I noticed the members of this board have something against stereotypical JRPGs.
Can't say I blame them, JRPGs are going way down hill as of late.
But a few years back, a little company called Atlus released a PS2 game that set the bar so high, that no RPG since has come close to matching it for atmosphere, style, or pure sadistic difficulty.
Shin Megami Tensei is a long-running RPG series focused around demons, religious warfare, and humanity getting caught in between.
The PS2 incarnation, 'Nocturne', is the third in the 'core' series of SMT games. Each is primarily based around a single protagonist trying to survive the conflict between warring religious factions, and Nocturne is fairly similar in this regard.
After being invited to a hospital by one of his school teachers, the protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne finds himself caught in the center of the end of the world.
The Protagonist awakens after the apocalypse to find two of the few remaining survivors waiting for him.
Shortly thereafter, he finds himself forever changed by a parasite of their making into a half-human, half-demon.
Commonly referred to as the 'Demi-Fiend'.
The Demi-Fiend is not only given the task of trying to survive, but he is also informed that he is one with the power to remake the dead world however he decides.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne is all about choice.
Bring the world back to its former state, or bring about its destruction.
However, the player can't accomplish either alone.
The Demi-Fiend must contend with the demonic forces of the Vortex World, many of whom want him dead.
While destroying them outright is always an option, Nocturne offers a more beneficial choice.
Making them fight for you.
By using conversation in battle, almost any demon in Nocturne can be called to the player's side.
Some are courteous, others not so much.
But how should the world be remade? Well, there's the rub.
Several factions have their own ideas of how that should be done. Side with one, and see their fruition brought to light.
Side with none, and die a lowly demon.
As he is part demon, the Demi-Fiend can not create his own Reason. He can only use his strength to support that of another.
In the end, the choice is yours.
Nocturne is a turn-based RPG, but there is little traditional or mainstream to be found here.
Well, unless that guy counts.
In addition to a cameo from Dante, who arrives to destroy the demons of the Vortex World, Nocturne is full of monsters and spirits from all sorts of fictional and historical culture, ranging from the angelic to the demonic, from western to eastern, from Celtic to Norse and Catholic to Buddhist mythology.
You can find info on a lot of the demons referenced in the SMT series here [http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki].
Nocturne is a pretty rare game, but it's worth tracking down.
Failing that, any game under the SMT umbrella is good times(Persona, Strange Journey, Digital Devil Saga, Devil Summoner), but this is the definitive one to get.
Can't say I blame them, JRPGs are going way down hill as of late.
But a few years back, a little company called Atlus released a PS2 game that set the bar so high, that no RPG since has come close to matching it for atmosphere, style, or pure sadistic difficulty.
Shin Megami Tensei is a long-running RPG series focused around demons, religious warfare, and humanity getting caught in between.
The PS2 incarnation, 'Nocturne', is the third in the 'core' series of SMT games. Each is primarily based around a single protagonist trying to survive the conflict between warring religious factions, and Nocturne is fairly similar in this regard.
After being invited to a hospital by one of his school teachers, the protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne finds himself caught in the center of the end of the world.
The Protagonist awakens after the apocalypse to find two of the few remaining survivors waiting for him.
Shortly thereafter, he finds himself forever changed by a parasite of their making into a half-human, half-demon.
Commonly referred to as the 'Demi-Fiend'.
The Demi-Fiend is not only given the task of trying to survive, but he is also informed that he is one with the power to remake the dead world however he decides.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne is all about choice.
Bring the world back to its former state, or bring about its destruction.
However, the player can't accomplish either alone.
The Demi-Fiend must contend with the demonic forces of the Vortex World, many of whom want him dead.
While destroying them outright is always an option, Nocturne offers a more beneficial choice.
Making them fight for you.
By using conversation in battle, almost any demon in Nocturne can be called to the player's side.
Some are courteous, others not so much.
But how should the world be remade? Well, there's the rub.
Several factions have their own ideas of how that should be done. Side with one, and see their fruition brought to light.
Side with none, and die a lowly demon.
As he is part demon, the Demi-Fiend can not create his own Reason. He can only use his strength to support that of another.
In the end, the choice is yours.
Nocturne is a turn-based RPG, but there is little traditional or mainstream to be found here.
Well, unless that guy counts.
In addition to a cameo from Dante, who arrives to destroy the demons of the Vortex World, Nocturne is full of monsters and spirits from all sorts of fictional and historical culture, ranging from the angelic to the demonic, from western to eastern, from Celtic to Norse and Catholic to Buddhist mythology.
You can find info on a lot of the demons referenced in the SMT series here [http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki].
Nocturne is a pretty rare game, but it's worth tracking down.
Failing that, any game under the SMT umbrella is good times(Persona, Strange Journey, Digital Devil Saga, Devil Summoner), but this is the definitive one to get.
