I have to admit, I'm a little bit of a Shin Megami Tensei poser. I only played the first couple of hours of SMT IV (which I don't even really remember), and when it comes to the Persona series I've only played and beaten 5. So, maybe my appreciation of SMTV is a little skewed, because I'm sure what I love about this game is in all of the other instalments of the series (probably done better).
Nevertheless, let me try and count all of the things I love about this game: I love the numbers, I love the frequency with which they go up. I love the demons, I love the writing, I love the negotiations. I love the fusion system, I love calculating the most ideal combination of demons to best avoid spending currency and carrying over the best set of abilities. I love the look of the game, the way the Netherworld cascades, I love the colours and the sounds. I love the music, I love every time the battle theme kicks in properly after the first attack is made. I love slowly discovering the best economy of actions in order to prolong my turn before the enemy gets a chance to strike. I love sliding down dunes, I love exploring the landscape in piecemeal chunks until I feel like I understand it's twists before moving onto the next area. I love just staring into the skybox, there's so much detail in every inch of this universe.
Here's what else I really enjoy that no-one else seems to: I love seeing the seams of the engine tear apart! This game is broken and botched in so many ways because of the weakness of the platform it's on, but I think it's great! The way the framerate stutters on an NPC in the distance and then equalises as I get into range of it is hilarious, the way texures pop in on a demon a second too late as I'm scrolling through the compendium is cartoonish. I might be in the minority here, but I actually like being reminded that I'm playing a game people have made, and seeing this stuff is like seeing the errant brushstrokes on a painted canvas up close.
Nevertheless, let me try and count all of the things I love about this game: I love the numbers, I love the frequency with which they go up. I love the demons, I love the writing, I love the negotiations. I love the fusion system, I love calculating the most ideal combination of demons to best avoid spending currency and carrying over the best set of abilities. I love the look of the game, the way the Netherworld cascades, I love the colours and the sounds. I love the music, I love every time the battle theme kicks in properly after the first attack is made. I love slowly discovering the best economy of actions in order to prolong my turn before the enemy gets a chance to strike. I love sliding down dunes, I love exploring the landscape in piecemeal chunks until I feel like I understand it's twists before moving onto the next area. I love just staring into the skybox, there's so much detail in every inch of this universe.
Here's what else I really enjoy that no-one else seems to: I love seeing the seams of the engine tear apart! This game is broken and botched in so many ways because of the weakness of the platform it's on, but I think it's great! The way the framerate stutters on an NPC in the distance and then equalises as I get into range of it is hilarious, the way texures pop in on a demon a second too late as I'm scrolling through the compendium is cartoonish. I might be in the minority here, but I actually like being reminded that I'm playing a game people have made, and seeing this stuff is like seeing the errant brushstrokes on a painted canvas up close.