Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers - Nintendo 3DS

SMT Soul Hackers is a remake of a late 90s game that was released in Japan (on the Sega Saturn no less! Then on the Playstation) but Atlus was not allowed to localize the game in the US for some odd reason (not sure why Sony blocked them - but it was Sony that stood in the way - maybe Atlus still owed licensing fees for Ogre Battle (PS1 version) or something!).I'll just point out a few things that might make the decision to buy or pass easier for folks. For the record I am a long time Atlus fan and have enjoyed most of the SMT and Persona games over the years.This is 3-d style dungeon exploration, not top down. Encounter rates are high. Difficulty varies, but it is generally tough. Difficulty can be adjusted at any time in game (even in battle) - not a feature I used. I cranked up the difficulty and subsequently had my --- handed to me on several occasions, especially bosses. Coercing demons to join is typically tougher than in other SMT and Persona titles.I did enjoy the story. The English voice acting is actually very good (more than I can say about Atelier Ayehsa...). Characters are all likable and interesting. Hitomi/Negissa is a favorite of course, but the rest of the Spookies are all very welcome additions to the cast. The main character is a non-speaking protagonist, similar to Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest, and Mario RPG titles. It works. They do the voice acting thing where your character's name appears but they say something else out loud that makes sense (such as "Oh he is here" instead of "Oh Max is here"). The one problem I hear is that the mixing and audio quality varies. So one person might be speaking in a normal volume level, the next person might be at a lower volume level. This is not intentional, it's just a result of sloppy editing of the audio tracks.The characters and plot are what kept me interested. Battles are fast thankfully. Sometimes so fast that you can't really see what just happened! Leveling is quick and easy, so grinding isn't too much of a chore. And luckily demon fusing in this title is a lot of fun.So to sum up. Should you buy it? As a fan of the series I say yes wholeheartedly. It's a great story and a very fun game. Those not used to the 90s style RPGs might find it tedious at times, but if you played Persona 1, 2 or 3 you have a good idea of what to expect. Buy Etrian Odyssey IV first, or pre-order SMT IV first. Buy this if you love the series or if you are over Etrian Odyssey IV.One other note, the 3-d is pretty useless. It does work well on the exploration of 'dungeons' and such, but it's not necessary. It's not to the level of say, Etrian Odyssey IV.Pros:+ Great story+ Interesting characters+ Demon fusion!+ Music (I actually really liked it! Dated or not)+ Pre-order came with a short remastered soundtrack (6 songs I believe)Cons:- Dated (mainly in the graphics department - it is a pretty accurate remake of a 1997 game after all)- 3D not really necessary or welcome- Old school style might not appeal to all- Can get very difficult- No option for Japanese voice track (I'm not even sure one exists though!)Update:So later in the game you really must balance your magnetite. It depletes as you walk around while you have demons in your party. And then it costs a set amount to summon demons. This makes it very interesting for using demons. You can't just stack super strong demons and expect to not run out of points. Add to it that this is used to exchange for currency, that makes for a very interesting game balance. Or you can put all your demons back into the comp and then go to the sea ark and beat up weaker demons just with the humans in your party...Also, sometimes the game gets cheap. If your hero dies then it is instant game over. I highly recommend keeping him equipped with a death proof item. I got hit with that cheap a$$ death spell and instant kill game over. It also helps if you install the save anywhere function to your comp. It takes 2/5 blocks, but might be worth it.Some bosses are easy, some are cheap. Of note: the dolphin boss. I don't want to give anything away, but the game really doesn't make it clear what to do. Just keep hitting it with spells. It absorbs them. Eventually it just dies. Really funny and lame because I read that a lot of folks keep hitting it with normal attacks (3 - 10 damage) and you CAN kill it that way, but over about a 30 minute grind. But I feel that a lot of folks might get 'stuck' on that part. I don't want folks to drop the game because that battle is right in the middle of some of the best moments of the game. (Entering the paintings was very cool indeed!)Another interesting aspect is to continue to improve demon loyalty. The stronger demons tend to be less loyal and as such they won't listen to your commands. It's expensive, but worth it to build loyalty. It transfers over somewhat after a fusion as well. But it will save your butt on some tough boss battles if you can command your demons to use specific attacks. Also, befriending demons is tougher than in Persona 2. You don't really have the obvious choices like you did in the previous game. But with some comp installs you can improve linking chances.Again, I am not using the 3D and it's just fine. The 3D adds very little and if you plan on playing for a couple of hours per sitting, it's probably best to NOT have the 3D on (headaches and all).The game keeps impressing me, mainly because it's over 15 years old! I have it at four stars, but I might bump it up as it continues to improve. I think it's better than the remake of Persona 2 Innocent Sin for PSP.Update:The story as we progress towards the end of the game gets VERY interesting. It's classic 90s style anime/manga/video game story. It reminds me of a few of the sci-fi anime titles of that era. Very high praise from me. I also like that the characters are all interesting and enjoyable. Nemissa doesn't just pine after the protagonist like many SMT female characters do. This is a welcome respite. The Vision Quest back stories add a lot. You get the sense that you just stepped into this situation which has been building for awhile. And getting to see the history of several of the principal villains as well as the former 'would be heroes' is also interesting.

Atlus rarely disappoints their fans. Whether with the "hardcore" MegTen/SMT gams or the supposed "only slightly less hardcore" Persona series, Atlus knows how to craft relatable characters, intriguing settings, and interesting plots rolled into amazing, and very addicting, RPGs.Over the years of course things have "streamlined" and while arguably maybe not so much as Bethesda, or just like Bethesda depending on where you stand, you can see the differences that began to change with SMT 3: Nocturne and the other ps2 SMT games(and while technically the off shoot Persona games may not be part of the SMT "line" of games, there are obvious connections that have that series branch off from SMT, much like the not-so-distant relative to the MegTen franchise that started in the 80s before SMT was even in the picture).Soul hackers is a great middle ground for those who wish to see that progression without having to be brutally destroyed by trying earlier S/MT...which I highly recommend at least trying after getting through Soul Hackers.The difficulty of DS:SH can be "hacked" in either direction( high difficulty, low difficulty, or "off" for a normal setting) which is mighty helpful for everyone without punishing anyone.As far as gameplay goes it is as engrossing as any SMT game. You follow along a cyberpunk, technologically advanced society with connections to the occult...demons. There have been many comparisons to Pokemon, but the similarities pretty much end at "collecting demons/monsters" and grinding to level up. However in both this and earlier SMT games, the demons do not level up, at least in the traditional senseThere is very rewarding loyalty system which usually ends(from 1-5) with your demons both respecting the orders you give and giving a nice(most of the time) bonus to damage given. Usually this is seen with a "loyalty" skill. There are different demon "identities" that affect how they react to you and how their loyalty raises. Without spoiling too much, a great example is the "wild" demons tend to prefer physical attacks, while "dumb" demands would rather you let them choose their attacks(watch out for demons with suicide/last resort skills...they are "dumb" demons afterall). As you play the game you'll find other types of demons and learn their idiosyncrasies. The game will also give hints along the way.In addition to this you have the common demon fusion system where you'll most likely be fusing and discarding demons at a higher rate in the game instead of grinding certain demons(beyond raising their loyalty).Another feature is the Zoma demon, which basically you craft yourself, and is somewhat similiar to the later games way of choose which skills a demon gets, and while you don't exactly pick and choose the skills a Zoma gets when you fuse it with another demon, it will absorb the skills of that demon. As you play you'll find other interesting ways the Zoma can be useful and there are many guides online dedicated just to the Zoma itself!Whether you are a newcomer to the entire series or have only played the ps2 era and beyond, there are some others things to keep in mind, this maybe considered a spoil to some....but the MC does not use magic and previous games followed this same formula. You can still put points into the magic skill(along with Str, agi, Intel, etc) but I wouldn't go beyond 10 or so and would especially focus on Strength and Endurance, and perhaps a few points into intelligence as it affects magic defense. The Female partner is the primary magic user(besides the demons of course) and was common before SMT III.In addition to the difficulty hack, there are other options to help new comers breeze through the game a bit more easily, such as the automap, however it may be more rewarding to do it yourself like in other dungeon crawling games...but totally up to you.I could go on. The story, by game standards at least, is very interesting and helps keep you playing in addition to the rewarding battle, fusion, skill system.I highly recommend this to any SMT fan! If you haven't played this or earlier S/MT games, but are waiting impatiently for SMT IV: Final or Persona 5 this could be a nice distraction.And to someone entirely new to SMT, but a big rpg buff I suggest taking a crack at it and join the MegaTen club.Take our your COMP and get demon hunting!

Otro buen shin megami tensei. Para coleccionistas.

buena presentación, materiales, producto, caja, marca buen todo se ve mucho mejor en persona, lo recomiendo ampliamente no lo dudes

3/5 if you're expecting a modern game, 5/5 if you know what you're going into: A PS1/Saturn Shin Megami Tensei. it has some flaws and things that haven't aged well, but if you're old enough to have played through that generation of games, you won't be disappointed.

Really happy with order !

This game is pretty much what I expected. It's SMT with some unique gimmicks.The extra dungeon at the end of the game really caught me off-guard, though. It's really difficult!My first play through took about 20 hours.I recommend it to SMT fans, but this game is definitely not for somebody who's never played and SMT game.