Persona 5

Aubrielle

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So the only news so far is that Persona 5 will be releasing in the Summer of 2016, right alongside FFXV. And I don't know about all of you, but I'm personally more excited for Persona 5, and I think this article spells out why:

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Wall-o-text:

"Here’s the thing about the Persona series: while it certainly is a smaller franchise and doesn’t have years and years of legacy behind it like Final Fantasy does, the series has become known for creating characters that are both relatable and likable at the same time. With the implementation of the social link system in Persona 3, all the characters you encounter in the game will seem to fit a certain stereotype at first glance. However, the rich, aloof girl is actually a badass who rocks a motorcycle; the annoying best friend who seems jealous of you all the time actually has an inferiority complex.

Persona 3’s social links weren’t the best, and there were a few characters that couldn’t quite break out of their own stereotypes, but Atlus clearly put in a lot more effort into the writing of the social links in Persona 4. Each social link had the protagonist exploring a singular character’s life with more depth, and every level of the social link had you unpeeling the layers of complexity that made up that particular character. While the overarching story was engaging and compelling enough, it was the social link system that made me excited to progress from day to day, wondering what new details I would learn about certain characters.

It hasn’t actually been confirmed that Persona 5 will bring back the social link system. After all, we’ve only seen 5 confirmed party members from all revealed footage so far. However, given Atlus’s track record of creating some seriously interesting characters (not only in the Persona games, but in the Shin Megami Tensei series as a whole), I’d think it’s a pretty safe bet to say that Persona 5 will certainly deliver on the characterization front as well.

That’s not to say that Final Fantasy doesn’t have great characters either. The problem with most supporting characters in Final Fantasy is that they’re often there for just that: support. With the exception of the phenomenal Final Fantasy VI, most of the other installments in the series barely have any character-related side content at all. Sure, you do get to help Lulu attain some closure by facing off against the optional aeon Yojimbo, and you have the option to watch Yuffie fight Godo in Wutai. The issue here is that there’s never a character arc that you’re able to follow through from the beginning to the end, and the reason for that is simple – the stories in Final Fantasy center around the protagonist and his or her quest to save the world, and your other party members are simply there for support.

Final Fantasy VI is the obvious exception to this standard, seeing as you have a good three characters that are all more than worthy of being considered the game’s true main lead. But for the most part, the Persona games do a far better job of getting you to root for these characters because of the simple fact that there is a complete development arc for you to follow for each of them. These games are centered on a group of characters, creating a sense of camaraderie that feels more believable and easier to throw your support behind.

More importantly, the characters in the Persona series are mostly grounded and relatable. You’ve got students, parents, and middle-class citizens struggling with everyday problems, as compared to the icons of Final Fantasy who always seem to have the weight of the world on their shoulders. It’s nice to be whisked away to a faraway fantasyland where you and all of your party members are given incredible fighting prowess and magic abilities right from the get-go. But sometimes, it’s nice to bask in the glory of an everyday hero story that revolves around a group of ordinary people, just like us, who realize they have the potential to do something much greater with their lives.

Not to mention, the Final Fantasy brand has languished in recent years. Ever since the release of Final Fantasy XIII and its slightly less disappointing (though still not very good) sequels, there is little doubt that Square Enix just hasn’t been able to produce a game with a story that meets the standards of past entries. They just don’t make ’em like they used to. Final Fantasy XV has been in development for nearly a decade now. And even though we’ve gotten a playable demo for the game earlier this year, it simply hasn’t shown enough of the title’s story and substance to inspire confidence in me that the journey here will bring the Final Fantasy series back to form..."
 
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Persona 3’s social links weren’t the best, and there were a few characters that couldn’t quite break out of their own stereotypes, but Atlus clearly put in a lot more effort into the writing of the social links in Persona 4.
Hmmm I kinda liked P3's links more. P4 was good, but I didn't connect to some of the characters at all. Like Chie. Sporty and likes to eat, right? That's not enough for me, but that's all I remember. The black haired girl? Such a Yamato Nadeshiko that it's boring. And the cooking jokes got old by the time of P4. Well, each to her own…
 
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I found Persona 3 REALLY dull, monotonous and hard work. I enjoyed aspects of it, I actually really enjoyed the combat system and fact you could only control 1 character as it added an element of predictive strategising, and I absolutely LOVED the battle music.

But after around 3 calender months I just gave up on the game.

With this in mind, is Persona 4 different enough to consider buying?
 
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No comparison really. Final Fantasy 15 is a button smasher, while Persona 5 is a proper turn based RPG. That puts FFXV in my mind in the same drawer as Mortal Kombat.

I loved both Persona 3 and 4. I liked the gameplay of 4 and the characters of 3 better.
 
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With this in mind, is Persona 4 different enough to consider buying?
I can't answer very well unless I know what exactly you found dull and monotonous…?

If the answer is "the dungeons", then Persona 4 improved on that. Combat is a bit different, too, between Persona 4 and a P2 version of Persona 3, which didn't allow to control your teammates. Just like the PSP version of P3, you can control everyone in combat in P4, so it's a lot more enjoyable. Persona 4 also brings a kind of detective story to the table and has a merrier vibe to the story. Otherwise, they're pretty much the same.

EDIT: Reread your message and saw that you actually loked controlling only one character. That's not a universally supported reaction, lol. Maybe you liked it b/c you didn't get too far in the game. With tougher enemies and bosses, 1-character control makes battles random.
 
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I haven't even played a Persona game yet. Yikes. Last game I played of this nature was the original Shin Megami Tensei for Super Nintendo. Great game, but I eventually got to a part where I didn't know where to go next.

For now, the Persona games are buried in my backlog. One day I shall play them, though.
 
I can't answer very well unless I know what exactly you found dull and monotonous…?

If the answer is "the dungeons", then Persona 4 improved on that. Combat is a bit different, too, between Persona 4 and a P2 version of Persona 3, which didn't allow to control your teammates. Just like the PSP version of P3, you can control everyone in combat in P4, so it's a lot more enjoyable. Persona 4 also brings a kind of detective story to the table and has a merrier vibe to the story. Otherwise, they're pretty much the same.

EDIT: Reread your message and saw that you actually loked controlling only one character. That's not a universally supported reaction, lol. Maybe you liked it b/c you didn't get too far in the game. With tougher enemies and bosses, 1-character control makes battles random.



I just found things dragged, and the life-sim + daily routine aspect of it hard work, as well as repetitive and unstimulating.

Nothing much actually seemed to happen, and the nature of the daily routine really just dragged for me.

Combat and Tarterus I really liked. Especially that funky battle music.

Is Persona 4 any different?
 
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I haven't played any Persona games, either. It's at the top of my "wish they would port it to PC" list.
No comparison really. Final Fantasy 15 is a button smasher, while Persona 5 is a proper turn based RPG. That puts FFXV in my mind in the same drawer as Mortal Kombat.
Oh man, I wish an RPG had a combat system with as much depth as one of the big fighter games!
 
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I just found things dragged, and the life-sim + daily routine aspect of it hard work, as well as repetitive and unstimulating.

Nothing much actually seemed to happen, and the nature of the daily routine really just dragged for me.

Combat and Tarterus I really liked. Especially that funky battle music.

Is Persona 4 any different?

I thought Persona 4 Golden (I've never played the original Persona 4) was one of the best RPG's I've ever played. I know that's a big thing to say, but I really mean it. The day-to-day school/dating/studying/fighting mechanic is there, but there's this stress hanging over your head, this looming, distant horror of what will happen if you don't get stuff done. You have to manage the main character's school life, social links, and battles to survive. There's a lot of game there. And the battles...I never got sick of the battles.
 
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I just found things dragged, and the life-sim + daily routine aspect of it hard work, as well as repetitive and unstimulating.
Life sim + daily routine is still there. There's a detective element thrown in into it, maybe that would appeal to you. Basically this time you're investigating a murder that happens to be connected to the Shadows.

Nothing much actually seemed to happen, and the nature of the daily routine really just dragged for me.
I don't think there's a way to know beforehand if what's going on in Persona 4 will make you feel like something's going on. Probably. How about watching someone's let's play on youtube for a while to find out? That's what I usually do when I don't know if the game will appeal to me.
 
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For me, Persona 4 was all about ambiance. It was the creeping sensation of shadows and fear.

Elel, with any other game, I might totally agree with you. :) With this one, though, there is no sensation like playing this one alone, in the dark. :) At least for me...
 
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Elel, with any other game, I might totally agree with you. :) With this one, though, there is no sensation like playing this one alone, in the dark. :) At least for me…
I'm not sure what we're disagreeing about ;)

I'm not sure I got it right, did you play P3? If P4 is creepy, then I feel like P3 was creepier and you'd enjoy it, too. All those graves and crosses, "shooting yourself in the head" animations.
 
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I'm not sure what we're disagreeing about ;)

I'm not sure I got it right, did you play P3? If P4 is creepy, then I feel like P3 was creepier and you'd enjoy it, too. All those graves and crosses, "shooting yourself in the head" animations.

Haha, sorry…you told Falksi to watch a let's play. And I was all "noo! That would ruin it cause someone would be talking over it! They've gotta play it by themselves to get the full effect." xD

And I have yet to play P3. I need to do that, like really really soonish.
 
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Haha, sorry…you told Falksi to watch a let's play. And I was all "noo! That would ruin it cause someone would be talking over it! They've gotta play it by themselves to get the full effect." xD
Ah, that…! I didn't tell him to watch a full let's play, only the begining of the game. :) He already is in doubt whether it's worth buying, and unless he's rich enough to buy games blindly, watching the beginning played by someone else is usually a good idea. In my opinion.

But surely a let's play ruins a game like Persona, I completely agree with you on that. I usually find myself frustrated with watching any RPG let's plays, irritated at decisions that a let's player makes in battles, thinking that I'd do this or that instead, etc. ;)

If you're going to get P3, then go for PSP version! Combat is fixed for you to control all party members, like in P4, and there's a female route. In the male route there's forced romance, you kinda end up with a forced harem if you pursue social links, and the protagonist has no personality.
 
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If you're going to get P3, then go for PSP version! Combat is fixed for you to control all party members, like in P4, and there's a female route. In the male route there's forced romance, you kinda end up with a forced harem if you pursue social links, and the protagonist has no personality.

There's a female route?

I need this.
 
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These games weren't that good, the randomly generated dungeon formula gets old quickly. The "thematic" ones in P4 are simply corny.

At least P3 had a few non-randomly generated levels but P4 did away with them entirely.

The only thing they are good at is the ambiance, and showing the effects of the passage of time, along with the visual novel elements.

The rest really not so much.
 
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These games weren't that good, the randomly generated dungeon formula gets old quickly. The "thematic" ones in P4 are simply corny.

At least P3 had a few non-randomly generated levels but P4 did away with them entirely.

The only thing they are good at is the ambiance, and showing the effects of the passage of time, along with the visual novel elements.

The rest really not so much.

You forgot the gathering, intermixing and growing of demons, not a small gameplay feature by any means.
 
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You forgot the gathering, intermixing and growing of demons, not a small gameplay feature by any means.

Yes, but this is standard fare with this series.

In the beginning I liked it a lot any time, but now I realize that essentially it is mostly a compulsive gameplay mechanic. Instead of always trying to find better equipment in loot drops in Diablo, you try to always get better demons with better abilities. So I think the rest of the game needs to be good too because else you only get a compulsive game.

Also I don't like how sanitized the games became, it's been tamed for a wide teenage audience and it shows. It's supposed to be a horror game and nothing messed up or horrific happens in it, contrarily to earlier games which were definitely creepier.
 
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I don't remember ever obsessively trying to get better demons or cards. Which led me to get stuck once in P4, until I seriously had to grind and upgrade personas. Usually my playstyle is minimalist, I carry around the crappiest equipment and magic until the last moment when the game pretty much forces me to upgrade. Your playstyle, on another hand, might be obsessive.
 
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