Need help deciding

[Tho]

So, I have some games I want to get and need some help on deciding! My current wishlist is this:
- Luigi's Mansion 2 The Dark Moon (used to have it but traded it for a discount for MK7 which I regretted getting)
- Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilema (I have 999 and VLR already and I love those two so I have been wanting this since it launched)
- Pokemon Sun (or Moon depending on the version exclusives, but probably Sun)
- SMT: Devil Survivor Overclocked or SMT: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker

The thing is now that since I spent 30€ to get something for a friend earlier this month and then another 25€ to get Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance I only have about 35€ to spare for this month. Problem now is that while I would normally just wait a bit until I had more and probably would get Sun before the rest, the Halloween sale on the European eshop has quite a good discount on LM2 and the two SMT games above, so I don't know if I should let this chance get away or not! I'm in a bind here, mostly because I know LM2 is one of the best 3DS games out there and a personal favorite, plus I have met various people on here who also have it so we can play multiplayer, but I also really want to try the two SMT games. Can someone who has played both of them and preferably LM2 too give me a suggestion regarding which one of the 3 is the best? As I said I can spare about 35€, meaning I can get LM2 (31.49€ instead of 44.99€), either of the SMT games (DV1 costs 11.99€ instead of 34.99€ and DV2 costs 19.99€ instead of 39.99€) or both of them!

Lastly, there's also Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate on sale for the Halloween too and since I'm a fun of the series I'm slightly considering that too. It costs 22.50€ instead of 44.99€. Can someone help me decide? The one I'm leaning towards is LM2, but what's making it really hard to settle on it is that it is a Nintendo Select in the US, which makes it likely to become one here too in a few months... If there are any of you that have played these games I'm considering, hopefully all of them, can you help me choose one or two to go with before the sale ends on November 3rd?

Really important to note is that I'm struggling with SD card storage space since I have tons of games on it, enough to only have a few thousand blocks left on a 128GB SD card! I can free up to 9500 blocks at most without deleting any games I've purchased, so take that into account too. LM2 is 6752 blocks for example. Then there's the issue of getting the games or not and instead getting Pokemon Sun first...

 

[Ashkil]

I played LM2 and only mildly enjoyed it. A good game but nothing spectacular and not that much replay value I felt. The multiplayer might be better and if you know people then that might be good enough to get it, but I would advise against it. Gameplay got a bit repetitive and wasn't very engaging either way, with a pretty short main singleplayer game.
SMT is good if you want a character driven, heavy plot based tactical RPG with great music. However from what I know, both games are extremely hard and very little change from two to one. I haven't played either, being familiar with some of the other Atlas titles only, but it should be a good experience if you're looking specifically for that type of games. Also they are merely remakes of old DS games, just something to keep in mind. As it's an Atlas RPG, it should last you a good while too.
Pokemon Sun is a dependable, long lasting game. If you like Pokemon and you're excited by the new Alolan forms and new pokemon, then you'll like it. Plus with all the new events on Pedia and the huge number of people who buy it, you're bound to have a bunch of friends who play the game.
Zero Escape I've heard phenomenal things about, however it's not replayable and might be worth getting later when you're less restricted as to choice. If you like the series though, worth a good consideration.
Castlevania I found meh from what little I had played, mostly because it just couldn't compare to how good the old Castlevanias were, Symphony of the Night types. Not much replayability, but it'll be a long campaign so shouldn't be too much of a deal.

Basically I would go for Pokemon Sun/Moon if I were you, but the choice is up to you as to what kind of game you want. All the games are excellent, and you'll have fun with any of them. If you're not in any specific game mood, Pokemon seems best. Tactical RPG would be SMT. Fun but rather unexceptional (at least to me) would be LM2. Castlevania only if you specifically want a Castlevania game. Virtual Novel esque, go for Zero Escape

 

[Tho]

I'm already planning to get Pokemon Sun at launch though since I'll probably have another 50€ next month, so I can still get something this month while the games are on sale. Personally I loved LM2 and had about 120 hours on it with 5 playthroughs before I got bored because Luigi never gets boring to me, but didn't have anyone to play with back then so I exchanged it for a discount for MK7 like I said. I doubt I'll get Castlevania if it's like that, mostly because I have all old Castlevania up to those on the GBA, which I've actually played from start to finish about 200-300 times each, I loved them and never got bored! If the two SMT games are indeed remakes of DS games then I will look for the old ones since I should be able to get them both for about 10€! On top of that I have all SMT games that have been released in Europe with the exception of these two Devil Survivor ones and Soul Hackers, so if they are too similar to the others I'm in no rush getting them! Lastly, I love the Zero Escape series! As I said, I already have 999 and VLR so if I get ZTM I'll have the entire trilogy!

That leaves my list of most wanted games like this:
- Zero Time Dilema 39.99€ (not on sale)
- Luigi's Mansion 2 (on sale costing 31.49 instead of 44.99€)
- Pokemon Sun (or Moon, still haven't decided) (hasn't been released but launches at 49.99€ or 50€)

Current game budget for this month is ~35€. Is Luigi's Mansion worth it for some casual fun now that I know about a dozen other people that have it and can play with me? Another person I know told me they plan on getting it soon, so even more people to play with! It'll be on sale until November 3rd. What should I do?

 

[Ashkil]

Fair enough. If you enjoyed the game that much seems pretty clear to me. I've heard really really good things about its multiplayer, and multiplayer on Nintendo games are almost always better. Plus if your friends are getting it it makes sense to get it, especially on sale. I'd say LM2 is the clear choice here. It fits in your budget perfectly too. Zero Escape and Pokemon you can get later, no sale means no incentive to get it immediately.

 

[Tho]

I know, I doubt I'll get ZTD without it being on sale to be honest, so getting LM2 now that's it's more affordable is probably the best choice. Thanks for the help on deciding!

Just in case though, what other good games are there I may have missed? I'm open now to more recommendations so I can get some more and then wait for the NS! I already have tons of games, so it's hard to find something I haven't checked out so far, but asking just in case. Examples of what I have are all Monster Hunter games, all Etrian Odyssey ones, Persona Q, VLR, RE:R, all Rayman/Rabbids games, KH DDD, Omega Ruby, SMT IV, etc., so I would like something a little different, preferably something casual or a good shooter that doesn't require a circle pad pro to be able to enjoy (unlike how RE:R is)! I'd prefer it if it doesn't cost too much either! Any suggestions are welcome!

 

[Ashkil]

Kid Icarus Uprising is an excellent game, one of my favourites on the 3DS by far. Controls are a little tough but doesn't need the Pro to play, and just a lot of fun. It's a really really solid shooter with great music, excellent gameplay, engaging characters and just a strong personality. Robust crafting and weapons system too. Sakurai really put it all into it and you can tell. Multiplayer is decent too.
Fire emblem games also are incredible, awakening and fates are both phenomenal games.
Phoenix Wright games are a lot of fun if you've followed the series till then, and are generally cheaper than other games.
Monster Hunter games are always great time sinks, lots of fun if you like that style of combat but expect some lulls in the middle of the game and a little routine ness.
If you want a life sim sort of game, AC NL is always a good idea. Fun for a daily play but not for extended play. Not worth it if you bought the DS version though.
Persona Q god yes. Music and EO style gameplay. Looks fantastic and my number one game on my list.
That's all I can think of on the top of my mind.

Also, The World Ends With You for the DS. It's one of the greatest games ever made, nuff said. Might not be ultra comfortable though with the 3DS but just an incredible excellent game and without a doubt greatest on the DS in terms of music, combat, characters, plot, gameplay and so on.

 

[Tho]

I have played Kid Icarus and didn't like it to be honest, would rate it somewhere around 7/10 at most and all Fire Emblem games after the 3rd GBA one have been absolutely terrible in my opinion, so those are out of the question!

Phoenix Wright isn't my kind of game, too monotonous and boring with dragged out sequences and needless animations to make the game feel longer, which is a major con in my mind! As for Monster Hunter, I said I have MH3U, MH4U, MHGen and every single non-Japan-exclusive game in the series for all consoles! I'm just one of the biggest MH fan there is, having 2800 hours on MH3U alone with various playthroughs!

I'm quite interested in checking out AC:NL, especially considering how many people still play it, but I don't want something that demands me to play often or I'll have to go through hours of repairing whatever has been done (people leaving, place getting filled with weeds, etc.)! If it wasn't for that, I would almost certainly already have it... plus I have the DS one!

As for Persona Q, again, I said already have it along with all Etrian Odyssey games and I love all of them and I also have The World Ends With You and have played that like a dozen times from start to finish, it's awesome!

I looked through my wishlist on the eshop and saw something I put in it some time when it first launched since it looked pretty cool, Rodea The Sky Soldier, has anyone played that? It may be expensive but it looks awesome in the trailers and gameplay videos, but how good is it really? Story looks pretty good too, so I'm really wondering if I should get that too sometime, especially if it ever goes on sale...

PS: I already got LM2, but right before I went to the bank to deposit the money to get it I decided to swing by the store I get retail games from and saw something miraculous, a brand new copy of Donkey Kong Country Returns, one of the games I keep forgetting about! It's almost impossible to find even a used copy here because of how good it's supposed to be, almost all 100000 copies that were shipped here were sold in the first 3 days, so if it's still available when I got more money I'm considering getting it, but can someone give me their opinions on it?

 

[Ace]

I'd skip Luigi's mansion 2 if I were you and stick to playing 1. (2 doesn't live up to the first on what so ever.)

 

[Tho]

I'd skip Luigi's mansion 2 if I were you and stick to playing 1. (2 doesn't live up to the first on what so ever.)

I already got LM2 earlier today, but I also have LM1, I like them both! Sure, LM2 may be slightly worse than LM1 overall, but it has online multiplayer to make up for it and now that I have plenty of people to play with it's really worth it since when I had it in the past I never played anything but single player since I didn't have anyone else who also had it...;-; And even if it's still overall worse, if you think about it, LM1 feels different mostly because it was a completely original idea and we all remember it as such, plus it's one of the best GameCube games, so it's hard to surpass it anyway, especially with a console sequel!