaited eroge is supposed to be Fortune Arterial, by August Soft. However, I would much rather divert my attention and feast my eyes upon Garden, by Cuffs. Even though, as the developers warned their trembling fans, two of the game's characters will not have playable routes anymore (Mana and the hottest of them all, the pink-haired Ruri), due to "production deficiencies". Oh well, demo here, trailer linked below.


Again, I urge you to check them all to find the perfect match for your fetish of choice. You'll find demo versions for many of them, once you reach their official website (if you can take the crits from those walls of kanji). For a quick taste, though, enjoy the two new local trailers introducing the lolis from Fortune Arterial and Garden.



Via HD, yet again.

The always vigilant dogs in ze can spotted a couple of highly arousing tops, pieced together by the most distinguished members of 2chan's PAW committee (Professional Anonymous Wankers). With their unrivaled knowledge in the field of self-pleasuring, they have chosen the best ero-games of 2007, as well as the best ero-manga titles of 2007. We'll let you inspect the latter for yourself, because what really turns our modem on are them gamezors. And the winners are...

1. Sekai de ichiban NG na koi (by Hermit)
2. Kira-kira (by Overdrive)
3. Katahane (by Tarte)
4. Sekien no Inganock - What a beautiful people (by Liar soft)
5. R.U.R.U.R (by Light)
6. Koitore - Ren-Ai Training (by Gindokei)
7. Soshite ashita no sekai yori (by etude)
8. Sugar+Spice! (by Chuable soft)
9. Gekkou no Carnevale (by Nitro+)
10. Ashita no kimi to au tame ni (by Purple software)

Below you can enjoy some sample images from most of these eroge, by any and all means you see fit. And when you're done enjoying them (or yourself), don't shy away from sharing your favorite(s) with the rest of us sinners.


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 Continue reading 'Best Ero-Games of 2007 [Update]'...

It seems that visual novels are not that popular outside of Japan. Or, at least, they are only appreciated in remote (and tiny) circles. Since the Western marked prefers to sink money into more “commercial” crap that is easier to understand, organizations that deal with visual novels are falling, one by one.

This is the recent case of Hirameki International, a publishing and translating company that “took care” of delightful gaming products like Ai Yori Aoshi (one of my all-time favourite), Tea Society of a Witch, and Phantom of Inferno. After their departments in Los Angeles were closed, due to huge financial loses, Hirameki announced that they will step down from the visual novel industry - and the sad thing happened on January 2nd.

Ah well, like they say... There is no BOOM in OOM. Sad, but true. If such companies are being eviscerated constantly due to the lack of interest, who the hell will translate them visual novels? Because I know that Japan won’t, they are a bunch of lazy ecchi people.

ANN scoop.

I can only hope you people are pouring more booze down your throats these days, as I keep postponing my end-of-year drinking orgy (and my liver loves me for doing so). But it's not going to last forever, oh no! So... while I'm still sobre enough to tell the difference between a loli and a married old hag, here's another round of trailers for a couple of upcoming animes - Mnemosyne (looks like a very sick - thus promising horror-show) and Shigofumi (Shinigami no Ballad meets Jigoku Shoujo?) - and for various games made in Japan:

- Mnemosyne trailer
- Shigofumi trailer #2
- Devil May Cry 4 prologue
- Devil May Cry 4 cutscene
- Ninja Gaiden 2 gameplay trailer
- Star Ocean 4 preview trailer
- Yakuza 3 trailer #2


Update: Added some shitty trailers for Neo Angelique Abyss, Kure-nai and Rosario to Vampire.