True Goddess Reincarnation (Shin Megami Tensei 真・女神転生) (Super Famicom, Playstation)

That game that started a franchise...

Well not really. It actually started with Megami Tensei (女神転生) on the Nintendo Famicom、but that's a different story for a different day.

Another Japanese only release, this game has been released on almost everything. Phones, major consoles (xbox being the exception), you name it, there's probably a version for it. Look here for a list.

I'll get to the point. It's a lot of fun. I've spent a long time playing this game, with a desire to play the second one afterwards. If you've ever played the first Persona game, you can definitely see the similarities.

Definitely one of the cooler looking video game posters.

So now you've gone on the internet, looked at some gameplay and want to get your hands dirty. But the big question is. What version do you get?

I'll save you the headache. The Playstation 3 version is the best one for our purpose. You can buy it on the Japanese Playstation Network Store for about ￥500 (Roughly $5) and it's definitely worth that.

It's just the Playstation version, no differences, but the reason we want this one is because it has kanji!

If you're a beginner I know what you're thinking. But trust me, playing this game with kanji will make your life 100 times easier. Especially because this game requires at least an intermediate level to really understand well, having Kanji will help make the journey that much smoother.

The original Super Nintendo version can be found on the Japanese Nintendo Wii shop, but that one doesn't have the updates the Playstation version has, and there's no kanji. Knowing hiragana and katakana will definitely help, but it won't get you far.

If you're a game collector or want to try the other versions (Or if you're as big of a Mega CD fan as me), you can find them on eBay. Be warned, they're usually very expensive. I've seen the Playstation version upwards of $20-$50. The Mega CD version up to $80, the list goes on.

Sure you want to play this game, but don't make your wallet cry after buying it. Besides, you have to get the sequels! I'll talk about those when I complete them later on.

To summarize:

 I really enjoy these games, and if you like JRPG's then chances are you will to. Since we're playing in Japanese, have a dictionary handy if you're a beginner and even if you're more advanced. You'll see some strange kanji because of the game's subject matter.

Also, buy it on Playstation 3 if you have one and save yourself the headache. You can get the others easily as well and only spend about $15 for this, II and If...

Get ready for a strange journey.