Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga

 PlayStation 2
User Score
5.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 263 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 124 out of 263
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 263
  3. Negative: 127 out of 263
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  1. WilliamC.
    Apr 26, 2005
    7
    A good rpg needs different settings and pacing. It needs towns and fields. Places to relax and explore. The story was good but shallow. The battles were ingaging and stratigic but too frequent. There were so many good things about this gam, great things even. But was lacking in many areas as well. i recommend this game, but with caution. And a bit of a side note, the packaging was really A good rpg needs different settings and pacing. It needs towns and fields. Places to relax and explore. The story was good but shallow. The battles were ingaging and stratigic but too frequent. There were so many good things about this gam, great things even. But was lacking in many areas as well. i recommend this game, but with caution. And a bit of a side note, the packaging was really nice and worth the extra 5 bucks.… Expand
  2. FredF.
    Apr 27, 2005
    6
    Absolutely average game. The way it moves, the plots, combats. Nothing new.
  3. EricL.
    Sep 9, 2009
    7
    The Shin Megami Tensei series is my favorite game series, and this game isn't too bad. The story seems to be the only thing that most critics seem to agree is great, and I was suprised that it actually was! It doesn't have that level of interaction in most other games in the series, but it still written really well. There also is an art style, but it's only noticible during The Shin Megami Tensei series is my favorite game series, and this game isn't too bad. The story seems to be the only thing that most critics seem to agree is great, and I was suprised that it actually was! It doesn't have that level of interaction in most other games in the series, but it still written really well. There also is an art style, but it's only noticible during cutscenes, the music is good, and the combat requires a lot of strategy as always. However, there are just too many things about this game that bug me. I'll start off by mentioning that my biggest problem is the random battles, because they are just waaaaaay too frequent. I thought they came often in Nocturne, but I grew to accept them in that game, but in this one there is one every couple of steps, and that is no exageration. The next thing is that you only get to play as your crew, but each member can use the same skills once learned, making the only differences in combat their stats, gun attack, strengths, and weaknesses. It takes away the sense of discovery found in the other games of the series. Also, the level design is terrible, I can never tell if I'm going where I want to go (thankfuly there is a mini map that expands as you explore), and that wouldn't be that huge of a problem if it didn't take forever to get from point a to point b due to the random battles. Also, the stage designs seem to be full of copy/paste, like in Nocturne, but in that game it actually worked well because if there was a blood stain or something, my attention would instantaniously be drawn towards it, making it quite impactful. In this game there rarely is any blood, even around corpses. I'm assuming that since the story revolves around the subject of cannibalism the developers either wanted to make it look like there were no "leftovers", or didn't want it to look like some sort of gore-fest. Lastly, the puzzles are headache inducing, and tediouse as can be. Fortunatly they are not as frequent as in Nocturne, but they're still present. I know I'm refering back to Nocturne a lot, but there are really a lot of problems here that shouldn't have been present. All I can say is that even though I realize that I've spent forever talking about the problems, it's still a pretty fun game, and it's rare too, so show it off to everyone who may be jelouse.… Expand
  4. AlienSpaceBats
    Feb 24, 2014
    5
    I really wanted to like it, but Digital Devil Saga tried its hardest to make me hate it, and ended up hating it I did. From the second chapter all the way to the final end boss, it was a repetitive, dull and grindy chore. A non-stop barrage of identical dungeon corridors, random encounters and downright dirty AI scripting. The combat is the game's main draw, and is very strategic. It canI really wanted to like it, but Digital Devil Saga tried its hardest to make me hate it, and ended up hating it I did. From the second chapter all the way to the final end boss, it was a repetitive, dull and grindy chore. A non-stop barrage of identical dungeon corridors, random encounters and downright dirty AI scripting. The combat is the game's main draw, and is very strategic. It can be enjoyable with its press turns, enemy weaknesses, etc. but the tedium and monotony outweighs any positives I had during my 30 hours playing the thing.… Expand
  5. Sartagis
    Dec 15, 2016
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I picked up this game because I am a big fan of the Persona series.

    Pros
    - Familiar spells and abilities if you have played other Shin Megami Tensei games

    Cons
    - Somewhat confusing and limited story
    - Instant death spells are far too powerful and can wipe your party if you are surprised. This happened the first two times I ran into an enemy with these spells. Even the "Low" hit rate spells succeeded 75-80% of the time. AOE spells of this type usually killed 2 of 3 players.
    - Extremely grind heavy. The dungeons usually take 30 minutes to 2 hours to completely search but there aren't many of them. I think there are 9 in total. You will spend far more time grinding experience and AP than progressing the game.    … Expand
  6. ChrisC.
    May 24, 2005
    6
    Not nearly as good as Nocturne.

Awards & Rankings

49
#49 Best PS2 Game of 2005
68
#68 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2005
36
#36 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. Weekly Famitsu
    80
    9 / 7 / 8 / 8 - 32 gold [Vol 814; 23 July 2004]
  2. GameZone
    75
    This could have been a dark and edgy game, but rather than unleashing this beast, the developers pulled back to make it a standard tactical turn-based combat game.
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  3. Siliconera
    80
    The difficulty in Digital Devil Saga will certainly turn some gamers off, especially those not fond of RPGs. However, if you're a gamer into RPGs and have been waiting for something fresh check out Digital Devil Saga. Digital Devil Saga is certainly one of the best RPGs in a long time.
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