Topic: So many games Q4 of this year. HOW are you budgeting? Picking and choosing

This so much. I'm glad I've stopped letting the hype train drive me towards buying games I'd never play. Well, for the most part; I've still made some mistakes recently. But not hopping on the hype train has helped me saved a lot of money. I only picked out titles that looked intriguing to me, rather than feeling obligated to buy [insert AAA Studio]'s latest offerings. I would probably not even touch Starfield until several months after the reviews are out.

Soul Hackers 2 was my biggest mistake, but 1) that's Q3, not Q4, and 2) I don't feel bad about supporting Atlus that much to be honest. Atlus might have lost faith in the SMT franchise, but I haven't quite lost faith in them yet. Those Persona PC ports, for example, are a long time coming. I'm not as hyped about Persona 5: Royal (Q4) as others though; my anticipated title is Persona 3, which probably wouldn't be released till 2024 Q4, optimistically speaking. I would probably only buy P5R when it's on sale on Steam or something.

And that's another thing: Steam sales. If it's too expensive, I'll just wait until the price drops.

The only other Q4 game I'm buying is also another title I've already pre-ordered: Chaos;Head Double Pack on the Switch. To be fair, this purchase is a no-brainer if you're as big of a visual novel fan as I am. The driving motivation behind this though isn't coming from someone shopping for Q4 games and more from someone who's been waiting for Chaos;Head to have a proper translation for decades. Literally decades.

I took a look at the list of Q4 games, and most of these just seem like mainstream titles that are crowd-pleasers, but don't really interest me because I'm not part of the fandom. For example:

• Gotham Knights, October 25th: Not a big Batman fan, certainly not his sidekicks.
• Overwatch 2, October 4th: I hate multiplayers.
• Nier: Automata, October 6th: Haven't played the first one. This one is a special exception as the first game is high on my wishlist due to the reputation of its storytelling.
• Marvel's Midnight Suns, October 7th: I think I have my fill of Marvel for one lifetime. I'll still buy Insomniac's Spider-Man 2 though.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, October 28th: lolno. It's Call of Duty.
• Resident Evil Village: Shadows of Rose, October 28th: Not a big RE fan, and I didn't even play Village.
• Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, November 18th: Have enough of Pokémon, thanks.

Yeah, that's how it goes. Most mainstream titles people are supposed to be hyped for, I just didn't really have the opportunity to follow those gaming trends. Sorry.

@Maxenmus

I'm curious as to why you feel like Atlus has lost faith in the SMT franchise, considering SMT V just came out late last year.

I considered picking up Soul Hackers 2, but I'd really rather play it on Switch, and I'm not a fan of how they've 'Persona-fied' the gameplay and aesthetic compared to Soul Hackers.

I can't imagine P3P will be ported any later than 2023, tbh.

@Ralizah

Because if they had faith the SMT mainline titles could do its own thing without imitating Persona's success, we wouldn't have gotten SMT V, which contained a Persona-ish subplot about bullying and a cute mascot deuteragonist like Persona's mascot deuteragonists. Never have I seen a SMT title with a cute mascot deuteragonist before, not in Nocturne, SMT IV, or even Strange Journey. I guess you can count "Pixie" in Nocturne, but that's pushing it a bit since her deuteragonist role ended an hour into the game.

Same. I'm not looking forward to playing Persona Hackers 5.5.

Hopefully that's true. Persona 3 is one of the mainstream Persona games I haven't played yet, and I love its dark setting; Persona 1 and Innocent Sin are more niched, but I hope Atlus will remaster them someday.

Everybody seems to forget Persona 2: Eternal Punishment exists as well.
It's almost never brought up. People go directly from Innocent Sin to Persona 3.

The school plotline lasts a total of... what, one or two hours of actual in-game time? And most of the games in this series feature protagonists who are in high school.

Also, Shin Megami Tensei If... is set entirely inside a high school.

Most of SMT V is spent wandering around blasted hellscapes. I genuinely don't believe there was a Persona influence there.

Neither have I. After all, assuming this is in reference to Amanozako, she stops hanging around pretty early in the game, and you have to actively seek her out later by doing her sidequest chain. She's pretty clearly a stand-in for Pixie from Nocturne, IMO, just more talkative and with more plot relevance.

Besides, it's hardly like cute mascot-y designs are new to the series. Hell, Jack Frost looks like a Pokemon and is arguably the series' symbolic representative.

I mean, they technically already have remastered them, but I get what you mean.

Full remakes would be cool, but the first few games in the series before P3 are too clunky to be enjoyable, IMO, and this is coming from someone who pretty thoroughly enjoyed SMT I (the patched GBA port, since the SNES version is a little too basic for my liking).

If they do port P1 again, I just hope they bring over the original PS1 version's OST as well. Persona, while clunky and old, was still a supremely atmospheric game in its original incarnation, but Atlus saddled the PSP remaster with jarringly out of place music.

Just compare tracks in the original and what they were replaced with in P1P

But, afaik, you can't play the PS1 version of Persona in English without the significant localization changes and cut content, and I haven't seen a patch that replaces the soundtrack of the PSP version.

Just tragic.

lol It's interesting, because I thought Eternal Punishment was the one that didn't get a western release till much later on the PSP, but I was actually thinking of Innocent Sin. I think it's because IS just has a much more memorable plot. I haven't even played it, but I already knew it's about taking down a certain notorious German dictator (I don't want to type his name in case my account get "soft locked" again).

For what it's worth, most people don't even know what Persona 1 and 2 are about; they just know P3 was supposedly the third instalment. I don't think anyone in my country, Singapore, knows about P1 and P2 even, only P3 and beyond.

@seaboyluca Kind of a pity, isn't it, considering EP is unique insofar as it's the only game in the series where nearly the entire playable cast consists of adults.

@Ralizah
I like to think it's a case of mass selective memory.

@seaboyluca It's kind of a weird case, because the PSP remaster was never localized due to lack of sales for IS, and I don't think a lot of people really understand that P2 is a duology, so the idea of there being a second P2 might strike people as weird.

At least it's still technically playable on PSP and Vita via the PS1 Classics line, but it would have been nice to get the touched up version with the dope opening sequence.

I think it's more like the first entire act of SMT V.

Most of the games in this series feature teenagers, but their "high school life" is irrelevant to the plot, unlike Persona games and SMT V. Nocturne, SMT IV, and especially Strange Journey, never had "highschool drama." Their plot is a more mystical one involving literal gods and demons, and also the obligatory freedom vs. law overarching theme.

That's fair. I never played If, and it never got localized IIRC. But still, one title from a bygone era compared to the more modern, recent titles like Nocturne, SMT IV and SJR. Devil Summoner too isn't about highschool, I think (never played it); it's about a detective who summons demons, but I might be wrong.

Again, I think it's more like two-thirds of the game is set in the "blasted hellscape," and one-third is spent wandering around the Tokyo highschool, but fair enough. I'll explain a little more why I feel the Persona titles are influencing Atlus' creative decisions for their mainline titles in a bit, after I address your next point.

Actually, Amanozako probably has more lines than Pixie, period, that she might as well have been a deuteragonist, but you're right - I did also think that she might have been a Pixie stand-in. It's weird though we never got to see Amanozako fighting alongside the Nahobino when we meet the DLC boss fighting alongside his Pixie... wink, wink. They totally wasted the opportunity to have Amanozako banter with Pixie. "Why is your human topless and tattooed all over like an edgy '90s goth kid?"

Jack Frost is the obligatory mascot, but he doesn't have story-heavy voiced lines like the Persona animal characters.

Anyway, I'll explain why I feel the way I do about Atlus' decision. Think back to the time when Nocturne was released. This was also around the time when Persona games started to become more popular, beginning with Persona 3. Atlus never released another SMT title after for at least TEN YEARS. Even the gap between SMT 2 and 3 was only like nine years, tops.

But okay, fair enough, maybe they needed time to perfect the game. And okay, maybe you can blame a certain pandemic for SMT V's delayed release date to a certain extent (it's ludicrous to blame it all on the pandemic though IMO as other games have been released prior to SMT V). But the impression that I got from Atlus is that they definitely care a lot more about Persona games than they do about SMT ones. Where's SMT's Dancing All Night? Where's SMT's Strikers spin-offs? You can't deny that Atlus has chosen to devote their attention a lot more to spin-offs of individual Persona titles, be it P3 spin-offs, P4 spin-offs, or PQ where P4 characters meets P3 characters, etc. SMT mainline titles don't have such exposure. Just saying.

And even if you personally disagree, I can't tell you how many times I've been reminded by Persona fans on Reddit that "Persona games are the superior games because they sell better than Snooze Megami Tensei titles." So yeah, there's at least some level of consensus there that Persona games are more popular, so I doubt Atlus wouldn't have taken notice. They've practically marketed Persona 5 skins on a Soul Hackers 2 game. Soul Hackers, which wasn't even spun off of the Persona line titles!

Maybe it's just me being paranoid, sure. I hope I am. I would love to be wrong. I would love it if Atlus truly still cares about the SMT mainline titles and remember future important anniversaries of the SMT franchise (like 2022, 30th anniversary, where we got... Soul Hackers 2... with Persona skins), and release special remasters of older SMT titles like SMT 1, SMT 2, SMT If, etc. I would love it if Atlus could get its groove back and release another quality and unique SMT universe that could compete with the likes of Nocturne, SMT IV, and Strange Journey. I haven't seen any so far, but here's hoping.

And at the end of the day, just remember that it's just my own feelings about the franchise, so feel free to take my remarks with a grain of salt.

Nah. Assuming you just play the game normally, you wind up in Da'at within the first 20 - 30 minutes of the game, and then you're there for at least 10+ hours before you're able to escape back to Tokyo again. There's literally less time in the "normal" world at the start of the game than there is in pre-Apocalypse Tokyo in Nocturne.

The second story arc, the one involving bullying that you mentioned, is the only one to prominently feature the school at all, and even then, you spend a few cutscenes watching stuff happen and spend some time messing around headquarters and talking to NPCs to move the plot forward before you go back to dungeon crawling.

It's fair to say high school has more of a presence in SMT V than it does in other modern SMT games, but it's still so minimal overall. And even when you're there, there's no funny hijinks, and the drama is set up to establish a demonic antagonist that relates back to the struggle of gods and demons.

I actually really liked the second arc, tbh. SMT V, as fun as it is, has a bit of an issue narratively establishing reasons for players to do stuff, and is mostly just exploration and pure gameplay for its own sake. The second arc actually establishes a villain, gives characters motivations to act, and has some pretty cool plot events taking place.

Devil Summoner (the Sega Saturn game, and the game that Soul Hackers is a sequel to, to be clear) is, indeed, a sort of detective piece. It's extremely inaccessible, though, because, unlike almost every other game in the series, it never enjoyed a fan patch to make the game comprehensible to non-Japanese speakers.

I mean, you could just keep Amanozako in your party, since you can obtain her as a party member at the end of her sidequest chain. Your idea about her bantering with Pixie is cute, but if what you're yearning for is the mature tone of previous games, I'm not sure that'd have been ideal anyway.

That's true. I just feel like people over-emphasize how dark and serious the games tend to be, and under-emphasize the weird humor most of the games are filled with. Personally, I don't feel like Amanozako was nearly present enough, or goofy enough, to be equivalent to a character like Teddie or Morgana.

No, you're right that SMT games haven't historically enjoyed the level of attention that Persona has. But, if anything, that problem has been improving over time, not the opposite. Consider the gap in time between SMT II and Nocturne: nine years. Nocturne and Strange Journey (a mainline title, even if it's not a numbered one): six years.

Since Strange Journey, we got SMT IV in 2013: 4 years. Then IV: Apocalypse in 2016: 3 years. There was admittedly a larger five year gap between IV: Apocalypse and V, but V is the most explicitly ambitious game Atlus has ever made. And, in general, they take their sweet time developing HD games to begin with. Persona 5 also took a gigantic period of time to develop, pre-Covid. And that gap is smaller if you count Strange Journey Redux, which originally released in 2017, a year after IV: Apocalypse.

Of course Persona-branded games enjoy more support. But that support isn't usually substantive, and is relegated to cheap spinoffs designed to cash in on the popularity of the brand. Do you really want SMT V Go-Karting? Strange Journey on Ice?

The truth is that, since at least the DS era, SMT has been pretty regularly supported, which is remarkable for a series where the best-selling entry barely cracked a million units.

lol That's some downright grade-school level bullying. I wouldn't bother engaging with stupid people online if I were you.

Everyone and their mother has known that Persona is more popular since the PS2 era. Granted, I expect to see an uptick given how much more successful P5 was than even previous games in the series, but the principle is the same nonetheless. And Atlus doesn't seem surprised. Persona is more accessible. But clearly they still have a strong love in their hearts for the hardcore series it spun off from.

Atlus not bothering with their older games extends to Persona as well, as you yourself just recently brought up.

SMT enjoys anniversary concerts every five years or so, including the Reason of Music concert just last year, so it's not like they don't do anything to celebrate the series. With that said, SMT music and characters are unquestionably less popular overall, and the lack of mascots and the like lead to fewer merchandising opportunities.

Likewise. I just enjoy talking about the series with fellow enthusiasts.

But I should probably stop side-tracking the thread.

XC3 is a definite for me, but after that there's not really anything on Switch (that I can't get elsewhere) that's really calling to me (other than maybe Live A Live). Don't get me wrong, it's lineup is stacked, but Splatoon, Mario + Rabbids, & Pokemon don't particularly appeal to me, and I tend to play 3rd party titles elsewhere. XC3 is my most anticipated game of the year though, and will probably take me a couple months to clear.

Later in the year I'm going to have to pick & choose between the new Star Ocean, Valkyrie Elysium, SMT: Soul Hackers 2, One Piece Odyssey, & Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core remake.

I may squeeze in a smaller game or two (like Klonoa or Pac-Man World) in there somewhere, and those have a chance to be Switch purchases though.

I'm just taking it one game at a time, basing decisions on pre-order bonuses and deals that may arise. Ultimately most of the games releasing will be games that I'll want in my collection eventually, so if I pick them up Day 1 and don't play them for X years it's not a big deal, but if I can save some money by holding off then perhaps I'll do just that. I don't think there's much scheduled that I'll play immediately anyway, but I'm still keen to support physical Switch releases where I can.

I just buy every game that interests me.
A lot of the time I end up only playing a bit and then either never finish it, or finish it much later down the line.

You can get most games at least 20 percent off a few months down the road. Be even more patient to snag them for even less. Nintendo is a notable exception, but even there, you can get decent discounts over Black Friday, summer, even Halloween sakes…

I only buy games once I’ve finished the one I’m playing. Never really understood the need to buy a game as soon as it comes out if I don’t have the intentions of playing it and building up a vast back log of games I’m not going to play.Once I buy a game I’m going to play through it’s usually cheaper has been patched and I can play and enjoy it without feeling like I have to rush through and play it gaming is supposed to be a fun hobby would hate to turn it into a chore and feeling like I’m blasting through a game just to get to the next one.

For certain franchises, I think people do it for their collection and to continue supporting the franchise's growth. It's admittedly not as common of a motivation anymore now that games are digital and have lesser collector's value. No beautiful box art.

I still remember seeing those clips of Americans lining up day one to buy a game from their favorite franchises though. There's a charm to that kind of passion that's unfortunately non-existent anymore, but that's another topic for another day.