If I hit 100 hours of gameplay alone and not write a review on it, I AM OUT OF MY MIND.
Story
The story is about you (you get to choose your name but officially, but not default, you are named Minato Arisato) a silent type teenager, where all you will ever say is gasp a few here and there and say one word, "Persona." For the entire game during character dialogues and cutscenes. For further details of the story please go to the summary part as always.
The story is quite up and down and all over the place, but not something you never see before if you've been around the block in the AniMangaGame World. New plots come in, old ones go down the drain, people come and go, and cliché endings. But it still is a good story to hear and keeps you sticking to the game. (smiles)
Though I'm still not very fond knowing about the FES side-ending still. (sad)
Battle System
The battle is unique. You control tarot card like based characters/creatures called Persona as a form of magic. The creatures are either based on Mythological creatures or of the Angelic/Demonic ranks based on the Tarot Card characteristics. Some of you might find it somewhat similar to the other Shin Megami Tensei series, well I guess these types are ATLUS's marker. And who wouldn't like summoning Persona's by shooting a empty bullet to your head? Sweet. Got me into the game immediately. Strategy is important if you play normal mode. You have to toggle between your Persona characteristics to avoid a Critical attack or Weak Attack which will render you useless for a round. Of course, AI's are always very hard to deal with even with the Tactics mode since you can't specifically ask them for a Heal or to attack assigned targets. Those are available very later in the game, so be sure to prepare yourself mentally for a lot of Game Over. The worst part about this is, if you die alone, but your party members are still alive, the Game Over screen will STILL appear. EVEN WHEN YOUR PARTY MEMBER'S COULD HAVE REVIVED YOU WITH ITEMS. I can never get why. (facepalms).
Music
The OSTs has a great tune of Hip Hop and Rock in it. Very rare but growing in the gaming world. (aka The World That Ends With You). Part of the reason why I picked up this game is because of the Opening Song Intro –Burn my Dread-. (Ah, they always get to me).The background songs are never boring so you can avoid falling asleep throughout the 100 hour gameplay. That's good enough for me. (thumbs up)
And expect more similar tunes if you pick up Persona 4 in the future.
The Sims Gameplay
The whole game is based on a Sim's like environment with an additional day/month system, which, you can't go back in time just like real life unless you off-reset your Ps2 of course. You can also save the trouble of looking after their status of hunger or hygiene which is a BIG plus in my opinion. But to advance in the game further, you have to raise a few things which is charms, academics, charisma and also Social Links. It's a new experience for me since it was the first time I ever played a Shin Megami Series or Persona Series. But for those old-timers out there, yes its back, and it looks great! With lots of places to visit and people to raise the Social Ranks!
So is it worth it?
Of course it is a good buy! Way better than getting Final Fantasy 12 in my opinion. I usually judge the worth of a game by how ready I am to play it and whether I will fall asleep accidentally. From the above, yes, I actually fell asleep during FF12 gameplay at about hour 40? And to think I didn't fall asleep throughout the 100 hour gameplay of Persona 3. That's just how good this game is. But of course unless your more of a short timeline RPG-er, avoid it if you could, or else, you'll be tearing your hair off while advancing the game. This is indeed a hardcore game, because by the time you barely reach the ending, your already level 90.