The Shin Megami Tensei V Review Prediction Thread

[Hero of Hyrule]

Okay y'all, are you ready?

Shin Megami Tensei V is almost here. It launches in a couple weeks, and the embargo lifts a fair bit before then.

It looks amazing - it's probably Atlus' biggest budget production to date, and the sheer scope and ambition is mind boggling. And, with literally one exception, all previews and early exceptions of it so far have been gushing (important to note that even the one exception was largely positive).

Atlus is also coming off of a groundswell of hype and goodwill off the back of Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal, and SMT5 itself has gotten a whole lot of marketing and hype, in part because of Nintendo and Atlus pushing it for all its worth, and in part because this marks the grand return of the series to home consoles after almost 20 years.

So, with all that said and done - what do you think the aggregate for SMT5 will be?

 

[Aigis]

Id say 88-90 range

I can dream

 

[pinkpunk]

SMTV will be the FE Awakening / Persona 4 moment of the series, so I'm going with a sensible 90. #believe

 

[Deleted member 1587]

High 80s or low 90s. If I had to pick one, the former.

 

[Phendrift]

After Dread I’ve lost all hopes of games getting a 90+ this year. There’s just too many new review sites and stuff. 88-89

 

[Zedlars]

.

 

[SuperFakerBros]

I'm expecting mid 80s but, if it stands out as particularly good with something to give it more mainstream appeal than the standard SMT affair, I can see upper 80s

 

[Zellia]

87 is my guess.

 

[Skittzo]

I'm gonna be uncharacteristically bullish and say 90-94.

 

[Leica]

Voted 85-89 but it wouldn't surprise me if it slips to 84 either. Probably not lower, hope it hits 90+ though.

 

[Chris Walken]

80-84

It's not a Persona game (calling it)

 

[Yzz]

90+ Ambitious turn-based RPGs have been getting great scores in the last years (P5 and DQXIS).

 

[uncleoptimus]

I predict it will get to an 89 and then leave us in terrified suspense as we await the incoming Edge score to act as the final judge.

 

[9-Volt]

85.

I expect couple of idiotic reviews comparing this to Persona 5 and countless of "repetitive" criticisms.

 

[marmoka]

I expect 85 because Persona reasons or other stupid things.

But i wish it was 95.

 

[Leo]

87-88. I was confident Dread could hit 90, I don't think SMTV has the same hype behind it.

 

[RochHoch]

Mid 80's at best

Expecting alot of "ew, why isn't this Persona"

 

[Delio]

I will say 89 as it will be quality but realistically it not being Persona will make it dip for some reviewers and it will prob land in the mid 80s

 

[Phendrift]

I don’t think “it’s not Hollow Knight” influenced as many reviews as people here thought it would’ve for Dread

So I don’t think “it’s not persona” will influence that many for this game.

I feel like here and ERA think reviewers are way dumber than they are lmao. There will be some outliers, but most will know to judge this game based on what it is over something it’s not trying to be.

 

[NabiscoFelt]

I don’t think “it’s not Hollow Knight” influenced as many reviews as people here thought it would’ve for Dread

So I don’t think “it’s not persona” will influence that many for this game.

I feel like here and ERA think reviewers are way dumber than they are lmao. There will be some outliers, but most will know to judge this game based on what it is over something it’s not trying to be.

Yeah the gaming community in general seems to have this long-lasting disdain for reviewers that hasn't really kept up with how the majority of reviewers actually work nowadays. I've rarely seen reviews judge a game on what its not and I don't think SMT V will be any different.

That being said, my prediction is an 86, I don't see this game going much higher than that. I feel like it'll be a game fans of the series will love but it won't hit for everyone and the reviews will reflect that.

 

[SammyJ9]

Yeah the gaming community in general seems to have this long-lasting disdain for reviewers that hasn't really kept up with how the majority of reviewers actually work nowadays. I've rarely seen reviews judge a game on what its not and I don't think SMT V will be any different.

That being said, my prediction is an 86, I don't see this game going much higher than that. I feel like it'll be a game fans of the series will love but it won't hit for everyone and the reviews will reflect that.

I'm going a bit higher, like 88, but you mirror my thoughts. They may bring up comparisons, but that's perfectly natural. How many times have you seen a game in a review described as "it's kind of like Dark Souls, but..." or the like? Even if it has, honestly, only a few similarities with Dark Souls? Same with TV shows like "It's like Game of Thrones but..." etc. Quick comparisons are a good way to get someone to look at a thing and have an instant reaction to if it might be something they'll like, even if that comparison isn't all that accurate. But I agree that it seems to be very very rare for the reviewer to actually penalize a game for being its own thing and not enough like the comparison game they're using.

 

[NabiscoFelt]

I'm going a bit higher, like 88, but you mirror my thoughts. They may bring up comparisons, but that's perfectly natural. How many times have you seen a game in a review described as "it's kind of like Dark Souls, but..." or the like? Even if it has, honestly, only a few similarities with Dark Souls? Same with TV shows like "It's like Game of Thrones but..." etc. Quick comparisons are a good way to get someone to look at a thing and have an instant reaction to if it might be something they'll like, even if that comparison isn't all that accurate. But I agree that it seems to be very very rare for the reviewer to actually penalize a game for being its own thing and not enough like the comparison game they're using.

Honestly it feels like many reviewers nowadays seem like they realize the Dark Souls comparison is overused and only bring it up self-referentially or if it actually fits well.

But like you say, comparisons are natural. It's how people evaluate things in real life, there's no reason reviews shouldn't use them. Persona comparisons will be abundant in SMT reviews but that's because Persona is a popular series and fans of that series will probably be interested in a new SMT title. It makes sense to use it as a comparison. That doesn't mean it'll actually be docked points for doing things differently.

At most I can see some reviews saying something along the lines "SMT's gameplay loop gets tiring and it could use the variety of its sister series" but even that's just a normal complaint with a comparison to highlight the perceived issue (an issue which I imagine will totally come up in reviews from people unused to SMT).

 

[rAndom]

I don't normally care for review scores, but predictions can be fun. I will go with 85-89 range.

I don’t think “it’s not Hollow Knight” influenced as many reviews as people here thought it would’ve for Dread

So I don’t think “it’s not persona” will influence that many for this game.

I feel like here and ERA think reviewers are way dumber than they are lmao. There will be some outliers, but most will know to judge this game based on what it is over something it’s not trying to be.

There were lots of cases in the past where reviews can really make you scratch your heads so it's not like the perception doesn't come from nowhere. The main problem I think is that some of the really questionable reviews come from bigger outlets that are popular to the masses or influence scores the most, like IGN, Polygon, etc.

 

[shoptroll]

85-89 is a lock in my mind. I expect enough reviewers will bounce hard off it to keep it out of the 90+ tier.

 

[Seven]

I'm shooting for the stars here and voted for the 90-94 option. This is SMT's time to shine!

 

[AquaWateria]

Personally, I think between 87-88 even if I want it to hit 90.

I don’t think “it’s not Hollow Knight” influenced as many reviews as people here thought it would’ve for Dread

So I don’t think “it’s not persona” will influence that many for this game.

I feel like here and ERA think reviewers are way dumber than they are lmao. There will be some outliers, but most will know to judge this game based on what it is over something it’s not trying to be.

The reason why so many people are mentioning the Persona comparison is because it's what happened to SMT 4.

Like this is where this meme was born lol. Lots of SMT folks got PTSD by the way SMT 4 was reviewed which is not surprising why others still have this sentiment.

I do agree that it won't be as bad as back then because the series isn't as unknown as it was then.

 

[NabiscoFelt]

Personally, I think between 87-88 even if I want it to hit 90.



The reason why so many people are mentioning the Persona comparison is because it's what happened to SMT 4.

Like this is where this meme was born lol. Lots of SMT folks got PTSD by the way SMT 4 was reviewed which is not surprising why others still have this sentiment.

I do agree that it won't be as bad as back then because the series isn't as unknown as it was then.

I mean, I'm not sure if this is actually correct since I haven't searched for all of these quotes, and I didn't read SMT IV reviews at launch, but I've heard this image isn't actually a compilation of legitimately negative review quotes and more of a meme with a bunch of out of context or fabricated quotes, because a lot of people back when SMT IV released had the same idea as people now about how reviewers would think about the game. From what I've seen of reviews, that idea wasn't terribly well founded back then, and it still isn't now.

I went and looked at two quotes on the image that actually mention Persona, one (the one that mentions Persona 3 specifically) is talking solely about the intro of SMT IV (the Mikado/Naraku segment) and the review goes on to state how much the game evolved once you enter Tokyo, and the other isn't from a review but a tweet from a game writer (the one that talks about how "SMT IV missed everything I loved about those") .

Basically all this says is that SMT fans felt like reviewers would make these sorts negative Persona comparisons but from combing reviews I don't think that actually happened. Again, this is just me looking back at what I can find, I wasn't there at the time so maybe there's details I'm missing.

 

[ventuno]

I think it'll be rated 80-84, if only because it doesn't seem to be as welcoming as it needs to be to hit those high marks. I think those who enjoy it will enjoy it a lot, but it won't be a widespread opinion.

I want to be wrong, get those high 80s.

 

[Hero of Hyrule]

I think it'll be rated 80-84, if only because it doesn't seem to be as welcoming as it needs to be to hit those high marks. I think those who enjoy it will enjoy it a lot, but it won't be a widespread opinion.

I want to be wrong, get those high 80s.

I can tell you one thing, mechanically this is the most welcoming internally developed Atlus game other than maybe P5R.

 

[AquaWateria]

I mean, I'm not sure if this is actually correct since I haven't searched for all of these quotes, and I didn't read SMT IV reviews at launch, but I've heard this image isn't actually a compilation of legitimately negative review quotes and more of a meme with a bunch of out of context or fabricated quotes, because a lot of people back when SMT IV released had the same idea as people now about how reviewers would think about the game. From what I've seen of reviews, that idea wasn't terribly well founded back then, and it still isn't now.

I went and looked at two quotes on the image that actually mention Persona, one (the one that mentions Persona 3 specifically) is talking solely about the intro of SMT IV (the Mikado/Naraku segment) and the review goes on to state how much the game evolved once you enter Tokyo, and the other isn't from a review but a tweet from a game writer (the one that talks about how "SMT IV missed everything I loved about those") .

Basically all this says is that SMT fans felt like reviewers would make these sorts negative Persona comparisons but from combing reviews I don't think that actually happened. Again, this is just me looking back at what I can find, I wasn't there at the time so maybe there's details I'm missing.

Not all reviews were like that, but there were definitely some that were a bit questioning. Don't get me wrong I'm fine with Persona comparisons because it's inevitable. However, my issues lie when the series isn't reviewed for its own merits and what it sets out to do. It's why you see a lot of fans hesitant when it comes to reviewers, but I do agree that some fans take it too far and get a bit too dramatic.

 

[Hero of Hyrule]

Not all reviews were like that, but there were definitely some that were a bit questioning. Don't get me wrong I'm fine with Persona comparisons because it's inevitable. However, my issues lie when the series isn't reviewed for its own merits and what it sets out to do. It's why you see a lot of fans hesitant when it comes to reviewers, but I do agree that some take it too far and get a bit dramatic.

I do think the profile of both series and awareness around them is much higher now than it was back in 2012 when the first and only exposure to Atlus most people had had was P4G.

 

[AquaWateria]

I do think the profile of both series and awareness around them is much higher now than it was back in 2012 when the first and only exposure to Atlus most people had had was P4G.

Yea I don't see it being as much of an issue now since people are a lot more aware of Atlus.

 

[ventuno]

I can tell you one thing, mechanically this is the most welcoming internally developed Atlus game other than maybe P5R.

I don't disagree, but I wasn't just talking about mechanics. I've seen more interest than usual, but it still has that niche label. It also doesn't have characters people are latching onto instantly beyond enjoying Nahobino's design being so standout.

I hope to be proven wrong, I'd love to see it do well. I'd really like ATLUS to get a strong message about looking towards other properties beyond Persona (not knocking on Persona by the way).

 

[Hero of Hyrule]

I don't disagree, but I wasn't just talking about mechanics. I've seen more interest than usual, but it still has that niche label. It also doesn't have characters people are latching onto instantly beyond enjoying Nahobino's design being so standout.

I hope to be proven wrong, I'd love to see it do well. I'd really like ATLUS to get a strong message about looking towards other properties beyond Persona (not knocking on Persona by the way).

I mean just as a reminder, every single thing you said could have been applied to Persona right up until the day its reviews hit and embargo lifted to absurdly positive reception (absurdly positive not because P5 doesn’t deserve that praise, but because who could have seen that coming?)

I don’t think SMTV will hit the same highs (it’s not as good for starters) but I think it will be a major step in the series breaking free from its traditional “niche” confines as it were.

 

[ventuno]

I mean just as a reminder, every single thing you said could have been applied to Persona right up until the day its reviews hit and embargo lifted to absurdly positive reception (absurdly positive not because P5 doesn’t deserve that praise, but because who could have seen that coming?)

I don’t think SMTV will hit the same highs (it’s not as good for starters) but I think it will be a major step in the series breaking free from its traditional “niche” confines as it were.

I think that Persona 5 at least had more visibility and word-of-mouth thanks to Persona 4's success (and P3 behind it).... Nevertheless, JRPGs are getting less and less knee-jerk reactions over the last few years so there's room for optimism. We shall see. SMTV is being granted more breathing room, inevitable comparisons aside, so that should hopefully help.

 

[Hero of Hyrule]

I think that Persona 5 at least had more visibility and word-of-mouth thanks to Persona 4's success (and P3 behind it).... Nevertheless, JRPGs are getting less and less knee-jerk reactions over the last few years so there's room for optimism. We shall see. SMTV is being granted more breathing room, inevitable comparisons aside, so that should hopefully help.

Definitely, I don’t see SMTV recreating P5’s lightning in a bottle moment. I do see it still being a big success, at least Xenoblade 2 level.

Plus being on Switch helps. It’s an audience far more receptive to Japanese genres such as JRPGs and VNs.

 

[Lord Azrael]

Id say 88-90 range

I can dream

I believe

 

[Hero of Hyrule]

I believe

 

[FrostyLemon]

83.

@ me later.

 

[Bonejack]

High 80s. I could see the usual SMT shenanigans preventing a 90s score ... but i wouldn't be surprised if this manages to hit a 90s score.

Still, going with something in between 85 and 89.

 

[Formula Zero]

86 , even tho it's probably a better game than Persona 5, Reviewers simply doesn't like SMT as much mainly because of the atmosphere

the scores won't matter much tho if Nintendo and Atlus push the game hard it will sell a lot

 

[PixelKnight]

I reckon about 87, so pretty high for a JRPG that is famously not as immediately accessible as FF, DQ etc. It just looks like Atlus have really gone for it with this, no wonder they have been showing off the demon animation. Some reviewers will still bounce off it.

 

[Brewster123]

I'm expecting mid to low 80s personally. JRPGS that aren't the big three (Pokemon, Dragon Quest, and Final Fantasy) or a breakout hit like P5 or Xenoblade 1 tend to have trouble getting review scores beyond that. Nocturne has a 82, SMTIV has a 83, and Strange Journey Redux has a 80. Even IV Apocalypse, which had a more conventional character focus, only got a 84. I fully expect V to be a step up in many ways from the previous SMT games, but it will be hard for it to review super well. A breakthrough is always possible, but P5 had momentum from P4's and P3's success. Likewise, Xenoblade 1 benefited from releasing during a period in which jrpgs as whole, particularly on the Wii, were losing their luster; it didn't have as much competition. I'll be happy if it does better, but I'm gonna guess it will have a 83 or 84 for now.

 

[Barthomolew]

87-88 like every other big release this year, lol. The curse of 90+ in 2021.

 

[Dunban]

I think this will be able to edge out an 85.

 

[Sumio Mondo]

SMTIV was 83, Apocalypse was 84.

So therefore 85 is my guess.

 

[ViewtifulCereza]

High 80ies because people will dislike the difficulty and it will absolutely compared to Persona 5.

 

[Rustyspider13]

88. There is an easy mode now and that means more reviewers will get to finish it on time and hopefully appreciate its difference from typical JRPG plots.

 

[Wans]

Im sorry not everyone can be right so i chose CHAOSSsssss

Hope im wrong tho, this is the next best jrpg on switch, i believe in his flowing blue hair!!

 

[Sampdoria]

85-90. I think it will be the best scoring game in the series