Those that have called this a soulless cash grab really haven't played more than a handful of hours, initially I was rubbed the wrong way as well because the change in atmosphere is immediately noticeable, though I don't think you can keep that same feeling it originally had considering the evolution of gaming and the time gap of release, recently noticeable with the Resident Evil 4 remake as well. The more I played it the more I loved it and while I still prefer FES, it's better to look at Reload as a companion piece rather than a replacement.

A lot of problems the mass had with the original release have been fixed to a certain extent here, people griped about Tartarus always feeling the same, the Tactics system not allowing for creativity (there's even a well known mod to allow for controllable party members in FES), the general lack of content in spare time you had to experience, but Atlus listened to a lot of the criticism and touched upon what's dated. I love Persona 3 for all of its flaws and it wouldn't be the same game without some issues, so to say Reload is Persona 3 "perfected" would be an overstatement as it has an equal amount of problems, but that's moreso because it's Persona 3.

I appreciate Reload so much for offering a different perspective on the characters and story, one easier for modern audiences to get to experience while delivering the same emotional response that it's always had with its gut-wrenching final month and more importantly, I think Aigis was done better in Reload which is arguably the most crucial aspect to what makes the game as impactful as it is, for its core themes. There's so much more optional character interaction this time around that really fleshes out the main cast, and even Takaya believe it or not.

Is it the "definitive" version people have sought out ever since the release of Portable? It's still a difficult question to answer even now... I think you can't go wrong with Reload if you don't like the idea of going back to an older release, though if you're patient and want to answer the "definitive" question yourself, play FES and then Reload in the future.

I played this game in full while a dear friend who loved it very much watched. She was the best part of the experience.

I think more people should just play tabletop games or write books or draw pictures instead of making video games with annoying mechanics that obscure the lovely creativity of individuals- individuals with a genuine desire for agency and resources to imagine something complete and total.

You might think "oh, but what I WANT to make is a video game."
I don't believe you! I believe your parents bought you video games as a kid because it entertained you, and you never read books or had a cigarette after a meaningful experience with sex. You haven't played music live or been to a good show on whatever your buddy let you sniff off their index. I think you'd love the rush monitors caving in your ear drums and making eyes at the guy across the bar who came in with a haircut you like and a shirt with your favorite band's logo. I think you'd like the feeling of drawing a brush in one last stroke along a canvas before finishing the best watercolor you've ever spent time on. I think you'd like a beer with you homie Dylan way more than this.

This shit debases you down to your most bare components, when developers are trying to do fucking behaviorism on you to trick you into playing with toys in a specific way. They dress it up in incredible art and genuinely singular themes and stylings, but you're still just some motherfucking sigma male white guy who kills with a sad style using a skill tree and epic weapons and powers or whatever the fuck.

Game made me feel like a rat in a maze, even when I did cool shit. The chaos mechanic is so ridiculous. Treated women very bad. I appreciated how unafraid the story was with you suspending your disbelief, very unconcerned with explaining itself to you.

Sell your computer, buy a bass, move to a dirty city, join a band, start drinking, play poker with a man who is very old, donate all your money to charity, reckon with death, and then die when it is your time.