Devil Summoner 2 - RPG Action for PS2 Hitting Tomorrow

214w ago - Atlus Manager of Public Relations and Sales Aram Jabbari has announced news today that Devil Summoner 2 will be hitting Sony's PS2 console tomorrow.

To quote: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon, one of our biggest games (and game names) of the year, comes out tomorrow for PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.

The second game in the Devil Summoner series to make its way to North America, Devil Summoner 2 continues the tradition, putting you in the shoes of Raidou Kuzunoha, a supernatural private investigator in 1920's Japan.

The world design and character art soaks the game with early 20th century style, and lends a great deal of credibility and authenticity to the story. The Shin Megami Tensei series itself, if you're unfamiliar, is a franchise of deep, thought-provoking, character-driven RPGs, known for its powerful visual design, music, and writing.

As for the story, who better to tell you what it's about than the game's lead human editor, Nich Maragos (who also worked on Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army):

"It's about the 14th chosen protector of the Capital and his journey to discover a mysterious man's whereabouts. It's about a client who never quite tells you the whole story, and finding out the truth the hard way. It's about the struggle between the supernatural and the mundane, the modern and the traditional. It's about ninjas, flappers, bugs, hillbillies, demons, luck, detectives, and a talking cat. It's about the choice between upholding the law and upending the system. And it's about you."

One of the most important components of what makes RPGs engaging, entertaining, and playable, is the quality of the writing and how effectively characters are developed therein; in short, the consistency and flow of the script.

Here is some additional insight from human editor Nich Maragos:

"There's nothing I like more than a good dialect, and just like Devil Summoner 2 gives fans twice as many demons to play with in battle, so too did it give we at Atlus USA twice as many dialects to play with in the editing. On top of the 20s-era patois from the first game, Devil Summoner 2 puts Raidou and his crew in the backwoods of Japan, where they meet a whole cast of good country folks. Think Deliverance, but nastier in the way that only a large dollop of demonic influence can achieve."

Devil Summoner 2, unlike most SMT games, is an action RPG, one that greatly rewards players who plan out their battles. Your character has standard and special attacks, in addition to the ability to summon demons.

You will face other demons in battle, and they can, based on certain factors, be recruited into your services. Depending on the type of demon (i.e. their disposition), your level in reference to theirs, and other variables, you will be able to negotiate with them. This begins a rather entertaining dialogue chain in which you must anticipate what the demon will want to hear, what will aggravate and anger them, and ultimately, what will get them to want to join your party.

You can even use the demons in your party to help in negotiation; some have special abilities that can save a negotiation that is getting out of hand. Newly acquired demons can be fused together with others to discover all new rare demons, adding yet another layer of depth.

Why should you purchase this game, human? Because it most certainly will be one of the best RPGs to be released for PS2 system this year? Yes. Because it stands apart from its competitors in terms of the caliber of its localization, writing, art, music, and gameplay? Yes. Because it improves dramatically over its predecessor, introducing new gameplay elements, refined combat, demon negotiation, and more? Yes.

There is one last reason, one I would be happy to explain to you endlessly with my monotone synthesized voice, but my programming indicates that showing you will be most effective.

Each and every launch copy of Devil Summoner 2 is a premium, deluxe, limited edition box set. Included with every copy of the game is Raiho, an adorable plushie you can hold tightly to your soft mortal bodies. How sad it would be for you to be the only child or man-child on your block to not have this wonderful collectible.

Please visit the official game Web site for more information about the game, and look for SMT: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon to hit a retailer near you on May 12th with an MSRP of $39.99 (yes, that's for both the game AND Raiho, not to mention the beautiful packaging). Should you wish to possess a Raiho plushie to have and to hold, it is advised that you do not delay.