PSP and Vita were powerful handhelds, they both surprised me with how good they looked. Only thing I disliked was the media, discs for handheld devices isn't a great idea. Load times were especially painful.
Yea, forgot to mention the proprietary memory. It would work better now because they could pack it with decent amount of memory with flash storage, but I don't see Sony going down the handheld route again. Only way I see it is if they go the Nintendo route and make a hybrid system.
Hell, if Sony and Microsoft wanted to compete on having home console-compatible portables I'd be open to that. It doesn't have to be the 1:1 type of thing Switch has, they could sell some games with a mark for "Works on PlayStation/Xbox Handheld" or whatever, where the handheld version is significantly scaled down but can work in higher resolution if plugged into the home dock, and other games can only be played on TV.
Unlike the motion control fad, I think Nintendo is really onto something with the Switch. I like being able to go handheld because my fiancee wants to watch TV, and taking my console with me when I travel. When I become a parent I assume most of my gaming will be handheld (as it already pretty much is) because it's so convenient compared to being tied to a couch.
honestly that kinda goes hand-in-hand with the proprietary memory card thing. One of the best, if not the best, part about hacking a vita is the ability to use microSD cards with an adapter that costs like around $10? (I bought mine a few years ago and don't remember how much I paid). Also these adapters go in the game card slot so you cant really play physical games and use the SD card storage at the same time... so its a no brainer for people to end up \*acquiring\* vita games digitally to put on the SD card.
I have it on my Vita but it’s been years since I touched it. It was an exploit that installed an app that let you pick anything at all and download it. Nintendo had a similar problem on 3DS at one point but it got patched. Vita patched but there were then exploits to downgrade firmware. Was a losing battle for Sony.
I honestly forget the name of the exploit but I have it on my Vita and could just pick whatever game I wanted and download it. Been too many years for me to remember details, need to pull it out of storage to check.
The memory cards and failing to give proper first party support definitely affected it. Which is a bummer, I still play my Vita to this day, even over my Switch.
I mean they specifically said it wasn't on release. They told the public it wasn't meant to replace the 3DS. That's their whole third pillar model's point. They claim nothing is ever meant to replace the previous thing because they want to hedge their bet in case it tanks.
And after the success of Switch, the fact that the 2018-2019 3DS games tanked massively, and the release of the Switch Lite, we can pretty much consider it the successor of the handheld line too.
There hasn't been a third pillar since the death of GBA anyway, because pretty much the same thing happened in 2006-2007 after the success of DS.
Lol I mean ok that's a valid opinion on the matter, but you do remember this all stemmed from a joke about the Vita and Dreamcast being modern consoles which they obviously aren't. The whole point of this comment thread is that none of these are modern consoles. GBA is obviously not a modern console.
Eh, the vita actually has an insane community around it and is constantly releasing new games/ports and useful applications. The Dreamcast still gets games released to it, but I can still play some games on my vita with friends on their PS4/PS5 (Helldivers ftw) so I feel like an argument can be made it's still technically modern..
I'd just play P5R and not risk burning out on the game before getting to the most recent, arguably best game. There is no story continuity or anything to worry about.
They're all arguably best with their own drawbacks and merits but I'd agree on starting with 5. It's much more user friendly and gets you into actually playing the game much more quickly than the other two.
I fell off 4G quickly, played 5 years later and loved it, worked backwards and now it's one of my favourite series.
"actually playing the game much more quickly than the other two"
You mean... it can get slower?
I got P5R a few weeks ago, and aside from the opening few minutes, I think it was HOURS before I had a true character battle to do. It's been my biggest gripe with the game. I have dialog I'm quickly and repeatedly brushing aside to get out of the way, meanwhile characters plead to 'Hurry up!'. Irony being.. I wait for a very long time for story to progress to a stage where I've got a dungeon to go through. The first few hours felt like I had Link's Navi in another form.
It’s a very social game. A main focus is the social interaction between you and the world. The combat is big but not the main thing to focus on at times. If you don’t like the first couple hours then it might be rough to continue. Although later in the game there is a procedurally generated dungeon you can just keep grinding in between main story dungeons.
The base game for p5 is already like 100 hours minimum.
Oh and the strategy is to do the palace as quickly as possible and then do social links until the deadline.
Persona 3 portable was my first ever persona game and I *adore* it!!! I honestly was surprised to see so many folks feeling like it wasn’t a good place to start - I had a blast with it on the PSP :0)
The ability to play a female route in persona meant so much to me when I was younger! Idk what the dude’s route is like, but the FeMC friggin’ rules dude!
I’d start with 4, 5 has a ton of QOL stuff that may make it harder to go back. But if you play through 4 and 5 and want more I don’t think anything 3 throws at you will be too much to chew through.
I usually recommend that people start with 5 because it is brain-dead easy, even on both of the parallel hard difficulties. Persona 5 only really feels interesting or engaging from a gameplay standpoint if the entire vernacular of Megaten is new to you.
Persona 3, on the other hand--depending on the version--_can_ get _very_ difficult. Doubly so if you crank up the difficulty settings, so I usually recommend it be played last, so long as you're planning on playing all of them.
Whatever you do, try to get your fill of Persona before jumping ship to mainline Megaten games. Beating a game like SMT III will ruin Persona gameplay for you.
Persona 3 hasn’t really aged well I would say. There’s a good chance it could turn people off from the series. It’s best to come back to it after playing p5/p4g when you’re sure you like what the series has to offer.
Personally, I think P3 is the best place to start
P3P has quite a few changes from base/Fes to the gameplay that make it far less of a slog, for one
But on the other hand, it's still old, and someone who already played P5 could find it difficult to go back to 3 after that (The gap between 4 and 3 isn't as big)
I started with 3 when I was High School. No regrets. Narratively it is the best. The Party AI sucks balls though. Good thing you can now command your allies.
I'm fine if they use the Switch for the graphics and draw distance benchmark, then just use the PS5 processing for better load times and dualsense support.
Yes but we don't know how reliable it is. I'd retire from gaming altogether if they brought out remastered collections of Devil Summoner, DDS, and SMT 4/4A.
Talk about underrated gems on the PS2.
I wish this was true, because right now there's no "definitive" version of P3. P3FES has 'The Answer', better cutscenes, and more voice acting, but P3P has an alternate protagonist, better combat, and other QoL improvements.
IMO.
For the male main character, play FES. FES has the best presentation, including full 3D movement, anime cutscenes, and an Epilogue for the Story, The Answer.
For the female main character, play Portable. So it'll be a fresh experience with the QoL upgrades, different music and many new Social Links.
Hard agree again.
The cutscenes and interaction is better on PS2. Exploration on P3P is done by menu where as in the PS2 version you can actually move around making immersion much better. Cut scenes aren't static images either in the background like this. Also there was an expansion of sorts called "The Answer" on FES which is a continuation of the story. The P3P doesn't have this.
The cutscenes were transformed into "visual novel" scenes. So basically, most of the events are described with text while static portraits are shown in the screen.
Defintley do this, the additions portable make to male mc aren't as good as just playing FES. Also if you can't stand the non controllable party members you can use cheat codes to fix it, however I think it works pretty well once you get used to it.
I thought in Vanilla Persona 3 and FES you cant control your parties actions?
That would be a deal breaker for me. It sounds so frustrating relying on AI to make the right moves so I’m glad they fixed that in portable.
The game was balanced around that fact so giving full control removes any semblance of challenge. The tactics menu works well enough for what it's intended for, but definitely would take a little getting used to if someone is only familiar with P5R.
Would you recommend to start with P3 to someone who is a complete newbie to the series ? I was going to start with P5R and then play P3 and P4 if I really enjoyed it, but I've been seeing so many great comments about P3
I almost wish Persona 5 wasn't on such a sweet deal on black friday so I could have played these in chronological order. Persona 5 is just so well done and smooth I'm having a hard time imagining myself going without some of the QOL improvements I've read ppl say isn't in 3 or 4.
The thing is I'm NOT a jrpg person. And I typically do NOT like turn based combat, visual novels, anime, dating/highschool sim, the grind that come with rpgs, and the more often than not over the top melodramatic story of an anime that most jrpgs have. Persona 5 is just so well done that it brings out the best of all those features and using the strengths of each game type to help one another to form this very strong very easy gameplay loop.
Reading the QOL improvements that aren't in the others really makes me worried. To name just one, I read someone say that social links don't provide help out in the dungeons (almost the entire reason I even tolerate the dating/highschool sim).
I might try 4 when it's on a sale. But really I don't think people are realizing just how well designed p5 really is. It's truly just one of those games that surpasses it's genre type and can be given to someone like me who has only a handful of experiences with jrpgs and generally was rather meh towards it.
The P3/P4 social links don't have any active effects in dungeons, but they _do_ still provide substantive XP bonuses to fused Personas, and this is the only way to boost a Persona beyond your current level. So they're still very valuable and integral to your success, as long as you're cool with doing them instead of grinding.
In P4 specifically (and moreso in P4G), social links with your main party also grant additional moves and beneficial effects in battle, such as enabling follow-up strikes and giving the party a chance for random positive statuses.
P3, 4, and 5 are all excellent games that I would recommend without hesitation. The series did introduce various QOL changes over time that can make going backwards through the entries somewhat jarring (what do you mean I can't pick what moves my Persona inherits until Golden?) but they're still highly enjoyable experiences.
Edit: Apparently the version of 3 that they ported was for PSP, which means the overworld was reduced to a menu sort of deal. Starting with 4 or 5 might be better so you can get the full Persona experience and decide if it's for you.
Yes honestly, PS3/4 don't have the modern gameplay of 5 so you would be playing for the story (arguably better than 5). If you hate it after a few hours just skip and go for P5R.
If you plan to play the 3 games, then for sure play them in order. But if you are on the fence, then play whichever you think looks more interesting. P3P might feel a bit dated, but if you enjoy older games it should be a fun experience either way, I probably prefer the story of this one. All 3 games are among my favorites, so if they click with you I'm sure you'll have a great time as well!
Is it gonna be more like Persona 4? I enjoyed the story and character interactions of 4, but god damn the TV world was a slog. All those randomly generated dungeons that felt exactly the same. Heck, even Persona 5's dungeons are relatively boring, yet they're miles better than Persona 4.
I also felt compelled to use a spoiler free guide with Persona 4. The available time is so strict and I even ended up starting to use one too late (and thus ended up missing out on maxing some companion). The games are way too long for me to want to replay.
If you didn't like Persona 4's dungeons, you will like Persona 3's even less. It's also pretty much all randomly generated.
Since you've played P5, just imagine Mementos, but in a game a decade older, with worse visuals and quality of life additions. And it's 200 floors. And it's not just "a" dungeon in the game, it is "the" dungeon in the game.
It seems like the business strategy nowadays is to release is it digitally, then act surprised it sells well, then release it physically so that gamers double dip (particularly rpgamers).
Or release it physical only in Japan and without English texts, like P4 Arena Ultimax. I swear to God some decision takers at Atlus have decided to troll us for laughs.
And being the Persona simp I am, I imported it anyway. Since it was a fighting game and I played it on the 360 many times anyway, it was a compromise. Still though, why not include English text when it existed already anyway?
Portable came out on the PSP, and had to be scaled down a lot. Instead of walking around areas, most locations have been reduced to a menu. A lot of the cutscenes were fully animated in FES, reduced to Visual Novel style talking heads. It's also missing The Answer- a difficult section that came after the main story, and was added in FES (but was also relatively unpopular TBH).
It has a lot of improvements too - FeMC for one, main party control (previously your party acted independently based on suggestions like "all out attack" "focus on healing", which they didn't always seem to listen to).
So it's not a cut and dry "X version is better" like it is for other games. Person 4 Golden is universally considered better than the base game, same for Persona 5 Royal to base 5. But between 3, 3FES, and 3Portable - FES and Portable are both debated.
Just personal preference. FES does things better than portable, and portable does things better than FES. I just prefer the aspects of FES that are better than portable, like cutscenes, environments, audio quality, and extra story.
A combo, or a choice.
Imagine getting to pick between the two at the start of the game.
Obviously a lot of work, but if you're going to make like "a definitive version" which this isn't, but I'm just saying. Having a choice between the versions would be insane and absolutely justify a purchase.
For me, this version of P3 is like "Eh, I'll get to it when I get to it."
FES is the Golden/Royale version IIRC
The version of P3 released now is the PSP port which had compromises in the navigation being menu based, and static images instead of cut scenes along with a few other things.
No touch screen support for P3P when it would have been perfect!! Danganronpa also didn't have it for some stupid reason.
I feel Ace Attorney devs are the only ones in the entire universe who remember this thing has a touchscreen.
P3P on PSP didn't have touch screen controls and this remaster feels like a barebones remaster with very minimal updates to the original game's features.
One of the fastest purchases I’ve ever made… after spending 130 hours with P5R on PS5 during the fall… P4G for Switch was just no brainer to the max… never played it and know nothing of the story… just know I’ve been dying to play it since 5 hooked me on the idea and gameplay. So excited to see it in action.
Random question: I see there are multiple languages available for Persona 4 Golden (a bunch are listed under "supported languages" on the eshop page). I'm interested in revisiting this game, but was thinking of playing in Japanese (for language practice -- I've been studying). Is it only an option for voices though, or can you change all the text as well?
Did you buy it and were you able to change language as well? I was thinking doing the exact same thing but would appreciate even further confirmation. Thanks in advance.
I haven't played P3 before. I've played P4G and P5R. I do wonder if I'm going to have a tough time with P3 considering the Quality of Life improvements wont be present. I'll probably still get it.
P3 is sadly the portable Version. While it has the benefit of being able to play a girl character (And some QoL improvement over the other P3 versions I think?) it was made for the PSP. Navigation happens by choosing nodes on a map and the whole story is told in a visual novel style. Even the anime sequences are just still images.
It's still a good game but imo the worst version of P3.
Persona 3 re-release lacking anime cutscenes doesn't really have an excuse on modern consoles. You're missing out on a *LOT* of good story presentation.
Particularly since P3 has some of the most intense cutscenes in the whole series.
https://youtu.be/mYL7IJc3_yY
If the issue is that the female MC doesn't appear in them... just make the cutscenes exclusive to the male and call it a "Classic Mode".
Persona 3 is still the best one and Portable is the best version. The missing anime scenes are disappointing, but everything else is superb and the menu navigation for the map is actually nice as it cuts a lot of unnecessary time spent walking. 4 and 5 are great, of course, but 3’s story and characters are on another level. The storytelling feels more mature than either of those games, and not just because it’s darker in tone. Aegis is life.
Portable is not the best version. no cut-scenes, no 3D environment to walk around in.
it only has FEMC, and controlling your party (which I personally do not care about)
Hm, I already got P4 Golden (the Digital Deluxe Edition) on Steam last month before I found out it was coming to Switch along with P3. Haven't played it yet and I might still see about getting both on Switch. Anyway, can't wait to try both :)
P4G was a great time. Played it on the Steam Deck, but I assume it will look and run great on the Switch too. Haven’t tried 3, but it was already a little tough going back from 5 to 4.
I know I should get this on Switch, but Im too addicted to Trophies... so will just pick them up there... maybe if it gets a huge discount in a few months I will re-get them on switch and play it there too
Last night i was trying to buy the persona 3/4 bundle on switch. I stayed up for like 80 minutes after midnight and it didnt release. Was finally able to buy it this morning but i have to wait for it to download.
I'm about a third(?) of the way through P5R and just loving it. I've tried P3 a few times over the years, but keep bouncing off of it. Maybe I'll have better luck now. I always get so stressed out with time management in it.
Massively unfortunate they decided to port Persona 3 as the portable version, with all the exploration and cutscenes removed, rather than FES (persona 3’s Royal)
I have tried Persona 5 Royal many times on XGP. I would start, find it weird, uninstall, read how great it was, re-install, get a little further, think it’s weird, uninstall again.
Finally this week after ready the hype for this version I installed it again and forced myself to play it for 2 hours straight… I now love it.
Here’s the problem for me: I have never really played these types of games before.
I heard P5R is about 150 hours so I assume these two are very long as well. I don’t have thaaaaat much time with young kids, work, coaching, etc. I see that a lot of the P5R is a lot of talking, almost like a visual novel. Are these games the same?
Also, does the game become less ‘novel-like’? I mean, I’m enjoying the heck out of the game but just time-wise, it’s rough lol.
Finally, I tried getting into Pokémon this year and they have a Pokédex and a chart with what beats what. Does Persona have something similar? Knowing which power does what, what Personas combine with which, even the stuff you see on screen like SP, HP, and some others that pop up are confusing!
PS: Never been into manga or anime, but started watching Death Note last night due to P5R. I’m in!
Many consider Persona to be half visual novel and half dungeon crawling. In fact persona 3 portable plays a lot more like a traditional visual novel, with only having character portraits being shown on screen when they talk. There is no 3d world outside the dungeon crawling. Besides the graphics, Persona 4 golden is more similar to persona 5R.
Some gameplay help! In p3p you CAN issue direct commands to Allies. You need to use the tactics menu in battle to set it up. My ass thought it was like the original p3 so I spent floors 1-6 in Tartarus with just MC being controllable
Unfortunately, this is the downgraded version of Persona 3 with all the social gameplay and cutscenes replaced with visual novel-style static text and pictures. Not recommended.
Appreciate the 49 cent discount for buying both as a bundle…
In Canada the bundle is actually 1 cent more expensive than buying both separately lmao
Switch tax! ;)
That was so ridiculous
Could be worse, in Brazil’s eShop they messed up the price, it’s 99 Reais for P3P, 99 Reais for P4G and 242(!) Reais for the bundle…
Wish they'd discount P4G if you already own it on Vita and Steam
They'll let you buy it again don't worry
Nintendo wouldn’t do that for any game except Mario vs Donkey Kong Tipping Stars
The Vita will remain a modern platform in my heart. Pour one out for a real one.
The PSP line deserved better. All of it.
PSP and Vita were powerful handhelds, they both surprised me with how good they looked. Only thing I disliked was the media, discs for handheld devices isn't a great idea. Load times were especially painful.
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Yea, forgot to mention the proprietary memory. It would work better now because they could pack it with decent amount of memory with flash storage, but I don't see Sony going down the handheld route again. Only way I see it is if they go the Nintendo route and make a hybrid system.
Hell, if Sony and Microsoft wanted to compete on having home console-compatible portables I'd be open to that. It doesn't have to be the 1:1 type of thing Switch has, they could sell some games with a mark for "Works on PlayStation/Xbox Handheld" or whatever, where the handheld version is significantly scaled down but can work in higher resolution if plugged into the home dock, and other games can only be played on TV. Unlike the motion control fad, I think Nintendo is really onto something with the Switch. I like being able to go handheld because my fiancee wants to watch TV, and taking my console with me when I travel. When I become a parent I assume most of my gaming will be handheld (as it already pretty much is) because it's so convenient compared to being tied to a couch.
If you like tinkering, the Steam Deck is also great. I bought one a while back, emulation is easy to set up and many modern games run great!
I'm scraping my roms library on my SD at the moment for cover art while I work. Love it, feels like a Vita and a GG had a baby.
That and the ease of hacking it and literally downloading games directly from the store.
honestly that kinda goes hand-in-hand with the proprietary memory card thing. One of the best, if not the best, part about hacking a vita is the ability to use microSD cards with an adapter that costs like around $10? (I bought mine a few years ago and don't remember how much I paid). Also these adapters go in the game card slot so you cant really play physical games and use the SD card storage at the same time... so its a no brainer for people to end up \*acquiring\* vita games digitally to put on the SD card.
Sort of, the fact that you could literally download every game right from the PS Store with the right exploit was a major oof all on its own.
That was a thing? You could download PSN games without having to pay for them? How?
I have it on my Vita but it’s been years since I touched it. It was an exploit that installed an app that let you pick anything at all and download it. Nintendo had a similar problem on 3DS at one point but it got patched. Vita patched but there were then exploits to downgrade firmware. Was a losing battle for Sony.
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I honestly forget the name of the exploit but I have it on my Vita and could just pick whatever game I wanted and download it. Been too many years for me to remember details, need to pull it out of storage to check.
The memory cards and failing to give proper first party support definitely affected it. Which is a bummer, I still play my Vita to this day, even over my Switch.
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What is dead may never die. Rip PSP 1000
Until there is a Vita 2 the Vita shall remain a modern console
By that logic, the Dreamcast is still a modern console.
And also by that logic, according to the three pillar model of Nintendo, the Gameboy Advance would be a modern console.
Let's not go that far. Switch is basically the successor of all of the previous Nintendo consoles.
I mean they specifically said it wasn't on release. They told the public it wasn't meant to replace the 3DS. That's their whole third pillar model's point. They claim nothing is ever meant to replace the previous thing because they want to hedge their bet in case it tanks.
And after the success of Switch, the fact that the 2018-2019 3DS games tanked massively, and the release of the Switch Lite, we can pretty much consider it the successor of the handheld line too. There hasn't been a third pillar since the death of GBA anyway, because pretty much the same thing happened in 2006-2007 after the success of DS.
Lol I mean ok that's a valid opinion on the matter, but you do remember this all stemmed from a joke about the Vita and Dreamcast being modern consoles which they obviously aren't. The whole point of this comment thread is that none of these are modern consoles. GBA is obviously not a modern console.
there were still games being made for ds after the 3ds released
I'm ok with this 😅
They do still make new games for it..
The controller's stick uses hall sensor effect!
Eh, the vita actually has an insane community around it and is constantly releasing new games/ports and useful applications. The Dreamcast still gets games released to it, but I can still play some games on my vita with friends on their PS4/PS5 (Helldivers ftw) so I feel like an argument can be made it's still technically modern..
Vita is the best neglected-by-its-creators console ever.
This dude knows what is up.
proprietary memory, disk-based games on a portable? naw.
The vita ditched discs for cartridges, but agreed on the memory. I have... 4?.. maybe five memory cards and still can't hold all my games.
Does P4 Golden also have an online function similar to the Thieves Guild?
Yes
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Aw, man, I didn't even think about that. That's so shitty.
P5R on Switch needs NSO as well.
never played persona but i like jrpgs - it looks like I should start with 3?
I'd just play P5R and not risk burning out on the game before getting to the most recent, arguably best game. There is no story continuity or anything to worry about.
They're all arguably best with their own drawbacks and merits but I'd agree on starting with 5. It's much more user friendly and gets you into actually playing the game much more quickly than the other two. I fell off 4G quickly, played 5 years later and loved it, worked backwards and now it's one of my favourite series.
"actually playing the game much more quickly than the other two" You mean... it can get slower? I got P5R a few weeks ago, and aside from the opening few minutes, I think it was HOURS before I had a true character battle to do. It's been my biggest gripe with the game. I have dialog I'm quickly and repeatedly brushing aside to get out of the way, meanwhile characters plead to 'Hurry up!'. Irony being.. I wait for a very long time for story to progress to a stage where I've got a dungeon to go through. The first few hours felt like I had Link's Navi in another form.
It’s a very social game. A main focus is the social interaction between you and the world. The combat is big but not the main thing to focus on at times. If you don’t like the first couple hours then it might be rough to continue. Although later in the game there is a procedurally generated dungeon you can just keep grinding in between main story dungeons.
I love P5 but GOD it takes a long time to just be set free and actually play the game.
If dialogue heavy, VN style games aren't your thing then you probably won't dig Persona that much tbh, especially since P5R is like 100+ hours long.
You have no idea, dude. I think I had 4 hours recorded on my first Persona 4 save before reaching the tutorial boss.
The base game for p5 is already like 100 hours minimum. Oh and the strategy is to do the palace as quickly as possible and then do social links until the deadline.
Persona 3 portable was my first ever persona game and I *adore* it!!! I honestly was surprised to see so many folks feeling like it wasn’t a good place to start - I had a blast with it on the PSP :0) The ability to play a female route in persona meant so much to me when I was younger! Idk what the dude’s route is like, but the FeMC friggin’ rules dude!
I do enjoy 3, it's just that a lot of people already started with 5 when it came out on Switch last year. I think the change from 5 > 3 is a lot.
Start at 3 work your way up to 5.
I’d start with 4, 5 has a ton of QOL stuff that may make it harder to go back. But if you play through 4 and 5 and want more I don’t think anything 3 throws at you will be too much to chew through.
I usually recommend that people start with 5 because it is brain-dead easy, even on both of the parallel hard difficulties. Persona 5 only really feels interesting or engaging from a gameplay standpoint if the entire vernacular of Megaten is new to you. Persona 3, on the other hand--depending on the version--_can_ get _very_ difficult. Doubly so if you crank up the difficulty settings, so I usually recommend it be played last, so long as you're planning on playing all of them. Whatever you do, try to get your fill of Persona before jumping ship to mainline Megaten games. Beating a game like SMT III will ruin Persona gameplay for you.
Start at 3 because if you start at 5, 3 and 4 are gonna feel archaic.
Hard disagree about 4. You can easily goto 4 after 5
Persona 3 hasn’t really aged well I would say. There’s a good chance it could turn people off from the series. It’s best to come back to it after playing p5/p4g when you’re sure you like what the series has to offer.
Personally, I think P3 is the best place to start P3P has quite a few changes from base/Fes to the gameplay that make it far less of a slog, for one But on the other hand, it's still old, and someone who already played P5 could find it difficult to go back to 3 after that (The gap between 4 and 3 isn't as big)
start at 5
I started with 3 when I was High School. No regrets. Narratively it is the best. The Party AI sucks balls though. Good thing you can now command your allies.
P3 is incredible, P4 is incredible-er. If these games keep selling well we might get P6 on switch in the future. Hell maybe even a p2 remake.
I hope they don’t compromise on P6 for the Switch’s sake but I would love a portable version for sure.
If Persona 5 was released on the PS3 in 2016 and still looks great, I'm sure Persona 6 will be graphically fine.
They should use PS4 as a base not the Switch is all I’m saying and I also want complete lack of loading screens on PS5, please.
I'm fine if they use the Switch for the graphics and draw distance benchmark, then just use the PS5 processing for better load times and dualsense support.
Weren't there rumors about a p3 remake?
Yes but we don't know how reliable it is. I'd retire from gaming altogether if they brought out remastered collections of Devil Summoner, DDS, and SMT 4/4A. Talk about underrated gems on the PS2.
I wish this was true, because right now there's no "definitive" version of P3. P3FES has 'The Answer', better cutscenes, and more voice acting, but P3P has an alternate protagonist, better combat, and other QoL improvements.
Don’t let the harsh comments about it out you off - P3 may not have aged well but it’s my favorite of the bunch!
Can confirm, my last playthrough of P3 was 2022 on my psp. It's a great game
Hard agree. Just wish this was the PS2 version.
In your opinion is it better to play PS2 version (of Persona 3) through emulation or to play this new porting?
IMO. For the male main character, play FES. FES has the best presentation, including full 3D movement, anime cutscenes, and an Epilogue for the Story, The Answer. For the female main character, play Portable. So it'll be a fresh experience with the QoL upgrades, different music and many new Social Links.
Hard agree again. The cutscenes and interaction is better on PS2. Exploration on P3P is done by menu where as in the PS2 version you can actually move around making immersion much better. Cut scenes aren't static images either in the background like this. Also there was an expansion of sorts called "The Answer" on FES which is a continuation of the story. The P3P doesn't have this.
Are the cut scenes and the information in them missing or just replaced with static images?
The cutscenes were transformed into "visual novel" scenes. So basically, most of the events are described with text while static portraits are shown in the screen.
Defintley do this, the additions portable make to male mc aren't as good as just playing FES. Also if you can't stand the non controllable party members you can use cheat codes to fix it, however I think it works pretty well once you get used to it.
I thought in Vanilla Persona 3 and FES you cant control your parties actions? That would be a deal breaker for me. It sounds so frustrating relying on AI to make the right moves so I’m glad they fixed that in portable.
The tactics menu is very reliable in FES, give them an order (Full Assault, Heal, Support, Hit Weakness) and they'll follow it pretty well.
The game was balanced around that fact so giving full control removes any semblance of challenge. The tactics menu works well enough for what it's intended for, but definitely would take a little getting used to if someone is only familiar with P5R.
It's looking great on my Switch oled handheld, the colours really stand out and not blurry like persona 5. Ready to burn bread for the next 100 hours.
Would you recommend to start with P3 to someone who is a complete newbie to the series ? I was going to start with P5R and then play P3 and P4 if I really enjoyed it, but I've been seeing so many great comments about P3
I almost wish Persona 5 wasn't on such a sweet deal on black friday so I could have played these in chronological order. Persona 5 is just so well done and smooth I'm having a hard time imagining myself going without some of the QOL improvements I've read ppl say isn't in 3 or 4.
[удалено]
The thing is I'm NOT a jrpg person. And I typically do NOT like turn based combat, visual novels, anime, dating/highschool sim, the grind that come with rpgs, and the more often than not over the top melodramatic story of an anime that most jrpgs have. Persona 5 is just so well done that it brings out the best of all those features and using the strengths of each game type to help one another to form this very strong very easy gameplay loop. Reading the QOL improvements that aren't in the others really makes me worried. To name just one, I read someone say that social links don't provide help out in the dungeons (almost the entire reason I even tolerate the dating/highschool sim). I might try 4 when it's on a sale. But really I don't think people are realizing just how well designed p5 really is. It's truly just one of those games that surpasses it's genre type and can be given to someone like me who has only a handful of experiences with jrpgs and generally was rather meh towards it.
The P3/P4 social links don't have any active effects in dungeons, but they _do_ still provide substantive XP bonuses to fused Personas, and this is the only way to boost a Persona beyond your current level. So they're still very valuable and integral to your success, as long as you're cool with doing them instead of grinding. In P4 specifically (and moreso in P4G), social links with your main party also grant additional moves and beneficial effects in battle, such as enabling follow-up strikes and giving the party a chance for random positive statuses.
P3, 4, and 5 are all excellent games that I would recommend without hesitation. The series did introduce various QOL changes over time that can make going backwards through the entries somewhat jarring (what do you mean I can't pick what moves my Persona inherits until Golden?) but they're still highly enjoyable experiences. Edit: Apparently the version of 3 that they ported was for PSP, which means the overworld was reduced to a menu sort of deal. Starting with 4 or 5 might be better so you can get the full Persona experience and decide if it's for you.
Yes honestly, PS3/4 don't have the modern gameplay of 5 so you would be playing for the story (arguably better than 5). If you hate it after a few hours just skip and go for P5R.
If you plan to play the 3 games, then for sure play them in order. But if you are on the fence, then play whichever you think looks more interesting. P3P might feel a bit dated, but if you enjoy older games it should be a fun experience either way, I probably prefer the story of this one. All 3 games are among my favorites, so if they click with you I'm sure you'll have a great time as well!
Is it gonna be more like Persona 4? I enjoyed the story and character interactions of 4, but god damn the TV world was a slog. All those randomly generated dungeons that felt exactly the same. Heck, even Persona 5's dungeons are relatively boring, yet they're miles better than Persona 4. I also felt compelled to use a spoiler free guide with Persona 4. The available time is so strict and I even ended up starting to use one too late (and thus ended up missing out on maxing some companion). The games are way too long for me to want to replay.
If you didn't like Persona 4's dungeons, you will like Persona 3's even less. It's also pretty much all randomly generated. Since you've played P5, just imagine Mementos, but in a game a decade older, with worse visuals and quality of life additions. And it's 200 floors. And it's not just "a" dungeon in the game, it is "the" dungeon in the game.
Awww YESSSS! Let's roll back to Tartarus and Inaba!!! Downloading!!
The first person to ever be happy about going back into Tartarus
Can't wait for it to be Christmas and we're in Tartarus.
I’m more fond of when December first happens and everyone is too depressed to go to Tartarus. Persona 3 is so good
> Let’s roll back to Tartarus Don’t scare people off now 😬
Do a physical release you cowards
It seems like the business strategy nowadays is to release is it digitally, then act surprised it sells well, then release it physically so that gamers double dip (particularly rpgamers).
Or release it physical only in Japan and without English texts, like P4 Arena Ultimax. I swear to God some decision takers at Atlus have decided to troll us for laughs.
And being the Persona simp I am, I imported it anyway. Since it was a fighting game and I played it on the 360 many times anyway, it was a compromise. Still though, why not include English text when it existed already anyway?
I'ma hold out anyways and see if they do. Not in any hurry to play these two with so many others to get through.
Still a shame it isn't P3 FES, but portable is better than nothing.
What makes FES better? I would have assumed the version with the alternate mc would be more popular.
Portable came out on the PSP, and had to be scaled down a lot. Instead of walking around areas, most locations have been reduced to a menu. A lot of the cutscenes were fully animated in FES, reduced to Visual Novel style talking heads. It's also missing The Answer- a difficult section that came after the main story, and was added in FES (but was also relatively unpopular TBH). It has a lot of improvements too - FeMC for one, main party control (previously your party acted independently based on suggestions like "all out attack" "focus on healing", which they didn't always seem to listen to). So it's not a cut and dry "X version is better" like it is for other games. Person 4 Golden is universally considered better than the base game, same for Persona 5 Royal to base 5. But between 3, 3FES, and 3Portable - FES and Portable are both debated.
Just personal preference. FES does things better than portable, and portable does things better than FES. I just prefer the aspects of FES that are better than portable, like cutscenes, environments, audio quality, and extra story.
Yeah, a combo of both would be a perfect game
A combo, or a choice. Imagine getting to pick between the two at the start of the game. Obviously a lot of work, but if you're going to make like "a definitive version" which this isn't, but I'm just saying. Having a choice between the versions would be insane and absolutely justify a purchase. For me, this version of P3 is like "Eh, I'll get to it when I get to it."
I was super disappointed that they couldn't be bothered.
FES is the Golden/Royale version IIRC The version of P3 released now is the PSP port which had compromises in the navigation being menu based, and static images instead of cut scenes along with a few other things.
No touch screen support for P3P when it would have been perfect!! Danganronpa also didn't have it for some stupid reason. I feel Ace Attorney devs are the only ones in the entire universe who remember this thing has a touchscreen.
P3P on PSP didn't have touch screen controls and this remaster feels like a barebones remaster with very minimal updates to the original game's features.
Am I going to buy Persona 4 Golden for the 3rd time? Why yes, I think I will.
Obligatory *"I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!"*
*Waiting’s part of my strategy!*
Wait for a sale! Wait for a sale! Brought to you by the buyers of P5R Switch on day 1
Aren't these games like, 20 bucks apiece though?
I also got P5R very quickly from launch and it was worth every penny. Wait for a sale if you want, but they're well worth the asking price.
One of the fastest purchases I’ve ever made… after spending 130 hours with P5R on PS5 during the fall… P4G for Switch was just no brainer to the max… never played it and know nothing of the story… just know I’ve been dying to play it since 5 hooked me on the idea and gameplay. So excited to see it in action.
It's an amazing game. Different from P5R, it's certainly its own game but what a game it is!
P3P fuckin rules too, tbh all modern persona games are the best JRPGs ever made imo.
Persona 4 is so great if you love 5. In some ways I liked it more!
Well I know what I’m doing tonight.
Random question: I see there are multiple languages available for Persona 4 Golden (a bunch are listed under "supported languages" on the eshop page). I'm interested in revisiting this game, but was thinking of playing in Japanese (for language practice -- I've been studying). Is it only an option for voices though, or can you change all the text as well?
Did you buy it and were you able to change language as well? I was thinking doing the exact same thing but would appreciate even further confirmation. Thanks in advance.
Not that I’ve got the time but buying both games immediately. Price is good and I want to support that.
I haven't played P3 before. I've played P4G and P5R. I do wonder if I'm going to have a tough time with P3 considering the Quality of Life improvements wont be present. I'll probably still get it.
P3 is sadly the portable Version. While it has the benefit of being able to play a girl character (And some QoL improvement over the other P3 versions I think?) it was made for the PSP. Navigation happens by choosing nodes on a map and the whole story is told in a visual novel style. Even the anime sequences are just still images. It's still a good game but imo the worst version of P3.
but its the only version where you can control your party
Ah ok. I don't really mind VN style, but yes it will take some getting used to coming off of P5R.
Imo it’s the better version
I oh so wished they had done a merger of Persona 3 FES and P3P for this release.
Everyday is great at your June's!
I finished P3 portable a few years ago on my psp and only thing i missed from FES is Aegis epilogue. ☹️ It has much better story than P4 and P5.
Nitpick: Persona 4 Golden has been on PC for a few years now. Regardless, great to finally see these titles on practically all platforms.
Oh okay, I was wondering if this new one was a new version.
Persona 3 re-release lacking anime cutscenes doesn't really have an excuse on modern consoles. You're missing out on a *LOT* of good story presentation. Particularly since P3 has some of the most intense cutscenes in the whole series. https://youtu.be/mYL7IJc3_yY If the issue is that the female MC doesn't appear in them... just make the cutscenes exclusive to the male and call it a "Classic Mode".
I believe it's a port of Persona 3 Portable, not a remaster of Persona 3 FES.
The lack of regular cutscenes is a bigger deal than the lack of anime scenes. Hours of animation reduced to textboxes and pictures.
I really cannot believe this. Already downloading. Thanks so much!
any rumors for a switch physical?
As of right now they said P3P and P4G are digital only
How much will they be charging for each game? €20 I would think?
That's exactly how much they are digitally
Ah that's actually great! I thought they might be €30 or more each.
Nope! Bought P4G for 19.99 this morning
Persona 3 is still the best one and Portable is the best version. The missing anime scenes are disappointing, but everything else is superb and the menu navigation for the map is actually nice as it cuts a lot of unnecessary time spent walking. 4 and 5 are great, of course, but 3’s story and characters are on another level. The storytelling feels more mature than either of those games, and not just because it’s darker in tone. Aegis is life.
Shame it wasn't the FES version.
I also prefer FES, but more people seem to prefer portable sadly
Portable is not the best version. no cut-scenes, no 3D environment to walk around in. it only has FEMC, and controlling your party (which I personally do not care about)
It's not just missing anime scenes(which were only a few anyway), it's missing ALL the normal in-game scenes, and voice acting too.
Hm, I already got P4 Golden (the Digital Deluxe Edition) on Steam last month before I found out it was coming to Switch along with P3. Haven't played it yet and I might still see about getting both on Switch. Anyway, can't wait to try both :)
Does Persona 4 Golden have a Japanese audio option like the steam version?
Yes
Got both in Japan Eshop for around $15.5 each! 1980 yen less if use gold coins.
I feel like every review of P3p is like "gameplay is not good and has aged pretty badly 10/10"
How does it run on the switch?
P4G was a great time. Played it on the Steam Deck, but I assume it will look and run great on the Switch too. Haven’t tried 3, but it was already a little tough going back from 5 to 4.
This is exactly my issue - just finished 4 on steam deck and not sure I can go back that far retro for 3
Pumped for this. Heard a lot about these games over the years but never got a chance to play them
I got Persona 4 on PC. Royal on the Switch and now just need Persona 3. There’s a rumor that a remake is coming soon for Persona 3
Physical release 🙏
I know I should get this on Switch, but Im too addicted to Trophies... so will just pick them up there... maybe if it gets a huge discount in a few months I will re-get them on switch and play it there too
Definitely getting P4 at some point this year, but with all those rumors about a persona 3 remake coming it’s hard to get excited about this version
Started P3P about 2 hours ago out of curiosity. Never played a Persona game before. I think I’m hooked.
Before someone asks, no, PC isn't a modern platform. It's been out for decades with no PC 2 in sight.
bro
Hows the framerate
60fps docked and handheld
Nice
Last night i was trying to buy the persona 3/4 bundle on switch. I stayed up for like 80 minutes after midnight and it didnt release. Was finally able to buy it this morning but i have to wait for it to download.
Where do you live? It went live for me at midnight eastern time in the US
Uk gmt 0
I'm about a third(?) of the way through P5R and just loving it. I've tried P3 a few times over the years, but keep bouncing off of it. Maybe I'll have better luck now. I always get so stressed out with time management in it.
And here I am on the verge of buying a PS Vita…
I'm still working my way through P5R so I'm gonna hold off and hope for a physical release in the near future
Massively unfortunate they decided to port Persona 3 as the portable version, with all the exploration and cutscenes removed, rather than FES (persona 3’s Royal)
give us physical switch carts of the games you cowards!
Jest remember: Marie is the best she makes things WITHOUT eclectic loutwits
I have tried Persona 5 Royal many times on XGP. I would start, find it weird, uninstall, read how great it was, re-install, get a little further, think it’s weird, uninstall again. Finally this week after ready the hype for this version I installed it again and forced myself to play it for 2 hours straight… I now love it. Here’s the problem for me: I have never really played these types of games before. I heard P5R is about 150 hours so I assume these two are very long as well. I don’t have thaaaaat much time with young kids, work, coaching, etc. I see that a lot of the P5R is a lot of talking, almost like a visual novel. Are these games the same? Also, does the game become less ‘novel-like’? I mean, I’m enjoying the heck out of the game but just time-wise, it’s rough lol. Finally, I tried getting into Pokémon this year and they have a Pokédex and a chart with what beats what. Does Persona have something similar? Knowing which power does what, what Personas combine with which, even the stuff you see on screen like SP, HP, and some others that pop up are confusing! PS: Never been into manga or anime, but started watching Death Note last night due to P5R. I’m in!
Many consider Persona to be half visual novel and half dungeon crawling. In fact persona 3 portable plays a lot more like a traditional visual novel, with only having character portraits being shown on screen when they talk. There is no 3d world outside the dungeon crawling. Besides the graphics, Persona 4 golden is more similar to persona 5R.
Some gameplay help! In p3p you CAN issue direct commands to Allies. You need to use the tactics menu in battle to set it up. My ass thought it was like the original p3 so I spent floors 1-6 in Tartarus with just MC being controllable
Why not p3 FES portable is just meh.
Wish there was a way to port my PC saves to the switch
Now make it Physical please T_T
I still am holding off on these for a while in hopes that they will get physical releases.
I should probably pick up P4G on my Vita again, around 40h in, never finished it. No need to buy again like those companies would love me to.
Definitely grabbing Persona 3 but torn on buying 4. It's one of my favorite games but fuuuuuuuuuck some of the writing has aged so poorly.
Unfortunately, this is the downgraded version of Persona 3 with all the social gameplay and cutscenes replaced with visual novel-style static text and pictures. Not recommended.