Support NeoGAF

[Zalman]

I finally got a Vita and I knew I had to buy Persona 4 Golden. Especially since it was only 20 dollars. To be quite honest, I wasn’t really that excited to play it. I didn’t know what to expect. I had no experience with Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, nor did I find them that appealing. That said, I had seen a little bit of gameplay of P4G before buying it, and it did seem much happier, light-hearted and ”fun” to me than I initially expected, so that’s why I decided to give it a shot.

Anyway, I can safely say I’m very VERY happy I played this. Absolutely loved it. Obviously, the characters are the stars of the show. I found all of the friends you make throughout the game to be extremely likable.

Spoiler

Seeing them in that group photo at the end really made me smile.

The story itself is also very interesting with interesting twists every now and then.

Music is always a big part of video games for me, and this game has a fantastic soundtrack. I'm listening to "Your Affection" as I'm typing this. I also really like the Boss and the

Spoiler

Heaven

theme. Definitely something I think I will return to on a regular basis.

Every game has its low points though. I did find the dungeons to be too long for my taste. It was pretty frustrating when I couldn't find the stairs and I kept encountering shadows. It seemed like a distraction from the story, and I just wanted to be done with them as quickly as possible. I also think the overall game could be trimmed quite a bit. It took me almost 50 hours to finish, which I think is quite a long time, but I understand it's the standard for this series so I'm probably not that used to it.

And by the way, yes, I did see all the endings. The first ending I got actually turned out to be the normal ending, which was satisfying on its own. I had to look up how to get the true ending, but it ended up being even better than the normal one.

tl;dr: A really memorable game with a fantastic cast and soundtrack. I am definitely a fan, and I can now see myself getting excited for Persona 5.

 

[Rival]

Great game

 

[UnluckyKate]

Amazing game. played it 3 times in a row over a month. Was playing all day. Game is crazy good and character are charming as hell

 

[Napalm_Frank]

Reminds me that we still haven't got any info for P5 after the reveal and supposedly it's out in Japan in 5 months. Gimme dem blowouts already!

 

[Ragus]

18 hours in. It's my first Atlus JRPG and boy do I love it.

 

[JudgmentJay]

Definitely one of my favorites. I played the PS2 version for only ~12 hours before dropping it, but after picking it up on Vita I played it for over 100. The soundtrack is one of my go-tos for when I'm working. So good. Can't wait for P5.

 

[Dr Amazon MD]

Sounds like it's time for you to play Persona 3.

I'm torn between which I like better, but they are both fantastic games. Also you might wanna try out some other SMT games like Nocturne or Digital Devil Saga, all of which are fantastic.

 

[Cheese Sandwich]

Amazing game, one of my favs of all time. You should play Persona 3 Portable after, if you haven't.

 

[Bboy AJ]

It was the first new-ish JRPG I've played in awhile. One of my favorite games I played last year. The characters are just so likeable. It's a shame the dungeons are awful. The battle system is enjoyable. I just hated the lifeless dungeon crawls.

 

[CatPee]

Best Vita game.

The Reincarnation version of I'll Face Myself -Battle- is still one of the best fight themes ever.

 

[adamsapple]

Great ending.
Almost had me teary eyed.

 

[AgentLampshade]

Midway through my 5th playthrough myself (3rd Golden, first 2 were vanilla) and I'm trying to do all the S.Links I haven't done yet. Sorry Eri, you're just not interesting!

 

[Renpatsu]

Great game. As you noted though the dungeons are easily the worst part because the layouts are simply uninspired for the majority of the game.

 

[blackjaw]

I liked P4 but P4G went into GOAT territory for me

 

[Allen Poe]

When I bought my Vita, the guy was selling this with it. I tried to get him to keep the game and lower the price of the Vita, but he refused. I heard about how good it supposedly was, but the things I read about it (turn based combat, "social simulator," etc) had me not interested at all. a few months after buying the Vita, i popped it in out of sheer boredom to see what the hype was. those first several hours were extremely slow and boring. But once things kicked off... man. multiple marathon sessions. 130 hours later and... yeah. Fucking awesome game. And yes, the music is awesome.

 

[BDrummer1606]

Just finished this game a few days ago and it's now one of my favorite games of all time. Took me 87 hours to beat it, but even at that time I still didn't want it to end.

 

[Zalman]

Reminds me that we still haven't got any info for P5 after the reveal and supposedly it's out in Japan in 5 months. Gimme dem blowouts already!

I didn't realize it was out this year. I'm looking forward to TGS, then.

18 hours in. It's my first Atlus JRPG and boy do I love it.

Enjoy, man. It really is something special.

Sounds like it's time for you to play Persona 3.

I'm torn between which I like better, but they are both fantastic games. Also you might wanna try out some other SMT games like Nocturne or Digital Devil Saga, all of which are fantastic.

I'll definitely look into those games at some point. Am I right when I say they have a much darker tone? I enjoyed the light-hearted nature of this one.

 

[stryke]

I got back into P4G recently. First time I

Spoiler

harvested the garden without Nanako

, so cut

 

[Goteki_45]

I've said it before and I'll say it again...P4G is the...

 

[Dr Amazon MD]

I'll definitely look into those games at some point. Am I right when I say they have a much darker tone? I enjoyed the light-hearted nature of this one.

Yeah for the most part. Persona 3 is a little darker than P4, but there is still a lot of cheerful parts. It's a nice mix of both. I'd say the game is relatively upbeat for the most part though.

 

[Xeno_V]

tl;dr: A really memorable game with a fantastic cast and soundtrack. I am definitely a fan, and I can now see myself getting excited for Persona 5.

I am just stating my opinion as someone who finished the game for the 1st time during the previous week but for me the soundtrack and the plot (also the script) felt very basic and not interesting at all.
The OST isn't that bad but the main issue IMO was that especially when you are doing all kinds of social activities the tracks that you listen to are EXTREMELY limited and after a while they become quite repetitive. In the end I kinda hated many tracks. Regarding dungeon themes I only found Heaven to be really good, besides this I have already forgotten anything else and boss themes for me were much worse than in let's say SMT3.

This comes from someone who thinks that OSTs are really important and I know that it's just an opinion but I didn't like the average at best J-Pop feeling of many tracks.

The script was also very boring imo and it's not like I expected Matsuno quality of writing but still it's the first time that I felt like skipping so many dialogues. I believe that even P3 had a much more interesting storyline in comparison, but still I don't believe that P3/P4 can compare with RPGs with good storylines.

The gameplay was great and this is why I still enjoyed the game, it's not like it's the best thing I have seen but I have to say that it is VERY addictive.

Anyway OP I am honestly glad that you enjoyed the game more than I did probably, I was just looking for a chance to say a few things about the game .

 

[thenexus6]

Please port this to the PS4!

 

[-Horizon-]

Snowflakes, Memories, and

Spoiler

Heaven

were all great tunes.

 

[Cudder]

Beat it earlier this year. The only experience I've had with JRPG's were the Pokemon games when I was younger, and literally a few hours spread over games like Demon's Souls.

Such an amazing game. I feel like I started with the best possible JRPG and now everything else will be downhill. I started FFX right after and while I like it, it doesn't compare at all to P4G.

 

[mickagau33]

Great game, although it took quite a long time for the persona series to "click" for me.
It's not your typical JRPG and you don't get any sense of exploration or discovering the world. Your are basically stuck to a very limited numbers of areas and some random dungeons. But for what it tries, it is really brillant.

Characters are great indeed, although Naoto seem to belong to another game (since the rest of the cast is pretty believable and down to earth)

The thing they could definitely improve in P5 is the too damn long intro (a flaw inherited from P3)-I mean I don't mind long intro, as long as you actually have to play (think Dragon Quest VII)-It was reall off puting for me the first time I tried P3 and P4. And having to go through 2 hrs intro (browsing through text) everytime you want to restart a game is boring.

 

[gngf123]

Persona 4 is a good game. I thought they did a good job of the characters and improved the gameplay a lot compared to P3. Yet, I still have far too many problems with the game to give it any more respect than that. While better than P3 I still consider it one of the weakest MegaTen games purely based on how awful the dungeons are and the sometimes poor pacing.

Despite that, it is still better than most JRPGs. I enjoyed it a lot.

 

[Fancy Clown]

Maybe I'll get this some day...I do own a vita after all.

 

[Evilmaus]

P4G is the reason I even bought a Vita. It's my favourite game to date, and I must have sunk a good 300+ hours into it by now.

If you haven't already, give Persona 3 FES a go. I wouldn't say it's as good, but it's still a great game with an awesome cast of characters.

 

[Andrefpvs]

P4G is the reason I even bought a Vita. It's my favourite game to date, and I must have sunk a good 300+ hours into it by now.

If you haven't already, give Persona 3 FES a go. I wouldn't say it's as good, but it's still a great game with an awesome cast of characters.

Also, the sequel story (Persona 4 Arena), follows the stories of P4G and P3FES, so it's good to have played them both

 

[Relique]

I saw this for 20 dollars online a few months back and decided to snag it based on the praise here. I didn't have room on my vita so I waited until I finished VLR to finally install it. I went it blind and immediately got hooked. So far I have put in 50 hours or so but I am starting to get frustrated with it due to the high difficulty I selected. I keep having to grind levels, money, personas, and gear to beat bosses and it can get a little repetitive. I am hoping that taking a couple of days off will help.

 

[Bboy AJ]

Maybe I'll get this some day...I do own a vita after all.

It's the best game on the Vita, IMO.

I saw this for 20 dollars online a few months back and decided to snag it based on the praise here. I didn't have room on my vita so I waited until I finished VLR to finally install it. I went it blind and immediately got hooked. So far I have put in 50 hours or so but I am starting to get frustrated with it due to the high difficulty I selected. I keep having to grind levels, money, personas, and gear to beat bosses and it can get a little repetitive. I am hoping that taking a couple of days off will help.

The battles get in the way of the story, unfortunately.

 

[FluxWaveZ]

I didn't realize it was out this year. I'm looking forward to TGS, then.

Possibly (probably?) not out this year in Japan. If you're a fan of the characters, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and Persona Q are going to be out soon, though, the former of which is a direct sequel (to the direct sequel) of Persona 4.

Might not enjoy P3FES because of the mechanical improvements P4G has had compared to it, possibly making the former feel tedious, but it's my favorite Persona game.

 

[manzoman96]

Glad you liked it OP. It truly is an experience every video game fan has to have.

 

[Space Cowboy]

Glad you liked it OP. It truly is an experience every video game fan has to have.

I agree. Even if you've never played a JRPG or actively hate the genre, you need to at least give Persona 4 a chance. It's just that damn good.

And now I'm listening to the music from the game and feel like replaying it...

 

[shandy706]

Never heard of it.

 

[EdwardTeach]

I am several hours in, really enjoyed things so far. I have got really stuck on the contrarion king, and probably haven't played for a few months. I should probably pick it up again.

 

[Nick_C]

Is it weird that I just can't bring myself to finish this game? I have it saved right before

Spoiler

the Izanami boss fight

, but I just can't go through with it.

 

[LumpOfCole]

I didn't max Marie's social link before January because I don't care about Marie at all, and I find what happens to her after January (if you don't max her social link) hilarious.

 

[SoulPlaya]

I just finished it on Vita. It was good, not great, though. I found myself really bored with the dungeons. They were just lazy by design, and I just wanted to get them over with, as soon as possible. I know they're not the stars of the game, but still. Good game, overall, though, which is why I finished it.

 

[Evilmaus]

Also, the sequel story (Persona 4 Arena), follows the stories of P4G and P3FES, so it's good to have played them both

Yeah that too. If you've got even a passing interest in fighting games, Persona 4 Arena is incredibly fun. Great mechanics, good story, and the mix of P4 and P3 characters works extremely well.

 

[MisterShine]

I didn't max Marie's social link before January because I don't care about Marie at all, and I find what happens to her after January (if you don't max her social link) hilarious.

Mmm... spoil it?

 

[sub_o]

One day I'm gonna dedicate some time to play the NG+ and get 100% on everything.

But for now, maybe let me find sometime to play 2 Raidou games first.

 

[Andrefpvs]

Mmm... spoil it?

Are you talking about

Spoiler

how he missed the prologue to the game by skipping the Marie stuff?

 

[RK128]

Glad you enjoyed the game OP !

Got the game this May during a PSN sale due to everyone high praise for this and was wondering why people loved this so much. Got it for 14 bucks and.....I beat it three times within one month; saying the game sucked me into it's world is an understatement XD!

The solid story, the lovable cast of characters, the general light tone of the game, the interesting side-cast, the combat system being deeper then it looks, the bright and colorful visuals that just pop of the Vita's screen, the new Golden-exclusive content was beautifully incorporated into the original game (from what I can tell; never played the PS2 version) and the game having so much replay value (my NG+ file that I beat the game on three times said I have almost 200 hours clocked into it).......Such an amazing game !

Got Persona 3 Portable due to loving this so much and that is even BETTER then this in a few spots (largely the main story, some of the cast and the downright amazing soundtrack).

Once again, gotta thank NeoGaf for introducing me to this amazing series . If you want more of Persona 4, give the Arena games a shot alongside the PSP version of Persona 3 (yes, it isn't as good-looking as the PS2 version and it is missing some of the visuals but the core gameplay mechanics are lifted from Persona 4 for the PSP version while also adding in a FM Main Character and completely fixing the 'Tire' system the original game had).

 

[todd360]

I finally got a Vita and I knew I had to buy Persona 4 Golden. Especially since it was only 20 dollars. To be quite honest, I wasn’t really that excited to play it. I didn’t know what to expect. I had no experience with Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, nor did I find them that appealing.
Anyway, I can safely say I’m very VERY happy I played this.

Its like everyone on Neogaf who still hasn't played this game is a hipster. Its so popular that it can't possibly be good. I have special taste in games! Your anime game can't possibly be good.

At the end of the day they all fall in love with it.

 

[Zareka]

Always makes me happy when I see someone new praising the Persona series, they're definitely amazing games and way more people should experience them than already have. I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as you did.

Now go play t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶t̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ Persona 3!

 

[Fancy Clown]

Its like everyone on Neogaf who still hasn't played this game is a hipster. Its so popular that it can't possibly be good. I have special taste in games! Your anime game can't possibly be good.

At the end of the day they all fall in love with it.

I'm only on the fence because it's really long (I don't think I've ever beaten a game that takes 60-80 hours) and the combat/dungeons are apparently tedious. I'm not much of an RPG guy, too (although I loved replaying FFX on vita). I'll probably wait for a sale and get it when it's around $10, because I do to really want to spend more than that on something not sure I'll like.

 

[Squishy3]

I'm only on the fence because it's really long (I don't think I've ever beaten a game that takes 60-80 hours) and the combat/dungeons are apparently tedious. I'm not much of an RPG guy, too (although I loved replaying FFX on vita). I'll probably wait for a sale and get it when it's around $10, because I do to really want to spend more than that on something not sure I'll like.

Just put it on easy if you're afraid it'll be tedious. It turns the dungeon crawling into a pushover.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

Dungeons were worse than a low point. They are abysmal.

Still enjoyable game

Fast forward button is clutch

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

Love the PS2 version and I'll probably check this out once the Playstation TV or whatever its called hits.