Digital Devil Story - Megami Tensei, Famicom (Japanese NES Import)

Came complete in box and works perfectly!

I will admit that I didn't come close to finishing this title, though I feel I played enough to write a fair, honest review. And don't get me wrong, this is a good game, but it comes with the tedium that many old titles had. There are random encounters a plenty (though I'm not as opposed as some to the concept of the random encounter in general), difficulty spikes between areas (and for bosses) that require excessive 'level grinding', and lack of conveniences such as auto-maps and in-game hints/instructions on what abilities would do.That being said, this game was also vastly ahead of its time. The dungeon crawling style was,as far as I know, pioneering, and would be later used by series like Phantasy Star and the early Dungeons and Dragons PC games. The concept of communicating with foes and recruiting enemies to be allies came years before the increased complexity found in later Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest titles. This was a revolutionary RPG, and it's a shame the series took as long as it did to reach the US.My primary frustrations with this game stem from the difficulty spikes between areas and the tedious dungeon crawling (there are some unmarked doors that will lead you back to the beginning of the dungeon, or even earlier, with no easy way back). In some areas, you'll find groups of foes that your party will walk over with ease, only to be met a few steps later by a group that leaves you close to dead with far less reward than seems appropriate. Summoning demons costs money. If they fall in battle, you'll have to revive them and then summon them again. And reviving a fallen ally can be a challenge, often requiring a journey outside of the dungeon. This will have you spending much of the game running back and forth through areas you've already explored thoroughly.This is a great game to try out if you want to follow the history of the series, but its age shows, and it may be hard for modern gamers to play through it.Note: I did play this as part of Kyuyaku Megami Tensei, the Super Famicom remake with both this and its sequel. I took that in to account when writing this review. I'd strongly suggest anyone wanting to play this game to do the same. While the gameplay is virtually identical, the remake added a cartridge save (the original used passwords) an automap feature, and vastly improved graphics.

真・女神転生シリーズやペルソナシリーズといった、いまのメジャータイトルを楽しめるのも、この初代女神転生のおかげ。もともとは小説であり、それをアニメ映画化し、当時の評判は知りませんが、基本、そのアニメのその後がストーリーになって作られたのが、このファミコン版女神転生です。悪魔合体という斬新なアイデア、一匹倒すだけでもなかなか手強い悪魔たち。その悪魔たちを、「あの手この手を使って仲魔にして、強力な助っ人として使役する」、なんて、いったい誰が思いついたんでしょう。ポケモンのはるか昔ですよ、これ。クリアには攻略本やら、いまでは攻略サイトやら攻略動画なりを活用しないと、とてもじゃありませんが、クリアは不可能でしょう。でも、その一見理不尽きわまりない内容だからこそ、絶妙なゲームバランスを保てたのもまた、厳然たる事実なんですよね。今はファミコンやスーファミのソフトを起動できる、本体もどきが買えますから、ぜひ一度、この悪魔狂想曲とも言える初代女神転生を手に取って、すべての始まりであるデジタルデビルストーリー女神転生をプレイしてみてください。ちなみに、セーブはパスワード方式なので、めんどくさいかもしれませんが、バッテリーバックアップの電池切れの心配がないので、そこは安心して購入できます。

ソフトの状態も年月考えると良好でした。

ケースの状態もよかったし、ちゃんと作動したので満足してます。