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Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers |OT| New World Order, Old World Chaos

F

ForteanMan

Member
Call Me Maybe said:
Okay, I promised some quick updates, so I'll let you all have my earliest impressions. I might discuss my reaction to the story, but the story itself will not be mentioned, so don't worry about spoilers.

- Love the 2D art, especially for the cutscenes.
- Voice acting is kind of grating after five minutes (thankfully you can turn it off)
- The game maps movement to the Dpad in a 3D space which is a pet peeve of mine. I absolutely hate that, and I can't find an option to change it. The analog stick is relegated to instead moving a map of the 'dungeon' on the bottom screen around. Why they couldn't have done it the other way around I will never know.
- The story so far is... bizarre
- The battle system takes a while to come to grips with! I still don't fully know what I am doing, but I can say this, it's pretty interesting.

All in all, I'm a bit mixed as to how I feel towards the game right now. It's a very old game, and a lot of the old design sensibilities are showing. But it's fun, and it's super hardcore, and it's keeping me playing, which is always a plus.
Click to expand...

Man, the more and more I read about this game in this thread the harder it becomes to wait until Tuesday. I'm very excited to play this game!

You mentioned that the Dpad in 3D space is an issue, is it similar to the movement in SJ? Like in that game if you hold down, I think it's the B button, and then press left or right on the Dpad you character sort of strafes in stead of the first person view turning in the direction. Man I hope that makes sense......
 
E

Eirikr

Member
ForteanMan said:
You mentioned that the Dpad in 3D space is an issue, is it similar to the movement in SJ? Like in that game if you hold down, I think it's the B button, and then press left or right on the Dpad you character sort of strafes in stead of the first person view turning in the direction. Man I hope that makes sense......
Click to expand...

Yes, in SH you can also hold down B to strafe...plus you get a rather exponential boost to the walking speed. Awesome, but has the side effect of making the encounter rate seem higher than it is.
 
F

ForteanMan

Member
Eirikr said:
Yes, in SH you can also hold down B to strafe...plus you get a rather exponential boost to the walking speed. Awesome, but has the side effect of making the encounter rate seem higher than it is.
Click to expand...

Oh good to know. It's not my favorite kind of movement, but after a little while with SJ I grew accustomed enough to it that it was serviceable.
 
C

Call Me Maybe

Banned
cj_iwakura said:
Are the shopkeepers voiced? And I prefer d-pad movement.


As for Nemissa; fire. She has a skill that does more damage when she's low on health, and it's a killer.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think shopkeepers are voiced; the NPCs I'm running into on the streets are not. However, I turned voices off some time ago, so I'll double check to make sure.

ForteanMan said:
Man, the more and more I read about this game in this thread the harder it becomes to wait until Tuesday. I'm very excited to play this game!

You mentioned that the Dpad in 3D space is an issue, is it similar to the movement in SJ? Like in that game if you hold down, I think it's the B button, and then press left or right on the Dpad you character sort of strafes in stead of the first person view turning in the direction. Man I hope that makes sense......
Click to expand...

Yep, you can do it. Press B and then L or R to strafe. Actually fairly effective.
 
semiconscious

semiconscious

Member
Call Me Maybe said:
- Voice acting is kind of grating after five minutes (thankfully you can turn it off)
Click to expand...

this's good (& what i'll do)...

Call Me Maybe said:
- The game maps movement to the Dpad in a 3D space which is a pet peeve of mine. I absolutely hate that, and I can't find an option to change it. The analog stick is relegated to instead moving a map of the 'dungeon' on the bottom screen around. Why they couldn't have done it the other way around I will never know...
Click to expand...

this's no surprise, &, imo, completely unimportant...
 
Rei no Otaku

Rei no Otaku

Member
My Gamestop is doing a midnight for Injustice, which I'm also picking up, so I'm hoping I can grab my Soul Hackers pre-order as well that night.
 
F

fates

Member
Volcynika said:
Well they changed mine to that automatically (I have Prime) a number of weeks ago.

EDIT: Well it's still listed as two day shipping but I'm getting it day one!
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Two-day shipping on a video game preorder means you'll get it on release day. They probably sort their copies early and ship them Monday morning or something.

I think this is limited to continental United States, though.
 
GeekyDad

GeekyDad

Member
GreatMightySymp said:
All of the ones I've ran into so far were. Although oddly part of one shop keeper's dialogue wasn't voiced for some reason (all the text for everyone else's was, though). Guessing it was a programming oversight perhaps.
Click to expand...

Or maybe they just voice the repetitive dialogue. I'm sure they don't want to have to use voice actors for more than a day if possible, not on something like this. There are Square Enix budgets and then there are Atlus "let's please our American audience by bringing over said game without breaking the bank" budgets.
 
B

beta_fuse

Member
I'm new to the series so do you think it's ok to jump right in with this game or start with SMT - Devil Survivor Overclocked?
 
B

Basileus777

Member
beta_fuse said:
I'm new to the series so do you think it's ok to jump right in with this game or start with SMT - Devil Survivor Overclocked?
Click to expand...

Devil Survivor is a strategy RPG, while Soul Hackers is a first person dungeon crawler. There's no connection, just choose what genre interests you more.
 
N

Nags

Banned
beta_fuse said:
I'm new to the series so do you think it's ok to jump right in with this game or start with SMT - Devil Survivor Overclocked?
Click to expand...

Completely different games. If you like old school first person dungeon crawlers, this is right up your alley. Don't expect a hallmark in graphical prowess from the 3DS on this one however, this is an old game, with the only real changes being added content and cleaner text.
 
GeekyDad

GeekyDad

Member
Basileus777 said:
Devil Survivor is a strategy RPG, while Soul Hackers is a first person dungeon crawler. There's no connection, just choose what genre interests you more.
Click to expand...

Not really. Kinda, sorta, but...no, not really. The battles play out just like any other SMT RPG. You're just moving around the maps like you would in an SRPG. It's an interesting mix. Honestly, I got bored with Devil Survivor. I'd rather have one or the other. The presentation, though, is really hip and enjoyable.
 
N

noonespecial

Member
Soriku said:
OK I think I'll go with SS. She gets Mediarama on that path too.
Click to expand...

"Surprisingly Sexy" is probably what I'll be going with too plus I love Marin Karin. Whatever we don't get in Nemissa skill-wise we'll be making up for it in our FOUR OTHER
demon
party slots anyway.

Can't wait to see how an SMT game with six party member slots plays out. Do any of the other SMT/Persona games even have more than 4 total party slots?
 
M

Midou

Member
GeekyDad said:
Not really. Kinda, sorta, but...no, not really. The battles play out just like any other SMT RPG. You're just moving around the maps like you would in an SRPG. It's an interesting mix. Honestly, I got bored with Devil Survivor. I'd rather have one or the other. The presentation, though, is really hip and enjoyable.
Click to expand...

I had to start Devil Survivor about half a dozen times until I finally got through the first couple hours, and it became really enjoyable. It makes some neat use of the S/RPG hybrid elements with some demons later.

I'm playing through it now finally as hype for this, though I know they are different. Was going to go through Strangest Journey instead, but I thought 2 dungeon crawlers back to back might not be the best idea.

I do agree in general though, I kind of wish it stuck to one of the two, as a pure SRPG it would have been more balanced.
 
T

TurnipFritters

Member
noonespecial said:
"Surprisingly Sexy" is probably what I'll be going with too plus I love Marin Karin. Whatever we don't get in Nemissa skill-wise we'll be making up for it in our FOUR OTHER
demon
party slots anyway.

Can't wait to see how an SMT game with six party member slots plays out. Do any of the other SMT/Persona games even have more than 4 total party slots?
Click to expand...

P1 and P2 have five person parties.
 
GeekyDad

GeekyDad

Member
Midou said:
I had to start Devil Survivor about half a dozen times until I finally got through the first couple hours, and it became really enjoyable. It makes some neat use of the S/RPG hybrid elements with some demons later.

I'm playing through it now finally as hype for this, though I know they are different. Was going to go through Strangest Journey instead, but I thought 2 dungeon crawlers back to back might not be the best idea.

I do agree in general though, I kind of wish it stuck to one of the two, as a pure SRPG it would have been more balanced.
Click to expand...


Well, to be fair, I think I put in about 10 hours roughly each attempt (started a new slot after I had shelved it for a while). I'm still a sucker for the whole demon-collecting, fusion thing, but grinding was a chore because you had to do the same few maps until you were strong enough to move on, and I steered away from putting points into magic (which was a huge mistake). Perhaps the third time will be a charm. ;)

Still love the vibe of the game, though. I'm gonna be 42 next month, and the game (and almost everything in the SMT universe) really speaks to my teenage years for some reason. The music, the collections of characters...I don't know. I just dig it.
 
G

GreatMightySymp

Member
GeekyDad said:
Or maybe they just voice the repetitive dialogue. I'm sure they don't want to have to use voice actors for more than a day if possible, not on something like this. There are Square Enix budgets and then there are Atlus "let's please our American audience by bringing over said game without breaking the bank" budgets.
Click to expand...

Nah, it's where all of the other shopkeepers had voiced dialogue when you picked the Talk option instead of buy/sell/etc., but this one shopkeeper didn't.

So I'm guessing either it was an oversight in the recording process or the code that pointed to the voice in the game's code got messed up during localization.
 
Z

Zero-Crescent

Member
I have some GameStop credit sitting around, so I put in a pre-order (in-store pickup) on their web site. 's been a long time since I preordered something from there, but I figured this game will be worth it.

Cyberpunk and MegaTen will make a great combination. :)
 
B

buddha0991

Member
Zero-Crescent said:
I have some GameStop credit sitting around, so I put in a pre-order (in-store pickup) on their web site. 's been a long time since I preordered something from there, but I figured this game will be worth it.

Cyberpunk and MegaTen will make a great combination. :)
Click to expand...

This series was all about Cyberpunk until this very game, if I recall, NINE doesn't count son.
 
Z

Zero-Crescent

Member
buddha0991 said:
This series was all about Cyberpunk until this very game, if I recall, NINE doesn't count son.
Click to expand...

Agh, you got me there; I forgot that the original Megami Tensei games were considered one of the first cyberpunk video games. Though Soul Hackers leans even more into the cyberpunk elements, what with the focus on the virtual world, a fully-networked city, an evil corporation, and a scrappy group of hackers.
 
S

Splash Wave

Member
MarcoZombieCannon said:
It feels like a sci-fi thriller(in tone), and I love it for that. But I got into the series because of it being cyberpunk. 80s-90s cyberpunk just appeals to me a lot.
Click to expand...

Me too, dude. There's just something about 80s/90s cyberpunk that really speaks to my soul, so to speak. It's probably Akira's fault :)
 
M

MarcoZombieCannon

Member
Jimmy Stav said:
Me too, dude. There's just something about 80s/90s cyberpunk that really speaks to my soul, so to speak. It's probably Akira's fault :)
Click to expand...
ckvwNSy.gif

Believe it or not, I only saw Akira for the first time in February! I got into cyberpunk watching Blade Runner and Johnny Mnemonic with my Dad. And then Deus Ex.... Now I can't get enough of it. :)
 
N

noonespecial

Member
Jimmy Stav said:
Me too, dude. There's just something about 80s/90s cyberpunk that really speaks to my soul, so to speak. It's probably Akira's fault :)
Click to expand...

Akira, Ghost in the Shell, playing Cyberpunk the RPG (the actual pencil and paper game - not a computer game), Blade Runner, reading the William Gibson Neuromancer series, etc.
 
Z

Zero-Crescent

Member
cjkeats said:
Siliconera got a little interview with Atlus USA about Soul Hackers.
Click to expand...
Interesting bits about the Raidou games and reprint. Looks like we'll have to wait a while for a PS2 classics release, though.

In terms of getting a PS2 Classics release, we hear that it’s a matter of getting the PS3’s emulator updated.  This only happens a few times a year and it’s not yet compatible with the version of the PS2 software the Devil Summoner series was created with.
Click to expand...
 
ULTROS!

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
- The battle system takes a while to come to grips with! I still don't fully know what I am doing, but I can say this, it's pretty interesting.
Click to expand...

Does that mean the battle system is complicated or hard?
 
F

fates

Member
The Ghost in the Shell manga (Shirow was a godlike cyberpunk visionary until he started going crazy with a) the CGI and b) the porns) along with Blade Runner is what got me into the genre, and it's still a favorite setting of mine. That's partly why I've always wanted to play Soul Hackers so much.
 
ULTROS!

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Aeana said:
Do you think we should explain it or let people figure it out?
Click to expand...

If you make it sound doable and easy, then it's a +1 sale. :p
 
T

TurnipFritters

Member
Well... Stuff about Loyalty:
Whether or not a demon obeys your commands in battle depends on their loyalty. You can raise their loyalty by issuing commands that correspond to their type. When a demon takes an action if their quote is in blue text it means the command matched their type and they have gained loyalty. If their quote is in red text it means the did not follow the command and have lost loyalty. If their quote is in white text, it means they followed the order (even if it was against their nature) and had no change in loyalty.

It sounds kind of complicated when you put it that way, so let's make it easier:

Demons come in one of five types: Calm, Kind, Fierce, Tricky and Stupid (I don't really know what the translations they used are, but you should be able to figure out what's what).
Kind demons want to use healing magic, buffs, or the defend command. They're the easiest demons to gain loyalty with. As a bonus, when you max their loyalty they'll take a fatal blow for the protagonist (it's the same rules as P4 though - they won't jump in to protect you if they're also targeted by the attack).
Fierce demons want bloodshed. They gain loyalty by using the attack command or HP-based extra commands. When you max their loyalty their damage output is increased.
Tricky demons like to use offensive magic (I think debuffs work too. Status effects do as well, but if I recall correctly, only if they land). This makes them difficult to work with, since MP are a precious resource on demons. When you max out their loyalty they can be changed into powerful items at Victor's.
Stupid demons gain loyalty when you let them use the GO command. This can make dealing with them a crapshoot.
And Calm demons are the biggest jerks of all, since there's nothing guaranteed to raise their loyalty. Most of the more powerful, high-level demons in the game are Calm type, just to make things irritating.

Hey that all sounds kind of complicated!
Click to expand...

Yeah, it does! Here's a way you can ignore like 90% of that:
Go to the wine store in the shopping center and buy the items that set a demon's personality to "Kind." Use it on a demon and have them use the Guard command until their loyalty is maxed out. It will make your life so much easier in the long run.
 
E

Eusis

Member
Call Me Maybe said:
I guess. It's just that I tend to associate the analog slider with movement, and the dpad with secondary functions, so having that inversion is always a bit of a shock.

Ergonomically too, the analog slider makes infinitely more sense than the Dpad (which brings us back to the point you just raised, yes).
Click to expand...
Well, this mentality explains why we're seeing 2D platformers that go and ignore the D-Pad for MOVEMENT even though it'd probably be better that way...

Still, I can't argue against an OPTION, I'm fine with it since it's not very intense so it's not like NSMB2 where even on an XL it's exhausting after awhile, but that goes both ways so it'd be nice for everyone to have the options they'd want. I'd just stick with the D-Pad myself, the analog would probably feel too mushy for a game like this, it just isn't very nice when it's not for full 3D movement.
 
ULTROS!

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
So if their loyalty is maxed out, does that mean you have full control of them?

And yeah, it sounds complicated.
 
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