The "What should I know before I play this game for the first time?" Q&A!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > The "What should I know before I play this game for the first time?" Q&A!

Spuzzz: Mar 27, 2005; I have hit my head some many times I am surprised I can remember my own name.

SMT3: Nocturne

-You will die a lot, save all you can
-You can only recruit demons that are your level or below. You can't talk to some, like blobs, without special skills.
-Some demons will evolve when they have learned all thier skills. Some demons can only be gained through evolution.
-Know your weaknesses. No amount of grinding will save you from a boss if you leave yourself weak to its attacks.
-Always try to fight bosses on New Kagutsuchi, they will be at thier weakest.
-Buffs and debuffs actually matter. Sukukaja/Fog breath will give you the most bang for your buck.
-You can only learn a skill once. If you choose to get rid of one, you can'y get it back. Plan early on if you want to be a melee powerhouse or a caster. Always have at least one healing spell to back up your healing demon.
-The Amala network is an optional dungeon. If you finish it before going into final dungeon though it will lock you into a certain ending.

# ¿ Oct 1, 2008 18:11

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# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 18:57

Spuzzz: Mar 27, 2005; I have hit my head some many times I am surprised I can remember my own name.

Arcanum was re-released and I've been meaning to play it forever. I want to play a techie with high persuasion. Any good tips for stats and starting out? I have the unofficial patch but I�ve also heard of a tech patch and a no level cap patch but I�ve had no luck finding them, if anyone has some better links.

Spuzzz fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Feb 1, 2010

# ¿ Feb 1, 2010 18:59

Spuzzz: Mar 27, 2005; I have hit my head some many times I am surprised I can remember my own name.

21stCentury posted:

You probably know this already, but... what the hell.

This applies to every Shin Megami Tensei series game: Buffs, debuffs and status ailments are completely necessary to master.

You might be used to thinking that spells that strengthen your attack or that lower your opponent's attack are a waste of a turn (If I attack both turns, i do more damage, right?). if you think spells that buff/debuff are useless, you won't last very long.

As for more specific advice, this game really really rewards exploiting weaknesses and really, really punishes using wrong elements. If you use an attack/spell that exploits a weakness, you get a bonus turn. If you use an attack/spell that the enemy is strong or immune to, you lose an additional turn. The same applies to enemies. If you meet fire enemies and have a resistance to fire, you'll cut down on their turns. If you exploit their weakness to ice, you'll get up to double the actions in a combat phase.

This applies to all of the SMT games on the PS2, except maybe the Raidou Kuzonoha series.

Really, this game rewards strategy over brute force. And the insta-death spells work. They work often enough that you can exploit it, but also often enough that they can really do you in. Keep that in mind.

Also, you want to take the heroes down the elemental path they are weak to, that way you can end up with the elemental-immune skill at the end. Try to keep everyone skilled up since there is a little swapping. Two of the most important skills to get on someone are Dekaja and Dekunda to take care of the buffs and debuffs.

# ¿ Oct 16, 2010 20:50

Spuzzz: Mar 27, 2005; I have hit my head some many times I am surprised I can remember my own name.

I want to start up Arcanum but I can't seem to build a character that can survive very long. I want to make someone that can talk through most problems but can still hold thier own in a fight. I figure either a melee warrior that uses technology or a mage. Anyone have some good starting builds?

# ¿ Jan 12, 2011 22:58

Spuzzz: Mar 27, 2005; I have hit my head some many times I am surprised I can remember my own name.

Luminaflare posted:

I'm just starting on Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, I've only played 1 (and not completed it, just got close to the end) and I've started on normal and have just gotten to the bit where you choose your character, which is recommended for your first playthrough? Anything else I should know about the game?

You should go in the order the game shows. Aqua is by far the best character and should be saved for last. You learn abilities by combining attacks/magic and adding crystals. Most are pretty basic like Cure + Cure = Cura. Once you master the spell you would learn any ability you added with a crystal. Unless you use a FAQ to see what crystal gives you what ability when added to that specific combination you'll be doing a lot of experimenting.

# ¿ Mar 17, 2011 14:18

Spuzzz: Mar 27, 2005; I have hit my head some many times I am surprised I can remember my own name.

Bigass Moth posted:

A few tips for Neir (I just finished ending A).

Quest completion maxes out at 98% (I don't know if DLC adds to it) so don't bother with most of the quests. If you want the achievement/trophy you only have to do 30 of them, and there are a lot of quick and easy ones. There is no reward for doing all of the quests other than dialogue between your characters and a little money, though some quests do give you unique weapons so look those ones up.

Once part two starts, run to Seafront and buy the Phoenix Spear from the blacksmith. Goongrats, you have the best weapon in the game.

Eagle Eggs spawn randomly below the Mayor's house in Aiere. You will need 4 total for all weapon upgrades/sidequests, so you'll be reloading a lot from the savepoint. Eventually you will no longer be able to get the eggs and it will be pretty obvious when this is happening.

2 handed weapons are worthless. My weapon progression went Nameless Blade, Beastbain, Katana, Phoneix Spear and the game was a breeze. The lighter the weapon, the better.

I recommend not selling any materials ever. You can harvest rice and make shitloads of money by setting your PS3 clock ahead one day and then collecting the harvest. Money isn't an issue in this game anyway since the only things you'll really be buying are weapons that you won't use.

Always attach a word to your weapons that increases item drop rate.

The story, characters, music, and setting all own. Play this game.

There is 100% completion with 51% in the first half of the game. You missed something.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2011 12:58

Spuzzz: Mar 27, 2005; I have hit my head some many times I am surprised I can remember my own name.

al-azad posted:

Playing on hard is actually "easy mode" because it opens up more dungeons, gives you better drops, and you have more "time." There's no point playing on any other difficulty.

With that said, 90% of the actual story can be missed. If you want the true ending and to know anything about the plot at all then take a trip to your friendly Gamefaqs and grab a guide before finishing the final chapter. It involves a series of rigid tasks from tackling missions in a specific order to sending back specific items/people at specific times. The game has an invisible counter and you must meet a specific goal by the time you reach a specific chapter or you're completely locked out. It's specifically... specific.

Yeah, I was playing the PSP version and thought I remembered what I needed and I still failed to get the good ending. If you don't start with a FAQ you won't get it.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2011 03:05

Spuzzz: Mar 27, 2005; I have hit my head some many times I am surprised I can remember my own name.

mrbasehart posted:

Bought Dawn of War II on a whim without playing either: a) Dawn of War I or b) a real-time strategy in about 10 years. Is there anything I need to know about game beforehand, or am I screwed enough to use a trainer and enjoy the story?

The game is more about small squads than masses of units so don't worry about macro control to much. Just find your favorite units and level them up. The normal difficulty is easy enough that you don't need any kind of trainer.

# ¿ May 9, 2011 00:17

Spuzzz: Mar 27, 2005; I have hit my head some many times I am surprised I can remember my own name.

ape canyon posted:

So I just got La Pucelle Tactics. This is my first tactics game. Was this a bad choice? I've been having fun with the tutorial dungeon so far.

Each chapter has a secret goal you can do. I forget if it just gets you items or if they involve the ending but you'll probably need a FAQ to not miss any.

# ¿ May 12, 2011 14:59

Spuzzz: Mar 27, 2005; I have hit my head some many times I am surprised I can remember my own name.

Zorblack posted:

Can anyone give me some non spoilery advice for Heavy Rain and Lord of the Rings:War in the North. Both games are not in the wiki.

All you need to know for Heavy Rain is to never reload, just go with your choices all the way to the end. Anything else would be a spoiler.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2012 17:49

Spuzzz: Mar 27, 2005; I have hit my head some many times I am surprised I can remember my own name.

I picked up a copy of Infinite Space. Anything to watch for? I heard they released tutorial videos to show you how to play it, anyone have those?

# ¿ May 24, 2013 05:16

Spuzzz: Mar 27, 2005; I have hit my head some many times I am surprised I can remember my own name.

You can continue after the game to do any missions you skipped and that save can still be brought over to the third. The DLC comes up in small ways. Feel free to do all the DLC before the IFF mission though, they do have nice items.

# ¿ Jan 15, 2014 01:25

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# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 18:57

Spuzzz: Mar 27, 2005; I have hit my head some many times I am surprised I can remember my own name.

Anyone have any advice for Starcrawlers? Is a tank necessary? Any trap classes or specs?

# ¿ Apr 10, 2019 05:09

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > The "What should I know before I play this game for the first time?" Q&A!