Persona 3 - is it right for me?

[Kitsune Sniper]

I didn't want to make this thread, but I decided I'd better, since I don't want to pay $50 for a game there's a chance I would never play.

Here's the thing. I'm currently unsure whether I will buy Persona 3 or not. I tried out Persona 2 for about an hour a little while ago, and kinda liked the whole ask / charm / befriend demon thing that happens during battles. The fighting system didn't seem that bad either. But I was confused by the whole Persona dealy. I didn't really look at the manual at all.

I did find the story VERY interesting. I got as far as Joker activating your Personas. But I didn't make it that far, as I've been too busy with other games.

So do you think I'll like this game? For reference, here's a bunch of the games I've played and beaten.

Final Fantasy (GBA Remake, beaten)
Final Fantasy II (GBA Remake, didn't hold my interest)
Final Fantasy II (IV) (SNES, beaten back in 1998)
Final Fantasy III (SNES, favorite RPG)
Arcana (SNES)
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest

And for the record, I think FFVII is a decent game but it's nowhere near the BESTOMGCREAMINGMYPANTSINEXTAZY game so many people find it to be. :P

Anyone? Bueller?

[Richter Belmount]

BESTOMGCREAMINGMYPANTSINEXTAZY

Change that to your new user name XD

[roushimsx]

I'm a bit curious as to how I'm going to take to it as well. I'm dead set on buying it because I've really enjoyed the MegaTen games I've played in the past, but my backlog is growing incredibly large and I honestly don't know when I'll get around to playing it. The school life sim portion of the game sounds like it could be a fairly interesting little mechanic, too.

With the availability of Atlus' games these days, it's not like it'll be impossible to find a year down the road for normal retail price brand new (if not lower), but my compulsion to show a little retail love for the series outweighs my desire to wait-and-see :(

[Aussie2B]

The Persona series doesn't really have much in common with the Final Fantasy series, so that's not much of a frame of reference.

I'm not really sure why you're considering buying it in the first place. If I were you, I'd just play through Persona 2 first (and maybe the first Persona) and see how you feel about the series. If you REALLY love it, then sure, but if you're lukewarm on those, I don't think Persona 3 is gonna win you over. Persona 2 is regarded as the best of the three, and Persona 3 didn't go over that well in Japan. Most people are really turned off by the randomly-generated floors and the fact that's it's more of a dungeon crawler than a full, fleshed out RPG.

[RadiantSvgun]

I dunno Fox. One of my friends imported Persona 3, an he loved it. And he hated Persona 2. I'm getting it because anything with "Shin Megami Tensei" is right for me! I've been sold ever since Nocturne.

[Kitsune Sniper]

The Persona series doesn't really have much in common with the Final Fantasy series, so that's not much of a frame of reference.

I'm not really sure why you're considering buying it in the first place. If I were you, I'd just play through Persona 2 first (and maybe the first Persona) and see how you feel about the series. If you REALLY love it, then sure, but if you're lukewarm on those, I don't think Persona 3 is gonna win you over. Persona 2 is regarded as the best of the three, and Persona 3 didn't go over that well in Japan. Most people are really turned off by the randomly-generated floors and the fact that's it's more of a dungeon crawler than a full, fleshed out RPG.

But see, if I don't get it now, I'll never, EVER find it again. So I have to choose or live with eBay's insane sellers.

[Aussie2B]

I wouldn't be too worried about it. Atlus seems to print their games in at least slightly higher quantities than they used to, and every now and then something gets reprinted. The first Persona was fairly cheap for a very long time (only recently has it started to get pretty expensive), and the second Persona dropped like a rock after the reprint. At worst, you might end up having to pay the same price later on that you would had you bought it brand new, but I foresee the price only dropping for at least a year or two before any possible swing back up.

[heybtbm]

Try out SMT: Nocturne first. It has more similarities to Persona 3 than the first two Persona's do.

[mailman187666]

I own all the PS2 SMT games (except persona 3) and I also own Persona 1+2. Iplayed about 30 minutes worth of one and two then always got sidetracked with other shit to do. I did get a decent amount of ways into Noucturne and Nocturne I thought was mad fun. For me, I can't own Persona 1 and 2...and not complete the trilogy.

[Cryomancer]

Remember guys, the SMT name is tacked onto both Digital Devil Saga games and Persona 3 to boost the sales. We probably only got the Actual SMT game (nocturne) because it had that one guy in it. They are quality games for sure, but be aware that in Japan they are very clearly branches off from the main SMT line, and will be different in gameplay. They share a lot of terminology and monsters and artistic style and whatnot, but they will all play differently.

With that said, if all you ever play is final fantsy, you should try it. FF is the number two series in Japan...SMT and it's related branches are number three. It'll be a lot different, but that is usually a good thing.

Besides, we all need to buy this game before someone "powerful" notices how you summon your persona in this game and tries to get it banned.

[heybtbm]

Besides, we all need to buy this game before someone "powerful" notices how you summon your persona in this game and tries to get it banned.

I've thought the same thing. It won't be banned, but it might make the national news. "ZOMG...Kids shooting themselves in the head!11!!"

[mailman187666]

I've thought the same thing. It won't be banned, but it might make the national news. "ZOMG...Kids shooting themselves in the head!11!!"

whoa whoa whoa. They shoot themselves in the head to summon the persona? that freakin' incredible. I can't remember seeing too many games where people shoot themselves. I want the game even more now just because that is freakin' original right there.

[Daria]

Yeah ATLUS games aren't exactly hard to find anymore. And it seems to me sequals of PSOne RPGs that were hard to find and extremely popular are even easier to find. For example take Valkyrie Profile 2, or Suikoden 3-5. And even ATLUS is catching on that they need to reprint the expensive ebay resales, Disgaea anyone?

Plus Persona 3 is being marketed as a high profile game, I don't think you have to worry about passing it up now. Play Persona 2 again, see if you like it, and then continue the series.

Hell I loved Persona 2, and am looking forward to playing the sequal... but like you my backlog is pretty hefty. I'll probably wait on Persona 3 just becuase I don' need to spend the $50 right away, and it may even drop by the time I am ready to play it.

[Promophile]

If P3 didn't come with deluxe packaging I wouldn't worry about picking it up at launch, but it does. Most people can't take care of their games worth a damn, so add in all sorts of little extras and finding a copy with everything in MINT condition becomes much harder. I'm happy I bought Lunar 1 + 2 and Arc the Lad new, finding mint copies not missing any swag would give me a headache.

[Kitsune Sniper]

If P3 didn't come with deluxe packaging I wouldn't worry about picking it up at launch, but it does. Most people can't take care of their games worth a damn, so add in all sorts of little extras and finding a copy with everything in MINT condition becomes much harder. I'm happy I bought Lunar 1 + 2 and Arc the Lad new, finding mint copies not missing any swag would give me a headache.

That and places like GameStop open the packages and put stickers on the GODDAMN BOX ARGH.

If I don't get it now... I'll never get a complete copy. :(

Dammit, I wish I could find a demo or something!

[mailman187666]

I just picked up a copy of the game. It has the hardcover artbook just laike Ar Tonelico and a soundtrack CD. I haven't gotten a chance to play it yet but I will tonight. They checked my ID at the store for it because "its rated mature and the kids shoot themselves in the head." I had to ask the guy to go out back to get me a copy cuz the shipment had just arrived and they weren't on shelves yet.

[Promophile]

I just picked it up as well. They didn't have any spare copies, only copies that had been preordered, so I hope those of you who didn't preorder don't have too hard a time finding copies.

[mailman187666]

I just picked it up as well. They didn't have any spare copies, only copies that had been preordered, so I hope those of you who didn't preorder don't have too hard a time finding copies.

absolutely, the only reason I got a copy is because they hadn't opened any of thier shipments yet. Listen to Promophile everybody.

[orrimarrko]

Personally, I think the strategy guide will be very hard to come by for this, and eventually, so will the game.

They're trying to market it, but honestly, there are just way too many heavy hitting titles coming out over the next month or two that will take away from the sales of this title.

I don't expect that it was going to be put out in huge numbers anyway, but they're niche games - they appeal to a specific type of audience (a subset of RPG gamers.)

I know what a beotch it is to get the Digital Devil Saga I Deluxe box set complete and in good condition, without paying more than it sold for at retail.

I'd rather pay the retail now (I already paid for the guide - and I never pay full price for guides), and get it over with. That way, I know my copy is in great condition, and complete, and I'll only end up paying what it would probably cost me to buy a used copy down the road.

And by the way, that's an excellent point about the "shooting in the head" thing.

This game is definitely earmarked for some controversy. Do yourself a favor - get it now, and hang on to it.

[Kitsune Sniper]

This game is definitely earmarked for some controversy. Do yourself a favor - get it now, and hang on to it.

I'll probably go to Toys'R'Us and HOPE they stocked some copies. If they didn't, I'll just order it off Amazon.

[heybtbm]

Wait a minute. I just picked up Persona 3 at Gamestop (where I've had it pre-ordered for months). This is what I received (rubberbanded together)...

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/5972/persona3jm3.jpg


This is from Gamestop.com and Amazon...

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/5551/persona3bhu1.jpg

Did I just get ripped off? I didn't receive the case (similar to previous Atlus games) that holds the artbook and game. Did anyone get the case?

[Promophile]

Did I just get ripped off? I didn't receive the case (similar to previous Atlus games) that holds the artbook and game. Did anyone get the case?

Yes, yes you did. It came in a case. I'd take it back tommorow if I was you. I have to say, I've never seen GS open a preordered game.

[Nate Nanjo]

Yup, you got ripped.

Uh, anything I say about this maybe a little bais, considering Persona 2: Innocent Sin is one of my favorite games. However, I not to fond of dungeon crawlers. So, far I like the game, but only an hour in.

Jack Frost!

[Aussie2B]

I would've been wondering what's going on the second I saw a rubberband. Rubberbands are for thrift stores selling 15 year old used games that they want to hold together, not GameStop. :/ If they were actually preorder bonuses, they should be kept in a separate drawer, which they would pull out as you're purchasing the game, and Atlus sure as heck wouldn't package it that way. I seriously don't understand the business practices of GameStop sometimes.

[heybtbm]

Yeah, I got a display copy. Even though I paid for the game in full last February. I'm going to go there today and rip them a new one. This is the third pre-order screw up at that particular store since last September. If they don't have a sealed copy left (somehow I suspect that last sealed copy was bought by an employee), I'm returning it and buying it from Amazon. I'll also return every single one of my current pre-orders (which are all paid in full). We'll see how this goes at lunch.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Wait a minute. I just picked up Persona 3 at Gamestop (where I've had it pre-ordered for months). This is what I received (rubberbanded together)...

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/5972/persona3jm3.jpg


This is from Gamestop.com and Amazon...

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/5551/persona3bhu1.jpg

Did I just get ripped off? I didn't receive the case (similar to previous Atlus games) that holds the artbook and game. Did anyone get the case?

Jesus Tapdancing Christ. What the fuck, man. :(

Go out there and punch the crap out of the guy who sold you that. Jeez.

[mailman187666]

yeah dude, if you're gonna pay the full $50 you gotta get the outer case for it. I bought it yesterday without a pre-order (but i went just as the shipment arrived) and still got a sealed copy. You may have to wait until next shipment though but its worth it to be able to get EVERYTHING you paid for. I haven't even gotten a chance to play it yet, how is it anybody?

[exit]

I was able to snag a copy up at GS yesterday, it was factory sealed and all, you got totally ripped. They had also just gotten them in as well, so along with the NES games I found there, I must have really lucked out.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I called Toys'R'Us. "Duh, Chim Megani Topsy?" No dice.

I went to Wal-Mart. "I looked up the full title of the game you wrote down for me, and it's not in the system. We didn't get it this week. Tried Gamestop?"

*bangs head on wall*

[Nate Nanjo]

Yeah, I got a display copy. Even though I paid for the game in full last February. I'm going to go there today and rip them a new one. This is the third pre-order screw up at that particular store since last September. If they don't have a sealed copy left (somehow I suspect that last sealed copy was bought by an employee), I'm returning it and buying it from Amazon. I'll also return every single one of my current pre-orders (which are all paid in full). We'll see how this goes at lunch.

Uhh, pre-order games are suppose to be kept untouched for at least 48 hours right?

O_o

[Daria]

Yeah, I got a display copy.

What could have also happened was your copy may have been at the top of the shipping box and when they opened it with a box cutter sliced through the outercase.

[Promophile]

Uhh, pre-order games are suppose to be kept untouched for at least 48 hours right?

O_o

Thats what I thought. Every time I've preordered from multiple stores that's been the case.

[heybtbm]

Victory!

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/7505/persona3cvu6.jpg

I went back to Gamestop during lunch and they had one sealed copy remaining. Of course the manager had to be a whiny bitch about it. He grudgingly went to the drawer and pulled out the last copy, which was good...for him. I have several hundreds of dollars in pre-orders that I was ready to return if the situation had to get ugly. The whole time I was polite and clear that I paid for a sealed copy and that's what I was leaving with. Still, the manager had to be all pissy like I was trying to rip them off. Can't they look in the computer and see the $1000's of games I bought there over the years? Whatever.

I have my game and all is well.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Victory!

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/7505/persona3cvu6.jpg

I went back to Gamestop during lunch and they had one sealed copy remaining. Of course the manager had to be a whiny bitch about it. He grudgingly went to the drawer and pulled out the last copy, which was good...for him. I have several hundreds of dollars in pre-orders that I was ready to return if the situation had to get ugly. The whole time I was polite and clear that I paid for a sealed copy and that's what I was leaving with. Still, the manager had to be all pissy like I was trying to rip them off. Can't they look in the computer and see the $1000's of games I bought there over the years? Whatever.

I have my game and all is well.
I would've gotten the game and CANCELLED all the preorders just because of his attitude.

Congrats. Let us know how the game is!

[RadiantSvgun]

Persona 3= awesome! Is this going to end up like Nocturne?

[exit]

I've yet to see the game at my store, I asked the game guy a while back if we were going to receive it and he said no, so my guess is that Wal-Mart will not be receiving Persona 3. Ironically enough, we did receive Raw Danger, which is collecting dust minus one copy that I bought.


Victory!

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/7505/persona3cvu6.jpg

I went back to Gamestop during lunch and they had one sealed copy remaining. Of course the manager had to be a whiny bitch about it. He grudgingly went to the drawer and pulled out the last copy, which was good...for him. I have several hundreds of dollars in pre-orders that I was ready to return if the situation had to get ugly. The whole time I was polite and clear that I paid for a sealed copy and that's what I was leaving with. Still, the manager had to be all pissy like I was trying to rip them off. Can't they look in the computer and see the $1000's of games I bought there over the years? Whatever.

I have my game and all is well.

Congrats man. I hate how fuckin snoody some of the employees there can be, acting like they're better than you.

One time this guy gave me an attitude because I asked if the copy of SH3 I bought came with the bonus CD and instruction manual. He kept on bitching about how it's a used game and they sell used games there. I stood my ground and asked him why it's such a big deal to look in that little bag of his, by that point there was a small line growing behind me. Well the guy pulled out the manual and I told him that I wanted my manual back, needless to say I had a pleasant grin on my face the entire time watching him work.

[VACRMH]

One time this guy gave me an attitude because I asked if the copy of SH3 I bought came with the bonus CD and instruction manual. He kept on bitching about how it's a used game and they sell used games there. I stood my ground and asked him why it's such a big deal to look in that little bag of his, by that point there was a small line growing behind me. Well the guy pulled out the manual and I told him that I wanted my manual back, needless to say I had a pleasant grin on my face the entire time watching him work.

I get that stuff all the time. That and people hate it when I won't buy a display copy, complaining that "It's the same thing"

Picked up my copy on Wednesday, about 2 and a half hours in so far. Epic Lulz were given when I summoned a persona for the first time.

[G-Boobie]

Yeah, I just wanted to chime in on the overall quality of Persona 3... Holy crap. I can't put the controller down.... (and yeah, the collectors edition stuff is pretty cool). I think I like it better than Digital Devil, and I KNOW I like it much better than Persona 1.

Between Persona 3 and Bioshock, I don't think I'm going to need another console game for a couple months :p

[MrSmiley381]

Is this game right for you? I'm not too sure. But, I can tell you right now, Persona 3 is the most insanely weeaboo (Wapanese, Wannabe Japanese, etc.) game ever created by man. The localization, for starters, is decent enough. The game still takes place in Japan (so no sudden switch to LOL AMERIKKKA) and every damn cultural thing about Japan is still there. The way school is on Saturday, the way that there's kendo teams, just everything screams I LOVE JAPAN LOVELOVELOVE.

OK, so that's somewhat of a strike against it. Well, let's talk about some gameplay, OK? You have the option of exploring this HUGE tower every night. However, sometimes you're still tired from the night before, or that dumb healer bitch on your team is too sick to go in (that time of the month?). Well, in these cases, you can sometimes STUDY, or just go to sleep. Which leads to the next topic.

You, school, and schoolgirls.

Personally, this part of the game does not contain enough tentacles, but I suppose AO is a little much for Atlus. Well, school is Monday through Saturday (Wait, they might switch every other Saturday, I didn't play that far yet). Scripted events occur where you answer questions for your idiot companions or join the kendo team, or hit on some sort of Ganguro girl that totally will never, ever, put out. Working with your friends increases your various social links. So, every time you build better friendship, you have voices in your head tell you that you can create better Personas. You know, those demons you shoot yourself in the head for help? Personas. Yep.

Yeah, if you didn't know, your characters have a magic gun that they shoot themselves in the head with so they can summon badass demons. I suppose the whiny looking emo kids go well with this concept.

All right, so after you go to school, and assuming that bitchy healer isn't on her period, you go to Tartarus, the Xbox-sized tower that appears where your school does. This happens during the Dark Hour, which is a magical realm that exists between midnight and 12:01. You fight these shadows in Tartarus, because they eat people. Sort of. Their souls, maybe? I guess shadows just make people apathetic. Seriously, they say on the in-game news that there are EXTREME CASES OF APATHY.

Uh huh.

So, while you explore Tartarus, you see your enemies, and you can strike first (A la Valkyrie Profile) to get the advantage. Combat, unlike everything else in Persona 3, is pretty decent. You only control the main character, although you can give basic commands to your teammates, like "Standby," and "Bitch better be healin'." If you strike an enemy's weakness, you'll get an extra attack. Hitting all of your opponents with their weaknesses will give you the option to do a hilariously cartoony all-out attack. Good stuff, all around.

It's possible to break the system, though. I did. I beat the Floor 10 trio of enemies by telling my fellow attacker to standby, and the healer to heal. Long story short, every turn I attacked all three of the same enemy with the type of attack they were weak against. This knocked each of them into a state where they more or less lose a turn, unless they are attacked. See the broken part, yet? Attack, attack, attack, standby. Friend stands by. Bitch heals if necessary. All three enemies waste a turn getting back up. Rinse and repeat. I hope later enemies aren't this exploitable.

Finally, there's the art style and music. The music sounds good in-game, but horrible when in real life. Nothing against GANGSTA MUZAK, but it doesn't work when mildly browsing the internet. The art is a mix of win and epic fail. The character portraits and artbook are amazingly detailed and expertly crafted, even though Kazuma Kaneko bailed on this game. However, the characters models themselves ARE HORRIBLY SHITTY AND MUDDY AND DISGUSTING. Jesus. The 3D modeling in this game looks like a mixture of barf, shit, and piss. I can barely tell which way my characters are looking sometimes. Man.

Also, my disc seems to skip a lot on the aforementioned GANGSTA song. It's great hearing your PS2 make noises. The disc isn't being scratched, so I either got a faulty disc or my PS2 has AIDS. Front Mission 3 and Silent Hill, along with Gradius V have occasional RRRRRR noises ejecting from the PS2, but nothing like Persona 3. I will further test this out on my friend's multiple PS2's tomorrow.

Well, that's my short and messy review. Take it as you will.

[Cryomancer]

Maybe because the game was made in Japan? And aimed at a Japanese audience? Because, it's a Japanese developer and a series branch know for taking place in schools?

I will however admit that it's weeaboo in the sense that they have English voice actors using Japanese words. Why DO they market to the weeaboo demographic and take out the Japanese voices? All that does is delay the game and make it cost more, it's a waste of time. Maybe they're too lazy to add subtitles? This topic sure is coming close to violating rules 1 and 2....

[MrSmiley381]

HEY YUKA-TAN.

HEY MITSURU-SENPAI.

Other than the super-weeaboo stuff, I'll admit I like the dialogue.

[heybtbm]

weeaboo


weeaboo

Hey, I learned a new word today.

[exit]

I will however admit that it's weeaboo in the sense that they have English voice actors using Japanese words. Why DO they market to the weeaboo demographic and take out the Japanese voices? All that does is delay the game and make it cost more, it's a waste of time. Maybe they're too lazy to add subtitles? This topic sure is coming close to violating rules 1 and 2....

Thats what happened to me with Devil Summoner, I would be told to go to one place and have no idea what are to choose when I used the train, since every area name looked the same to me. They could've easily translated the name, or just gave something simple to under stand, instead of that TAINA-WA SHINJI SHRINE crap.

[RadiantSvgun]

My only gripes about the game so far is...
1. The music in battle, while awesome, doesn't really feel like battle music, its sorta like Marvel vs Capcom 2, all this club, poppy music in a battle.

2. You cannot skip school.

3. According to Excel Saga, when talking to girls in a date-sim manner, one of the choices always has to be "put in in" (this one is a joke.)

4. Its very addictive, prepare to blow off some plans.

[VACRMH]

No major complaints from me so far, I've been enjoying the game.

I really like how you can examine an enemy and find out the weakness, rather then forgetting later on and healing an enemy by accident.

For some strange reason, I actually really enjoy the soundtrack. I've never been a fan of hip hop or anything, but it seems to work well for the battle theme.

It's fun having so much to do, but damn am I a busy guy. I joined the Kendo team (And there are multiple teams to join FYI), i'm in the student council, friends with some guy, need to go to the local mall for supplies and so forth. And this is just after school!

But what worries me is what will happen if I don't beat the game in time. If the start of the year rolls around and I haven't made it to the top, do I have to start over at the beginning of the whole game? I'm only about 6 levels up and it's almost may.

All in all, good stuff :) And yeah, not suprised about how Japanese it is because it was made, made for, and takes place in Japan. It beats Persona 1, which was changed quite a bit for the US I believe.

[G-Boobie]

Yeah, I agree. randomly changing a character into a 'young urban thug' in persona 1 is worse than occasionally having to use the internet for a translation.

The game takes place in Japan, so I guess they thought that leaving some of the japanese culture stuff in there made sense.

[MrSmiley381]

Yeah, I've been playing it a bit more. I'd be playing it even more if my PS2 was dying and skipping every time it needs to load something. I'm not sure if it's the PS2, Persona 3, or both. I'll have to try it on my friend's PS2, again.

[mailman187666]

I definately love this game right here. Its upbeat, yet its still got the dark, eerieness to it. I loved all the introductory cut scenes in it too. While it may not be a perfect game like everyone is implying here, it is a fun game, has a good story, and is unlike a lot of games that are out there. They shoot themselves in the freakin' head people.

[G-Boobie]

Oh, totally agree. It has it's flaws; randomly generated dungeons, a low res, floaty art style... But it's still a great game.

Is it just me, or is Atlus on a PS2 roll, here? Grim Grimoire, Odin Sphere, now Persona 3....

[heybtbm]

Is it just me, or is Atlus on a PS2 roll, here? Grim Grimoire, Odin Sphere, now Persona 3....

Atlus has been on a roll for the past 12 years IMO.

[G-Boobie]

Too true, but now I can FIND them if I don't buy them in the first week :)

[RadiantSvgun]

Eh, it will probably be hard to find by next feb-march. Now the guide is a different story, I actually went to a few stores to find it.

[kainemaxwell]

So what's the appeal of this game?

[MrSmiley381]

So what's the appeal of this game?

It's made by Atlus.

That's about it. Also, teenagers shooting themselves in their heads.

[Kitsune Sniper]

It's made by Atlus.

That's about it. Also, teenagers shooting themselves in their heads.

You mean just like the Final Fantasy games being made by Square and OMG MOOGLEZ, or the Zelda games being made by Nintendo and OMG ELVES AND CELDA?

Jeez. Nice attempt at trolling. :p

[MrSmiley381]

No, seriously. One of the reasons people are buying it is because they know Atlus made a limited run.

And keep in mind, I already bought the game. Did you see my Eks-Bawks sized rant earlier in the thread?

If you want a kickass RPG, play Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. Now, THAT was a badass game.

[Nate Nanjo]

If you want a kickass RPG, play Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. Now, THAT was a badass game.

Meh, Nocturne was good, but not great. Well in my opinion anyways.

Persona 3 isn't spectacular, but its alright. Innocent Sin is still the best in the series though.

[G-Boobie]

Meh, Nocturne was good, but not great. Well in my opinion anyways.

Persona 3 isn't spectacular, but its alright. Innocent Sin is still the best in the series though.

It actually improves as it goes along; I'm about thirty hours into it(on hold for Bioshock).

The pacing sort of sucks, though... It takes about twenty hours to get into the real meat of the plot and see some actual character development for anyone besides the 'hero'.

[MrSmiley381]

Meh, Nocturne was good, but not great. Well in my opinion anyways.

Persona 3 isn't spectacular, but its alright. Innocent Sin is still the best in the series though.

Yeah, it's a shame we only got Eternal Punishment, though. That's a good game on its own, too. However, grinding is a large necessity in that game.

[exit]

Am I the only one that feels the guide wasn't put together very well? I mainly got the guide as a reference for the Persona and spells, but I get complete headache when i try to look something up. I can understand the order that they put the Persona, but they could've at least put the spells in alphabetical order. It would've been especially useful for fusing, so you can look up what skills you're getting with ease.

I like the fact that they had an introduction explaining the theme of the game and a description of the Japanese education system, but when compared to the guide for Nocturne, the P3 guide feels completely useless.

[G-Boobie]

Am I the only one that feels the guide wasn't put together very well? I mainly got the guide as a reference for the Persona and spells, but I get complete headache when i try to look something up. I can understand the order that they put the Persona, but they could've at least put the spells in alphabetical order. It would've been especially useful for fusing, so you can look up what skills you're getting with ease.

I like the fact that they had an introduction explaining the theme of the game and a description of the Japanese education system, but when compared to the guide for Nocturne, the P3 guide feels completely useless.

I've never actually owned a Doublejump guide that was worth the purchase price. If my only retail choice is a Doublejump book, I usually just wait for something to show up on Mycheats or GameFAQs. The Disgaea guide was a travesty (and since I got it WAY after release on Ebay, a waste of fity bucks)

All of course in my opinion.

[philosophyst]

I see that the guide only is already fetching around $35 to $40 on ebay. I bought mine when I bought Persona 3 and they told me that they geve $2 off if you buy them together so I did it and it then cost $18. I haven't opened the guide yet, I don't know what I want to do with it.

I think someone already said in this thread that they thought the guide would probably be harder to find than the game and predicted a high auction-value price.

I wonder what the ratio of guides they made to games. Half? Less?

[heybtbm]

I've never actually owned a Doublejump guide that was worth the purchase price. If my only retail choice is a Doublejump book, I usually just wait for something to show up on Mycheats or GameFAQs. The Disgaea guide was a travesty (and since I got it WAY after release on Ebay, a waste of fity bucks)

All of course in my opinion.

I have to say, your opinion of Doublejump guides suprises me. Are you sure you've actually read a Doublejump guide since the first Disgaea? I don't think you have. Paging through it in a store doesn't count.

They're without question, the best in the business. Their Disgaea 2 guide could be the best guide ever written. You won't find another company that provides such intricate details of every little item, quest or secret in a game. To each their own I guess.

[Promophile]

I have to say, your opinion of Doublejump guides suprises me. Are you sure you've actually read a Doublejump guide since the first Disgaea? I don't think you have. Paging through it in a store doesn't count.

They're without question, the best in the business. Their Disgaea 2 guide could be the best guide ever written. You won't find another company that provides such intricate details of every little item, quest or secret in a game. To each their own I guess.

Agreed. DJ is Japanese quality good. Thats amazing for a US guide. Check out the Phantom Brave guide. compare to a Brady or Prima guide. DJ is the hands down winner.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

Meh, Nocturne was good, but not great. Well in my opinion anyways.

I went on a SMT binge lately and boguht Nocturne, DDS 1 & 2, and now Persona 3. I really liked both of the Digital Devil Sagas but there is something missing for me in Nocturne. Graphics, sound, etc. are all there, but...I dont know. I know it would have been better with vocie acting, but thats not the main reason. I just cant place it...

Persona 3 - When I first started it, I though it was..meh. I realized my problem was I was trying to divide my time between them all. Once I finished DDS, I put all my energy into Persona 3 and NOW I like it :) I dont know why people knock the graphics. I think they look damn spiffy. Pretty good game so far (about half way through now)...

[sirhansirhan]

I had pretty much the exact same question the OP posed at the beginning of this thread, but unfortunately, after reading all of the responses, I don't feel like I have a better idea of whether or not I'd like this game. I even went back and dug up some reviews of it in back issues of video game magazines, but still, I can't say I really understand what the gameplay is like. I mean, at all. What exactly do you do? How does it work? How are the battles? Etc.

I've never played any of the Persona games nor any of the Shin Megami Tensei games. I watched one of my friends play one of the SMT games at length (I forget which) and it didn't look like something I'd like. However, I just came into possession of a sealed copy of P3, and from reading the back, it does look like something that I could feasibly get into, if only I could get a handle on what it's like to play. If I wouldn't like it, I'd prefer to keep it sealed and sell it off as new, but if I would like it, I don't really want to go through the trouble of tracking down another copy. Does anyone have any advice?

Also, for what it's worth, it appears that sealed copies are going for $75 +/- on eBay right now, so all of the speculation from earlier in the thread regarding a price drop is seemingly incorrect. That and no GameStop within a fifty mile radius of my house (of which there are probably a couple dozen GameStops) has even one single new or used copy.

[Overbite]

This is why you should play persona 3

SPOILERS

http://youtube.com/watch?v=h8HtT9IdwYY
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KciCxHe1ZTA&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cPjnB97km-g&feature=related

[Fuyukaze]

The game's worth the 50 hands down. The gameplay for fights is simular to the other SMT games yet more forgiving. The story (havent finished game yet) isnt overly over the top in that your not trying to save the nation/world/universe from total domination/damnation or some other thing. You could do alot worse with your money. It may or may not appeal to you but if you dont like it, I'd honestly be surprised.

Oh, and unlike Persona 1 and 2, your not trying to negotiate with the various devils. The way you get new personas is a bit different in that you get them from cards at the end of random fights as well as fusing said personas in the blue room. The best part about the new fusion system is that thanks to the link system, you can create personas that thanks to the exp mod can be higher level then even the main charcter.

If you want the game because it's an Atlus title and you want something to invest in to turn into quick $$ on ebay, I think you'll have to hold out a year or two before you get much bang for your buck.

[heybtbm]

Instead of starting a new topic, I thought I'd add on to the largest existing Persona 3 topic. Your sealed copies of P3 are now worthless...

Persona 3: Fez Edition
Release: 22 April 2008
Price: $29.99

Press release. (http://www.atlus.com/newsdetail.php?newsID=236)

[norkusa]

Instead of starting a new topic, I thought I'd add on to the largest existing Persona 3 topic. Your sealed copies of P3 are now worthless...

Persona 3: Fez Edition
Release: 22 April 2008
Price: $29.99

Press release. (http://www.atlus.com/newsdetail.php?newsID=236)

Yeah, I just read that. I wouldn't say they're totally worthless though. P3 still has the art book and soundtrack CD that isn't going to be included with Fez.

Regardless, now I'm off to return my copy of P3 that I just bought at K-Mart last month for $50.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I'm pissed because Atlus is saying they're not releasing the budget FES expansion disc here, saying it's too costly.

The hell it is. Look at ALL those publishers releasing $15 games. They can EASILY release the expansion disc, which requires the original Persona 3, for $15 and still make a killing with the full release.

[exit]

I'm pissed because Atlus is saying they're not releasing the budget FES expansion disc here, saying it's too costly.

Well that doesn't make sense, they could just have people order it via their website and make a good amount of profit that way.

[jedimind7]

Instead of starting a new topic, I thought I'd add on to the largest existing Persona 3 topic. Your sealed copies of P3 are now worthless...

Persona 3: Fez Edition
Release: 22 April 2008
Price: $29.99

Press release. (http://www.atlus.com/newsdetail.php?newsID=236)


Sorry if this seems like a dumb question but this new edition coming out...is it basically Persona 3 that was released last year with all the bonus stuff or is this strictly the bonus stuff?

I ask because i've yet to play Persona 3 and was wondering if I should just wait until April to get this.

[heybtbm]

Sorry if this seems like a dumb question but this new edition coming out...is it basically Persona 3 that was released last year with all the bonus stuff or is this strictly the bonus stuff?

I ask because i've yet to play Persona 3 and was wondering if I should just wait until April to get this.

It's Persona 3 + the bonus "Fez" disc. Atlus won't be selling the Fez disc separate unfortunately.

EDIT: I should add that for the people that have played Persona 3 already, their save file will carry over to the Fez edition. You won't have to play the game twice to get all of the new content.

You will miss out on the new playable character, cutscenes, and costumes that are available during the course of the regular game, but you can still play the 30+ hour new dungeons with an old Persona 3 save file. Even so, you'll have to shell out another $29.99 for the privilege.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Sorry if this seems like a dumb question but this new edition coming out...is it basically Persona 3 that was released last year with all the bonus stuff or is this strictly the bonus stuff?

I ask because i've yet to play Persona 3 and was wondering if I should just wait until April to get this.

It also does not include the soundtrack CD -or- the art book.

Though, I do believe you'll be able to use your clear data on a new game in FES.