The Shin Megami Tensei Topic

[Kyle Clarthy]

Hey all.

I wanted to make a topic to discuss this series, and I thought this is probably the best forum as the series is on a number of different platforms.

Well, here goes ... I'm going to try my best, even including some pictures to make it look interesting.

I'm relatively new to the whole SMT series, but I wish I had knew about it earlier. I think they've struck a chord with me because they're quite different than what we're used to when people see the term JRPG. The mature themes really intrigue me, too, as they're things that a lot of us have to confront or deal with in everyday life. Sure, the kids are still battling demonic shadows in a TV or something crazy like that, but it somehow seems believable in a way. I think that's due to the fact that the characters seem to react and interact in ways that would be quite normal.

I started with Devil Survivor on the DS, and I think that, while it had its issues, it was a pretty good game, especially with the multiple endings and the New Game+. Why can't every game have this option from now on? I think it's something that really makes me feel as if hunting down all those weapons or collecting those costumes or whatever really counts in the end. I'm getting a little frustrated when games don't have a NG+ now, because you don't really get to use the ultimate equipment for very long before it's all over. After all that work getting it all, you should be able to use it whenever you want. But I'm getting sidetracked!

I then finished Persona 3 FES, and I loved it. I know that if P5 is announced for the PS3, I will have to buy the console sometime in the future, because I don't think I would be able to skip it.

The characters were great. A lot of games seem to think that teenage girls have to squeak and squawk their way through dialogue, but the voice acting was quite good, the story mature, and it was quite an experience trying to balance your social links and dungeon crawling. I remember seeing the game when it was somewhat new, reading a review online about it or something, and I thought that it sounded too strange for me. However, I'm glad to be wrong.

I've played a bit of Digital Devil Saga, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I took a break from it to play other games and haven't gone back to it since. I think you need to probably play both games, one after another, to get the most out of that one. I loved how they were discovering emotions for the first time. It seems that the game will have a lot of interesting ideas.

Currently I'm playing through Persona 4, and I love the characters even more. Some of them really resonate with me. It seems strange, though, because I sort of feel as if one character in particular is almost the same as me.

I guess I just wanted to create a topic where we could talk about anything to do with SMT, be it what game releases are coming out, our opinions on the series, on certain characters, our hopes for the future, our reflection of the themes dealt with, or what we enjoyed the most about our experience. Hopefully we can get some interest. Also, we might be able to get some new fans interested.

The games I own in this series so far are:

*Persona 3 FES
*Persona 4
*SMT Devil Survivor
*Digital Devil Saga
*Digital Devil Saga 2
(Can't wait for Strange Journey!)

Does anyone think that Persona 5 will be announced? Is there anything they would like to see included or changed about the series?

Also, will anyone be buying Persona 3 PSP when it's available? It seems they've added some interesting features, while getting rid of others. I'd like to hear what people have to say.

I haven't really gotten too far into the game, about 25 hours, but the character that intrigues me the most was Kanji. When I moved to another school midway through Grade 1, I ended up having a hell of a time. I had had a traumatic experience, which is why I had to move somewhere. As a result, I was fairly shy and nervous and introverted, and people obviously knew I was weak. I was bullied a lot, just verbally, called a lot of names, but the thing that hurt me the most was that people would essentially turn their backs on me and ignore me.

Then in secondary college, people started calling me gay. Apparently there was a bet going on about whether I was gay or not with certain people. They didn't know anything about me. I lacked confidence, so I didn't stand up for myself. The reason I can relate with Kanji is that it seems that a lot of people thought he was gay for some reason, but in reality, he's not. At least, that's how I'm seeing it. It really hurt at the time, and I admit that it has probably not helped much because I'm a bit of a wreck at the moment, but just seeing a character dealing with a similar issue has been a bit of an eye opener, no matter how strange it sounds.

Anyway, is there a character that anyone relates to the most? Why?

Also, if anyone has any news about this series, please feel free to post.

Another thing I wanted to ask is this: Do you think it's time that the series allows you to customise your character? I think so. I don't know what it is about making your own character, but I really like character customisation. I'm thinking that if they're able to make a game where there's two selectable genders, it's about time they make it so that we can make our person look however we like. Maybe it's just me that thinks this way, though.

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[ZeroX03]

Epic dude, simply epic. I love the Persona Series, excellent games!
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b+2,1 mindgames

[Pagan's Mind]

You have to check out Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (it's called Lucifer's Call in the PAL regions). It got me into the SMT series and I absolutely loved it. Nocturne is by far the best JRPG, heck, the best game I've ever played. It also has the best soundtrack in any game too.

[Kyle Clarthy]

That's actually a game I'm trying to track down, but have been unsuccessful in finding a copy ... that is, a complete copy, with manual and all that.
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[embersilvermoon]

Spoilers might follow for those who have not played Persona 3, FES or 4 although I try to keep these as minimal as possible

I've only played Persona 3, FES and 4 and must say that I really got into these games because of how different they are compared to other RPGs. Being a school kid that has to save the world whilst managing your life (exams, S. Links and other stuff) struck a chord with me as something quite different from your traditional RPG. I kept a very keen interest after hearing raving reviews about it and was dearly hoping for a release of P3 in Australia. When I got my hands on it and started playing it, I knew that I was in for a treat. The game doesn't really start until about an hour in although during that time it manages to get you hooked, because most people can relate their school life to the protagonist's school life in some way or other.

The SMT games that I've played also have great themes that as you mentioned Kyle deal with every day issues - P4 for example demonstrates that one should accept themselves for who they are. We all have different sides about ourselves and at times we might not like those sides revealed. Denying oneself as you can see in P4 can be quite deadly. Being able to relate to these characters and how they handle their issues is what really attracted me to the games more than its other aspects (i.e. character development and the story.)

Interestingly enough, Persona 3 and 4 are some of the only games that have ever got me extremely hooked into its world. Baldur's Gate 2, Guild Wars and The Witcher are the only other ones I can think of that got me as hooked.

Whilst playing Persona 3 I heard of FES and thought that I really needed to import it (wasn't released in Australia at the time) to find out the ending to this game in case it doesn't get released here. It has been the only game that I've ever imported... although it did get released here a few months later. The expansion wasn't as great although it did close the story.

Later on I heard about Persona 4 and thought, hrm this might be another import... although I did wait until it was released in Australia. I don't know whether it was because I went into P4 with low expectations, since P3 was one of the games of the year for me at the time and I thought, what can P4 do to beat P3? Needless to say once I put the P4 disc in I felt as though I turned back time - the feeling of when I first played P3 returned... new school life, new characters, different location, storyline. Somehow P4 in my opinion trumped P3 in essentially every area. Story, characters, soundtrack, graphics and gameplay. I remember thinking to myself... this is crazy. How did P4 manage to build on such a successful game, and get me more hooked than P3 did?

I'll admit that if we get a P5 release I'll very likely preorder it (heck, maybe even import). In terms of changes or additions, none really pop out in my head after P4 at the moment. I found some things in P3 annoying such as only being able to control the protagonist and give tactics to other teammates and the 200+ Tartarus dungeon. They fixed these issues in P4 by allowing you to control your teammates and essentially 'split' Tartarus into 'dungeons'. I think the most glaring issue that still annoys me is that if you as the protagonist gets KO'ed, the game is over. I would really like it if they made it a TPK situation instead - after all, why can't the protagonist be resurrected by his teammates if they (theoretically) survive the battle?

A character that I most resonate with... hrm. The two that could probably reflect this the best are Rise and Teddie, perhaps moreso Teddie than Rise.

[arbok]

I can't add too much to the discussions - but I have a copy of Persona 4 sitting here waiting to be opened and played. As soon as Yakuza 2 is complete, I'm busting Persona 4 open - yes even though FFXIII will probably be released at the same time. The only thing that gets me is I wish my PS2 games were in high res... just feels really dated at the moment.

Can someone explain what Shin Megami Tensei titles all have in common and why there are so many different games?
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With Thanks to Admeister for the Avatar and Sig!!
Xbox Live: arbok26
PSN: arbok26

[ANDYBALLINA]

[dloiscute]

I really should get into this series but I don't think I would have the time complete them all.... and RPG's can't be left unfinished imo.

Should I maybe just play Persona 1 on PSP?
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☑Tekken

[Kyle Clarthy]

I personally think you should go with Persona 4 if you can. I guarantee you will become a fan. If you went with Persona for the PSP, you might not like what you see. It's a remake, obviously, and so it doesn't include everything that the newer installments have added, such as social links ... or so I hear.

If you can't play P4, wait until Persona 3 PSP is released. They've upgraded it for the PSP. Not all the stuff from the FES edition is included, specifically the added 30 hour story, but they've put most of the technical upgrades from Persona 4 into it.

Some people will argue that Persona 3 is better than 4, but the reality is that they're both different enough to be difficult to compare them, especially on a storyline level. While the battles are the same, and teenagers are able to summon Persona's, the stories are entirely different. Basically one involves a murder mystery that may or may not evolve into something more (I'm not sure about that) and the other involves a secret hour of the day where everyone apart from these select individuals fall asleep in coffins where they stand, and shadows come alive to prey upon them. That's the basic gist of them, anyway.
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This is taken from Wikipedia:

[Jahanzeb]

Thanks for making this thread Kyle.

There is enough Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Phantasy Star love in this world, but not enough Shin Megami Tensei love.
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Now Playing:
Sonic Generations

[shinhawk]

My first taste of these games was Revelations: Persona way back before it was included in the SMT brand. I found myself having a hard time playing it felt a little too dark and intense for me since I was about 12 at the time. However, I did really enjoy the battles where I could talk to enemies, being able to use all sorts of various weapons like guns and swords, and even summon those cool Persona.

I still have yet to play Persona 3 and 4 though. I've started up a Nocturne game, but I haven't done much with it yet.

[Kyle Clarthy]

[sobriquet835]

Persona 3 is, to me, as good as any of the games in the Final Fantasy series. It's brilliant, the characters are excellent, and the protagonist doesn't have spiky hair! I have started on P4 as well, but to me the characters don't quite work as well as they did in P3. I intend to finish P4 at some point. I also started on Digital Devil Saga 2 (It was only $10!), but I feel a little lost with the story. I think I will have to track down DDS1 before I play 2.

Can't wait for SMT to come to PS3!

[ANDYBALLINA]

I think the reason not many people talk about the SMT games is that they are not mainstream. Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts etc are easy to get, but SMT games are harder to find.

Also I know a few people don't like Persona, simply cause its to quirky and to Japanesy. Its a shame really, cause the main reason it interested me, was the fact it dealt with real life issues (such as school, friends, social links etc) and it was fresh and new take a JRPG's.
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PSN: ANDYBALLINA1

[embersilvermoon]

[shinhawk]

[KT]

Lucifer's Call the english maniac edition was a horrible first step into SMT. It was one of the most brutal and unforgiving games i have ever played. I love the PS2 DDS games, i thought they struck the balance of aesthetics, gameplay and difficulty very well. I have always felt that most JRPG lack cohesion within their story lines, and the SMT games were no different. Convoluted logic and over complexity seems to reign supreme.

My first SMT game was actually Revelations: the demon slayer for GBC (the first game in the last bible series). Along with the original pokemon, it was my first foray into rpgs.

[Bish]

[Kyle Clarthy]

Thanks, Bish ... I think you're probably right. While making a character your own would be good, it's not really needed because you are basically that character at the end, anyway.

I really should play The Answer ... I didn't play it at all, because I was put off by the fact that it was only available as Hard difficulty. So, you think it's worth doing, obviously, but expect some troublesome moments?
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[Scrav]

[Bish]

Isn't Nocturne one of the main series games though?
The spinoffs like Persona and Devil Summoner and DDS is where they branch out and do different things, so maybe they just stuck with the SNES formula (a formula which most would agree is pretty antiquated these days) with Nocturne.
Or maybe not! I don't know! :D

[Jahanzeb]

What I love about the SMT games is that the story and characters are much darker and mature than what you normally see in JRPGs. They carry some really strong religous and mythological themes.

In terms of gameplay, these games are quite challenging and require some hardcore grinding. Dragon Quest games are often considered to be some of the hardest RPGs, but they are certainly more accessible than the SMT games.

Of all the SMT games, the Persona series has to be the most user friendly (mainly Persona 3 and Persona 4). But aside from those games, I have to say that 'Nocturne' is one of the best RPGs I have ever played. It has an excellent story, a deep and challenging gameplay system and some fantastic visuals and art.

EDIT:


One thing I would like to add, these games have a very modest budget but the results are still impressive! A JRPG doesn't need 6 hours of fancy CGi, a state of the art graphics engine or celebrity voice actors to be great.
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Now Playing:
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[KT]

[Kyle Clarthy]

The Persona series has a distinct look. I'm not all about graphics by any stretch, but I know that the graphics aren't exactly cutting edge. It makes up for it in style.

What I loved about DDS was the cel shaded look it had. It was really well done and I think that it looked quite different from a lot of other games, especially their cel shaded efforts. I hear that Nocturne is the same.

So, yes, I agree that it's all about the substance, what we get from playing these games, and I think we get a lot out of them.

I heard that Nocturne doesn't have much storyline as such, but the ability to choose how you want it to end up sounded very interesting to me. You sort of get to play God. It sounds like the premise is quite different to any other game I've played, but I really don't know much about it other than the general gist of it. I hope to find it one day.

I kick myself for passing on the opportunity to buy both Nocturne and DDS1 and 2 when they were at my local Big W. I had never ever heard of them before and when I read the name, I thought, "Shin mega whatsit?" I seriously thought it was some low budget game that was trying to pass itself off as something cool. How naive I was. They were so cheap then, too. Now I'm paying for it.

EDIT:

Umm ... Spoiler about Persona 4!

[Bish]

Haha, I only heard of MegaTen when someone bugged me about playing Persona 3. It made quite the impression on me, considering it was also the first PS2 game I had ever played.