Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 (PS2)

So, I finally finished the second Digital Devil Saga game. The question may be, should you play the first game before this one? My answer is YES, as they are part of one story and playing them in the wrong order would make nonsense of the plot. Playing the second one alone would also drastically dilute the experience, as there are many references to the events of the first one. So this game is really not for anyone but players of Digital Devil Saga 1.

Ok, with that out of the way, I guess my advice would be to treat DDS1 and DDS2 as a two-disc single game - and buy them both. I think it's a bit of a shame that they did not release both games as a double pack, at least for a limited edition...maybe they will in the future. So for players of the first game, the story continues here. The five main characters have reached "Nirvana" and found that they are no better off than where they first started. So now they want answers, and the story concerns the revelations behind what the Junkyard actually was and where your team has now ended up. As plot twists go, it's actually been done before (I can't tell you which games it resembles to avoid spoilers!), but the resolution of the story is very mature and some scenes are extremely sad.

I won't go into any more detail about gameplay as it's all the same as DDS1 - turn based RPG action with the "press turns" system still as great as ever. You'd have to really like the Shin Megami game world by now though, as this is the third (I'm including Nocturne/Lucifer's Call, here) game for the PS2 so far to use many of the same monsters and battle skills all over again. By now I was starting to feel the repetition slightly, and when some of the monsters re-appeared, my mind went back to Lucifer's Call where I was able to employ them as team members, and I remembered how good that was. But DDS2 is still great fun to play, and at least they have brought in two brand new playable characters. Another different aspect is the way you access the Mantras (skills). You still have to buy them but the grid is now a big honeycomb rather than lots of single paths, so characters can cross more freely into each other's areas. The best skills are still waa-aay out of reach until you've done an incredible amount of levelling up, or are playing a second time through, whioch is a bit frustrating. And some of the top level skills only appear after fighting optional bosses, but I guess that's fair.

While on the subject of options, you will be doing yourself another big favour by playing DDS1 first and KEEPING THE SAVE DATA! This game can read your memory card for a DDS1 file and a clear game save will allow several handy bonuses. Some of these are money based, but others allow you acces to some extremely useful Karma Rings, which act as equippable shield/support items in this game. If you defeated the optional bosses Metatron and Beelzebub in DDS1, you'll get free rings that shield you from the two most annoying status attacks, Death and Expel. There are other rings too, none of which can be found or bought in DDS2 otherwise, and are extremely useful in fighting some tricky boss fights. Of course defeating those bosses in DDS1 was no mean feat, so if you managed to do so, you've earned these valuable accessories. Another bonus is that in the final dungeon, three of your characters may (depending on some simple choices in DDS1) each get a new super-strong skill for free, but these are so expensive to cast that I tried them out one or twice each just to see them and then never touched them again.

What I found lacking was no decent side quests or mini games. The "Space Invaders" style game was horrible and the Hee-Ho quiz was interminable, I never got anywhere near answering them all as Jack Frost appeared so rarely. There are some optional bosses, but not many, and they seem stuck on as an afterthought. They are, however suitably difficult, and only the dedicated player will defeat them, and doing so without the aid of a guide is almost impossible! Again, the game ends with a frustrating maze-like level of winding passages and warp-points, but luckily it's not as bad as the final area in the first game.

What's still good is the depth of the characterization. All the major cast members have real personalities, and there are several heavily dramatic scenes along the way which are very well depicted and voiced. As I mentioned earlier, this is a gloomy story with little feel-good atmosphere, but it certainly feels well written. And the graphics and design are still the same cool style. So, when added together with DDS1, it makes for a sizeable epic, but alone, both games fall short of the length I would expect for a single RPG game....still, its a great experience to play both, and now that both are available, interested gamers could embark on a marathon single venture, although the dropping of all stats back to starting levels halfway through (at the start of DDS2) might be a bit galling. But thats how it has to be. Enjoyable none the less.

If you have played DDS no.1, and enjoyed it, then you MUST get this game to finish the story. The gameplay is very slightly improved on DDS1, but not so much that it completely spoils the experience. There are improvements made, and they are welcoming. The story flows on very nicely. So, if you haven't played DDS1, you really should get that one first.

I believe DDS1 & 2 were originally set to come out together, as one large rpg, but hey, selling two games is more profit than selling one!

All in all, the SMT series is an awesome experience

if you like old school turn-based RPG, you will love it. With a real Japanese absurd storyline. One of the best games in the series, I thought it beat persona.