Shin Megami Tensei V is Better Than Pokemon

[@SyntheticMan]

I've decided to change the title of this video to something more "Spicy" because the silent majority that makes up my audience wasn't clicking on the video in recommended. So, if you're ever wondering why my videos have clickbait titles, blame the people who only watch vids with those titles. That said, I would rather play this game than that half-ass, soulless Diamond/Pearl remake that Gamefreak just sh*t out.

[@Sgt.ArchDornan]

The dislikes that are disabled are rolling out rn, I practically left KZbin and only watch a few videos anymore

[@planescaped]

@@Sgt.ArchDornan I got rid of TV and replaced it with youtube back in 2009. Really wish blip hadn't gone under...

[@sodalangstson9438]

That not spicy that facts

[@philmatibaggg9283]

the worst thing a youtuber could do is blame their audience for their own greedy practices on their videos, congrats.

[@Gruntvc]

Nintendo is putting out the best exclusives in 2021 lol. Meanwhile in the "West," we get broken messes like GTA Trilogy & Battlefield 2042. Even Halo Infinite multiplayer is full of free to play greed baloney and the campaign has removed all blood/gore...

[@KenronTheGamer]

So fun fact the Megami Tensei franchise predates Pokémon by almost 10 years. So yeah it pioneered the monster collecting genre.

[@Valkbg]

Dont bother with this Persona fanboy. He cant research for shit

[@KenronTheGamer]

@@themecherry7247 Nah Megami Tensei pioneered it.

[@KenronTheGamer]

@Dan the Axolotl Even then, Megami Tensei 1 came out in 1987 and had the monster collecting mechanics. That is way I said Megami Tensei franchise.

[@bluejaybrother]

@@themecherry7247 dragon slayer came before

[@keiviroque5666]

@Dan the Axolotl Yes, the first SHIN Megami Tensei game came out in 1992, however the first Megami Tensei game came out in 1987. Also some trivia while Shin has various different was of translating into English, the most believed interpretation for SMT is that it means new, this would make sense since Megami Tensei first started out as a video game adaptation of a light novel, however Atlus wanted to do more with the IP then was utilized after making Megami Tensei 2, which lead to them rebranding the series to Shin Megami Tensei.

[@boywithanearring]

>Pokémon Clone >Came out 4 years before the first Pokémon game

[@Anon9729X]

Ikr. SMT basically invented the whole monster collecting genre. Not to mention, and I love Pokémon, but SMT makes Pokémon look like a game made for babies, unless you’re playing a rom hack. The challenge it’s where it’s at.

[@geniusgamerr4517]

1987

[@raulrojas9253]

@@geniusgamerr4517 For fuck sake 1987 and no 1992? Damn SMT has been around for a bitch ass long time.

[@t-universegamer7609]

@@raulrojas9253 87 is the release date from the original megami tensei on the famicom, which is the game that introduced the whole recruit/fusing/collect thing

[@PomuLeafEveryday]

@@raulrojas9253 Technically the original Megami Tensei 1987 games based on the novels did it first, SMT 1992 was Atlus' own reimagination of it.

[@bbcraz1226]

This game gives you so many tools to be powerful as fuck and at the same time can kick your ass. Honestly near perfect balance.

[@Barrothmaster452]

as all things should be

[@denkerbosu3551]

Has been for a while. Sonce the press turn system, really. Even while grinding, one miss, and you lose turns, and during the enemy's turn, if they hit your weaknesses they can exploit them just like you can theirs. It's a wonderful system that only gets added little things like the Smirk.

[@kg888]

Nah. Small calculations you're screw. My party is powerful til I fucked up and got destroyed.

[@junpei6180]

A balance that took years to craft,before smt if... Megaten games where auto battle simulators which zero thought, thankfully nocturne took what if... Started and perfected it with press turn

[@junpei6180]

@@denkerbosu3551 it's pretty fun to try to beat the games on the lowest level possible because of the versatility of the system

[@devstudyzonepatiala6108]

"Pokémon Clone" It's literally the the series that started the monster catching genre. So if anything, it's the other way around.

[@sarthakarora3212]

no it ain't it was the first but the concept is old as time, not to mention pokemon creators never cared about smt. Smt was the first successful attempt at a monster collecting game, but doesn't mean any other is rip off.

[@DezuFuck]

@@sarthakarora3212 Yeah, I don't agree with the notion that any thing that's in a genre is a rip off of the first game to do it. Smash bros is a rip off of Heavyweight Champ if we wanna use that logic

[@tofuuwu7352]

It was Dragon Quest, but yes, is older than Pokémon xD

[@devstudyzonepatiala6108]

@@tofuuwu7352 DDS Megami tensei (The first megaten game) came out just 1 year after dragon quest 1.

[@tofuuwu7352]

@@devstudyzonepatiala6108 wait, really-? Epic xD

[@Auriferose323]

Thing is SMT has rarely emphasized story and characters like Persona, the demons and the world you traverse are the real stars of the show in SMT. Your character and the other "important" characters that get screen time are basically just there as vehicles to move the narrative forward. I've always liked that distinction between Persona and SMT because I get a different experience for both. Favorite JRPG for me is Valkyrie Profile

[@denkerbosu3551]

Well, by then it depends on whether or not the world is interesting beyond it looking pretty, and the narrative move forward. Take Nocturne for example. Very simple plot, with loooots of pauses betwen the important points, but the whole philosophy behind each route alone is worh the travel. The characters' development happen offscreen, and you can only guess how they reached their conclusions, but each one is worth exploring.

[@sarthakarora3212]

you say that is a good thing huh? Why the hell not have them there then?

[@drumo2273]

@@sarthakarora3212 For this game specifically, it's pretty clear cut that while not a sequel, it's very much so a spiritual successor of Nocturne. The story that really takes to the background was meant to mimic that same feeling from 3. In my opinion, the game shoots leagues ahead of Nocturne in just about everything but story. Don't get me wrong I actually like SMT V's story, but what made Nocturne's sparse story so nice to me were the philosophical standings of the characters and their views of the new world. V is a lot more clear cut in its alignments, which does detract a bit from the already lacking story. Still a super fun game through and through though.

[@shinyanakagawa8241]

@@drumo2273 I agree with your take.

[@corey2232]

I just don't see any reason you have to de-emphasize story & characters just because Persona exists. You can have a great story & strong characters while still not being Persona. Hell, you could even have your own version of "social links" (though not actually social links) more in line with something like Western RPG's, or personal alignments that change depending on the characters... point is there's a million creative and/or unique ways to do more than just the bare minimum for mainline SMT while reserving all the non-combat creativity & features for Persona.

[@overlordzetta7410]

SMT was before pokemon so techincally pokemon is a smt clone for kids.

[@boywithanearring]

exactly

[@denkerbosu3551]

Ohhh, pokemon? You mean DemiKids right?

[@ProjectTony]

Thank you that video description triggered me lol

[@amanalone3473]

@@ProjectTony Same

[@calebgoodman2076]

@@denkerbosu3551 I say the Devil Children series as a whole is better than Pokémon since you actually get a different experience with each version and it has a way more engaging story. I wish we got all the games and not just the Gen 2 sequels.

[@raikaria3090]

> It's somewhat of a Pokemon clone but with its own identity. You know Megami Tensei has been around since 1987 right? And Pokemon started in 1996? Pokemon is a *Megami Tensei Clone.* Megami Tensei is almost *ten years older*

[@HsienKoMeiLingFormerYANG]

>own identity Technically Pokémon multimillion franchise especially in popularity amongst player around the world. SMT unknowing to most gamer and non-fan alike.

[@Nomadic_Gaming]

while i agree pokemon is what internationaly really kicked this type of game off in popularity it wasnt alone monster rancher and digimon were the other 2 franchises that really got this type of game super widespread and popular w pokemon being the one to reach the biggest and longest running popularity hell it caused so many series todo copycat versions of their game world but w monsters u control (dragon quest monsters was pretty fun ngl) still also spawned a ton of original games w their own take on it as smt2 and more pokemon games hit and as game systems evolved over time anyone remember how weird as fuck jade cocoon was? smt maybe the original but it wasn’t the thing that made this game style popular and really smt never will be its a very niche style of game

[@HuhWhatHuhwhatHuh]

You’re crazy dude. The demon fusing and collecting is the main reason I own all these games.

[@rightwing707]

Playing on hard and the grind has been pretty consistent. Get to new zone, smash out demons/mitama, challenge boss, die, grind some more, win, repeat. What's fun is that side quests give exp on top of their rewards which is a great incentive to do them at the appropriate level. As for the Magatsuhi point, the Jaki race have a double Debilitate move that's proven far more useful than Critical in several boss fights for me, coupled with Idun's Golden Apple with the turn boost passive I've been able to absolutely melt through several of the dreaded "damage sponge" bosses people have been complaining about while staying above mid health thanks to Bowl of Hygieia. See also the "use buffs retard" meme. Also, demon negotiations are completely random. There is no fixed right answer in any interaction, but it is a bit more consistent than older entries. SMT was never about raw damage and obliterating your enemies in under 3 turns, it's about planning and party balance which changes from boss to boss. Not to mention V has a means to skip grind in Mitama drops. Grimoires for your demons and Gospels for you and both can be obtained ad infinitum as early as the latter half of the first zone. Hell if you want to cirvumvent the grind entirely there's DLC to do just that, I turned it off personally because I want to experience the game in full and they came in the same pack as the additional demon ones which I did want to use.

[@junpei6180]

I'm playing on hard too,but I'm limiting my XP gain to don't get XP from random encounters but only on side quests,statues,a few Mitamas,etc and it's been pretty fun and grindless so far

[@anders6326]

I got mopey at the Mitama xp until I realized they can drop a load of amazing items. I think the core progression will be always having the items needed to kill them when we encounter them. Grimores and Gospels are AMAZING. It felt so GOOD fusing my first High Pixie! (So I've been a huge Megaten fan for a while, late bloomer, and this is my first SMT game. I've only ever played a but of P3. I'm well versed in the franchise, though. Also, I dont like that buffs and debuffs are now single target :/ )

[@warnacokelat]

Finished playing the game on hard. I avoided all demons on map who chased me, no grind at all. Finished at level 84 with all sidequest cleared except Shiva. The best magatsuhi skill is Accursed Poison. 2nd best is herald God's Shield to avoid death by piercing damage.

[@co8wei]

Playing on hard as well, didn't do any grinding. Finishing all the side quests was more than enough exp to get me through to the end of the game for one of the normal endings (finished at L84). Had enough gospels by the end of the game as well to get to L89 for the base game Super Boss to do the other ending. I think only newer players to the smt series need to do grinding. Not sure what the solution to this would be though. Maybe a specially curated difficulty for newer players?

[@esmenardvictor6261]

This is game of the year for me,i've been playing it non stop since release.

[@amanalone3473]

Digital Devil Story and SMT: *Invents monster collecting genre in 1987 This dude in 2021: “Pokémon Clone” -_-

[@xFaytTheGreatx]

You’re not wrong, but to be technical it was DDS: Megami Tensei. SMT didn’t come out until 1992. Which is still older than Pokémon lol.

[@amanalone3473]

@@xFaytTheGreatx That is literally exactly what I said dude

[@xFaytTheGreatx]

@@amanalone3473 SMT didn’t come out in 1987. The way you wrote it states SMT came out in 1987. That’s where my confusion was.

[@strangedogg5068]

@@xFaytTheGreatx you are just being the "well actually guy", the franchise started in 87 but today is Known as SMT

[@electronicmusicofjapan-emj9882]

The same people saying they dropped the ball with the story here are also saying Nocturne was a masterclass in storytelling through world building. The only one with a top notch story and characters is IV. The others are all more or less the exact same premise.

[@sarthakarora3212]

NOSTALGIA LOL

[@electronicmusicofjapan-emj9882]

@@sarthakarora3212 100%

[@noygarn5113]

And strange journey

[@electronicmusicofjapan-emj9882]

@@noygarn5113 yeah strange journey was dope. Zelenin probably my favourite SMT character

[@firstnamelastname7244]

I wouldn't say nocturne is a masterclass in storytelling either, but at least the pacing and storytelling were a lot tighter. In V, they spend way too much time on things that aren't relevant and the pacing is so much worse, so that by the time shit starts going down, it lands with less impact than it did in nocturne. Also, at least I understood the motivations of everyone, in V there were some characters who may as well have not existed. I like what little story _is_ here, but they definitely need to expand on it and flesh it out a lot more. Hopefully they will in the inevitable enhanced rerelease.

[@denkerbosu3551]

Objectively true. Have you seen the work in the animations for each demon comparwd to the pokemons in Sword and Shield? And these were the excuse used by Game Freak for not adding more pokemon.

[@KyngD469]

There's like 250 demons here compared to game freaks potentially 1000+ pokemon. That being said GameFreak is kinda lame but yeah

[@Venomsnake84]

Hope your well synthetic man!

[@Scantronacon]

Final Fantasy 9. This is my first SMT game...I'm at 60 hours at the container save point, level 29. This game is so effin cool and addicting. I love it! Coming from a 35 year old that's been gaming for 30 years. 5/5 Fun Fact: I put in 20 hours before I fought Hydra just bc I learned to not leave an area until everything is easy. Yea this game is for the real ones

[@mrfuriousmother]

nice review but I'd argue that all great jRPGs use trial and error difficulty as you're supposed to understand attack patterns, especially in the SMT and Persona universe. Playing it on Hard and strategizing for these patterns really shows how polished the battle system is, and makes you fully appreciate it vs. just grinding and getting OP

[@bergonath8851]

Pokemon clone?! This franchise has been around a decade before Pokemon, mate!

[@joaomachado853]

To me the worst generation of gamers are made by people that only played ps4 in their lifes.And i think most of game reviwers are this type of players,thats why the only acceptable JRPG for them is persona 5.

[@denkerbosu3551]

It must've been basically their first jrpg too. I love P5, but its mostly for aesthetics + music + gameplay and I generally like the gang. I just thought that maybe they got really into the whole "STEAL YOUR HEART" and want to take down badmen.

[@gooey_smoogy]

The type of gamers that you're talking about don't even know about persona 5. The jrpg genre (mainly turn-based combat) has become almost niche at times ever since the ps3 and 360 era. Maybe except for Pokémon. But most people in that generation just like to play fornite or COD nowadays.

[@nachot6592]

You're not supposed to grind. Clearing the sidequests and finding the miman by taking to the fox demon at the end zone of every area is enough to prepare you for the next area

[@thot7452]

Oh wow that’s grinding

[@nachot6592]

@@thot7452 nope. Grinding is fighting over and over just to get exp with no other objective in sight

[@thot7452]

@@nachot6592 yeah and the side quest I don’t care for them, as they aren’t as interesting as Skyrim side quest or the main story, so it feels like grinding.

[@kihro]

I play on hard. Leveling isn't that grindy. Side quests give exp, grimore give demons enough xp to lvl you can get them from the mitama demons that run away are one shot by weakness exploit. Gospel is more rare they lol Mc. There are places that instantly levels all demons even over the mc lol. Fusion accidents can get you demons 6 lvls over mc lol. Always save before fusing. Fusion accidents are more frequent full moon.

[@hopeatlast9617]

That one time I tried to get an Archangel because I lacked a proper Holy user while I was lvl 19 (First time playing a smt game), decide to fuse to get it and instead got a Oni... Well, I mean, that's cool and all but I already had a physical Demon and I really needed a Holy user sooo.

[@kihro]

@@hopeatlast9617 I actually like multiple physical demons oni resists physical which is also a plus. But you can also run around collecting money then go back and fuse again. Then you have both. Oni and archangel is pretty tanky.

[@tornado9741]

Always a blessing to get a notification about Synthetic Man. Keep up the good work! As for my favorite JRPG, I tend to say Mother 3 is my favorite because it's one of the few things that actually got a reaction out of me. Bowser's Inside Story is another one I would put at the very top as well since I've been playing the game since it came out in 2009. A tier below those 2 games would be ones like FF6, FF9, Octopath Traveler and maaaaybe Persona 3 FES. I only recently got into JRPGs about 3-ish years ago, so I haven't really played that many to begin with.

[@Crazy_2100]

Great review, I’ve been looking forward to it and you didn’t disappoint. I’d say my favorite jrpg is SMT IV. I think the story and world is the most interesting of the SMT series, I like the system of the demons teaching MC their skills the most out of any of the systems to earn skills in the other SMT games, the soundtrack is my favorite out of the SMT series, and I really enjoyed the equipment system which sadly will probably never return. Plus it’s on the 3ds, the game console of Chads.

[@denkerbosu3551]

Atlus really killed it with the 3DS. Despite being a portable, IV made about as much money as Persona 4 in the PS2 iirc.

[@Crazy_2100]

@@denkerbosu3551 Atlus went completely insane with the 3ds. Like 8 smt games on that console alone, 5 if you don’t count the remasters.

[@PluckyJackson]

The only sad thing about atlus and the 3ds is that they got lazy as fuck with the last couple releases. Pq2 and strange journey redux lacking dubs or 3d functionality was disappointing, although they are both still great games. And in fairness to atlus they didn't really make enough money to justify any additional effort

[@junpei6180]

Smt 4 has by far the best Tokyo worldbuilding-wise of the series,i was kinda disappointed that the side quest of smt 5 doesn't expand the world as much as smt 4 did,but at least it kinda make up for it with how you explore the world and the modernization of the dungeon design in it

[@vibechecks1987]

the Vita is the console for Chads

[@Panda-tf9mv]

It’s tough to compare SMT to Persona. They definitely emphasis different tones. Nocturne was my first and I adore it. But I think I’m liking V better because of the exploration element. But I agree, a little too much sand.

[@dogrobot9933]

Hey dude, glad to see you are doing better. Thanks for the informative review and enjoy your break. We all look forward to what you are working on next!

[@feathersareheavierthansteel]

i didn't have to grind up to the point where you stopped for the review. I just used the gospels which I gathered via normal play, made cool fusions and cakewalked that area.

[@Manic_Panic]

I wouldn't say it's my favorite but I really enjoyed 13 Sentinels.

[@joseph2000117]

Yo this day I'm looking for a game with 13 sentinels, even just gameplay wise

[@chrisjr6214]

I mean that's more like a visual novel than a jrpg

[@pigcatapult]

Protag was already fem; transforming just gave him the hair extensions of a god

[@Troll_vs.]

Love this channel. The humor be on point

[@babyjiren9676]

It’s just too bad the dude can’t even bother to do his research properly, ffs the first thing in the description he calls it a pokemom clone when SMT is a decade older than pokemon lmao Not to mention some of the stuff he says is ridiculous and makes him come off as an unabashed, ignorant persona fanboy (not that persona is bad) almost on level with some IGN reviewers

[@raskolnikov6443]

@@babyjiren9676 don’t think he meant it as it being a copy. He was just explaining for clueless people like me what games it is similar to. He has a tendency to not care so much about nuance.

[@cade4505]

Man I feel attachments to my demons😭😭 I almost shed a tear when I fused away jack frost

[@kihro]

There is a magatsuhi skill that debuffs all stats and seals enemy's ability. It's op it lasts 3 turns.

[@harrifongostudios]

Beginning is the hardest part of the game. Now I have a phys/crit focused team. Yoshitsune at level 45 will break the mid game with a powerful guaranteed crit attack, and I had a tengu when. Side quest give you items the let’s you level up. Side quests give you a lot of EXP and I would argue is the main way you should try to level up. I have only had to hard grind to get a specific demon for NUWA and every other boss it’s been more about grinding for money which is just involves exploring the world. The actual compendium has stupid prices.

[@HD-nb7kw]

I felt like Taito onwards was much harder than the beginning, although I agree both Shinagawa and Chiyoda were easier than Minato.

[@Azure_Six]

Megami Tensei 1987 > Pokemon 1996, not a clone.

[@jaykelley103]

Good review, kinda boomery but I was like "fair enough" at most of your points

[@skipventure5158]

Hey Synth. I disagree with a lot of stuff that you say, but you provide really good reasoning and I really liked most of your video! The only thing I explicitly disliked was when you were complaining about the whole "femboy" thing. The protagonist looks like a girly boy because they're supposed to be *androgynous*, which is to say not explicitly masculine or feminine. That's so that anybody can project themselves onto the Nahobino. It's the same reason why Link in Breath of The Wild is also androgynous, or how you're more familiar with it, a femboy. I know this review was supposed to be spicy and all that, but when you were driving home that killing demons in a post apocalyptic Tokyo was specifically a male fantasy, I felt that was out of touch and left a bad taste in my mouth. How much of it was a joke? Does every badass have to be ripped and chiseled like a Greek statue in order for you to enjoy it? Either way, glad you liked the game!

[@hieithegreat]

Oh please enough with the identity crisis complex. It didn't matter if the playable main character was male or female, silent protagonist or per established character trait. I didn't need some blank slate cardboard cutout of some androgynous person to be able to enjoy a game. Although this fad of feminine looking dudes isn't something new with the Japanese. But it's is getting rather tiresome as of late. I'm glad he address this character design. This one looks like the developers couldn't decide whether they should have a female or male protagonist. So they decided they want their cake and eat it too.

[@didijunior971]

Maybe it's just me, but I was really hoping we get to play as a female protagonist for the first time in Shin Megami Tensei so it feels unique. So I was excited to see Nahobino only to realize he's a dude xd. I think the best solution for this is to do it like Fire Emblem where you can play as either a male or a female, but that's my personal opinion.

[@KyngD469]

He isnt androgynous so that people can project onto him lmao. It's a metaphor for merging male and female and become whole. Human and demon. Knowledge and power. It has nothing to do with who's playing the game. Before things are split they are whole.

[@chadthundercock7897]

You will never be a woman, it's ok to just be gay bro.

[@peppermintgal4302]

@@chadthundercock7897 I pegged your dad.

[@tsugumohanshiro3888]

Wow, I came for a different video (Far Cry 6) and got curious about you after your uncensored rant near the end. Considering SMT5 I wanted to skip anything that could hype me for it until I could be certain if it came to PC, but I just had to watch your take on it. Since I'm a fanatic fan (...) of SMT3 this video completely blew me away: They tweaked and updated the system (compared to 3), went back to the graphical style of 3 (I hated the one in 4) and amped the look of everything up to 10, including the animations! At some point I was even calculating around to determine if I could afford a Nintendo Switch plus SMT5... ... and then came the part where you mentioned they dropped the ball on the different endings. I only played two "reasons" in SMT3 (since I avoided walkthroughs and similar spoilers and therefore was unable to really use some savegame trick at the time), but it was one of the defining characteristics of the game! I wish you could have gone into more detail in your video - at least a little bit. Are the endings just variants and not very interesting in their differences? Or do they drop all your choices at the end and just let it play out the same? I don't want to research more about it for fear of major spoilers, so I would be thankful for clarification.

[@MrNagano00]

It's true that there might not be any attachment to demons if this is your first time you've played through the game. But because most of the demons are the same through out the different SMT games you really end up picking some that you personally like, that have helped you in one or another boss in one or another game. I definitely have some demons I really like and it is hard for me to fuse them for better demons that I have no attachment to.

[@k2a2l2]

i really love the use of essences to give urself new moves/affinities. its a really great system that makes customization really fun and keeps it interesting

[@Valkbg]

All-out attacks werent removed since they never were a thing in SMT. Thats a Persona thing.

[@seanriley2534]

"Pokemon lite," chief, if anything Pokemon is SMT Lite. Pokemons mechanics are easy even for kids, SMT has deep mechanics and is hard for alot of adults.

[@6scar911]

The game kinda gets addicting after a while. I've been exploring like crazy trying to find all those little red dudes, trying to find all there is to find in every area and making sure I don't miss anything. The game is a blast. I will say though, I hate how laggy it can get

[@Masckerdoom]

Hey. Are there still performance issues

[@adverseresolve8142]

Keep up the good work man! I watch about every video you make. And about my favorite JRPG, it's honestly a toss up for me between Persona 3 FES and God Eater 2 Rage burst. Both are my favorite games in their respective series, though I don't exactly love Persona as a whole modern or otherwise, unlike how I adore the God eater series as a whole, but I digress I still would be hard pressed to pick either game over the other as they both to me are products of a better time.

[@inquespot9368]

Favorite JRPG would have to be Nier Automata. The story in incredible, fast paced combat with lots of customization and the visuals and sound track are GOAT level.

[@McCaroni_Sup]

Wow, I woulda never guessed. Your pfp makes it pretty hard to tell.

[@TheExFatal]

It's not a JRPG but ok

[@bemersonbakebarmen]

Nier is based on a lot of Shin Megami Tensei staples. The idea for a Post Apocaliptic setting, the branching paths, the idea of philosophical ideologies being the main drama, etc. Games like Dark Souls also have a nod to the different allingments of SMT, were there isnt a good side nor a bad side and there is an infinite cicle.

[@bemersonbakebarmen]

But wouldnt Nier be an action rpg or a hack n slash? A JRPG is a very stablished genre.

[@sygyzy0933]

@@TheExFatal what makes it not a jrpg? By playing as 2B aren't you roleplaying as her?

[@jackhazardous4008]

My favorite JRPG was Baten Kaitos Origins on the Gamecube. The world felt unique and mysterious, and the umbra were really interesting boss designs not just visually but how they fit into the card based combo combat

[@monokle3017]

Favorite JRPG is SMT III: Nocturne. Given your gripes with SMT V it seems like you would like that. Much more focus on the characters, the world and the story. The mystery of the vortex world and conception is amazing.

[@LordWallace]

Idk if he would see it that way, I don't deny that Nocturne feels like a more cohesive narrative than V but it's just as thin on story to gameplay ratio and almost as minimalist on characters. Theres a reason people are calling V Nocturne 2.

[@monokle3017]

@@LordWallace I don’t really agree with that, I’d say Nocturne fleshes out its characters a lot more than V. Maybe not to the same extent as something like IV but still more than V imo

[@r.e.z9428]

So far Anahita is my favorite demon so far and yes the humor is still on point.

[@mysticmallachi777]

Why DID they bring back the crappy mechanic with the MC dying being a Game Over? Dude, my demon has Recarm, she's literally right there, and-- "YOUNG MASTER, YOU HAVE DIED DEAL WITH IT"

[@mysticmallachi777]

Like, 4 FIXED that, then they took it away. I get that demons are meant to be unruly and mostly unwilling companions, but the idea that they all just say, "THE NO-NOBINO DED CHEESE IT" the moment you go down is odd. Just let them act of their own accord if you're down. Maybe you get lucky and your healer Recarms you, maybe she runs off, but...

[@firstnamelastname7244]

Eh. I don't see it as being super annoying. In SMT IV, if the protagonist died, you were usually screwed anyway, especially before you get access to recarm and especiay especially in a boss fight. The nahobino is usually the party member with the most survivability, anyway.

[@jackiecozzie4803]

I'm getting this for Christmas but damn I'm getting closer to just buying it straight up day by day...

[@MakeAmericaLiftAgain]

I’ve never played Persona or an SMT game before and this game is SO DAMN FUN HOLY FUCK. I’m over 60 hours in and it’s constantly keeping me entertained. Definitely check this game out!!

[@heroicgangster9981]

As someone who hasn't played SMTV yet as an SMT fan, the game looks cool but yeah I was very wary when the fanbase barely or has not talked about the routes of this game much. SMT4/4A did a very good job with making memorable routes but I sorta hate that this entry lacked in a defined feature of the franchise. That you have different routes to get different dynamics from! And my favorite jrpg that I wanna shill is Tokyo Mirage Sessions which is a funny similar UI predecessor to SMTV. I love the designs and for anyone that likes or can tolerate japanese idol weebness it is a very good entry. It is sorta like a middle between an Persona game with it having a full story and character bond mechanics while it has the dungeon leaning gameplay of SMT games. The weakness mechanics is very unique to that game only where combo attacks are possible when exploiting weaknesses and the class system in the game is very fun to just grind and level up to test out more skills. It's a good game for anyone that wants to test out the dungeon gameplay of SMT games while having elements from Persona to be comfortable with. Plus the songs are baller IMO.

[@denkerbosu3551]

Woah, hard fmto find smt fans that like TMS. I hate that they censored it in the west, even affecting the enhanced version, but still lile the overall vibe of the game.

[@Mattjazz47]

@@denkerbosu3551 if people were more openminded instead of just hating a game because its different from what they imagined then it would be possible. However, the censorship was still really stupid in the game

[@PomuLeafEveryday]

From what I've read from reviews, everybody seemed to go hard chaos on their first playthrough.

[@jmaster4941]

@@denkerbosu3551 TMS was my first SMT game and it's what got me into this series.

[@firstnamelastname7244]

Although, if SMT V does one thing story-wise objectively better than many other games in the series, it's moral ambiguity. The "joker moment" (you know what I'm talking about if you've seen it) notwithstanding, the actual ideologies themselves have a fairly balanced set of pros and cons, which is something I hope the series sticks to moving foreward. The series' neutral bias is its biggest weakness IMO.

[@LordWallace]

SMTV Hard isn't actually a huge leap from Normal the way SMT 3's Hard mode is. Iirc the main changes are you take 40% more damage and deal 40% less. For perspective SMT 3's Hard mode had you take 100% more damage, though Normal in that game was also easier than V's. Tbh Hard felt just right for me here, it gave me a good struggle in the first playthrough but once you know everything you can absolutely kick the game's ass on this difficulty on a second, fresh playthrough the way I'm doing now. So, it really isn't designed all that badly.

[@backupschmliff1156]

Nocturne's normal was easier than V's normal?

[@Vengeance19]

Synthetic Man review of Valkyrie Profile when?? (Im not a jrpg fan at all but i love VP, and tales of symphonia is also pretty good)

[@RaifSeverence]

There's no inbetween? Well as someone who's last SMT experience was 3, this was exactly what I was hoping to get (a better version of 3). I wasn't pleasantly surprised nor am I disappointed. Favorite Jrpg is Valkyrie Profile

[@bbcraz1226]

Ooo this is a welcome surprise

[@melancholyman369]

Nice vid brov.👌🏿 Played a good amount of jrpgs (currently burning the midnight oil with SMT: Devil Survivor and a indie title called Fae Tactics), but FF13 stuck with me; the music, the vide and lore, and a killer weapon upgrade system made me remember that strange gem. Really feel this title so I'm hoping for a PC release. Edit: Thank you for acknowledging that the MC looks too girlie 😂🙄 like no-one mentions it n am bruh this super fruity😏 on that starburst shit.

[@Sephaos]

The raido kuzanoha stuff is pretty rad. Smt is smtng special.

[@Yusha7135]

Favorite JRPG: Trails in the Sky Great video as always.

[@McCaroni_Sup]

Based, Nihon Falcom and Atlus > Squeenix

[@Yumegipsu]

Based

[@Yusha7135]

@@McCaroni_Sup Hell yeah

[@Butiguessilovememore]

You are my spirit animal never stop calling out the bs

[@creatorsfreedom6734]

I wonder what Synthetic Man's Persona look's like

[@skipventure5158]

A femboy, obviously

[@yumnomik9937]

Another Pokemon clone I discovered was "Moco Moco Friends" on 3DS. But that is a very girly, Magical Girl collecting those plush mascot things. But some people might love this kind of stuff.

[@docphil9602]

Answering the queestion: I'm kinda stuck between persona 4 and smt 3 nocturne. I love them for different reasons. Persona for the characters and social aspect. And smt 3's combat system. I think while persona is an smt spin off; they have almost completley different spheres and comparing the two is comparing apples to oranges, both fruit but completely different experiences. I do think smt players are more likley to like persona than the otherway around. SMT V isnt trying to be a persona game and shouldnt really be compared to it. They serve different purposes with in the jrpg genre. Oddly enough I started off with pokemon then my friend introduced me to persona, then fire emblem; then I played smt and ended really enjoying the combat systems in place more than the persona combat system. I personally enjoy both- but I'm pretty confident in saying I'm probably a minority.

[@TheAandJStudio]

SMT fans really pressed about people comparing their game to others. Especially Persona.

[@reviewspiteras]

My top jrpgs in no particular order: Mother 3 Etrian oddysey Xenoblade 1 Pokemon black & white FF7 Mario and luigi dream team

[@ainbo9022]

There’s no buts it’s a masterpiece

[@beowolf9480]

I will say that to fully appreciate V, you definitely need to play Nocturne since V is a spiritual sequel to it, though do keep in mind that Nocturne is an early (and I do mean early) PS2 game, so random encounters and all

[@WINDEDMAN48]

Favorite jrpg is probably Mother 3. It keeps Earthbound's rolling counter hp, but has a cool system where if you hit the attack button in time with the music you get more hits out of a basic attack. Also adds a run button to literally plow through low level enemies without having to stop.

[@TheNexDude]

As a Mother 3 fan as well the music combo is extremely nice. I don't know when Mother 4/ Oddity will come out but hopefully this decade.

[@BigCheeZeMan]

Smt 5 really surprised me and became my favorite rpg. Before that it was dragon quest XI

[@diegocortez270]

Dont forget to hunt mitamas. It helps a lot with the grindy portions, made someone like me who hates grinding in video games not be bothered by it at all.

[@k2a2l2]

yeah i usually hate grinding but hunting mitamas are broken af, especially when they drop grimoires

[@camdenwilder207]

Why do you say in your description it’s a Pokémon clone when the Shin Megami Tensei series came before Pokémon

[@ArikGenerick]

If you want to play an smt but with a more emphasis on characters you should try SMT IV, Devil Summoner, Digital Devil Saga or Devil Survivor.

[@roykalager2360]

So he's a femboy because he has long blue hair, and a smooth anime face... But it would be cool to see more muscular protagonists, like Tarry or characters from Guilty Gear.

[@ultimatesexmachine6665]

Of course, he is a straight boy He would complain and think his race is superior against East Asian because of the Caucasian beauty standard.

[@tato-chip7612]

>protagonist into a femboy its a bishonen as in a "pretty boy"(andrgynous) i don't get why everyone is so crazy about this since pretty much the majority of megaten protagonists are like that

[@raikaria3090]

There's quite a few demon conversations which outright make fun of the design. Usually the hair, but some other things too.

[@hopeatlast9617]

@@raikaria3090 Professor Oak : Are you a boy or a girl? MC : I'm perfect Professor Oak : You'll be even more perfect six feet under.

[@94jmbottaro]

Pokemon you keep and evolve them. Here you use demons and fuse them and get rid of them as soon as you need more levels

[@chloemarlowe3817]

I do have one disagreement and that is with story/character segment. SMT is not a story driven thing, and in the few parts of SMT that are story centric, it is more so about the grand concepts/philosophies meaning that the games kick characters out the door. I forget where I heard this but characters in SMT are very one-dimensional because they aren't people but are the angel/demon on your shoulders designed to make you, the player, decide what you believe. Granted, SMT5 probably does this the worst due to the limited number of endings that the game has, the point is that SMT characters are not made to be relatable people.

[@backupschmliff1156]

I thought my girl was the only one who liked SMT. Go figure

[@corey2232]

I think the commentary on the "femme-boy" thing was pretty funny. Japan needing to come out of the closet got a chuckle out of me. I'll admit it does seem pretty weird, but I'm just used to it at this point.

[@ethanium8405]

I mean bishonen males are a trope in japanese media. a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth (boy)" and describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man of androgynous beauty.

[@TheBlackLightMan]

I couldnt help but grab it day 1, especially after playing persona 5 then 3, then 4 golden. These were good but dragged. I was happy with this game and still didn't finish the game. but I'm having so much fun. And now I want to play the other smt games. That said, I'm a fan of many rpgs, from Baldur's Gate and Planescape Torment, to Skyrim and Dark Souls, to this and persona. Each has its own fun take on the genre. I gotta play the other smt titles now

[@Asdsassin]

If you ever get the chance to play PS2 ones, (SMT Nocturne, Raidou Kuzunoha, and probably one of my favorite SMT's from PS2; Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2), you might appreciate, what came 20 years ago.

[@wintersong2266]

SMT 3 had a HD remaster not long ago so you should probably start there after this.

[@wintersong2266]

Dude Pokemon is the clone. The first Megami Tensei game came out ten years earlier.

[@ljiljankocurcic8893]

Currently at 69k subscribers. Nice.

[@thiefamongu3857]

Okay, I have an interesting classic game review video request The old PS2 game called ICO. I feel like it's an iconic masterpiece and I'm really interested in what you would think of it, short game too that can be beat in a weekend

[@MidnaNightengale]

"You're constantly fusing demons, so there's no personal attachment". Me, who has been abusing the DLC, and essence system, to keep the Mermaid I fused in the first area because she's cute: Oh. Right, that's what you're SUPPOSED to do... Heh heh... *I REGRET NOTHING* .

[@vanilla8956]

Yeah honestly I've always liked that because when I take a Jack Frost and put the effort into making him worthy to fight the final boss I know that I earned it. Unlike in pokemon where your starter becomes better than the god damn legendaries anyway

[@WakeUpToReality...]

My first Atlus game was Persona 3 too. A friend back in high-school introduced the series to me when we where discussing RPGs. I didn't have a PSP however so he taught me something else I didn't know was possible at the time & that's downloading emulators. Absolutely great game. My next one was Devil Survivor & I personally want a mainstream console version of that because I basically just want a more adult & gritty story

[@patrickschulz2193]

I'm surprised the comments section isn't flooded with "well, actually, Megami Tensei is older than Pokémon" (which, btw, it is, by ten years)

[@100hundert]

Oh wow, I remember playing Dragon Quest Joker on DS and you're right, those two games have quite a lot of similarities. Kinda hated the battle theme in DQJ, but otherwise they were surprisingly well made games.

[@loope9421]

I still prefer the level/dungeon design of SMT lV. The animations and powerfulfeel of the move set in smtlV which was a 3DS game with 2D sprites is faster and artistic.

[@denkerbosu3551]

I haven't played this one yet, but I can't brlieve you prefer the dungeon design in IV. That one was a pain to deal with.

[@loope9421]

@@denkerbosu3551 sorry for the late reply. I just don’t like the amount of wandering I have to do in SMT V, finishing dungeons in SMT lV gave me a sense of progression.

[@cobmeister.1930]

My favorite jrpgs are the golden sun trilogy, the first 2 on gba were meant to be one but then they were too big for one cartridge, so they let you transfer stuff over with a code, the third is more a sequel that didn't sell well on the later end on the ds, they're honestly pretty basic turn based combat, but the art style for the first 2 are beautiful pixel art, the third has really good summon animations My second favorite is ff tactics

[@maiqtheliar3502]

This is the only synth review I haven’t watched

[@Eldarin]

Synth Megami Tensei

[@rasdan1192]

The game is amazing gameplay-wise. It's not RNGish like Nocturne or less animated like SMT 4. This one has the balance of gameplay and graphics. Sadly, this game discourages low level runs due to level scaling. HOWEVER, the game is lacking in story. The endings are just simply a single endgame multiple choice (The secret ending is achieved if you do all essential questline). There's not an ambiguity choice that makes you question philosophy. The game didn't even make good use of grey morality.

[@TheTechnicalMiracle]

Favorite JRPG: Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door. Favorite non-traditional JRPG: Dark Souls (More of an ARPG) I absolutely despise most JRPGs tbh. I enjoy the older 3D western ones way more, specifically Deus Ex 1, Kotor 2, VtM:B. But when a JRPG mixes the formula up (IE: when it isn't the same game as Dragon Quest like every other JRPG has for the last 35 goddamn years) I'm more inclined to check it out.

[@ddrrdd1010]

For me the best thing in smt 5 are monsters, amount of stuff you can do and how atlus smartly forces you to use all features that are in the game. I’ve been playing for 20 hours now and I used all the kinds of fusion, played with essences, couldn’t stop exploring the map and used nearly all kinds of items. It feels that this game just knows what it wants to do and doesn’t have anything that you don’t use really often.

[@andrewdisher3813]

Dark souls of JRPS (at least in my experience) is Etrian Odyssey games. Way tougher than SMT V. I've only played SMT V out of the SMT series, but as far as this game's combat mechanics, it doesn't hold a candle to EO. EO doesn't tell you enemies weaknesses, you need to remember them, so if you're not paying attention, your losing out. Also items in SMT V, so good. Etrian odyssey, you just gotta grind. Like WAY more than SMT. But i loved it, because EO combat and the game was so much fun. SMT V, also one of my new favorite games. Combat was so cool and mechanics wise was also great (except when your allied demons died). My favorite strategy in SMT V is currently exploiting status ailments with ailment chasers like venom chaser, and the one for charm. Overall, I love SMT now after being introduced by SMT V.

[@soulinio.5613]

ayeeeee more content,keep it up man

[@santinogoring8860]

@ Synthetic Man there's a supposed ''leak'' that Shin Megami Tensei is coming to PS4 and PC, so I'm thinking if it is true probably 1 year exclusive to switch so my question is should I get it now or wait for a port if it happens to other platforms ( yes I'm a fan of the serries ) I only play switch docked so playing somewhere else where it playes better is the prefered option. I got burned with DQ11 buying 3x originaly on PS4 than the definitive version on Switch and later PS4 not knowing it was timed exclusive.

[@Jtzist]

My favorite RPG was Bravely Default II but after playing Shin Megami Tensei V....... I dont know. It is between those two RPGs.

[@TheNexDude]

I am interested in Persona and SMT so i find it intriguing to find out what people think about them yet i haven't really played any of them thoroughly.

[@denkerbosu3551]

You should try it. There's plenty to like, even if you find parts that bother you, they could end up being scratches in a gem.

[@Zeroknight34]

Good old Shin Megami the game that makes your grind exp and hoard items. I want to point out Shin Megami is a game all about patients. If you try to rush through it well you are asking for a early grave.

[@remysolar9407]

Wait, do you turn into a Doctor by the end? I don't understand why it would be all about patients.

[@golDroger88]

I don't like rpgs but I like the art and the atmosphere of some, most of those are Japanese.

[@dasfaodfadsfanfklawe]

i would actually say that smt games have great stories because of mainly the fact that i like the world building and the alignment system

[@izanagiforsmite4365]

Got the game last Friday, I started from p5 and played a lot more persona titles, that being said I LOVE THIS, I only halfway through the game and yet I've been completing as many things as possible in each area just because I'm having that much of a blast. Even p5r couldn't make me do that and I hold p5r high up

[@slient957]

The only demon that I was attached to was mermaid and had her through the endgame, and the fact I went out of my way to grind protagonist stat points with mermaid also follow along also. We both were to survive gaea rage from Demi Fiend so it was worth replaying over and over for fun.