for the Vodafone live! service on December 1 of the same year. The game received an enhanced port for the Super Famicom by Japanese developer Opera House, combining the game with its predecessor. For this version, the graphics were reworked, the gameplay adjusted, and the demon artwork redrawn by Kaneko, who by then was established as the illustrator for the series. The music was arranged by Hitoshi Sakimoto. Titled Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei, the port was released on March 31, 1995. This version was re-released on the Virtual Console for Wii on July 3, 2012. No version of the game has been released outside Japan. This has been attributed to Nintendo's policy of censoring religious references in games, which rendered the early Megami Tensei titles unsuitable for localization due to their central religious elements. A fan translation of Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei was released on August 28, 2014. Reception Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave Megami Tensei II a score which put it in the magazine's Gold Hall of Fame. The four reviewers noted the game's improvements over the first game. Its demon fusion mechanics and improved mapping system were praised, although one reviewer felt that the pace was too slow. Kurt Kalata and Christopher J. Snelgrove of Hardcore Gaming 101 called the graphics and music superior to the original, calling it the game where the Megami Tensei series "really began to take shape". In its retrospective on the series, Japanese magazine Yougo praised the game's cautionary message concerning black and white morality, praising its mixture of cyberpunk and occult elements, and citing it as the reason the Megami Tensei series continued. Kalata, in an article for 1UP.com, traced the series' use of mature content and adult themes to the storyline of Megami Tensei II. Legacy Following the release of Megami Tensei II, Atlus acquired the rights to both develop and publish further Megami Tensei titles. Wanting to develop a new Megami Tensei with the company's brand on it, Atlus created the next entry for the Super Famicom, partially remaking the story of Megami Tensei II while greatly expanding its story and gameplay systems. The game, titled Shin Megami Tensei, was released in 1992. The game was a critical and commercial success, establishing the Megami Tensei brand and spawning multiple sequels and spin-off series. Notes References External links 1990 video games Atlus games Cyberpunk video games Fiction about deicide Fiction about the Devil