Recommending TonyMurray's Favourite Games and Favourite Girls

[tap2000]

Hey Tony, just found your recommendations thread and just want to say, thank you for doing this! Your reviews are really well written and are very usefull in selecting what game to play next!

I do have a few suggestions of some games that don't get much attention, even though they are very good:

In Her Service - takes place in a setting where lords/ladies still exist, you play as a male servant that has a previous romantic relation with the female servant and you must serve the new mistress. Very well written, good pacing, meaningful choices ( you can pursue the mistress, remain with your "girl", or go for both if you're brave enough) that allow for very different playthroughs. It may not look the "best", but the style grows on you.

New Antioch - post-apocalyptic setting, with complex lore and backstory, amazing girls, very well written and paced story and MC kinda looks like Adam Driver. This one deserves more attention than it's getting for sure.

Eternum - I have seen others suggest this one. But I must insist. Eternum is the MOTHERFUCKING G.O.A.T. That's it. #1 on your list. The girls, the animation, the writting, the BANGER soundtrack, the complex and fascinating world Caribdis has created as the absolute potential to be more than just a VN game. This is mainstream level of goodness. It does start a bit slow but, my god, is the payoff worth it!

Origin Story - in a world where super-heroes are common and powered people are everywhere you play as a generic dude... or do you? This one is just straight up fun! Great girls, good story, doesn't take itself too serious, it's just a good time.

The Seven Realms - Twilight but much better? You play as a vampire prince, get involved in crazy multi-realm political plots with your gang of crazy hot and powerfull girls! Very good writing, with a compeling narrative and engrossing cast of characters to meet and weird places to visit. With this one you can see SeptCloudGames vision/plan and it feels it's being created by someone talented and competent.

Callisto - space adventure in space with space girls and space drama. Sandbox gameplay with very cool characters and a story that takes you on an adventure! It's just a fun time with multiple endings.

 

[TonyMurray]

Hey Tony, just found your recommendations thread and just want to say, thank you for doing this! Your reviews are really well written and are very usefull in selecting what game to play next!

I do have a few suggestions of some games that don't get much attention, even though they are very good:

In Her Service - takes place in a setting where lords/ladies still exist, you play as a male servant that has a previous romantic relation with the female servant and you must serve the new mistress. Very well written, good pacing, meaningful choices ( you can pursue the mistress, remain with your "girl", or go for both if you're brave enough) that allow for very different playthroughs. It may not look the "best", but the style grows on you.

New Antioch - post-apocalyptic setting, with complex lore and backstory, amazing girls, very well written and paced story and MC kinda looks like Adam Driver. This one deserves more attention than it's getting for sure.

Eternum - I have seen others suggest this one. But I must insist. Eternum is the MOTHERFUCKING G.O.A.T. That's it. #1 on your list. The girls, the animation, the writting, the BANGER soundtrack, the complex and fascinating world Caribdis has created as the absolute potential to be more than just a VN game. This is mainstream level of goodness. It does start a bit slow but, my god, is the payoff worth it!

Origin Story - in a world where super-heroes are common and powered people are everywhere you play as a generic dude... or do you? This one is just straight up fun! Great girls, good story, doesn't take itself too serious, it's just a good time.

The Seven Realms - Twilight but much better? You play as a vampire prince, get involved in crazy multi-realm political plots with your gang of crazy hot and powerfull girls! Very good writing, with a compeling narrative and engrossing cast of characters to meet and weird places to visit. With this one you can see SeptCloudGames vision/plan and it feels it's being created by someone talented and competent.

Callisto - space adventure in space with space girls and space drama. Sandbox gameplay with very cool characters and a story that takes you on an adventure! It's just a fun time with multiple endings.

Thanks for this! Just quickly: In Her Service, New Antioch, Eternum, and Callisto are on my list to try, so hopefully at some point I'll get to them! Origin Story and The Seven Realms I have tried and didn't really get on with. Both of these were before I started tracking my list on a spreadsheet though, so I don't have notes as to why, specifically, they didn't work for me.

 

[TonyMurray]

Race of Life (my review) cards refreshed following update 3.2 - some movers, some new entries, and some new images.

 

[flaviopaganini]

Race of Life (my review) cards refreshed following update 3.2 - some movers, some new entries, and some new images.

Your assessment of the girls is spot on with what I also think.

 

[yoyojrt]

Race of Life (my review) cards refreshed following update 3.2 - some movers, some new entries, and some new images.
View attachment 4355316

Maggie might become my favorite LI if the game continues like this.

 

[yoyojrt]

Have you played Light of My Life by any chance?

 

[TonyMurray]

Have you played Light of My Life by any chance?

I haven't - that's one game where I just really dont like the look of the models. It's got a... unique art style that doesn't work for me.

 

[TonyMurray]

Okay, question from me this time: has anyone played Grandma's House? What do you make of it? It's not on my list, but I'm thinking of adding it for a trial.

 

[Ricthequick]

Okay, question from me this time: has anyone played Grandma's House? What do you make of it? It's not on my list, but I'm thinking of adding it for a trial.

First of all, great thread and reviews mate!

I did try it and is not really my thing (if I even have a single "thing" that is), played it some months ago and my poor memory isn't getting better with age, but my 2 cents are:

Visual quality - Decent, but there's way better looking VNs out there (many in your list and reviews), nothing to write home about.
Story - Is there really any meaningful story besides the one leading to various incest related lewd scenes?

This is of course a very personal opinion, but I believe it was around that time when I realized I'd rather spend time on VNs with a good story/setting or if looking for lewd scenes generators... just pick the ones that have as main focus kink/s I'm really into.

 

[TonyMurray]

First of all, great thread and reviews mate!

I did try it and is not really my thing (if I even have a single "thing" that is), played it some months ago and my poor memory isn't getting better with age, but my 2 cents are:

Visual quality - Decent, but there's way better looking VNs out there (many in your list and reviews), nothing to write home about.
Story - Is there really any meaningful story besides the one leading to various incest related lewd scenes?

This is of course a very personal opinion, but I believe it was around that time when I realized I'd rather spend time on VNs with a good story/setting or if looking for lewd scenes generators... just pick the ones that have as main focus kink/s I'm really into.

Thanks for the info. I figured that about the graphics, but that's okay if the rest makes up for it. Mostly, I want to story to be the main attraction, but sometimes there's just something about a game that covers for it. A good example (especially given the comparison) is My Dorm. The story there probably wouldn't hold me in another game, but there's just something about My Dorm that keeps me coming back to it and it's one of my favourites as a result.

 

[Ricthequick]

Thanks for the info. I figured that about the graphics, but that's okay if the rest makes up for it. Mostly, I want to story to be the main attraction, but sometimes there's just something about a game that covers for it. A good example (especially given the comparison) is My Dorm. The story there probably wouldn't hold me in another game, but there's just something about My Dorm that keeps me coming back to it and it's one of my favourites as a result.

Totally get your point and in the interest of trying to be as ojective as possible I might add that Grandma's House has a wholesome vibe to it.

Again I don't remember an real sort of story besides the "going back home and lust+bang anything in sight", but the characters all have a certain feeling to it, at least the main ones, and that feeling is that you can't dislike the Grandma, she's just a lovely and loveable person, same applies to pretty much every other family member, aunt, niece, etc...

But tbh, as weird as it might sound, that made it even harder for me to want to "bang them".

 

[Padorublad3]

Hey, have a few recommendations to try if you don't mind
The Grey Dream
Yesterday's Crossroads
Somethere I Belong
Cybernetic Seduction
The Hellcat lounge

 

[Ricthequick]

Jeez and I haven't left a single suggestion either!

Sorry mate here's a couple that probably you'd skip, considering your preferences in renders/models and game type but still worth a go imo:

Desert Stalker - I usually really dislike VNs heavy on sandbox, but this one just managed to keep me interested.
Ripples - I believe you said you don't like HS/HS2 models and renders, but this one has an interesting story (think Dark the German TV series on Netflix)and the characters are actually good.

The 2 above are relatively easy to suggest, being amongst the most liked on the site, the following one a bit less but:

Corporate Culture - I have a bit of a love&hate relationship with it, I really dig the setting and some aspects of it (including the visuals even if they are not top tier), but I do believe that despite me having no issues with slowburn VNs this is stretching it to my limits and I don't mean it about lewd scenes (you won't get many).

 

[TonyMurray]

Totally get your point and in the interest of trying to be as ojective as possible I might add that Grandma's House has a wholesome vibe to it.

That's how I feel about My Dorm, and it's one of the reasons I've been considering Grandma's House, as I thought it might have a similar feeling. Thanks for confirming.

Hey, have a few recommendations to try if you don't mind
The Grey Dream
Yesterday's Crossroads
Somethere I Belong
Cybernetic Seduction
The Hellcat lounge

Cheers!

I tried Cybernetic Seduction and wanted to like it, but I found I wasn't interested in the LIs I was able to progress with, and I wasn't able to progress with the LIs I did like. I gave up after a while because I wasn't really getting into the story, at least partially because of that.

The Hellcat Lounge is one I've looked at a couple of times but isn't on my list. What's it like?

The other three are all on my list already though, so at somepoint...!

 

[TonyMurray]

Jeez and I haven't left a single suggestion either!

Sorry mate here's a couple that probably you'd skip, considering your preferences in renders/models and game type but still worth a go imo:

Desert Stalker - I usually really dislike VNs heavy on sandbox, but this one just managed to keep me interested.
Ripples - I believe you said you don't like HS/HS2 models and renders, but this one has an interesting story (think Dark the German TV series on Netflix)and the characters are actually good.

The 2 above are relatively easy to suggest, being amongst the most liked on the site, the following one a bit less but:

Corporate Culture - I have a bit of a love&hate relationship with it, I really dig the setting and some aspects of it (including the visuals even if they are not top tier), but I do believe that despite me having no issues with slowburn VNs this is stretching it to my limits and I don't mean it about lewd scenes (you won't get many).

Thanks, and no worries, suggestions aren't a requirement!

Desert Stalker is one I tried and didn't get on with. I've got in my spreadsheet that I didn't like the story much, but no other notes.

Ripples, you're right about the models, and I think that's why I've never given it a shot. Maybe at some point though. I've not seen Dark, but I've heard stuff about it. I'd have to take a closer look at the game.

Corporate Culture... I thought I'd played it, but it's on my list to try out, so apparently not. Maybe it's another game (looking at my filters for tried games, I think maybe Culture Shock). If the story and characters are compelling, I don't mind slow burn, but I'll find out at some point.

 

[Dessolos]

That's how I feel about My Dorm, and it's one of the reasons I've been considering Grandma's House, as I thought it might have a similar feeling. Thanks for confirming.

Cheers!

I tried Cybernetic Seduction and wanted to like it, but I found I wasn't interested in the LIs I was able to progress with, and I wasn't able to progress with the LIs I did like. I gave up after a while because I wasn't really getting into the story, at least partially because of that.

The Hellcat Lounge is one I've looked at a couple of times but isn't on my list. What's it like?

The other three are all on my list already though, so at somepoint...!

if you like Intertwined you will like Yesterday's Crossroads. To me it feels like Intertwined 2.0 but with less Drama ( so far) but im sure more is to come. Also it has a bit of the whole theme of being connected to some of the characters in some way or another but not to the degree it is in Intertwined.

Intertwined is my #1 AVN and I put Yesterday's Crossroads at either #2 or #3.

The Hellcat Lounge feels like it's still the early stages of getting to know the girls. I don't think it's a harem but it plays a bit like a game where it's easy to have sex but probably will have to pick one if I had to guess as I don't think it's a harem. I didn't try the The Hellcat Lounge for the longest time because almost none of the LI are my cup of tea lookwise. When I finished playing it I ended up liking almost all the LI equally only a few I liked more. Only one I hated but I want to play all of their paths.

 

[TonyMurray]

if you like Intertwined you will like Yesterday's Crossroads. To me it feels like Intertwined 2.0 but with less Drama ( so far) but im sure more is to come. Also it has a bit of the whole theme of being connected to some of the characters in some way or another but not to the degree it is in Intertwined.

Intertwined is my #1 AVN and I put Yesterday's Crossroads at either #2 or #3.

The Hellcat Lounge feels like it's still the early stages of getting to know the girls. I don't think it's a harem but it plays a bit like a game where it's easy to have sex but probably will have to pick one if I had to guess as I don't think it's a harem. I didn't try the The Hellcat Lounge for the longest time because almost none of the LI are my cup of tea lookwise. When I finished playing it I ended up liking almost all the LI equally only a few I liked more. Only one I hated but I want to play all of their paths.

That's good to know - I don't officially list my ordered top ten, but Intertwined has to be right up there in the top three, I reckon. For The Hellcat Lounge, I refreshed my memory this morning by taking a look at the game thread, and I think the reason I didn't put it on my list to try is because of the models. Some of the girls look good, but there are far too many tattooes for me overall - I don't mind them too much on individual characters, but not when it's every character, and face tattoos are a definite turn off.

 

[Zorro#34]

Hey, have a few recommendations to try if you don't mind
The Grey Dream
Yesterday's Crossroads
Somethere I Belong
Cybernetic Seduction
The Hellcat lounge

Here's an additional perspective on two of these games:

On the Grey Dream: great visuals, superhot girls, actually good story. However, writing has issues, and the girls' looks sometimes seem too similar.

On Yesterday's Crossroads: I agree with Dessolos here:

if you like Intertwined you will like Yesterday's Crossroads. To me it feels like Intertwined 2.0 but with less Drama ( so far) but im sure more is to come. Also it has a bit of the whole theme of being connected to some of the characters in some way or another but not to the degree it is in Intertwined.

YC is, like, Intertwined with better graphics but a more "localized" story. The same connections thing, the writing is great too, the girls' personalities are respected and thoroughly explored...

 

[flaviopaganini]

These are the top 30 AVNs I have played to date, ranked by their importance and the impact they had on me when I experienced them. I highly value the storytelling and background narratives over the explicit scenes in these games.

I’ve strikethrough the ones that have already been reviewed in this thread.

1. Intertwined
2. Yesterday's Crossroads
3. Having a Hard Time
4. Hillside
5. Seeking Closure
6. Jury
7. Defending Lydia Collier
8. Chasing Sunsets
9. Depraved Awakening
10. Race of Life
11. Acting Lesson
12. Elmwood University
13. It Was Raining That Night
14. My Dorm
15. Alive
16. The Assistant (Steam Version)
17. The Seven Realms
18. A Shot in the Dark
19. Leap of Faith
20. The Entrepreneur
21. Sisterly Lust
22. Nothing is Forever
23. Summer with Mia / Returning to Mia
24. No More Secrets
25. The Grey Dream
26. Artemis
27. My Ex Future Family
28. Family Matters
29. Corporate Culture
30. My Pleasure

 

[TonyMurray]

These are the top 30 AVNs I have played to date, ranked by their importance and the impact they had on me when I experienced them. I highly value the storytelling and background narratives over the explicit scenes in these games.

I’ve strikethrough the ones that have already been reviewed in this thread.

1. Intertwined
2. Yesterday's Crossroads
3. Having a Hard Time
4. Hillside
5. Seeking Closure
6. Jury
7. Defending Lydia Collier
8. Chasing Sunsets
9. Depraved Awakening
10. Race of Life
11. Acting Lesson
12. Elmwood University
13. It Was Raining That Night
14. My Dorm
15. Alive
16. The Assistant (Steam Version)
17. The Seven Realms
18. A Shot in the Dark
19. Leap of Faith
20. The Entrepreneur
21. Sisterly Lust
22. Nothing is Forever
23. Summer with Mia / Returning to Mia
24. No More Secrets
25. The Grey Dream
26. Artemis
27. My Ex Future Family
28. Family Matters
29. Corporate Culture
30. My Pleasure

My notes in addition to the ones you're already cross-referenced (nice level of effort btw!)

1. Intertwined
2. Yesterday's Crossroads - On my list
3. Having a Hard Time - Looks good graphically, but I'm not into the futa aspect
4. Hillside
5. Seeking Closure - On my list
6. Jury - On my list
7. Defending Lydia Collier - On my list
8. Chasing Sunsets
9. Depraved Awakening - Tried it but didn't like it. I can't remember why, specifically
10. Race of Life
11. Acting Lesson - Have played and thought it was okay, but I only did a single save and had I more experience, I probably would have done multiple paths
12. Elmwood University
13. It Was Raining That Night - On my list
14. My Dorm
15. Alive
16. The Assistant (Steam Version)
17. The Seven Realms - I didn't get on with this one for some reason
18. A Shot in the Dark - Have played and decided not to continue. It was okay, but I realised that I didn't have an LI I was really into, and the story wasn't enough to tide me over
19. Leap of Faith - On my list
20. The Entrepreneur
21. Sisterly Lust - Was one of the first I played, I should probably try it again (if I can fit it in) now I have more "experience" with these games. I might appreciate it more
22. Nothing is Forever - The only one note already covered! Looking at the game thread, the screenshots have always put me off this one, with the black outlines to characters (shading/shaders, I think I saw someone comment?)
23. Summer with Mia / Returning to Mia - On my list
24. No More Secrets - Have played, was okay but not a favourite
25. The Grey Dream - On my list
26. Artemis
27. My Ex Future Family - On my list
28. Family Matters
29. Corporate Culture - On my list
30. My Pleasure - On my list

The ones I already have on my list, I'll note to potentially prioritise a bit more, given your comments on story, and seeing you in enough of the threads for games I like!