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Shin Megami Tensei Community Thread: Be Your True Demon

cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
No MMO since Imagine has managed to give me a feeling of awe when I reached a new area. You start out in what's effective an underground warehouse(Home-3), then have to go across a desolate wasteland to reach the next major hub: Shinjuku Babel, a massive 600+ floor spire reaching to the heavens, which you only hear about before you actually get there.

Boy does it surpass expectations when you do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m247mNnzTGg

And damn, that music, so good. It really just felt like a great place to chill.
 
D

Dragon1893

Member
Apenheul said:
Thanks Dragon1893!

I did actually finish Strange Journey but I don't remember how long it took me, I got all three endings is all I remember. Excellent game indeed.

Lucifer's Call I'd like to return to some time but I probably want to play something a little more lighthearted for now, so I think I'll go with P3P.
Click to expand...

Personally I prefer the female MC, let us know which one you choose.

Seriously though, go with Female MC.
 
O

Opa-Pa

Member
Yeah if you're looking for something more light-hearted go for P3P. And since you prioritize handheld (I feel you) you could continue with Devil Survivor Overclocked. Apocalypse is great, but definitely play at least two other games before going for that.

And Lucifer's Call is indeed amazing so definitely go back to it at some point.
 
O

Opa-Pa

Member
snow in jamaica said:
tIHC4Zw.jpg


I found the bible they studied while making Apocalypse.
Click to expand...

Missed this LMAO. Dagda probably made Nanashi read this as well.
 
H

Hylian7

Member
Apenheul said:
For the past few weeks I've been playing Shin Megami Tensei IV and I can't remember the last time a game had me hooked like this, I even took a break from Zelda BOTW to finish SMTIV. Right now I seem to have been locked into the neutral path and I'm 'gathering hope' in Tokyo. Up until this point I thought the game's pacing was excellent, any time I felt like playing the game for 15 to 30 minutes I could just do that and actually accomplish something meaningful like complete a mission or create a better demon through fusion or level my MC up, but now I feel like the game wants to go back and do all the things I thought weren't worth my time. Of the SMT related games I've played so far (finished Persona 4 Golden, finished Strange Journey, haven't finished Lucifer's Call and Soul Hackers) SMTIV now stands as my favorite. So now I'm wondering which game to play next, I still want to finish Lucifer's call (about 20 hours in) and Soul Hackers (about 15 hours in) some time but I also have these still in my backlog:

- Persona 3 Portable
- Persona 5
- Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
- Devil Survivor Overclocked
- Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker
- Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE

My work involves commuting and traveling a lot so I kind of prefer handheld gaming over console gaming at the moment. I would save P5 and TMS for Christmas vacation or something.
Click to expand...

I haven't played P3P specifically, but I have P3 FES. Based on most opinions, P3P is good, but you lose the element of walking around in the school and stuff. However it has direct party member control options.

P5 is honestly much closer to SMT than P3 or P4, and I can definitely recommend it. You said you already planned to play it though.

TMS#FE is even further removed from SMT, but does carry many gameplay elements from both SMT and FE. It's a great game, but hardly SMT.

Apocalypse you should save for after you finish IV. Gameplay is an improvement in IV, but story isn't as good. It does have it's moments though. It is kind of hard to top SMTIV's idea of a civilization with primitive technology dropping into a modern world. As a thing for SMTIV, read the descriptions of the relics. Those descriptions are one of the things I really love about the game.

Overclocked is a much more SMT storyline then Record Breaker, but most will say DS2 is the better game. I honestly haven't decided which I like better.

Opa-Pa said:
Yeah if you're looking for something more light-hearted go for P3P. And since you prioritize handheld (I feel you) you could continue with Devil Survivor Overclocked. Apocalypse is great, but definitely play at least two other games before going for that.

And Lucifer's Call is indeed amazing so definitely go back to it at some point.
Click to expand...
I completely forgot Nocturne was Lucifer's Call in Europe. For a minute I was thinking there was a game I somehow didn't know about.
 
S

snow in jamaica

Member
Hylian7 said:
P5 is honestly much closer to SMT than P3 or P4, and I can definitely recommend it. You said you already planned to play it though.
Click to expand...

As far as story content goes, it's really not.

It's at least more competent than SMT4 and 4A with its handling of a few thematic elements. Not to make a qualitative statement out of "not SMT-like" but I thought it was worth mentioning.
 
H

Hylian7

Member
snow in jamaica said:
As far as story content goes, it's really not.

It's at least more competent than SMT4 and 4A with its handling of a few thematic elements.
Click to expand...
I was speaking more about the gameplay, the fact that the enemies are actually SMT demons, there is negotiation, guns, etc. It also takes place in Tokyo which puts another point to it being closer to SMT.

While the overarching story isn't really SMT, many elements in the game are.
 
A

asagami_

Banned
Ah, the only thing I dislike about Persona 5 is be unable to start a negotiation without have to fight. Even with this limitation, it's nice to have the option to avoid defeat completely the enemies when they are too strong (Oni in 3rd Palace, for example)

Edit: Something I was thinking before, Persona 5 is almost
30 years after the original SMT, in the timeline where Japan wasn't nuked. I always assumed SMT started in early 90's.
 
H

Hylian7

Member
Lynx_7 said:
But like, not even a private server or something? Or a way to play it offline? I refuse to believe something can just die on the internet!
Click to expand...

I don't think enough people that know how care enough to make an SMT Imagine private English server. I doubt it would be that popular, it's not like the Nostalrius WoW thing.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
Hylian7 said:
I don't think enough people that know how care enough to make an SMT Imagine private English server. I doubt it would be that popular, it's not like the Nostalrius WoW thing.
Click to expand...

There was a pretty devout group who still played on the JP servers, but even I didn't like that game that much to go through the hoops. I saw everything I wanted to see, and the later Chain of Curse content was just stupid.
 
R

randomkid

Member
Imagine taught me that no matter how much I love Kaneko aesthetics and cool synthy SMT music that there is nothing anyone can do to get me to enjoy any MMO.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
randomkid said:
Imagine taught me that no matter how much I love Kaneko aesthetics and cool synthy SMT music that there is nothing anyone can do to get me to enjoy any MMO.
Click to expand...

The Secret World is very SMT ish. I liked Imagine's aesthetics better though. Something about TSW, for all its polish, just seems kind of generic.

Ultimate_Trainer said:
There's a Chinese private server but is sounds pretty sketch to me at least. Apparently there's an english patch for it too.
Click to expand...

Interesting.

IMO, Imagine drops off in quality after the Ogami arc is complete.
 
B

Barrylocke

Member
It seems like there's other active efforts for building a private server by members of the English community. I'm curious about giving it a try sometimes, I do regret missing the Imagine boat.
 
E

eyeball_kid

Member
Hylian7 said:
I was speaking more about the gameplay, the fact that the enemies are actually SMT demons, there is negotiation, guns, etc. It also takes place in Tokyo which puts another point to it being closer to SMT.

While the overarching story isn't really SMT, many elements in the game are.
Click to expand...

Yeah, P5 has even taken old SMT names for spell effects like Water Wall. (Maybe P1 used similar names, but I never played that)

I noticed this because I'm playing through SMT1 (on iOS) simultaneously before iOS 11 breaks it. I just returned to Tokyo from that spirit world and wow, the encounter rate is suddenly insane.
 
A

Apenheul

Member
I have just finished SMT4 (Neutral path) in 61 hours and 55 minutes. What a great game! Tomorrow I'll start P3P and I'm saving SMT4 Apocalypse for some time next year.
 
T

TheNotoriousAFG

Member
For someone who has never played a TRUE SMT game (aka only touched the Personas), how user-friendly is Strange Journey? The atmosphere looks pretty rocking, but I've heard that it's terribly hard and I'm not exactly the BEST at video games heheh. What is the most user-friendly SMT game, if that even exists?
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
TheNotoriousAFG said:
For someone who has never played a TRUE SMT game (aka only touched the Personas), how user-friendly is Strange Journey? The atmosphere looks pretty rocking, but I've heard that it's terribly hard and I'm not exactly the BEST at video games heheh. What is the most user-friendly SMT game, if that even exists?
Click to expand...
I often suggest Soul Hackers. It's a mix of SMT demon summoning and Persona character focus.

SJ will break you.
 
T

TheNotoriousAFG

Member
cj_iwakura said:
I often suggest Soul Hackers. It's a mix of SMT demon summoning and Persona character focus.

SJ will break you.
Click to expand...

That's....reassuring. I will look into Soul Hackers during the next inevitable Atlus sale. I've been meaning to pick up SMTIV, but it never seems to drop down to $10 like it used too :/ I hear that one starts ridiculously hard, then gets more reasonable as the game goes on.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
TheNotoriousAFG said:
That's....reassuring. I will look into Soul Hackers during the next inevitable Atlus sale. I've been meaning to pick up SMTIV, but it never seems to drop down to $10 like it used too :/ I hear that one starts ridiculously hard, then gets more reasonable as the game goes on.
Click to expand...
That's accurate. SH is fair. It has tough bosses, but nothing stupid.
 
D

Dragon1893

Member
TheNotoriousAFG said:
For someone who has never played a TRUE SMT game (aka only touched the Personas), how user-friendly is Strange Journey? The atmosphere looks pretty rocking, but I've heard that it's terribly hard and I'm not exactly the BEST at video games heheh. What is the most user-friendly SMT game, if that even exists?
Click to expand...

Well, Soul Hackers is indeed easier and a bit more character focused. Just keep in mind that buffs/debuffs are very OP, this will be very useful to you because otherwise it's still a challenging game.
There's also the magnetite system which can be a pain at first.
But yeah, fantastic game, one of my favorites, I like it even more than SJ.

Have you played Persona Q? I feel that would be a good stepping stone before going into the more hardcore stuff like SJ (don't play it on hard though).
 
T

TheNotoriousAFG

Member
Dragon1893 said:
Well, Soul Hackers is indeed easier and a bit more character focused. Just keep in mind that buffs/debuffs are very OP, this will be very useful to you because otherwise it's still a challenging game.
There's also the magnetite system which can be a pain at first.
But yeah, fantastic game, one of my favorites, I like it even more than SJ.

Have you played Persona Q? I feel that would be a good stepping stone before going into the more hardcore stuff like SJ (don't play it on hard though).
Click to expand...

I haven't played Persona Q yet - I know it's a mix between Etrian Odyssey and Persona mechanics, which looked promising, but never found the time to get it. Is it that good? Thankfully, I've played P3 and P4 so I feel like I'd enjoy the fan service bits.
 
O

Opa-Pa

Member
TheNotoriousAFG said:
I haven't played Persona Q yet - I know it's a mix between Etrian Odyssey and Persona mechanics, which looked promising, but never found the time to get it. Is it that good? Thankfully, I've played P3 and P4 so I feel like I'd enjoy the fan service bits.
Click to expand...

The story is almost non existent, relying 90% on fanservice and there's some terrible characterization thrown in there, but the game itself is fantastic and a lot of fun. I was considering going for another playthrough once I'm done with P5.
 
R

Rutger

Banned
TheNotoriousAFG said:
For someone who has never played a TRUE SMT game (aka only touched the Personas), how user-friendly is Strange Journey? The atmosphere looks pretty rocking, but I've heard that it's terribly hard and I'm not exactly the BEST at video games heheh. What is the most user-friendly SMT game, if that even exists?
Click to expand...

SJ was the first mainline SMT game I played. If you've played enough Persona games, you probably know enough about using buffs/debuffs, the usefulness of status effects, and what to look for in fusing demons(getting exactly what you want is needlessly tedious, but if you don't want to waste too much time you can probably find some good password demons on the internet). If you've played P5, the negotiation mechanics are fairly similar to SJ's too(but you can start talking whenever you want).

It might get difficult at times, and the dungeons can get quite annoying(especially since it doesn't have Etrian Odyssey's mapmaking features), but you should be able to get through it.

It also ended up being my favorite mainline SMT game, so I certainly recommend playing it as some point if the atmosphere is looking good to you.
 
L

Lynx_7

Member
If you want to play a specific entry in the series for whatever reason and you already have experience with megaten on some way or another (which you do), I'd say just go for the one you're most interested in trying. Aside from your first experience, there is little point in climbing some SMT ladder before tackling the most challenging games of the franchise IMO, and playing something you're less interested in just to get it out of the way in order to get to the title you actually want to play will generally result in you not really appreciating your current experience as much as you should.
If you've played one or two installments you're already familiar with the general lingo and gameplay loop so you should be able to handle most other megaten titles. In the end it really just depends on what aspects of the franchise you enjoy the most.

If dungeon crawling is your thing, I imagine SJ is one of the stronger entries out there. If you don't, you'll probably get aggravated by teleport maze bonanza regardless of when you decide to play it. SH, as others have said, is a good middle point between plot focus and demon fusing/dungeon crawling. Similarly, Devil Survivor has even bigger focus on characters and plot, but a different gameplay approach altogether with its mix of traditional SMT combat and fusion with positioning elements from SRPGs. SMT IV does have an incredibly unbalanced beginning but it quickly eases up as soon as you leave the first dungeon (which is a negative, imo), however, if you want a numbered mainline entry I find Nocturne to be superior in most aspects. DDS is another good entry if you want something a little closer to mainline megaten but with a bigger plot focus.

Pick whichever one seems most intriguing from a story, atmosphere or gameplay standpoint and go. :p
 
L

Lynx_7

Member
Speaking of Nocturne, is it feasible to beat (FINAL BOSS SPOILERS)
-----Lucifer-----
without Pierce on Hard mode?
I've been wanting to replay Nocturne for some time since I never beat it on Hard
(because I was a wuss)
and was wondering about that for a few reasons:

*By the time you learn Pierce
-----Lucifer-----
becomes kind of a pushover. I don't remember having any troubles against him on Normal because of that.
*Getting all the magatamas on Hard will be really, really expensive.
*PUZZLE MOTHERFUCKING BOY

Mostly just the latter.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
Lynx_7 said:
Speaking of Nocturne, is it feasible to beat (FINAL BOSS SPOILERS)
-----Lucifer-----
without Pierce on Hard mode?
I've been wanting to replay Nocturne for some time since I never beat it on Hard
(because I was a wuss)
and was wondering about that for a few reasons:

*By the time you learn Pierce
-----Lucifer-----
becomes kind of a pushover. I don't remember having any troubles against him on Normal because of that.
*Getting all the magatamas on Hard will be really, really expensive.
*PUZZLE MOTHERFUCKING BOY

Mostly just the latter.
Click to expand...
Possible? Sure. But incredibly tedious​.
 
H

Hylian7

Member
spiritfox said:
I think Nocturne might be the best mainline SMT to start with.
Click to expand...

I would agree, but the difficulty can really be off-putting on the series. I honestly think SMTIV might be a better place to start. Yeah, the opening hours are hard af, but beyond that the game does a good job of bridging the gap between SMT veterans and noobs.

If Nocturne's not people's first game though, I definitely think it should be the second. However I agree with the other post, that you can generally start with one that interests you. Just avoid direct sequels and probably don't start with SMT1 unless you can stomach a lot of frustration.
 
L

Lynx_7

Member
cj_iwakura said:
Possible? Sure. But incredibly tedious​.
Click to expand...

I survived Apocalypse's last dungeon, I'm numb to tediousness. If I dish out like 300 damage per turn it should only take like... About 200 turns? I'm down, get my Daisoujou.

Stopping to think about it, puzzle boy might be Hashino's love letter to puzzle games before he got to work on Catherine. Maybe he just puts up with RPGs so he can indulge in his one true love every now and then kinda like how Yoko Taro just really wants to make a schmup.
 
R

Rutger

Banned
I feel Nocturne is not really the best starting point for mainline SMT, because it kind of is not a good example of the other mainline games. The atmosphere of the world, with a lack of technology or people from the old world ends up making it feel more like a "stuck in another world" story than the post apocalyptic setting it's supposed to be. I often see people complaining that the atmosphere of other mainline SMT games isn't "more like Nocturne's" sadly.

Though as far as its difficulty, I don't think it's so bad if you're already familiar with Persona or something. Other than a very poorly thought out skill system for the MC(which becomes a nonissue with a guide that show what Magatama have what skills and when they can be learned) and the occasional boss that has a very specific way to defeat it, Nocturne doesn't really throw anything really difficult at us on normal.
 
R

Rizzi

Member
I pulled my PS2 out and started playing Nocturne again. I had to start a new game because I couldn't find the memory card with my save on it. Which is just an excuse to ask how the heck should I distribute the MC's stats?
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
Rizzi said:
I pulled my PS2 out and started playing Nocturne again. I had to start a new game because I couldn't find the memory card with my save on it. Which is just an excuse to ask how the heck should I distribute the MC's stats?
Click to expand...
Focus on Mag or Str and some Vit/Agi.
 
B

Barrylocke

Member
Nocturne will likely be something I play for the SMT 30 anniversary thread that will surely be coming. MT2 is also likely. I'm considering a replay of Persona 4 as well.

Do we think we'll see that in the summertime?
 
F

Frost_Ace

Member
What are some good demons for endgame/
YHVH
in apocalypse?

I'm also not sure if I should beat twisted tokyo before the last boss,
I kinda don't want to use fiends since they seem pretty broken.
 
L

Lynx_7

Member
You might wanna spoiler tag that for peeps who haven't played Apocalypse yet, even though it's fairly obvious.

Shiva with Drain Phys saved my ass a couple of times in that fight. Having other demons at least resistant to phys definitely helps too.

Also, a bit unrelated, but I really wanted to bring
Krishna
to that fight. Poor guy just couldn't stand a single turn without maniacally laughing to his death though so I had to give up on the idea, as nice as it sounded. lol
 
F

Frost_Ace

Member
Lynx_7 said:
You might wanna spoiler tag that for peeps who haven't played Apocalypse yet, even though it's fairly obvious.

Shiva with Drain Phys saved my ass a couple of times in that fight. Having other demons at least resistant to phys definitely helps too.
Click to expand...

Done. Ok, I'll try shiva, somehow I hadn't fused him yet.
 
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