There's realistically not much I'm going to be able to say here that hasn't already been said, but I suppose I'll give it a go.

It is very rare these days that I get as immersed into a world/story like I did here. This game does a fantastic job of really making you feel the tension of the overall situation. The whole gimmick of choosing when and where to spend your time, and who to talk to over the course of the week this game takes place really creates such a sense of urgency and dread (in a good way!), as the city and people around you fall into chaos and despair. The fact that you cannot do everything and go everywhere adds such a weight to how you decide to spend your day, and I am all here for it. There were many times where I was genuinely stressing about how I spend my time, which just 100% adds to the immersion. It's just great. I one day want to return and do a second playthrough just because I know there are so many other routes and endings I can try to get.

The combat is also really fun. It is such a genius concept to combine the grid based strategy game with classic turn based combat. Using positioning to gain the advantage in the short burst turn based encounters never got old, and I'm surprised I haven't really seen anything like this before.
The megaten mechanics are also in really strong form here. It's always fun building and constantly updating a team by fusing and cultivating demons with the skills you need and that is no different here. The skill crack mechanic is also neat, and really adds a lot of purpose to what might otherwise be seen as more filler/leveling battles.

I really adore everything about the minute to minute gameplay. Most half hour segments you play really feel well paced and I couldn't put it down in the sense that I always wanted to do "one more" half hour before I went to bed, which always turned into many more.
My only small problems with this game is one, it starts to get INCREDIBLY grindy towards the end of the game. The amount of money you need to grind even have a semblance of control over your team towards the end game does kind of get ridiculous. You'll have to play the same free battle over and over just to get enough money to summon and fuse just one of the many demons you'll need. That and the fact that the bosses are so weirdly spread out. Most of the bosses in this 30-35 hour jrpg are fought in the last 5-10 hours. It makes sense from a narrative standpoint but from a gameplay perspective it is just downright bizarre. This sort of adds to the whole need a crap ton of money problem in the endgame because this is where you'll start to require a lot of different demons to deal with the crazy bosses.

But all in all a genuinely fantastic game that I genuinely couldn't put down. Easy five stars and a recommendation to anyone who either enjoys tactical role playing games or is just a fan of the series in general.

Devil Survivor Overclocked is a fantastic game. It has a great narrative with realistic and very human characters to go along with a highly philosophical plot that stays engaging the whole way through. It also boasts superb pixel art and a phenomenal soundtrack. My only gripe is the gameplay. I have never been a fan of grid-based strategy games. However, the switch to turn-based combat is very unique and helped to boost my experience. I loved the approach to routes in this game, being that they tie into a certain character's philosophy and feelings towards the antagonistic situation. There's a lot of replay value, which is great as I intend on replaying in hopes of a better experience with the gameplay. I hold this game as one of, if not the best, RPG experiences.

EDIT: After playing a few SMT games I have disregarded my opinions on the gameplay and have given the game 5 stars. The fact that no other SMT game or really JRPG in general can have character development like this game is quite frankly embarrassing and should be criticized more.

Easily one of the most underrated JRPGs in terms of gameplay and writing. It’s a shame that it’s mostly only known amongst Megami Tensei fans because it truly deserves to be regarded amongst games like FFVII and Chrono Trigger as a must play for JRPG fans. This game has IMO the most compellingly portrayed characters and most nuanced and engaging branching story paths in the MegaTen franchise. I would go as far as to call it one of the best JRPGs of all time in this regard. This is one of the only JRPGs to make me actively agonize over the choices I was making and really contemplate their effects on a personal level. This complexity and realism of character choice is something JRPGs don’t often attempt or execute well. Devil Survivor pulls it off almost perfectly.

The gameplay isn’t quite as strong as the writing but is still fantastic. It’s challenging, complex, and very fun to master.

As an aside, I understand the art style turning people off and making them think it's going to be some vapid anime harem game, but it’s truly not. Everyone who likes JRPGs should give this game a try. Its absolutely fantastic.

N.B. - Overclocked, due to it being a 3DS game is unfortunately not nearly as accessible as vanilla Devil Survivor. While overclocked stands as the definitive version of the game, imo, by adding content that enhances the game, the vanilla version is still fantastic and worthy of being played if you can’t get your hands on overclocked. Everything good about overclocked still applies there.

(Reuploaded)

The heavens aligned and miraculously I was blessed with a switch eshop refund. I honestly can not believe how dissapointed i am in this game. I absolutely adore the visuals, the music is grand, the combat is nostalgic and engaging. All that absolutely wasted on the most sterotypical below-grade jrpg writing i could ever even imagine. Literally every single boring shitty trope i can think of was introduced in the beginning hours of the game. It even goes down to the lines the npcs will give you, i feel like ive read the story of this game before a thousand times. If youve played a fantasy rpg before, youve played this game. There is no charisma or quality. I could waste words explaining why but if youve played a japanese video game before you already know what i mean.
I talk a lot with my friend uri about how video games in particular have a lot of qualities that separate themselves from other art forms, but none of them seem to want to utilize it. Thats what this game reminds me of. Jrpgs in particular will have 100,000 words dedicated to the most disingenuous, boring (and sexist) shit you can possibly think of. Highlight on the misogyny because dear god star ocean sure didnt want to break the mold when it comes to those tropes.
Called nintendo support the second i got to a line of dialogue which implied the aunt innkeeper character was gonna give Rena a room for free so she (17 years old) could go have sex in it with a guy she met like 2 seconds ago. Real fascinating stuff. Jrpgs gotta be stopped, smells like octopath 2 in here.

I remember giving this game a glowing review when I played it ages ago and it's always funny to turn around and see how much of the glaring flaws I was dismissing for my recency bias,

Look the yakuza are acting so absurdist and out of character this is so funny!!! (this is the entire fucking franchise), a game designed so that you take screenshots and upload them on twitter so your garbage smelling friends can go "heh...I told you its peak"

Majima's side of the story is salvageable (if you hate melodrama rip your enjoyment), everything else is nonsense and over the top unfunny ass shit

My Hero Ultra Rumble is undeniably a superior battle royale experience when compared to Fortnite and stands as the pinnacle of the genre. Firstly, Ultra Rumble distinguishes itself with its innovative and diverse hero system, offering an array of unique characters with distinct abilities, creating dynamic gameplay that continuously evolves. This diversity enhances strategic depth and encourages team coordination, setting it apart from Fortnite's more simplistic approach. Additionally, Ultra Rumble's stunning graphics and immersive world-building create a captivating and visually pleasing environment, elevating the overall gaming experience to new heights. Furthermore, its commitment to a fair and balanced competitive scene, along with frequent updates and responsive community engagement, solidify its status as the best battle royale overall. Ultra Rumble is a testament to innovation, quality, and player-centric design, making it the definitive choice for battle royale enthusiasts.