Where to get into Shin Megami Tensei?
- Thread starter DeimosMasque
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You can ask me anything about the Megami Tensei series as well.DeimosMasque said:
First off, you can play any of Persona games without missing any important story details but I'd highly recommend playing Persona 3 FES before playing Persona 4 so you can appreciate the throwbacks to that game. Also remember that Persona 2 is seperated into 2 games; Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment. Play them respectively.
Now the main Shin Megami Tensei games are different. They are much more difficult and much darker than Persona. SMT 1 and 2 take place in the same universe and are both from the Super Famicon. The only way to play it is to Download it with a SNES emulator and downloading an English patch from AeonGenesis. If that seems too much work than it's fine since absolutely every other SMT game is a standalone from the other. They are their own story.
Devil Summoner all take place in the same universe but Only the 2 Raidou Kuzonoha games are connected by story. Play the Souless army before King Abaddon for Raidou's games.
Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 are their own series and must be played respectively.
Devil Survivor is a super-fun DS series that are being reworked for the 3DS. They are independent of each other and are reminiscent of FF Tactics.
There is also the lesser known SMT games like Shin Megami Tensei If... for the Super Famicon which is currently being translated by AeonGenesis. If... is probably the precursor to the Persona series with it's dealings of High schooler's psyche and shadow worlds. There is Also Shin Megami Tensei Nine for the original Xbox..... don't play it. There is also a cute child-friendly series called Demikids for the GBA. It's really strange seeing the vicious demons being played down to chibi level.
And Finally there is SMT Imagine which is a FTP MMO that takes place between the events of SMT 1 and 2.
I would recommend you start with devil survivor (get overclocked if you actually want some closure on the game), its definitely the easiest game in the serious (barring maybe persona 3) and is fairly user friendly. for really getting into the deep end of the smt games then go with nocturne/lucifer's call, try and get the maniacs addition.
really tho, each game is really a stand alone, even persona 2 which has a direct sequel doesn't really depend on the player actually playing the original.
if you still like the general themes of the game and want a more traditional rpg experience then play digital devil saga.
really tho, each game is really a stand alone, even persona 2 which has a direct sequel doesn't really depend on the player actually playing the original.
if you still like the general themes of the game and want a more traditional rpg experience then play digital devil saga.
I'd recommend Persona 3 Portable over FES if he has a PSP. I really found that to be the best version of 3. You get to play as a male or female and you get direct control of your squadmates. I was warned off the expansion by a good number of people.deserteagleeye said:
Ive played most of them . And i would suggest you start with persona 4 . It is the easiest SMT game in my opinion . The story is good and engaging . And the characters are fun .
Followed by persona 3: FES .
After that you can choose any game , because once you have those two under your belt , you should have enough experience under your belt to be able to finish any other game . However , i would suggest SMT: Nocturn last , because it is the hardest SMT game , normal mode will kick your ass , and hard mode will make you cry ( trust me i beat it on hard , and i gained a few white hairs whike doing so ).
Technically you can start wherever , but that's my suggestion.
Followed by persona 3: FES .
After that you can choose any game , because once you have those two under your belt , you should have enough experience under your belt to be able to finish any other game . However , i would suggest SMT: Nocturn last , because it is the hardest SMT game , normal mode will kick your ass , and hard mode will make you cry ( trust me i beat it on hard , and i gained a few white hairs whike doing so ).
Technically you can start wherever , but that's my suggestion.
I guess I should've P3P as an option but the main reason why I chose FES over that is because you keep the 3D models when exploring outside of Tartarus and it includes the canon Answer epilogue segment which I personally enjoyed. Not sure why people hated it so much. I still need to play the Female protagonist's version though. I couldn't resist playing the male protagonist's story again even though I've already played it twice in FES!RedEyesBlackGamer said:
I found the cursor based exploration of P3P was faster and gave the game a Visual Novel-type feel which fit the game. I might just watch a LP of The Answer. A lot of people get protective of the ambiguous endings and prefer head canon. I still haven't played story mode in Arena and I might render it personally not canon as my head canon is pretty good.deserteagleeye said:
Soulhackers is what you are looking for on the ps1 and 3ds.DeimosMasque said:
SMT 1 on the SNES as well.
Persona is just an offshoot it's not even major in anyway aside from persona 2.
Nocturne is one of the most important ones to play and it's on the ps2
Actually the entire SMT universe is connected.deserteagleeye said:
Yes I remember that being revealed in Nocturne, but I just meant story-wise. You can keep in mind that every universe is a product of YVHV's scheme's and Lucifer is the rebellious fallen angel gathering every protagonist for the ultimate battle against God. But that's not something you should worry about when playing a game about THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP!GrimHeaper said:
Persona 4 for the PS2 and should still be able to get one for a decent price if your search the web. If you can find Persona 3 FES you can pick that one up for the PS2 as well, but the combat in that game makes many people turned off compared to Persona 4s much superior system. So if you get both I suggest playing P3 FES first because once you play 4 you won't likely finish P3 FES do to the tedious combat. Persona 2 Eternal Punishment is also great, but hard to come by unless you have a PS3 and download it via playstation store. If you ever get a psp or Vita I highly recommend Persona 2: Innocent Sin, but warn that the ecounter rate is high as shit so to fix that there is a ability you can gain that reduces any ecounter if higher than the enemy level thus cutting the annoyence to almost zero. Also PS2 on the PSP/VITA has better combat than P3 in my opinion...DeimosMasque said:
It's like marvel/dc with the whole multiverse stuff. in the main SMT series every choice made creates a whole different world that where the opposite was made instead and also God is a complete dick... Persona universe was always a much more pleasent universe in comparison to the main SMT one in that many of the main characters and friends don't get screwed horribly in the end of each game... Only exception without major spoilers would be in P3 and P2 Eternal Punishment.deserteagleeye said:Yes I remember that being revealed in Nocturne, but I just meant story-wise. You can keep in mind that every universe is a product of YVHV's scheme's and Lucifer is the rebellious fallen angel gathering every protagonist for the ultimate battle against God. But that's not something you should worry about when playing a game about THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP!GrimHeaper said:
If he can find a cheap copy I agree for I think it is better to start with the more harder gamplay series instead of doing the easy ones first. Also some of the endings are just badass and you can be Evil or good and have both good or bad endings for both sides.Defeated Detective said:
Persona 4 is where I started and I'd suggest starting there yourself. I have no other reason than it being the best game I've ever played in my life, and I hate JRPGs.
I started with Nocturne and have never looked back! I'm not sure that it will appeal to everyone, but it will give you a great understanding of how the battle mechanics work with all the games in the series eg. weaknesses, names of spells, criticals, etc. Later games change up the details but the fundamentals remain the same.
Persona 4 is probably the most accessible Shin Megami Tensei game to date, it's a lot of fun and serves as a "lighter" introduction to the themes of the series... though it's hard to go wrong with any game in the series, Persona 4 is just the most accessible.
Here's a quick summary of all the games in the series I own/have played...
Persona 3:FES: Easily available on Playstation Network, also Persona 3: Portable is available for both PSP and PSVita. Strong departure from Persona 2, introduces Dating Sim Elements, big on Time Management, a bit grindy (Tartarus Sucks) but also fast, funky and fun. (PS2, PS3, PSP and PSVita)
Persona 4: Follows the same basic play structure as Persona 3 but tightens things up and has more options in battle. Generally I would say Persona 4 has better characters and much better pacing... it's also a lot funnier. This one is HIGHLY recommended (PSVita and PS2)
Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocture: A lot like an M-Rated Pokemon with a great story. Recruit Demons, make interesting choices and try not to get killed, this game is HARD. (PS2)
Digital Devil Saga 1&2: Tribes transform into demons and fight to reach enlightenment in a strange post apocalyptic hindu mythology world... and then things get REALLY crazy in the 2nd game. Lots of Dungeon Crawling, 2 is also extremely plot heavy, has great characters, battle system is pretty much the same as SMT3 above but instead of recruiting demons it has a skill system. (PS2)
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army: An Action RPG with Adventure Game Elements, you play as a teenage detective/devil summoner in an alternate 1930's Tokyo. Pretty damn grindy but still quite fun. (PS2)
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey: An Etrian Odyssey-esque Dungeon Crawler that almost serves as an unofficial "Shin Megami Tensei 4". Very Hard but also very cool. (DS)
Devil Survivor: Overclocked: SMT meets Strategy RPGs (Move around on a Tactical Map but fight Traditional Turn Based Battles when you attack)... it's a pretty good mix actually and has a very, very tense story. The Overclocked version has an Easy Mode, which makes it more accessible than some SMT games. (3DS)
Hope that little overview helps, all of the above games are excellent and you really can't go wrong with any of them.
Here's a quick summary of all the games in the series I own/have played...
Persona 3:FES: Easily available on Playstation Network, also Persona 3: Portable is available for both PSP and PSVita. Strong departure from Persona 2, introduces Dating Sim Elements, big on Time Management, a bit grindy (Tartarus Sucks) but also fast, funky and fun. (PS2, PS3, PSP and PSVita)
Persona 4: Follows the same basic play structure as Persona 3 but tightens things up and has more options in battle. Generally I would say Persona 4 has better characters and much better pacing... it's also a lot funnier. This one is HIGHLY recommended (PSVita and PS2)
Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocture: A lot like an M-Rated Pokemon with a great story. Recruit Demons, make interesting choices and try not to get killed, this game is HARD. (PS2)
Digital Devil Saga 1&2: Tribes transform into demons and fight to reach enlightenment in a strange post apocalyptic hindu mythology world... and then things get REALLY crazy in the 2nd game. Lots of Dungeon Crawling, 2 is also extremely plot heavy, has great characters, battle system is pretty much the same as SMT3 above but instead of recruiting demons it has a skill system. (PS2)
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army: An Action RPG with Adventure Game Elements, you play as a teenage detective/devil summoner in an alternate 1930's Tokyo. Pretty damn grindy but still quite fun. (PS2)
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey: An Etrian Odyssey-esque Dungeon Crawler that almost serves as an unofficial "Shin Megami Tensei 4". Very Hard but also very cool. (DS)
Devil Survivor: Overclocked: SMT meets Strategy RPGs (Move around on a Tactical Map but fight Traditional Turn Based Battles when you attack)... it's a pretty good mix actually and has a very, very tense story. The Overclocked version has an Easy Mode, which makes it more accessible than some SMT games. (3DS)
Hope that little overview helps, all of the above games are excellent and you really can't go wrong with any of them.
Persona is not SMT. SMT is something rather different from Persona, and the two arent really interchangable. If you want to get into persona, I'd say start with P1 and work your way up (if you cn get both P2s go with P3fes cause it has more to off you), though the differences between P1/P2IS/P2EP and P3/P3Fes/P4 are remarkably different. Really you can divide the persona series into two groups, on those games alone and often its telling when a person says they enjoy one group but not the other. Its nnot really s much that they all are interlocked and a story like the mass effect series is (There's little digs and nods to older games, but you can play them without playing the others.DeimosMasque said:
Personally, I find Persona 3 fes to be the best int he series, and it serves as a good introduction to the new series set up P3/P4 took and persona will likely continue to go down (also because I liked the freedom they gave you as the Protagonist compared to the limitations you're given as the Protagonist in P4.
If you're looking to get intot he rest of the series, I think you should start at SMT if you can and go up. Though regardless of how you go and what series yous tick with (I've played a lot of their games but I tend to find myself playing persona more now and not getting as excited fro he main SMT series) play nocturne. I originally wasnt going to, but a friend more or less made me by taking away my persona games and I am so glad he did.
And thent here's always the puzzle one off game of Catherine which is more in the vein of Persona than SMT but still fun to play.
The sad thing being Persona is just as involved in that power struggle.deserteagleeye said:Yes I remember that being revealed in Nocturne, but I just meant story-wise. You can keep in mind that every universe is a product of YVHV's scheme's and Lucifer is the rebellious fallen angel gathering every protagonist for the ultimate battle against God. But that's not something you should worry about when playing a game about THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP!GrimHeaper said:
persona 1-4 are all connected thanks to arena.
a returning Eldritch horror confirmed for persona 5.
Things aren't going to be happy at all.