The Shin Megami Everything Thread

[RNGmaster]

If there's enough to mess around with in the base game (is there a hard number out there as to how many of the 400-ish demons are DLC-only?) and the challenge level is balanced enough to not require the extra "easy level up" areas and outfits to reasonably keep up with (Atlus has said its DLC aim is at less-experienced newcomers, though we'll hafta see) I won't complain too much, but yeah, there is a part of me that's still sad to see it happen even if it's not all that hard to ignore.

Only 4 or 5 demons are DLC only at this point - this is going from people who have a JP copy of the game.

[BryanM]

Which do you hate more - DLC or when they release a deluxe version of the same game* ~6-18 months later for full price and the saves aren't compatible and you have to start from scratch?

* Sometimes twice or thrice

[CMoon]

I really don't care whether Atlus/Index has DLC for this game. What I'm more concerned about is whether that DLC is part of the developers original vision or not. That is, are we purchasing a gimped version of the game, or is the DLC just fluff. I really don't want stuff that just makes the game easier, and I don't really care about the dress up angle. I don't want the core SMT experience diluted by DLC nonsense, and my first temptation is to just completely avoid it. It all depends on whether it represents a substantial and important change.

That said, remember there have been at least three versions of Nocturne released, the second adding substantial changes (The Labyrinth of Amala). In the case of the Labyrinth, that's the kind of DLC I'd like...actually it is hard for me to imagine Nocturne without it. I guess DLC would be better than having to buy the game a second time (see the post above.)

[Mortificator]

DLC's fine if it's for something like the Maniax version of Nocturne or the revisions that fighting games are prone too. What I generally don't like is day 1 DLC, content that's ready and able to be included in the game at launch, but just isn't.

[Phellan Wolf]

All right, I have just read my crystal ball and it reads that next Megaton is gonna be Persona 5 for Wiiu.
I cant wait for such an announcement and since Atlus has a really good relationship with Nintendo (almost all their games unless persona are on nintendo consoles and since they are recycling almost all their titles I am really sure that we're gonna see somethig reAlly amazing. Will know it in 24 hours

[dcharlieJP]

All right, I have just read my crystal ball and it reads that next Megaton is gonna be Persona 5 for Wiiu.

that would be a hell of a jump - i suspect we'll be sticking with SMT on Nintendo, Persona for Sony (or possible multiplatform)

I just can't see them moving - given The Golden did pretty well on the Vita, i'd imagine PS3/Vita is the way for P5. Also - remember that WiiU is in serious trouble right now in Japan - so PS3 given its userbase seems much more likely. And whilst "past performance is not an indication of future performance" P4 came to PS2 pretty late in the PS2s life and i'd guess P5 would follow the same pattern on PS3 (rumours about Catherine being the test engine / not being the test engine for P5 as well might have a bearing depending on which story is currently being peddled)

Unless of course it's going to 3DS - which would make a bit more sense than WiiU (or WiiU/3DS at a push) but i simply don't see it happening. It's too much of a gamble for a company like Atlus and the PS3 is the safe option and that's where i'd expect them to go unless Nintendo have dumped serious cash on them.

[MX7]

After the full scale assault Atlus made on the PS1 and PS2, I'm very surprised they didn't plump for PS3 this generation. In fact the only purely Atlus developed game I can think of that has been released for PS3 is Catherine and that's not even an exclusive. One game in 6 1/2 years hardly screams confidence in the console. It was heavily insinuated that Catherine was essentially a tech-demo for Persona 5, but nothing seems to have been announced with regards to this. Kind of seems that Atlus are still a bit befuddled by current gen (soon to be last gen!) hardware, sticking with the PS2 for as long as possible and then shifting to current gen handhelds...

(There's definitely merit in this approach. When Persona 4 came out the PS2 was looking decidedly last gen, but the design team compensated by focusing on eye catching mise en scene and striking art direction. I spent yesterday playing Persona 3 on a 14" CRT and Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 on a fucking huge HD flatscreen and I have to say P3 is still much nicer to look at. There are awesome looking games on the PS360 like Skullgirls and Bayonetta, but I prefer it when developers make the most from 'weaker' hardware).

I would be surprised if the Persona series jumped ship to WiiU; it would perhaps be more likely for it to cut out the console middleman and go straight for Vita (how well did P4 vita do in comparison to P3P?)

[BryanM]

More like risk assessment - cost / profit ratio.

I just can't see them moving - given The Golden did pretty well on the Vita, i'd imagine PS3/Vita is the way for P5.

The internet is jam packed with this sentiment.

Just like how Squaresoft never strayed from Nintendo and Monster Hunter never strayed from Sony.... maybe we should just wait and see.

Staple the monocle firmly to your eye socket: 3DS would not surprise me.

[dcharlieJP]

The internet is jam packed with this sentiment.

Just like how Squaresoft never strayed from Nintendo and Monster Hunter never strayed from Sony.... maybe we should just wait and see.

Staple the monocle firmly to your eye socket: 3DS would not surprise me.

the internet is also full of people pointing at other companies franchise moving as a sign others are going to too

Though Monster hunter has appeared on Xbox, PC as well as 3DS and Wii and WiiU - though the latest move to Nintendo looks timed exclusive.

Again - i'm not saying it would never happen - Nintendo throw enough cash at Atlas and they'd likely move if a counter offer isn't there and, sure, everything can and would move but -again- this isn't just about "not straying from Sony". I certainly think moving the franchise to -WiiU- would be a money hat move. As you say, it's a "More like risk assessment - cost / profit ratio" and with that in mind i don't see why Atlus would go for anything other than the PS3 with a possible Vita version, especially with all the noise about the Catherine engine trail and subsequent restart.

3DS wouldn't make me die of shock, WiiU would.

[BulletMagnet]

If this is true...yeesh.

[CMoon]

Ugh. Do not want!

[dcharlieJP]

well, that would be in line with what was expected right ? that the DLC was specifically for beginners and would make the game easier.

Have to say that i have some issues with the original article about the difficulty of the game - it's certainly not a breeze but , yeah, not quite the horror show it's painted as and some points made seem, um, wrong.

as long as there's nothing dumb like certain demons locked behind DLC, i'm fine with this being a paid for Super Easy mode. Personally, it would completely devalue the game if you just cash blast your way through.

[BulletMagnet]

as long as there's nothing dumb like certain demons locked behind DLC

IIRC it was already confirmed that certain demons can only be encountered/recruited in DLC dungeons, though presumably most of them can be found in the main game.

As for the one linked above, yeah, it's totally optional, and I suppose it's intended to be more of a "place you can go if you need a few extra levels to get past a tough part" as opposed to "place where you max yourself out right from the outset", but it's still a bit jarring to observe, even from a distance.

[CMoon]

no no no no no NO!!!!

Atlus' parent company Index is being investigated and the feds raided their office today. It's being reported on the evening news here, which is a clear sign of the issue's magnitude.

According to the Nikkei and other media outlets, Index corporation, best known for its Atlus videogame brand, is being investigated under alligations of account fraud. The company is under suspect for bloating its sales figures through faked circulating transactions. A couple dozen companies and business clients were supposedly used, including those without capital ties to Index.

Index allegedly bloated sales figures in the billion yens (million dollars) per quarter up to its August 2007 period, with its CEO taking direction. His house is also being searched.

Index acquired Atlus in 2006 and was known as a leading content distributor making 130 billion yen in FY2007. The company's tide started turning in the years after due to its inability to keep up with the shift of the mobile market and issues in penetrating the overseas, amongst other failures. It's being said that the bankruptcy of their partnered bank Nippon Shinkou in September 2010 further worsened their financial health, leading to their alleged infringements.



Interestingly, that's only about a year before KOF13 came out for consoles. Considering the scale of this investigation and that Atlus was the game's North American publisher, it wouldn't be surprising if SNKPlaymore got a knock on their doors. Not that it'll be any of problem. Hopefully.

This also brings up the question of what will happen to Dragon's Crown and future titles & updates, as well as other projects under the water. Fortunately at the current time, Atlus PR says that its scheduled launch titles will be released as planned.

Moreso, it brings about the question of whether Index will get delisted if they did what's being reported, and what'll happen of Atlus if that happens.

original link

[CMoon]

New trailer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f6RNTsbDYk

One thing I'm still uncertain on is the number of demons you can have in your active party. One scene here shows the MC summoning 4 demons into combat--IE, 5 party members. I'm sure a lot of people know what the details are on this...I'm just not one of those people.

[BryanM]

One scene here shows the MC summoning 4 demons into combat--IE, 5 party members. I'm sure a lot of people know what the details are on this...I'm just not one of those people.

I think it's 4 at a time. I think the hero can die without the end of the world. In which case, the party would be 4 demons and 0 heroes.

But this is all conjecture of a lazy man.

[dcharlieJP]

I think it's 4 at a time. I think the hero can die without the end of the world. In which case, the party would be 4 demons and 0 heroes.

I'm about 10 hours in, so far 4 demons max so far - but you can have other heroes in the party too but you have no direct control over them.

Perhaps i should reqd the manual?

[BulletMagnet]

Another not so encouraging development on Atlus/Index's business end.

[Sumez]

This better not have any effect on the US SMT4 release!

[CMoon]

This better not have any effect on the US SMT4 release!

With only 2 weeks before release, I suspect the game is already sitting in a warehouse ready to be shipped out.

Its horrible news regardless and one can only hope that if Index is all done, another company picks up Atlus.

Edit: Just finished Soul Hackers, as in, I saw the end credits. There's an after-game and a bonus dungeon, but after getting to the first boss and seeing the level of grinding required I'm probably not going to bother. I feel these post-game segments are often for a very select group of gamers, and I don't always feel like being one of them. Getting to the end credits took around 40 hours (for me anyway) and I didn't find the game terribly challenging. My party was definitely sub-optimal, but it was nothing some tarunda and rakukaja couldn't fix.

[Phellan Wolf]

This better not have any effect on the US SMT4 release!

Is not going to be affected at all. Even Dragons Crown is going to see the day light.
I don't think that Atlus will close, bare in mind that is just the holding not Atlus itself wich surely can survive outside Index.

[Ganelon]

Atlus would just get sold to another company if Index disappeared. No big deal except to understand the reason why Atlus execs may decide to take a more conservative approach to game releases at the moment.

[cj iwakura]

This is good for Atlus. Index is the worst thing that ever happened to their reputation.


Though to be fair, their era did bring us Soul Hackers 3DS, and I'm not sure if we would've gotten that localized before, so...

[Phellan Wolf]

This is good for Atlus. Index is the worst thing that ever happened to their reputation.


Though to be fair, their era did bring us Soul Hackers 3DS, and I'm not sure if we would've gotten that localized before, so...

Don't fear now Iwata san will buy Atlus and all their games and franchise will be part of Nintendo's World

[BryanM]

Don't fear now Iwata san will buy Atlus and all their games and franchise will be part of Nintendo's World

This... explains so much.

Tensei x Emblem wasn't a casual fling, it was them getting ready for marriage.

Eek.




(Persona 5 on a Sony platform? okay sheriff..)

[sjewkestheloon]

Strange Journey is great. Knee deep in the third dungeon now and some of the random encounters are complete swines! I seem to be moving towards the chaos side of things but trying to get a chaos healer at this point in the game is really annoying. I am hoping to get a customisation item from leveling up a healer to pass to a chaos fusion so I can at least have media.

[AntiFritz]

Strange Journey is great. Knee deep in the third dungeon now and some of the random encounters are complete swines! I seem to be moving towards the chaos side of things but trying to get a chaos healer at this point in the game is really annoying. I am hoping to get a customisation item from leveling up a healer to pass to a chaos fusion so I can at least have media.

I started playing SJ a few days ago and I'm roughtly at the same point as you. I've been using Leanan Sidhe since midway through Sector B.

[dcharlieJP]

(Persona 5 on a Sony platform? okay sheriff..)

well, even a Nintendo buy out wouldn't absolutely prevent that - if development is finished and the target is multiple platforms then they can recoup part of the cost by -actually releasing it-. Canning it and putting it on WiiU only would incur more of a loss - though hey , it would be a huge move by Nintendo to do so and try to get people onto the (assumed) WiiU or ($$$) 3DS

By the same token - if Sony were to swoop in, i'd still expect the WiiU to see a release of SMT x FE

[bulletcurtain]

I just got my hands on the 3DS release of Soul Hackers. This is my 4th SMT game, but my first Devil Summoner game. So far I'm digging the overall vibe. The combat (at least early on) feels easier than previous SMT games I've played, especially compared to Strange Journey. I think I'm ok with the easier difficulty . I forgot how much I love the mood in SMT games. The soundtracks are just so perfect, and the hub areas give off a surreal soothing feeling.

[Sumez]

I started playing SJ a few days ago and I'm roughtly at the same point as you. I've been using Leanan Sidhe since midway through Sector B.

SJ is true SMT, I love the atmosphere of that game, even if it feels a bit cheap at times.