Ah, the search for something different. Sometimes even I get
tired of fantasy-themed games that pit elves against trolls. Even I get
tired of harnessing elemental magics to fight off hordes of marauding
orcs. My craving for a game that uses a different mythos creates a
problem; I have to be careful to not confuse different with good. Plain
and simple, a man who's starving for something new can eat a saltine
and believe it's a Ritz. href="http://www.entertonement.com/clips/13250/Eddie-Murphy-Raw/Eddie-Murphy/Comedy/Starving-for-a-Cracker"
target="_blank">Eddie Murphy knows what I mean
(NOT SAFE FOR WORK).

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Fight
demons Summon demons to fight for you. Even mount demons!

Early in the history of this href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/Top10F2P">Top Ten
list, I gave attention to Age
of Armor
and NeoSteam.
The former places gamers in control of giant mechs that can transform,
differing from the norm by far. As Eric "Dalmarus" Campbell tell
readers in his style="font-style: italic;">Age of Armor review,
different does not equal fantastic. Meanwhile, style="font-style: italic;">NeoSteam introduces
steam-powered airships and a more modernized civilization than we
usually see in MMOGs. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/33243">I was
impressed by NeoSteam
early, but my infatuation wore off like the high school quarterback's
obsession for the cheerleader after that magical third date.
Both of these games are different, but they aren't style="font-style: italic;">good enough.

A New Hope That
Does Not Involve Almost-Incestuous Siblings


I see a new hope on the horizon for me. Ever hear of style="font-style: italic;">Shin Megami Tensei?
How about the American title for it, style="font-style: italic;">Persona? For those
of you who play console games, you have to have heard of the
demon-summoning Shin
Megami Tensei
series (called Megaten for short), href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW8HqoDV_lM"
target="_blank">a kid who is truly doing his own thing.
The story of Megaten games always starts with a fracture in the fragile
boundary between the demon world and our earth. The games are set in
urban areas in contemporary times, or close to it, and feature high
school teenagers who must unravel the mysterious appearance of demons.

Along the way in Megaten games, players work a lot on social
skills. They chat with the other school children in a kind of dating
sim, their bonds being reflected in combat bonuses. They can even
befriend some of the demons they encounter to bolster their arsenal,
which already includes guns and explosions ( href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7KHZ4b5qdQ"
target="_blank">yippie ki-yay--NOT SAFE FOR WORK).

And now Megaten is going MMOG with style="font-style: italic;">Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine.

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You'll find
yourself battling demons in modern locations like subways and museums.

The World Would
be Very Different if MLK Had This
Dream


Aeria Games & Entertainment is localizing style="font-style: italic;">Imagine for the
English-speaking audience even though Atlus USA normally handles US
publishing of Megaten games. Aeria is very experienced in the realm of
MMOGs, so the decision seems solid. In keeping with the Aeria
tradition, the game is slated to be F2P. It looks to have all the
features Megaten fans love: battling demons, befriending demons, fusing
demons, and summoning demons.

Imagine is in Closed Beta now, but several videos can be found
on YouTube. I gotta say: these videos have me excited like a squirrel
trapped in a target="_blank">Planters factory. The first video
is the target="_blank">Shibuya dungeon boss battle. The
second is the target="_blank">Suginami dungeon boss battle. Both
videos start with some excellent guitar riffs that get the heart
hopping like a frog trapped in a shoe box. Then each has a short
cinematic element for both dramatic effect and to provide some
exposition.

In the Shibuya battle, we see a female character with a
shotgun. Shooting demons with a shotgun is second only to shooting
zombies with a shotgun in my book! Accompanying the shotgun-toting
female is a male with a sword. Each player has a demon summoned to help
in the battle. The Shibuya dungeon has high-polished floors and strong
stone architecture that could be found in a government building like a
museum or library.

The Suginami battle seems to take place is some weird
techno-basement that could host the local fight club. The video
features only a female with a gun and her demon. The enemy AI looks
very sluggish here, but the music is still rocking, and the action is
decidedly different. It's enough to make me as giddy as the school
girls
I'll no doubt be hitting on in the game.

A Devilishly Good Time

Aeria
did a great job with the translation for DOMO, which is one of my
favorite F2P games. They did not do such a great job with style="font-style: italic;">Shaiya Online, so I
have some cause for concern about what will happen with style="font-style: italic;">Imagine. In the
end, I'm just stoked to know that Megaten is getting a MMOG, and I am
sure I will enjoy Imagine.

Disclaimer:
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed are those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of
the Ten Ton Hammer network or staff.
style="font-weight: bold;">

The Top Ten

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to page two
to see Ralsu's latest Top Ten list.



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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

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