Check out our other reviews out today - Wonderboy Asha in Monster World ruclips.net/video/tn8L8N55TfU/видео.html & King of Seas ruclips.net/video/GWAZEtlhTag/видео.html Thank you to Geoffrey for his help with writing this review. Please do check out his channel, The Indie Gaming Guild, here: - ruclips.net/channel/UC78FhnyTNORAvBmeH1VAV8A Will you be picking this one up? Is it one you have big nostalgia for? Let us know in the comments section.
Hang on....is that the character's real in-game name, Wadsworth Plopington?!?! I may rescind my initial speculation of this title just to play as Mr. Wadsworth Plopington...
Love the channel! One thing you guys didn't mention was how the original US version had the extra bosses, dungeon, and endings that came as the base game for the ps2. In remaster, you now have to buy the deluxe version just to play what was considered the base game in 2003.
Well we should be getting SMT V sometime and if its updated and improved from the older ones i think itll do well. Its just Persona got 4 and 5 vs smt 4 and apocalypse which was on handheld so doesnt look as appealing to most peopel
Ahh. Koudelka another quality game. It’s a shame the devs Nautilus are now defunct and the publishers are now Universal Entertainment Corporation and just make gambling machines.
This is, so far, my GOTY. I got my Switch way back in ‘17 for SMT V. Interesting thing about the compressed audio: the reason it isn’t the Non compressed version is because in the actual programming everything music is on one file and pieces of the file play when they are bid to. It’s really interesting, actually so look into it if you’re curious.
Would've been nice if they made a Collection instead of releasing just this. I'd imagine if they had bundled the super famicom entries with this game, the price would've been justified
The game is faithful to the original. Much sharper details but the BGM compression is atrocious. It's like the sound is being played on a crappy bluetooth speaker and then recorded on a 2003 smartphone. Voice acting is good (played in japanese but english VA is available). Gameplay still holds. Camera is very finicky. I played the original but didn't have the chance to finish it. The suspend anywhere is enticing enough for me to make me dive right in. A solid 7/10. Lol wrote the comment before watching. Good to see I'm not alone in my assessment especially the audio issues.
YES was waiting for my friends from SwitchUp to review this game before I pick it up today! Never played this before so I’m super excited. Everyone who reads this, y’all are awesome
I totally understand the value criticism ($50 is a lot for what this is), as well as the subjective criticism of the audio and visual (even if I personally disagree). But the gameplay score seems a bit off to me. Nocturne isn't flashy, but in terms of combat that rewards strategic team building, skillful reactive play, and full use of its mechanics, this might be the most perfect example of turn-based JRPG combat ever made. And I'm saying this as someone who's played a metric ton of JRPGs. Obviously, in matters of taste there can be no dispute, but still...
not mentioning the press turn system and defining the combat as classic jrpg in the review is crazy. (Don’t have anything against the reviewer just wanted to point this out)
I blew through the first boss this time. When I played it before, on a crappy emulator, it took me a ton of grinding. This time it was easy. Idk really why. I think I had more/variety of demons in my party and had 2 that dealt what the boss was weak to. I'm digging it. Gotta keep in mind that this is kind of old-school as you point out in the video.. No autosave, no checkpoints, no fast travel. yep. As an SMT fan, your review is fair and spot-on in its criticisms. They could have done so much more. Or charged less.
SMT IV took it too far by spoiling the player with so much fusion customization. It quickly reaches a point where people won't care what demon.jpg is being fused, only that it singlehandedly does everything as a weakness attacker, buff/debuff collection or medic with the vulnerabilities removed. You used to require a team of 6-8 demons swapped around to fit each fight, but now it's almost as simplified as Persona.
I've bought two of the series on portable, I always feel like I get too much into the weeds of combining the monsters to create new ones - that I end up burned out before I can actually make any real progress.
Such a masterpiece of JRPG goodness. No shame in buying this version even still owning the original, having this on the go will be amazing. Wish Dante had been free though instead of a paid dlc, but it happens nowadays unfortunately.
I still don’t understand why everybody seems okay with the lag when enemies spawn. It happens so frequently if I was playing it I handle it. It’s not a very good port from the looks of it. How do you keep lag in a nearly 20 year old game?
I’m just glad to be able to play it on my Switch, since I don’t own a PS2 or PS3. I played Strange Journey on 3DS as my introduction to SMT, and now I’m excited to try one of the most revered games in the main series. 70 seems a little harsh based on all the positives I’ve heard about this game over the years, but I guess you are judging it based on the standards of a modern remaster. I’m going in fully expecting the PS2-era jank that comes with a cult classic title, so maybe I’ll have a better time. The game looks gorgeous and atmospheric based on the art style alone, at least. I think that aspect has aged very well. Personally, I just hope it does well enough to get Atlus thinking about other ports from this franchise. I’ve heard good things about Digital Devil Saga, and that apparently recycles some assets from Nocturne, and runs on the same engine. Would be a natural next step.
Realistically EVERY game from the PS2 should be Ported as they all use the same Engine and share Assets (particularly the Demon designs) those would be: SMT 3 Nocturne Digital Devil Saga 1 Digital Devil Saga 2 Devil Summoner Raidou 1 Devil Summoner Raidou 2 Persona 3/FES Persona 4 Pretty sure even other games like Maken Shou Demon Sword used the same Engine so that could be ported forward as well
Thanks for the time spent on bringing us a quality review. For a game like this it really isn’t easy, especially for a fan favourite in a very much loved series. I’m also a huge JRPG fan and yeah, if I’m honest, we’ve come a long way when it comes to quality of life. We simply didn’t know any better growing up, but remastering efforts today need a lot doing to them to bring them into today’s standards. Just look at what Atlus did remaking their 3DS SMT games. That’s how it’s done.
@@V-Jes Yeah, I should have worded it as all the DS games that got ported to 3DS. Technically enhanced ports, but with the reworked features/graphics and rebalancing of the games, along with the additional gameplay, they feel like new experiences. They did to me and I could only considers those versions to play today.
I would like to see them bring over Strange Journey, it's a good game on it's own but is also a bit more causal. Making it a good starting point for new SMT players.
I would rate this a 100 lol but 70 is a good score. As much as I love the original they definitely could have added more for that price point. They could have allowed us to use the music from the pack to play during regular battles but beyond that the game is still perfect for me.
As far as I am aware both the North American and European versions were very limited quantity releases because most Jrpgs were still considered niche. That is why just about any Jrpg from the PS2 era and earlier seems to have at minimum retained it original retail value often increasing with each entry as they sold less.
This is why JRPGs are usually day one buys for me, they're becoming more popular but still niche, atelier ryza for example is really hard to find in Aus.
I'm around 5 hours in and I'm having a blast. I understand that this won't be everyone's cup of tea - the age is definitely showing - but for me, I don't mind the repetitive-looking locations much and am having a blast. I played SMT IV and that had a ton of QoL stuff going for it already, so I'm loving the challenge that SMT III brings. I have to be smarter about my fusions now and can't just fuse whatever I want willy-nilly. Great game for old school RPG enthusiasts!
My feeling about the game is exactly what you guys said. I was super excited, but will play SMT 4 Apocalypse on my 3DS along with Devil Survivor while i am waiting for SMT 5 to come around...
Eh, it’s def showing its age and not that much in a charming way. This comes from a guy who goes on retro binges often too. I just like the possibility of “more Atlus stuff on the Switch” precedent…
@@anenemystand5582 since I’m on the switch, obviously not a graphics whore lol; that said, it looks bad enough to be a mobile game, but upscaled enough to not retain a retro charm. Plus, like review said, no effort was really made to optimize dated mechanics. I am a sucker for turn based jrpgs, but I know people will not find the catching mechanic enough to offset that grind.
@@stormrider1049 well a few things. The turn based combat is still better an more innovate than most modern day turn based RPGs, and you shouldn't have to grind. Shin megami tensei is structured to avoid grind. When you hit a wall its usually an indication that you need to switch up your team, not tack on a few levels. Also,, mobile games can look quite good so I dont get the comparison. Over all I just dont get it. I play a lot of retro games as well. Metroid, the original castlevania, smt 1, the first fire emblem. This game definitely holds up better than any of them. I swear I'm not asking this in a rude way but have you actually played the game
@@anenemystand5582 no and I’m not going to spend the estimated 30-40 hrs to play it to satisfy a random person on the internet who’s seems like a fan of the game. That’s why I’m on this channel in the 1st place, for myself. I use grind in the context of not a MMO or JRPG player. Turn-based in of itself is a grind for most people, more so when paired with random encounter. Cool, change teams… that’s not innovative, modern and retro often have that. Demon catch is neat, likely not enough since not hawt anime girls lol. Yeah, look past the few exceptions (every statement has one, wow) and you’ll see copy paste of trends or extra shiny stuff to hide lack of something elsewhere. Or fine, even mobile games also look better, happy? Game’s still not flattering in retro or modern sense to me. Could just be the pixel art slut in me talking but whatever. In the end, if you don’t get it (and I commend your attempt to try as most people skip that stage), you won’t get it. It’s an opinion after all, and much like how I don’t get how people can not like Jojo, I settle for recognizing flaws to what I like, know that people may hate that or other things, and moving on.
@@stormrider1049 bruh changing teams isnt what's innovative. It's the press turn system that rewards good play with an extended turn and bad play with reduced turns. This is an incredibly complex system. I'm not asking you to play the game. I just thought your criticisms seemed like someone who had never played and smt game. Look I probably shouldn't recommend this because "oh heavens the legal ambiguity!" But you can um, emulate the original game for zero dollars. It's a pretty stable emulation and frankly the remake is bare bones enough that there isnt much your losing out on. By the way the first thing that made me realize that youd never played the game is calling it "catching." Smt uses a much more fun negotiation system. Think kind of like how you can talk to monsters in undertale. Talking to demons is honestly super fun. Some even have special dialogue, like if you have loki talk to thor. There is also fusion. A system which let's you make new demons by fusing two old ones and thus synthesizing their abilities to make an ultimate demon. This whole system is great fun. Anyway my point is smt nocturne is not like any turnbased jrpg you've played. There are a ton of details small and large that all interplay to make it a wholly unique experience that even turnbased games of today fall short of. My goal isnt to get you to play the game. It's to understand people saying its showing its age. So far to me it seems to be mostly people who havent played the game. Which is fine, it's not your fault. But it is kind of a bummer.
Glad I waited for a review on this one, something I'll probably pick up in a future sale but not particularly interested in paying full price. Thanks for the review guys!
As good as the game is from an experience point of view and the art style has aged well it isn't worth the price for what has been minimal effort put into a HD port. I will say if you haven't played the original version though and don't have access to a PS3 to be able to get the PS2 version digitally, then this is definitely worth considering. I would actually like to see the two Digital Devil Saga games get released in a package though as they use the same engine but are probably the most story driven SMT games, but only at a reasonable price.
I loved the Shin Megami and Persona series, so I'll get this one eventually (since it basically just has "improved" graphics). But regarding the "Pokemon"-esk recruiting and developing minions aspect, I really hope for a game playing on the mechanics of games like Castlevania: Curse of Darkness or Jade Cocoon I&II.^^ Also Ni no Kuni I 'still great.;o) And maybe another (good) Overlord part? Cheers!
It would be nice to get SMT IV ported from 3DS. I really enjoyed that entry. Persona IV and V would be a good addition to switch too. If I’m honest, I’m pretty sure both these franchises are a license for Atlus to print money on Switch. I agree with you on the price with this one. A little too high for an old game with not much in the way of improvements. Great review as always.
Always wanted to play it back in the day but didn’t have a PS2. Loved IV and IV Apocalypse so this want was a no brainer. started it last night and I have been loving it, but I can totally get behind what you didn’t like.
I love love SMT series it's the mother series to Persona (the one the kids like) but us older gamers prefer the more mature darker adulter tone of the main games SMT games. My first one was SMT4 on 3ds but fell in love with it and seemed out older games on other systems , it's like Pokemon for Adults ... currently i just beat the second boss (Matador ) (be ready with demon that can buff your party's evasion & hit rate ) i like the game allot.
This seems like the type of game you need to read a guide on before starting up. Cool old school RPG - def. for fans of the series - but quite rough around the edges. Great review Geoffrey/Mark!
I had a feeling SMT3 remaster was gonna be underwhelming. And for $55 (after taxes) it's most definitely not worth it. If this game interests you, just download a ps2 emulator and play it on that. I would've preferred to have SMT4+SMT4 Apocalypse in a combined "definitive edition". But even then, I would've only felt comfortable dropping 34.99 on it. Oh well, here's hoping SMTV isn't going to be a giant flop...but it's starting to look like it may be a disappointment.
I personally won’t be going for this one, if only because I never really got into the series. But it seems like fans of the series might enjoy it. Thanks for the review.
Yes! Looking forward to ur review. I heard that the NG MC only has the sigma versions of NG black and NG2 with NG3 Razor Edge cuz team ninja lost the source code's of NG Black and NG2. Hope to hear ur take on this in the upcoming review.
Out of interest, will you be covering Maneater which release today? Would really like to see your reviews and opinion and also potentially a re-review once things are patched in the future.! Thanks for turning out some more awesome content
Great review, thanks for the overview on lots of aspects of the game. Due to the time it takes, the price and being a mid-tier remaster, I will pass for now
Ok I'm a huge fan of this series as you know. However, to charge £50 to £60 dependent on digital or physical release for having done zero effort is a bit off. I will pick up on physical once that price is halved
Coulnt beat it at the time. i got older , patient, accept my fate, i just hope i will not threw my switch against my wall this time... A must buy! Why? to show ATLUS the market is on the switch !!!!
About to get my pre order of the game, but I agree that it should've been cheaper. $50 should have included the DLC, $30-35 base game might have been more understandable.
I was excited about this release, but as i do not have it for ps2, i am more excited about receiving my copy of kowloon high school chronicle. I preordered it with SAGA Frontier, so it wasn’t shipped when it was released.
He is DLC as he was originally exclusive to the Maniax edition (what is the version that got localized) while Atlus naturally doesn't own Dante so they had to pay for the rights to use him again and even more for having his voice actor voice him, what is fair enough.
Interesting take from somebody who hasn't played Nocturne before, the game is a cult classic for a reason, but of course it will show its age. For those of us who played it back in the day, this was a mind-blowing take on the traditional JRPG storytelling. Also the demon fusion was something great and only common to past smt titles, who also aged poorly for people who haven't experienced it. Try to think about somebody playing FFVII for the first time now, it will be a little bit... ugh. Not worth the price, we agree on that.
Playing FFVII for the first time right now and I definitely feel this. There’s a fun JRPG in there somewhere, but it feels like a weird experiment in just how many random minigames they can cram into their fancy new PS1 3d engine, all while shoving you along a fairly linear storyline. A story that’s also hampered by a stilted English translation. At least Nocturne is going to be PS2-era jank once I get to it, which is probably more palatable.
@@danielludwig647 you got yourself a beautiful piece of gaming history right there. I understand how you feel though, me coming from the late 1980s PC gaming era for example I can't stomach Atari 2600 games, I think for younger generations those games we called clasics will feel a little bit like baby's toys. That's ok though, new classics come every turn of the generation.
Looks decent but I immersed in the world of King of Seas. I am 2 hrs in and so far King of Seas feels like Sid Meier's Pirates, mixed with Torchlight 2 and a very small amount of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag sailing (picking up items and crew a drift).
LIttle story: The graphics are a downgrade compared to SMTV's, but this game has already grown on me. A sidequest in SMTV involving the Menorah battles which ended with me encountering the SMT3 Protag as the final boss at the very end was what clued me into and got me curious about SMT3 Nocturne to begin with. The story of what I've played so far is already downright eerie and pretty heavy, and really gnaws at my skull. I'm taking a break but I will be back to really get my feet wet. This is one purchase I'm glad to have made.
All of the childhood arguments about whether Pokemon copied Digimon or Digimon copied Pokemon, it turns out we were all wrong. SMT = original gangsta PokeDemons
I remember play SMT3 back in PS2 days for UK release it was called Lucifer's call and had Dante as thd recruitable character. Remastered version has Raidou from Devil Summoner games. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to play. The and game played kept crashing on certain Angel enemy and labyrinth pass the cursed area the CD was secondhand. Recruitment is guess work, I assume demons prefer negative response and Angelics positives. Enemies can give Macca or items if you show mercy. Most of the I prefer to beat them up. It does dated. I'll pass this one and wait for SMT5. Gameplay and music takes me back.
Check out our other reviews out today - Wonderboy Asha in Monster World ruclips.net/video/tn8L8N55TfU/видео.html & King of Seas ruclips.net/video/GWAZEtlhTag/видео.html
Thank you to Geoffrey for his help with writing this review. Please do check out his channel, The Indie Gaming Guild, here: - ruclips.net/channel/UC78FhnyTNORAvBmeH1VAV8A
Will you be picking this one up? Is it one you have big nostalgia for? Let us know in the comments section.
Hang on....is that the character's real in-game name, Wadsworth Plopington?!?! I may rescind my initial speculation of this title just to play as Mr. Wadsworth Plopington...
@@sevensyns7732 hahahahah
Love the channel! One thing you guys didn't mention was how the original US version had the extra bosses, dungeon, and endings that came as the base game for the ps2. In remaster, you now have to buy the deluxe version just to play what was considered the base game in 2003.
Ah, ok. We didn't realise that. That is a very crappy move it must be said. Glen
Great to see different content creators working together. Great review!
My hope is this sells well enough to let Atlus know we still love SMT games that are not Persona.
Well we should be getting SMT V sometime and if its updated and improved from the older ones i think itll do well. Its just Persona got 4 and 5 vs smt 4 and apocalypse which was on handheld so doesnt look as appealing to most peopel
I just hope for an official release of smt 1 and 2 and if... on this part of the world
I'm always prefer SMT series than persona. I don't want to put time into the whole social links crap, and long dialogues.
What I don’t like about smt is how depressing everything looks... still prefer the vibrant atmosphere of persona
@@kg888 so u don’t like story driven games
Now I just need Shadow Hearts 1,2 and 3 on switch and my life is complete.
That would be glorious, throw in a future remaster/remake of Koudelka and we're in heaven.
YES
@@franciscor390 Double yes!!
Ahh. Koudelka another quality game. It’s a shame the devs Nautilus are now defunct and the publishers are now Universal Entertainment Corporation and just make gambling machines.
while we're at it how about Vandal Hearts 1, 2 and Kartia. And Skies of Arcadia!
This is, so far, my GOTY. I got my Switch way back in ‘17 for SMT V. Interesting thing about the compressed audio: the reason it isn’t the Non compressed version is because in the actual programming everything music is on one file and pieces of the file play when they are bid to. It’s really interesting, actually so look into it if you’re curious.
Ah that's really interesting! Cheers! Mark
Same thing for me, i bought my switch due to SMT V's announcement!
Same, SMT V was why I bought the Switch lol. Had an absolute blast with IV and IV:A on the 3DS
Same here. Bought a switch just for SMT V
Yep, also got my Switch at Midnight back in 2017 mainly for SMT V as well as Metroid Prime 4... STILL WAITING 😂
I might be alone in this but I hope digital devil saga gets a remaster like this. I would LOVE that.
You aren’t alone, my friend. If this does well who knows what Atlus will port…
@@The_Gnome_Chomskee I really hope DDS 1 and 2 get remastered. I enjoyed them so much.
I wanna see DDS return, i also hope the Devil Summoner Raidou games come back too
@Samuel Boucher I may be odd on this front but I cannot even tell the audio has a problem on Nocturne.
You should never let go of the first demon you get, it's becomes super Op in the end of the game
Would've been nice if they made a Collection instead of releasing just this. I'd imagine if they had bundled the super famicom entries with this game, the price would've been justified
The game is faithful to the original. Much sharper details but the BGM compression is atrocious. It's like the sound is being played on a crappy bluetooth speaker and then recorded on a 2003 smartphone. Voice acting is good (played in japanese but english VA is available). Gameplay still holds. Camera is very finicky.
I played the original but didn't have the chance to finish it. The suspend anywhere is enticing enough for me to make me dive right in. A solid 7/10.
Lol wrote the comment before watching. Good to see I'm not alone in my assessment especially the audio issues.
Exactly right - very compressed audio. Mark
YES was waiting for my friends from SwitchUp to review this game before I pick it up today! Never played this before so I’m super excited. Everyone who reads this, y’all are awesome
I will defiantly be picking this one up - need to support the Shin megami series. I hope we get more Atlus games on the switch!!!
Megaten fans, let's go support them to port the whole series on Switch!
I think the best way to act in SMT is defiantly. ;)
Would die for the P2 duology on Switch but I'm not holding my breath.
I totally understand the value criticism ($50 is a lot for what this is), as well as the subjective criticism of the audio and visual (even if I personally disagree). But the gameplay score seems a bit off to me. Nocturne isn't flashy, but in terms of combat that rewards strategic team building, skillful reactive play, and full use of its mechanics, this might be the most perfect example of turn-based JRPG combat ever made. And I'm saying this as someone who's played a metric ton of JRPGs. Obviously, in matters of taste there can be no dispute, but still...
not mentioning the press turn system and defining the combat as classic jrpg in the review is crazy. (Don’t have anything against the reviewer just wanted to point this out)
Extremely helpful review. I was on the fence before but I’m now going to wait for a sale.
Praying for the new souls playing this game and getting their shit pushed in by Mot.
Normal mode was made easier unfortunately
Demi keeps dodging attacks a helluva lot more
I blew through the first boss this time. When I played it before, on a crappy emulator, it took me a ton of grinding. This time it was easy. Idk really why. I think I had more/variety of demons in my party and had 2 that dealt what the boss was weak to.
I'm digging it. Gotta keep in mind that this is kind of old-school as you point out in the video.. No autosave, no checkpoints, no fast travel. yep.
As an SMT fan, your review is fair and spot-on in its criticisms. They could have done so much more. Or charged less.
That's cause during localization, our version was messed up and made harder.
Another god rejected. Such a barebones port. The quality of life improvements in SMT IV is a godsend
Actually quite a lot of work went into it. It wasn’t an easy job at all.
SMT IV took it too far by spoiling the player with so much fusion customization. It quickly reaches a point where people won't care what demon.jpg is being fused, only that it singlehandedly does everything as a weakness attacker, buff/debuff collection or medic with the vulnerabilities removed. You used to require a team of 6-8 demons swapped around to fit each fight, but now it's almost as simplified as Persona.
I'm not one to throw a fit and call devs lazy, but it is a very sad effort by atlus. They even locked it at 30fps on PC 🤦♂️
@@The_Gnome_Chomskee doesn't look like it
I've bought two of the series on portable, I always feel like I get too much into the weeds of combining the monsters to create new ones - that I end up burned out before I can actually make any real progress.
Such a masterpiece of JRPG goodness. No shame in buying this version even still owning the original, having this on the go will be amazing. Wish Dante had been free though instead of a paid dlc, but it happens nowadays unfortunately.
The uniqueness of the battle music is part of the charm in my opinion. The TTS chants just make it interesting to me
The fact that you knew someone on the team and still were critical, I’m impressed. You deserve the sub. Thanks.;)
I still don’t understand why everybody seems okay with the lag when enemies spawn. It happens so frequently if I was playing it I handle it. It’s not a very good port from the looks of it. How do you keep lag in a nearly 20 year old game?
I’m just glad to be able to play it on my Switch, since I don’t own a PS2 or PS3.
I played Strange Journey on 3DS as my introduction to SMT, and now I’m excited to try one of the most revered games in the main series.
70 seems a little harsh based on all the positives I’ve heard about this game over the years, but I guess you are judging it based on the standards of a modern remaster. I’m going in fully expecting the PS2-era jank that comes with a cult classic title, so maybe I’ll have a better time. The game looks gorgeous and atmospheric based on the art style alone, at least. I think that aspect has aged very well.
Personally, I just hope it does well enough to get Atlus thinking about other ports from this franchise. I’ve heard good things about Digital Devil Saga, and that apparently recycles some assets from Nocturne, and runs on the same engine. Would be a natural next step.
Realistically EVERY game from the PS2 should be Ported as they all use the same Engine and share Assets (particularly the Demon designs) those would be:
SMT 3 Nocturne
Digital Devil Saga 1
Digital Devil Saga 2
Devil Summoner Raidou 1
Devil Summoner Raidou 2
Persona 3/FES
Persona 4
Pretty sure even other games like Maken Shou Demon Sword used the same Engine so that could be ported forward as well
“Wadsworth Plopington”. Seems like the character was named by a 5 year old, and I spent a while giggling about it.
Another great video! Thanks guys!
You are on a roll with all the reviews dropping lately! Thanks for these!
Thanks for the time spent on bringing us a quality review. For a game like this it really isn’t easy, especially for a fan favourite in a very much loved series.
I’m also a huge JRPG fan and yeah, if I’m honest, we’ve come a long way when it comes to quality of life. We simply didn’t know any better growing up, but remastering efforts today need a lot doing to them to bring them into today’s standards. Just look at what Atlus did remaking their 3DS SMT games. That’s how it’s done.
"Just look at what Atlus did remaking their 3DS SMT games. That’s how it’s done." None of the 3DS SMT games have been remade/remastered...
@@V-Jes Yeah, I should have worded it as all the DS games that got ported to 3DS. Technically enhanced ports, but with the reworked features/graphics and rebalancing of the games, along with the additional gameplay, they feel like new experiences. They did to me and I could only considers those versions to play today.
Had to come back to this video since I just found the game for around $15! Think I’ll pick it up for that price.
This is such a gem and I could even say sort of a cult favorite. Glad ATLUS remastered this one and this made me more excited for SMT 5.
I remember playing this on ps2 in 2017 and just the darkness and brutality of taking forever to find things made it unique but punishing
I would like to see them bring over Strange Journey, it's a good game on it's own but is also a bit more causal. Making it a good starting point for new SMT players.
Strange journey isn't a very good introduction 4 is a way better one maybe even soul hackers for 3ds
I would rate this a 100 lol but 70 is a good score. As much as I love the original they definitely could have added more for that price point. They could have allowed us to use the music from the pack to play during regular battles but beyond that the game is still perfect for me.
oh no. that score breaks my heart. Been waiting for this game for a long time, but still appreciate the candid review. SMT V let's go.
Thanks so much for this! You guys rock
This was one of the hardest games to find in stores back in the day.
As far as I am aware both the North American and European versions were very limited quantity releases because most Jrpgs were still considered niche. That is why just about any Jrpg from the PS2 era and earlier seems to have at minimum retained it original retail value often increasing with each entry as they sold less.
This is why JRPGs are usually day one buys for me, they're becoming more popular but still niche, atelier ryza for example is really hard to find in Aus.
still hard to find for the remaster if u not in japan or western country. until today i still dint find any local store that sell them.
Can't wait to play. Preordered my copy, it's supposed to arrive today
It's being delivered today, sooooo looking forward to playing this again
Wow you guys have been super busy with videos lately!
Kudos!
I'm around 5 hours in and I'm having a blast. I understand that this won't be everyone's cup of tea - the age is definitely showing - but for me, I don't mind the repetitive-looking locations much and am having a blast. I played SMT IV and that had a ton of QoL stuff going for it already, so I'm loving the challenge that SMT III brings. I have to be smarter about my fusions now and can't just fuse whatever I want willy-nilly. Great game for old school RPG enthusiasts!
We still need Persona 4 or 5 on the Switch.
*and 😄
The switch's graphics chip can't handle those lmao. They might come to Steam though..
@@eric123abacus persona 5 is a ps3 game
@@eric123abacus persona 4 is already on steam and the switch definitely can handle these games with no problem.
My feeling about the game is exactly what you guys said. I was super excited, but will play SMT 4 Apocalypse on my 3DS along with Devil Survivor while i am waiting for SMT 5 to come around...
Picked this up last night as I needed something meaty to get my teeth in. Game does not hold your hand one bit and I am here for it.
Great video as usual!
I'm so fucking ready. 8 hours till I'll be in GameStop picking it up. :D fucking work.
7 hours now. 😉
4 hours now ;)
Eh, it’s def showing its age and not that much in a charming way. This comes from a guy who goes on retro binges often too.
I just like the possibility of “more Atlus stuff on the Switch” precedent…
I've heard that a lot, but I cant really find anything outside of the graphics and movement that is actually dated. I'm curious what you find dated
@@anenemystand5582 since I’m on the switch, obviously not a graphics whore lol; that said, it looks bad enough to be a mobile game, but upscaled enough to not retain a retro charm. Plus, like review said, no effort was really made to optimize dated mechanics. I am a sucker for turn based jrpgs, but I know people will not find the catching mechanic enough to offset that grind.
@@stormrider1049 well a few things. The turn based combat is still better an more innovate than most modern day turn based RPGs, and you shouldn't have to grind. Shin megami tensei is structured to avoid grind. When you hit a wall its usually an indication that you need to switch up your team, not tack on a few levels. Also,, mobile games can look quite good so I dont get the comparison. Over all I just dont get it. I play a lot of retro games as well. Metroid, the original castlevania, smt 1, the first fire emblem. This game definitely holds up better than any of them. I swear I'm not asking this in a rude way but have you actually played the game
@@anenemystand5582 no and I’m not going to spend the estimated 30-40 hrs to play it to satisfy a random person on the internet who’s seems like a fan of the game. That’s why I’m on this channel in the 1st place, for myself.
I use grind in the context of not a MMO or JRPG player. Turn-based in of itself is a grind for most people, more so when paired with random encounter.
Cool, change teams… that’s not innovative, modern and retro often have that. Demon catch is neat, likely not enough since not hawt anime girls lol.
Yeah, look past the few exceptions (every statement has one, wow) and you’ll see copy paste of trends or extra shiny stuff to hide lack of something elsewhere. Or fine, even mobile games also look better, happy? Game’s still not flattering in retro or modern sense to me. Could just be the pixel art slut in me talking but whatever.
In the end, if you don’t get it (and I commend your attempt to try as most people skip that stage), you won’t get it. It’s an opinion after all, and much like how I don’t get how people can not like Jojo, I settle for recognizing flaws to what I like, know that people may hate that or other things, and moving on.
@@stormrider1049 bruh changing teams isnt what's innovative. It's the press turn system that rewards good play with an extended turn and bad play with reduced turns. This is an incredibly complex system.
I'm not asking you to play the game. I just thought your criticisms seemed like someone who had never played and smt game. Look I probably shouldn't recommend this because "oh heavens the legal ambiguity!" But you can um, emulate the original game for zero dollars. It's a pretty stable emulation and frankly the remake is bare bones enough that there isnt much your losing out on.
By the way the first thing that made me realize that youd never played the game is calling it "catching." Smt uses a much more fun negotiation system. Think kind of like how you can talk to monsters in undertale. Talking to demons is honestly super fun. Some even have special dialogue, like if you have loki talk to thor.
There is also fusion. A system which let's you make new demons by fusing two old ones and thus synthesizing their abilities to make an ultimate demon. This whole system is great fun.
Anyway my point is smt nocturne is not like any turnbased jrpg you've played. There are a ton of details small and large that all interplay to make it a wholly unique experience that even turnbased games of today fall short of. My goal isnt to get you to play the game. It's to understand people saying its showing its age. So far to me it seems to be mostly people who havent played the game. Which is fine, it's not your fault. But it is kind of a bummer.
Been ignoring reviews from other channels just to hear from you guys!
Any thoughts on the storyline? Meant to be strong and a little different?
Glad I waited for a review on this one, something I'll probably pick up in a future sale but not particularly interested in paying full price. Thanks for the review guys!
As good as the game is from an experience point of view and the art style has aged well it isn't worth the price for what has been minimal effort put into a HD port. I will say if you haven't played the original version though and don't have access to a PS3 to be able to get the PS2 version digitally, then this is definitely worth considering.
I would actually like to see the two Digital Devil Saga games get released in a package though as they use the same engine but are probably the most story driven SMT games, but only at a reasonable price.
I’ll wait for a massive price drop.
You'll have to wait about a year my friend, but probably a smart decision lol
@NocturnalRuine lucky😔
I see it for 40$ on walmart app today talking myself out of ordering it waiting to see if it goes to 30 or under
@@IcanGOwithTHEflow it’s $30 at GameStop
I also double dipped. Physical and digital lok
I loved the Shin Megami and Persona series, so I'll get this one eventually (since it basically just has "improved" graphics).
But regarding the "Pokemon"-esk recruiting and developing minions aspect, I really hope for a game playing on the mechanics of games like Castlevania: Curse of Darkness or Jade Cocoon I&II.^^ Also Ni no Kuni I 'still great.;o) And maybe another (good) Overlord part?
Cheers!
Lol just a quick correction, Pokemon got the idea from SMT, not the other way around :P
Already got it pre-ordered lol super stoked!
It would be nice to get SMT IV ported from 3DS. I really enjoyed that entry. Persona IV and V would be a good addition to switch too. If I’m honest, I’m pretty sure both these franchises are a license for Atlus to print money on Switch.
I agree with you on the price with this one. A little too high for an old game with not much in the way of improvements.
Great review as always.
As always.
Persona 3 FES doesn't get much love by many people
Always wanted to play it back in the day but didn’t have a PS2. Loved IV and IV Apocalypse so this want was a no brainer. started it last night and I have been loving it, but I can totally get behind what you didn’t like.
2 1/2 hours and I am loving it. You’re gonna be grinding and that’s a good thing.
As someone who played and loved this on the PS2 I actually glad they didn't change it a lot. This is exactly what I was hoping for.
07:00 combat music is really bad, not nearly for "HD remastered"
I love love SMT series it's the mother series to Persona (the one the kids like) but us older gamers prefer the more mature darker adulter tone of the main games SMT games. My first one was SMT4 on 3ds but fell in love with it and seemed out older games on other systems , it's like Pokemon for Adults ... currently i just beat the second boss (Matador ) (be ready with demon that can buff your party's evasion & hit rate ) i like the game allot.
2:30 how in the world do you miss the Red Kila?
Just got my physical copy! Can't wait to play!
This seems like the type of game you need to read a guide on before starting up. Cool old school RPG - def. for fans of the series - but quite rough around the edges. Great review Geoffrey/Mark!
I had a feeling SMT3 remaster was gonna be underwhelming. And for $55 (after taxes) it's most definitely not worth it.
If this game interests you, just download a ps2 emulator and play it on that.
I would've preferred to have SMT4+SMT4 Apocalypse in a combined "definitive edition". But even then, I would've only felt comfortable dropping 34.99 on it.
Oh well, here's hoping SMTV isn't going to be a giant flop...but it's starting to look like it may be a disappointment.
Hopefully we'll get a HD port to SMT4
Never played any of these games but it definitely looks like my kind of game so this will be going into my eventual buy list thank you for the review
I personally won’t be going for this one, if only because I never really got into the series. But it seems like fans of the series might enjoy it. Thanks for the review.
I love how he said I’ve spent hundreds or thousands of hours playing jrpg’s. So like 6 of them. Maybe less if one was xenoblade.
Is that Switch footage? The textures and lighting look so much better than on my switch
Hi Mark will u guys do a review of Ninja Gaiden Master Collection?
Yep!
Yes! Looking forward to ur review. I heard that the NG MC only has the sigma versions of NG black and NG2 with NG3 Razor Edge cuz team ninja lost the source code's of NG Black and NG2. Hope to hear ur take on this in the upcoming review.
gonna be playing this sometime...missin the shin megami tensei series from ps2
Out of interest, will you be covering Maneater which release today? Would really like to see your reviews and opinion and also potentially a re-review once things are patched in the future.! Thanks for turning out some more awesome content
Great review, thanks for the overview on lots of aspects of the game. Due to the time it takes, the price and being a mid-tier remaster, I will pass for now
after updates is the frame drops fixed? lost of threads out there saying smtn is a bad port on switch?
Interesting. Def getting, not sure about right away.
Grabbed it for £35 off ebay and I'm loving it, annoyed that we are still waiting for news on SMT 5.
I loved this game back in PS2. Bought it day 1 for this release!
oooh ive been waiting for this one
Ok I'm a huge fan of this series as you know. However, to charge £50 to £60 dependent on digital or physical release for having done zero effort is a bit off. I will pick up on physical once that price is halved
Did played the original and enjoy it very much so. I did many hours of exploration so I get the "missing things" part of the game.
Coulnt beat it at the time. i got older , patient, accept my fate, i just hope i will not threw my switch against my wall this time...
A must buy!
Why?
to show ATLUS the market is on the switch !!!!
Great review as always boys. 😋
You got through this game in 40 hours? You are a god.
Eyy This game look's amazing I might try this.
This could be the next Ys8. Make sure you buy it before it becomes impossible to find and it will be selling for $100+ on eBay!
About to get my pre order of the game, but I agree that it should've been cheaper. $50 should have included the DLC, $30-35 base game might have been more understandable.
Can you pick the inherited skills?
Random inheritance was a misery in earlier SMTs.
Yeah, I read elsewhere that you can, which is great.
I was excited about this release, but as i do not have it for ps2, i am more excited about receiving my copy of kowloon high school chronicle. I preordered it with SAGA Frontier, so it wasn’t shipped when it was released.
Just curious. Is Dante from DMC in this version? I remember him being in the original
He is if you drop $69.99 on the deluxe edition.
He is DLC as he was originally exclusive to the Maniax edition (what is the version that got localized) while Atlus naturally doesn't own Dante so they had to pay for the rights to use him again and even more for having his voice actor voice him, what is fair enough.
Never finished the PS2 version, but why not. I'll just buy it and not finish it again.
That's how you're supposed to play jrpgs imo
😂
Interesting take from somebody who hasn't played Nocturne before, the game is a cult classic for a reason, but of course it will show its age.
For those of us who played it back in the day, this was a mind-blowing take on the traditional JRPG storytelling. Also the demon fusion was something great and only common to past smt titles, who also aged poorly for people who haven't experienced it. Try to think about somebody playing FFVII for the first time now, it will be a little bit... ugh.
Not worth the price, we agree on that.
Well eh FF9 for example aged rather well
@@skydiamsteam6005 So did BOF IV, and much better in my opinion. That wasn't my point.
Playing FFVII for the first time right now and I definitely feel this. There’s a fun JRPG in there somewhere, but it feels like a weird experiment in just how many random minigames they can cram into their fancy new PS1 3d engine, all while shoving you along a fairly linear storyline. A story that’s also hampered by a stilted English translation.
At least Nocturne is going to be PS2-era jank once I get to it, which is probably more palatable.
@@danielludwig647 you got yourself a beautiful piece of gaming history right there.
I understand how you feel though, me coming from the late 1980s PC gaming era for example I can't stomach Atari 2600 games, I think for younger generations those games we called clasics will feel a little bit like baby's toys. That's ok though, new classics come every turn of the generation.
Looks decent but I immersed in the world of King of Seas.
I am 2 hrs in and so far King of Seas feels like Sid Meier's Pirates, mixed with Torchlight 2 and a very small amount of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag sailing (picking up items and crew a drift).
never played og ps2 version but yup this version looks pretty gorgous😱😃cool review 🤗
This gane has Marvel's Ghost Rider, and Dantae from the devil may cry as secret demons to recruit ❤
Love you guys! Why no review of Tokyo Mirage sessions Fe?
We just didn't get round to it mate.
Wadsworth Plopington is my favourite character in the franchise.
LOL! "Plop" is a fantastic name.
LIttle story:
The graphics are a downgrade compared to SMTV's, but this game has already grown on me. A sidequest in SMTV involving the Menorah battles which ended with me encountering the SMT3 Protag as the final boss at the very end was what clued me into and got me curious about SMT3 Nocturne to begin with.
The story of what I've played so far is already downright eerie and pretty heavy, and really gnaws at my skull. I'm taking a break but I will be back to really get my feet wet. This is one purchase I'm glad to have made.
All of the childhood arguments about whether Pokemon copied Digimon or Digimon copied Pokemon, it turns out we were all wrong. SMT = original gangsta PokeDemons
Well ofc you missed the key, those keys are in nihilo, not the mantra xd
Shhhhhhhh ;)
You said they did not upgrade the camera at all lmao. Yes they did. If you think it's bad in this version play the original. It's a massive upgrade
I remember play SMT3 back in PS2 days for UK release it was called Lucifer's call and had Dante as thd recruitable character. Remastered version has Raidou from Devil Summoner games. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to play. The and game played kept crashing on certain Angel enemy and labyrinth pass the cursed area the CD was secondhand. Recruitment is guess work, I assume demons prefer negative response and Angelics positives. Enemies can give Macca or items if you show mercy. Most of the I prefer to beat them up. It does dated. I'll pass this one and wait for SMT5. Gameplay and music takes me back.