The next topic for our new vlog series is Persona 4, which NG5 and I have been playing as much as possible since its release.  This video only scratches the surface of my feelings about the game.  For a more detailed review, read on.

I should mention that I will compare Persona 4 to its predecessor frequently, my apologies to those who have not played Persona 3.  For my review I divide the game by its elements and discuss each individually:

Battle System - 1 More!:

Fighting in Persona 4 feels a lot like Persona 3 with some minor changes.  As I mentioned in the video, I love the fact that allies can be controlled in battle by the player – a Persona first.  After setting an ally to manual controls, they will remain that way for every battle afterward unless this setting is changed by the player.

While in dungeons, characters do not become “tired” like in Persona 3 – you are basically limited by your SP.  Knowing when to call it quits or when to push on is important if you are low on SP.  Being able to control your allies REALLY helps with SP consumption.  Why attack with garu when Yosuke can do it for you?  It is possible to recruit a certain NPC who makes dungeon crawling considerably easier… for a fee.

Another cool addition to battling is the guard option.  If you know an ally is weak to a certain element and you fear an enemy may try to sock them with it, have them guard.  Guarding prevents the attack from hitting “weak” and won’t grant your enemy a ”1 more.” This can be vital for harder battles where you may not be able to select your allies.

Overall, fighting feels fast and fun.  Your goal in battle is still to exploit weaknesses in an attempt to pounce on a downed enemy. Perhaps some people complained that Persona 3 was too easy, because you’ll find that bosses in this game don’t mess around.  One of the first bosses in the game gave me a bit of trouble.  It attacked my party with a wave of fire, which Chie was weak to.  The guard command helped and I ended up winning by a small margin.

Presentation - I Like the Flow of This Place:

Persona 4 features vivid colors and some great design.  Everything from menus down to simple dialog boxes are refreshing in their appearance.

Since the game is for the PS2, the graphics aren’t earth-shattering, but my mantra is quality design is far superior to great graphics with bad design.

The game’s music works very well with the design of Persona 4 and succeeds in maintaining a youthful feeling (when it’s appropriate).  The music is also wicked catchy…  Currently my favorite song is Princess Yukiko’s Castle.

Story - Yin and Yang:

One of the reasons I love the MegaTen series is because it is dark.  People you meet in Persona 4 will die.  Not die as in “black out”, or “pass out.”  Their corpses will be strung up on telephone poles or something equally dramatic.  I find that the serious nature of the game helps immerse me in the story and keeps me playing.

The subtle humor the game maintains helps to balance this out, yet draws me in just as much.  I feel like I can identify with some high school kids with a decent sense of humor, rather than some super serious muscle-bound warriors.

Social Links - Plays Well With Others:

The S-Link system is one of the best features that separates Persona 4 from other RPGs.  By forming relationships and strengthening them, the Persona your character can wield will become stronger upon creation.

There have been a few tweaks to the system since Persona 3.  For instance, there will be times when multiple S-Links can be strengthened at once by hanging out in a group.  There are also times when you may not even be hanging out with anyone and an S-Link will go up.  The other night I had a dream about Chie, which increased our relationship.  Cool huh?

With so many people to befriend, it’s nice to have more options when it comes to increasing ties with them all.

Conclusions:

If you enjoyed Persona 3, then you will enjoy Persona 4.  If you enjoy RPGs and have never heard of the Persona series, then this is a great place to start.  I have really been enjoying making a name for myself in the tiny town of Inaba and living out my days.  I don’t know what I will do with myself when my year is up, but I am sure I will have made a lot of great memories.

Related Entries:
All other Kotowari entries on Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 can be found here

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The game I spent about a year waiting for is finally available to buy in North America.  I managed to convince Atlus to send me a copy, but I still haven’t gotten it in the mail yet.  I guess late and free is better than nothing.

Has everyone already received their copy, or are you still waiting to get it in the mail?  Hope you guys enjoy the game, and you can expect a review shortly!  EVERYDAY YOUNG LIFE, JU-NES

Related Entries:
All other Kotowari entries on Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 can be found here

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Everyone seems to have a favorite Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 character already – and the game hasn’t even been released in North America yet.  If yours happens to be Yukiko, you’re in luck.  The first figure being produced from the game is none other than the fan-wielding vixen.  The figure is scheduled to be released late February 2009 in Japan and is available for pre-order at KidNemo for $63.19.

Yukiko comes fully equipped with her bright red glasses (removable) and sakura patterned fan:

You can check out 6 additional detailed images of the figure here.

With a game like Persona 4, I have a really hard time picking a favorite character, so I don’t know which figure I would want to purchase.  Life can be so cruel…

I am thinking of waiting for Chie, as I think she will probably be in some cool kung-fu pose.

Which character are you holding out for?

Related Entries:
All OMG Toys posts can be found here.

Roy atlus, figure, merchandise, persona 2 comments

Atlus announced yesterday via their Atlus Faithful newsletter that there will be a limited reprint of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2 Eternal Punishment.  The reprinted copies will be available exclusively at Amazon.com.  Atlus explains that the reprint is to celebrate the upcoming release of Persona 4, as well as to thank fans of the series for their continued support of the series.

Before I begin my rant, I just want to start by confirming that I love Atlus.  I truly do, if it weren’t for them I may have some semblance of a life.  But to me this is a bit of a slap in the face.  I feel like Atlus is capitalizing off of band-wagon-jumpers who are just recently getting into the series.

Atlus basically assumes that people who now like Persona started with number 3.  So their way of rewarding these individuals is by reprinting the previous game.  While on the surface this appears to be a kind gesture, it completely ignores the fact that the release of Persona 2 was originally flawed.

In Japan the game spanned two titles, the first being Persona 2: Innocent Sin, and the second being Persona 2: Eternal Punishment.  In the Western world, only the second of the two, Eternal Punishment, was localized.  The reason Innocent Sin didn’t make it is unclear, but some people speculate it’s due to some homosexual undertones and an appearance by zombie Hitler.

While the games were partially stand-alone, there was a good deal of confusion among Western players.  There were some story connections that could just not be established without the preceding title.  Imagine playing Final Fantasy X-2 without ever knowing FInal Fantasy X existed…  You would never know who Shuyin is supposed to look like, what the hell a Yevon is or why Rikku is afraid of lightning.

If Atlus truly appreciated the support of Persona fans they would remedy Persona 2’s release by bringing us Innocent Sin rather than pretending the title doesn’t exist.  It seems to me like Atlus is trying to profit off of the hype of Persona 3 and 4 by taking advantage of ignorant new-comers to the series.  Perhaps I am just reading too much into it…

Anyway, you can pick up your copy of the game for the Playstation console here.  Just don’t expect it to make a lot of sense until Gemini finishes his translation of Innocent Sin.  I am happy…honest.

Related Entries:
Persona 2: Innocent Sin Translation at 98%
Know Your Video Game History: Persona

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Persona 4’s release date is around a month away, which is a good feeling.  While the game has been out for months in Japan, that hasn’t stopped the steady flow of P4 merchandise.  Luckily some of it has started to trickle over to sites which cater to us poor suckers in the west.  In this case, the site is KidNemo, my new favorite site for possessions which I probably shouldn’t waste my money on.

The newest line of P4 merchandise is themed after Junes, the department store which the characters use to enter large-screen televisions. Such department stores are very common in Japan, but most won’t allow you to trample in and out of their TVs, at least not with your shoes on. Junes Totebag (feat. Kuma) Price = $20.69

There are also 3 different hand towels made to accompany the tote bag.  In Japan, most restrooms do not have paper towels to dry your hands with.  This is done for the sake of conserving paper.  Instead, many people carry personal hand towels around with them.  Most are decorated on one side with just about anything you could imagine.

Price = $11.69	Price = $11.69	Price = $11.69

While researching the Junes merchandise I came across this awesome cosplay jacket for Chie.  I am not really a big fan of cosplay, unless it can kind of pass as normal clothes.  This jacket is pretty casual, but still has a Persona 4 flare to it:

 On Japanese sites the jacket sells for just shy of $100.  So far I have only seen some knock-offs on eBay which are not much cheaper considering the sacrifice in quality.  I guess it’s a moot point since I am not a girl anyway…

Related Entries:
All other Kotowari entries on Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 can be found here

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