I'm sure there's a crazy person who wants NINE putting in the poll.
Not enough room for if... or Megami Tensei I & II in the poll either, sorry.
Favourite (mainline) Shin Megami Tensei game?
- Thread starter Sumio Mondo
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I'm sure there's a crazy person who wants NINE putting in the poll.
Nocturne and V just based on pure enjoyment.
SMT 1 and 2 had surprisingly strong stories - not amazing but I wasn't expecting to be too engaged in them when I played them, or experience plot twists I honestly didn't see coming.
IV and Apocalypse had some of the most interesting atmosphere in the mainline series.
And I know they're not mainline games, but the Raidou Kuzunoha sub-series is the one I wish Atlus would revive the most.
SMT 1 and 2 had surprisingly strong stories - not amazing but I wasn't expecting to be too engaged in them when I played them, or experience plot twists I honestly didn't see coming.
IV and Apocalypse had some of the most interesting atmosphere in the mainline series.
And I know they're not mainline games, but the Raidou Kuzunoha sub-series is the one I wish Atlus would revive the most.
Tried III, Strange Journey, IV, and V and while I appreciated the atmosphere in each (especially III's intro) the only one I enjoyed playing through and stuck with til the end was IV. Pretty great game despite the start of Tokyo dragging a bit (everything building up to Tokyo was incredible for me).
It's either III or IV for me.
III has the best core combat experience and the best balance. It's challenging and where the "enemies and player are on equal terms" thing is the closest to being true. It's also got a great story (despite people later claiming it didn't have much of a story, it does and it's good), great atmosphere, great vibes.
IV has the better story though, to me. I like characters and dialogue and IV has more of that but it still feels like a mainline SMT game with how it approaches those characters and that story. At times I say this one takes it but at other times I get annoyed at it's complete lack of balance. The game starts off too punishing for new players but even just a few hours in becomes so ridiculously easy it's downright broken. The whole game needed a balance rework and more bosses needed to have their elemental weaknesses removed, it's just too easy to destroy them in one or two turns with the smirk mechanic, and it makes every boss feel the same.
So when I'm looking for the best SMT gameplay, the best atmosphere and vibes, I go with III.
When I'm looking for my favorite story and characters, I go with IV.
I and II are also good, just very dated. They have their issues. II is better than I imo but II also has so much backtracking and padding, I never see anyone talk about that but it kinda drags the experience down. And I has a really nasty difficulty spike that I think will make a lot of people drop it. Combat is unrefined, but that's to be expected.
IV Apocalypse fixes all of IV's gameplay issues but completely botches the story and writing so meh.
V is... fine. Looking forward to what they do to it with Vengeance.
III has the best core combat experience and the best balance. It's challenging and where the "enemies and player are on equal terms" thing is the closest to being true. It's also got a great story (despite people later claiming it didn't have much of a story, it does and it's good), great atmosphere, great vibes.
IV has the better story though, to me. I like characters and dialogue and IV has more of that but it still feels like a mainline SMT game with how it approaches those characters and that story. At times I say this one takes it but at other times I get annoyed at it's complete lack of balance. The game starts off too punishing for new players but even just a few hours in becomes so ridiculously easy it's downright broken. The whole game needed a balance rework and more bosses needed to have their elemental weaknesses removed, it's just too easy to destroy them in one or two turns with the smirk mechanic, and it makes every boss feel the same.
So when I'm looking for the best SMT gameplay, the best atmosphere and vibes, I go with III.
When I'm looking for my favorite story and characters, I go with IV.
I and II are also good, just very dated. They have their issues. II is better than I imo but II also has so much backtracking and padding, I never see anyone talk about that but it kinda drags the experience down. And I has a really nasty difficulty spike that I think will make a lot of people drop it. Combat is unrefined, but that's to be expected.
IV Apocalypse fixes all of IV's gameplay issues but completely botches the story and writing so meh.
V is... fine. Looking forward to what they do to it with Vengeance.
Nocturne >>> SMT IV >> SMT II = SMT IV: Apocalypse > if... = Strange Journey > SMT >>>> SMT V > NINE
EDIT: Just rambling about my picks a bit...
Nocturne is the complete package. A god-tier RPG.
SMT IV is fairly strong everywhere even if it peters out towards the end.
SMT II is old AF but the story really holds up.
SMT IV: Apocalypse is the best the series has ever felt to actually play. And the narrative? Like, the broad strokes are bad, but the moment to moment writing isn't horrible and it's not SMT V!
Strange Journey... Have always found this one a bit boring. I went through Redux last year and... I mean, I still think it's pretty fucking boring at times, and I don't like the combat system much at all, but the core concept is great and there's good bits (none of them are the Redux additions though).
if... Iunno why I like this one honestly, but I do. Was in a good mood when I played it.
SMT has good beats. Was in a bad mood when I played it.
SMT V makes me sad. Can't even give it the 'plays best' moniker or anything close to it because it goes backwards there too. Absolutely not a direction I want them to keep going down, but w/e.
NINE... I keep forgetting that I've finished this game. I dropped it twice for long periods, but I did eventually finish it! The story honestly isn't bad, but the gameplay and progression systems are weird AF and annoying. The hacking shit is unbearable. Going from this to Nocturne is nuts.
I like a lot of side games more than most main entries.
EDIT: Just rambling about my picks a bit...
Nocturne is the complete package. A god-tier RPG.
SMT IV is fairly strong everywhere even if it peters out towards the end.
SMT II is old AF but the story really holds up.
SMT IV: Apocalypse is the best the series has ever felt to actually play. And the narrative? Like, the broad strokes are bad, but the moment to moment writing isn't horrible and it's not SMT V!
Strange Journey... Have always found this one a bit boring. I went through Redux last year and... I mean, I still think it's pretty fucking boring at times, and I don't like the combat system much at all, but the core concept is great and there's good bits (none of them are the Redux additions though).
if... Iunno why I like this one honestly, but I do. Was in a good mood when I played it.
SMT has good beats. Was in a bad mood when I played it.
SMT V makes me sad. Can't even give it the 'plays best' moniker or anything close to it because it goes backwards there too. Absolutely not a direction I want them to keep going down, but w/e.
NINE... I keep forgetting that I've finished this game. I dropped it twice for long periods, but I did eventually finish it! The story honestly isn't bad, but the gameplay and progression systems are weird AF and annoying. The hacking shit is unbearable. Going from this to Nocturne is nuts.
I like a lot of side games more than most main entries.
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I've only played Nocturne, 4, 4A, and 5. Played all of them for the first time relatively recently.
Of those, my favorite was Nocturne. I loved the atmosphere and overall mood of the game.
Of those, my favorite was Nocturne. I loved the atmosphere and overall mood of the game.
The writing quality of Strange Journey and the atmosphere of Nocturne still haven't been topped.
SMTIV is my first mainline SMT game and afterwards Apocalypse.
Started on OG IV back in 2020 and finished Apocalypse back in 2022.
Prior to that I've played Persona 1 Portable as my first SMT series game back in 2011, Persona 2 IS on PSP back in 2011 and Persona 3 Portable on PSP back in 2012. I finished OG Persona 4 on PS2 back in 2015.
As far as non-personas go , I've played SMT Soul Hackers on 3DS back in 2021, Strange Journey on 3DS back in 2021, Devil Survivor 1 on 3DS back in 2022 and Devil Survivor 2 on 3DS back in 2023.
I was gonna play SMT5 on Switch (OG) to play the regular route before I get Vengeance later on either PC or PS5 but I might try out SMT3 Nocturne on Switch first since I see its really popular.
Started on OG IV back in 2020 and finished Apocalypse back in 2022.
Prior to that I've played Persona 1 Portable as my first SMT series game back in 2011, Persona 2 IS on PSP back in 2011 and Persona 3 Portable on PSP back in 2012. I finished OG Persona 4 on PS2 back in 2015.
As far as non-personas go , I've played SMT Soul Hackers on 3DS back in 2021, Strange Journey on 3DS back in 2021, Devil Survivor 1 on 3DS back in 2022 and Devil Survivor 2 on 3DS back in 2023.
I was gonna play SMT5 on Switch (OG) to play the regular route before I get Vengeance later on either PC or PS5 but I might try out SMT3 Nocturne on Switch first since I see its really popular.
It's pretty close between Nocturne and IV for me.
I like the story of IV the most but I like everything else in Nocturne more.
I was enjoying V but I fell off near the end. Despite that, I am looking forward to Vengeance on PS5.
I like the story of IV the most but I like everything else in Nocturne more.
I was enjoying V but I fell off near the end. Despite that, I am looking forward to Vengeance on PS5.
Surprised people seem so high on V's combat. V is my least favorite version of press turn with levels mattering way too much along with the dampeners being so op and the Persona style buffs. Still enjoy it more than most JRPG battle systems, but V doesn't hold a candle to Apocalypse if we're strictly talking combat imo.
Yeah, it drives me crazy. Like every addition just makes it worse (Magatsuhi making fights rote AF, dampeners (items in general) being broken, changes to the buff economy, the prevalence of pierce, physical skills having zero differentiation from magic with abundant elemental physical attacks, blah blah).
I haven't played Apocalypse to be fair.
But V is the only game that tries to support greater team synergy over just building four damage dealers. Tank demons that draw aggro can exist, support roles have to upkeep their buffs/debuffs rather than just setting and forgetting. Items being strong but limited is also really cool.
It's still Press Turn, so like all of the the balance eventually falls apart, but at least it doesn't hate the player being able to play the Press Turn system like Nocturne.
My crazy pick would've been Devil Summoner 1, which is a fully branded SMT title even if it evolved into it's own Megaten subseries.
SMT III and IV are the best to me, but I choose III because of its more cohesive art direction throughout. SMT IV has a better lore, but SMT III talks about the plight of Japan's society in the late 1990s, early 2000s in a fairly subtle way. Both are good gameplay-wise, although I prefer the smaller number of demons in SMT III. This makes them more memorable. Also, both games have amazing music.
Then I would say Strange Journey: the themes, the story, the characters and the atmosphere are awesome. The gameplay isn't the best though. I don't like the combat system as much. Press Turn is just too good.
Then it's SMT I for the atmosphere/story and SMT V for the atmosphere/music/gameplay (although level scaling and dampeners are bad, I agree). I hope Vengeance will improve it tremendously.
Then it's SMT II. It's good but the story is not my favorite.
And finally SMT IV Apocalypse: excellent gameplay, OK story, but bad and irritating characters.
Edit: I'm surprised by the popularity of Strange Journey in the poll, but I'm happy it gets some recognition!
Then I would say Strange Journey: the themes, the story, the characters and the atmosphere are awesome. The gameplay isn't the best though. I don't like the combat system as much. Press Turn is just too good.
Then it's SMT I for the atmosphere/story and SMT V for the atmosphere/music/gameplay (although level scaling and dampeners are bad, I agree). I hope Vengeance will improve it tremendously.
Then it's SMT II. It's good but the story is not my favorite.
And finally SMT IV Apocalypse: excellent gameplay, OK story, but bad and irritating characters.
Edit: I'm surprised by the popularity of Strange Journey in the poll, but I'm happy it gets some recognition!
IV. I loved the setting. But its also the only one i've really put significant time into, but i do really wanna go through nocturne
im surprised theres so much love for V in here. i was so excited for that game but the performance and story just were not doing it for me
im surprised theres so much love for V in here. i was so excited for that game but the performance and story just were not doing it for me
1. Nocturne
2. Strange Journey Redux
3. V
4. II
5. I
6. if… (didn't finish)
7. Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei 1 (didn't finish)
I found Nocturne to have an absolutely perfect atmosphere, with one of the best combat systems I've ever seen in any turn based RPG (even if it gets a little broken once you learn how important Sukukaja and Fog Breath are). I don't really like the narrative all that much, but everything else about the game makes it one of my favorite games ever released.
SJR and 2 probably have my favorite stories in the series, with SJR's also being among the most unique I've seen in the JRPG genre. SJR also had by far the best gameplay I've seen from any first person title in the Megaten franchise, and something that I'd wish they brought back more.
V had amazing gameplay and exploration, but is hampered by a story I didn't like very much and horrible performance issues. (Venegance should fix the latter with it getting ported to everything; the former being fixed would make it among my favorites in the series.)
2's story and setting was great, and I did like the combat and dungeon crawling, but parts like the two giant fetch quests in the middle of the game really hurt it. 1 is kind of similar, except more frontloaded; the first third of 1 (ie up to The Great Cataclysm/Tokyo being hit with nuclear weapons) is incredible, the rest of it is just alright at best and horribly tedious at worst.
I didn't finish if… or DDSMT1. I don't like either at all, though. Too limited stories, too grindy, and the guardian system in if… is dumb.
2. Strange Journey Redux
3. V
4. II
5. I
6. if… (didn't finish)
7. Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei 1 (didn't finish)
I found Nocturne to have an absolutely perfect atmosphere, with one of the best combat systems I've ever seen in any turn based RPG (even if it gets a little broken once you learn how important Sukukaja and Fog Breath are). I don't really like the narrative all that much, but everything else about the game makes it one of my favorite games ever released.
SJR and 2 probably have my favorite stories in the series, with SJR's also being among the most unique I've seen in the JRPG genre. SJR also had by far the best gameplay I've seen from any first person title in the Megaten franchise, and something that I'd wish they brought back more.
V had amazing gameplay and exploration, but is hampered by a story I didn't like very much and horrible performance issues. (Venegance should fix the latter with it getting ported to everything; the former being fixed would make it among my favorites in the series.)
2's story and setting was great, and I did like the combat and dungeon crawling, but parts like the two giant fetch quests in the middle of the game really hurt it. 1 is kind of similar, except more frontloaded; the first third of 1 (ie up to The Great Cataclysm/Tokyo being hit with nuclear weapons) is incredible, the rest of it is just alright at best and horribly tedious at worst.
I didn't finish if… or DDSMT1. I don't like either at all, though. Too limited stories, too grindy, and the guardian system in if… is dumb.
Maybe when I replay V for Vengeance I'll have soured on it (or maybe the changes will highlight fundamental problems in the original), but aside from dampeners taking too much importance in combat I thought it was incredibly solid. I also don't mind the loss of traditional dungeons because Atlus dungeons always come down to recycling the same like, 3 gimmicks.
That said, I think Nocturne remains my overall favorite. It's the whole package of great atmosphere, music, combat, and just enough story. It also doesn't have anything as hideous as Xenoblade Lucifer.
Strange Journey is a contender though. I think it probably has the best story of the series if you ignore the Redux additions.
IV and Apocalypse really need modern ports. Both have writing issues but the combat might be the best in the series for how snappy it is. And the music deserves an upgrade from the 3DS' sound chip.
That said, I think Nocturne remains my overall favorite. It's the whole package of great atmosphere, music, combat, and just enough story. It also doesn't have anything as hideous as Xenoblade Lucifer.
Strange Journey is a contender though. I think it probably has the best story of the series if you ignore the Redux additions.
IV and Apocalypse really need modern ports. Both have writing issues but the combat might be the best in the series for how snappy it is. And the music deserves an upgrade from the 3DS' sound chip.
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It is SJ by a fair mile
but Nocturne will win because it was the first game of many here
but Nocturne will win because it was the first game of many here
Nocturne's atmosphere was already topped by Strange Journey itself
I have played mostly non mainline games like Digital Devil, Devil Survivor and now Strange Journey, but I played IV and V. I did buy smt3 on pc so Ill give that a shot as well.
SMT4 is my personal favourite though. I walked around in Tokyo confusedly so many times, but everything else felt like a one-time experience. I finished only the Chaos route so far but (again) ill be going through the other two routes as well.
View: https://youtu.be/xcnqF6BAc-A?feature=shared
SMT4 is my personal favourite though. I walked around in Tokyo confusedly so many times, but everything else felt like a one-time experience. I finished only the Chaos route so far but (again) ill be going through the other two routes as well.
View: https://youtu.be/xcnqF6BAc-A?feature=shared
V is a bit of a mess but it was a very engaging and fun mess. One of the easiest games in the series for a few reasons, but I think largely it's because the world carries no bite. I like not having random encounters don't get me wrong. But V's world lets your stroll through the park never fighting nothin' if you want until a mandatory boss shows up. Super Skills were funny because one was clearly all you needed, rest don't exist. Dampeners are imbalanced, but made absolutely OP because every big attack was always telegraphed. The crazy amount of customization for Nahobino and even the Demons with their specialties was very very fun to work with.
IV was my first, and it was difficult and engaging until I read online how OP Magic was then it was uh. Not. That's what I get for reading things on games I'm playing/will play. Did not like the world map one bit, and is the reason I actually haven't finished the game. I was super into it for a week there, made it like 65~70 percent of the way through the game. But even with guides, the world map was difficult to read and so I fell out.
III was an interesting thing to go through. Very easy to crack open with one of the Fiends. I did have a guide I was using for general pointing in direction, and when I got stuck in some of the later dungeons because screeeeew those encounters while trying to work out a puzzle. I'm too dumb for that to begin with, don't test every ounce of my patience, too.
As I didn't actually finish IV, I'd have to say V->III->IV
Still wanna play Apocalypse at some point. After V, learning that it was what started Demon Specialties piqued my interest a lot. I like being able to fuse funny things but I also like each Demon having something to set it apart. Be that a signature Skill, or a Specialty that lets you dole out massive damage with a certain element. Cironnup in V stayed in my party literally all game because it's signature Skill was just that good… and because it's a cute fox.
IV was my first, and it was difficult and engaging until I read online how OP Magic was then it was uh. Not. That's what I get for reading things on games I'm playing/will play. Did not like the world map one bit, and is the reason I actually haven't finished the game. I was super into it for a week there, made it like 65~70 percent of the way through the game. But even with guides, the world map was difficult to read and so I fell out.
III was an interesting thing to go through. Very easy to crack open with one of the Fiends. I did have a guide I was using for general pointing in direction, and when I got stuck in some of the later dungeons because screeeeew those encounters while trying to work out a puzzle. I'm too dumb for that to begin with, don't test every ounce of my patience, too.
As I didn't actually finish IV, I'd have to say V->III->IV
Still wanna play Apocalypse at some point. After V, learning that it was what started Demon Specialties piqued my interest a lot. I like being able to fuse funny things but I also like each Demon having something to set it apart. Be that a signature Skill, or a Specialty that lets you dole out massive damage with a certain element. Cironnup in V stayed in my party literally all game because it's signature Skill was just that good… and because it's a cute fox.
SMTIV overall
- Nocturne does a lot of things better than SMTIV but that game is also annoying as FUCK sometimes.
- I only finished the first dungeon in SJ, I gotta go back someday.
- Never finished Apocalypse (fuck that final dungeon.)
- Haven't played SMTV yet, waiting for Vengeance.
Strange Journey overall.
Nocturne has best atmosphere and overall music
4/4A has best game play and battle themes.
Nocturne has best atmosphere and overall music
4/4A has best game play and battle themes.
Devil Survivor. The only critique you can even muster is the art might not be to everyones taste, and it doesn't look great (Which the latter is irrelevant)
Nocturne or SJ, but I think Nocturne edges out because the art style is just so good. II is good but kinda aged at this point and legit unplayable without a guide. 4 is like OK but you can see it's the point where Atlus started to transition to a more modern audience and lost a lot of talents, and V is legit one of the worst things I played.
IV has the best story and good gameplay, but the map/traversal is SO SO bad that I gotta knock it down.
I didn't like all the corridors and loading in Nocturne but it was a good game. I didn't feel it was Great at anything except atmosphere.
V had a super bland story but the best turn based combat I've ever played.
Strange Journey, I really need to finish this game.
Gameplay is king for me so I go for V.
I didn't like all the corridors and loading in Nocturne but it was a good game. I didn't feel it was Great at anything except atmosphere.
V had a super bland story but the best turn based combat I've ever played.
Strange Journey, I really need to finish this game.
Gameplay is king for me so I go for V.
Best pacing in any 3ds game imo. I started my first job in August 2023 and had to use the train 2 hours and two times a day. I played this on my way to work and it felt like a match made in heaven.
I can't be the only one who thought the game had some bite on Hard, right? The bosses were a consistent highlight for me because they forced me to build a counter team so many times.
Nocturne.
Strange Journey is a really close second though. I think a lot of the Megaten stables are really nailed down perfectly in this entry. Conversations are fun and there are ways to circumvent some of the annoying random elements. Party composition is more in depth because of the Co-Op system. Skill inheritance isn't blatantly overpowered. Equipment has a broad and wide uses. Dungeons have a nice metroid-esque elements to them. List goes on and on.
Strange Journey is a really close second though. I think a lot of the Megaten stables are really nailed down perfectly in this entry. Conversations are fun and there are ways to circumvent some of the annoying random elements. Party composition is more in depth because of the Co-Op system. Skill inheritance isn't blatantly overpowered. Equipment has a broad and wide uses. Dungeons have a nice metroid-esque elements to them. List goes on and on.
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Strange Journey for me. I'm really hoping Redux as well as the SMT4 duology gets a port to modern systems.
Man that Kaneko art always fuckin rips
For me it's probably IV. Love the weird punk vibe and how much lore and worldbuilding detail there is, even if the narrative sort of spins a bit. Though Nocturne is basically just as good imo. IV felt like the last Atlus game with some Kaneko fingerprints on it and I guess it sort of was.
For me it's probably IV. Love the weird punk vibe and how much lore and worldbuilding detail there is, even if the narrative sort of spins a bit. Though Nocturne is basically just as good imo. IV felt like the last Atlus game with some Kaneko fingerprints on it and I guess it sort of was.
Since so many are showing love to Strange Journey here, let me ask a question.
How easily can you ignore the new content of Redux? I don't feel like playing the original release but I want the original story without the new content girl and new endings. Some Atlus rereleases let you have close to an original experience, some don't.
How easily can you ignore the new content of Redux? I don't feel like playing the original release but I want the original story without the new content girl and new endings. Some Atlus rereleases let you have close to an original experience, some don't.
You can definitely ignore the new dungeon and story for the most part but it does get introduced as part of the main story. A few of the main characters mention having interactions with the new character as well.
Nocturne > IV > V > Apocalypse >>> Strange Journey for me
Nocturne really changed the game for me. One of my favorite RPGs
Nocturne really changed the game for me. One of my favorite RPGs