My quest for SMT games

[Pibbman]

Tonight I went off to gamestop, we have have about as many as Starbucks has in a one mile radius (which is a lot if you're familiar with them), seriously we have a gamestop at one spot in town, and LITERALLY one across the street from it lol.

Anyways, been out looking for the title SMT: Nocturne. I remember seeing it at a used mom and pop shop, but unfortunately it was sold by the time I got around to looking for it. So I went to Gamestop, and asked them if they had the game.

They looked it up on the computer and said they didn't have any in-stock, so I asked them to search the database of the other gamestops, and he said the nearest one was in Texas (I live in Wisconsin), so I told them while I book a flight out there, that I asked if they checked for used, and there was none.

Damn. So I asked about Digital Devil Saga, well....thats 90 miles from my place. SMT is elusive I tell you. I know there is amazon with it in stock, but really I was looking for it cheaper than what they wanted, and the places that got it at the prices I want, are sold out.

So I ended up getting Ico, which is a rare game in itself, especially around here. Ironic how I was looking for SMT, and found that.

You guys pick your SMTs up at launch or what? It's funny even though Nocturne just had a reprint a few months ago, it's already gone.

[Kakizaki]

^It's not gone. Plenty of places online still have it available. Is that not an option for you? Well, I see you comment regarding Amazon, so I assume not.

I can't speak for everyone obviously, but I know a lot of regs that purchased Nocturne at release -- myself included. I was pretty hyped up for it personally.

Maybe you should tell us your price range. Honestly, I would have paid more than the original retail price for Nocturne. I enjoyed it that much. I purchased a back up copy after the reprint.

[tokoshi_x]

I guess its all about location, if you were to find some SMT games at Gamestop. I found 2 copies at my nearby Gamestop for $40 each, one of which came with the soundtrack, so I bought that one.

I'm still trying to find Devil Summoner and Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2.

[Pibbman]

^It's not gone. Plenty of places online still have it available. Is that not an option for you? Well, I see you comment regarding Amazon, so I assume not.

I can't speak for everyone obviously, but I know a lot of regs that purchased Nocturne at release -- myself included. I was pretty hyped up for it personally.

Maybe you should tell us your price range. Honestly, I would have paid more than the original retail price for Nocturne. I enjoyed it that much. I purchased a back up copy after the reprint.

Well, sites I usually check out have it around $29.99 and whatnot. I might check out ebay, and see what I can find there. If I had the money, I would of bought it at amazon for 49.99

[RayFoxSith]

I've been lucky and picked up SMT titles either day one or found them by chance at a Gamestop.

[Taroni]

I swear if Atlus followed SE example, they could resell earlier system versions of SMT for the newer system for new game prices and laugh their way to the bank.

[Kakizaki]

^It's not gone. Plenty of places online still have it available. Is that not an option for you? Well, I see you comment regarding Amazon, so I assume not.

I can't speak for everyone obviously, but I know a lot of regs that purchased Nocturne at release -- myself included. I was pretty hyped up for it personally.

Maybe you should tell us your price range. Honestly, I would have paid more than the original retail price for Nocturne. I enjoyed it that much. I purchased a back up copy after the reprint.

Well, sites I usually check out have it around $29.99 and whatnot. I might check out ebay, and see what I can find there. If I had the money, I would of bought it at amazon for 49.99

Okay. $49.99 is pretty reasonable imo. PA has it for $44.99 but you will pay a little more for shipping. Spend the $49.99 on Nocturne. It is easily worth it.

[Crabman]

I picked up DDS1 and Nocturne of Play-Asia last year when they were reprinted; Persona 3 reignited my interest in SMT games (always sounded cool, never had the right system) They are both in stock there, but for $44.99.

Go on Kijiji/Craigslist; you sometimes find weird #### there. I once found this one guy selling DDS1, DDS2 and Nocturne - all the collectors editions, reportedly - for $80.

Also, if you're willing, go to an anime/gaming convention. Lots of specialty shops will have stands there, but the price will gouge out your eyes. A sealed Nocturne went for $100 o_0

[Pibbman]

^It's not gone. Plenty of places online still have it available. Is that not an option for you? Well, I see you comment regarding Amazon, so I assume not.

I can't speak for everyone obviously, but I know a lot of regs that purchased Nocturne at release -- myself included. I was pretty hyped up for it personally.

Maybe you should tell us your price range. Honestly, I would have paid more than the original retail price for Nocturne. I enjoyed it that much. I purchased a back up copy after the reprint.

Well, sites I usually check out have it around $29.99 and whatnot. I might check out ebay, and see what I can find there. If I had the money, I would of bought it at amazon for 49.99

Okay. $49.99 is pretty reasonable imo. PA has it for $44.99 but you will pay a little more for shipping. Spend the $49.99 on Nocturne. It is easily worth it.

I'm sure it is reasonable, this term with the economy being so bad, I was forced to take a term off of college and spend it working, so I'm on a much tighter budget than usual.

Games are pretty cheap in terms of entertainment versus everything else, thankfully PS2 games are like 5-10 bucks around here and give me enough playtime that when I'm not working I got something to do.

I'll keep looking around.

@Crabman - I wish we had anime conventions around here, the nearest ones are about 2-3 hour drive from where I live, and at the current time, I think the next one isn't until May.

[Kenji]

I paid $90 for a copy without an instruction manual... believe me, $49.99 is more than reasonable...

I'll throw Play-Asia into the mix. Since people don't usually think of them when they think of "domestic games," their stocks of US games tend to stay available long after they've disappeared from other sites. They also give periodic specials, which is why I landed Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon Plus (which has Nocturne :tongue:) and Siren: New Translation (w/ English subs) for half-price each.

But, yeah, from the time I paid ungodly prices for MegaTen games, I learned to preorder every single one of them from this point on...

[erwos]

But, yeah, from the time I paid ungodly prices for MegaTen games, I learned to preorder every single one of them from this point on...
Excellent advice, but I don't think it's always true. For one thing, Persona 3 prices spiked to like $80, and then fell to $20 when FES came out. Personally, I just pre-order to get the excellent OSTs.

[Luna]

eBay for some games. I found them for a decently cheap price. You just have to be patient and wait =3

[tokoshi_x]

Speaking of Ebay, their other site half.com is a great place for looking up games as well.

http://product.half.ebay.com/Shin-Megami-Tensei-Nocturne_W0QQprZ30735433QQtgZinfo

The lowest price I could find, that includes case and manual, is going for $34.99.

If you do buy from there I recommend to at least contact the seller before purchasing, to make sure they got the game. A few months back I bought a game from there but the user wasn't active on the site anymore and didn't send my game. I had to go through customer support in order to get my money back.

[PainKilleR-[CE]]

I pre-ordered Nocturne at launch, but some things happened that prevented me from buying the DDS and Devil Summoner games at launch.

When the DDS and Nocturne reprints came out, I had some cash and hit one of the many local gamestops. The first one I hit, the store workers had bought the copies that came in. However, one of the guys looked it up for me, and on a whim looked up DDS2 as well. I ended up rushing to a store about 4 miles away and got both DDS games (unfortunately DDS2 without the packaging, but I just threw the disc sleeve in the DDS case for storage).

Devil Summoner: vSoulless Army I picked up new at a Fry's Electronics around San Jose, CA last time I was out there (about 7 months ago).

I even went as far as to pick up the DemiKids Light and Dark versions, which turned out to be easier than I expected (though used, not new). I've also been thinking about picking up Revelations: Demon Slayer just for the sake of it, since it's usually available cheap on eBay.

Getting the older games like the first two Persona games is a much bigger pain, especially since most places don't carry used PS1 games any more. It's pretty much eBay or nothing, and they fetch unreal prices there with heavy bidding. Of course, DDS was on the shelves at every gamestop I visited for quite a long time, and then seemingly all of a sudden it was gone. I still feel bad for all the times I passed up the deluxe boxes of those two in favor of something else I thought would be equally hard to find later.

[Pibbman]

But, yeah, from the time I paid ungodly prices for MegaTen games, I learned to preorder every single one of them from this point on...
Excellent advice, but I don't think it's always true. For one thing, Persona 3 prices spiked to like $80, and then fell to $20 when FES came out. Personally, I just pre-order to get the excellent OSTs.

I suppose Persona 4 will be fetching quite some money someday, since Atlus said there won't be any "FES" version. Even then if someone wanted to give me 150-200 dollars for it in the future, I still won't budge. I don't sell my favorite games period (ok maybe if they gave me 10,000 dollars, but I doubt anyone would be dumb enough to do that lol). I should buy an extra copy to sell someday, but then I'd become the very people I hate that are infesting eBay.

[slayn]

If someone has the forethought to buy extra copies of a game they feel will be rare so they can make a profit later, I find no reason to hold that against them.

[Enzeru]

I don't see anything wrong with buying extra copies of games that you think will become rare later on as long as they are in plentiful supply, which Persona 4 undoubtedly is at the moment.

Good luck on your little quest, Pibbman. Make sure to get Nocturne before the reprint runs out. xD

[Pibbman]

I understand your views on making profit, but the way I see it is what if someone learns of the series later on after release, and are genuinely interested in playing it. Should they have to dish out 80-120 dollars on a series they know nothing about, not even knowing if they would like it either? That's a heck of a risk to take.

It could also be detrimental to the growth of the series fan base because I doubt anyone in such a situation would spend that much, but if the game was more easily available there is a higher potential of another fan. Obviously I can't stop such things, but it is a bit saddening that some won't get to experience such amazing games because of such things.

The larger the fan base becomes, the more money that could be put into the development of future titles, so really everyone who is a fan of the series would benefit from it. I guess everyone just views things differently thats all.

As for Nocturne, I'll probably eventually pick it up someday, but it's not a priority at the moment.

[slayn]

If you're late to the party, then you're late to the party. That's just the way it is. Most of the time this means you'll get the games for cheaper than people who were there on day one. For SMT games, it means you'll pay a little more.

For reference, the only SMT games I've bought on release day are Persona 3, Persona 3 FES, and Persona 4. I paid a premium for Persona 1 & 2, Nocturne, and Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 (well, not so much 2 I guess). I bought Persona 2 well after the first reprint and well before the last one. I bought Nocturne and DDS roughly a year before their reprints. Hell, I even bought the Nocturne strategy guide, which has never seen a price drop.

I did my reseach and decided these were games I wanted to own. I accepted that I missed out on the initial release, and had no reason to believe there would be reprints (I actually didn't find out about the original Persona 2 reprint until a few months ago), so I ponied up and paid the prices people were asking. It didn't bother me then, and it didn't bother me months later when the reprints hit because, hell, sometimes being impatient costs you money.

Video games are a luxury item. Complaining about the price on either the primary or secondary market is absurd. Either they're worth the money to you or not.

[Pibbman]

If you're late to the party, then you're late to the party. That's just the way it is. Most of the time this means you'll get the games for cheaper than people who were there on day one. For SMT games, it means you'll pay a little more.

For reference, the only SMT games I've bought on release day are Persona 3, Persona 3 FES, and Persona 4. I paid a premium for Persona 1 & 2, Nocturne, and Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 (well, not so much 2 I guess). I bought Persona 2 well after the first reprint and well before the last one. I bought Nocturne and DDS roughly a year before their reprints. Hell, I even bought the Nocturne strategy guide, which has never seen a price drop.

I did my reseach and decided these were games I wanted to own. I accepted that I missed out on the initial release, and had no reason to believe there would be reprints (I actually didn't find out about the original Persona 2 reprint until a few months ago), so I ponied up and paid the prices people were asking. It didn't bother me then, and it didn't bother me months later when the reprints hit because, hell, sometimes being impatient costs you money.

Video games are a luxury item. Complaining about the price on either the primary or secondary market is absurd. Either they're worth the money to you or not.

Yeah, but in your case you're an established fan of the series. I'm speaking more in terms of people who never played any of the games. These games are such niche titles, that usually when I mention it to others they never heard of such a game before. It's rare you even see an advertisement for them as well, especially through a high traffic medium.

So when they decide to go ahead and look it up, they'll see the prices and most likely will walk away from it. More fans = more money, which in turns gives Atlus Japan more incentive to place more money and time into production. Really it's a double edge sword if you ask me.

[RyougaZell]

I actually got lucky.
Bought Noctune, DDS, DDS2, Devil Summoner, Persona 3, Persona 3 FES, Devil Summoner's Guide and Persona 3's guide on ebay for 220 dollars with shipment included. All used except for FES which was sealed)

Ended selling Persona 3 and Persona 3 FES (for I already owned them) in 100 dollars.

[Ike.]

SMT Nocturne: $39.99 (Gamestop, "new," got the soundtrack later from my brother)
Digital Devil Saga 1: $39.99 (GameStop, "new")
Digital Devil Saga 2: $29.99 (eBay)
Raidou Kuzunoha v. SA: $9.99 (GameStop, new)
Persona 1: $59.99 (local shop, used, complete)
Persona 2: EP: $25.00 (friend)
Persona 3: $49.99 (one copy open, another sealed)
P3FES: $29.99 (two copies, one sealed)
Persona 4: $39.99 (GameStop, new)

####'s expensive

[Foryth]

Damn, my local store still has the same four copies of Raidou Kuzunoha since as long as I can remember and that still sell them 39.99 used.

[Ike.]

Is it a GameStop? Ask them to scan one and it might come up cheaper.

[Foryth]

We don't have Gamestop in Canada.(at least in this part of Canada) So it's our chain store, Microplay. I just find it both amusing and sad every time I go there and see all those copies still sitting there gathering dust.

[Pibbman]

Damn, my local store still has the same four copies of Raidou Kuzunoha since as long as I can remember and that still sell them 39.99 used.

That's strange. Our Gamestop only had 1 copy left for $8.99, and yours has 4 for 39.99? lol.

[Ike.]

Try to haggle with the manager. He might go for it.

"Hey I saw you had these copies of this game that aren't selling. GameStoreX is selling them for 9.99 (or whatever), can you match that price?"

[Kakizaki]

Damn, my local store still has the same four copies of Raidou Kuzunoha since as long as I can remember and that still sell them 39.99 used.

That's strange. Our Gamestop only had 1 copy left for $8.99, and yours has 4 for 39.99? lol.

I believe Foryth resides in Canada. Maybe that has something to do with it?

[Pibbman]

Damn, my local store still has the same four copies of Raidou Kuzunoha since as long as I can remember and that still sell them 39.99 used.

That's strange. Our Gamestop only had 1 copy left for $8.99, and yours has 4 for 39.99? lol.

I believe Foryth resides in Canada. Maybe that has something to do with it?

Yeah, I saw that before. I was speaking in the sense that his stores.

[bayushi]

Sorry to do this here as I can't start my own thread yet. Any word on the SMT game that was supposed to have been released on the psp? I think Japan had it and I think there were talks of getting it localized for the US, but that never happened . I would love to play SMT on my PSP. I have spent hundreds of hours playing Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness and need some new crack in there :)

[VMan]

Sorry to do this here as I can't start my own thread yet. Any word on the SMT game that was supposed to have been released on the psp? I think Japan had it and I think there were talks of getting it localized for the US, but that never happened . I would love to play SMT on my PSP. I have spent hundreds of hours playing Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness and need some new crack in there :)

I'm assuming you're referring to the Revelations Persona. I guess its possible but unlikely you'd hear anything about a North American released until after its released in Japan. Who knows, if Raidou vs King Abaddon does well enough here maybe we'll even see the original Devil Summoner localized in the future.

[Saburo Hikari]

Hey Pibbman. If you're still looking for SMT: Nocturne, then Amazon.com has in stock again (http://www.amazon.com/Shin-Megami-Tensei-Nocturne-Playstation-2/dp/B00024W1U6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1233226270&sr=8-1).

[Vincent Alexander]

I think he was looking for something cheaper.

Sadly, I don't think you're going to find anything cheaper.

[Pibbman]

thanks to those who helped, yeah right now I'm just on the back burner about Nocturne, but when I have some extra cash lying around I'll go search for it.

[Kenji]

That's all well and good, but wait too long and the amount of cash you'll need lying around will double. (spent $90 for a used copy, this was long before there was any rumor of "reprint" in the air)

[Kakizaki]

Yeah, I have to agree with these guys. I would jump on Nocturne right now. It isn't going to get any cheaper.

[Hitoshura]

Yeah, I have to agree with these guys. I would jump on Nocturne right now. It isn't going to get any cheaper.

Besides, Nocturne is a game worth paying $100 for, IMO.

[Kakizaki]

^I would agree with that. ;)

[Takara_Kitsune]

That's all well and good, but wait too long and the amount of cash you'll need lying around will double. (spent $90 for a used copy, this was long before there was any rumor of "reprint" in the air)

This is very true... I actually was unfortunate enough to have spent $100 on it 2 weeks before the reprint happened. (Or not. It was the special edition with the soundtrack, after all. ^^)

Yeah, I have to agree with these guys. I would jump on Nocturne right now. It isn't going to get any cheaper.

Besides, Nocturne is a game worth paying $100 for, IMO.

Also agreed. I may have been a little annoyed when I did spend $100 on my copy 2 weeks before the reprint, but it's an excellent game nonetheless. And... I did end up ordering one of the reprint copies as a backup, too. ^^; (The one I spent $100 on wasn't in superb condition, but close enough that I won't whine about it.)

The other option is to start checking eBay. A lot. I got lucky on some of my purchases on there. (Like when I got Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete for $45 back when most had it for at least $100... and although it was used, it was in mint condition. ^^ Another example: When I was able to get Digital Devil Saga for $60 long before any reprint happened. Of course, nothing beats finding Digital Devil Saga II brand new for $40 in a local game shop...)

[Vincent Alexander]

I'm amazed copies of Digital Devil Saga II aren't handed out with every purchase at Gamestop.

[Takara_Kitsune]

I'm amazed copies of Digital Devil Saga II aren't handed out with every purchase at Gamestop.

Well, despite the fact that it was at one point one of the easier games to find... (meaning when I picked mine up for $40 new, that wasn't the only place I'd seen it that day) it has actually become more rare than it was. I've seen complaining on GameFAQs and other such forums about "Okay, we have a DDS1 reprint... but now we need one for DDS2!". I thought people were just being stupid, and assuming it wasn't out there... but to be honest, on subsequent searches, DDS2 isn't as easy to find as it was when I bought it. (As a side note, I bought mine in January of 2008. A year ago, in other words.)

Thing that I noticed, especially around here... there are people who go around buying games solely for the purpose of reselling on eBay. There's a small shop that I visit when I'm looking for rare games, and sometimes, when they do get something in (such as Digital Devil Saga) there are people that will come in, buy all of the copies, and resell for double what they went for originally. It's unfortunate, and the staff of the store is well aware of this. (Since it's a small local shop, they don't care just so long as they make their money. I don't blame them. And aside from that, I have gotten a few great rarities there despite the resellers that go there... I was quite happy to find Ar Tonelico and Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana brand new there for a reasonable price... so no complaints from me...)

[Onezanagi]

I've just gotten to the point where I don't even look for them in stores unless it's a new release. Online shopping is where it's at.

[Saburo Hikari]

Digital Devil Saga box set (http://www.amazon.com/Shin-Megami-Tensei-Digital-Playstation-2/dp/B00008KTRS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1233290884&sr=1-1). :) I bought this and SMT: Nocturne yesterday.

[slayn]

That's almost certainly a stock photo; you won't be getting the boxed set.

[babypuncher]

I have all SMT games for the ps2 exept DDS2.

Best part was that I did not really have to fight for them. I work at gamestop and Nocturne and DDS1 got reprinted so I snached them up quick. SMT Devil summoner We had a used copy for 9$, and persona 3 FES and 4 I bought new.

I don't have the original persona 3 because I already have FES. persona and persona 2 inocent sin I'm bidding on as we speak on ebay. along with a few other games. I may get lucky.

[erwos]

On the plus side, the new PSP remake of Persona will cause the price of the original PS1 version to go way down, if the experience from FFT is any guide.

[Pibbman]

On the plus side, the new PSP remake of Persona will cause the price of the original PS1 version to go way down, if the experience from FFT is any guide.

Hmm, I don't think it'll go "way down" it may drop like 40 bucks or something. There will always be people out there that will want the original.

[slayn]

On the plus side, the new PSP remake of Persona will cause the price of the original PS1 version to go way down, if the experience from FFT is any guide.

It has to be localized for America before there's any chance of that happening.

[thesycophant]

I just got my copy of Digital Deivl Saga 2 in the mail (some beautiful soul put it up for sale on Amazon Marketplace for $30 less than everyone else and I snatched it within minutes). The only major SMT USA releases I'm missing right now then are Revelations: Persona and Persona 2: EP. I'm holding back on Persona in anticipation of a potential PSP release.

I keep getting outbid at the last second on eBay for P2:EP. The auctions all go just a bit over $60 which is more than I'm really willing to pay for a game when none of the proceeds are going to the company that made it.

But I'll probably break down eventually. I've amassed this collection of SMT games just in the last three months, since I became converted to the faithful.

[Enzeru]

Better hurry up in getting SMT games; Amazon just ran out of the DDS and Nocturne reprints!

Luckily, all the Gamestops around me got Nocturne in recently, though...

[Kain Mare]

Nocturne, I received that on my birthday last year (which is coming up, actually.) My friend got it for me for 20 bucks used. It had the cover art, bonus CD and the game. No booklet. I got the booklet later for 2 dollars.
DDS1; I got at EBGames for 15 bucks. I worked there at the time and got a nice discount.
DDS2; I got new at GameStop a couple of days later. They had two copies there at the time. I think I got it for 20 bucks.
Devil Summer: RK vs. TSA; I got new for 35.
Persona Revelations; Free.
Persona 2; 5 Bucks
Persona 3 and Fes; New prices... what ever they were at the time.
Persona 4; New

When I do my daily rounds at the malls within a 50 mile radius, I ask about other SMT titles. Mostly Persona Revelations, as that is just the game. I'm looking for the cover art and booklet.

[thesycophant]

I recently acquired Persona 2: Eternal Punishment for $55 through eBay in near-pristine condition. The only American console SMT release I'm missing then is Revelations: Persona.

Great. I have enough of a backlog of awesome games to last me a few years.

[slayn]

One day I'll get around to tracking down a copy of Jack Bros. and the two DemiKids games.

[Enzeru]

^If you're talking about the ones released in the U.S., they aren't exactly hard to find.
Although I guess you're talking about the Gameboy Color one.

[slayn]

^If you're talking about the ones released in the U.S., they aren't exactly hard to find.
Although I guess you're talking about the Gameboy Color one.

I was talking about Light/Dark, the ones released in the US.

And depending on exactly what you mean by not hard to find, you're probably right, but I want actual physical copies :).

[Enzeru]

I was talking about Light/Dark, the ones released in the US.

And depending on exactly what you mean by not hard to find, you're probably right, but I want actual physical copies :).
Nah, I'm not into that stuff.
But Amazon.com's got White of the Night (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00009YXC1/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1234320442&sr=8-1&condition=new) new for 30 dollars (ignore Hitgaming Video Games, their stuff is overpriced), but Darkness of the Day (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00009YXBT/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new)'s gonna cost you about 40 bucks.

As for .ca, I dunno. xD

[Foryth]

I was talking about Light/Dark, the ones released in the US.

And depending on exactly what you mean by not hard to find, you're probably right, but I want actual physical copies :).
Nah, I'm not into that stuff.
But Amazon.com's got White of the Night (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00009YXC1/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1234320442&sr=8-1&condition=new) new for 30 dollars (ignore Hitgaming Video Games, their stuff is overpriced), but Darkness of the Day (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00009YXBT/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new)'s gonna cost you about 40 bucks.

As for .ca, I dunno. xD

Ha! I got Demikids Dark for 4$ at my local EBGames. :P