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[Bobety]

I probably wont get my copy for 2 weeks or so...man i want this game so much and all the praise it's getting here isn't helping!!!!

 

[JackFrost2012]

Hooray, my copy just showed up! ferr sent it Friday via Global Priority, and it arrived today (Tuesday) - that's fast! I got my free shipping DoubleJump guide already, so I'm good to go!!

In celebration of receiving the game, I will post a picture I made based on an amusing typo made on the old boards:

 

[tenchir]

My brother bought this game and is currently enjoying it. I am curious about something though, this series is pretty controversial in that the antagonist is always GOD(YHWH?). I am not saying he's evil, but his acts are evil based on our views(like destroying the world to make a new one is a horrible act). Now the question is do you see the theme for this game as Good vs Evil or Law vs Chaos?

 

[JackFrost2012]

Now the question is do you see the theme for this game as Good vs Evil or Law vs Chaos?

Sounds like someone needs to read Grant Morrison's The Invisibles!

My answer, I guess, is that just because Good and Evil, Law and Chaos exist, doesn't mean that they are necessarily in "conflict" ... that morality is more complex than simply Us vs. Them. I'd argue that the major theme of the Megaten games is actually the consequences of personal decisions, no matter what they might be.

 

[RevenantKioku]

I want a way to scold my demons.
My Kikuri-Hime just changed her Diarama to fucking Stone Gaze! Not that Stone Gaze sucks, but, Diarama! Shit.
So how are you guys treating your protagonist? Mine is level 31 and currently running
Ice Breath, Fire Breath
Tornado, Heat Wave
Counter, Focus
Force Boost, Mana Boost
Force Boost + Tornado is wreaking havoc, and Focus + Heat Wave is really nasty, especially since my Vi is at 19 naturally, so I can put a lot of pain with that attack.
Mana Boost is probably going to go next, but there's nothing really interesting coming up in my Magatama. I only have first row of 8, so hopefully I'll snag some new ones soon.
Rest of Party
Uzume - 25
Senri - 28
Kikuri-Hime - 27
Location:

Spoiler

Assembly of Nihilo. Mantra just devastated most of their base. I didn't align with Mantra though. Not sure who I'm going to go with.

 

[Brandon F]

I'm pretty much at the point of not allowing any of my demons to 'switch' skills when they ask during level-up. It's backfired on me everytime now and once I decided to replay the last half hour of a dungeon simply because I lost a really sick lightning skill for pester or some crap. The guide mentions how there is a small probability that a skill can actual turn into a more potent form of itself on occasion when demons ask at level up, but too much bad luck lately has ruined this entire subset for me. It's just not smart gambling.

The roullette wheel for rotating 'kept' skills during demon fusion reminds me very much of trying to land specific base costs during item creation in SO3. Both games could have really subverted the droll button mashing to dictate results by allowing you to manually set this stuff in place yourself. (Since the guide provides the exact formulas for skill and slot transfers, the drudgery just seems so unnecessary. X demon + Y demon = Z demon + 2 slots! Choose the two skills to transfer = MUCH BETTAR!) I just find it unnecessarily vague how the developers seemed to force this whole mashing routine to demon fusion even implementing an entire probability chart for how many mashing attempts it could possibly take until skill 'x' gets carried over...CMON NOW!

Still very minor nitpicks in the whole of such a wonderful game.

 

[SolidSnakex]

"So how are you guys treating your protagonist? Mine is level 31 and currently running"

Lvl 29
Skills:
Lunge
Analyze
Life Bonus
Berserk
Counter
Heat Wave
Focus
Might

The rest of my party is:

High Pixie
lvl 21

Kikuri-Hime
lvl 24

Senri
lvl 27

I'm in Ikebukuro right now.

 

[Drinky Crow]

I've stuck with Shiranui as my main Magatama just for the hell of it, only swapping out at level up to get some good support skills. I'm gonna get owned when I run into some bosses with anti-Fire magic.

Right now, my party is:

Lvl 22 um whatever the evolved form of Inugama is
Lvl 22 priestess chick thing (I think it's Uzame or something)
Lvl 23 Samurai with spear guy, he's a Brute type with Phys Resist

I have a Lvl 20 Chorazon I swap out from time to time when I need an extra tank.

SSX: Why are you bothering with High Pixie? She transforms into a Lvl 57 Queen Mab at Lvl 16 -- just put her in cold storage until you hit Lvl 54. (Queen Mab rocks; Voids all Magic.) She's pretty worthless until then.

 

[AfroLuffy]

SSX: Why are you bothering with High Pixie? She transforms into a Lvl 57 Queen Mab at Lvl 16 -- just put her in cold storage until you hit Lvl 54. (Queen Mab rocks; Voids all Magic.) She's pretty worthless until then.

whoa whoa whoa...is this TRUE?

My main is lv 35, pixie is 23, she's been holding me back hardcore. -_-

This game is amazingly fresh btw. I love everything: the look of the graphics and art, the battle system, the zero load times, the engaging, addictive gameplay like some perverse form of pokemon, the story not showering me with melodramatic or pompous cinematics,the inclusion of serious themes and dialogue, and, most importantly, the challenge. As of right now, i'm loving it so much i may opt to pursue all of the endings.

Having not enjoyed a ps2 rpg since suikoden 3(if only for the storyline/characters), i'm really surprised how much I like this game. It's so non-deritive of the genre; the recent assimilation of all rpgs into ff clones has been hard on me. I would have guessed reviewers forced to play the cinematic mediocrity being sold as rpgs this gen would appreciate shin megami tensei: nocture moreso; however, 7.5-8.5 scores tell a different tale--this game on its own merits commands higher scores, IMHO.

 

[Drinky Crow]

Yep, it's true. However, she won't transform until you're three levels lower than the resulting Queen Mab, which means you need to be Lvl 54. There's no point in wasting 40 or so of your levels with a dead weight character, so when High Pixie hits 15, stick her in storage and bring her out later when you're 54.

Queen Mab is a really good straight-up magic user, and voids any magic, so she's definitely worth your time until you start getting into the last set of Fiends.

 

[SolidSnakex]

SSX: Why are you bothering with High Pixie? She transforms into a Lvl 57 Queen Mab at Lvl 16 -- just put her in cold storage until you hit Lvl 54. (Queen Mab rocks; Voids all Magic.) She's pretty worthless until then."

Ooh will do. I mainly kept her around because she has alot of spells that cure ailments so that helped me out since I didn't have to buy any of those cures at the time. I've had other characters I wanted to put in but have held off because of all her skills.

 

[Mejilan]

My copy (with soundtrack) arrived today. If I can finish Paper Mario 2 this week, I'll be all over Nocturne. Methinks I won't be getting back to Shadow Hearts 2 at all this year...

 

[djtiesto]

Hmm, I'm almost positive I'm getting this for Xmas... question, about how long is this game?

 

[Archaix]

Just on the skill change thing, I've had Dia change into Media once and Life Gain change into Life Bonus(or the other way around, the 10% boost to the 20% boost). The others I've had seem pretty damned random as far as what skill it used to be and what one it changes to. About half the time in those occasions does the new skill seem to be a bit better.

 

[ferricide]

basically i always tried to save right before a demon leveled. given the abundance of save rooms (even in dungeons) this isn't that hard. if they fucked up something, i'd reload. no, you can't do this 100% of the time, but you can do it more than you expect. sometimes they put in some awesome skills. sometimes.................. total shit.

 

[Alias03]

This game is truly amazing!!! SIDE NOTE anyone know anything about the PSP/DS Persona game? Think its possible that it Persona 2: Innocent Sin????

 

[Bobety]

This game is truly amazing!!! SIDE NOTE anyone know anything about the PSP/DS Persona game? Think its possible that it Persona 2: Innocent Sin????

Wait, theres a persona game for DS? As far as i know it was just called shin megami tensei DS.. also i had no idea there was a SMT game coming to PSP, have there been new details released that i missed out on?

 

[Alias03]

Wait, theres a persona game for DS? As far as i know it was just called shin megami tensei DS.. also i had no idea there was a SMT game coming to PSP, have there been new details released that i missed out on?

http://ds.ign.com/objects/695/695146.html?ui=gamefinder = Nintendo DS

http://psp.ign.com/objects/704/704780.html?ui=gamefinder = PSP

 

[Rummy Bunnz]

Thanks for the links, SSx. I'd so totally dork out and buy an artbook if I could find one.

I'm guessing SMT DS is just another spinoff. I'd dig a remake of the first two games (MAP SCREEN!), but I guess they just did that on GBA and PSX, huh. Shame we never got those.

I've been trying to use the strat guide for demon and skill info to help with fusing, but the way they laid it out is confusing as hell. Would it have killed them to alphabetize the lists? The demon list seems totally random, and the skill list is pretty much useless since figuring out what category a skill falls into based on the name alone is a pain. It's quicker for me to leave the Cathedral and check skills in the menu than it is for me to look stuff up in the book. Great guide otherwise, though.

I'm around 33 now. Fused myself up a Dis when I was in the late 20's, which transformed into a lvl30-something Valkyrie after a handful of battles. My favorite demon yet. Does a ton of melee damage, and has some great expel, debuff, and healing spells. Been killin' stuff like mad with it. Still have my turtle with the dragon growing out of his butt hanging around. He's getting behind on levels, so I think I'm gonna have to fuse him soon since he doesn't seem to evolve. For the fourth slot I've been rotating a 26 Oni, 28 Principality, and a 32 Yoko Ono looking Femme demon. Need to get some bigger guys.

Also bought a Pisaca from the Shady Broker for like 15k. He's so the HM Pokemon, loaded with great non-combat skills. Totally worth the money. Love the Amiwhatsa dungeon. It's real fun to take a break and go hacking through a few levels of it.

 

[SolidSnakex]

"'m guessing SMT DS is just another spinoff. I'd dig a remake of the first two games (MAP SCREEN!), but I guess they just did that on GBA and PSX, huh. Shame we never got those."

It'd rock if SMT DS was SMT, SMT if and SMT2 and the Persona PSP was Persona, Persona 2: Innocent Sin, and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment.

 

[Drinky Crow]

O MAN Wargod Valkyrie rocks. I was sad to see my Dis go, but GEEZUS the melee damage.

 

[ferricide]

"'m guessing SMT DS is just another spinoff. I'd dig a remake of the first two games (MAP SCREEN!), but I guess they just did that on GBA and PSX, huh. Shame we never got those."

It'd rock if SMT DS was SMT, SMT if and SMT2 and the Persona PSP was Persona, Persona 2: Innocent Sin, and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment.

i'd rather they're original games -- well, definitely on the DS -- but i'd not complain if the PSP was some sort of updated awesome remake of persona 1, 2IS, or 2EP. personally i'd like to see persona 1 remade in a more contemporary style, because it's still one of my favorite games.

 

[Ploid 3.0]

what game is this?

lol I'm wondering the same (since it got the sticky and all). So far I just seen "Woot", "Got it", and "Awesome!" type posts and not what the game or item is. It's pretty funny and interesting. Hope someone answered you in this multipage thread.

 

[somnific]

anyhow, what kind of character builds is everyone molding their protagonist into? going for the physical brawler? the magical "LIGHTNING BOLT!" elementalist? or has anyone tried the route of just being support for their party?

 

[RevenantKioku]

basically i always tried to save right before a demon leveled. given the abundance of save rooms (even in dungeons) this isn't that hard. if they fucked up something, i'd reload. no, you can't do this 100% of the time, but you can do it more than you expect. sometimes they put in some awesome skills. sometimes.................. total shit.

But, that's just weaksauce.

 

[Archaix]

Does anything bad ever come of letting the demons in your party talk to you, since we're on the subject of things going wrong?

You can mutate something into a poor skill, if you let your magatama act you can take damage/curse/poison, but it seems like your party demons always give a good gift for listening to them.

 

[Brandon F]

I believe(though I haven't done the proper research) that not talking to your demons may register as an insult of sorts which could affect the role you take towards choosing your ending 'philosophy'. Total shot in the dark, but I recall skimming some chapter of the guide mentioning how certain endings play out dependent on the types of demons you recruit and stupid choices like being an asshole to your crew could evolve the proceedings.

I really don't know though, I always just listen myself. I mean they help me kill stuff, I can't turn my back on them!

 

[tenchir]

I need some help with the 3rd Maijin.

Spoiler

After defeating Dante, where's the Majin High Priest? I know he is somewhere in Ikebukuro but I can't locate him. Do I have to talk to someone first?

 

[ferricide]

I need some help with the 3rd Maijin.

Spoiler

After defeating Dante, where's the Majin High Priest? I know he is somewhere in Ikebukuro but I can't locate him. Do I have to talk to someone first?

it's funny. i had no problems with this but most people i talked to have.

Spoiler

he's upstairs in the "other half" of ikebukuro. starting from the save point, walk past the entrance to the mantra base, and go upstairs via the escalator. if you're at the right point in the flow, he'll appear. seems the FAQ was misleading people about when that might be? at least two or three people i talked to couldn't get him to appear. just do it last thing before you're done with ikebukuro, i guess.

 

[tenchir]

it's funny. i had no problems with this but most people i talked to have.

Spoiler

he's upstairs in the "other half" of ikebukuro. starting from the save point, walk past the entrance to the mantra base, and go upstairs via the escalator. if you're at the right point in the flow, he'll appear. seems the FAQ was misleading people about when that might be? at least two or three people i talked to couldn't get him to appear. just do it last thing before you're done with ikebukuro, i guess.

Argh!!! I spent an hour looking for him!! I was looking around that area you are talking about too. So that's two mistake he made in looking for him. I knew that the first mistake that he made was when he was the guy was on the "2nd floor" when there is no second floor, so I assume he meant 1st floor.

 

[ferricide]

I knew that the first mistake that he made was when he was the guy was on the "2nd floor" where there is no second floor, so I assume he meant 1st floor.

huh? there's a second floor.

Spoiler

that's where he is. there are some escalators around the back of the big main storage area.

 

[tenchir]

huh? there's a second floor.

Spoiler

that's where he is. there are some escalators around the back of the big main storage area.

No, you start in B1, then the escalator goes to 1st floor. There's 3 floors:

B2
B1
1

 

[RevenantKioku]

Wait, who are you guys looking for? I'm not exactly sure.

 

[Gorey]

I was really trying to finish up SO3, but this thread prompted an impulse grab for SMT:N...and now I don't think I'll be finishing star ocean until sometime, oh, next year. Dangit.

 

[Rummy Bunnz]

Wait, who are you guys looking for? I'm not exactly sure.

Daisoujou, the priest (or whatever) Fiend you get the Candelabrum from in Ikebukuro. I just fused him up using the Deathstone I got in the Labyrinth of Amala, and he's killer. His Mahamaon skill expels at least one enemy on almost every turn, and even though it uses a ton of MP you don't need to worry, since his Meditation skill refills around 80HP/MP everytime you use it.

Got one of the monkey dudes Bebpo recommended. He seems pretty cool. Also fused an Archangel that begged me for mercy with my super Wargod Valkyrie and got a Holy Feng Huang, which is like a phoenix. Took all the buffs and healing skills from the Val, put it on the bird, which learned some great resurrection skills when it leveled up. It's tops. I then got my Valkyrie back thanks to the Demonic Compendium, and now I can just junk all those wussy skills she had and make her more of a killing machine.

I just cleared a massive portion of the Labyrinth when some demon cast a death spell and killed me in one hit. It was a few battles after I decided "Hey, I don't need this Anti-Death skill" too...Ugh. Now I have to do it all over again. I was trying to be Mr. Tuff by not going back and saving until I was completely done with that Kelpa. I am dumm.

 

[RevenantKioku]

Oh. I ran into him and the

Spoiler

Hell Biker

with relative ease. They were both pretty easy for me as well. I was just confused because people were referring to him as the third Majin, but I fought him second.