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[GhostTrick]

How so? It looks like Persona with Fire Emblem characters and idols. Not for everyone, but it has an appealing aesthetic and solid art design all around, even if some aren't crazy about the setting. It's also apparently really friggin good. The thread is pretty active for an import OT as well.

I think it will get some solid reception when it comes over, even if it doesn't have the sales to match it.

That's the problem here. Mixing SMT and Fire Emblem with Idols didn't worked at all. It would be like a Dark Souls mixed with Idolmaster game. It won't work at all. Or basically, putting nutela on a pizza.In the end, you end up talking to no one, because SMT or FE fans don't care about Idols and Idols fans don't care about SMT or FE.

 

[KNT-Zero]

I guess they thought they could appeal to the Persona/Idol/Anime fans by going in that direction when making the crossover, but they tried way too hard.

 

[pizzacat]

I could talk to Nutella fans eating pizza with it because it sounds great

 

[robotrock]

I watched a stream the day it released for about 10 mins. IIRC, normal encounter battles take kind of long to load. I think it was the usual SMT "hit the enemy weaknesses and do a team attack/get another turn" thing.

That sounds good to me.

I hope this comes out over here so I have a chance to play this comfy game. Please NoA/Atlus

 

[kiryogi]

That's the problem here. Mixing SMT and Fire Emblem with Idols didn't worked at all. It would be like a Dark Souls mixed with Idolmaster game. It won't work at all. Or basically, putting nutela on a pizza.In the end, you end up talking to no one, because SMT or FE fans don't care about Idols and Idols fans don't care about SMT or FE.

No what we have here to quote someone else is Fire Emblem gone fantastical and beyond.

 

[Mik317]

holy shit this thread

IIRC, they started w/ the idea of a collab...decided that was boring and went for something completely different.

People need to get over it really. SMT X FE was a neat idea but thats all it ever was and idea thrown together in an attempt to drum up hope for a flop launch and dying console. People are acting like we saw more than still images (of old art) and a generic working title, the SMT X FE you all think existed never existed past the initial planning phase.

 

[GhostTrick]

I could talk to Nutella fans eating pizza with it because it sounds great

Well, don't misundertand me, Nutella Pizza exists but I'm not talking about this one, which is basically Pizza dough with Nutella all over it, but more like tomato and cheese pizza with Nutella all over it.

holy shit this thread

IIRC, they started w/ the idea of a collab...decided that was boring and went for something completely different.

People need to get over it really. SMT X FE was a neat idea but thats all it ever was and idea thrown together in an attempt to drum up hope for a flop launch and dying console. People are acting like we saw more than still images (of old art) and a generic working title, the SMT X FE you all think existed never existed past the initial planning phase.

And that is the problem.

 

[buddha0991]

BTW no, this game is nothing like Persona, and I think the people who say it looks like it have a very superficial idea of what Persona actually is.

 

[GSR]

Well to be fair, I don't think the initial reveal is the big problem here. Worse than that, I think that without the initial reveal, the game wouldn't have much reactions at all in West, being positive or negative.

You're probably right on that front, but in terms of the backlash against the game I'd bet a lot of it can be traced back to the initial announce.

That's the problem here. Mixing SMT and Fire Emblem with Idols didn't worked at all. It would be like a Dark Souls mixed with Idolmaster game. It won't work at all. Or basically, putting nutela on a pizza.In the end, you end up talking to no one, because SMT or FE fans don't care about Idols and Idols fans don't care about SMT or FE.

Again, that's the thing. The game isn't SMT x FE. It's just not - it takes inspiration, but it's not a straight crossover in any way, really. As others have pointed out, a lot of the recent marketing describes it as "Atlus X FE". If it hadn't been announced as SMT x FE, there would probably have still been some eye-rolling due to the subject matter and the fact the game gets pandery sometimes, but nowhere near the level of upset there is now. I'm not saying it's wrong to feel that way, I'm saying that really the initial reveal is just a perfect example of what can go wrong with an early announce.

So uh, is it a good game?

There's an active import OT; general response seems to be positive, and the game seems to have a lot of attention to detail and homages to the Japanese entertainment industry, SMT, and FE.

Gameplay-wise, I watched a video, and it looks very much like a standard console JRPG. Which isn't a bad thing! But between that and the subject matter, I'm probably going to pass on it.

 

[astrogamer]

Basically, one day when Atlus and Nintendo were working on a photo app for the DSi (I think it was Sparkle Snapshots) and they threw out the concept for a RPG between the two companies. The problem more comes from no one reining in the developers into making something that isn't just cool but marketable as well. The game isn't bad, but the idol culture and it being very J-Pop puts off a lot of people.

I think you are exaggerating the nicheness of the idea too. If they were expecting a million seller, they wouldn't have made a RPG. Fire Emblem isn't that niche with Awakening having sold 1.79 million and Shin Megami Tensei IV is around 500k at least. If it was an actual crossover rather than something that takes some elements and homages to those series, it would probably have done decently for a RPG and attracted some audience to their consoles like Bayonetta and Xenoblade

 

[Super Stardust]

Im guessing it didnt sell well because its on wii u, most atlus fans are on playstation.

 

[zewone]

holy shit this thread

IIRC, they started w/ the idea of a collab...decided that was boring and went for something completely different.

People need to get over it really. SMT X FE was a neat idea but thats all it ever was and idea thrown together in an attempt to drum up hope for a flop launch and dying console. People are acting like we saw more than still images (of old art) and a generic working title, the SMT X FE you all think existed never existed past the initial planning phase.

It's more about the wasted potential. What could have been was something awesome, instead we got something that doesn't particularly interest anyone.

 

[YianGaruga]

"you don't make money by catering to the idol otaku audience"

idolmaster Cinderella girls gets 4m downloads in a week

some real business experts in this thread. If making sure your game sells well is so easy and just requires you to make a game without otaku content, companies would do it.

There's a lot more to it than that, and frankly #FE just looks boring to play. I'd usually be all over weird JP stuff like that, but everything I've seen so far makes it look not very interesting apart from the setting

 

[Crash Station]

That's the problem here. Mixing SMT and Fire Emblem with Idols didn't worked at all. It would be like a Dark Souls mixed with Idolmaster game. It won't work at all. Or basically, putting nutela on a pizza.In the end, you end up talking to no one, because SMT or FE fans don't care about Idols and Idols fans don't care about SMT or FE.

It's not SMT. It was revealed as SMT, but quickly abandoned that. Once more information came out, it became clear it's more Persona than SMT, at least aesthetically (Performa, almost identical UI, stylish and colorful art and presentation, etc). It's a good combination.

And FE x idols is super believable with the current trajectory of the series. Persona x idols was a thing before this. This is in no way like Dark Souls becoming an idol game.

 

[pizzacat]

Im guessing it didnt sell well because its on wii u, most atlus fans are on playstation.

What? Those atlus fans have been ignoring their stuff on the 3ds
At least they're saving money with all that atlus tax

 

[Blood Diamonds]

It also doesn't really matter to people if the game is full of hidden SMT/FE references. They fucked up by showing that initial teaser and then hiding all the SMT/FE stuff behind and making the idol stuff the main showcase.

 

[GhostTrick]

"you don't make money by catering to the idol otaku audience"

idolmaster Cinderella girls gets 4m downloads in a week

some real business experts in this thread. If making sure your game sells well is so easy and just requires you to make a game without otaku content, companies would do it.

There's a lot more to it than that, and frankly #FE just looks boring to play.

I should've expressed my point in a better way. The game isn't solely an idol game. It's basically a niche, within a niche. That's the thing here, mixing two elements that weren't meant to be mixed which results in a thing no one wants. Basically, pizza and nutella.

 

[kiryogi]

It's more about the wasted potential. What could have been was something awesome, instead we got something that doesn't particularly interest anyone.

Hey I'm that someone. I paid 500 to import a Wii U with this game. Yeah limited appeal. But besides the fact, it's not wasted potential. They actually made a pretty solid game in the end.

 

[Illucio]

So Nintendo made a crossover with a niche creepy/dark storyline game and a small cult following fantasy RPG game, and made a super positive upbeat game that caters to another small niche group on a console with a very small consumer base.

What could go wrong?

 

[Mik317]

It's more about the wasted potential. What could have been was something awesome, instead we got something that doesn't particularly interest anyone.

can we not say shit like this?

It may not interest everyone or even the majority but it is pretty shitty to basically write off those who are interested in it as no one.

I also hate this idea that a game that most of you created in your head and never existed in any form is better than a game that apparently is pretty good.

You only have yourself to blame for jumping to conclusions based off of what ammounted to powerpoint slides. Next time, wait for actual gameplay maybe?

also I swear we have gone through this song and dance already...you all have had time to come to grips with this...move on.

 

[Blood Diamonds]

So Nintendo made a crossover with a niche creepy/dark storyline game and a small cult following fantasy RPG game, and made a super positive upbeat game that caters to another small niche group on a console with a very small consumer base.

What could go wrong?

Hey man, SMT IV did like 500k and FE:A made like a million+. Had the game been literally SMTxFE it would have done pretty okay, I think.

 

[ItsTheNew]

As someone who isn't a super big fan of the SMT or FE franchises (I love Persona), this game seems much more interesting and I'll probably buy it day one in the US.

 

[Mik317]

Hey man, SMT IV did like 500k and FE:A made like a million+. Had the game been literally SMTxFE it would have done pretty okay, I think.

what is the thing those games have in common?

 

[OrbitalBeard]

As someone who isn't a super big fan of the SMT or FE franchises (I love Persona), this game seems much more interesting and I'll probably buy it day one in the US.

I'm a fan of all three and I too am interested, far more so than if this were just a straight crossover.

 

[Korigama]

It looks like they gave the game to someone who was more interested in making their own game than actually crossing over FE and SMT. Persona 5, SMTIV-2, and FE Fates were all in development while this was being made, so who is making this anyway?

The Devil Survivor team (which isn't particularly surprising, as that's also the aesthetic it bears the closest resemblance to among Atlus' properties).

I'm a fan of all three and I too am interested, far more so than if this were just a straight crossover.

Agreed with this.

can we not say shit like this?

It may not interest everyone or even the majority but it is pretty shitty to basically write off those who are interested in it as no one.

I also hate this idea that a game that most of you created in your head and never existed in any form is better than a game that apparently is pretty good.

You only have yourself to blame for jumping to conclusions based off of what ammounted to powerpoint slides. Next time, wait for actual gameplay maybe?

also I swear we have gone through this song and dance already...you all have had time to come to grips with this...move on.

And all of this.

 

[zewone]

can we not say shit like this?

It may not interest everyone or even the majority but it is pretty shitty to basically write off those who are interested in it as no one.

I also hate this idea that a game that most of you created in your head and never existed in any form is better than a game that apparently is pretty good.

You only have yourself to blame for jumping to conclusions based off of what ammounted to powerpoint slides. Next time, wait for actual gameplay maybe?

also I swear we have gone through this song and dance already...you all have had time to come to grips with this...move on.

I'm not writing off people who are interested as no one, but I am saying that number of people the game appeals to is a small number. Nothing about that is insulting or shitty.

Are people supposed to apologize for having an imagination? We heard the name SMT x FE announced very early. People who are obviously fans of SMT and FE games (like myself and others here) had different expectations then what the game turned out to be.

Now the game is here and it's not something we're not very interested in. Maybe you need to come to grips with the idea that the appeal of the game is limited which is what this discussion is regarding.

 

[Blood Diamonds]

what is the thing those games have in common?

They're both RPGs

 

[Kusagari]

The game we got is probably far more interesting than a straight up crossover would have ever been.

I give Atlus and Nintendo a lot of credit for not just going with the easy sell.

 

[And_Gignac]

I am glad they went that route. The game is more SMT than Fire Emblem, which can only be a good thing.

The problem was how they promoted it. Had they been honest from the very beginning and decided to use the Persona brand it would have sold better. It was a logistics problem, since the game looks super solid.

 

[Korigama]

They're both RPGs

They're also both on 3DS, a considerably more popular platform than Wii U (or any other console) in Japan.

 

[OuterLimits]

Im guessing it didnt sell well because its on wii u, most atlus fans are on playstation.

Many of the best Atlus games are on the 3DS. Atlus has fans on both Nintendo and Sony systems.

 

[Greddleok]

It sold terribly in Japan for all 7 days it's been out.

I dunno what they were thinking, but it looks fucking awesome. I'm so excited to play it. I think I'm in the minority though, and it'd probably had a better reception if they called it PersonaXFE.

 

[RM8]

They're also both on 3DS, a considerably more popular platform than Wii U (or any other console) in Japan.

It's definitely a platform mismatch, but I think a FE or SMT game would have done better than this on WiiU.

 

[Super Stardust]

What? Those atlus fans have been ignoring their stuff on the 3ds
At least they're saving money with all that atlus tax

For sure the 3ds has tons of stuff but playstation is where its at in the console space.

 

[randomkid]

whole lotta ignorance about this game in here, oh well

what are we ignorant about?

How so? It looks like Persona with Fire Emblem characters and idols. Not for everyone, but it has an appealing aesthetic and solid art design all around, even if some aren't crazy about the setting. It's also apparently really friggin good. The thread is pretty active for an import OT as well.

I think it will get some solid reception when it comes over, even if it doesn't have the sales to match it.

I don't doubt that this game is appealing to certain people on GAF. We know though that it's not appealing to the larger market in Japan. It's hard to overstate how much of a historic bomba this game ended up being. It was outsold in its first week by SMT: Nine on the original Xbox. Neither Persona fans, SMT fans, nor Fire Emblem fans showed up for this game. Why do you think that is? Surely there's some fraction of that group that owns a Wii U? Would this game have quadruple the sales on Vita? If so, it would still have the worst sales for an original Megaten RPG I can determine in the modern era.

 

[Sumio Mondo]

I'm personally glad it is not doing well, since that team at Atlus can now go back to developing for more interesting game series such as Devil Survivor or Growlanser.

Always thought this wouldn't do well, wasn't a fan of Atlus going in this pandering nonsense direction at all anyway.

 

[Dantis]

Based on the sales, I doubt it's a mistake they'll make again.

The game is super, super niche. Its closest contemporary is, what, Omega Quintet? And you can say what you like about "Oh it's Persona with idols" but it really fucking isn't. They absolutely doubled down on both fan service and cute aspects, and then associated it with two hardcore JRPGs. It's not a game made for nobody, but it's a game made for virtually nobody.

 

[And_Gignac]

Based on the sales, I doubt it's a mistake they'll make again.

The game is super, super niche. Its closest contemporary is, what, Omega Quintet? And you can say what you like about "Oh it's Persona with idols" but it really fucking isn't. They absolutely doubled down on both fan service and cute aspects, and then associated it with two hardcore JRPGs. It's not a game made for nobody, but it's a game made for virtually nobody.

Which make it even more awesome. Only elite players will enjoy this obscure gaming gem (or so I hope so). What a fortunate outcome.

 

[SalvaPot]

Well, if the game is good it will find its audience eventually, its sales are low but not absolutely terrible. Who knows, maybe it will find a steady second week?

As everyone, the way it was marketed I was extremely confused. I remember when they showed the first footage of the actual game how no one had any clue what the hell it was, meanwhile my GF absolutely adored the idea of an Idol setting with Fire Emblem characters as Personas, so if anything its a good thing a localization is a given so even if it sells like crap I'll be able to play it and judge it by myself.

 

[Guess Who]

BTW no, this game is nothing like Persona, and I think the people who say it looks like it have a very superficial idea of what Persona actually is.

Yeah, as someone who isn't into SMT or FE but really likes Persona 3 and 4, this bears only the slightest resemblance to either of those games and it doesn't look at all like something I'd be interested in. Really weirded out by people saying this is basically Persona, it doesn't look like Persona to me at all.

If you showed me footage of this game and told me it was Persona 5 I'd be baffled and disappointed.

 

[The Giant]

The game only sold 50% of it's shipment

 

[Forkball]

They took two franchises and made a game that barely resembled either franchise. It's like if you made a Sonic X Mega Man game, but instead making it a platformer where you play as both Sonic and Mega Man, it's a Metroidvania starring a completely new character, and you acquire skills that happen to share the same name as some of Sonic and Mega Man's attacks.

 

[Lucentto]

It is disappointing to me how the game turned out. I was really interested in a FExSMT game so I was really surprised when they ended up changing it to what we got now. I'm still undecided whether or not I will get the game when it hits the states.

 

[Dantis]

Which make it even more awesome. Only elite players will enjoy this obscure gaming gem (or so I hope so). What a fortunate outcome.

Considering it's probably going to be the lowest selling Atlus game in years, I doubt they'd agree.

 

[Sumio Mondo]

^Also bet it was not a cheap game to make either.

Yeah, as someone who isn't into SMT or FE but really likes Persona 3 and 4, this bears only the slightest resemblance to either of those games and it doesn't look at all like something I'd be interested in. Really weirded out by people saying this is basically Persona, it doesn't look like Persona to me at all.

If you showed me footage of this game and told me it was Persona 5 I'd be baffled and disappointed.

What's even worse is people who compare it to SMT...it basically features absolutely no traits from SMT, at all. Spell attacks and enemy weaknesses, that's it.

And Hashino (Persona series director)/Yamai (SMT series director) would not make crap like this. This game is like if From Software suddenly started making Idolmaster JRPGs - not what I want out of the dev, at all.

 

[Crash Station]

Based on the sales, I doubt it's a mistake they'll make again.

The game is super, super niche. Its closest contemporary is, what, Omega Quintet? And you can say what you like about "Oh it's Persona with idols" but it really fucking isn't. They absolutely doubled down on both fan service and cute aspects, and then associated it with two hardcore JRPGs. It's not a game made for nobody, but it's a game made for virtually nobody.

Have you played it? This isn't even in the same stratosphere as Compile Heart stuff in terms of fanservice and quality.

 

[bman94]

If anything the change in direction for #FE made me more interested. Fire Emblem Awakening was my first experience to the franchise and I adored the game. Shin Megami Tensei IV was my first experience to the franchise and I got uninterested really quick. The game just didn't capture me. I didn't like the characters, the setting or the story at all. While I played Awakening for multiple hour sessions it was hard for me to play Shin Megami Tensei for more than 30 minutes at a time. So in short, I wasn't interested in Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensei at all. However #FE is something completely different on its own and that's what interests me.

The combat system is really interesting since it combines the weapon balancing of Fire Emblem with the traditional combat system of Shin Megami Tensei. The setting really draws me in as well because I love the concept of "everything isn't how it seems" with there essentially being a normal Japanese setting juxtaposed with a dark, demented rendition of Japan. I love the idea of incorporating previous Fire Emblem warriors in a modern day setting. I like J-Pop. I may not understand the lyrical content but I love what the genre does as a creative medium and being a musician myself I love the idea of altering this upbeat music with dark overtones of the "dark" world that they have. In itself Nintendo is giving us a very unique product that won't be found anywhere else and I think that's a better offering than just "Fire Emblem combat system/setting with Shin Megami Characters" or "Shin Megami Tensei combat system/setting with Fire Emblem characters". Also none of us has tried it, so we don't know the full extent of the game, and so far in Japan it has received favorable scores.

 

[RecRoulette]

As someone who likes some SMT games and absolutely cannot get interested in Fire Emblem, I think this game looks interesting, and I was thrilled when I found out that it wasn't just a SMT and FE crossover.

Have a lot of people here who seem down on the game played it? A lot of folks who imported it seemed to be really into it. So a lot of this negative stuff seems weird.

 

[Mik317]

you know atleast w/ Xenoblade we had that negative review to go on...

this game has been well recieved by the people who played it (and more than likely it's target audience..small as it may be) but yet we still have people calling it crap and bad because it flopped?

Thats pretty lame, no?

You can not like the direction it took from what you wanted and expected but come on.

 

[wrowa]

Choose a setting that alienates huge parts of both the FE and SMT fanbase, cater to an audience that doesn't own your platform and has no need to buy it for just one game: Tada, you created a bomb.

The Wii U market for RPGs is generally very small, but they didn't even succeed in appealing to a significant portion of the people who've bought Xenoblade X nine months ago.

Generally though, I don't think there's much demand for a "Persona rip-off made by Atlus". They've got the real deal after all...