Kotaku: shin megami tensei: imagine online

Megaten Online Open Beta Is Open

Mike Fahey — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:30:00 MST

Time to put on some skinny clothes, land wrangle yourself up a choice demon as Aeria announces the open beta for Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online.

The online version of the Shin Megami Tensei series is open to all comers, with gameplay just three short steps away. Just create an account on AeriaGames.com, download the game, and play! Okay, so that middle step might not be as short, but the other two more than make up for it.

Having played the game for longer than I should have, I can say that while I am not exactly in love with the gameplay mechanics, I really enjoy the look and feel, and the community (until now at least) has been one of the most helpful, friendly, and good-natured ones I've yet encountered in an MMO. Perhaps now that open beta is live you guys can go change that.

Shin Megami Tensei Online Beta Invites Are Go

Mike Fahey — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:40:00 MST

According to countless tips from our beloved readers, Aeria Games has sent out their first round of invites to the closed beta test of Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online.

Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online is the MMO version of Atlus' acclaimed and slightly twisted RPG series, which covers a wide variety of titles from Devil Summoner to Nocturne to the Persona series, characterized by stylish artwork and the ability to summon and breed demons.

The invites began arriving yesterday, so if you signed up, you might want to check your inbox. I've been checking mine nonstop for the past 18 hours, in between bouts of sobbing. No invite for me. *sniffle*

UPDATE: FileFront contacted me to let me know they have 20,000 keys up for grabs here.

Shin Megami Tensei MMO Hitting North America And Europe

Mike Fahey — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:20:00 MDT

Great news for those MegaTen fans who haven't just sucked it up and learned Japanese by now, Aeria Games has announced that they've acquired Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online and are prepping it for a North American and European release. Set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo somewhere between Shin Megami Tensei 1 and 2, players choose one of three factions - the order preserving Law, system crashing Chaos, and mercenary Neutrals - and utilize a real-time strategic fighting system to help defeat the demons running rampant throughout the city. It features many of the mainstays of the main series, including Devil Partnership and Devil Fusing to create new breeds, my personal favorite aspect of the franchise. Best of all, it follows the free-to-play, microtransaction model, which means you won't have to shell out big bucks only to discover you hate it.

The announcement didn't come with any sort of time frame, but Aeria has historically been pretty quick from announcement to beta, so I'd keep an eye on them if I were you.

Aeria Games Announces Acquisition of Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online for North American and European Release

Santa Clara, Calif. (Sept. 9, 2008) – Aeria Games’ newest acquisition from Cave Co., Ltd., Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online, also called “MegaTen,” will soon be released in the European and North American online PC gaming markets in four languages: English, French, German and Spanish.

Shin Megami Tensei is a major intellectual property of the well-known Japanese developer and publisher, Atlus Co., Ltd. The first of many titles in the franchise was released by Atlus in 1992 for the Japanese Super NES and has grown a large and loyal following around the world with additional game titles for consumer consoles and handheld systems. The latest installment brings the brand online.

Originally released in Japan in Q1 2007, Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online was Cave’s first massive multiplayer online (MMO) title for PC. MegaTen has become a huge success with a large fan following. Aeria Games plans on bringing that success to the European and North American markets as it has done with its titles Last Chaos and Shaiya.

Set in a fictional post-apocalyptic Tokyo, survivors attempt to restore the city by defeating demons and solving puzzles. Each player acts as a “Devil Buster.” Success relies on forming an alliance with demons or slaying them.

MegaTen offers numerous unique features:

* Strategic Real-time Fighting System - Choose between attacking, parrying and defending in real time.
* Diverse Weaponry – Use a wide array of weapons from medieval swords to modern-day rifles and handguns.
* Devil Partnership – Players negotiate with devils to assist in battle and missions.
* Devil Fusing – Players can combine multiple devils to create new breeds.
* Private Dungeons – In addition to the public battle areas, players can access private dungeons to hunt and collect items with their friends.

More information is available at http://www.aeriagames.com.