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[Varna]

Someone didn't play Persona 2 EP!

I think we can stop pretending that was anything but a fluke.

Persona's concept can work in any number of settings. That's why it's frustrating that it's highschool again. Thought at least this time you get to be a senior!

If they have to stick to teenagers why couldn't the setting be a home for runaways?

 

[Steel]

Yes. Japanese universities don't feel like "school" the same way American ones do.

People were hoping for a university scenario for what reason? Because they can't relate to high schoolers and want a more 'mature' story? Persona story lines are plenty mature as it is. Just because you're growing up doesn't mean the characters have to age as well.

Pretty much this. But I know plenty of people who hear the first part of a story as "These kids in high school..." and can't get over that detail. Suspension of disbelief is a healthy thing to have, especially in video games.

 

[Moonlight]

I think we can stop pretending that was anything but a fluke.

EP was the second half of a video game about high school kids trying to save the world and the power of friendship. There is literally half of an example of the series that people apparently want Persona to be that it's never otherwise demonstrated it is.

 

[Varna]

EP was the second half of a video game about high school kids trying to save the world and the power of friendship. There is literally half of an example of the series that people apparently want Persona to be that it's never otherwise demonstrated it is.

EP was the good half though.

Spoiler

I will play though IS one day...

 

[ZSeba]

Yes. Japanese universities don't feel like "school" the same way American ones do.

People were hoping for a university scenario for what reason? Because they can't relate to high schoolers and want a more 'mature' story? Persona story lines are plenty mature as it is. Just because you're growing up doesn't mean the characters have to age as well.

Because it's been done to death in anime and games?

 

[Dr. Buni]

Gematsu had this to add: Atlus promises the game will offer a sense of realism, including life-sized characters and a story built from a new world and values.

I hope that means catherine style models.

Yeah, Catherine automatically came to my mind reading the above sentence.

 

[Moonlight]

EP was the good half though.

Spoiler

I will play though IS one day...

IS is actually really good despite how much I rag on it (at least, the grimdark pedestal that some people have put it on). I think it should be pretty cheap with the upcoming Atlus sale, too!

Also if EP didn't rot your soul with its' ponderous actual game part, IS should be a welcome change of pace with how it speeds up a few key parts of the battle system (although this is just my opinion, but neither iteration of P2 is actually fun to play). The encounter rate is fucking insanity, though.

Maya is an actual character in IS, too, and a pretty darn good one at that!

 

[Steel]

Because it's been done to death in anime and games?

What games? I can think of one that I've played personally......

Edit: Alright now that I think about it quite a few Atlus games, but I can't really think of anything more outside of that. Valk Chron 2?

 

[GorillaJu]

Because adults are more interesting than high school kids.

How so? They're fictional characters and can be written to be as uninteresting or as deep as you want regardless of how old they are. Their age is there to provide context.

 

[Moonlight]

Because it's been done to death in anime and games?

And I'm sure there's plenty that handles and specifically utilizes high school like Persona does.

OddMorsel knows what's up.

 

[GorillaJu]

I think we can stop pretending that was anything but a fluke.

Persona's concept can work in any number of settings. That's why it's frustrating that it's highschool again. Thought at least this time you get to be a senior!

If they have to stick to teenagers why couldn't the setting be a home for runaways?

I'm not sure that you'll be a third year student. In Japan, the third year of high school basically only lasts until winter break. After that class becomes optional and students only come to school to study with their peers or consult with their teachers. They devote most of their time to studying for university entrance exams. Unlike the SATs, you take your exams - each exam unique to the school to which you're applying - and get accepted and begin the school year all in a two month span between February and April. Some people have it sorted out earlier but the majority follow this system.

I guess Persona games do tend to speed through the school period after winter break, but I think it'd be tricky to manage your social links when all your friends are busy studying all day.

 

[Desi]

Persona is about contextualizing social issues and personal conflicts during a formative period of your life when you're trying to work out your identity. Like your teenage years.

This is why I would applaud something as outrageous as a US university being the setting. As it is many young adults/teens first time being away from home and the semblance of responsibility. Identity searching can be pushed back a few years since many folks find College to be a defining moment in friendships, character, and the like.

Thinking about it now, if Persona was set in a US High School most of the "friendships" would only last the school year or if lucky graduation. Wow.

 

[Dr. Buni]

I'm not sure that you'll be a third year student. In Japan, the third year of high school basically only lasts until winter break. After that class becomes optional and students only come to school to study with their peers or consult with their teachers. They devote most of their time to studying for university entrance exams. Unlike the SATs, you take your exams - each exam unique to the school to which you're applying - and get accepted and begin the school year all in a two month span between February and April. Some people have it sorted out earlier but the majority follow this system.

I guess Persona games do tend to speed through the school period after winter break, but I think it'd be tricky to manage your social links when all your friends are busy studying all day.

Woah, didn't know that. They don't show this sort of stuff in anime and doramas

Anyway, what if the main characters in P5 go through the three years of high school in the game?

 

[Moonlight]

Anyway, what if the main characters in P5 go through the three years of high school in the game?

It'd be a long ass game.

 

[Steel]

Woah, didn't know that. They don't show this sort of stuff in anime and doramas

Anyway, what if the main characters in P5 go through the three years of high school in the game?

Would be interesting. But that would be like turning an 80 hour game into a 240 hour game >.>

 

[Dr. Buni]

It'd be a long ass game.

Would be interesting. But that would be like turning an 80 hour game into a 240 hour game >.>

Sounds good to me.

Edit: They could skip several months, so creating events for each and every month wouldn't be necessary.

 

[Squire]

According to Dengeki PlayStation, the characters of Persona 5 will be living the hard lives of modern-day society, where each one of them will be restrained by something. Atlus are working on a story that can allow players to experience a new world, along with a new sense of values, together with characters who will bring out a strong sense of reality.

As previously reported, the game will take place in the series’ usual juvenile school setting, but with a different mood; however, Atlus emphasizes that although Persona 5 will have a different mood, they aim to make it into a new game that will still provide a feeling of reassurance to the fans of the series.

While Atlus’ characteristics will be present in Persona 5, another one of their goals is to have players feel passion, cry and laugh, then finally feel a sense of elation when all is said and done.

http://www.siliconera.com/2013/11/26/persona-5s-characters-will-restrained-modern-society/

How dark? #sodark

 

[buddha0991]

http://www.siliconera.com/2013/11/26/persona-5s-characters-will-restrained-modern-society/

How dark? #sodark

*insert my mediocre joke from Persona Community Thread here*

 

[Dr. Buni]

http://www.siliconera.com/2013/11/26/persona-5s-characters-will-restrained-modern-society/

How dark? #sodark

Darker than black.

Seems like Persona 5 will likely give me a lot of feels, like Persona 4 did. :c

 

[GorillaJu]

This is why I would applaud something as outrageous as a US university being the setting. As it is many young adults/teens first time being away from home and the semblance of responsibility. Identity searching can be pushed back a few years since many folks find College to be a defining moment in friendships, character, and the like.

Thinking about it now, if Persona was set in a US High School most of the "friendships" would only last the school year or if lucky graduation. Wow.

Don't think they could tackle this without completely outsourcing the writing to someone who grew up in the States. Would you trust an American studio to give a believable representation of a Japanese high school and the trials and relationships involved?

It's simple enough for you because you can call on your feelings and experiences through your college years as context for a story, but the guys at Atlus cannot. Even if they did their homework on researching university life, they'd inevitably get some of the details laughably wrong, and it's important for the details to be spot-on for the world to engender some amount of credulity.

As well as Persona is received in the States, it's so much bigger in Japan and it just wouldn't make sense to alienate their players even if it may sound enticing to experience a foreign culture. Japanese public high schools are invariably fixed in their scheduling, their curriculum, their uniforms. I'd wager 95% of all Japanese have a nearly identical school experience (in terms of studying, classes and clubs), and that context to which the audience can relate is important for Persona because it allows the writers to bring in the supernatural as juxtaposition with the mundane.

 

[Steel]

http://www.siliconera.com/2013/11/26/persona-5s-characters-will-restrained-modern-society/

How dark? #sodark

I likes what I'm hearing. Unless it's just about saving people from what's tying them down. Persona 4 did that.

 

[Dresden]

http://www.siliconera.com/2013/11/26/persona-5s-characters-will-restrained-modern-society/

How dark? #sodark

Feeling bad for the robot girl already.

 

[KibblesBits]

Persona 2 may have had older characters, but the focus was still on formulating identity and overcoming issues that come along with such an undertaking.

The characters in P2:EP broke the trend as they were young adults, for the most part... sorry Baofu, and those issues were still not resolved. Despite the older ages of Baofu, Ulala, Katsuya and Maya they were still in turmoil concerning their identities.

The main focus of Persona is being your true self, realizing the gods and demons within you and becoming more powerful for it.

That doesn't mean it HAS to be in a school setting, one could be any age and still coming to term with who they are and the challenges they'd face with the realization of that. It just so happens that a large amount of people going through issues like that are teenagers and younger adults.

Would a Persona game with a focus on adults do well? That remains to be seen. P2EP did NOT do incredibly well sales wise, but it was rather well written and realistic in approach concerning adults and their concerns.

With enough demand there very well could be a game that has more adults than kids in the cast again...

I'm still holding out for the series moving away from social links.

I really don't care about these other people's problems, there's inner turmoil and demons or (sigh) shadows to be dealt with!

 

[Mononoke]

It doesn't say realism, it says a sense of realism – practical realism to give players more credulity, not graphical realism.

Basically, Catherine.

Well apparently my reading skills are lacking. I'm cool with this.

 

[koutoru]

Someone help me out on this. Did the concept of "facing your true self" to awaken persona actually start with Persona 4?

In Persona 3 there were no shadows of yourself that you faced. You either shot yourself with an evoker or you took drugs to forcibly release a Persona.

In Persona 2, being a persona user was almost commonplace and awakening one seemed to happen at different times for different people.

I don't know about Persona 1, haven't played it yet.

 

[buddha0991]

Someone help me out on this. Did the concept of "facing your true self" to awaken persona actually start with Persona 4?

In Persona 3 there were no shadows of yourself that you faced. You either shot yourself with an evoker or you took drugs to forcibly release a Persona.

In Persona 2, being a persona user was almost commonplace and awakening one seemed to happen at different times for different people.

I don't know about Persona 1, haven't played it yet.

Every Persona game has shadow selves in them, except 3 for the most part. 2 had boss fights with the shadows, but they were different, for spoilery reasons I will not get into.

 

[FluxWaveZ]

Someone help me out on this. Did the concept of "facing your true self" to awaken persona actually start with Persona 4?

Persona 4 only thing if you're talking about initially obtaining a Persona.

Shadows or one's "true self" is not a Persona 4 only thing, however.

 

[7Th]

http://www.siliconera.com/2013/11/26/persona-5s-characters-will-restrained-modern-society/

How dark? #sodark

Restrained by society? Lesbian protagonist confirmed.

 

[KibblesBits]

Restrained by society? Lesbian protagonist confirmed.

Only if she's not hot.

 

[LX_Theo]

Someone help me out on this. Did the concept of "facing your true self" to awaken persona actually start with Persona 4?

In Persona 3 there were no shadows of yourself that you faced. You either shot yourself with an evoker or you took drugs to forcibly release a Persona.

In Persona 2, being a persona user was almost commonplace and awakening one seemed to happen at different times for different people.

I don't know about Persona 1, haven't played it yet.

Persona 1 and 2 were done by the Persona game. Philemon gave people who did it earlier in their life a Persona in the games. Usually at a time they needed it. Don't remember any references to a person getting a persona that wasn't awakened by Philemon.

Persona 3 I think was a bit more vague on the topic. Unless I missed something, it was generally just explained as being a rare trait that people could stay awake in the dark hour. I also have a theory myself that the evokers made it so that they didn't need to awaken to their Persona. The evoker forced them out for use, then they awakened to their persona as they worked through their problems throughout the story. At least that's my theory.

 

[GorillaJu]

Someone help me out on this. Did the concept of "facing your true self" to awaken persona actually start with Persona 4?

In Persona 3 there were no shadows of yourself that you faced. You either shot yourself with an evoker or you took drugs to forcibly release a Persona.

In Persona 2, being a persona user was almost commonplace and awakening one seemed to happen at different times for different people.

I don't know about Persona 1, haven't played it yet.

"Facing your true self" is a common thing, just not quite as pronounced as in P4. The name of the series is "Persona" after all

This quote explains it much better than I ever could:

“There’s a very subtle difference — P3 employed the multiple-persona concept to suggest a character who wore many different masks, but kept his heart hidden. Success in the game’s social relationships usually depended on telling characters precisely what they wanted to hear – even if it wasn’t the right thing, and even if it conflicted with beliefs and behaviors you chose to express with other characters. Underlying message? Starkly nihilistic in its own way, suggesting that all others ever really know of your “self” is the mask you choose to show them.

By contrast – and with a lot more clarity — P4 presents the idea that an individual may have many different “selves,” some public, some private, and yet the individual’s encouraged to embrace and accept them all, even when it’s difficult. In fact, in P4, denying one’s alternate self creates a mortal danger. A facet of the self that’s repressed can become a dangerous dark side – and that’s true for real-life humans, too.”

 

[7Th]

Only if she's not hot.

Just make her a gaijin; instant minority in Japan!

 

[Steel]

Someone help me out on this. Did the concept of "facing your true self" to awaken persona actually start with Persona 4?

In Persona 3 there were no shadows of yourself that you faced. You either shot yourself with an evoker or you took drugs to forcibly release a Persona.

In Persona 2, being a persona user was almost commonplace and awakening one seemed to happen at different times for different people.

I don't know about Persona 1, haven't played it yet.

The persona users in 1 awakened after playing the "Persona" game. It was pretty silly.

Persona 2's shadow selves... They're not the same thing at all.

Persona 3

Spoiler

had a bit of this in the answer.

Once again not the same thing.

Edit: Persona 3's Persona users were identified by their reaction to the dark hour(Brief insanity). Also the cast had to face their problems in order to get their ultimate persona's

 

[Varna]

Someone help me out on this. Did the concept of "facing your true self" to awaken persona actually start with Persona 4?

In Persona 3 there were no shadows of yourself that you faced. You either shot yourself with an evoker or you took drugs to forcibly release a Persona.

In Persona 2, being a persona user was almost commonplace and awakening one seemed to happen at different times for different people.

I don't know about Persona 1, haven't played it yet.

Defeating shadow self was from Persona 4. Although Shadows did exist in P2, but they served a different purpose. In Persona 1 and 2 people

who were touched by Philemon and Nyarlathotep could summon Persona.

I

 

[koutoru]

Every Persona game has shadow selves in them, except 3 for the most part. 2 had boss fights with the shadows, but they were different, for spoilery reasons I will not get into.

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear before, I know there are shadows of your true self in every Persona game, however facing your true self to obtain a Persona seemed like a Persona 4 only thing.

 

[Steel]

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear before, I know there are shadows of your true self in every Persona game, however facing your true self to obtain a Persona seemed like a Persona 4 only thing.

As mentioned in my edit above, the 3 users could only get their ultimate personas by overcoming their problems ala 4 minus the need for intervention because of the

Spoiler

tv world

.

 

[GorillaJu]

Just make her a gaijin; instant minority in Japan!

The canon love social link being a lesbian foreign exchange student would be hilarious.

I hope there's an exchange student (love interest or not) in 5 like there was in 3.

 

[LX_Theo]

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear before, I know there are shadows of your true self in every Persona game, however facing your true self to obtain a Persona seemed like a Persona 4 only thing.

To note, Persona 4 was the only one to take place into an entirely different world. Persona 1-3 were all in the real world or a distorted version of the real world (someone correct me if I'm wrong), where having the power of Persona bestowed upon you by Philemon or using an evoker was required to use a Persona.

I'd assume that the requirements to use a persona would vary widely between the two.

 

[lupin23rd]

Do you guys think we'll get the option to rename the main character again, and potentially choose between male and female protagonists?

With all the spin-off games as the anime, and having to give the dude a name (honestly don't know if there was a default all along), I wonder if they'd tackle that up front, or just come up with it later again if they need a name.

 

[Steel]

Defeating shadow self was from Persona 4. Although Shadows did exist in P2, but they served a different purpose.

I

Please fix your spoiler.

 

[Varna]

One thing I wasn't quiet clear on. Are people in P3/4 able to use their power outside of the Dark hour/TV world?

In P1 & 2 people were able to use it everywhere including for some pretty questionable uses.

EDIT: DIdn't think that was much of a spoiler really.

 

[FluxWaveZ]

To note, Persona 4 was the only one to take place into an entirely different world. Persona 1-3 were all in the real world or a distorted version of the real world (someone correct me if I'm wrong), where having the power of Persona bestowed upon you by Philemon or using an evoker was required to use a Persona.

I'd assume that the requirements to use a persona would vary widely between the two.

According to P4A, the evoker was just a symbol of their resolve and not an absolute necessity to summon a Persona once they got used to it.

Even so, there'd be three variations (by playing the Persona game, by having the "potential" and by being thrown inside a TV and accepting your true self).

One thing I wasn't quiet clear on. Are people in P3/4 able to use their power outside of the Dark hour/TV world?

In P1 & 2 people were able to use it everywhere including for some pretty questionable uses.

In the case of P3 and P4, we don't know and it may be something that is addressed more explicitly in P4A2, given its premise.

 

[Steel]

One thing I wasn't quiet clear on. Are people in P3/4 able to use their power outside of the Dark hour/TV world?

In P1 & 2 people were able to use it everywhere including for some pretty questionable uses.

In some cases for 3, but no for 4.

Spoiler

Strega could use their Personas at anytime, but the medicine they took that allowed them to do so kills them slowly

. Also in Persona 4 arena it's mentioned that Akihiko figured out how to use a persona without an evoker.

Edit:

One thing I wasn't quiet clear on. Are people in P3/4 able to use their power outside of the Dark hour/TV world?

In P1 & 2 people were able to use it everywhere including for some pretty questionable uses.

EDIT: DIdn't think that was much of a spoiler really.

It's not for 1 it is for 2.

 

[Nightengale]

Do you guys think we'll get the option to rename the main character again, and potentially choose between male and female protagonists?

With all the spin-off games as the anime, and having to give the dude a name (honestly don't know if there was a default all along), I wonder if they'd tackle that up front, or just come up with it later again if they need a name.

I'm somewhat skeptical.

It feels like tightening the narrative by defining the main character as well as the primary character dynamic and development had been more fruitful to the Persona team.

I think they'll have options to rename, but i wouldn't be surprised if they gave us a default name option that is voiced.

 

[koutoru]

As mentioned in my edit above, the 3 users could only get their ultimate personas by overcoming their problems ala 4 minus the need for intervention because of the

Spoiler

tv world

.

So, from what I'm hearing the requirements for summoning a persona (at least initially) are different in the real world than in the tv world?
Is that why the Persona 4 characters were always unable to summon persona outside the tv world?

 

[FluxWaveZ]

So, from what I'm hearing the requirements for summoning a persona (at least initially) are different in the real world than in the tv world?
Is that why the Persona 4 characters were always unable to summon persona outside the tv world?

Methods to gain Persona:

- Persona game
- Potential
- Forced to gain one such as being shot by an Evoker without having the Potential or through experiments
- Being an anti-Shadow weapon
- Acceptance of true self inside the Midnight Channel

I believe the only time we see a Persona being summoned in the actual real world is with the following method:

- Persona game

 

[Varna]

Methods to gain Persona:

- Persona game
- Potential
- Forced to gain one such as being shot by an Evoker without having the Potential or through experiments
- Being an anti-Shadow weapon
- Acceptance of true self inside the Midnight Channel

I believe the only time we see a Persona being summoned in the actual real world is with the following method:

- Persona game

Did

Spoiler

Kandori and his goons play Persona game as well?

I would be pretty disappointed if we didn't have the usual blank slate character in P5. Not sure what people want. It's not like it's the usual nods at everything protagonist. You get plenty of opportunities to voice your opinion (even if it doesn't lead to anything different).

 

[Steel]

Methods to gain Persona:

- Persona game
- Potential
- Forced to gain one such as being shot by an Evoker without having the Potential or through experiments
- Being an anti-Shadow weapon
- Acceptance of true self inside the Midnight Channel

I believe the only time we see a Persona being summoned in the actual real world is with the following method:

- Persona game

You're missing Strega's method.

 

[LX_Theo]

Methods to gain Persona:

- Persona game
- Potential
- Forced to gain one such as being shot by an Evoker without having the Potential or through experiments
- Being an anti-Shadow weapon
- Acceptance of true self inside the Midnight Channel

I believe the only time we see a Persona being summoned in the actual real world is with the following method:

- Persona game

You missed being given it by a god like entity. Similar to Persona game as I think Philemon's method is basically the same, but we see it with

Spoiler

Yu, Adachi, and (sort of) Namatame

.

 

[FluxWaveZ]

Did

Spoiler

Kandori and his goons play Persona game as well?

Actually, there were a few exceptions to the "Persona game" rule in P1 and P2, but I don't remember if they were any of them. I guess another way to gain one would be:

-

Spoiler

Possession by Nyarlathotep

You're missing Strega's method.

No, that's #3.

You missed being given it by a god like entity. Similar to Persona game as I think Philemon's method is basically the same, but we see it with

Spoiler

Yu, Adachi, and (sort of) Namatame

.

There's that one, too. The

Spoiler

fateful handshake

method.