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Gameplay wise, Persona 4 is below average.

Is not even remotely comparable, because with quality jrpgs like say Xenoblade, you at least have the element of exploration and discovering new places, which makes the dullness of menial tasks a little more tolerable.

With Persona 4 you are stuck in like only 7 different screens that you visit like a hundred times each.

"Quality" is totally subjective, clearly. How do you separate a quality game from a game lacking quality? Is there a power ranking system in your head that just *feels* right?
 
I actually like the battle system a lot, but I'm way less motivated to do fusion and switch what demons I'm using than I am in SMTIV. It feels less important, yet is more complex in many ways.

They're the only two SMT games I've played.

Well yeah, that's because SMT IV kinda forces you to fuse demons and keep on changing up your party, or else they'll fall behind from you real quick.
 
I wouldn't say it is below average. It is not magnificent and engaging, yes, but it's not bad by any means.

Another good point is the flexibility: In Golden you can exploit the system by just fighting some battles at full exp and money and then breeze through the rest of the dungeon, for example. Or make it hard as balls by upping enemy damage to the max and suffer through random encounters hell.
 
"Quality" is totally subjective, clearly. How do you separate a quality game from a game lacking quality? Is there a power ranking system in your head that just *feels* right?

By judging the elements that are most relevant to the genre for starters, like gameplay (combat, level design, pacing, other systems and mechanics).
 
I thought each dungeon had a unique lay out and cool design. I'm not sure what else you expect from the dungeons. I can agree that there could be more puzzle aspects added to them to change things up, maybe a better variety of enemies. But in a general sense of RPGS, I don't see what was wrong with these dungeons. I guess I just don't agree they were tedious (I understand your other criticisms). Hell, you think they were monotonous, should try playing Persona 3 and the never ending Tartarus. That was a tedious grind.

The aesthetic of each dungeon were interesting and thematically appropriate for each person you're trying to save, but the actual design of each dungeon was definitely not anything to write home about to me. Either you go up 10 floors, or down 10 floors; fight either 1 or two mini-bosses (which were just more powerful normal enemies), then fight a main boss. Exploration was almost completely pointless as treasure chests never really yield anything useful or provide you with any incentivised reward for going off the beaten path (if you have already found a staircase). The dungeons were purely a buffer between you and the boss. They provided no other mechanical or optional benefits (at least any meaningful ones).

All this being said, the dungeons aren't really an issue if you are on easy or very easy, since you can blaze through them extremely fast. I enjoyed the battles and constant banter from your party while fighting though. Overall, if large chunks of time are gong to be spent Dungeon crawling, the developers need to make the Dungeons interesting and worthwhile/rewarding to explore.


It sounds like I'm really knocking P4, but it's still actually one of my favorite RPGs ever. It's mainly that if you look at the package as a whole, it's almost laughably obvious that the dungeons received the least amount of attention and effort. This is an area I think that future persona games can improve in.
 
By judging the elements that are most relevant to the genre for starters, like gameplay (combat, level design, pacing, other systems and mechanics).

I like to think of my self as a huge Persona fan (and SMT) and I have to agree with your point towards the mechanics. They were fine back in 2008, I had a higher tolerance for repetitive battles, but playing Golden made everything fill dated, even though through the extras they added.

What sold me on the series is the the story. That's where the franchise gets its strength from, and that's why I will carry on playing them.
 
My problem with the game is that it's way too long. Each dungeon is like 11 floors of the exact same thing. Same environment, same enemies. And you do the same thing over and over again.

I like the social aspect of the game, the characters, the music, and the story. It's just the dungeons that I dislike. I know it's a jrpg but the game is just too long to be that repetitive. I've gotten about 50 hours in but knowing that I have another 30-50 hours left is unappealing to me. Doubt I'll finish it.
 
Apparently the map is made to resemble actual Tokyo and jp players could find things easier than us, and some used actual maps of Tokyo to find locations.

Also you can unlock an airship from a side quest. The map is still a bit tedious though.

You can unlock an airship in SMTIV!? Is the first time I hear about this. I am currently doing a Neutral run, when would I be able to do this? Does that sidequest line affects alignment?
 
Yeah me too. I loved SMT IV, but it had it's problems. The overworld map was atrocious (especially in the back half where you are over powered and are constantly getting put into battles that the enemy can't even do any damage to you). It's a waste of time, and aggravating. Also, if you pick the Neutral Ending
it's fuckin hell having to go back and do all the side missions on that overworld. It's fuckin terrible.
Not to mention it's fuckin hard as hell to find certain areas. If you don't look online, prepare to run around for an hour + trying to find a place (with vague instructions to where it's remotely located). And sometimes, it's not even your fault that you couldn't find it. The way the art is drawn, it's impossible to tell where something is at. Again, this is made all the more frustrating by the constant battles you get thrown into when exploring the overworld.

If you didn't like getting lost, you probably wouldn't like playing games like DW1/PS1/ FF1 (NES/SMS games).

I feel like the mainline SMT (not necessarily Devil Summoner series) should be considered old school exploration (OSE's) JRPGs - you have to explore the world in order to fully understand the story as opposed to P3/P4 where the story progresses as time progresses. In these OSEs, you have to seek events, but in P3/P4 they happen to your avatar/friends and the story is based on your avatar/friends reaction to event.

A OSE game like SMTIV rewards explorers with deeper insight about the world and other rewards - for one example the use of an airship in the second half of the game that most people aren't aware of. Also, I hate when people say that SMTIV has a weak and generic plot - if you fully explore the world you learn that those who are on the law side are not necessarily "good" nor are those who are on the chaos side
Tayama, in addition to harvesting people in order to satiate demons, could also be a pedophile.
But you would never learn this stuff if you don't take the time to explore.

I guess to sum it up, P3/P4 definitely has a gameplay mechanic which isn't bad, its just not one that old school RPGers are used to.
 
Love the life sim elements.
Hate the dungeon crawling.

The excellence of the former far outweighs the latter for me.

I agree but I'd add that I actually like the combat, simple as it is, and the persona system. But exploring the dungeons is a goddamn chore and I really, really hope they do something about it in P5.
 
You can unlock an airship in SMTIV!? Is the first time I hear about this. I am currently doing a Neutral run, when would I be able to do this? Does that sidequest line affects alignment?

No idea about alignment, but it's pretty late in the game. I know I got it in neutral though, so you should be able to.
 
You can unlock an airship in SMTIV!? Is the first time I hear about this. I am currently doing a Neutral run, when would I be able to do this? Does that sidequest line affects alignment?

Its closer to the end of the game - I can't remember the details but I think it has something to do with
collecting things for the deity Amaterasu
I think. I haven't played the game in a while though so you might want to check on gamefaqs or something.
 
Yep the series needs a MAJOR overhaul when it comes to dungeon design for P5. The battle system is fine for what it is but I'd definitely like to see them build off of it.

P4's dungeons had a sense of variety coming from P3 which was a step in the right direction but the layouts seemed to take a significant hit as a result. I'd love to see something more intuitive and have some more interaction for dungeons in the next game. Guess we'll see...
 
I agree with OP. The story is the only driving force in this game. Everything else is subpar. I could Youtube it and get the same amount of enjoyment from it, probably enjoy it more since I don't have to trudge through the terrible dungeons. Even the over world consists of going to the same 5 or 6 places repeatedly. What's the definition of insanity?
 
By judging the elements that are most relevant to the genre for starters, like gameplay (combat, level design, pacing, other systems and mechanics).

It's still subjective. I played Xenoblade on the Wii a while ago and thought it was kinda overrated. I played Persona 4 Golden earlier this year and it's one of the best RPGs I've ever played. While the dungeon crawling isn't the greatest ever, I enjoyed getting stronger and fusing better Persona together to get the ones I needed. Now, if you wanted to talk about truly sub par RPG gameplay, you can throw Time and Eternity in that list.
 
I agree with OP on this. The game is a mediocre dungeon crawler at best; it just happens to be wrapped in one of the best stories and cast of characters in a video game. I played through the otherwise mediocre parts of the game only because the story was so compelling.

The idea that a game can rate so highly on my list of favorites even though the core gameplay is so 'meh' is very surprising, but it is what it is.
 
It's still subjective. I played Xenoblade on the Wii a while ago and thought it was kinda overrated. I played Persona 4 Golden earlier this year and it's one of the best RPGs I've ever played. While the dungeon crawling isn't the greatest ever, I enjoyed getting stronger and fusing better Persona together to get the ones I needed. Now, if you wanted to talk about truly sub par RPG gameplay, you can throw Time and Eternity in that list.

Have you played Persona 3 FES or SMT: Nocturne before? Also I really like Xenoblade, but I just wish they would do a official HD version of it, but Persona 4 is a great experience espeically that first time. Even though I tend to be a bigger fan of traditional SMT Dungeon Crawling, I came to really enjoy everything in the Persona series outside of the dungeons. The social links in a way felt like it's own game to me.

I agree with OP on this. The game is a mediocre dungeon crawler at best; it just happens to be wrapped in one of the best stories and cast of characters in a video game. I played through the otherwise mediocre parts of the game only because the story was so compelling.

The idea that a game can rate so highly on my list of favorites even though the core gameplay is so 'meh' is very surprising, but it is what it is.

LOL this is so true for me as well. Both Persona 3 and 4's stories get really amazing, especially once you start getting deep into the game. Plus the characters and their development through social links is just amazingly well done.
 
I don't know that there are many people out there touting Persona 4's dungeon crawling gameplay... the fact that it is so beloved, even with mediocre-at-best gameplay for 1/3-to-1/2 of the game is one of the reasons the game is so amazing, and treated as such on the interwebs.
 
Well yeah, that's because SMT IV kinda forces you to fuse demons and keep on changing up your party, or else they'll fall behind from you real quick.

Yeah, which is a better design IMO. But Persona 4 is a bit more casual friendly, and I really like some of the quirks with the battle system (like knocking enemies down and beating the shit out of them). I do actually enjoy the dungeon crawling in it, it's not like SO GOOD or anything but it's fun enough. You're basically using the social stuff to make combat better anyway, so it's cool seeing the results of that.
 
If you didn't like getting lost, you probably wouldn't like playing games like DW1/PS1/ FF1 (NES/SMS games).

I feel like the mainline SMT (not necessarily Devil Summoner series) should be considered old school exploration (OSE's) JRPGs - you have to explore the world in order to fully understand the story as opposed to P3/P4 where the story progresses as time progresses. In these OSEs, you have to seek events, but in P3/P4 they happen to your avatar/friends and the story is based on your avatar/friends reaction to event.

A OSE game like SMTIV rewards explorers with deeper insight about the world and other rewards - for one example the use of an airship in the second half of the game that most people aren't aware of. Also, I hate when people say that SMTIV has a weak and generic plot - if you fully explore the world you learn that those who are on the law side are not necessarily "good" nor are those who are on the chaos side
Tayama, in addition to harvesting people in order to satiate demons, could also be a pedophile.
But you would never learn this stuff if you don't take the time to explore.

I guess to sum it up, P3/P4 definitely has a gameplay mechanic which isn't bad, its just not one that old school RPGers are used to.

I have no issue with getting lost, and having to explore for yourself. I just didn't like how some of the areas you were to enter weren't easy to find (because of the way they were drawn). There were a couple places where I couldn't even tell where the entrance was because of the way it was drawn and it resulted in me running around in circles near the entrance. I can't give specifics because I played this way back during launch. But I remember one of the entrances had to do with a freeway overpass or something. But you had to actually click on it to go under it something insane. But there was nothing to indicate you could go there based on the way it was drawn.

So I do understand that some games want you to explore and find stuff for yourself. But I just found it to be aggravating based on certain elements. And while some have pointed out you can get a spell to avoid enemy encounters (if they are lower level then you), I still find this system of trying to navigate a convoluted map frustrating when you have to go into battle every couple of minutes. Especially when it's already hard enough looping around an area to try to find an entrance that isn't that easy to spot.

Anyways, my criticisms are kind of off base, because OP was talking about the combat and dungeons in SMT IV, not the overworld. I personally enjoyed SMT IV's combat immensely. So I guess I can't disagree with him. My only thing is, I personally enjoyed the hell out of Persona 4's combat (even if it's more simplistic). It didn't bother me, and I didn't find it boring. But if Persona 4 had adopted a harder more complex system like IV, then I would love it too. Probably more so.
 
Couldn't agree with the OP more, bought P4 Golden for my Vita and after 10 hours I still don't get the praise. It has its charms, the story is pretty good, but man the gameplay and dungeons are just not very good at all. Will probably never finish it.
 
No idea about alignment, but it's pretty late in the game. I know I got it in neutral though, so you should be able to.

Its closer to the end of the game - I can't remember the details but I think it has something to do with
collecting things for the deity Amaterasu
I think. I haven't played the game in a while though so you might want to check on gamefaqs or something.

The three sacred treasures? Cause I've got those.
 
I like Persona 4's gameplay. Play it on hard mode (I dunno how Maniax works in Golden) and it can get pretty tense at times. The Yukiko battle in particular is always fun.

I've played through some of Nocturne (on Hard) as well. I should come back to the game...but I don't recall the battle system being that much better there. Then again, I stopped shortly after the matador, since I was starting to get burned out on my SMT binge, so I haven't seen most of the game.
 
Compared to P3, I thought it was a "one step forward, two steps back" kind of thing. Being able to control your party was neat (not that I found it an issue in P3, setting their tactics was useful enough that I never encountered any of the "Marin Karin" stuff that people talk about), but I really didn't like the removal of slash/strike/pierce and fusion spells.
 
Mr. OP guy, I think below average is putting it nicely.
I dropped Persona 4 after the fight against Shadow Rise and Shadow Teddie because I could not find any redeeming qualities about the actual "game" portion of the game and there's a reason I was playing a video game instead of watching a movie or reading a book.

Even fans of the series admit the dungeons are poorly designed but they are also unintuitive. You might wonder what I mean when I say that but in many RPGs there's some sort of theme to dungeons and areas that can give you some sort of clue what sort of challenge you may face at the end. It might not be the layout or design of the area but sometimes its the enemies within. Persona 4 certainly didn't make any effort to prepare you for the bosses that lie ahead, can't say I'm a fan of that.

Of the turn-based RPGs I've played, I'd have to say that Persona 4 was definitely one of the least interesting and least enjoyable.
 
I agree. But most fans of P3/P4 fans seem to prefer the story and look at the game play part as a chore, from my own experience with fans, sorry about the broad paintbrush.
 
In all the RPGs I play, its gameplay first, story second.Bravely Default, Xenoblade, the Tales series, the first two Paper Marios all encapsulate what I want from an RPG. Unique battle mechanics that make the game addictive. Persona 4 was a real let down in this regard. The story was fantastic but the dungeons were a bore, if your main character died the whole party died, in the first part of the game you can't scan enemies for weaknesses, and in between each dungeon was wall of text.The walls of text is where the story is which is good but, to know another boring, and at times bullshit, dungeon section was up next sapped any desire to continue playing. I ended up watching a playthrough and again the story was(still is) one of the best I have ever seen. Oh and I think I would have gone insane trying to keep up with the social links for the true ending. I hope Pesona 5 has top notch gameplay to accompany it's great storytelling so I can give it another try.

TLDR ver.

Pesona 4 has a great story. I wish it took better attention to detail for its gameplay mechanics like Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door and for those who think Pesona 4 does I'm sorry but I did not see it.
 
The three sacred treasures? Cause I've got those.

Yeah I think it might be those. You have to bring them to some shrine then you should get the airship. From what I saw on the net you can't start the quest until after
you've beaten the whites
.
 
I sort of have to agree with the OP. I loved the story of both P3 and P4, but the dungeon crawling and combat really didn't have any meat to them - the dungeons in P3 were especially heinous, what with the drab environments and the single evolving music track that plays throughout all of Tartarus. I enjoy the games for their stories and sim elements. I actually kind of dreaded having to return to the dungeons.
 
I have no issue with getting lost, and having to explore for yourself. I just didn't like how some of the areas you were to enter weren't easy to find (because of the way they were drawn). There were a couple places where I couldn't even tell where the entrance was because of the way it was drawn and it resulted in me running around in circles near the entrance. I can't give specifics because I played this way back during launch. But I remember one of the entrances had to do with a freeway overpass or something. But you had to actually click on it to go under it something insane. But there was nothing to indicate you could go there based on the way it was drawn.

So I do understand that some games want you to explore and find stuff for yourself. But I just found it to be aggravating based on certain elements. And while some have pointed out you can get a spell to avoid enemy encounters (if they are lower level then you), I still find this system of trying to navigate a convoluted map frustrating when you have to go into battle every couple of minutes. Especially when it's already hard enough looping around an area to try to find an entrance that isn't that easy to spot.

Anyways, my criticisms are kind of off base, because OP was talking about the combat and dungeons in SMT IV, not the overworld. I personally enjoyed SMT IV's combat immensely. So I guess I can't disagree with him. My only thing is, I personally enjoyed the hell out of Persona 4's combat (even if it's more simplistic). It didn't bother me, and I didn't find it boring. But if Persona 4 had adopted a harder more complex system like IV, then I would love it too. Probably more so.

Yeah, I have to admit that the overworld map is done much better in SMTIII than SMTIV and is geared towards Japanese players who know the locations- though I still prefer IV over III.
 
I honestly think that the dungeon gameplay (getting from floor one-boss room) is just 'there' to have proper RPG elements (leveling up, reasons for using the Persona's, something to visually show off each party members psyche, ect).

That is far, FAR from a bad thing, as Atlus and P-Team were smart with how these dungeons are used.

Firstly, unlike P3's Tartarus where almost every floor looked EXACTLY the same with the same music.....P4 had each dungeon having unique visuals and music, making each one 'feel' unique and different.

Secondly, P4 has them being directly linked to the story rather then the places being "Oh, um.....GET TO THE TOP! It does something cool?!" like how it was in P3. Each dungeon has purpose (with them being the places where you save your party members), and it is also the places that do P4's unique feature; the characters psyche being directly exposed to the viewer.

From Kanji's Sauna to Naoto's Secret Lab, each location reflects the internal feelings of the character with there visuals and music (along with dialog boxes popping up every floor or so talking about there internal thoughts). That alone somewhat excuses there lack of unique designs.

Lastly, the combat is very solid and it is a lot of fun :D! Sure, it is traditional turn based combat, but it still is a ton of fun with the Persona swapping and it feels great taking down a high-level bosses :).

The dungeon half of P4 isn't what makes the game so great (which is the story, world building and colorful cast the characters) but it is far, far from only being average.

That being said, I really hope they mix things up with P5; there is a lot of things Atlus and P-Team can do to mix them up (maybe them being more like the other SMT games or the dungeons having puzzles that can only be solved using unique Persona powers?).
 
I agree with those that it's about the total package rather than individual elements. But, I feel the combat is pretty decent for a trafitional, turn based RPG. They could improve the combat and dungeons, and I hope they do, but I don't want it to come at the cost of a less interesting story and shallower characters.

Hopefully P5 delivers.
 
Wut? These games are supposed to be played without a guide for your first run! You're not supposed to get all the social links in one playthrough, not exactly being punished.... The dungeons are randomized and the social links are most fun when you get to see what your decisions end up doing, you don't need a guide for a single minutes of this game... except for some bosses if you tend to get stuck.

Considering how long the game is though I can't stand the idea of replaying it just to experiment with social links. Besides, just restarting the game when you pick the bad dialogue choices is an option.
Oh I meant P3P in terms of gameplay

I think P3's story is better than 4's too, Aegis is better than Teddy, and Tartarus is more interesting than the TV world.

The only bad thing about P3 is how horrible Ken and Chidori are

While I agree that P3's story feels better overall, I liked Teddy better.
 
I tried getting into Persona 4 twice. I bought it on PS2 and was bored out of my mind for hours, then later I got it on Vita because everyone swore up and down it was the best shit ever, and while I played it for even longer trying to get to the best shit ever, it never came. So, yeah, I still don't really get it. I would like to get it because it's apparently amazing, I'm just not seeing it. A case of "to each his own" though, I'm sure.
 
Considering how long the game is though I can't stand the idea of replaying it just to experiment with social links. Besides, just restarting the game when you pick the bad dialogue choices is an option.


While I agree that P3's story feels better overall, I liked Teddy better.

Okay but why would you need to complete all the social links in one run, outside of maybe Trophies? The social links aren't really made to be completely done in your first playthrough, but there are guides to doing it, but it's not very fun to follow a guide and have to be reading it through each and every day, and it sucks because you don't really get to make your own choices. That's what made the social links so fun for me was seeing what all would happen based on what answers I choose and who I decided to hang out with. Also the stuff you get for getting Max Social links isn't all that big, and you can't challenge The Special Extra boss until NG+ anyway I think.

I tried getting into Persona 4 twice. I bought it on PS2 and was bored out of my mind for hours, then later I got it on Vita because everyone swore up and down it was the best shit ever, and while I played it for even longer trying to get to the best shit ever, it never came. So, yeah, I still don't really get it. I would like to get it because it's apparently amazing, I'm just not seeing it. A case of "to each his own" though, I'm sure.

Not every game is gonna be enjoyable for everyone, which is why we have such a vast array of genres available in Video Games. Tastes are always gonna differ, so many games that some will praise as the greatest game ever, some may just not enjoy at all. Godd example for myself is Minecraft, but I think that's mostly because I'm not very creative or good with art stuff. I just could never get into the game and everyone else goes crazy whenever it's ported to another system. Also Little Big Planet which everyone says is amazing I could never ever get into.
 
I never really understood the hype for this game. I love JRPGs and found the game extremely bland and pointless. I don't get the love for the entire "life sim" aspect. Everything was so forced. "Oh there's a killer on the loose, but only on foggy days, so let's be all happy-go-lucky and go to the mall and court significant others all the damn time!" Managing friendships is not my idea of engaging gameplay.

The combat and dungeons, as has been covered, are forgettable. Extremely forgettable. I do like *some* of the characters, but they're not anything special. I don't hate the game, it's just so blah. Boring, loose narrative that's broken up constantly by boring relationship simulations. Meh. I can probably list at least 50 JRPGs that I'd prefer to play.
 
Persona 3 and 4 are interesting from a story and character perspective, but everything else is below average for an RPG. They are incredibly monotonous and tedious to play. Persona 4 offers only three different locations you can traverse, not counting the school (which isn't accessible unless the game puts you there) or Dojima's (which automatically ends your day). There isn't much to do besides to wait for random events to occur, spend your time grinding or work your social links. The social links are arguably the most interesting aspect of the gameplay, but they ultimately lack depth and meaning (other than being another avenue for grinding). You can't engage the social links on your own terms, or control how they play out. I would love to, for instance, have had the ability to call people myself (and e.g. ask them out). Instead the game dictates when and where that will happen.

Everything quickly becomes routine. The combat is very much RPG average and the Persona system isn't much more than a redecoration of what's already been done several times in the past. I like P3 more than I do P4, but the formula is the same. With all that said, the mood and art direction in both games is great - and the music is awesome. The games just aren't fun - at least not to me. So OP, you've got a point.
 
So wait... You are saying that P4's battle system was lack luster but SMT4's is better...? I'm sorry... how? It's the same press turn system. The only difference is the way they treat demons/personas. In P4 you have other party member with set personas and personalities... you know... characters. In SMT4 you recruit interchangeable demons that all have the same personalities that do nothing to add to the story.
With press turn, extra turns are also moved over to the next party member. And you lose turns for missing or hitting a resistance. And there are no All-Out Attacks, knock-downs, or guarding in the games with Press Turn. You and the enemy are on more equal ground as well since the enemies can take advantage of whatever you can except items.

One thing I missed when I played P4 was skipping a turn to pass a half-turn to the next party member so they could get the first move and prepare things differently. The protagonist would move again within the same general player turn.
 
I liked most of the game, the life sim elements, social links, characters and dialogue. The dungeon crawling aspect not as much, but I still think it's a good game.
 
The combat systems in FF by themselves are pretty basic even though ATB adds a cool real-time element. FFX's CTB however I consider one of my favourite combat systems, solely based on the fact that the attack order is visible and can be altered, adding another strategic element to battles.

While it's true that One More is mechanically slightly more sophisticated than many JRPG combat systems, the battles on Normal difficulty can get really, really tedious if you're underleveled, even if you take advantage of weaknesses and use buffs and debuffs. That's at least my experience with Persona 4 and never happened with any of the FF's I've played.

I like FFX's CTB, and wish they expanded on it. As it stands, in random battles it doesn't matter at all, it's just a matter of attacking things with the right person to end the battle in 1 turn, and if you screw that up, you'll survive several turns of beatings. In boss battles, it matters but most boss battles(not all) do boil down to healing and attacking, with a few gimmick boss battles, none of which are difficult if you just don't avoid battles on your travels(no need to go out of your way to grind). The Dark Aeons are the only thing that can be said to be a difficult boss in that game. I'm not saying that FF battle systems are below-average to bad, I'm saying that they're decent and Persona 4's battle system is a notch above. I don't remember ever actually having to use the defend mechanic in an FF, for example.

In either case, I get the impression that most people who played through Persona 4 didn't do so on the highest difficulty. It's not just a health and attack boost on enemies, and an exp and money debuff on you; the random enemies actually lose some elemental weaknesses and gain elemental strengths. There are a lot of random battles where the enemies have no weaknesses, and take advantage of yours, which makes the individual random battles more interesting. It becomes a gauntlet run, to see how far you can get on a single bar of SP(Granted, this became marginalized in Golden with the SOS mechanic). How is that different from SMT, you ask? Where in SMT if you're running low on SP you'd go back to an inn(Well, in SMT IV you can just run around in circles to get your SP back with apps), in Persona 3-4, you have to give up a day or pay an absolutely absurd amount of money to the fox/clock. You have a finite number of days, and losing them is the loss of an opportunity. This adds a layer of scheduling and conservation to your dungeon crawling. This is what makes the random dungeons interesting, they're a pure endurance run, with a consequence for tapping out. The dungeons in SMT are also an endurance run, with traps, puzzles and twists and turns(A little less present in SMT IV, but that aside), but there's no consequence for running away and going back to an inn(Well, Inn equivalent anyway).

Stealing, morphing, blue magic learning, using magic etc. may be optional in FF but you make the games much too unnecessarily long if you don't utilize these. You will have to solely rely on money and exp/level from grinding to defeat enemies otherwise. If you want to advance at lower levels (i.e. not spend time grinding beyond regular encounters) you have to make the most of each battle.

Each time you fuse the number of demons you can use in future fusions is reduced. You need to bring in new blood or you will run out of demons to use.

Also, fusing two very strong demons will result in sacrificing useful abilities as the number of ability slots is limited. Even if they both have it and you don't sacrifice the ability itself, you will now only have one demon instead of two who can use it.

And negotiation is much more consistent than you make it sound. It randomly may fail even if you choose the options that usually work with the same demon but there are still patterns you can discover and learn.
First: Obviously you need to get more demons to keep fusing them. However, with the smartphone in SMT 4 you can have so many ability slots that fusing two powerful demons might very well be worth it, and you can always go back to the demon compendium. There may be some logic to the demon negotiation system, but frankly it's the worst part of the game for me, worse than people feel about Persona 3-4's dungeons to me.

From an in-game perspective: You're just stopping mid-battle to talk to a demon, for no good reason. After responding to some absolutely random questions from the demon(And even if you answer properly, you may fail), the demon may give you something, join your stock, or slap you in the face. Tell me, why the hell does that mechanic need to be there? The demon auction in Devil Survivor seems like a great alternative.

Second: As to your comments on FF, name me one FF where you can't just spam attack through the majority of random battles and win. I mean, there are other mechanics available, but for random battles you don't need them, and the majority of bosses in I-X(Full disclosure, haven't played III-V) are just a matter of attacking and healing till its dead, regardless of how much you grind, the ones that don't fit this mold usually have some sort of gimmck. Once again, not saying that the battle systems in these ffs are bad, but more specifically, I'm saying that it requires less thought than Persona 4, where any random battle can knock you on your ass in 1 turn.
 
I like the turn battle combat.
Not too deep, but at least it serve me well during my 150 hours gameplay, and it tied to the persona we currently use.

The problem with persona 4 is there's not much challenge and lack variety. Boss battle is the only good one, while sub boss is kinda weak.

The social link and time managing system is where it's shine.

For dungeon, i wish we can use the system from P3, in which party member can go separate ways to make clearing floor faster
 
I don't think dungeons are the only problem with the Persona series.

There's also the idle time between story events, the school<>dating sequences get very boring and repetitive after a while.

;_________;

TW101 doesn't suck

;_________:

Sammy, you're a monster >:(
You guys are the monster for making me buy that game. >:(
 
IMO yes!

RIP in peace.

Just put it on very easy and steamroll everything to get a similar effect

I might do that. It seems to want me to grind and that's an instant game killer for me, I refuse to do it. So I've been stuck at some dungeon for like 5 months. Can I change difficulty without starting a new game?
 
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