Originally this post was to be about the launch of two new media projects coming to VNs Now today and other projects that were on the way. However, as you know by now, there has been a heinous terrorist attack during the Boston Marathon yesterday. Considering the situation I don't think right now is a time for me to try and make today about this small corner of the internet., but still I do need to say something just to get the ball rolling if nothing else. So, I will give you just the broad strokes and things should start next week and in the meantime I urge you to get in contact with any charity that is mobilized in the area to help the victims. My personal favorite charity is the Salvation Army. Right now they haven't made a call for any extra supplies or donations, but that can change as the situation unfolds so keep this link handy if you please.

As for what is coming, I've finished taping the return episode of VNs Now! TV which will be a biweekly program (since a weekly video program CLEARLY kicks my ass). It'll be more professional than the previous attempt and my ranting will instead go towards a weekly podcast which will also launch next week.  The program will focus on merging current events in gaming with  the EVN community: as I feel both sides have a lot to learn from one another. So then, how on Earth am I going to connect the following:

If I didn't have any friends before in the gaming world, I doubt I'll have them after this one. But it is vital IF English Visual Novels will ever be recognized as a legit gaming genre here in the West. So, more details will come out by the end of the week and you should get the real deal next week.

I'm excited to announce today a plan that have finally come to fruition! VNs Now! will be producing a five-part EVN series featuring our mascot Oracle! As a lifelong fan of anime like Cardcaptor Sakura, it has troubled me in my nearly two years of covering the EVN community there aren't a lot of Magical Girls made by visual novelists these days. This will hopefully begin to correct that as Oracle, once just an average gamer, is granted incredible power to battle the forces of darkness!

The first entry, Summer of Love, should be out this coming April 31st so keep an eye on this website for more info as we get closer to release day!

Well, we're nearing the end of another NaNoRenO. For those that don't know yet (seriously?), NaNoRenO technically started March 1st but the festivities don't begin until April 1st 12 AM. It is then when we will all get to see what the mixing of talents has brought us. While I haven't spoke a lot about this year's NaNo, I have been keeping my eye on the projects at hand. I doubt I'll be able to cover everything this year...as that has been tried with great failure. However, that doesn't mean there aren't...plans. To that end I wanted to just take a quick look at a few of the projects this year that have caught my eye. This isn't of course a complete list and it doesn't mean anything other than the opinion given...and even then it maybe shouldn't be taken so seriously.

What do I mean by this? Well, let's juts take a look a three particular standouts and you should see what I mean.

So, have you learned anything today? If not, here’s a lesson for you!

Never Google anything. It might inadvertently give JP an idea, so juts avoid it. What am I talking about? Well it turns out that VNs Now was among the answers Google have to the following query: ‘kansei full story’. Now me being me my first response was, ‘Well nothing to worry about there. Surely by now some intrepid Sake-fan has gone to Wikipedia and uploaded the full story for the masses. This means I don’t have to-WHAT IN THE TEN THOUSAND THUNDERING TY (rambles)’

…So many conversations in my head start like that…

Long story short, if you read Kansei’s Wikipedia page expecting a full sense of what happened in the game, you will be sorely disappointed. But then again, this is VNs Now! And if that’s what you wanted, all you had to do was ask! So, this is how it’s going to go. I will be following along the True Path of Kansei while mixing in other elements from other paths so you can have the full story. Yes, that means there will be spoilers ahead. So, if that concerns you maybe before you go to the comments and complain about what I’ve done, maybe you should…I don’t know…BUY THE DAMN GAME. It won 2011 EVN of the Year for a reason, you know. Seriously, here’s the link to buy it. Do it now.

For the rest of you who did the right thing in the eyes of both God and Man and bought Kansei when it came out, let’s get started.

I think it's coming along rather well I must say.

Hello and welcome to the VNs Now.com 2.0. As you can see, it's not the custom site I dreamed for. That is still a long way off, but this server has lacked the issues Webs had so far and several different features are far superior to Webs...which makes me wonder why I'm just NOW finding out about Weebly. BUT that is neither here nor there: time for a fistful of updates!

First, what remains to be done here is basically what you see is missing. Interview sections, missing reviews, etc. Also there is apparently some complicated, bureaucratic maneuvering that has to be done in order to get the domain name from Webs and stick it to this site. Many other things have been bought and sold, new deals have been signed and barring any sudden screw-ups, this will be the permanent HQ until either the Zombie Apocalypse or I finally have the means for the custom site I really want to do. As soon as everything is finalized, I will simply send out the link (vnsnow.com) and we'll  be open for business. I haven't figured out what to do with the Tumblr page just yet, but I'm sure even after the move it'll have some use. For now any immediate updates or reviews will go on the Tumblr page until this one is good and ready, though you can look around if you wish just to start getting a feel of the place.

Now, 2012 Best Ofs. Usually I give a pick for EVN of the Year right before I open the nomination round but I passed on that this year because of my workload. But with it so close to Christmas, and if you've done a bit of exploring already, you already know one of my nominees for EVN of the Year:

Despite my noted issues with the title, there is simply no denying the impact Katawa Shoujo has made on the gaming world in general and not just English Visual Novels. Several 'proper' gaming sites covered its release, it was featured on That Guy With the Glasses via JewWario and even has a big enough fan base to be nominated for Kotaku's Game of the Year. Not too bad for what apparently started out as a joke. And to be fair, I also still play it from time to time for the routes I was emotionally invested in during my original play through. This is a very good EVN, but the ultimate question will be if it's Best of the Year worthy and that'll be answered January 5th after it's competition is revealed to the world. But for now, congrats to Four Leaf Studios for the nomination! 

Nominations are still going on by the way, until this Saturday, the 29th, at 11:59:59 PM EST. I believe I've stated before that I only know about so many titles released in a year so if something you're proud of or you're a fan of was available in 2012 and it doesn't make the final list DON'T blame me! It was your job to tell me about it soooooo blame the fact that there's only 24 hours in a day. Also I've pushed the date for releasing an EVN for consideration for the list to this coming Friday, the 28th. Full Disclosure here: this was done in the open if you check the comments under the original post on the Tumblr page for the Best Ofs. Last year I had a strict cut off date like I was planning this year, but someone wanted to nominate an EVN titled ADRIFT which was released after the cut off date and should therefore, by all logical means, should be considered.

I do consider myself fair most of the time and a good point is a good point. So to offset that good point, anything made between December 11th of last year and December 28th of this year will be considered. As we move forward, more than likely I'll keep the cutoff date close to the end of the year, with a little wiggle room for me to go over any EVN that I didn't cover the past year. For now, thanks to everyone who's nominated their favorites already and keep them coming!

I think that's all for now. It's officially the 25th so Merry Christmas to all of you! I'll be spending most of the day with my family and I hope you enjoy the company of your loved ones as well! And now to play us out, a band that's been growing on me for a while now: THE PIANO GUYS! Until next time!