Reviews VideoGame / Persona 4

...I agree with your conclusion, but find it completely at odds with the rest of your review.

But then, I'm pretty much in the opposite boat, being a Persona fan who doesn't like the main-series SMT games.

It's okay any criticism is good.

I'm not saying Persona 4 has bad characters, i just said that IM MY OPINION they aren't very developed as 99% of the reviews i see say.

I like this game, had great moments but this is not "THE BEST RPG EVER MADE!", i really don't know how this game has 93 on metacritic.

This isn't a game for everyone, it's very niche, almost unknown until the PSP port.

Well, I don't know what to say besides that I don't agree. You really rant all over the Social Links system, for instance, by arguing that it somehow prevents character development. That makes no sense to me whatsoever, given that the entire point of the Social Link system is to demonstrate character development for whoever the protagonist is spending time with.

Or, you argue with one hand that Social Links offer no gameplay benefits so you don't enjoy going through them, then argue with the other that you resent having to go through them to unlock the powerful bonuses and Personae they offer. Which is it?

That said, I agree that the non-combat Dating Sim stats were a mistake. They're a pointless artifact from other parts of the genre that offers nothing to the player but a pointless time sink. Easily the worst gameplay misstep in the game, and one that you pretty much have to be on a New Game + to bypass.

I think what it boils down to is the characters. I like them and feel they're more three-dimensional than even most other video game characters, let alone the cardboard cut-outs from most SMT games, you think they're lifeless anime stereotypes. I buy their friendship as a bunch of teenagers thrown together by circumstance and slowly learning to bond over shared experiences, you think they're too different to gel.

So, because you don't like the characters, it poisons the well for you, and you can't enjoy the story, social links, or character interactions. And I'm not saying you're wrong (personal taste is personal, after all), just that your opinion is in the apparent minority here and that's why it's got a 93 on Metacritic.

I know the Social Links are made for Character Development, but they only work with the MC + [insert character here], and the fact that they are mean nothing in the end is bad. By logic, why should i care about the development if they never show it in the game?

I loved Kanji social link, it was adorable how he changed from "Make a joke and i'll kick your ass!" to "These kids like the toys i made, i learned to accept myself and do what i love instead of worrying about other people's opinions!" and then comes the story and he acts like that never happened. It's more frustrating than rewarding.

I said that Social Links are directly part of the gameplay, that means, if someone DOESN't like the dating is forced to do it for the personas, and if someone LIKES the dating will get disappointed because it's has no impact. That's is not good.

What does the SMT characters have to do? That was a pointless personal attack, i know they have no charisma but it's not like i expected them to have any. I played other persona games too you know?

I finishied Persona 3: FES and i thought they had much more chemistry, Junpei and Akihiko teasing each other on the beach, Yukari and Mitsuru parental problems, Ken and Shinjiro's past, etc everything had much more impact than Persona 4 bike races or the mall show (that was filler).

Hell, Persona 2 IS group contacts where more friendly than "Way to go _______ senpai/kun/chan!"

There is no "story" to enjoy, social links don't give a reason to care and the character interactions are debatable. I'd say the main reason this game got a 93 on Metacritic is because it's one of the few good PS Vita games.

But it's STILL not a game for everyone, it's good but i would never recommend it to a fan of conventional rpgs like Final Fantasy.

So it's the disconnect thing? The same way in Fire Emblem Awakening people get turned off by how support conversations are ultimately disconnected from one another thanks to their optional nature? I actually get that. I don't necessarily agree, but I get it. For me, the fact that they exist is what makes them part of the story, one way or another, and I forgive the creators for not necessarily wanting to write thirty variations of each scene for the different possible levels of character development anyone might or might not have gone through.

I do think that the new links from the Vita remake represent great strides in this area, and, as someone struggling with 3 after playing 4, for all I know 5 will do just as much to blow it out of the water.

You... are absolutely right. That pointless personal attack on the main SMT series was uncalled for, and I apologize for it. I realize this will not necessarily excuse me, but I'll only say that I'm tired of fist-fighting some of the series' more snobbish fans on this point. I mean, I've literally been told that I'm only a Persona fan because I'm too stupid to appreciate the main series.

It drags us back to the main point again. I like the characters and their chemistry, but since that's completely subjective it's not like either of us is write or wrong on that point. I would say, though, that thinking about it from a perspective of "Would I recommend this game to fans of X/Is it like X?" is wrong-headed. No, Persona 4 isn't much like many Final Fantasy titles, but plenty of Final Fantasy titles aren't like one another. Furthermore, there are plenty of Final Fantasy fans who like other games and other genres.

I think that the very fact that Persona 4 has gained such universal success belies your point, and that it does have some sort of universal appeal. I won't tell you that you actually liked it or that you're wrong, just that I disagree.

It's okay, i didn't mean to sound like an SMT elitist or anything, i like the persona series too.

My main problem is indeed the social links having no effect, i played the whole game with the "What's the point of being nice to Teddie? He will give me Lucifer anyway..."

If only there was a True True True Ending where you need to have everyone maxed social link where they show the development then i would care more.

Yeah, people have different tastes, maybe i was spoiled with P2/3 and SMT. I love SMT/Persona but i mostly play western games, so i got the "Too much anime!" vibe from it.

I said recommendation from my experience, i showed the game to my friends and most of them couldn't get into.

It's too slow paced for a FF player, no classes for a Dragon Quest player, few mons for a pokemon player, "too japanese" for a skyrim player, too much dating for most gamers, and so on.

As you said P4 got universal praise but it's not an "universal game", i'd say Persona 3/4 is more complex than SMT since you have to manage both days and demons. For me a perfect game should be acessible for everyone.

It's a great game, but if you can't stand J-pop, not into dating sims, hates long conversations and/or "anime plot" this game won't work for you.

I enjoyed the gameplay and the experience of most social links (i hate Yosuke's.), rolled my eyes with some cutscenes (Hot Springs Episode) but liked most of them, even the silly ones, i just love the voice acting. I don't regret playing it, money well spent.