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[cj_iwakura]

From the Nocturne light novels, someone posted this on tumblr:
http://beambayonet.tumblr.com/post/32893988464/nocturne-light-novel-illustrations-pt-1-sorry

Really dig that last one.

 

[NeonZ]

Which is the better new game plus option for SMTIV?

There's an explanation when they pop up. Choose reincarnation if you want to keep everything aside from your demon team (you can keep the one registered for Street Pass though), choose New Life to start almost everything from zero, aside from the Compendium, some Apps and the Streetpass demon. The first one should be chosen if you just want to go quickly through the game again to see another ending. The 2nd one should be chosen if you still want some kind of game balance (there's also the new difficulty that opens at that point).

 

[The n00b Avenger]

Speaking of SMT4 New Game +.

It says New Life lets you keep the skill slot apps so you'll technically have more app points available than your first time through. The other option says that it refunds your app points but I'm not sure if that includes the skill slot apps that you retain. If it doesn't refund those, then New Life would technically end up giving you more app points than Reincarnation.

Does anyone know for sure how that goes?

 

[GloriousBagel]

I was wondering last night when Atlus is going to tease their next SMT game, maybe at the end of the december?

Also, can we expect SMT to make an appearance on a Playstation console since a lot of demon assets are already done for Persona 5? Or do you guys think SMT will make a debut on the NX?


Will Kaneko ever leave the flower field?

 

[FluxWaveZ]

I was wondering last night when Atlus is going to tease their next SMT game, maybe at the end of the december?

Already happened: http://personacentral.com/shin-megami-tensei-iv-final-producer-teases-next-project/

Though if you mean a concrete tease ala P5 chairs, that likely won't be for a while. I have a feeling Yamai became a producer on SMT IV: Apocalypse from his director role on SMT IV because he needed to focus that energy into an unannounced title.

Kinda like how George Kamitani was the producer for Odin Sphere Leifthrasir, because it was later revealed that he's the director for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, which was in development simultaneously.

 

[Teknoman]

I kinda want to see a main series SMT new entry on consoles again, but if its on the NX, thats acceptable.

 

[Opa-Pa]

^^Those are great. I've always been curious about the light novels.

Also, a comeback of SMT's PS2 days is one of the most exciting things I can dream of. Part of me wants to believe that Kaneko has been involved in that sort of project all this time but... Them saying the next SMT project will take a long time doesn't give much hope.

Oh well, I'll take what I can. HD demon models means we'll get /something/ eventually, at the very least. Here's hoping it's on PS4, too.

 

[Dragon1893]

Now that they have a current gen engine in place I fully expect them to make the most of it, with SMTV coming to PS4 and NX.

 

[Vic_Viper]

Do we know what the MC's name is in SMTIV A? And does Raidou make an appearance at all in game? He was a DLC boss fight in IV right? Or was that soul hackers ds?

Speaking of Raidou, I'd really like to see Atlus take another stab at doing an action RPG with Raidou again. If the setting was a problem they have an easy out with the amala network, even though I was a big fan of it.

 

[jonjonaug]

Do we know what the MC's name is in SMTIV A? And does Raidou make an appearance at all in game? He was a DLC boss fight in IV right? Or was that soul hackers ds?

Speaking of Raidou, I'd really like to see Atlus take another stab at doing an action RPG with Raidou again. If the setting was a problem they have an easy out with the amala network, even though I was a big fan of it.

1. Nanashi, I think
2. Nope, that was Soul Hackers as a bonus boss. The protagonists of SMT 1, 2, and 3 all show up in DLC though.

 

[TurnipFritters]

Yeah, he's called Nanashi. I think you can put in whatever name you want when you register the smartphone, but the characters still call him Nanashi in the voice dialogue (Asahi definitely does, I'm sure others do too).

 

[Vic_Viper]

Yeah, he's called Nanashi. I think you can put in whatever name you want when you register the smartphone, but the characters still call him Nanashi in the voice dialogue (Asahi definitely does, I'm sure others do too).

Ok cool, that's a nice change. Always didn't like having to pick your own name for the MC in SMT games. I understand why they do it along with having them be silent but it's just not how I like to play my jrpgs.

 

[GloriousBagel]

Already happened: http://personacentral.com/shin-megami-tensei-iv-final-producer-teases-next-project/

Though if you mean a concrete tease ala P5 chairs, that likely won't be for a while. I have a feeling Yamai became a producer on SMT IV: Apocalypse from his director role on SMT IV because he needed to focus that energy into an unannounced title.

Kinda like how George Kamitani was the producer for Odin Sphere Leifthrasir, because it was later revealed that he's the director for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, which was in development simultaneously.

Oof, so we probably won't hear anything until towards the end of next year. Well I really want SMT to make a 3D world comeback, I enjoyed the 2D SMT games and I love how I can imagine the world around me to such detail because of its soundtrack and characters. But Nocturne left me wanting more 3D SMT games.

 

[Barrylocke]

For a while I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to complete SMT4 In time for SMT4:A, I've been doing stuff in

Spoiler

Blasted Tokyo

today, so I suppose I'm OK at this point. Now I just have to make sure that I can balance the Neutral Ending. And I guess I should also consider the postgame DLC since I remember people saying that it actually does add more story points along with additional battles. I wonder if my somewhat jokey Luck Build will actually be able to handle that, or if I'll have to see about farming Incenses from Demon Gifts.

Does the DLC still use the difficulty settings? If so I may consider turning them down to Normal

Spoiler

or even easy x_x

to finish it in time.

 

[Vic_Viper]

Been awhile since Ive played SMT IV and I have been thinking about playing some more but im not sure where im at/what I need to do next.

Im currently level 21 at Shinjuku Station. The main quest is still Capture the Black Samurai but it mentions something about a Juraku Bookstore in Ikebukuro that may be the origin of the literature the Black Samurai used in Mikado. Is that the next part of my quest bascially?

Edit: Still need to defeat Ose also apparently. Just found him and an elevator.

 

[Opa-Pa]

Does the DLC still use the difficulty settings? If so I may consider turning them down to Normal

Spoiler

or even easy x_x

to finish it in time.

I think it has a fixed difficulty because I tested turning it down to easy and couldn't tell any differences.

The Clipped Wings ones are pretty neat and a bit hilarious in a way. Pretty hard tho. There's another one too that I haven't bothered with because I heard it's pretty much impossible unless you have a very specific party.

 

[Barrylocke]

Been awhile since Ive played SMT IV and I have been thinking about playing some more but im not sure where im at/what I need to do next.

Im currently level 21 at Shinjuku Station. The main quest is still Capture the Black Samurai but it mentions something about a Juraku Bookstore in Ikebukuro that may be the origin of the literature the Black Samurai used in Mikado. Is that the next part of my quest bascially?

Edit: Still need to defeat Ose also apparently. Just found him and an elevator.

Ose is just a terminal boss, but of course you'd want to beat him to improve your ability to move around the city. Especially since Shinjuku is one of the most centralized locations in the game (along with Kasumigaseki).

Ikebukuro can be accessed North of Shinjuku with the tunnel in the middle of the large poison field. However you won't be able to get too far in Ikebukuro until you do some tasks around Shinjuku. If you aren't sure if you've done those tasks yet, going to Ikebukuro and seeing if you can advance into the city sections will tell you.

 

[Dragon1893]

I think it has a fixed difficulty because I tested turning it down to easy and couldn't tell any differences.

The Clipped Wings ones are pretty neat and a bit hilarious in a way. Pretty hard tho. There's another one too that I haven't bothered with because I heard it's pretty much impossible unless you have a very specific party.

Yeah, that's the one I mentioned earlier that I wasn't able to beat. The other 4 were tough but the last one is impossible without a specific setup.

 

[squadr0n]

Anyone know of a good Digital Devil Saga 1 recap video that goes through the main plot of the game that I can check out and get refreshed before starting 2? I havent played DDS1 in years, back on my backwards compatible PS3 and I really dont want to have to play it again before playing 2. I remember some of it but would like refresher nonetheless. Been looking for a good jrpg to play for a few days now and I cant decide between DDS, Xenosaga 3, and Lightning Returns FFXIII. All 3 have been sitting on my backlog for years now and im finally in the mood to get into one of them. Its a toss up atm between all 3 but DDS2 is the one I would really like to play first if I can get a story recap for the first one.

 

[TurnipFritters]

Nothing that happens in DDS1 matters in DDS2, but for what it's worth there's a very brief summary in the earlier parts in DDS2, complete with video clips.

 

[Frimaire]

Yeah, I'm playing DDS 2 right now after playing the first one nearly a year ago.
You probably don't need a recap as long as you remember the basic premise of the first game.
I guess if you forget the ending of the first one it might be kinda confusing how they got to where the second game starts, but plot details aren't really necessary otherwise.

 

[HotHamBoy]

I played SMT IV back on release for a good 15-20 hours and then got sidetracked by other games. Every time I've tried to return I feel completely lost and it has just gotten worse over time.

Now that Apocalypse is upon us, I'm hankerin to get back into it. But I'm not sure if I should restart SMT IV or jump into Apocalypse... I don't *really* want to restart because the first few hours are so slow, but I also don't think I can pick up where I left off.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Wrong thread.

 

[Realeza]

I played SMT IV back on release for a good 15-20 hours and then got sidetracked by other games. Every time I've tried to return I feel completely lost and it has just gotten worse over time.

Now that Apocalypse is upon us, I'm hankerin to get back into it. But I'm not sure if I should restart SMT IV or jump into Apocalypse... I don't *really* want to restart because the first few hours are so slow, but I also don't think I can pick up where I left off.

Getting out of Mikado takes like 5 hours and after that we are talking about a 40-50 hour rpg. If you play it before Apocalypse, you'll get a better sense of the story and what's going on, but you might get burned in the end.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Getting out of Mikado takes like 5 hours and after that we are talking about a 40-50 hour rpg. If you play it before Apocalypse, you'll get a better sense of the story and what's going on, but you might get burned in the end.

That's true, I don't know if I want 80 some odd hours of this game.

I'll say this: if the story isn't super important to me, which is the better game (for those of you who have played both)? Because if SMT4A is all-around better then I'll just jump right into that.

 

[Vic_Viper]

Are there any good videos of the import version of SMT IV F worth checking out like a review or playthrough maybe? Dont want to watch an entire lets play but I cant seem to even find one of them. Just preview footage. Would like to see how the game plays and see whats changed from IV.

How is the story this time around?

 

[CrimsonFist]

Are there any good videos of the import version of SMT IV F worth checking out like a review or playthrough maybe? Dont want to watch an entire lets play but I cant seem to even find one of them. Just preview footage. Would like to see how the game plays and see whats changed from IV.

How is the story this time around?

Atlus USA will be streaming it later tonight if that helps: https://twitter.com/AtlusUSA/status/773320120198324224

 

[Barrylocke]

I just reached the alignment lock and am on the Neutral path. Overall, it was easy to stay neutral on my own up until Camp Ichigaya. I definitely had to rely on the guide after that, since the man who tells you your alignment disappears. Plus there's quite a few mandatory alignment changes after that point that overall push you towards chaos, as well as some dialogue choices that provide way more points for one alignment than the other. It's easy to see why some had trouble getting Neutral on their own.

 

[Frimaire]

Anybody here know what luck does in DDS2?
Should I bother leveling it up?

 

[Barrylocke]

Ive made it to the infamous sidequest frenzy. So far it hasn't been so bad. I just got access to

Spoiler

the two terminals around Tokyo Bay.

And I was keeping up with sidequests as I played, so there's not a lot of stuff far under my league.

 

[jonjonaug]

Anybody here know what luck does in DDS2?
Should I bother leveling it up?

Luck affects the rate that status aliments will be inflicted on enemies and on yourself (including Fear from hitting weaknesses) and critical hit chance.

 

[Barrylocke]

Luck affects the rate that status aliments will be inflicted on enemies and on yourself (including Fear from hitting weaknesses) and critical hit chance.

Sounds like I need to continue the luck build thing into Digital Devil Saga.

 

[Opa-Pa]

Ive made it to the infamous sidequest frenzy. So far it hasn't been so bad. I just got access to

Spoiler

the two terminals around Tokyo Bay.

And I was keeping up with sidequests as I played, so there's not a lot of stuff far under my league.

It's not really the quests that are bad, but generally having to keep dealing with the obtuse map and the fact that some required quests are found by talking to NPCs out there instead of getting them at the association. But if you have a guide for the hidden quests and don't mind the map, you should he fine.

 

[Frimaire]

Luck affects the rate that status aliments will be inflicted on enemies and on yourself (including Fear from hitting weaknesses) and critical hit chance.

Does it affect item drop rates and the chance of special encounters?
I'm trying to get a certain item drop from an encounter that only rarely comes up...

 

[Barrylocke]

In the end I was able to do the Side Quest Frenzy of SMT4s Neutral route without major trouble. Whatever non-Association quests were there, I apperently managed to find them on my own. I can definitely see how a person that didn't go all in with the side quests would be put off from the game here.

Spoiler

Merkahbah

made me lose a few times, mainly because I was too lazy to go fuse. Once I got Doping available and put Dekunda on a Demon that was hardy enough to keep alive, it wasn't too tough.

 

[Lynx_7]

I think it has a fixed difficulty because I tested turning it down to easy and couldn't tell any differences.

The Clipped Wings ones are pretty neat and a bit hilarious in a way. Pretty hard tho. There's another one too that I haven't bothered with because I heard it's pretty much impossible unless you have a very specific party.

Yeah, that's the one I mentioned earlier that I wasn't able to beat. The other 4 were tough but the last one is impossible without a specific setup.

If you guys are talking about

Spoiler

Masakado, I actually found him easy compared to the other dlc bosses. Literally just fuse Sanat, level him up to 99 (he comes at 95 so it doesn't take that long) and Deadly Fury your way to victory. It's actually much more reliable than wasting your time fusing a pierce Kannuki Throw Uriel since you aren't relying on RNG shenanigans and Deadly Fury is always going to do enough damage before the timer runs out (considering you're using buffs, of course).
I really liked the Ancient of Days and archangel fights but Masakado was kinda disappointing. He's so "strong" you pretty much need to use the overpowered DLC skills to beat him and the game gives you the only demon you'll need, so at that point he's just kind of a joke.

 

[Dragon1893]

If you guys are talking about

Spoiler

Masakado, I actually found him easy compared to the other dlc bosses. Literally just fuse Sanat, level him up to 99 (he comes at 95 so it doesn't take that long) and Deadly Fury your way to victory. It's actually much more reliable than wasting your time fusing a pierce Kannuki Throw Uriel since you aren't relying on RNG shenanigans and Deadly Fury is always going to do enough damage before the timer runs out (considering you're using buffs, of course).
I really liked the Ancient of Days and archangel fights but Masakado was kinda disappointing. He's so "strong" you pretty much need to use the overpowered DLC skills to beat him and the game gives you the only demon you'll need, so at that point he's just kind of a joke.

Will try that, thanks.

Anyway, stuck for the first time in Strange Journey,

Spoiler

Ouroborus

is pretty annoying, even after putting together a team that does enough damage to outweigh the healing there's still that attack that can inflict any type of ailment to the entire party with a high sucess rate.

Edit: finally got the bastard.

 

[BlackJace]

Just got my preorder in for Apocalypse. I'm so excited!

 

[cj_iwakura]

Just got my preorder in for Apocalypse. I'm so excited!

Gonna start my replay of IV tonight. Wonder if I can get Neutral in a week...
(I got Law my first time, never was happy about that.)

 

[BlackJace]

Gonna start my replay of IV tonight. Wonder if I can get Neutral in a week...
(I got Law my first time, never was happy about that.)

You'd rather align yourself with the unclean filth?! You shan't be allowed to take even a single step into the OT!

 

[cj_iwakura]

You'd rather align yourself with the unclean filth?! You shan't be allowed to take even a single step into the OT!

Never played an SMT game with a good law ending, and IV is no exception.

 

[jonjonaug]

Gonna start my replay of IV tonight. Wonder if I can get Neutral in a week...
(I got Law my first time, never was happy about that.)

I got Law for my first ending too. I stared at the screen for about half a minute then laughed for about five. It's such a perfect "fuck you" ending.

 

[BlackJace]

Never played an SMT game with a good law ending, and IV is no exception.

I found Devil Survivor's law path to be alright.

Spoiler

Though Metatron does send you a message at the end of the credits that basically threatens you that even though you "saved the day", YHVH is waiting for the day you and humanity screw up yet again.

 

[Barrylocke]

I found Devil Survivor's law path to be alright.

Spoiler

Though Metatron does send you a message at the end of the credits that basically threatens you that even though you "saved the day", YHVH is waiting for the day you and humanity screw up yet again.

Devil Survivors

Spoiler

rendition of YHVH seems to be relatively chill compared to the others. Although I heard Overclocked walked that back quite a bit.

I just beat SMT4s Neutral Ending. People weren't lying when they said that the ending was pretty lackluster and sudden.

Spoiler

it's nice that they let you walk around Tokyo and even go back through the Yamato Reactor after that ending, but I think it would have had more impact if they automatically ended it when you beat Lucifer, maybe with a last minute dramatic moment and some passionate yelling to signal that this is it. It honestly felt like there should have been one last dungeon and final boss with how the dialogue was flowing.

On the other hand, it's kinda like with SMT1 where the final sequence of events is basically just the final bosses from both paths, so at least it has more of that historical bonus that SMT4 really seemed to want to sell to fans.

Overall I'm glad I personally did it, but I can kinda see why many people say that going for Neutral isn't something you HAVE to of you beat your first ending with Law or Chaos.

 

[cj_iwakura]

So Cycle 2 levels carry over... good to know.

Maybe this time I'll actually kill a Fiend besides David.

 

[jonjonaug]

So Cycle 2 levels carry over... good to know.

Maybe this time I'll actually kill a Fiend besides David.

Trying to track down any of the other Fiends is the absolute worst. Even Strange Journey had it a little bit better, I think. Does SMT4:A have superbosses like the Fiends?

 

[Frimaire]

So Cycle 2 levels carry over... good to know.

Maybe this time I'll actually kill a Fiend besides David.

Good luck with that.
I spent hours trying to get a fight with those guys...

 

[cj_iwakura]

Good luck with that.
I spent hours trying to get a fight with those guys...

I'm somewhat tempted to go Chaos, because I HATE Mikado.

 

[Frimaire]

Wait, are certain fiends tied to certain paths?
I forget, I only did one playthrough and it was neutral...

 

[cj_iwakura]

Wait, are certain fiends tied to certain paths?
I forget, I only did one playthrough and it was neutral...

Not that I know of.