The whole Digital Devil, only has fan-base because it is fresh, and different, and with the current trend of implusive buyers. it is only strong because people have not discovered it. Like in my book, I imagined I climbed the unclimbable mountain, but when I report back, nobody wants to believe and call my a nut-case. Going back down the mountain sucks. Everybody at the top of the mountain has a happiness, that too few understand or want to understand. Then the government comes in and bomb mount Everest. The top of the mountain has been limited.
At the moment, I feel Atlus, is still riding the Digital Devil gravy train, only they are dividing the series up like, Final Fantasy, was practically every single other RPG that Squaresoft had made, but they do not call it Final Fantasy.
That is how I view Atlus. LIke you have a bunch of ideas, but you get lazy, and just invent something new by recycling something else. With Digital Devil, they took almost every single kind of
religious, ephemeral, fictionalized beings, that already existed, without the game. Because it uses factors of religion, beginning with demonic creatures, and the after life, it drew a bigger audience.
I mean their is nothing wrong with that, Nintendo have done it, in the past before, many times over, with the current trend being the obvious pokemon, redesigns.
The art, all of the art is digital devil, based, and revolves around that sphere itself. For new comers, into the genre of their games, they are completely ignorant of everything else.
Are you ignoring their recent success of Persona 4 and the Ethrian Oddysey series?
I'd say that ATLUS are currently IN their heydays.
I am ignoring, it because Atlus did more or less the same thing, on the SNES, and the Saturn. I mean extremly on the SNES, compared to things now. I think Atlus is really trying, it's hardest. The most blessed things for them, is that nobody really knows their track record, unlike Squaresoft.
The way I view persona, is Atlus, giving in, to the Final Fantasydome. Meaning they felt, they had to show off graphics, like "Breath Of Fire". Atlus made the game more current ( for people addicted to final fantasy stylistic game play ) to reach a broader audience.
I am not really to fond, of Persona, because people are only playing it for the graphics, rather then the story itself. But that is just the thing, it is really "Digital Devil" with that FF look. Again I said "Digital Devil" which comes off as a "present day" RPG game, as with "Earthbound". You take away the standard issue Japanese Comic book world ( You know, Sailormoon walking down the street, with demonic monsters, and transforming policemen, and giant mecha zoids, or human sized monsters ), your left with some religious practice, interesting character design.
That said, playing it for the story is even worst, because Digital Devil is a short story. I am sure if the original writer is writing anymore, but I do know it is still strong. When is the last time, a short story from the west became an RPG, and was not from Japan?
