Persona 4 for the PS2 is the latest game in the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series of games. While it may be late in the ps2's lifeline, it's one of the best RPGs in the entire console's library.

It's good. Oooooh, is it good. You guys really need to play this RPG, it's the best one I've played in quite a while. It isn't related to the other games storywise, so you can just jump right in.

This game is a mix between a realistic social experience based on high school life, and an alternate shadow world where people are being sent to die. Your character and his friends have to save these people. I don't really want to go in depth with the story because any minor bit can be a spoiler, so I'll talk about the gameplay.

In the real life portions, a few hours into the game you will be given freedom to explore the town you live in and your school. In the morning (from Monday - Saturday, a typical japanese school week) you have classes, and sometimes you have to answer a question or two but it's very brief. After that, you have to manage your time according to the weather, joining clubs, talking to people, and visiting the shadow world to save people.

When you enter the shadow world (by jumping into a tv screen) you're presented with a dark version of your home town, with dungeons that you have to explore in order to level up your Personas (the spirits that determine the skills your character can perform) and gain items. This plays like a typical japanese dungeon crawler, with Final Fantasy-Like gameplay. By default, the AI controls your party, but you can set each member to manual, or keep one or two on AI. However, you cannot make AI control your character. Enemies have weaknesses, and if you hit the weaknesses you deal more damage, and "knock down" your enemy. Once all of the enemies are knocked down, you can perform a full party attack on all of the enemies, usually killing them all. If this does not happen, the battle is played out like an ordinary RPG. You have to mind your personal character the most, since if he dies, you lose. It all works really well, and can get pretty hard at times, but you will want to keep trying. When you win a boss battle, you really feel like you accomplished something.

It's a very deep RPG with an engrossing story and addicting gameplay. Save points are frequent and once you get the hang of managing the in-game time, the struggles will be second nature. If I REALLY had to give this game a review, I'd give it a 9/10. The only thing keeping it from a perfect score is the excessive amount of dialogue, which is mostly voice acted, and interesting nonetheless. The graphics are aged, but that's only because it's a ps2 game. Everything else is spot on. I hope you guys dust off your PS2s and give it a chance.

[quote="AlucardX24"]Persona 4 for the PS2 is the latest game in the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series of games. While it may be late in the ps2's lifeline, it's one of the best RPGs in the entire console's library.

It's good. Oooooh, is it good. You guys really need to play this RPG, it's the best one I've played in quite a while. It isn't related to the other games storywise, so you can just jump right in.

This game is a mix between a realistic social experience based on high school life, and an alternate shadow world where people are being sent to die. Your character and his friends have to save these people. I don't really want to go in depth with the story because any minor bit can be a spoiler, so I'll talk about the gameplay.

In the real life portions, a few hours into the game you will be given freedom to explore the town you live in and your school. In the morning (from Monday - Saturday, a typical japanese school week) you have classes, and sometimes you have to answer a question or two but it's very brief. After that, you have to manage your time according to the weather, joining clubs, talking to people, and visiting the shadow world to save people.

When you enter [b]the shadow world[/b] (by jumping into a tv screen) you're presented with a dark version of your home town, with dungeons that you have to explore in order to level up your Personas (the spirits that determine the skills your character can perform) and gain items. This plays like a typical japanese dungeon crawler, with Final Fantasy-Like gameplay. By default, the AI controls your party, but you can set each member to manual, or keep one or two on AI. However, you cannot make AI control your character. Enemies have weaknesses, and if you hit the weaknesses you deal more damage, and "knock down" your enemy. Once all of the enemies are knocked down, you can perform a full party attack on all of the enemies, usually killing them all. If this does not happen, the battle is played out like an ordinary RPG. You have to mind your personal character the most, since if he dies, you lose. It all works really well, and can get pretty hard at times, but you will want to keep trying. When you win a boss battle, you really feel like you accomplished something.

It's a very deep RPG with an engrossing story and addicting gameplay. Save points are frequent and once you get the hang of managing the in-game time, the struggles will be second nature. If I REALLY had to give this game a review, I'd give it a 9/10. The only thing keeping it from a perfect score is the excessive amount of dialogue, which is mostly voice acted, and interesting nonetheless. The graphics are aged, but that's only because it's a ps2 game. Everything else is spot on. I hope you guys dust off your PS2s and give it a chance.[/quote]


"Didn't read"

Shadow Realm? Yugimon was awesome! I kinda want to get that duelist of the roses game for the ps2. I enjoyed forbidden memories ALOT. It's nothing to do with the actual game but it's fun! I could never pass it. I'm stuck where i have to dual that red and green guys. I want to cheat so i can have infinite starchips just so i can upload my own cards to it.

Metal, ass on topic or fear the banhammer.

I have the first persona and it's pretty cool, but I haven't played any of the other ones.

Ahh, good to hear it's not related to the first three since I didn't really know anything about them. It does look pretty interesting.

Yeah, the story seems silly the way I said it, but when you play it's very engaging.

The Persona series is painful. The boss fights aren't so much difficult as they are painfully long, especially 3. But I've always loved the idea of fighting Death. I want to play 4, but 1,2,and 3 really made me want to gouge my eye balls out with a wooden spoon. I don't like the idea that Nyx can cast a spell that will charm one of my party members into healing it so I have to fight it relentlessly over and over again. Otherwise, it's a good game for someone who likes weeks of routine game play. Level up for nine hours in Tartarus, go to school and sit through high school drama for what feels like days on end. Level up for nine hours in Tartarus, fight a boss. Rinse and repeat. Good times.

Man, this is why I play RPGs like Chrono Trigger and Lufia and stuff...the gameplay isn't grinding, and the stories are awesome.

[quote="Marekenshin"]Man, this is why I play RPGs like Chrono Trigger and Lufia and stuff...the gameplay isn't grinding, and the stories are awesome.[/quote]

Y'aa should play Shin Megami Tensei for the SNES. You can find the rom online and the patch is at Aeon Genesis. Good fucking game.

I really like Persona 3, and I'm interested in getting 4. Is the gameplay just balls to the wall excitement? No, I guess not. Neither was the Pokemon series'. But I like both games and I think if you let yourself get caught up in the stupid minute details (gotta catch 'em all factor, aforementioned "high school drama," et al) it can be enjoyable.

[quote="sleepyhead"]I really like Persona 3, and I'm interested in getting 4. Is the gameplay just balls to the wall excitement? No, I guess not. [b]Neither was the Pokemon series[/b]. But I like both games and I think if you let yourself get caught up in the stupid minute details (gotta catch 'em all factor, aforementioned "high school drama," et al) it can be enjoyable.[/quote]
Cease your lies!!!

The Pokemon series was exciting as hell because it was so innovative and fresh, there was no RPG that compared to it when it first came out. Like Final Fantasy, they started with a winning formula, and went with the "don't fix what isn't broken, just improve the features and looks" strategy.

Maybe you're right about that. Then I guess for me Persona 3 is a continuation of the winning formula.

Were you overly excited when you first tried the Persona series because it was so innovative and new to you? Then yes, that is indeed what you are experiencing.

I was about as excited as I was when I picked up my most recent Pokemon game.

Persona3 although enjoyable is long and repetitious as hell. There's no reason for how long that game is. Really. I don't remember 1 or 2 being that long, but I remember the painful dungeons.

Has anyone played Star Trek Conquest yet? I think I might start playing ti tonight.