Is Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Worth the Cost? | Game Rant
Last week, Atlus and Sega finally announced the release date for Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster, while Shin Megami Tensei 5 is still missing in action since the reveal it would releasedworldwide in 2021. Now that fans know that Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD will be released on May 25th, players anticipating the remaster of this beloved entry of Atlus's cult classic JRPG series finally know when they will be able to return to this series or jump in for the first time.
With the announcement of the remaster's release date, Atlus also revealed two versions of Shin Megami Tensei 3 HD that are currently available to pre-order. The standard edition, which just includes the game, is priced at $50 in the United States, while a Digital Deluxe Edition is also available on digital platforms. Those who buy the deluxe edition can access to the game 4 days early and get access to several DLCs ranging from Devil May Cry's Dante to the Merciful difficulty. While the $70 edition draws a lot of eyes, there's one question that's been on many minds: is this remaster of Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne, a seventeen year old PlayStation 2 game, worth the base $50?
This very question has been a hot topic among fans ever since the remaster first released in Japan in October 2020. The remaster, which brings the game to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC for the very first time, was met with mixed reception upon its release in Japan, with most criticizing its many technical issues at launch. While the PC port has not yet released in any capacity, both the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions both contain major frame-rate issues not present within any of the PS2 releases of the game. This is mainly due to the game being almost entirely rebuilt within the Unity Engine.
While many popular games already run on Unity, including Genshin Impact and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, the engine is often used by indie developers for smaller scale projects and requires extra optimization to run on the consoles when it comes to larger 3D titles. As a result, the ambition of rebuilding the entire PS2 game combined with it being Atlus's first time using the engine in a project may be the reason Nocturne HD runs into technical issues. While these issues have been addressed by recent updates to the Japanese release, fans have still expressed frustration with the port, mainly leveled towards the Nintendo Switch version.
While these issues can be fixed with the PC version of the game either through official solutions or fan mods, most of these issues are not fixed by running the game through the PlayStation 5's backwards compatibility. Many fans have been concerned that these issues will not be fixed by launch, despite Atlus Japan actively seeking solutions for the issues. If they are not, however, expecting fans to pay $50 for a version with technical issues not present in the PS2 version is a tall order.
One element Atlus has yet to fully advertise regarding Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster is the introduction of full voice acting for the first time. When it first launched, Nocturne did not feature any voice acting whatsoever. That's surprising for a PS2 JRPG, especially since Atlus had also dubbed games such as Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga and Persona 3 at the time.
The HD remaster of Nocturne will launch with both English and Japanese voice acting available at launch, and while the Japanese voice work has been revealed in recent trailers and footage of the Japanese release, the game's English dub has only been previewed. This addition surely cost the company a good sum, adding further value to the remaster. Unfortunately, the audio also suffers from the use of highly compressed music samples, which fans playing the Japanese release have noted. It seems Atlus's preservation of the game's audio files left them in a rough state, meaning the game's soundtrack has suffered heavy audio compression in the remaster, leading to an imbalance in the audio sources.
While Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster brings the game to modern platforms in a version that is undeniably better looking than the original PS2 release, the $50 price tag seems steep. This is especially true when compared to Sega's other remasters such as the Yakuza Remastered Collection, which contained three PlayStation 3 titles for $25 each, or in a $60 collection. While Atlus is adding a lot to the remaster to excite fans and newcomers, some could argue that these additions are not enough to warrant the price, especially with the remaining technical issues with regards to the game's frame-rate and audio. Of course, there's still time for many of these things to be fixed, so fans should stay tuned and wait until closer to launch to pass final judgement.
Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster will release for Nintendo Switch, PC, and PlayStation 4 on May 25th 2021.
Reviewed by Unknown
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March 22, 2021
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