Atlus re-releases Persona 2 for ps1 - ultra limited!

bay · Post by **bay** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 5:23 pm

undamned wrote:
MR_Soren wrote:My co-worker happened to step out of the office at the right moment for me to check my e-mail, order two copies on Amazon, and then close the browser before he returned from the bathroom.
That's hardcore.
-ud

to the max.

Turrican has accepted this fine piece of Atlus history.. or something.

Jockel · Post by **Jockel** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:08 am

Can somebody fill me in what makes the Persona series so special?
Because people are all drooling over P3 and P4, i would like to know why.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:00 pm

If you like JRPGs but are sick of the usual Final Fantasy variants this sort of thing should be up your alley - a modern setting, a handful of horror elements, a "social" factor and a neat variation on monster recruiting give the titles a good amount of personality. If you're hesitant, IIRC Persona 3 FES (which has a few tweaks and some extra stuff that the first P3 release didn't) sells for 20 bucks new now - then again, the just-released Persona 4 is only 40.

That said, the games' paces tend to be on the slow side, and relatively dialogue-heavy, so if you just want to be killing monsters 99 percent of the time they're probably not for you.

Jockel · Post by **Jockel** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:03 pm

Hm i'm not much into slow paced games (i like shmups, after all) or reading a lot of text in games, there are books for that.
But i guess i could at least try P3 some time later this month, when i've got some spare time.
Thanks for the advice.
(And i'm an absolute sucker for games with a strong art direction - Killer 7, Odin Sphere, REZ, etc hell, even Cubivore ^^)

kozo · Post by **kozo** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:18 pm

Jockel wrote:Hm i'm not much into slow paced games (i like shmups, after all) or reading a lot of text in games, there are books for that.
But i guess i could at least try P3 some time later this month, when i've got some spare time.
Thanks for the advice.
(And i'm an absolute sucker for games with a strong art direction - Killer 7, Odin Sphere, REZ, etc hell, even Cubivore ^^)

I don't mean to go against the grain, but IMHO P4 is a hundred times the fun P3 was. I did not like P3 very much at all and couldn't finish it despite how badly I wanted to enjoy it, but P4 has me hooked like a drug.

Stylish, clever and actually pretty quick moving compared to most RPGs I've played. I rarely have the patience or time for most JRPGs these days, but P4 has made that all empty talk as I've managed to sink over 20 hours into it already and I'm having more fun now than when I started. Compare that to my 15-hour breaking point in P3 and I sense a winner.

Also, the dialogue and VA is fantastic and there are many "shit your pants" creepy moments and "laugh out loud" funny ones.

I've said it before, but the menus alone in P4 ooze more class and design sense than just about every move and game combined. The graphic designers at Atlus really went crazy on the style juice with this......

I guess I am trying to say, give P4 a chance if you don't buy into P3.

And if you love them both, more powah to you!

ForceDevice · Post by **ForceDevice** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 12:29 am

kozo wrote:
Jockel wrote:Hm i'm not much into slow paced games
I guess I am trying to say, give P4 a chance if you don't buy into P3. And if you love them both, more powah to you!

So true. P4 is everything that abortion of a game some people call the third Persona should have been.

Jockel · Post by **Jockel** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 12:32 am

Allright, so i'll choose P4 over P3...

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 2:17 am

To answer the question about why persona, or why SMT, I'll contribute a little bit:

One: demon/persona collection/fusion. Basically SMT was doing the whole monster breeding/collection thing way before pokemon or anything else, and it is still very good at what it does. Most of the demons/personas have pretty awesome designs. You'll need to think a bit here to get the ones you want.

Two: unique combat system. Both Nocturne and the Persona games (at least 3&4) use a system where hitting monsters with their weaknesses gain you extra turns. It isn't just a nice thing to do when you have extra spell points, it is absolutely essential. The monsters can likewise take advantage of your weaknesses, meaning even a seemingly not-so-threatening enemy can suddenly turn the battle around on you. It makes for lively, addictive, fast-paced (but still turn based) combats.

Three (as an extension of two): Bosses take a lot of thought (at least in Nocturne, but also in parts of P3). You have to think about who is in your party so you don't have members' weaknesses being exploited. You may even have to go back and grind a bit to get the demon/persona you need to exploit a boss weakness (or rather, save your butt using buff spells.)

Four: All these games have pretty non-traditional thoughts. The persona games have seemingly brought in a lot of casual players who would never buy into a traditional rpg--being not just a dungeon crawler, but a school/social simulator. Nocturne on the other hand takes part after the end of the world and is a weird, moody, incredible game.

kozo · Post by **kozo** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:17 pm

^

Great post.

A big drawing factor to me was also the excellent, fantastic design values. All SMT games on the PS2 are quite stylish. The plots also tend to steer away from the typical JRPG cliches and are worth paying attention to - lots of mature themes like mystery, suspense, life and death, the afterlife, crime, affairs, disease, man vs. nature, etc. They all take place in modern or near-future time periods, which fit the plot very well. For example (no spoilers):

Soul Hackers: Takes place in the late 1990's (I think?), story concerns a group of underground hackers who discover secrets in a large company database
Digital Devil Saga: Strange setting which combines sci-fi with Indian mythology, until the 2nd half which takes a strange turn
Raidou: 1930's Tokyo, story concerns a greenhorn detective.
Persona 1-4: Very near future (P4 is 2011), P4 in particular touches on lots of issues like the affair of a local politician and it's aftereffects, and the impact of a nation-wide grocery chain and it's crushing effects on the local businesses and the livelihood of their owners.

...and so on. But the series does it all without being haughty and aloof and shoving stuff down your throat. They just rock.

Also of note is the art direction, which has been consistently superb. I prefer Kaneko's designs, but P4 has made me warm up to the new guy. I also greatly enjoy the style they've given the main character of P4. Surprisingly mature and slick looking guy. A lot of people could learn a lesson in style from him. He avoids both the spiky-haired kid AND macho man cliches and comes out looking ready to appear on a magazine and pick up a girl.

Also makes people like me who are gray in their twenties feel better...

And last but not least, the soundtracks are superb. From the grungy depressing rock of DDS1 to the retro-jazz-techno-pop of P4 (which is stunning - more games need vocals in the battle theme!) they are always a joy. Personally I found P3's wannabe rap the worst in the series by far, but even it has some redeeming factors and a lot people do like it.

SMT makes the world of RPGs sexy and fun.

kozo · Post by **kozo** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 8:00 pm

Thought I'd mention I just beat Persona 4 a few days ago.

No spoilers below.

75 hours by the end, and unlike ever RPG I've played (or tried to play) it felt like it was maybe 30-40. I can't believe how fast that felt. You know what they say, time passes when you're having fun.

Can't recall the last time, if ever, I had so much fun with an RPG.

I recommend it heartily to all those weary of the JRPG pitfalls. It created a perfect blend of deep, hardcore RPG exploration with juicy doses of story. Just as you are getting tired of one aspect of the game it shifts gears and gets you all excited all over again. I played alongside the wife, and she was as into it as I, always wondering what the next plot twist and turn will hold. Speaking of which, the plot is excellent and well-written, a very, very far cry from the typical RPG drivel (and if you enjoy the usual drivel, than maybe you'll enjoy this even more.) Could make an excellent mystery novel. Dojima the detective (and his little family) was at once both the most hardcore awesome manly tough guy ever and an instantly touching and heartbreaking character to watch unfold. Dojima and his daughter were easily my favorite players in the drama.

Music is top notch and some of the best in the SMT series (which is in turn, better than most game music in general), artwork is superb and clean, and the style of the game oozes into every corner and is most definitely unprecedented to have a video game look so fashionable. The gameplay hovers just on the hard side but never so much that you get annoyed - if you fail, it's likely your fault and rather than go stat-build and grind, you should try a new strategy. OMG, yes, thought was put into the gameplay as well, and your possibilities to defeat a foe are so much more than "get stronger." The dungeons are random enough to be rougelike but never so long they get old and annoying (and the scenery is often disturbing, hilarious, or both.) On the more social side of things, all the interpersonal building of relationships is refined and more enjoyable than P3's.

Top that all off with an awesome "True Ending" very similar to Lunar Eternal Blue's epilogue, and I sense a winner. I noticed the game is getting stupidly high scores and for once I agree. 10/10, two thumbs up, five stars, two cookies, etc. etc. etc. This game deserves all the attention and adoration it can get, and I applaud Atlus for making something so worthwhile (and on the PS2 to boot.)

UnscathedFlyingObject · Mon Dec 29, 2008 8:07 pm

75 hours that's too long. I'll pass.

Jockel · Post by **Jockel** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 8:53 pm

Played P4 only 2 hours so far and... well... thanks for recommending

kozo · Post by **kozo** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 11:14 pm

UnscathedFlyingObject wrote:75 hours that's too long. I'll pass.

Well, my friend beat it in 50, so YMMV. I went all out and did just about everything, though I could have done more.

Not to mention that's kind of a snippy attitude.

You can always play it short sessions like shmups. I just got sucked into it.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:20 am

I have the tendency of not finishing games that are long because there's usually something that annoys me that makes me quit it. I just can't get back to, for example, Onimusha 2 because of an annoying unskippable side quest. I can't stand fluff.

kozo · Post by **kozo** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:16 am

Understandable. I do the same thing...like with Persona 3.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:20 pm

Well Persona 4 is stupidly addicting once you get past a certain mark (about 4-10 hours.) I'm at 30 hours and can't put it down.

I really thought this game might not be so hot at the beginning, and had to push through a bit, but once things get rolling and you accept that the plot is scooby doo meets the ring, everything is fine.

Fortunately for those of us who are looking for the deeper gameplay, P4 has got it, and I find myself spending a lot of time with persona skill tables trying to fuse personas with good skill sets (like entire arsenals of auto-skills, stacking boosts/amps, etc.)

kozo · Post by **kozo** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 6:31 pm

CMoon wrote:scooby doo meets the ring, everything is fine.

Heh. I did feel that way a couple times, but I appreciated that the story doesn't take itself too seriously all the time, and that the characters acknowledge what's happening is absurd and kind of B-Movie-ish at times, and that nobody would believe them even if they told them. (case in point - Junes = "special HQ") If you think about it that way, it's understandable why a bunch of teens would be running around jumping inside TVs. You couldn't just ignore what was happening.

I found the overall narrative to still be well above average, and the characters tend to do things for explainable reasons. At least compared to the usual sappy Kindgom Hearts of Tales of Symphonianime where who-knows-what happens because the writers felt like it. KEYBLAYDE!

(sorry to all Kingdom Hearts fans.)

P.S. scooby doo plus the ring is actually exactly how I felt about P3. I really thought the whole idea of SEES was kind of corny, but most people really love that game.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 7:29 pm

I really do feel this is one of the 'must play' games on the PS2; especially given how late and how cheap it is. Really the only people who should not play it are people who just can't stand rpgs and hate teenagers.

As far as the story; well, it is very much character driven, and the characters seem pretty good. They are anxious, paranoid, far-too-introspective teenagers, and saying the most superficial positive thing to them will make them swoon. I feel this representation of teens is pretty dead on, and once again, the combat engine has been refined such that it is as much fun to battle monsters as it was in nocturne.

The fact that gameplay is split up keeps any one thing from getting too monotonous.

Like I've said, the only thing I'd improve would be to add more of an exploration element--IE non random dungeons with puzzles.