12 August 2013

Persona 4: the Golden Preview



... Ladies and gents. First, it was Persona 3. Not long ago, it was Persona 4 Golden. I finally beat the two most popular, referenced, and overrated Persona games in the subseries under the gi-friggin-normous Megami Tensei umbrella of a franchise. My Vita may not have as many games as my 3DS, but it sure was happy to be used.

So, the big question. I adore Persona 3 to no end, just ask my 460 page fanfic. Does its successor, particularly the Golden version, sit on the same level? Or does it surpass it?


Well, Hiimdaisy's Persona 4 comic was much longer and funnier with memes out the wazoo. Does that factor in the final verdict?


Well, it's big brother has Persona 3 FTW, so I guess they're even in the parody department.


But back on track.

Both games were incredibly funny, entertaining, and engaging from a story and gameplay perspective. Thanks to re-releases and digital distribution, these wonderful gems can easily reach a big audience on more recent Playstation devices. I can't regret buying a Vita now that I can carry and play them anywhere I go.

Despite the anime style, I felt that the characters were smarter, snarkier, and more genre-savvy than I expected. Persona 4 Arena, which I just picked up recently, goes so far as to address my bafflement to executives messing with the wardrobes of certain characters. *Ahem, ahem* Some guys aren't that smart, but they make up for it in personality. And everyone is overflowing with it. They're like the best friends you'd always want to have in high school to make the days less monotonous.


Persona 4 has the best slice of life moments I have ever seen... so far. The high school shenanigans are absolutely hysterical and a far cry from the muck Disney mass produces ad nauseam. The situations may not be unique (hello beach, hots springs, and skiing episodes in Golden!), but it's the dynamic, honest, and colorful personalities that make the cliche "filler" seem refreshing.

Now that the whole experience is done and I had some time to ponder on it for a while, I plan to complete a New Game Plus run before I make a review. (Plus I'm STILL stuck in one currently...) It only seems fair to go over everything again. Maybe I can get the Persona Compendium at 100% completion this time! Right?


Dear, superior being(s) help me.

Now, a quick preview of my summing up my Persona 4 Golden experience:


- Marie's hated because she's a tsundere? Um... go watch a clip of Taiga from Toradora on Youtube and please tell me who's a typical teenage girl and who left her cleaver in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.

- Am I the only one who finds Teddie's bear puns cute?

- Kudos for that Twilight reference. Made my night.

- "Everyday's great at your Junes!" ^_^

- Boosting team stats and aiding in all-out-attacks? Way to overcome being a useless fangirl, Risette!

- ...You still can't see the rice. You begin to suspect that your bowl is a Portal to the Meat Dimension. The amount of meat contained within this bowl is truly staggering.

- ... ... In order to finish this bowl, you must have Understanding of your limits, Knowledge to control your pace, Courage to face this unrelenting tide of beef, and the Diligence to persevere against this colossal challenge. All these traits are necessary to master the Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl Challenge!

- ... ... ... You are unable to finish your meal in your current state. ... You tried your best to finish the Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl Challenge, and your personality has grown tremendously.

- Edogawa is the greatest teacher in fiction. FACT. Welcome back, dude!

- There really is a Midnight Channel... or Mayonaka TV if your Japanese.

- Thank the superior being(s) Pharos is replaced by a kindly old lady. I hate Death a lot less now... *gets Nocturne flashbacks* O_O ... never mind.

- "Reach Out to the Truth" totally rips "Mass Destruction" a new one. Controversial statement of the century, folks.

- I really, really, really gotta stop falling for Japanese delinquents with a domestic streak and a heart made of chocolate bunnies. Seriously, Atlus. I'm scared for my hormones and my sanity. Please, stop. T-T

- At least Yu's got enough swag to fill a fountain of memes... 'cause he's the King.

- Finally...





This game has the worst case of Ending Fatigue I ever suffered through.




... And no one ate dinner that night.

But enjoy the original opening!

3 comments:

Voltech said...

Can I just say that the delivery of "You sayin' I like dudes?" and "Takin' you punks DOWN!" elevates the comic fandub to a whole new level? Because it does. Truefacts.

In any case, it'll be interesting to see what you've got to say about P4G. At one point I was willing to put the original game in my Top 5, but it's been years since I've played it and as such probably need a bit of review before making any conclusions. (Plus outside of watching one video online, Golden's content is an enigma to me.) So whenever you clear the game and get your review up, I'll be here. I could use a second opinion.

Side note: there's an update for Persona 4 Arena on the way. Not much in the way of details now, except for one thing: Junpei and Yukari are going to be playable characters.

DREAMS DO COME TRUE.

http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2013/aug/15/junpei-and-yukari-confirmed-playable-upcoming-persona-4-arena-update/

Melanie~Light said...

Another one of my favorites has got to be "Get bent! Get bent! Get bent! Get bent!" Ah, Kanji, you're so fun! :)

Anywho.

Well, the good news is that it was definitely worth spending a fortune on a Vita to get P4G. At least until some other games get made, I can at least pick up some Portable games via the PSNetwork.

Bad news? ... TV Tropes needs to replace P3 with P4 in terms of Ending Fatigue. Dear lord... @_@

Well, you'll see when I get there. Mass Effect 2 is still barking at me to finish up.

*gasp*

Junpei AND Yuka-tan?! YAY!!!!! :D

Though at the ed of the day... I still miss the female protagonist of P3. She gets no presence in the movies... T-T

EschaTheMadReaper said...

as much as i think marie as boring and kind of flat, even if i never played the ps2 version as much as i wanted to (don't have a ps2... UNFORTUNATELY... and i had a psp to keep me busy that i didn't bother getting a port for the computer), i will not think taiga is better than her. NO.

the twilight reference indeed was hilarious.

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