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What's the best SMT game.


Lantairu
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All depending on opinion, I personally really love 1 and 4 of the mainline series, 2 and 3 are oft considered the best though.

Then in terms of Persona, people like 1 and 2 or they like 3 and 4, there aren't usually many that like all of them, the base is split on alot of the games.

Strange Journey is really good. SMT IF is pretty solid from what I hear as well, but I need to play that.

The duo of Devil Survivor games are like SRPGs, and really solid.

The old Megami Tensei games are even more old school than SMT1

Majin Tensei is like SMT but with mechanics similar to FE (sadly no real translations of those yet).

There are others i'm missing but this series is gigantic and the opinions vary alot.

Edited by Jedi
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The only games in the series that follow the events of any game is 2 (that follows the events of 1), but even then, the game explains all you need to know to understand the story in the opening-credits-thingy, if I'm not mistaken, so you can pretty much play any game of this franchise in any order you want, really.
There isn't much of a "consensus" in regard to which one is the best. In terms of story, I usually see 2 and Strange Journey, and 3 ("Nocturne" in the US, "Lucifer's Call" in the UK) is pretty popular too, in pretty much every regard. In terms of gameplay, IV is the easiest to get into.

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For Mainline 2, 3, and Strange Journey are the most enjoyable ones

If is alright

Persona 2, 2, and 3 are really great, 1 is hit or miss, and 4 is overated

both Devil Survivor games are pretty good

and Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 are some of my favorite games

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There are books to be written and plenty of blood to be spilled over the topic question and it's just about impossible to answer, but the easiest ones to get into are SMT4 (for traditional SMT), Soul Hackers (3DS version has adjustable difficulty, if you want the dungeon-crawler gameplay without the philosophical themes), both Overclocked and Record Breaker (for SRPGs, since both feature easy modes not present in the original titles) and probably Persona 3 & 4 (these are relatively hard to categorize and different from other games in the series (other than DeSu2, to an extent) but very beginner-friendly).

The DDS games play the most like traditional JRPGs, but still have that differentiating SMT touch. Stuff like Devil Children or Last Bible is probably better left for later. Majin Tensei 2 is the one most similar to FE you will find from this franchise, but the lack of a translation patch makes me hesitant to recommend it for a starting point.

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Nocturne is probably the best one imo. Soul Hackers is a good entryway into old style SMT, since its mechanics are very similar to SMT 1-2.

Persona's more story focused and it could be a good introduction to new SMT players. Persona 3 and 4 are the easiest to get and the best gameplay wise, but don't get the Vita version of 4, it's way too easy and won't prepare you will to other SMT games.

DDS is between mainline SMT games and Persona in terms of storyline focus, but it uses Nocturne's combat system and is closer to it in difficulty. It's more of a traditional RPG than others so I'd say it's not too hard to get into. DDS also uses a skill learning system similar to the Sphere Grid/License Board but executed much better.

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SMTIV is the easiest, most accessible mainline SMT game to get into. It was my first SMT game. You can save anywhere, fusion is easy and quick. Burroughs's apps are very nice. You can also avoid random encounters, which is a plus. It, however, is the hardest mainline game to get the canon neutral ending, so you REALLY have to be careful with your choices. I was almost Law-locked on my first run, but somehow managed to get the neutral ending though a choice I made in Infernal Tokyo. It's small potatoes if you don't care about what ending you get. Besides, you can always do the New Game + and get other endings. I hated the Tokyo overworld; it's very easy to get lost and stuck on something.

I played the first SMT though the iOS port. It wasn't terrible by any means, but it has not aged well AT ALL. I got through it using a guide and once I got the best sword (the one you get through the neutral route) I wrecked both final bosses. It's a short game; I managed to steamroll through it while I was writing my honors thesis in undergrad. I don't recommend this unless you are very forgiving of its age.

SMT I and IV are the only SMT games I've played. The rest I know all about through watching LPs and researching them.

Strange Journey is good if you're in to dungeon crawlers. I dislike its music; it was a turn off for me. I didn't like the Schwarzwelt as a setting, because I prefer a demon-infested Tokyo over a dimensional rift in Antartica. I am glad it's not counted as a mainline game, since I think Nocturne and IV are so much better. SMTIV improved many aspects of this game, such as receiving EXP from completing missions.

Nocturne is very difficult and a bit frustrating, but it's story and atmosphere are top-notch. It surpasses all of the other mainline games in that regard. The 3D battles are fun and the music is amazing. The random encounters can get annoying and saving is obnoxious. Other than that it's pretty stellar.

Digital Devil Saga has a VERY strange story. If you're not bothered by a 'Matrix-esque' plot, then go ahead. The game's battles and character skill learning system are its greatest assets. Random encounters happen too often, in my opinion. I'm probably among the few who wishes that the game wasn't dubbed.

I'd say go with SMTIV and then branch out from there.

If you're into 'overly-anime' games go with Persona 3 and 4. They aren't my cup of tea, but are widely praised as top-quality RPGs. I feel that the 'high school students with special powers' trope is cliche and annoying. Persona 4 has a story arc similar to most other JRPG's.

Edited by Leif
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  • 2 weeks later...

My favorites are Persona 4 and likely Genei Ibun Roku #FE, which is under the banner of spinoffs like Persona. I love games that balance lots of lighthearted moments with seriousness.

I would like to get DeSu2 Record Breaker, but as of now, I don't really know what it's like.

For the others, I haven't played.

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Strange Journey is good if you're in to dungeon crawlers. I dislike its music; it was a turn off for me. I didn't like the Schwarzwelt as a setting, because I prefer a demon-infested Tokyo over a dimensional rift in Antartica. I am glad it's not counted as a mainline game, since I think Nocturne and IV are so much better. SMTIV improved many aspects of this game, such as receiving EXP from completing missions.

I honestly felt the music of Strange Journey was very fitting, its super hostile and you're in a very hostile environment, I can see the appeal of Tokyo, but I think SJ is overall a more solid game than IV, and this is coming from someone who absolutely loves IV (It's like my favorite game in the series aside from SMT1, Persona 3, DS), but SJ does story, and stuff much better. IV does have the gameplay advantage, but is probably the easiest SMT game in the franchise, which is either a negative or positive depending on the person.

Also funny enough the Antartica location was chosen because Atlus felt the need to appeal to the west more with SJ. Which may explain why its not in Tokyo and you're basically a Marine.

Edited by Jedi
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I haven't played a Shin Megami Tensei game, but I will someday considering how good I heard it was, also considering that it spawned the more popular spinoff series Persona which became its own separate thing recently.

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I haven't played a Shin Megami Tensei game, but I will someday considering how good I heard it was, also considering that it spawned the more popular spinoff series Persona which became its own separate thing recently.

Whats interesting is what spawned Persona was a what if game literally called SMT IF, which is basically a story that takes place if a certain devastating event didn't take place in SMT1 and has the so far only canonically Female lead in the franchise. This is supported even more so in later games in the main universe having references to a ruined area where IF takes place in.

It's success with the audience in Japan and having the theme be inside of a Highschool, is what gave them the idea to continue that route in Persona, so Persona is basically an AU.

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SMTIV is the easiest, most accessible mainline SMT game to get into. It was my first SMT game. You can save anywhere, fusion is easy and quick. Burroughs's apps are very nice. You can also avoid random encounters, which is a plus. It, however, is the hardest mainline game to get the canon neutral ending, so you REALLY have to be careful with your choices. I was almost Law-locked on my first run, but somehow managed to get the neutral ending though a choice I made in Infernal Tokyo. It's small potatoes if you don't care about what ending you get. Besides, you can always do the New Game + and get other endings. I hated the Tokyo overworld; it's very easy to get lost and stuck on something.

Man I couldn't get into this game at all. Difficulty wasn't bad thanks to being able to save liberally, but IV bored me to tears with its dry minimalism. I liked Devil Survivor a lot (Persona doesn't really count), but maybe the rest isn't for me.

Edited by Radiant head
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SJ had the most bizzare storyline IMO, which is saying something considering the series standard. I still had PTSD from Eridanus though, which is honestly the only reason i didn't bother to replay the game.

Devil Survivor series is probably my favorite, mainly due to DS2's lighthearted approach to the grimdark setting, and being fairly difficult in its own right

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SJ had the most bizzare storyline IMO, which is saying something considering the series standard. I still had PTSD from Eridanus though, which is honestly the only reason i didn't bother to replay the game.

Devil Survivor series is probably my favorite, mainly due to DS2's lighthearted approach to the grimdark setting, and being fairly difficult in its own right

Still not as bizarre as Digital Devil Saga's story.

[spoiler=major spoilers]The main character and the female lead fuse together to become a hermaphrodite that flies to the sun in the sequel. I have never seen any other RPG do something as crazy as that.

Man I couldn't get into this game at all. Difficulty wasn't bad thanks to being able to save liberally, but IV bored me to tears with its dry minimalism. I liked Devil Survivor a lot (Persona doesn't really count), but maybe the rest isn't for me.

I see your point. It was hard for me to get through Naraku. Once I got past Medusa, I found that the game became more engaging. I enjoyed SMTIV's Tokyo aside from the horrendous overworld map. I am excited to see more of SMTIV FINAL because the Nico Nico live streams seem to show improved gameplay and a smarter partner system. The Hama and Mudo spells cause damage, which doesn't make them obsolete towards bosses anymore! The premise of SMTIV FINAL's plot is reminiscent of SMTII, so I bet it's going to be pretty insane.

I've seen bits of Devil Survivor, and it didn't appeal to me as an SRPG as much as FFTactics and Tactics Ogre did. I guess we have different tastes, huh? :P

I honestly felt the music of Strange Journey was very fitting, its super hostile and you're in a very hostile environment, I can see the appeal of Tokyo, but I think SJ is overall a more solid game than IV, and this is coming from someone who absolutely loves IV (It's like my favorite game in the series aside from SMT1, Persona 3, DS), but SJ does story, and stuff much better. IV does have the gameplay advantage, but is probably the easiest SMT game in the franchise, which is either a negative or positive depending on the person.

Also funny enough the Antartica location was chosen because Atlus felt the need to appeal to the west more with SJ. Which may explain why its not in Tokyo and you're basically a Marine.

I guess I should clarify. I hated SMT-SJ's battle music. The the sector tunes, like Eridanus's, were good. I just wish the battle music was more, lively I guess. It didn't capture the desperation that would be present when fighting demons. Nocturne's, SMTIV's, IF's and even the spinoff games had memorable battle tunes that made fighting absolutely awesome. SJ's battle music fell flat. SMT should stick to rock/trance/techno. This is only my opinion.

Edited by Leif
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Well honestly, thanks to Fire Emblem, most other SRPG's are really hard to get into. Devil Survivor worked for me because of the story/characters, the structure, and the demon fusion mechanics.

Digital Devil Saga looks pretty cool, from what I've seen. That whole cyberpunk/Matrix aesthetic just feels so right in an SMT-themed game. If it's somewhere between Persona and SMT in terms of the story-game balance (obviously not tone), then it sounds like it could be up my alley.

EDIT:

I'll say one thing I liked about SMTIV was this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=27&v=BwQuxPHQCeo

Edited by Radiant head
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Well honestly, thanks to Fire Emblem, most other SRPG's are really hard to get into. Devil Survivor worked for me because of the story/characters, the structure, and the demon fusion mechanics.

Digital Devil Saga looks pretty cool, from what I've seen. That whole cyberpunk/Matrix aesthetic just feels so right in an SMT-themed game. If it's somewhere between Persona and SMT in terms of the story-game balance (obviously not tone), then it sounds like it could be up my alley.

EDIT:

I'll say one thing I liked about SMTIV was this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=27&v=BwQuxPHQCeo

Right!? Fire Emblem has made me not like other SRPG's aside from FFTactics (PS1 and iOs) and Tactics Ogre (PSP).

That SMT IV track is pretty rad, I would have enjoyed SJ more if it had battle themes with a techno vibe to them.

Digital Devil Saga would be a game for you. It's a ton darker than Persona, and be prepared to see some crazy stuff happen in the sequel. Altus takes its audience very seriously, so prepare yourself for bad/sad stuff as well. It is superior to Final Fantasy 10 in a ton of ways.

Edited by Leif
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Wow, this series has way more games than I expected.

Only have played Persona 3 a bit and touched Devil Survivor 1 yesterday.

I love their gameplay so far.

I'd argue that Atlus's RPGs are better than traditional RPG franchises like Dragon Quest, or even final fantasy. Digital Devil Saga has a "dress sphere"/skill allocation system similar to FF10 that's executed much better.

Plus, they are not afraid to plunge into moral ambiguity with regards to their villains, which shows that they take their audience seriously.

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The reason, why I like Persona so much is that isn't only a RPG, but also a simulation (day organization).

.

I haven't played FF enough to judge about it.

I haven't could get into DQ yet, because these characters seem to be bland for me. Can't identify with them.

I should clarify my previous post: Atlus's Shin Megami Tensei franchise is better than most other RPG franchises. I am only familiar with Shin Megami Tensei and Etrian Odyssey only. Digital Devil Saga is probably the most traditional RPG in the SMT franchise, but I find it better than, let's say Final Fantasy 10, because the protagonists can transform into demons and devour their foes. Also, instead of a stereotypical high-fantasy setting, you have a cyberpunk, post-apololyptic living hell of a world with heavy hinduist themes driving the story.

Heck, I find Etrian Odyssey III a better game than Final Fantasy IV because of the fact that you can customize your guild members in a pretty unique manner as well as make your own maps as you explore.

But as I said before, I only know SMT and Etrian Odyssey. So I would encourage you to support Atlus and play more Shin Megami Tensei! :)

Edited by Leif
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