Much better time playing this than I did Persona 4 Golden last year. I'm sure the QoL improvements helped but I might have enjoyed the original Persona 3 more than 4 Golden anyway. I certainly like the dynamics between characters more, even if the MC does end up feeling a bit too distant or passive at times. Something between this and everyone being in love with you in 4 would be ideal. Also disappointed that my favourite story beat of 4 is basically a repeat of something that happen in this.

Willing to forgive some things due to the original game's age, such as many of the social links being boring. However, I do wish that in the series generally that the areas where you spent your time were more fleshed out and had more to interact with rather than just going to whatever your choice is.

Played with the menu translation mod, and by following egomaniac's Let's Play and ThePatrick's guide. Sometimes more trouble than it was worth to do the side stuff (gave up on substories in the middle of Chapter 9) but a great set of locations just to spend time wandering around in. Coming straight from Yakuza 3 to this, I think the fact I couldn't say that about the Okinawa areas was my issue with that part of that game more than anything. This actually make me appreciate 3 less as this came out the year before but seems ahead of it in some QoL ways. Combat feels much better too but could be because of how the Remaster supposedly broke the combat in 3. Though despite the character's whole deal being his two sword style, I always found it more fun to fight with just the one.