DGC Ep 485: Persona 3 (part one)

DGC Ep 485: Persona 3 (part one)

Author: Brett Douville and Tim Longo September 9, 2026 Duration: 1:03:51

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we begin a new series on Persona 3. We start off with a big announcement, then we get into setting the game in its time and with the general property of Shin Megami Tensei before turning to the game's opening few hours. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary.

Sections played:
To first fight (T), most of Tartarus 1 (B)

Issues covered: the end, our focus on genre and the difficulty of saying something new, picking the time to end, knowing when to quit, the next few months, picking the final game, Discord Game Club, Tim continuing to stream, the basis of this spin-off series and the hosts' history, common elements, a little discussion of the suicidal imagery, updates to the remake, "similar to Metal Gear for me," loving the modern setting games, the weird mixture of other JRPGs, groundedness, having entry into a game developed in another region, starting with a big mystery, the modern setting cutting both ways, a good player parallel, following your heart when you play, punk rock and its problems, signing your name on a contract, understanding the archetypes, setting up characters/characterization in advance, Apathy Syndrome as a metaphor, a game with voice.

Games, people, and influences mentioned or discussed: June, The Odd Couple, System Shock 2, Dwarf Fortress, Dead Rising, PlayStation, Wii, GameCube, The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Kingdom Hearts 2, Hitman: Blood Money, Final Fantasy XII, LoZ: Twilight Princess, New Super Mario Bros., Tomb Raider: Legend, Onimusha, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Brain Age!, Nintendo DS, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, Condemned: Criminal Origins, Okami, Bully, Gears of War, Metal Gear Solid (series), Reed Knight, Andrew Kirmse, Shin Megami Tensei, Devil Devil Summoner, Final Fantasy (series), Atlus, Phoenix Wright (series), Ghost Trick, Resident Evil, Grasshopper Interactive, Suda 51, No More Heroes, Square, Ultima (series), Wild Arms (series), The World Ends with You, Yakuza (series), Hideo Kojima, Snoop Dogg, Kirk Hamilton, Aaron Evers, Mark Garcia. 


Next time:
More Persona 3!

Twitch: timlongojr and twinsunscorp
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DevGameClub@gmail.com 


Dev Game Club is a conversation between two working game developers who have been there. Each week, hosts Brett Douville and Tim Longo pick a classic video game from the past-often a title that shaped design thinking or introduced a new technical standard-and break it down from their professional perspective. Their discussions go beyond nostalgia, examining how these older titles functioned, why certain creative decisions were made, and what lasting impact they left on the industry. You’ll hear specific analysis of game mechanics, narrative structure, and technical achievements, all filtered through decades of hands-on development experience. The goal isn’t just to reminisce but to extract tangible lessons that are still relevant for creators and deeply interesting for passionate players today. They invite you to play the game in question alongside them, then settle in for a detailed, insider’s post-mortem. This podcast offers a unique blend of critical appreciation and practical insight, treating video game history as a living textbook. It’s for anyone who loves games and wants to understand the craft behind them on a deeper level. New episodes release regularly, diving into a different influential game from the archives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Dev Game Club
Podcast Episodes
DGC Ep 487: Persona 3 (part three) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:02
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on Persona 3. We talk about the boss fight, challenges in localization of content, more about the structure, and other topics. Dev Game Club looks at class…
DGC Ep 486: Persona (part two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:45
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on Persona 3. We talk about the game's structure, how everything ties back to Tartarus, and the virtuous cycle around combat, among other things. Dev Game…
DGC Ep 484: Soul Reaver Bonus Inteview with Riley Cooper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:20
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we revisit our 2017 series on 1999's Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. We're interviewing Riley Cooper, a former colleague of Tim's who had a long career at Crystal Dynamics and worke…
DGC Ep 483: Peggle/Casual Games (part three) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:39
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we complete our series on two entries from the casual space by PopCap. We discuss Peggle before turning to takeaways. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through…
DGC Ep 482: Plants vs Zombies/Casual Games (part two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:15
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on casual games with our continuing discussion of Plants vs Zombies. We talk about the mechanics some more, a bit about the economy, and our favorite eleme…
Discord Game Club Ep. 18 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:02
It's summertime and that means scheduling challenges. Therefore, this week we are reaching into the Discord Game Club interview archive. This time around, fan Discord members Artimage and Mors chat with Nick T, of The Ra…
DGC Ep 481: Plants vs Zombies/Casual Games (part one) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:02
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we begin a short mini-series on casual games, beginning with PopCap's Plants vs Zombies. We spend a lot of time setting these lower-challenge games both in their time and against…
DGC Ep 480: Psychonauts (part four) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:05
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we conclude our series on Psychonauts. We talk about how the game gates certain things on the basis of what seems optional and Brett monologues a bit about some later levels befo…
DGC Ep 479: Splinter Cell CT Bonus Interview with Clint Hocking [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:57
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we revisit our Splinter Cell conversation with a return interview with Clint Hocking. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, pro…
Discord Game Club Ep. 17 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:50:26
It's summertime and that means scheduling challenges. Therefore, this week we are reaching into the Discord Game Club interview archive. This time around, BioStats and Calamity Nolan interview David Mauro of DIE SOFT, ta…