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...... =)