Shin Megami Tensei IV

[Tek7]

SMT IV is on sale for $30 on Amazon again. I had planned not to buy it until I finished Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Bravely Default (if I bought it first), but I don't want to wait another 6 months for a sale and I refuse to spend more than $60 on it.

Have any of you played SMT IV? If so, would you recommend it?

$30 for a game is a big gamble for me these days (more because I'm super-frugal and my backlog is still absurdly long than because of any sort of budgetary constraints), so I really do not want to be disappointed if I drop the cash for this game.

I already know this isn't something I'd play with my 3-year old daughter around (I played through Persona 3 and 4 and sampled Strange Journey, Nocturne, Persona 1 and 2, so I know what I'm getting into), but still don't like when games delve too far into "grimdark srs bizness pentagrams scrawled in blood" rubbish. Mythology and folklore doesn't bother me.

 

[Logos]

You won't be disappointed. As I am sure you know it is built on choices and paths. The path of "peace" or "chaos", although the choices to achieve one may not be what you think. Anyways, you know most of this stuff...

Let me add, if it is a choice between this or bravely default, save up $10 and get bravely default. this is a good game, but you would/could enjoy bravely default more.

 

[Tek7@Work]

I think I will buy and play Bravely Default first, though I may wait until I finish A Link Between Worlds or find a better price for BD before purchasing.

SMT IV looks like an excellent game, but I find I'm less and less willing to tolerate "grimdark" tones in games the older I get. And while I'm a fan of the Persona series (specifically, 3 and 4), it was the gameplay features not present in "mainline" SMT games (e.g. dating sim elements, S. Links, third-person perspective in dungeons, lighter tone--relatively speaking, etc.) that held my attention.

With Steam sales dropping prices on games below $10 and even $5, It's just hard to justify a $30 purchase on anything that I don't think will be absolutely amazing. I even elected to pass on Animal Crossing: New Leaf (for now) and Yoshi's New Island (due to lukewarm reviews). My frugality may have gone too far...

 

[Logos]

No, I think your right. It is a bit harder to play some of the darker games now days. Actually, although it seems controversial, conception 2 is a really fun game in and of itself. And most of the screen shots that are out there are taken out of context with the rest of the dialogue. It's not a dark game at all, but a very over the top Sim, class mating, 3rd person, with the normal anime cliche moments thrown in there. In fact, it is similar to persona and etrian odyssey in its overall gameplay. That's why I am enjoying playing it before I do an entire play through SMT IV. Also I am with you on the frugality part. It may seem like I have a lot of money invested in these RPGs, but I don't. Most of them were gifts or from small mounts saved up,over time.

Although, I am going to try to play through my backlog before I buy anything else. I have a lot of rpg backlog as you know.

 

[Tek7]

Well, SMT IV is back up to ~$37 on Amazon, so that settles the matter.

Looks like BD is my next purchase, by default.

 

[Tek7]

SMT IV went back on sale for $30 and, in a moment of weakness, I bought it.

I purchased the game Thursday night and found it waiting on my porch when I got home from work yesterday.

I didn't start it last night, but I'm planning on at least firing it up and playing the intro before I head to bed tonight.

 

[Kendrik]

Dat SMT tho.

 

[Logos]

SMT IV went back on sale for $30 and, in a moment of weakness, I bought it.

I purchased the game Thursday night and found it waiting on my porch when I got home from work yesterday.

I didn't start it last night, but I'm planning on at least firing it up and playing the intro before I head to bed tonight.

I am still just now getting through the tutorial/intro myself. It is a bit tough and also not your standard western rpg which I do enjoy but am trying to get used to.

 

[Tek7]

I'm about an hour in, I have a full party with 2-3 demons (can't we just call them youkai instead? ) in stock, and I learned Dia from my Centaur. And I've only had to exit/reload about 10 times.

This is a game that does not show respect to perfectionist tendencies.

I'm enjoying the game so far, though part of me wonders when and even if I'll stop wishing I was playing Persona 4 instead. The menu is fine, but I miss running around town and a school (not to mention a bigger screen and better camera controls for dungeons).

The game is much closer to Strange Journey than Persona 4 in design and I imagine it will take some time to get used to.

So far, I'm liking it, but I wonder how long it'll be until I want to throw my 3DS through a window during a boss encounter.