Persona 4 for PlayStation 2 Reviews by Gamers

While many gamers flock primarily to Final Fantasy for RPG needs, I've always found that series to be in some ways unappealing. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Kingdom Hearts, but there are so many FF like RPG's that the basic concepts in them have become stale to me.

Enter the surprise of a revamped Persona series on the PS2. Both Persona 3 and 4 differ from conventional JRPG's in that they take place in modern day Japan. Not only that, but the characters in the Shin Megami Tensei series (of which Persona is a spin-off) are usually high school students who employ their inner personalities (Persona) to fight demonic threats. Pretty original eh?

In addition, combat actually involves strategy and is more rewarding than repetitive. (Now if only they brought back the talk option from Persona 1...). The stories are more dark and in some ways down to earth than dramatic and fanciful, with Persona 4's cast of characters more easy to relate to normal kids. The story and characters in both games are great, though I have to give the nod to Persona 4's characters. Of course, Atlus' stellar translation deserves kudos here.

For those who have played Persona 3, you are thankfully allowed control over all of your characters in 4. The music in some ways is also better than in 3, and the Social Links system is basically the same but still as addicting as ever.

Quite possibly my favorite RPG on PS2. If you like RPG's but want something different, give this a try. You'll probably love it.

At the title screen I realized this was already going to be a good game, as Atlus is the maker. In playing I found the story sucks you in with mystery and a unique date-sim / turn based strategy combination. I haven't rented a PS2 game in what 3 years, since the PS3 came out, but this is surely worth your time if you like something different. Moreover, a Google search reveals part 5 in production for the PS3, so warm-up with this one!