Topic: Persona 5 Strikers

@GameOtaku You sound like you're doing PR for Nintendo rather than making a point

Again, if there really was such an outcry for more Atlus stuff on Switch even outside Persona, why is it that outside of Nocturne, pretty much every game they've put out on the console has sold significantly worse than on PC or PlayStation

Why is it that PC and Switch are in the same exact predicament of not having Persona 5 on their platform but whereas the Switch version sells way less than it does on PS4, the PC version is still often charting officially on Steam despite being a spinoff/sequel to Persona 5 as well as a full price game just like Persona 5 itself. ***** like hashtags or boycotting a game until another game comes to the platform you own don't do anything other than worsen the chances developers realize that there's another audience they can supply content for. If you noticed this year the consumer survey was significantly more PC centric than it was last year when they had an entire question dedicated to Switch ports, and the ones that have come out thus far, aren't doing great whereas their PC software is doing surprisingly well given it's a platform they've barely supported in the past compared to a company and ecosystem Atlus have been acquainted with since their inception as a company

Maybe Atlus' way of thinking isn't nearly as backwards as you think and stuff like Full Body, Strikers and Tokyo Mirage Sessions doing only modest numbers compared to other platforms or versions caused them to re-evaluate where they could put their games on a platform where they won't just turn in chicken feed for profit, hence the emphasis on PC over Switch

@GameOtaku "It seems that gamers really like the novelty of being able to play their favorite titles on the go! Publisher Atlus was surprised to discover just how true that fact is upon seeing results from a recent survey."

The survey the article refers to is the Japanese 2020 survey. If you look at the questions which someone from Persona Central happily copy and pasted, the questions are not specific to the Switch with the exception of the final question which askes about what games you would like hypothetically from a list that Atlus gave you. The survey itself may have been seen by people who wanted loads of games on Switch, it may have been seen by a load of PS4 players with no interest in the Switch who want to keep the games to themselves; it is irrelevant either way as the article does not have any results available, nor does it even have source to supposed results. It just states in the following paragraph:

"According to Atlus, they received more replies for the survey than any other survey they have conducted in the past."

And they got that from a tweet on the Japanese Atlus Twitter account. Nothing in that tweet mentions anything about the results. Nothing the author wrote in the article is supported by any source. The high traffic to the survey alone does not suggest that Switch users want Atlus games. Of course, there is nothing suggesting that they don't want Atlus games, but the article is a whole load of nothing.

@TheFrenchiestFry I mean, Atlus has only really put out two other games outside Nocturne (I don't count TMS #FE as that was probably more Nintendo who wanted the port than Atlus), so I don't think there really has been enough chances to properly evaluate, but otherwise, I agree with everything you just said.

P5's absence on Switch doesn't bother me. It's Vanillaware's absence on Switch, now that...that's what really bothers me. It's not as though Atlus's support of the Switch has been weak, just that it isn't what it was like with the 3DS. Cost of HD development issues...perhaps?

I'm not sure. It's just that...from my perspective, Atlus's support of the Playstation brand is overly lavish. Especially for a platform and brand that's giving its Japanese developers less support and increased censorship. It feels as though Nintendo really pissed off some managerial section of Atlus at some point.

I'm just rambling at this point, aren't I?

@Magician I'd love for a game like 13 Sentinels to come to Switch honestly

I need to catch up on Vanillaware's stuff but I loved 13 Sentinels on PS4

@MS7000 I was gonna post something similar saying Strikers and Tokyo Mirage Sessions are hardly Atlus at their finest and as great as Catherine is it's still a very cult and late game despite the cross appeal. It's hardly the best way to view the Switch sales potential nor should Ninty fans be expected to buy them and shut up if they want other games.

Plus people are only really talking about the Japanese sales numbers not the western ones (besides it's on the Steam charts!!!) which could be alot bigger like how Disgaea did really well in the West on Switch yet didn't dominate the charts.

@jump
That’s the thing though. They put out market research through the surveys then they dont follow through and release Persona on the platform. Switch and PC are also apples and oranges here. PC got P4G an actual mainline persona game, not a spin-off. Then you look at the offerings Atlus has put on switch. A polarizing TMS with unnecessary censorship (I’d argue the game would’ve done better had the switch port been the original Japanese), a port of a puzzle game 10 years old that uses the same engine as the game we requested, and a direct canonical sequel to P5 which assumes you have another console to play another game to get the max enjoyment out of it. Japan is not their only market they should look at international demand and physical copies!

Finally if there was no way for it to come Atlus would say so and nip it in the bud once and for all! Really now all it would take is one press release officially saying P5 is not going to be on switch no matter of the demand! At this point they are the ones trolling. They keep teasing Persona with costumes, characters, sequels, spinoffs and odd ports when they should be porting what consumers are demanding.

@TheFrenchiestFry
Of course. I own a switch not a PS4 so naturally I’d prefer third party games on my system of choice. To ask to play a game on your specific console is only natural and understandable. Their PR silence in relation to demand however is baffling. As I said in my last response if it can’t happen then they should just say so.

@GameOtaku I don't think censorship is the issue with Tokyo Mirage Sessions. The pop idol setting is making it too niche but as long as the game had a budget suited to it's sales so it wasn't a loss maker I'm happy they took the risk and glad those Fire Emblem & Shin Megami Tensei fans who enjoy pop idolness have it to play.

@jump
The second chapter was ridiculous. It felt so stupid compared to the others so far (I’m in ch 4). The unnecessary censorship ruined it.

@GameOtaku Regardless of the rights and wrongs of cleaning up a game not aimed at kids anyway I found the logic of what they actually did was off. During a cutscene a smoke effect was used to block out some clevage but then duing the battle the smoke effect wasn't used so you end up seeing the clevage anyway and some of the costumes removed were actually less revealing than the ones left in. It was all very strange.

@jump The original Wii U version of TMS carries a B rating in Japan, so it's aimed at kids to the extent that you think 12 year olds fit that description.

Incidentally, that's the same rating that most of the Persona games, including Strikers, got. They're M rated in the West largely due to our perceptions of the fan service rather than that being their target audience.

@Matt_Barber Japan must be breeding somekind of new master race, children in the West haven't got the patience or dexterity to play JRPGs.

Ah, come on. Pokemon is basically a JRPG and that's probably the most popular console game with kids, be it in Japan and the West; well, at least the ones where their parents aren't just letting them play mature rated games.

Also, just look at the age of the protagonists, the themes of the story, the fan service, and so on. If they're not aimed at teens, they're at the very least targeting people who are still in touch with that period of their life.

That's not to say that they won't appeal to people outside that demographic too, because they're good games and a long running series like Persona will keep bringing people back for further installments. But still, it's a rare JRPG where the main character is above twenty and when there is one, they're practically treated like Methuselah.

@Matt_Barber that comment was more about the differences between the typical Japanese and Western players than dismissing your views. Sorry if it sounded like that.

Teens sure but tweens and younger don't really play them in the West when talking about localising these games. Pokemon is more the exception which proves the rule imo as they have been so watered down at this point people have stopped thinking of them in that grouping. Plus I've seen how kids play Pokemon, it's not played the same way.

The constant use of teen and children characters is something that bugs me in RPGs, especially if it's chosen destiny children of fate type stuff. I'd like to see a wider selection protagonists, it's one of the things I like about the Western take on action RPGs is that there's more variety in the settings and characters and why Yakuza: Like a Dragon stands out as so brilliant to me.

Aight, aight. I keep posting about it but I forgot to do so here, the source of all Desires!

I’ve only played through to the point where you begin infiltrating Alice’s Jail but it’s The Force Awakens to the A New Hope, but with Persona. A new coat of paint, some new characters and an engrossing plot wrapped in a bow. I don’t see it as a bad thing, because Koei Tecmo have done the unprecedented, and made a sequel more than worthy of the Persona name. It feels like a mainline Persona entry with the look, feel and style. The combat of course betrays the illusion but it’s very different from the Hyrule Warriors combat and even the Age of Calamity combat, because there’s a bit more strategy and planning needed. The Dirty Two Horned Beast mini boss proved this, because it was no pushover despite how early in the game it was.

The narrative is really good so far, and also has the Atlus vibe and structure so far. As was the case in Persona 5 they introduced the first villain as a deeply hatable scumbag, and presented scenes that really hit this point home; in the original it was Kamoshida threatening to expel Joker, Ryuji and Mishima, and in Strikers it’s Alice with her double act to her manager, and to Joker and Ann. Strikers’ first villain isn’t quite lust, I doubt the seven deadly sins are even a core concept in this game, but charm and allure are part of Alice’ appeal, or rather the fake persona of Alice.

@TheJGG
For all intents and purposes this more like FFX-2. It’s directly tied to the previous game and expects you to know about the past games plot. There was 40 years between New Hope and Force Awakens.

@GameOtaku Fair point. But it shares a lot in common with the original to the point of derivation.

Just curious but do people reckon the anime is good enough to get an understanding of Persona 5 to then play Persona 5 Strikers for those who haven't played Persona 5/Royal? I was planning on watching it but there's a series as well as specials so I ended up not being bothered enough to figure out what order to view them in.

I've not seen the anime in full, but based on the first half of it I would say...maybe?

The main criticisms of the anime are that it's somewhat redundant and the animation is generally poor quality. By far the preferable way to experience the Phantom Thieves' story is to play Persona 5 itself.

But if you just want to catch up with the story to play Strikers? The anime should fulfill that role.

Just note that some of the moments in the story might not hit has hard having not actively spent almost 100 hours participating in the game's narrative. You'd be particularly lacking in the numerous character interactions (confidant / social link system) that make up a good bulk of the game's narrative.