FORT90 forum

Ahhhhhhh new MegaTen!!!!

well

probably

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/07/16/atlus-teaser-site-reveals-shin-megami-tensei-strange-journey/

the whole South Pole imploding kind of screams "Eva" but that could be awesome.

based off the logo, this appears to be an entry into the main series (shin megami tensei), which is fucking awesome as Nocturne is the last one we got and it's been quite a few years now.

i mean i love Persona but i welcome the opportunity to roam an HD demon filled apocalypse again an leave high school behind for a while.

for the future of mankind, let’s do it!

Also, did you ever play Persona 4 Joe? I forget.

oh, of course, yea.  i think the only Persona game i don't own is...FES?  which i sort of wanted but found it hard to justify the purchase, especially when P4 was on the horizon.

i just didn't beat P4, is all.  beating RPGs is not something i generally do if they take longer than 30 hours.  which might make you say "what a waste!  why do you keep buying them, then?"

to which i'd say that 30 hours of fun is generally worth it to me.

but i'll get back to it.  right now i'm working on Devil Survivor which is just a really interesting mix of stuff.  in all actuality, DS is basically kind of a relaunch of the very first SMT game.  i.e. guy creates a demon summoning program on his computer, summons really big fucking demon, apocalypse occurs. 

now i haven't gotten to the part where the world ends, but all signs seem to point to this.

that's the one major difference, i think, between Persona and SMT.  Persona is very much an optimistic kind of series, in that you're trying to prevent bad things from happening while enjoying a beautiful sunshiney land filled with upbeat club music.

whereas in SMT, the world is already dead and you need to figure out what the fuck you're going to do.


anyway, they've hinted that the next entry into the main series would be for PS3 (though maybe multiplatform?) and i'm really hoping this is the case.  as good as their games look on PS2, i want to see this stuff in 1080p.

I'm willing to put down money for a PS3 at long last if Persona 5 is comfirmed for it, and all indications seem to point towards a yes. As for this game... Guess I'll wait and see. At the end of the day, I'm mostly just a Persona fan. Every other MegaTen title I've tried, which I will admit has been far and few between, simply have not clicked with me. Still drives me nuts that Devil Summoner, which sounded so awesome in concept, is just so low budget to a fault/boring.

Also sucks that ATOMU can't chime in on Devil Survivor, but she's already at Otakon (I'm on my way at this moment).

This is interesting. I hope it'll be as imaginative as SMT3 in it's portrayal of a Japanese wasteland. Only taking more ideas from SMTO in not having that map screen you have to go into to go between places.

Now this is only raising more questions of when Persona 5 is going to happen.

as much of a "fanboy" as i am for this series, i think anyone who claims that the PS2 Devil Summoner games aren't much better in theory than in execution is lying to himself.

i certainly don't find them appalling, and the sequel that just came out is a LOT more tolerable to play, but they're definitely, as far as i can see, low-budget ideas that were made just as a sort of side project, i guess.  something that wasn't Persona but also something that wasn't going to take a huge amount of time and money to create.  so they play kind of like more competent budget games.  like if the EDF people decided to make an action RPG or something.


i'm sure, at this point, Persona 5 is inevitable.  i think it's easily been their most successful series both in Japan and in the West.

but i'm kind of curious what lessons and ideas they've learned from that and how they'll apply them to a game in the main series.  SMT tends to have more of a "hardcore" reputation, i guess, so i'm curious if they're going to try to cater to both sides with this one (assuming it IS an SMT game).

Llydis:  the map screen is so classic, though!

but i agree, JRPGs tend to feel a little more seamless when the world is huge but interconnected (thinking of something like Dragon Quest 8 here).

Iunno, the map screen always seemed like a concession they couldn't do a first person RPG with a huge open world. Then the series went third person with SMT3...

Both Megaten and Dragon Quest do come from the same era of RPGs though, and both had made very little concessions compared to their contemporaries that are still running today. (Which is why  people who were introduced to the JRPG during the Playstation era cry about DQ's "archaic" obsession with the menus and difficulty. Thank goodness SMT isn't that much of a mainstream title over here either.)

Oh, I totally nutted.

Kaneko better be doing the concept art for this! The optimistic taglines are cute, but are making me wonder about whether or not this properly counts as SMT4.  But I'm pretty sure if Atlus introduces ANOTHER SMT tangent before announcing SMT4 fans are going to start throwing tables through windows, myself included.

Also hoping Atlus confirms/denies Persona 5 soon, shoe-in or not. Considering how much closer P4's writing was to P2 I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more thin slicing of stupid bullshit and maybe a return to the more varied age range of protagonists P2 had. Or just more innuendo, more innuendo is fine.

Matt, have you touched Nocturne or Digital Devil Saga at all?

ATOMU:  have you played the Innocent Sin translation?  it's pretty goddamned great.

i'm still hoping Soul Hackers will get patched but it appears the guy who was working on it finally got a life and has sort of stopped translating/hacking.


it's kind of hard to tell what this will be, yea, but i'm just betting on SMT4, as they don't generally whip out the SMT Kanji for just any games.

Mia/ATOMU: I have tested the waters of both Nocturne or Digital Devil Saga, but seriously not enough for either to leave much of an impression. Once I was finally finished with Persona 4 and Persona 3:FES yet again, I began sampling all the MegaTen titles, or at least the recent stuff, but none of them ever really took hold of me, but then again, I was a little burnt out by MegaTen in general. I guess Devil Summoner 2 was supposed to my grand ticket back into that work, which you're a big fan of, right? Again, I was really bummed out by the rough edges initially, but now that I find myself bored with my current console offerings, gonna give it another shot.

Though now that you mention them, will be re-visiting Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga once Pilot/Katie is done with the PS2, which she's been busy with... playing P4! Anything I should know beforehand?

Also, please help me with my latest mental quandary, as outlined in the animu thread.

isfet: i've yet to, mainly because playstation emulators hate my computer :| it burns me.

a soul hackers patch would be AWESOME, if just to play a megaten game with a pompadored protagonist.

matt: please do give them another shot! i'll have more to tell you when I get further in them but they're the more popular megaten titles for a reason. nocturne's atmosphere is incredible.
persona is kind of megaten's wildy successful redheaded stepchild, so the experience with the other titles is going to be different. persona is a commitment but the others are work. the payoff is usually worth it, though.

also i started dsrk2 hot on the heels of dsrk1 and let me tell you I just about wept at modifications made to the battle system. it's actually...it's actually FUN... i almost forgot what it was like to have fun playing a video game for a while there.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand the new game is for the DS, therefore not SMT4.
http://wiieveryday.blogspot.com/

(http://i31.tinypic.com/2e1f9ew.gif)

...ethnic people though! ethnic people! and space!

The artwork at the very least looks pretty interesting. It's Kazuma Kaneko, right? And you stated that he had better return to do concept art of P5... was he behind P3/4 as well? I know Shigenori Soejima handled the overall art design, and also the character illustrations, right?

Yeah, that's Kaneko. I was talking about him doing the art for SMT4, though.
I think Soejima did everything for P3 and 4? I'm unaware of Kaneko's involvement other than them recycling his old art for the personas themselves.

While it'd be cool to have Kaneko back on the team for P5, I do like Soejima as Persona's new artist, considering the direction Persona has taken as Megaten's wildly successful redheaded stepchild.

verrrry interesting.  i wasn't expecting this at all.  although, it appears some of the monsters are coming from Devil Survivor, which makes quite a bit of sense.  Atlus generally likes to get at least two games out of the new system/sprites they make.  it's kind of weird, but the pattern's there if you look for it.

judging from the battles and the map screen, i'm guessing it's going to be first person a la the SNES SMT games/PS1 Devil Summoner games.  it would make a lot of sense, at least, considering it's on DS.

oh well; guess they weren't lying when they said a next-gen SMT game might take a little longer.

Iunno if I should be surprised if they would put a Megaten sequel on PSP or DS. Considering precedents are happening nowadays for sequels to come out on portables.

I think stylistically I like Soejima's art a lot more for the soft tones and and use of more than a couple of colors. There's also a lot more energy than Kaneko's much more mechanical style. Not to say I don't like Kaneko's work, it's just that Persona makes a lot more sense with Soejima's art than Kaneko's.

lol @ some kotaku comments.

http://kotaku.com/5320007/new-shin-megami-tensei-game-coming-to-ds


There's also:


A lot of gamers in general hate the fact that good games are coming out on portable systems more than their beloved console of choice that they'll fight and die for the glory of the brand name of their choice.

I'm assuming if it made sense to develop JRPGs for next-gen systems, Japanese developers would. But, there just isn't that much of a market for them right now on consoles.

On a side note, God bless some of the people who work there and their souls, but I love how recent attempt to put focus on the "community", that being people who live and breathe whatever the big K says, has only shed light on the fact of how insane and retarded the vast majority of their readers are. The worst is when they try to be funny... oy vey.

You get that with any large site. But, it gets doubly weird when the writers start focusing on a community aspect of a blog.

Iunno, a lot of them in general try to appeal to the grievances that people have with games nowadays in ways that aren't even insightful.

So ATOMU has been playing Digital Devil Saga fairly hardcore and even started a Twitter about it...

http://twitter.com/embryon_guy

matt you're like the dad who shows all of my friends embarrassing photos of me as a baby whenever they come over

lol

Also, you're clearly not familiar with Dave's vampire boyfriend Twitter (http://twitter.com/vamp_boyfriend), or the one that Katie and I maintain for our cat (http://twitter.com/catfacemeowmers). Both of which seriously need updating.

So I recently gave Digital Devil Saga another shot, and found the introduction rather intriguing. Previously, I had messed around with a friend's saved game, somewhere around the mid-point, and for only like five minutes. Since it was so confusing, the impression I got wasn't as positive as it could have been. So I'm happy to get a fresh start, and sorta had the idea of playing it concurrently with ATOMU, since I knew she had just started as well.

BUT... I decided to give Nocturne short afterward, mostly because of Isfet's impassioned recommendation (played it once before, under similar circumstances ad DDS) and was totally taken by the aesthetics and presentation, more so than DDS. So I guess I'll be playing that one for the time being, though given everything on my plate, not sure how much time I can dedicate towards it. For Persona 4, I was literally playing that for 4 or 5 hours a day, and I just don't have as much time to blow currently. Still, looks really cool and I'm just hoping that it's not maddeningly difficult. I just died for the first time, but I was just being stupid.

Still unsure about how I feel about Dante, but we'll see.

two quick things on Nocturne:

1) after meeting Dante once, you never have to see him again unless you go deeper into Amala Labyrinth (which is totally optional)

2) when you get to the first fiend, Matador, you're going to die

Oh, Dante. From what I've seen of him in the game the tonal shift he creates is fucking hilarious. Oh baby mmm so deep mmmmmmm so deep

They're both great games but DDS has me ensnared because the cosmology of it is tight and well-done. Also pretty. SO PRETTY. I think the cutscene where the leaders are called together for a meeting is when shit got real for me, it's worth it to get at least that far.

It also probably doesn't help that where I am in Nocturne I need to get off my ass and figure out where to go :| And wandering around aimlessly + getting slammed with random battles = not a satisfying video game experience for me.

For those who might have missed it, the highly underrated site Siliconera posted lots of info regarding Strange Journey recently...

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/07/21/shin-megami-tensei-strange-journey-mission-overview/

And here's some videos as well...

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/07/26/shin-megami-tensei-strange-journey-videos-surface/

Hey ATOMU, how's Digital Devil Saga going? I myself have barely scratched the surface of Nocturne, but thus far, it's awesome! Though I'm worried about hitting the same kind of wall that you've hinted.

My god, the game is gorgeous.

Well, practically out of the blue, Nocturne all of a sudden got very hard. Which kinda sucks. But still gonna give the old college try.

Here's a new video for Persona PSP with Atlus's Aram Jabbari, their main PR dude (and really nice guy), going over all the new features and junk...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRHW5xZELGU

... I'm back to wanting to play this again, after getting over the fact that it's not like P3 or P4, with social links and the such. Life is never perfect, plus there's always Persona 5, right?

Again, the day it's formally announced is the day I get my ass to a store to finally pick up a PS3. That is, if it's announced for that system, though I HIGHLY doubt it'll be for the 360. Better luck of it also appearing on the PS2 once again instead.

So...  uh... When does Persona come out? I really want the sound tracks.

Actually I'm surprised this video is acting more like a primer for Persona. They're probably hoping for some more JRPG fans to come to the series.

Considering the games that sell the most on the platform, and the types of folks who play them... which skews towards teen males that are heavy into sports games (if not for EA, that platform would be in far worse shape than it currently is), I think it's a safe bet to say that a primer is more than necessary.

Persona on PSP is supposed to be out on Sept. 22. 

sometimes i'm sort of ashamed of how addicted i am to this series.

but it's nice that they're updating this game to make it a bit more playable nowadays.

Persona on PS1 was the first MegaTen game i was ever exposed to and even though i didn't end up buying it back then, it definitely registered on my radar as being "unique." 

i mean, laughing toilets possessed by demons?  good times.

Just curious Joe, how many MegaTen games have you played, which ones are your favorite, and why, plus which have you actually beaten?

On a side note, I'm pretty pissed how none of the Gamestops near me have Devil Survivor, and I refuse to pay full price for any game when I can off-set the stick shock (despite it being reasonably priced) when I have crap to trade in, like Ninja Blade and Halo Wars.

jeez, i needed to consult a list of the games for this.

this post might be a little on the long side and might bore the hell out of most of you.  but i have a lot of time tonight and you've all been warned.

in general, the only MegaTen games i've SKIPPED are the ones for the NES.  generally, they seem pretty antiquated and unplayable and if i want something sort of plodding and overly difficult, i'll go for the SNES games instead.  however, i have always been mildly curious about fist Megami Tensei on the NES, as it's actually a book adaptation.

ok, these are gonna be in release order, not necessarily the order i played them in.

Shin Megami Tensei 1 and 2 on SNES
Shin Megami Tensei If...
Devil Summoner
Soul Hackers
Persona 1-4
Nocturne
Digital Devil Saga
Kuzunoha Raidou
Devil Survivor

when it comes to commenting on games, i tend to go a bit overboard with details, so i'll do my best to keep this kind of to the point.  out of the games that i've played, i'd say my personal favorites are probably Soul Hackers, Persona 2 (both Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment), Persona 3 and Nocturne.  i do happen to love the aesthetics of the SMT games on the SNES, but they're just too hard for me to get into nowadays.  but if you're a sucker for cyberpunk, you should at least check them out.  also worthy of note, is that SMT If... is the first game in the entire series that took place in high school (the subtitle "If..." is a reference to the British film of the same name).  you could also play as a girl, if you choose, which is something none of these games has done since.

Soul Hackers - the reason this game rocks is because...it's just so fucking awesome.  from the art style, to the music, to the graphics; the game itself just pops.  it has a life unto itself; it's one of those quintessentially wonderful PS1 games.  it's also where the series started updating, somewhat.  it plays similar to the older, SNES games (FPS dungeons and whatnot), but the interaction feels much more modern and less of a chore than the older games.  this game also eerily predicted how much MMOs were going to fuck people up.  but what i really love about this game is it's overall sense of dread.  it's very Japanese in that regard; it's a tension that i wouldn't describe as scary, so much as vaguely unsettling.  and the soundtrack...just some really great synth music that fits in so well with the mood.

Persona 2 - the characters in this game are fairly dynamic and not limited to being in high school.  on top of this, it improved on P1 in every single way.  on top of this, the game had an interesting mechanic where you could spread rumors among NPCs to change reality.  for example, if you wanted to find a weapon shop with inexpensive, but good weapons, you could start spreading a rumor that the bar down the block is actually a gunshop if you say the password.  spread this rumor to the right people and it becomes fact.  definitely worth checking out.  even moreso now that the first part of this game has been translated.

Nocturne - since you're playing this right now, i probably don't have to go into why this game is probably my favorite in the entire series.  but basically, long story short, it takes all the elements of new MegaTen and merges it with old.  it's exceptionally hard at times, but not impossible, and this makes you feel that much more awesome when you finally learn how to exploit that one boss.  what i really love about this game is how little importance grinding has on how well you do.  the game WANTS you to constantly find and fuse new demons and use them as a way to make it through.  if i had to go to an island alone and take one game of every genre, this one would be the only RPG i'd ever need.

Persona 3 - this game came out at just the right time in my gaming life.  i was just getting into dungeon crawls/roguelikes and then, hey, what do you know, a game that mixes those elements in with a dynamic social interaction mechanic.  plus, great music and graphics.  i know the majority of people seem to say P4 is better than this, but truthfully, i haven't given P4 enough time.  i think as an RPG, P4 is probably the better game, but as a game, i prefer P3.  P3 just has a feeling to it that allows me to pick up and play it at any time, very much like a roguelike.  plus, some of the changes made to how you heal in dungeons in P4 meant i had to completely rethink my approach to the game

actually, what it made me do was stop playing, not rethink my strategy and go play other games.

but i'll get back to it, i promise.


for the record, there aren't many games in the series i don't like.  the Raidou series is mediocre, at best, but it gets 5 stars in terms of idea and character design.  Digital Devil Saga is fun and also worth trying out, but if someone were to ask me "DDS or Nocturne," DDS sort of plays like Nocturne Lite in my mind.

oh, it's also worth mentioning that the Virtual Boy game "Jack Bros" is all kinds of awesome as well

but it doesn't really count

That's funny, I could have sworn that Soul Hackers was a Sega Saturn game. Was it updated for the PSone?

And one person described P3 as a proof of concept for PS4, which I think is dead on the money. But, due it's rougelike qualities I suppose, I find myself just picking that one up out of the blue more than P4. I guess because Persona 4 is so involving, maybe?

My biggest problem is how P4 really spoiled me, by making certain aspects such hand-holding affairs that I feel totally deaf and dumb while playing Nocturne. But I am so fucking blown away by the art design. I don't think I've been so genuinely creeped out by some of the game's environments.

you're not technically wrong; Soul Hackers was released on Saturn before it was released on PS1.  the only Saturn exclusive is the first Devil Summoner game (Soul Hackers is the spiritual sequel to DS), which is ok, but not great.  apparently, the only difference between the two versions of Soul Hackers is that you can raise a monster on your Pocketstation (remember that piece of shit?) in the PS1 version.

i really, really hope to play Soul Hackers in English some day.  Atlus wanted to way back when but Sony apparently said no.  Aeon Genesis Translations supposedly has the entire script translated, but they need people to hack the game.  but the game who runs that site seems to have dropped off the face of the planet, so it seems like it's not gonna happen soon, if ever.

which makes me sad :(


kind of wrapping all this up together, while i'm excited to play Strange Journey on DS, i was really pretty disappointed it wasn't a 360 or PS3 game.  i'm sure it'll happen eventually, but i want to be creeped out in HD.

If I'm not mistaken, Atlus hasn't been too fond of Microsoft's platforms due to poor success from previous titles. Not helping is how most of the stuff released there has sucked. Though I hear that MegaTen title for the Xbox 1, NINE, was somewhat interesting. Though I only wanted to play it cuz people who made Ranger X and Crusader of Centy, Gau Entertainment/Nextech, programmed the thing.

Meanwhile, they've been mostly golden with Sony's platforms.

This Persona 4 comic pretty much nails everything on the head...

http://hiimdaisy.livejournal.com/26044.html

So I finally picked up a copy of Devil Survivor, and thus far, it's pretty neat. Nothing mind blowing, just the now patented MegaTen formula, but for the DS. Though two things, this early into the game (I finally just reached day one)...

1. Maybe this will change, but I'm less than thrilled with the almost total lack of usage when it comes to the top screen. Sure it provides stats during battle, but otherwise, it's totally blank, which kinda bites. Especially during the conversations, so much stuff is packed into the bottom screen, just seems a little silly.

2. I now exactly what ATOMU was talking about the stupid character designs. I like big tits and all, but Yuzu's is just retarded, but not nearly as much as the main character's faux cat ears.

That Persona 4 comic is perfect.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/08/05/shin-megami-tensei-persona-psp-launching-simultaneously-on-psn-sept-22/

I guess if you don't need things like a sound track or physical media or anything, that's a good option.

Since I'm somewhat of the collector type, I'll definitely get the physical version. I just hope the UMD case itseld does not have the insanely gay "Only On PlayStation" by-line (at least PSP cases doesn't actually spell out the world PlayStation, unlike on PS3 cases, where it's already listed twice or three times already).

Sorry, pet peeve.

I'd rather have physical media for Persona as well since I actually do want the sound tracks.

Uh oh... might be playing Persona after-all...

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/08/07/looks-like-sony-is-going-to-roll-out-psp-firmware-555-soon/

What does 5.55 do anyway?

Annoy people with custom firmware, that's about it. These updates honestly do nothing.

Which is why I'm shocked why Atlus would do such a thing. Without having any scientific data, me thinks that folks who would play Persona are the type to run custom firmware, hardcore gamers and all, but would actually buy the game to support the franchise. Or perhaps I think too well of people.

BTW, for those might have missed it on the blog, check out this pretty nifty Persona 4 shirt I recently got...

(http://pics.fort90.com/journal/p4shirt.jpg)

guys i bought persona 3 today. i can only hope its as good as everyone says

It can be if you don't get too attached to your personas and keep fusing them with others.

following TDS on Twitter, he is not a happy camper.

two hours of shit dialogue. the high points were lame innuendo and implied suicide.

im going to jump back into it later tonight but im not exactly faithful.

you are all high on hard drugs, this game fucking sucks

I love part 4 to death, but still have a soft spot for 3. I'd say just go to that one, but at this point, I'd say don't bother.

The fact that you were able to play and enjoy Final Fantasy 7 and not this leaves me totally befuddled.

That's always what I just assumed about this thread.

anyway i spent more time with this tonight and it doesnt seem like anything beyond a well developed date sim like the ones ive seen on newgrounds(with other elements of course). ive gotten into the groove of thing but im not particularly enthralled here. i give it a week or two of messing around with it.

at least its held my attention wayyy longer than something like the sims games.

I think it gets more entertaining when the plot kicks in. Which... Is going to be more than a couple of in-game weeks.

I say if you don't like this, Persona 4 might be more for you. Sure it has the date sim aspects, but the plot kicks in more towards the start of the game.

Yeah, there's a lot more meat in P4, story-wise, plus the battle mechanics are far more involving, yet also streamlined.

But what's with this hate over the dating sim aspects? Banging virtual teenage girls is fucking awesome. Also, I recall you hating the soundtrack on Twitter, and it definitely has it's moments, but the music to P4 is simply rocking.

well i havent banged any virtual teens yet but ill try to get my 20 bucks worth.

ive only heard some of the songs ingame and theyve been real repetitive. i still have yet to put in the soundtrack disc

(http://www.fort90.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=21;type=avatar)


TDS, I'm playing Persona 4 now and it is pretty much more of the same. The only difference from what I can tell is that in 4 the weather changes and you don't pretend to blow your brains out to summon your persona. It's enjoyable to me but if you hate miles and miles of dialogue and cutscenes it isn't for you. I'm really into building personas and I like the dungeons. That said though I'm about 70 (sad) hours in and I don't think I'll be finishing the very last super secret dungeon because I've totally lost interest in grinding.

So I've been playing Devil Survivor on and off for the past couple of weeks, and gotta say... might be almost done with this one. If not for it's MegaTen ties, probably would have given up a long time ago.

I constantly hear how awesome the story is, but I'm still stuck on day one. I fully accept how punishing the MegaTen fight mechanics tend to be, but the added strategic gameplay is just too much. Then again, I'm a novice when it comes to the genre, so many all games feel like the computer knows exactly what you're doing and always has the unfair advantage. Perhaps those kinds of folks also don't mind spending close to an hour, chipping away at the enemy's defenses, only to get completely (and unfairly) obliterated by the enemy in one foul sweep, over and over again. It's beyond frustrating.

Though what really pisses me off is the reward system at the end of each of bout. Depending on what you do, a fight that would have normally netted 5 XP points and 15 bucks can get you 50 XP and 500 dollars instead... or 1 XP points and 0 dollars. Guess which I end up with the most? It would help if I knew what criteria is being used to make such calls to then better myself.

Speaking of, the game has one of the worst interfaces for any DS title I can recall, and not at all suited for a game with such depth. Because things are either explained poorly or not at all, I screwed up a few times when first fusing Personas, which I'm still pissed about. The idiotic inventory system sure doesn't help, which like virtually every issue could have been easily avoided if they had simply used both screens!

One of the biggest additions is the ability to buy Personas via an online auction, which sounded great in the beginning, till I realized that the entire system is fundamentally broken. Not to the point that it breaks the whole game, but simply in one of those "well, what's the pointing of having it in the first place?" kind of fashion. It's actually a lot like eBay; what's the point of even bothering with an auction when you can just pay the Buy It Now price?

It's okay right now, but I can easily see myself getting frustrated beyond belief later down the road, hence why I feel like bailing. Have hardly put a dent in Nocturne, which I know is hard, but at least doesn't have the bullshit strategy component, far more interesting characters, better graphics, etc.

well, it's a tactics RPG, so if that's not really the kind of game you like to play or are used to playing it might be a bit difficult.  the approach to a battle in a TRPG is wildly different from how you'd battle in another RPG. 

i guess basically, if you see the strategy component more as "bullshit" than "the reason to play the game" then it really might not be worth it to go on.

But the thing is, I've played stuff like Advance Wars, and not once did I feel that things were unfairly stacked against me. If I lost a long-hard battle, I never felt screwed over, just a desire to jump back in.

Advance Wars is more like a real-time strategy game than it is a tactical RPG. i love those games, too, but they're like more intricate versions of rock-paper-scissors.  this unit beats this unit etc. etc. etc.

games like Devil Summoner have a lot of other stats and strategies to consider.  any time i've lost in the game, i knew what i had to do differently next time.  whether it was have a demon that made me walk further, or use more demons with fire abilities or whatever the case might be.  the only time things are particularly difficult is during boss battles (but that's to be expected).

i dunno what to say to that could help, other than have a diverse array of demons you can summon and try to make each party as balanced as possible.  or, try to make each party have its own agenda.  if you see one side of the map has mainly ice-using demons, maybe send in a party that uses fire (but can heal itself).  if you exploit the weaknesses and get extra turns, there shouldn't be a lot that the enemy can do to you.

and maybe this is obvious, but it's always fundamental that you don't just send someone in to a group of enemies or they're going to get raped.  i always try to lure one enemy out at a time so i don't have a shit ton of enemies to contend with all at once.

(http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii261/mighty_atom/2rr290o.jpg)

what

Well, that's certainly unexpected!

So long as you still get to bang Yukari and Mitsuru, it's all good. Also the robot.

Also, makes me not feel so bad for not finishing the FES component!

Also also, and come to think of it, it would have been a bit nicer to put Persona 2 on the system, at least in full, mostly for us Americans, which might be asking much.

Considering that the velvet room attendant this time around is a dude, sadly signs point to no. IDK if any of P4's improvements to social links are going to apply here...I hope so, but if they don't then we're shit outta luck. (i.e. ACTUALLY GETTING TO KNOW THE KIDS YOU'RE DUNGEON CRAWLING WITH FOR HOURS ON END)

I'm realizing that you probably get to fuck the student council guy, which will be hilarious

So is Dudelisabeth the one and only attendant? Will you be able to choose the gender of the main protagonist, or is this simply Persona 3 Girl's Side?


Quoted for truth.

While I don't doubt there'll be cameos from the other attendants, I'm pretty sure Dudelisabeth is the only one, yeah. I could get analytical as to why that is, but it'd be like begging for a wedgie. When I neckbeard, I neckbeard hard.

Honestly, looking at p3's male cast, there is no social link that can't end in hilarity. You don't even need a social link with Akihiko to slowly discover that he is completely and utterly retarded.

Hey, don't forget the ultra emo and suicidal 8 year old! Can't wait to bang him.

(http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii261/mighty_atom/1193650817032.png)

This is interesting news. Oh, PSP, why are you sucking less nowadays?

Some additional details...

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/08/18/and-now-for-some-more-persona-3-portable-details/

... So you can choose either male or female. That's cool, though I'm still far more interested in the girl on girl action. The added P4 mechanics is also welcome, since I found P3 battles afterwards to be pretty boring, just sitting there and watching the AI fuck things up. No word on those enhanced social links though...

(http://i25.tinypic.com/1552suc.jpg)
fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

HOT.

Hey, will it still include all the wacky outfits for your cohorts? If it's based on FES, then I believe so! Can't wait to hear how Yukari protests when the command comes from a fellow female.

I can't remember if I made things more difficult for myself by insisting that both ladies stick with the vaguely S&M garb, even when stronger armor became available.

I'm pretty sure Yukari is wearing some sort of wacky sexy santa outfit in the back there, so yeah. She wont protest because they'll be too busy scissoring.

I know I kept Aigis in the maid outfit until almost endgame, at that one floor boss who's only weak to pierce and had to level ALL of the benchwarmers at least 20 levels :|

you know, i was thinking that maybe i would give P3 more attention as a portable game, but then i read everywhere about people dorking out over gender bending or whatever and im turned off again.

Once again TDS, whatever you have to say about Persona will be completely drowned out in my mind by how you willing subjected yourself to Final Fantasy 7 despite all the warnings, and enjoyed it.

ff7 had an awesome plot that gradually went downhill,but at least there was an end in sight. persona is just some sim thing with a monotonous day-in day-out stuff.

you cant really compare those games because they're so different. ones just more my cup of tea.

enjoying persona 3 is all about being tolerant of a couple different kinds of bullshit, for matt and i it happens to be our kryptonite

Pretty much.

BTW, here's the opening vid...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMSIFRIaXHY

And some additional screens...

http://www.psphyper.com/psp/persona-3-portable-debut-trailer-screens/

... I'm a bit confused by the super pulled out view when you're not in the Tartarsauce.

EDIT: additional info thanks to Siliconera...

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/08/21/persona-3-portable-features-upgrades-and-downgrades/

... I'm pretty bummed out by some of these changes, but at least it makes things a tad bit different, which will help with me replaying everything all over again.

So the Teddie statue that I pre-ordered many moons ago finally arrived! And... it's really small. Which I guess is sorta good, given that I'm mindful of space, but considering what I paid for it. Eh, whatever.

I'd post pics, but I can't find my camera at the moment! The apartment is a bit of a mess at the moment. In the meantime, here's an interesting little read...

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/08/27/what-is-the-father-of-megaten-doing-these-days/

... Man, EVERYONE is doing iPhone games these days, huh?

So guess what comes out tomorrow? Other than Halo 3 ODST, of course. Why, it's Persona PSP! I'll be picking up my copy for sure (after a meeting at 1515, to check out Lego Rock Band... I know), though I certainly won't be playing it. At least until custom firmware in the 6.0 range comes out.

BTW, the special Persona 3 Portable DX Pack was recently revealed in Japan...

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/09/21/the-stuff-inside-the-persona-3-portable-dx-pack/

when i have some extra cash, i'll pick up Persona PSP.

also, thoughts that have come into my mind as of late:

the new SMT game on DS.  not sure if i'm really feeling it.

the idea of going to the south pole to fight demons is kind of a neat idea and i'm sure i'm going to love the game when i finally pick it up, but honestly, i'm really bummed that there's no next-gen SMT game.

games look so great right now and it's just a shame that they're not utilizing either the PS3 or 360 to express the uniqueness of the series.

travelling through Antarctica to fight demons in big drill tanks is a cool idea, but it would be even cooler in HD with gorgeous weather effects and sprawling icefields.

Yeah, I gave up on Devil Survivor a while ago. You'd think the idea of endlessly grinding would be custom built for a portable title, especially on a train, when you're dying to do pretty much anything to get your mind off the subway. But despite my determined approach towards the game at multiple angles... I did SO much experimenting with creating Personas, mixing and matching skills and the like, plus just flat out, hardcore leveling up... it was all for naught.

There was one battle in which I was getting decimated halfway through, no matter what, so I spent literally two hours doing free battles, over and over and over and over again. But I still getting squashed at the same exact spot, no matter what, and simply had to walk away. My attitude is, even if the player is not doing something totally correct, if they perform other actions to help compensate, which falls within the realm of reason, the game should throw the player a bone.

I also became super annoyed by having to go through the same dialogue tree every time I had to replay the aforementioned major battle.

This is pretty much required viewing for any Persona 3 fan...

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/10/04/atlus-ive-got-your-p3-portable-bonus-right-here/

First, a neat little postmortem for Persona 4 (and a rare one at that; Japanese developers never like to talk about the process, for various reasons)...

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/10/indepth_behind_the_scenes_of_a.php

... Considering how burnt out they were from Persona 4, I have to wonder how 5 will be in the end? Provided that they're working on it (and I'd have to assume they are).

Next, a brand new Aegis figure is hitting the market, this one based on her FES armor...

http://tomopop.com/dimension-diver-s-aegis-from-persona-3-fes-returns-9162.phtml

... Looks MUCH cooler than I remember it, but then again, I didn't get very far so I might have missed a few cool looking upgrades.

HAWT

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/10/09/atlus-couldnt-think-of-a-more-impractical-persona-3-portable-costume/

i am glad to hear this.

Hey Joe, you ever beat Devil Survivor? Are you still interested in Strange Journey? Perhaps this might be of some interest...

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/10/07/shin-megami-tensei-strange-journey-system-overview/

never beat Devil Survivor, but enjoyed it immensely. 

i find it difficult to beat "tactics" type games because they take so long.  but i enjoy playing them for the battle systems and whatnot.


i'm not entirely sold on playing SMT games on the DS yet, though.  those features in SJ sound neat, but i'm not sure if these games work as well when they're not on a TV screen.  it's hard to explain.  i guess since SMT games are generally more involved and difficult than most, it's something i'd like to be comfortable on my couch or something playing.

whereas a game like Mother 3 is very playable in short bursts; something handhelds are designed for. 

A P4 face shows up on Persona 3 Portable!

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/10/13/visit-persona-4s-town-in-persona-3-portable/

Was gonna make a joke about how I can't wait to be such a cute piece of ass till I realized she/you are supposed to be like 15, right?

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/10/20/power-up-your-characters-faster-in-persona-3-portable/

TOO LATE MATT, IT'S ALREADY BEEN SAID.

hiimdaisy is back with part 2 of her Persona 4 comic adaptation, and it's even better than before, if that can be believed!

http://hiimdaisy.livejournal.com/26484.html

Come Atlus, bring this sucker home...

http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2009/11/21/persona-3-portable-gets-sex-scene/

... Though if I were her, that would be the last guy in the game I would bang.

Whoa Matt, I dig your new avatar! What's the source, hombre?

I don't really know why they found that worth writing an article about, considering the same thing happens with the dude protagonists in 3 and 4. Double standards or someone didn't play the game.

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop myself, but it's inevitable. Atlus USA really likes making money.

As for banging Shinjiro, he's pretty abrasive (also crusty) but when you weigh him against Junpei the Inept, Ken the Prepubescent, and Akihiko the Retarded, the one with the drug habit and possible history of male prostitution comes out on top. But Matt, since you've brought this issue to the table I must know who you WOULD bang. You walked into this.

Shit, I had the source bookmarked somewhere, but totally can't find it. I want to say that I swiped it from Pixiv, but come to think of it, this person had his/her own site. If I can find it, I'll pass it along, but otherwise... sorry :(

The one thing I'm most interested in is to see if that scene from early in the game in which it's strongly implied that the protagonist and Yukari had sex, almost unwillingly, is still there for the girl's side. And if so, with whom? Hopefully it's still Yukari. Mitsuru would be just as awesome, but it wouldn't make sense, story-wise.

As for what guy I'd bang, that's a tough question, since the options are pretty pathetic. Junpei is a fucking dolt, Ken would be too young even for me, even if he was a girl, and you forgot about the wet blanket that is Shuji, but I highly doubt he's an option. Shinjiro's druggie background does make him somewhat appealing I guess, though in the end, I'll have to go with Akihiko. Only because, as much as I find girls who are sometimes clueless somewhat charming, I'd guess the same applies to dudes.

Hey Mia, mind explaining what the deal is with everyone wielding assorted household appliances/electronics?

http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=7412430

... I'm not so up on my Pixiv memes. Great piece nonetheless!

Lol, beats me!
They don't seem to be puns or anything, and thats definitely not a pixiv meme. It might just be completely arbitrary. (To be fair, drawing a bunch of front facing homogenous teenagers would make you pretty starved for poses after like the first 8)

I adore that artist, though. Always really really liked this one. http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=big&illust_id=6794126

No confirmation of Persona 5 just yet, but it's a start...

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/01/18/shin-megami-tensei-for-ps3-says-amazon-japan/