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[Shouta]

Was considering picking this up but I wanted some opinions on it.

 

[NotMSRP]

Yup. All three Doublejump guides are worth it. No guide is perfect but DJ blows Brady and Prima out of the water. Brady Signature series is beginning to show the quality but time will tell. Why not just visit EB or Gamestop to see for yourself?

 

[heavy liquid]

Doublejump makes the best guides.

The Nocturne one is nice. It's smaller than their others... book sized. But the thing is huge, detailed and all color. It has lots of great artwork and a history of the Shin Megami Tensei games. If you like Nocturne, get it.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

I think it's the only guide worth buying.

 

[epmode]

god yes.

 

[MetatronM]

Yes. There's just sooooooooo much information in there.

 

[NotMSRP]

For everyone using any guides--DJ, Prima, or Brady--should check with the website for an errata list.

 

[Shouta]

Hrm. I'll take a quick look into it. I'm tempted because I have a feeling the guide might be in short print or something so I want it before it goes the way of the dinosaur.

 

[Dave Long]

One of the cooler things about an already cool guide is that they print the spoilers upside down in the book so you don't accidentally stumble onto them while flipping through. DJ Guides are definitely a cut above.

 

[Shouta]

Anyone know why DJ doesn't do more guides? I haven't gotten the guide yet btw, gonna wait a few more days.

 

[Mashing]

DJ is great, but I thought their Disgaea guide was pathethic... not much useful information I'm afraid.

Brady's guide for Star Ocean 3 is awesome (it's part of their Signature Series).... I haven't seen the DJ guide for SMT:N yet.

 

[Alex]

I have a friend who swears by it, hopefully I can still nab it off their site or whatever next year when I grab the game.

And for no reason, I second the pimptastic SO3 guide. Rox. Great for creation and side bits espically. I was pretty weary of giving Brady the cash for anything considering their last guide I bought was for FFXI, which contained no less than the total abscence of 95% of the game, and what was actually there was 90% poor, or flat out misinformation. A real bunch of troopers worked on that one, apparently.

 

[Shouta]

You really need to pick up Nocturne and the guide now if you ask me Alex. Although, I'm pretty sure you'd like it although there's a little doubt in the back of my mind.

 

[RevenantKioku]

All I've used it for was a few demon creations, but even that felt a bit like cheating, so I just put it aside. Its chock full o' nuts, but I just can't let myself use it.

 

[Patrick Klepek]

i can't justify the price for the guide + using a guide feels like cheating, especially the first time around in a game.

 

[Gorey]

I like the smaller 'handbook' size. Easier to cart around.

Edit; Alex, I think I was one of the dorks who told you the FFXI guide 'wasn't bad'. Sorry, I've owed you an apology on that one for awhile.

 

[Alex]

Oh, no doubt. But I'm a bit swamped with games as is, I don't even currently have enough (comfortable) time to play my regulars, so nothing else for me this year. I even pulled my Halo 2 pre-order, that's bound to piss someone off. Nocturne and Druaga are my next purchases early next year, however. What can I say, I like dungeons and items.

""All I've used it for was a few demon creations, but even that felt a bit like cheating, so I just put it aside. Its chock full o' nuts, but I just can't let myself use it."

I never use these things for the walkthru, but as each year passes, JRPG's side elements, bonuses, crafting, ect, whatever form of distractions they hold get more and more counter-intuitive. With little hope of anyone cracking in deep outside of the batty Japanese and the nuts over at GameFAQ's.

 

[ferricide]

i can't justify the price for the guide + using a guide feels like cheating, especially the first time around in a game.

you have a stronger will than i. SMTN cries out for a guide... partially due to obtuse design. =)

 

[NotMSRP]

DJ doesn't have many guides cause it's still a company in its infancy. A small size company without any major corporate backings like the other two.

 

[MoxManiac]

So the Star Ocean 3 guide is good? I was impressed by the size, but I've always been leery of Brady Guides, though their SFAC guide was good.

 

[Patrick Klepek]

you have a stronger will than i. SMTN cries out for a guide... partially due to obtuse design. =)

will i have a tough time later in the game?

 

[Alex]

Quite good. Some of the layouts are a little wonky, but as far as coverage goes, it's about as good as you could hope.

 

[Jupiter Jones]

Navigating the more complex dungeons will be difficult without the SMT: Nocturne guide. There's also certain puzzles that are confusing, with little clues to their solution found in the book. Still, the guide could have been organized better.And I know alot of people swear by the small squat design, but I prefer being able to leave a guide open without destroying its spine.

 

[Brandon F]

The SO3 guide does everything you would want it or need it for, a necessary companion for anyone desiring to get the most out of the game and will. This also factors into my largest complaint against SO3, wherein a good deal of the game hides extremely valuable or helpful info that has no business being hidden unless you plunk money down on the guide. (Character selection effects on IC as well as NPC recruitment being biggies)

Beyond that, the recommendations are dead-on for weapon creation for battling the ultimate bosses(it's dissapointing but there is little freedom in preparing for Freya) and even revealing every piece of treasure in the 100-floor bonus dungeon is a HUGE help for maintaining sanity when you can avoid wasting hours exploring floors with crap loot.

SMNT guide is good, though I found myself really not using it much myself outside of specific functions. It's segregated chapter design is a bit counter-intuitive as I often found myself keeping upwards 3 spots marked in the book when planning fuses and demon gathering which is a bit irritating(it gives you those 2 bookmarks for that reason). As cool as the smaller size is, in practice I'd just prefer a return to the larger size. I'd rather have more real estate per page over constantly flipping through 400 tiny ones again.

 

[ferricide]

Navigating the more complex dungeons will be difficult without the SMT: Nocturne guide.

the game has an automap ... i don't even bother with the guide for that.

guide is useful, IMO, for demon fusions, enemy/boss weakenesses, etc., magatama and skill info, and what enemies will appear in dungeons, etc. basically things to do with the demons.

...my largest complaint against SO3, wherein a good deal of the game hides extremely valuable or helpful info that has no business being hidden unless you plunk money down on the guide.

i love how the game doesn't bother explaining the invention system at all, but it has 20 pages of info on space socks or whatever the fuck in that glossary. that game is so ass backwards in some ways.