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[RSLAEV]

Feh, I played 20 or so hours into DDS1 and the story never got beyond "Homicidal amnesiacs stumbling along in a grey dystopian landscape-oh and by the way enemy monsters get more turns than you do"

Pass


I admire the graphic design of the SMT games, but I have yet to find one I actually enjoyed *playing*

 

[Angelus Errare]

Thanks, I needed DDS2. Gamestop apparently takes back games in ANY condition....

 

[leroidys]

Do any of these have a strong story? Which one is the best story-wise?

EDIT: Devil summoner sounds the coolest to me as I'm really interested in 1920s era Japan, and also I don't particularly want to play as a japanese high schooler. Should I play the first one first?

 

[Blueblur1]

I just fell in love with Persona 3; it was my first SMT game. Should I buy these??

 

[TheChillyAcademic]

Do any of these have a strong story? Which one is the best story-wise?

EDIT: Devil summoner sounds the coolest to me as I'm really interested in 1920s era Japan, and also I don't particularly want to play as a japanese high schooler. Should I play the first one first?

The strongest narrative (and voice work) are going to be the DDS titles, though SMT: Nocturne without a doubt imo had an overall more fascinating story.

 

[Sagitario]

I've all 3 but this irritates me greatly:

Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.

C'mon Atlus...

 

[Foxix Von]

Awesome! I just started playing nocturne recently, and it turns out my copy was a misprint :lol

VQ

 

[soldat7]

I'm selling my copies of DDS1&2 (together) for $45 shipped if in US.

I've barely played them at all; the discs, manuals, and cover arts are in mint condition. PM if interested.


EDIT: SOLD

 

[Coxswain]

Do any of these have a strong story? Which one is the best story-wise?

EDIT: Devil summoner sounds the coolest to me as I'm really interested in 1920s era Japan, and also I don't particularly want to play as a japanese high schooler. Should I play the first one first?

I would go straight to the second Devil Summoner; the first one is easily the weakest of the PS2 SMT games, but the second one is a mostly-competent action RPG. You don't need to play the first one to understand the second, and after you play DS2 you can decide whether the awesome setting (and '1920s Japan + folklore' is an awesome setting) is enough to tide you over through a mediocre game.

Honestly though, you really can't go too wrong with the stories of any of the PS2 SMT games. Even Nocturne isn't story-heavy, but what is there is actually really interesting and fairly well-written. I'd say the weakest is probably Digital Devil Saga, but even then the premise and the presentation are fairly well done - it's just that sometimes it kind of veers off track into stupid-ass amateur-hour existentialism and I can't stand that shit. It's still a really fun game though.

Let me guess...nothing for Canadians?

Damnit, I need DDS2.

edit: $24 shipping to Canada. Plus another $5.20 for import fees? Are you fucking kidding me?

If it helps, I'm in Canada and ordered DDS2 a few days ago from here. There's a coupon code (GPDIGITAL2) that drops the price to $35, and shipping was $8 (all in USD, so about $50 Canadian in total).

Dunno if I'll get dinged with an import fee once it gets delivered though.

 

[Az987]

Glad I sold my copies of DDS2 when I did :lol

 

[TheChillyAcademic]

I would go straight to the second Devil Summoner; the first one is easily the weakest of the PS2 SMT games, but the second one is a mostly-competent action RPG. You don't need to play the first one to understand the second, and after you play DS2 you can decide whether the awesome setting (and '1920s Japan + folklore' is an awesome setting) is enough to tide you over through a mediocre game.

While the second game is definitely the stronger of the the two games in the series, I'd say, narrative wise, the first game was a tad better.

The fact alone that DS2 has classic SMT

Spoiler

Lucifer

however propels it ahead of the original substantially

 

[Baron]

Holy cow, just last week I sold my (opened) LE boxed set of DDS 1&2 on ebay for $104! Awesome for me, sucks for the buyer. Well, there's no soundtrack disc and outer box with these re-issues, so he did get something out of the buy.

 

[Error]

Devil Summoner 2 is a top tier SMT game for me. I have enjoy it more than the DDS duo.

It's also the ugliest SMT game in the PS2. The backgrounds are awful.

 

[MotherFan]

What kind of games are DDS and Nocturne. I will pick these up if I like the sound of them. I liked P3, P4 and am liking Devil Survivor.

 

[Liabe Brave]

Other potential deal breakers for me:

Random battles? And are the battles fast?

Yes, there are random battles (lots of them, if you play the Hard mode). Whether they are fast or not depends on your tactics. As with Persona 3, using attacks of types enemies are weak against vastly speeds up battle; using ones they're strong against can make it slow down. Generally, Nocturne is a pretty long game, with a good amount of content.

I just fell in love with Persona 3; it was my first SMT game. Should I buy these??

Probably. They're more traditional in narrative structure, with no social interaction system (which is what distinguishes the Persona sub-series). However, they have similar hybrid aesthetics, with modern urban Japan mixed with weird apocalyptic mysticism. And there's plenty of demon recruiting/fusing. They're less about particular characters and more philosophical in tone and intent; whether you prefer that is up to you. Nocturne might make a good change of pace before you tackle Persona 4, though.

 

[Coxswain]

What kind of games are DDS and Nocturne. I will pick these up if I like the sound of them. I liked P3, P4 and am liking Devil Survivor.

They're both turn-based RPGs using a battle system that's basically a much more advanced/in-depth version of the one Persona 3/4 use.
In Nocturne, you fill out your party with fusable/customizable demons plus a main character with a customizable skill/stat set, so it's probably the most flexible. Digital Devil Saga is more like a standard JRPG with only set characters in your party, although you can learn and customize their skills through something like FFX's Sphere Grid, making party-building a lot less tedious than demon fusion.

Story-wise, Nocturne's is good, but fairly sparse with a lot of dungeon crawling. The game opens up with armageddon, and it's about trying to reshape the world when it's born again. No voice acting, but a really cool stylized look and tons of atmosphere.
Digital Devil Saga is again, more like a standard JRPG. It's not Final Fantasy, but there's more cutscenes, and they're all mo-capped/voice acted. It starts in this weird dystopian world where everybody acts like a robot and has to follow "Laws", and the game begins when the shit hits the fan and everybody starts turning into demons.


Both of them play a lot better than P3/4, but I don't think DDS has the same charm in terms of the story and other fluff parts.

 

[Kenaras]

I'll probably order Nocturne, thanks for the tip. One question though: is it challenging, or is it punishing?

A challenging JRPG would require more complex strategies or tactics than normal. I'd expect to die multiple times against bosses, refining my strategies until I figure out the right way to do it. However, each time I die, I'd expect to reload as close as possible to my last fight. This is what I've always wanted from a JRPG, but haven't found.

A punishing JRPG would force me to reload far away from my last fight. I'd then be forced to repeat a long and tedious - but not particularly difficult - section of the game before I could retry the fight that killed me. This is what some fans praise as "difficult" JRPG design, and rabidly defend such design - but as far as I'm concerned it's complete bullshit. It challenges my patience, not my skill. (I actually have a ton of patience, and my obsessive-compulsive nature would drive me to complete such a game. Afterwards though, I'd feel like I wasted my time.)

 

[sixteen-bit]

That's a good deal.

I bought DDS1 for $10 at a Toys "R" Us clearance. :lol

 

[charlequin]

I'll probably order Nocturne, thanks for the tip. One question though: is it challenging, or is it punishing?

Nocturne is very possibly the most tactical jRPG you could buy.

 

[Liabe Brave]

I'll probably order Nocturne, thanks for the tip. One question though: is it challenging, or is it punishing?

The fights are generally challenging. The "Press Turn" system gives you more actions on your turn if you attack weaknesses, but fewer actions if you attack strengths--and ends your turn immediately if you attack immunities. So you have to make sure your party has the correct affinities and skills or enemies will rapidly overwhelm you. Many of the bosses are very hard indeed unless your skills and tactics are intelligently used.

There are punishing elements to the game as well, though. Most boss fights are right near a save point, but there are some long slogs through regular enemy territory before you reach the next save point. Since even normal encounters can wipe you out if you're not careful, these can be bad. Also, there are a few areas with teleportation traps which are invisible until you hit them once. This causes a very large amount of backtracking/extra random encounters, with no real way to avoid them.

Fortunately, these areas aren't too common. However, Nocturne definitely has some design flaws where it adheres too closely to very old-school techniques. Especially if you're a completist, there are some real time sinks here. For me, the unusual atmosphere and the philosophical themes totally made up for that. But it's definitely not for every one.

To end on a positive note, the Tokyo Diet Building is one of the most visually awesome dungeons I've played in a game. It actually incorporates optical illusions into its layout design.

 

[MotherFan]

Nocturne is very possibly the most tactical jRPG you could buy.

This along with coxswain's write up has sold me on it. I am gonna buy Nocturne for sure and DDS when I get some more money. I wish more games would get re-released like this.

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

Welp, just ordered Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga 2 a few moments ago.

After all these years I finally get Nocturne and have a complete DDS set; the DDS1 I have always looks lonely and incomplete.

 

[lastendconductor]

I'll probably order Nocturne, thanks for the tip. One question though: is it challenging, or is it punishing?

A challenging JRPG would require more complex strategies or tactics than normal. I'd expect to die multiple times against bosses, refining my strategies until I figure out the right way to do it. However, each time I die, I'd expect to reload as close as possible to my last fight. This is what I've always wanted from a JRPG, but haven't found.

A punishing JRPG would force me to reload far away from my last fight. I'd then be forced to repeat a long and tedious - but not particularly difficult - section of the game before I could retry the fight that killed me. This is what some fans praise as "difficult" JRPG design, and rabidly defend such design - but as far as I'm concerned it's complete bullshit. It challenges my patience, not my skill. (I actually have a ton of patience, and my obsessive-compulsive nature would drive me to complete such a game. Afterwards though, I'd feel like I wasted my time.)

The save system is punishing, you're going to feel the pressure of needing a save point asap plenty of times. You're going to die, I guarantee you that, and you're going to need to redo stuff.
But the good thing is, when you die and have to redo stuff, you'll know it's your fault. That's the great thing about this game, it's not unfair, it'll just make you squeeze your brains, like a game of chess.
On the bosses thing though, you're always going to have a close save point so don't worry. And IIRC for example if there's two doors at the end of the dungeon, the boss one will warn you before entering, and the other will probably be a save point, so most of the time you won't be facing a huge enemy unprepared and with half an hour of gameplay on your back.
The most refined gameplay of any jRPG is to be found here. You'll notice everything, even the menus, is crafted to make the gameplay as streamlined, fast and enjoyable as possible. This game is 100% gameplay. But don't be mistaken, the story is awesome too, just minimalistic and non intrusive; it's all about the atmosphere.
I really don't understand why all other jRPGS haven't completely rip off everything this game does right (which is most of it).

 

[Kenaras]

@Liabe Brave: Thanks for the info. I've played both P3FES and P4, so I'm familiar with what you're describing in the battle system. It sounds like I'll have to resist the urge to be a completionist, which is difficult for me. I'll order Nocturne now, but I'll probably wait a bit before playing it. I just played through Persona 4 and Lost Odyssey back-to-back, and my patience has worn a bit thin with some of the old-school JRPG design quirks.

 

[Fio]

Please buy Nocturne, best RPG ever. But take heed, it's extremely unforgiving, probably that's why it's satisfying as fuck.

 

[SpeedySwaf]

You are shitting me.

I just bought DDS2 for $60 because I was sure it was never coming back!

ARRGH!

 

[MotherFan]

Please buy Nocturne, best RPG ever. But take heed, it's extremely unforgiving, probably that's why it's satisfying as fuck.

Thats the kind of RPG experience I enjoy, especially when you get to do fusion. IMO it is good to have HARD battles so that when you work hard to craft awesome demons/persona you are not totally overpowered. Makes the game much more satisfying.

 

[Wray]

Pulled the trigger on all three of these.

Now, if only they would reissue Devil Summoner. Anybody know anywhere online I can still find a new copy for a realistic price?

 

[Kagari]

Pulled the trigger on all three of these.

Now, if only they would reissue Devil Summoner. Anybody know anywhere online I can still find a new copy for a realistic price?

WOW. Just checked Amazon and the price is insane. I paid $10 for a new sealed copy of Devil Summoner about a year ago :O

 

[teiresias]

So are these dungeon crawlers like Persona? I'm unclear as to what the general format of these games are. I've had Persona 4 for a while, but have yet to be able to get into it - and since you have to play for like 6 hours before you even get to the actual "game" restarting it yet again is not something I'm relishing only to put it down yet again.

So, how are these in comparison to those?

 

[Red Scarlet]

Woohoo, I got Nocturne. Won't be able to have it until I can pay for it/pay back my mom for not getting a paycheck in a while.

 

[GhostSeed]

.

 

[Blueblur1]

I ordered Nocturne only. I was ready to buy the other two but I'm strapped for cash. In fact, I shouldn't have bought Nocturne but I can no longer cancel the order. Oh well!

 

[Zoso]

I already own all three of these, but I definitely recommend all of them if anyone is considering a purchase.


I also remembered that I should purchase Persona 4 before it gets rare(if it ever does). Even though I haven't beaten Persona 3 yet...heh

 

[Blueblur1]

Well, DDS2 sold out. I hope they see the demand and print more copies a few months down the line.

 

[tokkun]

Do any of these have a strong story? Which one is the best story-wise?

No, these are not story-centric games. If you buy them hoping for a lot of dialog and narrative, you will be disappointed.

 

[ShinoguTakeruKoeru]

No, these are not story-centric games. If you buy them hoping for a lot of dialog and narrative, you will be disappointed.

DDS1 and 2 disagree with you. As for the quality of the story between them, your mileage will vary

Spoiler

although I think DDS2 was the weakest of the two in that regard.

.

 

[Kagari]

Well, DDS2 sold out. I hope they see the demand and print more copies a few months down the line.

I wish they'd do another reprint of Persona 2 D:

 

[MotherFan]

Well, DDS2 sold out. I hope they see the demand and print more copies a few months down the line.

Looks that way, price for new is now 140 lol

 

[Tamanon]

I wish they'd do another reprint of Persona 2 D:

The Persona 2 games would be a perfect game for Atlus to bring to PSN.

 

[ShinoguTakeruKoeru]

The Persona 2 games would be a perfect game for Atlus to bring to PSN.

Or, you know, do another updated revamp with the Innocent Sin content like P1 got a revamp for PSP with the Snow Queen quest.

 

[Femmeworth]

Well, DDS2 sold out. I hope they see the demand and print more copies a few months down the line.

Hopefully scalpers didn't get too many of them. :\ I'm really glad I ordered when I did.

 

[Kagari]

The Persona 2 games would be a perfect game for Atlus to bring to PSN.

I'd buy it for sure if they did.

 

[Augemitbutter]

The Persona 2 games would be a perfect game for Atlus to bring to PSN.

you'll get them on PSP as a remake soon, no worries.

 

[TheChillyAcademic]

The Persona 2 games would be a perfect game for Atlus to bring to PSN.

Sadly, that would just make too much sense.

 

[Femmeworth]

DDS2 is back in stock.

 

[Ninja Face]

Are these just on amazon? I have best buy coupon and gamestop credit and I'd rather use those to get Nocturne

 

[Volcynika]

Are these just on amazon? I have best buy coupon and gamestop credit and I'd rather use those to get Nocturne

Uh, good luck finding them in a Best Buy, but a better chance (slightly) of finding them used in a GameStop.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Atlus has a deal with Amazon for reprinting stuff, so I'd think that it's just Amazon.

 

[Ninja Face]

I've actually seen a few Nocturne copies in various Gamestops (NYC) but they're usually 40 used so I guess I'll grab it off of Amazon. Thanks.