As evidenced by games like Lux-Pain, Phoenix Wright and Heileen, the visual novel and adventure game genre is slowly beginning to establish a presence in the conscious of gamers. Perhaps this could mean a sudden interest in the genre, to the point where it could become a recognizable force.

In Japan, visual novels are already a popular and established genre. It’s important to note that games like Lux-Pain and Phoenix Wright are considered adventure games with visual novel elements there, while a game like Heileen would be considered a true visual novel. Remember the Choose Your Own Adventure novels for kids, where you’d be able to influence the story depending on what choices you’d make? Visual novels work the same way.

Today, Important Importables is going to go through a few already established stories and series which would make fantastic visual novels. Feel free to make your own suggestions in the comments as well!

Viz Media has a special gift for everyone who wasn’t able to attend Comic Con this year in San Francisco – a free episode of Death Note. Members of Viz newsletters received an email today (July 26, 2008) offering an iTunes code for “Rebirth,” the first episode of Death Note. The episode is a 236.1 MB download, and the code is good until December 31, 2008.

Death Note is the story of Light Yagami, a high schooler who comes across a death god’s notebook. Inside are specific instructions, but there’s one fact – if someone’s name is written in that notebook, that person will die. Light decides that he is going to use it to rid the world of despicable criminals. However, power can corrupt, and the super detective L and the police force are after the mysterious Kira who is wiping out criminals.

Some fresh anime is now available through iTunes, if you enjoy that kind of thing. Viz Media has decided to make 103 episodes of Bleach, Death Note and Naruto available through iTunes for $1.99 an episode. So far only a sampling of two series are available, in the form of Bleach‘s “The Substitute” and “The Entry” arcs (41 episodes) and Naruto‘s (uncut) first season (25 episodes). The complete Death Note anime (37 episodes) is available. I highly recommend Bleach, its probably the best. Naruto has its moments as well. While Death Note is good, I personally preferred the manga.

Shonen Jump is going to be 40 years old soon, and Shonen Jump magazine is going to be five years old as well. So Viz media is going to use this as an opportunity to celebrate some of the most popular series. There will be a special edition issue of Shonen Jump, a contest to attend Japan’s Jump Festa anime convention and hardcover, collector’s editions of the first volumes of six popular series.

The highlight will be the special, hardcover edition of the August 2008 edition of Shonen Jump. For $24.99, fans will get a hardcover version of the magazine that has all the manga chapters that appeared in the very first and second issues Shonen Jump in December 2002. It will also have interviews with manga authors, a special Yu-Gi-Oh card and a poster to collect character stickers that will be found in volumes of Bleach, Death Note, Naruto and Slam Dunk.