Persona 3 Review - PS2
Introduction/General Comments: Once upon a time, on a date that I can't remember, I went to GameStop and bought a game. That game was Persona 3, published by Atlas for the PS2. I bought this game on a whim, because it came in a box.
Yes ladies and gentleman, I bought this game simply because it came in a box instead of just a case, and the cover art looked pretty interesting. It was the best whimsical purchase of my life, and I do not have any regrets for putting down an easy $50 for this game.
As you can tell, I love this game, I truly do. Before this game I had never played a game in the Shin Megami Tensei series. This game introduced me to the series, and now I love it, and it's a great alternative to the Final Fantasy series.
However, I do realize that this game in particular is not for everyone. The reasons for such will be brought to light in great detail. Yet, even then, I would recommend this game to anyone.
Bottom line is that if you are looking for a change of pace in the RPG world, this game may, and probably will meet your demands.
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Storyline: You're a student who has just been transferred to Gekkoukan High School. You have no idea why you have been transferred, but hey, it's a private school with Co-ed dorms. Who the fuck cares, right?
Some pretty shady things are going down at Gekkoukan, yet you're not really in the loop just yet. You arrive at your dorm where you meet a little kid that wants you to sign your name on a sign in book. However, he makes sure that you know that once your name has been signed, breaking the contract would be... Unwise.
The boy vanishes and you are introduced to one of the main characters of the game, Yukari Takeba, whom of which just so happens to have a gun pointed at you. However, you are saved by another one of the main characters Mitsuru Kirijo. After this little mix up you are shown to your room, you sleep, and you go to school the next day. (Just like real life.)
You are then introduced to a few of the games simpler aspects, and getting the bare basics of how the game opperates. You are intoduced to a few more characters right before shit gets real.
It's presumably midnight, and next thing you know, you're woke up by Yukari because something is attacking your dorm. You run upstairs to where... This happens. In fact, it's so damned awesome that I'll post a video.
Now, at this point, for the sake of leaving out any more spoilers, I'll be explaining the bare basics of the story.
With that gun thing, you're not blowing your brains out as much as you are summoning a physical manifestation of your personality. These are called Persona's and are used to fight Shadows, that only appear during a hidden hour that is aptly named "The Dark Hour". In this hour, a huge tower, known as Tartarus appears where the school should be.
The story is dark, and at times grim, but it's extremely good all the same.
It is believed that you can find the reason behind the Dark Hour somewhere in Tartarus, thus, you and your team, begin to climb the tower where most of the story progresses in RPG/Dungeon Crawler style.
Story: 10/10 Filled with plot twists and an original and complex story line, I can't see where the story goes wrong.
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Characters: Whew, this game has a wild and a huge assortment of characters. You have of course your main characters that consist of the following:
The Main Character
Yukari Takeba
Mitsuru Kirijo
Junpei Iori
Akihiko Sanata
Aigis
Ken Amada
Koromaru
Shinjiro Aragaki
Fuuka Yamagishi
And those are just the main characters. Each and every character has a well thought out and well described back story that comes into play later in the game. Each and every character also has a huge part to play in the story, no matter how small their role may seem, the story of the game plays out their roles in pure perfection.
Now, another part of this game is dating. (Which will be extensively covered in the gameplay section of the review.) This adds much more characters in the already extensive list of characters mentioned above. All of the characters also have an extensive back story and is explained in extensive detail as the main character starts to hang around with them.
Character development is a HUGE part of this game. As the game progresses, and as your relationship with other characters grows, you will see changes in personality, and extensive development among them. However, the most unique thing about the development of the characters is the fact that it will increase your overall performance in battle.
Characters: 10/10 With a huge assortment of characters, and a emphasis on character development, with every character having a well thought out back story, I really have little choice to give this anything but a 10/10.
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Gameplay: Now this is where an already obviously great game gets even better. During the day time, you'll go to school, interact with your peers, participate in class, join after school clubs, take tests, and date other people. Yes, that's right, you may not be able to get a date in real life, but this game gives you a simulated date in order to pity you.
However, don't laugh at the dating aspect, it actually comes into play later. With each date that you go on, it increases you compatibility level with a certain arcana. As your compatibility level (or social link) increases, you can create more and more persona's to fight with. Upon creating a persona with the arcana of a high social link, they will start off more powerful than a persona with a lower level social link. So dating is in your better interest. Besides, the developing story that starts to unravel itself is a good and massively entertaining experience. And with 18 social links... you had better get to dating quickly.
With this in mind, I recommend HIGHLY that you actually start keeping a schedule as the days in game go by.
Each and every persona has an Arcana. Now, here is where I explain just what the hell an Arcana is. An Arcana has to do with Tarot cards, and the pictures on them, and what they represent. You have the Major Arcana, and the Minor Arcana.
The Major Arcana consists of:
The Fool
The Magician
The High Priestess
The Empress
The Emperor
The Hierophant
The Lovers
The Chariot
Justice
The Hermit
Wheel of Fortune
Strength
The Hanged Man
Death
Temperance
The Devil
The Tower
The Star
The Moon
The Sun
Judgment
The World
The Minor Arcana: (NOTE: This is only important after you win a battle. Depending on the card you draw is the bonus that you can get upon picking one.)
Wands
Coins
Cups
Swords
Whew, that was a mouthful. Each and every Persona and every character has an aligning Arcana. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Now, I've mentioned what you would be doing in the day. Now I get to mention what you will be doing at night. At night you will be climbing the tower of Tartarus. A massive 255 floor tower that looms in the Dark Hour. In this tower, you fight monsters in order to level up and progress in the story. It's a fairly simple concept, yet it can, and will keep you entertained for hours on end. You can fuse Persona's to make more Persona's and complete tasks given to you by Elizabeth, another character that you can date.
You can fuse weapons, buy accessories, items, and more at the mall. The list of Persona and weapon combinations are massive.
Gameplay: 10/10 With so much to do what else could I give it?
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Controls: Like most RPG's it has a simplistic control style that works. Nothing will hinder your gaming experience with the controls of the game, simply because most RPG's use this type of control scheme.
Controls: 10/10
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Graphics: You have beautiful anime cutscenes, and average gameplay graphics. Nothing too special while you're playing the game, but the graphics system works with what the game is. In my opinion the graphics are solid, but nothing great, yet the game takes this and runs with it.
Graphics: 7.5/10
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Sound: Now this is where I may have a complaint or two. Unlike other games that have an epic score with violins, and such, this game has... J-pop.
Oh yes, in the daylight times, and during regular battle scenes, you're going to be listening to J-pop.
However, the game makes up for it with the ambient soundtrack while exploring Tartarus, and fighting bosses. Essentally, it mostly depends on your tastes in music, and how open you are with your video game music experience. I actually didn't mind it all that much.
The voice acting is great. I pretty much enjoyed most, if not all of the North American voice acting that is in the game.
Sound: 7/10 Due to the music.
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Unique/Extra Features: This game has unique written all over it. I've never played another game like it. (Except for Persona 4...) The extra features are the cleverly put stat systems like your luck, charm, etc, that ultimately make you more open for dates with the more major characters of the game.
Dating, weapon fusing, test taking, dungeon crawling, and fighting, when it comes down to it, this RPG/dungeon crawling/dating simulater has it all.
Unique/Extra Features: 10/10
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Replay Value: I've replayed this game four times now. Twice with the regular Persona 3, and twice with Persona 3: FES, the expansion pack. When Persona 3 Portable is released in the US, you can bet your ass I'll be playing it again. Hell, I may just go back and play it again tonight.
Replay Value: 10/10
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Overall Rating: I love this game, I really do. I'll go back and play it anytime. The story is great, the combat system is great, everything about this game in my honest opinion (save for the music) is pretty damned awesome. So, to score this game over all, of course I'm going to give it the rating I believe it deserves.
Bring some new life into your PS2. Go out and buy Persona 3 today, it's worth your money. Hell, buy it new so you can get the extra art book and the soundtrack as well. It'll be one hell of a stocking stuffer this holiday.
Overall Rating: 9/10
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Let's hit that recap!
Story: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Controls: 10/10
Graphics: 7.5/10
Sound: 7/10 (Music only, the voice acting is great.)
Unique/Extra Features: 10/10
Replay Value: 10/10
Overall Rating: 9/10
This has been your neighborhood forum troll/bastard Tsukianei! Thank you for reading my review, and I do hope you found it useful.
Vindictively yours,
Tsukianei
Introduction/General Comments: Once upon a time, on a date that I can't remember, I went to GameStop and bought a game. That game was Persona 3, published by Atlas for the PS2. I bought this game on a whim, because it came in a box.
Yes ladies and gentleman, I bought this game simply because it came in a box instead of just a case, and the cover art looked pretty interesting. It was the best whimsical purchase of my life, and I do not have any regrets for putting down an easy $50 for this game.
As you can tell, I love this game, I truly do. Before this game I had never played a game in the Shin Megami Tensei series. This game introduced me to the series, and now I love it, and it's a great alternative to the Final Fantasy series.
However, I do realize that this game in particular is not for everyone. The reasons for such will be brought to light in great detail. Yet, even then, I would recommend this game to anyone.
Bottom line is that if you are looking for a change of pace in the RPG world, this game may, and probably will meet your demands.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Storyline: You're a student who has just been transferred to Gekkoukan High School. You have no idea why you have been transferred, but hey, it's a private school with Co-ed dorms. Who the fuck cares, right?
Some pretty shady things are going down at Gekkoukan, yet you're not really in the loop just yet. You arrive at your dorm where you meet a little kid that wants you to sign your name on a sign in book. However, he makes sure that you know that once your name has been signed, breaking the contract would be... Unwise.
The boy vanishes and you are introduced to one of the main characters of the game, Yukari Takeba, whom of which just so happens to have a gun pointed at you. However, you are saved by another one of the main characters Mitsuru Kirijo. After this little mix up you are shown to your room, you sleep, and you go to school the next day. (Just like real life.)
You are then introduced to a few of the games simpler aspects, and getting the bare basics of how the game opperates. You are intoduced to a few more characters right before shit gets real.
It's presumably midnight, and next thing you know, you're woke up by Yukari because something is attacking your dorm. You run upstairs to where... This happens. In fact, it's so damned awesome that I'll post a video.
Now, at this point, for the sake of leaving out any more spoilers, I'll be explaining the bare basics of the story.
With that gun thing, you're not blowing your brains out as much as you are summoning a physical manifestation of your personality. These are called Persona's and are used to fight Shadows, that only appear during a hidden hour that is aptly named "The Dark Hour". In this hour, a huge tower, known as Tartarus appears where the school should be.
The story is dark, and at times grim, but it's extremely good all the same.
It is believed that you can find the reason behind the Dark Hour somewhere in Tartarus, thus, you and your team, begin to climb the tower where most of the story progresses in RPG/Dungeon Crawler style.
Story: 10/10 Filled with plot twists and an original and complex story line, I can't see where the story goes wrong.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Characters: Whew, this game has a wild and a huge assortment of characters. You have of course your main characters that consist of the following:
The Main Character
Yukari Takeba
Mitsuru Kirijo
Junpei Iori
Akihiko Sanata
Aigis
Ken Amada
Koromaru
Shinjiro Aragaki
Fuuka Yamagishi
And those are just the main characters. Each and every character has a well thought out and well described back story that comes into play later in the game. Each and every character also has a huge part to play in the story, no matter how small their role may seem, the story of the game plays out their roles in pure perfection.
Now, another part of this game is dating. (Which will be extensively covered in the gameplay section of the review.) This adds much more characters in the already extensive list of characters mentioned above. All of the characters also have an extensive back story and is explained in extensive detail as the main character starts to hang around with them.
Character development is a HUGE part of this game. As the game progresses, and as your relationship with other characters grows, you will see changes in personality, and extensive development among them. However, the most unique thing about the development of the characters is the fact that it will increase your overall performance in battle.
Characters: 10/10 With a huge assortment of characters, and a emphasis on character development, with every character having a well thought out back story, I really have little choice to give this anything but a 10/10.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gameplay: Now this is where an already obviously great game gets even better. During the day time, you'll go to school, interact with your peers, participate in class, join after school clubs, take tests, and date other people. Yes, that's right, you may not be able to get a date in real life, but this game gives you a simulated date in order to pity you.
However, don't laugh at the dating aspect, it actually comes into play later. With each date that you go on, it increases you compatibility level with a certain arcana. As your compatibility level (or social link) increases, you can create more and more persona's to fight with. Upon creating a persona with the arcana of a high social link, they will start off more powerful than a persona with a lower level social link. So dating is in your better interest. Besides, the developing story that starts to unravel itself is a good and massively entertaining experience. And with 18 social links... you had better get to dating quickly.
With this in mind, I recommend HIGHLY that you actually start keeping a schedule as the days in game go by.
Each and every persona has an Arcana. Now, here is where I explain just what the hell an Arcana is. An Arcana has to do with Tarot cards, and the pictures on them, and what they represent. You have the Major Arcana, and the Minor Arcana.
The Major Arcana consists of:
The Fool
The Magician
The High Priestess
The Empress
The Emperor
The Hierophant
The Lovers
The Chariot
Justice
The Hermit
Wheel of Fortune
Strength
The Hanged Man
Death
Temperance
The Devil
The Tower
The Star
The Moon
The Sun
Judgment
The World
The Minor Arcana: (NOTE: This is only important after you win a battle. Depending on the card you draw is the bonus that you can get upon picking one.)
Wands
Coins
Cups
Swords
Whew, that was a mouthful. Each and every Persona and every character has an aligning Arcana. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Now, I've mentioned what you would be doing in the day. Now I get to mention what you will be doing at night. At night you will be climbing the tower of Tartarus. A massive 255 floor tower that looms in the Dark Hour. In this tower, you fight monsters in order to level up and progress in the story. It's a fairly simple concept, yet it can, and will keep you entertained for hours on end. You can fuse Persona's to make more Persona's and complete tasks given to you by Elizabeth, another character that you can date.
You can fuse weapons, buy accessories, items, and more at the mall. The list of Persona and weapon combinations are massive.
Gameplay: 10/10 With so much to do what else could I give it?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Controls: Like most RPG's it has a simplistic control style that works. Nothing will hinder your gaming experience with the controls of the game, simply because most RPG's use this type of control scheme.
Controls: 10/10
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Graphics: You have beautiful anime cutscenes, and average gameplay graphics. Nothing too special while you're playing the game, but the graphics system works with what the game is. In my opinion the graphics are solid, but nothing great, yet the game takes this and runs with it.
Graphics: 7.5/10
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sound: Now this is where I may have a complaint or two. Unlike other games that have an epic score with violins, and such, this game has... J-pop.
Oh yes, in the daylight times, and during regular battle scenes, you're going to be listening to J-pop.
However, the game makes up for it with the ambient soundtrack while exploring Tartarus, and fighting bosses. Essentally, it mostly depends on your tastes in music, and how open you are with your video game music experience. I actually didn't mind it all that much.
The voice acting is great. I pretty much enjoyed most, if not all of the North American voice acting that is in the game.
Sound: 7/10 Due to the music.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unique/Extra Features: This game has unique written all over it. I've never played another game like it. (Except for Persona 4...) The extra features are the cleverly put stat systems like your luck, charm, etc, that ultimately make you more open for dates with the more major characters of the game.
Dating, weapon fusing, test taking, dungeon crawling, and fighting, when it comes down to it, this RPG/dungeon crawling/dating simulater has it all.
Unique/Extra Features: 10/10
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Replay Value: I've replayed this game four times now. Twice with the regular Persona 3, and twice with Persona 3: FES, the expansion pack. When Persona 3 Portable is released in the US, you can bet your ass I'll be playing it again. Hell, I may just go back and play it again tonight.
Replay Value: 10/10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Rating: I love this game, I really do. I'll go back and play it anytime. The story is great, the combat system is great, everything about this game in my honest opinion (save for the music) is pretty damned awesome. So, to score this game over all, of course I'm going to give it the rating I believe it deserves.
Bring some new life into your PS2. Go out and buy Persona 3 today, it's worth your money. Hell, buy it new so you can get the extra art book and the soundtrack as well. It'll be one hell of a stocking stuffer this holiday.
Overall Rating: 9/10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's hit that recap!
Story: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Controls: 10/10
Graphics: 7.5/10
Sound: 7/10 (Music only, the voice acting is great.)
Unique/Extra Features: 10/10
Replay Value: 10/10
Overall Rating: 9/10
This has been your neighborhood forum troll/bastard Tsukianei! Thank you for reading my review, and I do hope you found it useful.
Vindictively yours,
Tsukianei