[goldlion054]

Actually finished FES after starting it at least a half dozen times. Really glad I stuck with it. Enjoyed it alot. I don't really want to play The Answer, though. From my understanding, its just alot of dungeon crawling. I'm sure I'll play it some day, but not now. Kind of burned out on Persona 3 -_-

Jumping straight into Nocturne. A couple of hours in and liking it. The controls are bit wonky after P3 spoiled me, but whatever

[animlboogy]

I'm playing through Persona 4 right now and really loving it. Im only about 10 hours in, should I do P3 first? It seems like a surprising number of you in this thread are doing P3 playthroughs. Is that the better game overall?

[goldlion054]

I'm playing through Persona 4 right now and really loving it. Im only about 10 hours in, should I do P3 first? It seems like a surprising number of you in this thread are doing P3 playthroughs. Is that the better game overall?

Nah, you're fine with Persona 4. I like them both alot and they're both great games. Persona 4 has a more polished system then 3, and the characters are a bit more appealing, imo, because you can social link with all of them. Really helps flesh out your allies, as opposed to Persona 3, where you can only social link with the females (not including P3P) in your cast of dungeon crawlers. Plus, Tarturus, the only dungeon, is kind of lame compared to the multiple ones in 4.

All that being said, I do like Persona 3 better because I dig the tone and atmosphere more than that of 4. And I imgine everyone is playing 3 because it recently got released on PSN

[KibblesBits]

:O


I had no idea this thread was in the community area!
Subscribed!

[Fimbulvetr]

Just found these nice fan-made piano arrangements of tracks from different SMT games. So far he's done Divine Identity, Reach Out To The Truth, World Map - Last Area, Fear of God, and two velvet room themes.

[SatelliteOfLove]

Actually finished FES after starting it at least a half dozen times. Really glad I stuck with it. Enjoyed it alot. I don't really want to play The Answer, though. From my understanding, its just alot of dungeon crawling. I'm sure I'll play it some day, but not now. Kind of burned out on Persona 3 -_- Jumping straight into Nocturne. A couple of hours in and liking it. The controls are bit wonky after P3 spoiled me, but whatever

Prepare...

[JJD]

Guys just got a Vita and with it Persona 1, 2 and 3.

Any guides or tips I should read before I start playing the games?

[archnemesis]

No, not really. They're pretty straight-forward to play. If you haven't played a Megami Tensei game before then it'll take a while to get accustomed to the Japanese spell names.

[goldlion054]

Prepare...

Well, that was awful. But, I'll have a strategy for round 2!

Edit: Round 2 goes to me, biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch. What you know about null/absorb force?

[redfiend00]

I love this series it has some of the best art design in games.

[Supermanisdead]

Playing P3 FES for the first time right now after I already beat it for the first time a year ago on PSP. Why do I have to talk to people to change their equipment? Why can't I save at my desk? Why does Mitsuru cast Marin Karin when the enemy is weak to Bufu???

It was only 10$ so I don't mind, but the anime cutscenes are the only thing that make this better than P3P. I haven't played The Answer yet, though.

[SatelliteOfLove]

I love this series it has some of the best art design in games.

The cherry on top is how correctly they're inspired by the source material:

Playing P3 FES for the first time right now after I already beat it for the first time a year ago on PSP. Why do I have to talk to people to change their equipment? Why can't I save at my desk? Why does Mitsuru cast Marin Karin when the enemy is weak to Bufu??? It was only 10$ so I don't mind, but the anime cutscenes are the only thing that make this better than P3P. I haven't played The Answer yet, though.

Don't.

[redfiend00]

I know this may sound messed up but i hope the next main SMT game is not First person only and is like nocturne which had both.

[randomkid]

So I recently found out that SMT:Online is kind of relaunching or something and I decided I'm going to try it out on my new laptop. I remember last time I went to the site it was plastered with lovely Kaneko art, but now it looks like this:



I'm so grossed out, haha. Offensive!

Also it's classified an an "Anime MMORPG" which kinda makes me chuckle for some reason.

[animlboogy]

It's not... Completely terrible? It looks great, at least. Fairly tedious to actually play.

As usual, I wish it was just an online co-op game closer to the feel of the single player games rather than a grindy F2P MMO.

[randomkid]

Yeah MMOs are like completely outside my wheelhouse but I'm trying to see if I've become more open-minded since I last tried this out a couple years ago. I love the music and the visuals, and making my own Kaneko character is pretty neat, although it seems they've decreased the customization options from what I remember. They've also added fanart during loading screens which is also comically repellent ha.

I keep running into weird glitches, whenever I try to play with my tv as a monitor the game sort of freezes, I can rotate the camera and the music works but mouse movement stops and I can't even close the game, have to use task manager to stop it. Then when I played on my laptop screen, mouse movement kinda worked intermittently and when I killed the slimes in the tutorial one of them froze on screen for quite a while. I can't tell if I'm doing something wrong or if it's my setup or what, haha this is why I hate playing games on PC.

[SatelliteOfLove]

So I recently found out that SMT:Online is kind of relaunching or something and I decided I'm going to try it out on my new laptop. I remember last time I went to the site it was plastered with lovely Kaneko art, but now it looks like this: I'm so grossed out, haha. Offensive! Also it's classified an an "Anime MMORPG" which kinda makes me chuckle for some reason.

Boooooo! The diversity-in-Japanese-gaming-artstyles proponent in me seethes!

[cj_iwakura]

Yeah, the original launch of Imagine was a lot more Kaneko styled... then when it got big, they redid the art design.

For the worse. I liked it enough that it took up weeks of my life, but when I cleared the campaign(the Ogami quest), I stepped away; wisely.

It really has some great music and nails the atmosphere though.

[Link1110]

I disagree, partially. Raidou 2 is a better game, Raidou 1 has a better story. Definitely play both. Funny about Raidou 1, it was $12.99 until the sequel was announced. No one wanted that game, then the demand went sky high. See also: 'Revelations' Persona. That game's worth like $100+ now. Digital Devil Saga added!

I should get to selling that. I have perona 1 for psp, and need to buy the remakes of Ep and soul hackers, and rebuy raidou 2 le.
I hope sh uses the etruan odyssey map system.

[animlboogy]

Is Soul Hackers a remake or a spruced up port? I'm not sure I can tolerate that kind of dungeon crawling these days...

My Persona 4 playthrough is going incredibly well. I haven't felt the urge to just keep playing a game every day like I have with this one. All the mundane bits in between really keep it interesting. It's nice to have those at such regular intervals, instead of massive dungeon crawls and then hitting a town to talk to people like the standard JRPG form.

I played a bit of P3 when it came out. I'm definitely going to go through soon after 4, just to get more of this feel. I guess it will be my hard mode, since most of the differences between 3 and 4 seem to be making 4 easier.

[Augemitbutter]

Is Soul Hackers a remake or a spruced up port? I'm not sure I can tolerate that kind of dungeon crawling these days...

probably the latter. don't expect full remakes from atlus anytime soon.

[Teknoman]

So I recently found out that SMT:Online is kind of relaunching or something and I decided I'm going to try it out on my new laptop. I remember last time I went to the site it was plastered with lovely Kaneko art, but now it looks like this: I'm so grossed out, haha. Offensive! Also it's classified an an "Anime MMORPG" which kinda makes me chuckle for some reason.

Man...thats just like...I dunno...blasphemy?

[randomkid]

probably the latter. don't expect full remakes from atlus anytime soon.

Definitely fine by me. Nonstop porting serves the dual purpose of giving me access to older titles I want to play and subsidizing Kaneko games the larger buying public no longer cares about. Although the wait for the upcoming Kaneko Aeana's cruelly teasing is kinda kiiiiiiilllling meee.

Man...thats just like...I dunno...blasphemy?

Haha I've been trying hard to just roll my eyes at it but the fact that this ish is embedded in the loading screens in game now sorta fills me with murderous rage to be honest.

[Teknoman]

Definitely fine by me. Nonstop porting serves the dual purpose of giving me access to older titles I want to play and subsidizing Kaneko games the larger buying public no longer cares about. Although the wait for the upcoming Kaneko Aeana's cruelly teasing is kinda kiiiiiiilllling meee. Haha I've been trying hard to just roll my eyes at it but the fact that this ish is embedded in the loading screens in game now sorta fills me with murderous rage to be honest.

The fact that it's actually on Atlus' website like that makes it crazy.

[Augemitbutter]

Definitely fine by me. Nonstop porting serves the dual purpose of giving me access to older titles I want to play and subsidizing Kaneko games the larger buying public no longer cares about. Although the wait for the upcoming Kaneko Aeana's cruelly teasing is kinda kiiiiiiilllling meee.

a second chance for greatness, i'm fine with that as well.

[goldlion054]

Been playing Nocturne and just got done with Thor, who I thought was much harder than Matador . Now I'm just exploring the first Kalpa and sort of breezing through it, running low on SP once in a while. Like the game alot so far, but whether or not I like it better than DDS will remain to be seen until I finish the game!

[redfiend00]

Just got back to playing P3P am i going to have to max all S links to complete the compendium?

[cj_iwakura]

Definitely fine by me. Nonstop porting serves the dual purpose of giving me access to older titles I want to play and subsidizing Kaneko games the larger buying public no longer cares about. Although the wait for the upcoming Kaneko Aeana's cruelly teasing is kinda kiiiiiiilllling meee. Haha I've been trying hard to just roll my eyes at it but the fact that this ish is embedded in the loading screens in game now sorta fills me with murderous rage to be honest.

Ready to feel ill?

Most of that art was 'commissioned' from fans at Aeria's forums.

[survivor]

Gonna start playing Strange Journey finally. I got it on release week but I was always busy.

[Watanabe Kazuma]

Just got back to playing P3P am i going to have to max all S links to complete the compendium?

Yes, yes you are. Well unless you are playing a NG+ file, in which case you retain your level 10 items.

Having to refer to a guide to maximize your S-link gain does kind of kill the whole game though, think I reached around the halfway point before I got utterly bored. The fun is the spontaneity, picking the characters you connect with. To go about that in a mechanical fashion is detrimental to the overall experience, at least in my experience.

I will be so pissed if P4G decides to have some sort of Max all S-Link trophy.

[Jucksalbe]

I will be so pissed if P4G decides to have some sort of Max all S-Link trophy.

It does.

[Watanabe Kazuma]

It does.

It was so inevitable, I don't even know why I questioned it!

At least it's much more lenient in that regard, P3 was always the one that seemed more of a chore if you are deliberately going for the perfect route. Like Yukari, and her innate ability to function outside the realms of logic, reverse my S-Link will you!

[animlboogy]

I still think that kind of trophy is exactly the sort of reward that should be in it for people who bother to do that sort of thing.

I mean wasn't that what achivements were invented for? Not just a pat on the back for bothering to play through a game normally.

[MechaX]

Man, I am so on the fence whether or not to replay DDS1/2 or Nocturne. I haven't been through either of the games in literal years. But to DDS's credit, there is some.. unfinished business I have with DDS2. I never actually beat Satan, despite how I have beaten the Demi-Fiend.

[animlboogy]

I'm really sad. 50 hours in I finally hit a wall in Persona 4. It's still a miracle for me that I went that long enjoying every second of a game -- I often put down games about four hours in out of sheer boredom -- but now, just as the plot is heating up, I'm finding the dungeon crawling to be a real chore. Changing the scenery doesn't change the fact that every dungeon is kind of meaningless. I love the battles, I love the characters, I just lost the will to dungeon crawl, and even the great thing about these games, getting a break to do all the fun life sim stuff, hasn't reignited the flame for me.

I'm gonna take a break from it tonight and come back tomorrow, see if my need to save Nanako will get me over this hump.

If they made a Persona game with more varied dungeon gameplay the way the life sim part has so many branching relationships and paths... More roguelike stuff, with an SMT twist, maybe? I think a big part of my malaise is how plain the gameplay gets in the dungeons compared to how vibrant the rest of the game (battles included) is.

[Trojita]

It's too bad the ports of Shin Megami Tensei 1 and 2 never got translated.

[cj_iwakura]

It's too bad the ports of Shin Megami Tensei 1 and 2 never got translated.

We have wonderful fan translations. That'll have to do.

Also:

Famitsu has new screenshots: For people that care: Spooky is voiced by Kazuya Nakai and Six is voiced by Daisuke Ono.

[cj_iwakura]

Eternal Punishment PSP OP:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsyx1uGjIGQ

Compare to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNazoPO-3-w

Not quite perfect, but DAMN close.

[SoulFist]

So, I had the identity of the killer in P4 spoiled for me, and it's kinda made me want to hold off on playing. Is it really THAT big of a deal? Is there more to the story than that? I appreciate any answers you guys can give.

[charlequin]

We have wonderful fan translations.

Not of the ports we don't.

[cj_iwakura]

I prefer the originals, to be honest. The music is better, too.

So, I had the identity of the killer in P4 spoiled for me, and it's kinda made me want to hold off on playing. Is it really THAT big of a deal? Is there more to the story than that? I appreciate any answers you guys can give.

Yes. There's more to it. Lots more. Don't let that ruin it.

[Watanabe Kazuma]

So, I had the identity of the killer in P4 spoiled for me, and it's kinda made me want to hold off on playing. Is it really THAT big of a deal? Is there more to the story than that? I appreciate any answers you guys can give.

I would recommend that if you're invested enough at this point, that you should just carry on playing. Yes, a little bit of the shock will be lost, but it's definitely something that is more than it appears.

I experienced the same thing, but tried to convince myself otherwise, and come the reveal, I wouldn't say I felt like the experience had been tainted. So no, I wouldn't consider it that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. It's pretty much a rule of thumb for me now that I don't discuss a game until I've finished it for myself, but the internet is horrible for stuff like this; I mean, the P4 reveal was spoilt for me via someone's avatar!

Out of interest, how far into the story are you?

[SoulFist]

I haven't started it yet.:P I'm still working my way through FES, and I'm really excited to start 4. I was spoiled via the thread about the persona fighting game. Spoilers definitely suck. I already have the PS2 version, but I'm debating on whether or not to get the Vita version when it comes out.

[7threst]

I haven't kept up with this thread at all (I constantly forget there is a community section here, hehe), but I was wondering, did people here play Majin Tensei I or II? How are these games? Wikipedia says they are tactical RPG's, so are the Devil Summoner games kind of the spiritual succesors to these games or are they very different? If so, what are the odds this spin-off serie will ever continue?

[TurnipFritters]

I haven't kept up with this thread at all (I constantly forget there is a community section here, hehe), but I was wondering, did people here play Majin Tensei I or II? How are these games? Wikipedia says they are tactical RPG's, so are the Devil Summoner games kind of the spiritual succesors to these games or are they very different? If so, what are the odds this spin-off serie will ever continue?

Majin Tensei are basically early Fire Emblem by way of Megami Tensei. There's something similar to a Weapon Triangle (except it's by race), and perma-death. The games aren't that great.

Devil Survivor (Devil Summoner is a different series altogether) is really different, but you'd probably enjoy playing them anyway since they're honestly better games than Majin Tensei.

[7threst]

Ok, well, it maybe sounds weird, but I'm hooked to the soundtrack of Spiral Nemesis, so that got me interested. And I also love Fire Emblem so yeah, I'm really interested in these games. I like Devil Survivor but tbh, I like it the least of all Megaten spin-offs (although they are still fun!)

[animlboogy]

So I, uh, sorta finished P4 50 hours in. Sorta. I got the bad ending, because I wanted to see the result of a dialogue choice. Wow. Pretty crazy the game lets you do that. So completely despairing.

Now I'm torn. Do I wait for Golden to see the "real" ending since I'm getting that day one no matter what? Or should I just go through it now in case that game changes things up?

HELP GAF

[Watanabe Kazuma]

So I, uh, sorta finished P4 50 hours in. Sorta. I got the bad ending, because I wanted to see the result of a dialogue choice. Wow. Pretty crazy the game lets you do that. So completely despairing. HELP GAF

I don't think I have the heart to ever carry out the bad ending, even watching it online is bad enough. Damn you character investment!

Obviously it's all relative to your gaming habits, but I'd say playing around the quarter of the game again (assuming its from a certain decision) before moving onto the Golden sounds like a ridiculous time commitment.

[randomkid]

So yeah just throwing a question out to the three or four old-schoolers who actively post here, what do you think is the best Megaten era?

Here's a way to help you out:

PS2 era:
Devil Children: Book of Light (GBA)
Shin Megami Tensei Nine (Xbox)
Devil Children: Puzzle de Call! (GBA)
Devil Children: Book of Fire (GBA)
Shin Megami Tensei III (PS2)
Digital Devil Saga (PS2)
Devil Children: Messiah Riser (GBA)
Digital Devil Saga 2 (PS2)
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army (PS2)
Persona 3 (PS2)
Persona 4 (PS2)
Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon (PS2)
Shin Megami Tensei Online: Imagine (Windows PC)

PSX era
Jack Bros. (VB)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner (Saturn)
Persona (PS1)
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (Saturn)
Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Mokushiroku (PC98)
Majin Tensei: Ronde (Saturn)
Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PS1)
Last Bible II (GBC)
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PS1)
Devil Children: Red Book (GBC)
Devil Children: Card Summoner (GBC)

Super Famicom era
Shin Megami Tensei (SF)
Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible (GB)
Last Bible II (GB)
Majin Tensei (SF)
Shin Megami Tensei II (SF)
Shin Megami Tensei If… (SF)
Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible (Game Gear)
Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis (SF)
Another Bible (GB)
Last Bible III (SF)
Last Bible Special (Game Gear)

I think every can agree that current-gen's 4 games and Famicom era's 2/3 games don't belong in the conversation. Most people will just go with the murderer's row on the PS2 I think cuz that's the most accessible but I'm curious what those who've played the older stuff think, I'm really impressed with the breadth and variety of all three. But mainly I'm just listening to Revelations: Persona's OST again and wallowing in sweet sweet nostalgia.

[cj_iwakura]

Pound for pound, I'd reluctantly say PS2 era. Raidou, Nocturne, DDS, Persona 3, consistently amazing stuff. The earlier eras had their gems, but their bad stuff too. PS2 is near perfection.