Megaten Marathon - A Shin Megami Tensei and Persona Podcast

Alex, Allisa, and Paul venture into hell in our first episode about the equally infamous and beloved Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. In this ep, we focus on the fascinating backstory behind its development, and the game mechanics it introduced that soon became Shin Megami Tensei (and Persona) staples.  Show Notes 1up.com: In Character: The Art of Kazuma Kaneko 1up.com: Interview with Kazuma Kaneko and Kazuyuki Yamai Black Girl Gamers Combo Chain Please support us on Patreon!

It's been a very long year, so in the spirit of the holidays, let's close it out with a visit to our old friends the Phantom Thieves. In this bonus episode, Allisa and Paul look at this year's reimagining of Persona 5—what's new, what's improved, and what the base game's merits and flaws look like with a few years' perspective.  Thanks for listening and supporting the show, see y'all in January with our first episode on Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne! Support us on Patreon to get access to our new monthly backer-exclusive podcast that launches in January! The Anime Based on the Game will recap, review, and likely dunk on films, anime, and other media based on JRPGs. Show Notes Allisa's review of Persona 5 Royal for Dualshockers Combo Chain - A JRPG Games Club Podcast Black Girl Gamers

Would you trust a shady government organization, a cult, the cops, a bereaved dad, or a gigolo with the power to summon demons at will? We ask these questions ourselves as we conclude our coverage of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, a game for quarantine times if there ever was one. Help support our pledge drive! We're having a pledge drive to help cover the costs of the production software and hosting we use for Combo Chain and Megaten Marathon. Please consider helping out if you can. Plus if you donate, you get cool very-early access episodes! https://tinyurl.com/megatenchain Show Notes Interview with the Devil Survivor localization team Wikipedia: Bel mythology Surviving a lockdown with Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Black Girl Gamers Allisa's writing on DualShockers Combo Chain - A JRPG Games Club Podcast

A quarantine, lockdown, and an untrustworthy government...but at least we don't have demons to worry about (yet). Allisa, Paul, and special guest Ethan try our best to ignore our own death countdown clocks as we cover Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor. It's a tactical RPG-meets-visual novel where the pervading sense of doom feels very appropriate for the time.  Help support our pledge drive! We're having a pledge drive to help cover the costs of the production software and hosting we use for Combo Chain and Megaten Marathon. Please consider helping out if you can. Plus if you donate, you get cool very-early access episodes! https://tinyurl.com/megatenchain Show Notes Surviving a lockdown with Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Combo Chain - A JRPG Games Club Podcast PAX Online: What We Want To See From Persona 6 -Dualshockers @Vernatio on Twitter  

It's the end of the world as we know it...no, we're not talking about real life, we're talking about the final third of Persona 3. Our heroes take on a death cult, a death god, while wrestling with existential crises, Junpei's love life, and a seriously dodgy new student. Support Megaten Marathon on Patreon! Show notes Thoth Tarot Deck Nyx Persona 3 FES The Answer Cutscenes Persona 3 SEES World Wide Persona 3 wallpapers Please rate and review us on Apple Music, Google Play, Spotify and wherever else we show up!

We take a deep dive into the middle months of Persona 3, in which the life and death stakes increase, we get some backstory on Mitsuru's troubled past, and most importantly, get the ultimate god boy Koromaru to join our team. Please help support Megaten Marathon on Pateron! ----more---- Show Notes Hachikō, the Best Boy ever Allisa on the Shin Megami Tensei Network podcast Persona 5 Royal Review — This Palace’s Treasure Gleams Even Brighter Persona 5 Royal Review Discussion — Here Are Our Thoughts Allisa talks about Persona 5 Royal on Combo Chain Alex on Twitter Please rate and review us on Apple Music, Google Play, Spotify and wherever else we show up! Please help support Megaten Marathon on Pateron!  

When we decided six months ago to do a series of eps about a game about death, we didn't really expect it'd be released in the midst of a pandemic. That caveat aside, Persona 3 is a phenomenal game, the one that solidified the Persona formula as we know it all, while having an incredibly rich story and some of the most engaging characters the series has ever known. Few games succeed as well as this one at presenting an utterly compelling world while being so damn mechanically solid. Join us at the beginning of this three-part series about the value of life, the inevitability of death, and some truly surreal setpieces. Also, we hope you and yours are healthy, happy, and managing social isolation! Show Notes Please consider helping Paul get his power and cell phone switched back on, and providing him with a bit more stability: GoFundMe campaign 2012 IGN Review GameFaqs Persona 3 FES Review Version differences between the different releases Please rate and review us on Apple Music, Google Play, Spotify and wherever else we show up¡

Allisa, Alex, and Paul enter a post-dystopian world that has been separated into tribes, which can only subsist on demon (and human) meat. Enjoy as we get sidetracked into how many video games feature cannibalism while we delve into one of the oddest Shin Megami Tensei's entries yet.  ----more---- Did you know you can support Megaten Marathon's hosting and recording fees by joining our Patreon? Please consider donating–even a dollar a month helps! Show notes:  Digital Devil Saga for Beginners Wikipedia - Hinduism Combo Chain

As we close out our coverage of Shin Megami Tensei 2, we journey further into the dystopian Tokyo Millennium, take on the Messians, discover that Lucifer is an alright guy, and of course go to war with YHWH. Stephen Hawking and Aleister Crowley make surprise appearances, as does a well-placed Dril quote. Help support us on Patreon! Show Notes: Hellscaper Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army Jack Parsons, Aleister Crowley and L. Ron Hubbard Aleister Crowley and Lam Dril on Twitter

Ready for a break from the Tokyo Mirage Sessions and Persona spinoff episodes? Paul, Allisa and Fletch delve into the hellscape that is Shin Megami Tensei 2. In year 20XX, religious zealots have taken control of society, creating a utopia of bloodsports, brutal class divisions, and of course, demons. Join us as we explore a SNES game whose themes are far ahead of their time. Show notes: Shin Megami Tensei 1 Allisa's writing on DualShockers Black Girl Gamers Paul's new JRPG podcast, Combo Chain Paul on Twitter Rate and review us on iTunes. Google Play and Spotify Megaten Marathon on Facebook and Twitter

On the occasion of Joker joining the Super Smash Brothers Ultimate roster. Allisa and Paul take a deep dive into Persona-related fighting games. Is Joker the best fighter to join the Smash roster? Can we officially ship Joker and Bayonetta now? What is Blazblue and why do its characters want mysterious shards from our favorite P4 protagonists? What does Fletch have to say about ARC System Works? And why oh why does Persona 4 Arena need to be canon? Allisa and Paul ponder these questions while going on any number of tangents in this pretty loose and freewheeling ep. Action items: Allisa's writing on DualShockers Black Girl Gamers Paul on Twitter Rate and review us on iTunes. Google Play and Spotify Megaten Marathon on Facebook and Twitter

We spend the second half of Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE on the hunt for a mysterious antagonist (who probably won't be too much of a mystery to anyone who's played a Fire Emblem game before). Along the way, we become P.A.'s to demons while on a TV shoot, in a shockingly accurate portrayal of the experience of an actual P.A.'s duties, and discover Barry's secret heavy metal shredding side. There are monitor puzzles, stepping puzzles, and again a legendary hero and antagonist whose identities are more shocking than a Twilight Zone twist. ----more---- Action items! Rate and review us on iTunes and Google Play Megaten Marathon on Facebook and Twitter opendork (Robert) on Twitter Allisa on Twitter Paul on Twitter 

Once upon a time, Nintendo and Atlus announced a crossover between Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem. What we got was an ersatz pop idol-themed Persona with some Fire Emblem characters playing the role of personas. Still, there's a lot that's interesting about Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE: its creative puzzle dungeons, unique battle system, use of the Wii U gamepad, and role as sort of a dry run for Persona 5. Alex, Allisa, Paul and special guest Robert take a deep dive into a game that doesn't get much love among SMT or Fire Emblem fans, but is worth some attention on its own. Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem announcement trailer Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE story trailer

Allisa and special guest Fletcher go deep into Strange Journey Redux, the remixed and remastered version of the original DS game. Once again, the hellish dimensional pit known as the Schwarzwelt has consumed Antarctica, but much has changed. Who is the strange woman in the dark suit with a flowing red coat, and why does she want to kill you? What is the Womb of Grief? And is this a remake, a sequel, or does it take place in an alternate timeline? Show Notes Our episodes about the original Strange Journey Boku No Stop! Lightning Strikes Thrice Hellscaper

As we wrap up our journey through the world of Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army, we learn what it takes to defeat a soulless god (destroying a satellite powered by perpetual motion, obviously,) discover a shocking detail about our old frenemy Rasputin, and enter a time void to prepare for our final battle with a sentient battleship. And that's not even close to describing all the crazy stuff that happens in this game's finale!  But in the end, we learn that what truly matters is what we've learned from random NPC's along the way. Please review and rate us on iTunes and Google Play! Megaten Marathon on iTunes Megaten Marathon on Google Play    

Allisa and Paul delve into the first original SMT mobile game, Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2, and find out that...it's good? We chat about the mechanics, design principles, the general story, and the fact that while this is a gacha game, anyone with a limited knowledge of SMT games can break the game wide open and never need to pay a dime. Note: There are plot spoilers from the beginning of the game, through to Chapter 2-4, so if you haven't made it to that point in the story, beware! Show notes: Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 on iOS Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 on Google Play Fandom Wiki Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 Guide - Tips, Cheats and Strategy Also, please review and rate us on iTunes and Google Play! Megaten Marathon on iTunes Megaten Marathon on Google Play

What does a general want with an army of undead soldiers? And how does an ancient tree monster play into his plans? We discuss these questions and other imponderables on our latest episode about the first Raidou game. Along the way, we discuss the General's further plans, which include a HAARP-style conspiracy theory and using a perpetual motion machine to create a satellite to resurrect a soulless god. (Note: Because of technical issues, we lost the second half of Allisa's audio track, so unfortunately she only appears in the first half of the episode.) Image by alegria via Zerochan. Extracurricular activities: e.e. phone poem Black Girl Gamers on Twitter Black Girl Gamers on Facebook  

As we journey through a demon-haunted Taishō era Japan, we have an enigmatic encounter with the very-still alive Rasputin, do battle with the Marquis of Hell, and are forced to turn down an offer to let a corpse army kill the rich. Meanwhile, we learn more about the enigmatic red caped figure and learn more about the curse befalling Kaya Daidōji.

We jump back to the early 20th Century to join the adventures of apprentice detective Raidou Kuzunoha and his trusty talking cat. When a client in distress requests that Raidou and his boss kill her, they're ambushed by mysterious men wearing red capes who kidnap the client. Raidou is then thrust into a dimension-spanning investigation to get to the bottom of the case, but the apprentice detective has one advantage against the forces that stand in his way: the ability to summon demons.

We conclude our coverage of Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, which poses the question: can demons truly conquer a digital world? Or maybe they already have? Along the way, we get to the bottom of the Algon Soft mystery, wonder whether a planned city ever works out, and face off with one of the forgotten old gods, who may represent little more than nothingness. Apologies for the delay releasing this late: due to some life issues, and some audio problems that were difficult to work around, the editing process took much longer than expected. The audio on this isn't as polished as we'd like, and we're working to fix the issues before our next recording. Show Notes: e.e. phone poem Black Girl Gamers on Twitter Black Girl Gamers on Facebook

We dig deeper into the secrets of cyberpunk city, Amani City, and its virtual reality counterpart, Paradigm X. Along the way we battle robot chimps, get sexy sax man Judah's devil-summoning saxophone, and face off with a dolphin.   Show notes: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers Kuzunoha Clan

A new era of Megaten Marathon kicks off as Paul and new permanent co-hosts Alex D’Arata-Wolfe and Allisa James delve into Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers. As you may have gathered from the title, this is a game where you summon demons. But there’s a twist: the demons are invading a very ‘90s version of cyberspace! Alissa's Shin Megami Tensei 4 articles for DualShockers: Review: Shin Megami Tensei 4 A Beginner's Guide to Shin Megami Tensei 4  

We close out our coverage of Persona 5 with a journey into the collective unconscious, a battle with the Holy Grail, and a curious definition of "aesthetics".

We embark on the seas of sunken Tokyo and infiltrate a ship full of elites, lying, stealing and fighting our way to get letters of introduction. Who is the Cleaner? The mysterious IT guy who never leaves his cabin? And what lies behind the golden door? 

Alex and Paul dig deep into the exposition fest that is this late-game chapter. In the interim, Akechi joins the team at long last, we learn some not-too-surprising twists, and get a glimpse of Sae's dark side.

BEWARE THE BEAUTY THIEF. Alex D'Arata Wolfe joins Paul to discuss our team's summer fun in Hawaii, get in an argument with our cat, and whether capitalism is the true Hamburglar.

Hope you like pyramid/desert levels. Plus Zelda-lite puzzles. In this episode, we save Futaba from herself, discuss why her Persona is the best of all, and learn more about why Sojiro is a creep. 

AKECHI IS BAE. Or is he? As our Phantom Thieves enter June, we meet a famous boy detective, gain an important team member, and take on a loser yakuza boss ensconsed in a flying saucer bank. We also start what may be our creepiest and most inappropriate confidant link with a strangely familiar private maid.

What if an evil painter rose to fame on the backs of underpaid labor? No, we’re not talking about Thomas Kinkade here; in fact Madarame is the toast of the art world. The Phantom Thieves are on the case, gaining a new member while they’re at it and sending Mona out on his own Mission Impossible mission. But what is the secret of the enigmatic Sayuri painting?

LET US START THE GAME. In the first month of Persona 5, things start out grim: our protagonist is a juvenile delinquent, the gym teacher rules the school with a mix of intimidation, sexual and physical abuse, and a mysterious app is sending us to a nightmarish parallel world. Along the way we discover a dungeon full of butt statues, forge an unexpected alliance, and meet a talking cat.

THIS STORY IS A WORK OF FICTION. We join the Phantom Thieves and set out to steal hearts with our first episode on Persona 5. In this episode we go into our first impressions, mechanics, and talk about how Atlus's latest compares to previous Persona and SMT games.

Does the Schwarzwelt have an end? To discover this, we delve into the infernal dungeon of Horologium, find out which member of the team is taking style cues from David Bowie, and decide whether god, demons or filthy humans deserve to take control of this burned-out husk of a world.

As we delve deeper into the Schwarzwelt, we discover a utopia for teleporter maze fans, meet the hyper-libertarian Captain Jack who is trying to profit off demons, and watch Jimenez and Bugaboo become intimately familiar with one another. 

We delve further into the Schwarzwelt in this second part of our series on Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. Along the way, we learn why demons would want a Wal-Mart in hell, do battle with an eldrtich pig tank, and get some Randian knowledge dropped on us by a discarnate parasite.

A portal to hell (or somewhere worse) has opened in Antarctica, and some particularly mouthy demons are streaming forth from it. The Megaten boix are joined by Chris to discuss the first section of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, exploring the mysterious Schwarzwelt which threatens to consume the world with bombed-out wargrounds and demonic Red Light Districts.  

Hey, remember how we spent the past couple of months playing the first Persona game? And we went through its remarkably convoluted plot about parallel dimensions, and evil girl, and more Makis than we knew what to do with? Well, here's the exact same story, told in an even more convoluted way, in manga form! We talk about the modest ways the manga succeeds, the many ways it fails, and what it fails to get about the concept of Personas or adapting video games to other forms.

In our final episode about the first Persona game, we travel through multiple dimensions to save the one true Maki from her doppelgängers. Along the way, we go psycho diving once again, discover embarassing details about Mark's past, and learn how jealousy can turn you into a mustache-twirling villian.

With our friend Ian in tow, we grind through the middle portion of the first Persona. As our heroes enter a parallel world much like their own, they come across a junior eldritch monstrosity, get lost in the mall, and engage in some amateur art criticism. 

Have you heard of this mysterious game the schoolkids have been whispering about? It's called the Persona game. With the help of our friend Ian, we take on the very first installment in the Persona series. Released for the PSX in 1996, the first Persona is a lot closer to Shin Megami Tensei than what the series would become, but there are plenty of portents of what would come later. You've got teenagers, the Velvet Room, and a shadowy corporation pulling the strings...along with non-sequitirs like a fearsome mouse-tank boss.

In our final trip through the world of Shin Megami Tensei 1, the Law, Chaos, and Neutral paths diverge, and we journey through a giant cathedral for God, Lucifer, or neither. Along the way, we learn the true identity of Yuriko, fight disturbingly sexualized demons, and strangely demonic angels.

Bryan, Evan, Paul and Fletch brave the middle of the first Shin Megami Tensei. After being nuked by the Americans, the Chaos, Law and Neutral heroes find themselves in a dreamlike world before returning to a bombed-out Tokyo, 30 years in the future. It's a land full of cults, televangelists, demons and other distasteful types, a world that can only be saved by Psycho Diving.  For reference, the unfortunate sprite for Drake Ladon:

Our friend Fletch joins us to discuss the first official Shin Megami Tensei title. It starts out as prosaic as can be: you're a teenager in Tokyo in the early '90s. Pay no attention to the military blockades around the city, your nightmares of people being crucified, or the impending nuclear war between angels and demons.

We bid Nakajima a not-so-fond farewell with a minisode devoted to the anime adaption of the Digital Devil Story novels. Expect plenty of retro-future devil summoning tech, mounds of ectoplasm, and action scenes punctuated by smooth '80s jams. Wikia - Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei (OVA)Watch on YouTube

The Marathoners close out their journey through Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei 2 with a trip into hell. During their travels, they visit the Mountain of Horror, find a use for god's business card, and do battle with a bald-headed deity. 

As they continue their journey through post-apocalyptic Tokyo, Paul, Bryan and Evan buy a zombie a cocktail, encounter a hungry statue, meet a demon named Leonard and go head-to-head with Pazuzu.

Paul, Bryan and Evan travel to the year 199X, where demons have nuked Tokyo and Bael reigns supreme. Ensconced in a fallout shelter, they play a game of Devil Busters, battle punk zombies and discover what lies beyond their safe haven. ----more---- Show Notes Kazuma KanekoThe Romhacking AerieTerminator 2 nuke scene

Paul, Bryan and Evan journey through the Sea of Flames and battle Lucifer as they finish Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei and give their thoughts on the game that started the venerable Megaten franchise.

In this debut episode, Paul, Bryan, and Evan delve into the history of the Shin Megami Tensei series of games. They discuss the Digital Devil Story novels that inspired the franchise, and the first half of the game that started it all, Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei.