Atlus RPGs, it seems, have been quite the sleeper hits until fairly recently. The success that their latest Shin Megami Tensei games have enjoyed have arguably catapulted them onto the mainstream RPG scene.
Atlus RPGs have a distinct feel to them that makes them stand out from the rest of the RPG crowd. There's something inherently quirky and even controversial about them that makes RPG players like myself sit up and take notice.
In Nocturne, for example, the world ends roughly five minutes into the game, and the apocalyptic scenario sets the stage for the adventure. Persona 3 had high school students "shooting" themselves in the head with what looked like handguns. Persona 4 had some characters questioning their gender and their sexuality.
Oh, and for the followers of Sigmund Freud, there's always Mara.
Of the few Atlus RPGs I've played, I must admit that I'm biased toward the Persona series, at least for the time being. The quality of interaction between the different characters in the games makes them endearingly fun to play. Nocturne has awesome gameplay mechanics, but there isn't exactly much interaction because your party members aren't human to begin with.
A common question I've encountered on forums is, "Do I have to play past Persona games in order to appreciate the latest installment?" The answer is no. While Atlus RPG veterans will definitely appreciate the Easter eggs and references to earlier games, playing the predecessors first isn't really necessary. Each Persona game (with the exception of the two halves of Persona 2) are stand-alone adventures.
So which Atlus RPG should you pick up first? It depends on the kind of game that you're looking for. If hardcore gameplay is your cup of tea, you may want to check out Nocturne (The game was re-released recently, so now may be a good time to do so.).
If you prefer bittersweet, epic battles and the challenge of not being able to directly control over your party, then P3 may just be the Atlus RPG for you. If character rapport, laughs and whodunits are more your thing, however, Persona 4 is the way to go.
PC RPGs are fun, but if you have access to a PS2 (or even a PS3 with backward compatibility), I highly recommend that you pick up some Atlus RPGs.
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