Ello there, been thinking about trying the SMT games for a while. Any of the games you'd suggest for a first timer to playing such games?
(aka which game will beat my arse the most lol)
thanks in advance
It depends on your budget, how you prefer to play, and which systems you own:
SMTV: Vengeance is a great entry point, and it will run well on nearly any PC released in the last five years or so. It's also available on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox, and Switch.
SMT IV is also solid and directly connects to its sequel, IV Apocalypse, if you feel like binging another game after. Both are 3DS exclusive, so you'd need to find physical copies (generally expensive), download the ROMs onto a homebrewed console, or emulate them with Citra or Lime.
SMT Nocturne is a fan favorite and considered a classic. It runs wonderfully on a PS2 emulator, assuming your PC is decent enough, and there's a official remaster which, despite having poor audio quality, should also run fine on most builds and includes the option to swap between each versions' content.
If you want to start from the beginning, you can easily find English-patched ROMs of SMT I's SNES, GBA, and (I believe) PSX releases. You'd have to emulate it, regardless, but even potato PC's can emulate those consoles just fine.
There are many other Megami Tensei series, too, like Digital Devil Saga, Devil Summoner, and Persona; if any of these catch your eye over mainline, feel free to ask about those as well. I can easily find ROMs and emulators for you, if you'd like. Just ask.