Since my computer has been having issues for a while now, I've been focusing a lot more on my PS2 RPGs and MMOs are limited in number. If I can find a way to get a bit more of Lunia I could have another MMO review soon but that depends on if I can get access to another computer which is doubtful. If I get very bored I might go over to DS as well but Xbox RPGs traditionally suck so I'm staying away from there. Persona 4 is the latest installment in the Shin Megami Tensei games. Persona 4 specifically focuses on a mute main character who is attempting to solve a mystery and you get to obtain “Personas” to help you in battle.

NOTE: Images are taken from RPGamer.com

Story:

The story starts off as the main character (no fixed name, make up your own) arrives at a town where he will be studying at school for the next year or so. When he arrives, his uncle and his daughter arrive to pick him up. A mysterious gas attendant greets the main character and shakes his hand. Soon after his arrival mysterious murders start to occur. No one knows how these murders are happening. All that they know is that the bodies are all hung the same way with no forensic evidence. Eventually the main character finds out that he has the ability to enter into televisions. There they meet an odd fellow named Teddie and attempt to solve the mystery of the murders while attempting to balance their school life with their investigation. Much more happens but its very complicated and loaded with spoilers if I go any further.

Graphics:

The graphics are good for a PS2 game. There are a number of unique environments in the game because each one is created by a different personality. Each dungeon follows a set theme and it maintains itself throughout the dungeon. There are nice character portraits but some things are hard to notice at first unless you take your time to check. These include the gacha machines in front of the item store and the bus stop. The enemies have a nice variety to them but some of them are just recolored or resized versions of the same monster reused for a different dungeon. Much of the game has a generic look to it.

Gamplay:

The gameplay is similar to that of Persona 3. It uses much of the same system. The game itself is organized into a number of days. The day is divided into Early Morning, Morning, Lunchtime, Afternoon, Evening, and Late Night. Early Morning, Lunchtime, and Late Night are reserved for events while some of the other times can sometimes end up as events too. Most story events take up time that players cannot use for themselves. Weather plays a factor into this as well. Special events such as bonuses to fusions occur on rainy days. The player is usually free to spend these days to their liking to either increase personal stats (needed to increase social links) or to build up relationships with their friends.

The main character has 5 personal stats that can be raised by doing various activities such as talking to cats or studying in the library. Some social links (more on that later) require one of these specific stats to be at a certain level or higher. Higher stats also result in more money from the part time jobs you can take. You will spend most of your first playthrough attempting to get these stats to high levels.

Making friends and building relationships is crucial to the game. By increasing your relationships with people they grant bonuses to Persona that you create through fusion and if they are party members, it might give them a new ability. By maxing out the social links of your party members, their Persona also evolve into a stronger form. Each social link occurs in a different place with a different person except for a few. Normally the requirements are that it has to be a sunny day (no rain or fog) and the correct time of the day. Some of these occur at the part time jobs the main character takes. It is pretty much impossible to max out all your social links in 1 playthrough. Any social link that you complete will be carried over in New Game+ allowing you time to get the ones you missed the first time around. The only difficult social link is probably the Fortune social link as you have a 1 month game time limit to complete that social link and requires maximum Courage to even begin the events. If you played Persona 3, you will recognize a lot of the personalities.

Eventually access to the television is granted and the player can enter the TV to fight monsters and investigate the world there. As time passes in the real world, new sections of the TV world opens up each time there is a new victim in the real world. When this occurs, the player has until the fog lifts in the real world which occurs after several rainy days to save the victim. If the victim is not saved, it counts as an automatic game over. It often requires around 3 days to clear a dungeon. Items obtained from enemies can be sold to the weapon store to create new equipment for characters. The best things cannot be obtained until New Game+ though. Once the dog is encountered in the shrine, it can heal you for a fee inside the TV world. It is expensive but the cost goes down as you increase his social link.

The battle system is like Persona 3. Up to 4 characters of your team (main character counts as 1) are in battle at once. Each character has an element they are strong against and weak against. Hitting a target with its weakness or getting a critical hit grants the character (or enemy) an extra turn. Either also knocks down the target. If all the enemies are knocked down, an all out attack causing massive damage can be activated. If a down target is hit again, they enter a state of panic for a few turns. The main character will change his weaknesses and strengths based on the Persona equipped at the time. For most of the game, physical attacks are pointless and weaker. There are strong physical skills, but they consume a percentage of the character's max hp and this could mean life or death near the end of the game. Those characters also tend to have a decent selection of magic skills still. It is best to focus on magic and to exploit the weaknesses of enemies. Even a very weak team exploiting weaknesses can win difficult battles.

The main annoyance to the game is the so called “multiple endings”. There are bad endings and 1 good ending. The ending received is decided on December 5^th or so on the hospital visit. Depending on the choices you make, you get a different ending. All but the good ending will end the game on that day. By choosing to continue the game, you find out more and get the better ending. On the day before the main character leaves the town for good, a series of events have to be done to grant you access to the final dungeon and final boss at which point you can get the true ending. You only have 1 game day to complete this dungeon. No exiting the TV world and unless you have a strategy guide, chances are that you will have never figured this out on your own. The rest of the endings leave things undone and questions unanswered. Getting the good ending also allows you to obtain Izanagi-no-Okami, the ultimate Persona for the main character on your next playthrough if you reach level 91 and max out the Fortune social link.

Overall:

Persona 4 is a good RPG for the PS2. It has comical and mature aspects to the game. The only problem is the game can't decide when its serious and when it is not. The best example of this is the school field trip where they enter the night club which turned from an event that looked like the group would be discovered and ends up turning into a drinking party. This game is for mature audiences (not as mature as Digital Devil Saga or Nocturne though) so if you can't handle the sight of people getting killed or dead bodies, I recommend staying away from this game.

Example of weirdness:

Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZn7PB5svBg

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwS30ibkkrY

Final Score:

8/10 – A good RPG worth at least trying. There are dark undertones which makes this game for more mature audiences.