Are the Persona games really worth playing?

Sadly, i don't have as much time to devote to gaming as i used to, and if i'm going to devote 80+ to a game, it needs to pay off.

I guess you could say i'm a casual JRPG fan, love the same final fantasies as everyone else, haven't enjoyed a JRPG in YEARS though. Cliche plot and characterization, dull protagonists, stories and villains. Just nothing memorable as opposed to a lot of western characters in recent years.

With the news that Persona 4 is coming out on the PSN, i'm debating going back and playing 3 and 4, and then picking up Arena, but for those of you that played them, how was the experience? Good stories, good characters and villains? I don't know, the gameplay seems pretty basic but i love the whole Japanese school setting(blame that fighting game rival schools) and i'm pretty conflicted.

If you love JRPGs then get persona let me put it this way I hate turn based RPGs but persona felt good and fun I loved every second loved the characters and story

They are amongst the pinnacle of JRPGs. So if you like that genre you should check it out. If you don't, it's probably not for you.

Persona 4 Golden is an experience everyone should be able to play. Don't care about 3's shittiness but 4 definitely is.

It has a really good story and really good atmosphere. Only thing that drags it down is you have to manage time. You have to do certain things by certain days or else.

Sadly, i don't have a Vita, so my only choice is to play the original version.

Shame that they don't port Golden. Wonder if it's worth waiting to see if they do?

Anything anime related isn't worth your time.

No. They have great art, music, and decent stories, but the gameplay doesn't stand out as anything particularly fun or interesting. The games are also crushingly boring. They insist on keeping you in the same few tiny areas around town for 80+ hours and it's mind numbing. The whole social link aspect adds nothing worthwhile to the experience and only serves to make the games even more dull.

Golden won't be ported. Still, the original is extremely enjoyable, just clearly inferior.

@uninspiredcup: Are you anime related?

Nobody buys these things for the gameplay.

Makes me wonder why buy them at all ? Because you can ?

Nope

Play Persona 3 FES and Persona 4 Golden if possible. Both were excellent.

I buy them for the gameplay and story. Your comment is wrong right off the bat... Congratulations.

P3 and P4 are only good for weeaboos with all the waifus and the slice of life stuff,P2 is actually worth playing if you like RPG´s and the first one kinda sucks.

3 is a POS. 4 is decent. The first two are already too old and anyways only the two games of P2 were good the original was very mediocre.

Also this. Grind-fest with a lot of dull filler. They basically made a 20 hours game into an 80+ hours one.

ha I love a good joke. Anywho yea both P3FES and P4 is worth your time.Though if you have a vita get P4Gold.

@ lundy86_4

Calm down twinkle toes.... Its just a game.

Persona 4 is one of the best RPGS of all time so yes play golden

Well to be fair that´s almost every single JRPG out there,full of filler artificially extending the playtime.

I don't know why i'd need to calm down... You being incorrect doesn't work me up :S

Only for weeaboos. Not worth it for the average gamers.

Also, inb4charizard

Pretty much anything that doesn't meet your ridiculous standards is barely a game, say how about that South Park episode the one with EA and Peter Moore you watched a while back most likely high on acid, still living in a fantasy land I guess?

But in 3 it's unbearable. Grinding on the same place with just some slight changes to the environment. At least in 4 the themes make it bearable. The whole calendar and social link stuff is the dullest kind of filler I have ever experienced. Not in the same level of any JRPG I have played.

While almost every JRPG has some level of grinding and filler involved, for the most part they don't take it to the painful extremes of Persona 3 and 4.

I take no pleasure in being in correct. As someone brought up on Akira Kurasawa from the age of 6, to see the young internet people enthusiastic about anime is deeply saddening. A low point for culture.

According to Chaz, they're awful. Especially 4.

I think there is fantastic anime to this day, what else should people be excited about in your Opinion?

I hate JRPGs and Im loving every second of Persona 4 and the characters and story

Judging by the amount of circlejerks the games (especially 4) seem to get, I'm guessing they are probably worthwhile games to some extent.

Fantastic Four Rise Of The Silver Surfer.

If you like games, you owe it to yourself to play Persona 3 and 4.

Word, just dont romance Chie. She's the worst. Especially the horrible Vita version.

I think you meant yukiko and rise.The only 2 negatives in the game.

Oh, the chicks with two of the more interesting social links from your group? Yea, so much worse than whatever the crap Chie's story was.......

If by interesting you mean boring then yes.

If you have big enough balls to handle them, then yes.

Yea, cause Chie's story about nothing was really great.....Chie's social link is almost as bad as Yosuke's

now your saying yosuke is bad.....oh man.Im just going to walk away from this.

easily the worst out of the group. I haven't even finished it yet. I only talk to him when there is no one else.

I've always wondered if I should pick it up and I may if I find it at a cheap price. I love good JRPGS and I enjoy a lot of animes. However...

The whole JPOP theme is a HUGE turnoff for me. I can enjoy a little bit of it hear and there, but to have it blasting the whole game? No thanks

Also, japanese highschool-themed anime has typically been a huge disappointment for me. They often come so highly regarded and yet, so boring.

Given these two concerns, I wonder if I should still play it.

If you can look past the incredibly boring gameplay you might find something to like.

just going to keep walking

You're damn right they are. Persona 3 & Persona 4 saved my interest in Jrpgs. The battle system may be a bit grindy at times, but those games get an A+++ at character interaction, I love the social links. and the stories. They actually make me feel like I care about the characters. That my friends, is what defines the "role-play" in rpgs.

Its one of those games that you can really tell they were really passionate about.

Try it yourself and find out.

Asking a bunch of random internet people their opinion about a game will get you nowhere. What if you like it and never find out because someone didn't like it and gave a convincing argument that made you not buy it? What if say persona 3 was your new favorite game but some moronic cry baby says its awful just because he thinks jrpgs are kiddie Japanese tentacle rape girl crap and you don't try it?

Personally I love the persona games and I got persona 4 golden on my vita and I had the most enjoyment out of it than the other ones. I like it enough my girlfriend bought the 2 blu ray set of the persona 4 anime and we are watching it together and she digs it.

And I am anxiously awaiting persona 5.

I totally agree.

@ lundy86_4

Okay.... Let me be more precise. No normal person buys these things for the gameplay. And nobody at all will buy it just for the gameplay.

Now... What conculsion can one draw from those two 2 statements ? :)

Yes.