Starting the Persona Series

[Mr. Carnelian]

Yeh, Kanji is the best. Big guy who's actually adorable is an instant win for me.

Kanji IS the best. He's such a sweetie. He's actually my favourite character in the Persona series so far.

I've nearly finished Persona 4 Golden, by the way. I'm on the last day dungeon. I prefer 4 to 3, on the whole. 3 was so unrelentingly dark that I found it a bit of a slog towards the end. 4 is more optimistic, which suits me much better.

[Mirage]

things can get too optimistic too.

[Vyk]

It may have been realized by now but I just wanted to confirm that Danganranpa does work on the PlayStation TV. It was one of the first games I got for mine. I haven't actually dug in much since I got it but I did play an hour or so and it ran fine. So unless there has been some weird patch that broke it, you shouldn't have to worry about missing out on that one. I'm mire interested in Zero Escape: Virtues Last Reward as far as Vita adventure games go. But sadly mine doesn't get enough love due to my work schedule and crazy back log. Good point of note though is that the Vita TV is fully capable of playing all the digital releases of PSOne and PSP games. So P3P is feasible on the bug screen without the weird PSP connector. And you also get access to old gems like Corpse Party <3

I read this entire thread from start to finish out of boredom and thought I'd throw out those tidbits

[Shauna]

It's an EU/NA thing with Danganronpa though, Vyk. It totally does work in NA, but in EU? Not so much. Licencing reasons, I think. So the EU has a completely separate compatibility list to what NA has.

[Vyk]

Ugggh. Region locked gaming this day and age is such BS. My apologies and sympathies. Also the fact that Vita games need a patch to run on VitaTV is wasted potential. The console emulates the Vitas functionality just fine. Especially with a PS4 controller for anything needing quick precise touch pad support

[Fynn]

P3 was too dark for you, Sam? Oh, my sweet summer child

We gotta get you guys converted to regular MegaTen games. Like Mirage said, there is such a thing as too optimistic

[Vyk]

I've always loved the idea of the other MegaTen games and have given the old college try to a good portion of them but aside from their difficulty (which I really wouldn't even mind) they all tend to be huge grind fests with fairly slow pacing and not a lot of ability given to just walk around and explore and enjoy the atmospheres. I love that they exist and I will continue to dabble in them and hope eventually one will come out that's as dark as the others but as friendly to play as P4. And right now P5 and MegaTen x Fire Emblem look to be the most likely candidates in the near future

[Fynn]

Don't get me started on that SMT x FE nonsense...

Right now I'm playing Strange Journey and having a blast, but I really think SMT IV is the epitome of what an SMT game should be like, with a chilling story, brilliant atmosphere, unforgettable characters (who are actually subtle and it's really unfair that people compare them to Persona because they're just a wildly different type of character writing), and a complex world that's a joy to explore. Seriously, I think anyone with a 3DS should play it, as not only is it immersive as hell, it's also the most accessible SMT to date.

[Vyk]

I loved Strange Journeys story and atmosphere and even the good old fighting and making friends with enemies and stuff. Even the first person dungeon crawling was charming and fun. But the encounter rate and difficulty spike between areas begs for grinding and it turned me off as I got about halfway through exploring the second area I have a weak tolerance for these amazing games

Haven't tried IV yet, perhaps it will be the one that clicks. I know they are designed to be trouble. Just have to fund one with an angle or mechanics that feel worth it or enjoyable or something. My tastes can be annoyingly stud and picky sometimes

The next handheld game I get will almost certainly be Virtues Last Reward, SMTIV can be the next one after that. Its still readily available and affordable

[Skyblade]

Don't get me started on that SMT x FE nonsense...

What's wrong with Persona Emblem?! The games not even out yet, but it looks solid enough. Give it a chance.

Right now I'm playing Strange Journey and having a blast, but I really think SMT IV is the epitome of what an SMT game should be like, with a chilling story, brilliant atmosphere, unforgettable characters (who are actually subtle and it's really unfair that people compare them to Persona because they're just a wildly different type of character writing), and a complex world that's a joy to explore. Seriously, I think anyone with a 3DS should play it, as not only is it immersive as hell, it's also the most accessible SMT to date.

I enjoyed Nocturne more, but that really isn't saying a lot, as I don't think I beat more than the first boss of either game. The pacing is terrible, the dungeon grinding is way too central of a focus (especially given the difficulty), and the story themes are not compelling enough to make me want to keep playing.

But at least Nocturne didn't feature first person battles.

[Wolf Kanno]

Face it, SMT X FE is pretty much Persona Idol Singer with FE characters as summons. Not the game I think fans on both sides were expecting. It may still be fun game in the end but I must say my interest dies off a little more with each news update I read about it.

SMTIV is easily the most accessible entry in the series. The dropping of the defense stat actually makes battles go by incredibly quickly and it has one of the most user friendly fusion systems in the franchise's history. Nocturne in my opinion, is just the best game overall. The fusion system was a little more complex and the game certainly never gave you any kind of hints but it was also one of the most versatile and broken ones in the series once you figured out what you were doing (and probably using a guide). If you're looking for a strong narrative among the actual SMT games, I would stick to Strange Journey and SMTIV. You could also emulate SMT if... As it was the spin-off MegaTen that eventually created the Persona series.

[Fynn]

I'm not saying it's going to be a bad game, Sky, and I'm still looking forward to it. But Wolf kinda summed it up for me. I came into this as part of the MegaTen fanbase, not the FE fanbase (I've played only one FE game to date, while MegaTen has really come to influence me through all the games I've played so far), so seeing Persona Emblem with Idols really disappointed me. It just feels like one half of the crossover is completely eclipsing the other, which is sad for those who were eager to see more of the latter - like me, and Wolf, I would assume.

Of course, it would be ironic if the story turned out to be as cynical as a regular SMT story beneath the saccharine surface, and I would really love that, but I doubt it happens. Perhaps we can at least get the Law vs. Chaos conflict, please?

[Vyk]

I totally get it. When it was first announced I was totally looking forward to a gritty tactical game about demons and delving into the depths of human morality and stuff.

While it is obviously more inspired by Persona. And not just general persona, definitely NEW persona, as the first few were still dark and demonic. I got in on Persona 3 and moved on to Persona 4 so it doesn't phase me as much. But for anyone wanting a genuine MegaTen influence is getting kinda robbed. A least from the look of it

Sadly I can't say I blame them Persona 2 is too old and obscure. And Nocturne is only a bit newer (?). Even SMTIV was probably only enjoyed by a niche community. Persona 3/4 is more popular and well known. Though in that regard I think it really should have been Persona X Fire Emblem. It'd be more... honest? Though I do hope they still surprise us with more SMT influence than we realize. But as it stands there appears to barely be even much Fire Emblem influence. So who knows what they're going for

[Skyblade]

Actually, I've thought since the beginning that new Persona would make a lot more sense to cross with Fire Emblem, as the Support system that Fire Emblem uses parallels the Social Link system perfectly. So the fact that it was based around the Persona design is not only a relief to me (as I enjoy the series far more), but I actually think it makes a much tighter fit, design wise. Both games have a core theme of building relationships and the strength it brings out in a unit.

The more I learn of the game, the more influence I see from both series, and I'm quite happy with that. For example, the mirages. Yes, they're bound and used essentially as Personas. Yet, they're not. They retain their personalities, and have impact and stories with interactions with the main characters they are united with (which is, I suppose, an element of demon negotiation?). The relationship system has been expanded to building on relationships between party members, leading to team attacks (again, a nod to Fire Emblem).

The story, from what little I've discovered, does seem to tend towards being on the darker side, and ATLUS seems to have in fact used the contrast between the colorful pop elements and the darker story elements far better than they did with Persona 4. I don't think the story will be as dark as a standard Shin Megami Tensei game, but I think it's going to be a cross between Persona 3 and Fire Emblem. Dark, with elements of hope thrown in.

The battle system looks to have refined out several of the ideas that Persona used, with more consistent and tactical manipulation of turn order and weaknesses to execute combos and dual attacks. The use of the Weapon Triangle to bring various types of physical damage into the system also serves as an improvement even to Persona 3's handling of the weakness system.

It really does feel to me like a fusion of the core of the Fire Emblem games, and the Persona games, and I am hyped as heck for it. If you're disappointed that there's less of an overt Shin Megami Tensei presence... Well, I guess I can understand that, especially since all we knew about it was that it was a cross between Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem for a long time. So I suppose it is a bit of a bait and switch. But, personally, I've always enjoyed the Persona games so much more anyway, that it only gets me more hyped. Despite their overall pacing problems (which, again, are still far worse in the mainline Mega Ten games), the newer Persona series handles world building, player engagement, and game balance so much better than the mainline series that I would be very disappointed to get a mainline Shin Megami Tensei experience out of this.

Plus, Mega Ten has too much Nietzsche influencing its philosophies.

[Wolf Kanno]

Well SMT is kind of the JRPG poster child for Crapsack world so it would need to be more Nietzsche. The funny thing is that the Persona team isn't working on this one, it's actually the Devil Survivor team and they certainly followed the newer Persona games influence in adding a much bigger anime influence on the series mythology for their games. I'm honestly tired of the newer Persona/Devil Survivor series feel, which is partly why I'm happy that P5 looks to be bringing back the darker elements while retaining the goofy absurdness of the series.

I was hoping for more of an actual mash-up as opposed to an original project being co-developed but the game may surprise me in the end. Unfortunately the bait and switch did largely curb my need to pick up the game immediately. The idol angle kind of irks me a bit too as it's a side of Japanese culture I never could grasp and find kind of stupid.