Soul Hackers 2 is a PS2 game - Review
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2022
- Bit late to the party but that means we get the final say on whats what with our review Soul Hackers 2
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I never understood why "It feels/looks like a PS2 game" is used as an insult. Because I have fondness for PS2 games.
"That man aint simping for anything other than his goth girl GF." To be honest, the fact that there is a party member with a love interest that ISNT the MC is something I approve of. As I like to play matchmaker in games. Not ship the MC with everyone! (And in this case, I only feel inclined to ship Ringo with Arrow. Because I am just that basic!)
To be honest, I kinda dig far more this version of the Vision Quests to the original Soul Hackers 1 ones. As, the Vision Quest characters in Soul Hackers 1 ended up to me being FAR more interesting than most of the cast. And I am left with a bittersweet feeling with how we only get to see and control those characters. Just ONCE.
On the whole thing with Arrow's arc being done with fairly early, reminds that. Apparently in the game's code. Arrow's character ID is the earliest. Not Ringo's. Which, I guess means that he was originally meant to be the MC.
Oh yeah canon relationships are cool
Shipping is great and all but its honestly a substitute for any actual romance writing
my only problem with the old vision quests is definately that theres not many of them and once they're over they're done yeah
and it definately feels like kaburagi was kinda thrown in there last minute to give arrow something to do early on before his real plot becomes a thing
@@Kraftium At the same time, I kinda wish that... The game had a romance subplot for Ringo and Arrow. Since, from what I have seen... Their interactions are kinda cute!
@@kuraux56s59 unfortunately that'll get in the way of ringo's romance plot with me.
I'm going to smooch her
@@Kraftium I am personally not into "Character x Player" humor. Specially for characters that already have a love interest, or an implied love interest.
And, I guess. I apologize for not going with the joke.
@@kuraux56s59
🔫 who said it was a joke
Give me your waifus this is a mugging
This was honestly a really damn refreshing review what with how much hate SH2 often gets these days. Cause like yeah, there ARE a bunch of things that this game gets really well, and it sucks how so many seemed to forget about it...
Well the good thing is that it's more or less guaranteed to be remembered as a hidden gem in like 15 years or so
it'll be like when me marsh and fither all made videos on soul hackers 1 within the same month
theres gonna be a sudden "yo this game is actually goated" its a shame tho cos I love what this team does but everyone kinda bashes them for things out of their control (ie a lack of budget) hell I remember people were shitting on SH2 before it was even revealed, I remember larrue being like "it looks like a shitty mobile game" when we got those staticy teaser shots, and when we got ones with UI with playstation buttons it shifted to "its probably still a mobile game, just one with controler support"
I haven't thought about it in this way, that it's a more experimental game, or at least I hope it is.
My biggest disappointment was the extremely dull dungeon design, and the main story itself is not particularly interesting. Some of the companion conversations are great, however, and the OST also has some real bangers. Aside from that, I feel they haven't done much with the setting, and feel the first Soul Hackers did much more with it, despite lacking in that regard too.
This video hacked my soul, I love this game so much but couldn't put it into words before, all the time while listening I couldnt help but agree with everything you said
ey I'm glad you enjoyed it
Soul Hackers 2 like the first game is such a neat little entry in the SMT series and I hope they follow through on their asperations to try and make it a 3rd piller for SMT
Nice video man
Yeah Soul Hacker 2 definitely feels like a ps2 game and that's fine to me
(Hell I sometimes prefer those type of games over the more newer stuff)
And while Soul Hackers 2 has problems like the dungeons (or the demon scouting just trolling the hell out of me)
It's still a solid game and I do hope to see atlus experiment more
Which saying that I should really finish it soon (I'm at 4th dungeon which I got to clear up those soul matrix's before I continue)
Quick edit
I forgot to say how much I love this artstyle Shirow Miwa is a fantastic artist
I'm definitely a fan of his work especially after playing 7th dragon 3 and reading the RWBY manga
Yeah give it 5 years and this'll be the darling child of SMT i'm sure
keep at it my dude the game is goated, with the sauce dare I say
@@Kraftium yeah it's definitely gonna be a cult classic
And I'll definitely keep on going (I mean if it's a JRPG it's a sin for me not to finish it haha)
Also I edited the previous comment about the art style if you want to hear my opinion on it spoiler I love it
@phantomxero1x447 sorry dude, in real life ringo gets the girl
This is a extremely well articulated review, that actually touched on just about every aspect of SH2.
Most reviews I have seen of SH2 simply didn't touch on even half the topics you did, but instead harped on a aspect or two they didn't like about the game, for MINUTES on end.
Great job. I'm looking forward to future Megaten content, as well as other (J)RPG and especially Trails content.
haha I'm glad you enjoyed it
I definately feel like I can ramble a bit to much but knowing people appricate it makes it feel worth it
Even now I think about how I could of talked about the music and such but
1. its an area i'm not to well versed in talking about and wouldn't have as much to say
and 2. Unless I'm doing one of those 5 hour video essays I really don't want to go over 40 mins like the SMT5 vid again
Either way thanks for the comment, I'll do my best to keep improving
@@Kraftium Forsure, in time you will see improvements in areas to your satisfaction. I already feel you do a great job as is.
As with music, don't worry. As time goes on, you'll start slowly picking up on certain music tidbits that will help you be able to articulate and convey your feelings on the matter. I definitely wouldn't neglect mentioning your thought on the OST, since in Megaten, other JRPGs, and ESPECIALLY Trails, the music is absolutely incredible. And with Trails in particular, the music is used in so many creative areas, especially with conveying emotions of a scene and generally building the atmosphere to go along with the amazing narrative and environments presented.
I really like Ringo, she's witty and a cool voiced protagonist. The major issue for me, is that the story was pretty boring. The dull, repetitive dungeon designs didn't help either. I would give this game a Ringo/10
the dungeons are definately a black mark yeah
as for the story I think its fine, definately alot more they could of done with it but I put alot more stock in good character writing which I think Soul Hackers 2 has ESPECIALLY with ringo and saizo
The "hire this man, Nintendo" got me hard xD. Good video. Keep on doing them your doing some real good shit right here
Glad you enjoyed the video
and thanks for the support and compliment, it means alot, it really does
@@Kraftium ❤️
Great review man. Came here from the gaming shelf discord!
eyyy thanks dude
taylor's a great friend, wouldn't of managed to get off the ground without him
@@Kraftium awesome man! I started a channel a month or so ago! Been a learning curve. Look forward to the next video!!!
i was deadass starting to think i was the only one who liked this game
another banger kraft thank you very based and ringopilled
You have granted me the greatest honor
Thank you
Soul Hackers 1 managed to have more interesting and creative dungeon design on the Saturn compared to this game, not to mention PS2 games Nocturne and DDS.
yeah the dungeons are unfortunately a big black spot on the game
they're basically nocturne dungeons without the gimmicks which is ... oof
been hearing mixed stuff on sh2, and despite me still wanting to play it (on sale lol), seeing that the reviews for it on the steam page have become overall mixed too has kinda put me off for it and made me a bit more worried about its quality
this reviews really encouraging me to just give it a chance (on sale lol) though and see for myself what i think of it and just in general restored my optimism for the game.
idk how to finish this comment so i wont, have a nice day and 👋goodb
yeah if your on the fence a bit still then definately wait for a sale, I feel like with time soul hackers 2 will definately become a bit of a hidden darling of the series
Ringo my beloved
Ringo my beloved
PS2 game seems like a compliment. Too much compliment. Can't wait to try it.
I too am someone who enjoys the big dmg number brain chemicals... good stuff
but yeah good vid and it's nice to hear the pros and cons cause I feel like many reviews have just been on how disappointed the reviewer is without any mention of what it accomplishes. it's still probably not a game i'll pick up anytime soon but I did really enjoy the vid~ keep up the good work!!
Soul Hackers 2 definately has a reputation curse surrounding it
so many people had made up their mind on it before it had even been properly teased and I feel like people are leaning into that shame really
and thank you I'll do my best fellow dmg number enjoyer kat :D
I'm gonna get this on a sale
Amazing review, congrats. I really enjoyed this game. I prefer an Atlus experimental jrpg spin-off game than a smt/persona clone. I wish Atlus keeps making more of these games in the future. I'll gladly support them
oh yeah I absolutely want atlus to do some weird stuff with megaten again, its been too long
Have been playing the game around 22 hour, already reach the fight with Pazuzu there are 3 complain that I have with sh2 tho
1: The Matrix dungeon itself should have been unique each one because all of them are the representation of each of our companions, make them all the same and just change the path is just straight up plain
2: They should have keep the press turn system I mean WHY IN THE GODDAMN FUCK WOULD THEU REMOVE THAT ?? ISN'T THAT HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A THING ALL THE WAYS BACK IN NOCTURNE?? (I don't play the game before Nocturne so idk) ATTACKING THE WEAKNESS HAVE BECOME SOMETHING THAT IN ALMOST EVERY GAME ALREADY, BUT THE PRESS TURN SYSTEM IS WHAT MAKE SMT GAME ENJOYABLE AND NOW THEU REMOVE IT? WTF ATLUS?
3:Last but not least, WHY THE FUCKING PHYSICAL SKILLS NOW COST MP TO USE INSTEAD OF HP LIKE BEFORE??? NOW EVERYTHING REQUIRE MP TP USE GODDAMN IT
1. yeah thats a really good shout, would of been cool but it is unfortunately the budget dimension
2. every SMT game has had either press-turn or some varient of it since nocturne
mainline + DDS has "press turn"
Persona 3-5 has "once more/all out attacks"
Persona Q1 and 2 have "boost"
Strange Journey has "demon co op"
Raidou Kuzunoha has "demon motivation/team attacks"
TMS has "sessions"
Devil Survivor has "EXTRA TURN"
Soul Hackers 2 has the "stack/sabbath" system
Press turn is a great system and the varients on it can be hit and miss but they add some variety to each game so its not the exact same routine ever time
3. yeah the phys costing MP change started with SMT5 and I'm hoping it doesn't become a trend, HP costing phys skills felt like part of SMT's identity y'know
Very based video, thank you Ringo.
Thank you based ringo
I'm just about 50 hours in and as my first expedition outside of the Persona series and into the wider Atlus library, I really enjoy it. I know the day one DLC soured it for some people which to each their own on that. To me if a game's good enough, I'm willing to throw some extra cash its way but it's definitely a bad first impression. I also feel the combat and dungeons could've used some work. The attacks really lack impact andbthe dungeons, even with the dash, feel like a slog. Still the characters and plot so far have been enough to push me through and I really hope for a Soul Hackers 3. This world with this specific setting has a lot of potential
Wow. Extremely impressive review. I have not heard the game summarized and analyzed as thoroughly as you did, and I follow a LOT of SMT channels. You really did your homework on this one.
Two big mistakes that I think are damaging this game:
1) The title. Soul Hackers came out on the Saturn 25 years ago. Yes, it did get a remake on the 3DS, but even that was quite a while ago. They also dropped all the other titles, so SMT and Devil Summoner fans might not know the heritage. Atlus should have gone with a subtitle instead, like "Soul Hackers: The Apple and the Fig" or something more creative, I'm not a poet. It did wonders for Breath of the Wild, bringing in people who have never played a Zelda game.
2) They went with an older cast. To those of us that enjoyed Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, this is absolutely our jam, but playing as a high school student is pretty much a requirement in modern JRPGs. Making the cast older means they have regrets and experiences, as well as let them do things like go to bars and have less creepy relationships, but they're alienating a certain portion of their audience. I mean, isekai is pretty much the most popular genre of anime these days. I consider isekai to be cancer, but I was born when Jimmy Carter was president. I'm from a much different generation. I liked what they did, but I know some people are really not going to like it.
One thing that Atlus did do right was that they announced the game six months before it released, and released it on time in English and Japanese. We didn't have to wait almost five years, and they didn't delay it. I will give them a lot of respect for delivering, in this age of eternal hype and disappointment.
Good to see you back, Kraft. Excellent return to form. What's next in the pipeline? There's plenty more Falcom for sure. Or are you going to bring something completely out of left field, like a dating sim involving Kentucky Fried Chicken? Either way, I'll be there!
Yeah theres definately an unfortunate aura around soul hackers that has kinda cursed its popularity
Honestly I don't think a teenage party would of even helped that much
tokyo xanadu didn't exactly do well sales wise for example
Zero review, a general trails vid and a challenge run vid are in the pipeline, kinda want to do some quick first impressions of some of the Demos that released during TGS too
@@Kraftium TGS was awesome, but Nintendo was underwhelming. I didn't see anything that really stood out of the crowd. I'm getting Persona 5 Royal on my Switch and that's about it.
Some of the stuff that came out of Realms Con today is impressive too. Compound Fracture looks like a PS1 game, and I mean that as a compliment. So much nostalgia!
Devil Summoner actually stopped using the SMT monicker with SH1 on Saturn
SH1 and Raidou never had it
That's part of atlus Mislocalization where alot of games got mislocalized with the tag (Namely P3/4,P1 PSP,P2 IS PSP,Devil Survivor 1 and 2,DDS1 and 2,Raidou 1 and 2 and of course SH1 3DS)
@@sociallyawkard5675 Well... they should stop that then. It's not enough to stick an Atlus logo and a Jack Frost on something and expect it to sell. I'll usually buy it, but I'm a chump with disposable income. They need to get people other than me to buy their stuff.
@@100Servings yeah since TMS and P4G they've stopped mislocalizing game titles
I went to my friend’s house to hang out and actually tried this game out, and it’s subpar.
I’m playing the first Raidou game, and I’m having a good ol’ time. I personally found it more enjoyable, and that really is a PS2 game.
hey first raidou game is goat
as much style and cool writting as it has tho I do kinda wish it played more like a real video game but 2 addresses that problem
@@Kraftium For me, it’s the balance of the game. You have to manage a lot of variables, like money, demon loyalty, demon abilities, and so on, but you’re rewarded for playing intelligently. The healing fountains in dungeons and the price of the demon compendium sort of force the player to become self-reliant. You even have to pay for healing your demons, and the item shop is bonkers. However, the game gives you demons inside dungeons that are useful to bring along.
I think the play style it’s trying to elicit from you is supposed to match Raidou being a lone wolf/poor detective dude. Maybe I’m thinking too hard on that, but I love the balance/reward of this game.
Ringo is a Starr
SHE DOES IT LIKE NO ONE ELSE
Tbh i think comparing sh2's dungeons to persona's is pretty unfair since they have a very different gameplay-loop. I prefer p3 and p4's dungeons since they have a focus on time- and recource-management. Also the rather simple dungeon-design isn't really a problem for me since persona focuses primarily on the battlesystem. Furthermore there's this almost roguelike aspect to personas dungeons which leads to making progress through the dungeons and improving the characters builds being really fun. Just wanted to put that out there since i think that p3 and p4's dungeons (and by extension mementos) deserve much more praise.
I feel like this game wouldn’t of got as bad a reception if it wasn’t called soul hackers 2, It added unnecessary expectations. It’s a good game not as bad as some people have said.
People seemed to have it out for Soul Hackers 2 since day -1
I have no idea why but people were CONVINCED it was either a mobile game or NFTs before the countdown website dropped the teaser
Atlus is the Ubisoft of JRPGS
well thats certainly a take, mind eleborating?
They don't release games even remotely frequently enough to be the ubisoft of JRPGs
Oh heck no! As a former Assassin's Creed fan, I won't let this slander stand! Atlus doesn't release nearly as many games and even the worst ones I've played (Persona 4 and Soul Hackers 2) are leagues better than anything released by Ubisoft since Assassin's Creed 3. Sure they're DLC practices can be a pain sometimes but they at least make the base game good enough to earn that extra money
The biggest thing holding me back from enjoying it is the art style. I miss the '90s cyberpunk grunge style of the first game. The new style just feels... generic 2010s anime?