Atlus So, I'm playing Devil Summoner - The Shin Megami Tensei Thread

[Hobo Elf]

If Persona counts, I'm playing Revelations: Persona from time to time, but only to find out what the plot is about, and then beat the Japanese version that didn't suffer the butchering that was done during localization. Don't even think about recommending the PSP remake, Shoji Meguro went full retard after Persona 3 (Strange Journey soundtrack and some SMTIV tracks are a good exception).

This...

https://mega.co.nz/#!jZ5CURBR!MaDH1pButy-qqS5YjvpbK8y7QmuwKfPUEgkfmUE6TYY

...will solve the problem, a patch that replaces PSP music with PSX OST.

Wow, you're choosing quite obscure, untranslated Megatens. Have you completed every single well-known SMT game?

The only game I completed in the SMT franchise is Strange Journey.

Heh, I've already done 8 Megatens, doin' the 9th and there're still before me games like DDS1&2, DeSu2, Raidou's, Persona1 etc. I wonder when I lay may hands on obscure crap like Demikids, Majin Tensei itp. maybe in 2016? And there're still some translations on the way: SMT:If, Devil Summoner, Soul Fuckers.

This franchise is fucking addiction.

After that PSX music patch, bro, I love you.

There is a Fire Emblem X SMT game being developed. Seems like they decided to revive the Majin Tensei formula (since it's basically a Fire Emblem game with demon summoning and other SMT crap).

It's vaporware.

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

...and it's on WiiU so it won't be emulated 'til 2028.

 

[Martius]

It's vaporware.

Or maybe its just taking pretty long time to get done.

 

[Hobo Elf]

It's vaporware.

Or maybe its just taking pretty long time to get done.

No screenshots to show and nothing else to say about it than "oh yeah we are still, uh, working on it". It's vaporware.

 

[Martius]

No screenshots to show and nothing else to say about it than "oh yeah we are still, uh, working on it". It's vaporware.

Maybe but I wouldnt be so sure. I guess trailer was released before any development of actual development. Some time ago they said that transition to hd development took them longer than they thought initially so that could explain that. Anyway it looks like Nintendo does not like to show much before release. For example for new Xenoblade there are only three short trailers and gameplay footage from e3. Intelligent Systems is also working on Project Steam while Atlus have bunch of project like usual.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

If you want to play Fire Emblem X SMT so badly, go play Majin Tensei series. Both SNES games manage to deliver big time, plus you don't need the translation patch unless you're a storyfag (in the first game you can easily understand what's what during first 5 minutes using trial and error, plus there is a partial translation on romhacking.net, the menus in the second game are in English, so you can understand what you're doing without spending your time learning Japanese).
But if you want more, you can try Majin Tensei Ronde for Sega Saturn. It also has some English stuff in it, but it feels worse than the first two games.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Since this thread has turned into the general SMT dump, I have something to say about Majin Tensei.

I'm at the first boss battle right now, and ffs, this battle caused more butthurt than the last sectors of Strange Journey.
Gonna post more about it once I'll kill that damn Minotaur.

EDIT: FINALLY, after about 3 attempts and 4 complete re-runs I've managed to shove my sword up his ass. Lost Uthor in the process, but what the hell.
A piece of advice to whoever is going to play it: do NOT summon Uthor until this battle. Use cheesy tactics and gain more levels, recruit and fuse as much demons as possible, because he'll wipe your party in the matter of less than 10 attacks (less than 5 if you're unlucky), even if you use healing magic and items. Alone. Yes, alone, ffs.
Some advice concerning tactics:
You can try to avoid encountering him until the very end, but it was easier to lure him into the tunnel and use Uthor and other demons that have 'bull' sprites (those and flying demons can get past the mountains) to cut off the healers, cuz it'll take around 1-2 casts of 'cure' to fully replenish his health. Or you can grind in the warehouse until you turn yourselves into walking terminators.

 

[TheGreatOne]

Are Majin Tensei games better/deeper than Devil Survivor games?

Also, tried Devil Survivor, but it lags like hell on my tablet during combat sequences, so I'm keeping it for later. Also, I was disgusted by the amount of pointless dialogue in the beginning.

There's sadly a lot of repetitive dialogue you got to go through in devil survivor games but it's worth suffering/skipping through. Espescially DeSu 2 has some really challenging encounters and bosses (which get more interesting later on as you know more spells), and the combat system and customizing&strategizing aspect is at it's best very deep

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Are Majin Tensei games better/deeper than Devil Survivor games?

Also, tried Devil Survivor, but it lags like hell on my tablet during combat sequences, so I'm keeping it for later. Also, I was disgusted by the amount of pointless dialogue in the beginning.

There's sadly a lot of repetitive dialogue you got to go through in devil survivor games but it's worth suffering/skipping through. Espescially DeSu 2 has some really challenging encounters and bosses (which get more interesting later on as you know more spells), and the combat system and customizing&strategizing aspect is at it's best very deep

First Majin Tensei game is hardly deeper than Devil Survivor, but it's worth playing. At least there is little to no pointless dialogue between the battles.
If you're into Fire Emblem, you'll definitely enjoy it.

 

[Monstrous Bat]

I'm going to use this thread as a general dumping ground for stuff related to the more obscure Megatens.

A question for those of you who have played part 1 of Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei. Does this shit get better after Mazurka? I started playing this game a while ago, it started out okay, the dungeon design is rather meh but servicable, but this Mazurka dungeon is really getting on my nerves. I'm currently on 7F on the right side of the tower but I'm not sure if I could suffer through 6 more massive levels completely devoid of anything of interest and populated by the same 6 types of demons. Daedalus, Bien and Valhalla were fine, but Mazurka is so mind-numbingly tedious that I'm wondering if I should just skip to part 2.

Also, why does everyone say this game is super hard and stuffies? I found it no harder than SMT 1.

Since none of you appeared willing/able to answer my question, I went ahead and finished the game. Now I can answer my own question.

No, it doesn't get better. Though it also doesn't get any worse after that point, thankfully. But in general I found it to be a rather mediocre game with some good points. There's a few interesting puzzles, but the dungeons are mostly too HUEG and too empty. Combat is very repetative and the ridiculous encounter rate doesn't help. Talks about the game being an uber-hardcore dungeon crawler were just myth, the game is about as hard as SMT 1 and without any of the things that made SMT 1 somewhat enjoyable. Story is nonexistent, setting is simplistic, soundtrack is quite nice actually but the battle music is below average and the game is 90% combat.

Also I found a secret dungeon that apparently wasn't mentioned in any of the English walkthroughs:

Spoiler

The entrance is in a 1x1 room in Valhalla. Normally, when you enter the room you'll just get an "it reeks of death here" message, but if you have Cerberus in your computer, you'll meet a sickly dude who will ask you if you want to enter Hell. If you say yes, you'll get teleported to Hell.

Hell is an interesting place in that you can't use your computer here. Which means no devil summoning once you're here, and NO AUTOMAP. Mappara and compass still work though. This area is filled with damaging traps, teleporters, spinners and one-way doors. Most monsters here are fairly weak, but Laughing Skulls are MUCH stronger than anything else you'll encounter here and you're probably supposed to run away whenever you see them. Anyway, after a while you should meet an old man who can heal your whole party for a mere 1000 macca. Make sure to use his service a lot as this area is quite tough.

This area has no exit, but you can escape through another 1x1 room on the western (I think) edge of the map. Once you enter the room, your Cerberus will say he'll remain here to prevent the dead from escaping. He will then heal the entire party and send you back to Valhalla. There's no immediate benefit for doing so, but I heard that doing this secret unlocks a secret event in part 2.

That was probably my favorite part of the game. Still, if I was to rate the game as I whole, my verdict would be:


Oh well, maybe part 2 will be better...

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

I would be able to answer your question if I played KMT/MT1 a little bit more.
However, I am busy with the first SMT.
Gosh, I can't even say how much butthurt this game caused to me over the past few weeks.

Spoiler

FUCK PARALYZE AND RARE HEAL SPOTS
FUCK ENEMIES SPAMMING STATUS EFFECT SPELLS LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW
FUCK TOKYO DESTINY LAND
FUCK THAT DUMB ALIGMENT MINIGAME
FUCK THESE FREQUENT RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

Spoiler

At least I've managed to get Kerberos back. Now that event was more emotionally engaging than 99% of modern 'emotional' crap.

 

[Average Manatee]

Ya, I agree entirely that MT1 is pretty weak. It's alright if you have a few days to kill and just want to experience an old blobbing dungeon crawler, but it doesn't hold up well now. The final dungeon levels are really pure torture in how annoying it is to map and figure out puzzles while fighting though all of that constant shit. I know SMT games in general tend to involve combat slogs, especially towards the end, but to me MT1 felt like it really upped the ante.

MT2 is quite fun though. You have a real overworld with some exploration, multiple dungeons open, a ton more demons, etc etc. The combat is still not too great but you get the addition of using guns + swords with enemies often weak to one and strong vs. another. Also an actual plot with lots of fun shit happening, it feels like a mishmash of SMT1 and SMT2.

Spoiler

really spoiler

Spoiler

Watch where you put your hands

Spoiler

That moment was both hilarious and really upped the tension for a short while

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

I can't even say how much butthurt this game caused to me over the past few weeks.

Spoiler

FUCK PARALYZE AND RARE HEAL SPOTS
FUCK ENEMIES SPAMMING STATUS EFFECT SPELLS LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW
FUCK TOKYO DESTINY LAND
FUCK THAT DUMB ALIGMENT MINIGAME
FUCK THESE FREQUENT RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

Spoiler

At least I've managed to get Kerberos back. Now that event was more emotionally engaging than 99% of modern 'emotional' crap.

At this point you should breeze through everything (and the main being that abuses status effects should be MC), only moments when there's any challenge are pre-Kogonkai events, after then it became a cakewalk, including ultimate boss / final bosses. Game is even easier than SMT2 where at least ending battles are, kinda, difficult (still, not as ridiculously easy as Persona 2:IS).

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

I can't even say how much butthurt this game caused to me over the past few weeks.

Spoiler

FUCK PARALYZE AND RARE HEAL SPOTS
FUCK ENEMIES SPAMMING STATUS EFFECT SPELLS LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW
FUCK TOKYO DESTINY LAND
FUCK THAT DUMB ALIGMENT MINIGAME
FUCK THESE FREQUENT RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

Spoiler

At least I've managed to get Kerberos back. Now that event was more emotionally engaging than 99% of modern 'emotional' crap.

At this point you should breeze through everything (and the main being that abuses status effects should be MC), only moments when there's any challenge are pre-Kogonkai events, after then it became a cakewalk, including ultimate boss / final bosses. Game is even easier than SMT2 where at least ending battles are, kinda, difficult (still, not as ridiculously easy as Persona 2:IS).

Eh, I overestimated the dungeon and panicked, because half of my party (including Heroine) was paralyzed, another 2 were poisoned, plus MC was cursed and turned into a fucking frog.
Still managed to defeat the demon summoner without any issues.

Currently getting ready to talk to Law Hero in Shinagawa.

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Playing MT2 right now.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Playing MT2 right now.

Is it better than MT1 in your opinion?

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Playing MT2 right now.

Is it better than MT1 in your opinion?

It's too early to tell, but the setting seems somewhat more interesting at least.

 

[Baron Dupek]

Devil Survivor 2 - Record Breaker coming.

I checked that mumbojumbo with music for DS. Funny, few tracks and some CD may not working at all...

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Finished original SMT.
That was a long journey.
Don't regret that I spent a lot of time playing it...

Spoiler

WHAT THE FUCK?! IS THAT HOW YOU END THE GAME?!
Gabriel was the only barely-challenging boss, but only because his retarded immunities turned him into a fucking drag. And if I didn't check the guide after wasting about 100 turns gunning him down (the game showed that he was actually taking damage, wtf), I'd be ready to punch a baby in the face.
Chaos bosses aren't even worth mentioning. I've managed to kill quite some of them without even taking a single hit.
Moving on to SMT2.

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

Speaking of SMT2, prepare for the bullshitiest puzzle evar.

Spoiler

Moon Pillar, literally impossible to get without a guide

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Speaking of SMT2, prepare for the bullshitiest puzzle evar.

Spoiler

Moon Pillar, literally impossible to get without a guide

Thanks for the heads-up, will get a guide ASAP.
Right now I have quite enough issues with SMT2...

Spoiler

Fuck world map.
Fuck this less memorable music.
Fuck this goddamn world map again, ugh.

 

[Monstrous Bat]

My memory is a bit hazy but I think I hacked all the endgame bosses to pieces while the girl stunlocked them with Zio. Now that's an overpowered spell

They nerfed it in KMT though.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

My memory is a bit hazy but I think I hacked all the endgame bosses to pieces while the girl stunlocked them with Zio. Now that's an overpowered spell

They nerfed it in KMT though.

I used Minigun/Golden Gun + Magic Shells.
Works like a charm in most cases. Just sit back and watch how the final boss commits suicide.

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Reached Shinjuku in MT2 so I think I'm 1/3 through the game. I've been liking it so far. The game is actually not so much a sequel to MT1 as it's a prequel to SMT1, which is a good thing because MT1 was kind of shitty. In MT2 loots are more varied, plot is more interesting, and the difficulty is higher than both MT1 and SMT1 so you actually has to think about tactics instead of just hitting "AUTO" whenever something pops up.

Just killed Tiamat at level 29. It felt pretty great, although the rewards were rather underwhelming. (Just a few thousand xp, I was hoping I'd get to sequence break a bit)

What I don't like about MT2 is the Bioware choice and the new fusion system (getting elements is such a hassle). Music also declined from MT1.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Reached Shinjuku in MT2 so I think I'm 1/3 through the game. I've been liking it so far. The game is actually not so much a sequel to MT1 as it's a prequel to SMT1, which is a good thing because MT1 was kind of shitty. In MT2 loots are more varied, plot is more interesting, and the difficulty is higher than both MT1 and SMT1 so you actually has to think about tactics instead of just hitting "AUTO" whenever something pops up.

Just killed Tiamat at level 29. It felt pretty great, although the rewards were rather underwhelming. (Just a few thousand xp, I was hoping I'd get to sequence break a bit)

What I don't like about MT2 is the Bioware choice and the new fusion system (getting elements is such a hassle). Music also declined from MT1.

Thanks for telling about MT2, because SMT2 feels too underwhelming for me in difficulty, and I'd rather replay another version of SMT1 rather than try the sequel again.