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Devil Survivor 2 tops 1,800 pre-orders, ensuring European release
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 will appear in European territories thanks to 1,800 fans who were willing to pre-order the game. British publisher Ghostlight Ltd. offered the following on its official forums: "I've got some fantastic news for you....#clears throat#... it seems that after a herculean push over the last week, I am delighted to say that Devil Survivor 2 has reached its pre-order target! A massive (and I do mean MASSIVE) thank you to everyone who ordered the game or posted about it and helped us spread the word. I knew we could count on you! :)" As a special thanks to its fans, Ghostlight plans to include the names of everyone who pre-ordered the game prior to September 2 within its manual. Those who purchase Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 via Ghostlight's website after September 2 will be left out of the manual, but will receive the limited "Gold Edition" of the game, which includes an A4-size poster and special gold logo. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 was published in America by Atlus in February 2012. Ghostlight has yet to announce an official release date for the European version of the game.
PSA: 1,800 pre-orders will get Devil Survivor 2 published in PAL region
Publisher Ghostlight would love to release Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 in the PAL region, but it needs to reach its minimum order quantity of 1,800 units by August 30 in order to do that. An update on its official blog details two versions of the game: a standalone release of Devil Survivor 2 for £25 and a bundled copy with the 3DS' Devil Survivor Overclocked for £50. The bundle carries a £10 discount and cannot be shipped to Germany due to "an existing distribution agreement." Devil Survivor 2 continues the series' tradition of following a group of high-school students that save the world by making pacts with demons. If you're on the fence, we were quite fond of it.
Devil Survivor 2 European release still in the works
Ghostlight's European localization of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 is "finished and has been approved for release by Nintendo," according to the publisher's blog, though that unfortunately does not translate into a European release date for the DS game."Without going into too much detail," the update reads, "retail support for DS titles is understandably low at the moment making it difficult for us to release the title. We haven't given up though and we're currently looking into several different ways of making this fantastic game available to you all." One of the "several different ways" under consideration is the possibility of Ghostlight offering a Collector's Edition directly through its website, a strategy the publisher recently used for the 3DS release of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked.
When Genres Collide: Why Devil Survivor 2 works so well (and Namco x Capcom doesn't)
This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer. One of the dullest strategy RPGs ever made is Namco x Capcom, a forgotten Japan-only release for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. Playing the crossover was about as exciting as banging your head against the wall -- the two activities are equally repetitive.The reason it fails so completely is paradoxically the very reason that it looks so appealing in trailers: the active, combo-based combat. Namco x Capcom's combat isn't too bad at first, but it quickly becomes a series of using the same combos again and again, across maps that take ages to clear out. I've had math tests that were more fun. But now we have Devil Survivor 2, which manages to succeed in every way that Namco x Capcom's battle system failed.The key here is that, as far as I can tell, Devil Survivor is the only SRPG spinoff that retains some semblance of what made the original so popular in the first place. Now hear me out before you start typing that angry comment. Final Fantasy Tactics is a fine strategy RPG, but it has much more in common with Tactics Ogre than most mainline Final Fantasy games (Final Fantasy XII notwithstanding). Replace the jobs with more generic classes, switch out the Chocobos for horses, and you'd hardly know the difference.It's easy enough, I suppose, to shoehorn an existing universe into the basic framework provided by the likes of Tactics Ogre. But speaking the language of the genre without sacrificing the spirit of the original game is considerably harder. That's why I'm so impressed with Devil Survivor and its sequel, which manage to translate the battle system of a traditional RPG into an SRPG setting without missing a beat. Just how impressed was I by Devil Survivor 2, specifically? Just read my review to find out.%Gallery-149047%
Devil Survivor 2 review: Neon Genesis strategy
If you need any proof that Japan is still madly in love with Neon Genesis Evangelion, you need look no further than Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2. Both show, if anything, that gifted teens, massive supernatural monsters, and religious symbolism remain enduring tropes in Japanese pop culture.If you want to know the truth, I don't mind that it borrows so liberally from Hideaki Anno's seminal anime. It's just a reminder that Shin Megami Tensei is designed with a certain demographic in mind -- the kind of people who went through the trouble to see Rebuild of Evangelion in the theaters. People like me, if you want to know.%Gallery-149047%
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 summons your wallet on Feb. 28
The above trailer for Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 not only shows off the title's battle system, character interaction mechanics, "master demon fusion" system and demon auctions, but it also reveals the game's North American release date: February 28.Set in an alternate dimension from the first Devil Survivor, Devil Survivor 2 concerns a group of Japanese high-school students who must use their newly discovered "Devil Messenger" abilities to summon demons and rid Japan of the "Septentrion," a group of creatures who also have the ability to summon demons.
