Persona 3

Post by **Perseid** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:19 pm

It seems like there are a lot of Japanese-style RPG fans here so I'm just writing a quick note to point out that I'm about 10 hours into Persona 3 and it is shaping up to be very good. Possibly the best Shin Megami Tensei game yet. You don't get to talk to the demons in this game, which is a bit of a letdown but it is replaced by a complex Social Link system. Your main character is a high school student and you get the opportunity to make friends and join afterschool clubs and stuff. Depending on which ones you choose and how much you attend it will raise your Social Link in a certain category. Then if you fuse a Persona(similar to a summon for the FF fans) the resulting Persona will then be of higher level if it is the same arcana as the one you raised your Social Link in. It sounds complicated, and it is, but that and other little details make the game very tweakable. You can even watch infomercials and order the stuff on TV. How unique is that?

Post by **pocket** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 2:34 pm

I just bought it last week, and I have been grinding non-stop. So addicting.

Post by **kinn** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 6:04 pm

Still considering getting this. Never played any game in this series but it seems to have a good following.

Would I be missing anything if I havent played the previous games?

Post by **Perseid** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 11:52 pm

kinn wrote:Still considering getting this. Never played any game in this series but it seems to have a good following.

Would I be missing anything if I havent played the previous games?

No. The Persona continuity setup is much like Final Fantasy - completely independent stories, characters and plots but all having a few recurring elements that don't matter(like Chocobos and Cid in Final Fantasy)

Post by **kinn** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:15 am

Perseid wrote:
kinn wrote:Still considering getting this. Never played any game in this series but it seems to have a good following.

Would I be missing anything if I havent played the previous games?
No. The Persona continuity setup is much like Final Fantasy - completely independent stories, characters and plots but all having a few recurring elements that don't matter(like Chocobos and Cid in Final Fantasy)

OK cheers for the info. Just need to find some way to fit this into my games to play list!

Post by **ImportBoy** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:59 pm

Are their Japanese voice-actors (or an option to switch) for the Western release? Otherwise, looks like an interesting series.

Post by **kinn** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:05 pm

Just completed Okami now (great game!) and I'm now wondering whether to pick this one up now.

How long do you think this game is guys? 60+ hours? Just asking since Halo 3 is coming out soon and I rather not be in the middle of an RPG when it does!

Post by **Perseid** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 8:05 pm

I honestly don't remember for sure but I think there is no Japanese voice-over option. The English acting is unusually good, though.

I can't tell how long it is going to be but some reviews say it is very long - 80-90 hours. Not sure I believe that, though.

Post by **Gamerforlife** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 11:11 am

I'm going to be honest, having put a few hours into Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga I'm not really impressed by the Shin Megami Tensei games. Gameplaywise, I find them far more restrictive and less fun than other rpgs. There's also no real visual pizazz or personality to the combat in those games. It's all very basic and uninteresting. I think these games rely on their story and style a lot more than other rpgs. I think some gamers obsess over buying them too because they're known for limited production runs, which is pretty much why I originally ended up buying Nocturne and DDS. I was surprised by how not fun they ended up being though

I've never played one of the Persona ones though, which some say are the best ones in the MegaTen franchise.

The social link thing sounds silly though, all that socializing just for some gameplay element. I like how how socializing in a game like Knights of the Old Republe leads to sidequests and also changes in the plot, as well as changes in how some characters interact with you. But I guess that's one of the things that makes western rpgs different from japanese, more of a genuine sense of role-playing where your decisions actually affect the plot

Okami is awesome though. That game has some surprising emotional resonance. A rarity in most of today's soulless games