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Help GAF! Persona 4 or Persona 4 Golden?

Metroidvania said:
Golden does have a different voice actor for Chie, which is debatably 'worse' for people who enjoyed her previous VA in the original PS2 release
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I'm playing PS2 Persona 4 for the first time. Just popped over to youtube to hear her voice in Golden. Just kind of odd to hear a different voice. I have a feeling like most instances where the VA changes, people are going to like what they heard first. Like why the Fox Family DVD version of My Neighbor Totoro sells for such a huge premium.
 
qualitydisc said:
I'm playing PS2 Persona 4 for the first time. Just popped over to youtube to hear her voice in Golden. Just kind of odd to hear a different voice. I have a feeling like most instances where the VA changes, people are going to like what they heard first. Like why the Fox Family DVD version of My Neighbor Totoro sells for such a huge premium.
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i prefer Golden Chie way more. Vanilla Chie was just bad. So flat.
 
Golden. There are some things I like more in the original, but overall Golden is the better version.

edit: And play 3 before 4. I like 3 better, but I feel it'd be hard to go back to 3 after playing 4. Going from full party control to no party control may hurt.
 
Yeah, Chie's VA change is only weird if you played the original because you become accustomed to what you hear first. Her new one is probably more fitting but I liked the old one too.
 
Its not really necessary to play P3:FES before Golden. There are a few references, but thats it. If you play P4G first, it'll be hard to go back to P3:FES since the gameplay is improved and you can't choose what skills to inherit for your persona when fusing them.
 
P4G, definitely. Better voice actor for Chie, new stuff including a new social link/character and portability is great for JRPGs.

I don't know about playing P3 first... maybe, if you really want. I played P3 after playing P4G and couldn't keep at it.
 
Golden. Only game I've beaten twice, putting in 100 hours both times, but Golden is perfect for on-the-go gameplay and adding in additional content.
 
Big Papa Husker said:
Edit: After 20+ posts of saying Golden is the way to go, that's what I'm going to be playing. Now my question is should I play P3FES before P4G...
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Well you shouldn't play FES. You should play Portable. Either way, I wouldn't say you should or should not. I played P3P after Golden and enjoyed it almost as much. In some cases I enjoyed it more (like the main story line).
 
Play FES first. It's because I played FES first I was able to maximize my first playthrough of P4G. Ideally, you want to play these games blind. But because I had experience from the prior game, I was able to to see and experience everything all in one go. A lot of people who play P4G first stumble through it because it's their first. They miss entire things that would require a second playthrough to see. And second playthroughs don't have the same feeling, you know?


All the people recommending P3P instead, I'll vote against that. Play FES but play it on easy difficulty.
 
Don't skip 3. It's awesome, but you'll like it a lot less if you play it after 4, especially if you're planning on playing FES.

That said, if you start playing 3 and end up not liking it, then give 4 a go. Every chance you'll like that even if you don't like P3.
 
Here are some potential P4G negatives some people have expressed on occasion, just so that you're aware of other perspectives (this thread makes it seem like virtually no one had any problems with anything in that version).

-the extra dungeons and events that were added actively drag down the game's pacing and are generally meaningless fluff
-new rules on skill inheritance and stat upgrades turn difficulty into a joke, even on higher difficulty settings (because these are changes built into the game's design)
-new scenes and costumes ramp up the ANIMU quotient and include pervo elements

All of these could also be seen as good things depending on your taste. As you've seen, people who prefer P4 to P4G are only a small fraction of the fanbase.
 
AwShucks said:
Well you shouldn't play FES. You should play Portable. Either way, I wouldn't say you should or should not. I played P3P after Golden and enjoyed it almost as much. In some cases I enjoyed it more (like the main story line).
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There's no truly perfect version of 3, and it sucks. P3P gives you control over your party members, but the overworld sections are really awkward and iOS-esque. FES is what I played, and it was outstanding besides the battle system. The AI is infuriating.

I'd just go back to 3 after 4 if you're really Jonesing. The plot is better in 3, but that's about it.

^ The new card/skill system in Golden does kinda trivialize it a bit. Even on hard I'm steamrolling.
 
Persona 4 vanilla is a great game but if you can play Golden then of course go for it.

I played P3FES after P4 Golden and enjoyed it a lot but it is missing a bunch of gameplay and visual improvements so you will initially feel it's a bit dated. I gave it a shot and pushed through still though as I enjoyed P4 Golden a lot and a few hours in I was used to everything so I enjoyed it and finished it.

So really, whether you do it before or after, no matter. Just know that if you play P3FES first and find some stuff archaic and dated, know that P4 Golden improved on just about anything in just about every way possible (yes, even dungeons are better. Still randomly generated but at least they're more varied thematically. And you don't have to lose all your progress if you forgot to save for over an hour and got killed by something you underestimated. In Golden you just restart to where you were a few minutes ago).

Edit: (I'd play P4 Golden first).
 
P3P evangelists.

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Golden is better though not by a wide margin IMO. But I definitely like the new Golden VAs better as someone who was apprehensive to them at first.

Also I didn't really like 3 very much but I wouldn't recommend skipping it just because the reasons why I (and others) didn't like it seem to be mostly personal, and it's not really expensive to purchase.
 
Even if Golden wasn't better (and I think it is by quite a bit), I find playing games on the Vita to be a noticeably more enjoyable experience than playing on a PS2 or even PS3.
 
Golden. It's not an across-the-board improvement, the new content is a bit much and kind of ruins the original's fantastic pace (P4 felt exactly as long as it should have been; P4G overstayed its welcome and became a bit of a chore towards the end) and there's a climatic story moment that's slightly lessened, but there are so many gameplay improvements (and it's so perfect for a portable) that it's hard to recommend the original over it.

Edit: To (vaguely) clarify the 'story moment' thing for those who have played it,
cutting from the end of the original ending cutscene directly into the new scene just kills the impact of the ending. The new coda is a fun bit of fanservice but it should have at least been held for after the credits so the actual ending can have a moment to "sink in." I guess it's ultimately a small thing, but the ending of P4 was so affecting for me that it felt strange to shift tone so suddenly.
 
Golden is a no-brainer. Being able to choose what abilities to carry over during fusions is a god-send.

As for Persona 3, I recommend P3 Portable. FES has the problem of not being able to directly control your party members and you're much better off watching the cutscenes of The Answer.
 
Golden is way easier to access, and fusing Personae is easier. There's some extra fanservicey stuff but it's very little thinned out across 80+ hours of game.

Don't touch P3FES. Unplayable for me due to not having a controllable party. If you're gonna play P3, P3P is the way to go, plus you also get the female MC who is 8.5 times better than the male MC.
 
This Marie hate....yikes guys. I loved her, she really grew on me. And she gives you a extra dungeon, how can you hate that?
unless if people were annoyed/salty with the dungeon mechanic LMAO
.

Seriously OP, do yourself a favor and do maries Social Link.

Last tip, on rainy days, go eat at the ramen shop. Start doing this ASAP! Your welcome.


Edit: P3MaleProtag>>>>>>>>>P3FemProtag thats not even canon! :P ( just hate people talking lowly about Minato ha ha)
 
Big Papa Husker said:
Edit: After 20+ posts of saying Golden is the way to go, that's what I'm going to be playing. Now my question is should I play P3FES before P4G...
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These are huge games. We're talking 60+ hours per game and that's not even including the FES post-game content. If you start with P3, I think there's a good chance you're going to burn out before you get to 4. I'd recommend starting with 4 & if you really love it, go back and play 3 later.
 
Acquiescence said:
Golden. It's an honest no-brainer.



This. 3 is so inferior compared to 4. You'll never want to scale up a tower in a video game ever again.
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I'd scale a tower three times the size of Tartarus. :)

P3 is a great game, I actually prefer it (only slightly) to P4. Just better atmosphere and more intersting party circumstances (they are not all just friends). P3FES lacks the party controls of P4 and P3P but it didn't really bother me all that much. If you going to play P3, play it now, otherwise it'll be hard to go back from P4.
 
Big Papa Husker said:
Edit: After 20+ posts of saying Golden is the way to go, that's what I'm going to be playing. Now my question is should I play P3FES before P4G...
Click to expand...
You should play P3 Portable rather than P3 FES. Direct party control is vastly preferable to the AI-controlled party members in P3 & P3FES. Female protag's social links are better. Cursor navigation on the overworld feels cheaper, but it shaves off a lot of needless wandering. The Answer sounds cool, but it's a slog. The story crumbs of that and the main game's anime cutscenes can be had on Youtube if you really want 'em.

Bonus: You can play both P3P and P4G on the same system, and portable play suits them well.
 
Robert at Zeboyd Games said:
These are huge games. We're talking 60+ hours per game and that's not even including the FES post-game content. If you start with P3, I think there's a good chance you're going to burn out before you get to 4. I'd recommend starting with 4 & if you really love it, go back and play 3 later.
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This is a legit point. There's an incredibly minute amount of continuity to the games, and it's mostly referential. Going back from 4 to 3 might even make as much of an impact as going from 3 to 4. Start with 4.
 
Golden was the right answer. As for which one first? Not sure. I guess P4G as I feel it's easier to get into.

And I say don't ignore Marie, not just because of the extra content but because she's a cool character. So there. Deal with it.
 
Big Papa Husker said:
I have already decided on Persona 3 FES
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Good choice, people shit on P3(Fes) for not having control over your party members, but it's not as bad as people make it seem.

I'd play P3 first since there are some little references you might miss if you play P4G first, that and I prefer P3 over P4.
 
Some people will honestly tell you to go with vanilla P4.

I'm here to tell you that's absolute crazy talk.

The games are standalone. You don't need to play P3 if you don't Absoluteky want to. It's a great game though. I can't say you'd be wasting your time. Do what you want.
 
Big Papa Husker said:
Edit: After 20+ posts of saying Golden is the way to go, that's what I'm going to be playing. Now my question is should I play P3FES before P4G...
Click to expand...

P3 added nothing to my P4 experience when I got hung up on beating one before the other. Play them both because they're both great, but do it in whichever order you want.
 
I recommend playing FES beforehand. It might be a little hard to go back to due to the gameplay improvements made in P4G.

petethepanda said:
but having the actual look of the entire non-dungeon part of the game changed from animated 3d to visual novel just feels like it loses too much.
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I agree with this. P3's story and characters are its strongest suit and frankly, I feel like the switch to VN-style hurts that aspect a lot. As somebody who started with P3P and did a separate play through of FES afterwards, I really regretted not starting with it.
 
Persona 3 is better to play first and then move onto Persona 4 Golden. I had some trouble and still haven't beat Persona 3 since the mechanics are worse going from P4 to P3. I do really like the atmosphere and characters of 3 though.
 
golden is the better of the two. the only drawback is that some of the VA in P4 Vanilla is better (Chie in particular) and Golden is much, much easier thanks to tweaks made to the instant death spells in this game. I don't think I ever saw one miss to an enemy with a weakness, which was definitely NOT the case for P4 on PS2.

Edit: After 20+ posts of saying Golden is the way to go, that's what I'm going to be playing. Now my question is should I play P3FES before P4G...
Click to expand...

you'll want to play PSFES first, since not having controllable party members and not being able to pick and choose abilities when fusing is going to drive you insane if you play P4G first.
 
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