The Shin Megami Everything Thread

[Op Intensify]

So I got P4A. There was a patch to download, but I'm not sure how much it fixed, a lot of matches were running in slow motion even when restricting bad connection ratings. I did find some nearly full-speed matches, though. Been maining Kanji, because like most heavy power characters in fighting games, he's the most annoying to noobs who don't think to jump away from command throws. I will probably main someone else when I get better. Most people online seem to be using Chie and Akihiko.

Mitsuru is a charge character! Certainly unexpected from an Arcsys fighter.

Game gets my highest recommendation, it's a tangible improvement over Blazblue that sidesteps most of the arbitrariness of that game's movesets in favor of something more free-form and self-explanatory. Many of the characters really don't resemble anything I've ever seen in a fighter before...Shadow Labrys has a massive hulking pass-through assist character at all times, who can be used as a shield or to set up traps. Elizabeth is just all over the place, with some strange, heavily delayed OHKO trap supers that mostly serve as a way to block off areas of the stage and intimidate your opponent. One button autocombos (previously only in Blazblue's novice mode) are bullshit, but at least they cost health. Even never having played P4, I can tell that it's extremely faithful to the game and loaded with fanservice.

Atlus claims the story mode is 30 hours, which is utter insanity for a fighting game and guarantees that I will never finish it. Oh well.

[Op Intensify]

Man, no one else is playing this? Should I give it its own thread?

[CMoon]

I think keeping it here is good. Interested in hearing more feedback, but not going to spend $60 on a fighter right now. Graphics look REALLY nice.

If anything was going to change I wish the title was 'All things SMT'.

[Op Intensify]

Yeah, I have the perfect name for if they ever make a SMT crossover fighter: Shin Megami Taisen.

Still wasting noobs as Kanji, already got some PM hate mail for it. Though I wish he had a few more tricks. He really struggles against projectile-based characters, all he has to work with at long range is that unreliable lightning pillar. At least it stuns on hit. I did find that a crouching C attack can drag people at medium range into his command throws.

Autocombos are definitely giving the less skilled players a lot more of a chance than they would have otherwise. I don't know why everyone's using Chie, maybe because of the Dragon Kick meme?

The stages are amazingly well detailed. They're very consistent with the idea that everything looks like it's taking place in and around the school from P4, but it's just a TV set filled with holograms, studio equipment and strange phenomena (mountain of auditorium chairs, desert dunes spilling onto a Japanese street, an evil furnace full of mannequins?)

The arcade mode ends on a weird cliffhanger. I guess that's why the 30-hour story mode is there. The story doesn't seem to be anything more deep than "robot girl makes everyone fight each other because she's sad."

Game's missing character-specific tutorials, which were a very welcome feature in BBCS. I guess it hasn't been played long enough for every character's strategies to be thoroughly understood, even by the developers. There are still combo tutorial missions for everyone.

[drunkninja24]

Picked this up today on my PS3, but haven't spent a lot of time with it yet. Really enjoying it, gonna plow through some challenge mode stuff before trying some actual matches, but I'm really liking Akihiko at the moment.

[CMoon]

Total sucker today and picked it up. No regrets. I'm not a huge fan of arc system and feel about the same way regarding Persona; so it's a weird pitch for me but ultimately this is a pretty unique fighter with some incredibly unusual characters. Took a few minutes to figure out all the weird 2 button moves, but once past that point I was having a lot of fun. I think the assessment is right about how the entry level to this game is pretty low (IE Me) but there's a lot of room for crazy tech and high level play. I still don't have everything figured out with bursts, cancels and reversals.

Oh, and for all the other fighter-incompetents, I found the moves very easy to pull off (most are just fireball motions), including super cancels.

So what's with the fatalities? Can these be dodged or can the enemy knock you out of them?

[Op Intensify]

360 version got a second patch. Netcode is massively improved, even Level 4 connections run smoothly now. PS3 players can no longer claim superiority in this area. Glad Atlus cared enough to shell out $40K for this.

Took a few minutes to figure out all the weird 2 button moves,

They're second nature if you've used EX moves in 3S/SFIV.

Oh, and for all the other fighter-incompetents, I found the moves very easy to pull off (most are just fireball motions), including super cancels.

Yep, Arcsys has purposefully lowered the input barrier for this game by eliminating DP, 360 and half-circle commands, and of course adding the one-button autocombos. Timing manual combos correctly can still be incredibly difficult, though.

So what's with the fatalities? Can these be dodged or can the enemy knock you out of them?

Depends on the Instant Kill. Some grant invincibility, others you can be knocked out of. I find most of them very easy to dodge or block. Elizabeth's is a counter, which would be extremely cheap if it didn't require a 3-or-more-hit move to activate. Special mention should go to Shadow Labrys' IK, where she goes into a powerup mode, and it activates if she does a fast command throw from there. I'm not sure if any IKs can be comboed into...it was possible in Hokuto no Ken and with some of BB's Astral Heats, but those had stricter requirements for activation.

I do wonder about the future of P4U, if it's just going to get another balance update or two, or if they're going to roll out a new disc revision like BBCS with more characters. Neither of Arcsys' two previous licensed fighters (HnK and Sengoku Basara Cross) or Battle Fantasia received revisions, so it may be the same way here.

[CMoon]

Took a few minutes to figure out all the weird 2 button moves,

They're second nature if you've used EX moves in 3S/SFIV.

You would think so but keep in mind most of the two button commands have multiple functions -- IE for most characters, fireball motion + C + D is a boosted skill, but C + D alone is a throw. I agree that two button combinations are old hat by now, starting with 3S, but they're intensive enough here that it isn't quite pick up and play. The 3 button moves are the ones throwing me right now.

Timing manual combos correctly can still be incredibly difficult, though.

I've also found a few of the combos seem pretty stiff, so I'm glad it isn't just me.

[Op Intensify]

The only 3-button commands are for bursts and One More cancels, and those can be set to macros, which I would recommend. When you want to do the "EX" version of a special move, just press both the A/B or C/D buttons at once after the normal command, just like you would in SFIV. And C + D alone isn't a throw, you need a direction with it.

Yeah, timing combos is no easier than in Blazblue (though still easier than KOF XIII). It helps to watch the demonstration videos in challenge mode.

[CMoon]

Just to clarify to anyone else reading this what we're talking about:

[cj iwakura]

Been playing it almost nonstop. Elizabeth is everything I wanted and more. I love the character, but was scared I wouldn't be good with her.

So wrong. She's amazing. Nailing people with Megidolaon from the middle of their rushdown combo is pure bliss.

[CMoon]

Definitely an addicting game. The characters all feel pretty unique--not just from each other but in general. I spent a while with Yu and feel half competent with him, but mostly used him to get a handle on the game mechanics. I don't feel like your gonna play P4A to play a boring character like Yu. Your gonna play characters with some really bizarre aspect to them--otherwise you might as well go play street fighter. Really been thinking about Yukiko, but its like starting from the ground up with Dhalsim.

[MX7]

Pottering along with Digital Devil Saga. About 22 hours into it. Took a week long break and now finding it hard to get back in to it. Feel like I should finish it given I got DDS2 for my birthday, but I got Nocturne too, and I really really want to start playing that instead

[MX7]

I guess those you've probably seen it already, but there's a new trailer for Shin Megami Tensei IVNajd it's looking pretty damn good.

http://bdashnews.wordpress.com/2012/09/ ... er-posted/

Now you can dodge random encounters, the field looks a bit more persona-esque. Also using the COMP seems to take to some pixel fetish mini-game. Also the protagonist is a woman? That's pretty cool.

While Strange Journey was a definite throwback to the earlier games (and exquistely realised) IV looks like it borrows elements from III and the last two Persona games. But it also looks pretty fresh. Yes, very excited about this one. I miss scouring trailers for every conceivable scrap of information

[CMoon]

Pottering along with Digital Devil Saga. About 22 hours into it. Took a week long break and now finding it hard to get back in to it. Feel like I should finish it given I got DDS2 for my birthday, but I got Nocturne too, and I really really want to start playing that instead

The problem I had with DDS1 was that ultimately it turns into a grind fest. Beautiful world and amazing soundtrack, but it is as linear as a game can possibly be.

Taking a break from that before DDS2 (sounds like we are in about the same place.) BTW, I put around 70 hours into DDS1, but I did a LOT of grinding and some of the optional bosses.

[CMoon]

http://bdashnews.wordpress.com/2012/09/ ... er-posted/

This trailer made my day. I will buy a 3DS for this when they announce it for the US.

Also, disregard what I said about Persona 3 earlier in this thread. I'm playing it now and really enjoying it for what it is.

[cj iwakura]

Doesn't SMTIV deserve its own thread?

Shame Kaneko's gone, but I assume he's tired of Personatlus.


Also, the protagonist is male.



She's female.

[Op Intensify]

Still not enough to get me to buy a 3DS. Don't know if anything will at this point, short of Nintendo releasing a region free model (or an Action Replay-like workaround becoming available). Kokuga seems like the kind of game that's awesome with multiplayer friends but boring without any.

Persona's sales have definitely had a stronger than ever influence on this SMT's development, and it can't be for the better. It's still total bullshit that the PS3 version was canned. Press Turn, and not the wussy Persona 3/4 version, needs to make a proper comeback.

[cj iwakura]

Still not enough to get me to buy a 3DS. Don't know if anything will at this point, short of Nintendo releasing a region free model (or an Action Replay-like workaround becoming available). Kokuga seems like the kind of game that's awesome with multiplayer friends but boring without any.

Persona's sales have definitely had a stronger than ever influence on this SMT's development, and it can't be for the better. It's still total bullshit that the PS3 version was canned. Press Turn, and not the wussy Persona 3/4 version, needs to make a proper comeback.

Uh...

[Op Intensify]

Well, that's awesome. They even used the little demon icon from the classic SMTs.

Not enough to confirm that it works like in Nocturne/DDS, though.

[Shatterhand]

Just to clarify to anyone else reading this what we're talking about:

I still don't know what you are talking about, but it got me interested. What game is this?

Edit: Persona 4 Ultimate is the name of the game? The thread is so long and with so much info about so many games that I got lost.

[BulletMagnet]

Edit: Persona 4 Ultimate is the name of the game? The thread is so long and with so much info about so many games that I got lost.

It was released as "Persona 4 Arena" in the West. Reviews have been very good, though I haven't played it myself.

[CMoon]

Yeah, I was pointing out how the game mechanics might seem a little intimidating to some fighters and was trying to point out how it is a little more complicated than the light punch+kick = throw business of SF4.

I've thought the thread could be split up, but honestly it benefits from having wide coverage, staying mostly on the front page and keeping up with most SMT related things going on.

[MX7]

Yeah, was going to start a new thread, but I think it facilitates conversation to have everything in one thread. Though maybe it could be renamed yet again to something like The Megaten Thread.

[cj iwakura]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxXi7uBoVfc

The new trailer with subs, enjoy. Makes it a lot more interesting.

And yeah, overall SMT thread is cool with me.

[MX7]

Cool, thanks for posting that! Seems to have a lot more emphasis on characterisation than previous SMT games. Just hope the dialogue isn't as a wince inducingly embarrassing as DDS.

Voice acting I'm ok with, as long as there's an option to switch it off... I actually can't face playing DDS again because of the voice acting. It's even worse in Persona 3&4, but at least you can turn it off.

Shame the protagonist is a guy. Guess I was thrown off by the ponytail and tights :p

[cj iwakura]

I wonder what kind of grassroots movement I'd have to pull off to convince Atlus USA to localize Eternal Punishment on the PSP. It's looking bleak, and worse, no one really seems to care like they should.

[sjewkestheloon]

Got to the final dungeon in DDS1 last night but some of the enemies are causing me a bit of grief so think it is grind-for-ap time. I plan on taking on at least 80% of the extra bosses so I need to do some serious prep. Thankfully I am at the end of the main mantra tree for each character and I am about 90% on a second. Seems to me I need to master each character's weakness.

I find it mildly annoying that money is in short supply. I have ended up wasting a ton of AP by not being able to afford the next mantra. Essentially it seems to be a pointless added cost becuase they couldn't think of any other compelling thing to spend your money on.

[Eaglet]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxXi7uBoVfc

Damn. Now i might actually need to pick up a 3DS.

The medieval castle animé thingy looked very out of place, but as long as gameplay is what it looks like (cyberpunky Tokyo with daem'nz muthafuckazzz) i'll be as happy as a newly fucked virgin.
Hope the music continues the nods to earlier SMT games.

[CMoon]

Got to the final dungeon in DDS1 last night but some of the enemies are causing me a bit of grief so think it is grind-for-ap time. I plan on taking on at least 80% of the extra bosses so I need to do some serious prep. Thankfully I am at the end of the main mantra tree for each character and I am about 90% on a second. Seems to me I need to master each character's weakness.

I find it mildly annoying that money is in short supply. I have ended up wasting a ton of AP by not being able to afford the next mantra. Essentially it seems to be a pointless added cost becuase they couldn't think of any other compelling thing to spend your money on.

You can get a lot of money and experience grinding in front of the door for the second version of beelzebub. Mastering weaknesses is a good idea, as is having one character learn Ragnarok. Void ailment is way too hard to get to make Cielo a viable character--so I'd consider ditching him. Actually, you can even ditch Heat as well and just go crazy with the other three. Gale seems to learn everything quickly--so definitely consider having him pick up some of the most expensive skills.

And, yeah, if your having difficulty, consider having one character learn null element. It might 'ruin' the game so to speak, but by the time you're on the last boss, it hardly matters.

Seriously love the mood, look and feel of this game, and the soundtrack is amazing. Unfortunately the game is a bit one dimensional compared to other SMT titles. I was also planning on beating all the bosses but got to a point where it was just grinding for skills/money, and all I wanted to do was finish it. Be prepared.