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[TheJollyCorner]

*GAH! Reposting because I was the last damn post on the last page *

Being new to this whole Persona racket (played/beat P3-FES, almost done with P4, and bought P4 Arena but haven't played yet), I really just want more of the same... although new cast, new setting, maybe a few throw-backs, but yeah. I don't mind the high school angle. It actually has a nostalgic feeling for me.

I will say, overall, I liked P3's story tone more. SO I do hope P5 has a bit of bleakness in there.

Question:

I no longer have a functioning PSP, so is Persona 2: Eternal Punishment PS1 worth buying for $50 (ugh)?
It looks pretty interesting, love the character designs I've seen, and I'm trying to get in as much Persona as I can. Does it do all the social linking stuff? I've been playing JRPGs since the SNES days, so I'm not concerned about more 'ancient' (as some have said) gameplay.

$50 is just a load for a PS1 game. :/

 

[XiaNaphryz]

I hope it's much more like persona 4 than Persona 3

If P4A really will be an indicator of anything, it'll be a mix of both.

 

[RedSwirl]

How do the people complaining about the "anime style" feel about Catherine then? They basically took Gamebryo and tried to apply that art style to it.

Actually, in terms of town (or wherever) exploration, the bar in Catherine is pretty much exactly what I'd envision P5 looking like.

 

[snoopeasystreet]

I only played 4 but didn't 3 have androids and sleeping in coffins in it? As dumb a statement as this is, that sounds too far fetched for me, despite having the midnight channel and persona and all that, the real world aspect of the game seems way more grounded in reality.

 

[zyxwvu4321]

I only played 4 but didn't 3 have androids and sleeping in coffins in it? As dumb a statement as this is, that sounds too far fetched for me, despite having the midnight channel and persona and all that, the real world aspect of the game seems way more grounded in reality.

It wasn't really sleeping in coffins. When the Dark Hour hit at midnight each night, normal people without personas or the potential would turn into the crystal coffins. That prevented them from experiencing the Dark Hour, like they would notice nothing, it would be like blinking and missing it. It also kept them from being attacked by shadows.

 

[jcm]

I only played 4 but didn't 3 have androids and sleeping in coffins in it? As dumb a statement as this is, that sounds too far fetched for me, despite having the midnight channel and persona and all that, the real world aspect of the game seems way more grounded in reality.

There was no sleeping in coffins, and Teddy is more far fetched than Aigis, I think. You should play 3, it's a lot of fun.

 

[ultron87]

3 also had a dog as a party member. But it was so awesome that how far fetched it was didn't matter.

 

[kuroshiki]

Being new to this whole Persona racket (played/beat P3-FES, almost done with P4, and bought P4 Arena but haven't played yet), I really just want more of the same... although new cast, new setting, maybe a few throw-backs, but yeah. I don't mind the high school angle. It actually has a nostalgic feeling for me.

I will say, overall, I liked P3's story tone more. SO I do hope P5 has a bit of bleakness in there.

Question:

I no longer have a functioning PSP, so is Persona 2: Eternal Punishment PS1 worth buying for $50 (ugh)?
It looks pretty interesting, love the character designs I've seen, and I'm trying to get in as much Persona as I can. Does it do all the social linking stuff? I've been playing JRPGs since the SNES days, so I'm not concerned about more 'ancient' (as some have said) gameplay.

$50 is just a load for a PS1 game. :/

Persona 2 EP is not coming here for PSP? Damn that's sad.

 

[snoopeasystreet]

It wasn't really sleeping in coffins. When the Dark Hour hit at midnight each night, normal people without personas or the potential would turn into the crystal coffins. That prevented them from experiencing the Dark Hour, like they would notice nothing, it would be like blinking and missing it. It also kept them from being attacked by shadows.

There was no sleeping in coffins, and Teddy is more far fetched than Aigis, I think. You should play 3, it's a lot of fun.

Ah right. I'll definitely check it out. By the time I got around to Persona 4, I was already too into this generation to sink another 80 hours. It's on my to play list before P4 Arena cause I hear that sort if ties the two together.

 

[Trigger]

I hope we get a robot boy in Persona 5 too.

 

[Jake McLargeHuge]

I could really care less about character age. They could rock to the Goonies vibe or go buckwild with seniors along the lines of Bubba Ho-Tep. I could really care less. Just be awesome and I'll play your game to death.

 

[Canis lupus]

I hope the caracters are late adolescents.

 

[SlaughterX]

I want it to be on HD consoles (and not just the PS3). Also I want Kazuma Kaneko back as the character designer.

 

[Venfayth]

I want it to be as awesome as P3 and P4 are. The rest I leave up to Atlus.

 

[Banana Kid]

There was no sleeping in coffins, and Teddy is more far fetched than Aigis, I think. You should play 3, it's a lot of fun.

It didn't bother me in 4 because Teddie is from the TV world, where it's established quickly that everything is completely insane. Aigis is from the real world, which means it's a reality that just happens to have teen girl androids and is, as a result, way less believable.

I like the mundane reality contrasted with crazy demon world that P4 has. 3 doesn't have that, and that's kind of why I don't like Aigis.

 

[djtiesto]

Everyone wishing for a college Persona is going to be disappointed. Japan loves there high school setting too much, and only Americans have any special love for the college settings.

What I want from Persona: ditch the random-generated dungeons. They're too bland and same-y with just meaningless cosmetic changes between each dungeon. Distinctly different dungeons would be great. I know this is about as likely to happen as the college setting, but it's what I want.

Yeah, the only thing I could want out of a Persona 5, apart from seeing that shiny new HD engine... is much more interesting, non-random dungeon design. DDS and Nocturne are known for their huge, sprawling, meticulously designed dungeons filled with traps, pitfalls, etc... but P3 had some of the most boring and least varied random dungeon layouts ever. Hopefully P4 is a bit better in that regard, but I'll find out soon.

Have completed S Links referenced in non-S Link events. People should acknowledge who the player is friends with, dating etc.

This is another great idea... sometimes while playing P3 felt like where I was at with my party member S-Links was completely at odds of where I was at with what was going on in the plot... why is Yukari giving me the cold shoulder at this plot point, even after I completed her S-Link?

Catherine is set outside of Japan? I never noticed that, they're eating sushi, drinking sake, it's very Japanese.

Yeah, because it's impossible to get ahold of sushi and sake in the US I can't throw a rock without hitting a Japanese restaurant and I'm in the midst of whitebread suburbia

 

[Spirit of Jazz]

I think the thing I want most is being able to pick the abilities that fused personas adopt. The random abilities and need to go back and fourth for 3 hours until I get the ones I want is such atrocious game design.

 

[Venfayth]

I think the thing I want most is being able to pick the abilities that fused personas adopt. The random abilities and need to go back and fourth for 3 hours until I get the ones I want is such atrocious game design.

I thought I heard that they were doing this, or are doing it in P4G.

 

[Snakeyes]

How do the people complaining about the "anime style" feel about Catherine then? They basically took Gamebryo and tried to apply that art style to it.

Actually, in terms of town (or wherever) exploration, the bar in Catherine is pretty much exactly what I'd envision P5 looking like.

I don't think they mind because the art style itself isn't the problem. People started referring to "anime style" in a negative light around 2005, when school/slice-of-life/moe shows like Haruhi, Lucky Star and K-ON became increasingly popular in Japan but were met with mixed reactions everywhere else. When Persona 4 is pretty much the game version of one of those series, down to the technicolor silhouettes of the cast in the J-pop intro, it's easy to see where the complaints are coming from. Catherine has little to none of those elements and is more akin to an episode of Seinfeld mixed with a horror movie.

This kinda goes back to what Marrshu asked a couple pages back; people mention anime or weeaboo-ness when criticizing the latest Personas because their school settings are much closer to the aforementioned newer anime series than the older Persona games, which have more things in common with universally loved 90s anime.

 

[Spirit of Jazz]

I thought I heard that they were doing this, or are doing it in P4G.

I've not been keeping up P4G as I don't have a Vita but I just checked the wiki and it seems like that's the case. It's a great move for the series as that's always been my biggest irk with any of the SMT games.

 

[Venfayth]

I've not been keeping up P4G as I don't have a Vita but I just checked the wiki and it seems like that's the case. It's a great move for the series as that's always been my biggest irk with any of the SMT games.

One of my friends was actually upset that they removed the rerolling thing :lol

They really like the time sink, I guess.

 

[WrenchNinja]

There was no sleeping in coffins, and Teddy is more far fetched than Aigis, I think. You should play 3, it's a lot of fun.

Teddie,

Spoiler

a shadow that grows an ego and becomes a good guy is more far fetched than a a military robot that looks like a teenaged girl, specifically created to destroy shadows and is also installed with a Persona?

? Really?

 

[Curufinwe]

This kinda goes back to what Marrshu asked a couple pages back; people mention anime or weeaboo-ness when criticizing the latest Personas because their school settings are much closer to the aforementioned newer anime series than the older Persona games, which have more things in common with universally loved 90s anime.

90s anime is not universally loved.

 

[Venfayth]

Teddie,

Spoiler

a shadow that grows an ego and becomes a good guy is more far fetched than a a military robot that looks like a teenaged girl, specifically created to destroy shadows and is also installed with a Persona?

? Really?

Yeah, because he was in a crazy world separate from the real world..

/rolleyes

 

[jcm]

It didn't bother me in 4 because Teddie is from the TV world, where it's established quickly that everything is completely insane. Aigis is from the real world, which means it's a reality that just happens to have teen girl androids and is, as a result, way less believable.

I like the mundane reality contrasted with crazy demon world that P4 has. 3 doesn't have that, and that's kind of why I don't like Aigis.

Fair enough. I still think P3 is worth playing for anyone who enjoyed P4. You don't have to spend a ton of time with any character you don't enjoy.

Teddie,

Spoiler

a shadow that grows an ego and becomes a good guy is more far fetched than a a military robot that looks like a teenaged girl, specifically created to destroy shadows and is also installed with a Persona?

? Really?

Well, they're both silly. Arguing which one is sillier isn't likely to be terribly conclusive.

 

[TheBaronOfNA]

Teddie works because It seems to be from a David Lynch film (specially in his old designs). Aegis appears kind of nowhere after what it was a pretty grounded setting.

 

[dan2026]

I think it is definitely time the Persona series had a change in setting.
3 and 4 were both set in high school and I believe the first 2 might have been as well.

I don't think their is anything crucial to the Persona formula that dictates a high school setting.
Its basically just a visual novel with light rpg elements.

Hell I don't see why the characters have to be teenagers. They could just as easily be cops or astronauts or old folks in a nursing home. All the action takes place in a fantasy world anyway.

 

[WrenchNinja]

Well, I'm saying Teddie is way less sillier and fits more with the magical bullshit of the series than teenaged military robot girls developing personas.

 

[Hecatonchires Custom]

Oh boy, here goes.

• An adult cast exempt of children, robots, dogs, animate glasses of orange juice with a heart.
• Removal of calendar.
• No Social Links.
• Move beyond a high school setting for a change.
• Demons > Shadows
• Demon talk
• A return to the SMT feel of 1 and 2.
• Less anime.

...yeah I'll go back to playing 2.

 

[Silver_key]

Persona 7: Old folks home persona

I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter. Elderly people invigorated by their personas to fight crime or evil or whatever. It'd be like if Alfred was Batman. The whole angle of being close to death in a world with demons and obvious hints at an afterlife would serve as interesting plot fodder.

 

[Snakeyes]

90s anime is not universally loved.

Compared to Haruhi clones, it may as well be.

 

[Venfayth]

I don't think their is anything crucial to the Persona formula that dictates a high school setting.
Its basically just a visual novel with light rpg elements.

I will never understand this viewpoint. The games are anywhere from 60-100 hours long, and it's not because you're spending most of your time reading. I'd argue it's completely the opposite. An RPG with light visual novel elements.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

Oh boy, here goes.

• An adult cast exempt of children, robots, dogs, animate glasses of orange juice with a heart.
• Removal of calendar.
• No Social Links.
• Move beyond a high school setting for a change.
• Demons > Shadows
• Demon talk
• A return to the SMT feel of 1 and 2.
• Less anime.

...yeah I'll go back to playing 2.

then maybe you can answer my questions up top.

 

[EvaTType01]

is p4 arena canon? because i just finished story mode with some characters and it looks like it might continue from that. meaning, prolly high school setting, midnight hour along with shadows.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

There are an UNNERVING number of people in this thread who have betrayed themselves as having not played a P2 title.

What's with these dude shoes?

Had to balance out how goddamn badass he was.

The character designs in the game are fully animu dude.

Soejima, specifically. The animated cutscenes are...not. I'll just put it that way. Dudes needed to stay on-model.

 

[dan2026]

I'd argue it's completely the opposite. An RPG with light visual novel elements.

Either way, my point is the high school setting has been done to death. Hell a Persona game set in an old folks home would genuinely be interesting to me.

Imagine that when the old guys enter the fantasy world , they become young and strong again. I feel that a lot of emotional mileage could be gotten out of it.

What was the last game that starred an old protagonist? MSG4?

More badass old people in videogames!

 

[Venfayth]

is p4 arena canon? because i just finished story mode with some characters and it looks like it might continue from that. meaning, prolly high school setting, midnight hour along with shadows.

There's a P4:A story discussion thread (with revealed spoilers) here if you want to talk about it more.

Either way, my point is the high school setting has been done to death. Hell a Persona game set in an old folks home would genuinely be interesting to me.

A lot of the elements of Persona (in 3 and 4 anyway ..) have to do with S.Links, the theme they're going with is one of building relationships between different people. I think a high school makes sense because of that, there are TONS of people with a lot of different personalities. I don't think high school is just an arbitrarily chosen setting, it helps them with the message of the game.

That being said, I wouldn't mind a more mature setting either. Maybe not an "old folks home" - but I certainly wouldn't mind moving beyond high school either.

 

[see5harp]

I'd like the see the games become more than choose your own adventures with occasional generic dungeon grinding. I'd like to see an actual world with actual social links that feel like real relationships. As it stands it feels like a big script with a series of bars that fill up as you pick different choices. Maybe doing something more ambitious would ruin their profit margins, I don't know.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

is p4 arena canon?

Yes.

because i just finished story mode with some characters and it looks like it might continue from that. meaning, prolly high school setting, midnight hour along with shadows.

Not necessarily...or at least, not necessarily just in that setting. Keep playing.

 

[PowderedToast]

Oh boy, here goes.

• An adult cast exempt of children, robots, dogs, animate glasses of orange juice with a heart.
• Removal of calendar.
• No Social Links.
• Move beyond a high school setting for a change.
• Demons > Shadows
• Demon talk
• A return to the SMT feel of 1 and 2.
• Less anime.

...yeah I'll go back to playing 2.

2 is pretty anime. it just features less modern tropes, naturally.

 

[Hecatonchires Custom]

Question:

I no longer have a functioning PSP, so is Persona 2: Eternal Punishment PS1 worth buying for $50 (ugh)?
It looks pretty interesting, love the character designs I've seen, and I'm trying to get in as much Persona as I can. Does it do all the social linking stuff? I've been playing JRPGs since the SNES days, so I'm not concerned about more 'ancient' (as some have said) gameplay.

$50 is just a load for a PS1 game. :/

You should look into the combat system first before buying. Some people don't like it at all (there's no One More) but I like it alright. Basically you arrange the order of characters to your liking and then let the round play. Characters with higher AGI than the enemies will act first and if their spells are in the right order, they will fuse and create stronger spells. Also everyone cna switch personae around and arent bound to a specific arcana.

Game looks a bit dated but IMO it's better than 3 and 4.

2 is pretty anime. it just features less modern tropes, naturally.

Do you mean the style or the situations involved? 3 and 4 are littered with stuff like Hot Springs and excessive blushing kawai desu moments which are pretty much absent in 2.

 

[TheBaronOfNA]

I don't think they mind because the art style itself isn't the problem. People started referring to "anime style" in a negative light around 2005, when school/slice-of-life/moe shows like Haruhi, Lucky Star and K-ON became increasingly popular in Japan but were met with mixed reactions everywhere else. When Persona 4 is pretty much the game version of one of those series, down to the technicolor silhouettes of the cast in the J-pop intro, it's easy to see where the complaints are coming from. Catherine has little to none of those elements and is more akin to an episode of Seinfeld mixed with a horror movie.

This kinda goes back to what Marrshu asked a couple pages back; people mention anime or weeaboo-ness when criticizing the latest Personas because their school settings are much closer to the aforementioned newer anime series than the older Persona games, which have more things in common with universally loved 90s anime.

I don't think It has much in common with K-On or Lucky Star outside the slice of life. And slice of life is not exactly new in Anime... neither a genre exclusive it from it.

I say it has more in common with a 90's sitcom than with K-On or Lucky Star.

Do you mean the style or the situations involved? 3 and 4 are littered with stuff like Hot Springs and excessive blushing kawai desu moments which are pretty much absent in 2.

That is not exactly new from "current" anime, it probably older than 90's stuff and I will say that P4 is way more classy than other "anime" games.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

I don't think It has much in common with K-On or Lucky Star outside the slice of life. And slice of life is not exactly new in Anime... neither a genre exclusive it from it.

I say it has more in common with a 90's sitcom than with K-On or Lucky Star.

If anything, the slice-of-life thing in anime as we've seen it recently truly took off after Azumanga Daioh exploded. And that was 10 years ago!

 

[Young Magus]

What do I want?

Does not really matter I guess, I could stick with what they did with 3 and 4 although a college/Mid-20's setting would be somewhat interesting and fresh. At this point, I'll buy P5 no matter what direction they take.

 

[ultron87]

So by "less anime" everyone just means "less things that remind me of a kind of anime I don't like".

 

[tokkun]

Do you mean the style or the situations involved? 3 and 4 are littered with stuff like Hot Springs and excessive blushing kawai desu moments which are pretty much absent in 2.

"littered with"?

 

[zlatko]

Older cast is fine with me like others mentioned ala Catherine style.

I'm hoping for more character customization options for equipment in battles to spruce up their looks.

I'd also be 100% on board with a more expanded crafting system, room decorating system, and more side quests/secret dungeons.

 

[LuchaShaq]

Oh boy, here goes.

• No Social Links.
  
• Demon talk
  

...yeah I'll go back to playing 2.

Social links being awesome and no shitty talking to demons are big reasons why 3/4 are the only Persona/smt games I like.

 

[Hecatonchires Custom]

Social links being awesome and no shitty talking to demons are big reasons why 3/4 are the only Persona/smt games I like.

Some are well written but I'm sick of sucking up to a character that's just bland/retarded so I can get more EXP per fusion.

"littered with"?

Y'know, things like Hot Springs, comparing breast sizes, nosebleeds, excessive blushing parties etc

 

[Spirit of Jazz]

Some are well written but I'm sick of sucking up to a character that's just bland/retarded so I can get more EXP per fusion.

Whilst it's fair to say the majority of social links are absolutely awful the Sun social link in P3 is the best piece of writing in the series for me. If they knuckled down and made it so the stories told through the links was more incentive to go through them than the gameplay boons associated with them then they'd be a great addition to the series. It just sucks that they're perfectly happy to have them be nothing more than a grind.