Tokyo/world map comparisons. Like Vortex world, changes from smt4 to apocalypse Tokyo, and how SMT V's Tokyo is the lamest world map to date and how tough it will be for Atlus to make a lamer map
For a series with such a diverse cast of supernatural figures I’m often surprised their content to stick with 4 main elements almost always. Would like to see a nature element or the water element returning.
The Bad Ending felt really satisfying. It honestly served as the only reasonably decent writing that actually reflected the game's theme - grief. And it finally made Ringo feel like she was going to set off as a protagonist rather than Arrow's sidekick.
i really dont enjoy that you dont actually summon your demon in battle, rather you just use their abilities (from what ives een anyway i havent played it yet)
Yeah sucks having demons just be accessories, but I think players outside the core smt audience don’t care much about the demons/personas and prefer characters as party members
same thing for me, its so overpriced in Brazil the BASE GAME, with the DLCs it only gets worse, way worse waiting for a crack to come out now so I can play
I think there’s some consideration to make for a 25 year-old game, but you’re super right. Atlus has improved dramatically since then, so it’s weird that they’d release a sequel like this. I personally would’ve enjoyed a more Matrix vibe - with a different art-style, less highlighter colors, and maybe a more mission-based story. There’s no bigger boner-killer than subpar social links. Edit: Also, huge missed opportunity to have soul hacking (tm) as a way to recruit demons.
@@kingghidorah6655 as someone who started with P5, then played P3, P4, PQ and final Soul Hackers 2 I really enjoyed it. And already miss the cast except Milady. My only nitpick is the fact they teased Arrow’s and Ringo romance but never went with it anywhere.
I feel Soul Hackers 2 was a bit disappointing. I was pretty excited for it and I found that the the battling was fun, but the dungeons were very flawed. Also the comp upgrading was usually not that satisfying other then when you got like a new commander skill to use in battle. I agree with you the soul matrix was super disappointing. Every floor looks the same and the first two floors there's no puzzles and like you mention it's just going straight to the end of it. I do not think Soul Hackers 2 was a bad game, but it also was not a great game. It was kind of just okay.
@@Tony4You Yeah. Unfortunately this game sells in Japan even worse than 3DS remaster of first Soul Hackers, not to mention of Saturn / PSX version of SH1 and especially original Devil Summoner which is still 3rd best selling SMT game in Japan (after Persona 5 and Revelations Persona). I know this is only in Japan, but this can convince Atlus to only make Persona and mainline SMT in future.
The actual theme, such as it exists, seems to be an examination of how different people deal with loss or betrayal from their loved ones. Ringo to Figue (and Flamma), Figue to Raven, Saizo to Ash, Milady to (original) Iron Mask, and Arrow to... Kaburagi/Raven/Mangetsu. Looking at it from that lens, I don't think it's *bad,* just not amazing. Also is Arrow gay? That may have just become my new headcanon... This is actually what made me like Saizo the *most* of the core party - contrast his "vision of the future" (getting back together with Ash, having a kid) with Milady (becoming the new Iron Mask). Both are going back to the same cycle of violence the game dealt with, but Saizo's vision is fairly wholesome, compared to Milady leading a paramilitary group who were literally kneeling before her. I've enjoyed the game. It's on the low end of the SMT-franchise games I've played, but it's still been a decent enough time that I'm trying to finish up the last couple achievements before I put it down. *Pretty* annoyed that I can't finish the 5F soul matrix stuff before New Game Plus, though...
@@Tony4You funnily the thing that detaches me from the SMT "vibe" is the Sabbath. If the turn system would be in the game I'd put it at maybe a 7. Granted the matrix is extremely stale but I think you have super valid points on all of the topics discussed. Always phenomenal detail and quality Tony ❤️
I liked the game but felt it was too easy...you could just grind till your mp was low ...back out to the safehouse snd and rest...then do it again...no bosses really felt challenging aand by the end i was super op
One thing about this game that really really grinds my gears is the idea that Raven was able to track down kill and impersonate a high-ranking member of Phantom Society... and nobody noticed!!! How are we supposed to believe the idea that Phantom Society was going to eventually win the war when they're so incompetent that one guy going rogue was able to do this and they're so stupid that they never noticed that he had done it?!?
@@Tony4You Nahh, at least Ringo takes over the orphanage in the bad ending as well, so I see it as a win-win. (unless she also does that in the good ending)
One thing I also noticed watching this video was just how poorly done the animations were done when changing from one to another. Rather than gradually leading into one they just snap to the next.
Well, if nothing else, at least we got Ringo out of this game. Ngl, it's rare to have an SMT protagonist with an innate personality. Or hell, female playable protagonists in general in SMT.
i keep seeing people say stuff like this, "at least it was a female protag". Who cares? I want well written plots and characters alongside my good gameplay, not a character whose only saving grace is that it's different in one (1) way from other protags created by the same developers.
@@TheManeymon You know that wasn't my main point, right? It was that Ringo is rare mostly because she has a personality and quirks and shit like that. It's not a Yu Narukami situation where his personality came from adaptations and was then canonised. The latter statement was mostly a thought, moreso than a "that's why the game's good" thing. Off the top of my head, there's been 6 female protags over SMT's long history. 3 of em are Persona protags. It's just weird, right? Like, I'm more surprised they never experimented with that, even on a "Yo, we can sell so many figures of our protag" level
They tried some new things story and character wise for this game and I am happy they are willing to experiment if nothing else. Shame it wasn't to my liking, but it sets a good precedence
Soul Hackers 2 is literally related to Soul Hackers 1 only by name. It's too different imo in everything to be called Soul Hackers. I think the main issue is that the game got overhyped cause it's called Soul Hackers, it would have been much better off giving the game its own title but still part of the Devil Summoner sub series.
I was a bit of a hater from jump since the first trailer because of the vastly different vibe it gives off compared to the first game, and the lack of pre release English trailers till like, the day before didn't help. But im down to receive an in depth look by good ol Tony, see if my mind can change.
Fun fact: It's actually the third game, Soul Hackers isn't its own series it's part of the Devil Summoner series and the first game is called "SMT Devil Summoner".
I was looking forward to Soul Hackers 2, but a lack of hardware on my end led me to not being able to play it myself It's a shame to hear it didn't hit as well as it could because from what I saw and what was shown, the game had tons of potential
The main points I want to disagree on was: - Saizo's got a good story, not about his girlfriend specifically but about wanting to leave the world they are in full of fighting for your life with demons and live normally with a family, but that world wasn't going to let you go, they have their house burned down just to send a message that they can't stop taking contracts cause they feel it. Ash and Saizo are both in a horrible place, and Saizo is the one trying to keep hope for both him and Ash considering she's so broken and miserable thinking she can't leave a life of killing and near-death battles. - Milady's story is explained satisfactory, she wants to know why her lover and man she's dedicated her life to would suddenly turn on her and call her traitor... That's cause that man is dead, Raven took his place, and wanted the covenant she had, meaning she had to die. That is a good resolution that could have had more screen time, but it was never not lacking in what happened. She knows why her lover betrayed her and now wants revenge. - Figue NEVER loved Raven, she is the more emotional of the AIs Aion made... Understanding human emotions more, she was more feeling and compassionate. And when Raven was this broken nihilist that wanted everything to end she only wanted to show him why humanity was worth it no matter the hardships and why his life was precious too, it wasn't a love thing it was a strong belief she held till he died before she could show him humanity's greatness. Which shook her own belief and made her snap. Made her question what Aion had programmed into her. These are just what I think from the game.
Found a solution to Atlus being scumbag with their DLC: only buy their games used, and email them telling them how they make no money directly from you because they are scumbags with DLC
Jesus Christ its just some stupid costumes, people treat DLC as if it killed their family. You don't have to grab it if you don't want to that's kinda the point in the DLC being superfluous.
Good video dude and agree with a lot of your points. The story did borderline stupid at times but I found the gameplay loop quite enjoyable for a game clearly on a budget. Combat was fun and I think the music fit the game really well. I’ve gotten used to mid stories in jrpg’s but the 2003 quality dungeons were pretty tragic.
I really enjoyed the game and did all the content. I love the characters and the story was decent. I think it’s more of a traditional turn based JRPG with dungeon crawling. The sabbath are fine imo and it doesnt have to have press turn or one more/baton. I really love the art design tho and the music is good. As for bland dungeons, while i love smt and persona i feel a lot of the series has that issue
"I think it's more of a traditional turn based JRPG with dungeon crawling" isn't all of SMT + Persona 1 and 2 IS/EP that ? Or are you comparing SH 2 to modern Persona ? "As for bland dungeons... I feel a lot of the series has that issue" that is definitely true for the early games like SMT 1 and 2, Persona 1, 2, 3 and 5 (for 3 it's Tartarus. For 5 it's mementos). SMT 3, 4 (counting apocalypse too), Strange Journey, Persona 3 (full moon operation dungeons), Persona 4 and Persona 5 (Palaces) are all great JRPG dungeons that aren't generic (especially with their OSTs) and calling them bland (at least imo) doesn't make any sense even with special mental gymnastics training. I'm not talking about stuff like Digital Devil Saga, Raidou and Devil Survivor since the format is different and the places aren't called dungeons per se but the environments look good nonetheless.
I hate that I everyone is shiting on the game I know that it's not perfect but I honestly I love it. Change my mind you can't but anyway it's not my opinion it's yours at least its only 40 euros.
In the US it is $60 dollars, add 20 plus more for the scummy dlc and it’s almost $90. On top of that everyone for the most part isn’t even hating on it, they are just pointing out how clearly it wasn’t given enough time in development and is no where near the quality a game with Altus name attached should be. People like you need to stop licking Atlus’s butt so much and telling everyone “to be happy with what your given”. No bro I won’t, and others won’t be happy because we know this company can do much better than this.
TL;DR I didn't agree with your interpretation of Figue as a character, but I still love your videos and can't wait for the next one! That wasnt how I saw Figue as a character at all. I didn't even see her as being in love with Raven. She is new to being a human like Ringo, so there are a lot of concepts she hasn't learned about yet. One of which is the idea of raising the next generation so they can grow up and make the world a better place. That's how she's introduced to Raven, as a man who's doing exactly that. And because she has almost no prior experiences, this new concept totally takes over her personality and she starts seeing the world through that lense. Much like a child would look up to someone and totally obsess over them, and wanna be like them. When she finds out who Raven really is, she refuses to accept it, and still only sees the idealized version of him she's made up in her head. Even when she tries to bring him back, he admits he was wrong, and isn't the person Figue thinks he is. She still ignores him and continues to see him as a loving father to those children. Figue has seen all the same horrible things that Ringo has throughout the story. And while Ringo takes a more hopeful approach to try and make humanity better, Figue thinks that they are too far gone. By the end of the game, Figue's singular goal is about protecting the children from the cycle of violence in the world. And she thinks the only way to do that is to rewrite humanity as being incapable of violence, even if it costs them their individuality. I think her and Maruki are a bit similar, where they are willing to take control of everyone's lives, but do so with legitimately good intentions. I dont think her love for Raven really matters at that point if she even loves him in that way at all. Figue and Ringo both saw the same things, but came to different conclusions. And the conflict stemmed from them never really taking the time to know and understand eachother. They are both aspects of Aion, so Ringo just assumes that whatever she thinks is best for humanity, must be what Figue thinks too. Most of the game is spent with the two separated from eachother, and while Figue will provide (admittedly kind of annoying) support, she's off accomplishing her own tasks, and perceiving the events in her own way. I think that's the central theme of the game that I got. "Conflict almost always stems from a lack of communication and understanding." That can be seen with Ringo and Figue, but also several other times throughout the game, including Yatagarasu and the PS. They both want whats best for the world in their own way. Not the strongest theme ever, but I think it goes a lot deeper than just Figue falling for a man and trying to destroy the world for no reason. Ultimately, we just interpreted things differently and that's totally cool. I love your videos. Keep doing what you're doing!
I thought the game was very nice, especially when compared to SMTV. Smtv was way more disappointing to me. For sure the biggest flaw imo was the dungeon design and lack of unique dungeon music. Other than that this game is tight for me.
I'd say i liked it more then most people though i wouldn't say i loved the game because it's problems do hold it back form being a truly great game. I liked everyone of the party members, i liked the visuals, i liked the combat (even if i prefer the Press turn system), i liked the story even with it's problems. what held it back for me were the Soul Matrix (mostly around the 3-4 floors), i didn't care much for the side quests even if some of them had stories i liked, and i think some characters and plot points get dropped way to early or don't get explained all to well. I do hope Soul Hackers 2 does well enough for Atlus to start investing on sequels on they're other SMT spin offs or just make more enhanced re-release of them, That or Soul Hackers itself will become a new series either way i'm interested to see what the future holds for Atlus after this.
I don't agree with everything but OH GOD I hated the figue stuff. It's so badly reasoned I wanted to wack her. Also some bosses turn the stack system into an absolute joke. The DLC yoshitsune boss is so badly designed and BS the person who designed it should be blacklisted from the industry. What a bad idea. I don't think SH2 is a bad game but it was def my least favorite of the last few ATLUS releases
Yeah I suppose I have very specific tastes for game narratives and this game stacked up so many little things I hate it was annoying, then hit me with a coup de grace of an ending that ruined the whole thing retroactively. Gameplay is unique if anything, but like you said very poorly designed. Here's hoping the next game has more time in the oven
I disagree with your analysis regarding Figue’s motivation. I dont think she fell in love with him, i rather think she got profoundly touched by him. I agree however that we needed more exposition for Figue to really understand her motivations. Also her not summoning the Great One and wanting to soul hack all of humanity to rearrange human souls to not seek conflict anymore shows that she wanted to carve her own path based on her view of the world instead of going with the predetermined way layed down to her (involking the Great one). Even Aion states before the fight that it does not agree with Figue’s decision. So i disagree that she could not think for herself. I di however agree with you that the Bad ending feels more in tune with the themes of the games. I love me a bittersweet ending with a final touch of hope!
I feel that the theme of stagnation is shown but not on a grand level. You meet people throughout the game both in the main cast and small side characters that don’t change not because of a lack of attention in writing but because they refuse to. I think it’s interesting that to get the true ending (spoilers) you have to deny all of the stagnant ideologies of people you have met and who have sacrificed themselves to their ideologies in the story. Then you have to deny Figue the completion of her sacrifice.
I like the game. A lot actually. It's not as good as other SMT games I've played, Persona included but I like it a lot. To me the plot is more than serviceable, the characters are great and I like the gameplay. Though the dungeons are bit.... Eh.... To me it's a 7.5.
Well i only watched half the video because I do intend to play it at somepoint, but what you said has made me think waiting for sale was the right play.
Yeah definitely was one of the main things that took me out of it. Seems like such an obvious thing when they keep interrupting each other playing normally
I loved the game. Level 73 on the dlc hard difficulty. Finishing the 5th floors of each ally. I give it an 8 out of 10 :). Love the new more fluid animations on the demons and the neat sabbath attacks of demons like jack frost
Really is no reason why it isn’t, I mean it doesn’t even offer as much as SMT 5 did in terms of scale and environment. I wouldn’t be shocked if next year during a random Nintendo Direct this is announced coming to Switch.
At least Saizo has a good aesthetic and sounds nice. Ringo is probably the best part of the game though. Because she *actually talks*, unlike most protags.
@@Tony4You i know its been 6 months, but yeah i feel you, its seem hard that a company like Atlus noticing a content creator and giving him things, seems like a "dont bite the hand thats feeds you" situation, but you gotta give a L when a game needs, and i respect you for that Tony!
You... played soulhackers 1 how do you not... no you do understand soul hackers is connected to devil summoners and survivors there is a layer of data world stuff that can be seen in several locations in this game alone. Atop of the fact that magic exists and so does a form of techomagic wizardry. You ignoring that part of the world itself is pretty disingenuous and yes I'm 6 months late I played the game myself and watched someone play through soulhackers1 amongst the other spin offs
THE AI IS CLEARLY ONE OF THE GREATER GODS HELL AION THE NAME ITSELF IS A GODS NAME YOU YOURSELF RESEARCH THIS STUFF! how do you not know this aeon is clear the axioms pawn in this game you yourself even have a video covering this Edit:is to correct the spelling on Aion.
saizo's design is one of the types of designs that I don't really like. Feels like a really uninspired attempt to make a character that looks "cool" by a 15 year old.
Granted, that kinda is his shtick, he is supposed to look unserious, given he's mostly the comic relief character (thankfully, it isn't an overdone bit)
"out of all the possible ips they could've had new additions in" >digital devil saga uhhhhh.... yeah i don't think that's happening considering how 2 ended good video though
I probably will not play this game even if released on Switch. It is just a too strong departure from the original. Can replay Soul Hackers instead, even with all the archaic systems in place. But glad for those who supported Atlus by purchasing it. Hope it was enjoyable in some way. I actually love Atlus-too many great games over the years. Do not understand the hate they often get.
I got the Limited Collector’s Edition but let me say that fact that I have not touched it yet. I have a lot of JRPG backlogs that are still due to be played but I am very disappointed with what I heard and saw so far. Day 1 DLC for this including staple demons, cut story content as paid dlc, and costumes doomed it for me. I might get the DLCs in 2 years or so when it’s on a cheap sale.
Wow... I heard soul hackers 2 too was a mess... but I wasn't expecting _this_ level of mess. Tony, are there any call backs to the first game or _anything_ that might point to this game needing an external info source to make this whole thing make some semblance of sense?
Honestly I always felt like this game was probably the lowest budget game Atlus had created except Persona 5 Dancing and Persona 3 Dancing just from how quickly it was announced and released. I mean Shin Megami Tensei 5 isn't even a year old yet.
Trust me, in past there was a lot more budget games than TMS/SH2 from Atlus, and that dont mean games were bad or mediocre. The best examples: Catherine, Radiant Historia, Growlanser, Maken X, Devil Survivor, Trauma Center, Etrian Odyssey, Vanilaware games. Someone of them are really great, like Devil Survivor, Catherine or Radiant Historia.
@@adult11252 For me. More similar to TMS (design, dungeons) + Persona 5 (characters, characters in battle instead of 2 humans + demons, similar UI) + Strange Journey for casuals (Sabbath is casual version of Demon Coop from Strange Journey, Commander Skills from Strange Journey Redux).
This is a game that I felt it came out of nowhere. Look I'm not the biggest DS:SH fan out there but yeah sure if they want to build more on that series I'm more than happy for that. I'm not sure what caused the community to develop a raging hateboner for this game before it was released but that didn't change my opinion. Oddly enough I was more interested in the release of this game by many things except the fact that it was a SMT game or a Devil Summoner game. I'm a big of Shirow Miwa (Artist), the JP VA cast and MONACA (Music) so this being a SMT game and a DS one was just the cherry on top. Now that the game is out and I have done everything available in this game: Mediocre! This isn't a good game but it's not a bad one either, I say it's worth paying for it if you have a case of a real bad SMT itch and you are looking for something to sink some hours. Otherwise please do wait for a sale I insist. At first it felt like a lazy game, then it felt like going through a developer hell's unwanted kid but once I was done I finally realized that this game is just a rushed mess to make a quick buck.
I say what it kills me inside it's how this game is just a rushed product with no care about anything: Characters look amazing as hell yet they are so stiff, they only have one default idle animation, they only made a couple of models so there's tons of samefaces, scenes are repetitive, creatively is not death but it feels massively underwhelming because the tools are right there. The in-game scenes are a chore to watch, terribly directed with pretty much the same assets on stage over and over, the animators sure they were in a hurry to make the scenes as fast (soulless) they could, the dialogue is not interesting or bad it's just there to fill the scenes and story, the music was exclusively made for the scenes with nothing special in mind, this is so disappointing because all ATLUS game have great soundtracks... This one it's just... There. Nothing bad, nothing good either. I know the company has many talented people but it feels like they gave them a deadline to come up with something to print and easy buck and they just did what they could while playing it safe. The result feels like a fucking Falcom game. They have all these HD assets and they way they use them feels lazy. In fact I could compare it to a pokemon game but those have actual replay value.
I always thought that ATLUS couldn't come up with a worse story than SMTIV:Final and I'm glad it didn't happen here. Instead what you get here it's just a simple nonsensical short story limited to its own universe that either you like or hate it. There's nothing offensive about it, there's nothing that ruins other SMT in fact it does not even involve that much the Devil Summoner universe. This game is currently at the top spot of the Devil Summoner timeline/story and yet if you don't like it you can just ignore it and it doesn't change anything about your favorite Devil Summoner games. If the game flops or if it receives really bad feedback you can rest easy it's going to be ignored the same way DeSu2 killed DeSu titles (With some luck they will not make an anime about it...) So yeah not an offensive story to experience unlike SMT4:F or a complete utter mess like SMTV, it's just a dumb story that if you can sleep soundly pretending it doesn't exist assuming you somewhat got offended by its existence otherwise it's another cheap anime kusoge plot to justify selling a game. At the end of the day you can ask yourself if these developers would have done a better job with more time, because frankly that's what they needed so they could actually piece a story in the game, to actually flesh out the characters, setting, the plot for pete's sake... and also to work in content that would make people like me feel like coming back to this game once in a while. You can also be a sour grape and wonder if they were could have just spent their time making a different thing but who knows maybe that could have been a good game. Or an actual bad game. Anyways if I'm honest at the end of the day I still rather play this thing than SMT:V
Being honest the story isn't that bad, it's not Shakespeare but ot was never supposed to be "deep" like other smt games. For your "plot hole" they do explain it but the pacing is so admittedly off so I can understand that. Also not defending it but figue's motivations are better explained in new game plus (only bringing this is because you yourself said you played multiple playthroughs and thats when figue hangouts unlock). Also you bring up poor characters but most of their "development" happens within soul matrix so again it comes off on your part as oxymoronic considering you admitted to liking and doing soul matrix. Finally gameplay, this probably the mlst boring smt/atlus game in awhile. Sabbaths are nowhere as fun as many other systems because how bare bones it starts off. Some of these skills shouldn't have been locked behind soul matrix. And there's no reason not to ever experiment/use aoe because there's no underlying threat of losing turns. Also have a problem with how you said building characters, commander skills encourage you to switch demons on the fly so you never have to worry about your coverage and hitting weaknesses along with the dungeon design is poor. All in all I wanted to like this game because of the characters but the gameplay was too bare bones and not challenging to engage me.
I love megaten..... but this..... was way off for me. It was a SLOG to get through for not much payoff otherwise... I DID however enjoy buying the demon pack, for MEGA POWER! Seriously I did! But ugh.... just didn't hit me how P5 and smt5 did... It's a solid 6 out of 10 for me.... I'll play smt 3 and 4,raidou, etc. instead! I would say Im glad I got it, but shoulda been much more ghan it was... The art and mood are great and the subject matter is awesome, however.
SH2 is kinda weak in the plot department... but hey, at least the party is going around getting directly involved in the events of the game instead of watching/relieving memories of people way more interesting and having the mc dragged along the story like SH did
We deserved better? What makes us so damn great? All we do is shell out cash, sit on our asses and play video games. Gamers need to stop glorifying themselves so much; we are the bitchiest, laziest and most entitled group of consumers on the planet. The game was fine. The game was fun! Sure, it’s no Persona, but it was never meant to be. Sure, it’s not worth the price of a new Persona game, so just get it on sale, Jesus Christ.
Soul hackers 2 sucked for me. Im playing a REAL cyberpunk game cyberpunk2077 ver.1 6 wooooo am i having fun pc! SH2 is so damn glitchy and buggy i cant even process thru the main storyline. Then the dlc glitch, infinite loading glitch, freezin and crashin, ugh what a waste of money!
not good at all* imagine thinking getting rid of the press turn system is a good thing. and it did cloud your judgment sellout. you dared call it a good game.
Ya the game could of used more development time. Dungeons and soul matrix were turds to look at, so bland and boring. They never made repel or absorb elements on higher demons. Also there were no unique attacks made for Metatron and other high level advanced demon fusion which i see as lazy afness. Also holy shit the screwd up the demon compendium fusion prices so bad. Everthing was so expensive. A level 99 demon to resummon costs like 5.5mil macca
They do have element absorbs and repels on higher level demons. I do find it sad they didn't make as many exclusives, but to be fair, Fire of Sinai was always broken unless you were playing Nocturne or DDS 2 Also, fusion prices seem high, except you also gain a shitload of money too
Oh i know they have absorb and repels on higher demons but nothing you could pass down as skills to fuse onto other demons to mix and match and have demons with those skills. Like if i wanted a full repel demon i couldn't fuse that because the skills to fuse onto other demons dont exist @@kichiroumitsurugi4363
Thanks for reaffirming my overall conservative desire to wait on a sale for this one in the next year or so. What is up with that pointless and insipid plot? And wait wha- the bad ending is actually the better and more peaceful of the two?
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Tokyo/world map comparisons. Like Vortex world, changes from smt4 to apocalypse Tokyo, and how SMT V's Tokyo is the lamest world map to date and how tough it will be for Atlus to make a lamer map
Personally if they were going to get rid of light/dark then psychic and nuclear would have fit the game well.
Oh yeah that would be cool, but the character's rigid archetypes would have to go too
For a series with such a diverse cast of supernatural figures I’m often surprised their content to stick with 4 main elements almost always. Would like to see a nature element or the water element returning.
Imagine if they reintroduced Gravity, now that would've been a surprise
I want a new Digital Devil Saga so badly.
That would be the good timeline
@@Tony4You I wanna live in that timeline.
@@Tony4YouThe monkey's paw curls
Ringo and the Zombie Pals Vs. The very Horny A.I
Good plot synopsis
The Bad Ending felt really satisfying. It honestly served as the only reasonably decent writing that actually reflected the game's theme - grief. And it finally made Ringo feel like she was going to set off as a protagonist rather than Arrow's sidekick.
The bad ending felt like it actually had something to say, character development and the like. This game really is strange
@@Tony4You there are so few games out there where the bad ending is better than the good ending.
@@Argonisgema Seriously
Good game with a lot of problems.
Damn thats exactly how I feel as I'm getting closer to beating the game
Yeah sadly most games are like that now a days, and not in the charming way
i really dont enjoy that you dont actually summon your demon in battle, rather you just use their abilities (from what ives een anyway i havent played it yet)
They took out a lot of what made the earlier SMT games charming for convenience which is a shame yeah
@@Tony4You I mean Persona did the same thing and again this isn’t an SMT game
@@DIEFORME173 Yea but in Persona you literally get to summon your Persona when you use a skill so this change doesn't make sense
@@mysteryboii4869 fair
Yeah sucks having demons just be accessories, but I think players outside the core smt audience don’t care much about the demons/personas and prefer characters as party members
The main reason I didn't bought is the overpriced in my country, not to mention day 1 DLC, a shame since Ringo is best girl
same thing for me, its so overpriced in Brazil the BASE GAME, with the DLCs it only gets worse, way worse
waiting for a crack to come out now so I can play
@@ahiru6600 250 jogo base kkkkkkkkkkkkk
I agree...Ringo is best girl.
A real shame yeah, Ringo is great despite all I said about her tho
@@Tony4You 😩👌
,,Soul Hackers was mid so this game should be too!"-Atlus
Now it all makes sense!
I think there’s some consideration to make for a 25 year-old game, but you’re super right. Atlus has improved dramatically since then, so it’s weird that they’d release a sequel like this.
I personally would’ve enjoyed a more Matrix vibe - with a different art-style, less highlighter colors, and maybe a more mission-based story. There’s no bigger boner-killer than subpar social links.
Edit: Also, huge missed opportunity to have soul hacking (tm) as a way to recruit demons.
I love the first sh 😔
soul hackers 1 was not mid
@@kingghidorah6655 as someone who started with P5, then played P3, P4, PQ and final Soul Hackers 2 I really enjoyed it. And already miss the cast except Milady. My only nitpick is the fact they teased Arrow’s and Ringo romance but never went with it anywhere.
I feel Soul Hackers 2 was a bit disappointing. I was pretty excited for it and I found that the the battling was fun, but the dungeons were very flawed. Also the comp upgrading was usually not that satisfying other then when you got like a new commander skill to use in battle. I agree with you the soul matrix was super disappointing. Every floor looks the same and the first two floors there's no puzzles and like you mention it's just going straight to the end of it. I do not think Soul Hackers 2 was a bad game, but it also was not a great game. It was kind of just okay.
I've never been more conflicted about a game. Overall I'd say it isn't great, but like I said I want it to succeed for more spin-offs
@@Tony4You Yeah. Unfortunately this game sells in Japan even worse than 3DS remaster of first Soul Hackers, not to mention of Saturn / PSX version of SH1 and especially original Devil Summoner which is still 3rd best selling SMT game in Japan (after Persona 5 and Revelations Persona). I know this is only in Japan, but this can convince Atlus to only make Persona and mainline SMT in future.
It was mid asf. Coming from P5R and SMTV this game should of blown us away. It's not an L but it's not a W. The music was amazing as usual
@@kingghidorah6655 smtv good
The actual theme, such as it exists, seems to be an examination of how different people deal with loss or betrayal from their loved ones. Ringo to Figue (and Flamma), Figue to Raven, Saizo to Ash, Milady to (original) Iron Mask, and Arrow to... Kaburagi/Raven/Mangetsu. Looking at it from that lens, I don't think it's *bad,* just not amazing. Also is Arrow gay? That may have just become my new headcanon...
This is actually what made me like Saizo the *most* of the core party - contrast his "vision of the future" (getting back together with Ash, having a kid) with Milady (becoming the new Iron Mask). Both are going back to the same cycle of violence the game dealt with, but Saizo's vision is fairly wholesome, compared to Milady leading a paramilitary group who were literally kneeling before her.
I've enjoyed the game. It's on the low end of the SMT-franchise games I've played, but it's still been a decent enough time that I'm trying to finish up the last couple achievements before I put it down. *Pretty* annoyed that I can't finish the 5F soul matrix stuff before New Game Plus, though...
Really enjoyed it. 8/10 for me (10 being DDS1 and Nocturne).
Good vid.
I agree it is around 8/10 and DDS1 and Nocturne being 10/10....well Nocturne for me is more a 9 to 9.5/10.
Completely fair, it's still a great game if viewed outside of the SMT lens
@@Tony4You funnily the thing that detaches me from the SMT "vibe" is the Sabbath. If the turn system would be in the game I'd put it at maybe a 7.
Granted the matrix is extremely stale but I think you have super valid points on all of the topics discussed.
Always phenomenal detail and quality Tony ❤️
how do you rate dds2?
I liked the game but felt it was too easy...you could just grind till your mp was low ...back out to the safehouse snd and rest...then do it again...no bosses really felt challenging aand by the end i was super op
One thing about this game that really really grinds my gears is the idea that Raven was able to track down kill and impersonate a high-ranking member of Phantom Society... and nobody noticed!!! How are we supposed to believe the idea that Phantom Society was going to eventually win the war when they're so incompetent that one guy going rogue was able to do this and they're so stupid that they never noticed that he had done it?!?
You know Figue's awful when the ending where she dies is the better ending
Lol yeah maybe that's me being unhinged a bit
@@Tony4You Nahh, at least Ringo takes over the orphanage in the bad ending as well, so I see it as a win-win. (unless she also does that in the good ending)
Yeah, and that Skynet I mean Aion is gone with her as well.
So, what you're saying is... that Digimon Hacker's Memory is a better Sould Hackers 2 than Soul Hackers 2? 😜
~ Adam
One thing I also noticed watching this video was just how poorly done the animations were done when changing from one to another. Rather than gradually leading into one they just snap to the next.
Well, if nothing else, at least we got Ringo out of this game. Ngl, it's rare to have an SMT protagonist with an innate personality. Or hell, female playable protagonists in general in SMT.
i keep seeing people say stuff like this, "at least it was a female protag". Who cares? I want well written plots and characters alongside my good gameplay, not a character whose only saving grace is that it's different in one (1) way from other protags created by the same developers.
@@TheManeymon You know that wasn't my main point, right? It was that Ringo is rare mostly because she has a personality and quirks and shit like that. It's not a Yu Narukami situation where his personality came from adaptations and was then canonised.
The latter statement was mostly a thought, moreso than a "that's why the game's good" thing. Off the top of my head, there's been 6 female protags over SMT's long history. 3 of em are Persona protags. It's just weird, right? Like, I'm more surprised they never experimented with that, even on a "Yo, we can sell so many figures of our protag" level
@@0uttaS1TE what's the point of having a protag not be silent if their personality isn't any good either?
@@TheManeymon Idk, I find her likeable if nothing else
They tried some new things story and character wise for this game and I am happy they are willing to experiment if nothing else. Shame it wasn't to my liking, but it sets a good precedence
Soul Hackers 2 is literally related to Soul Hackers 1 only by name. It's too different imo in everything to be called Soul Hackers.
I think the main issue is that the game got overhyped cause it's called Soul Hackers, it would have been much better off giving the game its own title but still part of the Devil Summoner sub series.
just another spin off titles to add in the many SMT games. id rather they not add a new one
*"I'm so sick and tired of the shït in my ársе, but when I try to take it out - all that appears is GAS!"*
(a) Ringo, SMT: Soul Hackers 2
The set up for this game would have been great for different endings...would have liked to fought the Phantom's Society's "god".
If only there was more to this game, more development time would do wonders
Damn now i gotta play it
It alright, it not subtle or nuanced though
@@Tony4You SAME BEER?!?
I was a bit of a hater from jump since the first trailer because of the vastly different vibe it gives off compared to the first game, and the lack of pre release English trailers till like, the day before didn't help. But im down to receive an in depth look by good ol Tony, see if my mind can change.
Fun fact: It's actually the third game, Soul Hackers isn't its own series it's part of the Devil Summoner series and the first game is called "SMT Devil Summoner".
This isn't the most disappointing Atlus game I've ever played, but it was trying really hard to be.
Here's hoping Atlus hasn't fell off completely
I am still not convinced Jack Bros is a real thing that exists in the wild and isn't just a long running April Fools gag.
I was looking forward to Soul Hackers 2, but a lack of hardware on my end led me to not being able to play it myself
It's a shame to hear it didn't hit as well as it could because from what I saw and what was shown, the game had tons of potential
First review who is actually honest and not a atlus dckrider
I try to be honest no matter what, but this was right after Atlus took notice of me lol. Maybe wasn't my smartest move
The main points I want to disagree on was:
- Saizo's got a good story, not about his girlfriend specifically but about wanting to leave the world they are in full of fighting for your life with demons and live normally with a family, but that world wasn't going to let you go, they have their house burned down just to send a message that they can't stop taking contracts cause they feel it. Ash and Saizo are both in a horrible place, and Saizo is the one trying to keep hope for both him and Ash considering she's so broken and miserable thinking she can't leave a life of killing and near-death battles.
- Milady's story is explained satisfactory, she wants to know why her lover and man she's dedicated her life to would suddenly turn on her and call her traitor... That's cause that man is dead, Raven took his place, and wanted the covenant she had, meaning she had to die. That is a good resolution that could have had more screen time, but it was never not lacking in what happened. She knows why her lover betrayed her and now wants revenge.
- Figue NEVER loved Raven, she is the more emotional of the AIs Aion made... Understanding human emotions more, she was more feeling and compassionate. And when Raven was this broken nihilist that wanted everything to end she only wanted to show him why humanity was worth it no matter the hardships and why his life was precious too, it wasn't a love thing it was a strong belief she held till he died before she could show him humanity's greatness. Which shook her own belief and made her snap. Made her question what Aion had programmed into her.
These are just what I think from the game.
Coming from P5R and SMTV this game should of blown us away. It's not an L but it's not a W. The music was amazing as usual
This game has plenty of aspects to love despite how much I dogged on it. I love the music for sure
Atlus really did fall off
Congrats on getting under Atlus' radar! Doesn't feel like too long ago I watched your first video! Congrats on the growth!
Oh hey thanks so much! I will always remember the commenters on my first video, I've missed your comments lol
@@Tony4You Yeah things have been busy but glad I was able to catch this one
And on top of this it also released with day one DLC, very mid game at best.
Yeah I am not going to be purchasing that lol
I did bc I support Atlus and I'm enjoying it. Between other games it's a nice turn based break from shooters and Tekken. The music is decent too
Found a solution to Atlus being scumbag with their DLC: only buy their games used, and email them telling them how they make no money directly from you because they are scumbags with DLC
Jesus Christ its just some stupid costumes, people treat DLC as if it killed their family.
You don't have to grab it if you don't want to that's kinda the point in the DLC being superfluous.
Then don’t be surprised when they stop making the games you want lol. You could just not buy the DLC
@@MegaOverclocked hey now
Good video dude and agree with a lot of your points. The story did borderline stupid at times but I found the gameplay loop quite enjoyable for a game clearly on a budget. Combat was fun and I think the music fit the game really well. I’ve gotten used to mid stories in jrpg’s but the 2003 quality dungeons were pretty tragic.
I’m definitely waiting for a price drop or sale before getting this
I really enjoyed the game and did all the content. I love the characters and the story was decent. I think it’s more of a traditional turn based JRPG with dungeon crawling. The sabbath are fine imo and it doesnt have to have press turn or one more/baton. I really love the art design tho and the music is good. As for bland dungeons, while i love smt and persona i feel a lot of the series has that issue
"I think it's more of a traditional turn based JRPG with dungeon crawling" isn't all of SMT + Persona 1 and 2 IS/EP that ? Or are you comparing SH 2 to modern Persona ?
"As for bland dungeons... I feel a lot of the series has that issue" that is definitely true for the early games like SMT 1 and 2, Persona 1, 2, 3 and 5 (for 3 it's Tartarus. For 5 it's mementos).
SMT 3, 4 (counting apocalypse too), Strange Journey, Persona 3 (full moon operation dungeons), Persona 4 and Persona 5 (Palaces) are all great JRPG dungeons that aren't generic (especially with their OSTs) and calling them bland (at least imo) doesn't make any sense even with special mental gymnastics training. I'm not talking about stuff like Digital Devil Saga, Raidou and Devil Survivor since the format is different and the places aren't called dungeons per se but the environments look good nonetheless.
It was good enough for me.
I hate that I everyone is shiting on the game I know that it's not perfect but I honestly I love it. Change my mind you can't but anyway it's not my opinion it's yours at least its only 40 euros.
In the US it is $60 dollars, add 20 plus more for the scummy dlc and it’s almost $90. On top of that everyone for the most part isn’t even hating on it, they are just pointing out how clearly it wasn’t given enough time in development and is no where near the quality a game with Altus name attached should be. People like you need to stop licking Atlus’s butt so much and telling everyone “to be happy with what your given”. No bro I won’t, and others won’t be happy because we know this company can do much better than this.
The into is slowly becoming something I look forward to and I'm not complaining
The theme of stagnation is really interesting as it relates to japan, and C*VID’s effects on tech and video games.
By far the best SMT content creator.
High praise! Thanks legend
TL;DR I didn't agree with your interpretation of Figue as a character, but I still love your videos and can't wait for the next one!
That wasnt how I saw Figue as a character at all. I didn't even see her as being in love with Raven.
She is new to being a human like Ringo, so there are a lot of concepts she hasn't learned about yet. One of which is the idea of raising the next generation so they can grow up and make the world a better place.
That's how she's introduced to Raven, as a man who's doing exactly that. And because she has almost no prior experiences, this new concept totally takes over her personality and she starts seeing the world through that lense. Much like a child would look up to someone and totally obsess over them, and wanna be like them.
When she finds out who Raven really is, she refuses to accept it, and still only sees the idealized version of him she's made up in her head. Even when she tries to bring him back, he admits he was wrong, and isn't the person Figue thinks he is. She still ignores him and continues to see him as a loving father to those children.
Figue has seen all the same horrible things that Ringo has throughout the story. And while Ringo takes a more hopeful approach to try and make humanity better, Figue thinks that they are too far gone.
By the end of the game, Figue's singular goal is about protecting the children from the cycle of violence in the world. And she thinks the only way to do that is to rewrite humanity as being incapable of violence, even if it costs them their individuality.
I think her and Maruki are a bit similar, where they are willing to take control of everyone's lives, but do so with legitimately good intentions.
I dont think her love for Raven really matters at that point if she even loves him in that way at all.
Figue and Ringo both saw the same things, but came to different conclusions. And the conflict stemmed from them never really taking the time to know and understand eachother.
They are both aspects of Aion, so Ringo just assumes that whatever she thinks is best for humanity, must be what Figue thinks too. Most of the game is spent with the two separated from eachother, and while Figue will provide (admittedly kind of annoying) support, she's off accomplishing her own tasks, and perceiving the events in her own way.
I think that's the central theme of the game that I got. "Conflict almost always stems from a lack of communication and understanding." That can be seen with Ringo and Figue, but also several other times throughout the game, including Yatagarasu and the PS. They both want whats best for the world in their own way.
Not the strongest theme ever, but I think it goes a lot deeper than just Figue falling for a man and trying to destroy the world for no reason.
Ultimately, we just interpreted things differently and that's totally cool. I love your videos. Keep doing what you're doing!
I thought the game was very nice, especially when compared to SMTV. Smtv was way more disappointing to me. For sure the biggest flaw imo was the dungeon design and lack of unique dungeon music. Other than that this game is tight for me.
I can see people liking it compared to SMTV for sure, regardless of it though I was still very dissapointed
i do like this more free form style vid! All your stuff is good but i wouldn’t mind more videos like these
Thanks a lot! Was worried people wouldn't like it
I'd say i liked it more then most people though i wouldn't say i loved the game because it's problems do hold it back form being a truly great game. I liked everyone of the party members, i liked the visuals, i liked the combat (even if i prefer the Press turn system), i liked the story even with it's problems. what held it back for me were the Soul Matrix (mostly around the 3-4 floors), i didn't care much for the side quests even if some of them had stories i liked, and i think some characters and plot points get dropped way to early or don't get explained all to well. I do hope Soul Hackers 2 does well enough for Atlus to start investing on sequels on they're other SMT spin offs or just make more enhanced re-release of them, That or Soul Hackers itself will become a new series either way i'm interested to see what the future holds for Atlus after this.
finally a tony4me video after a drought of recommendations where youtube has been recommending me shit I don't even watch
praise be
The algorithm is a fickle mistress my friend, thanks for showing up!
I don't agree with everything but OH GOD I hated the figue stuff. It's so badly reasoned I wanted to wack her. Also some bosses turn the stack system into an absolute joke. The DLC yoshitsune boss is so badly designed and BS the person who designed it should be blacklisted from the industry. What a bad idea. I don't think SH2 is a bad game but it was def my least favorite of the last few ATLUS releases
Yeah I suppose I have very specific tastes for game narratives and this game stacked up so many little things I hate it was annoying, then hit me with a coup de grace of an ending that ruined the whole thing retroactively. Gameplay is unique if anything, but like you said very poorly designed. Here's hoping the next game has more time in the oven
I disagree with your analysis regarding Figue’s motivation. I dont think she fell in love with him, i rather think she got profoundly touched by him. I agree however that we needed more exposition for Figue to really understand her motivations. Also her not summoning the Great One and wanting to soul hack all of humanity to rearrange human souls to not seek conflict anymore shows that she wanted to carve her own path based on her view of the world instead of going with the predetermined way layed down to her (involking the Great one). Even Aion states before the fight that it does not agree with Figue’s decision. So i disagree that she could not think for herself. I di however agree with you that the Bad ending feels more in tune with the themes of the games. I love me a bittersweet ending with a final touch of hope!
I agree, the game is good but not great and it fails where other past megaten spinoffs have succeeded before which is baffling
I feel that the theme of stagnation is shown but not on a grand level. You meet people throughout the game both in the main cast and small side characters that don’t change not because of a lack of attention in writing but because they refuse to. I think it’s interesting that to get the true ending (spoilers) you have to deny all of the stagnant ideologies of people you have met and who have sacrificed themselves to their ideologies in the story. Then you have to deny Figue the completion of her sacrifice.
I tried but I couldn’t get into either of the soul hackers games, for different reasons.
The theme of stagnation is kind of convenient for creating a world/environment in a video game 😂
Ringo is hot tho
And I'm one of a few who wants A Digital Devil Saga 3, and I don't think it's entirely impossible given that Atlus made this.
next up is Devil Survivor. hope the 3rd game will be good
do androids dream of anime husbandos the video game
I like the game. A lot actually. It's not as good as other SMT games I've played, Persona included but I like it a lot. To me the plot is more than serviceable, the characters are great and I like the gameplay. Though the dungeons are bit.... Eh.... To me it's a 7.5.
Well i only watched half the video because I do intend to play it at somepoint, but what you said has made me think waiting for sale was the right play.
way too much in-battle yapping
like holy shit even backing out of character menus makes them talk again? were they high?
Yeah definitely was one of the main things that took me out of it. Seems like such an obvious thing when they keep interrupting each other playing normally
I like the story... People do crazy things when they're in love.
I loved the game. Level 73 on the dlc hard difficulty. Finishing the 5th floors of each ally. I give it an 8 out of 10 :). Love the new more fluid animations on the demons and the neat sabbath attacks of demons like jack frost
Fair enough, like I said I really want this game to succeed for more devil summoner games
Id totally buy it if it was on Switch
Really is no reason why it isn’t, I mean it doesn’t even offer as much as SMT 5 did in terms of scale and environment. I wouldn’t be shocked if next year during a random Nintendo Direct this is announced coming to Switch.
this game makes no fucking sense at all
Yeah, both Soul Hackers games have that in common lol
@@Tony4You i think the first game was better this games just not good
@@Heartlessi Ringo is the Nemissa of Soul Hackers 2, carrying the otherwise bland game.
At least Saizo has a good aesthetic and sounds nice. Ringo is probably the best part of the game though. Because she *actually talks*, unlike most protags.
Dang, it takes a lot to make Tony to dislike a Megaten game this much.
I'm usually a very positive guy, so videos like this weigh on me. Especially after Atlus just took notice of me
@@Tony4You i know its been 6 months, but yeah i feel you, its seem hard that a company like Atlus noticing a content creator and giving him things, seems like a "dont bite the hand thats feeds you" situation, but you gotta give a L when a game needs, and i respect you for that Tony!
You... played soulhackers 1 how do you not... no you do understand soul hackers is connected to devil summoners and survivors there is a layer of data world stuff that can be seen in several locations in this game alone. Atop of the fact that magic exists and so does a form of techomagic wizardry. You ignoring that part of the world itself is pretty disingenuous and yes I'm 6 months late I played the game myself and watched someone play through soulhackers1 amongst the other spin offs
THE AI IS CLEARLY ONE OF THE GREATER GODS HELL AION THE NAME ITSELF IS A GODS NAME YOU YOURSELF RESEARCH THIS STUFF! how do you not know this aeon is clear the axioms pawn in this game you yourself even have a video covering this
Edit:is to correct the spelling on Aion.
I'll wait for it to be free.
saizo's design is one of the types of designs that I don't really like. Feels like a really uninspired attempt to make a character that looks "cool" by a 15 year old.
Yeah lol, the shark teeth are always tryhard for a design
@@Tony4You FRRRRRR
Granted, that kinda is his shtick, he is supposed to look unserious, given he's mostly the comic relief character (thankfully, it isn't an overdone bit)
The digital deluxe is on sale right now for 35$ would you recommend it ?
The story sounds like multiple lobotomies gone wrong VERY wrong 🤣
No, no, no, Tony4 *_You_*
"out of all the possible ips they could've had new additions in"
>digital devil saga
uhhhhh.... yeah i don't think that's happening considering how 2 ended
good video though
I probably will not play this game even if released on Switch. It is just a too strong departure from the original. Can replay Soul Hackers instead, even with all the archaic systems in place.
But glad for those who supported Atlus by purchasing it. Hope it was enjoyable in some way.
I actually love Atlus-too many great games over the years. Do not understand the hate they often get.
Not good enough even tho on Compendium's channel you said you liked it (outside of the Soul Matrix dungeons?)
I got the Limited Collector’s Edition but let me say that fact that I have not touched it yet. I have a lot of JRPG backlogs that are still due to be played but I am very disappointed with what I heard and saw so far. Day 1 DLC for this including staple demons, cut story content as paid dlc, and costumes doomed it for me. I might get the DLCs in 2 years or so when it’s on a cheap sale.
Still a good video four months later. After seeing the poor quality of the P3P port + this, I fear that even P6 may not be that good
There was a second game?
If counts Raidou Kuzunoha games, Soul Hackers 2 it's 5th game in Devil Summoner series.
Wow... I heard soul hackers 2 too was a mess... but I wasn't expecting _this_ level of mess. Tony, are there any call backs to the first game or _anything_ that might point to this game needing an external info source to make this whole thing make some semblance of sense?
Yeah it's rough. There are virtually no call backs to the first game other than maybe Victor and the Zoma "twist" sort of. This was just a shame
Honestly I always felt like this game was probably the lowest budget game Atlus had created except Persona 5 Dancing and Persona 3 Dancing just from how quickly it was announced and released. I mean Shin Megami Tensei 5 isn't even a year old yet.
Trust me, in past there was a lot more budget games than TMS/SH2 from Atlus, and that dont mean games were bad or mediocre. The best examples: Catherine, Radiant Historia, Growlanser, Maken X, Devil Survivor, Trauma Center, Etrian Odyssey, Vanilaware games. Someone of them are really great, like Devil Survivor, Catherine or Radiant Historia.
Funny enough, after fig, I just stop playing completly.........
This game is like a step backwards to Persona 3/4 with some optimisation. I like P5 combat and exploration more than 3/4 so it kinda quite bad for me.
This game is step back from Devil Summoner and Devil Summoner Soul Hackers, not Persona ...
@nr2676 Imho, this game is similar to Persona3/4 (and may include TMS) more than the original soul hacker.
@@adult11252 For me. More similar to TMS (design, dungeons) + Persona 5 (characters, characters in battle instead of 2 humans + demons, similar UI) + Strange Journey for casuals (Sabbath is casual version of Demon Coop from Strange Journey, Commander Skills from Strange Journey Redux).
SMT writing has never been exceptional, but there are games in the series with better stories than this and Soul Hackers.
You liked this game and not soul hackers 1?
SH1 by comparison just has less going for it
probably subpar bc theyre working on p6 lol
Here's hoping lol
When I saw Mara was a DLC demon, I lost interest.
Those DLC demons hit me so hard too, who removes Satan from SMT?
@@Tony4You The same people who sell the most popular demon.
Mara not being in my SMT is fine w me
I don't like any of the games atuls has released lately. Think I'll stick to the old stuff
How is this a sequel?
This is a game that I felt it came out of nowhere. Look I'm not the biggest DS:SH fan out there but yeah sure if they want to build more on that series I'm more than happy for that.
I'm not sure what caused the community to develop a raging hateboner for this game before it was released but that didn't change my opinion.
Oddly enough I was more interested in the release of this game by many things except the fact that it was a SMT game or a Devil Summoner game. I'm a big of Shirow Miwa (Artist), the JP VA cast and MONACA (Music) so this being a SMT game and a DS one was just the cherry on top.
Now that the game is out and I have done everything available in this game: Mediocre! This isn't a good game but it's not a bad one either, I say it's worth paying for it if you have a case of a real bad SMT itch and you are looking for something to sink some hours. Otherwise please do wait for a sale I insist.
At first it felt like a lazy game, then it felt like going through a developer hell's unwanted kid but once I was done I finally realized that this game is just a rushed mess to make a quick buck.
I say what it kills me inside it's how this game is just a rushed product with no care about anything: Characters look amazing as hell yet they are so stiff, they only have one default idle animation, they only made a couple of models so there's tons of samefaces, scenes are repetitive, creatively is not death but it feels massively underwhelming because the tools are right there.
The in-game scenes are a chore to watch, terribly directed with pretty much the same assets on stage over and over, the animators sure they were in a hurry to make the scenes as fast (soulless) they could, the dialogue is not interesting or bad it's just there to fill the scenes and story, the music was exclusively made for the scenes with nothing special in mind, this is so disappointing because all ATLUS game have great soundtracks... This one it's just... There. Nothing bad, nothing good either.
I know the company has many talented people but it feels like they gave them a deadline to come up with something to print and easy buck and they just did what they could while playing it safe.
The result feels like a fucking Falcom game.
They have all these HD assets and they way they use them feels lazy. In fact I could compare it to a pokemon game but those have actual replay value.
I always thought that ATLUS couldn't come up with a worse story than SMTIV:Final and I'm glad it didn't happen here. Instead what you get here it's just a simple nonsensical short story limited to its own universe that either you like or hate it. There's nothing offensive about it, there's nothing that ruins other SMT in fact it does not even involve that much the Devil Summoner universe. This game is currently at the top spot of the Devil Summoner timeline/story and yet if you don't like it you can just ignore it and it doesn't change anything about your favorite Devil Summoner games. If the game flops or if it receives really bad feedback you can rest easy it's going to be ignored the same way DeSu2 killed DeSu titles (With some luck they will not make an anime about it...)
So yeah not an offensive story to experience unlike SMT4:F or a complete utter mess like SMTV, it's just a dumb story that if you can sleep soundly pretending it doesn't exist assuming you somewhat got offended by its existence otherwise it's another cheap anime kusoge plot to justify selling a game.
At the end of the day you can ask yourself if these developers would have done a better job with more time, because frankly that's what they needed so they could actually piece a story in the game, to actually flesh out the characters, setting, the plot for pete's sake... and also to work in content that would make people like me feel like coming back to this game once in a while.
You can also be a sour grape and wonder if they were could have just spent their time making a different thing but who knows maybe that could have been a good game. Or an actual bad game.
Anyways if I'm honest at the end of the day I still rather play this thing than SMT:V
I just know you would hate neon genesis evangelion lol
Being honest the story isn't that bad, it's not Shakespeare but ot was never supposed to be "deep" like other smt games. For your "plot hole" they do explain it but the pacing is so admittedly off so I can understand that. Also not defending it but figue's motivations are better explained in new game plus (only bringing this is because you yourself said you played multiple playthroughs and thats when figue hangouts unlock). Also you bring up poor characters but most of their "development" happens within soul matrix so again it comes off on your part as oxymoronic considering you admitted to liking and doing soul matrix. Finally gameplay, this probably the mlst boring smt/atlus game in awhile. Sabbaths are nowhere as fun as many other systems because how bare bones it starts off. Some of these skills shouldn't have been locked behind soul matrix. And there's no reason not to ever experiment/use aoe because there's no underlying threat of losing turns. Also have a problem with how you said building characters, commander skills encourage you to switch demons on the fly so you never have to worry about your coverage and hitting weaknesses along with the dungeon design is poor. All in all I wanted to like this game because of the characters but the gameplay was too bare bones and not challenging to engage me.
I love megaten..... but this..... was way off for me. It was a SLOG to get through for not much payoff otherwise... I DID however enjoy buying the demon pack, for MEGA POWER! Seriously I did! But ugh.... just didn't hit me how P5 and smt5 did... It's a solid 6 out of 10 for me.... I'll play smt 3 and 4,raidou, etc. instead! I would say Im glad I got it, but shoulda been much more ghan it was... The art and mood are great and the subject matter is awesome, however.
SH2 is kinda weak in the plot department... but hey, at least the party is going around getting directly involved in the events of the game instead of watching/relieving memories of people way more interesting and having the mc dragged along the story like SH did
We deserved better? What makes us so damn great? All we do is shell out cash, sit on our asses and play video games. Gamers need to stop glorifying themselves so much; we are the bitchiest, laziest and most entitled group of consumers on the planet. The game was fine. The game was fun! Sure, it’s no Persona, but it was never meant to be. Sure, it’s not worth the price of a new Persona game, so just get it on sale, Jesus Christ.
I thought it was great game.
Soul hackers 2 sucked for me.
Im playing a REAL cyberpunk game cyberpunk2077 ver.1 6 wooooo am i having fun pc!
SH2 is so damn glitchy and buggy i cant even process thru the main storyline.
Then the dlc glitch, infinite loading glitch, freezin and crashin, ugh what a waste of money!
its not perfect but its LEAGUES better than SMT V so thats good enough for me.
not good at all* imagine thinking getting rid of the press turn system is a good thing. and it did cloud your judgment sellout. you dared call it a good game.
Figue being the final boss came out of know where lmao.
Ya the game could of used more development time. Dungeons and soul matrix were turds to look at, so bland and boring. They never made repel or absorb elements on higher demons. Also there were no unique attacks made for Metatron and other high level advanced demon fusion which i see as lazy afness. Also holy shit the screwd up the demon compendium fusion prices so bad. Everthing was so expensive. A level 99 demon to resummon costs like 5.5mil macca
They do have element absorbs and repels on higher level demons.
I do find it sad they didn't make as many exclusives, but to be fair, Fire of Sinai was always broken unless you were playing Nocturne or DDS 2
Also, fusion prices seem high, except you also gain a shitload of money too
Oh i know they have absorb and repels on higher demons but nothing you could pass down as skills to fuse onto other demons to mix and match and have demons with those skills. Like if i wanted a full repel demon i couldn't fuse that because the skills to fuse onto other demons dont exist @@kichiroumitsurugi4363
Thanks for reaffirming my overall conservative desire to wait on a sale for this one in the next year or so. What is up with that pointless and insipid plot? And wait wha- the bad ending is actually the better and more peaceful of the two?
Dude the last quarter of the review here is disingenuous...