Shin Megami Tensei series, help me out here.

[SOL BADGUY]

So here's a question, of the PS2 releases, what's one i should definitely try to play (including the Perona series)?

Nocturne, Persona 3&4 are the definite ones. The Devil Summoner and Digital Devil games still look really good to me though.

[Press_Start]

Nocturne, Persona 3&4 are the definite ones. The Devil Summoner and Digital Devil games still look really good to me though.

Persona 4 got me addicted to SMT series in the first place. Definitely the first game you should play without a doubt. It has a pitch-perfect learning curve that is very helpful n' an easy grasp of understanding even for "noobs" to RPGs in general and its sparkly light-minded colorfully-upbeat persona hooked me into the game a lot better compared to P3's deep dark depressing overtone. Fair warning: the game does take a full hour or so before you reach your first fight, so there's alot of text but once the story quickly picks up after that, you'll be hooked on a 100-hour ride that I guarantee.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

They're not really expensive. Except for the first Devil Survivor and Raidou Kuzunoha, the ones post PS2 can be found less than $20 new.

In my previous post I didn't even think of mentioning Digital Devil Saga, which is another completely different series than SMT as well, but it's almost as good as SMT3 because it uses the press turn system and still has good gameplay. This one has no monster taming and whenever you learn your skills you keep them indefinitely but can only use eight at a time, so you can switch them out when not in combat whenever you want.

So checking on Amazon, SMT Nocturne, Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2, Devil Survivor 2, Strange Journey, Persona 3 FES and Portable, Persona 4, Persona PSP, and Persona Innocent Sin PSP are all less than $20.

Would you rather find them at the Flea Market for $10 or so with scratches on the disc based games or would you rather have them in brand new condition? There's no reason not to buy new because the games have never hit greatest hits status.

Since when was devil summoner expensive? I forgot I even had this, this was the first and only gutted "new" game i ever bought from gamestop

[LaughingMAN.S9]

Persona 4 got me addicted to SMT series in the first place. Definitely the first game you should play without a doubt. It has a pitch-perfect learning curve that is very helpful n' an easy grasp of understanding even for "noobs" to RPGs in general and its sparkly light-minded colorfully-upbeat persona hooked me into the game a lot better compared to P3's deep dark depressing overtone. Fair warning: the game does take a full hour or so before you reach your first fight, so there's alot of text but once the story quickly picks up after that, you'll be hooked on a 100-hour ride that I guarantee.

It seems like im the only one on the entire Internet that preferred persona 3 to 4 lol


I still haven't beaten 4 tho, in fact im still mad early, about 2 bosses deep i think, or 3 maybe? And while I really like p4, p3 being so dark and depressing is precisely why I loved it lol, soon as I finish p4, im going right back to play p3 fes version, still got that in plastic

[Xander]

Nah you are not alone, I preferred P3 to P4 too, and mostly for the same reasons. P3 just has a better overall atmosphere of impending doom to it.

P4 was still amazing tho. Definitely two of the best rpg we've seen in the last 10 years.

[The Adventurer]

Just 'completed' Shin Megami Tensei: Demon Summoners: Soul Hackers for 3DS. Game completion time: 35 Hours on the dot. The final boss was a bit of a nail biter, having two forms and no time in between to heal/save. I was down to my last sliver of health, and was sure to die the very next turn. Good times. Was actually surprised it only took 35 hours, for some reason I thought the game was much longer. Like 50 or 60 hours.


Beating this game was a bit of an interesting experience for me, for two reasons...

The main one being, less then 3 months ago I had never really heard of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise. Like, at all. I didn't know anything about it. I'd heard of the Persona games, but had no idea they were a spin-off of a larger franchise. As a rule, I am not a JRPG fan. The 'Final Fantasy' style of JRPG has always been a hard sell for me. But when I decided to buy a 3DS back in March, I decided two things at the time. First, I would actually use the damn thing, and not let it languish unused like my DS and Wii have ended up doing. And Second, I was going to play a JRPG to completion. Fulfilling the second bit should have been really easy, since the whole reason I bought the system was to play the new Fire Emblem. But... I've got this thing where I really hate going for the easy first choice when I choose to do something. So, saving Fire Emblem for a rainy day happened. And so the hunt for a suitable replacement was on.

I recalled seeing a thread on another forum about a really strange looking DS RPG ages ago. I remembered it because one of the character designs looked a bit like a Cyberman from Doctor Who. So I did a little digging and found the thread. The game that was being talked about was Shin Magami Tensei: Strange Journey. And I was intrigued by it. It seemed quirky, and different from the norm. It was a first person 3D dungeon crawler (of all things) with a collectible monster theme. So I did my homework (discovering the sprawling franchise that is 'MegTen' in the process. Thanks Wikipedia!) and tracked down a copy of Strange Journey. And, god help me, I liked it! But there was a problem. It was a DS game. I'd bought a $200 piece of new hardware to play a last generation game on? Uh...?

So anyway, long story short, I heard about the Soul Hackers enhanced port coming to 3DS. About how it was a Sega Saturn/PS1 era game coming to North America for the first time. Sort of exciting, yes? So I ended up putting Strange Journey aside, to tackle Soul Hackers. Which sort of gave me an interesting perspective while playing the game. Since I'd been able to play a bit of the most recent title in the franchise, before going back to play one of its late 90s efforts.

Overall, Soul Hackers is a solid game. It has a pretty cool cyberpunk feel, mixed with occult horror. Quite unique. And its gameplay, though a bit dated with static turn based battles, is largely comfortable with a good dash of strategy thrown in. Party management is critical, requiring a good team composition with a wide array of spells, attacks, and defensive buffs. Its actually kind of fun managing your demons. The story is pretty staightforward, and unfortunately doesn't really capitalize on a few interesting twists that come along. But the characters are interesting, and the stuff you do feels like it matters. And, as someone who's a bit dubious of English dubbings, this one is surprisingly tolerable.

If the game has one major flaw, its this. Its a game from 1998 that originally only utilized one screen.

Strange Journey had the benefit of being designed from the ground up for the Dual Screen DS. And it takes advantage of that at every opportunity to convey important information, not only during 3D dungeon crawling, but in the heat of battle. Soul Hackers unfortunately... doesn't. It uses its bottom screen for auto mapping, which is insanely useful, but when it comes to informing you about important demon information (weaknesses, health, spells, etc...) while fighting, it leaves a lot to be desired. On top of that, demons can have many spells, and 'extras'. But the menu gives you no way to easily browse what these spells and abilities actually DO. Unless you are already engaged in combat. MegTen has tons of uniquely named spells, who's purpose are not obvious without experiencing them. And there is simply no convent way to browse them all, outside of combat at least.

One place where this interface really falls down concerns something called 'Demon Fission'. See, Demons don't level like the hero characters do. So the only way to stay competitive in fights is to either recruit new, stronger, demons to your party by talking to them, or by taking two of your old demons and mashing them together to becoming a new one. Simple in theory, but the interface problems really makes it a chore. And since you can't easily read what your new demon's new spells do until after your fuse away your old ones... Lets just say make sure you make a soft save BEFORE you fuse anything.

So yes, the interface could have really used more of a facelift. But since Soul Hackers is an 'enhanced port' and NOT a remake... I suppose you just have to put yourself into the mindset of a JRPG gamer from 1998 and make do.

Anyway... I've been rambling. But what I wanted to say is, Demon Summoner: Soul Hackers is an excellent game, and I am now fancy myself a bit of a Shin Megami Tensei fanboy. I'm super hyped about Shin Megami Tensei IV coming out this summer. I'm stoked for a new MegTen game that will know how to take advantage of the dual screen properly. Everything I've seen about MegTen IV looks incredible. I'm also hoping to go back and check out Devil Survivor Overclocked, which is apparently a strategy game like Fire Emblem. And yes, I will be finishing Strange Journey one of these days. Oh and Soul Hackers actually has an 'Extra Mode' unlocked after finishing, which is a gauntlet of new dungeons. So I guess I haven't actually FINISHED it yet...

Oh... and that other interesting thing I mentioned at the start, but never found a good place to segue back into it... Soul Hackers is only my... 3rd? JRPG I've ever actually completed. I'm pretty sure the only other two I've ever actually finished to the end were Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario. That's right, I've never actually completed Earthbound. I'm a terrible person.

[The Adventurer]

48 hours until Shin Megami Tensei IV! Can you handle the hype?!

[kupomogli]

Nintendo has a thing going on if you register Fire Emblem and SMT4 at Club Nintendo you get a $30 voucher for the eshop.



The Adventurer, since you mentioned you have Fire Emblem but haven't played it and you're getting SMT4, you can get the $30 ecard to soften the blow on Atlus' ridiculous pricing. If it's even close to being as good as SMT Nocturne it's going to be amazing, and I'm sure it'll atleast be good, but the price they're charging is complete bs. $49 for a 3DS game.

Anyways. I've already got it preordered so I'll sell a $30 eshop voucher for $20 if anyones interested.

[The Adventurer]

I actually don't have Fire Emblem yet, but I will soon thanks to that deal.

As to MegTenIV's pricing. Its only $10 more then most new release 3DS games. And you get a strategy guide and the Soundtrack.

It's probably worth it.

There will probably be a bare bones version for $40 soon enough.

[kupomogli]

There will probably be a bare bones version for $40 soon enough.

The digital version is as bare bones as you can get and it's $49.99. I paid the $50 because who knows how long you'll be able to purchase the game due to Index Holdings going into bankruptcy.