Fun with Three 3DS RPGs

Project X Zone is a welcome surprise for an already packed year, as far as I'm concerned. I had just about given up on it coming stateside when it was announced.

@melodiousj:

Soul Hackers is definitely a challenge. I can imagine that fans that might pick it up after being introduced through P3 and P4 are in for a rough awakening. But while it does take getting used to, the game is definitely rewarding. And I too hope to see a western release of if... some day.

Sure does. I haven't touched Dark Moon at all, but I'm thinking of picking it up (assuming I ever have time for it in between all of these RPGs). I also picked up Pandora's Tower and I'm looking forward to put time into it as well, though that game isn't really an RPG and more action-adventure. Even so, it sounds like a really fun game, and I've been looking forward to it ever since XSEED announced the release.

MegaTen isn't nearly as similar to Pokemon as some people make it out to be. In fact, I don't think I'd actually call MegaTen games "monster raisers", in the traditional sense. Generally a monster raiser, like Pokemon, is about finding a monster and raising them from a weakling to something strong by the end of the game. They also usually focus entirely on using the monsters in combat.

Demons in MegaTen are more like interchangeable party members. They usually work exactly like a human party member in combat, except you don't just level them up over the course of the game, you fuse them into stronger demons and replace them. They're basically just minions to support your human characters, who are almost always the most important members of your team.

I'm still pretty early in Soul Hackers, but so far I've mostly relied on just the Hero and Nemissa and maybe one other demon. I usually only summon the other three when I run into a boss.

@zeik: They aren't all that dissimilar, though. Both have a "gotta catch 'em all" idea in there. Both have you using monsters as minions. Both show the player character as the master of these monsters. Both have you catch monsters in battle. But you're right that the idea of fusing demons into more powerful ones instead of training one single demon from beginning to end makes a world of difference.

Whats the gameplay like in Soul Hackers? Is it similar to Strange Journey where you need to talk to the demons and "persuade" them to join your group, or does it do something different?

I didn't really get far into Strange Journey cause of that mechanic, wasn't a big fan of it. I thought Soul Hackers would be the same, but I'm not sure.

Can't wait for PXZ, preordered it yesterday. Its the sole reason why I got a 3ds. Can't wait to have my .hack/VC team.

@esrever: Soul Hackers is pretty classic SMT as far as gameplay mechanics go, so yes. It's too bad you didn't like the negotiation, it's a core mechanic of a lot of MegaTen games.

Granted, some handle it a lot better than others.

@hailinel:

Great post! I'm way too deep into fire emblem it is sad. I have clocked 170+ hours running pass the DLC maps now which i agree is a little pricey but I'm still enjoying it a lot. The 3DS has been on fire lately and i don't know if a need another time sink like EO4 even tho i like what i played. Getting ready for SMT4 along with project x zone in the meantime i can catch up on some of those backlog games but loving the 3DS so far and upgrading to the XL has made it even more enjoyable.

As @zeik noted, yeah, it has negotiation. There's also an extra layer of demon relationship in the game that affects the likelihood of demons in your party obeying direct commands. There is a menu option that lets the demons act as they desire, so they can still be effective, but yeah, if you say "Bufu," there are times when they may just ignore you.

Not really. I mean, yes, there's a superficial collection aspect, but the core nature of the relationship of trainer/pokemon and protagonist/demon in MegaTen is quite different. As I noted above, you're not necessarily the "master" of these demons. At best, they may sometimes just tolerate you. They're also active party members that, depending on the game, may or may not level up (they don't in Soul Hackers), and the general philosophies behind the games are strikingly different.

170 hours? Wow. I wish I had the sort of time to sink into a game like that, but then again, if I did, I'd probably be in the same boat as you at this point.

@hailinel: The dangers of being able to watch tv, hang with the family, spend time with the lady and still have fire emblem going has not helped me tackle some of these console games i should be playing.

Great post man, I've caught myself eyeing the 3DS here and there and looking at the growing selection of RPGs. I'm a huge fan of the Etrian Odyssey series in particular.

Picked up Tales of The Abyss today for 3DS. Been loving Fire Emblem and Devil Survivor Overclocked (although it is pretty difficult).

I considered picking up Tales of the Abyss, but I've never been much of a Tales fan. Though part of that has to do with never really giving the series much of a chance. I should see about picking that up at some point if I can find it on the cheap.

And yeah, Overclocked is hard. They did at least provide an easier difficulty (the original DS release didn't have one), but the game really loves its difficulty spikes.