Shin Megami Tensei : Nocturne Impressions?

[Kevin Grey]

My feelings are similar to yours Depward.

The game has a vibe that is very unsettling.  The only comparison I can make is Silent Hill.  While the asthetics and gameplay between the two series couldn't be more different they give me a similar haunted, lonely feel.  Its fine for a 10 hour SH game but I'm concerned whether I can really take 50+ hours of this atmosphere.

The game is also hard.  The battle system is much, much deeper than is really apparent at first blush and the only way to progress is to really understand the strengths and weaknesses of your adverseries, how they relate to fusing demons and exploit that to its fullest.  It certainly rewards strategy but it can be a bit daunting.  

At the same time the game feels like an artistic masterpiece.  The story, world design, and mythology are utterly unique in the western marketplace.  There is an overall smoothness to the graphics, battles, and interface that surpasses any RPG I've ever played.  There is something about this title that demands its place in any Console RPG collection.

I have a feeling that this is a game that I'll playing over a long haul in shorter bursts.  For now, though, my addiction is that other artistic masterpiece of an RPG, Paper Mario.

[EddieA]

I'm finding it very addicting so far.  As much as I love big, involved stories with lots of cutscenes, it's fun to just spend lots of time just battling monsters, too.

[olaf]

I like it.

The demon recruiting/fusing is the best part.  There are so damn many of them, and then the way skills transfers makes for even more customization.  My only gripe is that the vast majority of skills and demons have names that are grate on me and are give me no clue as to what they do.  A lot of console RPGs are like this though.

olaf

[warning]

Serious bumpage!

Just wanted to point out that this game has become incredibly rare and commands high prices on Ebay and Amazon.  Well now it looks like they've reissued it (limited?  dunno) and you can pick it up from Play Asia (which I did) and now even Amazon looks like it's selling new copies for $40.