Let me start of by saying that that the game I chose is not a bad game. It’s actually a damn fine game. No knocks on quality here.

Anyway, around two weeks ago I decided to finally get a 3DS. My late arrival mirrored many who waited it out on getting a 3DS. The price for the system itself was simply too high for my liking, and I waited for a price drop. It happened, but I still wanted to see if something else was going to happen, namely a console redesign of some kind. I’ve been burned before by launch units and I didn’t want to get shafted again.

I didn’t expect a second analog stick to be added (nor should anyone at this point), but I wanted to see if something like a sleeker, sturdier build, a special edition, or something else would become available. It worked when I got my PSP as part of a Dissidia bundle a few years back. What I was waiting for here was some sort of announcement on whether or not we’d be getting that sexy Shin Megami Tensei IV 3DS here in the U.S. I got got my answer more or less when SMT IV itself would become the special edition and not get a bundle. Fair enough.

One Nintendo Direct later, and I made my decision: I would get a 3DS XL. I weighed my options on getting either the regular size and the XL. Many said that the bigger one does have some low quality speakers and pixel stretching, but it was a better handheld compared to the last time an XL version of the DSi. Some online, some of the staff, and the guy at Game Champ recommended getting an XL.

Now the question was, what should be first first game?

As I stood at the Game Champ, I looked at the selection of 3DS games they had. Some caught my eye, like Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy (since its a remake of AC2), Fire Emblem Awakening, and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. I said to myself that I wanted to get a game that would ease me into the world of the 3DS. A game not too easy that I would beat it in a few days, but not too difficult that it’ll make me dread playing a 3DS for a while. Not that all 3DS games will be like this mind you, just that… well, I won’t be getting another full-price 3DS game for a while. So I wanted something with a wee bit a challenge and some longevity.

I looked at this wall of 3DS games for about 5 minutes. Ace Combat I knew would be fun, but I’d probably beat it in a weekend. Fire Emblem Awakening I knew might be a bit difficult as a first game. And Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon would have the same conundrum as Ace Combat.

I made my choice. I chose…

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THE HELL WAS I THINKING!?

Here I am putting up all of these stipulations for getting a good first 3DS game, and I choose the equivalent of getting a Metsu Shoryuken to my balls. Needless to say, I made Anthony upset over my choice because of all of these stipulations. Is Soul Hackers easy? Nope, it’s MegaTen. Will I beat it in a weekend? Thankfully, hell no. The weight of my choice didn’t sink in until I walked out of the store and realized what I just bought. “Hooray, I finally got myself a 3DS! I can finally play all those games I missed out, like Mario Kart 7, Fire Emblem Awakening, Mighty Switch Fo— Wait… Soul Hackers is a MegaTen game. And MegaTen games are… oh shit.” It did come with a soundtrack CD though, and I’m a sucker for extra goodies with my games.

Either way, I am having fun with this game, as difficult as it may be. This certainly isn’t my first MegaTen game as I have played others in the series (and no I didn’t play just Persona). It’s also rather interesting to see how people thought the Internet was going to be like back then since this is a a 1997 game. It kinda eerie to see which things did become a reality for the internet and which ones didn’t. And that Nemissa. Mm mm mm.

So if you’re a MegaTen fan and want to get Soul Hackers, go ahead and get it. If you’re getting a 3DS wondering what you’re first game should be, well… just know what you’re getting yourself into should you be getting Soul Hackers (or any game for that matter) as your first game.

And finally it goes without saying, since she gave me a hard time in Devil Survivor 2, seeing her here only made me furious. So yes, fuck Bai Suzhen.