Which SMT game should i play?

Persona 3 really was only hard if you didnt have a persona that could null instant death skills. Once you had that and knew which enemies used them it got much easier.

Certain bosses in Persona 3 were freaking insane though but nowhere near the evilness of Nocturne fights.

I can honestly say random battles in Nocturne could be harder then boss fights in most RPG's.
 
[quote name='ihavenolife123']ps: Ive been thinking way too much. The school year seems so short, and the game ends pretty much when school ends, im assuming. If so..then i might just have enough time to finish all of my social links...
Did you guys discover all of your social links on the first go?
If so...whats kind of replayability is there?[/quote]

I thought that too when I was running through. The problem is that there really isn't a way to "luck out" and hit every single social link. As I played through the game, I kept a list of who was available on what days and their current link. I also tried to make sure that I was giving appropriate time to the girls as they get mad if you start dating around. The problem is that the game will start throwing in events like summer vacation that will throw your schedule off.

I maxed 9 of the S. Links on my first time through. I hit the rest on the second play through. I'm looking forward to the new ones in FES (the director's cut, not Episode 2).
 
[quote name='thelonepig']I thought that too when I was running through. The problem is that there really isn't a way to "luck out" and hit every single social link. As I played through the game, I kept a list of who was available on what days and their current link. I also tried to make sure that I was giving appropriate time to the girls as they get mad if you start dating around. The problem is that the game will start throwing in events like summer vacation that will throw your schedule off.

I maxed 9 of the S. Links on my first time through. I hit the rest on the second play through. I'm looking forward to the new ones in FES (the director's cut, not Episode 2).[/QUOTE]

There are no social links in The Answer, i believe.

I think more social links open up the higher your social stats are, which do carry over.

I have to turn in a semester's worth of lab reports this monday...then two days later...bam, finals.
so i wont be playing any FES until its already old :(
 
[quote name='ihavenolife123']There are no social links in The Answer, i believe.

I think more social links open up the higher your social stats are, which do carry over.

I have to turn in a semester's worth of lab reports this monday...then two days later...bam, finals.
so i wont be playing any FES until its already old :([/quote]

Yeah, sorry. When I said 'Episode 2' I meant The Answer. I get confused between all of the titles for it (Episode Aegis, etc). I know Elizabeth and Aegis were added as social interactions, though I don't know if they are full blown S.Links. Also, epilogues have been added to the S.Link stories.
 
Yeah, I'm in the same boat. Just got all dds and nocturne and p3fes and have to decide which one to play plus okami. I put em in for a couple of minutes of demoing and I'm leaning towards P3fes first but can anyone tell me if Nocturne has voice acting? i was reading a whole bunch of text.
 
[quote name='sparklecopy']can anyone tell me if Nocturne has voice acting? i was reading a whole bunch of text.[/QUOTE]

Not a lick of it.
 
Depends on depth. Nocturne is significantly longer than DDS1. Story is SIGNIFICANTLY better than DDS too, but no voice acting. Nocturne is the only true SMT game, with DDS being a close 2nd. Demon fusing is fun. True Demon Ending is fun to attain, (adds about 20 hours).
 
I'm in the same boat although I did play Persona 2. I got tired of getting beat by Joker for the five millionth time so I eventually gave up and traded it. I'm thinking about picking up FES but I'd also like to try Nocturne soon. I gave my buddy a copy of Nocturne for Christmas a couple years ago but he never tried it. I might end up "borrowing" it when I visit next.
 
[quote name='thelonepig']Not a lick of it.[/QUOTE]

What? in this day and age, there is no voice acting? even the crappiest games have voice acting now. I'm thinking maybe I should start with nocturne first then p3fes so I'll have something to look forward to.
 
After checking wikipedia, I know that DDS1/2 isn't related to any SMT games but how does other SMT games related to each other? Are they in the same world, time, etc? I'm getting an impression that all SMT games are standalones (in each own universes).
 
They relate to each other like this
SMT2 takes place 50 years after SMT1 after you create a world were good and evil are on equal grounds. In SMT2 you kill God. SMT3 while it can be taken as stand alone one of the characters is probably the protagonist from the 2nd game.
Thats the basic way they relate to each other. Although the connection between 2 and 3 was never confirmed if I remember right.
 
[quote name='laaj']After checking wikipedia, I know that DDS1/2 isn't related to any SMT games but how does other SMT games related to each other? Are they in the same world, time, etc? I'm getting an impression that all SMT games are standalones (in each own universes).[/QUOTE]

Nocturne is the only true SMT game. The other games are spinoff that Atlus USA added SMT to the title. None of them are related story wise. Others are side game but uses the same spells, enemies. For example Jack Frost is a common enemies. There are also references to other games but thats about it. (Optional boss in DDS are characters from other games)

Edit: Also Persona 2 mentions the name of characters in Persona 1. Kind of stand out as Persona 1 used Americanized names while Persona 2 kept the japanese names.
 
Devil Summoner in a lot of ways is a watered down version of an SMT game. It's really easy, weaknesses don't work the same, there is a ton less demons and demon types. Storyline is ok, the problem is you revisit the same content so much.

However, it's not bad. I think the $19.99 it seems to be priced at every GS isn't too much to ask for the game. It is a lot more forgiving than the other games and probably easier to learn, definitely a lot less complex.
 
Devil Summoner was alright... though I regret playing through it. The battle system is real-time instead of turn based, and it just doesn't feel very solid. You know how most RPGs that try to incorporate an action-y combat system usually play like shit? Yeah, that's what happened. It doesn't help that the story is terrible either, and most of your objectives in the game are little more than drudgery. And sometimes you'll need a demon with a certain ability to progress through a dungeon, or else you'll have to go back and find one that has the skill you need. They tried to make puzzle-solving a part of the game, but they screwed that up, too.

Basically, the only SMT games worth owning on the PS2 are Nocturne, DDS 1 and 2, and Persona 3 FES. So, anything but Devil Summoner.
 
I would recommand it just because it is cheaper and easier to find than other games. Well you get what you pay for.
 
Devil Summoner is a game that I wanted to love. The era and setting are fun and the atmosphere really worked. It is historical noir, really.

The battle system killed it for me. The real time was very clunky and difficult to manage. It plays out similar to .hack//GU with the battles, but less fluid. Because of this, I found it more difficult than any of the other SMT games (Nocturne withstanding, as I have yet to play it).

Also, for those sitting on the text/voice acting, DS is a text-only game.

And finally, Nocturne is not the only true SMT game. As has been mentioned, it is actually SMT III. I have no problems with Atlus throwing the title on DDS or Persona, personally, as they all share similar themes.
 
[quote name='sparklecopy']What? in this day and age, there is no voice acting? even the crappiest games have voice acting now. I'm thinking maybe I should start with nocturne first then p3fes so I'll have something to look forward to.[/quote]


Simple. Nocturne isn't a Final Fantasy game where they know people will blindly buy it because of the name. Nocturne was more of a niche game and Atlus never expected it to be as popular as it was. They couldn't afford lots of voice acting on that one.
 
In response to the OP, I'd do:

Persona 3 FES
Digital Devil Saga 1 (if you hate the lack of story go ahead and skip to...)
Digital Devil Saga 2
Nocturne

If you played all the way through FES and at least one DDS and still want more SMT, then it's time for Nocturne. It's my philosophy that you should start with the most accessible to avoid burnout.

DDS1 is probably the weakest game in the four you mention. If you think it sucks, just skip to DDS2. It actually has a plot that develops in your natural lifetime and has much cooler environments too.

Nocturne is the big daddy, the "pure" SMT game. In fact, I believe it's actually a remake of the original SMT. So that's pretty pure.

If we have to resort to tired Final Fantasy analogies:
-Persona 3 = Final Fantasy 6.
-DDS1 = Final Fantasy 3.
-DDS2 = Final Fantasy 5.
-Nocturne = Final Fantasy.
 
[quote name='Brian9824']Simple. Nocturne isn't a Final Fantasy game where they know people will blindly buy it because of the name. Nocturne was more of a niche game and Atlus never expected it to be as popular as it was. They couldn't afford lots of voice acting on that one.[/QUOTE]

that doesnt make any sense as there are no voice acting in the Japanese version. Nocturne is the third game in the SMT series, a huge series with games on every system since NES and tons of spin off. The reason is like others have said there are not that many dialogs. Even when dealing with niche and unknown games like Rhapsody and Disgaea, Atlus got full voice acting. The only time Atlus had to cut out stuff is with Arcana Heart, and that was budget game.

[quote name='lord_ebonstone']In response to the OP, I'd do:

Persona 3 FES
Digital Devil Saga 1 (if you hate the lack of story go ahead and skip to...)
Digital Devil Saga 2
Nocturne

If you played all the way through FES and at least one DDS and still want more SMT, then it's time for Nocturne. It's my philosophy that you should start with the most accessible to avoid burnout.

DDS1 is probably the weakest game in the four you mention. If you think it sucks, just skip to DDS2. It actually has a plot that develops in your natural lifetime and has much cooler environments too.

Nocturne is the big daddy, the "pure" SMT game. In fact, I believe it's actually a remake of the original SMT. So that's pretty pure.

If we have to resort to tired Final Fantasy analogies:
-Persona 3 = Final Fantasy 6.
-DDS1 = Final Fantasy 3.
-DDS2 = Final Fantasy 5.
-Nocturne = Final Fantasy.[/QUOTE]

Actually Nocturne is the only "pure" SMT is because the third SMT game. Japanese title is Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. The other games only got SMT ar part of the title in the USA version due to ATlus USA wanting to build up the series. The original SMT on NES also got a remake but thats something entirely different.
 
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