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Persona 3 Portable |OT|: Mixing Things Up for Third Trimester

T

Tamanon

Banned
I like how some of the Male side characters just show up in the female social links. I guess that's what Atlus meant by playing the male side first, so you'd understand stuff like why Kenji kept asking about the teacher to Rio. Not that it adds too much.

Also, the Argyle Sweater better have an upgrade later on, love that outfit!
 
I

I AM JOHN!

Banned
So here's my shotgun impressions from having played a half-hour of the game and not even being up to the part where you get your Persona:
  • I can already tell that the visual novel presentation is not going to sit well with me. I'm echoing the sentiment that it's sometimes a little hard to follow what's actually going on because of it. Plus, I really don't like their necessary evil solution of putting parenthetical explanations for everything you would've originally seen. Not only does it kill the flow of scenes and destroy any sense of atmosphere (the opening in particular... yeesh!), but I feel like had I not been going on vague memories of those same cutscnes from FES, I'd be way more confused.
  • The exploration is pretty darn well done, though. It's still not something I want for, say for example, Persona 5, but it's a well done replacement for roaming around the school and other areas.
  • The new Girl's Side school theme is great! Who is the singer for it? It sounds closer to the P4 lady than the P3 lady, but I'm having a bit of trouble placing it.
  • Man, they must have badly compressed the Burn My Dread attract video or something, because it looks atrocious.
  • I named her Charlote Tunoku because I suck and couldn't come up with anything better (and also because I couldn't come up with a good female equivalent of "John;" any advice, GAF?).
I'm probably going to try and barrel my way through Glory of Heracles this weekend so I can be done with it, but I'm really looking forward to getting back into the Personariffic swing of things. I'm kind of surprised, actually!

Y2Kev said:
I like the world and plot of P3 a bit more than P4, but P4's a better "game." But P3 has Junpei so P3 dumps royally on P4.
Click to expand...
See, this is the thing: I feel like the Cliffnotes version of P3's narrative makes it sound incredibly interesting and way more unique than P4, but the writing just isn't there. The way the pacing, the tone and the story goes so off the rails a lot of the time in P3 just doesn't sit well with me and it's not something I can bring myself to ignore (oh, and not to mention that most of the characters are paper thin). I know this has nothing to do with anything, but in case you couldn't guess, I really like debating the merits of the two games. :p

Also yeah, Junpei is awesome. Playing the little bit I've played of the game has reminded me how much I like him and Akihiko.
 
D

drizzle

Axel Hertz
So, as somebody that got introduced by the Persona games by GiantBomb Persona 4 endurance run and never played any Persona game ever, should I play Persona 3 Portable for the first time using the Guy or the Girl?
 
B

B-Rad Lascelle

Banned
I AM JOHN! said:
I named her Charlote Tunoku because I suck and couldn't come up with anything better (and also because I couldn't come up with a good female equivalent of "John;" any advice, GAF?).
Click to expand...
How about Jane?
 
T

Tamanon

Banned
drizzle said:
So, as somebody that got introduced by the Persona games by GiantBomb Persona 4 endurance run and never played any Persona game ever, should I play Persona 3 Portable for the first time using the Guy or the Girl?
Click to expand...

I'd say the guy personally, although the girl's route has more development of the party member characters since ALL of them can be S. Links.
 
J

Jerk

Banned
I AM JOHN! said:
Wow... how the fuck did that never occur to me? :lol
Click to expand...

Shit, I just realized that I could have something similar with my character...

I named her Lady...:lol
 
J

jcm

Member
Dedication Through Light said:
lol? People dont use their real names?
Click to expand...

My real name is a man's name. My character is a lady. Thus, I needed a different name. By the way, I hate it when video games don't supply a default name for the main character. It's one of the only things I don't like about persona. Name the damned character, and let the NPC's call me by my name instead of "her", "she", or silence.
 
S

seady

Member
Have they announced Persona 4 for the PSP?
I just open my backlog copy of FES started playing it on my PS2, and realize it is a game that works better on a portable system (much repetition and grinding). If I am going to play Persona 4 I would like to play it on a portable.
 
DR2K

DR2K

Banned
I generally use an androgynous name, like Noah for my character. Putting this game down is so freaking hard. The girls side really makes the experience feel fresh.
 
M

MichaelEM3

Banned
I nearly had a run-in with the Reaper earlier today.

It was on a floor with all red shadows and I was at the far end of a long and narrow path without any idea on where the stairs were. Not wanting to use any rare items to escape, I told the crew to split up and ended up leaving Yukari behind to fight the Reaper by herself. Somehow, she didn't die immediately and I found the stairs and left to the next floor. Took the next access point I found back to the first floor and there she was waiting for me with close to full health somehow. :lol

I'm glad he's still in the game. Was sad when I learned he wasn't in P4 until your second playthrough (and even then, only in random chests).
 
P

Pappasman

Member
I have been playing this non stop for the past 2 days. I can't put it down.

Whats the best way to make money? I always feel poor when i go to buy weapons or armor.
 
M

MichaelEM3

Banned
Pappasman said:
I have been playing this non stop for the past 2 days. I can't put it down.

Whats the best way to make money? I always feel poor when i go to buy weapons or armor.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately the only easy way to get lots of money in P3 is through grinding Tartarus. When you feel comfortable with the strength of your party, start picking the money cards in Shuffle Time (which you can trigger 100% of the time if you end the battle with an all-out attack or a weakness-dealing blow from your main character). Also, you can go down to lower levels of Tartarus, command your team to split up, and then go hunting for money chests (which I have found way too common in P3P).

Kind of miss the Persona 4 solution to money in which you got components to sell from every enemy you beat.
 
B

Baloonatic

Member
I feel like I'm going to miss so much if I play this without an FAQ open. I really hate playing like that though.

Does it make a huge difference if you don't max a lot of social links and stuff?

At least it sounds like some of Elizabeth's tasks will be a bit easier to manage due to the new fatigue system.
 
P

Peff

Member
TenshiOni said:
Unfortunately the only easy way to get lots of money in P3 is through grinding Tartarus. When you feel comfortable with the strength of your party, start picking the money cards in Shuffle Time (which you can trigger 100% of the time if you end the battle with an all-out attack or a weakness-dealing blow from your main character). Also, you can go down to lower levels of Tartarus, command your team to split up, and then go hunting for money chests (which I have found way too common in P3P).

Kind of miss the Persona 4 solution to money in which you got components to sell from every enemy you beat.
Click to expand...

You can also sell old equipment and get weapon cards which usually give more money than the gold cards when sold. Going through the top of the block can net you quite a bit of money with that.

I feel like I'm going to miss so much if I play this without an FAQ open. I really hate playing like that though.

Does it make a huge difference if you don't max a lot of social links and stuff?

At least it sounds like some of Elizabeth's tasks will be a bit easier to manage due to the new fatigue system.
Click to expand...

There's definitely a difference, but it's not that hard to max out S. Links, especially now that you can have the entire month free after the first night. It's the sudden surprises like a character that needs x charm that might be more troublesome, but that's about it
 
B

Baloonatic

Member
Peff said:
There's definitely a difference, but it's not that hard to max out S. Links, especially now that you can have the entire month free after the first night. It's the sudden surprises like a character that needs x charm that might be more troublesome, but that's about it
Click to expand...

Ah, I didin't realise that. I guess as long as I find out who needs what stats by a certain date I'll be ok.
 
J

Jay Sosa

Member
TenshiOni said:
Unfortunately the only easy way to get lots of money in P3 is through grinding Tartarus. When you feel comfortable with the strength of your party, start picking the money cards in Shuffle Time (which you can trigger 100% of the time if you end the battle with an all-out attack or a weakness-dealing blow from your main character). Also, you can go down to lower levels of Tartarus, command your team to split up, and then go hunting for money chests (which I have found way too common in P3P).

Kind of miss the Persona 4 solution to money in which you got components to sell from every enemy you beat.
Click to expand...

The more you know..

Why don't they tell the gamer that kinda stuff btw?

Same with that if you have a matching persona equipped while meeting/talking with S.Links it levels up faster(same with accepting invitations at lunch time, instead of telling them you'll decide later, well I kinda expected that)

And one more thing I'd love to see in P5: A list that memorizes all the possibilities for Fusions, I don't want to have to write down the all the stuff again..
 
M

mileS

Member
Should have named her Chie Tunoku I AM JOHN! :D

Quick question for people here. I'm going through the Male MC first and I'm wondering (without spoilers) how many party members you can form S.links with? One of the the things I really enjoyed about P4 was maxing a couple of your core party members right away just to get the new looking persona for them. I know quite a few of the Female MC S.links are different so I wasn't sure.

At this rate I'm enjoying the game so much that I'll probably start a Female run on a higher difficulty level right after I finish the first time.
 
L

Lain

Member
I AM JOHN! said:
[*]The new Girl's Side school theme is great! Who is the singer for it? It sounds closer to the P4 lady than the P3 lady, but I'm having a bit of trouble placing it.
Click to expand...

I think it is Mayumi Fujita, but I'm not sure.
 
P

Peff

Member
mileS said:
Should have named her Chie Tunoku I AM JOHN! :D

Quick question for people here. I'm going through the Male MC first and I'm wondering (without spoilers) how many party members you can form S.links with? One of the the things I really enjoyed about P4 was maxing a couple of your core party members right away just to get the new looking persona for them. I know quite a few of the Female MC S.links are different so I wasn't sure.

At this rate I'm enjoying the game so much that I'll probably start a Female run on a higher difficulty level right after I finish the first time.
Click to expand...

As far as I remember the evolutions in Persona 3 were all story events. Not sure if that changed with the female character now that she has S Links with every party member, but I suppose it's still that way. You have a chart of the Social Links in the OP for both characters.

Also, newcomers should remember to do stuff in Pawlonia Mall during the night too (Karaoke, the Arcade...) especially now that it's harder to get tired, and you can still study afterwards.
 
T

Tamanon

Banned
mileS said:
Should have named her Chie Tunoku I AM JOHN! :D

Quick question for people here. I'm going through the Male MC first and I'm wondering (without spoilers) how many party members you can form S.links with? One of the the things I really enjoyed about P4 was maxing a couple of your core party members right away just to get the new looking persona for them. I know quite a few of the Female MC S.links are different so I wasn't sure.

At this rate I'm enjoying the game so much that I'll probably start a Female run on a higher difficulty level right after I finish the first time.
Click to expand...

As the male you can S. Link with all the females. But the upgraded personas for the characters come from a different route.

BTW, <3 the Beam Naginata sound when you swing it.:lol
 
M

mileS

Member
Ah I see... thx ya'll

I would ask what replaces the bonus for maxing an S.link but I think I'll just wait and see for myself.
 
D

devo1989

Member
Any uk users have any site recommendations for instant psn cards ? I tried MaximusCards but I apparently didn't pass their security check and they never explained why.
 
B

Brobzoid

how do I slip unnoticed out of a gloryhole booth?
I feel like I should be advancing in charm/courage/academics much faster than I am. Is there a trick to it? Like you have to build it up, but to actually bump it you need to 'greatly increase' it or something?

I needs me them stats! :x
 
P

Peff

Member
Brobzoid said:
I feel like I should be advancing in charm/courage/academics much faster than I am. Is there a trick to it? Like you have to build it up, but to actually bump it you need to 'greatly increase' it or something?

I needs me them stats! :x
Click to expand...

Try to answer as many questions as possible in school to boost Academics and Charm, if you are ever tired or sick go to the nurse's office near the Library and drink his potion thingy to boost Courage, participate in activities like going to the cinema or working during the evening (but it's better to use them for Social Links) and during the night go to Pawlonia Mall: the Karaoke, Coffee and Virtual Horror boost Courage, the Photo Sticker and Coffee boost Charm, and the Quiz boosts Academics (but the Arcade has a different game each day). After that, study a bit in your room to increase Academics a bit. If you see you're near the first set of exams and you aren't level 3 at least, then spend some evenings studying in the Library to get top grades, since the School Social Links are disabled those days.
 
P

Pappasman

Member
Brobzoid said:
I feel like I should be advancing in charm/courage/academics much faster than I am. Is there a trick to it? Like you have to build it up, but to actually bump it you need to 'greatly increase' it or something?

I needs me them stats! :x
Click to expand...

the movie theater boosts stats really well.
 
B

Brobzoid

how do I slip unnoticed out of a gloryhole booth?
yeah, I generally try to do a lot of activities and I think I know where most of them are, but I'm trying to understand the underlying system so I can feel like I'm not just blindly flailing around. Would be much easier to prioritize if I could guess a bit at how far off the next bump I was.

I really like how they use descriptions. above average is much cooler than 'level 3' or whatever.
 
H

Hcoregamer00

The 'H' stands for hentai.
Holy shit, I started playing the girl's side, it feels so different compared to playing Persona 3 the first time around.

The girls side alone is worth a play through for all P3 fans.
 
H

hamchan

Member
hxa155 said:
So this game is the highest scoring psp game on metacritic. That's quite surprising.
Click to expand...
Nah. Not really a surprise considering the orginal is already one of the best PS2 RPGs.

Also if any newcomers want tips to raise stats (charm, academics, courage) I say use the arcade machines as much as you can since they're the fastest way to raise individual stats.
 
B

Brobzoid

how do I slip unnoticed out of a gloryhole booth?
Jerk 2.0 said:
Where is the movie theater? I cannot seem to find where it is located.
Click to expand...
port station. to the right. If you press the right shoulder button all the interactive elements in the scene have icons over them.
 
Diseased Yak

Diseased Yak

Gold Member
Persona3 newb here, so I have a few questions:

1). Should I be trying to do everything possible each night? For instance, what I've been doing is going to the mall and working if I can, then heading to the dorm and grinding Tartarus until my party complains of being tired. Plus I just read above that you can study in your room (which I didn't realize) so now I'll throw that in too, if that's what I need to do.

2) I talked to the leader chick, checking my status, and she said everyone could go, so into Tartarus I go, only to find Jubei stayed behind due to being tired. WTF is going on with that?

This game is awesome and I can't stop playing it!
 
F

firehawk12

Subete no aware
Jerk 2.0 said:
Ignore what she says; Use the menu to find out the real status of your party members.
Click to expand...

She only tells you if they are available - sometimes your team members will study or go out on their own or have other obligations that prevent them from going to Tartarus.

Also, forget the movie theater - use the game center at night. It's the best way to get stats, especially since you can't do anything at night early on.
 
Y

Yaweee

Member
I died once to the first full moon boss on Maniacs. I didn't even know that was possible... crit by one of the adds, then followed up and killed.
 
P

Pappasman

Member
Dedication Through Light said:
So I just realized there were two openings or something, I like the song in the second better than the first opening, lol, its pretty awesome.
Click to expand...
Ya I was surprised when I saw the original opening. I thought they just took it out and added the new P3P opening.
 
K

krae_man

Member
Wow, good thing I logged into PSN today. I won the signed soundtrack contest:D

000_0408.jpg
 
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