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[Wario64]

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/601/601313p1.html

9.0 Presentation
Digital Devil Saga's unique take on the apocalypse is exceptional and is supported by some terrific character and monster designs. One creature actually has jaws where her breasts should be!
8.0 Graphics
Intentionally simplistic to match its style, the game doesn't have the detail found in most of today's RPGs, but it still looks superb. The subtle weather effects and lighting are particularly cool.
7.5 Sound
Japanese and English voice-overs have been mixed together for a curious combination, but the story sequences are acted out extremely well. The music is pretty solid too.
8.0 Gameplay
The battle system is easy to learn and has some nice strategy to it, but the combat can definitely get repetitive after a few hours. We're big fans of the way you can upgrade your characters too.
7.0 Lasting Appeal
The main adventure lasts anywhere from 30-40 hours and you can always go back and play through it again to uncover some cool hidden bonuses.
7.8 OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)


Despite its repetition and unfinished storyline, Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga still has plenty to like. Its artistic style and character designs are my favorite of any RPG so far this year, for example, and its atypical plot thematic is a nice change of pace from the usual "save the kingdom" fare that the genre is so well known for. Having an excellent battle mechanic and a very cool upgrade system doesn't hurt either. I only wish that there were more opportunities to really get to know the characters and their world more intimately, as the potential for greatness is definitely there but never fully realized.

My only hope is that Digital Devil Saga 2 pays more attention to the bits I mentioned above when it releases later this year. With a bigger emphasis on the storyline, a better breakup of the dungeons, and improved pacing, Atlus could transform a collection of great ideas into a great videogame instead.

 

[cvxfreak]

Hmm, not a bad score at all.

 

[MrDaravon]

I've been looking forward to this one for a while now, glad to see it's getting pretty decent scores all around (7-8 range mostly). It mostly seems to get knocked on being unfinished, but I've read import impressions of DDS 2 that say it's one of the best RPG's of this generation, so hopefully 1 will lead up nicely to 2.

 

[Mejilan]

Can't wait. Nocturne is an amazing game.

 

[VALIS]

The main adventure lasts anywhere from 30-40 hours

Am I the only person who cringes at 30-40 hour play times? I find most 15 hour games too long. Is there really anything they needed 40 hours for that they couldn't have done in 20? I know, it's a strange complaint, but there's too much stuff to play these days.

 

[Amir0x]

Gonna be awesome! Awesome it is!

 

[flsh]

Just how exacly a 30-40 hours game (that you can play again for more things to do, which means it's fun enough to make tou want to do that) get a 7 in the lasting appeal catagory? RPG or not, that's still a lot. :|

I noticed the game came in a double pack, is it so that I can put DDS 2 when it's out or SMT:N?

 

[MrDaravon]

Am I the only person who cringes at 30-40 hour play times? I find most 15 hour games too long. Is there really anything they needed 40 hours for that they couldn't have done in 20? I know, it's a strange complaint, but there's too much stuff to play these days.

Haha. I agree in that there's not enough time to play all these games anymore (my game backlog is somewhere around 90 games right now), but you've got to expect at least that length with RPGs man.

And yeah, it's only coming in the Deluxe set (which is why it's 54.99) which comes in the box that's meant to hold both games.

 

[Bebpo]

Am I the only person who cringes at 30-40 hour play times? I find most 15 hour games too long. Is there really anything they needed 40 hours for that they couldn't have done in 20? I know, it's a strange complaint, but there's too much stuff to play these days.

The game is only 20-30 hours long. I'm not sure where they got 30-40 hours. I mean the hidden boss is one of the hardest bosses ever and you can only fight him on a new game+ and you need to be lvl.99 to even stand a chance; so if you're going for that you can get 50+ out of it. But the main game is about 25 hours.

DDS2 fixes everything IGN had issues with and improves on everything they liked so unless they are hypocrites I expect DDS2 to get at least a 9.

 

[Ironclad]

All things considered, it's not a bad score at all. I adored Nocturne so I am definetly looking forward to this one. Hopefully Gamestop gets it in tomorrow.

 

[RevenantKioku]

Am I the only person who cringes at 30-40 hour play times? I find most 15 hour games too long. Is there really anything they needed 40 hours for that they couldn't have done in 20? I know, it's a strange complaint, but there's too much stuff to play these days.

Haha, I just put in 100 hours over the past few weeks to complete Dragon Warrior 7, so I'm gonna say you gotta balance, man!

 

[Bobety]

Awesome, can't wait

Japanese and English voice-overs have been mixed together for a curious combination, but the story sequences are acted out extremely well. The music is pretty solid too.

Whoa this is new to me, did they just not bother putting in english voices for all the characters? They should have just made it one way or the other- all English or all Japanese

 

[Bebpo]

Whoa this is new to me, did they just not bother putting in english voices for all the characters? They should have just made it one way or the other- all English or all Japanese

Sounds like the same thing they did with Disgaea's in-battle voices :\

But hmm, the only voices in battle that I can think of are sometimes when your main party gets 1st attack the battle opens with one of the characters saying a line in crazy distorted monster voice (like I MUST RIP THINGS TO PIECES AND DEVOUR or something). So is IGN saying they left these in Japanese?

 

[Scott]

I noticed the game came in a double pack, is it so that I can put DDS 2 when it's out or SMT:N?

It's to hold both Digital Devil Saga titles, yeah. It will also hold the soundtrack (30+ tracks from DDS1, included with the game), the controller armor (pre-order bonus at EBGames & GameStop), and whatever is included with DDS2 (if anything).

So is IGN saying they left these in Japanese?

Seems that way.

 

[Semjaza Azazel]

Sounds good to me. The complaints were mostly things I've already known about (such as the unfinished story) and everything else sounds well handled. The Japanese voices thing is odd, but I can't see it affecting my enjoyment of the game.

Everything I've read points to these games being two parts of one whole, so I'm not going to be too upset with the story development. It sounds somewhat akin to basing the story development of the Kill Bill movies off of the first movie alone. I have a DDS2 press disc and even just based on the videos, DDS2 looks more impressive in most every way.

I've also read about people finishing the main game in 15 to 20 hours, so I guess that's very relative.

I assume it will be at my apartment on Wednesday. Can't wait.

 

[B.K.]

Bebpo: Is the battle system much different than Shin Megami Tensei III's? I hated that battle system. It was so frustrating. It's the reason why I'm just now at the final dungeon almost six month's after I got the game.

 

[Bebpo]

Bebpo: Is the battle system much different than Shin Megami Tensei III's? I hated that battle system. It was so frustrating. It's the reason why I'm just now at the final dungeon almost six month's after I got the game.

It's pretty similar. Main difference if that you don't lose your skills when you gain new ones but you can only equip 8 at a time. So as long as you get a bunch of skills you should have the right defensive and offensive skills in your skill bank when you get to any boss. So basically it's a little easier and less work since you don't need to find/make new party members.

 

[Wafflecopter]

Looks good. I look forward to this being a rental.

 

[B.K.]

It's pretty similar. Main difference if that you don't lose your skills when you gain new ones but you can only equip 8 at a time. So as long as you get a bunch of skills you should have the right defensive and offensive skills in your skill bank when you get to any boss. So basically it's a little easier and less work since you don't need to find/make new party members.

That sounds a lot better. I thought the most frustrating part of SMT was having to make sure that every member had the right skills and immunities to get past bosses and if you didn't have what you needed, you were screwed.

 

[ferricide]

But hmm, the only voices in battle that I can think of are sometimes when your main party gets 1st attack the battle opens with one of the characters saying a line in crazy distorted monster voice (like I MUST RIP THINGS TO PIECES AND DEVOUR or something). So is IGN saying they left these in Japanese?

yeah, that's what they're talking about. i was surprised, but i assumed it was based on the print reviewable (i hit it for EGM) not being 100% finished up. i guess... not. we'll see. i found it very odd.

btw, not to hype anyone's ass off, but i found the voices in this game, counter to all of my fears and expectations, to be some of the best in an RPG this gen. beats xenosaga II with a stick, for example.

Spoiler

stella deus' voices suck, though. BEBPO AM CRY

 

[Finaika]

I'm kinda interested in getting this though I don't want to go through the hassle of finding Nocturne. Can I just play this without playing Nocturne or will I miss anything?

 

[Bebpo]

Spoiler

stella deus' voices suck, though. BEBPO AM CRY

Spoiler

you're fucking kidding me. Not only did they dub it (well I guess they had to according to your info about Sony not passing stuff without an english track [what about Gungrave or Shinobi though?]), but they did it with bad voicework. There goes any chance of the dialogue/story being taken seriously. While the gameplay in Stelladeus is good enough for an SRPG, what made the game incredibly addicting and really enjoyable was the dialogue and the alchemy. So bummed to hear they fucked it up ;_:

Oh well, at least your saying DDS got a good dub and come DDS2 that's gonna help a lot since there's 5-10x the story

 

[ourumov]

Stupid question from a lazy man...But... SMTDS is:

a) A New Game following SMT3.
b) A side quest in the SMT3 world.
c) A different franchise.


My brother is dying to play SMT3 but the lack of it on many import stores hasn't helped...So would it be wise for him to start with this one or should he go to SMT3 first ?

 

[Grizzlyjin]

Stupid question from a lazy man...But... SMTDS is:

a) A New Game following SMT3.
b) A side quest in the SMT3 world.
c) A different franchise.


My brother is dying to play SMT3 but the lack of it on many import stores hasn't helped...So would it be wise for him to start with this one or should he go to SMT3 first ?

You could start with Digital Devil Saga, its not a sequel to SMT3:N. Digital Devil Saga is it's own little world.

 

[ferricide]

as been mentioned, DDS is completely stand-alone. you don't need to play SMTN to understand it at all.

according to your info about Sony not passing stuff without an english track [what about Gungrave or Shinobi though?])

good question. as far as i know, my information is accurate. it may not have been policy back then; plus, i don't know if you've noticed, but over the course of the lifespan sony lets certain companies slide on certain regulations. for example, X is supposed to be the "confirm" button in the US and it's part of the regulations, but namco for some mysterious reason never has to change it. as recently as XSII, iirc, it's still japanese-style with O to confirm. thus they may have let sega out of that clause as well.

sony .. is weird. they seem to cut specific deals with certain companies over compliance things in general, also concept approval. they always give capcom a super fucking hassle over everything and have since the PS1 days, but other companies can breeze shitty games straight through.

Spoiler

There goes any chance of the dialogue/story being taken seriously. While the gameplay in Stelladeus is good enough for an SRPG, what made the game incredibly addicting and really enjoyable was the dialogue and the alchemy. So bummed to hear they fucked it up ;_:

Spoiler

hrm, well, i didn't have any problems enjoying the story in stella deus. well, i am sure i didn't enjoy it as much as you. i just ended up doing the "push the X button to advance the dialogue without listening" thing an awful lot. the main character isn't so bad, and in fact the casting is OK, it's just the delivery... it's really, really wooden. you can tell each actor was recorded seperately by technicians only (as opposed to with a director.) and the dude they got to play the main evil guy is no akio ohtsuka, i'll tell you that much... i think you ruined my chances of taking him seriously by saying that ohtsuka played him in the import, cos i love ohtsuka =) ... and, erm, you can always turn the voices off for a full-on 16-bit style experience. sigh. it's not a dealbreaker, even with the voices on, and it's still better than the US version of baten fucking kaitos.

Oh well, at least your saying DDS got a good dub and come DDS2 that's gonna help a lot since there's 5-10x the story

i'm going to stand by that, too. i was really worried, becuase not only does DDS have lots of drama,

Spoiler

the way the characters start off really emotionless but gradually become more emotional is hard to portray. i was really impressed with argilla and ... uh, the chick whose name i forget, the other tribe leader. heat is awesome too. i recognize heat's voice from some other stuff but i don't know the actor's name. cielo is played by the guy who plays allen in the US xenosaga, which is really kind of funny, because the characters are so unalike.

 

[Bebpo]

i'm going to stand by that, too. i was really worried, becuase not only does DDS have lots of drama,

Spoiler

the way the characters start off really emotionless but gradually become more emotional is hard to portray. i was really impressed with argilla and ... uh, the chick whose name i forget, the other tribe leader. heat is awesome too. i recognize heat's voice from some other stuff but i don't know the actor's name. cielo is played by the guy who plays allen in the US xenosaga, which is really kind of funny, because the characters are so unalike.

Spoiler

edit* pm-ing you

 

[MrDaravon]

Hey, for those who have played DDS1/2, how's the music? I loved the music in Nocturne, is it similar?

 

[Bebpo]

Hey, for those who have played DDS1/2, how's the music? I loved the music in Nocturne, is it similar?

Yep. Same composer, similar style. Good stuff, though I personally adore the main SMT3 theme and title piano bit ^_^

 

[Semjaza Azazel]

Some thing worth posting:

Hi All,

I just wanted to do some damage control and assure everyone that the game balance of the US version is the same as the Japanese version.

We inadvertently sent the pubs a debug version of the game which allowed you to gain levels at a faster rate in order to complete the game faster (for debugging purposes) We sent out a corrected version but apparently they must have based their review on that version which we sent earlier.

Gail Salamanca
Marketing Manager
Atlus U.S.A., Inc.

and

more damage control:

Just fyi, the final game is ALL English--not "mixed Japanese and English"

That last one is from VyersLives on the Atlus messageboards who seems to have more involvement with the company than most.

So, I guess these should be taken into consideration. At the very least, I hope IGN will adjust their sound score accordingly. That seemed to be the only thing the reviewer disliked about that category.

 

[madara]

Am I the only person who cringes at 30-40 hour play times? I find most 15 hour games too long. Is there really anything they needed 40 hours for that they couldn't have done in 20? I know, it's a strange complaint, but there's too much stuff to play these days.

Hmm very strange complaint indeed. Its like buying FPS but complaining about use of guns and violence. No, I would definitely not want rpg maker to get lazy and charge $50 for 15hour adventures. If its good game I never want it to end, so those 80hrs ones hopefully with all bonuses will stay!

 

[Semjaza Azazel]

Looks like it shipped this morning. I imagine that means it'll be in stores tomorrow.