Sorry for the dearth of updates in the past few months (read: year). Graduating from college and finding a grown-up job was more stressful then I had originally considered.
General Stats
Concept: 7/10
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 8/10
Playability: 9/10
Entertainment: 9/10
Replay Value: High
About the Game
Genre: RPG/Simulation
Length: 60-120+ hours
Platform: PS2
Review and General Storyline:
First and foremost, I have been attempting to write this review from the very beginning. Persona is a series very near and dear to my heart, and has been for at least a few years now. This has been super hard for me to pin down, and I have no idea why. I've also gone in and out of obsession with this series. I'll sit down and play for fifty some odd hours (not necessarily consecutively) then I'll quit (usually right before a boss) and won't touch it for a few months.
Alright, enough bitchin'. I'm going to split this up into two different sections. The first part will be the PS2 review, then I'll list my notes on the PSP version as comparison (as I have played and loved both. Certainly there are some significant deviations between the two versions).
First, if you are thinking about getting a version for the PS2, my suggestion is to splurge for the Persona 3 FES edition. Used, it might be a little less than ten dollars more (unless you are going for the digital download, which is the cheapest option AND FES, but for the PS3, and not physical). It is totally a matter of personal preference. I am a fan of the physical disc, so I have a copy of FES for the PS2, though I have been considering for some time getting the download for my PS3 (-edit- bought the PS3 version last week. Be jelly -edit/-).
Like I said, personal preference, but go with the FES over original nine times out of ten. It has a bunch of extra features, including a whole new post-game storyline, "The Answer." You get significantly more bang for your bucks in this edition.
It's always fun to begin a game by choosing your own name, but its even more fun to begin a game where time stands still and people transmogrify into coffins. You meet Yukari and Mitsuru, and have a nice and awkward conversation with the two of them (seriously, Main Character is far to blase after seeing these two chicks with guns?)
You really have to follow the storyline for the next few days, with very little free time, until Shadows attack.
Now, this whole fighting system is very witty. The enemy, a Shadow, gets repelled by your Persona, or another facet of your personality that you summon by shooting yourself in the head. It's creepy and crazy but really, really witty. My psych class just learned about the id, ego and superego, and shadow and persona were words that I heard in the lecture that actually had me sit up and listen. Look into it, because I can't really explain it...
Anyway, this is one of the better RPG games, if only because there is just so much to do, and so little time to do it in. You become friends with schoolmates, team members, and these are called "social links" and are your connections with others. The closer you become to your classmates, the more impressive persona you can summon and fuse.
And the dungeon. Hot damn that is a fine mess. First, the name; "Tartarus." A little too on the nose, if you ask me. Tartarus is, according to Greek mythology, the part of the underworld that the really nasty people go; equivalent to hell. And the fact that it is in your school? A little too obvious.
Did you know that there was a hidden hour, every day at midnight? This is the Dark Hour, where normal people transmogrify into coffins, the streets are lined with blood and the moon is huge and yellow. Special people, like you (the main character), Yukari, Mitsuru and Akihiko in the beginning can use your strength of heart and will to shoot yourself in the head with an Evoker to release your Persona. Like I said, look into Jungian psychology, the way the creators of the game really went deep with symbolism is crazy awesome.
Now, you are required to do a bit of grinding in the dungeons to get strong enough to defeat some of the stronger shadows, but it's all great fun. I did get a little bored at parts, feeling like I was doing the same thing over and over again, but it was easy enough to stick to it. That's the only reason playability and entertainment got 9's, instead of 10's.
The optional boss (the reaper) is both frustrating and annoying. I spent hours at it one afternoon (I have only ever beat it once) because it had a lot to do with luck, almost more so than strategy. In the early levels, he sucks, because you can't really explore the levels well enough (or as well enough as I want to) without him coming after you, and even when you are strong enough, he will still kick your ass nine times out of ten.
A hint on dungeon crawling for treasure: back yourself into a corner, where you can see no little red dots on the screen, and send your teammates out to explore. They will grab all the stuff you need and fill out your map. I would do that until they found the stairs, then I'd regroup, run to the stairs, then send them out again until they found everything. Great strategy for the optional dungeon, Monad to collect lots of money and gear.
Its also a great game for all playing styles. Even casual gamers can get a kick out of this game, while more experienced players will enjoy the strategy it takes to plan out your days to ensure you maximize your time wisely. In normal and beginner mode, there is little strategy involved in fighting the bosses. You pretty much wail on them until they are done. Some of the normal and hard modes you really need to know what you are doing, however, before you get into a fight; you want to have the right equipment, then right persona, and the right mindset to kick some serious ass.
Concerning sound, some of the music gets a little annoying; the music in the Velvet Room, and the music walking around town is played so often that it does get a little grating. When I go to fuse new persona, when I know I'm going to be doing it for a while, I make sure to mute the TV. Otherwise the sound would drive my roommates insane (as they have constantly mentioned to me).
Overall, I give this game a solid 9; music's a little annoying, but it is a great game to waste hours and hours at.
Regarding the PSP edition:
There are both upsides and downsides to this. I loved having the choice to play as a woman, and she was so cute, too! It was also great not getting tired while exploring Tartarus. There were new conversations for me to enjoy, also the Void Quests for Margaret were a great new challenge. Theodore from the Velvet room was adorable, and so were the new social links.
What I didn't like about this version is that I couldn't actually control the main character in anyplace other than the dungeon. When exploring the world, all you can do is move your cursor around the screen and talk with people. Can't actually run around, which wasn't very fun.
Because of that lack of running around, I can only give this version a 7.5 out of 10. Not enough action for me, though I did love the girl character I could play.
