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Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers |OT| New World Order, Old World Chaos
- Thread starter cj_iwakura
- Start date
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
What the fuck...?
Do the designers of this game really enjoy screwing with people? There are literally NO indication whatsoever that my answer at that question AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE GAME will determine whether Hitomi/Nemissa will gain better skills or not.
Just like allowing us to pour level up stats into INT and MAG to the MC but disallowing him from using Magic.
Bloody ridiculous. Now I am a bit pissed off.
Is there any other surprises like this in this game? :\
TurnipFritters
Member
It's really not a big deal. Besides, if you read the manual it tells you that only Nemissa can use magic.
The VR Art Museum was pretty interesting.
I'm really liking the level designs, with all the puzzles and whatnot.
I thought Persona 3 was pretty weak in this regard, are the main Shin Megami Tensei games even better on this?
It took me a while on that "King" thing, since i have to fill out the map, so I got warped out like 2 dozen times...
But in the end there was 1 tile on the top right that I could not get, it's driving me nuts.
I'm really liking the level designs, with all the puzzles and whatnot.
I thought Persona 3 was pretty weak in this regard, are the main Shin Megami Tensei games even better on this?
It took me a while on that "King" thing, since i have to fill out the map, so I got warped out like 2 dozen times...
But in the end there was 1 tile on the top right that I could not get, it's driving me nuts.
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
It's just annoying :\
Deified Data
Banned
Beware the
. If it seems too good to be true it probably is...
Tomogirimaru
That's part of what make SMT's charm.
Nah, that really is bullshit to those who don't know about it.
Btw, when will the first sidequests pop up? Right now I'm going to the Warehouse area. Also, is there any notable side stuff to do in Paradigm X coming up?
TurnipFritters
Member
The first one pops up after the second Vision Quest. Go to the
bath house forum and talk to the dude there
Ah, so those forums actually have a use then.
TurnipFritters
Member
I'm pretty sure that's the only instance of one ever being used for anything. Oh well!
Aight so, I really liked Persona 3 and 4, but they seem pretty different from the rest of the SMT series outside of sharing the demons and fusion stuff. I have also only played a little bit of SMT3 Nocturne, but it seems like a pretty cool game. These three games are my only experience with the SMT series.
SH looks interesting, I like the OST, and cyberpunk stuff is always neat. Not sure what sets it apart from the mainline SMT games though. With that said, do you guys think I should check this game out? Is it worthwhile for someone who doesn't have a lot of experience with the mainline SMT games?
SH looks interesting, I like the OST, and cyberpunk stuff is always neat. Not sure what sets it apart from the mainline SMT games though. With that said, do you guys think I should check this game out? Is it worthwhile for someone who doesn't have a lot of experience with the mainline SMT games?
The story, characters, and setting seem different from the usual Megaten title (still good of course).
I'd say if you're able to enjoy first person dungeon crawling and combat, you'll probably likely it. Since it seems like it has everything else going for it.
The only experience I have with a FP Dungeon Crawler is Etrian Odyssey 4. It's alright, but it'd be a heck of a lot more interesting with a good story/characters.
Then you probably won't enjoy Soul Hackers--from what I've played, the story is fairly barebones, and the game isn't nearly as plot-oriented as Persona. I'm having the same issue myself; I was expecting the game's plot to be quite a bit more involving than it actually is, whereas it seems to be backseat to some fairly standard dungeon crawling.
The story/characters seem good to me and people who have actually completed the game are pretty positive so I think you'll be OK in that regard.
The game is a lot closer to Persona in plot orientation than Nocturne. There's a ton of voiced scenes.
I haven't played Nocturne, which is why I didn't make the comparison, and I wouldn't associate voice acting with an engaging story.
How far in are you?
Nocturne is pretty minimalistic with its story. It has a story but it's more about the dungeon crawling, the demon fusion, the setting/atmosphere, and I'd also even say the music more than its story. It's definitely a game you're playing much more often than you're watching cutscenes. While I'd put Soul Hackers closer to Persona in that it has a lot of scenes, and probably a bit more than gameplay itself. From the few hours I've seen of the game anyway.
Guess I'll wait to hear more story impressions then. For what it's worth, Nocturne not being as story focused as Persona certainly didn't turn me away. The world is interesting, I like the atmosphere, music is great, game is fun.
Etrian Odyssey 4 doesn't really have an interesting world (Only on Land 2), don't care for the music, has no notable characters so far, and the game itself is fun sometimes.
Etrian Odyssey 4 doesn't really have an interesting world (Only on Land 2), don't care for the music, has no notable characters so far, and the game itself is fun sometimes.
Well if you like Soul Hackers' setting and music, and are just looking for good characters, I think you'll be fine with the game. IMO just with the few hours I've spent with the characters I like them more than your average JRPG cast.
But you can wait for more impressions, yes.
Three hours in or so, so not far at all, but I can't imagine that the story will take a left turn and suddenly layer on in exposition and complexity.
I suppose the issue I'm having is that nothing's holding my attention so far. I agree with the person above who called the music akin to background noise, and the dungeons are incredibly mindless. I'll give it another shot, but what I've played of the game is, for lack of a better word, rather boring, and while I was interested in Soul Hackers, its core components aren't catching me like I'd hoped. Hopefully the setting becomes better drawn, as so far, outside of the terminals, it could be just about anywhere.
To get back to the original post though: Tomat, if you're interested in the game and have liked other SMT games you've played, it's worth giving it a shot. Etrian Odyssey's difficulty, map size, map making, and FOEs do a lot to make each dungeon feel interesting, so I don't think it's an apt comparison.
I'm slightly ahead of you (by like a half hour or so). Even ignoring SMT, I'll just say that judging most JRPG stories just within the first few hours is premature. Hell in Persona 4, 3 hours in you've just barely gotten past the prologue lol. JRPG twists are practically always saved for later in the game.
Yep, but those preliminary hours set the mood for the entire game and are a good indicator of the plot density to come. It's rare for a video game's plot to get better as the game goes on.
To be fair, I haven't given up on the game completely, and I'm hoping you're right.
I'll just say I highly disagree with this. Though I understand that the first few hours are there to give you an impression, I usually find the first few hours of any game to be the most boring part. Probably because I'm not "used to" the game yet.
Probably my biggest personal example is when I played Infinite Space. I was sooooooo down on the game at first and was bored but I stuck through it and eventually couldn't put the story down. That was 50 hour game and it continuously got better from a very slow start. I don't think it's as rare as you think for stories to get better, but it's all subjective.
Also, about the dungeons, they are kind of...I'm not really sure how to describe them. They're not bad or anything, but they kind of lead you to where you're supposed to go. So kind of linear and simplistic. Although in the first 3-3.5 hours (or maybe 2.5, depends on how fast you are), you literally go through just one dungeon twice. So I'm sure they improve but I'll let the people farther in chime in on that.
I should clarify--by "rarely get better," I meant more that if I start playing something and am not really caring for the story, it's very rare for that to change as the game goes on, Persona 4 being one such example. If I like a game's story from the get go, then I'll usually stick with it, and enjoy it, to the end.
Obviously it's subjective, as you said. You might also have a way, way higher level of patience than I do. I went into Infinite Space ready to love it and after an hour and a half didn't want to touch the game again, and truthfully, that's my experience with most games, RPGs or otherwise.
I've gone off track though and don't want to clog up the thread.
The COMP upgrades via story events. The best way to get yen is selling mag.
There are a few places where the music is just ambience, but... most of the dungeons in the game have great music that is most definitely not just "background noise." If you've only gotten to the warehouse, I guess I can see why you'd say that, but even then, pretty awesome music in the Algon vision quest before that.
bishopcruz
Member
Can now hold 12 demons. Thank christ. Need to fuse a bunch now anyway, but I hate having such a limited number of slots in these games.
noonespecial
Member
My copy arrived last night and I've put probably a couple hours in. I'm actually a little more impressed so far than I was expecting to be. The characters aren't really grabbing me (except Nemissa is really cool and
) but I'm enjoying the atmosphere, the music, and the story.
One thing that is really impressing me this early on are the maps and the 3D effects when wandering around them! I like the "real world" feel of the maps, the dimensions feel "right", and the layout is good. For example, an office building feels like an office building.
I'm playing on the default difficulty level (I guess - haven't changed it at any rate) but the combat feels that it is the right level of dangerous. Looks like this game will have potential...
Urabi in the vision quest I liked a lot
One thing that is really impressing me this early on are the maps and the 3D effects when wandering around them! I like the "real world" feel of the maps, the dimensions feel "right", and the layout is good. For example, an office building feels like an office building.
I'm playing on the default difficulty level (I guess - haven't changed it at any rate) but the combat feels that it is the right level of dangerous. Looks like this game will have potential...
ForteanMan
Member
Man just got to the
This game just continues to hold my interests. I'm at level 34 and at about 14 hours or so into it, so if the 30 hour estimates for completion time are accurate I'm about half way through. That really sucks, because I'm enjoying my time with the game. I can easily see myself jumping right back into to play again, because it's my understanding there's a New Game+ feature in this title. Is that right or did I make it up?
VR Haunted Mansion and, no pun intended, it just got really dark. Six possibly killed his sister? Is that what they are implying?
This game just continues to hold my interests. I'm at level 34 and at about 14 hours or so into it, so if the 30 hour estimates for completion time are accurate I'm about half way through. That really sucks, because I'm enjoying my time with the game. I can easily see myself jumping right back into to play again, because it's my understanding there's a New Game+ feature in this title. Is that right or did I make it up?
Just keep on playing that dungeon, you'll see!
Anyway, thats fast! I just finished that dungeon and Im around level 40+ and around 25+ hours, and I personally think Im playing faster than usual.
ForteanMan
Member
Darn it, that's a terrible answer
It's felt a bit fast, I didn't realize I was playing it too quickly but it's possible I am. I think what I will try to do is take my time and slow down to enjoy the game even more.
Edit to add:
I think the speed with which I'm completing the game is likely do to using that chip that shows the dungeon floor. I hadn't realized that I was still using it. After this dungeon I'm removing it so that I can actually complete the map myself.
ochaworldorder
Banned
I'm just starting that dungeon and I'm only at about 9-10 hrs! I haven't really found any major side stuff yet and I love the game so I'll probably jump back into the ng+ content not too long after my first run.
This has pretty much an ideal remake approach for me, the overall game speed and playability are awesome and none of the delicious 90s cyberpunk style was messed with. So far it's already become one of my favorite SMTs.
GeekyDad
Member
Yeah, I was tempted to use it, but honestly, I find it easier when I know where I've been. With that turned on, you wouldn't really know if you'd checked a certain portion of the map, since it's all already revealed. Doesn't seem to be too many items to collect in any of these dungeons so far, but I have to have them all anyway. That's just how I roll...
I'm now using the tip to grind under the highway bypass to get magnetite. Pretty simple so far, you automatically move so you don't consume magnetite and you can exchange the magnetite for a lot of money. ~5k magnetite per run - next step is to grind out Poker VS in the casino to get the ultimate sword
exmachina64
Banned
What skills does Hitomi/Melissa get if I say she's sexy? Because that's not what I chose.
ForteanMan
Member
I believe it's the lightning kind of skills, and early access to megidola? It's in this thread somewhere.
Edit:
exmachina64
Banned
Cool, thanks. I'm too far in to restart, but it's nice to know now.
Tyrant Rave
Banned
I'm now using the tip to grind under the highway bypass to get magnetite. Pretty simple so far, you automatically move so you don't consume magnetite and you can exchange the magnetite for a lot of money. ~5k magnetite per run - next step is to grind out Poker VS in the casino to get the ultimate sword
You don't really need to grind MAG, you'll get plenty just from dungeons.
The sword from the casino is awesome though. I've been killing every basic enemy in one or two hits and most bosses go down in five turns or less. Get the World Armor too if you plan on going to the casino.
buddha0991
Member
Show of hands. How many of you think the 15-16 years it took for this game to finally get to US soil was worth it? I love this game, 15 hours in, top pantheon of megaten games in my opinion, with Nocturne and Persona 2 Eternal Punishment in my mind. Just under for me is Persona 2 Innocent Sin and
SMT2 is in that 2nd group too.
Persona 4.
I'm curious to know what people think, too. Impressions seem pretty positive, but I know it's difficult for some people to enjoy an older game like it's new even if they're playing it for the first time. It's always been among my favorites and I'm super happy that people are finally getting to play it. And replaying it with all of these improvements is basically gaming nirvana for me, personally.
SMT2 is top tier, buddy!
buddha0991
Member
Masakado fetch quest pls T_T
and GOD DAMN IT
ZAIN/ZAYIN STOP TELLING ME ABOUT THE MESIANS LIES EVERY TIME I WALK BY THAT ONE TILE THAT I TEND TO WALK AROUND WITH THE CROWD OF PEOPLE BEHIND YOU
bishopcruz
Member
Well. if the story picks up I think it has a good chance of getting up there with Nocturne, EP, and P4 IMO. It is feeling a tiny bit disjoited currently (I'm at the
art museum boss
And in another note. Screw everyone who says that this and P2 are dated. Bastards.