New does not necessarily mean improved. Don't get me wrong, Persona 4 is still a good game, and I'm in no way demeaning it, but some things could have seriously been done better.

This game allegedly has an amazing story, and the murder mystery concept is pretty unique for an RPG, but Persona 3 really hit home with the social links and the character development. The overall side stories in Persona 4 are dull and feel pretty hastily thrown together. There are many days where the social link advances are simply, "Insert name here appreciates your company". Whereas the third always had me pushing dungeon progress way too late in the month in anticipation for social link development.

Main characters usually have something that makes them stick out, but between random celebrity and the inn owner's daughter who handles puns like a 6 year old handles vodka, these characters just kinda push the limit. And that's not even the worst part, you'd think they'd be smart enough to use actual weapons, but some of them decide they want to walk around swinging desks and throwing fans at shadows, because that seems like a brilliant idea.

But Persona 4 does have some redeeming qualities. Full team control, separate dungeons, and part-time jobs were all improvements on the third game. Even though I loved that tower, it's nice to split the dungeons up, makes things simpler, you know? One of the only things that stopped me from saying Persona 3 was a 10 was the team control. You can't even possibly imagine how many game overs were induced at the stupidity of my "friends". Social links and part-time jobs were combined to make a way to make some money and increase a bond simultaneously, as shallow and demeaning to the social links story, that was a convenient way to increase money in a seemingly revenue-less game.

When it all comes down to it, I still think this games worth playing. But play more for the advancement of the main storyline than the side ones.