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Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne | 
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| From: Atlus USA
Category: Video Games
List Price: $39.99
Buy New: $34.93
You Save: $5.06 (13%)
New (14) Used (21) from $33.93
Avg. Customer Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 424
Platform: Playstation2
ESRB: Mature
Media: Video Game
Age: 17 - 20 years
Operating System: Playstation 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5 x 1
UPC: 730865530069
EAN: 0730865530069
ASIN: B00024W1U6
Release Date: September 13, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED; SHIPS THE SAME DAY
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| Features:
| • | Persuade more than 100 different demons to join your party | | • | Some demons evolve into new forms or fuse to form more powerful demons | | • | Customize your character with Magatama, living parasites that grant the host demonic powers | | • | Your choices will lead you to follow one of several ideologies which ultimately will determine the fate of the entire world | | • | Play more than 50 hours of gameplay |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 16 more reviews...
 very VERY shoddy reprint June 27, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
simply put, this is atlus' way of making quick bucks... reprint copies of games with cult followings.
good, right? not quite as atlus has done a shoddy job. First of all, some copies take forever to load. Second, don't be surprised to find plenty of dust and debris in your "sealed" game
 To all you people who tried to rip me off!!! June 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
They had it in stock!!! Shazaam!!!! This is a nice blow to all the people trying to sell me a brand new copy for upwards of 100 bucks!!! Its on the way right now! Ha!
 Great Game, Shameful Price August 25, 2007
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Everyone's already said the great things about the game, & it is that good, but this 'collectible' pricing needs to stop. Go to Chinatown, NY & stop this vicious cycle. If the DJ guide is included & the game is brand new, then maybe $90 would be acceptable.
A work of genius. March 8, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Whilst not completely flawless, 'Nocturne' is about as close as it's possible to get. Along with games such as ICO and Okami, it oozes quality in every way. The quasi-spiritual/religious and apocalyptic themes, and frequently challenging gameplay make for a welcome change in a genre filled with generic, unimaginative and too-easy button-mashers. Special mention must go to the graphics, which are amongst the most stylish and beautifully accomplished ever seen in a videogame.
Demon Haunted World November 2, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne is an innovative RPG for the patient and hardcore only. Considering that this is an Atlus game and I am writing this about two years after the games release, this game has become a rare collectors item. Look forward to paying list price for a ex-rental copy with no case or manuel, so think hard before making the investment. I can not emphasize enough that it is hard to wrestle this lengthy beast of game into submission.
If you can get past the difficulty level, people who are able to comit themselves to learning how to take advantage of the complex battle system will be well rewarded. Nocturne takes place in a ruined shell of modern day Tokyo. An evil cultist has destroyed the world in a cataclysm called the Conception. By a twist of fate, the nameless protagonist manages to survive. As he wakes up in a hospital, he discovers that he has been transformed into a demi-fiend, a being with a human soul but the apparance and strength of a demon. He'll need it, because Tokyo has become a supernatural way-station for monsters and ghosts as they wait the rebirth of the world. The few surviving humans and monsters have split into factions, all fighting for the privilege of ascending to Kagutsuchi, the demon moon, and remaking the world anew according to their own desires. In the story, it is up to you to decide if you want to join a faction or not. The ending depends on the choices the player makes.
It may sound like the story gives you a lot of freedom, but it really doesn't. It is actually very linear with only a few side-quests throughtout. However, the fighting system is were you see an abnormal amount of freedom for a J-RPG. The player only starts out with his avatar, the demi-fiend. After that, the player must start recruiting enemy monsters into his party. This is accomplished by striking up a conversation while on the battlefield. Every enemy character in the game is ultimately recruitable, however some enemies like bosses can not be bargained with. In that case, the only way to get some of the best demons is by fusing two or more allies together at the Cathedral of Shadows.
However, level is not everything in Nocturne. Instead, victory depends on mastering the press-turn system. Each character has up to eight skills it can retain. It also has innate strengths and weaknesses to some types of skills. If you hit on an enemy weakpoint, you gain an extra turn. If the enemy is immune to the attack, you lose one. Your enemies also work under this system. Have the right skills and the immunities and the battle is yours. Have the the wrong team in the wrong dungeon, and prepare to be wipped out. Nocturne can be frustrating in that regard, because it take quite a bit of time to tweak your party to be just right.
However, there are times that Nocturne just doesn't seem to play fair. For only thing, if the main character falls in battle, the game is automatically over. About half way through the bosses all learn a spell that replentishes it number of attacks per turn. Demon allies learn only one ability per level-up, and they gain levels at a much slower rate than the main character.
Let's talk about Nocturne's technical qualities. This is a visually stunning game. It may not have the most cutting edge of graphics, but this is a case of style triumphing over technical prowess. Rendered in a cel-shades style, the game mixes cool pastels and burning neons to create a world that is visually beautiful, off-kilter, and a little creepy too. It's all complimented with some wonderful music that blends contemporary sounds with some elements to make it just a little frightening.
However, the one real flaw with Nocturne is this is just not a replayable game. One play through will take at least sixty hours, and it has such a steep difficulty curve that the prospect of playing it again probably won't be appealing to most. Trust me, I am not one of those people who can only play a game one. I tried to play Nocturne again, and I realized my heart wasn't in it. However, I have played its superior follow up Digital Devil Saga three times already.
Despite everything, Nocturne is not a game that should be missed by any serious RPG fan. It is truly a one of kind experience.
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