Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Fan Translation: Preview (Colons)

This is kind of a long story. If you want that, read on after this.

If you don’t, uh, just watch this.

Still with me? Good!

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner is a spinoff of the SMT series. It was originally released for the Sega Saturn(wise choice) and then later for the PSP(tough call) and then never localized(thanks Sony. NOT).

What separates Devil Summoner from SMT? In a nutshell, Devil Summoners are basically the same as SMT’s protagonists: normal humans who work with demons. The difference is, Devil Summoners are more, shall we say, hands on with their demons. Demons tend to get more personality and have more influence in the story, and be more friendly with their summoner, not just tools for a job. (Especially in the Raidou games.)

Basically, Devil Summoner games are more ‘street level’ and character-driven. That’s how I like to think of it, anyway.

Devil Summoner takes place in 199x, where a college student with terrible luck winds up having to save his girlfriend, the city, and maybe the world from the machinations of a Bible/Grimoire-wielding dark summoner hell bent on reviving a goddess and wreaking all kinds of the hades(props if you get that).

This brings us to a few years(?) back when on 4chan’s “SMTG” community, a user I’m fortunate enough to now-know as Fukuzatsu decided he was going to translate the game for the PSP.

At least, until he hit the worst of SMT walls: demon negotiation. It’s been hell on him.

Enter another Spanish team of savvy hackers, who’ve been making progress, namely https://twitter.com/megaflan/ and https://twitter.com/GriffithVIII , each of whom were kind enough to join up and make Fuku’s life(hopefully) easier.

I have to give special props to @NakuFox, who came up with the INCREDIBLE title screen, as seen in the video above.

So without further ado, here’s some screens.

Also, mad props to Marsh, the absolute madman below. He beat the game in raw Japanese, and his charismatic flow made the game even more popular than it was already.

SMT: DS was a huge success in Japan, and lead to its (IMO) vastly superior sequel, Soul Hackers.

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP) Update

I can’t let the CCC team take all the thunder, can I?

So as anyone who’s been following me on twitter knows, the reason for the delay has been due to a bug at Seven Sisters.

I’m happy to say that bug has been squashed.

As you may notice, A MAJORITY OF DUNGEON AND BATTLE DIALOGUE IS STILL IN JAPANESE. Yes, we know.

The town text, which is probably a good 60% of the game’s dialogue, is already implemented, along with a sprinkling of dungeon banter(how and which rooms, I have no idea, seems completely random).

So where’s this leave us? With the dungeon and battles, and fixing any bugs in the shops(which already appear to be several).

I’ll leave on a positive note with more screens. Have an enjoy.

Crap, I ended on Nyarlathotep… uh, well, on a positive note, as my girl Ulala says, stay tuned.

Spaaaace Cha-

wrong game.

A Status Update (or: in the name of all that’s holy, I swear nothing is cancelled.)

“Some people who don’t know about your Twitter might think all your projects are dead, though.”

“any chance of a blog post on how the EP translation is going along?”

“Is it alright to ask how the Devil Children translation is going though? (Also good luck with CCC)”
“e p p s p w h e n (actually did debisama happen? I’m out of the loop. I assume not yet)”

“Hi cj, is fate extra CCC english patch coming out?”

“Quick Question, is the Eternal Punishment project beeing cancelled or do you continue it? There has not been any update in quite a while”

You. get. the. idea.

So first things first, since I could fill the grand canyon with the requests for this and give E.T. a run for his money.

Yes, I know.

 

Fate/Extra CCC (PSP)

Unchanged. Not cancelled. Full stop. Do not pass go. Do not cut off Gilgamesh’s arm.

Actually, totally do that.

 

THIS SCRIPT IS MASSIVE AND WILL LIKELY TAKE MANY MORE WEEKS IF NOT MONTHS TO PROPERLY ORGANIZE AND FORMAT. Once this hurdle is passed, you’ll be the first to know. Give or take.

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP)

Moving along nicely! Making solid progress with the remainder of the editing. I can’t say a 2017 release is a given, but it’s damn possible, at least based on the text progress.

Devil Summoner (PSP)

Well, I’m not involved in this, but as an intermediary for Esper, I can assure you it’s happening.

Devil Children: Red & Black Book (PS1)

I am involved in this! Well, as a tester and the editor. And EsperKnight is too. I can’t wait, and you best believe as a proud member of the Cult of Mirai, I will not let this go unreleased.

Sakura Wars (PC)

Translation is maybe 40% done. Stay tuned.

Shadowrun (Sega CD)

Just kidding. I have to keep lighting a fire under Esper for this one. It’s a bitch, let’s put it that way. But we’ll get there.

That’s all I got for now, hit me up on twitter or something if you’d like to know more, but probably not much to share  that isn’t here already, unless you want excerpts of Shikigami lore or EP PSP’s script or some junk.

Back to Disgaea 2. Ciao.

Post-Mortem: Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

 

 

I love SMT, a lot. I’ve played, *deep breath*, I, II, III, Raidou 1 &2, Devil Summoner, Soul Hackers, DemiKids Red & Black, Imagine(far more than anyone should and than I dare admit), Strange Journey, you get the idea.

So of course I hit the ground running when Apocalypse came out.

Where does it stand in the pantheon, though?

Apocalypse has great IDEAS. The theme of a Polytheist alliance banding together to tell Lucifer and YHVH to go kick rocks? Brilliant.

The execution, not so much. The protagonist was deliberately given a younger appearance to lure in… you guessed it, the casuals. In addition, the theme of the POWER OF FRIENDSHIP permeates the entire game. You keep expecting a Social Link… Go? prompt to appear halfway through the game, it’s that blatant.

I’ll give Atlus credit, though. IV:A doesn’t rest on that theme too heavily. Some nasty, nasty things go down in this game. People die in horrifying ways. Tokyo is a twisted place.

Merkabah is a DICK. But it just gives the whole experience constant tonality shifts. Someone dies brutally, but your best friend is totally there with you! Your friends are with you, but Merkabah slaughtered every hunter in range of him with one swing of his Hama-wielding hand.

You get the idea.

Oh, and the DLC…

Let’s not go there. Apocalypse is a great game, and unlike its predecessor, rarely loses its fangs. It just every so often, sadly, reminds us of what could have and should have been had it committed to the full nine of a proper warring gods SMT experience.

Bears noting: the music is as good as ever. This is now my ringtone.

It may remain as such for months to come.