Persona 3 FES created modern-day Persona.
Persona was a series stuck in the shadow of its more popular father series Shin Megami Tensei. Persona 1 and Persona 2 are good games on their own but they never truly add much to help cement themselves away from MegaTen. Persona 3 changed that.
Persona 3 may be outdated in multiple ways but without it, Persona would not be where it is today. Persona 3 created many gameplay and story mechanics that have become staples of the franchise such as the now-iconic Social Link system, the Fusion system, Velvet Room Attendants with the addition of Elizabeth, and the Calender system which is now the largest aspect of the franchise.
The characters throughout are all fleshed out and unique, as we see them all grow from struggling high schoolers to strong leaders as the game progresses. The voice cast is also great, as is a staple with most Persona games.
The story of Persona 3 FES is one of sadness and death, and how we as humans need to accept that. Yet, even with its dark tone, it contains a sense of hope throughout. It's one of the greatest stories in the franchise if not THE greatest if I wasn't a fanboy of Persona 5. It really struck a nerve with me, and the ending of the game is incredibly special and iconic. Atlus truly did an amazing job here.
The music is also amazing. Shoji Meguro's dark score helps expand the feeling of dread, but also adds a sense of beauty to the overall world.
The gameplay while fun can be outdated as FES disallows you to control your partners, creating a lot of tense moments because of the lack of AI intelligence. However, if you emulate the game, this can easily be fixed by a mod. The Answer is the new addition to the base game of Persona 3, and while it adds new story beats it is very hit or miss compared to the original story, focusing on the character of Aigis and her perspective on life.
Even with these issues, Persona 3 FES is a modern staple of gaming. It gave birth to new mechanics that eventually lead to Persona's boom popularity with Persona 4 and Persona 5. It's one of the best in the franchise, and my second favorite game in the mainline series.
Persona was a series stuck in the shadow of its more popular father series Shin Megami Tensei. Persona 1 and Persona 2 are good games on their own but they never truly add much to help cement themselves away from MegaTen. Persona 3 changed that.
Persona 3 may be outdated in multiple ways but without it, Persona would not be where it is today. Persona 3 created many gameplay and story mechanics that have become staples of the franchise such as the now-iconic Social Link system, the Fusion system, Velvet Room Attendants with the addition of Elizabeth, and the Calender system which is now the largest aspect of the franchise.
The characters throughout are all fleshed out and unique, as we see them all grow from struggling high schoolers to strong leaders as the game progresses. The voice cast is also great, as is a staple with most Persona games.
The story of Persona 3 FES is one of sadness and death, and how we as humans need to accept that. Yet, even with its dark tone, it contains a sense of hope throughout. It's one of the greatest stories in the franchise if not THE greatest if I wasn't a fanboy of Persona 5. It really struck a nerve with me, and the ending of the game is incredibly special and iconic. Atlus truly did an amazing job here.
The music is also amazing. Shoji Meguro's dark score helps expand the feeling of dread, but also adds a sense of beauty to the overall world.
The gameplay while fun can be outdated as FES disallows you to control your partners, creating a lot of tense moments because of the lack of AI intelligence. However, if you emulate the game, this can easily be fixed by a mod. The Answer is the new addition to the base game of Persona 3, and while it adds new story beats it is very hit or miss compared to the original story, focusing on the character of Aigis and her perspective on life.
Even with these issues, Persona 3 FES is a modern staple of gaming. It gave birth to new mechanics that eventually lead to Persona's boom popularity with Persona 4 and Persona 5. It's one of the best in the franchise, and my second favorite game in the mainline series.