Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner
by Atlus Video Games
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Product Summary
Brand: AtlusRelease Date: 2006-10-10
Platform: PlayStation2
Model: DS530199
Publisher: Atlus Video Games
Product features:
- Detailed real-time combat sequence with swords, guns, combos, and devilish helpers!
- Photorealistic graphics that transport the player to 1920s Japan!
- Puzzle-solving with the use of carefully chosen demonic powers!
- Character design by legendary illustrator Kazuma Kaneko!
Video Game Reviews of Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner
Customer Review: Not bad
Summary: 3 Stars
I've rated this game highly although compared to the other games in the same series it's probably the weakest. But it does hold a lot of fun. The story sems to be touted as a deep dark mystery in official descriptions but I found it very sparse and not gripping at all. Basically a young man called Raidou is a "devil summoner" who can control demons and he uses this skill for good. He is hired by a detective to seek out some missing girl and of course this trail leads to a threat to the whole of humanity, blah blah. What makes the story hard to follow is the very uncompromising Japanese locationalization of it. All the place names and character names are Japanese, which for a western speaker like me, led to no end of confusion, as many seemed remarkably similar to my uneducated mind. A lot of times when a character told me I had to go and speak to a certain person to get the next clue, I had to resort to talking to EVERYONE just because I had no idea who they were on about. I guess that's my failing though.
Anyway let's get on to the mechanics of playing it. You might be surpised when I tell you, but the whole game plays out against - wait for it - pre-rendered static backdrops. Like the original Resident Evil games. This was a bit of a shock for me, and with games as advanced as they are now it left me a bit disappointed. Of course they are beautifully drawn, but so were some old PSX games years ago! However if you can put that behind you theres is a lot of fun to be had in the fighting. Basically, Raido keeps a collection of demons that he can summon anytime he falls into battle. Fights are random, RPG style, you are thrown from the static world that Raidou walks around in, onto a small area where the fighting plays out. Now Raidou can be accompanied by any one of his stock of demon buddies at a time. All you do is bring one out and watch 'em go. Now the battles are random, but fighting is real time. You run around whacking things with a sword or shooting as gun and the demon will use magic or status -changing attacks, or just plain brute force. You can pre-program their tactics to a certain extent - there is a menu of about 5 options (plus an option to give them every single command - but that takes far too long), and you can replace the summoned demon with another one at any time during battle. But that's about it. However, if you played and enjoyed "Lucifer's Call", you should enjoy this. Demons have to be captured when they fall weak in battle. Plus they level up. Plus they can be fused at a special location, so that two demons can be converted into one new one. Hooray! Because this was by far the best aspect of "Lucifer's Call", and it works just as well here. I was in that fusing place for ages experimenting with seeing what monsters I could come up with. It's definitely the best aspect of the game.
Which is handy, because there are lots of weaknesses in other areas. Apart from the static backdrops of the general gameplay, the battles also take place in a small, square arena that is only viewed from a fixed, south-westerly corner. No dynamic camera control exists in the entire game. Sometimes, on the battlefiled, you will be behind other enemies and you can't even see what Raidou is doing! This is a serious flaw. A rotatable camera would have made these fights 100% more fun.
But on the whole they do mostly seem pretty easy to cope with. Generally the game seemed quite easy to me. There are some bosses, however, who are just plain evil. You have to be smart in this game, as brute force is often not enough, especially with bosses that can charm and confuse you, banish your monster pals and genrally mess you up totally. So that was good - challenge is good. Most random battle enemies can be won fairlty easy...bar the ones with monsters that can turn you to stone. One physical hit while you are petrified can lead to instant game over - how mean is that when you're miles from a save?
It's also very short and with a pretty small world map. And it only has one side quest! But if you enjoy monster hunting and gathering all manner of wild and whacky team mates - check out the ghost car! - you will have fun playing this. I do think though, that the decision to use pre-rendered backdrops was a mistake. Gamers today expect more. But it still kept me interested right until the end, even if I didn't really know what on earth was going on.
Description of Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner guides you through thrilling episodes of action and intrigue, as you learn the incredible secrets of the Soulless Army! Raidou Kuzunoha is a private detective in Japan's Taishou Period of the 1910s and 1920s, but he's much more than just a well-dressed crime scene investigator; he also has the power to capture and conjure demons to do his bidding. Take control of Raidou and his otherworldly companions, guide them all through!Role-Playing Games
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