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Amazing game for a newcomer!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: September 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is my first Persona game. In fact, it's my first Shin Megami Tensei game, so I had no idea what to expect. Needless to say, I was absolutely amazed with the quality of this game.

P3 is a cross between a high-school / dating sim and a dungeon-crawl RPG. Both aspects of the game are well-designed and cleverly tied together. The sim elements are interesting and funny, while the dungeon (actually tower) exploration is fun and has a very strategic and enjoyable combat system.

The game is complimented by a great cast of characters, a solid storyline, and some nice anime sequences.

Definitely give this a try if you're looking to break away from the over-abundance of cookie-cutter RPGs out there today.

Pleasantly Surprised by Persona 3

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

A word of introduction here: I don't believe that I fall into a typical "gamer" category. I'm female, for starters, in my late 20s, and I usually gravitate towards quirky non-violent games like the outstanding city building sim "Metropolis Mania". This said, something about "Persona 3" drew me in at once. I first watched my teenage brother playing it and the storyline intrigued me right off the bat. It's dark, but not filled with excessive cruelty towards human NPCs. Despite the "25 hour day" structure, you have a lot of leeway to investigate your surroundings, chat with other characters, build friendships and engage in school activities. I'm not too far into the story yet, but I'm enjoying the off-beat premise of "Student by Day/Shadow Fighter by Night". The game puts a fresh spin on the cliched filled RPG, yet maintains some of the RPG characteristics that I like: turn-based fighting, for example, and an emphasis on story over shooting things.

And yes, there is plenty of opportunity to demolish enemies in "P3". When you're not playing as an earnest student trying to get good grades and charm the ladies, your character gets to explore an ever-changing labyrinth with his Persona-using friends in order to fight off the evil Shadow demons. Some reviewers have commented that the graphics aren't as sophisticated as other new games, but I've got to say that the Shadows are beautifully rendered, very dark, gothic and creepy looking. Though not a big combat enthusiast, I've found the Shadow battles to be challenging but not so impossibly tough that I want to pull out my hair and bang my head against the wall repeatedly.

"Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3" is without a doubt the most addicting, exciting video game that I've played in quite awhile. The most similar games that I've played recently would be the far inferior "Indigo Prophecy" (interesting story, but much too linear) and the brilliant- but considerably more cutesy-- "Earthbound" for Nintendo. "Persona 3" has earned a spot among my favorite video games and I haven't even finished it yet. Highly recommended.

For RPG fans and more.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: August 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I am a Megaten fan and expect a lot of of the games. I was a little let down by Devil Summoner, but not much. I think I am just used to the turn-based system.

P3, like the previous SMT games, is turn based. You play an 11th grader in japan, who has transferred schools. You gain new persona's by developing and nurturing social links (making friends etc). It has a bit of a 'thousand arms' feel. The graphics really are beautiful for a ps2 game. I recommend this to ANY rpg fan.

You do not have to have played any megaten (SMT) games previously.

The game of choices...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

While I haven't quite completed this game, I can say that this game truly continues the great gaming tradition left by its predecessors. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 focuses nearly all aspects of gameplay based upon the player's choices. While the game may not have a complete sandbox feel, there's much to do and many options to choose from; each action deciding your overall fate and relationships with other characters in the game. The battle system is also great, as it places more of an emphasis on group tactics and individual player choices when it comes to strategy. Rather than the typical level grinding/ statistical overpowering of your enemies, Persona 3 places a firm emphasis on the player's capabilities as a group leader and overall tactician. There is also the ability, through your Personas, to increase your own character's potential on the battlefield (or at least, enhance your attack capabilities and spell range). The Persona system is also dependent upon your actions between other characters, and may benefit your efforts in Persona creation. All in all, this game is a well rounded RPG with (so far) a solid plot and intriguing array of character-environment interaction, coupled with a solid battle system.

If you love RPG's then you'll love this game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I must first say that I haven't completely finished the game BUT this is a really unique experience. I won't make this a really long review...but just know that if you love a good RPG with a good story then this is the game for you. The graphics are so amazing considering how old the PS2 is and it makes me so excited about the future of RPG's on these next gen systems.

The battle system is very unique and the art style is beautiful. The package is worth mentioning too cause it comes with the cutest little art book that just sweetened the deal for me. Give it a try. You won't regret it. One little thing to remember...this is a story driven game...so unless you like to follow a story for a while before getting lots of action then you won't like this game. I loved going from just fighting over and over to a nice supply of good juicy story.

Not what I expected, but still worth playing

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 11
Date: August 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'm going to rate this game by the major aspects of most games.

Story- while interesting, its slightly generic and when I saw the opening to the game, I expected a dark, enigmatic, and abstract story. But besides the swearing it seems like a childs game, the only time for a while that pulled me into the story was the very beginnning. But the game has its reasons, since you play out every day of school, its not like you can fit a major plot advance or interesting aspect of the story into every school day. But eventually you'll be more pulled into the plot. 7.5/10

Gameplay- they managed to make school as boring and uninteresting as it is in real life. Even though you can develope links between characters and after school activities; it seems like thats all you can do. And raising your characters stats is useful for only understanding another boring aspect of the school life in this game. For instance your academics has to be high enough to read a message next to a classroom, that ends up just being completely useless. You'll find yourself skipping through the schooldays as fast as you can but tartarus is a nice break from school. The combat is turn-based like many of atlus' games, and easy to understand, but is still relatively fast paced. Combat is fairly entertaining when fighting a boss or a hard group of enemies, but not so much when facing weaker ones. So you might end up skipping a lot of battles so that you can advance to the next floor. What happened with me was there might have been a hard battle somewhere, and my party was weakened so I ended up skipping all the battles until the boss so I could get out of there. The use of persona is cool and interesting, especially trying to exploit your enemies weakness with special attacks so that you can knock them down to gain an extra turn or a cartoon style animation in which your party runs in and engages the enemy in a cloud of smoke which usually ends up dealign a lot of damage. The AI is pretty good, but it can let you down sometimes,for instance, I ended up dying on a boss fight because the only person who could heal and had an effective attack kept skipping their turn even though they had plenty of SP to spare. As far as customizing your persona goes, its pretty deep, you can combine persona to create new ones, but if you have the social link that relates to that type of persona it will get stronger depending on what level that link is. All of you persona are automatically registered, and if you feel like you want one back after using it in a fusion, you can buy it. You can gain new persona when you defeat a group of enemies, some cards will show up and you choose one of them, and if your lucky you might get a new persona.
8.5/10

Sound- the voic acting is pretty good, and the soundtrack is ok, if you like japanese music. The opening song is especially good. 7/10

Presentation- the anime cut scenes are always amazing and very entertaining, but there is a serious lack of anime cut scenes in the beginning to middle of the game. The character designs are good, but non characters are very generic. The demons and persona look really cool though. The in-game graphics could use some improvement. 9/10 (because of the anime)

Areas- you probably won't venture anywhere but your dorm, the mall, and the school. Because the backgrounds are also generic. The areas in Tartarus are also very generic and only change when you get to the next block, which could be up to 20 or so floors. And even when you get to a new block it hardly changes except for color. 6.5/10

Replayability- moderate, but the story isn't great enough to keep you playing through the whole game since its 70+ hours long.

THE GOOD- original story, combat is intense and at times challenging. The persona are interesting, the anime is very entertaining and the soundtrack is passable.

THE BAD- almost everything you do at school is unimportant, it takes a while for something interesting to happen plot-wise, it can be hard to evade enemies sometimes and the backgrounds are boring.

BOTTOM LINE: 8/10, a good game and a good addition to the Shin Megami Tensei series, I definetly reccomend it to people familiar to the RPG genre.

Bought brand new on 12/30/07 at the 19808 Best Buy for $49.99

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: December 30, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Before you purchase this game for the rip-off prices here on Amazon, check your local Best Buy.

The Best Buy nearest to me in Wilmington DE had three copies of the game today, and I bought one of them. So there are still two left, and I'm sure this isn't the only Best Buy in the country with Persona 3 in stock.

Kill Something And Go Out On A Date

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: September 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The Shin Megami Tensei games (there are actually several series involved) are notable for their unique graphics, their tormented central characters, and an unusual system of 'personas.' These are spirits, or internal archetypes (if you have Jungian leanings) that have varying powers that can be developed and enhance the character. One can carry a number of these and use them as called upon by the monsters you happen to be fighting. Persona 3 is no exception to this pattern, but it is the first to move out of the typical develop your powers / fight endless battles / save the world pattern and add an entirely new element for US gameplayers -- high school.

OK, I know that most game players are within a few years either way of their high school years. And even oldsters like me remember the stress and strain of growing up with the absurdities of our educational system. But this is the first game I've played where I had to balance academic demands, personal relationships, AND saving the world. You are one of nine characters, most of who attend Gekkoukan High School together. You all have a special skill which allows you to be conscious during the twenty-fifth hour of the day, a dark hour during which monsters walk and the rest of the world is completely unconscious. All of you have personas, although you have many. Your fellows are engaged in fighting the shadows, which grow more dangerous as the game progresses. When you aren't doing that you are training, learning, taking tests, making friends, and dating. It is up to you to balance all these claims on your life and come through at the end as well.

This is a hard game to evaluate. I made two fatal mistakes - I chose to play the easy version, and I over-leveled. All of this complexity begins to pale as you work your way up the shadow-ridden Tartarus (the Tower of Demise) over the period of a school year. Somewhere around half way, if your level is too high, the rest of the stock battles become monotonous. It takes a bit of time to find the weaknesses of the monster you are fighting and then all you need to do is repeat yourself. After you've completed the game the first time you can play it again, but most of your accomplishments remain. You have to re-level your other characters, but thanks to another dungeon this happens quickly. The game now is all about the social side and your biggest challenge is figuring out how to date all the female characters by the end of the game. This isn't as easy as it sounds, by the way. I think if I had chosen the difficult setting and only leveled up to where I needed to play would have been a lot more fun. So playability is somewhere between a three and a five.

The supernatural side is quite detailed, although it is very much the tarot based mishmash that has haunted Japanese games and anime since Evangelion. But I loved Evangelion and the writers have done a good job with this in the game. Artwork, animation, and music are superb with a very anime feel and style. Although the characters aren't finely detailed the animators have managed to capture an unusual amount of individuality and expressiveness. Another think I appreciated is that while the players are attractive, physical enormities are avoided. Relatively ordinary people (and dogs and robots) can also be heroes. The game has a message or two, mostly about teamwork and friendship - another commonplace in these games. Some rough (high schoolish) language, but the only other real issue is that players summon their Personas by shooting themselves in the head. I found this an odd commentary on the state of young students in the world and more than a bit disconcerting. The game is a winner though despite its flaws. I'm rating this a four, but your mileage may vary considerably.

One of the most addictive and stlyish RPGs you may ever come across!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Introduction:
What if someone told you that there were more than 24 hours in a single day? What if someone said there is a hidden hour that has these weird monsters roam and attack innocent people, making them diseased? Finally, what if there was only a select group of certain people that could actually fight these supernatural being? These strange situations are only a few of the strange and unusual aspects of Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3. Having not played any of the previous Shin Megami Tensei games, this experience is quite new, but this game proved to be intriguing and very addictive. Read on to find out more.

Storyline:
In Persona 3, players take on the role of a transfer student (of which you name, including his last name), who has just transferred to a school on an island called Gekkoidan High School. At the beginning, his school life seems pretty normal. He meets some new friends, including Junpei , and even has dormates, named Mitsuru, Yukari, and Akihiko. Later on, however, he starts to encounter a strange hour that occurs during the time of 12:00 to 12:01am. This hidden hour is known as the "Dark Hour", of which Shadows start to roam and have the populous transmigrate into coffins, and those that do not transmigrate end up being devoured of their minds, and develop "Apathy Syndrome", an illness that makes then seem like lifeless beings. He is, however, one of the select few that is able to fight against the Shadows by unleashing his "Persona" using a gun like device called an "Evoker", of which must be shot onto his head. It may sound like suicide, but the Evoker is merely used to awaken the Persona within him. He then ends up leading an ongoing fight against the Shadows, of which their main nest is "Tartarus", which serves as the primary dungeon in the game.

Gameplay:
The game plays out like an unusual mix between standard RPG dungeon crawling and life/dating simulation. During the day, you are a simple high school student, but during some nights, you venture into Tartarus, a huge randomly generated dungeon where you fight the Shadows. Both types of gameplay actually serve a purpose, and develop your character depending on what you choose to do. So, how do they work exactly?
First off, there's the life/dating sim aspect. This is where you do most of your playtime. Many of what you do can affect your character in different ways. You have three different stats to raise: academics, charm, and courage. One example is if you study or pay attention to class instead of sleeping, it raises your academic level a bit. In turn, these aspects can help you out by meeting new people and developing social links. Social links are developed by meeting people during certain days after school, promising to do something with them during days off, and so on. Be careful, because if you ignore a person too much or break a promise to meet them, or you've been cheating on a girl you are dating by dating another girl at the same time, you trigger a "Reverse", which means you have to do a few days of apologizing to him/her to get it right back on track to development. When the Social link is fully developed, you establish an unbreakable bond, and not only that you don't have to worry about it going into reverse, but you can also create the ultimate Persona for the Arcana the character represents. Also, when developing Social links, you're able to gain more experience for the Persona you create for each Arcana, so you're pretty much doing all this to make yourself stronger.
The other aspect of the gameplay is the dungeon RPG crawling, of which you go into a huge sprawling dungeon that has over 250 floors. Of course, you can't get up to the top immediately upon first entering. Also, you can get tired over time by exploring, and so do your party members. When you or they are tired, their performance in battle starts to drop, but it's still up to you whether to press on to the next checkpoint terminal or quit for the night.
Battles in this game are turn based, like most traditional Japanese RPGs, yet you only directly control the main character. Fortunately, the AI is intelligent enough to hold their own, and you can also give them specific orders like to knock down an enemy, or conserve their SP (Persona ability points). Your Persona is your main means of attack. Each Persona has different abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. If you can exploit the Shadows' weakness, you're able to take an extra turn for yourself, and if you manage to knock them all down, you're able to unleash an "All Out Attack" (at least two party members must be up for it to work, including yourself) to deal huge damage. Be careful, as the enemy can do the same to you. You can also switch between Personas on the fly, even during battle, although you can only switch to a different Persona once per turn. There are no random encounters, and if you can surprise the enemy by hitting them when they're not looking, you get a free turn. Be careful, as the enemy can do the same to you. Also keep note that there are bosses scattered throughout Tartarus, so make sure that you're ready before you fight them.
Finally, keep in mind that during full moons, you have to do some ordeal and go to a different area of which to fight one of the main bosses. If you haven't been taking the time to go to Tartarus, you'll end up facing your doom, so you have to do great strides to budget your time between life and dungeon crawling. While it may seem like a struggle, the gameplay is fun and addictive, and it has that really odd "just a few more mintues" feel, and before you know it, hours have passed because you played for so long. It is very addictive.
9.5/10

Graphics:
The whole package is wrapped in a nice wrapper that has a great art style and some of the most creative character and monster designs that you may ever find in an RPG. The graphics, however, are not that impressive. The game has basic geometry and looks a little plain. This is offset, however, by the creative designs and the intriguing setup. This is one of those games where a great art direction and setup can more than make up for less than impressive architecture. Anime style cutsenes also appear during gameplay, and are quite appealing.
8.0/10

Sound:
The game has a soundtrack that mostly consists of Jpop, which is unusual for an RPG. It has a great flair to it, and there are even lyrics. Although not quite a professional level, you'll begin to grow fond of the different style of music. The voice acting is, for the most part, great, but there are some weak performances and oddly delivered lines, but none of them sound grating at all. The sound effects are standard, and fit the mood just nicely.
9.0/10

Overall:
It's been years since I've played an RPG this addictive and stylish, and this one is an experience that will be hard to forget. It's one of the best RPGs to come out in a long time, PS2 or otherwise. If you have the courage to put a gun to your head and just generally want to have fun in general, don't miss this one! Of course, you must be 17 or older to apply. Sorry.
Final Score: 9.7/10

Special note: All new copies include an art book and a soundtrack CD!

Not a bad addition to the SMT lineup

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: September 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I just picked the game up, and haven't gotten very far into it, but just like all the other impressive games in this series, Persona3 is no exception. Visually, Atlus seems to have settled into a more manga-style artistic feel, which suits them well after experimenting with cel-shading in Nocturne and DDS 1 and 2, and then with realistic graphics in Devil Summoner. CG cutscenes are no more as well, they've been replaced with anime-style scenes. The game has a totally different musical style as well, sort of a trendy pop as opposed to the looped instrumentals from their previous games.

There's a bit of a teenage/high-school element to the game, with social interaction between the character and other students and characters playing a key part in the game's progression (even to the point of making the game unnecessarily difficult if this part is neglected). That was a little worrisome at first, but it grew on me pretty quickly, and this game is easily on par with, if not better than, the previous installments in the series. The battle system has also changed again, dropping the realtime element from Devil Summoner, and picking up a fresh translation of the "Press Turns" system from the DDS games. All in all, a very solid game, and well worth the buy.

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