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Persona Community Thread |OT9| SPOILER TAGS OR DIE

Persona spinoffs have been pretty good though, at least?

The quality of the games has been pretty good, but since they're spin-offs of story heavy rpgs people were obviously expecting above average in the story department and the games didn't really excel there, but we're talking about fighting games, a rythm game and a dungeon crawler, so...

I'll be honest though, the only one I consider truly bad is Ultimax's. I liked Arena, mainly because of Labry's story. P4D was imo surprisingly decent considering the premise and the genre.
PQ was all about fan service and I think it delivered on that front. A lot of people disagree though. There's one particular aspect of the story I liked a lot but it's a huge spoiler.

But yeah, within each genre they all hold up very well.
 

MudoSkills

Volcano High Alumnus (Cum Laude)
I really liked PQ by the end but the story is so ridiculously backloaded that I spent more than half the game disliking the key characters.

I played the hell out of it, but P4D is miles away from the product I hoped it'd be when it was announced. Nobody wanted a story mode, everyone wanted songs from other persona games.

When I saw a Kanamin poster in P5 I shook my fist at the screen - then it changed to a Rise poster and I put my foot through the TV.
 
I really liked PQ by the end but the story is so ridiculously backloaded that I spent more than half the game disliking the key characters.

I played the hell out of it, but P4D is miles away from the product I hoped it'd be when it was announced. Nobody wanted a story mode, everyone wanted songs from other persona games.

When I saw a Kanamin poster in P5 I shook my fist at the screen - then it changed to a Rise poster and I put my foot through the TV.

Is it cause Rise looks the same as she did in P4, even though she's supposed to be 20?
Who here is expecting a retcon when P5A happens?
 

DNAbro

Member
I really liked PQ by the end but the story is so ridiculously backloaded that I spent more than half the game disliking the key characters.

I played the hell out of it, but P4D is miles away from the product I hoped it'd be when it was announced. Nobody wanted a story mode, everyone wanted songs from other persona games.

When I saw a Kanamin poster in P5 I shook my fist at the screen - then it changed to a Rise poster and I put my foot through the TV.

P4D ended up being exactly the game I expected it to be for better or worse.
 

Setsu00

Member
Yeah, that kind of seals it that Hashino won't be involved in P6.

Please don't let P6 be spin off tier quality. Please.

Some of Hashino's more recent quotes make it seem like he's open to returning to Persona eventually, but I'm not sure if that's just damage control after they realized that their current staff is most likely not up to the task of creating a worthwhile successor to P5 without Hashino, which is something Hiraoka more or less admitted in the same interview.

Soejima is behind the design of the characters, right? As long as that amazingly talented artist is back... my hype can grow even more. Lol

Soejima is supposed to still work on the series, but I'm not really convinced that this will be the case for a few reasons. Soejima's concept art for Project Re:Fantasy is super detailled (and a lot more elaborate than his work on P5, actually), so I'm guessing he's quite involved in that one. Soejima is Hashino's partner-in-crime and he's usually super involved with his games, even beyond the art direction.
 
In all honesty, I'm curious to see what the Hashino's theoretical successor brings to the series. I'm starting to find some irritating trends in his games, and I want to see if he's truly to blame for those.
 
Unless Persona 6 brings some radically different changes, I think they should just create a new spin off console series.

Some aspects of P5 have shown me that they've really lost their touch with some areas of Persona even with Hashino at the helm. I'm really happy they're moving on to new, and hopefully better things.

artwork_2.jpg
 

Mediking

Member
Some of Hashino's more recent quotes make it seem like he's open to returning to Persona eventually, but I'm not sure if that's just damage control after they realized that their current staff is most likely not up to the task of creating a worthwhile successor to P5 without Hashino, which is something Hiraoka more or less admitted in the same interview.



Soejima is supposed to still work on the series, but I'm not really convinced that this will be the case for a few reasons. Soejima's concept art for Project Re:Fantasy is super detailled (and a lot more elaborate than his work on P5, actually), so I'm guessing he's quite involved in that one. Soejima is Hashino's partner-in-crime and he's usually super involved with his games, even beyond the art direction.

I really like Soejima's work... if he can't come back then I guess it's time for my guy Takeshi Obata to step in and draw!

Unless Persona 6 brings some radically different changes, I think they should just create a new spin off console series.

Some aspects of P5 have shown me that they've really lost their touch with some areas of Persona even with Hashino at the helm. I'm really happy they're moving on to new, and hopefully better things.

artwork_2.jpg

ASP......

You can't just say that P5 has shown you they have lost touch with some areas and not even say at least one of those issues are.

I haven't beat the game yet but surely you can elaborate on this without spoiling. Lol
 
This talk of Hashino and Soejima, but no Meguro, I wonder...

Which of this "holy trinity" do you think is the most replaceable?

I'm honestly split on Hashino and Meguro, myself, but I still consider them key figures in the series' history.
 

Setsu00

Member
I really like Soejima's work... if he can't come back then I guess it's time for my guy Takeshi Obata to step in and draw!

I guess Kobayashi would be the one to do that. Either him or the designer that is already working on new costumes for an unknown game. I'm almost willing to bet that she is creating thief outfits for the casts of P3 and P4.

This talk of Hashino and Soejima, but no Meguro, I wonder...

Which of this "holy trinity" do you think is the most replaceable?

I think it depends on your personal preferences, but from an overall consumer perspective I think it would be Hashino despite everything. The guy is rather unknown even now and considering how many people think that P5's message is either redundant (because people obviously always question authority in the West, duh) or tacked on, I doubt most people would miss him.
 

Sophia

Member
Some of Hashino's more recent quotes make it seem like he's open to returning to Persona eventually, but I'm not sure if that's just damage control after they realized that their current staff is most likely not up to the task of creating a worthwhile successor to P5 without Hashino, which is something Hiraoka more or less admitted in the same interview.

I mean, it could be a little bit of both. It's not unusual for developers or creators to distance themselves from a project, but come back to it later.
 
The context of the most recent interview was a recruitment pitch. That's going to be part of the reason for some of Hiraoka's comments; to entice people to want to apply.
 

Not Spaceghost

Spaceghost
Man I kind of miss the P4 shuffle time mechanic where you had a chance to get random stat boosts to your persona. It was much more entertaining grinding for that than the absolutel money sink / monotony of strengthening -> register -> delete / itemize -> summon again -> repeat to raise your personas stats.
 
I really like Soejima's work... if he can't come back then I guess it's time for my guy Takeshi Obata to step in and draw!



ASP......

You can't just say that P5 has shown you they have lost touch with some areas and not even say at least one of those issues are.

I haven't beat the game yet but surely you can elaborate on this without spoiling. Lol

Pm'd you
 

Lynx_7

Member
This talk of Hashino and Soejima, but no Meguro, I wonder...

Which of this "holy trinity" do you think is the most replaceable?

I'm honestly split on Hashino and Meguro, myself, but I still consider them key figures in the series' history.

Like Setsu said, Hashino isn't really marketable so only hardcore fans of the franchise will notice his departure. In that sense, I guess you could say he's the most "replaceable" of the three, though I have my reservations as to whether or not Atlus has someone else to replace him without the quality of the franchise decreasing noticeably. Soejima isn't a household name either but if he was replaced I imagine the effects would be more immediately felt. Meguro is the rockstar of the group and definitely the one whose departure would have the biggest impact. Imagine if they tried to replace him with Sawano or something.

Unless Persona 6 brings some radically different changes, I think they should just create a new spin off console series.

Some aspects of P5 have shown me that they've really lost their touch with some areas of Persona even with Hashino at the helm. I'm really happy they're moving on to new, and hopefully better things.

I don't think they need to make any radical changes or anything for now. It's still the only franchise doing what it's doing as well as it is. Maybe when we have an entire "Personalike" subgenre they'd have some incentive to revise the series foundations, but for now I don't see much need. Keep refining the current formula, address the pacing issues, create some new systems to complement the current ones, see how they can mix things up (perhaps a change of setting? I imagine a college Persona would need a different approach and feel fresh while still not straying too far from the current formula).
Atlus has many other franchises within the Megaten universe for people tired of Persona.
 
Soejima is supposed to still work on the series, but I'm not really convinced that this will be the case for a few reasons. Soejima's concept art for Project Re:Fantasy is super detailled (and a lot more elaborate than his work on P5, actually), so I'm guessing he's quite involved in that one. Soejima is Hashino's partner-in-crime and he's usually super involved with his games, even beyond the art direction.

Interviews seem to indicate that Soejima and Meguro are definitely still going to be involved in future Persona games, and I personally fully expect them to be involved in P6.

Also, when I mentioned my concerns about spinoff tier quality, that's more referring to the narratives and characterizations all the P4 spinoffs illustrated: they were all of highly questionable quality at best imo. Gameplay wise, all the spinoffs were serviceable, as long as you knew what you were getting.
 

Ambient80

Member
So I now have P4G for Vita.

I feel like I'm not sure what to do. Lol. I'm in a castle and I'm trying to save the chick from the Inn. I feel like there's a ton of stuff I can do, but I'm not sure if I should? Like merging Personas? It should maybe I should train but I'm not sure where?

I like the music tho and the fighting is fun. It's my first JRPG 😱
 

Kssio_Aug

Member
So I now have P4G for Vita.

I feel like I'm not sure what to do. Lol. I'm in a castle and I'm trying to save the chick from the Inn. I feel like there's a ton of stuff I can do, but I'm not sure if I should? Like merging Personas? It should maybe I should train but I'm not sure where?

I like the music tho and the fighting is fun. It's my first JRPG ��

Just keep going upstairs in the dungeon, till you manage to get to the top floor.

But I understand how lost you may be, cause I was exactly like that the 1st time I played it. Be aware of this:

a) At the beginning you may find it pretty hard to beat certain enemies. The reason for that is that you have little Personas and tools at your disposal. Try acquring the most personas possible each dungeon you're in, one of them may have the type of skill that will grant you an advantage at the boss fight.

b) All the timing stuff is intimidating at first, but do not worry about it too much. You will have plenty of "days" to finish each dungeon... and once you get the hang of it you will notice you can finish most dungeons in just one day.

c) You may have already noticed that saving and healing are very limited resources. That said, learn enemies weeknesses, take advantage of that, try to ambush them by surprise the most you can, and only heal when necessary (but be cautious to not let your health run low enough so you get beaten in your next fight). But again, that's something to worry more at the beginning of the game, later on healing and saving won't be a problem.

d) Keep fusing your personas and get them stronger, but keep in mind that sometimes it's better to keep certain personas, even at a lower level, with certain resistance types, cause they can be your salvation at some specific fights. I'd recommend to have at your dispoasal a varied set of elemental skills, it's very important to have skills for every weaknessess.

e) Do not grind too much for experience at the beginning, except if you have big trouble at a boss fight. The reason I do not recommend it is because, since healing and saving is limited, things can get rough if you waste everything before reaching the top floors.

f) Try to finish dugeons in one day, cause the more days available outside dungeons the better since they will provide you more social link options and other status boosts. However, if things get rough and you lose your resources just go back to rest, restock, and try again the next day. This game has new game plus, so even if you are not able to maximize your stuff you can rest assured that you can in a next playthrough that will allow you better difficulty customization by the way.

g) Take your time to fully enjoy your 1st playthrough. I'd recommend to stay away from any walkthrough, except if you get stuck at something and needing some help. You will not want to be spoiled, and as I said before you will have a New Game Plus option if you want to do 100% or get to some of the secrets (some of them won't even be available at your 1st playthrough).
 

Ambient80

Member
Just keep going upstairs in the dungeon, till you manage to get to the top floor.

But I understand how lost you may be, cause I was exactly like that the 1st time I played it. Be aware of this:

a) At the beginning you may find it pretty hard to beat certain enemies. The reason for that is that you have little Personas and tools at your disposal. Try acquring the most personas possible each dungeon you're in, one of them may have the type of skill that will grant you an advantage at the boss fight.

b) All the timing stuff is intimidating at first, but do not worry about it too much. You will have plenty of "days" to finish each dungeon... and once you get the hang of it you will notice you can finish most dungeons in just one day.

c) You may have already noticed that saving and healing are very limited resources. That said, learn enemies weeknesses, take advantage of that, try to ambush them by surprise the most you can, and only heal when necessary (but be cautious to not let your health run low enough so you get beaten in your next fight). But again, that's something to worry more at the beginning of the game, later on healing and saving won't be a problem.

d) Keep fusing your personas and get them stronger, but keep in mind that sometimes it's better to keep certain personas, even at a lower level, with certain resistance types, cause they can be your salvation at some specific fights. I'd recommend to have at your dispoasal a varied set of elemental skills, it's very important to have skills for every weaknessess.

e) Do not grind too much for experience at the beginning, except if you have big trouble at a boss fight. The reason I do not recommend it is because, since healing and saving is limited, things can get rough if you waste everything before reaching the top floors.

f) Try to finish dugeons in one day, cause the more days available outside dungeons the better since they will provide you more social link options and other status boosts. However, if things get rough and you lose your resources just go back to rest, restock, and try again the next day. This game has new game plus, so even if you are not able to maximize your stuff you can rest assured that you can in a next playthrough that will allow you better difficulty customization by the way.

g) Take your time to fully enjoy your 1st playthrough. I'd recommend to stay away from any walkthrough, except if you get stuck at something and needing some help. You will not want to be spoiled, and as I said before you will have a New Game Plus option if you want to do 100% or get to some of the secrets (some of them won't even be available at your 1st playthrough).


Wow thanks for the advice!

So far my main issue is keeping SP. I feel like I run low a lot and the items I need to replenish it are rare.

Another thing I just found was clubs and such at school. So apparently you can join clubs and they only meet on certain days and certain weather conditions, and I can also get a part time job and... yikes! Lots going on.
 

DNAbro

Member
Wow thanks for the advice!

So far my main issue is keeping SP. I feel like I run low a lot and the items I need to replenish it are rare.

Another thing I just found was clubs and such at school. So apparently you can join clubs and they only meet on certain days and certain weather conditions, and I can also get a part time job and... yikes! Lots going on.

SP is how the game tries to gate you out of the dungeons. Especially early on it is incredibly hard to get through them in one go because of SP. This is normal though. Take your time and get through it at a reasonable pace. If you see a few days of rain in a row at the end of the week it's time to bust ass and get the dungeon finished.
 

Kssio_Aug

Member
Wow thanks for the advice!

So far my main issue is keeping SP. I feel like I run low a lot and the items I need to replenish it are rare.

Another thing I just found was clubs and such at school. So apparently you can join clubs and they only meet on certain days and certain weather conditions, and I can also get a part time job and... yikes! Lots going on.

Yep, there's tons of side-activities. But all of this is a bit intimidating at first, but I just recommend you to relax and choose whatever you like the most without worrying about possible consquences in your first playthrough. Your experience will be much more natural and enjoyable that way.

Thing is that Persona games are complex, full of activities and tons of contents that will affect your character's status and the story. But if you worry about that in your first time with the game, you're gonna be drown in informations and will be looking for guides more than enjoying your time with it.

That said, the right thing to do is just play it... you won't maximize status, you won't get the secrets. But you will naturally learn how the game plays, you will notice that some things that seems too hard to understand are actually pretty simple, you will collect your favorite personas, will learn about most characters, will understand the best way to deal with dungeons and bosses, but everything will come naturally.

And most things you accomplish will carry over to new game plus... and just then, after you finish the game once, I would recommend following a guide to get to the secrets or trying to do 100%. And you're probably gonna still be surprised of how much more the game has to offer.
 

PK Gaming

Member
Sup dudes,

Hows things been?

Anyone here caught all the p3 movies? What was the common consensus?

Long time no see man. Still living it up in Japan?

The Persona 3 movies had varying flaws for each movie, but were pretty solid all things considered. Great adaptation of the source material.
 

Young Magus

Junior Member
Long time no see man. Still living it up in Japan?

The Persona 3 movies had varying flaws for each movie, but were pretty solid all things considered. Great adaptation of the source material.

Yea I'm still on the east side.

And yea I watched the last two films last night and I came to the same conclusion: sold films that made the most of the given time restrains but the good is GOOD

Ending still gets me tearing after 5 years
 

Sophia

Member
Pacing, and the animation taking awhile to get to really high budget stuff you see in the third and fourth movies, are the two biggest issues with them.

But they're one of the few adaptations that actually improves upon the source material in ways, so...
 

Maxwood

Oh rock of ages, do not crumble, love is breathing still. Oh lady moon shine down, a little people magic if you will.
iirc, you'd be best off saving time ordering the huge fish combo from Tanaka, then showing that to the old man to get the good rod when the quest rolls around.

And as for actually catching it, only bother on rainy nights, wait for the biggest and slowest ripples, and save beforehand so you don't waste a day.

Thanks!
Finally caught the bastard. ^_^

Rushed through the last dungeon to save
Nanako.
Damn you P4. You made me feel things.
 

Setsu00

Member
Thanks!
Finally caught the bastard. ^_^

Rushed through the last dungeon to save
Nanako.
Damn you P4. You made me feel things.

I'm not sure if misread your post so I'm going spoiler tag this:
Nanako isn't the last dungeon. If your game ended at this point, you messed up somewhere.
 

Maxwood

Oh rock of ages, do not crumble, love is breathing still. Oh lady moon shine down, a little people magic if you will.
I'm not sure if misread your post so I'm going spoiler tag this:
Nanako isn't the last dungeon. If your game ended at this point, you messed up somewhere.
I meant the last dungeon I encountered in my playthrough so far, not the final dungeon.
Although it does feel like i'm very near the end of the game.

You didn't misread, it was a poorly phrased sentence.
 
People dissing on Hoshi to Bokura to are crazy. Not really sure where I would rank it amongst Poem of Everybody's Souls, Voice, Kimi no Tonari, Change Your Way, Kimi no Kioku, Never More, NOW I KNOW, Today..., etc etc but I think it definitely stands next to them as a really excellent track.
 
People dissing on Hoshi to Bokura to are crazy. Not really sure where I would rank it amongst Poem of Everybody's Souls, Voice, Kimi no Tonari, Change Your Way, Kimi no Kioku, Never More, NOW I KNOW, Today..., etc etc but I think it definitely stands next to them as a really excellent track.

P3 definitely had the best credits song for me. It was pretty emotional. I think P5's credit song is great because like the rest of the game's OST it fits the ending beautifully.
 

Ulong

Member
So I was playing a bit of Persona 4 arena ultimax with a friend, and afterwords I went and looked at story mode. I noticed I had 100% completion of the P3 episode, but only 94% completion on P4. When I look in story in for persona 4 though, every one has the red "clear" on it. (I believe story bits with more to see have a yellow clear instead). What am I missing?
 
So I was playing a bit of Persona 4 arena ultimax with a friend, and afterwords I went and looked at story mode. I noticed I had 100% completion of the P3 episode, but only 94% completion on P4. When I look in story in for persona 4 though, every one has the red "clear" on it. (I believe story bits with more to see have a yellow clear instead). What am I missing?

There's a point towards the end of each story where you need to pick a certain dialogue option.
I think it was the scene before the boss fight.
But the correct dialogue option needs to be the last one you picked, then that should unlock the epilogue.
 

Lynx_7

Member
Kimi no Kioku is probably better as a standalone track, but I'm also very fond of Never More due to its motif showing up on the title screen. Difficult to say which I prefer. I haven't listened to P5's ending theme yet, that's one "musical spoiler" I'd rather save for the experience.
 
Kimi no Kioku is probably better as a standalone track, but I'm also very fond of Never More due to its motif showing up on the title screen. Difficult to say which I prefer. I haven't listened to P5's ending theme yet, that's one "musical spoiler" I'd rather save for the experience.

I almost start clapping along to Never More Reincarnation.

As for P5's ending theme, it actually got me misty eyed a few times, though that could've just been part of the ending.

And Kimi no Kioku is part of P3's ending, which I, as a philistine, have no appreciation for. So meh.
 

Ulong

Member
There are some voice lines they really should have had VA for in persona 4. Like I understand the desire to save voice acting for the big story scenes but I think some things like Nanako's "
Why do people die?
" line between ranks 3/4 would have had more impact than quite a lot of the story dialogue. It really catches you off guard when it pops up.

There's a point towards the end of each story where you need to pick a certain dialogue option.
I think it was the scene before the boss fight.
But the correct dialogue option needs to be the last one you picked, then that should unlock the epilogue.

I already have the epilogue but I'll go back and check if I maybe never
Made the wrong choice
or something.
 
Expensive as hell, but I can't help it. I need it. Refreshing like mad right now lol.

EDIT: RIP the dream. Takes out right away and this is a rent check for me. Ah well.
 

_Ryo_

Member
I'm at the very end of the game. I have to thank MediKing once again for granting me the opportunity to play such a great game. Youre awesome,dude.
 

Mediking

Member
I'm at the very end of the game. I have to thank MediKing once again for granting me the opportunity to play such a great game. Youre awesome,dude.

No problem! I'm really glad I could help someone experience the game. I love the Persona community. I will always have you guys back.

Speaking of which...

Where is the rest of the squad opinions/impressions on P5?

Like where's Makio? Gooch? Barybll? Hughesta? Vaporeon? Daevious? Etc? Lol the list runs on....
 

Maxwood

Oh rock of ages, do not crumble, love is breathing still. Oh lady moon shine down, a little people magic if you will.
Yesterday, after 110 hours, I "finished" Persona 4.
Apparently I got Bad Ending 2, which explains the anti-climax and well-aimed punch in the gut.

I found out I said just one thing wrong in
the hospital room,
otherwise I would have been on the right path for the True Ending. Glad someone told me about the existence of a "True Ending".
Even happier that there seems to be a lot of story and gameplay left. ^_^

One things certain, Persona 4 has become one of my favorite videogames of all-time. A better ending can only place it higher on the list.
Which also causes my interest for other Persona titles and the Shin Megami Tensei series to grow exponentially. Exciting stuff.
 
I beat the game earlier this week. I have so much to say, but I don't really have the drive to specifically sum up all of my thoughts on it right now. It's a really good game, and it's taken up so much of my daily life for the past month that I don't even feel like playing video games any more. I really want P6. I really want those spinoffs. P4 is still my favorite, but P5 was a blast.

I am so happy that I finally, finally got to play and beat Persona 5.
 

_Ryo_

Member
No problem! I'm really glad I could help someone experience the game. I love the Persona community. I will always have you guys back.

Speaking of which...

Where is the rest of the squad opinions/impressions on P5?

Like where's Makio? Gooch? Barybll? Hughesta? Vaporeon? Daevious? Etc? Lol the list runs on....

Maybe theyre all playing it? Kinda seems weird theyre not discussing it, yeah. Also weird is the SMT podcast I listen to aint talked about the game yet either.

Anyway... It took me about 115 hours to complete at like level 75. Spent 0 time grinding and completed quite a bit Confidants.

End game/Final Boss spoiler
Final boss ways waaay too easy. You just keep hitting it in the chest area and guard when needed.
Dont even need to worry about those other arms. If you got a persona that blocks physical it is even easier.
 

Lynx_7

Member
Yesterday, after 110 hours, I "finished" Persona 4.
Apparently I got Bad Ending 2, which explains the anti-climax and well-aimed punch in the gut.

I found out I said just one thing wrong in
the hospital room,
otherwise I would have been on the right path for the True Ending. Glad someone told me about the existence of a "True Ending".
Even happier that there seems to be a lot of story and gameplay left. ^_^

One things certain, Persona 4 has become one of my favorite videogames of all-time. A better ending can only place it higher on the list.
Which also causes my interest for other Persona titles and the Shin Megami Tensei series to grow exponentially. Exciting stuff.

After you "beat" the game again come back and tell us what ending you got so we can make sure you really got the true ending. Until then, save your cleared file on a separate slot so you can come back to the save before the endgame just in case. You have been warned! :p

And welcome aboard the megaten train, next destination: P5 or P3 if you're craving another Persona experience; Devil Survivor: Overclocked is a solid choice if you want a bridge between Persona (big focus on story and characters) and traditional Megaten (an interesting take on the Law-Neutral-Chaos conflict, Tokyo as a setting); Digital Devil Saga is even closer in gameplay and tone to traditional SMT while also still being more plot-focused and it has a fixed party of characters, so it might also be a good choice for someone coming from Persona; SMT: Nocturne if you want to jump to the mainline series right away, it was actually the game I played right after P4 introduced me to the series and I don't regret it one bit, though be aware it's a lot more focused on combat and dungeon crawling than narrative or characters; alternatively, some people might argue SMT IV is more suitable for newcomers, though be aware the first few hours are massively more difficult than the rest of the game so it may be a bumpy road at first.
 
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