Why Atlus risks nothing by taking its slow, sweet time with Persona 5

It's been almost 5 years since the release of a proper sequel to Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4. In fact, Persona 5 has not yet even been formally announced by Atlus!

epicJRPG.com examines the reasons why Atlus has yet to officially announce the game, and answers the question of whether such a long delay will impact enthusiasm and sales once the game is finally released.

[dedicatedtogamers]

Here's my theory: ATLUS is prepping for something big. They just announced SMT4 (which looks awesome), and we will likely see at least one or two more SMT announcements at E3. The popularity of the series is skyrocketing. HOWEVER, the last few games have been remakes/ports, not new games. Persona 4 Golden was an enhanced port of a PS2 game. SMT Soul Hackers is an enhanced port of an old Saturn game. Devil Survivor Overclocked on 3DS is an enhanced port of a DS game.

In other words, they're not making any NEW SMT games (with the exception of SMT4) and yet the popularity of the series keeps increasing. Why? They're probably working on one or two big titles. SMT4 on 3DS is one of them. Persona 5 is probably another one. They may have yet another SMT title in the works. Who knows?

[chrispseuphoria]

I'm really glad they've been doing this strategy. It allowed me to play Persona 4 for the first time on the Vita. With its improved gameplay mechanics, re"vita"lized graphics and new story elements, it did not feel like a game from the previous generation at all.

I cannot wait for Persona 5 and after playing both Catherine and Persona 4, it is one of my most anticipated games.

[Protagonist]

The story and characters of Persona 3 Portable is even better than P4G and it got the same mechanics of P4G.

[Heisenburger]

I haven't played Persona *4 yet, but I do have Persona 3 via ps2 classics.

Idk if you've played it but it's only $9.99 if you haven't.

[chrispseuphoria]

I just bought Persona 3 for $9.99 and I'm only a few hours in. At this time, I cannot relate as much to P3's characters in comparison to P4. I'm still enjoying it but personally, I prefer P4 at this point.

[Hanso]

do i need to play the old games to understand SMT4?
And what about Devil Survivor Overclocked?
how are these games connected?
can you change the first person view in battle?
i dont like that view in rpgs -_-

I never played one of those games in my life but im gonna buy Persona 4 soon and thinking about the other ones aswell..

[Heisenburger]

Persona 3 is only $9.99 on psn. Save some money for the time being, you know?

[dedicatedtogamers]

Okay, well here's a rough guide:

- each SMT game stands alone in its own world. The stories in Persona are the only ones explicitly connected (although you wouldn't know it unless you played Persona 1 and both 2s. So, SMT4 will be stand-alone.
- a lot of the SMT games are first-person. No, you can't change that.
- the connection between the games is usually the demons/personas that you summon. Between the games you'll see a lot of familiar ones

If you end up enjoying Persona 4, you should also try:
- Persona 3 (PS2, PSP/Vita): Very similar to Persona 4. P3 on Vita/PSP has a lot of features from P4
- SMT: Nocturne (PS2)
- SMT: Digital Devil Saga (PS2)
- SMT: Devil Summoner 1 and 2(PS2)

[Qrphe]

They're all different series. Overclocked is a port of the original DS titles while the others have numbered titles that aren't connected to each other (just like FF games)

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
Shin Megami Tensei

tl;dr You can pick up any game and play withough worrying if they're sequels/prequels or w/e

[epicjrpg]

Hanso, no need to play the old SMT games to understand SMT IV - they are set in separate universes and are generally only related by some elements of the battle systems, magic, and demons.

re: SMT IV, I believe the first person view is standard and can't be changed. If you don't enjoy that perspective, I'd recommend you play Persona 3 or 4, or try Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne on PS2.

Hope you enjoy it when you do play it!

[Snookies12]

Don't even talk about Persona 5... I need that game bad enough already, the only thing that helps is trying to forget about it until it comes out lol.

[Godmars290]

They ignored the entire console cycle with the game...

[Arai]

I read somewhere that Catherine's engine was to test the waters for the Persona team and that P5 will use a new engine all together.
Perhaps it might end up on the next-gen console(s), seeing as how Catherine was a multi-platorm game.
It could explain why they didn't bother releasing the a Persona game this generation.

In all fairness they did release some great Japanese titles this generation.
Which IMO was a breath of fresh air from all the western made games.

[Snookies12]

I dunno, Persona 4 came out on PS2 when the PS3 was already out. So, P5 could still be coming to this generation. It's anybody's guess at the moment though without any real facts about the game other than it's "probably" being developed lol.

[Summons75]

The smt team has always worked on two projects at once. Persona 4 was devloped alongside Catherine which, yes was testing the engine but was a brillent game, and p5 is in development now. Last I heard they were having a har time writing the story and ended up writing 4 or 5 scripts and still weren't happy. It's hearsay but I wouldn't be surprised if it was true.

Also like the ps2 I bet a lot of amazing games will get released on ps3 after ps4 is released. P4 was amazing p3 is still the best and every other smt game is awesome. Can't wait for p5 to join the collection.

[CaptainSheep]

Whenever I hear or read 'Persona 5', I just start feeling all giddy and start jumping around. :3
I have no doubt in Atlus. They will make Persona 5 an amazing game. But I hope they announce something soon, I really can't wait for this. xD
BTW, dat thumbnail picture. Rise is my waifu. <3

[Protagonist]

You need to get more out Captain... I mean she is a sweet character and all but....;O))))))

[CaptainSheep]

NO. RISE. WAIFU. MINE.

[Protagonist]

I hope it will include online battles. I keep thinking about that whenever I play P3P or P4G.

[Donnieboi]

For what??

[TongkatAli]

It could work if done right.

[Tewi-Inaba]

They're going crazy with SMT tho SMTxFireEmblem SMT Soul Hackers SMT 4 was just announced to be headed to NA too.
Hell there's a SMT Devil Survivor 2 Anime coming out soon!

[adarker]

I really wish Atlus would release Nocturne, the Devil Summoners, and the Digital Devil Sagas on PSN. I would buy those in a heartbeat.

[epicjrpg]

Couldn't agree more - Those are titles I would definitely pay money for on PSN, especially if Atlus was to give them the HD remaster treatment

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

Ive never played a shin megami tensei game. where do I start?

[Eazy-Eman]

I started with Persona 3, keep in mind that persona is a spin-off series and not part of the main series. Persona 3 has a dark story as apposed to Persona 4's more vibrant and cheery story. Don't get me wrong though persona 4 does have it's dark moments, but nowhere near as grim as 3.

I would definitely start with those two, and if you have a 3ds I suggest getting devil survivor overclocked, and soul hackers comes out on the 16th. Definitely keep your eye on Shin Megami Tensei IV, because from what I've heard and seen, it will be a fantastic addition to the shin megami series. There are so many games dude you will have to research them yourself because i'm fairly new to the series as well.

[Donnieboi]

Yeah get persona 3 FES on psn. It's a ps2 classic in the psn store for ps3. It's only $10 and the game is like 160 hours! U dont need any experience with past games to enjoy p3.

[Qrphe]

Start with any game with Shin Megami Tensei in the title, first one you come across

[epicjrpg]

Totally agree with Eazy-Eman, P3 and P4 are a great place to start, and SMT IV looks very promising!
Also, SMT: Nocturne is a great game on PS2 if you want to try the main series of games.

[BlaqMagiq24]

I started with Persona 3 FES on PSN and loved it. It's roughly 120 hours long with 2 parts but enjoyable all the way through. I would recommend starting there then play Persona 4. I'm currently playing Persona 4 Golden and enjoying the hell out of it! I honestly can't decide which one is better between P3 and P4. But they are both masterpieces I can assure you.

[Mexico619]

I loved persona 4 golden and was quite sad when I beat it since no more persona (and rise :( ) to follow after, I just hope they bring the characters from persona 4 over even though I heard they're also going to include persona 3 characters in persona 5.

[wastedcells]

How does the 3DS game devil survivor overclocked compare to persona 3/4. Is it as good?

[Eazy-Eman]

It's completely different. Devil survivor is an SRPG, and I'm currently playing it right now. The story takes place within the course of a week (plus an extra day if you have overclocked), while persona takes place within the course of a year. Battles are in first person view, and there is a limited amount of times that you can attack an enemy group (up to 2 if you get the extra turn). It's very different from persona 3 and 4, and I personally enjoy persona more than devil survivor but nevertheless devil survivor is still worth giving a try if you're a huge SMT fan such as myself.

[wastedcells]

Thanks much appreciated. Not sure how I feel about the fps battles but I ordered it anyway. Fire emblem made me a 3ds fan again. If you haven't played it yet check out the demo it's awesome.

[wastedcells]

Hey would you recommend playing P2 on vita after having played 3 and 4? Worried it might be a disappointment after having started with 3 and 4. It looks interesting but was thinking it might not be good by today's standards.

[GloriousBagel]

I am so excited for Persona 5. Hopefully it stays a Playstation Exclusive. I don't want to a buy a Wii U just for this game. I also hope it doesn't end up on the 3DS the screen is just doesn't cut it, it won't serve a game like Persona justice. I am kind of bummed that Shin Megami Tensei 4 is coming on the 3DS but I also understand how big the handheld market is in Japan. I trust that Atlus will do Persona 5 justice.
btw- I am not bashing Nintendo, I am stating the facts. I a PS Vita, Wii U and a 3DS.

[pepito]

Any fans of Persona will know that the series is made by a cross-media team inside Atlus. Started from 3rd entry, the game has always come with anime, sound tracks, comic and even well-casted theater performance. What does that mean? That means a comparatively longer pre-production time is always needed for a new entry to come. On the other hand, a quality and impressive reveal is guaranteed!