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[Lunarwhale]

About Devil Summoner... Is there any way to experience it without knowing japanase? Like some youtube playthrough with subtitles or a written let's play? I'd like to be more familiar with it before trying Soul Hackers again.

This Pastebin includes links to a set of script translations, which include NPC dialog. I used it and found it pretty great.

Devil Summoner's clunky. I actually had a blast playing it (loved the little touches, like getting Macca mainly by doing your job in the form of sidequests) and loved the dungeons, but cj_iwakura's right - it's got some irritating gameplay aspects. I was able to look past and enjoy most of it (except how bullshit the negotiations were - even after the PSP version allegedly improved them).

I can't think of a good way to put it - Devil Summoner's one of my favorites in the series, but in a way where I'm simultaneously not sure if I could really recommend it to people. It's worth a try, but if you're not digging it, it's not worth forcing yourself through.

 

[Dragon1893]

Speaking of fan translations, I really hope the one for P2EP sees the light of day eventually.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Speaking of fan translations, I really hope the one for P2EP sees the light of day eventually.

The guy in charge is kind of a fan. It will happen.

 

[Dragon1893]

The guy in charge is kind of a fan. It will happen.

This reminds me that I PM'd you about it but since you didn't reply I forgot.
So no ETA at this time, huh?

 

[cj_iwakura]

This reminds me that I PM'd you about it but since you didn't reply I forgot.
So no ETA at this time, huh?

Nope, on hiatus due to the hacker working on other things.

 

[Dragon1893]

Nope, on hiatus due to the hacker working on other things.

OK, thanks.

 

[Tizoc]

Where's the cheapest to get Kaneko Works 4 from?
I'm considering using CDJapan and shipping to my Hong Kong address, but I'm not too keen on their shipping costs

 

[Imp the Dimp]

Wait, why do I have to do the

Spoiler

Black Market

dungeon twice in a row in Persona 1? There is not even a good explanation. The boss just teleports you out of the dungeon once you reach her and then you gotta walk all the way back to her and only then can you initiate a fight.

wat

 

[Tizoc]

Ordered Digital Devil Apocalypse for around $40.
Now if I can find Kaneko Works Vol. 3 for around $50....

 

[Joqu]

Speaking of Kaneko Works, I'm obviously not expecting any of them to be cheap but what would be my best bet if I wanted to try and save some money on past ones? Patience and eBay? Yahoo Auctions and a forwarding service? Something else? Never really imported anything like this, just easy to find video games.

 

[Dragon1893]

About to start the last sector of Strange Journey, the app to reduce encounters is a godsend in these mazes filled with teleports.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

About to start the last sector of Strange Journey, the app to reduce encounters is a godsend in these mazes filled with teleports.

Godlike game but the last boss (depending on which you get, I mean

Spoiler

Mother Mem Aleph

) is BS. Would have taken me literally another 10h of grinding to beat the boss even though I got through the game relatively smoothly before. I resorted to some sort of cheesing tactic which I found on YT.

 

[Barrylocke]

Godlike game but the last boss (depending on which you get, I mean

Spoiler

Mother Mem Aleph

) is BS. Would have taken me literally another 10h of grinding to beat the boss even though I got through the game relatively smoothly before. I resorted to some sort of cheesing tactic which I found on YT.

I hate the fact that I've never been able to beat that final boss. I adored that game, it was the most I'd ever been locked into an SMT game until SMT4, and it's way more appealing than SMT4 in terms of difficulty balance. But they really messed up with the final boss after the difficulty pacing of the rest of the game.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

I got to the boss at level 75 or 76 I think and all my demons got 1 shot in round 1 and my MC died in round 2. I was like "All right, there's got to be a trick, I probably just missed some item that assists me in the fight." Turns out nope, this is the boss and there is no further aid. Strange Journey is a rather hard game to begin with but if the last boss is a 10/10 in terms of difficulty, the second hardest is probably a 4/10 (and pretty hard too). Not sure what they were thinking.

 

[Dragon1893]

I hate the fact that I've never been able to beat that final boss. I adored that game, it was the most I'd ever been locked into an SMT game until SMT4, and it's way more appealing than SMT4 in terms of difficulty balance. But they really messed up with the final boss after the difficulty pacing of the rest of the game.

I got to the boss at level 75 or 76 I think and all my demons got 1 shot in round 1 and my MC died in round 2. I was like "All right, there's got to be a trick, I probably just missed some item that assists me in the fight." Turns out nope, this is the boss and there is no further aid. Strange Journey is a rather hard game to begin with but if the last boss is a 10/10 in terms of difficulty, the second hardest is probably a 4/10 (and pretty hard too). Not sure what they were thinking.

This is certainly encouraging, is this boss only in the neutral route or all of them? Seems like I'm locked into law but I have a save that is just before the big choice at the end of sector G that should allow me to go neutral after I beat the game on law.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

Law and neutral path boss (it's the same). If you can't be bothered there's a reliable way to cheese the boss.

 

[Dragon1893]

Law and neutral path boss (it's the same). If you can't be bothered there's a reliable way to cheese the boss.

OK, thanks.

 

[Lynx_7]

Going back to the fantranslation subject, the hell happened to Aeon Genesis? They haven't updated the site for over a year now. How is the If... translation going, is it still alive?

 

[cj_iwakura]

SJ's final boss is a crap shoot. Just keep trying until you get lucky and it doesn't BS you.

Going back to the fantranslation subject, the hell happened to Aeon Genesis? They haven't updated the site for over a year now. How is the If... translation going, is it still alive?

It was testing as of a few months ago, and still being ironed out.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

Anyone here who finished all 5 Persona games up to P4? I should be done by November with the last third of P1 and the entirety of P2 IS I think. Then I'm in the club. Aiming for true ending in P1 which I would have 100% missed if it wasn't for a walkthrough. It literally depends on a few question you have to answer correctly which is really easy to fuck up.

 

[Opa-Pa]

Does the law route really have the same final boss as the neutral in SJ? I had no idea. Didn't know it was THAT hard either, I thought it was just me sucking at fusions haha. I remember I was so pissed that I couldn't beat them with my party that I grinded for a couple of hours until I hit 99 just to be 100% sure I'd kick their ass lmao, that was satisfying.

Anyone here who finished all 5 Persona games up to P4? I should be done by November with the last third of P1 and the entirety of P2 IS I think. Then I'm in the club. Aiming for true ending in P1 right which I would have 100% missed if it wasn't for a walkthrough. It literally depends on a few question you have to answer correctly which is really easy to fuck up.

Yeah here, are those two the only ones you're missing? Both took me around 40 hours so you should be fine, I think EP takes about the same. Also good to know you followed that guide, one of the lame things about the game is how you can miss the last chunk of the main route without it.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

Does the law route really have the same final boss as the neutral in SJ? I had no idea. Didn't know it was THAT hard either, I thought it was just me sucking at fusions haha. I remember I was so pissed that I couldn't beat them with my party that I grinded for a couple of hours until I hit 99 just to be 100% sure I'd kick their ass lmao, that was satisfying.

Yes, it's the same.

Yeah here, are those two the only ones you're missing? Both took me around 40 hours so you should be fine, I think EP takes about the same. Also good to know you followed that guide, one of the lame things about the game is how you can miss the last chunk of the main route without it.

Yes, I finished P2: EP, P3 and P4.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Yes, it's the same.



Yes, I finished P2: EP, P3 and P4.

The questions in P1 aren't that difficult as long as you're true to the game's theme/the MC's personality.

And yes, I've beaten every Persona game at least twice. (Some more.)

 

[Barrylocke]

I still haven't beaten P2:EP. I've beaten all the others once. Close to twice with P3 but I never managed to beat Elizabeth in P3P so I never got around to clearing the game.

 

[asagami_]

I have finished every Persona (just not the original Persona 1 and 3, P2 EP PSP and P4 Golden). I still have to try to fight (and win) the superbosses from EP, P3 and P4.

This answer would be longer if we talking about every Megami Tensei in existence lol

 

[Barrylocke]

Am I misremembering there being a music patch for Persona 1 Portable to get the old psx music?

 

[Opa-Pa]

Some advice for P1: The true last dungeon and especially the true last boss can be huge difficulty spikes, but getting the protagonist's ultimate persona solvea this. The dungeon is pretty much a long maze too so you'll want to get it before you venture there.

Am I misremembering there being a music patch for Persona 1 Portable to get the old psx music?

Never heard of such a thing, but it'd be awesome for a new playthrough.

 

[asagami_]

Am I misremembering there being a music patch for Persona 1 Portable to get the old psx music?

Yes, there it is a patch. I haven't played with the patch, but the impressions sounds good.

 

[Lynx_7]

Yes, there it is a patch. I haven't played with the patch, but the impressions sounds good.

Wow, really? That's one of the major reasons I never got enough motivation to play P1. I like the original OST but can't stand the PS1 localization, and the new soundtrack from the PSP remake doesn't fit the game imo. This changes everything.

Well, not really, I don't have a PSP so I still can't play it. That's the other major reason. lol
My PC is also too shitty so emulation is out of the table. Someday...

 

[Barrylocke]

Wow, really? That's one of the major reasons I never got enough motivation to play P1. I like the original OST but can't stand the PS1 localization, and the new soundtrack from the PSP remake doesn't fit the game imo. This changes everything.

Well, not really, I don't have a PSP so I still can't play it. That's the other major reason. lol
My PC is also too shitty so emulation is out of the table. Someday...

How shitty is too shitty? PPSSPP is pretty lightweight.

 

[randomkid]

Yes, there it is a patch. I haven't played with the patch, but the impressions sounds good.

is this an example of the patch in action? Because both of those are the wrong songs compared to what's actually in the PSX version.

My guess is because the game's programming only has callbacks for the limited PSP soundtrack there's no way to actually put in all the unique songs from the original. When you gut 2/3 of the original soundtrack it doesn't seem like a simple substitution fix would work, although I suppose it's better than nothing.

 

[Barrylocke]

is this an example of the patch in action? Because both of those are the wrong songs compared to what's actually in the PSX version.

My guess is because the game's programming only has callbacks for the limited PSP soundtrack there's no way to actually put in all the unique songs from the original. When you gut 2/3 of the original soundtrack it doesn't seem like a simple substitution fix would work, although I suppose it's better than nothing.

Ugh, I'd forgotten that the original soundtrack was that much larger than the psp one. It's unfortunate that neither version is "perfect" in my view. PSP is definitely closer with the translation, SQQ intact, and faster gameplay options, but the sound department goes to P1 psx overall and that's a pretty important component for me. Although the PSP version did have a few songs I really like.

 

[Lynx_7]

How shitty is too shitty? PPSSPP is pretty lightweight.

I could give it a try but I'm 90% sure it's gonna choke.

And hey, incomplete OST or not I'll take it. Still beats playing the PSX version.

 

[randomkid]

the PSX version is still really really good and the best way to play the main route but don't get me started!

one problem with the PSP version that doesn't get much mention is the increased encounter rate, I think it makes the play experience more difficult for many despite the other fixes.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

Interested in the supposed difficulty spike. I'm in

Spoiler

Deva Yuga

which is the last dungeon of the bad ending supposedly and so far I've only ever died once or twice and that was due to perma-charming. Easiest MegaTen I've played so far but we'll see.

 

[Opa-Pa]

Yeah I said it because the game is incredibly easy up until that part. I think I only died twice before that dungeon, but once I was there it turned into regular SMT difficulty, and I couldn't beat the final boss no matter how hard I tried until I backtracked to get that persona.

 

[cj_iwakura]

The PSP version is way easier, mostly on account of having more saves. The final dungeon is a nightmare in the PS1 version. Only one save point, at the VERY beginning.

 

[Joqu]

I dunno if this is a universal thing, doesn't seem to be from what I've found, but I didn't realize some of Doi's early SMT4 concept art had more of a Kaneko look to it, I really should get that art book.

(That's Gabby BTW)

I guess it's not that surprising, considering Doi's background. But it's interesting they considered that style. I don't have much against Doi's work but I think I would've liked that more.

Spoiler

Free Kaneko ;__;

Then again, black upper lips aside it's not like we haven't had very Kaneko-eque designs from Doi. Apocalypse's Krishna really stands out to me as one.

I assume it's more work but I do wish Doi'd go with the shading style he used with key art like 4's cover art. In-game portraits look a little too clean to me if that makes any sense. Almost shiny.

 

[cj_iwakura]

I dunno if this is a universal thing, doesn't seem to be from what I've found, but I didn't realize some of Doi's early SMT4 concept art had more of a Kaneko look to it, I really should get that art book.

You really should. It's not just Doi's art, the event designer has an entire half of the book dedicated to his background art, and it's incredible.

 

[Joqu]

You really should. It's not just Doi's art, the event designer has an entire half of the book dedicated to his background art, and it's incredible.

Hmm, that does sound really good, I love 4's backgrounds. Anyway, it's on the list! There's a Zelda art book I really want coming out early next year, I'll probably order both in one go unless I run out of patience.

Have any of y'all here read Avatar Tuner by the way? Wondering if it's any good. It does have decent impressions.

 

[Lunarwhale]

Am I misremembering there being a music patch for Persona 1 Portable to get the old psx music?

It does. It's not perfect - Deva Yuga's (kickass) song is a bit too quiet, not every song could be implemented due to the PSP remake having fewer by default - but it was more than good enough for me. Huge improvement over hearing I'M JUST LONE PRAYER a thousand times over. Even if it's not 1:1 it's still much more fitting.

The PSP version is way easier, mostly on account of having more saves. The final dungeon is a nightmare in the PS1 version. Only one save point, at the VERY beginning.

I admittedly stopped my playthrough of the original PS1 version when I heard about that. Game was easy for the most part, but the final boss wiped me the first couple of times because I didn't think to get the "correct" Persona for the fight and made it unnecessarily difficult. Can't imagine doing that and then having to go through that hellish dungeon again.

(not that I didn't have a good time going through it the first time around, kind of love stuff like that, but it's not something I need to do again)

 

[cj_iwakura]

Hmm, that does sound really good, I love 4's backgrounds. Anyway, it's on the list! There's a Zelda art book I really want coming out early next year, I'll probably order both in one go unless I run out of patience.

Have any of y'all here read Avatar Tuner by the way? Wondering if it's any good. It does have decent impressions.

I've read book 1 . It's interesting, but honestly, I feel like I'd rather just be playing the game again. It only adds a bit of background and characterization for Serph. Still, worth reading if you love DDS.

 

[Joqu]

I've read book 1 . It's interesting, but honestly, I feel like I'd rather just be playing the game again. It only adds a bit of background and characterization for Serph. Still, worth reading if you love DDS.

I do love DDS.

But really, it's just one of those English Megaten releases I feel like I really should try to support, it's such a niche thing. Just want to make sure I wouldn't be spending money on crap, but it doesn't sound like I would be. So that's good enough.

 

[Barrylocke]

I realized when I fought the final boss in P1 that I lucked out with my loadout. I had a Persona on someone that negated the bosses Butterfly Storm that it uses as its mega attack. I needed about 10 more levels to be able to even equip the Ultimate Personas so this was very fortunate. It also meant the fight was a very long slog with many Magic Stones and other items that had to be used to keep resources up. The whole time I was scared things would go south and I'd have to redo that super long dungeon...for the 2nd time! There's a hole over halfway through that takes you back to the entrance and that shut me down for quite awhile.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

I made it to

Spoiler

Kandori on 6F of Deva Yuga

and will beat him once I'm done with work. Really excited for the true final dungeon then. Some of my characters are still in their 30s level-wise. I feel like everyone other than my MC is underleveled lol. I just Megidola every fight with MC so that he gets 90% of the experience everytime. I wish XP wasn't shared unequally.

 

[Dragon1893]

I should revisit P1 some time.
I have to admit that I didn't like it very much though playing the PSP version this time might help.
I revisited P2 recently and appreciated it much more than the first time though I've always liked it, it's fantastic.

Decided to go neutral first in SJ, might go back to the safe file at the end of sector

Spoiler

G

to get the other endings after I'm done.
At first I was so fixated on choosing between

Spoiler

Zelenin and Jimenez that it didn't even occur to me that I could probably just go to Jack's HQ alone and kick ass lol.

 

[Ace Harding]

About 3 hours into Devil Survivor: Overclocked and still digging it. I like how they slowly add layers like skill cracks and transfers and the leveling mechanic and skill crack process make grinding free battles a little different than simply grinding for exp or gold in other RPGs. I've been replaying the same battle like five times in a row and trying to beat certain enemies with certain characters helps keep it fresh.

I'm sure there are more mechanics to learn (like fusion I assume) so looking forward to more here.

I did have one frustrating experience with a battle pretty early on where there's a level 17 wendigo. All of my characters were level 7-8, so probably underlevelled and I didn't think I was going to make it. I got down to one of my teams remaining and just the wendigo, and he just kept running away from me. I couldn't bind him or anything and couldn't catch him so I just had to restart. That was some BS.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

About 3 hours into Devil Survivor: Overclocked and still digging it. I like how they slowly add layers like skill cracks and transfers and the leveling mechanic and skill crack process make grinding free battles a little different than simply grinding for exp or gold in other RPGs. I've been replaying the same battle like five times in a row and trying to beat certain enemies with certain characters helps keep it fresh.

I'm sure there are more mechanics to learn (like fusion I assume) so looking forward to more here.

I did have one frustrating experience with a battle pretty early on where there's a level 17 wendigo. All of my characters were level 7-8, so probably underlevelled and I didn't think I was going to make it. I got down to one of my teams remaining and just the wendigo, and he just kept running away from me. I couldn't bind him or anything and couldn't catch him so I just had to restart. That was some BS.

Game is amazing. One of the best MegaTen ever honestly.

 

[Opa-Pa]

Devil Survivor 1 really is fantastic, it took me by surprise back in the day because I expected something completely different from the art style but I was curious. Best spinoff for me and one of my favorite Megaten games ever.

DS version was already great but Overclocked made it perfect.

I really hope we get number 3 someday, but I hope is completely different from 2 because otherwise they can keep it (and judging by the team's recent work, I doubt I'll get what I want either way).

 

[Ace Harding]

Devil Survivor 1 really is fantastic, it took me by surprise back in the day because I expected something completely different from the art style but I was curious. Best spinoff for me and one of my favorite Megaten games ever.

DS version was already great but Overclocked made it perfect.

I really hope we get number 3 someday, but I hope is completely different from 2 because otherwise they can keep it (and judging by the team's recent work, I doubt I'll get what I want either way).

Do you say you hope it's different from 2 because 2 isn't good? Or you are just ready for something different?