My Persona 4 Review

After racking up 50 hours in P4, I've decided to finally do a review of it. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is the 4th installment (5th if you're in Japan) of the revived Persona series. You play the as the silent and nameless protagonist who just moved from the big city to the rural town Inaba. You where sent there to live with your Uncle and cousin while your parents are off working, When you get there, you start hearing things about murders and this thing called the Midnight Channel. You begin to realize, along with some of your classmates, that you guys are the only ones that can prevent the murders from happening.

The story is my favorite part of the game. It's better than Persona 3's since it's a murder mystery and you're always trying to figure out who the killer is. It's like once you figure out who it is, the game flips the script and you're completely wrong. Another thing I like in this game are the characters. They are much more likable than P3's were. Yes, they are basically copies of them (Yukiko is obviously a less snooty Misuru) but you really start to care for them and worry about their well being. Social Links return in this game and they improved on an already great idea. For girls, you can decide what girl you're going to date and which one you're not. You don't get the option to until the 9th rank but it's a nice addition so you can get your social link up with a girl but you don't have to date them in the process. Something new they did with the S.Links for party members is that when it reaches the top level, your party member will get a upgrade to their Persona. In 3, it automatically happened within the story, but now Atlus has made us choose which party member's S.Link we have to get up.

The gameplay has changed much, but there are many new additions. For example, you can fish, get part time jobs, and read books. These things are done to raise your 5 stats (Courage, Expression, Diligence, Understanding, and Knowledge) which you'll need in the game. Some decisions in the main story require high Courage, so if you're a wimp, you will miss out on certain actions. The battle system isn't much different, except you now have the choice to control you're own party members. Since you can do that now, be prepared for much harder battles throughout the game. The fights are the same, kill an enemy by using elemental or physical attacks, rinse ,repeat. It's a repetitive system, but fights never get old. This time, you're not just exploring one place. There are multiple dungeons that you explore this time and they each have different looks and music. Speaking of music, it's so catchy in this game. you'll probably be humming this themes while your in the shower or in school or w/e. Persona 4 definitely has the best music.

This game can take anywhere from 60-100 hours long, depending on your game skill. I'm 50 hours in and I can tell the game is about to end. Without a doubt, Persona 4 makes great use of the SMT name and is without a doubt one of the best experiences this year. You'll be so sucked up in the world. you'd swear that these things were happening in real life. 10/10

What's WWE's next step? and some of 2008's great games

OK, so as of today, both brands have face champions in John Cena and Jeff Hardy. Now on RAW, they got Orton, Jericho, Batista, Michaels, etc. If they want a really good money match, they should do Orton VS Cena at the Royal Rumble. This would be good for Orton, who has never beaten Cena cleanly one-on-one, and it would be great to see him with the World Heavyweight Title since he's got a new faction going now. If it's not Orton, then Batista, since Cena needs to get revenge on Batista for beating him at SummerSlam. I just hope they don't do Jericho VS Cena III. Don't get me wrong, the last two matches they had were great, but how many times can a guy get a title shot?

On Smackdown, they have Edge, Kozlov, Triple H, etc. I can see a Triple H VS Kozlov feud coming, where Kozlov loses for the first time, so that leaves Hardy VS Edge at the Rumble, which would be great. But I wouldn't count out The Undertaker. If Hardy would face The Undertaker and win, it would boost his career even further. So, I'm predicting these matches:
Cena VS Orton or Batista
Hardy VS Edge or Undertaker
If Orton doesn't get a title shot, he's my pick for the Royal Rumble. When's the last time a heel has won the Rumble. I don't count 2005 since Batista was basically face then. If Orton does get picked, I'm going with Triple H.

Alright, now time for games. 2008 was a big year for games and some of the best games of the year I haven't even played yet, but I'm going to talk about this year in gaming in general for me.

In January, I got to play No More Heroes, a great little gem from Suda51, who also made Killer7. It turned out to be one of my favorite games this year. I don't know if it was because of the simple premise of the game or the insane amount of violence, I just loved that game. It was so good, it's getting a sequel in 2010(WTF?).

Then in March, a blockbuster, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, took up most of my time. It was an amazing fighter, with a powerful story mode and excellent multilayer that I still play today, 9 months later. It featured, for the first time ever, third party characters Sonic and Snake, and I hope that can get more in Super Smash Bros, 4(or as I like to call it, Rumble!)

Also during March, I played Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice. I was sad to see Phoenix get kicked off as the main character, but I was happy that they decided to keep him in the mix. He plays a big part in the last case and it's was an awesome case. The game lasted me a good week, but it was a great week filled with liars and objections and trying to find out when people are lying with that crazy bracelet. it was better than Time Hollow, but only because it was longer.

In April, while everyone played GTA IV, I was busy with Mario Kart Wii. It was a solid racer that was very enjoyable. Though there was online play, it loses it's value over time. Nevertheless, it's an awesome racer and it's a blast to play with friends.

I also got to play Professor Layton in June. It not only had confusing puzzles, it had a great story and amazing graphics. The sequels on definitely on my radar for 2009.

In the summer months, I played The World Ends With You, and wow, it's by far one of the best handheld RPGs I ever played. The crazy story, the multiple party members, and awesome battle system made this Square Enix's best title this year by far.

I also got to play a couple other Square Enix games, such as Final Fantasy IV, Infinite Undiscovery, and The Last Remnant. Two of the three were very enjoyable while one was just plain horrible. Final Fantasy IV was a great trip to a game I've never really got into. (I was like 2 when it first came out!) It was my 2nd favorite RPG on the DS this year only because it was a port. Yes, it had some new things in it, but nothing to distinguish it really from the original. Infinite Undiscovery is an action/RPG mash up and it was one of the worst games I've played this year. The battle system didn't work and it's got very repetitive. I tried to look past those facts and beat it, but I simply couldn't. The Last Remnant just came out a month ago and it was a solid effort by Square. Yes, it has massive slow downs, but the game is still playable. The new battle system was unique, but it reminded me too much of FF XII. It also doesn't tell you how long you've played the game. The hell is that all about?

I got to play Lost Odyssey in October, since I finally got a 360 then. Lost Odyssey reminded me so much of the old FF games that I wish all RPGs were like LO, but unfortunately they aren't. With it's great story, turn-based battle system, and nostalgic feel, Lost Odyssey is my 2nd favorite console RPG of the year. It, could not however, hold a candle to my favorite one this year.

I got to play the Sonic RPG in September, which I didn't like. It didn't feel like Sonic to me. I really like BioWare (I'm playing Mass Effect right now) but I don't think they should have been the ones to make the first Sonic RPG. Maybe Square, Nintendo, or Tri-Ace, but not BioWare. It had so much potential, but it just didn't act on it.

Also, I played Time Hollow. Even though I completed it in a day, (I just got wrapped in the story) it was still an amazing experience. It reminded me of a game version of The Butterfly Effect. If it wasn't so short, it would be one of my favs.

Now, in December, I got to play my pick for Game of The Year. It's happens to be my new favorite RPG on the PS2, beating Nocturne. It's Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4. I could tlak about his game for days upon days, but I won't. I'll just say this: If you have a Playstation 2 0r 3, like JRPGs, a deep battle system, likeable characters, and have a lot of time on your hands, there is no reason you shouldn't play Persona 4. If know I didn't play MGS4, GTA IV, Fallout 3 (yet) , LittleBigPlanet, or any other big titles like that, I'm 100% sure that no game would take as much time as Persona 4 has (42 hours and rising!)

Well, that's my year. My top 3 games (that I've played) are:
1. Persona 4
2. No More Heroes
3. The World Ends With You
Some games I'm looking forward to next year are:
MadWorld, Fragile, Arc Rise Fantasia, Final Fantasy 13, any Kingdom Hearts spin offs, Star Ocean IV, Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil 5 (GOTY probably for next year), Dragon Quest V DS, Professor Layton sequels, and any other Atlus RPG.

Games I've beaten this year: No More Heroes, LifeSigns, Disaster Report, AR Tonelico 1, Super Mario Galaxy, The World Ends With You, Persona 3:FES (Journey and Answer), The Godfather, Little League World Series Baseball 2008, Final Fantasy IV, Simpsons Game, From the Abyss, Assassin's Creed, Saints Row, Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, Eternal Sonata, Time Hollow, Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice, Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbados Treasure. This list will probably grow as I remember what else I played and as I finsih up some other games, such as Persona 4, Blue Dragon, Enchanted Arms, Lost Odyssey, and Mass Effect. Well, the year of 2008 gaming is almost over, but I'm looking forward to 2009!

What a week

It's really been one hell of a week! Last Monday, I got Enchanted Arms and Naruto: Rise of a Ninja from GameFly and both awesome games. Then, on Tuesday, I get my pick for GOTY, Persona 4, which is an amazingly deep game that no other game has come close to matching. Everything really comes together in that game and it's a huge step forward in the series. If they do make a Persona 5, it's going to be really hard to top this one as there's not that much to improve on. I got really into P4 this week, spending nearly 35 hours in my first week. At this rate, I'll have it beat by Christmas, which I don't want but, hey, I can't not play that game. The game makes me start liking the characters, as if they were real or something and this has to be one of the funniest games I've ever played. The only complain I have with this game is that they took out the fusion spells from the last one, so I can't spam Armageddon in the hardest dungeon. Speaking of Armageddon, do you believe Jeff Hardy won the WWE Title? Man, that was a shocker when I saw that on Sunday. I'm really happy for Jeff, but I feel bad for Edge, who has yet to have a really decent title reign yet. He has 6 World title runs, and all of them equal up to John Cena's third reign as champion. That's a little biased don't you think? I hope Jeff can run Smackdown well!

Persona 4 baby!

I received Persona 4 yesterday and I'm completely blown away. It will defiantly be the last great PS2 game, unless they're hard at work with Persona 5 for the PS2. I just wanted to say something about it.