Tokyo Mirage Sessions

Tokyo Mirage Sessions has found new life on Nintendo Switch but is this Fire Emblem & Shin Megami Tensei crossover worth your time and is the revised Encore version actually the definitive version of the game? Find out in our review!
#FireEmblem #ShinMegamiTensei
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[@DGR_Dave]

Dang...that load time comparison is crazy. Nice to see that's been improved!

[@Natsu1996]

Play it on stream my dude.

[@Anaxisca]

It definitely helps a lot. Expecely with the gridding. 😉

[@jarretticeearthguard8614]

Yep, but to me I prefer the longer loading times when you go into battle. Other loading times is great!

[@marethyux3744]

Didn't expect to see you here Dave :👋

[@puturere]

True “take your time”

[@Segway999]

*Tsubasa can wear glasses* So they know exactly how to sell me this game

[@Mon-Ark]

Same

[@aaroncallahan119]

@@Mon-Ark I just got this game and was like GLASSES-KUN

[@wherb6140]

1:10 "Chrom and Shayduh" Oh Jon, bless your heart

[@GameXplain]

There was an attempt

[@robharli]

@@GameXplain It's She-da. But still, good attempt. I called her Cay-da first time I saw that name. xD

[@Missiletainn]

@@robharli No, it's See-da, like Caesar, that's the official pronunciation

[@robharli]

​@@Missiletainn Really? Since when? Her name in Japanese is Sheeda, in the European version of Shadow Dragon was Shiida and in the anime Sheda.

[@robharli]

@@Missiletainn Oh, and I'm not saying YOU'RE wrong. Just pointing out that evidence points to that "official" pronunciation as being wrong. Or changed for reasons. And plenty of names have been wrong or changed for reasons before.

[@ryanbeck5014]

Don't know if anyone is aware, but last night on Fire Emblem Heroes they announced Tokyo Mirage Sessions is the next Batch of Characters, and they have English Voices, Kayli Mils is Tsubasa's English VA

[@Marku912]

Better start grinding for spirit orbs.

[@legendredux1291]

Heroes dub lul

[@myntmetro]

Id pay for english dlc

[@wolfdude1623]

My friends told me there was no chance of the TMS cast coming to FEH, but jokes on them! ... Also, it is super weird hearing the cast in English.

[@erickmaverick3128]

I just mentioned that earlier.

[@SMTenacity]

0:22 “it came near the end of the lifespan of the system” *sigh* Typical Atlus

[@chrom4141]

Through this logic, that means a Persona 6 may only be announced or released around the time that a PS6 will be announced and knowing Atlus, they’ll also consider releasing it on the PS5

[@cameronspencer9619]

*coughcough*PersonaQ2*coughcough*

[@SolidZach]

Persona 6 won't be out till 2026 will it...

[@SirKensworthXIV]

Well, if we keep getting Persona 5 spinoffs until Persona 6, ill be okay. They just gotta hurry up and give us Scramble.

[@boblers]

Regarding Tsubasa's glasses, some of her early design sketches had her with glasses, but they decided to remove them in the final game. This is probably a callback to that.

[@sarasaland4709]

Tsubasa has glasses now. The Wii U version is obsolete.

[@mattthedoormat]

"You end up shaving off a lot of time." *ad plays*

[@MrTuri93]

What Chrome is saying is: I'll lend you my power. And the main protagonist is saying: Yeah, lets go

[@dilloncupples168]

That makes sense, if dubbed I would totally be on board.

[@Anon_wulf]

I can't stress enough how important it is that there's an option to put glasses on a character. Especially female characters. It's just a necessity

[@imachangedname2978]

But can they put tsubasas skeleton back is the real question

[@guthetanuki256]

@@imachangedname2978 lol they removed her pelvis bones because apparently having a bone structure is too offensive.

[@morriganrenfield8240]

@@guthetanuki256 no it's because they wanted her to get molested by Cosby. He wants his jello run away!!!

[@NekkoBlue]

Not gonna lie, being a fan of both Persona and SMT, I feel like TMS enthusiasts should be trying to convince SMT fans to play this rather than Persona fans since it’s almost a no brainer that the latter would be into it. A lot of TMS fans don’t even try to convince SMT fans to play it, probably because it’s extremely colorful in comparison, but the game has loads of non-Persona references they’d likely very much appreciate.

[@davitof]

Only now I realized that SMT TMS.

[@blueknight6376]

Ive been trying, no luck, theyre stubborn asses most of the time, and then reviews like this happen whove never played an SMT, but know Persona talk

[@anthonytoledo9493]

The gameplay is it’s own original thing, it’s not a Press-Turn system that most Megaten games have nor One More/All-Out Attack system that Persona employs. But it combines Fire Emblem mechanics like the weapon triangle and other aspects which makes it my personal favorite Megaten game next to Devil Survivor based on gameplay alone. If you like Digital Devil Saga or Nocturne’s aspect of learning skills, then you’ll like how TMS handles it by learning skills depending on weapons you make and equip. I dont know why so many people compare it to Persona when outside of Mirages being tied to each character, there are no similarities. But that’s as far as similarities with other Megaten games go. It’s very much it’s own thing which isnt a bad thing.

[@dantemustdie00]

Yeah the guys on the Megaten Reddit are some Negative nancies. Don't bother with them. Shit I find thus battle system more fun than Persona 5's..

[@NekkoBlue]

To be fair, Reddit in general isn’t exactly the type of place where you’d easily come across open minded people lol Also well said, Holy Toledo. Overall, I just hope more people give it a go now that it’s on a console that tons of people own!

[@CursedMoistMan690]

This is literaly the closest thing i could get to playing persona on switch...unless i emulate persona 3 portable on my phone

[@androidunderground40]

Persona 3 portable on a psp emulator on Android is possible. I have it on my phone and ps vita

[@Slaveknight_gael]

The game is more like mainline SMT than Persona, it has no calendar/link systems which were primary features of Persona

[@Cyrath89]

Just lend a ps3 and buy persona 5. I had 100 hours in it, which for me is a lot of time to spend on one game. Art and music is beautiful. And it made me buy a second hand psvita for persona 4 golden. And 1 2 and 3 are also on psvita!

[@Mojo1356]

@@Slaveknight_gael in terms of story, this is much closer to Persona than Shin Megami Tensei.

[@nkoonkukoo]

@@Slaveknight_gael nah you havent played mainline SMT, this game is persona without the calendar feature. SMT is way darker than this.

[@corbynsteen1395]

I don’t think anyone has mentioned captain toad and persona in the same sentence before

[@Shyllard]

Honestly, I am just waiting for the final DLC of FE: Three Houses, to replay the game and I was kinda missing some good JRPG for a while now. It seems like a perfect fit.

[@johnclopez96]

Same

[@overlorddystroy4044]

It happened!

[@amadeux5471]

Was there already a release date? I just got a switch this christmas and I'm planning on buying FETH after finishing astral chain.

[@somethingofascientist7084]

Sammysaur February 12th

[@jasondp3546]

Is the game any good? And is it a standalone game?

[@cloudmv15]

Really disappointed they didn’t add new party members, the trailers kinda eluded they would, but am still excited sense is my first time playing it

[@GhostOfAmsterdam69]

Lethal drinking game: take a shot everytime he mentions persona.

[@sunpraiser96]

I mean this is as close you get to persona without copyright infringement

[@sow_scout4989]

Fatal Frame Maiden of Black Water NEEDS to come to the Switch. One of my favorite WiiU games! Hope they do make a new Fatal Frame game in the future though.

[@hatoru17]

As much as I hope that happens I honestly don't see it happening mostly because the majority of people have forgotten Fatal Frame even existed or are even interested in it now. Here's to hoping that happens.

[@hatoru17]

@@Midna78 well that's the problem. The GamePad was the camera obscura. The mechanics of it would probably work for the switch light, but as for the original switch that could dock, probably not. It could get more people to buy a switch light if it has something that's clusive to it, but you'll get the ones that can't really afford one right now complaining. I mean they probably could do it, but until Fatal Frame starts picking up popularity again we probably won't see another title, let alone a switch port. Nintendo need to see some incentive to do it.

[@sow_scout4989]

@@Midna78 You can actually have the option to have the screen on the gamepad to appear on the TV. So basically your gamepad ends up like a controller and you use the gyro controls to control the camera obscura. This was actually my preferred way to play also because I was streaming this back then. This worked just fine so this is why I think the game can transition without any issues on the Switch, hence why I want it to make it to the console.

[@sow_scout4989]

@@Midna78 Yup, one thing though is that I rarely play a game for more than 2-3 hours, so at least for me battery was not a big issue.

[@Wackaz]

I completely agree! That game was FANTASTIC and I loved the main character, she was such a cutie!

[@carolineodom6420]

I appreciate you just playing the "Fly" MV for us at the end. :) Good review.

[@NepBeard]

Just throwing this out there; Performa is based off of FORMA, from SMT Strange Journey. Not Persona. It’s a portmanteau/pun of perform(because idols) & forma. Otherwise, great review Jon

[@DRWii]

Just to elaborate on this point: Performer = パフォーマー (Pafoomaa) Performa = パフォーマ (Pafooma)

[@crazyshark1016]

Can't it be a pun on both?

[@NepBeard]

Crazyshark101 Not really. Because a Forma functions nothing like a Persona.

[@DRWii]

@@crazyshark1016 Performa and Persona aren't written or pronounced similarly in Japanese. Performa = パフォーマ (Pafooma) Persona = ペルソナ (Perusona) It's probably just a coincidence, seeing as the two are only similar in English and don't have story and/or gameplay context to support the supposed pun, whereas Performer+Forma=Performa does.

[@LoomDoom]

All the folks generalizing people upset about censorship as being perverted or just want to see anime tiddies are missing the point: First, this game is about the idol industry, and it does not get more fanservicey than that. If Nintendo was afraid of western concerns then maybe they shouldn’t have made a JRPG about idols! They knew what type of market and demographic they were getting themselves into which makes their decision the more complexing. Second, the outfit changes are completely silly. Nintendo aged up the characters so the “omg they’re underaged” falls flat right there. They knew the type of market they were appealing too yet censor it in odd places like censoring a wedding dress and having black smoke over a pair of breasts on a boss in a cutscene (then the black smoke disappears during the actual battle because that makes sense). And then censoring swimsuits.... this is the same company that made Xenoblade 2 and you’re telling me that swimsuits are crossing the line? Third, altered story. The gravure idol story chapter completely lost its meaning and message with its change. Instead it’s an awkward story chapter that doesn’t make much sense in the context of the game. Lastly, they removed the swimsuit DLC. I just don’t see how that’s ok. Cut content that was too fanservicey for a game centered around an industry that promotes and perpetuates fanservice is the funniest thing I’ve heard. Also let’s not forget that is the definitive version and it’s missing content. In conclusion, these things may be minor for some people, but don’t try to say that people not wanting to support a game that has weird censorship practices is a bad thing or that they’re all perverts. If you’re buying a JRPG about idols you certainly have no leg to stand on, so spare us the lectors.

[@tuvillo]

The game really deserves a sequel. The setting and characters are good, and the gameplay can be expanded on, now that both Persona and Fire Emblem have time management in them.

[@spiralgamer333]

I want a sequel so we can get other FE games represented like the Elibe games, the Tellius games, Sacred Stones, Fates and maybe even Three Houses as mirages.

[@johnclopez96]

Yes please

[@modder15]

With a dub

[@Danonpyon]

Michael Carrillo both of those things won’t happen mostly because the person who pitched the idea only did it cause they like both series’

[@Bornagainvillain]

Without Idols, and shitty pop music.

[@theineptdetective6703]

Really enjoyed this game on Wii U. The combat system is one of the best that I've experienced. I don't know if I'll buy it again on Switch though.

[@jediknight2089]

The faster load times are nice and the ability to play it on the go is a nice upgrade but the fact that they didn’t upgrade it to 1080p docked along with very minimal extra content, I’ll just stick the Wii U version.

[@17DS.]

But I mean, it is about your money in the end, but you don't really _NEED_ to buy a re-release of a game that you had for not too long ago and that you (probably) already had beaten, regardless of each console's popularity. It's kinda unnecessary for most people.

[@homermorisson9135]

Thanks for this really pleasant review - the pacing, how you present your facts, the sheer fact that you even do have those facts and genre knowledge in the first place ... this is what reviews are supposed to be, so: First time viewer of your channel, instant subscriber. Well done, mates.

[@Redpoppy80]

There is a minor change that is actually a huge buff for this game. In the original, you almost never used Light or Dark magic since even though many enemies were weak to them, they were a complete dead-end for sessions and sessions are easily your most effective way to deal damage. But now, there are now side characters who can link Light and Dark magic for your party to perform sessions so Tsubasa and Kiria just got way better since they can now use those spells.

[@sonickhable]

Tmw the mobile game has more English dialogue for the characters than the main game

[@matryoshka2151]

Literally one of my favourite games.

[@christianmarling]

Loved it on the WiiU. Really happy Nintendo is promoting it well because it is a great game with some interesting combat mechanisms. Don't let the J-Idol thing block you from a great game.

[@821lancevance]

It's a lie from what we are promised. The original trailer for smt x fe looked dark and eerie. They changed that to j pop idol bullshit

[@caffieneaddict8716]

@@821lancevance yep. Thats what made me so upset with the first trailer after I waited so long to see whats up. Surprised to see a sequel tho. Ngl 😅

[@BossFlight]

Yes, the idol theme actually helped opening the doors for unique dialogues, combat, animations, skill progression system and artstyle, almost everything in this game comes with a striking and surprising "CREATIVITY" tag, the amount of details is mind blowing. Cannot believe how much effort the devs have put into this!

[@Sonic0330]

Thanks for the ending song John

[@dddddddddddddddd6368]

The J-pop elements gave me a strong impression that this was gonna be a rythm game upon seeing the first trailer

[@Silath01]

That was the reason I was avoiding it

[@youtubedeletedmyaccountlma2263]

Silath it was far from being a rhythm game lmao. It is very unique gameplay wise and story wise. 9/10, just get it.

[@jayst]

Me too that was the reason I avoided it

[@rai_harn98]

They didn't dub the game still, but at least the characters got dubbed in the recent Heroes update

[@thepiemaster477]

It kinda makes me sad because the I think the Heroes casting for these characters is genuinely great and I would've loved to hear them in the actual game.

[@almondjoy4938]

@Victor Saez Because some people like hearing the characters talk in their own language. Plus,you can't understand a thing they're saying in battle unless you understand Japanese yourself.

[@custom-r]

@Victor Saez For some people yeah, they need to hear what's said. Others may struggle reading subtitles too during animated scenes. That and some prefer not to read while things are happening. I'm fine with this not getting a dub. I've played several games where there's no English option.

[@CaptainAhabGetsHisRevenge]

Dubs are for children.

[@EWOODJ]

@Victor Saez I completely understand Japanese and don't need subtitles. But English voices in media generally sound better to me and Japanese voices...don't. If I want to hear Japanese voices I'll import the Japanese version, which I do, but not for *that* reason. I simply do it to get it in advance. Therefore this: *_"Why would you want a bad english dub when you have the amazing japaneses voices?"_* ^is a ridiculous question.

[@KarnmasterGaming]

So excited to play this for the first time! I had already moved on from WII U when this came out and was so disappointed I missed it.

[@GhostBongo]

I mean there are so many mechanics from other SMT mainline and subseries games instead of just Persona, and to only compare TMS to only Persona instead of what the combat is from (Digital Devil Saga), skill upgrades (SMT4) and so many more kind of does a disservice to the devs. It shows how much attention they put into TMS, and it really sucks that this review boiled down to, "its similar enough to Persona that you should play it because of the similarities to Persona." instead of a neat look at how the entire SMT franchise is represented in this strange FE cross over with SMT.

[@sharpsCASF]

2:56 He does mention the combat is from SMT.

[@Harmonia96]

I love the choice you made to include a music video from the game to finish off this video. And this us ripped straight from the game itself. It may be riddled with holes in writing, but cast is fleshed out and their animated cutscenes are absolutely worth watching for a few minutes before transitioning into the next chapter of the game.

[@qdotexe]

I never played it on the Wii u. So now is my time. I already have it paid off.

[@Jolfgard]

You can't give me a movelist like the one at 1:48 and tell me this isn't Shin Megami Tensei.

[@stricknine6130]

I double dipped I just couldn't help it. I still have my Wii U version but I really wanted it on handheld. Thanks for the review.

[@ichigokurosaki8523]

Same here I still have the Wii U version and just got the switch version becuz y not!

[@mrfeconic6705]

Shout-out to 8:06 where he just missed the rare Mirage When you only encounter 2 (and miss 1 of them) in 23 hours of gameplay, this hurts to see

[@emblemwarrior11]

not sure if you know, but there's a reliable trick to force rare spawns that you can use once you have Yashiro. It was recently confirmed to work in Encore. It's on KZbin somewhere, just search 'TMS rare spawns".

[@igormitrovic7005]

Kind of got to this late but Yashiro has a radiant skill called Riberaon which increases the rates of rare and buffed enemies. Putting that on as well as estoma and Slowma allowed me to run around and fight like 3-5 rare enemies within half an hour.

[@KissesLoveKawaii]

double dipped now we need Xeno X and i can retire my WiiU

[@gonekrazy3000]

It's scary how soon this game true.

[@jasondp3546]

This game it’s own story or will I b lost?

[@StevenUlyssesPerhero]

For me, this game is in the same category as Super Mario RPG: it's a game that sells itself on being charming first and foremost. I loved it on Wii U, and am double-dipping without shame because of all the improvements Encore is making, like letting you take Itsuki out of the party.

[@newageBoundhippie]

wait...you can swap Itsuki out now? o_O ....finally, I can play using the waifu squad of Tsubasa, Kiria & Eleanora....

[@LADAZE00]

@@newageBoundhippie I'm not sure, but you might only get to switch him out on NG+

[@BigKlingy]

Funnily enough, Touma learns a skill that's a direct Super Mario RPG reference. ("Get a Freebie". It even works the same way!)

[@Z3Ghost]

Just started playing the game and one thing is really bothering me.. Why aren't there any combat dialog subtitles? It's killing me right now.

[@Mojo1356]

I’m used to it at this point because Q2 did this as well.

[@winstongray196]

I missed this game on Wii U, so I am PUUUUUMMMMMMPPPPED to play it on Switch! Thanks for the review!

[@ralphtaylor7448]

Winston Gray is not persona

[@MrStephenfull]

All you're missing is "We'll you show you our power!" and "Let's go!"

[@RobRmanX]

I can't wait to play this game again. I'm a huge Persona fan so having this Diet Persona 4 on Switch is something I've desperately wanted. A bit bummed there's no dub still but that's kind of understandable. I hope people trying it for the first time enjoy it ❤️

[@RedDragneel]

I missed out last time but i just pre orderd the game and im super excited to play it!

[@RobRmanX]

@@RedDragneel I hope you have fun! ❤️

[@flanflanjp_]

The censorship on the western version is still atrocious. I hope there's an oceania version with english text that's uncensored this time around.

[@Pangster]

Very unlikely

[@ChaosMyth1012]

I got some bad news for you then. Encore was built from the localized WiiU version. That means it's censored everywhere now, including Japan. There was huge controversy in Japan over where a lot of Japanese people retracted their pre-orders over it.

[@hipten]

ChaosMyth1012 There was also a huge surge in people buying the Wii U Version as well.

[@The_Chocolate_One]

“Persona! I mean Performa...! Yeah that’s what I meant. 😬

[@ralphtaylor7448]

Persona is better

[@TerriblyAwesomeGames]

Please Anime/Video Game Gods, let this do well. I would love to see a sequel or spinoff or anything using these battle systems and beautiful world!

[@sebastianaguilar9938]

I know! A sequel would be amazing, especially if they really build upon this established foundation! Like maybe a full sequel that takes place a few years later, with even more FE characters, refrences and spell variety! Obviously I would also love an actual dub too. the cast for FEH did fantastic with the English voices in the Feh banner trailer really impressing me! All are spot on, but especially Kiria, like the part when she called Tharja gross, her vocal inflections really made me want more of her take on Kiria! If they can sing too, great I would love the songs in English! But I'd settle for only the spoken dialogue being dubbed cause I'm flexible!

[@LuccatielD7]

This needs to fail. I won't support their censorship.

[@cyncynshop]

*Personal Pro:* - Really amazing art style that keeps colorful and good character/monster design - Stage theme is incorporated into every aspect of the game - Combat is weakness central and is very satisfying - A lot of side quest that has character progression and interest tidbit - Music videos and amazing choreography - Most bosses have good challenge and mechanics built in. *Personal Con:* - The main character is very paper thin, and while that can be its strength in bringing out good in other character, everything in the game resolves with "Wow, you're so nice MC, I love you." And MC not getting anything related to love because he is an idiot. - The Gameplay can drag out, though this is partly fixed in the Encore version, late game backtracking is a slog simply because combos still goes on for way too long and it's auto. - Ultimately its display of the performers industry is still paper thin and full of rose tinted glasses, not a bad thing to some I suppose. - Side progression outshine main quest. Main quest is very boring and predictable. Villain motivations are completely ass. - You can't pursue romance with any of the female characters and each one of them falls in love with MC anyway. But hey, harem sounds like a good thing, right? Not if every ending of the girl's confession and reason to fall inlove with MC is so half-assed by the arbitrary misunderstanding. - Censorship Probably still exists in game. *Conclusion:* It's a good game mechanics wise, has 0 depths story wise. Recommended for anyone who likes RPG with girls and milktoast in it and likes a fair bit of challenge but not too hard.

[@moggless]

i mean, we can see in the video that even a wedding dress got censored, its ridiculous. how is that even remotely sexual? shows who the real perverts are really.

[@SatiZakito]

The Swimsuits! I want em all!

[@emranansari4258]

It

[@fabricefaustin1134]

Favorite combat system? Better than SMT? Is that how we dismissing SMT now or is it really that good? I guess in the end it is his opinion...

[@sombrego2260]

It's not better than SMT objectively, the new ideas are really refreshing though but there's a severe lack of customization and arguably depth in Tokyo Mirage whereas any SMT (or spinoff) game allows for a lot more complex strategies. Like the fact that Itsuki is forced to be in the party is stupid, there's only 1 axe user on the party, you have very little control over your characters growth beyond choosing which abilities you prefer. I've been discovering the Digital Devil Saga and even that spinoff has a lot more depth in the battle mechanics despite being pretty old (and oldschool).

[@rodoromero]

@@sombrego2260 Shout out for mentioning Digital Devil Saga; I've played both parts, Persona 3 and 5, SMT 3, and TMS... and yeah, probably Digital Devil Saga does have the better combat system, but it get so challenging sometimes! I LOVED TMS on Wii U, and the combination of cool music, light-hearted story, cheery aesthetic, j-pop, great music, bright colors, stylish UI (yeah, this released before Persona 5) AND a cool battle system just made the whole package very special! I'm debating on whether to double dip, I was hoping the extra content would be relevant enough to justify this, but it seems it isn't. That said, I enjoyed the base game a lot and having a little bit of extra, if superfluos content, plus the greatly cut load times makes this game very appealing to get again!

[@niallharrington3636]

@@sombrego2260 i heard you arent forced to uses itsuki in your party this time

[@keithsmith8414]

I played both and it's not the best combat system in the series. That honor goes to SMT4A on the 3DS. Though TMS combat is better than P5

[@sombrego2260]

@@niallharrington3636 really? Damn that would be my most favorite change it was the biggest issue I had with the original, well that and the loading times. Also playing the game on hard is really cool the challenge always is there but feels fair

[@dilloncupples168]

Excellent review, spot on in my book. Fingers crossed it sells well enough to warrant another Nintendo exclusive

[@klee5531]

I really hope it does well. I would love to see a sequel to this.

[@erickmaverick3128]

Me, too. They say that if a sequel was made, it would focus on Fortuna going against a rival company.

[@The_KAZ3]

Was kinda sold on quite a number of things, then I looked up the songs. Yea dropping that pre-order immediately

[@rohandatta7111]

As much as people love to pretend this game doesn’t exist, this is the game that got me into SMT. Before I played this game I the only JRPG I used to play Fire emblem. Then I got this game and got into SMT, and then got into other series like persona.

[@pablozky21]

The guy said "I'll show you my power" and the MC said "Mirage form", so you are not missing anything from the non subtitled sections lol

[@StevenUlyssesPerhero]

He said "Carnage Form" actually, and there's a surprisingly high number of mid-battle voice lines that I feel would have warranted a subtitle track. Characters will say something in an uneasy tone when you're about to test an element on an enemy for the first time, and at the start of her turn Tsubasa will occasionally have a short conversation with Caeda that I'm fairly sure is about getting something to eat, but my Japanese education consisting of "having watched subtitled anime and tokusatsu since I was 12" fails me as far as actually understanding it all.

[@dantemustdie00]

It was like this in Strange Journey Redux as well

[@abzu235]

Actually he said "Persona 5 Royale is coming to switch"

[@jordansloan417]

The MC said 'let's go'

[@BigKlingy]

​@@StevenUlyssesPerhero​ There's actually a LOT of interesting battle dialogue. Generally every costume (and there are a LOT of them) gets a unique voiced comment from the character wearing it.

[@audbgsr457]

man, the loads time looks awesome. been playing 70+ hours on Wii U and I'm in the last chapter. I spend a lot of time grinding and farming. the animation is too long but somehow I enjoyed it. I really recommend this game for you guys if you haven't played it on Wii U. and the extra stories look fun. and you know what? I got the Wii U version just ONE DAY before this game is announced during Nintendo Direct on 4 Sept last year hahaha but I don't have a switch yet though and I don't really mind about censorship because Tsubasa, Ellie, Kiria, Mamori, Tiki, and even miss Maiko are already so pretty, so I've had enough fanservice from this game hahaha

[@youtubedeletedmyaccountlma2263]

The animation is well done, there's a lot of effort done by the team. The censorship do suck

[@overlorddystroy4044]

The fact that the song at the end was definitely there to push it over 10 minutes was amazing.

[@kingdomheartsispeak4724]

What I played: Tokyo mirage sessions. What I thought I was going to get: a persona dancing all night/starlight ripoff. What I got: persona and fire emblem's lovechild with jrpg elements

[@BenjaMan64]

Awesome. Never had a Wii U, so this will be a completely new game for me. Thanks for the review.

[@gwendolyndunn8021]

5:10-at long last, yes. The prohecy is fulfilled and 3 and 4 are also getting ported!

[@zorichi686]

The only way I can describe this is persona emblem bro’s dance 201620

[@oscarzxn4067]

30 hours? It took me like 50+ on Wii U! Do the load times help thaaaat much?

[@123christianac]

There's also session skipping which would reduce time in battle.

[@ralphtaylor7448]

oscarzx n also kids read slow

[@WillyBucks22]

Great review, Jon!

[@scorpdelord883]

0:15 those hands are what gives childrend nightmares

[@AritstRage]

Haven't played this one, working on Persona 5 currently, can't wait to try it out!

[@KhronoProd]

I loved this game, I preordered the Special Edition when it came out on Wii U

[@millenniumwatcher]

That sucks, I was hoping the combat dialogue would’ve finally been available in this version.

[@justsomeguywithasledgehamm5064]

I am neither advocating for or against the censorship present within Tokyo Mirage Sessions Encore; however, my curiosity has been sparked by this situation and thus I want to ask this question. For those who are not bothered by or outright support the censorship present within TMS Encore, what line does censorship have to cross in a game before you deem it to be too much? Basically what I'm asking is what is your hypothetical breaking point for censorship within a game where you decide to not support it?

[@justsomeguywithasledgehamm5064]

@Nill Null Fair enough.

[@isaiahtorok7079]

I'm glad to see this awesome game got an awesome port, I hope enough people buy it for atlus and intelligent systems to do more projects with this games combat, possibly in a new setting?

[@821lancevance]

I don't buy censored games and you shouldnt

[@isaiahtorok7079]

@@821lancevance I don't skip out on good games because I can't see naked women in them

[@821lancevance]

@@isaiahtorok7079 the women were not naked and who are you to judge art on what is appropriate and what isn't? that's up to the artist. No art should be censored

[@isaiahtorok7079]

@@821lancevance I meant wearing less, what I'm saying is not to tell me what I should or shouldn't do. The censoring was fine in my opinion it did not change the game in any ways that make it less fun to me so there's no reason for me not to pick it up. I actually like most of the changes

[@821lancevance]

@@isaiahtorok7079 mmm and here I thought puritans died out.

[@sirmrguitardude]

I never understood the story of TMS. I remember it was about how a few years ago all the famous people were taken by demons to another dimension. So the main characters are all trying to be famous, and one main character's sister was one famous people who was kidnapped. So I assume the idea is they want to get famous to draw out the demons to rescue the previous bunch of kidnapped idols. But no they are just trying to get famous and are shocked when the demons come for them, they are not trying to find that character's sister or any of the others. And there's a fat guy who isn't fat, and it's this running gag through the whole game but he's not fat. One girl gets famous by setting up a table and chair on the street and does a "meet and greet". But prior to her meet and greet she isn't famous. So all it takes in Japan to be famous is to sit at a little table in public and millions of people instantly run over to you and you become famous. The censored dungeon was never a problem- absolutely everything else was. In fact the main characters porn star tits really pissed me off so I'm glad I didn't have to watch some teenager gamer porn thing. The fighting was fun but so easy, only a couple of bosses were challenging. 5/10

[@sirmrguitardude]

@Nill Null Yes I assumed I got something wrong, could you explain what it was? Is that guy fat? Was that chick that set up the table for a meet and greet already famous? It just looked like a bunch of teenagers thinking they could get famous by putting on the side of the road. Did they actually plan to find the kidnapped famous people and weren't shocked when the demons came after they all got famous? I gave up when I had to redo dungeons and find those sealed doors, screw that

[@Lisa-pn3fm]

5:00 I think they’re saying: “Use my power” “Go! Carnage form!” I’m not fluent in Japanese or anything, but those are pretty common animuu words. ... I don’t know why I’m posting this comment...

[@techmark3665]

wow that is actually accurate

[@beblessed1030]

show them our power

[@ProfDragonite]

Great. Now give me a version with no censorship, an English dub, and maybe more than three Fire Emblem games represented. Fuck it. Just give me Ike. Then maybe I'll buy it.

[@DemonsMutt]

Anyone else confused as to why they reported the joker costume 2 days ago? Like I'm not sure when they got the game but it had to have been at least a week ago

[@Trakker1985]

This looks great, i can't wait for it to unlock on my Menu in a couple of days, i really enjoyed this game on Wii-U even though i never got to the end, i got distracted by other games i think, but i have a week off work and i'm intending to hit it hard =3 - Also below is my opinion on the whole censorship dealio I mean the original version the content that was changed was kinda to do with a serious problem where young idols sometimes get lewded and exploited by companies and photographers. Maybe Atlus just thought that was a little to heavy in retrospect, and if content is changed by the source of their own volition it's hard to truly consider it censorship? They did a thing, they ended up not liking the thing, so they changed the thing, nobody made them do it. but let's be frank, because in instances breasts are involved, people defacto label the change as a censorship one. It's a tricky situation though, because of course we shouldn't have to deal with censorship, but on the other hand, if you create something and you are unhappy with it, you have the right to change it. there was no outrage, no backlash about the original chapter scenarios, it was just changed. =T

[@frickthefuckoff]

I don't think Atlus did this based on their own choices, but rather Nintendo's, given how they did basically publish the game. It's consistent with their published titles (unless it's Bayonetta lol)

[@cartooncritic7045]

Norspark Atlus developed and localized it, though, and they are also infamous for rewriting their story scenarios if they feel like it. Just ask any Persona 4 fan of what they think about Marie and anything in Golden related to her.

[@frickthefuckoff]

@@cartooncritic7045 Yes, but they aren't known for changing outfits and ages for the sake of being family friendly-ish, otherwise P5 would have had changes when it released. This was clearly a Nintendo call.

[@cartooncritic7045]

Norspark Most of their other games, Persona 5 included, are M-rated. TMS is T-rated. Atlus's only other SMT title with a T rating is Devil Survivor, and none of the human characters in those games wear anything nearly as revealing as some of the outfits in TMS.

[@BladetastersDelight]

The original version able it idols getting exploited really isn't that deep though and the same message is in the new version of the dungeon. I think a lot of people who criticise this aspect haven't played the game and don't see how shallow the themes are/how pro-entertainment industry the whole game is so it doesn't really critique the darker aspects of the industry in any substantial way

[@Tyrantdrache]

i usually dont expect much from anime Style Rpgs but this looks very good thx for your review :)

[@charlescaulkins8306]

I'd give this a shot if it wasn't censored, so I can't call this "definitive". But if people like it anyway and don't mind, that's fine I guess.

[@espio329]

same, i was willing to give it a chance if it wasn't as heavily censored like the Wii U version. But they double down on the censorship and used the western version as a base for international versions which pissed off the japanese base so much that they actually bought the wii u version out of pure spite.

[@pringrings22]

I still wish it wasn't censored.

[@Strykerx31]

Grow up, nothing gameplay wise was changed, if THAT's the reason you can't play a game, cause you can't see anime boobs, you got problems.

[@moggless]

@@Strykerx31 he didnt mention anything about boobs, you're the one who has problems since thats the first thing that came to your mind.

[@LuccatielD7]

@@Strykerx31 Supporting censorship with: "grow up" goddamn... I don't care WHAT was censored, if they censor it, I ain't buying.

[@draconia9956]

Wait a sec do I hear Inori Minase as Tsubasa

[@DaFunchiLucio]

What about the music? Does it tie in well (being idol based)? Is there a way to freely hear it?

[@sombrego2260]

I'm really tired to hear that Tokyo Mirage is very close to Persona 5. Both games are drastically different in scope and structure, yes Tokyo Mirage was used to test many things that were ported over Persona 5 but Catherine was also used to test the engine for Persona 5. It's just two JRPG made by the same company and remotely based on the same franchise. It's like saying that FF XV and FF VII are very comparable when they have so little in common.

[@helpinghands7935]

I like the combat in this game more than Persona 5 to be honest.

[@reikurokaze3988]

i mean it makes sense what else would you compare it too, there are slight social link aspects that give benefits upon doing the quests. The story plays out in chapters with a main dungeon of each chapter. The main characters have fire emblem personas that you customize and upgrade. In fact it would be closer to say this is a persona x fire emblem game compared to a smtxfe game.

[@sombrego2260]

@@reikurokaze3988 you just described pretty much all every SMT game and spin-off. The only thing that gets them closer is that they are more light hearted overall and have party members. But the experience is so drastically different Tokyo mirage is dungeons and light dialog only there's nothing beyond that. Persona has a lot of side content you're forced to go through for the most part

[@reikurokaze3988]

@@sombrego2260 I mean alot of that "side content" is optional. Only thing I can think that seperate persona from tms is the school life aspect. But let's take strange journey. There are no social link aspects. Although yes there are Central dungeons theyre not tied to the story as closely as persona and tms. Game play wise most smt games follow the press turn system off the top off my head only devil survivor and summoner don't for obvious reasons. In tms and persona although you can decide party member skills, you don't have that same customization as other smt games because like persona you're stuck with them here. Only real difference is probably the social life aspect, but even then that boils down to hanging out with your social links and fulfilling their request similar to tms. And not saying persona is light hearted but even the story plays out similarly. Start out with small or no stakes, you uncover something big then final chapter/boss focus on some ancient elderich being. Another reason because unlike main smt games where you may play a student, you don't actually see their student Life. Compared to here and persona you do. Look at smt 4 apocalypse, although it's setting is similar to persona I doesn't have that persona feel

[@cyberrb25]

I think it's more likely to be bought when it lowers to €40. I just don't feel attached. And for 60, I'd buy probably both ToCS and P5S when they decide to get it out. Although I am still really pissed I couldn't buy the Limited Edition on Wii U at the time (asked the day before and the day after preorders went live, because I didn't see it fast enough). Ah, and the stupid bride costume with so much white.

[@lemdavefn]

Every game store here in the UAE has a copy of the wii u limited edition even til now. For 150 AED, that's like $40 USD.

[@frickthefuckoff]

As someone who got the special edition, you aren't missing much.

[@gloomreach4325]

What is ToCS?

[@Maora_D63]

Nice Review!! This is one game from the Wii U I wanted ported to the switch, but too bad they had to kill it with porting over the westernized version, and before anyone says "boohoo, its censored, can't show sexy costumes of underage girls... blah blah" they made the characters 18+ so technically in this version they longer underage so it shouldn't be the problem, but that is besides the point, they changed the whole deal with Chapter 2 of the game, they literally rewrote the game from what the original was. Sure, it dealt with gravure modeling but that is a big part of Idol culture, and for a game that is trying to stay true to that, true to being a Japanese game set in japan, even as far as not to include dubbed audio so that its played in Japanese voice over only, it sure seems to hate its source of inspiration, so much that now this is the true version on all regions....This game went from being a game based on "Japanese Idol Culture" to "Japanese setting with singing and trying to not offend anyone culture". DLC was also cut, but i guess less is always best. It's a shame we can't respect other cultures, we always have to criticize them, because they are not like our own... oh well.

[@Strykerx31]

Remember its the internet, you change anything to make it better, but you alter characters appearances, its the worst game ever.

[@andrewmon4792]

Absolutely LOVED this game on WiiU. I want to get it again so badly, but thr months of March, April, and May are already going to destroy my wallet 😔

[@frickthefuckoff]

You DO have two months to finish it. At 30 hours it ain't too bad.

[@PAXperMortem]

So what open world areas are explorable other than Shibuya?

[@Level30Games]

Very excited to play and review this. Had it on the WiiU but it sits unopened on the shelf. After 100+ hours with Persona 5 I think i'm more inclined to like this. I know it's not directly the same but similar. Can't wait.

[@obi-wankenobi4337]

Maybe if this game sells well, we'll actually get a SMT X FE crossover

[@RebaHashiri]

I can't overlook that Tsubasa's Pelvis was REMOVED!

[@kellyburgess9510]

Just bought my Switch Copy of this game. I have always been a huge fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series and always want to play this but didn’t own a Wii U. I really would love a Shin Megami Tensei Digital Devil Saga and Devil Summoner series remastered on ps4 cause those were my favorite ps2 games ever.

[@haiko_6303]

Ive been waiting for this to get on heroes for forever

[@Mamodxx]

Kowashitai

[@toycp]

I finished this game on Wii U at hard and lunatic and I intend to do the same on the switch port!! Hope that Atlus gives us some SMT V news soon!!!

[@drewmotl4663]

I cannot get past the Japanese idol setting. That’s the dealbreaker for me back when it came out and now as well.

[@SuperCred1t]

I never got to finish it so a verison with all these loading time cuts and skippable battle animations sounds perfect

[@theeaaa36]

I might pick this up in summer, I’m too busy rn for another RPG to play but it definitely looks fun

[@timmer919hep]

What ever happened to Shin Megami Tensei 5 on Switch? They announced that forever ago and we haven't seen anything of it for years.

[@TehLightraven]

Video games take time to make believe it or not

[@timmer919hep]

@Weston Meyer I hope so

[@EmanuelGaldr]

This looks like a combat system with a bit of walking around random mazes. I dig the "attract mode" aesthetics, it's very "arcade", very "late night show". But besides the dungeons the game lacks actual locations to explore. Non-dungeon areas are like glorified menu interfaces, very small and completely lifeless.

[@lizard81288]

When there's no subtitles, but you still know what the character say because you watch so much anime...

[@ChadKenova]

I have it for the wiiu but i never finish it, i think i will pick it up for the switch. From what i played I enjoyed, I like playing jrpg’s on a handheld. I think this game takes about 50-60 hours to complete and for a completionist over 100.

[@erickmaverick3128]

Since the characters appeared in FE Heroes with English voices, I'm hoping for a patch later. Still going to get it, though.

[@StevenUlyssesPerhero]

Don't count on it. This is an incredibly niche title and most of the main cast has to do a fair amount of singing, Nintendo and Atlus both know it's not worth the cost. As much as I love this game, we're more likely to get an update that restores the old costumes than a full dub.

[@newageBoundhippie]

probably not gonna happen. There's a HUGE difference between having a couple voice lines in a mobile game dubbed & re-dubbing an entire RPG. Even if they somehow DID pull out an English dub, I'd at least hope they leave the songs as is since they're already so good....hell the only aspect about not having the VO in English that bugs me is the in-battle chatter but that's pretty minor in the grand scheme of things...

[@kennethlivengood]

The last issue of Game Informer has a review of Persona 5 Royal, and lists it for PS4 & Switch. I think this is a mistake, as they probably meant Scramble, BUT.......

[@jamiebro7522]

4:57 EPIC!! 5:05-5:07 don't do that, don't give me hope