Me: I bought 3 but only the PSP port is for sale anywhere now so it’s just still character portraits over what looks like screenshots of the original 3D environment, but you can’t navigate it in 3D you just click on things.
Me: For some reason the tedious dungeon exploration is still in 3D though.
Me: I want to like 3 but it’s so lifeless.
Me: "Persona 3 Portable is obviously a great game and all, but it completely omits much of the style, atmosphere, and presentation of the PlayStation 2 versions of Persona 3. And great pains were not taken to update it. All of the game’s non-Tartarus 3D segments are 2D backgrounds that you move a cursor on. Almost all of the cutscenes are static backgrounds with character portraits on them. And it still mostly looks like a PSP game, save for some adjustments here and there."
Paul: Damn I didn't know that.
Paul: Glad I got the PS2 version.
Paul: Yeah I have P3 FES so I guess that's the best.
Paul: Did you play P4 on PSP?
Me: Nintendo Switch.
Me: They have 3 and 4 for $20 apiece but 5 is $60 for some reason.
Paul: Lol
Paul: NEW GAME EXPENSIVE U PAY MANEY MONY
Paul: I hate prices for games lol.
Me: Small indie developer, please understand.
Paul: Nvm
Paul: Emulate 1 and 2 on the PSP.
Me: According to Internet those ones aren’t even good!
Paul: Really? Darn.
Paul: They seemed fun to me lol.
Me: "While both games definitely lack the slice of life aspect, they are each great in their own respects: Persona 1 has an intriguing story, intuitive (if sometimes annoying) combat, the negotiation system, and one of the better fusion systems in the series. The soundtrack is also nice, but repetitive, and I do consider the PS1's better, but I digress. It's a dungeon crawler with a moderate encounter rate, and some of the dungeons are annoying. The XP system is also a bit broken because it is awarded to whoever does the most in the fight, and not evenly. Still, you can have fun with the story and strategizing in battle by assigning different personas to different members, something I miss! Lastly, two cool sidenotes; there are two routes to play through, SEBEC and Snow Queen, and in each you can pick your last one or two party members! The Persona 2 duology has, what is IMO, the best story in the Persona series. While the combat is slower than Persona 1's, and the fusion system a little more annoying with the use of cards, there are also huge pluses like the negotiation system being revamped (better than 5's, I'd say!) and a stellar soundtrack (I can only speak for PS1! You can pick between soundtracks!). Definitely both worth playing, but EP may be a challenge since you'll need a PS1 emulator (afaik) since no English PSP translation exists. All in all, it will be interesting to get in touch with the games that bridged the gap between if... and the spotlight series of today. It will definitely be frustrating and slow at times, but when you're done, I think you'll look back on it fondly!"
Me: "Persona 1 is only worth it if you really like old school dungeon crawling RPGs/old SMT titles, and only if you play the PSP version. It's kind of a grindy slog that you need to be a specific type of fan to enjoy. I would recommend most people skip it. Persona 2 (both titles) is a little easier to recommend, but it still plays like a more old school RPG. It's easier to get into than Persona 1, but it's still grindy and peppered with random battles that are just a little too frequent. Demon negotiation is also needlessly complicated. If you're okay with that old RPG style and aren't looking for the modern Persona day-to-day/social link stuff, then it's worth a look."
Me: "Persona 1 is a bit edgier than the later games. The plot was literally about saving the town from rampaging demons; they're not hiding in some alternate dimension or "shadow realm" but are roaming the streets more like in the mainline SMT games. There are random encounters EVERYWHERE, except in small safe rooms. There are no social links. You probably know this already, but the PS1 version of Persona 1 is also very poorly localized (it tried to fool people into thinking that the game took place in America). However, this version retains the gnarly, almost cyberpunk-like soundtrack of the original release. The PS1 version also hasn't aged very well--its graphics and menus look like utter crap nowadays. Some people think even the PSP version is dated, but I beg to differ. I think the PSP version holds up quite well, but I do wish they'd just kept the original soundtrack. The PSP remake is a more faithful localization and has been upgraded graphically and content-wise, but this one ditches the original music in favor of a more typical J-pop soundtrack more in line with the later Personas."
Paul: Yeah see this is interesting.
Paul: I guess I really don't need to play 1, that doesn't sound too interesting.
Paul: But 2 actually seems really cool, I like good weird stories.
Paul: My friend Chris had a lot of opinions on 1 and 2, I think he's beaten all 5.
Paul: He's the book club guy who lives in Japan right now.
Paul: Verdict is in:
Me: For some reason the tedious dungeon exploration is still in 3D though.
Me: I want to like 3 but it’s so lifeless.
Me: "Persona 3 Portable is obviously a great game and all, but it completely omits much of the style, atmosphere, and presentation of the PlayStation 2 versions of Persona 3. And great pains were not taken to update it. All of the game’s non-Tartarus 3D segments are 2D backgrounds that you move a cursor on. Almost all of the cutscenes are static backgrounds with character portraits on them. And it still mostly looks like a PSP game, save for some adjustments here and there."
Paul: Damn I didn't know that.
Paul: Glad I got the PS2 version.
Paul: Yeah I have P3 FES so I guess that's the best.
Paul: Did you play P4 on PSP?
Me: Nintendo Switch.
Me: They have 3 and 4 for $20 apiece but 5 is $60 for some reason.
Paul: Lol
Paul: NEW GAME EXPENSIVE U PAY MANEY MONY
Paul: I hate prices for games lol.
Me: Small indie developer, please understand.
Paul: Nvm
Paul: Emulate 1 and 2 on the PSP.
Me: According to Internet those ones aren’t even good!
Paul: Really? Darn.
Paul: They seemed fun to me lol.
Me: "While both games definitely lack the slice of life aspect, they are each great in their own respects: Persona 1 has an intriguing story, intuitive (if sometimes annoying) combat, the negotiation system, and one of the better fusion systems in the series. The soundtrack is also nice, but repetitive, and I do consider the PS1's better, but I digress. It's a dungeon crawler with a moderate encounter rate, and some of the dungeons are annoying. The XP system is also a bit broken because it is awarded to whoever does the most in the fight, and not evenly. Still, you can have fun with the story and strategizing in battle by assigning different personas to different members, something I miss! Lastly, two cool sidenotes; there are two routes to play through, SEBEC and Snow Queen, and in each you can pick your last one or two party members! The Persona 2 duology has, what is IMO, the best story in the Persona series. While the combat is slower than Persona 1's, and the fusion system a little more annoying with the use of cards, there are also huge pluses like the negotiation system being revamped (better than 5's, I'd say!) and a stellar soundtrack (I can only speak for PS1! You can pick between soundtracks!). Definitely both worth playing, but EP may be a challenge since you'll need a PS1 emulator (afaik) since no English PSP translation exists. All in all, it will be interesting to get in touch with the games that bridged the gap between if... and the spotlight series of today. It will definitely be frustrating and slow at times, but when you're done, I think you'll look back on it fondly!"
Me: "Persona 1 is only worth it if you really like old school dungeon crawling RPGs/old SMT titles, and only if you play the PSP version. It's kind of a grindy slog that you need to be a specific type of fan to enjoy. I would recommend most people skip it. Persona 2 (both titles) is a little easier to recommend, but it still plays like a more old school RPG. It's easier to get into than Persona 1, but it's still grindy and peppered with random battles that are just a little too frequent. Demon negotiation is also needlessly complicated. If you're okay with that old RPG style and aren't looking for the modern Persona day-to-day/social link stuff, then it's worth a look."
Me: "Persona 1 is a bit edgier than the later games. The plot was literally about saving the town from rampaging demons; they're not hiding in some alternate dimension or "shadow realm" but are roaming the streets more like in the mainline SMT games. There are random encounters EVERYWHERE, except in small safe rooms. There are no social links. You probably know this already, but the PS1 version of Persona 1 is also very poorly localized (it tried to fool people into thinking that the game took place in America). However, this version retains the gnarly, almost cyberpunk-like soundtrack of the original release. The PS1 version also hasn't aged very well--its graphics and menus look like utter crap nowadays. Some people think even the PSP version is dated, but I beg to differ. I think the PSP version holds up quite well, but I do wish they'd just kept the original soundtrack. The PSP remake is a more faithful localization and has been upgraded graphically and content-wise, but this one ditches the original music in favor of a more typical J-pop soundtrack more in line with the later Personas."
Paul: Yeah see this is interesting.
Paul: I guess I really don't need to play 1, that doesn't sound too interesting.
Paul: But 2 actually seems really cool, I like good weird stories.
Paul: My friend Chris had a lot of opinions on 1 and 2, I think he's beaten all 5.
Paul: He's the book club guy who lives in Japan right now.
Paul: Verdict is in:
Me: But has he played the fighting and rhythm games that continue the story of the Scooby Gang after P4 when the Midnight Channel returns?
Me: I sure don’t want to!
Paul: Fucking neither do I!!!
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