Shadow Hearts 2 or Shin Megami Tensei?

It sounds like simplistic post processing (similar to the "trails" effect in GTA). Shadow Hearts II uses this as well...

Obviously, the quality of such effects can vary from game to game...
 
Despite sounding like a massive backtrack, I've got my hands so full I'm not investing in either until next year, bah. :( Which is really dissapointing as I was quite excited for Nocturne, but I've come to realize that stacking game purchases is a one way trip to "Neverfinishville". Espically the deeper types.

I still look forward to Druaga though. It really sounds like a game that's a lot less involved (but more addicting to my tastes) to kill some time with.

2004 is insanity.
 
maskrider said:
Japanese SMT3:NM also have hard/normal selections when you start a new game.
Click to expand...

Did it? I thought I read the difficultly selector wasn't until after one completion of the game.
And aren't we getting an easier mode in our SMT or am I thinking of something else?
 
dark10x said:
It sounds like simplistic post processing (similar to the "trails" effect in GTA). Shadow Hearts II uses this as well...

Obviously, the quality of such effects can vary from game to game...
Click to expand...

Yes, is commonly used.
I find it particularly noticeable in SMT thought; the art style used, with strong contrast between adiacent colors, doesn't help much to mask it.
 
RevenantKioku said:
Did it? I thought I read the difficultly selector wasn't until after one completion of the game.
And aren't we getting an easier mode in our SMT or am I thinking of something else?
Click to expand...

Yes, it does.

I have fired up SMT3:NM again an hour or so ago and I discovered that I have accidentally deleted all my saves for SMT3:N and SMT3:NM I had months ago.

I then started a new game and the selection is there. I am giving it another chance and see if I can get myself into it.

smt3nm-diff.jpg


For the art style and story, I guess no one will deny that it is very very unique.

smt3nm-00.jpg

smt3nm-01.jpg
 
maskrider said:
Yes, it does.

I have fired up SMT3:NM again an hour or so ago and I discovered that I have accidentally deleted all my saves for SMT3:N and SMT3:NM I had months ago.

I then started a new game and the selection is there. I am giving it another chance and see if I can get myself into it.

smt3nm-diff.jpg


For the art style and story, I guess no one will deny that it is very very unique.

smt3nm-00.jpg

smt3nm-01.jpg
Click to expand...

Guess I am thinking of something else.
Damn, I haven't been this excited about a game since, well FFXI I think.
 
Ar_ said:
It might be a weird artifact caused from my tv, but find more likely that Ferricide played on a small screen so it wasn't evident for him.
Click to expand...
um, i know what you're talking about -- it just has nothing to do with the framerate and doesn't bother me. it is, yes, incredibly evident. i tend to like bloom/blur effects in games, though. YMMV.

RevenantKioku said:
If the SMT release tells us anything, I'm going to guess there might be selectable difficulty modes in our release. And Atlus is still claiming November on that one...we'll see.
Click to expand...
they aren't, anymore.

http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/243359.asp

it has been pushed into next year, although that date is placeholder.

and personally i think you should also buy both to support them -- strong US sales could potentially propel aruze into approving SH3, or midway into co-funding it, even. but SMT3 needs love just as much, if not more.
 
RevenantKioku said:
Guess I am thinking of something else.
Damn, I haven't been this excited about a game since, well FFXI I think.
Click to expand...

I guess you will also be interested in its OST, the music is also very good IMHO.

But no one can possibly play (let alone buy them) all the good games in the world, if I had to choose one between the two, my choice will be SH:C, again, without a doubt.

BTW, the schedule for DDS 2 in Japan is early 2005.
 
By the way, I thought Nocturne was scheduled for release this week, but according to Gamestop and EB Games it's the 12th. Was it always the 12th, or did it slip back a week?
 
Mike said:
By the way, I thought Nocturne was scheduled for release this week, but according to Gamestop and EB Games it's the 12th. Was it always the 12th, or did it slip back a week?
Click to expand...

GS is saying 12th now? It was 5th last I checked yesterday or so. But yes, it slipped another week.
 
To give an idea of SMT random battle frequence, I ran around for a few minutes and timed them roughly. On top of the small sample, I made the average mentally and from memory so isn't very accurate.
Got a battle every 23 sec average. Average battle duration with auto attack, included load times, 32 seconds.
Keep in mind that random encounters happen almost everywhere - this test was made in a city - and you can get an idea.

Seeing the blur effect again, is really bad. You literally see the characters duplicating when you turn around, and backgrounds become confused.
Looks like 2 offset images are alternated, each composed only of alternate horizontal lines, with one of the sets lagging behind.

Nitpicking aside, the game has plenty charm; just remember it is a dungeon crawler at heart.
 
Since the release date slipped another week for SMT, I'm about to slip into SH:C myself finally.
 
I'm about to play some more of SH2, but I really liked what I played. The art style of Nocturne does nothing for me, but I'm gonna play it... eventually... Atlus is that company where, I totally applaud and respect everything they do, and end up buying a lot of their games because of this... but I end up not having as much fun as I should be with them.
 
RevenantKioku said:
Not saying you're wrong but from the atlus website:
Just saying. Not that I expect to have the time to play it in November anyway.
Click to expand...
they are going to announce the delay soon.
 
Is this SMT game as hard as the PS1 one was? I got stuck halfway through that game on one of the bosses, and couldn't even find any decent FAQ on gamefaqs.
 
Miburou said:
Is this SMT game as hard as the PS1 one was? I got stuck halfway through that game on one of the bosses, and couldn't even find any decent FAQ on gamefaqs.
Click to expand...
it's quite difficult, but there's a fantastic FAQ on gamefaqs, and an excellent strategy guide from doublejump.

but there were sick-ass persona FAQs, too. i used them on replay. =P
 
I found the Dungeons/ Enviroments in SMT to be extremely dull and boring.Plus, Random battles are way too frequent. After spending 2 hours with SH2..i'll have to recommend the latter
 
By the way, for those who have played through Shadow Hearts 2, how far along am I?

I just viewed the lengthy CG scene (after defeating Veronica in battle) where Rasputin calls upon the god with which he made a pact .

I'm enjoying it quite a bit and hope that it continues for a while longer...
 
dark10x said:
By the way, for those who have played through Shadow Hearts 2, how far along am I?

I just viewed the lengthy CG scene (after defeating Veronica in battle) where Rasputin calls upon the god with which he made a pact .

I'm enjoying it quite a bit and hope that it continues for a while longer...
Click to expand...

maybe 50%?
 
Thanks Bebpo.

Your review convinced me to pick it up in the first place. Good advice! :D The game is a blast and the characters are truly awesome.
 
After reading parts of my Double Jump guide, I am a tad scared of SMT: Nocturne. I love dungeon crawlers and I love SMT/Persona, but I really don't know if I have the time or energy to invest in a game like that. I'll buy it of course, but I'll be suprised if I ever finish it. SH2 is pretty easy to pick up and play in short bursts, and engaging almost right away. Releasing these games so close together is so evil.
 
yeah I think I'm going to cancel my pre-order for SMT, the game doesn't interest me enough to lay down 50 smacks for it, nothing extremely original about it either, gameplay-wise.

Going to move the pre-order onto MGS3.
 
I sure hope everyone posting impressions of SMT played the Japanese game, not a warezed copy of the review build, 'cause posting impressions of warezed games is a bannable offense!

*glares*
 
ferricide said:
it's quite difficult, but there's a fantastic FAQ on gamefaqs, and an excellent strategy guide from doublejump.

but there were sick-ass persona FAQs, too. i used them on replay. =P
Click to expand...

Is it difficult because complex strategies are required to take down bosses, or difficult because you'll come across a boss that's ten or fifteen levels higher than your party, so that you have to backtrack and level-grind for a couple of hours?
 
Prospero said:
Is it difficult because complex strategies are required to take down bosses, or difficult because you'll come across a boss that's ten or fifteen levels higher than your party, so that you have to backtrack and level-grind for a couple of hours?
Click to expand...

You never need to level in SMT3 unless you really need a certain elemental demon who you can't get at your current level.

I can't remember ever having to wander around leveling, the bosses require strategies and the right demons, not high HP.
 
Bebpo said:
You never need to level in SMT3 unless you really need a certain elemental demon who you can't get at your current level.

I can't remember ever having to wander around leveling, the bosses require strategies and the right demons, not high HP.
Click to expand...

In that case, SMT3 sales +1. I love truly difficult RPGs, and they're nearly impossible to come by.
 
Crazymoogle said:
Hey Jackfrost, have any impressions on Nightmare of Druaga? Maybe it's time to start a new thread on that one...
Click to expand...

I'm waiting for either the U.S. release or a price drop on the Japanese one ... we'll see. I might pick up the US one immediately, despite no time to play it, on the assumption it's going to be rilly rilly rare.
 
Ah yes, one thing that has bothered me in Shadow Hearts II...

The soundtrack is quite good, but they make such terrible use of it. They have used exactly ONE song for every single town and town-like area in the game. They also have re-used the same few songs for every single cutscene.

I just don't understand it! I wish there was more variety here...
 
Shadow Hearts 2 is atrocious. Theres nothing redeeming about this shit. One of the worst games ive played all year.

shit battle system
shit graphics
shit music
shit characters



completely and utterly generic....ugh trading this in for nocturne next week promptly
 
DeadStar said:
Shadow Hearts 2 is atrocious. Theres nothing redeeming about this shit. One of the worst games ive played all year.

shit battle system
shit graphics
shit music
shit characters



completely and utterly generic....ugh trading this in for nocturne next week promptly
Click to expand...

O.o
 
DeadStar said:
Shadow Hearts 2 is atrocious. Theres nothing redeeming about this shit. One of the worst games ive played all year.

shit battle system
shit graphics
shit music
shit characters



completely and utterly generic....ugh trading this in for nocturne next week promptly
Click to expand...


generic? Oh whatever, I'm not going to argue this one.
 
DeadStar said:
Shadow Hearts 2 is atrocious. Theres nothing redeeming about this shit. One of the worst games ive played all year.

shit battle system
shit graphics
shit music
shit characters



completely and utterly generic....ugh trading this in for nocturne next week promptly
Click to expand...

Something tells me you just looked at the box, saw the boobs, and deemed it "generic"
 
belgurdo said:
Something tells me you just looked at the box, saw the boobs, and deemed it "generic"
Click to expand...
no. although the character designs are pretty awful in almost every way. The whole game just screams bland and average, nothing that stands out and makes it worth playing....Almost as dreary as the first godawful Shadow Hearts
 
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