This game created a huge monster.

[Moé]

Simply because this post is always necessary to point out, 99% of the fanbase of this game consists of fangirls and failures due to the animu artstyle replacing Kaneko's awesome win character design and whatnot. It's like I'm really Japanese etc.

Henceforth, complaining about an easy game, not understanding this, that, what was this ending for, why did [lol no spoiler tags] etc. Am I the only one in the world who finds this annoying besides that one guy on 4chan's /v/ forums? Probably. So, what do you think, Atlus forums? Did Persona 3 make the fanbase of this series significantly more annoying?

[Futomimi]

In short: yes.

It's cool that a SMT game has done so well, but it kind of sucks that most of the new fans really don't give a crap about the rest of the series because it isn't "cute." There are a bunch of con-going members of this board that have approached Persona 3 players to talk about SMT, then found that none of them had ever played the older games... or even wanted to.

It also kind of dumbed down or just left out a lot of the things that made MegaTen special to me personally, like demon negotiations and choices that determined not only the outcome of the game, but the equipment I could use and the demons I could ally with.



For the record, I did like Persona 3 as a game, and many of the older forum-goers hated it. As a MegaTen title, though, it was mediocre.

[Esoteric]

Everything Mimi said is QFT.

I liked Persona 3 as well. I thought it was quite unique, and had a decent story. However...
As a MegaTen title, though, it was mediocre.

[Raidou11]

For the record, I did like Persona 3 as a game, and many of the older forum-goers hated it. As a MegaTen title, though, it was mediocre.

Once again, I agree with Mimi. The game itself is good, but in terms of MegaTen style, its not all that great.

[DamnedToBeFree]

I'm surprised Saycke hasn't stopped by to say something.

[Skyrocket]

In short: yes.

It's cool that a SMT game has done so well, but it kind of sucks that most of the new fans really don't give a crap about the rest of the series because it isn't "cute." There are a bunch of con-going members of this board that have approached Persona 3 players to talk about SMT, then found that none of them had ever played the older games... or even wanted to.


Considering how hard to find and expensive some of the older games are I think that's a little understandable. I have Nocture but it was just dumb luck my local store had a copy.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind playing the older games. But I'm not going to drop $100 just to play Persona 2. Heck, I don't think I'd pay that for Suikoden 2 and that's one of the best RPGs I've ever played.

[Hitoshura]

Mimi said it quite well. It's a good game, just not a good MegaTen game, and it's quite annoying that so many P3 fans are uninterested in the earlier games, when the earlier games are... well, a lot better. IMO Nocturne is the pinnacle of gameplay for the series, and SMT 1/2 are so amazing that they have completely knocked down the spot of so many classic SNES games to stand as my favorite SNES games period.

[Sei]

For the record, I did like Persona 3 as a game, and many of the older forum-goers hated it. As a MegaTen title, though, it was mediocre.

Agree with Mimi. I liked P3, and have already preordered p4. But I really like the ld Megaten games a lot better. I also liked DDS too.

[raum215]

Here is my point of view:

Compared to Lost Bible for Game gear (my first SMT game) it is far better. I bought a japanese rpg and played it in the navy. I had no idea what was going on, and imagined i was collecting late fees for a magic academies library from students who had overkept books for years. hilarious. I love that game.

Now for everything else. It is not a SMT game, it is a Persona game, which is a SMT side-brand. It is better than Revelations, but Revelations had some good ideas. It is inferior to persona 2, but only for a few reasons:

Rogue-like Tartarus is WAY too easy.

I personally preferred the Velvet Room from 2.

Rumor system needed some revamp, but not taken completely out. killed most replay value of the title.

Demon negotiations were a staple of the series, but looking back on Persona 3, it makes sense that you were not able to:

ikutsuki gave them an incomplete picture of the demons, and obviously they were being manipulated. He was looking for them to defeat them all to manifest the demon Nyx. Therefore he would have done nothing more than prey off their natural sensationalism of their task. I take this last game as a imperfect view of SMT because it was all the view the kids had from their S.E.E.S. brainwashing, because essentially the cultist Ikutsuki was also unaware of everything due to his nihilistic fanaticism, and was simply seeking to manifest A demon he personally held to be the eater of world and was being controlled by. In my mind no-one in persona 3 even knew what was going on as the world was destroyed and recreated back during the event that had them chasing shadows, so to speak... and only the main character was capable of being a power player in the SMT struggle for real. However, Igor appears to him, and through the process of the game, the fates decree his ascension into god-hood is to be aborted because his understanding is imperfect.

That is the only way I can make it fit in with the rest of the SMT titles. otherwise it is just a re-telling of the classic heroes journey that ends in martyrdom, one way or another.

I have not finished the answer... and will not comment upon it. The journey is a great story with a gimme battle at the end for people who like to grind.

As for people who like Persona 3 and not older SMT titles, you really have to jump through hoops or drop serious cash to get alot. If the series were more approachable or even updated, I imagine more people would give em a shot. I personally find no quarter in establishing the fact that "I was cool before being cool became cool." and i still think Demi-Kids is fun and deserves a DS sequel, so there!!!

[raum215]

the earlier games are... well, a lot better. IMO Nocturne is the pinnacle of gameplay for the series, and SMT 1/2 are so amazing that they have completely knocked down the spot of so many classic SNES games to stand as my favorite SNES games period.

1 and 2 are Deeper and better and deserve real remakes or a true lineage of which Nocturne was the first steps of. And GWDZ the music is awesome...

...Certainly the most unsung mastery of the SNES era. BEST EVAR.

[DamnedToBeFree]

In short: yes.

It's cool that a SMT game has done so well, but it kind of sucks that most of the new fans really don't give a crap about the rest of the series because it isn't "cute." There are a bunch of con-going members of this board that have approached Persona 3 players to talk about SMT, then found that none of them had ever played the older games... or even wanted to.


Considering how hard to find and expensive some of the older games are I think that's a little understandable. I have Nocturne but it was just dumb luck my local store had a copy.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind playing the older games. But I'm not going to drop $100 just to play Persona 2.

Same exact situation for me.

[unknown]

As for people who like Persona 3 and not older SMT titles, you really have to jump through hoops or drop serious cash to get alot. If the series were more approachable or even updated, I imagine more people would give em a shot. I personally find no quarter in establishing the fact that "I was cool before being cool became cool." and i still think Demi-Kids is fun and deserves a DS sequel, so there!!!

You can get all of the PS2 SMT games for under $50 each now. As for the PSX games, there are other ways you can play them >_>

[Moé]

You guys probably said everything I had on my mind.

This forum really is a fanboy's paradise. @o@

[firehydra2k]

I'm sure Persona 1/2 are great games. But I'm not sure how much advertisement there was for the game back then. I never knew about the game while it was on the shelves. I got into the SMT series at P3, and now I am playing Nocturne.

Keep in mind that unless Atlus decides to remake the older games, all those "fanboys" will ignorantly praise P3 (and beyond) because it's a lot cheaper, more available, and more updated than the older games. For me, I am not gonna drop >$100 on the vintage copies just to "enjoy" the glories of the game (waaaaayyyy too risky for a test drive...unless ebay sellers have a 30 day satisfaction guaranteed policy...).

I am playing Nocturne right now, and there are a lot of things I like about the game over P3 (storyline, more control over battle system, etc...), but at the same time some of the gaming and programming mechanics (art style, the little chinese checkers peg that roams the world atlus, unpredictable random battles) and the demons running away with my money (which, well, whatever...)) is somewhat killing some of the experience.

I think the problem is is that more people are interested in the game (which is good for the company considering they'll have enough to feed their employees and make the next game without recuperating losses). Just the esoteric P1/P2 fanbase is mingling with the newcomers...

[Moé]

I'm sure Persona 1/2 are great games. But I'm not sure how much advertisement there was for the game back then. I never knew about the game while it was on the shelves. I got into the SMT series at P3, and now I am playing Nocturne.

Keep in mind that unless Atlus decides to remake the older games, all those "fanboys" will ignorantly praise P3 (and beyond) because it's a lot cheaper, more available, and more updated than the older games. For me, I am not gonna drop >$100 on the vintage copies just to "enjoy" the glories of the game (waaaaayyyy too risky for a test drive...unless ebay sellers have a 30 day satisfaction guaranteed policy...).

I am playing Nocturne right now, and there are a lot of things I like about the game over P3 (storyline, more control over battle system, etc...), but at the same time some of the gaming and programming mechanics (art style, the little chinese checkers peg that roams the world atlus, unpredictable random battles) and the demons running away with my money (which, well, whatever...)) is somewhat killing some of the experience.

I think the problem is is that more people are interested in the game (which is good for the company considering they'll have enough to feed their employees and make the next game without recuperating losses). Just the esoteric P1/P2 fanbase is mingling with the newcomers...
What's the matter, too HARD for you?

... Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[xtreme_phoenix]

Persona 3 is a very good game. It's deep, especially compared to all of the FF-alikes crowding the JRPG market. It has an excellent, well told story, and, though it's fairly easy by megaten standards, it's still considerably harder than most other RPGs, like, say, devil summoner.

As far as SMT games go, P3 is average. The entire SMT franchise is of such excellent quality, however, that P3 is STILL a top tier title.

[raum215]

Keep in mind that unless Atlus decides to remake the older games, all those "fanboys" will ignorantly praise P3 (and beyond) because it's a lot cheaper, more available, and more updated than the older games. For me, I am not gonna drop >$100 on the vintage copies just to "enjoy" the glories of the game (waaaaayyyy too risky for a test drive...unless ebay sellers have a 30 day satisfaction guaranteed policy...).

What you forget was most people missed the boat of Persona 3 as well, until it swung back around. I know alot of people who spent more for Persona 3 than I spent for a second copy of Persona 2 last week. And a lot of people actually played Persona 3 and declared themselves "ATLUS fans." Ironically, it was a venture into Etrian Odyssey that brought me here, though I had played several ATLUS games including Persona 2 before.

I am playing Nocturne right now, and there are a lot of things I like about the game over P3 (storyline, more control over battle system, etc...), but at the same time some of the gaming and programming mechanics (art style, the little chinese checkers peg that roams the world atlus, unpredictable random battles) and the demons running away with my money (which, well, whatever...)) is somewhat killing some of the experience.

The little "chinese checkers peg is also a staple of the system. The difference is in Persona 3, you menu select where the pointer goes, in Nocturne, you manually control it. DOH!

As for random encounters - Demons are manifestations of chaos, and if you seek to traffic their attention, perhaps you should be prepared for the experience. The enemies of Persona 3 were boring. they were all visible and terribly droll once you figured out how to knock them down. They had no personality like the enemies of Persona 2, very little interest in them except what hurt them. That is NOT the SMT experience, where enemies are fickle, but understanding what makes them tick and how to get them to tock is crucial to your success.

[firehydra2k]

And that's the big difference between P1/P2 and P3. Did the first two have a popular and cheap director's cut version? P3 might have been possible because every single copy has been purchased (or scalped) off the store shelves, leaving more demand than supply. There was no need to liquidate them.

Not sure how "Atlus fan" is defined, but I don't consider myself one; I like a few games released by them just like Capcom and Square Enix. I thought P3 was a fun with a unique style of gameplay, but that doesn't mean that I automatically like all of the other games localized by Atlus just because it has the branding. I only have 525600 hours on this planet (assuming I live to be 60), and I want to use it (and my limited budget) on stuff that's fun to me. I'm here to look for updates because forums usually have info from members that companies and corporations usually don't release to the public (yes, even though this one's owned by Atlus...)




A couple quick side notes about Nocturne, the chinese checker thingy is just a graphical annoyance I had with the world map. I was hoping for something a tad more creative. But that's just me.

For me, I like seeing the enemies (in some form) while browsing the map/dungeons. That made my life a lot easier when playing P3 and other games like Xenosaga, Valkyrie Profile 2, and Star Ocean TTEOT. That was the bane I had with Nocturne and Final Fantasy (up until 10). It's agitating to realize how to solve a puzzle. Move your arm, and a battle starts, and then after killing them or retreating, you take 3/4 of a step and another battle starts (proving that the indicator at the bottom right hand corner of the screen, unless it's blue, is practically useless and pointless).

Keep in mind that these are just my problems with the game (not trying to apply it to everybody else here). The story and other aspects of the game play is pretty unique, which is why I am still trying to beat it.

[xtreme_phoenix]

yes, sneaking up on enemies and then exploiting the hell out of their weaknesses in p3 was pretty damned easy, but Random battles, in addition to being suitably difficult, are annoying as ####. Yes irandom battles are "hardcore", but I don't give a ####. I don't care what explanation there is in the story for random battles, (embodiment of chaos, etc.) (also, seriously, chaos is an abstract concept, nothing can actually embody it) they still pull you right out of the ####ing experience and they happen way to ####ing frequently.

[Futomimi]

I usually prefer random battles. :s

The only games I can think of without random battles, off the top of my head, that I've enjoyed lately are Valkyrie Profile (original) and FFXII.

[Kain Mare]

While I did enjoy playing P3, overall it was just an OK game. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed a lot of the elements from the game, but I felt it was too cute for me to openly talk to with other SMT fans. Many of which for the reasons already listed in this thread.

While it is nice that this particular game brought in more of a fanbase, I just feel that that is all they are going for. This particular game and others that have a similar feel, are just all that they want and won't even trying to go venture into the previous SMT games, such as Nocturne, DDS1/2 and so forth.

I very much agree with Futomimi.

[xtreme_phoenix]

Depending on the game, random battles can work, but with the battle system as it is, random battles would kill persona 3.

let's look at an imaginary scenario from P3 with Random battles in place.

"oh look, there's the exit point, now I can get this shadow crystal, which it took me ####ing ages to find, back to the velvet room"

*player takes 3 steps forward*

Cue pokemon style random battle fade in.

A GIANT MASKED TENTACLE RAPE THINGY APPEARS

ENEMY ADVANTAGE

GIANT MASKED TENTACLE RAPE THINGY USES MUDO ON *name here*

*name here* DIES, HA HA HA, #### YOU

*player breaks down in a sobbing heap*

[Sei]

^ You just described every Shin Megami Tensei game in the main line, and maybe DDS/DDS2 when they are having a bad day.

[raum215]

^ You just described every Shin Megami Tensei game in the main line, and maybe DDS/DDS2 when they are having a bad day.

You just earned a hug!

[xtreme_phoenix]

^ You just described every Shin Megami Tensei game in the main line, and maybe DDS/DDS2 when they are having a bad day.
I'd say that being killed randomly should count as a flaw, not a bonus.
I think it's damn good that they've counterbalanced the fact that only one character has to die for you to see the game over screen by tossing out random encounters.

[Moé]

So how about limited encounter areas in the games? Considering as how you basically get a certain amount of steps before random encounters start, they could double the amount of free steps they get in areas that have difficult puzzles to solve.

OH WAIT THAT'S WHAT DECREASE ENCOUNTER ITEMS WERE FOR.

[unknown]

I liked the fact that you could see enemies in games like P3 and Xenosaga =\

But that's just me.

[firehydra2k]

So how about limited encounter areas in the games? Considering as how you basically get a certain amount of steps before random encounters start, they could double the amount of free steps they get in areas that have difficult puzzles to solve.

OH WAIT THAT'S WHAT DECREASE ENCOUNTER ITEMS WERE FOR.

Funny. The repulse bells didn't do jack for me. Neither did the attract bells.

Depending on the game, random battles can work, but with the battle system as it is, random battles would kill persona 3.

let's look at an imaginary scenario from P3 with Random battles in place.

"oh look, there's the exit point, now I can get this shadow crystal, which it took me ####ing ages to find, back to the velvet room"

*player takes 3 steps forward*

Cue pokemon style random battle fade in.

A GIANT MASKED TENTACLE RAPE THINGY APPEARS

ENEMY ADVANTAGE

GIANT MASKED TENTACLE RAPE THINGY USES MUDO ON *name here*

*name here* DIES, HA HA HA, #### YOU

*player breaks down in a sobbing heap*

My favorite incident(s) relating to that (after beating Nocturne) is the Dormina+Eternal Rest combo. Also poses another flaw to the ailment system in SMT (and Final Fantasy); they never ####ing work on bosses, therefore there is no reason to work on them.

[xtreme_phoenix]

Also poses another flaw to the ailment system in SMT (and Final Fantasy); they never ####ing work on bosses, therefore there is no reason to work on them.

in p3 they do, which rules.

So how about limited encounter areas in the games? Considering as how you basically get a certain amount of steps before random encounters start, they could double the amount of free steps they get in areas that have difficult puzzles to solve.

OH WAIT THAT'S WHAT DECREASE ENCOUNTER ITEMS WERE FOR.

Hey, don't knock it, it worked in pokemon.

also, that number of steps is like, two. seven with decrease encounter items in use.

[Hitoshura]

Funny. The repulse bells didn't do jack for me. Neither did the attract bells.


I am absolutely, 100% sure that the way the repulse bells/Estoma works is that if you are underleveled, it does not really affect the encounter rate very much. If you are overleveled, it prevents you from getting into battles with weaker demons. In fact, I believe the in-game description of Estma in SMT 2 is that it prevents battles with lower-level demons.

I may also add that in DDS1, I was level 99 before entering the final dungeon, and with using Estoma Sprays, I didn't get into a single battle the entire time.

Also, I can't really see how not being able to abuse ailments against bosses is a flaw. Random battles in SMT games are just as dangerous, if not moreso, than boss battles, so those kinds of "cheap" tactics are still pretty worth it.

[Saishu]

I liked the fact that you could see enemies in games like P3 and Xenosaga =\

But that's just me.
I haven't played an RPG with random encounters in a long time.

[raum215]

PERSONALLY,

I understand random encounters. They are a staple of the pen and paper RPG, which is the source of the video variety of turn based epic.

However, I personally played alot of pen and paper RPG's. The thing is sometimes you would go the DM and say, "let's ramp things up a bit." and you would hit the wall of random encounters, mainly to grind or just finish the mountain dew. However, at the same time, if the story was really ramping up, you didn't want a bunch of wandering goblins to detract from the epic adventureness of it all.

That is why PERSONALLY I think a great RPG option would be to have enemy encounters invisible or visible by selection, and allow for a player controlled sliding scale that *generally* determines encounter density.

Best of all world for everyone. Random grinders like me get their "they came out of nowhere! flank to the front and hold the line!" ambush style thrill, and people who are just getting a interactive story with the occasional combat event get their jollies, whatever they may be.

[Olethros]

PERSONALLY,

I understand random encounters. They are a staple of the pen and paper RPG, which is the source of the video variety of turn based epic.

However, I personally played alot of pen and paper RPG's. The thing is sometimes you would go the DM and say, "let's ramp things up a bit." and you would hit the wall of random encounters, mainly to grind or just finish the mountain dew. However, at the same time, if the story was really ramping up, you didn't want a bunch of wandering goblins to detract from the epic adventureness of it all.

That is why PERSONALLY I think a great RPG option would be to have enemy encounters invisible or visible by selection, and allow for a player controlled sliding scale that *generally* determines encounter density.

Best of all world for everyone. Random grinders like me get their "they came out of nowhere! flank to the front and hold the line!" ambush style thrill, and people who are just getting a interactive story with the occasional combat event get their jollies, whatever they may be.

Raum, that was far too much reason and intelligence for this board. You're going to start making people's heads hurt. :wink:

[BaizDaza]

PERSONALLY,

I understand random encounters. They are a staple of the pen and paper RPG, which is the source of the video variety of turn based epic.

However, I personally played alot of pen and paper RPG's. The thing is sometimes you would go the DM and say, "let's ramp things up a bit." and you would hit the wall of random encounters, mainly to grind or just finish the mountain dew. However, at the same time, if the story was really ramping up, you didn't want a bunch of wandering goblins to detract from the epic adventureness of it all.

That is why PERSONALLY I think a great RPG option would be to have enemy encounters invisible or visible by selection, and allow for a player controlled sliding scale that *generally* determines encounter density.

Best of all world for everyone. Random grinders like me get their "they came out of nowhere! flank to the front and hold the line!" ambush style thrill, and people who are just getting a interactive story with the occasional combat event get their jollies, whatever they may be.

I liked the the Persona 3 gameplay for me but I really don't want to see the old-school style of RPG's to disappear. Random encounters + turn based systems FTW!!!

FF XII was fun but I need a better RPG fix!

[xtreme_phoenix]

PERSONALLY,

I understand random encounters. They are a staple of the pen and paper RPG, which is the source of the video variety of turn based epic.

However, I personally played alot of pen and paper RPG's. The thing is sometimes you would go the DM and say, "let's ramp things up a bit." and you would hit the wall of random encounters, mainly to grind or just finish the mountain dew. However, at the same time, if the story was really ramping up, you didn't want a bunch of wandering goblins to detract from the epic adventureness of it all.

That is why PERSONALLY I think a great RPG option would be to have enemy encounters invisible or visible by selection, and allow for a player controlled sliding scale that *generally* determines encounter density.

Best of all world for everyone. Random grinders like me get their "they came out of nowhere! flank to the front and hold the line!" ambush style thrill, and people who are just getting a interactive story with the occasional combat event get their jollies, whatever they may be.

that makes a lot of sense. I'd like to see that density slider idea in P4, that way I could crank it to max and be like "oh #### the floor is ####ing made of shadows"

[BloodlustKid]

You guys forgot one factor: Internet. I mean if it wasn't for YouTube or 4chan, I wouldn't even know more about the series than the covers in stores.

As for random encounters, Wild Arms 3 has the best so far. You have a meter and you can skip battles if you want which depletes the meter. You can replenish it by collecting items on the map or getting into battles. Prove me wrong.

[firehydra2k]

Just because it's a "staple" doesn't mean that everyone should like it.

[unknown]

You guys forgot one factor: Internet. I mean if it wasn't for YouTube or 4chan, I wouldn't even know more about the series than the covers in stores.

As for random encounters, Wild Arms 3 has the best so far. You have a meter and you can skip battles if you want which depletes the meter. You can replenish it by collecting items on the map or getting into battles. Prove me wrong.

Yeah I liked that feature, haven't played WA3 in ages though...

[piyochan]

Yeah P3 is certainly a nice game...except that the MC can't be a female :twisted:

Also it is sad to see that Mr. Kaneko's demons are just a piece of power in human mind rahter than independent beings in P3...

That's why I don't really like persona series :?

[Thunder-Slash]

Yeah P3 is certainly a nice game...except that the MC can't be a female :twisted:

Also it is sad to see that Mr. Kaneko's demons are just a piece of power in human mind rahter than independent beings in P3...

That's why I don't really like persona series :?

I think Kaneko designed the characters in the past Persona games.

I mean look at Hitler...

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/9947/hitlernw2.jpg

[unknown]

Kaneko did the character designs in the past Persona games, the guy who did P3 drew the in game character portraits in P2 based on those designs I believe.

[piyochan]

I know Kaneko is the designer of characters in P1&P2,
what makes me a little bit upset is the difference between demons & personas.

Also the personas in P3 are just the same 3D mode in Nocturne & DDS-AT,which looks annoying to me... cause personas in P1&P2 and demons in other SMT series didn't share the same setting.

I've been played P3&P3Fes, I'm certainly sure that they are nice games,
worth enjoying them,
just can't get used to the attributes of personas :roll:

Well, just personal preference anyway .

[Kakizaki]

Yeah P3 is certainly a nice game...except that the MC can't be a female :twisted:

Also it is sad to see that Mr. Kaneko's demons are just a piece of power in human mind rahter than independent beings in P3...

That's why I don't really like persona series :?

I think Kaneko designed the characters in the past Persona games.

I mean look at Hitler...

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/9947/hitlernw2.jpg

Actually the in game portraits for the P2 titles were done by Shigenori Soejima -- who, as you know, did P3.

[Thunder-Slash]

Yeah P3 is certainly a nice game...except that the MC can't be a female :twisted:

Also it is sad to see that Mr. Kaneko's demons are just a piece of power in human mind rahter than independent beings in P3...

That's why I don't really like persona series :?

I think Kaneko designed the characters in the past Persona games.

I mean look at Hitler...

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/9947/hitlernw2.jpg

Actually the in game portraits for the P2 titles were done by Shigenori Soejima -- who, as you know, did P3.

I stand corrected. Wow that guy can imitate Kaneko's style pretty well.

[BloodlustKid]

Yeah, I even thought the main cast's special Personae were designed by Kaneko.

[Hizke]

What's the matter? Didn't like Persona 3?

Too DEEP for you?

[Onion of Mystery]

Uh... huh.

I'm tempted to lock this, as this necrobump appears to be just an insult with intent to rile up the other users. Hizke, if you have anything to add to the discussion other than ignoring the points that were made and insulting the topic creator, go ahead.

[jeffx]

I was going to propose that new members should not have the right to reply to old threads until they have a certain number of post under their belt.

At least the Baroque necrobump had some comedic value. This one is just a waste of everyone's time.

[Balrog]

It's cool that a SMT game has done so well, but it kind of sucks that most of the new fans really don't give a crap about the rest of the series because it isn't "cute." There are a bunch of con-going members of this board that have approached Persona 3 players to talk about SMT, then found that none of them had ever played the older games... or even wanted to.


I know plenty of people (myself included) that never played an SMT game until P3 and went back and bought/played DDS, Nocturne and Persona 2. The bottom line is that most of the PS1/PS2 era SMT games didn't receive glowing reviews from the press and were ignored outside of their niche audience.

[Olethros]

Okay, it's official: Onion/Kaki lock this bad boy up before something happens, please.

[Flußkönig]

What's the matter? Didn't like Persona 3?

Too DEEP for you?

I actually like P3, but there aren't enough eye rolling smilies on earth to reflect how ridiculous that statement is.


It's cool that a SMT game has done so well, but it kind of sucks that most of the new fans really don't give a crap about the rest of the series because it isn't "cute." There are a bunch of con-going members of this board that have approached Persona 3 players to talk about SMT, then found that none of them had ever played the older games... or even wanted to.


I know plenty of people (myself included) that never played an SMT game until P3 and went back and bought/played DDS, Nocturne and Persona 2. The bottom line is that most of the PS1/PS2 era SMT games didn't receive glowing reviews from the press and were ignored outside of their niche audience.

There are a lot of factors that play into this (like age) that could explain why newer fans to the SMT series hadn't played some of the older games. At this point the first Persona game came out around twelve years ago with EP coming out four years later.

I can't imagine a whole lot of 4 - 11 year old kids were super interested in Persona when it was released, and if you didn't grow into the series at an earlier point I seriously doubt you would have known much of anything about the all consuming awesomeness of Nocturne when it hit in 2004.

[Kakizaki]

^To piggy back off of that, not only does it take time to cultivate a fan base, but imo the same can be said for a fan base media / reviewer wise. The magazines that I paid attention to during Persona 1 and Persona EP's release actually provided a fair amount of coverage and positive coverage at that (GameFan). I do realize that may be rare, but I also notice a fair amount of mags and sites pan a game only to do a retro review years later praising it.

I think this can be further reinforced when you look back at even earlier reviews for jrpg titles that preceded Persona 1 and EP by just a couple of years in the U.S. The reviews for FF VI (III SNES) were pretty average in quite a few U.S. mags.

Flu's point is pretty solid. I can't tell you how many quizzical looks I received while I worked at GS when the topic of Nocturne was broached during its release.

[Hossaria]

What's the matter? Didn't like Persona 3?

Too DEEP for you?

Too SIMPLE for me, mister deep dog (no offense, really).

[Soushi_Grapple]

My main problem with P3 was the grinding. And honestly, the plot was great until the end of FES.. I didn't care for the characters much. Im really excited about P4 though.

[Saburo Hikari]

Playing P3 made me want to play the earlier SMT and Persona games. But like some of you guys say, the games are now too expensive for me to want to get them, especially since I don't know the stories of those games.

Until then, I'll think of P3 (And maybe P4) as a greater game than any Final Fantasy I'll ever play.

[Hossaria]

Yeah, I even thought the main cast's special Personae were designed by Kaneko.
But most personae were recycled from Kaneko's earlier works.

[James Fiend]

My main problem with P3 was the grinding. And honestly, the plot was great until the end of FES.. I didn't care for the characters much. Im really excited about P4 though.

I've been replaying Persona 3 FES on hard mode. As soon as I get to the top of a floor and finish all of Elizabeth's requests, I'm done fighting. Grinding doesn't really help you at all. It's more important to have the right Persona with the right abilities than an excessively leveled one. As a matter of fact, if you spend too much time in Tartarus, being tired and sick is a much bigger problem.

The point of this topic was that Persona 3 has somehow tainted the fan base. If someone can't have a philosophical discussion about Nocturne while hanging out at a Persona 3 booth, is that really a problem? Even if only a small portion of P3 fans go back and discover the older titles, that should be considered a good thing.

People who prefer one style over the other is natural, but resenting a game because it has altered your "gaming community"...I don't really get it.

[Shhteve]

The problem with this thread is that there is too much criticism. Just enjoy the games for what they are. So what if they're not the same as the older games, and what if they were? They're all great games, and that's why we're here. Quit bickering.

[septembervirgin]

There are points on both sides. What might be foremost would be desire to love the game line, inclusive of old games, plus hoping for new games in these lines. After all, this is a game company that is growing, it is not a fossil. New games can be expected. Improvements and changes will occur. And there will probably be re-releases of old games with bonus features added.

So keep this all in mind and look forward to the future!

[Quig]

In short: yes.

It's cool that a SMT game has done so well, but it kind of sucks that most of the new fans really don't give a crap about the rest of the series because it isn't "cute." There are a bunch of con-going members of this board that have approached Persona 3 players to talk about SMT, then found that none of them had ever played the older games... or even wanted to.


Considering how hard to find and expensive some of the older games are I think that's a little understandable. I have Nocture but it was just dumb luck my local store had a copy.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind playing the older games. But I'm not going to drop $100 just to play Persona 2. Heck, I don't think I'd pay that for Suikoden 2 and that's one of the best RPGs I've ever played.

I was first introduced to the SMT series in Persona 3 FES. I was skeptical about it because I never played the first two, but I liked it. Like every game made, there are some things that could have been improved upon, but overall it was a great experience. I would not mind playing the older stuff, but there is a huge problem in acquiring any PlayStation games unless you are willing to spend a lot of money on eBay or Amazon. Personally, I am not about to spend more than $40 for a PlayStation game, when I have a PS3. The last PlayStation game that I spent more than $40 on was FFVII, and now you cannot get that one for less than $75 on eBay.
Just because I have not played the earlier stuff doesn't mean that I can't appreciate the new games, it just means that I am not going to have an opinion about the earlier games.

[Foryth]

^ If you haven't bought the games back when they were at a reasonable price, emulation is the way to go IMO. Playstation emulation is now pretty much what Snes emulation was back in the days. Though I feel some PSX games are still worth my money much more than many current generation games. I'd buy back DQVII without a thought if I were to stumble upon it.(Why did I have to trade it in back then. :( )

You can even play the complete Persona 2 saga now, with the release of the english patch for Innocent Sin. SMT 1 & 2 for the snes both have english patches as well. All of these I feel are more worth playing than many current gen games.