(The author does not own any of the pictures also beware of spoilers)
The Persona series.
Chances are you've already heard about it, but I was a fan of this series and it's company, Atlus, before it was cool. I played the first two Persona's for the PSOne and I played the original Shin Megami Tensei games as well. For a long time the Persona series wasn't a hit for American audiences, until the release of Persona 3.
It sparked a whole new fandom in both the west and the east while making Atlus finally have it's hit moment in America. Then came Persona 4 and sales went even higher. Both are great games and I highly recommend them to anybody who's interested. However, there comes a question to mind.....
Which of these two great games is better? Persona 3 or Persona 4? While both have similarities, there are lot of different styles to each game. I'm going to go over each major part of what I think is great for a Persona game and see which has the better qualities. And just a note, I'm only going to be counting Persona 3 as it's own, nothing will be judged from FES or the PSP one.
1. Setting: P3's Iwatodai vs P4's Inaba
Now normally I would talk about graphics first, but this is compering a game to it's squeal and that kind of feels unfair. While Persona 4's graphics look cleaner and more updated that's mostly true for any squeal game. So instead I'm going to talk about the places the stories are set in.
In Persona 3 you live in Iwatodai a city build around an island as you see above. There is much to do around here such your school, a mall, a cool shrine, your dorm, and ,of course, various areas of the city to explore. What's great about this setting is that the main character is going to this prestigious school and a grand epic city to have a different experience. For an older audience member, such as myself who was soon graduating from high school, this was a great setting for that type of gamer.
The main character is studying outside of his home and comfort area as he starts his journey into life itself. This is great for the target audience as the game treats you like a college student studying abroad. Not only that, but the city plays a vital role in the story of the game and you get to hear NPC's talk about the events that take place, making it feel that the actions you do in the game do effect the city as whole.
It's a really well chosen setting and it's handled very well.
Persona 4's Inaba has similar likeness's, but doesn't exactly deliver them on par with Persona 3 for the most part. The setting for the squeal takes place in a small down in the middle of nowhere where the only good thing about the city is it's famous hot spring inn. For the most part, the town does feel like an old styled town with very few places that are of interest to go to.
Compared to the big city of Iwatodai, Inaba kind of pales in comparison. It does have some good points however. The weather they get plays an interactive part of the story and gameplay as you must perform your missions before the end of the rainy weather or else you lose the game. It also plays an vital role for some character's back stories such, as Yukiko, and various Social Link characters. However, there isn't much to do in this place nor are there things to make the area look even interesting.
Inaba plays the part of a quiet little town well....but almost too well.
Point for Setting goes too: Persona 3.
2. Main Character: P3's Minato Arisato vs P4's Seta Souji
Now, like most standard Atlus games, the protagonist is a silent one meaning everything about his personality is up to you. The only thing you know about him is that when he was ten he lost his parents to a car accident and has been on his own ever since. How is never made clear, but who cares. He's the first person in the entire Persona series to have what is known as the "Wild Card" ability. Meaning that he can use multiple Personas.
No other character before was able to do that, not even the first two protagonists of the Persona series had that power. Not only that, but he's also got the avatar of death, Thanatos, sealed inside him which is the Final Shadow that will summon Nyx who will end the world as we know it. Suck it Naruto! This guy is better, has a god of death inside of him, and doesn't wear orange!
Sure he looks like an emo and most of the characters say he's got a dark like attuide with him (Most fandom's view him as a complete pessimist, but still has the heroic heart of gold) but playing as this guy by summoning monsters and killing them with your sword is just great. Minato: a character who looks, and fights, like pure blue haired awesomeness.
This is another boy who the fangirls love to rip apart. The protagonist of Persona 4 who we shall call by his manga name, Seta Souji. Now when you look at him you just feel that the guy is too...grey. Grey hair, grey eyes, and even his uniform looks bland. At least Minato could fight cool in his school outfit, but this guy doesn't even look close.
The background for this guy is that, unlike Minato, he has his parents. Problem is they are always working and he's forced to move from city to city all the time forced to live a life with no friends. What is it with protagonists always getting screwed one way or another with their folks? Anyway, every thing this guy does is just....bland. He's bland, the cut scenes he's in are bland, he fights bland, and even though he has the power like Minato has he was't born with it. This was just given to him by a goddess who wanted to cause some chaos. That's it.
Plus, this guy can only fight with one weapon while Minato was skilled enough to fight with six different kinds. I'm sorry, but this guy doesn't feel like a badass like Minato and is just as forgetful as his impact in the story because he doesn't have such a big impact compared to Mr. I got the keys to the Apocalypse sealed in me.
Better Protagonist: Persona 3
3. Companions: P3's SEES vs P4's Investigation Group
Ah yes, our hip team of Shadow exterminators. What I like about these guys is that one way or another you can relate to most of them. Mostly because each character is part of a usual click that you typically see in any kind of school. The only problem is that three of the nine characters you cannot connect too because one is a dog, the other an android, and finally the last one is a kid.
Either way, let's discuss about these guys and how much of an impact they have.
Yukari: Let's start with Yukari, your popular all around tsundere girl who is skilled with a bow and loves pink...a lot. Yukari is my favorite secondary character in Persona 3 for a few reasons. One, her background is tied to the story as her fathers was once a scientist for the company that caused the dark hour to start. Two, her personality is really tsundere (look it up) and I want to hug her at the same time. Finally, her connection to Minato, specifically in romance terms. Now while you can romance various girls (Including Yukari, Mitsuru, and Fuuka) it's really obvious that Yukari has deep feelings for you early on and it's just cute. She also happens to be the only romance character to say "I love you" unlike the others. Plus, she's your main healer so you will have her often in your party.
Junpei: Here's our comedy character ladies and gentlemen. As you expect, Junpei is that guy who likes to be the funny and stand out while trying to be cool for attention. However, this is all an act to hide his insecurities at feeling useless and jealous of others. He's hot headed, brash, and loves to just charge in. I'll admit he's not all bad in his attempts at humor (You will get a good laugh or two), but he's nothing really special. However, he does have a really great moment in the game when Chidori, an enemy girl he falls in love with, dies to save him. He naturally starts to grow up at this point and I must admit he's a well developed character. In battle he's your pure offence guy, but as you and others start to grow in abilities he won't be used often.
Akihiko: He's your athletic guy who wants to get stronger everyday. We don't know much of his past however and he really doesn't get much character development. But I think it's because he doesn't need it because he has very insecurities except for his desire to get stronger. He does have an emotional moment when it comes to his best friend's death (will be explained later), but I felt it was too short and it didn't change him to much. Other then that, he's pretty decent in battle so you will you his him a fair amount. Also his voice actor, Liam O'Brian, is one of my favorite male voice actors.
Mitsuru: Only one word can describe Mitsuru: Damn. Not only is she the heir to the Kirijo group, but she's also a straight A student, head of the student council, rich, pretty much as been fighting Shadows her entire life, an expert fencer, and one of the hottest characters to be in a video game. She's a natural leader, ruthless when she has to be, and knows how to keep calm under pressure. Everything about Mitsuru is just....damn. Because her grandfather is the one who caused the whole dark hour and Shadow incident she feels it's her responsibility to fix it and it kind of becomes her obsession to do anything to restore her family's honor. Despite all the work load she manages to always stay calm. The only time she's not is when her father is killed by a man the group trusted. Battle wise, she's one of your better offence types and works really well.
Fuuka: This is Fuuka, a shy super genius who sucks at cooking. That's really it. She doesn't stand out that much compared to the other characters and she receives very little character development. Battle wise she's different as her abilities are to scan the Shadows and tell you their stats so that's always useful. But other then that she still doesn't have much going for her so I really just forget she's even there most of the time.
Aegis: Aegis is one of the more unique characters. First off, she's not human if you can't tell. She's an android that was made to hunt Shadows armed with a Persona along with heavy artillery. She also has this special ability called Orgia Mode which increases her attack power and goes berserk, but when it's over she's not able to fight for a few turns. Aegis is a key character both individuality and in the plot. She once tried to destroy Thanato's long ago, but couldn't and was forced to seal it inside the body of Minato. But her real shining moment is the conflict she has inside of her. Aegis knows she's a machine, but she has the emotions of a human and wants to be one. She shows concern for Minato and her friends and there are times when she even cries. More of her character is explored in FES's The Answer, but were not focusing on that. Either way, Aegis was a great well developed character for the game.
Koromaru: Oh hell yeah! Koromaru is awesome because he's a dog that can summon personas! While this looks kick ass, he's most likely not going to be used by you a lot. Sure it's fun to see this guy run around and looking epic, but his skills are not as great as the other characters. Nor does he have any real significance in the plot, but he's still a cool dog!
Shinjiro: This guy is your anti-hero badass with a dark secret. Not only is he a punk, but he's an epic one at that. His battle abilities are awesome and he acts like a badass all the time. He's got a really interesting character back-story too. He's Akihiko's best friend and was part of SEES when it was he, Aki, and Mitsuru only. However, he lost control of her Persona and ended up killing Ken's mother. Horrified by this he shunned himself from everyone and spends his days as a loner downtown with only Akihiko still making efforts to help him. Eventually, he comes back but it's only for a short while as he's killed while saving Ken. But Shinji still plays a vital role as he becomes one of the main focal points for Ken and Akihiko to move on and get stronger.
Ken: And finally we have the kid. Ken is the youngest (Doesn't even go to High School), but he's still a more mature person for his age. Ken really doesn't have a special moment in the main story and you won't use him later in the game for battle. But he does play one big role and that's his relationship with Shinjiro. Ken saw him kill his mom with his Persona, even though it was an accident, and dreamed of having revenge against Shinji for it. Shinji of course figures it out and allows him to do so, but Ken learns form one of the bad guys that Shinij was dying anyway as he was taking a deathly drug in order to keep his Persona under control which ruins Ken's revenge. The bad guy, Takaya, shoots at Ken, but Shinij saves him only to die in the process. His sacrifice drives Ken to end the dark hour so that he didn't die in vain and would live.
Well those are the Persona 3 characters. Let's see how the others stand up...
This is our Investigation Team. You'll see that their roster is smaller then SEES, which isn't a bad thing necessarily. Unlike SEES, which is supported by the Kirijo Company, these guys have nobody to support them and nobody to help them in their efforts to save lives. They're all on their own and they have to use the resources they got, which are little, to complete their goals.
Now unlike the SEES team, these guys aren't so much stereotypical students in their personalities, but have unique personal ones that people can still relate too. When their together they sometimes rub each off the wrong way, but overtime they develop into a true bonding team and I think that bond is even closer then the SEES team in some ways. Plus, unlike some of the characters in P3, you can use all these guys well enough in battle.
Also, each one of them is connected in some way to the main story unlike some of the characters in Person 3. Another thing is that each character has is their own Social Link path. Every character in your party can be used as a Social Link path unlike in the previous game where only three were. This allows the player to see more into their comrades personalities and their character development.
Let's check them all out.
Youske: This is P4's Junpei, but actually better. He's actually funny and sarcastic in a likable stand point. Not only that, but he's very clumsy and his comedy chemistry with Chie is much better worked out then the comedy chemistry Person 3 tries with Jumpei and Yukari. I also think he has a better "Best Friend" relationship with Seta then Junpei does with Minato so that's another plus. It's like they took everything good about Junpei and added a few more tweaks to this guy while ignoring the bad factors of him. In battle, Youske is an all around well made character with wind spells, some healing, and buff spells so use him well.
His back story is also similar to Junpei's in the idea that he wants to stand out because he feels insecure. Because he's the son of the popular Wallmart like store, Junes, everyone in town resents him because the store has cheaper prices then their stores. Because of this Youske feels like an outcast and doesn't really trust people, even Seta. Youske is a really well made character and I think people can relate to him more then Junpei.
Chie: Chie is the tomboy, hands down. She's headstrong, brave, and loves martial arts movies with a passion which is always a plus in my book. Even her Persona is muscular looking while named after a female samurai. Chie's best friend is Yukiko, another companion, and most of her character and story revolves around their relationship. When Yukiko is thrown into the Midnight Channel, Chie is the first person to leap into action to go save her. But not for the reasons you think. It turns out, according to her Shadow, that Chie has always been jealous of Yukiko's "Girly" talents and for getting the attention of most of the male students.
It's kind of an interesting twist in my opinion. Chie stands out as herself, but deep inside she wants to be treated like a girl. Because of this, she feels the need to control Yukiko and always "protect" her so she can feel more dominant in their relationship which is also proven when the Shadow turns into a dominatrix like lady controlling Shadow puppets of Yukiko in chains. The two do reconcile and promise to be more honest with each other in the end. Other then that, there isn't much to say about Chie story wise other then she's one of the more motivated people to solve the case. Also, use her as much as you can in battle as her ice spells and physical attacks are awesome.
Yukiko: Speaking of Yukiko, she's next on the list. Yukiko is a quiet girl who happens to be famous around the town because her family owns the famous hot spring inn, the only prized location of the town. Yukiko is very shy as she lets others, like Chie talk, for her. She's totally depended on people at first, but eventually she starts to gain her own confidence and begins to stand out. The reason she depends on people, especially Chie, is because she wants somebody to save her from being the the heir of the inn. She hates the inn with a passion because it's all she's ever been groomed into and told her entire life that she has to take over. Her dream is to find somebody to help her escape the town and inn she hates in order to live her own life happily ever after.
During her Social Link however, she begins to see that she really does love the inn and that the only thing she hated was people choosing her decisions in life for her. She decides to stay in the town and take over the inn, not because she has too, but because she wants too. Main story wise, she's the first of the main characters to get kidnapped and some the events leading to the murders are involved with her inn so she does have an important part for the game. Battle wise she's not only a great healer, but her fire attacks kick ass as well.
Kanji: Persona 4's badboy and bully. Kanji looks like your typical bully who likes to beat people up and act tough, but the truth is he's a caring guy who happens to be very sensitive. He likes to do things most boys his age don't do, like make dolls. This bothers him because most guys don't do that and he starts to question himself as a man was well as his sexuality. Might as well get that out of the way. Yes, Kanji is bi-sexual. But he's unsure of himself of who he is and what he likes. This I find to be a really good conflict for a teenage character. Now I'm not a homosexual myself, but realizing that their is a possibly that you might like the same sex can be a mind blow for many and it leads to confusion about yourself. Kanji is the same case as he tries to show off that he is a "man" but doesn't know what a "man" is.
If you play his Social Link (No you can't romance him) you learn that ever since he's father told him to "Be a man" before he died he's been trying to figure it that out. In the end he realizes that being a man is doing something 100 percent and never giving up. Kanji decided to stop being afraid of who he is and what he likes (Still unknown in the end which way he goes by the way). Kanji in battle is like Akihiko pure and through so you'll want him on your team a lot.
Rise: This is one character I'm pretty sure everyone could understand because her back story is done all the time. This is Rise, who is also known as Risette a famous Japanese teen pop idol. In Japan, pop idols are worships as gods and goddesses, but they leave very difficult and stressful lives which make American ones look like a blessing. Although she is famous and has everything every little girl wants, the truth is that Rise hates it. She hates being a pop idol and wants to be normal like everyone else. Typical huh? She's very cheerful, flirty, and likes to be the positive one in most situations, but deep inside she's just a girl who wants to be happy even though she has so much.
During her Social Link, she eventually quits being an idol, but realizes that, although she hated all the stress, she loved entertaining people and that Risette was really Rise all along. So she decides to go back to being an idol as a new Risette in order to both do her job and be happy at the same time so that others can be happy as well. Strangely enough, she's your Fuuka for this game as her Persona does the same scan and stat thing Fuuka did for you in Persona 3. It just seems weird for a character like Rise, but eh.
Naoto: No, that's not Minato. No, they are not related. And yes she is one of the more popular characters for looks alone. I, like many others, was shocked to see Naoto and wondered if either this was Minato back from his prison or a relative. Turns out it was neither and Naoto was also a girl (Holy Samus Batman!) but this doesn't come into play until you fight her Shadow as everyone just thinks she is a he at first. Naoto comes from a long line of detectives and seeks to prove herself by solving cases. In fact she owns a gun and has been recommend by police stations around the country. Problem is nobody takes her seriously because she is a girl and thus she is forced to pretend to be a boy in order to solve cases.
Naoto over time became so obsessed to prove herself that she soon forgot the reason why she wanted to be a detective in the first place: to bring justice to criminals like her parents did. She realizes this with Seta thanks to a very creative Social Link which happens to be my personal favorite one. Over time Naoto comes to accept who she is and vows to become a true detective as a woman. She's also one of the most useful people the team has for solving the murder cases due to her experience. In battle, she's average, but her Kamen Rider like Personas are cool though.
Teddie: Ugh. I knew were had to come to him sooner or later. To be honest I don't hate Teddie....I don't mind him. He's very useful in the story when it comes to Shadows and locations of the Midnight Channel. His interaction in the real world (He's a Shadow by the way, but a special one) can be hilarious and he fights well in battle even though I think he should have Rise's job. It makes more sense.
But I hate...hate...his bear jokes. Ugh...you will want to punch him every time he says one of those jokes and he uses them a lot! Anyway, Teddie is a special Shadow who even has his own Shadow! Confusing, but okay I can dig it. He really is just a lonely person who wants friends which is what the cast provides for him. He's an okay guy, but....those bear jokes...
So who's better? I'm going with Persona 4's team. They have much deeper characters and their personal growth is something that you really can relate too. It's also an important part in the story as the only way to gain a Persona is to confront your own Shadow and accept your faults. That's just brilliant.
Better Secondary Cast: Persona 4
4. Story: P3's End of the World vs P4's Murder Mystery
Now it's story time and let me say that both are done well in an epic scale, but let's look at P3's first. The story is that years ago the Kirijo group was studying an alternate dimension and the creatures that lived in them called Shadows. They sought to use the dimension's power for their own gain, but screwed up and caused both dimensions to mix together creating the Dark Hour, an hour between 12:00AM and 12:01AM. During this time most people are turned into coffins, protected by the Shadows. However, a few individuals do get caught in it and become food for the Shadows who eat their sanity and they become lifeless zombies in the real world known as The Lost.
However, their is a group that seeks to stop the Dark Hour and they are SEES. As the group grows, they find out that their are 12 special Shadows that they have to destroy in order to end the Dark Hour while battling an evil group of Persona users known as Strega who seek to preserve the Dark Hour. The team manages to destroy the 12 Shadows only it turns out it doesn't work. Worse, the Shadows were what was preventing the coming of Nyx, a goddess who will end all life in the world. From then on the team struggles to prepare themselves against Nyx before the world ends.
The story is a very well written piece of epic work. It isn't rushed and all the characters play well in having great moments of teamwork as well as their own individual standing. Persona 3 also has some of the best twists in any Megaten game and the Nyx one isn't the only great twist you'll find. When the Nyx part comes up, it really is shown that Nyx seems to be this unbeatable being that is powered by all the sorrow, rage, and desire for death in the world and that it's going to be a pain in the ass to deal with. Strega, however, is the only weak point. I feel that they weren't used to a great extent as the bad guy group of Persona users which is a shame because a lot could have been done with them.
Still, cool story brah!
Persona 4's story is good, but not as epic as 3's. It's more leveled down to that of murder mystery. Strange murders have been happening all over the town and you and your friends find out that it's because somebody has been trapping people into this alternate dimension called The Midnight Channel which is only accessible through a TV. Inside the alternate dimension, people are faced with their own personal Shadows which represent all the faults and real truths about themselves. By denying their faults the Shadow turns into a monster which then proceeds to try and kill it's opposite. Only by admitting your faults and realizing that the Shadow is yourself can you stop it and turn it into a Persona.
The investigation team tries to not only find out who is behind the murders, but also tries to save the lives of it's victims (most of them being your party). It's a nice story, but compared to the epic like structure of a unbeatable goddess seeking to bring death to all it's kind of weaker in comparison.
Better story: Persona 3
5. Social Links: P3's Social Links vs P4's Social Links
Social Links are a key part in the gameplay. By hanging out and supporting other characters during your free time you can unlock these links that will make your Persona's stronger and gain special abilities they normally can use. Each Social Link is represented by an Major Arcana Tarot card that is used to symbolize the personality of that link. Along with each Link you also have a cool story that follows that character and by following the link, and your Personas, get strong. Not to mention some Social Links can only be unlocked by having a specific Social Link level. When you complete a Social Link you can then unlock that Arcana's final Persona which is the strongest of the strong.
Now all the Social Link stories are good and the characters are each memorable, but I like Persona 4's for two reasons. The first is that all your companions are Social Links unlike Persona 3 where only three are avaliable. It not only makes you feel more connected to the characters, but by compelting their Social Links you also unlock their Final Persona's, something P3 only did in the story line. I like it because if feels that the only way to unlock true power is to make yourself doubt free and feel completed.
The second reason is romance. In Persona 3 you could have five girls as your girlfriend, (Yutaka: Lovers, Fuuka: Priestess, Mitsuru: Empress, Yuko: Strength, and Chihiro: Justice) however if you start a relationship with another one of these girls you then start cheating and this leads to all sorts of problems. I hated how I had to cheat in order to get these Social Links and it felt like I was a scumbag. In Persona 4, not you have the option of more romance characters (Rise: Lovers, Naoto: Fortune, Chie: Chariot, Yukiko: Priestess, Ai: Moon, Yumi/Ayane: Sun), but you can also just be friends with them meaning you don't have to cheat to get their Social Links.
For that reason, I choose Persona 4 as this one.
Better Social Links: Persona 4.
6. Dungeons: P3's Tartarus vs P4's Midnight Channel
There isn't much to say about these two, mostly they are same and have the same purpose., level grinding. Still, both are important to the game so I might as well cover them.
Tartarus is Persona 3's grinding zone. It's the Shadow nest that is designed to be like a tower with a strange horrific atmosphere. Each level is named after the Quabalah and the higher you go, the more dangerous it gets. The art work for each of these levels is well designed and the structure of each floor is designed to be random, so expect the unexpected.
But I have to give it to the Midnight Channel for the win. Reason being is how each level is designed. Now the entrance is much like a TV studio with the player having access to various worlds that are based on the inner psyche of the victims. That is just....awesome. To have the level designed as the inner fears of the victims is a perfect way to show character personality for the victims and they are each filled with their own unique Shadows allowing you to chance your style by going back and forth to whatever one you want later. Unlike the tower where you have to find a special floor in order to activate a check point.
Better Dungeon Levels: Persona 4
7. Gameplay: P3's gameplay vs P4's gameplay
And thus we come to the final judgement, gameplay. Now Persona 3 is to be credited for having a wicked gameplays system. You only control Minato, although you can give specific orders to others, and you have the option of either attacking with your weapon or using one of your many Persona's special abilities. Physical attacks will cost you health while magic attacks will cause you spirit points. Each Persona has it's own weaknesses and strengths and they apply to use as well. Meaning if you use a Persona that is resistant to lightning, your going to take nearly no damage from lightning attacks. However, the reversal happens as well.
But while this can happen to you, it can also happens to the enemy as well. If you manage to knock an enemy off it's feat you get a "One more", meaning one more extra turn. If you manage to knock down all the enemies, you then have the option of doing an All Out Attack. When this happens the entire team attacks all the Shadows for massive damage. The final game mechanic you must remember is that the longer you spend time in Tartaurs you'll start to get a status effect change. The game has gameplay system where you can get tired or sick which will effect your battle abilities. Once this happens, it's best to stop dungeon crawling and end the day, also be of note that your companions get this too.
But where Persona 3 started the new revolutionary gameplay, Persona 4 perfects it. The same system is still used, only there are a few new special add-ons. If you manage to knock down one enemy, one of your companions can follow up with a special combo attack on that same one. Granted this might lower your chances for an All Out Attack, but some times you can't always get one so it's best to eliminate a dangerous enemy quickly. The second thing that is cool is that your companions can take blows for you. If your in danger, they will come to your aid and take the blow, this can be really helpful if your just about to get healed or end the battle with one last spell. Not only that, but it shows how each character depends on one another as a team and that's a focal point for the story of any Persona game.
Better Gameplay: Persona 4
WINNER: PERSONA 4
So yeah, both of these games are great and I seriously recommend both, but if I had to choose one of the two I would have to say Persona 4 is better. While it has some weaker storyline aspects, it does a much better deal on the gameplay and the character growth. Sure Persona 3 has gotten FES and the PSP version, but Persona 4 is getting a "Golden Edition" in the future as well as it's own Anime show (No I don't count Trinity Soul for Persona 3 because it has almost nothing to do with Persona 3 and sucks).
Do you agree or disagree with my standing?
Please let me know.
We are Gamers and we are Legion.
Later
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