I once borrowed a friend's old PS2 that barely worked and had to bargain hunt for a month to find a copy of the original Persona 4, and I didn't even mind, so excited was I for the critically-acclaimed JRPG. The story and characters did not disappoint, and I was hooked on the mystery.
However, the gameplay caused... problems. The dungeons were too long, and were clearly made for someone who had enough time on their hands to just play through them for hours upon hours at a time, without needing to put down the controller to do other things with great frequency, since the system practically requires the player to marathon huge chunks of them and doesn't let the player save inside. Personas were created via randomized fusion, and could only be acquired through an asinine reflexes-based mini-game that I hated to death. I just kinda gave up partway through my second run-through of the Steamy Bathhouse, not even finishing it once.
Then, I got a Vita for Christmas. It was still a young console, with few really good games available for it, but this was one of them. The Golden not only provides the same great story as the original, but smooths out all the gameplay kinks in the process. Lower difficulty levels are available for people like me who want to experience the story the first time through. Taking a long break from a dungeon to do something else is as simple as hitting the "PS" button on the Vita and turning it into a window. The player can now make the Persona they want from the skills they want, and selecting them now involves a clever "pick X cards" minigame that offers other rewards, creating an interesting new dynamic. Both reward thought and risk-reward calculation rather than goat-sacrifices to the RNG.
As to the new story content, I wasn't a fan of the character models or some of the writing in the new animated bits, but most of them managed to be at least amusing. Marie did feel a little forced and cliche, and her poetry sucked, but she grew on me, and the Hollow Forest she unlocked was such a great pacing change I'm amazed the plot ever worked without it. And Adachi's Social Link is pitch-perfect, if spoilery as all get out.
It's been a few years, and I now have many other games for the system that I love too, but Persona 4 is still the best game on the Vita and the best way to experience the story.
A Superior Experience: P4 The Golden
I once borrowed a friend's old PS2 that barely worked and had to bargain hunt for a month to find a copy of the original Persona 4, and I didn't even mind, so excited was I for the critically-acclaimed JRPG. The story and characters did not disappoint, and I was hooked on the mystery.
However, the gameplay caused... problems. The dungeons were too long, and were clearly made for someone who had enough time on their hands to just play through them for hours upon hours at a time, without needing to put down the controller to do other things with great frequency, since the system practically requires the player to marathon huge chunks of them and doesn't let the player save inside. Personas were created via randomized fusion, and could only be acquired through an asinine reflexes-based mini-game that I hated to death. I just kinda gave up partway through my second run-through of the Steamy Bathhouse, not even finishing it once.
Then, I got a Vita for Christmas. It was still a young console, with few really good games available for it, but this was one of them. The Golden not only provides the same great story as the original, but smooths out all the gameplay kinks in the process. Lower difficulty levels are available for people like me who want to experience the story the first time through. Taking a long break from a dungeon to do something else is as simple as hitting the "PS" button on the Vita and turning it into a window. The player can now make the Persona they want from the skills they want, and selecting them now involves a clever "pick X cards" minigame that offers other rewards, creating an interesting new dynamic. Both reward thought and risk-reward calculation rather than goat-sacrifices to the RNG.
As to the new story content, I wasn't a fan of the character models or some of the writing in the new animated bits, but most of them managed to be at least amusing. Marie did feel a little forced and cliche, and her poetry sucked, but she grew on me, and the Hollow Forest she unlocked was such a great pacing change I'm amazed the plot ever worked without it. And Adachi's Social Link is pitch-perfect, if spoilery as all get out.
It's been a few years, and I now have many other games for the system that I love too, but Persona 4 is still the best game on the Vita and the best way to experience the story.