Jotari Posted April 29, 2015 Author Share Posted April 29, 2015 Just started replaying this. Grinded my angel into Archangel and beat Medusa. My current team of strongest demons are Arch Angel, Hooligan and Shan Xiao, though Shan Xiao is mostly to use Bad Company if I get into a spot of bother.They're all level 18 while Flynn himself is 19. Right now I'm wondering what Apps I should be prioritizing. I've got the first three Skill Expansion since I like Flynn to be versatile but then I thought I was focusing on Skill Slots to heavily and got the Fusion EXP Boosts since I reckoned I'd be fusing a lot and the earlier I get EXP boosts the better even if the EXP is minor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.Leu Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 (edited) MP Recovery, all of them, are a must have. Skill Expansion and Demon Skill are close behind, try to find a good balance between them. Summon Discount is great, but not necessarily a priority Skill Augment is good too, but not that good, I dunno, I always got shitty skills with it. Everything else is pretty much useless. Fusion EXP included Imo. Mostly because a level up after a fusion just annoys me. :p Edited April 30, 2015 by B.Leu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT075 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Magic build Flynn is the best build. You can't tell me that a restrictive phys/gun build is any better than the versability and power that the magic build give. Especially in a game where hitting weak points is a core mechanic.dex/luck builds give more extra press turns and have higher average damage output against bosses with no weaknesses; this doesn't matter much in-story but crits do substantially more damage (and are your only source of press turns) against the postgame superbosses (see: demiurge) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.Leu Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Well, if you find an ennemy who null Phys or Gun, you could make the MC a support and let your demons do the killing, but I still find it to be a complete waste of time and potential, since the MC is the best damage dealer of the game. Even with just a Megido. Plus nothing stop MageFlynn from using his Phys/Gun attacks for extra turns. Demiurge wasn't that bad, same for Beelzebub. The only reasons it was ever hard was because I didn't had Dekunda for Antichthon, I had to use some Dekunda stones. Or because the rng hated me, which was actually rare. I'm still trying to find the Fiends though. Oh boy, this is just going to be a pain in the ass. Say, I heard a lot of people gushing about Super Alice, is it that great ? Because it sure sounds like a complicated pain the butt for nothing to me. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT075 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 (edited) charge+riot gun with no crits does the same damage as concentrate+grand tack for less mana. crits are the same damage as a concentrate+weakness. difference is that you can crit anything but not everything has a weakness - dex+lck (luck is important, dex by itself doesn't crit much) has more spike damage (because random-ass crits) and better average damage against enemies with no weakness, mag build is better against enemies with exploitable weaknesses (see: ancient of days) everyone knows the best MC build is silent prayer + debilitate + luster candy + dekunda + dekaja + dark matter and a phys build uriel anyway (fwiw i had a way easier time with red rider doing a dex+luck build than a mag build but that's just me) Edited April 30, 2015 by CT075 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radiant head Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Even though this is probably nothing like Persona (or at least the last two), I'm probably going to give this a shot. Any suggestions if I should play this or Nocturne first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Even though this is probably nothing like Persona (or at least the last two), I'm probably going to give this a shot. Any suggestions if I should play this or Nocturne first? That's a tough one. Nocturne and SMTIV are both incredibly solid games. Nocturne did things a bit different from traditional SMT, and SMTIV is like the older system refined to the point of awesomeness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radiant head Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Guess I'll go with this game for now then. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 Shin Megami Tensei IV is also on sale at the moment for like €9.99. It's a steal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radiant head Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Yeah, that's actually why I'm getting it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 (edited) So I've finally got round to finishing the game. Here are my thoughts on it. First off I loved the gameplay. It was really well balanced and the demon fusion/demon whisper set up made grinding a pleasure. I always had set goals in mind. Get a skill from a demon and then fuse away that demon to get a different demon. Really called to the collector in me. After getting a few expand stocks I was commonly fusing demons to make weaker ones just so they'd be in my compendium. Being able to read about the origin of the demons was also a great feature. The UI was really streamlined and easy to use too. Once again, the difficulty had some great balance, was a bit hard at the start but overall no complaints from me there. Despite all my time grinding for the fun of it I still managed to die a healthy number of times. The presence of Charon is a fantastic idea that I'd like to see more games do. Dying is certainly a penalty but it doesn't have to be a cheap annoyance. An actual choice is involved between weighing your money vs your progress. Sometimes the price is to high while other times you've just simply done too much since your last save and your time is worth more. Unfortunately I was pretty disappointed with the story. I was honestly expecting better. I came onto this off Digital Demon Saga which has a great narrative. I like the idea of the multiple factions and moral choices but the game kind of felt uncoordinated. There was no clear villain and the voices for the choices were kind of one dimensional even if they were somewhat likable. I tried to steer more towards neutral but the neutral options were more ignore everything or act indecisively rather than considering the options which just doesn't suit me. I ended up on the side of order which meant the destroying Tokyo, something I wasn't really interested in doing but the game didn't give me much of a choice once that mission was suggested, and had Lucifer as the final boss whom I don't think was mentioned at all until the path was confirmed. I've started a New Game+ and I think I will eventually replay it with a guide to get the other endings to see what they're like but as it stands now the story was by far the weakest part of the game. Everything else was top notch from where I'm standing. Also, it referenced the Rose of Versailles which just randomly happened to be the anime I was watching while I played it. Massive coincidence that made me happy. Edited May 26, 2015 by Jotari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT075 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 (edited) about there being no clear villain, that's sort of the point; you're meant to make your own choices. Actually I think the only mainline SMT with a real "villain" would be SMTII in which all three routes end with you facing the same guy (for completely different reasons) e: I suppose I should also mention (minor spoilers) that you face a different final boss depending on which route you take Edited May 26, 2015 by CT075 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radiant head Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Holy shit the voice acting in this game is so bad. Turning off the audio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 about there being no clear villain, that's sort of the point; you're meant to make your own choices. Actually I think the only mainline SMT with a real "villain" would be SMTII in which all three routes end with you facing the same guy (for completely different reasons) e: I suppose I should also mention (minor spoilers) that you face a different final boss depending on which route you take I get that there are different final bosses, that wasn't too hard to guess. In fact it's almost a prerequisite. Problem is there just doesn't seem to be many antagonistic forces. The closest thing is Lilith but you capture her not long in and either join with her or kill her half way through, one path of which doesn't even let you see her death. From the very beginning I knew she wasn't going to be the big threat but once she was dealt with I was suddenly dimension hopping with no context. I got the Nihilistic ending too and for a second thought the King of Tokyo was the legit final boss since there were no real plot threads left and he was quite a bit harder than a lot of the other bosses. As soon as I was finished with the dimension hopping I was suddenly charged with exterminating Tokyo with no choice and defeating Lucifer who was never mentioned before, that I can recall. I just kind of seemed to amble from one event to another in the second half of the game while the first was literally wandering around looking for the Black Samurai with little to no leads. The White would have been a great way of tying things together and suggesting a large force too except they just show up mysteriously say cryptic things and are then unceremoniously killed off without explanation as to who or what they are. I was expecting at least some backstory on why the world is in such a state. I guess God just did it to be a dick. Maybe things flow better in the other paths but at least for the one I took things felt quite uncoordinated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topazd Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Holy shit the voice acting in this game is so bad. Turning off the audio. That's really the first time I've ever heard anyone say that about SMTIV, haha. Which characters' voices stood out as particularly bad for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.Leu Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 (edited) I'll give Flynn DEX essence, just to see how good he can. The voice acting being bad ? I thought it was near-perfect. Jotari: You will probably have a facepalm after seeing the Neutral Path. That's what I did, more or less. The plot is kind of like Naruto, 'Hey, I just met you, but what is your answer to stop conflict ?', it's so sudden, and they force it so much. :/ Edited May 26, 2015 by B.Leu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radiant head Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 (edited) I dunno, the VA reminds me of some Tales game, and not in a good way. I usually like the VA in other SMT spinoff games though. Otherwise, game is pretty good. I don't find it nearly as engaging as Persona, but I appreciate the dark oppressive atmosphere and the combat system is cool. Edited May 28, 2015 by Radiant head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT075 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I get that there are different final bosses, that wasn't too hard to guess. In fact it's almost a prerequisite. Problem is there just doesn't seem to be many antagonistic forces.there isn't a clear antagonistic force, that's the entire point! you're meant to side against the side that you think is most wrong, not just "the one that's antagonistic"; if there was an actual antagonist that'd be too easy of a choice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 there isn't a clear antagonistic force, that's the entire point! you're meant to side against the side that you think is most wrong, not just "the one that's antagonistic"; if there was an actual antagonist that'd be too easy of a choice! I'm not looking for one singular force to rally against. I'm looking for a force of some kind. The Ring of Gaea and the Asura Kai just didn't feel like active forces even if they did do some heinous stuff. It felt more like a bunch of stuff was just happening without explanation and our protagonists were just wandering about and somewhat involving themselves. Even the overall choice just comes down to pure chaos or order, choose to ally with your advocate of either instead of presenting the benefits and draw backs of both (which are no doubt in the game, they just weren't presented well in my opinion). Lucifer had the best arguments for chaos but he only expressed them when you've fully embraced the law path. It was a clear cut choice between strong ruling the weak or being a massive dick to everyone who doesn't meet god's standards. Also apparently Hikaru was Lucifer all along. That makes is presence seem less out of nowhere but only if you play the chaos ending first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I dunno, the VA reminds me of some Tales game, and not in a good way. I usually like the VA in other SMT spinoff games though. Otherwise, game is pretty good. I don't find it nearly as engaging as Persona, but I appreciate the dark oppressive atmosphere and the combat system is cool. I've always found Persona to be less engaging then SMT but that's a personal opinion that not many share with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT075 Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 i mean the entire point of SMT is to just pick the side that is the least shitty; basically neutral is the only one that ever seems really satisfying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.Leu Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 (edited) Not really, Neutral being the only 'good' solution that didn't make you feel like extremist dick is something recent. Lucifer is disapointing in this game, eh ? Very ugly too. Edited May 29, 2015 by B.Leu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Not really, Neutral being the only 'good' solution that didn't make you feel like extremist dick is something recent. Lucifer is disapointing in this game, eh ? Very ugly too. In 1 it was the only viable good option I don't see how removing two extremists is extreme itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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