17 Jan 2014, 2:55 pm
21 Jan 2014, 3:23 am
There are more Megaten games on the ps2. For the most part they're seen mostly on Ninty handhelds, but the ps2 was home to 5 of them(one of which is Nocturne). As for which you should play first, I couldn't tell you. They're all different, and are completely unrelated, so, aside from direct sequels(which usually have the number 2 in them), they tend to rest on their own merits and don't require any familiarity with previous titles to jump into. Don't be afraid to pick up SMTIV though, if you have a 3ds. Nocturne is supposedly SMTIII, even though it isn't called that, but the main SMT series also rests on its own merits, and each title has its own story.
As far as ps2 titles go, Digital Devil Saga(1 and 2) are also really good, though good in a different way. There are also the Devil Summoner games, which I own, but have yet to play. I heard they are considered the black sheep of SMT, but I can't verify that firsthand. If you're interested, you should still try them out, and if you're a completionist, they'll round out your ps2 SMT collection just fine. You can get all the ps2 Megaten titles for really cheap on Amazon. Even new copies shouldn't set you back more than $20, which is surprising, because once upon a time, these games were very expensive. In other words, you're in luck if you're in the market for these games now.
Persona isn't actually a Megaten series, but it does contain some Megaten-esque elements, like the names and animations for attacks, and the ability to summon various beings from all kinds of folklore and mythology. Most people think it's a SMT spinoff, because Atlus slapped the SMT name on it in the hopes that it's make the series more recognizable in NA. Japanese copies have no such label. Ironically, Persona 3 and 4 did better than SMT games over here, and it's now Atlus's biggest series, much to the disdain of some snobby Megaten fans(who are all terrible people). I personally enjoy both Persona and SMT, and wouldn't have heard of SMT if I hadn't played Persona 3 and 4. I highly recommend this series.
That said, don't play Persona 4 Arena until you've played both Persona 3 and 4. Both games were unrelated in terms of cannon until that beast hit and combined both games into one cannon. You don't need to have played Persona 1 and 2, the latter of which is actually split into two games(Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment). I wouldn't recommend them TBH. You can play remakes of 2/3 of the earlier games, and a ps1 download of Eternal Punishment on a psp or vita, if you're really curious.
I would recommend the vita port of Persona 4 if you have a vita, because it adds a lot, but the ps2 version is really good too. There are two versions of Persona 3 on the ps2, and I'd recommend the FES version, which adds a lot, and is probably the more common version. There's Persona 3 Portable on the psp, but I don't care much for that version. It does add a female version though, so there's that. Anyways, now with Arena 2, and Persona Q coming out, as well as the stupid dance spinoff of P4, Persona 3/4 is now an ongoing cannon, but the original games are standalone titles, so don't feel too intimidated. It's completely up to you if you want to follow the cannon afterwards, or just pretend that they're still two separate cannons which end when they should have. That said, I will definitely buy all the upcoming Persona games when they come here, including the dance spinoff. Persona 5 is also on the way, for the ps3, and that will be a standalone title. So...yeah, I hope this post answers all your questions. *Looks at the length of the post and quietly steps out* 
22 Jan 2014, 3:07 am
