Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne - Official Thread

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Originally Posted by djpubba

I heard that whether Dante is willing join you or not is based on your actions earlier in the game. Does what you said in your spoiler above agree or disagree with that info?

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I never got that far, but I can't see it having an effect one way or the other since it happens in the bonus dungeon which really isn't connected with the main story. And Dante right away gives the impression that he doesn't care what's going on at all. He was hired and then tricked by the prince of lies himself. The only thing I can think happening is certain actions in the game will cut you off from the bonus dungeon and so you'll never get to his section of it. I'll mark them too because they're spoilers.

In order to access levels of the bonus dungeon (kalpas) you need special manoras (sp?). The first couple can't be bypassed, but the later ones can be skipped and thus you'll never be able to access Dante. There's also a intro to one of the kalpa's where God's messanger tells you to not go any further, agreeing to this of course you won't reach him. But even if you agree, you can ignore it and go anyway, though the Big Guy will like that even less. I don't think what ending you head towards will effect it in any way since only the final kalpa will change that, not Dante's, but I can't be 100% sure.

The big faq for SMT3 probably has the definite answer though.

I think DMC fans will be disappointed either way since Dante is so rare and only makes a significant appearance at almost the very end of the game. If he was supposed to be a selling point, they should have weakened him and moved him nearer the beginning.

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Originally Posted by Ammadeau

I'm venting a little bit because I'm stuck on the game because I'm at a boss who is immune to physical attacks and I've just spent the entire game up to this point beefing up my physical attacks. Ugh, I could beat him, but it would take a few tries and it feels too much like work for me. I don't mind challenging fights, but I do mind when the game goes out of its way to take away any advantage I might have. I can't even take the normal 'level your way to victory' approach because of the linear way the dungeons are set up and the way the press turn system reduces the importance of leveling.

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Hopefully the same little things won't bother me - this game sounds amazing. Definitely putting a preorder down.

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Originally Posted by Survival Kid

1up.com's feature: http://www.1up.com/article2/0,2053,1559899,00.asp

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Heh. I have a new sig.

Though it's wrong. He's not naked. He wears pants. A demon with pants. :p

Actually, the fight I complained about before turned out to be easy. Just needed 3 of one item and I had no trouble. The current trio of bosses I'm on are brutal though, since they heal/charm, buff themselves up, and group attack you every round. And since the attacker can use all elemental attacks, it's likely they'll score at least one extra press turn per round. The system really sides with the bosses, but I guess they wouldn't be bosses otherwise.

If you want an RPG with a story that's more than 'grim hero saves the world' than SMT3 has that covered in spades. It not only presents a kalidescope of various philosphies, but let's you chose which you wish to follow and doesn't impose judgment on which is right or wrong. Also, each one has it's own avatar which personalizes these philosphies instead of having them be abstract. And this is all presented with a careful pace that is occasionally overwhelming (like when you actually see the world change into the sphere) but there are valleys to let you take that in before moving on to the next big bit, which will probably be a little easier to swallow.

It can just be very frustrating in the gameplay department sometimes, but in regards to the story I have no complaints. In fact, for once I think the story wouldn't be more interesting in a movie or novel because being the main character in the game gives you the real feeling of being in the middle of it all, which a book can do to some degree, but probably not to this level. Might have been better without the RPG aspects and just been a pure adventure game, but I doubt it would sell nearly as well.

Though this careful construction is hampered by the appearance of Dante the Super Badass. Though now that I think about it, there is one philosphy that does fit his personality, but his gun wielding and stylish fashion sense still seem to clash with the game. He's a Maniac boss, but all the other bosses in this group have a very common theme, which he breaks, and that's something I personally dislike. Though I have nothing against Dante in his proper context.

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Originally Posted by Ammadeau

Avatar Tuner is a side story to the SMT series and has a Final Fantasy feel, though the main character is a woman. The trailer is pure CG (at least the one I saw) so I don't know what the gameplay will be like. I assume it will be similar to SMT3 though.

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I don't know if I'd say it has a FF feel to it. It appears to retain the whole dark, "anti-FF" atmosphere.

The woman, Sera, isn't the main character, Serf is. He's the guy with the grey hair.

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Originally Posted by DDS Press Release

With his four companions, Serf, the main character and a member of a tribe called Embryon, sets out for Nirvana, a land that can only be reached by the champions of Junkyard.

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http://atlus.com/press/051204dds.html

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Originally Posted by Survival Kid

I don't know if I'd say it has a FF feel to it. It appears to retain the whole dark, "anti-FF" atmosphere.

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Not sure why I get the FF feeling from it, but it seems to get about as dark as the FF series can get, with a little Shadow Hearts through in. I'm not expecting it to be like the FF series, but I think it will have a more commercial appeal than SMT3.

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The woman, Sera, isn't the main character, Serf is. He's the guy with the grey hair.

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Actually, I meant Serf. 'He' looks and sounds like a girl to me so I thought he was one. A flat-chested one, admittedly, but I thought that fit the boyish style.

kaneko kazuma is still the character designer, right? if so, i'm in.
(i'm talking about avatar tuner, not smt3)

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Originally Posted by Ammadeau

Actually, I meant Serf. 'He' looks and sounds like a girl to me so I thought he was one. A flat-chested one, admittedly, but I thought that fit the boyish style.

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Ooh, ha! Yeah, that's Kazuma Kaneko for you. :p Alot of the guys he draws look rather feminine, though I find it to be a more tolerable femininity than what most Japanese artists draw. Some of these bishounen characters just look way too homo-erotic for me.

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Originally Posted by epmode

kaneko kazuma is still the character designer, right? if so, i'm in
(i'm talking about avatar tuner, not smt3)

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Yeah, Kazuma Kaneko.

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Originally Posted by Survival Kid

Ooh, ha! Yeah, that's Kazuma Kaneko for you. :p Alot of the guys he draws look rather feminine, though I find it to be a more tolerable femininity than what most Japanese artists draw. Some of these bishounen characters just look way too homo-erotic for me.

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I love the art style so I have no complaints, though at least in SMT3 you can tell the guys from the girls without staring at their chests. :p

ATLUS just officially opened its site for Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne http://www.atlus.com/smt/ and it looks great :D It has a history section explaining the history of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, has character bios, screenshots, wallpapers, section explaining the game, etc. Check it out when you get the chance and dont forget to preorder or buy Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne and the guide!

the game looks great, kindda like Killer 7 graphics.

anyways, im never played this series before, is it a complex RPG like the final fantasy series? or is it player friendly like skies of arcadia and such? ;0