Talk:Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga

Wikipedia reference

Intriguingly, one of the highest ability packages (or 'Mantra') is called 'Wikipedia'. It seems a little out of place, considering most other names in the game are mythological (most often from Hindu and Sanskrit gods and terms).

Maybe the developers were paying homage to where they researched the names? If anyone knows any backstory on where the usage of Wikipedia comes from in the game, I'd love to hear it. What does the japanese version list for that slot (top of hunting chain)?

According to an FAQ on gamefaqs.com written from the Japanese version, it's "Tsuuraijin." Incidentally, the Japanese version apparently uses all names of Japanese/Shinto myths/gods/words instead of the American's Hindu.

It's actually not out of place, because after a character learns the Wikipedia Mudra their "secret" Mudras become unlocked. Since the game hints at the world being inside a computer (or something similar) it actually makes a great deal of sense for why the Mudra is named Wikipedia.

Hmm... very interesting question. But I highly doubt they use wikipedia as a reference, because they have a research team since Nocturne (SMTIII). It is unlikely because wikipedia, I'm not saying it's not reliable, but wikipedia is only a second or third option for reference. And since the word "Wiki" means a lot of information on the web, maybe they just thought it would be a good idea to name one Mantra to "Wikipedia" though not directly referring to Wikipedia.org. Plus, video game developers try to refer to published reference and these Megaten games were made in Japanese first.Logicartery (talk) 15:12, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

I noticed the wikipedia thing too and wondered about it. I somehow doubt they were actually referring to wikipedia, but it IS interesting, and out of place, considering it's also the name for the mantra at the end of the devour/physical line and involves mostly devour/physical attacks, rather than having Serph pause in the middle of battle to look up an enemy's stats on everyone's favorite user-written encyclopedia. >>;--SquidMoose (talk) 19:58, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

For Anyone Who Has Not Played This Game

I did check it out, and the mantra is actually called Wikipedia apparently. [1],[2](many others) Karmafist 20:07, 16 October 2005 (UTC)

Japanese version never applied the term WIKIPEDIA in the mantra. A misnomer translated by NA division. -- Sameboat - 同舟 01:49, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Voice Actors

Is there any reason why there is no voice acting cast list? I seem to recognize a lot of the voices but even IMDB doesn't have a list. Whats the deal with this and can we include this information in the article?

---

On the voice actors, Wendy Lee is wrongfully credited as Argilla. Argilla is voiced by Amanda Win-Lee. --SquidMoose (talk) 19:48, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

Cannibalism

In a local high school debate, this game was used as an example of violence in video games. Since, in the game, the only way to not succumb to the 'virus' is to consume more of it, it involves eating the bodies of those you kill. The side defending the violence stated this cannibalistic tactic was used to show that video games vastly exaggerate reality, in which cannibalism is a rarity in (hopefully) most modern nations, and that the violence in video games is very unbelievable.

Just thought I'd include this. Fllmtlchcb 08:58, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

The script writer Satomi Tadashi has heavily toned down the cannibalism in both games. Instead, the main focus of the game is Karma of humanity from Hindu belief. The in-game devouring skills only show massive glowing particles rather than spilling bloods and guts like Doom. -- Sameboat - 同舟 01:46, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure transforming into demons and casting latin-based elemental attacks is also a rarity in most modern nations. I doubt anyone is going to mistake this game for reality. Even if they did, the main characters in this game profess that eating people is wrong, (as though we wouldn't have known otherwise). Furthermore, if nothing else, the game is rated M for Mature, as in you have to be 17 to buy it, and the sales people will tell parents that it's inappropriate for young impressionable children. Also what Sameboat said; there isn't much actual gore or graphic depiction of this. Not that I'm accusing you of making an argument, I just think that local high school debate is approaching the subject somewhat ignorantly. --SquidMoose (talk) 19:55, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

European/British Release

When Ghostlight announced they were releasing DDS1 in the UK (I don't know about other European countries) They started accepting pre-orders. Those who pre-ordered the game before the end of May received a limited edition T-shirt (grey with the Emryon symbol emblazoned across the front in Orange and also had their name printed in the back of the instruction manual. Names are seperated under which tribe said person chose to pledge their allegiance ; Embrons, Vanguards, Brutes etc. (im an Embryon BTW).

Thought i'd mention this because although it seems like I've been waiting an age for a release I think Ghostlight really deserves credit for this. Shin Megami Tensei has a perhaps small but nevertheless dedicated following and T-shirt/Name in Manual/ and rather nice limited edition case are very nice personalised touches.

Feellikemore 13:03, 19 July 06

"Anachronistic" Names

Adding to the "Wikipedia" note above, I also noticed that one of the strongest Hama-based moves is called "Xanadu". Noting that the Hama series is holy-based, is "Xanadu" a tribute to the Olivia Newton-John Film (Xanadu)? Can someone verify this?

User:Riovanes 09:54, 27 Aug 2006

It could be many different things, as seen on Xanadu (disambiguation). I would assumne it is far more likely for it to be the Xanadu more than the film. Though I have not played this game, it could well be Xanadu (Titan), Xanadu (Citizen Kane) or potentially even Project Xanadu. --Dreaded Walrus 03:42, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

"Nocturne Protaginist Crossover?"

I was having a little look on Youtube for some DDS videos (as you do) and came across one versus the main hero/villain (how you chose it) against the characters you play in DDS. Is this a main part of the story or is it simply a bonus fight? I was just curious.--5starsuplex 13:57, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

It's a bonus fight, you can only fight him in a second (or later) playthrough. --Icep 21:02, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

Aque and Tera

Is Tera unique to this game or was it just absent from Nocturne and in previous games of the series, like aque apparently was?--Darthbalmung 01:07, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Tera is unique to the series. But In Persona 2 there are a earth-elemental Magna family (Magna, Magnas, Magdyne) which is literally the similar thing to Tera. Aque family only appears in Persona 1 and 2. -- Sameboat - 同舟 01:39, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Digital Devil Saga Avatar Tuner Soundtrack merge

Digital Devil Saga Avatar Tuner Soundtrack seems to be a soundtrack CD that was given away with certain releases of this game, so should be merged here. Miremare 17:49, 28 October 2007 (UTC)

It should be merged with the main article. If someone could make the info, like the tracklist, collapsible it would help keep the main article from getting cluttered. EditingMachine 00:03, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

I don't think it would be a good idea to merge these articles, hence the Digital Devil Saga article is already too cluttered, unless someone will try to collapse the Story section. Just a thought.Logicartery (talk) 00:37, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Rarity

Is this a rare game? Titanium Dragon (talk) 21:44, 15 December 2007 (UTC)

• In the states, yes. The game can easily reach prices of +50 $. This is however commonplace with Atlus games as they do not distribute their games too much. In Europe, this is not the case as the game can be quite easily found, e.g. is inepxpensive. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.0.79.124 (talk) 20:34, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

On the topic of rarity, we could also include in this article that it's rare in regions like Quebec, for example, since it's illegal to sell because it has no French packaging. Also we could say that some stores do illegally sell it in those regions... This is just a thought, however. - CoNfett1 (talk) 12:09, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

reworking the article?

this article has potential and seems quite well organized. however, it lacks any information. i would be glad to rework some of the article and/or resize the character pictures... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Missslav (talk • contribs) 20:37, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

Talking about that, it seems to me that this video game borrows a lot to or is inspired by Mamoru Oshii's movie Avalon (fighters characters trying to access to some "higher plane" while not being aware that they're components of a video game), Matrix and plato's cave. Maybe it should be mentioned somewhere ? Hitchhikr (talk) 00:45, 6 December 2008 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: AdrianGamer (talk · contribs) 14:37, 26 August 2015 (UTC)

• I personally think that this should split into two articles.
• Japanese author Yu Godai, but withdraw from the project for personal reasons - "withdrew"
• The second game began development immediately after the first - Rephrase it to "Atlus began developing the second game immediately after the completion of the first"
• After reading the lead, and the sources you have, I do believe that Digital Devil Saga 2 deserves its own article. With the two intertwined with each other, it is a bit confusing.
• Characters navigate to-scale environments, encountering enemies in both random encounters and story-focused boss battles - Too many "encounter" in this sentence
• experience points (Karma) are awarded to characters. - I do not really think the use of bracket is really appropriate here. It makes "Karma" sounds like something supplementary but it is not in this case. The same also applies on Mantras are bought using Macca (the in-game currency), then mastering them by gaining "AP" (Atma Points)
• The maximum number of skills that can be equipped are 8 - I do not really think you can equip "skills".
• Both player characters and enemies being governed by a mechanic called the Press Turn system: - enemies "are governed"
• each character a symbol to represent a turn - missing a verb
• People also begin exhibiting basic emotions after previously being devoid of them. - What does this mean?
• but Lupa goes berserk and must be killed - Sentence structure is almost identical to last one. It would be great if there is more variation.
• Production began prior to the beginning of active development on Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, beginning under the working title New Goddess. - Too much "begin" in this sentence. Secondly, when exactly Atlus began Nocturne's development?
• The game's formal title was decided upon fairly late in its development cycle - Is there a particular reason that lead to this?
• on their person to signify their demon power - on their "person" sounds weird.
• The first game's themes were defined as "awakening" and "change", referenced in how the characters gradually awoke to their emotions and the static environment of the Junkyard was drastically changed - Instead of using "first", "initial" sounds more accurate.
• The idea did not appear in the finsihed game - "finished"
• while staying truth Kaneko's distinctive designs - "staying true to" sounds better
• It feels unbalanced, with so many information focusing on the first game and so little on the second one.
• For the second game, Meguro changed from the original's dark tone to give it a harsher feel and techno instrumentation - "from" is not necessary.
• During 2004, the first game sold 153,421 units in Japan - Can it be more specific? The beginning of 2004, mid 2004, or the end of 2004?
• several staff members being let go - I do not think "let go" sounds formal. "laid off" may be better.
• There is too much quotes in the reception section. Paraphrase some of them.
• General praise went to the story, characters and gameplay. The high difficulty, issues with repetition and pacing, and the cliffhanger ending drew criticism - This sentence should be the beginning of the second paragraph. The structure feels better this way.

GA review – see WP:WIAGA for criteria

1. Is it reasonably well written?

   A. Prose is "clear and concise", without copyvios, or spelling and grammar errors:

   B. MoS compliance for lead, layout, words to watch, fiction, and lists:

2. Is it factually accurate and verifiable?

   A. Has an appropriate reference section:

   B. Citation to reliable sources where necessary:

   C. No original research:

3. Is it broad in its coverage?

   A. Major aspects:

   B. Focused:

4. Is it neutral?

   Fair representation without bias:

5. Is it stable?

   No edit wars, etc:

6. Does it contain images to illustrate the topic?

   A. Images are tagged with their copyright status, and valid fair use rationales are provided for non-free content:

   B. Images are provided if possible and are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions:

7. Overall:

   Pass or Fail:

Article is well-written and verifiable. Great work with this! However, I am worried about the inclusion of 2 here, given that they are basically two different games. It is not really a compilation, so I do not really see the need of including 2 here. 2 also seems to have get extensive coverage from reliable sources so I think splitting it out would be the best idea. for now. AdrianGamer (talk) 10:23, 28 August 2015 (UTC)

@AdrianGamer:I've done my best to fix the grammar issues you raised, but I feel I should explain why I didn't split the article. The first reason is that, apart from the differences noted, the gameplay of the two titles is virtually identical. The second is that the game's main staff are actually identical. The third is that there isn't actually that much citable information about the second game's development, so if things were split, the second article would actually be quite small for what is admittedly a fairly major console title. The biggest reason in my mind is the two games' multilayered interdependence, and a general attitude I've seen from Atlus developers and press to place the two games under a single banner. The information from the first two paragraphs, as far as possible, relate to elements that carry over between both games. The Persona 2 games are quite different from this one in that a large amount of information on both games is readily available. This duology is different: the game's didn't get the attention of the Persona games, which in turn adds to the problems mentioned above. If you feel otherwise, I'm willing to discuss how this article can be sensibly split so as to preserve their quality and give the potential twosome the GA symbol in the future. --ProtoDrake (talk) 11:44, 28 August 2015 (UTC)

If the developers refer the two game as just Digital Devil Saga, it seems reasonable for not splitting them. Since other issues were addressed already ,Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga promoted to . Congratulations! AdrianGamer (talk) 12:27, 28 August 2015 (UTC)

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