| DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
Hello and welcome, one and all, to the Digital Devil Database forums!
With over 52 games (and counting!) in the Megami Tensei franchise, it's hard to imagine that it all started with a dimestore novel written over twenty years ago. The series has been reincarnated countless times in an array of formats, many of which were sadly unavailable to we Westerners until relatively recently. From the early Famicom days to the Online Megaten of today, the Digital Devil Database functions as an English language sounding board for all of them.
A comprehensive guide detailing the history of the Megami Tensei franchise can be found HERE.
The forums have been divided up by individual series and for relative ease. I've provided a minor introduction to each section, detailing the games in the series and providing some online resources and links.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2008, 11:21:09 PM by DevilRy »
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| DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
TOKYO 202X
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This is the board for topics about the Megami Tensei and Shin Megami Tensei games, their direct spin-offs and sequels. The Megami Tensei games were groundbreaking for their time and provide the basic structure from which all the other games in the franchise are based. Megami Tensei refers to the original Famicom titles by Namcot, whereas Shin Megami Tensei were reimaginings of the original games released in the 16-bit era. Megami Tensei translates as "Goddess Reincarnation," although the word 'tensei' has general meanings associated to certain concepts in Buddhism, where some regard 'Metempsychosis' or 'Transmigration' as a more fitting translation. The character 'shin' means "truth," and is ostensibly a pun on the kanji '新' (new) often used in Japan during the height of the Super Famicom-era, much like how "Super" was used in North America to denote new editions in video game lines. The Megami Tensei series is distinguished for its post-apocalyptic themes and its use of characters and beings from world mythology. They're also known for having incredibly complicated gameplay which differs from most other games in the genre notably because of the 'contact'-system, wherein your enemies can often be coerced or negotiated with into joining your party. All the enemies in Megami Tensei games are referred to as 'devils' or akuma (悪魔) and become 'comrades' or nakama (仲魔) once they join your party. Megami Tensei is also known for its mulitple story paths, often represented by philosophical or moral questions asked of your character as you progress through the game.
list of games
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Digital Devil Monogatari (story) Megami Tensei/デジタル・デビル物語 女神転生 (1987 Namcot, Famicom)
Digital Devil Monogatari (story) Megami Tensei II/デジタル・デビル物語 女神転生II (1990 Namcot, Famicom)
Shin Megami Tensei/真・女神転生 (1992 ATLUS, Super Famicom)
Shin Megami Tensei II/真・女神転生II (1994 ATLUS, Super Famicom)
Shin Megami Tensei if.../真・女神転生if... (1994 ATLUS, Super Famicom)
Kyuuyaku (Old Testament) Megami Tensei/旧約・女神転生 (1995 ATLUS, Super Famicom)
Shin Megami Tensei NINE/真・女神転生NINE (2002 ATLUS, Xbox)
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne/真・女神転生IIINocturne (2003 ATLUS, Playstation 2)
Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne/真・女神転生IIINocturneマニアクス (2004 ATLUS, Playstation 2)
Currently a translation does not exist of the original Digital Devil Story games or the Super Famicom remake.
English translation patches of the first two Shin Megami Tensei ROMs can be found on the Aeon Genesis website HERE & HERE.
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne was localized by Atlus USA, although only the Japanese expanded edition (dubbed "Maniacs" in that country) and without the III suffix.
Shin Megami Tensei NINE was a spinoff game released in Japan only for the Xbox. A video of gameplay can be found HERE.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2009, 06:04:21 PM by yksehtniycul »
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| DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
SUMMONER'S CLUB
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This section is for talk related to the Devil Summoner games. Devil Summoner started originally as a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei series but has since spawned various sequels - most recently with the Raidou games for Playstation 2. The Devil Summoner games for the most part are 'period-pieces,' often set in contemporary, historic or futuristic locales, but always in Japan. The gameplay in the first two Devil Summoner games is very similar to that of the first two Shin Megami Tensei games, whereas the Raidou games have taken a more "action-RPG"-style approach.
list of games
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Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner/真・女神転生 デビルサマナ (1995 ATLUS, Sega Saturn)
Devil Summoner Soul Hackers/デビルサマナー ソウル ハッカーズ (1997 ATLUS, Sega Saturn)
Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army (tai Chouriki Heidan-Super Powered Army)/デビルサマナー 葛葉ライドウ対超力兵団 (2006 ATLUS, Playstation 2)
Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abadon (tai Abadon Ou)/デビルサマナー 葛葉ライドウ対アバドン王 (2008 ATLUS, Playstation 2)
Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abadon Plus/デビルサマナー 葛葉ライドウ対アバドン王Plus (2008 ATLUS, Playstation 2)
There is no English translation available for the first Devil Summoner but it was rereleased in Japan for the Playstation portable.
A Soul Hackers translation patch is on the list of current projects over at the Aeon Genesis website HERE.
Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army was localized and released by Atlus USA.
Devil Summoner Kuzunoha Raidou vs. King Abadon is planned to be released in October 2008 in Japan.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2009, 05:55:04 PM by yksehtniycul »
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| DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
VELVET ROOM
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The Velvet Room consists of discussions regarding Persona, another Megami Tensei spin-off that developed into its own series. The Persona games focuses primarily on the exploits of Japanese High School students and the existence of Persona users: persons with control of powerful psychic indenties that manifest in the form of Tarot cards. The gameplay differs from other games in the Megaten franchise and focuses more on individual character development and the collection of Tarot cards rather than the recruitment of demons. Persona has also spawned numerous manga and anime series.
list of games
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Revelations Persona/女神異聞録ペルソナ (1996 ATLUS, Playstation)
Persona 2 Innocent Sin (tsumi)/ペルソナ2罪 (1999 ATLUS, Playstation)
Persona 2 Eternal Punishment (batsu)/ペルソナ2罰 (2000 ATLUS, Playstation)
Shin Megami Tensei Persona 3/ペルソナ3 (2006 ATLUS, Playstation 2)
Persona 3 FES/ペルソナ3FES (2007 ATLUS, Playstation 2)
Persona 4/ペルソナ4 (2008 ATLUS, Playstation 2)
The first Persona was localized and released by Atlus USA.
Persona 2 Innocent Sin was never released in English, although there is a fan translation of the script available on the website 'The Oracle of Maya' HERE
Persona 2 Eternal Punishment was localized and released by Atlus USA.
Persona 3 and the extended edition subtitled 'FES' was localized and released by Atlus USA. A fan 'undub' of the game can be found on various torrent websites like isohunt HERE.
Persona 4 has already been released in Japan and is scheduled for release in North America in December 2008.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2009, 05:55:58 PM by yksehtniycul »
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| DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
NIRVANA
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The Nirvana section is for topics related to Digital Devil Saga, a side story and throwback to Megami Tensei I and II. The storyline centers around the "Junkyard," a militaristic world divided by tribes fighting for dominance and, ultimately, ascendency to Nirvana, the promised paradise. The gameplay is most similar to that of Shin Megami Tensei III's "press-turn"-system, which was also adapted for use in Persona 3.
list of games
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Shin Megami Tensei Digital Devil Saga (Avatar Tuner)/Digital Devil Saga アバタール・チューナー (2004 ATLUS, Playstation 2)
Shin Megami Tensei Digital Devil Saga 2 (Avatar Tuner)/Digital Devil Saga アバタール・チューナー 2 (2005 ATLUS, Playstation 2)
Both Digital Devil Saga games were localized and published by Atlus USA and Ghostlight in the UK.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2009, 05:56:36 PM by yksehtniycul »
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| DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
ONLINE IMAGINE
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The MMORPG version of the Megami Tensei series is here! Well, in Japan anyway. The DDDB has a dedicated group of players and an English-language wiki for those Westerners interested in playing. An English language Wiki can be found HERE, the Aeria Games website is HERE.
It was announced September 9th that Aeria games bought the rights for a North American release.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2009, 05:57:07 PM by yksehtniycul »
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| DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
MEGATEN HELL
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There have been a huge amount of less popular spin-off titles of the main Megami Tensei franchise, including the Majin Tensei games for Super Famicom, the Last Bible and Devil Children series for Gameboy, even Jack Bros. for the ill-fated Virtual Boy. Pretty much every console and operating system has seen some incarnation of Megami Tensei, so for topics regarding all those miscellaneous Megaten games this is your board.
MAJIN TENSEI
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The Majin Tensei games for Super Famicom were tactical role-playing games, designed as spin-off from the Megami Tensei franchise. The first game is often toted as a Fire Emblem clone, and the second game in the series, Spiral Nemesis, was fairly similiar, although notable for having menus written entirely in English. Ronde was developed by a seperate entity, Multimedia Intelligence Transfer, which was also responsible for the Devil Children and Last Bible series. Ronde is often described as one of the worst games released for the Sega Saturn. A video of the intro for Ronde can be found HERE.
list of games
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None of the Majin Tensei games have been ported for North American release.
Majin Tensei/魔神転生 (ATLUS, Super Famicom)
Majin Tensei II Spiral Nemesis/魔神転生IISPIRAL NEMESIS (ATLUS, Super Famicom)
Ronde/ロンド輪舞曲 (Rinbukyoku) （ATLUS, Sega Saturn)
LAST BIBLE
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The Last Bible series was developed by Multimedia Intelligence Transfer as a stylistically simpler reimagining of the Megami Tensei franchise aimed at a younger audience. As such the gameplay has been toned down quite a bit and, despite the title, has very little to do with the Christian Bible aside from Lucifer being the main villain. Devils (悪魔, Akuma) are now referred to as 'Magic Beast' (魔獣, Majuu) and, with the exception of Last Bible III, are not classified by race.
list of games
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Megami Tensei Gaiden Last Bible-Revelations The Demon Slayer/女神転生外伝 ラストバイブル (1992 ATLUS, Gameboy)
Megami Tensei Gaiden Last Bible II/女神転生外伝 ラストバイブルII (1993 ATLUS, Gameboy)
Last Bible III/ラストバイブルIII (1995 ATLUS, Super Famicom)
Another Bible/アナザ・バイブル (1995 ATLUS, Gameboy)
Megami Tensei Gaiden Last Bible was rereleased in Japan and translated and localized by Atlus USA in 1999.
The other Last Bible games are not available in English.
DEVIL CHILDREN
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Devil Children is yet again another side series aimed at children and developed by Multimedia Intelligence Transfer. The Devil Children series takes a much more modern approach as opposed to Last Bible's medieval themes, though still very much a toned down version of the Megami Tensei franchise, spawning numerous anime and manga series.
list of games
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Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children Black Book/真・女神転生 デビルチルドレン 黒の書 (2000 ATLUS, Gameboy Color)
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children Red Book/真・女神転生 デビルチルドレン 赤の書 (2000 ATLUS, Gameboy Color)
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children White Book/真・女神転生 デビルチルドレン 白の書 (2001 ATLUS, Gameboy Color)
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children Hikari no Shou (DemiKids Light Version)/真・女神転生 デビルチルドレン 光の書 (2003 ATLUS, Gameboy Advance)
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children Yami no Shou (DemiKids Dark Version)/真・女神転生 デビルチルドレン 闇の書 (2003 ATLUS, Gameboy Advance)
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children Puzzle de Call!/真・女神転生 デビルチルドレン パズルdeコール! (2003 ATLUS, Gameboy Advance)
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children Book of Fire/真・女神転生 デビルチルドレン 炎の書 (2003 ATLUS, Gameboy Advance)
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children Book of Ice/真・女神転生 デビルチルドレン 氷の書 (2003 ATLUS, Gameboy Advance)
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children Messiah Riser/真・女神転生 デビルチルドレン メシアライザー (2004 ATLUS/Rocket Company, Gameboy Advance)
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children Hikari no Shou and it's partner game Yami no Shou were both translated and localized by Atlus USA, dubbed "DemiKids," Light and Dark versions.
JACK BROS.
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Jack Bros./ジャック・ブラザースの迷路でヒーホー! (1995 ATLUS, Virtual Boy)
Jack Bros. was domestically released in North America but is notoriously difficult and expensive to obtain a working copy.
GITEN MEGAMI TENSEI
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Giten (Apocrypha) Megami Tensei Tokyo Mokushiroku (Apocalypse)/偽典・女神転生 東京黙示録 (1996 ASCII, PC98/Windows 98)
NOVELS
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A translation of the first novel can be found HERE.
        
Digital Devil Story Megami Tensei (Goddess Reincarnation)/デジタル・デビル・ストーリー 女神転生
Digital Devil Story 2 Mamiyako no Senshi (Soldier of the Devil Capital)/デジタル・デビル・ストーリー2 魔都の戦士
Digital Devil Story 3 Tensei no Shuuen (Reincarnation of Death)/デジタル・デビル・ストーリー3 転生の終焉
New Digital Devil Story 1 Toraware no Megami (Imprisonment of the Goddess)/新デジタル・デビル・ストーリー1 捕らわれの女神
New Digital Devil Story 2 Hikai no Jyo-Ou (The Ice Queen)/新デジタル・デビル・ストーリー2 氷界の女王
New Digital Devil Story 3 Shinma no Wakase (World of the Demon Gods)/新デジタル・デビル・ストーリー3 神魔の惑星
New Digital Devil Story 4 Ikari no Yao Mikado (~Anger of Yao Mikado~?)/新デジタル・デビル・ストーリー4 怒りの妖帝
New Digital Devil Story 5 Megami yo Eien-ni (The Eternal Goddess)/新デジタル・デビル・ストーリー5 女神よ永遠に
New Digital Devil Story 6 Tensei no Kizuna (The Bonds of Reincarnation)/新デジタル・デビル・ストーリー6 転生の絆
ANIME
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Digital Devil Story Megami Tensei
Shin Megami Tensei Tokyo Mokushiroku
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children
Persona Trinity Soul
« Last Edit: April 28, 2009, 05:58:08 PM by yksehtniycul »
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| DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
10.03.08/
Added North American box art for Persona 3 and Persona 3 FES.
Added Soul Hackers Saturn box art.
Updated release information on Raidou vs. King Abadon and Plus, added box art.
Added info on the novels and added cover illustrations.
10.22.08/
Added intros to Majin Tensei, Last Bible and Devil Children sections
Corrected a few minor typographical errors.
Whoops! Exceeded character limit for posts, divied up contents.
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| yksehtniycul
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don't play with me 'cause you're playing with fire |
I backed up all the images in this post a while back. I will try to restore them asap. In the meantime I noticed many of the images in the posts on this page are now dead (http://www.digitaldevildb.com/page/2/)
We (I) were really lazy about getting proper image links up I guess 
PS: If you (anyone that is) can help make/find suitable replacement images for those news posts, that would be awesome (really)
---- COMPRESSING -----------------------------
Ok, I think I fixed all of the boxart images. I also split off a couple commentary topics (about the images being linkdead) to avoid confusion and unnecessary loading of the supplementary images Emilio had provided in the meantime. I will probably just move the split topic into the VIP board for safe keeping 
« Last Edit: April 30, 2009, 03:29:27 PM by yksehtniycul »
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| yksehtniycul
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don't play with me 'cause you're playing with fire |
We seem to be missing boxart for SMT:DDS2 (Atlus USA)
Maybe it was never there, but if it was, I lost it in the shuffle.
Btw, if you have boxart for any game packages we've missed, please size it to match the others in this thread, and feel free to attache it to a post (we'll get it up where it belongs)
PS: Most of the images on the old news posts are fixed now as well.
« Last Edit: April 30, 2009, 03:30:05 PM by yksehtniycul »
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