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[nynt9]

Beware!

List threads are only ok if the replies aren't lists.

People can edit their posts above to include reasons for each game as to why you've placed it where it is ("it's the best one" doesn't count, go in to what aspects you enjoyed, and how it compared against others - in what ways was it better or worse), or it will be deleted in around an hour.

What the title says.

For reference, the list of games (some Japan-only):

Original series
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei (Famicom)
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II (Famicom)

SMT mainline
Shin Megami Tensei (originally Super Famicom, a ton of ports, most recently iOS/Android)
Shin Megami Tensei II (same)
Shin Megami Tensei if... (same, but less platforms)
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (PS2/PSN on PS3)
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (DS)
Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS)

Devil Summoner series
Devil Summoner (Saturn/PSP)
Soul Hackers (Saturn/PS1/3DS)
Raidou Kuzunoha vs The Soulless Army (PS2/PSN on PS3)
Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon (PS2/PSN on PS3)

Persona
Revelations: Persona (PS1/Windows/PSP)
Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PS1/PSP)
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PS1)
Persona 3 (PS2)
Persona 3 FES (PS2/PSN on PS3)
Persona 3 Portable (PSP)
Persona 4 (PS2/PSN on PS3)
Persona 4 Golden (PSVita)

Persona 4 cash cow extravaganza
Persona 4 Arena (PS3/X360)
more coming soon (ultimax, dancing all night, Q)

Other
Digital Devil Saga (PS2/PSN on PS3)
Digital Devil Saga 2 (PS2/PSN on PS3)
Devil Survivor (DS/Overclocked on 3DS)
Devil Survivor 2(DS/Break Record on 3DS)

Random WTF spinoffs
Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible (GB)
Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible II (GBC)
Last Bible III (SFC)
Another Bible (GB)
Last Bible Special (Game Gear)
Majin Tensei (SFC/Win)
Jack Bros (Virtual Boy (lol))
SMT: Devil Children (GBC/PS1)
SMT: NINE (Xbox)
SMT: Online Imagine (Win)

Coming Soon
Persona 5

Coming Never
Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem

--------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, that was something. Now that I typed that out, here's my list from the ones I've played:

1- SMT: Nocturne
2- SMTIV
3- P3FES
4- Soul Hackers
5- P4G
6- P2 IS/EP
7- Devil Survivor OC
8- Persona 1

Next to play on my list: Digital Devil Saga series

Nocturne just has the perfect combo of everything for me. Atmosphere, combat, intrigue. The Press Turn system is amazing. The visuals are very clean yet ominous, for lack of a better word.

Same with IV except the atmosphere isn't as great. I really enjoyed SMTIV despite the limitations of the 3DS. It felt like a huge game. The OST was amazing and the art style was neat. The "twist" on the setting, even though it happened very early on, was still very intriguing and it was the reason that I kept going with the story until the end.

P3 over P4 because it's less cheerful, I guess. Shooting yourself in the head is pretty grim. The themes of P3 overall were more interesting to me. P4G is obviously a classic

Spoiler

Marie is best waifu

in all aspects, be it music, characters, dialogue, or atmosphere. It's just that P3 clicked more with me.

Soul Hackers is great for the oldschool GITS style scifi vibe it has. It's kind of dated, but still great. No Press Turn makes me sad though. Still definitely worth playing, just not so much as others.

The rest is just games I kinda enjoyed but not so much. P2 is cool visually and thematically, but its age kinda holds it back. P1 is very slow. DSO is a neat little SRPG, but I felt it was weak compared to others in its genre.

 

[Zero2kz]

Mine would probably be:

1. Persona 3 FES
2. P4G
3. SMT Nocturne
4. SMTIV
5. Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon
6. Persona 2: Innocent Sin

These are unfortunately the only ones that I played, its disappointing. I need to play more.

Edit: Adding some reasoning behind my list per the post by Minsc below.

My ranking is essentially based on the amount of times I replayed the games, or the amount of time I spent playing them. It was a hard choice between P3 FES and P4G for the top spot, but I think I gave it to P3 FES simply due to it being the first SMT game I had ever played. So nostalgia Is a big factor in that.

I think I actually prefer the setting/environments of the Raidou games and SMTIV over the rest of the SMT games on the list, but I think P3 and P4 was better in most of the other aspects, especially the battle systems.

 

[nynt9]

Mine would probably be:

1. Persona 3 FES
2. P4G
3. SMT Nocturne
4. Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon
5. Persona 2: Innocent Sin

These are unfortunately the only ones that I played, its disappointing. I need to play more.

How are the Raidou games? I hear mixed things about them.

 

[Zero2kz]

How are the Raidou games? I hear mixed things about them.

I recall enjoying it. It was the second SMT game I had ever played, P3 FES being the first. I think I prefer the turn based combat in P3 and P4 over the real time action rpg combat in the Raidou games.

But I remember actually enjoying the setting and environments of the Raidou games over the teen/high school setting of P3 and P4. Its been awhile since I played it, I might jump back in and see if it holds up.

(Also I forgot about SMTIV, threw that up in my list)

 

[fwpx]

I keep hearing that Nocturne is really good. I've only played P4G to completion. P3P didn't grab me.

I own Soul Hackers but haven't even put it in my 3ds yet. Which should I try first, and what is Nocturne available on?

 

[nynt9]

I keep hearing that Nocturne is really good. I've only played P4G to completion. P3P didn't grab me.

I own Soul Hackers but haven't even put it in my 3ds yet. Which should I try first, and what is Nocturne available on?

It's not like I didn't exhaustively list each platform every game is available on in the OP

Soul Hackers is a bit hardcore and oldschool. Nocturne has the amazing Press Turn system and great atmosphere, so I'd go with that.

 

[Jb]

Has anyone here actually played and finished every SMT game? I was thinking of making it a long term gaming goal of mine.

 

[Sakura]

Of the ones I've played (played PS1 and PS2 but didn't play enough to rank them)
1. Persona 4　- My favourite Atlus game. Has the best story and characters out of any of their games.
2. Devil Survivor - I really liked the setting. Trapped in a locked down Tokyo. Trying to find a way to escape. Multiple routes too and numerous waifus.
3. Strange Journey - I liked the atmosphere and setting of the game. The cool suits. Was just a little too light on the story though.
4. SMTIV - I was pretty excited for this game before it came out, but ultimately it was kind of disappointing. The characters are super two dimensional and shallow. There is no depth to them or the story really. The music was great though, and I thought the visuals were alright too.
5. Devil Survivor 2 - Was pretty disappointing after the first one. It just fails to capture the feel of the first game. I liked the first game because there was a mystery kind of to it, and sort of an oppressive atmosphere, being trapped and people starting to lose it. The second game doesn't have that.
6. Persona 3 - Hmm I don't really like this game much. I've said before in other threads, but I hate the protagonist and most of the characters, the plot is uninteresting and not captivating, the dungeon is garbage, the pacing real bad, and the gameplay rather poor too.
7. Persona 4 Ultimate - Game goes a little too far for me. Seems to place a higher emphasis on fanservice than trying to tell a good story. Doesn't help that I don't like fighters either.

 

[Zero2kz]

Has anyone here actually played and finished every SMT game? I was thinking of making it a long term gaming goal of mine.

If the list the OP listed contains every SMT game ever released, I would imagine someone has.

For some reason, I thought the list would have been much larger. If you take out the different versions of each game, it is a relatively small list. Granted most of them will take a long time to complete.

 

[ForteanMan]

I guess I'd go with:

1) Persona 4 Golden probably the reason that this one takes the top slot is because the cast was so endearing to me. Sure it was a bit Scooby-Doo/Mystery Inc, but there was something fun and heart-warming watching Teddie grasp basic concepts, or having Chie and Yosuke arguing and bickering all the time.

2) SMT IV seemed to capture everything that SMT represents in my mind; post-apocalyptic setting? Check. Demons run amok throughout civilization? Check. God is a dick? Check. And to top it off, the whole thing was on a handheld so I could play it anywhere.

3) Devil Survivor Over Clocked was one of the first games I purchased for my 3DS. Though I bought a 3DS on launch day in the US, I didn't get a game for quite some time. So when I got around to being able to purchase one I knew I wanted an RPG. I had no familiarity with the SMT series at this point but read good things about this title, and it didn't hurt that it was an SRPG which is a guilty pleasure genre fore me. Over 200 hrs and 6 playthroughs later, this game completely redeemed the 3DS purchase in my mind. And it started my love affair/obsession with SMT.

4) Devil Summoner; Soul Hackers prior to the reveal that this game was being ported to the 3DS I'd never heard of it, but once I was made aware I knew I had to have it. I'm a huge dork when it comes to 90's era hacker-type movies. That era's conception of "The Net" is hilarious and awesome. Plus it's SMT what's not to like?

5) Persona 2 IS/EP (these count as like one sort of, right?) is similar to P4G in that the cast really helps me enjoy the games. To be fair I've only beaten the PSP version of P2 IS. I just couldn't seem to finish the PlayStation 1 version of EP. Still, what I played of it I've enjoyed.


The next SMT games I will be tackling are the two Devil Summoner games which I picked up when they were on sale recently on PSN.

 

[Makonero]

If the list the OP listed contains every SMT game ever released, I would imagine someone has.

For some reason, I thought the list would have been much larger. If you take out the different versions of each game, it is a relatively small list. Granted most of them will take a long time to complete.

There is stuff missing. I just checked Wikipedia and Last Bible, the gameboy game, has two sequels and a spinoff.

 

[fwpx]

It's not like I didn't exhaustively list each platform every game is available on in the OP

Soul Hackers is a bit hardcore and oldschool. Nocturne has the amazing Press Turn system and great atmosphere, so I'd go with that.

I totally missed that some how

Thank you, I will try Nocturne next then!

 

[Faabulous]

Haven't played SMT4 so:

1- Nocturne
2- P4G
3- P3P
5- Strange Journey
4- Devil Survivor 2
5- Both DDS games

Nocturne takes the top for beign the one I played the most, even though the gameplay is better in Strange Journey, even considering that I still think Nocturne has the better atmosphere.

P4G and P3P I just played a whole bunch and enjoyed a lot. Same with DS2. DDS 1 and 2 have nice story but the gameplay is kind of ass, it was way too easy (granted I only did the main bits) and boring as hell, but I did enjoy the story so its there.

For me Devil Survivor 2 is better then 1 just for the Aliens. I loved the alien encounters, reminded me so much of Evangelion (sans giant robots). I still loved DS1 tho.

 

[gngf123]

I already know I disagree with most of GAF:

1, Strange Journey - Great difficulty curve (except for one point), a great battle system that unlike Press Turn is impossible to break open, and dungeons that I really enjoyed
2, Soul Hackers - Awesome atmosphere, music, and very fast combat
3, Nocturne - Atmosphere and music again, introduced Press Turn
4, Devil Survivor - The mix of SRPG and traditional RPG combat really interested me, and the story was surprisingly good.
5, Devil Devil Saga - Nice customization, Press Turn shared with Nocturne, and some of the best music from Meguro.
6, Devil Survivor 2 - See Devil Survivor, but not so much

Everything else

Persona 4
Persona 3

I really, really do not like modern Persona. Good characters are the only saving grace for what I otherwise consider 2 of the worst Atlus RPGs. When outside of a dungeon they have bad pacing issues, and when inside a dungeon you realize just how horrible the dungeons are compared to almost everything else Atlus have made. Persona 4 improved on the gameplay compared to P3, so that one goes first.

 

[nynt9]

Has anyone here actually played and finished every SMT game? I was thinking of making it a long term gaming goal of mine.

I intend to play as many as I can - some require advanced Japanese knowledge and some are dead MMORPGs.

I'm slowly getting there though.

There is stuff missing. I just checked Wikipedia and Last Bible, the gameboy game, has two sequels and a spinoff.

Ugh, fixing

 

[Apenheul]

1. SMT Lucifer's Call (Nocturne) (set the bar for the series)
2. SMT Soul Hackers (a sweet spot between dungeon crawling and story IMO)
3. Persona 3: FES (more dungeon crawling than P4)
4. SMT Strange Journey (if pure dungeon crawling and mapping is your thing then this one's probably your #1)
5. Persona 4 (enjoyable but a little easy compared to other games)

Haven't played SMT4 or the Devil Survivor games yet.

 

[kurisu1974]

I wish they released Persona 1 & 2 on PSN some day, so that I don't have to connect my old consoles when I want to play it. I guess I could get the PSP versions but I prefer big screen gaming.

 

[Minsc]

List threads are only ok if the replies aren't lists.

People can edit their posts above to include reasons for each game as to why you've placed it where it is ("it's the best one" doesn't count, go in to what aspects you enjoyed, and how it compared against others - in what ways was it better or worse), or it will be deleted in around an hour.

 

[nynt9]

I wish they released Persona 1 & 2 on PSN some day, so that I don't have to connect my old consoles when I want to play it. I guess I could get the PSP versions but I prefer big screen gaming.

P2: Eternal Punishment is available as a PS1 classic on PSN

List threads are only ok if the replies aren't lists.

People can edit their posts above to include reasons for each game as to why you've placed it where it is ("it's the best one" doesn't count, go in to what aspects you enjoyed, and how it compared against others - in what ways was it better or worse), or it will be deleted in around an hour.

Will update OP to reflect this.

Edit: is it better now? Maybe you can update the thread title to tell people to give reasons?

Edit 2: yay, people went back and edited reasons into their posts, thanks all!

I really, really do not like modern Persona. Good characters are the only saving grace for what I otherwise consider 2 of the worst Atlus RPGs. When outside of a dungeon they have bad pacing issues, and when inside a dungeon you realize just how horrible the dungeons are compared to almost everything else Atlus have made. Persona 4 improved on the gameplay compared to P3, so that one goes first.

I agree that the dungeons are pretty awful, but the rest of the games make up for it, I'd say. Though I'd probably enjoy the games more if there was almost 0 dungeon crawling.

2) SMT IV seemed to capture everything that SMT represents in my mind; post-apocalyptic setting? Check. Demons run amok throughout civilization? Check. God is a dick? Check. And to top it off, the whole thing was on a handheld so I could play it anywhere.

Exact same reasons why it's so high on my list

 

[igor]

1. Nocturne (although I haven't finished the game yet)
2. Persona 4
3. Digital Devil Saga (almost finished first)
4. Raidou Kuzunoha 1 (Meiji/Taishou period setting is fantastic)
5. Persona 2 (from what I've played)
6. Persona 3 FES
6. Strange Journey (can't decide between the two)

And I played other entries but I don't know how would I rate them against these...

I love the setting of the games and the demons/deities but sadly I never had time to finish off some of them. I really wanted to get Dante in Nocturne and Amala really slowed my progress down. Digital Devil Saga gets super hard towards the end (though I think now that I got Devour things go more smoothly) and the second one is still waiting to be inserted into PS2... and I heard it's better than the first. My biggest problem with the series is that some of them really should be on a handheld. Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga on Vita should happen.


God... I recently thought of getting a tattoo with Gale's Atma.

 

[KLonso]

I wonder if there's anyone who's actually played all the game in the franchise. That would be quite a feat.

 

[nynt9]

1. Nocturne (although I haven't finished the game yet)
2. Persona 4
3. Digital Devil Saga (almost finished first)
4. Raidou Kuzunoha 1 (Meiji/Taishou period setting is fantastic)
5. Persona 2 (from what I've played)
6. Persona 3 FES
6. Strange Journey (can't decide between the two)

And I played other entries but I don't know how would I rate them against these...

I love the setting of the games and the demons/deities but sadly I never had time to finish off some of them. I really wanted to get Dante in Nocturne and Amala really slowed my progress down. Digital Devil Saga gets super hard towards the end (though I think now that I got Devour things go more smoothly) and the second one is still waiting to be inserted into PS2... and I heard it's better than the first. My biggest problem with the series is that some of them really should be on a handheld. Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga on Vita should happen.


God... I recently thought of getting a tattoo with Gale's Atma.

Keep at it! I think it's always fun to RTTP with these games, and since the combat systems are mostly similar you never feel alienated. Nocturne or DDS on Vita would be amazing

I wonder if there's anyone who's actually played all the game in the franchise. That would be quite a feat.

Maybe someone in Japan has done it. Actually, I'd wager that there are some superfans out there who have played every game.

 

[djtiesto]

Out of the ones I've played:

1. Digital Devil Saga 2 - the first DDS was great, but much simpler in terms of storyline with more frustrating dungeons... the second one is where the major plot twist at the end of the first game becomes fully realized, and the story grips you and doesn't let go. The music is Meguro at his best.

2. Persona 3 FES - I preferred this to 4 due to its slightly darker theme and harder difficulty level (you had to restart from the last checkpoint instead of from the last floor upon exiting Tartarus). Music was also a bit more enjoyable to me than 4 especially the battle theme "baby baby baby baby baby!". But I didn't like how the PS2 version (the one that I played) had AI party members... damn Marin Karin!

3. Persona 4 - The populist favorite, but I thought the game tended to drag on a bit... the slice of life stuff and the murder mystery plot didn't appeal to me as much as the supernatural elements the rest of the series has, and some of the dialogue sections tended to meander, i.e. when characters were just shooting the shit and all. Also, the game was a lot easier than the other games, with the exception of a few bosses.

4. Soul Hackers - I'm such a sucker for 90's cyberpunk, and this game has it in spades! The interface is a tad dated compared to to the latter-day SMT games I've played, but the music is still great and demon negotiation is always fun. The magnetite system was kinda lame, though... I found that I could get through most of the game with just the hero and Nemissa, and one demon... then pull out a bunch of other demons for the boss. Since magnetite drains very fast, especially for stronger monsters. Unfortunately, by only using one or two demons at a time, I didn't really get to experiment a lot with my party setup and skills.

5. Digital Devil Saga 1 - The first SMT I ever played, so I found it a bit more difficult and frustrating than the rest of the series, since I wasn't used to the difficulty. Still, the music is wonderful and some of my favorite PS2-gen game music.

 

[Faabulous]

Oh yeah, love some Meguro, but god those songs that were singed on both P4 and P3 were just obnoxious as hell. I don't understand how people can like those.

P3 in particular still has some awesome tracks tho, so it balances out.

 

[Evil Monkey DTT]

Strange Journey is my personal favorite. If I were a film director I would literally beg atlus to let me remake it.

My top 5 are
1.SJ
2.DDS 1-2
3.Persona 4
4.Raidou Kuzunoha 1
5.Persona 1 (I have some extra attachment as it was my first sht game)

 

[cj_iwakura]

1. Nocturne - best atmosphere, story(minimalist or not), gameplay, everything. It's the pinnacle of everything SMT was and ever will be until Okada returns.
2. Persona 2: Eternal Punishment - the culmination of P1 and IS. Adult cast, challenge to spare, great atmosphere. No Persona comes close.
3. Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers - cyberpunk, love. Chock full of occult goodness, and lots of rival summoner warfare. I adore the soundtrack as well.

Those round out my top 3, so the rest:
Digital Devil Saga, Digital Devil Saga 2, Persona 3, Persona 4, Strange Journey, Raidou 1, SMT IV, Raidou 2, Devil Survivor, Devil Survivor 2, Persona 2: Innocent Sin(hard to count separate from EP to be fair), SMT1, P1, DemiKids: Dark Version, SMT If, Imagine, SMT2, Devil Summoner.

 

[randomkid]

Maybe someone in Japan has done it. Actually, I'd wager that there are some superfans out there who have played every game.

I'd wager there's someone on this very site urrybody's forgetting about who's done it!

As for me, I'm making my own rankings right now and this is rough as shit, no way I'm gonna be able to have a numbered list so I'm gonna go with tiers.

 

[Akselziys]

It's too hard for me to just pick specific games, so gunna break it down by series, then games

1. The Original Persona Trilogy
One of my favorite series/trilogies ever. The pairing of Kazuma Kaneko and Cozy Okada along with Tadashi Satomi is just love. My ranking here would be:

1. Persona 2 Eternal Punishment - One of my favorite games and casts ever.
2. Persona 2 Innocent Sin - Amazing game and very close with EP for me.
3. Persona 1 Be Your True Mind - Game that started it all. Such creepy and cool
themes and style. Love it.

2. Shin Megami Tensei 1-3
You can't not love the mainline games, especially the first three! My ranking is:

1. Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne Maniacs - Top tier game with just amazing style.
2. Shin Megami Tensei 2 - Such an epic story that ups the ante of SMT 1.
3. Shin Megami Tensei 1 - Really an epic foray into the MegaTen universe.

3. Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha 1-2
The setting, Raidou, the origins of the devil summoners, Raidou, need I say more?
My ranking is:

1. Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha 2 Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abaddon
Makes the battle system of the first game pale in comparison and the inclusion of
"him".
2. Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha 1 Raidou Kuzunoha vs the Soulless Army
Brought the Devil Summoner series to the "next gen" for the first time and was
classy as heck.
3. There's also the drama CD, Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha vs the One-Eyed God
and the novel Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha vs the Messenger of the Dead, which
has art in it by Kazuma Kaneko and also introduces

Spoiler

Kyouji Kuzunoha I, and the book
has an amazing piece of Kaneko key art of Raidou Kuzunoha XIV vs Kyouji Kuzunoha I *_*

4. Digital Devil Saga 1-2
Really amazing set of story driven games with Kaneko's art equals perfection.
My ranking is:

1. Digital Devil Saga 2 - The epic conclusion to the story which is pretty epic!
2. Digital Devil Saga 1 - Fun futuristic premise and great characters to boot!

5. Devil Summoner 1-2
The beginning of the Devil Summoner series, and who doesn't love cyber punk?
My ranking is:

1. Devil Summoner 2 Soul Hackers - Fun story and cast of characters in a cyber
punk world.
2. Devil Summoner 1 - The introduction of Devil Summoner as well as Kyouji
Kuzunoha!


Very hard to decide since it's like Sophie's Choice, but the Megami Tensei games really are one of a kind

 

[hoggert]

1. Nocturne: Amazingly minimalist story, fantastic characters, no Law/Chaos struggle, blah, blah blah.
2. Persona 2 Innocent Sin: Power Rangers vs. Cthulhu Mythos a go go. Too bad the combat leaves a little to be desired.
3. Raidou 1: Cats in

Spoiler

space.

Giant robots.

Spoiler

Time Travel.

Flappers. Weird bullet hell penis faced bosses. Doesn't take itself seriously > typical SMT Lucifer wanking.
4. Avatar Tuner 1: Shitty

Spoiler

cliff hanger

ending, but man. Music, characters, leveling system, combat, story, designs. Wow. Wish they had kept the Hindu mythology design for all the demons and not just the story important ones, but such is life.
5. Soul Hackers: I hate managing MAG but 90s cyberpunk meets mysticism a-hoy.

Edit: Completely forgot about Strange Journey. All hail Gaga. The lingering dread that permeates this game even at the title makes me moist. A classic. I usually breeze through SMT games once I get the rhythm down but this game, man. So great.

 

[HK-47]

1. III
2. Devil Survivor
3. DDS 1+2
4. Persona 2 IS + EP
5. Persona 4

I havent played Raidou or Soul Hackers or IV so that might change my top. Which Raidou is the best one?

 

[cj_iwakura]

4. Avatar Tuner 1: Shitty

Spoiler

cliff hanger

ending, but man. Music, characters, leveling system, combat, story, designs. Wow. Wish they had kept the Hindu mythology design for all the demons and not just the story important ones, but such is life.

I'm looking forward to the novel, I understand it changes things up quite a bit.

And funny you should say that about what Raidou 1 lacks, given what Raidou 2 added.

 

[hoggert]

I'm looking forward to the novel, I understand it changes things up quite a bit.

And funny you should say that about what Raidou 1 lacks, given what Raidou 2 added.

I loved the changes in Raidou 2! Especially the combat. They managed to salvage the first games combat! How? I would've thrown it out the window and put in a lazy press-turn variation. The story just wasn't my cup of tea, to be honest. Although I loved the variety of choices you had and the scale the events changed to reflect your choices. Apparently Tae is my waifu?

 

[cj_iwakura]

I loved the changes in Raidou 2! Especially the combat. They managed to salvage the first games combat! How? I would've thrown it out the window and put in a lazy press-turn variation. The story just wasn't my cup of tea, to be honest. Although I loved the variety of choices you had and the scale the events changed to reflect your choices. Apparently Tae is my waifu?

I meant the fact that it added

Spoiler

Lucifer, but boy was he wasted.

 

[hoggert]

I meant the fact that it added

Spoiler

Lucifer, but boy was he wasted.

My bad.

Spoiler

I actually liked some aspects of his portrayal in 2. Especially how his motives weren't as cut and dry as in say, SJ or SMTII. Christ, I just realized I didn't include Devil Survivor 1 in my list. I just didn't enjoy the Law/Chaos stuff showing up in Raidou 2, no matter how well written they were. Just felt out of place (to me) considering how whimsical and goofy so much of 1 was, even when it got serious with the army stuff 3/4's of the way through.

 

[Shogun1337]

Rend. Slaughter. Devour your enemies! There is no other way to survive... you cannot escape your hunger, warriors of Purgatory ~

Digital Devil Saga 1... was one of the most depressing games/anime/movies/whatever that I have ever experienced. I think it's the darkest SMT game by far. Basically, something happens that infects people and gives them the ability to turn into monsters (devil's). And they got an appetite for human flesh, in a pretty post-apocalyptic world. The main characters struggle with their monster side a lot.

If you haven't experienced Digital Devil Saga, I don't know what to tell you (my number one). That's about all I can say. DDS1 and 2 are Shoji Meguro's best work.

I've been listening to the soundtrack for what seems like a decade now? And I still get goosebumps listening to tracks like Hari Hara: The Second Movement, and The Sun (Seriously, listen to The Sun).

Or, if you like a jumbled clusterfuck of insanity in your Meguro music, listen to Madness

 

[DancinSwayze]

 

[cj_iwakura]

My bad.

Spoiler

I actually liked some aspects of his portrayal in 2. Especially how his motives weren't as cut and dry as in say, SJ or SMTII. Christ, I just realized I didn't include Devil Survivor 1 in my list. I just didn't enjoy the Law/Chaos stuff showing up in Raidou 2, no matter how well written they were. Just felt out of place (to me) considering how whimsical and goofy so much of 1 was, even when it got serious with the army stuff 3/4's of the way through.

Spoiler

I loved his design. Possibly the best one. But he was just kind of there. Spark this and spark that. Do something! Slacker.

 

[hoggert]

Spoiler

I loved his design. Possibly the best one. But he was just kind of there. Spark this and spark that. Do something! Slacker.

Dude, man, why you gotta be so heavy. He's just like doing his thing. Stoking the embers to inspire you on to

Spoiler

spark it up and kill a giant Akane lol.

I thought it was awesome that he was just there. Made it so much more sinister once you the extent of his involvement

Spoiler

in creating that little spark that caused all that shit.

So glad I doubled dipped on the PSN sale last week.

 

[TetraGenesis]

Persona 4 Golden is one of my all time favs for obvious reasons so that's #1 and Persona 3 was pretty good even though I only played it a handful of hours but I have to place it at #2 because I love the character designs and I haven't played any other SMT title. Especially any non-Persona ones. :/

I feel bad about it because Nocture always looked incredible and I have a feeling I would have loved it, but I'm likely never gonna go back and play it. But out of pure intrigue I'd probably place it number 3 on my list. Then maybe Persona 2 or something because, even though I've never played it, the art style is compelling (dark and creepy like the mainline SMTs). After that probably Digital Devil Saga because I like the box art and the title intrigues me.

What a great list. I really nailed it.

 

[hoggert]

Digital Devil Saga 1... was one of the most depressing games/anime/movies/whatever that I have ever experienced. I think it's the darkest SMT game by far. Basically, something happens that infects people and gives them the ability to turn into monsters (devil's). And they got an appetite for human flesh, in a pretty post-apocalyptic world. The main characters struggle with their monster side a lot.

I have heard this song an uncountable amount of times grinding Arabhakis and I'm still not sick of it.

 

[randomkid]

All right here we go, ranking my favorite videogame franchise, quantifying my feelings towards a series of games that feel like they were specifically lovingly designed personally for me, time to alienate everyone, let's do this.

Stealing this nice format I saw someone else use in a previous thread. Here is my ludicrous scale:

★★★★★ C.L.A.S.S.I.C.S.
★★★★☆ Excellent games that I love dearly, even the one you think doesn't belong!!!
★★★☆☆ Good games, very enjoyable.
★★☆☆☆ Problems, still p. good though.
★☆☆☆☆ Not good.

the rankings~

★★★★★
Shin Megami Tensei 3 (I've had an essay brewing in me on the atmosphere and mechanics in this, one day I will actually write it instead of daydreaming, this game is unparalleled)
Revelations: Persona (This is the long brewing essay in me that I actually did write out, read my lengthy defense of the game and please partake in a #safespace free from the #haterz)

★★★★☆
Shin Megami Tensei (the dead OT of the game hints at why I fell in love with this)
Shin Megami Tensei 4 (something I wrote about my favorite moment in the game I'm linking this comment not cuz I'm a narcissist it's so you can avoid the other random nonsense that was in my GOTY vote)
Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (this one I just beat in January so I need to let things sit but here's where it goes for now)
Persona 3
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army (Raidou you are the best protagonist in the entire franchise)
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (pretty stupid to rank this right now since I'm right in the middle of it but whatever, barring a catastrophe this is where it's gonna end up)
Digital Devil Saga
Digital Devil Saga 2

★★★☆☆
Shin Megami Tensei 2
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

★★☆☆☆
Persona 4 (enjoyable)

★☆☆☆☆
Shin Megami Tensei Online: Imagine (even Kaneko can't make me like an MMO)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (don't really wanna get into it)

And that's that, jeez that was hard. Time and replays will lead to things shifting but this is where I'm at right now. The only other games I've played are SMT: IF and Devil Children on Japanese PSN. No one's reading this livejournalish compilation but it made me happy collecting everything together. As long as this franchise exists in some form videogames are okay. The end.

 

[Chance Hale]

Probably my second favorite franchise behind Metal Gear Solid. Incredible diversity and consistent quality.

Hoping to finish Devil Survivor one of these days. Got the 3DS version when it came out but for whatever reason I find it really difficult and the seemingly endless amount of time it takes for every enemy to take 20 actions every turn just made playing it a bit of a grind. Setting is interesting and it seems like it was on the cusp of grabbing me, although I did get about 20 hours in. Is that 3DS remake of 2 coming out still?

 

[Shogun1337]

I have heard this song an uncountable amount of times grinding Arabhakis and I'm still not sick of it.

It's a classic as far as I'm concerned. I prefer this one though (wait for the drop around 1:25). Goddd that fucking guitar (and bass), is there any other SMT that Meguro goes so over the top so frequently with the guitar?

 

[Aiustis]

1) Nocturne
2) Devil Survivor
3) SMTIV
4) Persona 2
5) Soul Hackers

I thought Strange Journey was okay...not terrible but not worth finishing.

I did not like Persona 3 and 4

 

[LeafColonel]

I'm listing the games I put 20+ Hours in or beat. I played P4G/DDS/Devil Survivor 2 for less than that.

1)SMT: Nocturne:
This is by far my favorite game in the SMT series if not my favorite JRPG of all time, this game deserves the word epic. Post-apocalyptic Pokemon on steroids. Phenomenal atmosphere, great battle system, and one of the most well imagined worlds out there, the plot is light, but what's there is fantastic. The game starts with a bang and keeps it up. The cell-shaded graphical are stylish and beautiful and will stand up to time. I did not know about him being in the game, but when I saw

Spoiler

Dante jumping off the tower, my panties dropped

. The game establishes a fantastic mythology too. I even got that ending on my first playthrough(Massive Spoilers)

Spoiler

The dud demon ending, it was one of the most profound endings I've ever had in a videogame and meant so much to me, you were warned time and time again about your choices and the paths you choose, and that one chat you have determines whether you are destined to create a new world, or simply denied to be below it. This ending locks you out of Amala, and denies you the fight with the final boss in the main dungeon. I was dissapointed at first but it left such a strong impression of the game atmosphere to me and is the reason I look upon the game so fondly.

Pros: Great Battle System. Collecting demons and fusion is really fun. Best atmosphere in any JRPG. Great plot. Customization is really fun but is unoptimal for the hardest ending. Great music. Challenging especially the first time through, you never know what you're facing next and many fights are difficult. The world the game attempts at building, it achieves perfectly. Choices matter in this game, from the plot choices to the customization of the main character to even the dungeons you choose to enter.

Cons: Some of the later dungeon designs are borderline masochistic, I remember being lost in a dungeon for 45 minutes only to get ambushed by Throne or some other high level demon and get OHKO'd by a holy or death spell 2 minutes away from a save point.

2)SMT: Devil Survivor:
My first SMT game, what a great introduction to the series. I was hooked by the intro alone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALaqP8UIX34 (edit: Dissapointed to see the video in the uninspired dub, but can't find the original.)
And what a game it was, really intense plot with one the best strategy RPG systems I've played. Fire Emblem crossed with Pokemon crossed with a traditional JRPG system. Enjoyed the choices you can make, and I felt it executed the "Make your choices" in a limited time format far better than Persona 3 with a lot less padded content and a more concise package. Loved it.

Pros:Huge replay value with multiple endings and a large variety of choices that actually mean something(characters die, endings get locked out), demons and skills become unlocked in future saves. Really amazing SRPG battle system mixed with a standard RPG system, customization allows for so much strategy. The plot is great and intense.

Cons: The characters are dreadful and filled with anime cliches, Yuzu and Midori are two of the most annoying characters in any video game.

3)SMT:Strange Journey
Note, I did not beat this game and I'm unsure of why I stopped. But from what I played it was a very solid watered down version of Nocturne.

Pros: What I played of it was a solid and challenging JRPG experience. It's a solid portable SMT game. Decent plot and great music.

Cons: Did not like the demon alliance system with law/chaos/neutral. The main character was not as customizable as the other SMT games which was not as fun.

4)Persona 3 Portable
This game was such a massive disappointment to me. The Persona series was hyped up as one of the greatest jrpgs of all time and is really popular among fans, but coming to the series after playing Nocturne and Devil Survivor I couldn't help feeling massively dissapointed and feeling bored as hell by the midgame, I put in 100+ hours into the game but did not enjoy it, tartarus is horrible, and I did not enjoy the generic high school sim part. It definitely had a bad aftertaste and I'm not sure if I want to touch Persona 4 Golden after the disappointment.


Pros: Great ending, decent but slow plot. Some characters are cool, Aigis, Akihiko, Junpei, Mitsuru. Fairly sandbox as far as JRPG time management goes with the limited timeline.

Cons: Massively drawn out and filled with tons of filler. The game could have cut down on 30-40 hours of content. The pace moves as slow as molasses. Customization is limited as you don't really have full control over your party as other SMT games. The battle system is horrible in comparison to the other SMT games and made worse by tartarus being a boring as shit and randomly generated slog fest, shadows are so terribly lame when they have the entire SMT universe to build on. BABY BABY BABYAAAA drives you crazy after 60+ hours of gameplay(same goes with most of the other pieces in this game). The high school sim part is really dull and the conversations are fairly generic. Not much replay value ending wise unless you want to play a female, although I don't know why you want to go through that slogfest again.

Edit: The biggest letdown of the Persona series to me is that the world revolves around high school teenagers doing their thing rather than Demons. Nocturne and Devil Survivor have teenagers as main characters, but the main driving point of the plot are the badass angels and demons you face through the story. I mean how cool is it to face motherfucking Thor, fighting all these badass mythological gods and slaying down archangels. The persona series simply ignores this and has boring as shit copy pasted uninspired monsters as your opponent. I forgot about this before my edit, but fighting boring shadows instead of gods and legends is a major step down and most of the people who rate the Persona series so highly probably started with them as an introduction.

 

[randomkid]

2. Devil Summoner 1 - The introduction of Devil Summoner as well as Kyouji
Kuzunoha!

Very hard to decide since it's like Sophie's Choice, but the Megami Tensei games really are one of a kind

Yup.

Also, I really need for the fan translations for this, Megami Tensei: Old Testament, and If to hurry up and be finished. I think when I hit those three (four) I can say I've covered all the essentials and then move on to the weirder stuff.

 

[buddha0991]

Best Games:

1.Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne

My favorite RPG of all time, no stop. This revolutionary JRPG has atmosphere like no other.

2.Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

One of my favorite stories in all of gaming, it surpasses the ok gameplay to leave such an impact on me. Maya is one of my favorite characters in anything.

3.Shin Megami Tensei IV

This feels like a true Nocturne sequel. While flawed, it is a blast. SJ was fine, but limited, this feels like the true SMTIV, which it is!

4.Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers

Awesome retro cyberpunk feel + Best of the classic pre PS2 Megaten gameplay = one hell of a game, not higher due to being a tad short.

5.Persona 4

This is Persona 3: The Journey done right imo. This game is a return to form to me after P3, though I grew to like P3 after a while.


Most Disappointing Games (Not Worst)

1.Devil Survivor 2

Devil Survivor 1 was so good and a nice tribute to SMT1. DeSu2 feels uninspired, way too samey, and is just a NGE ripoff.

2.Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha V.S. Soulless Army

The atmosphere and setting are so great, but the gameplay is cumbersome and the limitations are rather crippling. Raidou 2 truely lived up to this one's promise!

3.Shin Megami Tensei Imagine

A Megaten MMO? This will be awesome! WALKING SIMULATOR. BAD COMBAT! There were redeeming things, but this should have been way better.

4.Persona 2 Innocent Sin Portable (Not P2IS PS1)

I love P2IS, its not as good as P2EP, but its still good. The PSP version is a port that basically makes the game even more unbalanced and slow than the old version. IMO, a disappointing, bad port after the mostly improved P1P and preceded by the amazing P2EPP which we never got.

5.Persona 3 Portable (Not P3FES)

I can't take the changes and removed stuff. Also, the new stuff is great, but...you guys will murder me...I love The Answer more than The Journey, and that is not in P3P.

 

[skLaFarebear]

1. Persona 3 Portable
2. SMT IV
3. Devil Survivor:Overclocked
4. Persona 2: IS
5. Digital Devil Saga
6. Persona 4 Golden

I can't really count Persona 4 Arena since its a fighting game and I can't compare it at all to RPGs. And I haven't played enough Nocturne to know where it should be ranked.

Persona 4 Golden was the only SMT game I didn't like. I was expecting something dark/grim/gloomy like the other SMT games, and what I got was super highschool funtime with a scooby doo murder mystery.

P3P and SMT 4 on the other hand....more RPGs in general need to be like those two games. Those games are SO good.

 

[hoggert]

B]3)SMT:Strange Journey[/B]
Note, I did not beat this game and I'm unsure of why I stopped. But from what I played it was a very solid watered down version of Nocturne.

I'm not sure how to convince you properly, but please go back and give SJ another try! The diffuculty can get pretty disconcerting, and it can get pretty unrepentantly old school at times but its well worth it.

1.Devil Survivor 2

Devil Survivor 1 was so good and a nice tribute to SMT1. DeSu2 feels uninspired, way too samey, and is just a NGE ripoff.

DeSu2 pissed me off for the same reason. DeSu1 was a massive surprise to me. High School kids with designs that didn't appeal to me suddenly getting mystical powers from a video game console actually leading to a well-thought out and compelling storyline? Who would've thought. Not to mention the nice endings to each route. The

Spoiler

-Bel/Abel

stuff blew my mind on my second playthrough as I hadn't taken a route that hadn't touched on that particular story thread the first time through. Plus, the difficulty was brutal, but fair, in a way that trained you to figure out the best teams for each encounter as grinding and fusion tricks were pretty much non-existent. Then DeSu2 comes along and shits everything up with a monster-of-the-week formula and curry-tier waifus and boring endings.

 

[buddha0991]

I'm not sure how to convince you properly, but please go back and give SJ another try! The diffuculty can get pretty disconcerting, and it can get pretty unrepentantly old school at times but its well worth it.


DeSu2 pissed me off for the same reason. DeSu1 was a massive surprise to me. High School kids with designs that didn't appeal to me suddenly getting mystical powers from a video game console actually leading to a well-thought out and compelling storyline? Who would've thought. Not to mention the nice endings to each route. The

Spoiler

-Bel/Abel

stuff blew my mind on my second playthrough as I hadn't taken a route that hadn't touched on that particular story thread the first time through. Plus, the difficulty was brutal, but fair, in a way that trained you to figure out the best teams for each encounter as grinding and fusion tricks were pretty much non-existent. Then DeSu2 comes along and shits everything up with a monster-of-the-week formula and curry-tier waifus and boring endings.

Yes. The monster of the week thing was kind of an issue. All the Bels had proper build up and dialog. The Septentrion just sort of appear and go "IOGJASOITMGSDOGMD". Also, Devil Survivor 1 has PLENTY of survivalist stuff in the plot, where as the kids from 2 are basically the X-Men...Hell, the kids in 1 sleep on the dirt in a graveyard, the kids in 2 sleep in comfy, full sized beds a mile underground in a secret government facility as part of the team. ALSO, WHERE IS THE DEATH CLOCK? That was such a unique and cool plot element imo.