Persona 3

[Nafai]

I was debating for awhile whether to put this in this forum or the general video game forum, but while I am not all that far into the game as of yet, the "dating sim" elements (dialogue choices, stat building that influences social relationships, choosing who to talk to/spend time with during your free time, going on 'dates') seem solid enough to place it here.

The concept of the 'dating sim' gameplay in P3 is basically this: the Personas are manifestations of your ego, which are your primary weapons in the game, each persona belonging to particular type, each type being named after a tarot card (Emperor, Fool, Hanged Man etc.). Each type also has a corresponding "social link" or person/group with whom you can interact with socially. Now to increase the power of the personas created under each type, you have to deepen your relationship with the person/group that represents it, by spending time with them, answering correctly in dialogues etc. Some of these persons are girls whom you can date to strengthen your relationship with them, though I haven't gotten all that far yet.

Even if the above elements don't interest you, I encourage everyone who can to give Persona 3 a try if you're into the RPG genre at all, or if you're simply into games with Style (yes, capital S). From the opening sequence this game simply drips style and that and the sense of mystery of the story does a lot to really immerse you in the game. I doubt Ill get much Elect work done until I've played through this a few times

[monele]

Is there a demo out there?... I know it's not so common for console games but it's a game I'd like to *try*... not really play

[Nafai]

Not that I know of unfortunately There are some youtube trailers/videos and some of those might have gameplay (though a lot are for the expanded edition released in Japan). I know there is a video of the first 40 minutes or so of the game - good to set up the story, but not to show the dating game style elements...

The intro alone will show you quite a bit of the games style though - slick but brutal

[themocaw]

Is this the game Penny Arcade made fun of as "High School kids shooting themselves in the head to save the world?" I liked the prior Persona games, but that line still made me lol.

[Nafai]

*laughs* The same, though you could see from the non-comic comments on the PA site that the fact it pulled them i despite the high school setting shows the quality of the game. Its not really a 'gun' they shoot themselves with, but it does make for arresting imagery - you can see the attention to detail when you realize that each member of the SEES team shoots him/herself in a different way, quite consistent with their personalities...

[DrakeNavarone]

I've heard good things about the Persona series, and I love everything Atlus brings over, so this is definitely going on my list of games to get. I saw the opening video, which was very cool, and a little sample of gameplay footage to get a feel for the mechanics, and I liked what I saw thus far. So now it's just a matter of when... Now, does a Persona n00b need to know anything about the series going in? If it relies heavily on details from the previous installments, it might be hard to follow without that knowledge... (I wonder where I can get my hands on the other two games while I'm at it...)

[F.I.A]

Aside from the return of the Velvet Room and the demons, each series is pretty much standalone story, so you play Persona 3 without knowing the other two, Drake.

Hopefully, this one does not have any time-limited scenarios like found in Persona 2, when some bonuses can be found from them.

[Nafai]

I'd agree with FIA - I came into this as a newbie to the Persona series (and as someone who, for various reasons, has begun but not finished any of the other Megami Tensei PS2 games) and am enjoying it immensely. ^_^

Spotted this funny video on youtube too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dovhK6ceth4

Its from a fan disk and shows what might happen if the player keeps dating around (I don't know if the other dateable girls actually "discover" that you're dating around in-game). Its in japanese but I found it hilarious even without understanding the words.

It'd be cool to do something with a similar cut away style in a Renpy game too

[F.I.A]

There is no such thing as harem. Whoever yearns for it will be like a hyena chasing a deer and a antler.

And to think I need to wait for November to start with this one. Oh well, study comes first...

Other Shin Megami Tensei series(Digital Devil Saga and Kuzunoha Raidou) are in my list.

[musical74]

I admit to having mixed views on Persona 3. I LOVE the original Persona that came over to the US, but was pretty disappointed with the second Persona that was brought to the US...maybe because there was a game in between that was in Japan that didn't make it over to the US? The intro gave no idea who the guy was...

The first Persona? WOWEE! Love that game....the second one? eh, I didn't care for it....Persona 3? Have to wait and see...

[Nafai]

Well to everyone looking for a more in-depth, spoiler free "impression" of the game, here's a fairly comprehensive one from someone who seems to have a great familiarity with the franchise, but who writes in a way understandable to one who hasn't played other Megami Tensei games:

http://www.digitaldevildb.com/games/per ... ssions.php

Here's an excerpt:

To me, a lot of the game's success comes down to two things: balance and choice. They go hand in hand to such a degree that I don't really think one can be discussed without the other. After the opening scenes, the game thrusts the player into a role that is surprisingly non-linear. The game does not force you to level up any more than it forces you to study or make friends, although ignoring either is probably going to screw you over.

As in real life, doing well in Persona 3 is all about making the choices that are right for you and balancing things out to the best of your ability. This is applicable in three main ways:

* A player who does nothing other than level up may be powerful in terms of hit points, but his Personae and social skills will be extremely underdeveloped.
* A player that does nothing but improve his charm, courage and academics might find some new avenues open to him (certain characters won’t even deal with you in any real capacity until your courage is high enough, for example), but will soon find that he might be unprepared for pending fights against the Shadow.
* A player who does nothing but hang out with friends will have a high Social Rank with his friends, but find that he is unable to interact with certain other characters, access certain places and that his own personal ability will likely be a lot less than desired.

[lordcloudx]

I just started playing this game. I named my character Raito Yagami because he looks just like him except for the hair color and smaller build. I'm working on increasing his charm, intelligence and raising my s-link with almost everyone (so no one will suspect I'm Kira.)

I must say, this is one of the most interesting console-rpg-galge hybrid I've come across so far. It's a semi-linear story (I'm not sure if it will have multiple endings) that doesn't feel linear at all. I agree with Nafai. P3 has style.

[Vatina]

I would love to try and play this game, but it looks like it's not coming out in europe? (or am I wrong?)
Same with Ar Tonelico.... meh, if only I had a mod chip in my PS2

[n9261andvari]

Persona 3 is so cool! The way you summon the persona this time round is with a gun, point it to your head and shoot! The only problem is that ALL and I mean ALL of the Persona 3 game dvds here are corrupted. Each time you reach a specific stage in the school scenario it stops! The game freezes! Well it is pirated anyway...people here don't really support original items as the original games cost like $80+. Well I'm thinking of getting an original one from online since this game is absolutely worth it! I was playing the Japanese one but man...it wasn't so easy to understand with all those new vocabulary! X_X

PS: Oh yeah, I absolutely agree that Shin Megami Tensei Persona 3 has STYLE.

[Otaku Dash]

Damn Looking at this I really want to play it.... I started to get addicted to shin Megami Tensei related games ever since I saw Digital devil saga (aka Avatar Tuner)... I still am waiting for Avatar Tuner II here in portugal... And looking at persona it seems it won't ever get to europe *sighs*

Why is it always the good games that never come... I wish I could Play Ar Tonelico aswell :S