Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable (Sony PSP)

Something about myself:

I wouldn't claim myself a long time Persona fan, but ever since I played Persona 4 I fall in love with this series and ATLUS. They made some nice quality games, especially the SMT series.

It is not exaggerating to say that P4 is probably one of the best RPG games made for PS2. Throughout the 25 some years gaming experiences, I could hardly remember any game can easily sink me 100+ hours, and P4 and P3 FES are some of them.

Enough of the history, let's get to the point:

Most people looking at this item would probably heard or have played Persona 3/P3 FES/P4 before, so they have a general understanding of the game already, I think ATLUS made a wise decision to port the P3 onto the PSP.

When I was playing P4 I had the thought, "what if I could play this game on my PSP, that would be awesome!", now it is like my dream come true :)

After playing through P4 three times, I bought P3 FES, and man you gotta say that P4 is much more polished compare to P3/P3FES. It took me a while to get used to the combat system, and if you already get used to P4, you wouldn't really like some of the ways they made P3. Granted, the story of P3 is great.

Let's look at some of the major improvements they made for P3P:

1. Ability to select a Female MC. After playing another two times through P3FES, one would love to be able to experience some alternative plots.

2. There are four Persona from P4.

3. Battle system from P4. Easy to do "1 more" but no more turn loss if not in "Dizzy" status.

4. Party members will not get tired in Tartaros (but you will get tired in next day), fortunately we can buy some item to cure tired.

5. When you go to the mall at night, once you return to your dorm you will no longer have the time slot to study, instead you go directly to the next day.

6. There are part time jobs which will increase multiple MC stats just like P4.

7. Shrine function changed, Inari will copy skill card only.

8. One thing I like a lot is the Skill cards added to P3P, with these cards you can easily transfer the skills onto other personas, also easy to make all-around personas for MC. (Four-hit all Tam Lin anyone? :)

9. Yes, New costumes! Just like the first reviewer said, new constumes seems rather easier to get. I love the MShe's sweater.

10.New S-links for female MC.

11.New difficulties - Beginner and Maniac (+ usual Easy, Normal and Hard)

12.Theo, the New male Velvet room guide for female MC

13.Fixed melee weapon. 1 hand sword for male MC and naginata for female MC (both are slash type attack).

14.Another important change is that Fusion spells are now items - no need to have Persona. But you have to get them via request, event or exchange gems. This has its pros and cons.

15.Police station will handle accessory as well (Be Blue V is now healing shop to cure tired status), I actually like this change, since we have the streamline equipment screem just like P4, it is much much easier to buy and sell equipments for our party.

16.New "rescue missing person" quest.

17.S-links will be no longer become Reverse by leave it for long time - but you can via choose wrong answers.

18.New "Paradigm Door" a.k.a Vision Quest. Fight all the full moon bosses + extra special battle to get prize. Some people dislike P3P, because they say P3P didn't port everything from P3FES. well, the Paradigm door surves the "The Answer", and playing as Aigis or playing as female MC doesn't make too much difference to me.

Well, that's about it. If you are like me that loves Persona series, you will definitely want to pick this up. My PSP has sit there for two years without anything worth to play, but this will definitely make full use of it again!

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I won't start this off with an obscure question or some passe skepticism about this title. Plain and simple: I am perhaps a "mega-fan" of anything in the MegaTen universe, especially the Persona offspring series. Yes, that does mean that I have both copies of the original Revelations and the new PSP remake, as well as both editions--that includes the Japanese-only--of Persona 2. The original Persona 3, and the subsequent FES, only helped solidify my love for the foreign franchise. And what can I say about P4? You can guess. And at the announcement of P3P, you could also guess the palpable amaze I felt. But enough about me.

Let me just say that this game succeeds on all levels. However, some may look at this iteration and ask: "Is it truly worth purchasing if I bought the original P3 and FES?" Well, yes, you should. First and foremost, this is only P3, albeit re-done with extra bonus and a new campaign featuring a feminine perspective. In this, they are tailoring to both newcomers and veterans alike. But, as I said earlier, this is only P3. While it does feature a bonus dungeon (Vision Quest) that resembles that of P3: The Answer, this version does NOT include the extra 30+ hour adventure. This shouldn't be a bad thing. Considering each campaign is around 80 hours long (more or less), and there are two characters to play, it should easily occupy you for ages.

Let's start with the story: If you've played this before, you know the drill. A group of gifted students experience a peculiar hour between each day hidden from the world. As the game goes on, plot twists (of which you won't expect, if you haven't played) ensue. It is dark and warped, with esoteric occult themes and morbid facinations. But there is humor, romance, friendship, struggle, and other emotional moments, so don't begin to think this is some overtly gothic romp. The dialogue--the translation--is superb. Atlus has always done an outstanding job translating these games, and P3P is no exception. Each character is well developed and deep; you may think they are merely archetypes, but P3 goes far beyond. Also, there are new characters, so veterans will be pleased. Accompanying the characters is equally wonderful voice acting. If you're somewhat lucid to any of the anime/Japananimation/Japanese-developed game scene, you'll recognize many of the veterans VAs. One of my favorites, Michelle Ruff of Rukia Kuchiki (Bleach) fame, voices Yukari Takeba! Hah. Many others entreat your ears with some of their best performances throughtout their careers.

Speaking of voice actors, I should mention the sound overall. Again, as in previous Atlus titles, P3P gives the gamer a splended assortment of musical tracks to listen to, all thanks to master composer Shoji Meguro. And the female campaign has personalized music and tracks throughout the adventure. I especially enjoyed the Battle themes... (I'm not a princess...) Ahem. Overall, still excellent.

Now, graphically, the game is a mixed bag. Being on the PSP, you can only go so far, but it feels as if P3P could have gone a little further. Character models look fine if not a little flat (graphically, not dimentionally), and Tartarus still looks menacing, but everything is a step down from the PS2 iteration. Colors are vibrant, but the textures don't have the same clarity. And it should be noted that the game eschews all anime cutscenes from the previous game, now giving you cutscenes in still-frames with character voices or those animated in the game's graphics. Some of the original cutscenes lose their bite, but for the most-part, P3P easily maintains itself.

P3P also changes in gameplay. In some areas, it's subtle. In others, not so much. But, it's not a bad thing, for the most part. In Tartarus, you can expect the original gameplay, with battles being fast, strategic and satisfying. P3P borrows elements from P4, such as the ability to manually control your party members, which give it a little different feel. Yes, you still grind (and I mean grind. There are over hundreds of floors of enemies) through Tartarus, but the battle system never tires. Luckly, if the combat aspects of the game aren't your cup-o-tea, there is another half of the game. But, navigating the regular world is a far-cry from the original. You now navigate a cursor, rather than an on-screen avatar. This isn't so bad, and there are more interactions with the environment available to you. Social links still are the same, and this includes their quality. For a portable, the game is beyond successful in its attempt and the game fully immerses you. While changed, it's formula still accomplishes each task with gusto. On a side note, you'll want to opt for the data install, which helps load times. Just a little forewarning.

In summation, P3P is an excellent title, easily the best in recent years. Atlus has poured time and care into crafting a new, yet familiar title for fan and newbie alike. All of the addons give it a new-experience feel, and the second campaign character breaths life and longevity into this handheld title. With wholeheartedness, I can recommend Persona 3 Portable to anyone who owns Sony's little buddy.

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My son is a fan of obscure games. Amazon delivered as promised and above expectations.

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