Saint of Games Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 (edited) Many people have been wanting to get in SMT since the annoucement trailer, I made this poll for them to get some suggestions. Personally... I would recomend either the later Persona games (3 and 4) or Digital Devil Saga, but that is just me. Edit:What happened to the poll? Edited March 29, 2013 by the SMT fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Devil Survivor was my introduction to the series, I'd recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTNP Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I would think Devil Survivor would probably be the easiest for a Fire Emblem fan to adapt to. If the person you are trying to introduce into the series is more of an RPG fan though, I would vote Persona 3 on the PSP (due to it being easier and removing a lot of the annoying functions) along with being cheaper or Persona 4 on the VITA. After all, most people are more likely to enjoy a "pretty" and modern game than one earlier back in the series. As far as the "best" example of what SMT is like on average though, I would think Digital Devil Saga or the original Persona 4 might be a good option if they have a working PS2. About the only ones I would avoid would be Nocturne, the earliest Persona series (1 and 2) and possibly any of the emulated and translated versions of SMT from online. I guess it mostly matters WHO is your target audience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBM Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Well I guess it really depends on what route the crossover's gameplay takes, but assuming that the newcomers want to play SMT to familiarize themselves with its gameplay, wouldn't one of the core series be a better recommendation than the Devil Survivor or Persona spinoffs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psych Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Persona 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Sage Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I started with Nocturne and found it enjoyable, but yeah P4 or P3 are better introductions to the series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ike-Mike Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Strange Journey It introduces you to the basic themes and mechanics of the series and instead of taking place in Japan with Japanese people it's on Antarctica with a ragtag bunch of elite soldiers from around the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ein Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Nocturne or Digital Devil Saga. Strange Journey is probably the most difficult of the series released outside of Japan unless you somehow master the concept of Demon Sources and fusions for it. Unless this game has some kind of Persona 3/4 or Devil Survivor thing then those. Although Persona 3/4 have too much high school crap with lackluster dungeons and Devil Survivor I found to be tedious to play. thats just me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy_Dingo Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 I'm pretty much gonna say what everyone else has. Devil Survivor is freakin amazing IMO and one of my favorite DS games. Haven't even opened DS2 yet, but it should be cool. Personas 3 and 4 are great and a good entry to the series (although technically they aren't part of themain SMT series and are their own spinoff series I don't care because shut up. They have many similar mechanics.) The persona games are also easier for more people to swallow because they have less of an emphasis on religious matters than most of the rest of the series. DO NOT start with Nocturne. Not only is it quite disturbing at times, it's also quite difficult. Not that I'm saying not to play it. It's just not a welcoming entry to the series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renne Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 (edited) Can't really offer one, but if it's to familiarize with the crossover game, I doubt the spin-offs are a good idea to start off with... I personally started with P3P ( never finished though ;_; ) and then fell in love with P4G. Also played Devil Survivor 2. So I think the Persona games might not be a good start for those who want to familiarize for the crossover or to get into the main games, but not saying Persona games are bad or anything. For modern, I guess Devil Survivor could be pretty close. I'm not too familiar with the main story though. Edited March 30, 2013 by Hariti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ein Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 how is nocturne disturbing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy_Dingo Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 (edited) how is nocturne disturbing Death, misery, suffering, hopelessness, surreal and disturbing subjects, you're forced to kill one or more of you're only remaining friends, EVERYONE YOU'VE EVER KNOWN OR LOVED IS DEAD OR HORRIBLY MUTATED OR IS PROBABLY GOING TO DIE... not to mention the music adds to the ambiance. I'm not talking ultra-violence. I'm talking themes. But I guess if you don't really pay attention, don't absorb, don't understand, or are terribly desensitized it wouldn't be a big deal. Lol, that was a bit more passive aggressive than usual for me. Sorry. Edited March 31, 2013 by Happy_Dingo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F0X Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Strange Journey It introduces you to the basic themes and mechanics of the series and instead of taking place in Japan with Japanese people it's on Antarctica with a ragtag bunch of elite soldiers from around the world. I agree with this one. Devil Survivor may be a better fit for those who want to gear up for SMTxFE, but Strange Journey is a fantastic introduction to the broader SMT series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fala Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Death, misery, suffering, hopelessness, surreal and disturbing subjects, you're forced to kill one or more of you're only remaining friends, EVERYONE YOU'VE EVER KNOWN OR LOVED IS DEAD OR HORRIBLY MUTATED OR IS PROBABLY GOING TO DIE... That and God IS evil Lucifer is good-ish and wants you to become the anti-christ not to mention the demons that are trying to DEVOUR you all the effing time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Sage Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Lucifer is just as bad as God, he's just more subtle about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ein Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Neither are really evil. Or good. Just depends on how you see them. Then again we all need a bad guy. Or good guy. But that's kind of annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSND Alter Dragon Boner Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 (edited) By that logic, SJ is no better than Nocturne, because SJ has one of the most evil villain in the series, except this one is a normal human Also the dialogues are really really disturbing But yeah, SJ taught you the basic of the series, and can be trivialized with some trick if you found it too hard, and it has fun dungeon, especially the second part of fifth dungeon. Devil Survivor 2 is another good choice, mostly because it is easier to play than DeSu 1. If you want to start with DeSu 1, play Overclocked instead Edited April 10, 2013 by JSND Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy_Dingo Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Moral ambiguity is a running theme in the series. It doesn't say this way of thinking is good or bad. It just presents you with the reasoning and results then says "pick a side" No, God isn't presented as evil, he's just there representing order and is quite strict (even though in actuality that doesn't make sense because in the bible man was made with the ability to choose to begin with. Why would he do that if if he didn't want us to choose "wrong"? Seems more like he gave man a choice and consequences for each choice. But hey, this is just a game so let's not get too philosophical.) Lucifer too is not presented as evil, he just represents chaos. Again, this is all just a game so any newcomers in the series shouldn't really take anything too seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehab Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Maybe in the situations that humanity finds itself in during the games, the current God regards that as a mistake, or a misinterpretation by humanity, at least in part, given the ends it led toward in some cases. but then I haven't played the game what am I doing theorizing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedStar Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 I can't recommend just one, Strange Journey (DS) For the Gameplay (Has the General Staple of the main series) and the main themes (Order vs Chaos, Apocalypse like, Demon-Central) P4 Golden (Vita) The most light heart of all SMT Games ( Character-central, Mythology only plays mostly in the plot and summons, Most forgiving) Devil Survivor 1/2/Overclocked (DS/3DS) Close for a FE Fan, showcase of themes with (slightly as their are good gods here) lighter tones. It depends what you really want to know about Shin Megami Tensei really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otherarrow Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 For the record, God is more often than not presented as evil. Yes, Lawful Evil, but still evil, to the point where even other hardcore Law guys turn on Him when he goes too far. I think the only game where he is presented in a positive light is Devil Survivor, but I hear the 3DS version does back-peddle on that a bit. Lucifer's alignment varies depending on the game. He always represents Chaos, but whether he is good, evil, evil pretending to be good, good pretending to be evil, etc varies. On topic? I started with Persona 3, and that's probably a good starting point. From there, I'd recommend moving on to Persona 1 or 2, as they are closer to the main series than the games that followed them, then on to Nocturne and what not. I hear Strange Journey and Devil Survivor are good jumping on points too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fala Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 No, God isn't presented as evil, he's just there representing order and is quite strict (even though in actuality that doesn't make sense because in the bible man was made with the ability to choose to begin with. Why would he do that if if he didn't want us to choose "wrong"? Seems more like he gave man a choice and consequences for each choice. But hey, this is just a game so let's not get too philosophical.) Lucifer too is not presented as evil, he just represents chaos. Please. God had Japan nuked simply because they weren't worshipping Him enough. Did I mention that the said action of nuking Japan led to WORLD WAR III? And what did He do when not enough people worshiped him? He floods Japan. Then he uses Satan to use a Kill Sat to wipe all life from the earth. How the fuck does that count as not evil!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ein Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Please. God had Japan nuked simply because they weren't worshipping Him enough. Did I mention that the said action of nuking Japan led to WORLD WAR III? And what did He do when not enough people worshiped him? He floods Japan. Then he uses Satan to use a Kill Sat to wipe all life from the earth. How the fuck does that count as not evil!? eh He knows what he's doing in the SMTverse. This is gonna be a "fun" conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcerzak Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 We let him get away with it when he did it to Noah's contemporaries. How is what happened in SMT any worse than the things YHVH is actually attributed to doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karasz Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 (edited) Eh, let's just say that God is an asshole and got what was coming to him in the "undisputed True Ending" of Shin Megami Tensei 2. ALL HAIL ALEPH! ON TOPIC: I discovered Shin Megami Tensei through playing Devil Survivor. I recommend either that, or Persona 3...preferably the FES version. That's definitely a decent introduction to the series. OR, there's also the fact that the port of Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers for 3DS comes out on Tuesday. You could always pick that up. Edited April 12, 2013 by Karaszure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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