Post by boogieknight on May 27, 2009 16:32:44 GMT -5
After the logos pop on the screen, you'll immediately recognize a remix of a certain theme song, but Devil Summoner 2 itself is far more than a simple remix. It's not long after you begin playing that you recognize that this game has incorporated the best of the early games into a single, near perfect package. For starters, you'll find yourself immersed in a dark and twisted story that is true to the early titles, with all the moral and philosophical complexities that made them a cut above thier peers.
The return of demon negotiation is very welcome, and Atlus has taken cues from titles like Persona 2 and combined them with a fuller and more engaging battle of manipulation and exortation. Using demon allies to smooth over the rough patches in a negotiation is much appreciated, especially during those moments where it feels like nothing you say can please the demon you are negotiating with. And I'll tell you what, it never gets easy explaining yourself to a demon when it questions you about killing its friends. That alone makes the SMT games far different from other RPGs, when you think about how the creatures you encounter are not mindless monsters, but living things in a vibrant world where they have friends and family.
As stated before, the story is in true SMT fashion. It's not a clear cut, "You killed my shy girlfriend, RAWR!" Rather, you are in the middle of multiple factions who each can be sympathized with even if you find yourself resisting them at every turn. The cast rises above cliches in favor of complex characters who think and feel like real people. Even "otherly" characters have plenty of personality. As some may recognize from Nocturne, there are times when the player is asked ethical questions and given hard choices to make which ultimately affect his alignment and the kind of ending the player will get. Also, if you have the vibrate on, you'll feel a strong thump when alignment questions come up, so when you play again for the other endings you'll know which questions are relevant. Let me also add that unlike Nocturne, you'll find yourself being asked far more questions about alignment that run across the board. If you answer straight from the heart rather than aiming towards a specific alignment, you just may learn a few things about yourself, and I can't really think of a non-SMT game I can say the same about.
I didn't think they could do it, but even the art of Fusion has been improved. Maxing out a demon's loyalty lets them earn a passive skill, but a demon found in the wild can only learn one. Fusing demons increases the limit on passive skills, and the new demon can choose any of the passive skills to equip. The best part is, the list to choose from includes not only one that the fused demons equipped, but the acquired passive skills of all the demons that have been fused into that one demon. It's practically a bloodline!
Further into the mechanics, Atlus took a very interesting step in giving more prominence to the much ignored Luck stat. I can't say too much without giving away the story, but it's a clever move and one may find it worthwhile to pump up their Luck.
Now for a new twist on an old trick. Magnetite was often used for the summoning of demons and the power of the demons dictated how much they used up. This time, Magnetite (or MAG) functions more like a communal source of magic points, kinda like Mana in Magic the Gathering. Special moves consume MAG, and one would think that's all there is to it, but not so! Striking an enemy with an attack that they are elementally weak to puts them in a stun state and smacking them around replenishes your MAG. You essentially get to steal magic energy from enemies! For a boot strapper like me, this is very adventageous, and makes it easier to stay out in the field longer without having to go back to civilization to rest. Further, the rates for healing in dungeons has gone down significantly, so it's much more newbie friendly without going soft.
Let's not forget the Case Files, sidequests which may occassionally help out with your main quest. Many are pretty straight forward: Get a lot of a common item or a few of a rare item (a few times you'll learn that completing one Case File gets you a reward to complete another Case File). Others are proper quests such as hooking up with your old buddy the Large Tarrasque. Some are unlocked by talking to NPCs in town, progress in the story, but others through talking to demons in negotiation. It never gets old to encounter a demon and discover an opportunity to drum up business.
Ultimately, while Persona 4 is near perfect on its own merits, Devil Summoner 2 embodies the very best of the SMT series. Were it not for Atlus' business model of limited quantities for a hardcore audience, I'd think that the release of Devil Summoner 2 was the opening salvo in an all out war with Square Enix for who would be the king of RPGs.
The return of demon negotiation is very welcome, and Atlus has taken cues from titles like Persona 2 and combined them with a fuller and more engaging battle of manipulation and exortation. Using demon allies to smooth over the rough patches in a negotiation is much appreciated, especially during those moments where it feels like nothing you say can please the demon you are negotiating with. And I'll tell you what, it never gets easy explaining yourself to a demon when it questions you about killing its friends. That alone makes the SMT games far different from other RPGs, when you think about how the creatures you encounter are not mindless monsters, but living things in a vibrant world where they have friends and family.
As stated before, the story is in true SMT fashion. It's not a clear cut, "You killed my shy girlfriend, RAWR!" Rather, you are in the middle of multiple factions who each can be sympathized with even if you find yourself resisting them at every turn. The cast rises above cliches in favor of complex characters who think and feel like real people. Even "otherly" characters have plenty of personality. As some may recognize from Nocturne, there are times when the player is asked ethical questions and given hard choices to make which ultimately affect his alignment and the kind of ending the player will get. Also, if you have the vibrate on, you'll feel a strong thump when alignment questions come up, so when you play again for the other endings you'll know which questions are relevant. Let me also add that unlike Nocturne, you'll find yourself being asked far more questions about alignment that run across the board. If you answer straight from the heart rather than aiming towards a specific alignment, you just may learn a few things about yourself, and I can't really think of a non-SMT game I can say the same about.
I didn't think they could do it, but even the art of Fusion has been improved. Maxing out a demon's loyalty lets them earn a passive skill, but a demon found in the wild can only learn one. Fusing demons increases the limit on passive skills, and the new demon can choose any of the passive skills to equip. The best part is, the list to choose from includes not only one that the fused demons equipped, but the acquired passive skills of all the demons that have been fused into that one demon. It's practically a bloodline!
Further into the mechanics, Atlus took a very interesting step in giving more prominence to the much ignored Luck stat. I can't say too much without giving away the story, but it's a clever move and one may find it worthwhile to pump up their Luck.
Now for a new twist on an old trick. Magnetite was often used for the summoning of demons and the power of the demons dictated how much they used up. This time, Magnetite (or MAG) functions more like a communal source of magic points, kinda like Mana in Magic the Gathering. Special moves consume MAG, and one would think that's all there is to it, but not so! Striking an enemy with an attack that they are elementally weak to puts them in a stun state and smacking them around replenishes your MAG. You essentially get to steal magic energy from enemies! For a boot strapper like me, this is very adventageous, and makes it easier to stay out in the field longer without having to go back to civilization to rest. Further, the rates for healing in dungeons has gone down significantly, so it's much more newbie friendly without going soft.
Let's not forget the Case Files, sidequests which may occassionally help out with your main quest. Many are pretty straight forward: Get a lot of a common item or a few of a rare item (a few times you'll learn that completing one Case File gets you a reward to complete another Case File). Others are proper quests such as hooking up with your old buddy the Large Tarrasque. Some are unlocked by talking to NPCs in town, progress in the story, but others through talking to demons in negotiation. It never gets old to encounter a demon and discover an opportunity to drum up business.
Ultimately, while Persona 4 is near perfect on its own merits, Devil Summoner 2 embodies the very best of the SMT series. Were it not for Atlus' business model of limited quantities for a hardcore audience, I'd think that the release of Devil Summoner 2 was the opening salvo in an all out war with Square Enix for who would be the king of RPGs.