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Persona 3: "Are you aware that the moon grows full...?"
cj iwakura
The Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
The Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
P3's in stores now. You're still reading this?
You can work on your academics stat later.
/ 
Background
The Social Link System or Fun With Tarot
One of the most important aspects of Persona 3's gameplay is who you do and don't make friends with; different people you meet have different affiliations to a Tarot Arcana(Death, Lovers, World, etc.).
With a high enough Social Link, you can practically max out your Persona's levels before you even use it in battle(Social Links = Mad XP.)
The 'Fool' Arcana
The 'Magician'
The 'Chariot'
The 'Hermit'
The 'Hierophant'
The 'Strength'
The 'Hanged Man'
The 'Emperor'
The 'Justice'
The 'Death'
The 'Fortune'
The 'Tower'
The 'Devil'
The 'Sun'
The 'Moon'
The 'Star'
The 'Lovers'
The 'Priestess'
Classmates
If you're feeling daring, the official website has video clips associating to each of the characters in the proper section, though I haven't watched them.
Whether you like the music depends on your tastes for mellow jazzy/hip-hop influenced Jpop beats.
Oh, and almost forgot to mention...
The FES Conspiracy
/ 
(I so want the second as a custom cover) /
Persona 3: FES, short for Festival, was an expansion released back in April to celebrate the unexpected success of P3 in Japan.
FES included a hard difficulty, more Persona, character costumes, and an additional 20-30 hours of gameplay centering around Aegis(or Aigis, if you prefer), reportedly containing the game's 'true ending'.
Atlus USA was already too deep in P3 proper's localization to push the game back to include the FES expansion content.
Some people are actually upset over this.
I'm definitely not one of them. P3 on its own is plenty to keep me satisfied for months.
But, I'd like to see FES make it here eventually. Atlus hasn't commented much, but I'm hoping that if P3 does well, we just might get a follow-up of our own.
It's unlikely, but it's worth working towards. Either way, it'll be a good school year.
You don't have to get it when it comes out... but considering that nearly every SMT game goes rapidly out of print, you might want to.
Also, Persona 3 is a standalone game. The only returning character from the originals is Igor, who's a series mainstay.
Philemon also was, but there hasn't been any sign of him... yet?
You can work on your academics stat later.
/ Background
The first cover is what Gamestop's website was originally showing, and then it was changed to the second.
In all likelihood, the original Japanese art(the first image) is dead and gone. The blue is the exterior cover, and the new image is the interior.
(Last update, swear: the original cover is used as the backing of the interior box. :^:)
Persona 3 includes a hardcover artbook(care of Shigenori Soejima's designs) and OST(Shoji Meguro)
DoubleJump is also doing the strategy guide. It's being published in their traditional 'minibook' design; it'll be worth getting just for collectibility sake as always.
The guide's in stores now if you like, and/or shipping from DJ's website, but you'll miss out on getting the discount on the book with the game if that's your thing.
Persona's always been a series about normal people having to deal with demonic infestation, except this time around, it'll require just as much time and effort to keep the character's social life going.
The protagonist of P3 has recently transferred to Gekkoukan High School to start his junior year.
Though before long, there's a little change in curriculum.
Every night at midnight, time stops and Shadow Hour begins. Demons wander the streets, the masses are rendered immobile, and a massive tower called Tartarus appears in the school's place.
The S.E.E.S., or Specialized Extracurricular Execute Sector, are the only group capable of fighting off the demonic outbreak, consisting of students with the ability to summon Persona.
Persona are guardian spirits with various magical and physical abilities, summoned through... well, unorthodox means.
Using an Evoker brings out the user's Persona, and though it isn't suicidal, I imagine it stings.
Like in previous games, Persona gain abilities based on their levels, and are summoned at the Velvet Room by collecting spell cards from defeated demons.
Care of Igor, as per usual.
(Due to budget cuts, the Velvet Room no longer offers artist/piano/singer services, though prerecorded classical music is available for your listening pleasure.)
Best as I can figure, Elizabeth's his mascot.
The battle system uses the Press Turn system made (in?)famous in Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga: exploiting the enemies' weaknesses gives the player additional turns, and being hit by them does the same for the enemy.
Also, when a monster is weakened, the party can perform a Rush attack, and decimate the remaining demons with (presumably) minimal effort.
Unfortunately, what seems poised to make P3 especially difficult is that the party, aside from the protagonist, is A.I.-controlled.
I hear the A.I. is good in battle, but I'm a little nervous about that. Earlier SMT games are hard enough with having a fully controllable group.
Of course, as if demons weren't bad enough, Persona 3 makes the player deal with the deadliest dungeon of all:
High school.
P3 takes place over the course of an entire school year, and on top of dealing with the expected drama(after school clubs, activities, maybe even relationships), there's also the Social Link System.
The events of the day affect the events of the night, as well as the future abilities of Persona, especially those of the protagonist's party members / classmates.
Spend too much time in Tartarus, and grades suffer. Focus too much on education, and it'll be like Nocturne all over again(here meaning 'population-eliminating apocalypse').
In all likelihood, the original Japanese art(the first image) is dead and gone. The blue is the exterior cover, and the new image is the interior.
(Last update, swear: the original cover is used as the backing of the interior box. :^:)
Persona 3 includes a hardcover artbook(care of Shigenori Soejima's designs) and OST(Shoji Meguro)
DoubleJump is also doing the strategy guide. It's being published in their traditional 'minibook' design; it'll be worth getting just for collectibility sake as always.
The guide's in stores now if you like, and/or shipping from DJ's website, but you'll miss out on getting the discount on the book with the game if that's your thing.
Persona's always been a series about normal people having to deal with demonic infestation, except this time around, it'll require just as much time and effort to keep the character's social life going.
The protagonist of P3 has recently transferred to Gekkoukan High School to start his junior year.
Though before long, there's a little change in curriculum.
Every night at midnight, time stops and Shadow Hour begins. Demons wander the streets, the masses are rendered immobile, and a massive tower called Tartarus appears in the school's place.
The S.E.E.S., or Specialized Extracurricular Execute Sector, are the only group capable of fighting off the demonic outbreak, consisting of students with the ability to summon Persona.
Persona are guardian spirits with various magical and physical abilities, summoned through... well, unorthodox means.
Using an Evoker brings out the user's Persona, and though it isn't suicidal, I imagine it stings.
Like in previous games, Persona gain abilities based on their levels, and are summoned at the Velvet Room by collecting spell cards from defeated demons.
Care of Igor, as per usual.
(Due to budget cuts, the Velvet Room no longer offers artist/piano/singer services, though prerecorded classical music is available for your listening pleasure.)
Best as I can figure, Elizabeth's his mascot.
The battle system uses the Press Turn system made (in?)famous in Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga: exploiting the enemies' weaknesses gives the player additional turns, and being hit by them does the same for the enemy.
Also, when a monster is weakened, the party can perform a Rush attack, and decimate the remaining demons with (presumably) minimal effort.
Unfortunately, what seems poised to make P3 especially difficult is that the party, aside from the protagonist, is A.I.-controlled.
I hear the A.I. is good in battle, but I'm a little nervous about that. Earlier SMT games are hard enough with having a fully controllable group.
Of course, as if demons weren't bad enough, Persona 3 makes the player deal with the deadliest dungeon of all:
High school.
P3 takes place over the course of an entire school year, and on top of dealing with the expected drama(after school clubs, activities, maybe even relationships), there's also the Social Link System.
The events of the day affect the events of the night, as well as the future abilities of Persona, especially those of the protagonist's party members / classmates.
Spend too much time in Tartarus, and grades suffer. Focus too much on education, and it'll be like Nocturne all over again(here meaning 'population-eliminating apocalypse').
The Social Link System or Fun With Tarot
One of the most important aspects of Persona 3's gameplay is who you do and don't make friends with; different people you meet have different affiliations to a Tarot Arcana(Death, Lovers, World, etc.).
With a high enough Social Link, you can practically max out your Persona's levels before you even use it in battle(Social Links = Mad XP.)
The 'Fool' Arcana
Attached to the S.E.E.S.
The 'Magician'
Kenji.
The 'Chariot'
Sports Club / Kazushi.
The 'Hermit'
Innocent Sin Online / 'Maya'.
The 'Hierophant'
Bookstore Couple.
The 'Strength'
Yuko.
The 'Hanged Man'
The girl at the shrine.
The 'Emperor'
Student Council.
The 'Justice'
Chihiro.
The 'Death'
Pharos, the mysterious boy.
The 'Fortune'
Photo/Music/Art club.
The 'Tower'
The Priest at the nightclub.
The 'Devil'
Tanaka, Tanaka, over the airwaves to youuuuu
The 'Sun'
Chinari.
The 'Moon'
The 'Gourmet King'.
The 'Star'
The rival sports player.
The 'Lovers'
Yukari.
The 'Priestess'
Fuuka.
Classmates
(be nice to them, just to ensure that the only person putting a bullet through your head is you)
Protagonist / The Other Self
"I won't let you do this to her anymore!"
Persona: Orpheus
A high school junior who transferred to Gekkoukan High School in April. While under attack from the mysterious Shadows, he awakened as a Persona-user.
The closest thing to an official name he has is 'Minato Arisato', as he's known in an official manga.
Junpei Iori
"S'up, dude."
Persona: Hermes
The cheerful class clown of the main character and Yukari's homeroom. He was the first one to make friends with the main character when he transferred. He decided to join SEES after his Persona awakened.
Yukari Takeba
"Fate? Yeah, right."
Persona: Io
She is classmates and dormmates with the main character. She is positive and cheerful, and very popular as a result, but tends to drive herself beyond her limits. Her reasons for attending Gekkoukan High School are unknown.
Mitsuru Kirijo
"Stay at our dorm tonight; it's the safest place."
Persona: Penthesilea
The daughter of the head of the Kirijo Group, controller of vast corporate holdings, and Student Council President at Gekkoukan High School. Upon discovering the main character's potential as a Persona-user, she invites him into the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad.
Akihiko Sanada
"You won't have to shoulder the burden forever."
Persona: Polydeuces
Captain of the Gekkoukan High Boxing Club. His main interest in fighting the Shadows is to train himself physically. He seems to have a driving need to become stronger for some reasons...
Fuuka Yamagishi
"I don't enjoy this one bit."
Persona: Lucia
Fuuka's painful self-awareness makes her shy and withdrawn. She's a potential Persona-user, but frequently calls in sick to school on account of her fragile constitution. As a result, she can not assist directly in battle, but...
Shinjiro Aragaki
"Trust me, girls complicate life."
He is a senior at Gekkoukan High School. Everything else about him is a mystery, except for his acquaintance with Akihiko. Who is he really?
Ken Amada
Persona: Nemesis
He attends Gekkoukan Elementary School. Like the others, he joins the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad because of his potential as a Persona-user, but unlike them, he is only in the 5th grade.
Koromaru
i]"This is a place of peace, so I protected it."[/i
Persona: Cerberus
After losing his master in an accident, Koromaru lived the life of a stray. Once he awakened as a Persona-user, he became a loyal SEES member and a welcome ally in Tartarus.
Aigis
"A machine is made for a purpose. Mine is to defeat you."
Persona: Palladion
Humanoid weapon created to destroy Shadows. She was given a psyche in order to enable Persona use. She seems to have another important task as well...
Other
Strega: Takaya/Jin/Chidori
"You might say I was... chosen." / "That makes you all hypocrites!" /
"No one can understand my pictures but me."
This shadowy group of three calls itself Strega. All three are shady, but Takaya, the leader, looks more ominous than the other two. What is their goal?
Elizabeth
"I look forward to your next visit."
Igor's newfound assistant in the Velvet Room. Not much known about her beyond that.
She matches the decor, at least.
Haruhi Suzumiya
Persona: !?
"If there are any aliens, time-travellers, or ESPers, join me now. That is all."
No one knows how Haruhi learned how to summon a Persona, and no one wants to. She was banned from the Velvet Room after attempting a hostile takeover. Rumor has it that Igor only escaped certain death by giving her the Velvet Room's ex-Pianist, nameless.
Protagonist / The Other Self
"I won't let you do this to her anymore!"
Persona: Orpheus
A high school junior who transferred to Gekkoukan High School in April. While under attack from the mysterious Shadows, he awakened as a Persona-user.
The closest thing to an official name he has is 'Minato Arisato', as he's known in an official manga.
Junpei Iori
"S'up, dude."
Persona: Hermes
The cheerful class clown of the main character and Yukari's homeroom. He was the first one to make friends with the main character when he transferred. He decided to join SEES after his Persona awakened.
Yukari Takeba
"Fate? Yeah, right."
Persona: Io
She is classmates and dormmates with the main character. She is positive and cheerful, and very popular as a result, but tends to drive herself beyond her limits. Her reasons for attending Gekkoukan High School are unknown.
Mitsuru Kirijo
"Stay at our dorm tonight; it's the safest place."
Persona: Penthesilea
The daughter of the head of the Kirijo Group, controller of vast corporate holdings, and Student Council President at Gekkoukan High School. Upon discovering the main character's potential as a Persona-user, she invites him into the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad.
Akihiko Sanada
"You won't have to shoulder the burden forever."
Persona: Polydeuces
Captain of the Gekkoukan High Boxing Club. His main interest in fighting the Shadows is to train himself physically. He seems to have a driving need to become stronger for some reasons...
Fuuka Yamagishi
"I don't enjoy this one bit."
Persona: Lucia
Fuuka's painful self-awareness makes her shy and withdrawn. She's a potential Persona-user, but frequently calls in sick to school on account of her fragile constitution. As a result, she can not assist directly in battle, but...
At first, Fuuka seems to strictly operate as a tactician, from what I've seen.
Shinjiro Aragaki
"Trust me, girls complicate life."
He is a senior at Gekkoukan High School. Everything else about him is a mystery, except for his acquaintance with Akihiko. Who is he really?
Ken Amada
Persona: Nemesis
He attends Gekkoukan Elementary School. Like the others, he joins the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad because of his potential as a Persona-user, but unlike them, he is only in the 5th grade.
Koromaru
i]"This is a place of peace, so I protected it."[/i
Persona: Cerberus
After losing his master in an accident, Koromaru lived the life of a stray. Once he awakened as a Persona-user, he became a loyal SEES member and a welcome ally in Tartarus.
No, he doesn't shoot himself in the head, and I don't advise having him euthanized, either.
Aigis
"A machine is made for a purpose. Mine is to defeat you."
Persona: Palladion
Humanoid weapon created to destroy Shadows. She was given a psyche in order to enable Persona use. She seems to have another important task as well...
Other
Strega: Takaya/Jin/Chidori
"You might say I was... chosen." / "That makes you all hypocrites!" /
"No one can understand my pictures but me."
This shadowy group of three calls itself Strega. All three are shady, but Takaya, the leader, looks more ominous than the other two. What is their goal?
Elizabeth
"I look forward to your next visit."
Igor's newfound assistant in the Velvet Room. Not much known about her beyond that.
She matches the decor, at least.
Haruhi Suzumiya
Persona: !?
"If there are any aliens, time-travellers, or ESPers, join me now. That is all."
No one knows how Haruhi learned how to summon a Persona, and no one wants to. She was banned from the Velvet Room after attempting a hostile takeover. Rumor has it that Igor only escaped certain death by giving her the Velvet Room's ex-Pianist, nameless.
Just kidding. :P
If you're feeling daring, the official website has video clips associating to each of the characters in the proper section, though I haven't watched them.
Whether you like the music depends on your tastes for mellow jazzy/hip-hop influenced Jpop beats.
Oh, and almost forgot to mention...
The FES Conspiracy
/ (I so want the second as a custom cover) /
Persona 3: FES, short for Festival, was an expansion released back in April to celebrate the unexpected success of P3 in Japan.
FES included a hard difficulty, more Persona, character costumes, and an additional 20-30 hours of gameplay centering around Aegis(or Aigis, if you prefer), reportedly containing the game's 'true ending'.
Atlus USA was already too deep in P3 proper's localization to push the game back to include the FES expansion content.
Some people are actually upset over this.
I'm definitely not one of them. P3 on its own is plenty to keep me satisfied for months.
But, I'd like to see FES make it here eventually. Atlus hasn't commented much, but I'm hoping that if P3 does well, we just might get a follow-up of our own.
It's unlikely, but it's worth working towards. Either way, it'll be a good school year.
You don't have to get it when it comes out... but considering that nearly every SMT game goes rapidly out of print, you might want to.
Also, Persona 3 is a standalone game. The only returning character from the originals is Igor, who's a series mainstay.
Philemon also was, but there hasn't been any sign of him... yet?
cj iwakura on
0
This discussion has been closed.
Posts
Also I kept myself in the dark about characters and such as much as possible and I have to say, Junpei's persona looks really awesome.
Oh and nice joke picture
Pokemon Diamond: 0645 2317 9036
Oh, and I love the school music. IGN's video of
(The first one)
Yukari: Io
Mitsuru: Penthesilea
Akihiko: Polydeuces
Fuuka: Lucia
Ken: Nemesis
Aigis: Pallas
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
Anyway, this will be a first day buy for me, because you all know this will become rare as hell given a few months.
I'm pretty sure that the first is the game cover and the second is the strategy guide cover.
Also, I'm one of those super pissed about not getting FES. Mainly because it sounds like a hell of a lot more fun to be had. Plus I'm a horrible extra costume whore and who CAN'T be angry over not getting to see the "real" ending? FOR CRI-YI PEOPLES
It's not gonna stop me from getting Persona 3 first day tho. I loves me some SMT.
Nothing's forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
No. That should probably be added to the OP. It's a pretty common question I think.
Excellent.
I also like how they went with a different artist instead of Kaneko. I love his designs but a change is always nice and the new art style seems to fit really well.
Apart from that though, I loved Persona 2, and will definitly get this.
*sigh*
猿も木から落ちる
Steam BoardGameGeek Twitter
And FFVIII has strong shades of earlier Persona games. The Persona games came out first.
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
Sign me the hell up.
Now I have to buy this game too.
I, uh, am not seeing the similarities between this and Final Fantasy VIII. I mean, there's the "you're a student" thing, but...you graduate from a military school and becomes soldiers in the first half hour of Final Fantasy VIII, where you're actual for real high school kids going through your junior year in this, so.
Now, Innocent Sin and Final Fantasy VIII...
EDIT: Also, am I really the only one that likes the new cover art?
I mean, I like the watercolor work, too, but I really like the new design.
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
That also summons demonic other versions of himself by blowing his head off.
Let's not forget that.
Coolest dog ever? I think so.
Well, my Pug with the howiter on his back in that tank RPG is pretty boss too, but whatever.
I agree but then I didn't get very far in FF8. Did anyone? Really?
I've never played a SMT game before, and I understand they can be kind of obtuse. Does anybody know what the learning curve for this game is like?
I heard that both covers are the same. The EBgames website shows the 2nd one as well.
EDIT: hughtron: Learning curves on SMT games are pretty steep, and although I've not yet touched Nocturne, it's said to punish you severely (read: rape you) for showing any ignorance. But I think the general consensus is that P3 isn't as difficult as the others.
Gamer Tag: LeeWay0
PSN: Leeway0
It was that way originally, but now word is the new cover is the game's cover, too.
And I look at the 'true ending' this way: I'm sure P3 was made without the intention of it ever getting a sequel. The ending it has is bound to have some good resolution, at least... FES mostly focuses on Aigis and some psychotic T-Elos lookalike, anyway.
I fixed the OP up with the Personae I didn't know
(Could've sworn it was Suzimiya...)
I'll add a bit about the earlier games also, though I was trying to keep them isolated since they're a whole different story(and finding either of them is a pain in the neck).
The others are difficult, but I haven't heard much on how difficult P3 is yet. It seemed easy from the start, but if it's anything like the other two, it must get nasty later on.
Also, I think the biggest question is just how Koromaru summons his Persona. Does he have Ken shoot him or something? O_o
EDIT: There's a video of Koromaru on the official site using a persona. He seems to just howl and it comes out.
Gamer Tag: LeeWay0
PSN: Leeway0
If that FES cover of the group photo is used as a reversable, I'll be ecstatic.
They did it for DDS2 so it's possible.
Anyway, I'd just like to echo that this game is really, really, really good. I don't know why it took Atlus so long to localize - I was playing the Japanese version almost a year ago - but I've been really looking forward to playing it in English since then. I've never been much for randomly generated dungeon crawlers OR dating sims, but the interplay between them is so well balanced that it's hard not to become addicted.
It's also hard to tell in still screenshots, but this game oozes style. Lots of this is due to the music, but as someone mentioned before, the menus are really, really cool. It's something not a lot of RPGs seem to be concerned with and Persona 3 just drives in how important it is. There's also something about Megaten games that make me really love the level-up screens, and this one is no different.
Odin Sphere is going to be put aside, unfinished, for this.
LALALA I'M NOT LISTENING