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In honor of 25 years of Demon Summoning, GAF Plays: The (Shin) Megami Tensei series

I've just been wiped out in the last dungeon and I think this was a good moment to post about how I was doing. My characters are in the 50-55 level range (stupid EXP system). Is this a good level to go for the final boss or I will get wrecked? My personas don't convince me too much, but I can't use the "ultimate" personas until level 62 and I don't want to grind.

PS: Fuck Maziodyne.
 
The ultimate Personas aren't necessary to beat the game and honestly require a lot of grinding no matter what you're doing to summon. Most of them aren't that great. Ra's final skill does tons of damage to boss enemies (of which I think only the last boss is left at that point), most of Verdandi's tricks are already covered by any number of healing Personas you have access to already, Susano-O just straight up sucks, and Yamaoka... well, he has the typical Judgement resistances, so he's got that going for him.
 
I've finally beaten Persona. The final boss was the perfect definition of "damage sponge", I was getting crazy seeing how she was still alive after all those attacks. I want to thank the cheap 100% HP revival items and the snuff souls for helping endure this looooong battle.

I suppose my next destination is Innocent Sin. People tell it's a much better game, I hope so.
 
I started liking it more when I began doing broken "tactics" so the random enemies couldn't give me headaches. I liked the battle themes the most of this game, I'm glad they backstabbed the old ones for this remake.

Thanks to how weak has been this year in new releases I've been able to go from 0/5 to 3/5 Persona games completed in just a few months.
 
Heropon said:
I've finally beaten Persona. The final boss was the perfect definition of "damage sponge", I was getting crazy seeing how she was still alive after all those attacks. I want to thank the cheap 100% HP revival items and the snuff souls for helping endure this looooong battle.

I suppose my next destination is Innocent Sin. People tell it's a much better game, I hope so.
Click to expand...

It is. If you liked Persona(as I do), you'll LOVE Innocent Sin. Hopefully your example persuades more people to go old school.
 
Can't understand how there are so many people who prefer P1P's battle music to Persona PSX. Feels like Meguro's slumming it, going through the motions, meanwhile Tsuchiya kills it on all three tracks in the original. I just don't get it!

Edit: Also, don't ask me why, but this from Hotline Miami reminds me of Persona music, maybe this. Fixed Link!
 
cj_iwakura said:
It is. If you liked Persona(as I do), you'll LOVE Innocent Sin. Hopefully your example persuades more people to go old school.
Click to expand...

It certainly had a certain old school charm, like how they didn't bother to explain anything in the battle department and how certain decisions were much more important than they seemed at the first glance. I thought many questions were of the "but thou must" variety, but I was sooo wrong.

I've started playing Innocent Sin already and I've beaten the first boss battle. Here are my first impresions: The plot starts strong with the Joker and rumors stuff, I think I like where it goes. In the battle department, the animations are even slower. "Skip" was a good compromise in PersonaSP between seeing animations and a fast pace, but this game seems to not show any of them when I use it, so I think that's one weak spot of this game. I see that the personas don't act in this game as a stat "mask" but instead they give stats bonus at level up. I can also see that there are persona levels now besides the rank. How can I increase it and what effect it has? Another question: In which stats should I focus more at level ups?. In Persona I increased the most the dexterity and the agility, but now that the personas don't give "extra" strength and defense, it seems I'll have to balance more my decisions.

PS: Let's think positive positive thinking!
 
Heropon said:
It certainly had a certain old school charm, like how they didn't bother to explain anything in the battle department and how certain decisions were much more important than they seemed at the first glance. I thought many questions were of the "but thou must" variety, but I was sooo wrong.

I've started playing Innocent Sin already and I've beaten the first boss battle. Here are my first impresions: The plot starts strong with the Joker and rumors stuff, I think I like where it goes. In the battle department, the animations are even slower. "Skip" was a good compromise in PersonaSP between seeing animations and a fast pace, but this game seems to not show any of them when I use it, so I think that's one weak spot of this game. I see that the personas don't act in this game as a stat "mask" but instead they give stats bonus at level up. I can also see that there are persona levels now besides the rank. How can I increase it and what effect it has? Another question: In which stats should I focus more at level ups?. In Persona I increased the most the dexterity and the agility, but now that the personas don't give "extra" strength and defense, it seems I'll have to balance more my decisions.
Click to expand...

Persona level is fixed and just determines if you can summon it or not based on your level. Persona stats are averaged with the character's stats (so like Tatsuya with 6 Strength equips a Persona with 4 Strength will drag his effective Strength down to 5).

You might as well focus on Dex for Tatsuya, as that controls magic power and really Maya is the only other character who really focuses on it.
 
Oddly enough Vit is the broken stat in P1.

And yeah, skip sucks in P2, I never used it. I love the sprite and Persona animation.


Baby!


(Kind of lazy they didn't dub Eikichi's contacts.)
 
randomkid said:
Can't understand how there are so many people who prefer P1P's battle music to Persona PSX. Feels like Meguro's slumming it, going through the motions, meanwhile Tsuchiya kills it on all three tracks in the original. I just don't get it!

Edit: Also, don't ask me why, but this from Hotline Miami reminds me of Persona music, maybe this. Fixed Link!
Click to expand...

TBH, the original P1 soundtrack as a whole is kinda meh. I do admit that the new soundtrack significantly alters the mood of the game though. They definitely should have given the option to switch between the new and original soundtracks like in P2IS.

At least Persona was still in.
 
Just take it with you. said:
TBH, the original P1 soundtrack as a whole is kinda meh. I do admit that the new soundtrack significantly alters the mood of the game though. They definitely should have given the option to switch between the new and original soundtracks like in P2IS.

At least Persona was still in.
Click to expand...

Haha you don't wanna get me started on Revelations: Persona music, I've got two gigantic rambly posts in this topic (which are apparently linked in the OP for some reason?!)

I actually like the PSP soundtrack fine for what it is, but it definitely doesn't work with the bizarro lurid dreamscape thing P1's got going on.
 
randomkid said:
Haha you don't wanna get me started on Revelations: Persona music, I've got two gigantic rambly posts in this topic (which are apparently linked in the OP for some reason?!)

I actually like the PSP soundtrack fine for what it is, but it definitely doesn't work with the bizarro lurid dreamscape thing P1's got going on.
Click to expand...

The remixed tracks in PersonaSP are quite good. I wish they'd done that for everything. Aside from School Days and Pandora, I love those songs.
 
So the Atlus site has been down all weekend...

300px-Spookies_3DS.jpg


Hmm.
 
Innocent Sin has punished me for being a good person and trying to help Lisa in the concert. Prince Taurus was a real pain without Maya and Yukino's group healing. I'm pretty angry, and I think I saved the last time before entering the park.
 
Heropon said:
Innocent Sin has punished me for being a good person and trying to help Lisa in the concert. Prince Taurus was a real pain without Maya and Yukino's group healing. I'm pretty angry, and I think I saved the last time before entering the park.
Click to expand...

Here's a hint, the running theme in IS?

Trust in your friends' ability to handle things themselves.
 
cj_iwakura said:
Here's a hint, the running theme in IS?

Trust in your friends' ability to handle things themselves.
Click to expand...

I did that with Eikichi, but I felt like Lisa was really in danger. Fortunately, the last time I saved was right before the concert, so I didn't lose any progress. With Maya and Yukki the fight was really easy, that's what happens when one has competent healing versus none at all.

Meanwhile, in the story side of the game, a strange crazy woman called Ms. Ideal has said something about the Fuhrer. I don't know what the heck is the Oracle of Maia, but it certainly sounds dangerous.
 
Heropon said:
I did that with Eikichi, but I felt like Lisa was really in danger. Fortunately, the last time I saved was right before the concert, so I didn't lose any progress. With Maya and Yukki the fight was really easy, that's what happens when one has competent healing versus none at all.

Meanwhile, in the story side of the game, a strange crazy woman called Ms. Ideal has said something about the Fuhrer. I don't know what the heck is the Oracle of Maia, but it certainly sounds dangerous.
Click to expand...

You do remember her from Seven Sisters in the beginning, I hope. She's one of the teachers there.
 
Yeah, I remember how she went into the high school talking nonsense. I don't know why but I don't like her at all, she's like the typical doom prophet right now.
 
(spoilers about Ms. Ideal, don't read this Heropon)

Something I liked about Ms. Ideal that's not obvious to a casual player of the game is how jarring she is from a textual point of view. The structure of P2's conversations (which was clearer to me looking at the text as files on a screen rather than in windows in the game) is that one character will have one or two windows, and then another character gets to talk. Ms. Ideal is one of the few exceptions in the game--during her big infodump at the detective agency, she goes on and on and on in an unbroken rant. It really helps drive home how abnormal she is by how badly she breaks the conversational rhythm that's been kept to for the whole game by that point.
 
NichM said:
(spoilers about Ms. Ideal, don't read this Heropon)

Something I liked about Ms. Ideal that's not obvious to a casual player of the game is how jarring she is from a textual point of view. The structure of P2's conversations (which was clearer to me looking at the text as files on a screen rather than in windows in the game) is that one character will have one or two windows, and then another character gets to talk. Ms. Ideal is one of the few exceptions in the game--during her big infodump at the detective agency, she goes on and on and on in an unbroken rant. It really helps drive home how abnormal she is by how badly she breaks the conversational rhythm that's been kept to for the whole game by that point.
Click to expand...

Well to be fair...

She's only talking to Tatsuya, who's taciturn to a fault.

Still, she really is one of my favorite characters, discounting what she later does.
 
innocent sin has a lot of shit i hate gameplay wise but fuck if it isn't my most memorable jrpg experience next to ffix. something about that world, those characters..
 
NichM said:
(spoilers about Ms. Ideal, don't read this Heropon)

Something I liked about Ms. Ideal that's not obvious to a casual player of the game is how jarring she is from a textual point of view. The structure of P2's conversations (which was clearer to me looking at the text as files on a screen rather than in windows in the game) is that one character will have one or two windows, and then another character gets to talk. Ms. Ideal is one of the few exceptions in the game--during her big infodump at the detective agency, she goes on and on and on in an unbroken rant. It really helps drive home how abnormal she is by how badly she breaks the conversational rhythm that's been kept to for the whole game by that point.
Click to expand...

That's really interesting and definitely not something I picked up on. Whenever I play Innocent Sin again I'm going to imagine her delivering all her lines in a single breath and then gasping for air while everyone just makes an O_o face. (Probably not too removed from reality.)
 
Those spoiler tags are really dangerous, just the opposite of toilet demon Belphegor and the cosplayer known as Ixquic. I was pretty pleased when the poor Belphegor started eating some 200 HP attacks while I was practically invulnerable thanks to Media and another healing ability that doesn't work out of battle.

I have to confess that one of my weaknesses is boss battle themes, but I have to hear them ingame first to really fall in love with them.
 
I tried to bumrush the final dungeon of P1P yesterday because I'm forcing myself to finish it before I let myself get sucked into P4G. Only problem is that the final boss destroyed me. The level curve here at the end of the game is pretty badly designed -- I've never avoided any fights, did a little grinding around the midpoint of the game, and explored most of the dungeons thoroughly. Yet I get to the final boss with my MC underleveled by 5 and the rest of my party by 10, from what I'm reading. Sigh. Looks like I've got a few more hours of grinding to go.
 
ubercheez said:
I tried to bumrush the final dungeon of P1P yesterday because I'm forcing myself to finish it before I let myself get sucked into P4G. Only problem is that the final boss destroyed me. The level curve here at the end of the game is pretty badly designed -- I've never avoided any fights, did a little grinding around the midpoint of the game, and explored most of the dungeons thoroughly. Yet I get to the final boss with my MC underleveled by 5 and the rest of my party by 10, from what I'm reading. Sigh. Looks like I've got a few more hours of grinding to go.
Click to expand...

What level were you? 40/45?

The final boss is really cruel, even if you're prepared it's like a marathon. I still have bad memories...
 
Heropon said:
What level were you? 40/45?

The final boss is really cruel, even if you're prepared it's like a marathon. I still have bad memories...
Click to expand...

I know my MC was 56, Maki was probably 53, and the others 47-49. Hard to remember because there's a gigantic maze to navigate between the last save point and the actual fight. Thanks for that too, game.

I even read a faq before the fight and set my party up optimally for it. I was hanging in there for a while until it used Butterfly Wind for both of its moves in one turn. -_-
 
ubercheez said:
I know my MC was 56, Maki was probably 53, and the others 47-49. Hard to remember because there's a gigantic maze to navigate between the last save point and the actual fight. Thanks for that too, game.

I even read a faq before the fight and set my party up optimally for it. I was hanging in there for a while until it used Butterfly Wind for both of its moves in one turn. -_-
Click to expand...

Cheap...

It seems your MC isn't underleveled. Give one of the three slackers a persona with Megidola and spam it to grind some EXP and get them to level 53-55.

For the boss, try to give them Personas with high Magic Def and status resistances so the butterfly storm attack isn't that lethal. Buy all the SP recovering items and 100% HP revival items you can because the fight is loooooong. Another advice I will give you is to bring more than one personas with Mediarama/Mediarahan so you can heal the group even if one of the healers is dead/afraid/whatever and can't do his/her work. And good luck.

If you can't defeat it after many tries, you can grind the MC to level 62 and get his ultimate persona. I've read that its last skill obliterates the final boss.
 
ubercheez said:
I know my MC was 56, Maki was probably 53, and the others 47-49. Hard to remember because there's a gigantic maze to navigate between the last save point and the actual fight. Thanks for that too, game.
Click to expand...

I got SO freakin' turned around and confused going through that maze... and I don't know why, because I played through the PSX version of Persona like 4 or 5 times. I mean, none of those playthroughs were completed this century, but still. I was so annoyed with myself.
 
Seda said:
I haven't posted in here much at all, but I'm going to be trying to beat the super boss of DDS2. Should be fun.
Click to expand...

I had a harder time with him than Hitoshura. Hito at least lets you fight him. Satan? You won't get far at all if you don't have him down to a science.
 
The SMT series recently "clicked" for me. I had tried a few games a few years back and never really liked them.

I recently played through DDS1 & 2 and Nocturne and LOVED them.

I played around half of P3 and P4 and got bored... I find those games too long and repetitive, but maybe I'll get hooked again now that I'm more familiar with the Megami Tensei lore.

Which other games should I play? I picked up Devil Summoner 1 on PS2 as well as Devil Survivor Overclocked, are these any good? How do they compare to others in the series?
 
Reveirg said:
The SMT series recently "clicked" for me. I had tried a few games a few years back and never really liked them.

I recently played through DDS1 & 2 and Nocturne and LOVED them.

I played around half of P3 and P4 and got bored... I find those games too long and repetitive, but maybe I'll get hooked again now that I'm more familiar with the Megami Tensei lore.

Which other games should I play? I picked up Devil Summoner 1 on PS2 as well as Devil Survivor Overclocked, are these any good? How do they compare to others in the series?
Click to expand...

Good job on finding DevSum 1, it's quite rare now. And it's also great. There's no real bad SMT games, not released in this decade anyway.
 
cj_iwakura said:
I had a harder time with him than Hitoshura. Hito at least lets you fight him. Satan? You won't get far at all if you don't have him down to a science.
Click to expand...

It was the opposite for me. I was better able to come to grips with Satan's pattern than Demifiend's. Then again, it's been several years, so the memories of either aren't exactly fresh. Also, I think I fought Demifiend before the cheese strategy came out, so that probably colored my perception of the fights.

cj_iwakura said:
Good job on finding DevSum 1, it's quite rare now. And it's also great. There's no real bad SMT games, not released in this decade anyway.
Click to expand...

Raidou 1 isn't terrible by any means, but the second game is so much better in nearly every way. Still, it might be worth a playthrough just to play "spot the SMT1/2 reference."
 
Just take it with you. said:
It was the opposite for me. I was better able to come to grips with Satan's pattern than Demifiend's. Then again, it's been several years, so the memories of either aren't exactly fresh. Also, I think I fought Demifiend before the cheese strategy came out, so that probably colored my perception of the fights.
Click to expand...

I wasted around 10 hours fighting Hitoshura the raw way. Then I said screw it, went Red Star, killed him in one try.


He still almost killed my team when he was on his knees. That saying about a wolf's severed head still being able to bite you is so true.
 
I just beat DDS2. I beat both games super bosses using the tried and true strategies. Yeah it diminishes the victory quite a bit, but it seems like the player is really limited as to what will work I kinda just wanted to beat them.

I beat Persona 3 in Spring 2012, Persona 4 in the summer, and then Nocturne, Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 on and off throughout the fall/early winter this year. I have P4G, but I think I'm gonna take an SMT break now.

It's funny looking back when I was first playing P3 last Spring, thinking "Bufu? Agi? What the heck are these?" and now I'm all "Eat Megidolaon you demon freaks!".

Also, it was kinda neat seeing myself recall enemy names weaknesses as I played through the games, although the weaknesses did change sometimes :/

I might make a LTTP thread for SMT in general later, maybe just for Nocturne and DDS1/2, with more complete thoughts on a series I was completely unfamiliar with a year ago.
 
Just completed the Mt. Iwato segment of the game and I must say that I love some shocking revelations from time to time. I wonder if they wanted the player to know (or imagine) what really happened before the characters remember it.
It has reminded me about the FF8 orphanage scene but well executed. A thrauma is a much better reason for the amnesia/selective memory than GFs.

Ms. Ideal seems to be more sane right now and helpful. About the invasion:
King Leo/Tatsuya Sudou has spreaded the Nazi rumors, but it seems that Joker/the masked circle now want to defend the city from them. Why is Jun starting to act like a good person right now? I thought the masked circle wanted to fulfill the oracle of Maia.
 
Heropon said:
Just completed the Mt. Iwato segment of the game and I must say that I love some shocking revelations from time to time. I wonder if they wanted the player to know (or imagine) what really happened before the characters remember it.
It has reminded me about the FF8 orphanage scene but well executed. A thrauma is a much better reason for the amnesia/selective memory than GFs.

Ms. Ideal seems to be more sane right now and helpful. About the invasion:
King Leo/Tatsuya Sudou has spreaded the Nazi rumors, but it seems that Joker/the masked circle now want to defend the city from them. Why is Jun starting to act like a good person right now? I thought the masked circle wanted to fulfill the oracle of Maia.
Click to expand...

Jun was manipulated. He's always been a good person, someone just manipulated his desires into the wrong direction.
 
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