Persona 3

[氷の動物]

Persona 3 just came out for the PS2 on Wednesday and I've been playing it fairly hard since then. Basically its a school life sim with dungeon exploring/grinding... its sounds kinda strange but the game is really awesome, the graphics style is especially nifty. Also I really like the soundtrack even though it mixes so many styles but somehow the music just seems to fit, plus I love how one song was built off of one that appeared in Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga which was built off of one from Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne.

Anyways I was wondering if anyone else had purchased or started playing the game yet, and what your thoughts are on it.

[lordrellik8]

I think it looks like a pretty cool game,
I haven't play yet.

[Manhattan_Project_2000]

I was geeked about Persona 3 for months. It's pretty awesome.

I think clearly the best part is how whenever anyone casts a spell, they have to shoot themselves in the head with a special gun. You know... to let out their inner demons (e.g. Persona). This leads to lots of laughs when the Perky School Girl character says "I can do it!" and then shoves a pistol under her jaw and pulls the trigger.

I think the fact you can't directly control your allies is lame, but at least the computer plays them well. And the elemental weaknesses stuff is decent. This also is the first Japanese "Pure" RPG I've liked since mid-PS1, but I admit that I haven't played Digital Devil Saga or Nocturne yet.

[Overlord Darth Fluffles]

My friend Tim was telling me about it. It not only sounds funny, but awesome.

[氷の動物]

I think clearly the best part is how whenever anyone casts a spell, they have to shoot themselves in the head with a special gun. You know... to let out their inner demons (e.g. Persona).

Ya I think that is kinda out there but also really interesting and unique; plus you have to love the fairly questionable idea of a game that portrays high school kids fake committing suicide and yet this game will get absolutely no publicity, like I'm sure GTA IV will (regardless of what it has in it), since not that many people are going to play it.



I think the fact you can't directly control your allies is lame, but at least the computer plays them well.

I was a little turned off by this at first especially because it uses a somewhat similar system to Nocturne and DDS albeit not nearly as punishing thank goodness, which is especially good because I hate it when your team mate uses an ability that clearly wouldn't work on an enemy. But as you said the computer most of the time does a good job of healing in emergencies and exploiting weaknesses once they're known... plus as you get further into the game you unlock new tactics for your party members to use with really good ones like focusing on knocking all the characters down so you can do an All Out Attack.

[Wolfwood]

i never had heard of this game until i recently saw a review of it, and already i'm a huge fan ^^
putting a gun to your head has never looked more fun (just waiting for the idiot who'll try it for real >_>) lol
i'll be getting it as soon as i see it over here in australia, but until then there's not alot i can say about it other then "Gimmie gimmie gimmie!" ^^

[bakakame]

putting a gun to your head has never looked more fun


Ah, you never went to my highschol;)

Yea, lame joke I know but I'm bored.

[CrimsonMoon]

I haven't played it yet. I think my sister buys it already. I've only played Persona 2, which is good, though haven't finished yet since my ps explodes. If my sister's playing this game, chances for me to play is only 0.001%. Have to wait till she finishes this game.

[Wolfwood]

Ah, you never went to my highschol;)

Yea, lame joke I know but I'm bored.
lol well my school was more a knife to the wrist, but i guess this is an american school system on the game (japanese would be a katana through ya gut ^^)
lol different countries, different suicide methods? O_o...

my main question with the game is simple. is the school part so boring that putting a gun to ya head at night is simply a must to just try and escape another day of it? ^^ lol

[Manhattan_Project_2000]

lol well my school was more a knife to the wrist, but i guess this is an american school system on the game (japanese would be a katana through ya gut ^^)
lol different countries, different suicide methods? O_o...

It's Japanese. They aren't real guns.


my main question with the game is simple. is the school part so boring that putting a gun to ya head at night is simply a must to just try and escape another day of it? ^^ lol
Well, each school/after-school period lasts about 5 minutes at most, and then you can go to the tower, go to sleep early to recover from fatigue, or study. So, no.

[Luzifer]

I've been playing this game pretty hard as well and (as with all Megaten games I've so far played) been loving it like my long lost son.

My comments would be that (some) of the random relationships you can have in the game, like the one with the dying man, and such are actually very interesting given they are probably just going to be skipped through by x-button tapping battlefreaks who just want to get that next arcana level. And some (like the MMO relationship towards the end) are downright hilarious. I think that the relationship sim part was well done and never really felt stale which could very easily happen.

I also, as always, love the fact the game doesn't let you go through the game just mashing the attack button or your strongest nukes, and can punish you (oft times very severely) if you don't think about what the heck your doing before you do it.

About the Computer controlled allies... I've never really been bothered by it. Though I have screamed, "FOR GOD SAKES AIGIS STOP USING YOUR STUPID FATAL END WHEN YOUR HALF DEAD!" as much as the next guy I also see the validity of it. The game is based around the concept that you are well... you... the protagonist. Ergo, you are not anyone else. Therefore you can't make their decisions for them.

Finally, I did like all the very well developed characters. Junpei in particular was suprising in how solid he was. They easily could have left him with not much but his hat and funny attitude.

All that and a grim, sardonic, atmosphere that never lets up and what more do you need?