Considering that exploitation of human misfortune makes my stomach turn I had to question my objectivity in rating this game. (...) Currently my rating is somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars. Let me explain.
And i am glad you did. One of my long standing qualms with ratings in general and specifically on this site is, that people often dont even try to give a somewhat objective rating, but instead dish out or detract Stars purely based on their own subjective opinion.
Let me explain:
Of course it is impossible to give a completely objective Rating, if this was the case there would be exactly one unanimous Rating shared by all Reviewers, which would match the rated Object perfectly.
It is, however, my honest opinion that any Rating lower than 4 Stars (Good) for PaleCarnation would fail to try to be somewhat objective and therefore should be disregarded as mere expression of personal preference with no impact whatsoever.
For example there are quite a lot "good" or "excellent" Movies which i personally think are overrated or would rate based on my personal enjoyment with 1 ("terrible") or 2 ("poor") Stars. Movies like Titanic, The Shining or Apocalypse Now and literally all Marvel Superheroes Movies of the past 15 Years.
But if i try to take more objective criterias like acting, production value, camera work, lighting and story into account, i have to acknowledge that some of those arent bad at all (Superheroes Movies remain terrible */jk).
And ofc you also have to take into account the general background the industry provides at a certain point of time.
Alfred Hitchcock movies for instance look nowadays often outdated and are considered "too slow"; Test views with random contemporary audiences show that those often are really appreciated only by cinephiles and cineasts, and not by the broader "normal" public. Or some dated Sci-Fi movies whose CGIs or special effects were top notch and considered "excellent" at their time and are only "meh" nowadays.
With all this said, and since there isnt a 6 Star ("Perfect") rating available, if you rate PaleCarnation based on its story, writing, production value, camera work, visuals and genre AND compare it with the backdrop of the competition the Adult Visual Novel Industry provides (meaning other VNs on this site), in my humble opinion you cant justify an "average" or lower rating.
Of course PaleCarnation is not perfect, and you mentioned some points which doesnt sit well with you (infact the Rosie Date issue was already criticized by other members, and even TD1900 considered to rewrite/clarify it at some point), leading to a somewhat subpar impression on your side.
I would like to address one or two of your concerns:
First and foremost Edwins change of mind to accept the job at the Club. He was working as a Tutor for children, a job he strongly dislikes. He gets a job offer from a former well-known aquaintance of him, Uncle of his Friend and someone he considered a Mentor like Figure back then. Of course he will check that offer and of course he is in a way appalled when he learns what the job entails.
Reality shows that people are willing to get into much worse, like prostitute themselves, join the Porn Industry or doing Drugs, when recommended by friends and/or people they trust AND this particular deal is sweetened by an offer any US-american student cant really refuse: to pay their university tuition. Guys join the army to fight and die in foreign countries for this. So honestly this motivation works for me even without porn-logic.
Second you mentioned some illogical details namely the physics class at his college, which is in my opinion a bit nitpicky, but to be honest i stumbled over this also. But since this can be changed by one single word (e.g. "biology") i didnt put much weight into it. Infact there are other inconsistencies i wanted to point out to the Dev, which i consider errors or overlookings, but nothing which cant be fixed with minor effort, and i just havent found the time yet.
So to conclude this:
You dont want to give 5 Stars? Fair enough, if you consider Edwins characterization too poor for your taste and you discovered plotholes you can not overlook.
You want to hold back your final assessment until you get a bigger picture with later releases? Even better, more members on this site should do this instead of judging prematurely.
Lets remember that honest, substantial, respectful and valid critics pointing out weaknesses in a game or plot, actually can help a Dev creating a better Game and therefore should be welcomed by the community.
Please share your thoughts on future releases of PaleCarnations.
