Nintendo Direct Mini July 20 at 7AM PT

[Yexin]

well, i didn't expect much, so i'm not really disappointed

happy for SMT fans, i'd like to get into the series, but due to my gaming etiquette, i'd start with the very first Megami Tensei and then play them all in release order

so yeah, it may take quite a while for me to get to SMT5, but SMT3 remastered is surely welcome

[DarthR0xas]

1 hour ago, Glennstavos said:

Nocturne Remaster? Does it even HAVE Dante from the Devil May Cry series? Somebody check the boxart to confirm!

Most likely not. In the trailer we saw Raidou Kuzunoha, which indicates that this remaster is going to be of the Japanese only edition of Nocturne known as "Maniac edition". This one swapped out Dante for Raidou, as well as adding a few other things. They could potentially add Dante back in, but since Raidou and Dante are literally the same character, I don't see how they would do it.

I kinda figured we were gonna get Atlus news in this direct. They simply have too many projects for one not to be a big announcement. My hope was SMTV, which I got, but I wasn't expecting that Nocturne remaster. Hell yeah is all I have to say about both of those. Cadence of Hyrule has always looked interesting to me, I might pick up that physical release. The other two games, I have already forgotten the names of. But man, that SMT double punch really made this direct.

[Punished Dayni]

8 minutes is shorter than advertised. But it's all 2nd/3rd party anyway.

Cadence of Hyrule gets DLC (I've been considering getting the base game) with a bunch of new characters, music and a skull kid plotline (Huh.), with a physical copy in late October (Alright.). Rouge Company gets a trailer which makes it look like a Watch Dogs knockoff only it's a character in the game and it's confirmed to be cross-plat anyway and with more announcements later. Next is a chibi-like WWE game that has a terrible trailer, killing its chance to sell itself. Then we get the last announcement. It's from Atlus and then proceeds to reveal a remake of SMT Nocturne 3 and then SMT V gets a trailer after so many years. We hear a devil-looking mofo tell us God's dead and of course that chaos will rebirth the world (no idea how accurate that will be in practice.) I have no idea what I should be saying here, I think I'm done.

TLDR: Not surprising it's so short or as limited in scope. Is Nocturne worth getting? Cadence seemed fun from the demo, so that's probably the most likely thing I'd get from this.

[Interdimensional Observer]

3 minutes ago, Dayni said:

TLDR: Not surprising it's so short or as limited in scope. Is Nocturne worth getting?

It is revered in within the SMT fanbase, it did invent the modern form the franchise has maintained. And was the first mainline title in the franchise to come to the West.

It is dated in a few ways, hopefully some quality-of-life improvements will be added, namely skill-storage instead of permanent discarding, and the option to not get an automatic Game Over if the Demi-Fiend dies. The cast is character-wise flat, the turn-based RPG difficulty a little hard, and the story is somewhat blindly wandering through a post-apocalyptic wasteland without a strong drive from one destination to the next. But if you can bear with these things, it's still good.

Atlus did a ton of sales on the 3DS, if they do the same on Switch, you could wait awhile for a discount if you're hesitant.

[Nobody]

Will get both SMT games day one. So fucking happy about this.

[null]

It was disappointing for me personally. But I'm not interested in Persona or SMT. Cadence is okay, but I never made much progress because the difficulty is so steep at the beginning. I do hope to see a bigger Direct with more announcements sometime soon.

[Jingle Jangle]

SMT 5 finally after what, 4 years of nothing. I'm interested.

Edited July 20, 2020 by Jingle Jangle

[SirErrant]

Fitting that during a global pandemic the SMT series is the only one thriving. 

I'm also a Persona 5 fan, by the way, and I'm genuinely interested in SMT V. Still wish we had gotten some news from Nintendo, though, especially after all the rumors about a 3D Mario collection and such.

[Karimlan]

47 minutes ago, SirErrant said:

Fitting that during a global pandemic the SMT series is the only one thriving. 

I see what you did there.

Solid RPGs is what my impressions are for the two Atlus offerings. Which is a plus in my book. And I get to defy god on the go lol

[Sidereal Wraith]

I’m happy SMT 3 is getting an HD remaster and SMT V was announced.

[EricaofRenais]

I just saw this now.  I am really happy about both SMT games.  I missed out on III when it first came out and I have been waiting for info on V for years.  I will be preordering both of these the moment I can.

[Anathaco]

This direct was cool I guess. I wasn’t really expecting much from it, but SMTV and Nocturne Remaster sounds pretty good.

(I haven’t even touched any persona or SMT game, I’ve literally only played TMS and the gameplay hooked me. This is just my excuse to actually play SMT.)

[NegativeExponents-]

I've always been meaning to get into SMT. Are they connected in any way or can you start with whichever? If it's the latter, which one would be a good entry point?

[Interdimensional Observer]

1 hour ago, NegativeExponents- said:

I've always been meaning to get into SMT. Are they connected in any way or can you start with whichever? If it's the latter, which one would be a good entry point?

They're mostly unconnected, though multiverse shenanigans first invented in Nocturne means all worlds and outcomes can theoretically exist in the Amala Network.

Shin Megami Tensei II is a direct sequel to the first SMT- except the only way you can play II is in fan-translation. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse is a sequel to Shin Megami Tensei IV, albeit not precisely so, 95% of SMTIV's plot happens and then things go off the rails before IV concludes as it originally did in IV: Apocalypse. The PS2 spinoff Digital Devil Saga is a duology where the games are two continuous halves of the same story- the first one ends on a big cliffhanger.

 

For a good starting point, if you have a functional DS or 3DS, Devil Survivor and Devil Survivor 2 spinoffs are great picks if you ask me! They use somewhat simplified SMT turn-based combat, but mix in movement on an SRPG grid, and they aren't too hard either. The 3DS versions of these games add extra content over the DS originals. Devil Survivor 1 nails the "survivor" feel and traditional SMT atmosphere overall with a little less cold bleakness and more "anime" vibrance. While Devil Survivor 2 leans towards more Persona-esque and lighthearted with Fate Levels between the silent protagonist and other characters, but no psychological mumbo-jumbo and fighting your shadow- the plot is decisively SMT in direction if not in tone.

For a mainline SMT, IV on 3DS is a good starting point, being very modern in quality of life from having been so recent. The beginning is difficult, but once you get past one or two nefarious bosses it becomes smoother sailing, maybe a little too easy until the end.

SMTIII: Nocturne is the starting point for "modern SMT", everything that came before it is "Classic SMT". The biggest gameplay difference between the two is that Nocturne invented the Press Turn system that makes hitting enemy weaknesses and minimizing your own very important. Atlus said they're making some tweaks Nocturne's gameplay, but we don't know the specifics of that, so I will say that there are few faults to be found in this 17-years-old PS2 great. Still, it's good, yet I'm hesitant it'd be too unfriendly for an SMT newbie. Plot is can be wandering and the characters dull, but the atmosphere is good. 

If you don't mind emulation and can handle PCSX2 (or who knows, maybe Atlus plans to HD remaster them next year?), then Digital Devil Saga is worth considering, its fixed cast with customizable skills will let you adapt to modern SMT gameplay without having to get caught up in minutiae of demon fusion. Story is fast and tight (except it falters a bit on the details at the end of DDS2), and the cast is nice enough too.

 

I'd hold off on Classic SMT until you've tasted the modern, but if you insist, Shin Megami Tensei I is available on iOS, and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is available on 3DS. Fan translations exist for SMTII, and for SMT: If...-the game which asked the question "What if SMT happened in a school setting" and thus is the kernel from which the Persona franchise was later born, the female protagonist option from If... appears in Personas 1 and 2 as an NPC even. 

And, if you want the very beginnings of the franchise, you must go back to Megami Tensei and Megami Tensei II, Famicom games, available in fan translation in their Super Famicom versions- Kyuyaku Megami Tensei I-II. But RPGs that old are going to be dry and tedious to the point of prematurely aging you save for the archaeologists and historians of the gaming world.

Edited July 21, 2020 by Interdimensional Observer

[Zapp Branniglenn]

I think the worldwide release for SMT5 is a big deal - for Atlus. They don't really do that. The wait for their games, especially the big ones, tends to be a ludicrous 12-18 months. Hell, even this Nocturne Remaster. That's coming out in three months for Japan, but "spring 2021" for us. That game is already translated! What is their excuse?

45 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I'd hold off on Classic SMT

Oh, that reminds me, they put that on the super famicom app on switch. I gotta try it out.

[NegativeExponents-]

40 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I'd hold off on Classic SMT until you've tasted the modern, but if you insist, Shin Megami Tensei I is available on iOS, and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is available on 3DS. Fan translations exist for SMTII, and for SMT: If...-the game which asked the question "What if SMT happened in a school setting" and thus is the kernel from which the Persona franchise was later born, the female protagonist option from If... appears in Personas 1 and 2 as an NPC even. 

Oh I've actually played Persona 2 IS (the only Persona I've played actually) so I do recognize her from the rumor agency but I thought she'd be originally from the first Persona like some of the other characters. Didn't expect her to be from the SMT series. Neat, I'll give If... a try then and maybe move to one of the 3ds ones from there for a taste of the modern ones. Thanks for the suggestion and guidance.

[Interdimensional Observer]

47 minutes ago, NegativeExponents- said:

Oh I've actually played Persona 2 IS (the only Persona I've played actually) so I do recognize her from the rumor agency but I thought she'd be originally from the first Persona like some of the other characters. Didn't expect her to be from the SMT series. Neat, I'll give If... a try then and maybe move to one of the 3ds ones from there for a taste of the modern ones. Thanks for the suggestion and guidance.

Same with me, modern Persona (everything after 2) doesn't interest because the social simulator aspect no offense to those who love it, it's why I wasn't enthralled by FE: 3H, not to be a downer.

Innocent Sin I felt had a good narrative despite the patina, but the encounter rate being as bad as it was led me after finishing IS to watch a Let's Play of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment instead of playing it myself. I tried the very first Persona's PSP port too, but felt too funky and the artwork...oh it's old. They didn't nail the story in Persona 1 either, it's merely okay. Eternal Punishment on the other hand, it doesn't build up the world as much as IS (probably because IS did that already); I gotta say that for all Maya lost in becoming the silent lead, Tatsuya gained by gaining a voice of his own. But for reasons, TatsuyaxJun can't happen in EP, though neither can TatsuyaxMaya nor TatsuyaxLisa.

Hope my advice doesn't disappoint! Because your opinions may vary, and thats perfectly fine.

 

 

1 hour ago, Glennstavos said:

Oh, that reminds me, they put that on the super famicom app on switch. I gotta try it out.

I'm surprised you were able to deal with FE1 in Japanese, but if you can manage that, I guess a full-fledged JRPG is possible. Yet if you shelled out like $10 USD an official English translation could be yours, with the UI seemingly a bit improved too due to being based on the GBA port.

Still, uh, I hope it's old-school fun for you. So old that the game doesn't even bother to give you starting armor or a gun, just a knife IIRC.

[King Marth 64]

It didn't feel like there's very much announcements were shown off from this Nintendo Direct Mini, I definitely know that this might have been reduced down due to we are still in the middle of the Pandemic going on. I'll might try to get the physical version of Cadence of Hyrule since it comes with all the DLC content included, I'm kinda happy to see Impa was getting added for DLC Pack 1. I'll might get Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Rremaster and Shin Megami Tensei V as well.

Edited July 21, 2020 by King Marth 64

[Strullemia]

Cool to see we're finally getting SMT V. I'm also interested in the Nocturne remake. I keep hearing good things about that game.

 

[redlight]

SMTV is alive. Plus Nocturne remaster. Aaaaah. I feel all warm and fuzzy.

The JP Direct had a few more games announces although they've yet to receive a release date for English audiences. Sakuna looks like a fun 2D action RPG. And Ryza 2 for the Atelier fans. Been considering getting into the series myself so all the more better.

Edited July 21, 2020 by redlight

[Zapp Branniglenn]

13 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Still, uh, I hope it's old-school fun for you. So old that the game doesn't even bother to give you starting armor or a gun, just a knife IIRC.

Unarmed, actually. But mom gave me a 10000 yen allowance. Sweet! 

Took a five minute peek at the game, and a few menu elements are actually in english, and I haven't encountered any Kanji. Yeah I could probably play this with jisho.org to cover for my lacking vocabulary. Not sure how effective I'll be at bargaining with demons though, haha.

Edited July 21, 2020 by Glennstavos