Recommending TonyMurray's Favourite Games and Favourite Girls

[TonyMurray]

…Looks like I need Tony's help, too. I ended up dropping 5 out of 7 games I recently tried . Might be losing my mojo .

I drop a lot too, but there are so many to keep trying out all the time that it doesn't hurt. If it's not going to work for you, why waste your time on it?!

Damn, I have officially found our first divergence, my friend.

Let me start by saying that I don't dislike this one. I'm still playing it and will continue to do so, but unlike the rest of your top 10 that I've played, Bare Witness, BaD, Chasing Sunsets, Race of Life, and (so far, I just started) Intertwined, I'm skipping dialogue left and right here. Biggest part of that is definitely that I have absolutely zero interest whatsoever in any 'vertical/diagonal' incest (parentxchild, aunt/unclexniece/nephew, doesnt matter what gender combo). As such, the Charlotte scenes (as in 1 on 1 interaction, I'm not on her path in any save) are uncomfortable and tedious as all hell, even after you close the path. I also don't find Sheila or Darlene attractive (or particularly interesting), which makes MC deciding to jump into the investigation a bit irritating, seeing as I personally would just laugh and walk away from the cop trying to entrap you.

I have no strong feelings either way about sibling stuff, so Tris is pretty cool and I like her path. Emma is fun and Lisa is a sweetheart. Lauren is definitely the stereotypical 'promiscuous' girl, but she's pretty cool too. Maybe I just haven't gotten far enough yet for her to be developed, but Bea is definitely 'side girl' posterchild right now.

Also, let me know if you want me to stop clogging your thread, lol. I totally get it if you want this thread to be for your reviews and maybe the occasional love it/hate it replies.

I really didn't like Darlene at all and also wasn't interested in Sheila. Darlene has definitely grown on me though, to the point that I think she might have had a bit of a redesign in later chapters. I'm not sure, but she definitely became more appealing to me.

No worries about posting replies, that's what forums are for I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Intertwined, and I have another likely top-ten change coming when I finish the game I'm slowly re-playing at the moment...

 

[Dessolos]

I think I have only ever dropped 2 maybe 3 AVN's out of the 120 or so I played haha. I'm able to find enjoyment in alot of things so more rare for me to actually drop things

 

[Zorro#34]

I have another likely top-ten change coming when I finish the game I'm slowly re-playing at the moment...

I think I know what game you mean . Depending on what you remove from the list to make space, we might share 5 games in our Top-10s then

I think I have only ever dropped 2 maybe 3 AVN's out of the 120 or so I played haha. I'm able to find enjoyment in alot of things so more rare for me to actually drop things

Damn, you really are an open-minded person. I drop, like, every 3rd AVN I play (currently dropped 21 out of 64).

 

[Dessolos]

Damn, you really are an open-minded person. I drop, like, every 3rd AVN I play (currently dropped 21 out of 64).

yeah I always been a real easy going person so it usually takes alot for me to dislike something even in AAA / AA gaming / tv shows and movies im like this not just AVN's

 

[TonyMurray]

I think I know what game you mean . Depending on what you remove from the list to make space, we might share 5 games in our Top-10s then

That's going to be a struggle. I purposely don't put the top ten in order as some of it would be really tough for me to do, but I essentially have to decide what's #10 each time. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it though...

 

[UnamedPluto]

Damn, you guys are super accepting. Most games don't even make it past the 'Latest Updates' thumbnail for me.

For every 100 games I see, I open 20, download 10, drop 5, and watch 3 (the other 2 I skim through and maybe download again a year and 5 updates later only to skim the scenes again). Of those 3, I actually give a shit about 1.

 

[Zorro#34]

Damn, you guys are super accepting. Most games don't even make it past the 'Latest Updates' thumbnail for me.

For every 100 games I see, I open 20, download 10, drop 5, and watch 3 (the other 2 I skim through and maybe download again a year and 5 updates later only to skim the scenes again). Of those 3, I actually give a shit about 1.

You're not that much more demanding than me, actually, as I don't even count the games I see but decide not to download. So, where you drop what you download at a 1/2 rate, I do so at a 1/3 rate. A considerable difference, but not an overwhelming one.

 

[TonyMurray]

Dreamland by Dokiden

Dreamland is a bit of a weird one to review, as I do like it, but I don’t really know why – other than the great visuals. The story is a little odd, there are lots of things that don’t really make sense (yet?), and I don’t really know what type of story I’m going to end up with. Although I say the visuals are great, this is a game that just won’t stay still. Pretty much every frame involves movement, so even if it’s a static render, you’re still panning or zooming. You get a lot of little scenes as well where the group is in a car, for instance, and you see the scenery rushing past through a window, and a pair of boobs bouncing slightly as the car moves. While these animations may look good, you have to wonder if they are necessary, especially with the long development times between updates for these games.

Onto the good though, and the girls are definitely a high point. I don’t really have a favourite in terms of love interests yet, as I haven’t had the opportunity to get to know them, but of the six we’ve been introduced to so far, four have had lewd scenes with the MC and a fifth a solo lewd scene, so we’re reasonably well served there, for the size of the game so far. In my opinion though, these lewds haven’t been the best. The typical way they play out is that you’ll go through the scene, then get the options, which are to repeat the positions you’ve just had, or cum (or fuck, for a couple of the not-already-fucking scenes). A good number of them are cut short as well, so there’s plenty of blue-balling going on. I’d also prefer to see more of the girls in these scenes, rather than just focusing on body shots (and that would certainly make it easier for me to find good images for my character cards too!).

In terms of characters, I think we have a mixed bag here. The MC is largely forgettable (other than the fact it’s your POV, of course), and his best friend doesn’t really seem like much of a friend (plus there are rather sinister elements there later on – although this does make him a bit interesting, at least). Mei’s story is similarly strange, or at least how it ends the current update is strange, and I have literally no idea why Katherine is an actual character and not just someone on the MC’s computer. At least two of the girls want you to commit to them pretty much from the off (including one who has literally just met you) but for me, it’s way too early to know who I would want to go for, and I don’t really want to be running a save for literally every girl just yet.

Needless to say, we are still early in the game, so all of these points should be addressed in time. I just personally feel that the story should have given us a bit more to go on rather than just throwing out a bunch of mysteries in the first day. Maybe once we get to Dreamland things will start to become a little clearer…

(I'll also definitely be looking at reviewing my character rankings here, as I see more of the girls – and potentiall see more girls introduced...)
View attachment 3982955

Okay, the new update is out, and I started to write a review for Dreamland, but then I realised I'd already done one (and most of what I said remained the same, so that's something...)

I said I would review my rankings of the girls when I refreshed the game with the new update, so here is where we stand:

In terms of the game though, I've decided to drop it. I just don't think it's a good enough combination of story and writing. There are some interesting aspects to the story, but they don't get explored enough before they're brushed under the carpet in favour of getting back in the car and heading on to Dreamland. I get that you want some suspense, and don't want all the answers right away, but I felt the dev failed in threading that particular needle, and we were left with a bit of a confused jumble.

Although the graphics generally look great, I don't like the way the game is put together with slow pans, screen wipes (not the cleaning kind!) and images layered on images to simulate a 3D effect. It gets in the way of the gameplay for me, holding me back when I want to move on to the next scene or line of dialogue.

Overall, I thought the 0.3.0 update was a disappointment that served as the final push I needed to make my decision here. Given that it'll likely take a few years to build up any decent amount of content, I'm not even going to keep track of this one just to check out the lewds, since those haven't been fantastic either. Sad days.

 

[Zorro#34]

In terms of the game though, I've decided to drop it.

Dropping Dreamland? Damn, you absolute madlad, Rorschach would be proud of you .

As for me, I'll keep playing it for now. It won't ever crack my Top-10 (it's barely my Top-20), but I'll keep playing the (rare) updates for the visuals and hope that Alice gets content someday .

 

[TonyMurray]

Dropping Dreamland? Damn, you absolute madlad, Rorschach would be proud of you .

As for me, I'll keep playing it for now. It won't ever crack my Top-10 (it's barely my Top-20), but I'll keep playing the (rare) updates for the visuals and hope that Alice gets content someday .

It joins Summer Heat and Summer's Gone in the "great-looking disappointments" category. One that I'd definitely recommend trying when it's complete, if anyone's still around by that point. I have a lot of patience, but I just don't see enough in this one to keep it around for the next update or two. Summer Heat is barely holding on by the skin of its teeth...

 

[Zorro#34]

It joins Summer Heat and Summer's Gone in the "great-looking disappointments" category. One that I'd definitely recommend trying when it's complete, if anyone's still around by that point. I have a lot of patience, but I just don't see enough in this one to keep it around for the next update or two. Summer Heat is barely holding on by the skin of its teeth...

Yup, Dreamland and Summer Heat are quite similar, both in settings, pros and cons, and development situations. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume they were by the same dev.

 

[TonyMurray]

Yup, Dreamland and Summer Heat are quite similar, both in settings, pros and cons, and development situations. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume they were by the same dev.

To be fair, that's understandable. I think it's only the never-standing-still images in Dreamland that set them apart in that sense.

 

[Dessolos]

Honestly while I have yet to play Dreamlands update only reason I won't drop that one even if I hate the update it's one of 2 games I play for the graphics and pretty girls. the other game being Summer's Heat I perfer those 2 games to Ocean's renders as I like more vibrant renders

 

[TonyMurray]

Honestly while I have yet to play Dreamlands update only reason I won't drop that one even if I hate the update it's one of 2 games I play for the graphics and pretty girls. the other game being Summer's Heat I perfer those 2 games to Ocean's renders as I like more vibrant renders

I thought Summer's Gone looked great, and I really liked Nami, but when I thought about it, I realised there wasn't much else that I liked (well, maybe the almost orgy, I suppose). I'll try it again when there's a new update maybe, but I have no idea when that might be. Summer Heat at least plays well, it just needs to actually do something before I get too bored with it!

 

[Dessolos]

I thought Summer's Gone looked great, and I really liked Nami, but when I thought about it, I realised there wasn't much else that I liked (well, maybe the almost orgy, I suppose). I'll try it again when there's a new update maybe, but I have no idea when that might be. Summer Heat at least plays well, it just needs to actually do something before I get too bored with it!

o don't get me wrong Summers Gone looks great I just think Dreamland and Summers Heat look better in terms of renders. But for me the difference is Summer's Gone has got my attention through it's characters Nami , Bella , Nia , mainly and even some I like a little less than those 3 like Mila and Victoria. Even if I think the story is meh characters I like and enjoy is enough for me to keep playing. Not so much the case Dreamland or Summers Heat but the renders and animation is what got my attention and it's the saving grace of those 2 games for me. Well I do like Bree but I still need more character deveolopment with both games as im not all that much into the characters or story yet of DL or SH.

 

[Cskin Games]

I am comfortable enough and experienced enough in my tastes to know that I'd rather try something new that might or might not work for me, than push through something that already isn't working for me on the word of someone else that it will get better - too often you'll find that the "someone else" there has completely different tastes to you and for you it just doesn't get better! Plus, as you said, that bit that really didn't work for me is still always going to be there, dragging the whole thing down...

I'm halfway to passed out so I decided to read a bunch of threads, and I have to say this is one of the best takes I've seen on this site. Way too many people fail to come to this realization - something can be good.... great even, but just not for you. I've seen so many people say a game is great or a game is shit, someone else come along and disagree, and neither realizing maybe you just have different tastes, and people enjoy different things. We need more people coming to the realization that A: Not everything is for everyone, B: Just because you don't like something doesn't make it bad, and C: Just because you *DO* like something doesn't make it good. Way too much arguing about what's the best, and not enough "Hey, we just like different things, it's cool."

 

[DrakaF]

Nice reviews.
I guess I can relate to a number of them.
Just replying to this topic to follow it once in a while.

 

[yossa999]

I thought Summer's Gone looked great, and I really liked Nami, but when I thought about it, I realised there wasn't much else that I liked (well, maybe the almost orgy, I suppose). I'll try it again when there's a new update maybe, but I have no idea when that might be. Summer Heat at least plays well, it just needs to actually do something before I get too bored with it!

You haven't done Bella's playthrough?

 

[mandalorian123]

I came to these reviews after just playing Race of Life, and wow this thread is going straight to my bookmarks. Will follow this with keen interest, amazing job!

Also I heard you mention you like fantasy games if the story and the world holds up, but I didn't see you mention City of Broken Dreamers anywhere, honestly my best fantasy AVN, some LIs are a bit overblown and there is some forced femdom but you can totally skip that. Overall I felt the world was well built, some characters had depth and the side LIs were amazing. Has some scenes with multiple LIs (I am not entirely sure as I did not go down that route) but overall an amazing story. Just felt the ending was a bit rushed, but I don't think you'd feel that way given you wont have to wait for the last episode so should be a smooth ride.

(Totally ignore this if you've mentioned CoBD somewhere and I skipped it)

 

[TonyMurray]

I'm halfway to passed out so I decided to read a bunch of threads, and I have to say this is one of the best takes I've seen on this site. Way too many people fail to come to this realization - something can be good.... great even, but just not for you. I've seen so many people say a game is great or a game is shit, someone else come along and disagree, and neither realizing maybe you just have different tastes, and people enjoy different things. We need more people coming to the realization that A: Not everything is for everyone, B: Just because you don't like something doesn't make it bad, and C: Just because you *DO* like something doesn't make it good. Way too much arguing about what's the best, and not enough "Hey, we just like different things, it's cool."

Cheers! And those games in your signature are yours, right? I have Alive on my "to try" list...

You haven't done Bella's playthrough?

I certainly spent a lot of time with Bella (not sure how much of that is "path" and how much is "canon" though). I didn't like her as much though, sadly.

I came to these reviews after just playing Race of Life, and wow this thread is going straight to my bookmarks. Will follow this with keen interest, amazing job!

Also I heard you mention you like fantasy games if the story and the world holds up, but I didn't see you mention City of Broken Dreamers anywhere, honestly my best fantasy AVN, some LIs are a bit overblown and there is some forced femdom but you can totally skip that. Overall I felt the world was well built, some characters had depth and the side LIs were amazing. Has some scenes with multiple LIs (I am not entirely sure as I did not go down that route) but overall an amazing story. Just felt the ending was a bit rushed, but I don't think you'd feel that way given you wont have to wait for the last episode so should be a smooth ride.

(Totally ignore this if you've mentioned CoBD somewhere and I skipped it)

Cheers! To clarify, I like fantasy in general (so books and movies, normally). I've not really found a fantasy game that I really like though, and similiarly for sci-fi, although I think sci-fi lends itself to these games better than fantasy does. I'm always happy to try both out though if they look good. Maybe if I wasn't a bit of a fantasy nut in general, I'd be more lenient on fantasy games here, but I guess I've read so much that I have certain expectations that are probably tough to meet!

I haven't mentioned it, but I did try CoBD out as one of the earliest games I played. I didn't get too far with it though (I stopped after an early sex scene with the singer, after/during which your ex-wife appears sat on the sofa with a gun in her lap, or something like that.... I think I didn't really get the gameplay, but it was one of my first, as I say, so I had no experience of some of the things I was looking for in that respect. Since it's one that is always highly regarded, I'll add it back to my "to try" list to give it another shot.