The Truman Show

So, after digging through one of my notebooks, I realized I was wrong about two things in my last post: First, I did learn a word from Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. Second, I’d already posted about the word “druthers.” Oops. So, to remedy both of those things, here’s today’s word:

capote, noun – a long, hooded coat or cloak. Particularly one used by a matador during a bullfight

Learned from: Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (Playstation 2, and soon to be on the Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch)

Developed by Atlus

Published by Atlus, Ghostlight Studios (in Europe) (2003)

A running joke among the MegaTen community is that the Matador fight is where most newcomers to the series will throw up their hands and quit. I’ve never been entirely sure just why the series has had a skeletal bullfighter as a recurring (and iconic) enemy, but it’s just part of the charm.

But in all honesty, Nocturne (like many Megaten games) is not easy. I suppose that’s fitting, for a game that begins with the end of the world, and your character getting turned into a half-human, half-fiend hybrid, who has to survive all alone in the post-apocalyptic hellscape that follows. I could offer advice to make the journey easier–including the fight against the Matador–but A) I don’t want to spoil the experience for when the remaster comes out (because you really should play it), and B) I don’t know what Atlus is going to add/change. Because they always seem to tweak things to some extent when they re-release one of these.

capote

Go ahead and laugh. We’ll see if you’re still laughing after he’s wiped the floor with you for the tenth time, next year. The real Nocturne begins here.

Finally a little good news

Apologies for being away for so long. With my country apparently thinking COVID will go away if we pretend it doesn’t exist, unexpected home repairs, and oh yeah, my government throwing people into unmarked vans in a major city, I haven’t felt like I could be particularly entertaining lately. But today, Nintendo and Atlus dropped an update on Shin Megami Tensei V, and announced a remaster of SMT III: Nocturne, and as this is some of the only good news I’ve heard in awhile, I wanted to celebrate with getting back to this project. And while Nocturne itself didn’t teach me any words, other Shin Megami Tensei games did. So…

druthers, noun – one’s preferences or leanings regarding a subject

Learned from: Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon (Playstation 2)

Developed by Atlus

Published by Atlus (2008)

Nocturne is great, but my own personal druthers are that I’d prefer another entry in the Devil Summoner side series. Apart from titles that are a mouthful and a half, the games in this branch of the MegaTen universe are noteworthy for being action RPGs, and for their unique settings. If “druthers” sounds like it hasn’t been used much in the past century, then it’s somewhat fitting that these games are set in 1920s Japan. To the best of my knowledge, that’s a time and place that hasn’t really been explored by other games–especially not with the trademark occult/supernatural spin that the MegaTen games are known for. Exploring late Taisho-/early Showa-era Japan as what boils down to a paranormal cop, investigating a race of underground bug people, with a talking cat who used to be your human partner will either instantly tell you why Atlus is one of my favorite developers out there, or it will leave you very, very confused.

Maybe we’ll get lucky, and get remasters of these games somewhere down the line too. Because if you want to track down the original PS2 releases, be ready to shell out over $100 apiece. I hope the remaster of Nocturne sells well enough for Atlus to give the Devil Summoner titles another lease on life, because they really were great games.

Totally not a political statement

It’s Independence Day, and as such, I found myself presented with a variety of words I could feature, from words about empire-building, or rulers, or even just related to how bloody hot it is. In the end, I chose…

braggadocio noun – The annoying and/or overblown talk of someone trying to come across as braver than they truly are.

Learned from: Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS)

Developed by Atlus

Published by Atlus (2013)

Toward the end of the game (at least, along the path I took), you run into a demon named Akira, who wants you to help him take over Tokyo. However, the old adage “the smaller the dog, the louder its bark” definitely applies here, as you quickly discover this guy is a terrible coward. The rest of your party even comments on his braggadocio, the first time this guy hides behind you, and expects you to fight his battles for him. Because those are exactly the qualities we all want in a leader, right?

Or, you know, ordering a military parade with tanks rolling down city streets, when the greatest risk you’ve ever put yourself in is swinging a nine iron. Things like that.

akira

At least Akira’s got good hair.

I’ve been living life, like I play Risk

You may have noticed that I dropped off the face of the Earth, recently, after the spate of live tweets I did for E3 (and I never did get to the Nintendo Direct, or PC Gaming Show). In the time since, I’ve found myself pulled in all sorts of directions at once, both at work and at home. They’re not all bad by any means, and a sizable portion of them, I brought upon myself, but between contemplating going for a promotion at work, learning an unfamiliar tabletop RPG so I could join a game a friend was setting up, trying to get people together for my own game I want to run, diving headfirst into my backlog of books and games, and finding a surprising number of evening events, I’ve spread myself thin. Which, in a roundabout way, brings me to today’s word.

druthers, noun – One’s leanings or preferences toward a subject.

Learned from: Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon (Playstation 2)

Developed by Atlus

Published by Atlus (2008)

First off, yes, that’s the full title of the game. Whereas most of the Shin Megami Tensei (MegaTen for short) titles have turn-based combat, the Devil Summoner series set itself apart by being more action-oriented. It takes some getting used to, trying to manage the demons you’ve summoned on the battlefield, while keeping your own character alive, but it really grew on me, the more I played this series. And the action isn’t all that set it apart from its contemporaries.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen another RPG set in 1920s Japan, let alone one whose story features underground insect people, a talking cat who used to be your human partner, demons, and a spunky female reporter who gets caught up in the middle of it all. Throw in an amazing soundtrack, and a plot that tackles surprisingly deep subjects such as tradition vs. modernity, sacrifice, and self-preservation and you’ll start to understand why Atlus is one of my favorite game developers of all time.

As for the word of the day, at one point the protagonist gets asked what his druthers are, regarding one of the plot points. Choices matter in this game, and depending on how you approach things, you’ll get different endings–another hallmark of the MegaTen franchise as a whole. And to tie this all in to the intro, I need to consider what my druthers are, and narrow my focus regarding all the stuff I have going on. Because I know from (extensive) experience what happens when I keep myself spread too thin for too long, in Risk. But hey, realization is the first step and all that, right? See you next time!

devil_summoner_2