Persona 4 : Atlus' Finest Shin Megami Tensei Title Yet

Persona 4 has this amazing ability to make you feel like you're really in the game, like you're really the hero tasked in saving the world while trying to make as many friends as you can. It has that magical touch that makes you feel connected to every character in the game. As a result, you begin to develop this close bond with the many quirky characters in the game. You feel like you want to know their past, their joys, fears, their favorite food, their hobbies, and their reasons to fight along your side.

Very few games could capture and deliver that kind of experience, and Persona 4 does it PERFECTLY.

I wasn't a Persona fan until i tried playing Persona 3 (P3) on the Playstation 2. I've heard of the series but never got the chance to play it. So after almost 90 hours of P3, I was craving for more. Then in just a few months (or was it a year?) Persona 4 sprung out of nowhere and it was even better! Don't get me wrong. P3 was a great game, but P4 was better in a lot of ways, in terms of character development, user interface, an improved dungeon system, and is a whole lot funnier!

A Whole New Story

Set roughly 2 years after the events of Persona 3, Persona 4 sees the protagonist of the game (which is you!), as a transfer student from the big city moving to stay with his uncle and his little cousin sister in a small , quiet, peaceful suburban town called Inaba. It should be a quiet school year, making new friends and getting used to country life. Everything suddenly changes as a series of bizarre murders shook the peaceful town, coupled by the protagonist' weird discovery that he can enter a TV! He soon finds out that these events are connected to a strange TV program called the Midnight Channel. So it's time to start a whole new school term! Persona 4 style!

A better Cast

Persona 4, although is set roughly 2 years after the event of Persona 3, introduces a whole new cast of characters. Each totally different from the other and comes from very different walks of life. I personally prefer the cast in P4, they're more believable and realistic. Atlus designed them to be completely normal everyday people.

There's Yosuke, who also comes from the big city. His parents recently moved to Inaba to open up a giant supermarket, which Yosuke needs to help out sometimes. And then there's Chie, the average everyday girl who everyone loves because of her honesty and sometimes goofy attitude! And she loves kung-fu movies! Yukiko is your traditional country girl whose parents owns a local Inn. She can be quiet and old fashioned, but she'll burst into hysterical laughter at any one of Chie's BAD jokes! Kanji is the bad-ass of the group, being the toughest and the nastiest means he sometimes does things unpredictably, but he has a heart of gold. Then we have Rise, or more famously known as Risette. A feisty young girl from Inaba that made it big in entertainment and became a pop idol! But has recently came back to her hometown on a hiatus of her career. Naoto is our boyish female investigator sent to the quiet town to investigate the murders, but is pulled into the group. Then lastly we have the mysterious Teddy, whose origins and purpose remains....well, mysterious!

Shadow Huntin'!

Battles in P4 are fun and challenging. Although it features the same mechanics as P3, newly added features like the specific individual super attacks and support actions makes it fresh and more enjoyable. Our enemies are once again called the 'Shadows' and boy are they much tougher this time. Enemies are smarter and often have specific ways to take them down. Some of the boss battles require a certain puzzle like strategy to beat. Overall, the ability to call upon one's Persona to fight is still amazing and this is further improved by introducing all brand new persona for each of the characters, as well as the gigantic roster of other Personas available through the fusion mechanics in the game.

"Your Affection....your affection...."

Music in the game is very well orchestrated with each dungeon having it's own unique score that suits it feel and atmosphere, not to mention a very catchy number during school hours. Persona 4 remains at it core, a Role Playing Relationship Simulation Game. Most of the time when the protagonist doesn't go fighting Shadows, he'll be walking around town, making friends with a whole bunch of people. Aside from the team members, he'll meet troubled single mothers, a shy musician, a couple of struggling athletes, a tough truant girl, a disturbed hospital nurse, a very faithful fox and a whole lot more! Each with their own past and story that perfectly fits into the game's storyline.

The Bottom Line

Persona 4 could possibly the best Shin Megami Tensei Series that Japanese developer Atlus has ever created. Blending intense, fast RPG battles, a mysterious and yet fun plot, catchy music, a wonderful cast of characters and a very immerse relationship simulation that both fun and challenging!

On a more personal note, Persona 4 is what I would consider the best thing to ever happen on the Playstation 2. And since it came out at the time when the aging console was almost at the end or it's dominance, what a fitting way to say goodbye to the system with one of the last great games for the PS2.

Now, if only Atlus would come out with Persona 5 for the Playstation 3...... =)

The Greatest Game Ever Made?

A Modern Gaming Miracle

The Metal Gear Solid series has constantly delivered the best in gameplay, storytelling, music composition, scripted cinematics, professional voice acting and of course memorable characters.

When the first Metal Gear Solid was released in 1998, it was already a critical success, and 10 years later, Metal Gear Solid 4 was no exception. MGS4 was a modern miracle in the ever expanding world of gaming. On a more personal note, to me, MGS4 was perfection. It was the greatest game that i have ever played up to now. It was a totally big game to swallow!

There was so much things that i could do in the game, so many routes to pick and countless ways to take out your enemies! MGS4 offered the player unprecedented freedom. You could go gun crazy and take out all the enemies, or use stealth to pass by an unweary enemy, or take them out nice and quiet. You could push a single stage in the game for hours just trying to explore every single opportunity in it.

In MGS4, you play as the legend himself, Solid Snake, now known as Old Snake. Due to a strange accelerated aging process, Snake has become an old man who coughs and complains of backaches (hence his new codename). But don't fret! Snake is still our hero and with the help of Otacon, he can still take on the job of a one man army!

Hideo Kojima, the creator of the MGS series did an amazing job in creating a masterpiece like MGS4. MGS4 is extremely detail in every aspect. Every weapon featured in the game are realistic and sounds differently when shot. They are also customizable. The graphics and atmosphere are life like and features very realistic shadows and lighting effects. Face expressions are so life like, and details on face textures, scars, hairs and eyes are astounding.

Probably the most spectacular moments in the game are during the in game cinematic cut scenes. The technology of today's generation of consoles has made it possible for cinematic cut scenes and actual gameplay to be seamlessly intergrated together. Witnessing the first 30 mins of the game's opening cinematic slowly transform into an actual in-game playable stage is simply....... beautiful. Cinematics are presented with amazing detail and Hollywood style acting. The action sequences are a sight to behold with professionally choreograph scenes, the final battle between Solid Snake and Liquid Ocelot will probably go down as the greatest fight scene in gaming history.

Apart from all the visual and graphical splendor, I personally believe the experience that one gets while playing MGS4 is what makes it so good. It's not just about playing the game, or beating those tough enemies or even taking out the Beauty and the Beast bosses. To truly enjoy MGS4, is to live it. To experience everything it has to offer. The beautiful graphics, the solid orchestral music, the colourful cast, the highly detailed weapons, and the most important part is, the epic engaging storyline that's filled conspiracies and betrayal.

Once you've played it, or should i say experience it, you'll probably ask yourself this question, 'Why can't all games be as good as this?" With all of these said, Metal Gear Solid 4:Guns of the Patriots will remain to me as the best Metal Gear game ever, that is until Metal Gear Solid 5 comes out. Hmm, maybe I'll have another go at it just to relieve those awesome gaming moments! haha!

The greatest game ever made? Definitely.

A Beautiful Fusion Of Strategy, Art and Epic Storytelling

At my first impression when I saw the cover of Valkyria Chronicles, I thought, "Oh, here's another game title trying to make it in the RPG genre for the Playstation 3, i doubt it."

Little did i know that i would EAT those very words of mine after only a mere 2 hours of playing the game.

Valkyria Chronicles could easily be the finest and most beautiful strategy role playing game to date, and not only for the current generation of console games. I personally have played a number of strategy games out there, but none could compare to the simplicity of the combat system and the perfectly polished art design of this game.

Set in Europa, a fictional alternate version of Europe, it tells the story of Welkin Gunther and Alicia Melchiot in their struggle to defend and liberate their country Gallia, from the invading forces of the Empire, who seeks the precious and ancient material Ragnite, which is some sort of a multi-purpose energy source. Our two heroes will soon find out the true reason of the invasion and uncover an ancient truth about their country's history. This plot alone has awed me even now!

SEGA did a miraculous job in creating their proprietary CANVAS engine. Anime inspired characters come to life in perfect 3D and cel-shaded harmony. Colours were bright and was extremely pleasing to the eyes. Although it may not push the PS3's graphical capabilities to it's limits, Valkyria Chronicles looks extremely beautiful and groundbreaking at the same time. It was like watching a water colour painting come to life!

The english voice acting is superb (with characters saying things which they would actually say in real-life!) and very well choreograph into the story. could even have it in Japanese if I'd prefer with just a simple check in the options menu. This is how games SHOULD be. A strong cast of characters and fantastic (and professional!) voice casting makes a huge difference. I remembered one scene in the game which i was totally emotional about, I won't spoil it, but to those who has played it, you know which one! The addition of extra unlockable characters was a welcome entry.

The combat itself is revolutionary and challenging. Fusing 3rd person perspective and a tactical map layout was a brilliant design. The guys at SEGA really did a great job in creating the BLITZ system, marrying their skills from their other titles like Skies of Arcadia and Nightshade. The result is a simple, easy to use interface that offered countless strategy elements and fast pace warfare action. I believe that this simple design would be the foundation for other game developers to base on.

Though Valkyria Chronicles is truly a modern masterpiece in every way, it does have certain drawbacks (but really minor and easily forgotten). Enemy A1, although intelligent enough to use flanking maneuvers on my squad, can sometimes engage in seemingly unrealistic tactics, like running straight into my camp with all my troops waiting to make minced meat out if them. The inventory and squad layout menu could've been a little more user friendly too.

But all these flaws are microscopic compared to the grandeur of the whole game. Epic storytelling, rich colourful characters, perfect music and soundtrack and a solid battle system, I can safely guarantee that Valkyria Chronicles is a MUST buy for every Playstation owner out there. Even if you're not a strategy fan, you should still get it, it's that GOOD!

The Best Place for Awesome Deals on Console Games and Accesories

Are you an avid gamer? Do you own a Playstation 3 or an Xbox 360? Do you go on a treasure hunt around the Klang valley for the best deals on games? Well now there’s a totally simple, fun and affordable way to get those games you always wanted! I’ve just discovered GameOn.com.my! It is THE online video-gaming store for the great deals!

With it’s totally easy to navigate website and secured online transaction, PLUS really affordable prices, you wont want to shop anywhere else! I’d really recommend GameOn to any video gamer out there! And it has a VAST library of the latest and greatest games!!

So what are u waiting for? Get online to GameOn.com.my right now! just click the link below and start shopping!

Get your Portable ID!