×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
GAME: Shin Megami Tensei IV


Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Apollo-kun



Joined: 11 Feb 2010
Posts: 1213
Location: City 7, Macross 7
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 2:14 pm Reply with quote
If anyone came expecting Persona, then they're pretty silly...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
sepherest





PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 2:41 pm Reply with quote
I'd be surprised if anyone would play this expecting Persona, since this is the third SMT game to get released in English. I think if anyone was curious about the mainline series they would have played at least one of its other games by now...
Back to top
Raneth



Joined: 06 Oct 2008
Posts: 271
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:28 pm Reply with quote
I've never played a Mega Ten game (Or a Persona game for that matter) and I'm thinking of getting this. I have a few questions though.

When people describe this game as a dungeon crawler, do they mean that your party has one or two main hubs and they continuously go into randomly generated dungeons to fulfill XYZ task, and there's no real overworld to explore? Or is it more along the lines of FF/Radiant Historia (the most recent JRPG I played and absolutely loved) where battles happen in between traveling from town to town?

Also, are there random battles (like in Pokemon and early FF games) or can you see enemies on the map and choose to avoid them?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mr Adventure



Joined: 14 Jul 2008
Posts: 1598
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:38 pm Reply with quote
Raneth wrote:
When people describe this game as a dungeon crawler, do they mean that your party has one or two main hubs and they continuously go into randomly generated dungeons to fulfill XYZ task, and there's no real overworld to explore? Or is it more along the lines of FF/Radiant Historia (the most recent JRPG I played and absolutely loved) where battles happen in between traveling from town to town?


I want to to say close to this, except the dungeons aren't randomly generated. Also, you may discover more dungeons while in a dungeon. If its like previous recent MegTen games, you have an overworld map where you basically can travel anywhere it lets you. Except certain locations are locked until the plot unlocks them. Once you get to a location the game changes to its main 3rd personal mode, and you explore your new location.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
daveriley



Joined: 12 Aug 2003
Posts: 117
Location: Philadelphia
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:41 pm Reply with quote
It's probably most accurate to say it's more like Dragon Quest/Final Fantasy with a dungeon crawler overlay. Most of the dungeons are fairly small, consisting of a couple floors that aren't huge explorathons like in Etrian Odyssey, or even Strange Journey. They "feel" like exploring in a dungeon crawl world, but their scope is more like a Final Fantasy. There is a world map and there are more than a few towns. Enemies appear on the map like Chrono Trigger, but they're pretty aggressive and usually tough to avoid. Exploration is 3rd person running around as the protagonist.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
terminus24



Joined: 19 Jun 2011
Posts: 304
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:47 pm Reply with quote
Persona=/=Shin Megami Tensei

In Japan, Persona is just Persona, no SMT title, so comparing them is silly. Sure, they may share some aspects (mainly sililar demons, non-traditional RPG setting), but the biggest mistake you can make when playing a non-Persona SMT game is assuming that it will be anything like Persona. Fortunately, I like old-school RPGs and Persona 4 was my third MegaTen game (after the two Devil Survivors), and having just finished and enjoyed Soul Hackers (which is probably much closer to this than Persona is), I'm expecting to really love this game.

NOW HURRY UP AMAZON!!!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Meygaera



Joined: 28 Apr 2011
Posts: 324
Location: Maryland
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:58 pm Reply with quote
Do the reviewers get their titles earlier than the release date? Do they play the entire game before writing these reviews? My copy hasn't even arrived yet!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mr Adventure



Joined: 14 Jul 2008
Posts: 1598
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 4:06 pm Reply with quote
Meygaera wrote:
Do the reviewers get their titles earlier than the release date? Do they play the entire game before writing these reviews? My copy hasn't even arrived yet!


As a pretty big news/review site that often focuses on Japanese video games they probably got review copies.

I am surprised they haven't given Project X Zone a full review yet though.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
DRWii



Joined: 16 May 2007
Posts: 636
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 4:09 pm Reply with quote
terminus24 wrote:
Persona=/=Shin Megami Tensei

In Japan, Persona is just Persona, no SMT title, so comparing them is silly.

But both series are part of the same franchise, so some amount of comparing the two is understandable. Some.

Meygaera wrote:
Do the reviewers get their titles earlier than the release date? Do they play the entire game before writing these reviews?

Generally, yes. Reviewers are typically sent games in advance so the reviews will be ready by or before release day, so they can hopefully generate buzz for the game (assuming the reviews are good, of course).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
daveriley



Joined: 12 Aug 2003
Posts: 117
Location: Philadelphia
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 4:14 pm Reply with quote
Depends on the title, but usually yes.
terminus24 wrote:
In Japan, Persona is just Persona, no SMT title, so comparing them is silly.
The aesthetics and mechanics of Persona and core Shin Megami Tensei games are nearly identical. Same spells, same combat systems, same cast of demons, same dungeon crawling vibe, same practically everything except the alignment system. The comparison is completely natural.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 4:24 pm Reply with quote
Mr Adventure wrote:

I am surprised they haven't given Project X Zone a full review yet though.


Goes up tomorrow, actually.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime
corinthian



Joined: 20 Feb 2009
Posts: 264
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 4:35 pm Reply with quote
Zac wrote:
Mr Adventure wrote:

I am surprised they haven't given Project X Zone a full review yet though.


Goes up tomorrow, actually.


Awesome. I found the demo for that to be really fun, but I'm not sure if I should get that game or SMT IV. General comparison finds SMT to be the higher rated title, but as kind of a Capcom/Sega fan I'm more interested in Project X Zone.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
EastN3



Joined: 19 May 2012
Posts: 149
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 5:15 pm Reply with quote
Ifind this review to be baffling, if not a bit disgusting. People who like Persona don't always, gasp, like SMT, and vice versa. My brother's the biggest fan of SMT you'll ever meet, but hates Persona with an undying passion. They're totally different series with different fans. The fact that you compare them as if SMT is a piece of crap people put up with while waiting for another Persona is ludicrous.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mr Adventure



Joined: 14 Jul 2008
Posts: 1598
PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 5:43 pm Reply with quote
As someone has yet to try any Persona games, it is a bit annoying to see a review try to draw comparisons when they should be focusing of the game's own merits

Frankly I've never had a lot of interest in Persona because from the outside it looks like its focus lays with hipster high schoolers and their relationships. And that's the sort of thing that's never appealed to me thematically in anime or games.

Whereas MegTen games seem to be signifigantly more 'adult' in its protagonists and its subject matter.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Lynx Amali





PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 6:01 pm Reply with quote
terminus24 wrote:
Persona=/=Shin Megami Tensei

In Japan, Persona is just Persona, no SMT title, so comparing them is silly. Sure, they may share some aspects (mainly sililar demons, non-traditional RPG setting), but the biggest mistake you can make when playing a non-Persona SMT game is assuming that it will be anything like Persona. Fortunately, I like old-school RPGs and Persona 4 was my third MegaTen game (after the two Devil Survivors), and having just finished and enjoyed Soul Hackers (which is probably much closer to this than Persona is), I'm expecting to really love this game.



Wrong, actually.

The first Persona when it was first released had the Megami Ibunroku title. It was Persona 2 onward that dropped the title. One could say Persona 2 Innocent Sin could also have had Megami Ibunroku (it didn't, by the way) while EP onwards could drop the title all together to further drive home 'that' plot point.

I'm really excited for this. I've been a diehard SMT fan since the late 90s (I actually imported a bunch of Japan-exclusive titles at the time.) so having a fourth 'main' title has me a little hyped.


Last edited by Lynx Amali on Mon Jul 15, 2013 6:05 pm; edited 2 times in total
Back to top
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next
Page 1 of 3

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group