"It is finished."

I just completed Persona 4 with the true ending. It was and will always be an amazing experience, but the true last boss was a bit of a disappointment. Not once did I feel like I was going to lose, but maybe that's because I was on Level 88. But now that P4 is completed, I can finally judge which PS2 Persona was better: 3 or 4?

Gameplay wise, 4 is a vast improvement over 3. Now, you can control party members, which makes some fights much easier. You can still play P3 style, but I doubt with the ability to control party members now, people will stick to the new way. Social links are still gotten up by talking to people after school, so it's not much different in that department. In P4, though, you can get part time jobs, which is an easy money maker, so I have to give the overall nod to P4.
Winner: P4

Music in both games is fantastic, but once again, P4 prevails. P4 tunes are so much more catchy than P3's. P3 has the best ending boss theme, but P4 gets the overall nod.
Winner: P4

Characters in both are likable but P4 stomps on P3's characters. I liked both main characters, but P3's seemed too emo for my tastes. He was still cool though. P4's main character looks normal. Between Yukari and Chie, I like Chie better. She's not a snob and she seems more real. Yukari does look better though, but Chie is a much more likable girl. Between Yosuke and Junpei, Yosuke reigns supreme. He's much funnier and more cunning than Junpei could ever be. If you played the game, just remember what happened at the campout. Between Yukiko and Mitsuru, I liked Mitsuru just a little better. Between Kanji and Akihiko/Shinji, I like Akihiko/Shinji better. You gotta feel for Shinji, since he gets killed and Akihiko is just a badass. Between Rise and Fuuka, Rise is superior. She's much cuter and much more lovable. She seems much easier to get along with. Between Aigis and Naoto, Aigis is better. Aigis, somehow, began to love even though she was a robot. Plus, she's a a killer in battle. Between Teddie and Ken, Teddie is so much cooler. He's one of the funniest characters in the game and he's such a bastard. So in the characters department, it's a tie.
Winner: None

While both games have great stories, I liked P4's much better. I like how the story has so many twists and turns. Like, who would have though Adachi, a person so close to the cases, was the killer? But the game doesn't stop there. Who would have thought that the gas station attendant, the person you shake hands with in the beginning, was really Izanami, and that she gave you the power. I was just amazed at how everything came together. P3's story also had some twists in it, like how Shuji was playing you from the start and how Aigis sealed Death inside the Main Character when he was young. Those twists were amazing, but P4's story is just better.
Winner: P4

Now ending wise, I liked P3's better. At the end of 3, the MC basically became a martyr to save the world. At the end of 4, you find out who was behind the murders and kill them, then the MC leaves to go back to his family. P3's ending felt more real. They really couldn't beat Nyx and the only way for them to win was for one of them to give their lives and it had to be the MC. Persona 4's made me feel sad, since he just got done with the case, and he had no time to hang out with his friends afterwards. I wish the MC would've just stayed in Inaba; I would have liked to see him stay with all his new friends. Persona 3's just felt right. It done so right that I had no problems with it. I figure Elizabeth will save the main character so I'm alright with him dying.
Winner: P3

Well, it looks like P4 was the superior game, no surprise. It was just an awesome game. It may be the PS2's swan song, but only time will tell. Will Atlus release another SMT game for PS2? We'll see, we'll see. What I would like to see in P5 is a whole year of playtime, more social links, more persona choices, and some cameo battles. They did it in DDS, why can't they do it in P5? I would love to see the party face the main characters from 3 and 4 (an impossible fight indeed) instead of Igor's assistant. And also, HAPPY NEW YEAR!