Where do I start with both the Shin Megami Tensei series and the Persona series?
- Thread starter Xdqwerty
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SMT V Vengeance is one of the best starting points as its on PC and all consoles. It's the newest mainline game and most polished gameplay wise.
Nocturne is also a good starting point, but the gameplay's much older.
If you wanted to play some of the other 1st person games, you can either play Strange Journey Redux on 3ds or emulate it. Since you've already played MT1, you'll be fine with playing SMT 2 if you want, and it has one of the better stories of the series.
Nocturne is also a good starting point, but the gameplay's much older.
If you wanted to play some of the other 1st person games, you can either play Strange Journey Redux on 3ds or emulate it. Since you've already played MT1, you'll be fine with playing SMT 2 if you want, and it has one of the better stories of the series.
I bet your grandma will disapprove this.
Leaving that on a side, can you emulate ps2 games, or have a ps2? I've only played P3 & 4, and those, iirc, didn't required a previous game. P4 is the best imo, also given your situation you may be interested in the story of one of the main characters, which is going through sex identity confusion.
Leaving that on a side, can you emulate ps2 games, or have a ps2? I've only played P3 & 4, and those, iirc, didn't required a previous game. P4 is the best imo, also given your situation you may be interested in the story of one of the main characters, which is going through sex identity confusion.
Just play Nocturne on PS2/emulator, it's still the best one.
I have a ps3 and it can run ps2 games
On the SMT side: Digital Devil Saga on PS2 is a good option it was made to introduce people to the franchise but if you want the full "essence" just play Nocturne also on PS2
And in the Persona side play: 3 FES. 1 and 2 are great games but they mostly are a SMT spin off and they play more like your typical PSX RPG than something like persona 3 onward.
You have the luck that the PS3 can run all the SMT/Persona PS2 games so take advantage of it
PD: the PSN versions of Digital Devil Saga runs with a lot of lag so try to get a PKG of that game (or make your own) if your console is unlocked
And in the Persona side play: 3 FES. 1 and 2 are great games but they mostly are a SMT spin off and they play more like your typical PSX RPG than something like persona 3 onward.
You have the luck that the PS3 can run all the SMT/Persona PS2 games so take advantage of it
PD: the PSN versions of Digital Devil Saga runs with a lot of lag so try to get a PKG of that game (or make your own) if your console is unlocked
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Well I found this spanish fan translation of persona 3 fes and there is this program to convert ps2 isos to pkg so I might try that oneOn the SMT side: Digital Devil Saga on PS2 is a good option it was made to introduce people to the franchise but if you want the full "essence" just play Nocturne also on PS2
And in the Persona side play: 3 FES. 1 and 2 are great games but they mostly are a SMT spin off and they play more like your typical PSX RPG than something like persona 3 onward.
You have the luck that the PS3 can run all the SMT/Persona PS2 games so take advantage of it
PD: the PSN versions of Digital Devil Saga runs with a lot of lag so try to get a PKG of that game (or make your own) if your console is unlocked
For the Persona games, you can probably skip 1 and move onto the Person 2 duology (which starts with Innocent Sin and then finishes with Eternal Punishment). They play differently than Persona 3 and onwards, so keep in mind that there's no social sim elements and how Personas operate differs as well. The PSP versions have better QoL but the PSX games are playable.
After Persona 2, the rest of them are self contained stories so you don't have to worry too much about playing P4 first and spoiling P3's plot. Though you still might want to go in order so you can see how the series advance gameplay wise. For Persona 5, you're fine getting the Royale edition since it has the base game plus an extra semester and some QoL changes (like having your guns reload after every battle instead of having to leave the dungeon). Same thing for Persona 4 Golden, though that was developed as a Vita game and thus the visuals have slight downgrades compared to the PS2 version.
After Persona 2, the rest of them are self contained stories so you don't have to worry too much about playing P4 first and spoiling P3's plot. Though you still might want to go in order so you can see how the series advance gameplay wise. For Persona 5, you're fine getting the Royale edition since it has the base game plus an extra semester and some QoL changes (like having your guns reload after every battle instead of having to leave the dungeon). Same thing for Persona 4 Golden, though that was developed as a Vita game and thus the visuals have slight downgrades compared to the PS2 version.
And do you recommend the "direct commands" mod?
yes but also idk how other people feel about this I don’t mind letting party memebers do whatever it was how I played it for my first time back in 2021
For SMT I recommend Nocturne and SMT V.
For Persona I recommend either Persona 3 (either Portable or FES with the direct commands mod or Reload which is also good, though the portable remaster on Steam/PlayStation/Xbox is not very good), Persona 4 Golden, or Persona 1 and the Persona 2 Duology (particularly the PSP Remasters).
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For Persona I recommend either Persona 3 (either Portable or FES with the direct commands mod or Reload which is also good, though the portable remaster on Steam/PlayStation/Xbox is not very good), Persona 4 Golden, or Persona 1 and the Persona 2 Duology (particularly the PSP Remasters).
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p3 and nocturne
bro that doesn’t exist what are you talking about we skip 4 we are going straight to V around these parts
Yep but I don't use it (I am a masochist
)
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I'd recommend Persona 5 or SMT 5 as they're easy to get. If you don't mind sailing the high seas, then SMT 4 is actually a great starting point, as it's much simpler than some other games and communicates to the player much more, but still has enough of a challenge to keep you invested. Strange Journey Redux is VERY rough and is a very different kind of game, being much more like Etrian Odyssey than other games in the series, so I wouldn't start from there unless you're an Etrian Odyssey fan, in which case it's probably the best place to start.
Otherwise, there are various translation patches, so you could always start with SMT 1 (I don't really recommend MegaTen). There's a guy on YouTube who you could watch if you don't want to actively play them yourself (which is understandable due to heinous lack of quality-of-life in most of the early games), @MarshSMT, who does condensed-but-detailed overviews of SMT games (and indie horror games). I'd check it out even if you're already familiar with SMT since hearing other perspectives is always interesting.
Otherwise, there are various translation patches, so you could always start with SMT 1 (I don't really recommend MegaTen). There's a guy on YouTube who you could watch if you don't want to actively play them yourself (which is understandable due to heinous lack of quality-of-life in most of the early games), @MarshSMT, who does condensed-but-detailed overviews of SMT games (and indie horror games). I'd check it out even if you're already familiar with SMT since hearing other perspectives is always interesting.
Idk what it is but I actually don’t hate the ps3 rng with party members for the most part they never steer me wrong (for the most part)Yep but I don't use it (I am a masochist
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I was wondering this too.. im not sure if this has answered the question tho...
from i gather i either definitely SHOULD or definitely SHOULDNT start with smt 4...
what about starting with the first famicom game?
from i gather i either definitely SHOULD or definitely SHOULDNT start with smt 4...
what about starting with the first famicom game?
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SMT4 for the 3ds is a really good start, it's pretty balanced, explains things well (but not to a hand holding point), has a bunch of great mechanics and is pretty good!
And for persona, if you like the anime highschool jrpg side, play 3,4 and/or 5 first. If you like the darker, more mysterious and sadder tone of smt, you can go for 1 and 2 (they're kinda clunky and inconsistent between ports, but you'll figure it out, I belive in you!)
imho because of the way IV is balanced, literally the first dungeon is the hardest part of the game. That alone makes it hard to recommend as a first. And IV:A builds upon IV and is better experienced having played IV first...
The famicom games were remade as kyuuyaku megami tensei on snes with some QoL upgrades and whatnot, but if you want a full retro experience and are used to famicom rpgs, why not? They feature the best demon in the series... DEAD LOBSTER
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Ok' i think i will try the early ones. There *are* some annoying things about older rpgs. I guess if i get annoyed, I'll switch to super famicom.
Persona 5 Royal to get the full story love that story its so good but so goofy at the same time
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