Devil Summoner - PS2

I couldn't help it, I decided to put in some hours on another Atlus Shin Megami Tensei game. I started Devil Summoner and couldn't stop - even though I just bought a PS3.

This one is actually not an RPG, and it's not set in present day. The story revolves around a group of mages in industrial Japan. The order of "Raidou" is committed to maintaining peace in Tokyo. They do so with the power to see, combat, and summon "devils" (which are Personas in all the Persona games).

This was a major turning point in Japan, as they began westernizing and adopting technologies from America and Europe. I always felt that the days were pretty bleak there, but playing this game makes it feel very exciting. There're young men who are intrigued by the steam boats and trains and young women who want to try the sun dresses from Europe. I think I enjoy these aspects more because I was a Japanese history major in college.

(Raidou and his funny hat) The game itself is an action RPG where battles warp you to a fighting screen. You have a sword, a handgun, and the ability to summon devils. You fight in towns and then you fight in the dark world. This is the natural sequence of events in the game. Once again there is monster fusion, and it becomes like a mature version of Pokemon. Each monster has it's strengths and weaknesses and they also come with special abilities like "sneak" and "fly". These abilities enable the detective summoner to snoop in places where any normal sleuth cannot.

(the detective agency) All in all the game is fun and has a nice sense of challenge. You can go through levels quicker if you know how to hack and slash correctly, but you can also dominate the bosses if you rather level up. So it's got a good balance of "Action - RPG". The fusions for the devils make this game interesting for those who like to "collect them all".

I'm finally in Episode 8, and I think there will be only two more episodes before this all comes to an end. I'm about 20 hours in, so I doubt this will take more than 30.

Below are some scenes I took with my camera. I love the settings: the Red Light District, the old Ginza district, and a conversation with a huge demon.