Topic: The Megami Tensei Thread

@link3710 Ah so you didn't own a PlayStation until this generation? Glad to see you're enjoying Persona. The earlier games in that series will definitely scratch more of that classic MegaTen itch but Persona 3 is personally my favorite of the Hashino-directed games.

@TheFrenchiestFry Technically I didn't. I also bought a PS2 a year or two before my PS4 (I got that, a genesis, controllers for both, and a handful of games each for 20$ at a yard sale.), and was planning on getting the original Persona games for that at some point but they're incredibly expensive.

But yeah, all the sony exclusive titles (Persona series, Digital Devil Saga, Devil Summoners, Nocturne), as well as SMT IV:A (I thought it was a definitive release a la Persona 4: Golden at the time, whoops), are titles I haven't played.

@link3710 I imagine you're probably getting Nocturne HD Remaster on Switch but the Digital Devil Saga games are really good as well. The concept of the Junkyard and having different tribes of characters who can literally morph into demons was something pretty ambitious for the series

Both games are also pretty hard compared to the other Sony-exclusive SMT titles imo

@TheFrenchiestFry Yup, definitely planning on getting III and V on Switch.

Digital Devil Saga sounds interesting, though my PS2 isn't even set up these days. At least they aren't through the roof in price.

@link3710 Digital Devil Saga probably has one of my top 5 favorite MegaTen stories in general, right up there with Strange Journey, Devil Survivor 1, SMT IV and Persona 2 Innocent Sin. Really hoping that one gets a remaster a la Nocturne

I personally think it's a safe assumption that we're probably due for at least one more Persona spinoff before Persona 6 is willed into reality not counting Persona 5 Scramble hitting the West

I bet the B team at ArcSys have probably already begun development on a Persona 5 Arena game incorporating the rosters of Royal and Scramble together, while the A team has been chipping away at Guilty Gear Strive

Also next year is the Persona series' 25th anniversary so that's a thing

@TheFrenchiestFry Yeah, it's the only spin-off without a P5 variant so that seems likely. Though, the question is more if Arc System Works isn't too busy for that, Arena was one of theirs, no?

@link3710 Arc System Works to my knowledge has two development teams, with one team handling the Guilty Gear series and Dragon Ball FighterZ, and the other team handling the BlazBlue and Persona Arena titles since both run on the general same framework. We know that the GG team is busy finishing up Strive but the other team hasn't really been said to have been working on anything outside of supporting Cross Tag Battle, however if registered domains for websites are to be believed then at the same time as the P5S, P5R and P5D domains, a domain for a website called P5U .jp was also filed. P4U was the abbreviation for the JP title of the first Arena title, where it was known there as Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena, so assuming that initialism, this domain means that an Arena game involving P5 characters is probably something ArcSys have been working on in secret but probably won't share details about for sometime probably not to take the wind out of the publicity Guilty Gear Strive is getting

Last we heard from the BlazBlue and P4A team was I think Granblue Fantasy Versus so their schedule should be cleaned up a bit to accomodate for Persona 5 Arena if anything

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is a good game.

That's it, that's the comment.

@JR150 Admittedly I will always be a tad salty that THAT was what became of a crossover between FE and SMT of all things but it's a fine enough game. The music slaps. It is a bit on the easier side though. Not Persona 4 easy but pretty easy

@TheFrenchiestFry
Meh, I can see where people were disappointed. But admittedly the marketing was horrible. People loved other less serious games like Persona Q and SMT 4: Apocalypse so TMS should've been perfect. But they had to make it look like a hardcore crossover when in reality that wasn't the intent. It wasn't even made by the Persona team--it was from the SMT team.

Regardless, to me it's the game that got me into both franchises. I had never heard of SMT (or Persona) prior to trying TMS and I only knew FE through Smash but that was it. TMS was a fun time and it introduced me to both franchises and it's what got me to buy FE Three Houses, as well as SMT 3 and 5 next year. Can't wait for them!

@TheFrenchiestFry I’d love a Persona 5 Arena game. I was chipping away a bit at Persona 4 Arena last night actually (alongside XC Future Connected) as I don’t want to get into anything meaty now before my vacation on Friday. The story mode gets a bit samey and repetitive for each character but as a fighting game it’s great. I’m playing through what I can so I can then put it to one side and focus more on Ultimax. I play BB CTB a bit, although it’s a bit shallow, but at least my profile pic has a Switch connection as a result.

@link3710 enjoy Persona 5, I finally beat it the other day and I’m still taking it all in. I hope you enjoy Persona 4 when you get to it.

@JR150 the battle system in TMS is one of my favourites in the series, even if the story and characters were just ok for me.

@JoeDiddley BBTag was pretty solid but honestly it severely lacked the replayability of other BlazBlue titles and especially the previous two Persona 4 Arena games. It kinda falls into the Persona Q camp of being enjoyable fanservice but not much else but I haven't played it in a while so I don't know how much has changed

Also yeah Joker Adachi lol. I guess my pfp's sole connections to Nintendo are that one dungeon crawling Persona spinoff that was dead on arrival due to it being a 2018 3DS game, Smash and that Dynasty Warriors game that initally made the Switch-only crowd feel the pain of the people expecting Persona 4 to be ported to Xbox 360

Love this thread. Read it from start to finish just now. Inspired me to check the 3DS eShop - and SMT IV Apocalypse and Strange Journey Redux are both 70% off! Actually so is Radiant Historia and a couple of EO titles. It’s an RPG bonanza.

Picked up SMTIV:A - had to start somewhere!

@Krull Great choice! IV: Apocalypse is probably the ideal place to start your SMT journey.

About Tokyo Mirage Sessions, I always go sometimes to the teaser trailer and read the comments when I am upset/sad. The comments make me burst into laughter.

I completely agree with them: I was expecting Shin Megami Tensei meets Fire Emblem, so something similar to Devil Survivor in HD. NOPE. We got Super Saiyan Blue Marth!
FAAAAAIA EMBUREM!

@Krull I'm glad you're taking an interest in this amazing franchise. It's why I made the thread to begin with!

@Alex90 That trailer brings back so many repressed memories. What makes it hurt even more is that Persona was getting showered with all this content while all other MegaTen series got for a while were like 2 remasters, SMTIV Apocalypse which left me mixed as hell and this game about pop idols that had the most unfitting tone for the two franchises it involved lol

@Ralizah I'd personally recommend the original SMTIV first

Apocalypse is like a "what if" story that compliments the original game as a companion piece of sorts, and both are pretty accessible for newbies

@TheFrenchiestFry I recommend the IV first too. Besides the QoL changes and the better gameplay (because in IV, the smirk is OP), SMT IV is a better SMT which sounds confusing for people outside the MegaTen bubble...
IV: A treats every path beside Neutral (The Kawai-Nakama-Persona-Ending and the true sheen megoomy tensai edgy ending) as a bad ending. The shoehorn Neutral path is too much for a New Game Plus perspective.

And you have to kill Jehovah (call him YHVH, the tetragram, don't make less heretic), like the one dimension villain he is portraits in SMT games.

If I ever talk to my parents that I played a game that kills God, the celestial Father, and my partner during this is Satan, I may end up on the streets... and I deserve that. SMT IV: A is the perfect example of the edgiest atheistic/satanic game you ever have the chance to play

@TheFrenchiestFry I used to feel that way. And, in fairness, Apocalypse does inherently spoil one of SMTIV's big early twists. But SMT IV is both a bit mechanically unbalanced and has a very weird difficulty curve where it starts off hard and then enjoys a rapid and sustained drop in difficulty, which I've seen scare off new players. Apocalypse is the most mechanically polished entry in the series, and its difficulty curve is very fair and smooth, which makes it far more accessible to new players.

Moreover, I feel like Apocalypse, while a fantastic game in its own right, is so different from IV in tone that it doesn't particularly feel right as a follow-up. The game also explains its world and lore and whatnot fairly well in-game, so it's not as if the player will be lost when playing it.