New to Shin Megami Tensei series. Any recommendations?

[depaul]

I can't believe I missed the series when I was a teenager.
I've just tried the PS2 game: SMT Raidou vs King Abaddon, and It's cool! I liked every minute of the first hour: the protagonist, the environment, the music...

But should I preferably play any SMT before this one? I've just searched and there are tons of SMT games ! I have too little time, what are games worth playing ? Thanks.

 

[Jayinem]

The games aren't really connected except a few exceptions.

Persona 1 and 2 (Innocent Sin) are directly connected, since they share party members. The other Persona 2 is an alternate reality.

Persona 3 and 4 aren't connected to each other exactly, bar a few cameos and passing references and Persona 3 has a few references to P1/P2 but nothing major. EDIT: Some Persona 3 characters are in the Persona 4 Arena game, too.

Most other SMT games are unrelated to each other except direct sequels like Digital Devil Saga 2 and Raidou 2 but Devil Survivor games are not related to each other.

SMT 1,2 and 3 are somewhat related as the Neutral (?) ending of SMT 1 sets the story for SMT 2 and a character in SMT 2 appears in SMT 3 (Nocturne).

There are some common "tropes" in the series though, like Jack Frost as a character and Alice's affiliation with Belial and Nebiros, which is a recurring reference to SMT 1.

That's it all in a nutshell to the best of my knowledge.

As for which games I would recommend, all of them are good. But I'm into the Persona series more than the others.

 

[Chary]

As far as mainline SMT games go, I think 3 is regarded as one of the best overall, though it's known for being punishing. SMT 4 and 4 Apocalypse are very solid games, with great tone, characters, and music as well. 1 is interesting just to see where the franchise originated, but it shows its age quite a bit.

The Devil Survivor tactical spinoffs are beloved, too, as is Persona, and I'd recommend any of the games in either of those series.

 

[Hayato213]

I played Persona 4 and 5, and Shin Megami Tensei 4 and 5, SMT games are harder than Persona, in SMT you actually get punished for hitting null, drain and reflect.

 

[pojes]

The games aren't really connected except a few exceptions.

Persona 1 and 2 (Innocent Sin) are directly connected, since they share party members. The other Persona 2 is an alternate reality.

Persona 3 and 4 aren't connected to each other exactly, bar a few cameos and passing references and Persona 3 has a few references to P1/P2 but nothing major. EDIT: Some Persona 3 characters are in the Persona 4 Arena game, too.

Most other SMT games are unrelated to each other except direct sequels like Digital Devil Saga 2 and Raidou 2 but Devil Survivor games are not related to each other.

SMT 1,2 and 3 are somewhat related as the Neutral (?) ending of SMT 1 sets the story for SMT 2 and a character in SMT 2 appears in SMT 3 (Nocturne).

There are some common "tropes" in the series though, like Jack Frost as a character and Alice's affiliation with Belial and Nebiros, which is a recurring reference to SMT 1.

That's it all in a nutshell to the best of my knowledge.

As for which games I would recommend, all of them are good France Restaurant Menus. But I'm into the Persona series more than the others.

So, I've tried getting into both Shin Megami Tensei and Persona previously with Persona 4 and the 3DS port/remake of Soul Hackers, but I didn't really end up getting far in either of them. I am to give both series an honest shot, though, so I'm curious if any fans of them on here have any recommendations for a good "first game" in each series, as well as things like what to expect from the gameplay, common newcomer pitfalls to avoid, what general sort of mindset to have when getting into each series, etc.