As far as I know, SMT and Persona are niche, even in Japan. But Persona 4 kinda broke into the mainstream and Atlus is desperately keeping it there in the public consciousness.
As far as I know, SMT and Persona are niche, even in Japan. But Persona 4 kinda broke into the mainstream and Atlus is desperately keeping it there in the public consciousness.
I dunno, you're the only person I've heard who said that.
Being more popular in Japan than here =/= actually being mainstream.
SMT is actually one of the top five RPG series in Japan, the franchise dates back to NES days.
SMTIII was the first breakout hit for the franchise in the U.S. thanks to the extra PR from having Dante of Devil May Cry fame making a cameo in the game. The franchise saw some modest hits with Digital Devil Saga and Devil Summoner. Persona 3 was the big sleeper hit that caught people by surprise and then the buzz from that game helped make P4 become a hit as well. Atlus has gone on record saying Persona is their biggest franchise now, finally overtaking SMT, hence why P3/4 have remakes, directors cuts, ports, spin-offs, and so forth.
The series is still niche abroad, but if you really look at sales numbers then nothing is going to really compete with Final Fantasy and The Elder Scrolls at this point, so most RPGs are basically "niche".
True beauty exists in things that last only for a moment.
Current Mood: And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe. Maybe this year will be better than the last. I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself. To hold on to these moments as they pass...
It goes:
Dragon Quest
Final Fantasy
Tales
Persona which is not SMT anymore really
Something else
I dunno what the other top spot is but Tales has always been a distant #3 in the articles I've read.
Honestly, beyond the lack of post-apocalypse setting and the focus on characters, there really isn't anything gameplay-wise that sets it apart from other SMT games in the franchise that isn't just an overhaul of the system. Persona 1 and 2 played differently from other MegaTen games but P3 and P4 are just derivatives of SMTIII from a gameplay standpoint. Persona is basically MegaTen with a heavier focus on characters which is what it was created as in the first place.
True beauty exists in things that last only for a moment.
Current Mood: And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe. Maybe this year will be better than the last. I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself. To hold on to these moments as they pass...