Where to begin with this game? Somehow, this game manages to capture all that is good about Japanese RPGs and all that is bad about them at the exact same time. That is quite a feat. I've pretty much finished this game now, but I don't really feel up to writing a full review of it yet. I think that I will at some point, if for no other reason than a game like this deserves a full review, but I am not quite ready to give it a full review yet. I'll instead start with a short list of "Good" and "Bad" in my mind about the game. Good: The characters in the game interact with come each other in excellent cut scenes where you see their personalities really come out. Bad: You're a mostly silent protagonist who never really has anything that resembles a personality to speak out. The interactions of the other characters with you is quite limited. Good: The explanation for why mostly high school students are the only ones who can save the world is a reasonable one. Bad: It doesn't matter where you are at in the process of saving the aforementioned world...nothing, and I mean nothing at all, interferes with the fact you still need to go to school and take your tests. Very Bad: Once again, 16, 17 and 18 year old kids are the ones saving the world. Also, a second grader, a dog, and an extremely sexy looking robot also get to come along and help save the world. Good: There is an astonishing variety of "Personas" that you can acquire and use. Bad: You are changing your Personas so often that none of them really ever have a chance to feel important. The Personas have about as much personality as magic spells do. Good: The voice acting of at least the main cast is much better than normal for a Japanese RPG. Bad: The music is atrocious. Whomever decided that Japanese Pop music should mixed in with a game that has you saving the world on a nightly basis while everyone else is in a coffin should be shot. Repeatedly. In the nuts. Good: The game is long...clocking in easily at 70+ hours. It also has a "New Game+" feature that lets you replay with most of the stuff you had when you beat the game if you so choose. Bad: More than half of the play time should have been cut to make the game shorter. There is a ton of level grinding, both in terms of fighting monsters and building social links or your main attributes. Very Bad: Building social links involves next to zero role playing. It is, instead, a torture test that has you listening to a variety of people whine for hours on end. So long as you're willing to put in the time and listen, you get the payoff.

Good: The storyline is rich and complex.

Bad: At times, trivial things like logic and cohesiveness go out the window. Good: Impressive looking for a PS2 game. Bad: Anime, anime and more anime. This is a VERY anime game, wfhich pretty much limits the appeal to either fanatic fans of the genre or people who are REALLY desperate for an rpg to play. Very Good: This game comes with a hardcover artbook and a CD with music from the game at no extra charge.

I could go on and on. The point is, for everything this game does right, it does something equally wrong. It is like some bizarro form of physics in video game form. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. To me, that just about sums up what it means to be a JRPG these days. It does some things so right, and others are like watching a train wreck in slow motion.