As I said, yesterday, I think the SMT series has a better story than the FF series.This blog post is dedicated to comparing the battles systems of the series.I will already say it already, but I do think the SMT series is better in this category too, and I will tell why.

For the sake of telling, I will first show what games of each series I have played:

SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: Persona 3,Persona 4,Digital Devil Saga 1, Devil Survivor. Have not finished Persona 1 and SMT 3: Nocturne.

FINAL FANTASY: FFIV. Have not finished I, VII, X, X2 and Crystal Chronicles (GC).

One could argue: you have played much more SMT,so how can you tell which is better?I can because I have been exposed to the series since I was a kid, and have done a lot of research about all the games, so I can tell a bit about each of their battle systems, stories and such. Not only read, but I also discussed the series with friends and seen a bit of everything. So I do belive I have enougth knowledge of the series for a comparisson. One could say it isn`t the same reading and playing, but I do have good sense enougth not to come here much biassed.

But I digress. Getting back on topic,the battle system is a hard topic when it comes to FF, since the games shift between turn based and active time systems,but I`m here to judge how fun they are. This is one other thing I like in SMT, and that is how the games are similar one another. Between the Persona games and the main series there are notable diferences, but you can tell they are relatives.

One also could say that this gives the Final Fantasy games more variety,since each game is diferent from the last.And this is one thing I cant discuss with, since people like this variety,and to be fair, none of them really turn out wrong. The active time of IV is superb, as is the turn based of X. They also are simple and complex at the same time, though at times a bit too gimicky, like the licence system of XII, which is just stupid. In the end, this normaly is the strongest point of the series.

The SMT series fouses on a very cool concept, which is having demons as part of your party, or you summoning them. I love this idea, though I`m a sucker for demons and the oculism (I found it to be really interesting). This give the games a much bigger sense of personal touch to the games, since the parties are more opened to be made, and you can play the games again with a totaly different party than the last time. The FF series also has a great amount of customiability on the characters,since you can even choose what stats to level up in certain games. It ultimately comes to which one you like better.

When it comes to the battles themselves, it also is a matter of preference, since the both have strong points: Final Fantasy consantly shift the battles, so you normaly are surprised, and SMT is constanly very good,but with fewer variations in the games. The battles on the active time FF are very fast paced, and you really have to think fast some times,while the turn based ones are much slower paced, but allow for more strategic playing. The one thing the SMT games really win is the amount of moves the characters use. FF mostly has fire, water, thunder and ice, with some aditional ones,besides character specific abilities and summons. SMT has fire, ice, thunder, wind, dark, light, earth, and much more, and constanly specific to the games, there are specific abilities.

Also, the battles are more streamlined; what I mean is that you go in battle, defeat the enemeis and done. In some FF,like VIII, you have to do some stupid stuff like draw magic to proceed.

The demon stuff also give the gave more strategic elements, since you have fuse stronger ones with better skills, though one could say that staying with one character and making them stronger is better.

In the end, it is simply a matter of preference, since both games a very strong. Final Fantasy games often swich the battle system, with mostly great results,but at times add unecessary things. Shin Megami Tensei games have always similar structures, but are always great. I do prefer the demon structure of the SMT games, and how it works out,but I can understand why one would prefer FF's.

In the next post, I will compare the side quests and stuff to do in between the main story.