[QUOTE="DJ_Lae"] [QUOTE="Jbul"]I'm more of a casual RPG fan than a hardcore one. I've never played a Persona game before. Do you guys think this game would be right for me?CarnageHeart
If the idea of a random dungeon crawler crossed with a dating sim appeals to you, yeah.
Otherwise, no. It has some really cool stuff but is held back by what some might term 'tired JRPG conventions.' It does deviate a bit from your average Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest or what have you, but still requires a lot of grinding (and not just of the fighting kind). If you term yourself a casual RPG fan then I would guess you wouldn't be able to overlook the game's flaws.
I've never played a proper dating sim, but Persona 3 is split into two games, a time (not just relationship) management game and an rpg. One's time investments influence one's Personas. For example, a regular member of the home economics club will forge a strong bond with one type of monster, a regular member of the kendo club another. One can stay up nights studying (which benefits one's character a couple different ways) or one can stay up nights hunting demons (different benefits). One can be a member of multiple clubs, but one runs the risk of being a jack of all trades but a master of none. Also, one can date more than one girl (each girl builds a stronger relationship with a different class of persona) but one runs the real risk of losing both if they find about each other. Also, characters have limits (do too much of anything, they will get tired and become less effective, keep on doing it they will sicken, which takes a couple days to recuperate from).
Personas are magic creatures your characters are fused to (they physically manifest only to cast spells and suchlike, but even when not visible, they affect their hosts). Being linked to a Persona gives a character certain magical and physical attacks and makes them vulnerable (or invulnerable) to certain magical or physical attacks. Each party member in Persona is bound to only one persona, with the exception of the main character, who can be bonded to several Personas (and can switch between a small number of them on the fly in combat). One can blend multiple Personas to make new stronger (or weaker) Personas who might have elements of their ancestors (which would make them unique for their class). There are limits on how strong the Persona linked to a main character can be (one might succeed in blending several Personas to create a Persona so powerful your main character is unable to contain it).
Persona 3 has random dungeons, but they are well designed dungeons and the designers made smart game design decisions. There are no random battles (enemies can be seen on the screen, though unlike FF12 one doesn't see their exact nature, merely a blob type thing) and characters (and monsters) get in a round of free attacks for hitting the other from behind. Only the main character is under the direct control of the player, the others can be told to carry out certain strategies (more open up as time passes) such as 'play the role of healer' or 'use physical attacks but not magic' or what have you. Also, one can split up one's party in order to more quickly search a dungeon. Splitting up weakens a party, but it is a way to cover a lot of ground in a hurry. Last but not least, the combat system is traditional, but fast paced. Everybody moves quickly and even major attacks spells which usually trigger long animation sequences in other games are executed rapidly. A big part of combat is successfully exploiting the elemental weaknesses of one's opponents (hit a character with the element they are vulnerable to, they take a lot of damage and are paralyzed for a round or three though the same is true of your party members). Incapacitate all of the guys on the other side with their vulnerabilities and your party can hit them with a powerful special attacks while they are vulnerable. Also, there are always gateways to save points right before bosses (who like normal enemies, are visible when exploring).
Its not for everyone, but Persona 3 is a brilliant game that at 30 bucks is a gamble worth making.
Sounds interesting. I'd heard alot of praise for Persona 3, but at the time it was released, I had my hands full with a ton of other games. I'm hearing similar praise for Persona 3: FES, but tacked on with "If you missed the first one, you have no excuse!" sort of reviews. But your explanation of the way the game is played and the various mechanics really helped, and sounds pretty cool. I think I'll pick it up when I finish my current crop of games.
Thanks for taking the time!
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