It will take you back to the old days of RPGs, and you will drown in its immersive wake.
GamePlay/Story:
P3 will suck you in right from the start. The characters are all interesting and well thought out, with back stories and unique looks. Without giving much away the story is full of twists and turns, and will never leave you dissapointed. The core of the gameplay is split between days and the hidden hour spent in the Tartarus. During the days you will lead the main character through his day to day life balancing school, girls, friends, and his morale. The interaction in the day is a whole twist on an RPG and I dont think it could have been done better. At night you will have the "option" to visit the games labyrinth, which changes its layout every night. The battle system is very unique and even though you only physically control the actions of the main character the AI behaves superbly, and you will find you have your hands full.
Graphics:
Persona may night have the most cutting edge high def graphics, but thats never been something that sells me on a game. The graphics in P3 are crisp, clean, and couldn't fit the game better. Many facets of the SMT series are here, familiar enemies, and item/weapon names. The character portraits and sprites are superbly done. until your a few hours in you wont see any of the real sights in the Tartarus, but the outside world of Japan is immaculately crafted, right down to the falling petals of the cherry blossom trees out front of the highschool. Animations are fluid and suit every character in the game.
Sound:
The sound is one of Persona 3's strongest areas. The soundtrack always has a way of conveying the current mood. But, one of the things that stands out the most is the quality of the American voice acting.
Overall:
Persona is a must buy, do not pass it up. I have a friend to re-bought a PS2 just to be able to play this game.