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| The Entertainment Review |
| Developer: Atlus Publisher: Atlus USA |
In the past, there was a time when RPG games hit players at the core of their emotions while they played through the game. They
became one with the characters, they felt their pain, they wanted to truly help those in need. Unfortunately for RPG gamers, the quality of
RPG games has dropped dramatically over the past couple of years. Switching to next-gen systems has seemed to be a problem for
most genres, however, “Persona 3: FES” takes what worked with the original PlayStation and created an RPG game that reaches to the
core of what it means to be a role-playing game, story first, game play second.
Though a battle system that seems to be semi-automatic seems to be a downfall to the game, the character-rich storyline and better
than average voice acting set the game up for a successful run. Sometimes it requires a sequel in order to fix all of the glitches in a
game, but players won’t have to wait for Persona 4 to find out what happens following “Persona 3: FES” because the game is an
upgraded version of the original game and is filled with a new journey to continues the story of the last game.
For those that have history with the last game, it is apparent that there is an emotional impact to the storyline from the very beginning.
Each character is dealing with a loss of some type. For players who have played through the first quest, the outcome of the game is not
going to be any secret. The game features a new character lead, and someone is missing from the second chapter this time around.
The game takes place after the events of the first quest. The new chapter of the story titled “The Answer,” begins when another incident
occurs. An unknown force prevents the group from leaving their dorm and Aigis must lead Junpei, Yukari and the newcomer Metis into
battle. Of course, there are a few supporting characters including Ken, Fuuka, Mitsuru and Akihiko.
The battle system in “Persona 3: FES” remains faithful to the original game. With Aigis in the lead, players control her as the main
character. Additional party members are treated as weapons that are somewhat placed on autopilot. Players are able to direct their
actions, but players cannot entirely control them. For those that are used to playing RPGs that allow players to control each character,
this game may prove to be a little bit of a disappointment.
Even with the disappointing battle controls, the game is still fun. The game brings back the rush feature to double the speed of battle,
allowing players to eliminate some of the genre’s most annoying components and control battle actions automatically at the same
time. This increases the distance between the player and the game play since they can put down the controller and walk away.
However, with other automatic feature in the game, this doesn’t mean that players should turn on the autopilot and leave it to play by
itself. This is not a good idea at all. Maybe for the average fight with a dungeon beast it would be okay, but it wouldn’t be recommended
for any new enemies or a more difficult enemy.
Unlike the original, this game is set with a higher-than-average difficulty. The monsters do not take any pity on players and it is
necessary to heal and save often throughout the game. In order to take on the increased challenge, the game offers more Persona
cards than in the first game. Players will have the chance to win new cards at the end of each battle, along with various growth and
currency cards. The game becomes even more difficult by enhancing the difficulty of the card shuffle. Along with the fast moving
shuffles, cards also fly off the screen before stopping, making it more difficult for players to keep track of any particular card during the
shuffle.
For those that loved the original game play of “Persona 3,” the new content offered in “Persona 3: FES” is a must have game. Though
there are some issues with battle system, the game is much more than the original game. Like many movie and games with sequels,
the sequel of the original is better with time. Though the dialogue is a little bit awkward, the voice work is superb. Most of the
characters’ intentions are very believable throughout the game, it will make players want to go back through and replay the original
game all over again.
Overall, many players of the series will agree that the most important addition to “Persona 3: FES” is the new quest. However, that isn’t
the only enhancement to the game. The original game has been changed slightly with additional Personas, better Social Links and
Persona interactions, a system that allows players to create new weapons by combining Personas, a bonus difficulty setting and other
miscellaneous extras. For those players that have a save file from the original “Persona 3” game, they will be able to transfer known
fusion spell combinations, academic charms and courage rankings, Personas that are registered in the compendium and items from
any Social Links that have reached their maximum level.
For those that love RPGs, a great story and are willing to spend a couple bucks, “Persona 3: FES” is a must have game. This is an
amazing enhanced edition of “Persona 3” that shouldn’t be missed.
became one with the characters, they felt their pain, they wanted to truly help those in need. Unfortunately for RPG gamers, the quality of
RPG games has dropped dramatically over the past couple of years. Switching to next-gen systems has seemed to be a problem for
most genres, however, “Persona 3: FES” takes what worked with the original PlayStation and created an RPG game that reaches to the
core of what it means to be a role-playing game, story first, game play second.
Though a battle system that seems to be semi-automatic seems to be a downfall to the game, the character-rich storyline and better
than average voice acting set the game up for a successful run. Sometimes it requires a sequel in order to fix all of the glitches in a
game, but players won’t have to wait for Persona 4 to find out what happens following “Persona 3: FES” because the game is an
upgraded version of the original game and is filled with a new journey to continues the story of the last game.
For those that have history with the last game, it is apparent that there is an emotional impact to the storyline from the very beginning.
Each character is dealing with a loss of some type. For players who have played through the first quest, the outcome of the game is not
going to be any secret. The game features a new character lead, and someone is missing from the second chapter this time around.
The game takes place after the events of the first quest. The new chapter of the story titled “The Answer,” begins when another incident
occurs. An unknown force prevents the group from leaving their dorm and Aigis must lead Junpei, Yukari and the newcomer Metis into
battle. Of course, there are a few supporting characters including Ken, Fuuka, Mitsuru and Akihiko.
The battle system in “Persona 3: FES” remains faithful to the original game. With Aigis in the lead, players control her as the main
character. Additional party members are treated as weapons that are somewhat placed on autopilot. Players are able to direct their
actions, but players cannot entirely control them. For those that are used to playing RPGs that allow players to control each character,
this game may prove to be a little bit of a disappointment.
Even with the disappointing battle controls, the game is still fun. The game brings back the rush feature to double the speed of battle,
allowing players to eliminate some of the genre’s most annoying components and control battle actions automatically at the same
time. This increases the distance between the player and the game play since they can put down the controller and walk away.
However, with other automatic feature in the game, this doesn’t mean that players should turn on the autopilot and leave it to play by
itself. This is not a good idea at all. Maybe for the average fight with a dungeon beast it would be okay, but it wouldn’t be recommended
for any new enemies or a more difficult enemy.
Unlike the original, this game is set with a higher-than-average difficulty. The monsters do not take any pity on players and it is
necessary to heal and save often throughout the game. In order to take on the increased challenge, the game offers more Persona
cards than in the first game. Players will have the chance to win new cards at the end of each battle, along with various growth and
currency cards. The game becomes even more difficult by enhancing the difficulty of the card shuffle. Along with the fast moving
shuffles, cards also fly off the screen before stopping, making it more difficult for players to keep track of any particular card during the
shuffle.
For those that loved the original game play of “Persona 3,” the new content offered in “Persona 3: FES” is a must have game. Though
there are some issues with battle system, the game is much more than the original game. Like many movie and games with sequels,
the sequel of the original is better with time. Though the dialogue is a little bit awkward, the voice work is superb. Most of the
characters’ intentions are very believable throughout the game, it will make players want to go back through and replay the original
game all over again.
Overall, many players of the series will agree that the most important addition to “Persona 3: FES” is the new quest. However, that isn’t
the only enhancement to the game. The original game has been changed slightly with additional Personas, better Social Links and
Persona interactions, a system that allows players to create new weapons by combining Personas, a bonus difficulty setting and other
miscellaneous extras. For those players that have a save file from the original “Persona 3” game, they will be able to transfer known
fusion spell combinations, academic charms and courage rankings, Personas that are registered in the compendium and items from
any Social Links that have reached their maximum level.
For those that love RPGs, a great story and are willing to spend a couple bucks, “Persona 3: FES” is a must have game. This is an
amazing enhanced edition of “Persona 3” that shouldn’t be missed.
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