Granted, it’s the usual Atlus type of evidence.
I’ve read some rather negative things about this Summoner game. Unfortunately I don’t remember much specifics but I remember that I was very disappointed after reading few negative/lukewarm reviews, since the game seemed to be big step down comparable to Nocturne.
Has anybody here played it yet?
I don’t see why Atlus wouldn’t release the game. With this and Ushiro, the PS2 still has a little something for us RPG fans.
This site says Famitsu gave DS2 a 32 out of 40: http://www.thaigaming.com/console-and-portable-news/41357.htm
You’re probably thinking of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army. (yes, I do have to write the whole thing out because it’s awesome).
This one’s the sequel to that, and has not yet been released in English.
This Devil Summoner series’ combat is a real-time hack-n-slashy sort of thing with a single AI controlled demon backing you up, so it’s not nearly as deep as in the other SMT games and that’s probably the big disappointment for most people. On the other hand, the occult-ridden early 20th century Japan setting is awesome and unusual, and the game plays kind of like an adventure game with random real-time battles. I dig it. And I really hope they do bring over the sequel.
(I say this Devil Summoner series, because there were other games by that name in Japan earlier on that I’m pretty sure were very different in playstyle. And definitely didn’t feature Raidou Kuzunoha.)
From what I’ve heard,the second game is a dramatic improvement over the first edition (which was enjoyable but pretty slight by SMT standards). I’m really looking forward to this new one.
Not really comparable to Nocturne though- it’s about as different from Nocturne as Persona 3&4 are.
Jesus, y’all, I coulda swore this was a Kitsune thread. Please keep the J-weirdness coming.
I avoided it because at the time I preferred turn based games almost exclusively. Now it’s the promise of random battles, which I usually hate. Maybe if this entry pans out I’ll give it a shot.
Random battles should be a lot less in the sequel. The frequency itself wasn’t bad at all in the first game, but you got into random battles in like 90% of the areas in the game. From what I understand about Abbadon, random battles are confined to proper dungeons and you don’t get them when exploring the city anymore.
That would be a step in the right direct from the Soulless Army, but not nearly enough for the subfranchise to be worth while. I thought Soulless Army combined the plot progression of a tedious point and click adventure game with the random encounter system from an arcade shoot 'em up while utilizing a combat system that was neither fun nor well done. If I wanted to play an action game, I’d get Devil May Cry or God of War for my PS2. As it is, knowing full well how rare SMT games get, I returned my copy after only sinking three or four hours into it.
So it appears there is confirmation. If anyone gets word on when/where this is preorderable, it would be much appreciated.
I imagine it will be available through the usual channels (EB, Gamestop, Amazon), but obviously it appears one should act fast.
Any information about what is different from DS1? The first one is my least favorite SMT game, mainly for the constant random battles.
Random battles are only in dungeons- none in the towns.
Demon recruiting (a la Nocturne and Persona 2) is in. If you have a Devil Summoner 1 save then those demons will automatically join you upon meeting them.
You can now utilize two demons in battle. There are various dodging moves and other improvements that supposedly make the battle system more satisfying.
Story is also supposedly much improved with a faster pace.
It’s cumbersome, with an under-developed combat system and visuals that don’t really stand up to the razor-sharp stylization of Nocturne or Digital Devil Saga, opting for a much more textured look. The combat is, in a sense, very similar to the turn-based systems featured in the rest of the series, featuring a real-time variant of the press-turn system where you gain an initiative advantage if you exploit enemies’ elemental weaknesses.
Initially, this can only be accomplished by summoning a demon with the right elemental magic, which forces you to keep a fairly exhaustive bestiary in your head, since there’s no way to see a demon’s abilities before summoning it. Later, however, you gain access to a multitude of ammunition types, each with elemental or status effects, that allows you to act as support for your probably much stronger demon. Unfortunately, the sword- and gunplay just isn’t particularly well done. While there’s nothing really bad about it, it’s just an unaccomplished and mechanical system that I eventually grew to accept and like for what it is.
Hard to recommend, but to me there’s something very compelling about the simple, dark and jaunty storytelling that manages to make light of prostitution, organized crime, occultism and eviscerations while painting what can only be described as a dapper rendition of Tokyo in broad, handsome strokes. The music is also great, mixing the distorted, guitar-heavy sound of Nocturne with a slew of mellow, jazzy tunes.
Oh, and it’s always interesting to see how Japanese developers do cities. It’s nothing at all like how western developers do it and way more about capturing with broad strokes the look and feel of a bustling space while completely ignoring the simulation aspects that western RPGs favour so much. It’s visually arresting, but it’s very easy to notice the smoke and mirrors if you’re a seasoned gamer.
I was recently play DS1 and I don’t think this is correct- I’m fairly certain I could see the spell list of a demon before summoning it.
Ah, ok. It’s been a few months since I played this last time (since my NTSC PS2 crapped out), so my memory may not be entirely up to scratch.
Hope it does come out.
The first one was disappointing because the combat gameplay was so dull, but the world, art, story and all that was fun, so while it was the worst R&D 1 game I’ve played, it was still better than average.
It’s definitely coming out (see LK’s link in Post 10). May 12.
I want the pre-order item more than the actual game.
What is the pre order item; any idea when it will show up for preorder?