Post by Bytor on Jun 24, 2009 14:17:50 GMT -5
-Visuals- 8.5/10
Very basic graphics, but what makes them great is that they match the feel and the story line so very well. The subtleties in the shades and the changes in lighting are truly masterful in this game. It just goes to show that the minimalist approach can sometimes be the best. I even think if the graphics were improved it would take away from the game.
-Sound- 8.2/10
The voice overs and acting are very good, the music sets the tones very good as well, but nothing truly spectacular here. Once again though the sound effects and vocalizations fit the game in a wonderful way
-Gameplay- 7.5/10
The battles tend to get a bit repetitive, while fun at first doing very similar battle scenarios quickly gets old. The game is very easy for anyone, experienced or novice RPG'er to quickly master although there is not quite as much strategy involved from the start as I'd like, although the need for paying attention does come into play later on in the game. As in typical RPG games you can upgrade and make your characters more powerful using skills recognizable to anyone familiar with Shin Megami games, but this game varies the formula a bit. Instead of simply going up levels you get more and more skills based on the skills you "consume" from enemies defeated. This allows for hundreds of possible skills to learned among the group.
-Story- 9.5/10
Now, I'm not going to lie, without having played this and Digital Devil Saga 2 there is no way this score would be as high, you will spend almost the entire game trying to figure out exactly what is going on! The story starts with two tribes fighting each other in this mysterious world called The Junkyard. A mysterious light flashes and each member of the tribes gets a tattoo (called atma) on them, which it turns out signifies what kind of "demon" they turn into during battle, and battle they must. If they do not feed in a regular fashion they starve and die. Basically the rest of the game is you and your allies (and by the end of the game I found myself very into all the main characters, the game does a great job of making you sympathize with them and their struggles) trying to figure out what is going on, how to get to the mythical Nirvana, and eventually they even start to question the world they live in. I'm not going to spoil what is going on but I will say that by the end if you are like me you will love the storyline!
-Overall- 8.5/10
Easily 40 hours of gameplay, although like I said, one of the issues is you don't really get the whole story without playing Digital Devil Saga 2 and by then I imagine you'll be hooked. Having said that, the game is not for everyone, like all Shin Megami games if you are not a fan of RPG's which are very time consuming and take some strategic planning then this game is not for you. But give it a chance, the graphics, battles (later in the game) and mysterious storyline make for one of the best RPG games for the PS2 out there. Once again Atlus has released a true jem which is definitely a cult classic which should simply be a classic!