Tokyo Conception

As I sit here listening to my brand spanking new Digital Devil Saga soundtrack, I am also browsing sites to find information about the newest Devil Summoner Raidou game that is only coming out in Japan so far.

Also, I am musing something that's incredibly intriguing to me, and probably boring as all hell to others: the relationship of demons in the various MegaTen games. None of the following is what I would consider spoilers. Everything can be revealed just by playing a few hours into the games.

In Digital Devil Saga, they are merely enemies, and something that you and your teammates have been forced into becoming. There's no kinship, and even your allies seem rather dangerous - there's a few just-misses with some of the teammates almost eating each other in the very beginning.

In Devil Summoner Raidou, the demons are partners. You've been trained to essentially capture them and use them as allies in your fight. There's a bit of... convincing, but once the demons join you, they're loyal. They're mostly used for tasks, and because Raidou is a silent protagonist, you can really determine your relationship for yourself. However, it's a definite that Raidou utilizes the demons whenever he can, and that, to say the very least, he doesn't outright mistreat them, because they usually have good things to say about him.

In Persona, by and large, the demons are creatures that can respond in varying ways: they can become your own persona, thus aiding your quest greatly; they can give you information; they can attack you for fun or out of anger; they can also run away. They're essentially like everything else in the world; it's only weird that you run into them in the beginning....

In Nocturne, you ARE one of them. Even though Hitoshura is another silent protagonist, there's a sense of being just like the demons you are recruiting. True, Hitoshura is only a half-demon, but you still need to speak to the demons in their own language, barter with them, and give them items - just like when you're recruiting normal characters in other rpgs...

... So yeah, I find that interesting. None of the branches of the MegaTen series are exactly alike, but they are familiar enough to all be fun. I don't expect most of the people that read this to go out and play the MegaTen series, because I understand it's not a series for everyone. Most probably won't be able to play through the first dungeon in any of them... And while that's okay, I really wish more people would get into the above series. They're truly fun, and challenging... And they even cross over into each other! Hitoshura, in particular, seems to REALLY like traversing into other games.

Shanti, Shanti

Popped Infinite Undiscovery into my 360 today to give it a shot. It's by Squeenix, so I was a bit hesitant. But so far, it seems like Enix put more effort into it than Square did.

A few random things I've noted in the short amount of time I've put into it:
-there are WAY too many running parts in this game. It's only being pardoned because Capell is a total weenie at this point.

-Everyone has a crush on Sigmund. Like, even the old ninja dude. But it's most obvious in Edward. Interestingly, Aya seems the least interested in him romantically; she gives off the vibe of he's the untouchable hero that she wants to help. Edward, however, gets pretty intense whenever Sigmund gets involved. As for Sigmund? He doesn't seem like he has romantic intentions towards anyone, lol. (oh, and I have a crush on Sigmund too! He's really sexy 8| )

-The voices aren't too bad. Sigmund's got a really nice voice, but I wonder if he and Capell share the same voice in the Japanese. I'm disappointed there's no Japanese track (It's so easy to do, guys, come on!), but so far none of the voices were offensive. WE SHALL SEE

-I'm so worried Aya will end up like Rinoa. She seems competant, and cute when chastised, but it's a delicate balance.

-Loving the clothes in this game. They fit with the character designs and feel like actual outfits, as opposed to costumes. I have kind of eccentric taste in outfits for games, but I like when characters dress for battle if they are fighters. And if someone is not supposed to be a fighter, it's okay if their outfits are kind of... bad on the battlefield...

-Maybe I'm a suspicious gamer, but I'm watching all the characters to see who's most likely to be a traitor! Maybe none of them will be, but with the kinds of personalities all coming together, it's unlikely that they'll all be loyal to Capell and work together. I'll actually be more surprised if none of them are traitors. ... (However, I'm worried that Sigmund will have bad intentions - he disappeared before the game, which is why Aya broke into the prison to save Capell. And then he finds the group again... )

- I like how certain aspects of the game work, but hate others. It's cool when you go into the menu that everyone sits down like they're having a break and are all focused on the tactical part of the game. However, you can still be attacked when you're in the menu, but at least it doesn't cover up the screen. Also, you can't really control your party members outright, but you can issue commands for them. However, you can also take control of one particular character at any given time, and utilize their abilities. I haven't had more than just Aya in my party so far, so I don't know how easy or difficult it is going to be to juggle several party members in this way.

I think that's all for now; I haven't played a whole bunch in the game yet, so I can't even determine a favorite character (I can't claim Sigmund because so far it's been purely shallow notions of how sexy and cool he is). However, I'm excited by the idea that this is very similar to Star Ocean in that you cook, and enchant, and use alchemy and things of that nature.

EDIT: Found a japanese clip off youtube. Capell and Sigmund definitely don't have the same voice. I might be mistaken, but if I heard correctly, Koyasu Takehito is Sigmund? FAAAAAIL.