• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Shin Megami Tensei IV |OT| The Dark Souls of Persona

I'm going to admit that before 3 months ago I had never heard of this series. I fell in love with a trailer when I was super drunk and alt tabbed during a wow raid.. I kept the preorder because the Amazon limited stuff looked really nice for once without a large mark up. After just 40 minutes of play time I'm so glad I kept this. This game has more detail and quality in the first 40 minutes that most games do anymore.
 

SteeloDMZ

Banned
I just want to say as the first game in the series I dive into, this game is freaking AMAZING!

Also, I think promoting this alongside Fire Emblem is a brilliant move and both games are very complimentary of one another.

I now understand the excitement for the crossover game for Wii U. They really could be a match made in heaven. The games are different in many respects but I could see how FEvs.SMT could borrow aspects from both series and be an incredible experience.

I want to see more opinions from SMT newcomers.

From what I've played, I don't think there's a better game to get into this franchise than SMTIV: everything is really well explained, the user interface is easy to navigate and the tutorial does a good job explaining the basics of the game systems.
 

Soriku

Junior Member
Anyone have any tips on how to get the neutral path? I've looked some stuff up online but I'm a bit confused on whether or not I should be doing sidequests or not.

Found this post on GameFAQs. Not a big spoiler but highlighted anyway:

From what I have read (and it may be a big spoiler for some of you), at the end there will be a choice that can greatly tilt your CNL [Chaos/Neutral/Law] scale. So, instead of keeping balance all along, it's better to side with one of the two all the time until up to a point, and the flip to support the other all along. From one of the entries on a wiki (submitted by a user who had tested it three times), side with Jonathan all the time until you're summoned to "Shinjuku Village" by Hugo, and after that point, side with Walter all the time. Then you should get neutral.
 

Cody_D165

Banned
Fucking Amazon and their envelopes. Mine got dinged up too. Not enough for me to send it back but enough for me to be irritated...

On the plus side the box set is awesome itself, I guess.
 

Baust

Member
This is the first SMT game I've ever played, and I've already drained my battery all the way down. I can't get enough of how great this is! Can't wait to check out some of the other titles after I finish this one!
 
Im starting to think SMT is just not for me. Demon negotiation is stupid, it feels like everything is a random whim. Hated it in Persona and Persona 2, hate it here.

The presentation for this game feels really cheap, maybe its the compressed video and audio and the 3DS' s low res screen.

I dont know if Im done, I'll probably give it another couple of hours before I decide to sell it.

At least I got the eshop credit out of it.
 

duckroll

Member
Played about 2 hours so far. Not too bad. Not really feeling the full "wow" of SMT yet though. The introduction so far is definitely more "casual" than SMT3 and SJ in terms of both presentation and accessibility. They clearly want to ease people into the game instead of throwing players into a weird experience right off the bat. Oh well.

Not really a fan of any of the characters so far either, but that's par for the course for classic Megaten stories. I usually hate most of cast and latch on to the few characters who exhibit a personality I endorse at all, it any at all. The same went for Devil Survivor 1, which really made it feel like a classic Megaten scenario. So this isn't really a strike against it, but an observation, lol.

The game feels great, sounds great, and the art mostly looks great. I still don't like the character design much at all, but the supporting characters seem to come off better than the main cast so far. The environments are great though, and so are the static backgrounds in Mikado. The soundtrack is definitely the big winner here. Sooooo much better than SJ. :p

I'll say in terms of structure, this is the first modern SMT which actually reminds me more of SMT1-2. Most fans are probably more familiar with the bleak "loneliness" presented in SMT3 and SJ, but it's kinda nice to have a SMT game which presents the idea of there being a functioning world again. :)
 

LProtag

Member
Found this post on GameFAQs. Not a big spoiler but highlighted anyway:

Here's what I saw about how to get neutral:

Pick the top answer for every question. Side with Jonathan during the first split. Side with chaos during the last split.

I'm not sure if challenge quests affect your alignment though. Apparently the window for neutral is very small.
 

rugioh

Banned
Man I must be really awful at this game. In the starting dungeon I've already died 3 times. If my recruit attempt doesn't work then I just get destroyed and have to reload ;_;
 

Soriku

Junior Member
Here's what I saw about how to get neutral:

Pick the top answer for every question. Side with Jonathan during the first split. Side with chaos during the last split.

I'm not sure if challenge quests affect your alignment though. Apparently the window for neutral is very small.

Where did you see that post?
 

Esura

Banned
Phys is reliable. Gun has the most damage potential (apparently? But even with a "Gun" build you'll still get a lot of mileage out of Phys-skills). Magic is all about versatility.

"The best" is pretty subjective, especially here where crafting new allies is super easy. No matter what you choose, you'll be able to make allies that have all your bases covered, you know? That being said, no matter which you choose (Dex or Magic), your MC will end up being a force of nature.

Physical or gun, or physical or magic? It's too early for me to say, but I'd say magic > gun > physical so far, but each is only slightly better than the rest. I have a pretty beefy Jack the Ripper right now who is doling out some impressive physical damage, though, so your mileage may vary.

Thanks for the tips guys! I think I might go magical.

I wonder if there is an easy way to get Neutral route on here. Seems to be conflicting information all over the place.
 

PK Gaming

Member
Mokoi is a jerk. I've managed to get everything I've wanted to join me except that jerk. Jerk.

Mokoi was the second demon that joined me, and he's a total bro!

Anyway I finished a boss battle and

-Yay Isabeau!
-Boo Jonathan

Reasoning:
I was about to easily beat a horde boss when fucking Jonathan casts Bufu and gives them an extra turn, and the boss lunge spams my entire team so I have to restart. When I did, I was pleasantly surprised to see Isabeu as my new partner, and due her to access to Zio skills, she made the boss considerably easier.
 

duckroll

Member
What is the orange square at the start of the dungeon? I can't interact with it.

I suggest switching to the camera angle with the most visibility for the character while playing the game. Make sure you can see the character's feet. Now, when you approach places which have orange squares, set into the area and press either up and down, depending on whether it looks like the point of interest is above or below you. The game will then show a prompt to press A to either jump down/crawl under/jump up/etc. It's not that intuitive at first, but once you get used to it you'll be fine.
 
What are some tips for a first time SMT player?

I give up pretty easily in games if its frustrating, but I'm looking to not be a little baby

Are save points pretty generous or can you save at any time?
 

MechaX

Member
The difficulty for the beginning of the game is weird.

Like, the game wants to ease you in, but then has you fight enemies that do like 200+ damage Lunge attacks sometimes.
 

F0rneus

Tears in the rain
The difficulty for the beginning of the game is weird.

Like, the game wants to ease you in, but then has you fight enemies that do like 200+ damage Lunge attacks sometimes.

For me, the first true difficulty spike was the first real boss. He's magnitudes harder than anything else you have seen so far.
 

GeekyDad

Member
Im starting to think SMT is just not for me. Demon negotiation is stupid, it feels like everything is a random whim. Hated it in Persona and Persona 2, hate it here.

The presentation for this game feels really cheap, maybe its the compressed video and audio and the 3DS' s low res screen.

I dont know if Im done, I'll probably give it another couple of hours before I decide to sell it.

At least I got the eshop credit out of it.

Agree, the conversations are random, but it doesn't bother me. Disagree with you, though, regarding the presentation, but everyone's entitled to their own opinion. And yeah, at least you got the store credits.
 

Kincaido

Got 99 problems and only one of them is a waifu
Guess I got lucky from Amazon. Came in a bubble mailer too, but mine doesn't have any noticeable dents. Just the usual messed up white corner on the bottom left.
 

Soriku

Junior Member
It was called "How do I know I'm on the neutral path?"

There's some spoilers involved. Person said they got the info from a Japanese wiki and it worked for them.

OK. About the quests what I gather is that you shouldn't do them until you're locked on the neutral path, then start to do them? I asked a question in that thread and I'll see if that's what the one poster meant.
 

F0rneus

Tears in the rain
OK. About the quests what I gather is that you shouldn't do them until you're locked on the neutral path, then start to do them? I asked a question in that thread and I'll see if that's what the one poster meant.

See? This is why I'm scared. I want Neutral and I don't want to screw up. I know it's GameFAQs and all, but for the past few weeks people there have been saying that doing all sidequests is a huge point in favor of the neutral path.
 

Midou

Member
What are some tips for a first time SMT player?

I give up pretty easily in games if its frustrating, but I'm looking to not be a little baby

Are save points pretty generous or can you save at any time?

Save any time. I did a bit of let's say 'suicide negotions' early on, focused on recruiting demons even if it killed me, then if a battle gets hard later you can talk to a demon you already have and they will leave the battle. The more you get the more enemy weaknesses you can cover. Then when you get fusion ability, get whatever looks good and you can recruit the demons you used as fodder for the fusion again (can summon them but it costs money).

Stat wise focus on magic for easier time, can focus on teaching the main character every type of spell (agi, zan, zio, bufu) whenever a demon learns all their skills, typically after 1-3 levels, the main character can inherit their skills.

I want Chaos route, anyone know how easy/hard it is to notice? :p
 

Beelzebub

Member
9305054834_2be6287cea.jpg


hm..
 

Soriku

Junior Member
See? This is why I'm scared. I want Neutral and I don't want to screw up. I know it's GameFAQs and all, but for the past few weeks people there have been saying that doing all sidequests is a huge point in favor of the neutral path.

Here is the thread for anyone who wants to read it (spoilers btw):

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/672441-shin-megami-tensei-iv/66699941

One user called penguin knight says that you shouldn't do sidequests to keep the alignment scale as simple as possible, then start to do them once you're locked into neutral (as it becomes necessary for that path).

Here's what you should do before you're locked in:

Pick the first response for questions whenever possible
In the "question corridor" in Tsukiji, go left for all the answers
Go with Jonathan when the path first splits
Choose "destroy the status quo" when speaking with the Whitemen after Burning Tokyo

The method I posted seems simpler though. I wonder if there're multiple ways to get it.
 

F0rneus

Tears in the rain
Here is the thread for anyone who wants to read it (spoilers btw):

From that thread haha:
We actually had someone a month ago say that you had to do a lot of sidequests to get Neutral, so this kinda conflicting info.


This is why I'm literally scared of doing anything. Still I am pushing forward and winging it. So far, pretty sure I'm Law aligned, and it's the path I want the least.
 

Soriku

Junior Member
From that thread haha:
We actually had someone a month ago say that you had to do a lot of sidequests to get Neutral, so this kinda conflicting info.


This is why I'm literally scared of doing anything. Still I am pushing forward and winging it. So far, pretty sure I'm Law aligned, and it's the path I want the least.

Yeah, that penguin knight dude responded to that with his "don't do sidequests till you're locked in" post. Though I hope that no quests are missable by doing that.
 
Got my first challenge quest from a demon, had to chase Wu Kong around Naraku three times and put him down. Wasn't too rough of a fight, just had to keep healing and Rakukaja up constantly to endure.

And just discovered now he's fusable, neat.
 

Midou

Member
Surprise attacks and denied negotiations can turn a fully healed party into a mostly dead party rather quickly in some circumstances. Scary stuff. That's why I save like every 10 minutes lol.
 
Top Bottom