WK's Top something or other... let's just say "games" and call it good list.

[Slothy]

SMT is an overarching series that focuses on rebirth and metamorphosis. They're not really a continuation of each other, but they contain the same themes. They often take place in a post-apocalyptic world and involve opposing factions based on character alignment, philosophy, or other divisive features. The persona games are a subset of these games. The main difference is that they take place in more conventional, modern settings, such as high schools and modern day japan.

Thanks for clarifying! If one was to try one of these games, which one would you recommend to start off with?

I have not played nearly enough of any entries aside from Persona's 3-5 to have a useful opinion at all, but of those I will say you can't really go wrong with starting at 3. If you liked it you'd like the later Persona's probably. I certainly did anyway.

I need to play some of the other SMT games. Between PS2 classics on my PS3 and a number of games sitting around the house unplayed I can't say I have many excuses.