@Budgiecat:disqus got you covered. All of the Persona games are unrelated story wise, even tho they feature some in game nods to one another. This is a good place to start, but if you have the chance to play Persona 3: FES first, do it. And I say this because Persona 4 is like a buffed up Persona 3.

Persona grew into something entirely different with the third game in the series. The first two (well, actually three since Persona 2 is divided into two game chapters, but I digress) games were much more similar to the other Shin Megami Tensei games that preceeded them. Persona 3 and 4 broke the mould, by making it so that the time you spend moving about attending to your daily choires and routines are as important as (or sometimes even more important) than actually fighting or grinding EXP, like what other RPGs do.

As a rule of thumb in Persona, the more people you meet and the stronger your relationships with them, the stronger you’ll be in battle. And you achieve that by actually spending time with some characters you meet, answering their questions and reacting in a manner that entertains them or by raising several stats like Courage, Academics, Charm, Diligence…etc.

That’s the thing with Persona that can put some people away at first. I’ll admit, I really disliked Persona at first because of that I never understood what the fuss was about the series because I didn’t like the whole “life sim” element to it.

Until I went ahead and played Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. That game introduced me to the amazing lore of the Shin Megami Tensei series. I was hooked. The dark themes, the recognazible demons, the game altering decisions…and as I started to grow interested in the series, I decided I’d go ahead and give Persona 3 a try. I bought the Persona 3 Portable version.

I actually forced myself to play it at first. I was like…when do I get to the battles? It was then that I felt like I was at home, with the same demons I recognized from the other SMT games, the similar battle mechanics, that reward you for careful strategizing and punish you for any reckless decisions you eventually take. But it still bothered me that I had to spend time doing weird activities like working part-time at a café to raise my courage and charm, studying and answering questions in class or spending time with NPCs.

But then, things got better. As I started to know more about the characters, I got involved in their personal dramas. I actually cared about what would happen to my Kendo Team colleague who broke his leg in pratice and still wanted to win the tournament or the shy girl that couldn’t even look at anyone straight. I somehow cared about them. And that happens because the Persona games are so cleverly written, you’ll forget you’re playing a game. You’ll feel sad when it all ends. You’ll feel like coming back.

While I still think I prefer the main SMT series best (super hyped for SMT IV), Persona is worth anyone’s time. Just be sure to give the game a chance to win you over. And also be sure to check other SMT games out. Persona is kinda popular, but most people forget they’re like a spin off series of something much bigger and interesting.

I actually put money down on it as soon as I noticed it was sold out on amazon. I don’t even own a PS Vita, lol! Still trying to figure that one out. xD

It seems like it might turn into one of those crazy rare sets, the type of stuff people buy on ebay for absurd prices.

I actually put money down on it as soon as I noticed it was sold out on amazon. I don’t even own a PS Vita, lol! Still trying to figure that one out. xD

It seems like it might turn into one of those crazy rare sets, the type of stuff people buy on ebay for absurd prices.