Shin Megami Tensei Series

Maybe Law and Chaos could both be good in their own ways instead of being objectionably horrible?

They don't need to be perfect, but they should have some redeemable aspects.

Got to the end of Friday in Devil Survivor 2 and I'm feeling like the narrative doesn't do a great job of presenting a solid out-of-universe argument against Ronaldo's egalitarianism. Like one endpoint is social darwinism while the other's peace and goodwill between all men...that's not exactly fair and balanced, which is probably why Ronaldo and his methods of reaching that endpoint have to be demonized to pick up the slack and make the player's decision more "difficult". And you can't particularly draw parallels with real-world revolutions that led to just-as-bad or worse regimes long-term because supernatural powers are involved. Maybe it would've been more compelling had the game tackled the ethics of Brainwashing for the Greater Good. I think the Devil Survivor games had the writing chops to do so. Strange Journey Redux's new Law ending dipped its toes in it, which is why I feel like it's a more cynical ending than most players give it credit for.

At any rate, I'm gonna make a fresh save here and do all four/five ending routes fresh, without New Game Plus benefits since I haven't done that for all of them before.

Edited by ComicX6 on Mar 14th 2024 at 5:58:11 AM

Ronaldo letting extremism get the best of him due to his emotions is a fundamental problem of his.

The story doesn’t really go into it, but they very much meant for the idea that by focusing on helping each other society itself will be neglected in the long term ala fixing infrastructure/creation of new medicine/etc.

It was always meant to contrast the more reserved and emotionally stunted Yamato who was raised to The Sociopath by both the Japanese government that funded JP’s and his family. Which is why his Meritcoracy is all about the advancement of society via merit and removing things that fundamentally corrupt humanity like the obsession with wealth or status based on birth.

Edited by OmegaRadiance on Mar 14th 2024 at 3:40:54 AM

As I’ve said before, this is my biggest problem with De Su 2: literally presenting egalitarianism and eugenics as equal positions.

Meritocracy isn’t really going for Eugenics in said ending. Since the whole point IS that one’s station and birth does not determine your place in society in the Meritocracy made by Polaris. Indeed Money. Status. Etc. are very explicitly things that won’t give you benefits in it. Thats literally the only way a Meritocracy could fundamentally work since it requires changing human nature.

Both endings fundamentally require altering humanity in order to make them actually work. That’s part of the point.

Edited by OmegaRadiance on Mar 14th 2024 at 4:08:25 AM

It doesn't help the cast doesn't really get around to aiding anyone until day 3. The cast just got the phones out of circumstance, it's not like the first game, where there was a much more understandable reason not to give out Comps to civilians. Said it before, but the fact that you and your friends get cushy places to eat and sleep already makes them way better off than the civilians, or even the first game's characters.

Really wish the game focused more on atmosphere building and establishing the seriousness outside of the daily invasions, seeing a few folks getting vaporized from time to time isn't enough.

The anime tried for that, but unfortunately botched the execution.

It's also kind of a grey area since IIRC, humans get their brains casually rewritten all the time according to Alcor.

There's a lot of talk about supplies, and at least one case of civilians rioting over food.

And at day 6 in DS 1, I'm still waiting for it to be better than DS 2. It feels like I've just been walking around getting exposition.

Lmao I tried to take on Deity Io without the Python Evil Flow strategy and just got my ass kicked again and again and again.

@Red Hunter: Thiugh it’s also suggested this hasn’t really happened in a long time due to Alcors interference in humanity ages ago as well, since it’s noted his interference out of benevolence thousands of years ago lead to Polaris current action to erase humanity.

Or at the very least hasn’t had the impact of swaying humanity back into aligning with the cosmic order the way Polaris wished. Thus the whole delete the world and rewrite the code of planet earth Polaris is also doing via the Trial.

Edited by OmegaRadiance on Mar 15th 2024 at 3:06:36 AM

It's also mentioned once or twice that Earth isn't the only world overseen by the Administrators. Though I suppose that could just mean parallel world Earths rather than other planets entirely but the game never elaborates.

Edited by ComicX6 on Mar 15th 2024 at 8:46:14 AM

They mean the literal entire universe. All of that is overseen and the earth is only a small part of it.

The Star Gods and their Swords are out there living in other parts of the Universe until their time to sit upon the Throne arrives/passes. That was a big part of why Ronaldo’s Record Breaker ending has a lot of implications since it means they’ll be fighting. Every. Single. Star. In. The. Cosmos. and the third invasion is already smarter and adapted to combat the heroes by attacking as soon as the Reset Buttom happened.

Edit: And the Triangulum are temp. admins + swords created by Canopus if something happens to the actual administrator.

Edited by OmegaRadiance on Mar 15th 2024 at 5:55:48 AM

Nocturne is on sale on Steam so I bought and played it for the first time.

...I died to a fucking Kodama in the tutorial dungeon because it kept dodging my attacks and I haven't figured out where to use items.

But so far so good. I met the Manikins for the first time and so far no real problems yet.

This week's Famitsu issue revealed the identities of Lilith's gal pals and they are indeed Samael's other three wives:

• Naamah is the two-faced one, the zombie is Eisheth Zenumin, and the witch is Agrat bat Mahlat.
• Ichiro and Tao are shown as guest team members the same way that Yuzuru and Yoko were previously shown.
• Peallaidh of all demons got a unique spell. Jack O' Lantern also got a "Jack Agilao" spell to go with Jack Frost's Jack Bufula.
• Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel all have a combo attack with each other.

I'm starting to think that a new form of Samael could be the final boss of the Canon of Vengeance.

A big upgrade from being Hikawa's literal and figurative Dragon, and just a name for the penultimate (or antepenultimate) storyline boss of P5.

LMAO Vengeance's release date just got moved up a week to June 14th in order to dodge Elden Ring (they don't give a reason, but that's totally why).

Hahaha yeah I believe it. Sega's convinced that Mario Wonder is the reason the new Sonic game underperformed so they're extra concerned.

Tbf theyd 100% be right with Elden Rings DLC releasing at the same time before so changing the date was inevitable.

@Comicx 6: They confirmed demons in general will all have unique skills. So that’s not surprising.

What is surprising is that they’ve doubled the number of unique skills for Nahobino I hear.

Edited by OmegaRadiance on Mar 20th 2024 at 6:33:13 AM

Can't wait to use moves like Terabarion and Psiobarion.

Dazai being a party member at least temporarily has certainly gotten me more interested.

There’s English screenshots now and Miyazu is 100% involved in the plot this time.

The English V As are also confirmed. Cherami Leigh is Agrat, Allegra Clark is Namaah, etc.

To be honest by their dialogue it easily sounds like the Snake ladies could get Shiva on their side, since he too sought to destroy the world(And he’s associated with snakes via Vasuki natch).

Very curious to see if they change up law and chaos factions here.

A thought just occurred to me: Despite all of the various Jack Frost variants, including the new one for W, we've never had a Jacqueline Frost in SMT have we? Just a straight up girl version of ol' Jack Frost.

The closest is, what, Queen Frost and Diana from Devil Children?

Yes