Persona 3 FES due for PSN Pages 1 2 NEXT | |
I have never played a Persona game, however, I am very interested in trying them out. Would this be a good starting point? | |
Absolutely. Persona 3 FES is the updated version of Persona 3, the first of the two 'modern' Persona games and does not require knowledge of earlier Persona games to be enjoyed. The characters and story are memorable and affecting and it's got one of the most unique, enjoyable, soundtracks in games, in my opinion. If you've ever been a fan of JRPGs I can think of no reason you would not enjoy Persona 3 or Persona 4. | |
i already own persona 3 and fes and p3p so i don't think i need fes again but i recommended to anyone who wants to get into the series or doesn't have fes already | |
What he said. There are references to 1 and 2 that are basically easter eggs but you don't need to know them to get the story. | |
Great news for a lot of people who have trouble finding the game now. I don't have a PS3, but did play Persona 3 Portable, so I think I got a good dose of Persona 3. However, I'd recommend FES as a great starting point for anyone on the fence about the series. ...Personally, I'm more excited for the remake of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment coming to PSP...but I'll have to wait a while on that one... :C | |
Well I've never played a JRPG before so this would be my first. All I really wanted to know was if it were a good introduction to the series and whether I would have to play the previous ones, so thanks. | |
Oh come the fuck on. I already had my money geared up for Skullgirls, now I have to buy this too? Good thing it's only $10. EDIT: And seriously if you have a PS3 and have never played this game, just get it unless you absolutely hate JRPGs. And no you don't need to play the first 2 first, it's stand-alone plot-wise. | |
So what's better between the one for the PSP and this one? I can get either of them and I have been looking to get them so now which one do I get? | |
The PSP version permits playing a female protagonist which changes a number of things about the game, and also allows you to directly control party members instead of relying on their mediocre AI. It does apparently remove some of the cutscenes, but I'd still pick the PSP version over the PS2 one. Note that I've only played the game on PS2 and am getting my information from Wikipedia, though. | |
Well did you find the AI a problem? Since I can put up with some AI problems if the cutscenes are important. I don't really like things being edited out. | |
FES is the definitive persona 3 version because it has the 30 hour epilogue which actually completes the story, if you've only played p3 or p3p you have NO CLUE what actually happens by the end. Yes the gameplay in p3p is better and yes you get to play the game with Hamuko too but if you haven't ALREADY played FES you have no clue what the whole of the entirety of the game boils down to thus losing all meaning. I literally was in a state of disbelief when I started playing the epilogue all those years back, I would have not been happy with not knowing what truly happened. | |
Yep that helps me a lot thanks. Also do you know about the other PSP releases? Are those worthwhile or is something coming down the line that will be better? | |
Or I, as a P3PNoob, can Google what happened so I don't have to buy a PS3 (let alone a PS2), spend more cash to buy the game, play through The Journey again, then trudge through The Answer to learn what happened. Though, if you're in the games for the plot, you're doing it wrong. The plot in general is structured in a way that it can be expanded and messed with freely just to extend your playing time of it for a few more days. I equate it to Pokemon in this regard, because plot is nothing more than a means to move the game along; instead of the game serving as a way to present a true narrative. I doubt I think this because I haven't completed The Answer. The thing about The Answer is that it introduces the whole Butterfly Effect schtick, whereas there's nothing really in the actual plot of P3 remotely touching this factor. In P3P, they had that butterfly in the beginning, but notice how P3P was released after FES. It isn't convincing to me to say that they had originally intended to create The Answer as much as they wanted more dosh from fans. While I admire the Persona series (well P4 and P3 anyway) for its aesthetics and gameplay (because I'm an RPG junkie), I cannot say that the plot is at all strong enough to warrant one buying the game simply for the plot. | |
The basic gist is that P3P has more stuff in a sense since you can play a girl's scenario, it has more Personas, a better combat system (direct party control and guarding), at least one more bonus boss (I think), and you can get an extra scene at the end of your New Game+. Dungeon crawling is made somewhat easier since you can go back to the hub and re-enter the dungeon from where you left off rather then starting from the last pre-determined checkpoint. Oh, and there's a save point that's not in your dorm so you're not forced to save at night. It lacks a few things that might be a deal breaker for some people though. The main character in FES can use any weapon. The MC's in P3P are limited to a sword/naginata for the boy and girl respectively. The Answer epilogue chapter from the FES is not in P3P. All of the very nice animated cutscenes are replaced with cutscenes done in-engine. As far as I know, there haven't been any news on a P3P update that adds The Answer. Personally, I'm not even there yet anyway. I'm actually on P4 since I got my hands on that first. And on AI problems. You can kinda give them strategies to follow, but they boil down to "Do whatever," "save MP," "exploit elemental weaknesses," and "heal everyone." They're decently smart when you set them to do whatever they want, but sometimes they waste HP and MP when it's really not necessary. One party member gains spells that are situational at best but she insists on using them when a simple attack would finish the fight that's causing your party so much pain at the moment. She gains an MP drain that she rarely uses too. "Heal" characters don't always try to keep the party topped off and instead wait until they're dangerously close to dying. It's not always a problem, but it gets in the way at annoying moments, especially since the game ends automatically if the MC gets knocked out. | |
I had a longer response in which I mentioned "The Answer" (the epilogue), but the internet aether devoured it. Basically, it's a lot of content, but it's not nearly of the same quality as the main game; it's just a pure dungeon crawl with a rather large part of it (the persona compendium which lets you get back old personas) removed. That major inconvenience (which necessitates a good bit of grinding), along with the high difficulty, frequent deaths and infrequent save opportunities, led me to not getting to far in it. It does have big answers to the storyline, but I'd prefer to watch them on Youtube myself. It's just not as good as the original material, which is already a massive game in its own right. Control over AI is a big deal especially in the harder difficulties. Though the default AI isn't bad (and can be influenced to a degree by changing each characters' general behavior), it'll often do stuff that you wouldn't do. But it's not a dealbreaker IMO; just a significant annoyance. The portable edition does have a number of other gameplay benefits mostly taken from Persona 4, but they seem to mostly be minor (though there are many.) There's also some more content that is portable-version only, so you will be missing out on a not-insignificant amount of content either way. The missing cutscenes still apparently are represented in other content. If money's not an object, I'd advise getting the portable version first, seeing if you really want to go through "The Answer" on your own, and then getting FES if so. It doesn't use or need a saved game from the main game. | |
Just a heads up, The Answer is automatically open at the FES main menu. You don't have to play The Journey over again. I won't comment on the plot either way. If it's not your thing, then to each his own. I say that it's worth playing for the characters though. Social Links are an amazing concept. The party is essentially using aspects of their personality to fight Shadows, and the MC can boost his/hers by helping someone's character development. It's weaponized power of friendship! | |
Great, I was actually considering buying the game for PS2 a short while ago. PSN should stock up on more of the PS2 classics. | |
SuperDeliciousWonderfulWhatIsThisIDon'tEven. Dude! I need to pick this up sometime! Too bad money is scarce and university tuition is sucking me dry. D: | |
It's a pretty nice game. | |
About the only thing that's really a problem with the AI is that they don't quite heal as frequently as you'd like them to and have a tendency to debuff enemies rather than straight out attack them when it's kind of pointless. Fortunately in later levels your protag can become so bloody broken that this isn't really an issue so long as you don't mind having to play the supporting role every now and again in battles. As for the differing versions, only P3P has the female protagonist option, which allows you to change the story in minor ways and lets you woo (most of) the lads. As previously mentioned, some of the cutscenes have been taken out due to the hardware in question which can take away from the atmosphere, especially if you've played both versions, but overall if you didn't know, you'd never miss them. P3: FES has the Answer which is the game's Epilogue, all of the cutscenes and generally is less painful to play for prolonged periods of time. (I got such massive handcramps on P3P.) Overall if you have to pick one and aren't playing because you want a JRPG dating-sim (which is more of a sidequest portion of the game rather than a serious "must complete!" requirement) I'd say take FES. It's more comprehensive, has more material and any flaws it might have in comparison against P3P aren't massive enough to get in the way of enjoyment of the game. Just as a friendly tip though, if you don't like possessive and extremely sensitive girls, do not go for Yukari. (Go for Fuuka. Fuuuuuuuuuka~) | |
No, theres nothing coming down the line, I suggest getting those though P1's leveling system pissed me off. IMO just get P2, my only complaint of that one is you'll need a guide for the better stuff and its final boss... *shudders* BTW, look forward to Digital Devil Saga coming out soon. The UK is getting it and Atlus USA hinted that a US release would be around the UK release. | |
This is the one JRPG I actually liked. So much, in fact, that I bought it twice, once the normal P3, then FES. I may just buy it a third time now. | |
That's what I actually consider one of the plot's strengths. Thematically, these games are focused on, among other things, the importance of your bonds with other people, and in P4's case, the idea of self-acceptance. Since I'm something of an idealist, it makes the plots of both games extremely enjoyable to me. I confess, they're actually two of my favorite stories in games. captcha: real mccoy. You bet it is. | |
IMO P4 has the best character development any video game has ever had. | |
Persona 3 and 4. Games for those who become emotionally invested in their fictional characters. Alternatively, games that make people become emotionally invested in their fictional characters. And I wouldn't have it any other way. On another note, has anyone seen the P4 anime and thoughts? Sitting at episode 12 since that's roughly where I am in the game. Watered down S-Link sequences are probably inevitable, but the boss fights are much more self-acceptance based rather than simply beating the Shadow and having the victim realize something afterwards. I'm liking it. | |
The anime is very good. The next couple of episodes for you are actually very S-Link focused, barreling through several of them over the course of two episodes. Despite being quick, I thought they were handled very well and actually tie together quite nicely in a way the game didn't do, which was a pleasant surprise. It's a well done adaptation all around. I'm through all the (aired) episodes and I enjoyed it thoroughly. | |
I finished the game a long while back, and am caught up in the anime as of right now. It's honestly the best adaptation we could have asked for. Narukami is kind of a Gary Stu, but you could become like that in the game with enough work, so it is kind of accurate. | |
I'm not trying to troll or anything, but you more or less have to start with Persona 3 to enjoy it. Because playing Persona 4 first will set your standards far to high for Persona 3 to reach. | |
I should've made a thread for this last week. Didn't know how people would have reacted so I kept it on the down low. Now I'm sad I didn't make it. Anyway, shameless plug for Persona group here if anyone is interested in joining: | |
Can we talk about other Megaten games? Cause Devil Summoner is my favorite. | |
Sure, talk about as many of the Megaten. games you want, the chat is always open. But I will only be covering news for the Persona series specifically, hence the group name. I hope that isn't an issue. | |
Yeah, I'm in the same boat. Never owned a PS2 and never wanted a PSP, so I haven't had a chance to play any Persona games. All the praise has had me interested, though. | |
now if only they would release persona pachinko... | |
To both of you, yes. Persona 3 is considered the best starting point for all things SMT. There's a pic guide somewhere I'll post it if I see it. | |
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http://www.destructoid.com/ps2-classic-persona-3-fes-hits-psn-tomorrow-225512.phtml
I'm very excited as I have a few friends that have never played it.