SG94 Posted:

-Shin Megami Tensei series (one or two bad apples but over the whole pretty cool);

Overall, I’ve liked pretty much everything that’s been brought to the US. Of course, there are some I like more than others, but nothing I flat out hate.

Something_Witty Posted:

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Out of curiousity, which were the bad ones in your opinion? I’ve played a lot of them but haven’t really run into any I thought sucked yet.

I can’t speak for SG, but I’ve heard some people complain about the newest Devil Summoner because it’s so light-hearted.

If you want to read some complaints by somebody who REALLY knows what he’s talking about visit this link. Read “Topdrunkee thy ILLnifique”’s posts.

Lara Croft Posted:

I can’t speak for SG, but I’ve heard some people complain about the newest Devil Summoner because it’s so light-hearted.

If you want to read some complaints by somebody who REALLY knows what he’s talking about visit this link. Read “Topdrunkee thy ILLnifique”’s posts.

Hmmmm, maybe I’m just odd, but I quite liked Devil Summoner. Sure it was a bit too easy and the detective aspect got a bit tiresome, but the combat was pretty fun in its own way. Plus I thought the subtle plot link to the first two SMT games at the end was pretty cool.

Took a brief look at that thread, those guys seem to know their stuff, but end up coming off as pretty elitist IMO. Sure they can complain that DDS 1 & 2 dropped the contact system, but I personally enjoyed the focus on a more concentrated narrative. Haven’t played Mana Khemia or P3 so I can’t comment on those, but saying Nocturne was dumbed down gameplay-wise? As one who beat SMT 1 & 2 I disagree, except for the fusion mechanics. The Press Turn system was a great addition which could become quite dep if used correctly IMO.

Evil Trout Posted:

I’ve never played this series but it’s getting a lot of love. Which one should I check out first?

Well, most of them are turn-based JRPGs so dunno if that’s your thing. Nearly all of the officially translated ones are on PS2, but if you’re into ROMs (and unforgiving games) the first 2 are on SNES, and have been fan-translated.

Nocturne is IMO the best of them, you have one main character and can recruit nearly any common enemy as a party member, then fuse them together later (the SMT series did this way before Pokemon by the way Log in to see images!). The world ends in the first 10 minutes of the game, and you can choose one of 3 philosophies for recreating it. Or kill it again, your choice. Easily the most unforgiving, but also the most rewarding PS2 SMT game. I’m talking ‘You enter a fight. Enemies go first. You don’t have the right resistances set. You get horribly raped. Your fault, stupid.’ It’s possible to die in the very first scripted fight if you’re unlucky. Nocturne kicks your bum over and over mercilessly, but I loved it and always came back for more.

Digital Devil Saga has a similar combat system to Nocturne, but has predefined characters which get far more plot and skill development, and the recruiting aspect is gone. The game gets difficult later on, but the learning curve is a lot friendlier to start off. The story is very good IMO, however the first game ends on a cliffhanger, effectively forcing you to buy the 2nd. Log in to see images!

I’ve heard a LOT of good things about Persona 3 (beat out Mbum Effect for RPG of the year in quite a few gaming publications), but being broke, I still haven’t bought the game yet so I can’t tell you much about it.

Hope that helps! Log in to see images! Something_Witty edited this message on 06/16/2008 2:38PM

Something_Witty Posted:

blah blah Nocturne is really hard blah blah

I would just like to add, for the record,

**** MATADOR. I REALLY HATE THAT JERKOFF. HE IS THE REASON WHY I’VE BEEN STUCK IN THE FIRST FEW HOURS OF HARD MODE FOR YEARS.

He’s barely beatable even BEFORE they doubled his damage output, and made all the healing fountains and store items cost 3 times as goddamn much. Log in to see images! Something_Witty edited this message on 06/16/2008 2:48PM

Evil Trout Posted:

I’ve never played this series but it’s getting a lot of love. Which one should I check out first?

Something Witty pretty much nailed it, but…

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment: The sequel to a game that didn’t come out in the US (P2: Innocent Sin). Very good game, and not to hard to find because it was reissued. Persona: Revelations was the first game to be brought to the states…but it costs ~$100 on Ebay, so this is about as far back as you can easily go.

The two Digital Devil Sagas are probably the most similar to a standard “Final Fantasy” RPG, and the story is full of Hindu mythology and symbolism. If you’re interested in eastern religions, this is a great game to play.

Also, Persona 3 had a huge level of success, and it is a damn good game. Essentially, this is the game I’d recommend playing first, if only because the FES edition of the game has been released, and only costs $30.

Lara Croft Posted:

I can’t speak for SG, but I’ve heard some people complain about the newest Devil Summoner because it’s so light-hearted.

I’m in that boat, yes.

Does anyone agree with me that Killer 7 would have made a good Wii game?

Lara Croft Posted:

Something Witty pretty much nailed it, but…

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment: The sequel to a game that didn’t come out in the US (P2: Innocent Sin). Very good game, and not to hard to find because it was reissued. Persona: Revelations was the first game to be brought to the states…but it costs ~$100 on Ebay, so this is about as far back as you can easily go.

The two Digital Devil Sagas are probably the most similar to a standard “Final Fantasy” RPG, and the story is full of Hindu mythology and symbolism. If you’re interested in eastern religions, this is a great game to play.

Also, Persona 3 had a huge level of success, and it is a damn good game. Essentially, this is the game I’d recommend playing first, if only because the FES edition of the game has been released, and only costs $30.

Oh, my PS2 sadly isn’t even hooked up right now. I was kind of hoping for something I could play on my DS but it doesn’t look like that’s an option Log in to see images!

Evil Trout Posted:

Oh, my PS2 sadly isn’t even hooked up right now. I was kind of hoping for something I could play on my DS but it doesn’t look like that’s an option Log in to see images!

Well, before the DS came out, ATLUS announced a MegaTen game in a list of 8 titles, but I haven’t read anything since.

I would really suggest Persona 3 FES though, and if you like it, looking for SMT: Nocturne. FES has been one of the highest video games for the past couple weeks, and the original version P3 placed pretty high on that list as well.

Also, for anyone interested, here’s the trailer for Persona 4. It looks like it’s going to follow-up P3 in style and gameplay.

Bill_Murray_Fan_7383 edited this message on 06/16/2008 10:10PM