Death's vastness holds no peace. So take death into your own hands.
Beware ye who enter, for here there be demons.
As long as console RPGs have existed, Japan has been dominated by the likes of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. But somewhere, just outside of the mainstream, lies the Megami Tensei series. Filled with dark stories about the nature of reality, technology, religion and humanity, the Megami Tensei storylines have been a bit too obtuse, and the gameplay a little bit too hardcore, to really attract the typical RPG fan. But the series - mostly relegated to Japan until recently - has created a cult following known as Megatennists, who devote themselves to one of video gaming's most expansive series.
The Shin Megami Tensei games, or SMT for short, have a long history stretching way back to the Famicom days. Most of those never came out here.
But a lot of awesome ones did.
In shameless duplication of the
Final Fantasy Thread, I'll likely be picking out some of the choice SMT games from both sides of the globe and highlighting them in the near future.
Most of them are extremely rare, but almost all are worth having.
Until then, feel free to discuss some recent developments:
Persona 3 Portable
Everyone's favorite School/Shadow/Suicide simulator, Persona 3, goes portable.
Or has gone. We're waiting for news on the US version. I give it a few months, tops.
Persona 3 Portable includes a new female protagonist, more Persona(namely a female Orpheus[Eurydice?]), and most likely new social links.
The interface has been slightly(okay, drastically) modified for P3P. Instead of moving around freely, most everything done outside of Tartarus will be done with menus.
Also, P3F will include a shiny pink interface, as opposed to P3M's dominate blue.
Whether or not the changes are to your liking, the new OP is all kinds of hot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MRkM-fM7wgShin Megami Tensei: Strange Journeyhttp://www.atlus.com/strangejourney/
Going back to basics, this is the first 'mainline'(re: not a sidestory) SMT game made since Nocturne, which was considered the third.
Massive first person dungeons, and lots of demons to befriend and recruit.
It's basically SMT: Etrian Odyssey, even using the map engine of that other Atlus series(but with automap, unfortunately).
Everyone's favorite composer, Shoji Meguro, is doing the music for this too, and it seems to be decidedly darker than usual, even for him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjVbmXuK6V8
Produced and designed by series mainstay designer Kazuma Kaneko, Strange Journey promises to be an exploration of humanity's place in the universe as they try to protect the antarctic from demons and cryptic blonde women who are most certainly not fallen angels and always worthy of your trust.
(March 2010)
Recent releases:
PersonaDream of butterfly, or is life a dream?
The classic that started it all. Old-school dungeon crawls and high school drama. If you don't like lots of random battles and huge maps, this might not be for you. The story is still enjoyable if nothing else.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
A nice side story experiment blending turn-based combat with strategic movement.
The art design leaves something to be desired, but it's certainly unique, and has a much better story than expected.
Specialized.Extra.Excellent.Stuff.
View or face execution.
Got more? Post it! Could use some P4 comedy. Where's that daisy stuff?
So until Persona 5 hits the PS3, 360, Wii, or some combination of the three,
Wait, shoot.
Posts
Now I'll go say hi to Angel and then kill her in two turns.
I might try an all SLinks+Margaret Curb Stomp (I've heard she isn't as brutal as other SMT bonus bosses) run after Christmas, if I don't get too caught up in other games.
Also: I really love that Strange Journey battle music. I have pre-ordered the game on the strength of that video alone.
There is something very unsettling about this.
Like: you've won, but have you really?
The music doesn't help.
It is the greatest compliment you will ever receive.
Though he was nice enough to leave a Soma.
Hitoshura still managed to get two criticals, and make his demons fully negate everything. And one of them was out of MP.
Even a decapitated wolf can still bite your head off.
Heat has an extra mantra that's only on his grid: Monotheist, Ultimate Guard Skill, teaches Null Attack(nulls everything but Almighty).
Where the heck did it come from? Serph almost has a maxed grid, and he doesn't have access to it.
monotheist is unlocked by reaching the end paths of, if I remember right, the big three just below it
May as well go the full nine and max that out too.
Kidding. I quit Nocturne on hard before I even made it to Matador.
Like, imagine the Demifiend fight, but he heals every time he gets below a certain hp percentage.
Dry out all his MP?
Gaea Rage. ...Maybe twice.
Survive that, and actually kill him for real?
Disc freezes. Perhaps your saved games are corrupted.
To be fair, this is a monstrously, hideously wrong thing to do a player, any player. But this is Shin Megami Tensei, who teaches us futility of man; and this is Atlus, the company whose cruel masters are physically fueled by our despair.
I can almost, almost see it.
I like it.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
When you take on Satan, don't miscount his hp refill mark by 1000 like I did unless you want some maddening handicap. I only realized it after I beat him.
I hate you because now I want this to happen.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
Edit:
Maybe this is one of those times where I should actually invest in a strategy guide? Assuming they release an English one for Strange Journey.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
I was looking for that.
And I don't play it anymore either, but it still had moments. None of them found in the senseless neverending level grind.
Shame they'll probably never finish the story. All they care about is introducing new fashions.
And I'm doing import data, not second cycle. I still get to fight Satan as long as it's on Hard, right?
Also, DDS2 is 2 for 2.
Best intro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58XNkJ7RRmE
(This sounds amazing on a good sound system, by the by)
And best battle music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVFXMb7vibM
You know... considering the premise of the games and their locations.
Also, I like DDS1's intro better than 2's. Partially because I prefer Pray over Another World (I'm assuming it's called) and partially because in 1's intro the images and music are more in harmony with each other than in 2's admittedly flashier one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi6ohqD7cVI
Going after the uber bosses is my main reason, but it's also because I haven't played these games in a long time, and they're worth it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUQvRA0Lf-E