Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne

I agree with Shin that voice work would very probably have hurt Nocturne. Not only would it run the risk of being Richter Belmonted, but the lack of voices outside of short clips in battle did wonders to boost the silent, creepy atmosphere of the game. I found myself wondering at times if maybe the communication between characters was verbal at all as opposed to some kind of telepathy, considering that they were technically all dead to begin with.

They'd pretty much have to get Simon Templeman (Legacy of Kain) to voice Hikawa and James Earl Jones as Kagutsuchi for there to be any chance at all of the voices being good.

As for the story, I'm actually glad it was as sparse and almost disjointed as it was. DDS did a good job of telling a story in a cinematic and spectacular fashion, and the end result was nothing short of amazing. However, this worked because you were playing from the perspective of an outside observer looking in. Even though Serph was supposed to be your avatar (no pun intended) in the game, it was understood that there was a separation between the player and the game.

Nocturne, on the other hand, opts to put the player more fully into the character's shoes and simulate really being in the game's strange post-apocalyptic world. By not spoon-feeding the plot to the player, the game can more effectively convey the confusion and awe inherent in being thrust into a strange place in the middle of...a war? A contest? A conspiracy? Maybe a cult ritual? The initial uncertainty of Hitoshura's role amidst the warring factions (demons at Ikebukuro, the Assembly of Nihilo, etc.), the nature of Magatsuhi, and the part played by the Fiends all help drive home the "stranger in a strange land" feel of the game. You have to work to figure out what all is going on because if you were really in Hitoshura's situation, that's really what you'd have to do.

Also, I liked that the warring forces in Nocturne, along with the creepy kid, the old man, their female companions, and even your friends from your pre-demon life looked at the main character as someone to be feared, respected, and hopefully recruited. It was a wonderfully refreshing departure from the pained and contrived "plucky kid who wants to prove himself but serious dad/goofy martial arts instructor/wise old man won't let him" that's become so common in RPGs of late (especially Sega's recent bastardizations of their classic series, SF Neo and PSU I am looking at you). I liked that in Nocturne, DDS, and (albeit to a slightly lesser extent due to the game's more lighthearted and comical nature) Devil Summoner, the main character was respected and treated as capable and competent, and indeed even the world's last, best hope.

I got really sick of hearing, "Father, I can fight! I'm ready! Let me go to war to help our people!" "No, you're too young even though you already fought off 20 invasions, and you can't go until you can beat me in the last of 10 pointless battles that were all scripted so even a GameShark using player can't win."

Much better to hear "We have no hope in hell of recreating the world in our image considering the pathetic, sorry-ass rate we're gathering souls right now. What do we do?"
"Hmmmmm...call the demi-fiend."

Jam it back in, in the dark.