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Will SMTV be the break out hit for the series that Persona 5 was?

starfoxxxy

starfoxxxy

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They've always reviewed well but persona 5 sent the series into the stratosphere.

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Do you think SMTV has the potential to be a mega-hit in the same way? At least critically?
 
Baphomet

Baphomet

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Dec 8, 2018
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I believe it has the potential to be, and I hope it is , regardless though I am still getting it day 1. I've been waiting for this game for years.
 
Ovvv

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Probably. The air feels right
 
Rosenkrantz

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Persona has been cultivating its fanbase since 3 came out and it blossomed with 5.

Unless Atlus completely changes what mainline SMT is I doubt it'll have the same appeal Persona does, SMT4 and Apocalypse certainly aren't as beloved as P3 and P4 and Nocturne's re-release didn't set the world on fire either. But I hope it moves enough units so Atlus would consider to give it Persona treatment in the future.
 
TheChungusAmongUs

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Oct 25, 2017
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I got in through P4G on Vita, but the vibe I get comparing Persona to SMT is

Persona: With the power of friendship, we can do anything

SMT: I fucking hate my friends, the world is a fuck, 3 billion + dead cops

Persona just seems more palatable compared to SMT

I am going into SMT5 as my first one, so we'll see.
 
Aaronrules380

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I think it'll be the best selling mainline SMT, but still fall short of Persona. Persona was literally created to be a more accessible version of SMT after all
 

Deleted member 57020

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No, not a single SMT game has ever scored above a 90 metacritic. All the previews make it sound like Nocturne, but with improved quality of life features, so it's probably hitting that common 85 mark at best.
 
ventuno

ventuno

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I expect it to do well by SMT standards, but I don't expect it to get to Persona 5 levels. Persona 5 was the follow-up to a pretty popular installment in a series with more prominence than mainline SMT. There is interest, sure, but it's not as definite as a new Persona title.

SMTV also has a lot more to prove after a, uh, "divisive" entry. How it overcomes the pitfalls of that title to satisfy new and returning fans will determine the strength of word-of-mouth it'll likely need. I hope to see it do well.
 
Jawmuncher

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I think it'll do well but I just don't feel it has that BIG breakout potential unless the reception/reviews at release are absolutely glowing.
SMT has always been a harder series to sell/recommend especially to those who really like Persona as the elements people really like in one aren't the main focus of the other. Thus why it's easy for SMT fans to play anything Persona while the opposite doesn't hold as often.
 
ChrisD

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I know they're different games, but I really feel like some marketing making mention of the fact this is related to Persona (I KNOW IT'S THE ORIGINAL) would go a long way. I think they're doing an excellent job keeping fans "connected" with the game in the lead up, and it had the E3 spot. But the last showing it had in North America was in a sizzle reel at the Direct. Would need some marketing going out for the West if it were to hit "breakout."


It won't do Persona numbers, nor will it truly take off like P5 did. However, it will do better than prior titles for sure.
 
Caz

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purseowner said:
No. It'll sell about as well as Neo TWEWY.
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It's not going to sell that badly; Megami Tensei has never cultivated the fanbase that Persona has but it's stuck around and gotten the number of spinoffs that it has for a reason.

It also probably won't deserve to sell badly like TWEWY 2 did since it seems like it will be a good game.

Not as good as 4: Apocalypse, but all signs point towards it being good.
 
dotpatrick

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Oct 28, 2017
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Seems unlikely.

Persona 5 wasn't just an instant success. 3 and especially 4 were really well received and built out a solid foundation with the spinoffs and other media. Catherine was also one of Atlus's biggest hits prior to Persona 5. Add in the near 10 year wait between Persona 4 and 5 to build up hype and it made a kind of perfect storm.

Also, nothing about SMTV makes me think it will be that much less intimidating in that way that Persona evolved.

I do think it might be the series's Persona 3 moment. Where they change enough to make accessible and appealing to a more general JRPG crowd.

I'd love to proven wrong.
 
saiko

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I don't see it doing anything near the same as P5 review-wise. I'm thinking 85-88 is a pretty safe bet. Sales-wise, I think definitely the switch effect will play a role here. Anyone know what the sales figures are for the best selling mainline SMT game?
 
AnimeAvatar

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It'll review well (not as well as Persona 5) and it will easily be the best selling mainline SMT game, but it won't be the hit that Persona 5 was. 1-1.5 million, maybe a little more but I don't see it getting over that 2 million mark. Still enough to be a success and that's all that matters.
 
SuperFakerBros

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Oct 26, 2017
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Oh I absolutely expect that. Maybe not to the extent of Persona 5 but it'll definitely be the best selling entry so far
 
Vertpin

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It'll do well in terms of reviews but won't sell or review as well as Persona 5 did.
 
zulux21

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No.
Persona 5 had charm, and style and looked great in trailers.

I'm looking forward to megaten 5 and most of the showings have been less than impressive. I had a ton of friends ask me about persona 5 before it came out. I haven't had any ask me about megaten 5.

It will be a cult hit like usual, and will likely have a boost in sales compared to previous entries because of the switch popularity, but it's not going to be a break out hit.

As for reviews, I could see megaten 5 getting upper 80s.
But it's not like it's that huge of an increase over 4
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tdiaz

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I can see reviews going well but they have always been much harder games than persona and if that's mentioned it's gonna scare people off.
 
Strings

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It should hit a million at least. IV's worldwide launch was a fucking disaster and it still sold 600k.
 

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IV sold already 600k units on 3DS, the chance V hit 1 million is pretty high. The question is if the number will be closer to 1.5M or 2M.
 
Ashodin

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It's not going to sell well at all. SMT is way more "inscrutable" than the Persona series, and Persona 5 sent that franchise into overdrive because of the emphasis on dating and interpersonal relationships. There's a hunger for that sort of game, and the voice acting made it great. It's what drove Hades into overdrive as well, in addition to its amazing gameplay.

SMT5 will be an incredible entry in its series, but not a breakout hit.
 
Protoman200X

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zulux21 said:
No.
Persona 5 had charm, and style and looked great in trailers.

I'm looking forward to megaten 5 and most of the showings have been less than impressive. I had a ton of friends ask me about persona 5 before it came out. I haven't had any ask me about megaten 5.

It will be a cult hit like usual, and will likely have a boost in sales compared to previous entries because of the switch popularity, but it's not going to be a break out hit.

As for reviews, I could see megaten 5 getting upper 80s.
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Basically all of this.

Nothing will change when SMTV will launch in November, but it will be a cult classic that won't make heads turn.
 
Helix

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I think it'll be a cult hit but I still don't see it having the mainstream appeal that Persona 5 had. Persona 5 was a stylish game that broke the conventions of the regular Persona games whereas SMT V seems it's improving on the things that made SMT a great series but nothing that would appeal to newer players. I'd love for it to break it but I still remain skeptical.

Simultaneous Worldwide release is definitely a step in the right direction tho!
 
IDontBeatGames

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zulux21 said:
No.
Persona 5 had charm, and style and looked great in trailers.

I'm looking forward to megaten 5 and most of the showings have been less than impressive. I had a ton of friends ask me about persona 5 before it came out. I haven't had any ask me about megaten 5.

It will be a cult hit like usual, and will likely have a boost in sales compared to previous entries because of the switch popularity, but it's not going to be a break out hit.

As for reviews, I could see megaten 5 getting upper 80s.
But it's not like it's that huge of an increase over 4
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I pretty much fall in line with this opinion. Persona 5's charm and style really makes (or made) it easy for almost anyone to fall in love with the game and it's universe. And because of this, it was far more approachable for people. It almost unexpectedly pulls you in and next thing you know, you're like 30 hours into the game and it feels like you have so much more to look forward to.

In comparison to SMTV's tone and style that we've seen in the various trailers at this point, SMTV doesn't have that same effect/pull in my opinion. It doesn't necessarily feel as approachable as Persona 5. Do I think it'll get great reviews? Probably. Do I think it'll be a mega breakout hit for the series to the point where newcomers are screaming to the heavens that they can't wait for SMTVI already like newcomers were screaming that for Persona 6? Nope lol.

Overall, I think SMTV will be a good game with good reviews that a specific audience will heavily enjoy and praise over time hoping that people support the game both post release and anytime the game is on sale in the long term future.
 
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atomsk eater

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Oct 25, 2017
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I don't think it'll reach the level of P5 but I'm hoping it does very well for an SMT game. Critically, I think it might be able to do it. Will have to wait and see.
 
sredgrin

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Unless it ends up having way more story / character stuff than other SMT games, no.
 
Faiyaz

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It won't be close sales-wise, but it will easily end up as the best-selling SMT game and will review pretty dang well too.
 
Wolf

Wolf

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Not even remotely close. It being exclusive to Switch will kill any chance of that happening.
 
cdudeachyut

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C'mon Switch magic, do your thing. Anyway, as long as it sells well enough to continue the series it doesn't matter that much.
 
Korigama

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Absolutely nothing suggests that. The things that make Persona resonate with a much broader audience just aren't there with mainline SMT, and how the games review with critics couldn't be less relevant to changing that.
 
PlatypusDude

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Oct 25, 2017
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Will sell the best for the mainline series unless something turns out horribly wrong, but won't be a Persona sized hit or anything. Lack of social simulator elements limits its appeal to a large portion of that fanbase imo.
 
Chasing

Chasing

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Oct 26, 2017
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Caz said:
It also probably won't deserve to sell badly like TWEWY 2 did since it seems like it will be a good game.
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NEO didn't deserve to sell badly either. :(

Anyways to answer OP, series highest, but not a P5 level breakout. I still think SMT is too esoteric to ever be a mainstream hit, but I'd love to be proven wrong.
 
Swiggins

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I know it seems like I'm shitposting but the lack of waifu's in SMTV is probably going to stop it from hitting Persona numbers.
 
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