Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Worth Picking up Full Price?

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Well, I've been on a RPG kick lately, and have become pretty interested in the SMT series. Since DDS1 and SMT: Nocturne have become pretty rare, do you think Devil Summoner is going to get hard to find? I know lately that Atlus has been producing more copies of their new games, but I don't want to assume they'll produce many copies, and then get screwed if it starts going for insane prices.

Long story short:
Do you think I can wait to pick up Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, or do you think it will be off store shelves really fast?
 
there's really no way to tell with much certainty... but is the game even being carried at stores like Best Buy or CC this time around? I don't see it on Best Buy's site... if it indeed isn't at major retailers, then I can definitely see it getting rare.

Given past SMT games, I do think the game has a relatively good chance of getting rare in a few years.
 
[quote name='xghostsniperx']Pick it up, along with the guide NOW. I guarentee you the guide will become just as rare as the game. Look at Nocturne.[/QUOTE]

oh really? i still have the limited edition of nocturne with soundtrack sealed and i got the guide which i rarely flipped through. still perfect condition. :)
 
[quote name='xghostsniperx']Pick it up, along with the guide NOW. I guarentee you the guide will become just as rare as the game. Look at Nocturne.[/QUOTE]

Ugh, fuck that guide, Prima makes the worst guides on the face of the planet, and they are overpriced.

I was excited to see there WAS a guide after reading your post, but now, not so much.

The Nocturne guide is rare only because it is so awesome, not because of the game. If this Prima guide sucks ass, nobody will care for it.

At least it's a decent amount of pages though, clocking in at 240.
 
I don't take the chance w/ Atlus titles. Some get rare, some don't - but since I get my new releases through Rhino's 2-for-1, what's the point in risking it?

If you're spending $50 flat-out, I guess it would depend on if you really wanted it or not. But if you do, I'd go for it - better safe than sorry. Plus, it looks like a nice change for the SMT series.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Ugh, fuck that guide, Prima makes the worst guides on the face of the planet, and they are overpriced.

I was excited to see there WAS a guide after reading your post, but now, not so much.

The Nocturne guide is rare only because it is so awesome, not because of the game. If this Prima guide sucks ass, nobody will care for it.

At least it's a decent amount of pages though, clocking in at 240.[/QUOTE]
The guide is only being published by Prima. It's being written by Doublejump. The ones who made the Nocturne guide.
 
[quote name='Rei no Otaku']The guide is only being published by Prima. It's being written by Doublejump. The ones who made the Nocturne guide.[/QUOTE]

Sweet, I guess I will get it when I get the game, since I can get 20% off. Why is it being done like that, and not just by Doublejump themselves?

I wish they'd make a dual guide for Summon Night 2 / Super Robot Taisen 2 =/
 
[quote name='argyle']I don't take the chance w/ Atlus titles. Some get rare, some don't - but since I get my new releases through Rhino's 2-for-1, what's the point in risking it?

If you're spending $50 flat-out, I guess it would depend on if you really wanted it or not. But if you do, I'd go for it - better safe than sorry. Plus, it looks like a nice change for the SMT series.[/QUOTE]

I can't think of a recent Atlus release in the last year that's gotten rare... the last one is MAYBE Digital Devil Saga 1.

The majority of them are either extremely easy to find or go through price drops.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Sweet, I guess I will get it when I get the game, since I can get 20% off. Why is it being done like that, and not just by Doublejump themselves?

I wish they'd make a dual guide for Summon Night 2 / Super Robot Taisen 2 =/[/QUOTE]
From Doublejump:
Some of our more alert members have already found out that DoubleJump will be working on the Devil Summoner strategy guide. The complete details about the guide haven't been finalized until this morning.

This will be a DoubleJump guide distributed by Prima. DoubleJump is handling the creation of the guide including authoring and design and Prima will be putting it into stores.

We think that combining the biggest strengths of DoubleJump and Prima to create, market and distribute this guide is going to translate into a big success at retail. You can find Prima guides everywhere that gamers shop and DoubleJump has a history of pleasing fans with our detailed works. This will be a winning combination.

The guide will be a larger sized guide -- 8.5" x 11" -- and will retain the DoubleJump look and feel (branding). I'll post cover art as soon as it is approved.
Click to expand...
Wish it was the smaller size though.
 
If it gets Doublejump working on more guides than I'm all for it. I guess they can use Prima's pull and name recognition to get some more contracts.

I love DJ's guides but they don't do enough, imo. Though their Rogue Galaxy guide is going to be hot.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']I can't think of a recent Atlus release in the last year that's gotten rare... the last one is MAYBE Digital Devil Saga 1.

The majority of them are either extremely easy to find or go through price drops.[/QUOTE]

Isn't Trauma Center considered to be somewhat hard to find (I don't have a DS, so I'm going by what I've heard). Regardless, their RPGs are usually more rare than their other games, and they haven't released many RPGs (that I can remember) in the past year or so.
 
I'm very curious about this game, but also a bit skeptical. I never played any of the other Megaten games because I'm just not a fan of turn-based RPGs, but I hear this one is closer to an oldschool adventure game with some real-time combat thrown in for good measure. It sounds like a winning combination, but it's also such a departure from the series that it makes me skeptical as to whether or not they know what they're doing (i.e. it could be like FF: Dirge of Cerebus).

Also, is it just me, or do the graphics look pretty bad? They look like a really early PS2 game and not much better than Final Fantasy 9. 2D backgrounds are passe, and the character models look really blocky. Maybe I'll change my mind when I see it in action, but so far it deffinitely looks to be a step back graphically after something like Nocturne.

I am crossing my fingers that it'll be good though. Anyone know of any import reviews form Japan?
 
[quote name='Mr Durand Pierre']I'm very curious about this game, but also a bit skeptical. I never played any of the other Megaten games because I'm just not a fan of turn-based RPGs, but I hear this one is closer to an oldschool adventure game with some real-time combat thrown in for good measure. It sounds like a winning combination, but it's also such a departure from the series that it makes me skeptical as to whether or not they know what they're doing (i.e. it could be like FF: Dirge of Cerebus).

Also, is it just me, or do the graphics look pretty bad? They look like a really early PS2 game and not much better than Final Fantasy 9. 2D backgrounds are passe, and the character models look really blocky. Maybe I'll change my mind when I see it in action, but so far it deffinitely looks to be a step back graphically after something like Nocturne.

I am crossing my fingers that it'll be good though. Anyone know of any import reviews form Japan?[/QUOTE]

Only review I've seen is the one at Gamebrink.com and that was very positive. I'll have impressions later this week.
 
[quote name='argyle']Isn't Trauma Center considered to be somewhat hard to find (I don't have a DS, so I'm going by what I've heard). Regardless, their RPGs are usually more rare than their other games, and they haven't released many RPGs (that I can remember) in the past year or so.[/QUOTE]

Atelier Iris 2
Metal Saga
Steambot Chronicles
Digital Devil Saga 2
Stella Deus
Magna Carta

Those are the ones I can remember just for PS2... none of them got rare. I think if the OP wants to take a gamble on a price drop down to $29.99 after a few months, the odds are in his favor. Just keep checking the GS / EB store locator, and if the game starts disappearing en masse out of stores then you know to go pick it up ASAP.
 
1. Atelier Iris 2 . I'll pickup this game very soon

I tried to stay away paying full price for this games unless $30 or less is GOOD DEAL :)

2. Metal Saga
3. Steambot Chronicles
4. Magna Carta
5. Devil Summoner
6. Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories
7. Rule of Rose
8. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (Coming soon)
 
IF the game ever become Disgaea rare I am sure someone will be doing a rerpint. However if you can get it for $40 I would get it. If you want to play the game it is worth it to pay the extra $10
 
I just bought this from EB. The clerk talked me into buying the $3 1-year warranty stating that if it gets scratched or messed up in any way I could return it for store credit (since they almost deffinitely wouldn't have the game in stock to exchange it) and use it towards something like FF12. I'd almost say he was suggesting that I return it stating that it's "defective." I'd feel pretty sleezy about that since I'd hate to let a good rare game go to waste, but who knows, maybe it'll just get rarer and I could trade it for FF12. It is a tempting proposition nonetheless.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Atelier Iris 2
Metal Saga
Steambot Chronicles
Digital Devil Saga 2
Stella Deus
Magna Carta

Those are the ones I can remember just for PS2... none of them got rare. I think if the OP wants to take a gamble on a price drop down to $29.99 after a few months, the odds are in his favor. Just keep checking the GS / EB store locator, and if the game starts disappearing en masse out of stores then you know to go pick it up ASAP.[/QUOTE]


In all fairness, most of thm have been out for a little more than a year. Most EBs and Gamestops had Nocturnes on the shelf for a full year, then they all got swiped once DDS came out.

Stella Deus used to be dirt cheap on ebay ($10-15 for the best strategy rpg on the system?!), and now its at about $30, and I wouldnt be shocked if there was a slow but steady increase.

Metal Saga and Steambot won't be worth anything because they suck, regardless of how many copies are floating around.

Dave
 
Damn... I just opened up my copy and well, I noticed at the store that EB's "new games" aren't sealed and they have to fetch the disc from an envelope- a practice that generally doesn't bother me none (but I know some people who are picky about such things)- and well, the instruction manual is covered in like an inch of dust! At first I thought it was supposed to be some kind of fog design or something on the cover. Even after wiping off as much as possible there are still permanent dust stains on it. In fact, the whole inside of the case is covered in dust which makes me fear that it could have effected the disc. I would complain and try to exchange, but the store only had one other copy (also not sealed), so I doubt it would be that much better and I'd just come off looking like a prick.

The good news is that now I would feel entirely justified in taking advantage of warranty abuse and thus exchanging the game for another new $50 game sometime in the next year. Still, I'd prefer not having to buy a warranty and getting my new games mint if you know what I mean.
 
I'm about 3 hours into it and I'm not sure what to make of it so far. The random battles and combat aren't that fun yet, but I'm hoping it will get better. I have to admit that I am liking it more and more as I play it as I'm getting more used to the combat system. But I have a few questions about it:

1.) Is there any way to restore a demon's magic besides using up an item? Because telling my demon's not to use magic at the beggining of every battle is a major pain in the ass.

2.) How come every battle I get in starts with my ally being that wimpy fire demon? I'm always trying to use my other demons in battle, but it's annoying to have to switch them during every encounter. Is there soemthing I'm missing here?

Othwerwise the game is decent enough. The art direction is beautiful and I'm curious to see where it's heading, but I'm just a little dissapointed at how steep the learning curve is just learning how to play the game. This might just be because I'm new to RPGs in general. Too many numbers and stats to keep track of. What do others think?
 
I've only had time to play around an hour of SMT DS, but I really like it so far even though I'm still adjusting to the combat system. I think it's probably overwhelming just because you're new to RPGs... I don't think there's really that many stats to keep track of, but I've played an insane number of RPGs which would affect my judgment.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Ugh, fuck that guide, Prima makes the worst guides on the face of the planet, and they are overpriced.

I was excited to see there WAS a guide after reading your post, but now, not so much.

The Nocturne guide is rare only because it is so awesome, not because of the game. If this Prima guide sucks ass, nobody will care for it.

At least it's a decent amount of pages though, clocking in at 240.[/QUOTE]


for collectors, the guide will bring a nice boost to an ebay auction..but personally, i had the guide for nocturne..and it sucked, it was one of the most confusing things for me :whistle2:\, plus, it didnt really help much on strategies for boss fights and stuff..it did look awesome and had a sweet poster though :)
 
on a side note...i really hope its not one of those games where you have to power-level like crazy in order to beat certain battles..and that the final battle isn't near impossibe....that's what made me hate the nippon ichi games
 
[quote name='greydemise']for collectors, the guide will bring a nice boost to an ebay auction..but personally, i had the guide for nocturne..and it sucked, it was one of the most confusing things for me :whistle2:\, plus, it didnt really help much on strategies for boss fights and stuff..it did look awesome and had a sweet poster though :)[/QUOTE]

I totally agree on the Nocturne guide. Sure, it had a ton of statistics and maps, but absolutely NO strategy, which is necessary to get anywhere in that game.
 
After playing the game for a few more hours I must say that I'm really enjoying it.

See, since i'm new to RPGs it took me about 4-5 hours to really understand all the finer points of the game (i.e. how the MAG system works, as well as loyalty, fusion, and knowing what items to stock up on), but once I did I enjoyed the game about 10 times more.

Generally I give up on a game if I'm not enjoying it after 2 hours. But I spent $50 on this, so I was determined to stick with it and I'm now glad I did. See, at first I was dissapointed because I didn't like the random encounters and the combat felt too clunky. And while I still feel the combat could have been slightly improved, the clunkiness and lack of moves isn't that big a problem after all once you start collecting a lot of demons because that's where the strategy and real meat of the combat lies. The whole idea is that you have literally an army of demons in your pocket, each with different skills, abilities, levels, and varying amounts of health and magic, and you must decide which ones to summon at which times. But it's a double-edges sword because if you're fighting a fire demon, you can summon an ice demon who will deal them a bunch of damage, but is also most vulnerable to their attacks. As such there is a heck of a lot of demon swapping during battle, so the actual swordplay is really just a backdrop to keep you on your toes a bit more during combat. So once you get used to the fact that it's not Devil May Cry or Onimusha (as I had mistakingly expected), it's actually really rewarding and a lot of fun.

I could say more, but this is my basic rundown of the pros and cons after 8.5 hours:

Pros:
-lots of strategy, customization, and collecting!
-real-time combat, though not without its faults, is still a lot of fun
-interesting/fun setting with a great aesthetic and lots of style

Cons:
-random encounters (why can't all rpgs be like Chrono Trigger where you can see the enemies and choose whether or not to encounter them?)
-the real-time aspects of the combat could use a bit more polish
-somewhat cheap production values (i.e. no voice acting [or even voice mumbling] and graphics look a bit dated).

So far I'd probably give it an 8/10, but I'm only at the end of chapter 2, and I hear the game is at least 12 chapters, so my score could change by the end of it all. But so far it's only getting better, so one can only hope that it continues that way.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']I totally agree on the Nocturne guide. Sure, it had a ton of statistics and maps, but absolutely NO strategy, which is necessary to get anywhere in that game.[/QUOTE]

I'm with you guys, too. Last time I said it, I got verbally bitch-slapped by half a dozen members, so I'm glad I'm not alone. The presentation is awesome, but it just wasn't as helpful as I thought it should have been, especially for such a tough game. And I didn't care for the size of it--I like to have the guide open in front of me, rather than having to set down the controller to refer to it.
 
I got this game on the day of release as well, I haven't had time to play it yet (been busy) but is it similiar to any of the other SMT games?

I have all of the U.S. releases of the series, and played Nocturne, Persona 1+2, and DDS 1 (I have DDS2 as well, just haven't started it yet) but I've enjoyed them alot!

I've also heard it was a little on the easy-side as well...
 
[quote name='greydemise']for collectors, the guide will bring a nice boost to an ebay auction..but personally, i had the guide for nocturne..and it sucked, it was one of the most confusing things for me :whistle2:\, plus, it didnt really help much on strategies for boss fights and stuff..it did look awesome and had a sweet poster though :)[/QUOTE]


I used the guide on my first run through and pretty much never died. Just knowing which demons have which skills and what each enemy is weak against is pretty much all you need to know.

oh and knowing where the pitfalls in the 1st Kalpa are is useful too.


I'll agree about the size though-- I had to break the spine to keep the damn thing open.
 
I thought the Nocturne guide was great. As long as I know the enemies weakness I can formulate my own strategy.

It's weak to lightning, break out the "Zio." It has an intant death attack, then get demons with "Null Death." What else did it need to tell you? How to wipe your ass and flush the toilet?
 
[quote name='eau']Between the Devil Summoner and Persona 3, which one would you pick up first?[/QUOTE]

Persona 3 isn't out yet, but Devil Summoner is. So buy Devil Summoer since you can buy it (U.S. version that is). Seems logical.....
 
[quote name='Rodimus Donut']I thought the Nocturne guide was great. As long as I know the enemies weakness I can formulate my own strategy.

It's weak to lightning, break out the "Zio." It has an intant death attack, then get demons with "Null Death." What else did it need to tell you? How to wipe your ass and flush the toilet?[/QUOTE]

For a $20 guide, yes.

I've played about 45 min of it. Love the presentation so far, but I haven't played enough of it to know if I really like it or not. The battle system is decent so far and I like the fast pace.
 
I just got this game the other day-- as I had forgotten that it was being released. Thus far I really really like it, the combat is fast and fun-- and depending on how you build your version of Raidou, your sword and gunplay may actually have a lot more to it.

The fusion systems all told are pretty awesome as well, and allow for a great deal of custom creation (Much like Nocturne). I also like the way the world plays out, and the fact you can send your minions off on solo missions to gather evidence that you couldn't normally.

The presentation, while lighter than previous SMT games, I think fits the game perfectly. There are just so many little things about the game that make me happy I got it-- its not too difficult, but still challenging enough that I just don't keep pressing the Square button to win battles. Also, I love the new redesigns for some of the demons as well, as I was getting tired of seeing the same EXACT graphics as SMT's franchise went from game to game.


Guess I'm rambling.. but, I love this game-- if you're an SMT fan in any regard, pick this up :)
 
I actually prefer Persona over the DDS games, so I'm definitely looking forward to getting Persona 3 (already have Devil Summoner though).
 
[quote name='argyle']Isn't Trauma Center considered to be somewhat hard to find (I don't have a DS, so I'm going by what I've heard). [/QUOTE]Depends on where you shop. In a game store it's harder to find. If you hit a TRU or WalMart where people do a lot of shopping for young children, then you'll have better luck.

[quote name='MightySlacker']Metal Saga and Steambot won't be worth anything because they suck, regardless of how many copies are floating around.
[/QUOTE]
You speak poorly of Bumpy Trot? And I had such hopes for it. Maybe I should just get around to trying the demo for it one of these days.

[quote name='eau']Between the Devil Summoner and Persona 3, which one would you pick up first?[/QUOTE]
Anygame with a pentagram on its cover is one I stay away from. ::looks around:: I'm in the wrong thread, obviously.
 
Since we're on the topic of these games, I'm in dire need of a Digital Devil Saga 2 instruction book. There are no other used copies in my area. Anyone know any leads or can help me out?
 
[quote name='guinaevere']
Anygame with a pentagram on its cover is one I stay away from. ::looks around:: I'm in the wrong thread, obviously.[/QUOTE]

It's not a pentagram on the cover. There's a star in a circle, but it's not upside down like a pentagram would be.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Ugh, fuck that guide, Prima makes the worst guides on the face of the planet, and they are overpriced.

I was excited to see there WAS a guide after reading your post, but now, not so much.

The Nocturne guide is rare only because it is so awesome, not because of the game. If this Prima guide sucks ass, nobody will care for it.

At least it's a decent amount of pages though, clocking in at 240.[/quote]

I dunno, Prima every once in a while makes a good guide. Though your best bet is to stick to Bradygames for guides.
 
[quote name='saadman']Since we're on the topic of these games, I'm in dire need of a Digital Devil Saga 2 instruction book. There are no other used copies in my area. Anyone know any leads or can help me out?[/quote]
Contact Atlus. They usually have spare manuals for a nominal charge.
 
You speak poorly of Bumpy Trot? And I had such hopes for it. Maybe I should just get around to trying the demo for it one of these days.
Click to expand...

I liked Bumpy Trot a lot. Just a fun RPG with a light atmosphere.
 
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