Shin Megami Tensei IV

[Jmustang1968]

I prefer it when there is no "easy" mode but "normal" is the lowest difficulty (and default) setting.

Something like:
Normal
Hard
Really Hard
Insane
7th Saga + Wizardry IV

Doesn't feel like you're "cheating" this way.

Shining Force II was like this, from what I recall.

Sf 2 is like that. But the normal is really the easy mode.

umm I believe that is his point

He asked I answered.

[Jmustang1968]

Yes but it's called Normal.

I like that.

I wonder if it was done that way for US release or if it was like that for both.

[CavZee]

I never do easy. While for some games it may make the learning curve shorter, by mid way through once tou have the hang of it and the challenge is gone, I wouod lose interest.

you just reminded me of another recent game - Ni No Kuni. I remember reading an editor in EGM saying that he loved the game, but found it far more enjoyable on Easy because the only diff between Easy and Normal was the amount of grinding needed before boss fights and it seemed to F up the flow of the game.

Thoughts?

I've only place about a half hour of Ni No Kuni so far (on Normal) so really can't comment.

I can agree with that to a certain extent. I was still going through the game fine on normal but I lowered it to easy to pick up the pace at which I was playing. (I was in a hurry to start Fire Emblem Awakening)

That being said, No No Kuni is more about the adventure itself, the characters, and the plot so I still feel like I enjoyed the game by playing on easy. SMT on the other hand has built up this reputation of being pretty hard. Part of playing through a game like this is tthe satisfaction that comes with "beating" it, not just finishing it. There are of course other games that fall under this category but you get my point.

[Jmustang1968]

Well my replacement SMT IV arrived in a bubble mailer of course, and it is in worse shape than the first

[Menegrothx]

Fuuuuuuuuuckkkkk I want a 3DS so bad. I only recently started doing research on the DS library and found out about Dark Spire. Etrian Odyssey, Dark Spire and all the SMT games... need more money, fast.

A lot of talk about the difficulty. How hard is this game on hardest difficulty setting? SMT: Nocturne hard? Wizardry 4 hard?

Btw 99% of video games and RPGs get this wrong. Harder difficulty should have better AI, not just a bigger healthbar. Why there isn't a demand for better AI in games? I have no idea. It would bring so much more satisfaction to conquering hard games.

[ZenErik]

Well my replacement SMT IV arrived in a bubble mailer of course, and it is in worse shape than the first

Can't put in a special request to have it mailed in a cardboard box?

I cannot give this game enough praise. The dungeons and combat are fantastic. So far the characters are better than I expected given the reviews I've seen. They are not Persona 4 levels of lovable, but they are not supposed to be. I've seen 'bland' thrown around quite a bit; that is a stretch. My main complaint with the game is the way they pronounce 'samurai' and say it over and over.

[dsheinem]

Well my replacement SMT IV arrived in a bubble mailer of course, and it is in worse shape than the first

Can't put in a special request to have it mailed in a cardboard box?

I cannot give this game enough praise. The dungeons and combat are fantastic. So far the characters are better than I expected given the reviews I've seen. They are not Persona 4 levels of lovable, but they are not supposed to be. I've seen 'bland' thrown around quite a bit; that is a stretch. My main complaint with the game is the way they pronounce 'samurai' and say it over and over.

how far are you?

[ZenErik]

Not that far at all. So there is always the chance that the freshness of a new SMT game wears off in another 20 hours of gameplay. I do quite a bit of grinding and talking to demons so my play time is probably high for where I am.

But for now it is up there with P4G. Better combat, better dungeons, better story. Less likable characters, less interaction with said characters, lack of battle animation, graphics from 1996 at times. The lack of battle animation has it's upsides though. Very fast paced.

The dungeon and battle screen graphics are better than I expected. But then for some of the story scenes it looks straight out of 1996 when they show characters off in the distance. Kinda weird. It's like it switches between very nice 3DS graphics on par w/ MH3U or P4G of sorts to Soul Hackers graphics.

I am going with a dex, luck, and agi build. Magic heavy is likely the best build. And I've heard that strength heavy is the worst. I plan on doing something like 5 dex for every 3 agi and 3 luck. But nothing set in stone.

[isiolia]

Can't put in a special request to have it mailed in a cardboard box?

I simply ordered it with other stuff, which got all of it put in a sturdy box

[dsheinem]

Not that far at all. So there is always the chance that the freshness of a new SMT game wears off in another 20 hours of gameplay. I do quite a bit of grinding and talking to demons so my play time is probably high for where I am.

But for now it is up there with P4G. Better combat, better dungeons, better story. Less likable characters, less interaction with said characters, lack of battle animation, graphics from 1996 at times. The lack of battle animation has it's upsides though. Very fast paced.

The dungeon and battle screen graphics are better than I expected. But then for some of the story scenes it looks straight out of 1996 when they show characters off in the distance. Kinda weird. It's like it switches between very nice 3DS graphics on par w/ MH3U or P4G of sorts to Soul Hackers graphics.

I am going with a dex, luck, and agi build. Magic heavy is likely the best build. And I've heard that strength heavy is the worst. I plan on doing something like 5 dex for every 3 agi and 3 luck. But nothing set in stone.

I'm approaching 6 hours in. Just hit the second demon that I think will require me to grind/do side quests to bulk up for. I'm around level 12 or so.

This is my first real experience with an SMT game (or a spin off for that matter). I like the fast paced combat and I like the fact that the characters are very basic and the story very straightforward without much in the way of relationship nonsense or anything like that. I like the menu based town navigation, the shop system, etc. Everything feels very refined and fluid, which is a nice change from the turn-based stuff I'm used to. I don't mind the less-than-stellar graphics, as this is a 3DS anyway. Unless I hit a real steep difficulty curve, I can see sticking with it through to the end.

As for builds, my approach thus far has just been to add one stat to each category for a balanced character. Is that a bad way to go, or just a boring way?