Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne Remaster Review - An Underwhelming Remaster
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- Опубліковано 21 тра 2021
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Welcome to my Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne Remaster Review. In this SMT Nocturne Remaster Analysis, I'll be reviewing and critiquing SMT Nocturne HD Remastered. SMT Nocturne Remaster just released, so I wanted to analyze the content on offer and see if Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne HD is worth getting. Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne HD Remaster is a bit of An Underwhelming Remaster. This is not an SMT Nocturne Remaster Analysis, but it's an SMT Nocturne HD Review. "Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne Analysis - The Price of Creation" is one of the best videos I made and was only made possible thanks to the support of you guys. I hope you enjoy my Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne Analysis.
Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne is one of the best RPG’s on the playstation 2. It has the best turn based combat I’ve ever experienced in the genre, a chilling yet oddly beautiful atmosphere, and while the main plot is a bit on the simplistic side, it makes up for it with the discussion that could be had with the ideas that it presents. For those who are more frequent viewers of my channel, then this is information that you probably already know since, well… I’ve already talked about Nocturne in the past on this channel. And to be honest, it hasn’t been long enough since that video for my thoughts to dramatically change. - Ігри
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax FES Maniax Chronicle Portable Overclocked Golden Record Breaker Redux Royal HD Remaster
*HEE-HOLD UP*
Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series
& Knuckles
@@Noahs_Chair Dancing All Night: Dancing in Starlight: Dancing in Moonlight: Arena Arena Ultimax
Including Gengar from pokemon series
This is an incredibly random thing to point out, but I honestly just really like the text in this remaster. Like... I dunno, it just looks really nice now.
It looks like the Times New Roman font and I am a big fan tbh
@@seth7726 this aint no college essay lmao thats the last font I ever wanna see again hell id be down for comic sans for shits and giggles
I kind of prefer the old font personally, but the remastered menus are aesthetically pleasing
I actually prefer original/stylized fonts but this one fits very well with Nocturne's tone imo
It all looks pleasant
As a translator, I can't overstate how happy I am about the fact that they seem to have retranslated the whole thing into English. The translation of the PS2 release was one of its few weak points IMO, and what I've seen of the new text it looks a lot better.
uhhhhhh whats wrong with the trasnlation? its mostly the same
@@ofilosofoouumfumante5655 mostly wrong demon names, like Gurr actualyy being Gurulu. Or Purski is actually Pulukishi, etc. etc. Other than that not that much different
they literally put modern meme references in this translation what're u on about OP?
@@sherkonia644 Where? Never saw a single one.
Bro really do be simpin for the modern "spiced up" dialogue.
Flaws aside, the fact that this got ported to PC at all is amazing and definitely a step in the right direction.
We could even end up seeing SMTV on PC If they keep it up.
I could see that. While it’s a switch exclusive for now I could definitely see them doing that a year later.
That's, indeed, nice, but I'm more excited by the Switch version. I found turned-based RPG very cool to play on a mobile device
The fact that P4G and P5S were both released on PC aswell just strenghtens it. Seems like Atlus is finally taking the step in the right direction
@@joaoassumpcao3347 Still going to take a long long time though
@@Raph584 this game definitely better suited to be played in handheld anyway
Nam: "stay away from the switch port"
Me who can only get the switch port: *intense sweating*
The only times the frames drop is when there is alot going on at once and even then the drops dont last that long, otherwise it runs fine like all the other versions though this could easily be patched out.
It honestly looks like it's very circumstantial based what I've seen, and not overly prevalent throughout. I remember a lot of people saying the same sort of thing for Persona 5 Strikers' Switch port, saying to "avoid at all costs" or that it's "unplayable" and such, yet that game ran perfectly fine on Switch. I expect it to be a similar case for this, especially when other Atlus games on Switch like Catherine and Tokyo Mirage Sessions also ran just fine
@@jaidens.g.1920 totally agreed - I also played P5S on Switch, and sure it doesnt look or run as smooth, but if that's the version you're used to it's plays just fine. Hardly "unplayable" like some switch ports, and I too have heard that SMT3 is even less so
@@jaidens.g.1920 Catherine and Tokio Mirrage Sessions was made by ATLUS, and not in Unity Engine. Nocturne Remaster wasnt made by ATLUS, but outsourced to small 3rd party studio called Imagine Technology Lands (their first big console project). 13 people made remaster.
@@jaidens.g.1920 Yea I've put 55 hours into Persona 5 Strikers on Switch and I have had no frame drops, and if they did happen I didn't even notice it which is kinda funny when you think about how a first party title like Age of Calamity runs.
Gotta agree about the lighting. The lighting of the original gave it a certain charm that hasn’t been matched in any other game imo. What gave the original life was, ironically, how soulless the world felt. I remember going through ikebukuro for the first time and genuinely feeling scared. It was extremely immersive even though it was a low resolution ps2 game.
I agree. There was a very surreal and eerie vibe with the PS2 lighting that's not quite there in this remaster, however I'm not really complaining. I'm glad it got remastered for the PS4 and Switch so more new players can check out this absolute gem of a game. And for PC players, they can either choose to buy it or emulate the old PS2 version through PCSX2, which is something I've done for a while. Still, I may end up purchasing the PC version, just to play my part in supporting more of Atlus' PC ports.
Wrong conclusion. This is what demon without reason would say
@@eavyeavy2864 says a follower of musubi 😟
I can never understand why P4G was priced at ~$20 and SMT3 is priced similarly to P5S at the premium price range. It is still a HD port and, let’s face it, whether you like it or not the HD renders and port for P4G was just better, especially once the performance was fixed with updates over time and they have widescreen fully rendered anime cutscenes. I’m glad Atlus is now entering the PC market with their games but there’s only so much damage my wallet is willing to take for a game I’ve played before.
Yeah it’s super weird. The only reason I can think of is that they don’t have faith in the game pulling in a lot of new people, so they’re planning on making the money through existing fans. Or maybe they feel like they deserve more since they ported it to other consoles and added minor things while golden was pretty much a straight port. Either way, they are way off base with this pricing and if the price combined with the questionable performance makes the game not do well, Altus might decide it’s not worth doing ports. It’s like a self fulfilling prophecy. I for one have never played it so I’m okay paying $50 for it, but I already bought it on switch and if it runs poorly I’m going to be really pissed off. I’m a persona 5 baby trying to branch into SMT, and I imagine there are tons of people like me picking this game up, so if they make a bad first impression, the reputation of the franchise might be seriously hurt.
My guess is Atlus threw a lot more money for remastering this game than P4G. They must port the game to Unity, then redo the localization (also for other new languages), as well as paying a ton of VAs to do the Japanese/English voice acting which the PS2 has none.
All P4G needed was to upscale the game's textures and add 60FPS support.
I honestly think Atlus knew they overpriced this game, and hoped that people would just "suck it" or wait for a discount. If they sell it at $20, they probably would make very little money back.
I just wish they put a bit more effort for this remaster like re-recording the OST. In the meantime I'll just wait for SMT V
@@w21aaaaa I understand that they did more of course, but the price is still way too high when compared to others in the price range, say it’s unfair but P5S is in a similar price range, and it is a technical marvel. The same goes for other remakes like those from the RE series. This price is more a price for remakes rather than ports, which makes it all the more disappointing that even then the cutscene and audio quality is still more or less the same
@@banyamano010 And I agree with you on that! I'm just guessing what probably went through Atlus' minds when they decide the $50 price tag, as outrageous as it is.
If Nocturne's sales are dissapointing all I hope is that Atlus know that it's because of their pricing, not because people aren't interested in SMT.
I'm guessing it's because they know P4G would sell a fuck ton. Nocturne won't, plain and simple. Fewer copies, they need more to get money back.
A man who gets a review copy and then reviews it honestly.. Haven't seen that in a while.
ACG?
I guess the only people you think reviews games are IGN and metacritic?
I guess u only review games honesty if u negative for it
@@fredbrown7582 most UA-camrs that get review copies just praise the game even if it's bad. Remember Cyberpunk?
UA-camrs that got copies: YongYea, Alanah Pearce, MrMattyPlays, SkillUp, DreamcastGuy.
I'm missing some, but those are the ones widely known.
exactly! The only youtuber i know who also tell his own opinion is a russian youtuber igor link, he purchases things to review them even if company offers him to give it
It's a shame there's not too much people who are telling their true opinion...
This game honestly should have been 20 dollars and it should have been packaged with all the DLC. The moment I saw that this game was nearly the same price as a full priced AAA release, or even more expensive then that if you get the DLC, some of which was in the base game when it was originally released, I decided to not even bother with this game. If I do buy it I will wait for a heavy price drop along with a sale. It's not that this game is bad, but anything more than 20 dollars is highway robbery.
EA charged $60 for a fully re-rendered and DLC including TRILOGY, so they effectively charge you $20 for each Mass Effect game. Which are much younger than Nocturne (2003).
Played SMT3 years ago, good game but not exactly a much have title. When P4G hit steam however, that's a different story.
It'll eventually become $20. Ill buy it once it becomes $20 lol
Yeah i truely love this game, but no way i will pay 50 bucks for a cheap remaster
That’s altus for ya. Ripping you off one game at a time.
Underwhelming but still a good game at it's core
I disagree because Demi fiends half pants look really dumb
@@teamspimpulation6591 shorts???
@@teamspimpulation6591 bruh, you've never seen shorts or capris before?
@@phoenixxxashez he got mickey mouse pants on
@@teamspimpulation6591 lmaooo fr dude, arguably the strongest SMT protag and its a shirtless teenager in capris
"Due to the limited spaces of DVDs, certain cutbacks had to be made to fit Nocturne in a single disk" - a single layer DVD fits 4,7GB of data, Nocturne's ISO weights only 1,4GB, at maximum. Also, Persona 3 and 4 don't have this compressed music problem (and they also are bigger games, as far as file size is concerned).
Yeah. I agree with this. It baffles me ATLUS allowed this to happen. I can’t believe this compression still exists in modern times.
Original DVDs were much smaller, with the first in-line only being to able to contain at max, 37 MBs.
@@hoopmooy3543 gotta think on the limitations of the time
@@hoopmooy3543 Full size DVDs were 4.7gb minimum. By the time Nocturne came out there were DVD9 PS2 games already.
@@zeyfuller No, the originals were 37 MBs, and the prototypes were 73 KBs. They are also made of fully biodegradable autism. and you could fit a whole game on all that aint it amazin
The switch version runs fine. I’m about halfway through the game right now and the only instance of slowdown I noticed was in Matador’s cutscene. I’m just happy to be able to play Nocturne on my readily available consoles.
I also have the switch version. Runs well with me and I'm 75% done. My only problem was that the battles are every 1-3 mins in different areas. It's slow but I'm content with the game, and this is my first time playing Nocturne.
@@Harleena1995 .There is a skill to increase the encounter rate.
same the only bug i encountered is when i go to config the screen kinda freeze for a while and matador boss fight
I wished they would have released Nocturne earlier. I was interested in getting it but SMT games take me FOREVER to get through. So this getting released just a few months prior to SMT V pretty much ruled out any chance of me buying it.
Same here, I'm going through it right now and I was very confused when I got to that part of the review.
I remember when Nocturne HD was announced at that Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase along with a trailer of SMT 5 and thought it was a good idea for Atlus to release Nocturne in HD to hold us over until SMT 5. Now, months after the Japanese release and now we're getting this outside of Japan shows that Atlus didn't do a good job holding us over. I remember hearing horror stories of Nocturne HD when it was released in Japan, like framerate issues on both PS4 and Switch, crashes, input lag, and much more. They didn't even add the demon skill inheritance until an update months after the Japanese release which baffled me to no end. Why wasn't that available in the Japanese version since day one? I know that the JPN version since got patches to fix its many issues, but it seems that there are issues still present with the non Japanese versions. The fact that there are framerate issues on a HD port of a nearly 20 year old PS2 game is embarrassing. How Atlus screwed that up is beyond me. Don't get me started with the DLC and that early access BS. I hate that this is becoming a trend with Sega and Atlus now that they are charging 70 dollars or more to play the early digitally. They did this with a HD remaster of a PS2 game, which is moronic. I'm sorry if I went overboard with this, but I want Shin Megami Tensei to be as popular as Persona. I love Persona, but I gave Nocturne a chance back in 2020 and enjoyed it. I'm excited for SMT 5, whenever that comes out and my opinion of Nocturne HD releasing to hold us over turned sour quickly. This felt like a monkey's paw situation.
What does a monkey's paw situation mean? Never heard of that
@@puzzle_boy A monkey's paw is like wishing or wanting something, but there's a catch to it. Example: People wanted to played Nocturne. Atlus announces Nocturne HD, BUT the catch is that there are problems like I mentioned earlier. One I remember people calling it a "monkey's paw situation" was with Mario 3D All-Stars. Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy all bundle together for Switch; the catch is that you have until March of 2021 to get it.
To me, the game simply isn't worth $50 asking price.
Yeah, 30 bucks tops
@@aryann1001 not even. Persona 4 golden was 20 dollars and was infinitely better than this remaster was, and that was just a port. Tbh I wouldn't even pay 10 dollars for how poor this execution was given the price point of persona 4 with the content that was given
@@Sporgan smt 3 is 10 dollars on ps3 and not much was added in the port of steam
It’s 24$ now 🤷♀️
$50? I don’t understand why companies think digital prices should be the same, if not more than physical copies. At least with hard copies you can pretend you own something.
1) When there's licensing involved, as there is with this game, there's more people to pay. 2) Nintendo take a very hefty whack out of things released on their systems, and always have done.
Because the game is what you're paying for. The plastic box and disc are worthless.
@@shiny460 Not the storage and delivery and such.
@@canaldecasta Those costs are covered by the retailer, not the publisher of the games. And often times physical copies of games will go on sale quicker because of that exact reason. Storage space is limited and they need to move inventory as fast as possible.
There's no reason for publishers to discount their digital products just because retailers have shipping and storage costs that need to be covered on their end. It isn't their problem.
the soundtrack is literally the same with all the compression intact wtf
It’s god damn embarrassing. Atlus is a very hard company to support and love. Bunch of stubborn idiots.
There's a good reason for that but yeah it's doable.
@@PhoenixDecim It’s not a good reason if it’s easily doable!! Lmao. I’ve been told that it’s very easy to just use UA-cam to get the audio files or some shit. I’m ignorant on that stuff though, so I don’t really know.
@@MIGU3L2K I'm guessing it's sequenced (these tracks are being made dynamically). Since its an internal sound source and at that time, they didnt have much memory space for HQ audio and they had to downsample it to below 11kHz (as explained in the OST booklet). So they might be using the same method instead of having tracks that play out during the battles.
I love Atlus games, but just like Nintendo they make some very stupid decisions
The changes to the lighting are unforgivable for me. I really miss how PS1 and PS2-era games were lit. So many recent remasters look so damn flat compared to the originals. And the lack of high-quality music is super frustrating.
Ya nocturne old graphics sort of add to the atmosphere and make it look better in my opinion. And when you give light to these scenes it takes away so much.
Don’t buy it. I just solved your problem with 1 comment. Hopefully it helped. Just please do remember when there’s a lack of ports or games in general for SMT. Refer back to this comment and video. That’s not me taking a dig, it’s just me holding people accountable. I see “fans” raging online about small stuff and then throw fits years later when SMT games don’t get ports or new games. Let’s call a spade a spade. If you don’t support because your jammies has a few loose stitchings, don’t expect new games when you trash a game because of some minor issues. Fans had me thinking they sold half the damn demon roster for dlc with the way fans were outraged. Turned out, they hate the price, lighting, and compressed music. Lmfao like WHAT. Oh and fps which is also apparently not even that big of an issue.
@@hartfantom Honestly, I'm okay with that. Atlus hasn't been doing much I like since Kaneko left (if only because they had other big organizational/management woes), and the localization of Persona 5 was a shitshow. I will take personal responsibility for tanking Atlus NA. When they go under, put my fursona and his awful hat on a wanted poster. You will find me playing an inexplicably immaculate port of Unlimited SaGa on SwIItch.
@@hartfantom bra you completely missed the point
@@hartfantom That's a lot of words to say "Don't criticize shoddy work"
Come on dude, re-read your comment when you're in a better state of mind because this take ain't it.
And tf you mean the fps isn't an issue? The switch port is pretty below average in terms of quality, the compressed music is something you should rightfully not just put up with in fucking 2021, full price for a shoddy remaster again, is something to complain about.
Customers shouldn't just bow down to companies. We pay their bills, we buy their games and we ultimately have a say (a small say) in what happens to games they release.
If you settle for mediocrity, you only drag the rest of the fans down with you.
Just compare P4Gs port to this if you want an example of a pseudo-remaster/port done right.
Great video as always, Nam. Shouldn’t be surprised at this point. Happy to provide footage for your review!
I don't know why it is so cheap on the mexican eshop/steam (~$27) but imma take advantage of that despite being a sucker for physical releases.
Yeah I got deluxe from a discount site when it dropped (~55 usd) but I still kinda want s physical edition
Does the mexican version include the options for english voice and text?
@@Nova-je6nq Yes. The game's has dual audio (EN/JP) on any version you get and text is available on 5 languages including English.
@@seth7726 sick.
Yeah, as a mexican I was completely baffled when he showed the price
Maybe it's just me, but I haven't had too many problems on the switch version.
The slowdown for me has been rare and almost unnoticeable
You’re not alone. I’ve been playing on the switch and the performance is fine. Yes there’s the frame dips, but not as bad as to avoid it from playing it on the switch. Honestly people just like to crap on the switch, even when it perfoms okay.
From what I’ve played it seems like the game runs better in handheld mode. I’ve found there are less frame drops and when they are there, they’re less severe. For instance, the Amala network was running at like 20ish FPS, which hurt my eyes a bit after a while. After taking a break and booting up nocturne in handheld mode the dungeon suddenly was running at a normal 30fps. Zan which tanked the fucking frame rate before didn’t drop it as bad either
Thanks-The Great Will. These are the comments I was looking for. I purchased the Switch version (physical) and I started to getting worried.
I only have a Lite for the moment so I'll only play it on handheld Mode.
@@puzzle_boy I have a lite too
I don´t have any performance problems at all, most likely his friends Switch is broken. I just recommend he should validate such information next time before badmouthing a game without checking his facts based on one single experience from another person.
That price is outrageous
Yep
Ok but for someone like me who hasnt played the original version is it worth it?
@@kamo124 No especially on the switch
@@nicoriver9070 Im on ps4 for now
The soundtrack was the most obnoxious exclusion for me, because I knew that someone would have the uncompressed tracks modded in the second it hit PC, and lo and behold. I suppose I'll stick to the digital version I have on the PS3 for the time being.
Smart choice
The digital PS3 version isn't even perfect either. It's a MUCH better product than HD Remaster but the PS3 PSN version does have a few framerate issues, mainly with demon fusing bringing the game down to single digit FPS and a certain tower dungeon making the game stutter constantly.
@@GoodlyPenguin man i remember entering in final floor on obelisk and man my ps3 got 1 fps and crashed
@@ofilosofoouumfumante5655 Yup, the Obelisk tower is what I was trying to think of. I have no idea why that part of the game makes the PS3 just suffer but I'm assuming it's the constant moving of cubes that somehow fucks it all up
@@GoodlyPenguin it isjust random for me sometimes it lag and other not
I got the switch port and finished it in two weeks. It was my first time playing it and I absolutely loved it. Sure the frame rate drops were noticeable but it didn't hinder my experience and I loved the music
All we wanted was a rerelease anyway, so I'm completely content
True. Some of us didn't own the console it was on, so this is a second chance to play the game.
My only issue with this take is that you are saying that you are completely fine paying way too much for how little work they did on this "remaster." P4:G should be the standard we hold ports to and that released at under half the price of this
@@all_thescience I'm paying for its portability.
@@all_thescience And I care why? Nocturne is such a good game I probably would've paid full price even if it was just a 1:1 port.
@@matthewhenry86 Because you’re supporting half assed work at a premium? Because by doing so you’re encouraging future ports to be this lazy and overpriced?
I really don’t care what you do with your money, but just know that this kind of mentality is part of what has led to video games become increasingly mediocre over the years
To me, a remaster should update the visuals and sound that makes a game feel it belongs in the modern era. I hope Atlus learns from this and put a bit more effort in their remasters of older games, especially if it comes to the Switch.
The biggest problem was them using Unity. They went for the cheap route and this is the result.
@@thatanonwholurksmoar7386 fucking hell atlus just treating a classic like this dirty
Altus, pull your thumb out
In my eyes QoL changes can be an absolute blessing. And here it is being able to choose skills when fusing demons.
I got no enjoyment out of spending half an hour resetting fusions and im very glad they got rid of that in the remaster.
@@the_Duckyster this is the best thing of the remaster
I haven't clicked so fast on a video, before! Love your vids mate!
I own the game on the Nintendo Switch and I cannot confirm the performance issues. I don´t have any problems at all.
I don´t have problems too.
I do
@@Ah-ec5ch Check This comment section, you seem to be one of the rare instances and either you didn’t download a patch or you have unstable hardware.
@@FelixS. what
@@Ah-ec5ch What „what“? Can you phrase a complete sentence or are you a bit overstrained by simple communication standards?
Thanks for the honest review. My PS2 died ages ago and I didn't expect a Remaster on the level of Spyro so I'm a happy panda with the Remaster, only quite disappointed about the quality of the OST and random screen glitches.
I hope that Atlus keep on Remastering old games (and fixed the issues that plagued this Remaster). It'd be a crime to not see the DDS duology on modern consoles.
Shoon megoomi tansai tree knockturne is just copying persona 5🙄
Smh my head, they stole all the personas and put them in the game
@@NotCumin aTlUs iS JuDt GeTiN GrEeDy aN MaDe A CoPi oF peRsoNa
@@gabodfp5773 HoW LAzY oF ThEm tO ReUsE ThE MoDeLs fRoM pEerSOnA 5!
@@phillemon7664 AlSo ThE HiStOri Ys TrAsH AnD Ys bAd
@@gabodfp5773 I encountered a person who said this unironically
Amazing Review! It's good to see that you see the problems of the remaster even being a fan from the OG. Here in Brazil the price is higher than AAA games like Resident Evil Village and Days Gone, doesn't make sense.
omg bad switch port (pretends to be shocked)
Switch port is fine though, drops are rare, he made a huge hyperbole there.
I was upset that the game was 50 dollars and now I find out the lighting is crap and the music is compressed... its a hard pass. I'll wait for a steep discount.
Edit: And poor optimization and 30 fps? Wow.
A lot of early PS2 era games tied game physics and mechanics to framerate. Uncapping it causes major game speed issues, stuttering and graphical issues as seen on emulators. In order to fix it you would need to remake the games source code, but that would take so long you might as well do a full remake instead.
Tbf, 30fps is less of an issue for a game like this.
Would be nice but I've got 90 hours in FFX remastered at the moment and you just get used to it.
It's turn based so you're not really missing out on much.
In all honesty while 60fps would've been nice its not really vital in something like Nocturne. The game runs and plays fine.
Yea man i totally need to see my stationary demons with like 3 animations each at 60fps lmfao y'all trippin thinking frame rate being capped on a turn based jrpg from 2003 is an actual problem
Grinding tip to don't waste money in order to L.V. 255. Go go the 2nd Kalva (cursed zone), select mercifull and use the skill that rises encounter rate, then find a Battle in New/Full Moon. Use a Dark/Bright Might demon and stack 4 tarukajas in your party, prees auto and it's done.
Tl;dr : If you haven't had the opportunity to play Nocturne because you don't own a PS2 or couldn't find your own copy of the game, then it's your occasion to discover and play a timeless classic. However, if you did play the game already, then it's not worth the price.
As another side note if peopl own a ps3 then you can buy the ps2 version digitally for 10 bucks.
@@FunnyMonkey781 Yeah because the PS store didn't end up closing
If you're new and have a pc then emulate it
I'm also a big fan of the SMT franchise and I started with Nocturne back in the days it was originally released. That being said, I've been looking up to this remastered release, and stumbling upon your review has turned out to be really useful, thank you!!
The new font is less distracting than i considered it previously, but I still consider the original, Helvetica-esque version a stronger aesthetic pairing with Kaneko Kazuma’s art style. So many RPG localizations use Times New Roman-which undercuts Nocturne’s unique tone, but does mesh wish the remaster’s brighter look
I've always hated the old font. It looked amateurish. In general Nocturne's old UI looked very rushed and bare-bones, almost like a pre-alpha placeholder. They made significant improvements for DDS and of course the Persona games.
@@W1ndF4lc0n uhhhh i like that isnt like every other rpg game that needs some kind of text in a box
The Remaster feels like a joke especially when you compared to the Last Month's MUCH better Remaster of Nier Replicant, which added extra content, better combat and performance, arranged music etc.
this feels like Atlus was too lazy to even bother and the Compressed music part is what pisses me off the most
EDIT: OK so Replicant is not so much of a Remaster but a Remake sooo i'm sorry you guys had to read this cringe shit i made so i'll keep it that way so you can call me a Poo head idiot :'))
Nam: *makes an honest review*
Me: it's been 84 years
I've been playing on the Switch and haven't really noticed any frame drops. Granted, I am in handheld and I haven't really done much yet (just got to Ginza). There was a bit of a hitch at Forneus, like you mentioned. Why am I on the switch? Well, for whatever reason, the download let me access it early (It comes out on Tuesday) so why not? I do have a physical copy coming in the mail so maybe I'll do the Dante playthrough on PS4.
I am exited to play SMT nocturne for the first time and I am definitely going to pick up this game...
as soon as it goes on sale for at least 50% off.
The price is in fact too high. I've never played the game, and I won't do it until is like 30 euros (more or less).
“This game I have never played isn’t worth $50 because it’s old... even though they completely retranslated, reported/remade it in new engine, and added full voice acting to a game that had none before.”
Plus it being a retranslated version of the game that never saw release outside Japan with content we never got before. Plus here in the UK its just nice to actually have the game with its true name. The name we did get "Lucifer's Call", while a cool title, also spoils things abit.
@@Kenshiro3rd people just up and forget that hiring voices and all that stuff doesnt happen for free. Lmao but what can you really do given modern gamers just become more and more entitled every year as their standards just get higher and higher
@@justsomeguy727 they also forget that voice acting ain’t cheap. It’s often one of the bigger parts of the budget.
Try or LESS this shit was on ps2 bro use ur brain
My only disappointment was that there's no new demons.
They could've put Alice at least.
There is a lot of other 3d demons in the Raidou games and the DDS games, it seems the 5 games use the engine so theu were lazy or its hard to use code from games of 15 years old
@@andresalonsomartinez3070 or maybe just the simple fact that adding new demons would potentially fuck with the game balance.
@@some2b1tguy they could of added a toggle
A well-written review :). Thanks for mentioning the Canadian price point too (i think that's important info to give context for folks who may not be aware of how pricing in other countries is based off of USD). I think i'll stick to my PS3 download of the PS2 version til there's a sale on Steam. Ty as well for highlighting the Switch port too.
While the remaster has its issues, I think you missed one key detail: This remaster was mostly outsourced. Not the most common knowledge, but it definitely needs to be spread.
It was primarily done by Imaginative Technology Land Inc, most known for PS4 and Switch porting. They only have 13 people, and have worked with Atlus in the past on SMT IV.
Just wanted to spread this
Source
twitter.com/SMTNetwork/status/1323674816084348933?s=19
It doesn’t really matter though, Altus is putting their name on the game and making most of the profits on an overpriced game. The only good thing about it is that it doesn’t necessarily mean SMT 5 will have the same issues. It’s their responsibility to make sure their outsourced companies do a good job, but the fact they let this ship means they’re ok with a lackluster product.
@@simpcat4415 word
I think this remaster would be totally fine if it just didn't cost so much. With manual skill inheritance (which is an absolute fucking godsend) and voice acting making it in, I don't think anything else really needed to change other than uncompressed music. I reeeeaaaally hope Atlus doesn't take potential low sales due to pricing as a lack of interest in mainline and/or remasters of classics.
Early on in this video, I compare Nocturne HD to games such as Crash N Sane Trilogy, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, RE2 remake, and Spyro Reignited. I've seen a lot of people misinterpret what I was trying to say, so I'll use this pin comment to clarify. The point I was trying to make is that the remakes listed in this video had far more care and effort put into them while also launching at the same price, if not, lesser than the price of Nocturne HD. I used those games as a comparison because they demonstrate that Nocturne HD shouldn't have its current price point. Remake or otherwise, the fact that Crash N sane trilogy had far more effort and care placed into it while also costing less at launch makes Nocturne HD look way lesser by comparison. This entire point wouldn't need to exist if Nocturne was priced fairly for what's being sold here and I believe that $50 is far too much money for how little was placed into the project. I hope that I cleared up what I was trying to say.
Lol don't care if anyone likes it or not. It was perfect before this Remaster and it's perfectly PERFECT...NOW 👍 Have a good one!😄
@Nam's Compendium Atlus should drop a patch which improves the quality of the in game music.
Here's my tip: emulation. Buy a ps2 disc of Nocturne and dump it to your PC. Emulation on PCSX2 is natively widescreen and can go to 4k. You can probably find an uncompressed music and HD texture patch if you need to. Voila, you've shaved 30 bucks from your purchase, and it is entirely legal since you dumped the game rather than pirated.
Uncompressed music is impossible on the PS2. Persona 3 and 4 use a third-party middleware for streaming audio, and even then, quality was cut to accomodate the DVD read speeds. Implementing something similar in Nocturne would be impossible without a decompilation, let alone a leak of the Criware PS2 SDK.
You earned my sub when you started talking about the new lighting FX, YES WE CARE and you earned massive respect for noticing those little details
That's why I am not getting this version. Mass Effect PS4 Version changed Lightning too
would the remaster be good for someone who has never played the game before? (i’m looking to get the pc version specifically)
Yes, but only if you think $50 is a fair asking price. Otherwise, wait for a price drop. The game itself is fantastic, I just have qualms with the remaster.
Nam’s Compendium thank you for the feedback. as a newcomer i feel like the game is well worth the price but i’d probably feel much different if i played the original version. i feel like a remaster/rerelease’s value definitely depends on perspective. for a recent example, i played super mario 3d world to death on the wii u and completed it 100%. due to that, i didn’t want to get the switch version even though it probably is the definitive version because the grand majority of the game is the same.
Yeah, I mean, it's honestly cool that we get 3 main things, and everything else is incredibly lackluster.
1: cloud saves and accessibility (playing the game effectively anywhere),
2: localization stuff (being able to legally play the Raidou version in English, having "menorah" instead of "candelabra", ect)
3: selectable skill inheritance.
Other than that, it's a really shitty remaster. It's clear they upscaled some textures but not even close to all of them, 30 FPS cap is awful, music is still far too compressed, and it doesn't even have true widescreen support. Literally the image you see on the title screen doesn't even fill the full screen if you're on 1080p. This is a remaster of a PS2 game released in 2021. Pretty sure people complained about this stuff for the PS4 Japanese release of the game, they literally had a year to fix it.
Let's hope the modding community fixes it. For P4G and P5S, mods that fix core issues with the games have spurred Atlus on to fixing them (such as the broken cutscenes in P4G and stuff).
When you say fix them, do you mean they released actual official patches that also fixed those issues? For all the formats the games are on, or just for the PC (In P5S case, I know P4G is just out for the PC right now).
@@goranisacson2502 uh, unfortunately in both the cases of P4G and P5S I think they fixed issues only present in the PC version of the game, such as random crashes while saving, cutscenes stuttering, alt-tabbing breaking the game, stuff like that.
"Avoid the Switch port"
A simultaneously redundant yet informative statement.
Thank you for your review. I’ve never played Nocturne but after getting into Persona 3 I fell in love with SMT games. Once I saw that Nocturne was getting an HD release I was so excited but I agree $60 is too much for barely any return. I’m waiting to get the steam game when it’s on sale but who knows when that will be. I agree that I hope they don’t take the sales of Nocturne as disinterest in the series since I would love to play the other SMT games remastered.
This game is great. Don't listen to this idiot.
Yeah I was all ready to get this day one but when I saw the price I decided to wait for a price drop.
I hate the fact that more and more companies are getting lazier and greedier. As a 3D artist myself, this kind of thing makes me feel that I don’t wanna work for them and instead work for smaller studios and indie game developers.
Excellent review! It'd be cool if Raidou 1 and 2 and Digital
Devil Saga 1 and 2 were both made into HD collections containing both games in each for $50 ($100 total). I own all the games on PS3, but only ever played a few hours of Raidou 1 and SMT3. Would love to play modernized versions on my main console with the inclusion and incentive of trophy support
I remember, back in 2007, when this game (US PS2 version) was incredibly hard to find, especially with the soundtrack, and used copies I could sell for $80. Oh those were the days. When Atlus games were actually collectible and rare.
I used to own a vintage game shop. The highest selling game I ever sold was a complete copy of Bubble Bath Babes for NES. I ended up getting $5,800 for it.
Featuring disappointment from the Atlus series
After watching this I canceled my pre-order. I’ll wait until a price drop but by then I’ll never bother to pick it up.
Good little sheep blindly following with no thought
@@kolz4ever1980 That’s true. I’ve never made an independent thought in my life. I had to ask my mommy how to reply to this message.
@@kolz4ever1980 you're joking right?
anyone with a room IQ temp can see that it's a shoddy remaster that isn't worth the price lmao Unless you have some spare dosh lying around.
Not a sheep to look at a game you were interested in and see that it's not as good a remaster as you thought it'd be.
Im glad this remaster exists, ive been meaning to get into the series for a while. and since i dont have access to ps2+ps3 i was pretty excited when the remaster was announced. few months later and im deeply in love with the entire series so im really glad i bought it (despite the full price), nowadays you can find it pretty cheap as it goes on sale fairly often ive noticed
Picked up SMT III Nocterne HD as my first _real mainline_ SMT game on sale and I've been loving the experience. Dunno how much my opinion matters not having played the OG PS2, but I actually love the new lighting in Nocterne HD. The vibrant colors with the new lighting gives the vortex world a (ethereal?) Evil aura that goes with the theme of Demons and evil stuff! I have to agree with everything else though, wait to pickup HD remaster on sale.
I wish they uncompressed the music. I'd hate to say it but some of that grilling is deserved.
Great video Nam. The remaster allows you to choose skills for your demons in fusion as well.... I am not sure if the PS2 version has this.... I have it for PCSX2 on PC so pretty much no reason for me to pick this up... But man... Even then compared to Persona 4 Golden on PC, this is such a letdown
The PS2 doesn't have that while grinding is a huge pain on the PS2 version what the Remaster does fix with DLC and the easy mode.
Nocturne HD on Switch had a update, but I probably have been lucky because I have had no frame drops in cutscenes, or battles. I do understand the the issue of the price. However, I do see Atlus discount games or sales in their respective shops. So. Unless your a fan of the game and have to have it now, you'll probably only have to wait a few weeks and they'll discount it.
I don't know if this is exclusive to the PC version but the audio isn't compressed with the exception of the battle music. There is a super easy mod that fixes that already out and a mod to increase the resolution to 8k. It also runs really well on PC. I could play it pretty easily on a surface laptop at 1440p. Even playing at 8k didn't make my GPU's fan start up. The guides for these mods are on the Steam Guides page as well.
You should review the Raidou games!
A remake and remaster are two VERY different things. You can't really expect too many changes in a remaster which are usually ports with better resolution and frame rate. You can't fairly compare it to FF7 remake or Crash N. sane trilogy because they are very very different. Emphasis on Remake, it is essentially a new game.
I wish more people realized this. Remake = remade from the ground up, while Remaster = port with a couple touch ups here and there and some minor changes.
This. Totally this.
"thats a pretty steep price yo pay for a game that released back in 2003"
me still paying 70 for individual copies of .hack: hmmmm yes
I agree. No 4K or 1440p, no 60fps, frame rate drops, compressed music, and paid DLC. Do you need to have these things? No, but this is a PS2 GAME remastered (not a remake, big difference) that they’re charging for $50! $60 if you want Dante who was included for free in the original PS2 release. A game like Biomutant is releasing for $60 and that’s a brand new game built from the ground up with modern graphics. I love SMT, but I don’t think a remastered ps2 game should be worth the same as a brand new current gen game (or I guess last gen since ps5/series x is now current gen).
Really wanted get into this game, but ig ima just wait till is on sale. I’m just gonna get into final fantasy.
hopefully there will be mods for the PC version that make it an actual good remaster like better music quality, 60fps etc
Y'all really believe giving things that were intended to be looked at at 30fps, a higher frame rate actually improves shit and doesnt just straight up make things look uncanny valley huh? i bet you also think that when people do those 20 frame animations at 60fps it somehow looks good lmao
@@justsomeguy727
Those animations generally look bad because they're not actually doing the same animation at 60 FPS, just using a program to fake it.
6:32
I'd like to correct you on this, they compressed the music not because they were running short on space, but because they wanted random encounters and such to load faster that they woud lof had with HQ music
I definitely want to get this at some point but I'll probably wait for a sale. Maybe I'll play SMT IV first to dip my toe in the water of a mainline SMT game.
Thanks for this. I almost didn't click this because I wanted to buy it and avoid spoilers but I'm glad I did. This is mildly disappointing to hear since I love the idea of the SMT world and have only played IV. I was planning to get this on Switch but now I will definitely get it on PC. I'm still looking forward to experiencing the game for the first time and still think I'll enjoy it but definitely some disappointing things, especially learning about the music since I'm a huge music fan and that's a big part of what makes Atlus' games for me.
I would imagine the reason the audio is still compressed could be down to afew things; 1. They've lost the original source code, 2. They didn't have enough time and budget to fully uncompress the audio or, most likely, 3. Uncompressing the audio could possibly have undone some things in the code which would've caused more problems. It would've been cool to hear the audi uncompressed and more clearer but as someone who has this version it still sounds fine, plus with ports of older titles there could be many numberous reasons for why things have ended up the way they have. I would imagine alot of the time are still busy with SMT V and Nocturne HD probably only got a short amount of development time, given the fact its been re-translated to be more correct to the original Japanese script, the inclusion of voice acting for both English and Japanese, and the fact its the Maniax Chronicle Edition its still pretty awesome to finally have this version come out, since it was exclusive to Japan for a very long time.
@@GinraiPrime666 I've been emulating DDS on my PC lately and I think there's a good bit of audio compression in that too (as most PS2 games) but the soundtrack is full of bangers and I'm still enjoying listening to it so hopefully I'll get in the same headspace with Nocturne
@@AdNoctemMedia Oh definitely. I own the PS2 copies and it would be cool to see them get a re-release at some point too, always nice to see them get more appreciation. I think the compression is something that just comes with the territory with older titles but alot of the tunes and songs can still be enjoyable. Hopefully you'll enjoy Nocturne when you give it a try :)
I hate that the switch is such a terrible port machine. every single 6th generation port runs like shit.
Edit: Mass Effect trilogy is 60$ for 3 games, while this and skyward sword remasters are the same price. its bullshit to think they can get away with selling old games, regardless of quality, at what was a launch price.
For skyward sword the remaster costs more than it did at launch lmao! It’s my favorite Zelda game and I don’t have a wii anymore though so I’m ok with that price point, and for this game I haven’t played it so I’m ok paying 50
The Final Fantasy PS2 ports and other PS2 remasters like Katamari Damacy and Okami ran just fine. It's all based on who's optimizing the games, and cheap remasters don't have the same priority for optimization as newer releases
Finally picked this up on a sale and really enjoyed it on ps4. I had to play it with the audio lowered sometimes because the compressed ost was so ear grating
A question for you all! I've never played a Shin Megami Tensei before V on the Switch. When I found out that there was a remake of Nocturne, I got interested. Is it worth it to play this remake playing SMTV? Don't know if it is worth it, specially since SMTV has all the improvements they wanted to add to the franchise.
Man, the fact that such a monolithic title, one of the most seminal releases in Atlus' history, got such a second-grade, seemingly rushed port job is a massive bummer.
I feel like at some point in the past ten or so years there was a shift in Atlus' corporate philosophy, with them leaning more and more on DLC and fan exploitation in general and the way this incredible game was treated so poorly really reflects that to me.
They still make great games, but I woudn't call myself a diehard fan anymore these days.
Just want to point out only the battle themes are compressed, since they use sequenced audio and atlus likely lost the source files. The versions of the tracks on the ost only cover 1 of several variants. Also the footage shown of the switch version appears to be pre patched, I own the game on switch and while it does still stutter it's not nearly as bad as it was. Still, not defending the price tag, it definitely costs too much, but it is much better than something like the ratchet and Jak collections you mentioned. Those have outright broken textures and sound, and I'm glad this game is at least running as intended.
I'm buying it for the Switch now that it's on sale. I always wanted to play this game. Thanks for the review!
I got into Atlus games in general with Persona 5 back in 2016. Since then I've gone back and played P4 Golden and P3 Fes on Vita. Have yet to touch the MegaTen series but I plan on grinding through them eventually. Bought the PS$ version of the remaster because to support Atlus, and I've been enjoying the hell out of my playthrough so far. I see why this game was so highly regarded. Hopefully other MegaTen games are lucky enough to receive ports in the future
Am I the only one with no problem with the frame rate on the switch version? The only time it was noticeable was during turning turbines on nihilo's machine.
You hit the nail on the head, I was incredibly excited just to play the game again years later but the price point is way too high, I'll definitely be waiting a while for it to hit the price I feel is right (somewhere between $30-$40) in the meantime I'll continue playing through the remastered Yakuza series.
It's on sale now.
@@rvfiasco True to my comment, I bought it a couple weeks ago when it was on sale on Humble and started playing it this week.
I'm not seeing it anywhere on sale at the moment unless you're referring to a console store.
I have it on switch and the only time I experience frame dips are during fusion. And that’s not every single time, just randomly. Everything else has been running great so far.
Coming from a perspective of someone who has never played any mainline SMT game, would this one be a good place to start? I am currently on my first playthrough of P4G and have P5 on my PC but have yet to play it. I absolutely love P4G and wanted to know if SMT3 is worth it. I’d love to hear everyone’s opinion on this.
It's worth playing, but don't go in expecting the same experience as P4G. Mainline Persona games are very focused on the characters and stories while SMT, especially Nocturne, puts more emphasis on the gameplay. Nocturne does a great job at presenting ideas for discussion but isn't exactly a character-focused narrative like the Persona games are. This is my favourite mainline SMT game though, so there is a bit of a bias.
It's a shame it didn't come with modern convivences like auto-save. Definitely would've helped in those long and bland dungeons when they become hard to find without backtracking long distances.
But it's an aged product (for better for worse I guess).
I bought the switch version and yes it need to be optimized, not unplayable by any means but still could use some polish, on the bright side for me is that I'm from Mexico and the game in the deluxe package costed me around 830 pesos, which is roughly 42to43 dollars sooooooooooo yeah...
Great content keep up the good work :)
I have this on PS2 already and money is no object really if I wanted to get the remaster. Which is the ideal way to play, money aside? Should I maybe hold out to see if the soundtrack issues get a patch?
😂 who the fuck still plays ps2
@@kolz4ever1980 playing on original hardware on a CRT in the modern day is like whacking out your DS to play Pokemon.
It's just nice. Plus older games look better on a CRT a lot of the time.
@@kolz4ever1980 SAYS YOU LUL
Does the switch port still have frame issues nowdays?
Hoping a price cut comes soon
I hope they port both SMT 4 games to the switch one day.
Perhaps with 3d combat now?
Nice one. Definitely going to wait for a sale.
I know is impossible, but I would like to see demons of the Raidou and DDS games, like Belial, Nebiros, Alice, Seth and Siegfried
6:32
I'm not sure if that's true, considering the other games in the series like Persona 3 & 4 having much more data in the disc & the music didn't sound compressed, the same thing could be said about Digital Devil Saga were Atlus themselves said the amount of data that was fitted in a single disc was estimated to be two times that of Nocturne, & the music did not sound compressed.
Maybe it was a stylistic choice because tbh I don't have any serious issues with the music in Nocturne, I think it sounds fine as it is.
In 2003 there were no good compression methods yet, in 2004 they decided to divide Digital Devil Saga becouse the game would not fit on 1 DVD, so they can put uncompressed music in DDS 1 and 2. P3 and P4 got random dungeons / hubs instead handcrafted, so they saved a lot of space on the dvd.
I think it was for loading time
I just hate when a game releases with dlc. Like it should be included with the game or free. I don’t know why they’re making us pay for Dante
Dante is fine, licensing fees and all that, but the other stuff is just... Atlas...
@@aransfilms9949 but like the licensing fees are still there. It’s a fixed cost. Atlus still pays $x to have Dante be in the game. At least in my head. Charging each consumer for if they want Dante in the remaster for what was in the base game just seems wrong
@FuckOuttaHere yeah. I’m gonna buy it but I’m not gonna like doing it lol
@@ronald7795 Licensing is about percentages and guaranteeed minimums. They don't pay a flat fee upfront. It is NOT a fixed cost.
Let's break it down...
Let's say your development and production cost you 1,000,000
Let's then say your distro deal hits you for 30%
Next, your licensing deal is say 5% with a GM (guaranteed mimimum) of 100,000
FInally, let's say the unit price to the consumer is 50
You get 32.50, the distro gets 15, and the license holder gets 2.50, per unit sold.
Now, to hit the GM for the license, you need to shift 40,000 units.
40,000 @ 50 per unit = 2,000,000 --- 100,000 for the license holder, 600,000 for the distro, and 1,300,000 for you.
Now, deduct 1,000,000 from what you made to cover what it cost you to get it to market, and that's 300,000... which isn't all profit... hell, not a scrap of that much might even be profit, as you've got staff and bills to keep paying, as well as new product to produce.
You've covered the GM, but you still have to keep paying that 2.50 per unit to the license holder, even after covering the GM, as well as the 15 per unit to distro.
As you can see, if you sold any less than 40,000 units, you'd have to dig into your cut to cover the shortfall on the GM.
While these are made-up numbers for the purpose of example, 30% is fairly standard for distro, especially with Nintendo, and 5% for licensing is on the low end of the normal range. Licensing can run between 3% and, well, damn near any number, though higher than 15% is rare. Also, the GM could be anything. The more desirable the property, the higher, obviously, but some companies will try and gouge at each and every turn. Plus those dev & production costs could be anythingm so the more you pay upfront, the more you have to make later.
You wont get a flat fee license deal because the licensors want the most money possible, and a flat fee could potential preclude that. Also, for people taking on licenses, large flat fees are less desirable because that could eat into the development budget, or drain cash from other critical areas, or they just might not have it to hand.
This is all super-simplifed, but I just want to show why there's a charge per consumer, and what it would mean if they didn't charge the consumer extra to cover license costs. If they built that licensed content straight into the game, they'd just jack up the unit cost to cover it, so at least this way it's optional for those who aren't interested, and not mandatory.
The fact that the licensed content is separate means that only those being that separate item are helping them pay that licesing money. It's possible that if the licensed DLC doesn't shift enough, that they will have to pay the GM balance from the prevenues from the sales of the main game, so it's still a risk for them.
And, how many people would bitch if they were being stung automatically for content they themselves didn't want? "Why should I pay for something I don't want? Let the people who want it pay extra for it as DLC and make the game cheaper!"
i bought this and i think im satisfied for it as of it right now i would have emulate it but the thing is i don’t line the compressed audio that’s it but i don’t mind these other changes
Subbed. You mentioned all my complaints with this remaster all throughout the video. $49.99 is too high for an asking price with this remaster.
They really didn't care about this remaster.
Nam: "only get it if you find a good price"
Me "laughs in piracy"
Did you pirate it ? Where ?
@anas ;)))
You didn't mention how in pc version the resolutions is maxed out at 1080p even if you have 4k monitor without using hex editing to fix it.
Wait, didn't they add the feature of choosing the skills for fused demons like modern SMT games?
They did, I only briefly mentioned it however. It is a nice feature.