Kids, shoot yourself in the head and gain super powers! The SMT / Megaten / Persona thread

GAMER'S FUN RUINED (WELL, DELAYED) BY USELESS CRAP FOR UBER-NERDS:
http://www.siliconera.com/2007/07/23/persona-3-knocked-down-by-a-delay/

this sucks because I ended up preordering it, too

Heh, same. Thankfully I couldn't afford it this paycheck because power/rent/cable/ps2 repair wiped my bank acct.

I don't see why they didn't just include a little "mail this in for a free copy of the art book" coupon or something. Ah well.

August 14.
http://www.siliconera.com/2007/07/24/shin-megami-tensei-persona-3-coming-in-august/

And August 28th for Growlanser V. This is lame. I was looking forward to playing a shitload of RPGs during the ENTIRE MONTH that I have the house to myself (gf going to Europe from August 4th through 26th or something). Oh well, I can probably find a game to play during that time.

between this and bioshock i think i am well stocked up on the disturbing imagery.

also the art book is pretty cool as far as stupid ass art book crap goes.

Mine's on the way,

but I'd much rather have been playing it the past few weeks than have that fucking book, obv.

I bought my copy, haven't played it yet though-- the gf wants to see it, so I am saving it. It's painful. What game can I play for the next 10 days so I don't think about it?

You ever pick up Odin Sphere? Tomb Raider Anniversary? GrimGrimoire? Those are the best recent PS2 games, IMO.

persona 3 is light years better than odin sphere or tomb raider. classy presentation, no random encounters, cool soundtrack. i'm sure that it like all megaten games will get incredibly frustrating and pointless but until then it is really cool. of course bioshock comes out tomorrow which means i will prob not pick up p3 again for a little while.

I've got Odin Sphere and GrimGrimoire ready to play... Odin Sphere was pretty fun but I put it down and forgot to continue playing, I started playing GrimGrimoire last night and I'm not yet sure how I feel about it.

anybody play http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e7/SMTRaidou.jpg/250px-SMTRaidou.jpg this one? would that be a good entry point to the series, or should I try something else? Because I personally have watched a fool play Persona 2 and am not the least bit interested in THAT.

No.

If anything, Persona 3 is probably the best entry point. Devil Summoner is... weird. Another good one might be Digital Devil Saga, if you can find it.

that said, though, DDS really isn't like the rest of the series, and neither is Persona 3. I'd honestly say that they're similar only in that they're different from all the other jPRG tripe out there.

jRPG tripe seriously needs to be defined in this context. I mean Persona 2 looked like the tripe ramen championship, some .hack kind of wanksterism.

Maybe I should just see if I can pick up some other SMT bidness cheap used

hahahaha good luck w/that. oh, and Nocturne was the last game in the main SMT series, FYI.

It'd be cheaper to get your PS2 'backup-friendly,' I reckon.

I've only played for a couple hours, but Persona 3 rules. Tombot, don't be such a...Tombot. Check it out.

I'll buy one of y'alls copies when you're done. I still have over 100+ hours of jRPG tripe at my house I've yet to work through. Getting ahead of myself.

devil summoner kind of sucks. i played persona 3 all fucking day yesterday--it is really lame and frustrating but still really cool. best of the megaten games that i've played and probably the best rpg for the ps2 that i've played.

i can't stress how much i like the no random encounters thing.

Yeah you know Tombot I am not at all kidding when I say this makes Rogue Galaxy look like a complete piece of shit. FFXII and DQVIII...better watch their back depending on how good this thing is going to get. I'm four hours in, and "probably the best RPG for the PS2" has already gone through my head as well.

http://www.destructoid.com/elephant//ul/36188-persona3.jpg

Haha yeah but at least that emo kid puts a gun to his head and pulls the trigger multiple times in every battle! That's your mute DQ style hero that you can name whatever you want, and the other dudes in my party so far are a ponytail/baseball cap gamer dude and a jock boxer. There's absolutely none of emo hair Main Character whining about his feelings, he never says a word.

Correction, baseball cap dude doesn't even have a ponytail, for some reason I thought he did. In any case, none of the other characters so far are the least bit emo if that's what you're worried about. :D

No I'm just worried about my usual antipathy for any and all JJhighschool + Supernatural Bullshit storylines, though a few reviews have allayed a lot of my qualms in this regard

junpei is a total douche. i think what i like about this game so much (so far) is the lack of tediousness. healing is easy, getting around is easy, and stamina points (equivalent to magic points) are not impossible/$$$ to restore so cool powers and combinations can be used frequently/all the time instead of just mashing the basic physical attack button. also the soundtrack is as good as jet set radio future.

A nice touch that it comes packaged with the soundtrack. Although the program I used to use to rip CDs is apparently no longer free. And I fucking hate iTunes/iPod/AAC. Any sugg's? I guess that's off topic... I still can't talk about the game proper until the 27th/28th when I can start playing it, eeeeeagh. Which is when Growlanser 5 comes out.

Growlanser is 9/18 according to Gamestop. Wild Arms 5 comes out at the end of August though, and it's supposed to be really great. All these RPGs...

Well, I never picked up Persona 3 and was kind of regretting it recently as I looked around for a copy and saw how much they were already going for. However...!

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA — FEBRUARY 25, 2008 — Atlus U.S.A., Inc., the vanguard of role-playing games, today announced Persona 3 FES for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the highly-anticipated definitive cut of 2007’s RPG of the Year, Persona 3. With two games on one disc–a brand new chapter featuring 30+ hours of gameplay and an enhanced version of the original game loaded with new content and features–Persona 3 FES is the comprehensive version of one of the most acclaimed RPGs of 2007.

Persona 3 FES is a stand-alone product and does not require the original Persona 3 to play. However, players with save files from the original game will be able to transfer some of their saved data, such as their Persona compendium, to be used in the enhanced main story. The new story is accessible from the start and does not require players to finish the original game beforehand.

Persona 3 FES is scheduled for release on April 22nd for an MSRP of $29.99.

Just in from Gamefly. Looking to devote the better part of my weekend to it.

Except now I'm reading I should really get the special edition instead...

... which i promptly bought, like a good consumer.

oh my gawwwwwwwwd, I spent two and a half hours playing this last night and i am not yet past the opening sequence!

i may buy FES today. if i can find it. i think i only got through the first term in Persona 3 (then I got a 360...) but once I am living alone and have a ot more games time I intend to revisit w/ FES.

persona 4 vita is so good. i am going to play it for 1000 hours this weekend.

don't think there's a midnight channel irl

how much extra stuff was added to P4V? on the fence about buying it, already played through P4 on PS2 twice, but 3 years ago now.

per the somethingawful thread:

-Improved Graphics
-Choose which skills Personas inherit
-Two new Social Links: Marie and Adachi
-New Personas, as well as third tier Personas for party members (Unlocked by reaching Rank 10, then spending time with them again after 1/10)
-New difficulty levels (Very easy, easy, normal, hard, very hard)
-More Voice acting
-New animated cutscenes
-New areas (Beach and a ski resort, Okina City, increased access to Inaba at night)
-New events (Halloween, Skiing!)
-BIKES! (You can get around town on motorbikes, and your party members learn new skills by going on Bike dates with you)
-Tag Team attacks
-Wi-Fi features. Use SOS to connect to other players, gaining HP and SP depending on how many you connect with. Furthermore, you can also see what other players are doing at the same time of the game you’re at.
-Gardening! (Which gets you items that can do things like cast Makarakarn)
-Bug Catching Mini-game (Use them as bait for the Fishing Mini-game!)
-A Quiz show mini-game
-Scene Skip
-The game is extended to February 24th (so long as you avoid the bad endings)

just murdering dudes in mitsuo's dungeon right now. those tag team attacks are great--sometimes after an all-out attack (in my party) chie and yukiko will automatically do a decent bit of damage to all enemies, usually wiping them out. and they're like "yukiko, it's time!" "okay chie!" and it makes me think of "computer blue" off purple rain

thanks for that, even more indecisive now! can you run about town or is it all menus like P3P? that was a bit of a turnoff for me.

you can run around, the vita's got a little more juice than the psp.

while we're on this topic, is it worth playing through p3: FES? i put way too much time into the original p3 but bought FES off the psn store anyway.

oh yeah and choosing the inherited skills is MASSIVE. i was getting hosed in the rise boss fight (getting hit with constant agilao/bufula) so i went and fused myself a persona with native null ice and tacked on an inherited null fire. so satisfying.

persona 2 has been rated again. this probably means it'll be on PSN soon.

oh yeah and choosing the inherited skills is MASSIVE

if the PS2 games had had this i think i would've saved a good 10+ hours on my playthroughs

man this game gets hella anime in the back third.

haha yeah

man though i can't imagine looking at the back of this and thinking "yeah, that's what this game needed ... more stuff"

I'm currently playing Persona 3 on Easy and I really wish I had set it on normal. There's no challenge once you get into the groove of the game. Ah well, maybe I'll able to beat the final boss in this game (f.u. strange journey).

hey look a new Persona game is coming out and Aigis is back! ... er wait a minute ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9uZMOyqU4Y

Persona 3 FES is on sale for $5 on PSN this week. Might as well as add it to the backlog fire

Is that UK or US?

huh US. they haven't promoted that in any way that I'm aware of but yeah, that goes right into the pile for me too.

yeh P3FES isn't on the EU store, Ghostlight were trying to put the Digital Devil Saga games on there but ... well they aren't v competent & fucked it up
in better news SMT4 and Soul Hackers are both coming to EU this year

Masterful troll video feed from Atlus today, several announcements and much milking of Persona 4
games announced:
Persona Q (3DS) - dungeon crawler with chibi P3 & P4 cast made by Etrian Odyssey staff
Persona 4 Dancing All Night (Vita) - music rhythm game lol
Persona 4 Arena 2 (PS3) - second fighting game
and finally Persona 5 (PS3) coming winter 2014 in Japan, all they gave us was the Engrish text "You are prisoner. Want emancipation?"

Ok, I think.. I think I'm almost ready to dive into Persona 3 FES. Soon. Soon.
I don't think I'll be playing this more than once; understand it's an insane grind.
Are there any non-spoiler things/gameplay aspects I should know to make this play-through as good as possible?

Are you playing the PS3 version? I prefer it, but if time is at a premium you might be better off with the PSP version, which is more menu driven and takes a lot less time to complete overall.

(errr PS2, but also available on PS3 obv)

Yeah, PS3/PS2 version

why do you prefer ps2? I actually own both but still haven't played either (lol)

i guess i liked the atmosphere of running around the town listening to the really nice soundtrack and discovering things? in the PSP game it's mostly reduced to "go here or here" menus, which speeds up the game and probably works better for a portable but it just felt less alive as a setting (think they cut out the animated cutscenes for the PSP version as well). PSP also gives you the choice of a female protagonist (the main reason i replayed it), but she doesn't add that much to the story sadly.

personas 3 and 4 have the best music. even if i found the grind occasionally infuriating i have endless goodwill toward this series just b/c of music and overall presentation. menus so stylish.

i played thro the first hour of ps3 recently and was amazed how much less assured it seemed than the same period of ps4

yea I love the music too

thanks for the info!

Persona 3 tips:

Don't worry about making all the right dialog choices, or maxing all the social links. It really doesn't matter.

Combining personas is generally better than leveling them.

Don't go into Tartarus every night. It's not necessary, and it often makes you tired.

When you're tired or sick, go to the nurse. Drinking the concoction will raise your courage.

When you're tired or sick, go to the nurse. Drinking the concoction will raise your courage.

kinda wanna have an out-of-context video game tip thread now

ok, i'll keep all that in mind. thanks!

P5 also coming to PS4, release date just a vague 2015 now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y5U8n4Ie3I

Hi, I am late to this series but I just started playing Persona 5 and uh what the hell is this story and why haven’t I been playing these games all along

As slow as the beginning of P5 is, P4G is even slower, as if it's making room for people who've never played video games before. I'm about two hours in, and the sum of my input has been running down two blocks of a town and being forced to go to bed. Am I close to getting actual gameplay any time soon?

yes from what i remember

it's a very vibey game tho, falling in love with that little town is part of the process

Me, after beating a tough early boss to unlock a new (female) character to add to my party of two dudes: “Whew, barely made it out alive, I’d better leave the dungeon and stock up on more supplies.”

In game dudes: “We’d better leave the dungeon so that Chie doesn’t get too tired!”

What is Shuffle Time? I've read that you can select all cards but I've only ever been able to pick one (or two when I pick a card that changes another card's type). I'm in the second dungeon, if that makes a difference.

a lot of the cards have a "1 more" option which lets you pick again. If you manage to clear all the cards, you get a guaranteed shuffle time next battle. Otherwise, I think it only happens if you win a battle through an all out attack.

hot take: P4 was boring. P5 was great. P3 (just started) looks like it might take the cake for me though. I wish I liked p4 more than I do. A lot of my frustration probably came from trying to 100% and thus being overleveled pretty early on and not having much of a challenge in the game. But beyond that, ehhhhh the story was good but not fantastic.

I'm using a sample size of 2, but this wouldn't be a Persona game if it didn't have at least one awful problematic heteronormative scene (I'm thinking of the fat phobic one with Yosuke). I kind of feel like I can't really recommend the series to others now, at least not without some serious caveats.

*sigh* the fat phobia is not limited to one scene.

I also have to wrestle with some of my minmax impulses because a lot of guides say "beat the dungeon in as few days as possible (preferably one)," but then that really unbalances the gameplay -- a very long grind to get through the dungeon on the one hand, and then the life sim stuff that sometimes involves very limited player interaction.

glad I skipped the crappy PSP port of P3 for this

Atlus messed up. They revealed Persona 3 Remake too early on their instagram pic.twitter.com/xycj3wZZ5d

— Faz (@ScrambledFaz) June 8, 2023

also a P5 tactics game which might be fun?

PERSONA 5 TACTICA TRAILER!!

releases 17/11/23 (17th november 2023) pic.twitter.com/sDklynkmaQ

— JUNO 👾 (@junoharuto) June 8, 2023

lol i was literally just watching a tweet of P3 Reload

i don't care about already buying the crappy port, Atlus can have all my money in perpetuity

so none of the added content from FES/P3P will be in the P3 remake
oh I see you Atlus, and like the sucker I am I'll buy the updated version in 3 years sigh
also no kids shooting themselves in the head in the trailer? disgusting

this looks like a fun time though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoZA6YA7YYQ

Heard someone call it last Bible iv and now I'm like why aren't they calling this last Bible iv

They being atlus

hey, there were persona games on the ps2, let's poll that generation