Recommending TonyMurray's Favourite Games and Favourite Girls

[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.

 

[Dessolos]

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.

Yeah she takes awhile to warm up to I didn't like her at the start wasn't until the shower / prank scene I started to slowly change my mind and warm up to her. From there things with Bella was awhole alot different and better was a big improvement if you are playing her romance path. By time I was done playing I completely changed my mind the only other LI that comes close to how much I like Bella was Erynn from Intertwined which is why I have them both tied as my #1 LI.

 

[yossa999]

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.

Oh, you're not the only one, a lot of people don't like her, but, to be honest, there are quite a few of her fans, too. By her path I mean a playthough when you kiss her after the restaurant. It's just looks so far in the entire first season there are really only two branches - Bella and Others (including Nami). I guess this should change in the next chapter.

 

[TonyMurray]

Oh, you're not the only one, a lot of people don't like her, but, to be honest, there are quite a few of her fans, too. By her path I mean a playthough when you kiss her after the restaurant. It's just looks so far in the entire first season there are really only two branches - Bella and Others (including Nami). I guess this should change in the next chapter.

I can't remember kissing her after the restaurant (can't actually remember the restaurant), but I definitely kissed her. I think we went for a drive and then sat on the car or leant on a gate overlooking a field or something.

 

[noping123]

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

Yeah, they're mine. I will say - Alive is imo the worse of the 2. I don't think it's bad, just not as good. They're also fairly different, but with enough similarities (mostly in tone/etc) that if you enjoy one you'll probably enjoy the other, and if you really dont like one, you probably wont like the other much.

 

[flaviopaganini]

Yeah, they're mine. I will say - Alive is imo the worse of the 2. I don't think it's bad, just not as good. They're also fairly different, but with enough similarities (mostly in tone/etc) that if you enjoy one you'll probably enjoy the other, and if you really dont like one, you probably wont like the other much.

Alive is great, I really loved this game. I keep playing it even after completing all the achievements.

I don’t remember seeing your other game. Is it already on Steam?

 

[TonyMurray]

Campus Bonds by MCVisualNovels

Campus Bonds has the potential to be a pretty good game. There are a couple of areas I feel it’s a bit lacking in, but there are others where it works quite well, and overall, at this early stage in its development (episode 2), I’m pretty happy with it.

The graphics look good, and there’s a good variety of girls – I like that this variation also extends to their lewdability, where there are a couple you can get a scene or two with early on while others are clearly going to take more work. The dev says there are set to be seven LIs and there will come a time when you have to make a choice, as this is not a harem game. I like that openness, and it sets the expectations well, and early.

The sex scenes themselves are pretty good, with decent animation and a variety of poses, although it sometimes seems difficult to get a good view of the girl including her face, hence the lack of nudes in my character cards below, despite a couple more of these girls featuring in lewds so far (more than once in Tracy’s case).

In terms of the gameplay, there are a few free roams, which I think generally work well, but the first one lacked a bit of inventiveness, sending you hunting for things with no real direction. The rest of them tend to be while you mingle at parties, and I feel that’s where these work well, allowing you to pick up special renders as you go around talking to people. There’s a fighting minigame as well, but so far I fail to see the point in this, as it takes place outside of the game’s storyline and there seems to be no reward for completing it.

The one thing that I think does let the game down a bit is the story itself. In many places it seems a bit basic, and while I can see this being a realistic portrayal of someone’s first few days at college, there needs to be a spark, a bit of direction, to keep people intrigued. That may well be coming in the next update or two though, with some of the hints given towards the end of episode two.

 

[tuskedkibbles]

Damn, I don't know if you guys have played Summer Scent, but this is so irritating. The third girl, Kelly, is absolutely 100% not my type. I'm talking I'm bored and she comes up to me at a bar, and I'd rather go home and watch a pottery documentary by myself kind of not my type. This game is big on choices and they definitely impact what scenes you get, but holy shit the game is shoving this girl down my throat. Every other scene the characters are talking (or MC is thinking) about how hot she is and how MC is into her but isn't sure if he should make a move yet (because I've purposefully avoided all options to do so).

There's nothing I hate more than a game that has choices to 'avoid' an LI, only to have the narrative blindly bull rush forward regardless with dialogue. I'd rather just not have the choice and be given an on rails LN type game with a forced harem or whatever. Call me crazy, but it's even worse when it's just dialogue and you still don't get the scenes because, you know, you chose not to pursue them.

Sorry, rant over. Thanks for letting me vent here, Tony.

 

[TonyMurray]

Damn, I don't know if you guys have played Summer Scent, but this is so irritating. The third girl, Kelly, is absolutely 100% not my type. I'm talking I'm bored and she comes up to me at a bar, and I'd rather go home and watch a pottery documentary by myself kind of not my type. This game is big on choices and they definitely impact what scenes you get, but holy shit the game is shoving this girl down my throat. Every other scene the characters are talking (or MC is thinking) about how hot she is and how MC is into her but isn't sure if he should make a move yet (because I've purposefully avoided all options to do so).

There's nothing I hate more than a game that has choices to 'avoid' an LI, only to have the narrative blindly bull rush forward regardless with dialogue. I'd rather just not have the choice and be given an on rails LN type game with a forced harem or whatever. Call me crazy, but it's even worse when it's just dialogue and you still don't get the scenes because, you know, you chose not to pursue them.

Sorry, rant over. Thanks for letting me vent here, Tony.

I haven't tried it, but it's on my longlist (currently comprised of 406 titles). I happen to know that MiltonPowers loves that type of LI though

 

[MiltonPowers]

Damn, I don't know if you guys have played Summer Scent, but this is so irritating. The third girl, Kelly, is absolutely 100% not my type. I'm talking I'm bored and she comes up to me at a bar, and I'd rather go home and watch a pottery documentary by myself kind of not my type. This game is big on choices and they definitely impact what scenes you get, but holy shit the game is shoving this girl down my throat. Every other scene the characters are talking (or MC is thinking) about how hot she is and how MC is into her but isn't sure if he should make a move yet (because I've purposefully avoided all options to do so).

There's nothing I hate more than a game that has choices to 'avoid' an LI, only to have the narrative blindly bull rush forward regardless with dialogue. I'd rather just not have the choice and be given an on rails LN type game with a forced harem or whatever. Call me crazy, but it's even worse when it's just dialogue and you still don't get the scenes because, you know, you chose not to pursue them.

Sorry, rant over. Thanks for letting me vent here, Tony.

I haven't tried it, but it's on my longlist (currently comprised of 406 titles). I happen to know that MiltonPowers loves that type of LI though

I actually started that one. I didn't get very far before deleting it and moving onto something else.

 

[flaviopaganini]

I actually started that one. I didn't get very far before deleting it and moving onto something else.

This was the first AVN I played from F95, I think it was right around the time of an update, and I really loved the beginning. However, I don't remember what happens in the middle of it that made me quit and feel disappointed with it. I would have to replay it to remember.

A game that captivated me this month, and that most people here seem to dislike, was Lust Academy. I’d be curious to hear the opinions of the girls about this game.

 

[TonyMurray]

This was the first AVN I played from F95, I think it was right around the time of an update, and I really loved the beginning. However, I don't remember what happens in the middle of it that made me quit and feel disappointed with it. I would have to replay it to remember.

A game that captivated me this month, and that most people here seem to dislike, was Lust Academy. I’d be curious to hear the opinions of the girls about this game.

Oh, I tried Lust Academy a little while back. I ended up dropping it though because I just couldn't get into the story.

 

[MiltonPowers]

This was the first AVN I played from F95, I think it was right around the time of an update, and I really loved the beginning. However, I don't remember what happens in the middle of it that made me quit and feel disappointed with it. I would have to replay it to remember.

A game that captivated me this month, and that most people here seem to dislike, was Lust Academy. I’d be curious to hear the opinions of the girls about this game.

Oh, I tried Lust Academy a little while back. I ended up dropping it though because I just couldn't get into the story.

I've got in on my list and will still try it one day. The girls I liked the best have a lot less content than the ones I didn't really care about, so I haven't been in any rush.

 

[Zorro#34]

Damn, I don't know if you guys have played Summer Scent, but this is so irritating. The third girl, Kelly, is absolutely 100% not my type. I'm talking I'm bored and she comes up to me at a bar, and I'd rather go home and watch a pottery documentary by myself kind of not my type. This game is big on choices and they definitely impact what scenes you get, but holy shit the game is shoving this girl down my throat. Every other scene the characters are talking (or MC is thinking) about how hot she is and how MC is into her but isn't sure if he should make a move yet (because I've purposefully avoided all options to do so).

Don't remember that episode, is that from the latest update?
Still, I had a bit of a similar experience with Kelly when the MC barged into her room to yell at the antagonists via her phone and then to hug her. All of that while she was nude like it was nothing.
Oh well, the girl appeared quite late, so the dev tries to give those interested in her as many opportunities to hook up as possible.

 

[tuskedkibbles]

I haven't tried it, but it's on my longlist

I actually started that one. I didn't get very far before deleting it and moving onto something else.

Don't get me wrong, she's a good character with an interesting and sensible backstory, I'm just not interested at all because she isn't my type physically.

I get dropping this one. I definitely won't actively keep up with it. The MC is kind of a loser (for those who haven't played, he's the socially incompetent and 'what's a clitoris?' type). I might redownload again when it's finished or something and skim through. Maybe...

Don't remember that episode, is that from the latest update?
Still, I had a bit of a similar experience with Kelly when the MC barged into her room to yell at the antagonists via her phone and then to hug her. All of that while she was nude like it was nothing.
Oh well, the girl appeared quite late, so the dev tries to give those interested in her as many opportunities to hook up as possible.

Not really, it's interspersed pretty much as soon as she enters the story. I started a second save where I pursued the sister's best friend, and the Kelly stuff is reduced pretty heavily. I guess it's only really that bad if you're on no one else's path.

It doesn't help that the MC is veeeerrrry different than I was at 18, so it's hard to self insert.

 

[Zorro#34]

Not really, it's interspersed pretty much as soon as she enters the story. I started a second save where I pursued the sister's best friend, and the Kelly stuff is reduced pretty heavily. I guess it's only really that bad if you're on no one else's path.

Ah, that explains it. My sole SS run is exactly a "Cassie-True-Love" one, so no wonder I didn't see that much of Kelly.

 

[tuskedkibbles]

Ah, that explains it. My sole SS run is exactly a "Cassie-True-Love" one, so no wonder I didn't see that much of Kelly.

I mean, that's the only path worth a damn, so that makes sense.

I always do a 'what would I do' run first in every game I play, and because I'm not a huge fan of the sister and wasn't about to help her destroy her own life (at least, that's what I thought with the info I had at the time), I didn't suck up to the sister so I guess the Cassie path didn't trigger even though I have a ton of points with her. Oh well.

 

[BrNexon]

Summer Heat by Naughty Fox Games

This is one of those games that looks fantastic and maybe suffers for it. The update schedule is pretty long, and it’s relatively early into its development, so it’s a game that I sort of wish I didn’t find until much later, so there would be more content for me to check out. The renders and the girls look great, some of the (few) lewd scenes we’ve had so far have been very promising, but as we wait for update 0.7, I still don’t really know what the actual story is going to be.

There are a few different threads, and some of them get ignored for an update or two at a time, so it’s a little difficult to judge whether they are key plot points or just little side experiments that may or may not amount to much. This is definitely a bit frustrating to me, as it feels like there’s a little bit of cohesion missing in the overall planning of the story.

Possibly tying in to that, time seems to pass very slowly here, with just a day or two passing during the six updates so far. This means that movement with the game’s LIs is almost non-existent, which is natural in terms of normal relationship development, but feels too much in terms of gameplay and real-world waiting time. Conversely, there are a couple of scenes with side girls that need no build up, just hitting you out of nowhere. I do wonder if these are added to appease people who might otherwise be frustrated at waiting for things to progress with the main girls. There are also some phone interactions on a dating app that may also serve this purpose, just giving some additional nude images, despite not (so far) meeting any of those girls in person.

If this was any other game, chances are I would choose at this point to drop it, as the story just isn’t doing anything for me – the main bit I’m interested in is probably destined to go nowhere fast. Here, however, the graphics and, in particular, the girls are the saving grace. I am genuinely invested in some of the relationships as, although they seem (very) slow burn, there is plenty of intrigue. Each LI has given me a hint of something I want to explore with them – and not just the nudity, which I do, of course, want to get to! I just hope that things soon start moving at what I would consider to be a better pace, so I can experience some of those temptations before losing interest.
View attachment 4085729

Summer Heat by Naughty Fox Games

This is one of those games that looks fantastic and maybe suffers for it. The update schedule is pretty long, and it’s relatively early into its development, so it’s a game that I sort of wish I didn’t find until much later, so there would be more content for me to check out. The renders and the girls look great, some of the (few) lewd scenes we’ve had so far have been very promising, but as we wait for update 0.7, I still don’t really know what the actual story is going to be.

There are a few different threads, and some of them get ignored for an update or two at a time, so it’s a little difficult to judge whether they are key plot points or just little side experiments that may or may not amount to much. This is definitely a bit frustrating to me, as it feels like there’s a little bit of cohesion missing in the overall planning of the story.

Possibly tying in to that, time seems to pass very slowly here, with just a day or two passing during the six updates so far. This means that movement with the game’s LIs is almost non-existent, which is natural in terms of normal relationship development, but feels too much in terms of gameplay and real-world waiting time. Conversely, there are a couple of scenes with side girls that need no build up, just hitting you out of nowhere. I do wonder if these are added to appease people who might otherwise be frustrated at waiting for things to progress with the main girls. There are also some phone interactions on a dating app that may also serve this purpose, just giving some additional nude images, despite not (so far) meeting any of those girls in person.

If this was any other game, chances are I would choose at this point to drop it, as the story just isn’t doing anything for me – the main bit I’m interested in is probably destined to go nowhere fast. Here, however, the graphics and, in particular, the girls are the saving grace. I am genuinely invested in some of the relationships as, although they seem (very) slow burn, there is plenty of intrigue. Each LI has given me a hint of something I want to explore with them – and not just the nudity, which I do, of course, want to get to! I just hope that things soon start moving at what I would consider to be a better pace, so I can experience some of those temptations before losing interest.
View attachment 4085729

It would have been looking better if Maria replaced Evelyn!

 

[BrNexon]

Hey mate write some reviews on most realistic AVN of "Oceanlab's- Summer s Gone, Where it All Began.
(Top notch Rendering+Graphical enhancement+SFX+Cinematography),
Another AVN-3DCG>"Nursing Back to Pleasure" where I found some of most realistic looking beauties.

 

[Daktyl33]

I have nothing but respect, praise and honors for all the time and effort you put into this thread. From page one it was a delight. Your backlog sounds like a Herculian task. With the length of time between some updates and the sheer number of games,(who are these people again?) I have Google notes spreadsheets with names and notes on some of my keepers. Going thru these pages with my notes near to hand was a very pleasant evening, so thank you for that. "Elmwood U" and "Race of Life" I had missed so profitable as well.

Like you I love fantasy and am a Renpy only kinda guy. I started with the "Chloe18" game which was a bit of a grind, and was suprised to "Headmaster" get a mention as its also sorta grindy. I keep it around through sheer pig-headedness. (I made it this far, I'm gonna finish!)

You dropped "Parental Love" because some LIs looked to young, so I can't, in good faith, recommend much from the "Dumb Koala Games" franchise. The artist has a distinctive style and a lot of them interconnect so there is a Dumb Koala spreadsheet. That being said the latest, "CRUSH college", where the mom goes back to school, lacks that nubile vibe of the others.

About "Price of Power" I see your point. When the AI blinks them into a "mind palace" for a Power Point presentation: Quantum Mechanics for Dummies, it can play hell with ones suspension of disbelief. As a fan of Douglas Adams and Terry Prachett, I enjoy the rediculous-ness of the AI.
A super genius simultaneously that clueless just tickles me. Thats just me, to each his own. No one can say that you didn't give it a fair shake. (And I'm not so far gone that I need notes to keep track of 2 love interest.)

As for rediculous I firmly believe that if a young Sir Terry did AVNs we would have something like "23 sisters" from him. Niche, light hearted, tongue-in-cheek but good for a chuckle. And I ain't to proud to admit that there a parts of the pineapple on pizza rant that I use IRL.

Now to the reason I was moved to comment. It saddened me to see you dropped "A Long Road Home". You said of "My Dorm" "A wholesome-feeling harem game with great diversity in characters." That is exactly what I would say were I to write a jacket blurb for Long Road.
Of the 70 characters, you by your own admission, made it to 8 and 9 by my count. Juanita the hotel owner and her daughter Maria. I put the shortcut back on my desktop and I'm gonna start it over with fresh eyes and an open mind.

Keep up the good work and sorry for bending your ear so much, I thoroughly enjoy this thread.
And agree with most of it. We can agree to disagree on the rest.