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[Skid 4 Dead]

P4G was pretty much my fist JRPG. It is also one of the rare games where I actually cared about the characters. Not to mention one of, if not, the best OST i've heard.
I bought P3P and plan on playing it sooner or later.

 

[Protag]

Ahh, another brother joins the circle

 

[SlickVic]

Dropped $196 on a Vita Holiday Bundle and P4G on Amazon. Sure, there are other games on the system I want to play, but Persona 4 is what sold the system to me.

 

[Hellsing321]

Would be amusing if in P5 social links can friendzone you instead. If things go badly enough, even have them hook up with a different party member just to spite you!

Even better if they included School Days-esque bad ends for two-timing.

 

[thunder_snail]

Persona games are just too addicting. Got tired of dungeons? leave and raise personality traits and social links. Got tired of that? Go hunt some shadows. Also getting the shuffle after a battle is always rewarding enough to go hunt that one more shadow.

 

[Skilletor]

I love this gif, but I'm not sure what you're trying to convey with it.

 

[Mobile Suit Gooch]

Awesomeness.

 

[PK Gaming]

Nevermind.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Really? You're gonna flood a bunch of pics of the game in a thread where a bunch of people stated they haven't played the game yet or have just started?

Yeah, it's not really spoilerific, but it could lessen the impact of certain scenes seeing them ahead of time.

 

[AstroLad]

Like many I've also not been able to gut through the first few hours. Kind of reminds me of how I bailed on Ni No Kuni as well with all its fetch quests and dialogue, though I know P4 has a great game underneath eventually. I'll give it another shot. It's just like in my experience so far with the game that basically sounds like homework.

 

[Jonnax]

Some of those pics are advanced spoilers.

 

[BriareosGAF]

As a longtime JRPG/WRPG lover I assumed I would love Persona but I actually found it rather trite and boring. My wife, however, fucking loves these games, and I am happy to see her inflate my PSN tropy count with Persona 4, in the same way that she contributed to my gamer score with her relentless Viva Pinata skills. If only they patched trophies back into the older PSP games, I'd be truly sated...

 

[Superman]

Best game I have ever played. Currently 72 hours into it. My team just received

Spoiler

that letter

.

Easily best game I have played. Love it and my first jrpg.

Couldn't of picked a better JRPG to start with. Fantastic game.

Looks like I'm no longer a junior... Wahey!

 

[P90]

Many posters have already made some notable points that make P4/G the all-time classic that it is: cast, dialogue, battle system, s-links, music, character design, etc. One item that sticks out in my mind that that the Persona 4 cast would have been awesome high school pals.

I also loved the quizzes.

 

[Zephyx]

Also

- Rise

Seconded!

 

[Snakeyes]

Raidou and the Demi-Fiend are swaggier than Yu. He's up there still, though.

 

[leng jai]

I find P4 Golden on Vita on extremely boring. Can't understand the ridiculous GAF hype for it.

 

[Chie Satonaka]

I find P4 Golden on Vita on extremely boring. Can't understand the ridiculous GAF hype for it.

Not just GAF. Persona 4 is a critically acclaimed game. P4G just makes it THAT much better.

I'm sorry you don't like it, though. To each their own. This is my third time through P4 (first playing P4G), and I'm having a blast. It's like a whole new game.

 

[flatearthpandas]

None of my friends I've showed it to or lent it to have cared for it.

It certainly brings out the crazy in a certain type of people though. I like the games well enough, but P4 is not the best entry in any respect.

P2: IS (haven't played EP yet) has better characters. P1 and P2 have better dungeons. P2 and P3 have better stories. P3 has the exact same dating sim aspect.

 

[Fine Ham Abounds]

scooby doo: the rpg

Lol I sorta was thinking this too the other day

I'm enjoying it because the fundamental fusion and collection stuff that got me so addicted to SMTIV this year is kinda in this game too, and I enjoy the flow of the combat. TBH, so far I've enjoyed SMTIV more, but it's tough to defend that game's world map, and the characters don't have the same immediate charm.

I couldn't give two shits about "waifus", although I do think Chie is cute.

 

[Shengar]

I don't play these games to date virtual teenagers and I also befriended the characters instead of choosing a love interest.

It's actually my way protesting the lack of consequences when you dating multiple girls at the same time.

Spoiler

My favorite girl is Naoto, but she's basically reserved for Kanji, and since I don't want NTR the guy, so yeah

 

[Dark Octave]

Persona used to be like the Shin Megami Tensei series it came from(Which also still exists). Cities flooded with demons, it basically played like a normal dungeon crawler with persona fusion mechanics with combat and story to break up the time in between. In 3 and 4 it drastically changed to something more hybrid. The story was no longer about demons being absolutely everywhere. It still had a persona fusion system, but the mechanics behind it became different. You needed to actually engage in the story and side stories to become more powerful. A time system was added. It became a completely different game.

Not necessarily a bad thing, but there you go.

As someone who knows nothing about Persona this is helps a lot, thanks. There's a used copy of regular Persona 4 at a store near me, so I'll just go ahead and check that out.

 

[shandy706]

Since the other Shin megam games were covered by someone else, I'll just get into Devil Survivor. It's like Persona in time management, but time passes in 15 minute chunks. There's a lot more choice involved and many different endings. The game has a much more hectic pace. Plays like an SRPG mix that is pretty unique but you'll recognize some of the mechanics from Persona.

Many of the SMT titles released within the past decade came out on PS2, so you would want to have one of those or a PS3 with PS2 BC. This would include games such as these:

-Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 (features a set party focusing on people rather than demons, with more emphasis on story and characters than what tends to be the case with mainline SMT; very good starting point, and uses the same Press Turn system introduced in Nocturne and modified as the One More system used in P3 and P4)

-Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (third installment in the mainline series, with a particularly dark and bleak post-apocalyptic atmosphere, as well as a more minimalistic story; the lead character and Dante from Devil May Cry aside, your party members are limited to other demons, which you can recruit through negotiation or create through fusion)

-Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon (these are action RPGs set in 1920s Japan, with many favoring the story in the first one, yet regarding the second as the much better actual game; as usual, human lead, with lots of demons to recruit, yet there are also different investigative skills varying according to the type of demon used in the field that allow you to overcome obstacles, find items, or obtain new information)

If you own a 3DS, you can check out Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (an updated port of a turn-based, cyberpunk Devil Summoner originally made for the Saturn and PS1), as well as Shin Megami Tensei IV (probably has the most polished presentation of a traditional SMT). There's a 3DS port of the original Devil Survivor called Devil Survivor Overclocked, though the 3DS port of Devil Survivor 2 has been delayed until 2014 (you could always just play the original DS version on 3DS, though). I don't know as much about the Devil Survivor games (other than being under the same Megami Ibunroku banner that P1 was), which are strategy RPGs, so I'll just let someone else cover those.

EDIT: Forgot to mention Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, which is another DS game (first-person dungeons and combat like with Soul Hackers, but focuses on a mission to investigate a void that appears at the South Pole).

Thanks

I hope to find time to dig into this. Appreciate all the input.

 

[Citizen_Insane]

Well.. I bought P4G when it was $20 on the psn black friday sale and I just beat it today. Put in almost 60 hours. I played it before on PS2 and got up to

Spoiler

Naoto's dungeon

and gave up for some reason, but wow. The Persona games were made for the vita. I've been playing nonstop for weeks. A game hasn't hooked me on this level in ages. I would spend hours just grinding away and ended up at level 93 by the time of the last dungeons so I breezed right through the last parts of the game (shout out to my homie level 90 Loki!), did the extra dungeon of Golden, and got the true ending and everything. What a fantastic game. Easily one of the best games I've ever played and the best RPG of all time as far as I'm concerned. Also as far as waifus go I went with Rise AND Marie cause I'm a slut.

I was hyped for Persona 5 being announced on PS3, but after this all I can think is I would so much rather just have it for the Vita. This series was made to be portable.

Now to pick my life back up again and finish P3P. I have it here somewhere..

 

[AcademicSaucer]

Im playing Persona 3 FES right now, and so far the game is so full of anime cliches that i had to stop , is persona 4 the same ?

 

[Citizen_Insane]

Im playing Persona 3 FES right now, and so far the game is so full of anime cliches that i had to stop , is persona 4 the same ?

Very much so.

I found it kind of endearing.

 

[Murder. She Wrote]

It's actually my way protesting the lack of consequences when you dating multiple girls at the same time.

Spoiler

My favorite girl is Naoto, but she's basically reserved for Kanji, and since I don't want NTR the guy, so yeah

Naoto's my girl too, screw Kanji.

Spoiler

I was so mad when he was getting all up on her during the winter trip.

I wish the characters actually acknowledged that we were in a relationship.

 

[santeesioux]

I just bought the ps2 version, i don't know what i'm getting myself into.

 

[LX_Theo]

I just bought the ps2 version, i don't know what i'm getting myself into.

Better open up your schedule.

 

[Storm Chamber]

8 pages deep, don't give a FUCK.

P3 was better and P2 was the best in the series.


Fight about it.

 

[santeesioux]

Better open up your schedule.

I also have FES on psn to get to!

 

[Cyrano]

8 pages deep, don't give a FUCK.

P3 was better and P2 was the best in the series.


Fight about it.

 

[Shig]

The main characters are all quite likable. Something that can very rarely be said of most JRPG casts, especially modern ones.

I think I liked Persona 3 better overall, but the cast's got some weak links. Junpei and Yukari came off as aggressively stupid at times, and the mere mention of Ken elicits an instinctive cringe from pretty much everyone that's familiar with the game.

(...Though P3P's FemC campaign made everyone much more likable than the original male character campaign. If you're going to play P3, that's the way to go.)

 

[Persona7]

8 pages deep, don't give a FUCK.

P3 was better and P2 was the best in the series.


Fight about it.

I like P2, P3 and P4.

 

[gribbles]

I played for about 5 hours...was bored out of my mind...sent it back to Gamefly.

This. Still dont get what people see in this game, and I generally like JRPGs.

 

[Shingro]

Persona 4 is a master class in personal investment in a medium measured out just so.

Everything works towards that goal, the colorful setting and characters to set the hook, the persistence to land it and the social links for long term and the feeling that what you've done matters and it's your experience and no one elses.

It's frankly a brilliant balance that I'm not sure even Atlus team can recreate. Persona 3, 4, 5 may end up a Star Ocean 1, 2, 3 situation...

.... ah who am I kidding, Atlus team remains brilliant and they'll still make something interesting even if it doesn't melt our eyeballs from our sockets.

 

[SaggyMonkey]

Couldn't tell you OP, I didn't like Persona 4 at all.

 

[Kageshinzo]

I don't know about the others but I personally like the new Persona games (3 & 4) because of the Persona fusion. I'm always excited what Persona I could get mixing and matching stuff.

The older Persona (1 & 2: IS & EP) I liked because back then, quirky jRPGs were rare. Also Tatsuya Suou.

 

[buddha0991]

Persona 4 is a master class in personal investment in a medium measured out just so.

Everything works towards that goal, the colorful setting and characters to set the hook, the persistence to land it and the social links for long term and the feeling that what you've done matters and it's your experience and no one elses.

It's frankly a brilliant balance that I'm not sure even Atlus team can recreate. Persona 3, 4, 5 may end up a Star Ocean 1, 2, 3 situation...

.... ah who am I kidding, Atlus team remains brilliant and they'll still make something interesting even if it doesn't melt our eyeballs from our sockets.

I think Atlus just has it, Every single Megaten game Past SMT Nocturne has been at least good. Most of them great, some of them classics.

 

[leng jai]

Not just GAF. Persona 4 is a critically acclaimed game. P4G just makes it THAT much better.

I'm sorry you don't like it, though. To each their own. This is my third time through P4 (first playing P4G), and I'm having a blast. It's like a whole new game.

It's a critically acclaimed game but there are tons of them. On GAF it gets recommended for virtually every single person that owns a Vita. It seems like a pretty niche game to me - definitely not something that 98% of people are guaranteed to enjoy. That's the distinction I have with it on GAF - it's recommended to people with zero regard to their taste.

 

[Hidden One]

Waifus

Second post nailed it.

 

[jaxword]

Are you saying real life Japan is like Persona?

All I want in life is for a girl to come into my room on christmas eve while we're in the middle of solving a crime. ;_;

Perhaps you need to work on your social ranks more.

 

[cafemomo]

8 pages deep, don't give a FUCK.

P3 was better and P2 was the best in the series.


Fight about it.

b-but muh chie muh junes

 

[eroots]

Like many I've also not been able to gut through the first few hours. Kind of reminds me of how I bailed on Ni No Kuni as well with all its fetch quests and dialogue, though I know P4 has a great game underneath eventually. I'll give it another shot. It's just like in my experience so far with the game that basically sounds like homework.

not my kinda game either, but something just clicks after 7-10 hrs.. GIve it another few I wasn't too into it the first few...but, stuck with it for the story and then something clicked...now I'm cruising along...

 

[HolyBaikal]

I don't understand the particular appeal and success, myself. It's a good game and a nice part of the PlayStation 2's Japanese RPG library. I like it more than almost everything that Square Enix put out for the PlayStation 2, so I have a lot of respect for it. Though Dragon Quest VIII is a strong contender.

I personally liked Persona 3 better than Persona 4. I also liked Tales of the Abyss and Tales of Symphonia better than Persona 4.

I think that Persona 4 is a very overrated game. Though, admittedly, it doesn't have much competition on the PlayStation 2. The PlayStation 2 is regarded as a great system for Japanese RPGs. And it has many. But certainly many games and game developers had a decline in quality during the PlayStation 2. No Final Fantasy game for the PlayStation 2, was as good, in my opinion, as Persona 4. And Grandia 3 was a horrible disappointment. Star Ocean 3 also failed to hold the quality of the previous two games. The Wild Arms games were also personally a disappointment for me.

Given its competition, Persona 4 is definitely one of the best RPGs for the PlayStation 2. Though I still think it is overrated.

 

[Korigama]

b-but muh chie muh junes

Hm, such a strange assessment in that image, given that (MAJOR P3 AND P4 SPOILERS)

Spoiler

Yu actually lived after taking out the final threat in his game.

...Yes, I went there.

 

[Hidden One]

Hm, such a strange assessment in that image, given that (MAJOR P3 AND P4 SPOILERS)

Spoiler

Yu actually lived after taking out the final threat in his game.

...Yes, I went there.

Minato is jesus.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Makoto is jesus.

Fixed, use the right name given the movie and all. ;P

 

[cafemomo]

Minato is jesus.

people should learn to realize that Minato is best MC.

 

[buddha0991]

people should learn to realize that Minato is best MC.

He is actually the worst one.

Maya Amano > Tatsuya Suou > Yu Narukami > Non Canon Female Protagonist > The Pierced Boy > Makoto Yuki