Persona 3 is certainly one of the best RPG titles this year

[Artimus Gigan]

It's apparently on the rare side it seems most stores seem to have gotten only a handful of copies

However as far as the SMT series of games go this is really one of the best yet. The Battle System is good, the character scenarios are most definetly enjoyable (along the lines of the Tales of Symponia/Legendia/etc. event scenarios), there really isn't any grinding to speak of, and the menu managment systems are very refined and streamlined especialty the Persona System to summon so it's not like Noctourne with it's random output when you manage your characters and getting the specific summons.

The special Edition is also the only edition since there are no listings other than that. It comes with a great Minature Artbook(it's the same design as the Ar Tonelico one) but the book's content is far more in detail and the book also contains the game's soundtrack

[Jowy Blight]

I've been enjoying this game since it was released last week. It really deserves more attention then it has been getting so far from RPG fans. There's also the chance that if this game sells well enough that we'll get the FES expansion.

[Vermunium]

I'd love to get it, Persona 2 was quite good, and I've been semi-looking forward to this game. Unfortunately though, I'm strapped for cash currently, so it'll have to wait just a bit longer, as I backpedal through other games, and through one more new game purchase. The waiting will eat at me, but it will be worth it in the end.

[Vidfreak]

I'd love to get it, Persona 2 was quite good, and I've been semi-looking forward to this game. Unfortunately though, I'm strapped for cash currently, so it'll have to wait just a bit longer, as I backpedal through other games, and through one more new game purchase. The waiting will eat at me, but it will be worth it in the end.

If anything get it as fast as you can because Atlus games tend to disappear quickly , Disgaea was an exception because it was a huge success.

[Vermunium]

If anything get it as fast as you can because Atlus games tend to disappear quickly , Disgaea was an exception because it was a huge success.


Oh, trust me, I know. If worse comes to worse, I'll just use credit to purchase it.

[Hades]

I haven't played the first two Personas, so I won't be playing this any time soon. However, I did like watching the girl in the pink shoot herself in the head, that was pretty cool.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

I've avoided the Persona series because I keep reading that the two earlier games came over here severely edited.

[bigdeath]

For both hades and leaping larry jojo:

Persona 3 has nothing to do with the older personas. Their like final fantasy games in that they just share a series name but their story has nothing to do with each other. The persona series holds in common the theme of mostly high school students summoning demons named "personas". Just like the FF games, there is stuff carried over to the newer games like the Velvet Room (where you make new personas).

Persona 3 has not been edited at all. They even kept the Japanese honorifics as well, like -senpai and -kun. Theres cursing and some blood in the game and the sound track seems made for an anime. I love this game. Its part sim game and part Japanese version of the diablo games where you fight in random dungeons and the story is great.

I STRONGLY recommend this game for anyone who loves Japanese RPGs since this game, in my eyes, is better then FF 10 or 12. While those games had better graphics I never liked their story or characters. I haven't like an RPG's characters as much as I do in Persona 3 since the old days of FF7 and FF8. Its that good. :anime:

Get it while you can before it disappears!



The special Edition is also the only edition There is no special edition, thats a common mistake. The game company is just very generous to its fans so they released the artbook and sound track with the game for the usa version. This is far more common in japan. They even have an official fan book in japan that explains every question you could have about the the story but sadly it will never come to the usa since there isn't the same level of fanboyism as there is in japan. :crying:

[Juu-kuchi]

I wish I had some actual time to invest in this game, but from what I've played it's interesting. I just wish that the entire first part of the game didn't feel like it was dragging you around to the point that you want to stop, save, and do something else.

[bigdeath]

I wish I had some actual time to invest in this game, but from what I've played it's interesting. I just wish that the entire first part of the game didn't feel like it was dragging you around to the point that you want to stop, save, and do something else.

Oh, the first part isn't that bad and trust me, it picks up fast. Once it gets going its amazing but the begining is still very interesting.

The plot is a little slow to start up becuase they introduce you to the characters and the freedom of making social links. Its not neccessary to get most of the personas to beat the game so you can roleplay who you help. I like that feature a lot, many RPGs are very linear and force you to get the most powerful magic/items if you want to beat the game which turns the game into a level grinding experance.

[Scirel]

This game is not for the easily frustrated.

You actually NEED a bestiary for this game because scanning enemies takes too long and they'll have already put you down for more than half your HP by the time you know their elemental weakness. Then, IF you have a persona that can use that weakness, you better attack because it's the only way to survive. Normal enemies CAN and WILL kill you, easily, especially in the beginning. In many cases, if the enemies were smart enough, they'd use their strongest attack several times in a row to just outlast you.

Unlike most RPGs, Charm is as common a status ailment as Poison, so except to waste a lot of turns (since all your party members are AI in a TB-RPG for some reason) on dis-charm.

I would praise the fact that there are no random battles except for the fact that it is very tricky to enter into a battle where you aren`t at a disadvantage. Normally, if you attack an enemy from behind, you get an extra turn, and if they sneak up on you, they go first. In persona3, however, the odds are against you in that even if you and the enemy meet head-on, unless you strike them with your sword(which has either too short a range or takes a year to swing), they STILL have the first turn in battle!

This would not be so bad if it were not for the fact that the shadows blend in REEEALY easily with the floor, and it's nearly impossible to tell their front from back unless you're right on top of them.

Despite the difficult combat(and the lack fo MP-refilling items) I`d still say this is a good RPG. Once you get to the section of the tower with blue floors, you'll be able to see the shadows easier and have a good enough understanding of the persona system to make combat less life-threatening.

The story and voicework are great, too. I`ve never seen an RPG that takes place in the present day, neither have I seen Vic Mignogna voice an important charachter in a game either (besdies FMA XD), so those are both good. The story and anime cutcenes are great, but I do believe that Yuri Lowenthall has now voiced the Main Charachter OF EVERY SINGLE PS2 RPG(and some PSP ones) that has come out since last year. Come on, give someone else a chance. ^_^;;

[bigdeath]

Oh, i forgot to warn that persona 3 is part of the Shin Megami Tensei series of games and they are know to be made for hardcore JRPG gamers. However, persona 3 is one of the easist in the series but compared to even a final fantasy game they are hard. Its more diffuclt in some ways then the first final fantasy. But, unlike the original FF, you don't have to worry about running through a cave full of enemies with instant death spells that you can't deal with yet. :sweat: You can always deal with an enemy but you may have to try a battle again with another strategy. Just make sure to save every chance you get. It would be a great idea to check a walkthrough just to read the weakness of the enemies and what each spell does.

The combat system works by exploiting the enemy's weaknesses to knock them all down so you gain a free turn. The catch is that the enemy can do the same to you since your characters have weaknesses as well. Be careful. ;) Once you learn about each enemy then its not that hard but watch out for the instant death spells before you get the item to negate them.

TIP: Run from enemies when they start to chase you since after they lose sight of you they will turn their back on you. Then just run up an hit them to start combat. :anime:

[WolfieKiwi]

I've played Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga, both of which I enjoyed for their distinct RPG nature. (So I might try this out.) Though it looks like Persona 3 is a lot more complex, and I'm not much for RPG games all the time (It's like a phase, really.) However, I do admit I like the "sims like life" during the day and "dungeon battling action" during the night. I'll probably get this sometime later on...

[Tommy Lawson]

Persona 3 is one of those RPGs where once you start, you wonder why the game starts off so slow, but by the end, you gain a new understanding of why that is. The atmosphere of Persona 3 is quite different being set in the modern world. The fact you only control one character forces you into using the "Tactics" menu properly, to give the best commands to your teammates each turn, and the battle system is definitely more challenging than a Final Fantasy title. The social interaction aspect, although time-consuming, does make relating to the hero's plight much more personal, obviously appropriate in a game with the word Persona in its title. One of the criticisms I have is that while most of the music is great, running around in the dungeon areas consists of an endlessly repeating loop of music that's way too short for an RPG title.

However, music criticism aside, this is the most fun I've had playing an RPG since Skies of Arcadia years ago on the Dreamcast and Gamecube.

Here's something interesting not related to the specific events of the game: Turning on the TV in the dorm on Sundays usually mentions a show called "Phoenix Ranger Featherman R." It is a reference to sentai and other superhero shows of the genre, which usually air on Sunday mornings in Japan. The literal interpretation of sentai is "task force," and those who play this game know why it's such an appropriate reference. The bird-like names of all the characters is a reference to Jetman, the 1991 sentai series airing in Japan when Atlus USA was founded.

[bigdeath]

Here's something interesting not related to the specific events of the game: Turning on the TV in the dorm on Sundays usually mentions a show called "Phoenix Ranger Featherman R." It is a reference to sentai and other superhero shows of the genre, which usually air on Sunday mornings in Japan. The literal interpretation of sentai is "task force," and those who play this game know why it's such an appropriate reference. The bird-like names of all the characters is a reference to Jetman, the 1991 sentai series airing in Japan when Atlus USA was founded.


Thats funny, I never notcied that (new think to look for). :anime: