Persona 4 Golden
9.5
10
58
58
Just WOW
One of the best games the VITA will have for a long time. I would recommend this game to anyone that loves JRpg's.
5/12/13
A Solid & Unique JRPG
The mechanics of this game (as for its prequel, Persona 3) are extraordinary unique. Instead of your typical "Fantasy Warrior must save the princess & the world" story... well... you do get that story in a manner of speaking, but it is told in such a unique way & in such a unique setting. Get this... it takes place in the REAL world. Crazy... I know. The real world isn't the game's only setting however, it is just the setting that you will be seeing the most in your time with the game. Persona 4 also features a secret world that you can only access via entering a TV (see, I told you it was unique). This TV world is the area where you will do all of the games dungeon crawling, that thankfully, is rarely forced upon you. All of the dungeons within the TV are randomly generated but at the same time feature a theme surrounding the character that you are going there to rescue/capture. A few of the themes that stick out immediately in my mind are Heaven, A Strip Show, A Love Castle (just play it to understand) & my personal favorite... the classic RPG dungeon.
The battle system is amazing (evidenced by the fact that I actually beat the game) & keeps things interesting until the very end (unlike most turn-based JRPGs in my experience). Instead of the annoying random battles of several games, you can see all of your enemies on screen. If you can sneak up behind your enemies & attack them before they are able to react, that gives you initiative & allows you one whole turn of free attacks. When it comes to the actual battles you can either attack directly with your character or use your Personas. You Personas all have specific abilities that are useful in certain fights. See, every enemy in the game has strengths & weaknesses to specific types of attacks & your various Personas make defeating those enemies a bit easier to defeat (in fact there are even enemies that you literally can't defeat without the use of personas as they are immune to physical attacks). You may be wondering how to get these personas... well the answer is also through battle (& fusion... which I'll get to in a minute). After a battle is complete you will sometimes get the ability to do Shuffle Time, which is a process in which you pick cards to decide what rewards (or lack thereof) that you get for winning the battle. Unlike Persona 3 (if I remember correctly) this isn't random. You can see every card available & choose freely... certain cards offer permanent stat boosts to the equipped persona, others offer health restoration, skill cards, Personas & the ability to sacrifice varying degrees of something from the battle (exp, money, items, etc) in exchange for the ability to pick more cards. You may ask why you'd want to do this.... well if you are able to get every card on screen, this will result in sweep bonus (which not only results in the ability to keep all of the cards you selected during the current Shuffle Time, but a guaranteed shuffle time in the next battle as well as starting out with the ability to pick 3 cards instead of one (which also GREATLY helps you continue getting sweep bonuses & therefore continuing the process).
Social links return from its prequel & are just as big of a part of Persona 4. For those that don't know, social links are the points you get for hanging out with the friends that you make throughout the course of the game. You may be asking what is the point in doing the Social Links? They are just side quests right? Well.... yes & no. Technically you don't have to do the social links (the game would be kind of boring if you didn't though), but they have actual effects on the combat portion of the game as well. See, by doing the social links you rise up in rank with the Arcana that the friend in question represents. This effectively allows you to to create more powerful personas through the fusion system (& by that I mean that the personas you create get automatic stat boosts), create the ultimate persona of said Arcana once you reach Max friendship level with them & in the case of your party members make them much more effective in battle by giving them new skills & allowing them to evolve their persona into a stronger one at max friendship (as well as allowing them to obtain their ultimate persona & skill if you hang out with them AGAIN afterwards).
The only flaws that I really can point out are the optional dungeon (which basically sucks all of the fun out of the battle system) & the story. Its not so much that the story is bad, as there is just too much of it at a time. Most of the time, you won't encounter the main story for anywhere from a couple of weeks to a whole month at a time (which can be very good or very bad depending on your preferences) but when it comes time for another main story segment, instead of spreading the story out over the course of say a week, they just throw it at you in a gigantic block of text over the course of a day or two. The worst part of this is that in the majority of those situations, the scenes are nothing but (to steal a phrase from the Nostalgia Critic) Big Lipped Alligator moments.... they are mostly random, serve no point to the overall story & are rarely (if at all) mentioned again. One such scene that instantly sticks out in my mind, just from the sheer absurdity, is the scene where the group are on school break & visit Yukiko's family's inn to spend the night. While there, the girls in the party decide to use the bath. Seems pointless & random enough right? Well...
MINOR SPOILERS ABOUT A PARTY MEMBER
then Naoto walks in... after which all of the other girls proceed to basically R*** (since apparently Gamestop doesn't like the word) her. They comment on her breast size (which I call BS on. No way could any human being hide those things that effectively) & on how smooth her skin is.... then use it as a way to proceed to touch her. This on its own is a bit creepy, but when Naoto proceeds to say the next line... things get WAY too creepy for my taste... "Where are you touching me!?". The look on my face through this entire scene (which I am sure was priceless) was nothing compared to it when she uttered that line. Then to top it off, the boys come into the bath (which we later learn is because it was actually there turn to use the bath... riveting stuff... I know) which causes the girls to respond by calling the boys perverts & attacking them. What is wrong with this, you may ask? I dunno... maybe because those hypocrites were bad touching Naoto just seconds before in the exact same scene.
END SPOILERS.
Was that scene random? Incredibly. Does the scene serve any point whatsoever? No. Is it ever mentioned again? THANKFULLY NO.
Two last things I feel I should mention is the way to get the game's ultimate weapons & what my personal recommended party is (not only for this fight, but for the game in general). As for the ultimate weapons... dear god is it random. Basically you open 20 chests (which will be signaled by the sound of the chains rattling) & then, without moving to the next floor of the dungeon, open another. If you are lucky (or really unlucky depending on your party & level) you may face the reaper. I would not recommend even attempting this fight before you reach level 70 with the weakest member of the party you will be using. If you do manage to defeat him you get a member of your party's ultimate weapon as a reward. I only managed to get two, due to the random nature of this, but when I did manage to fight (& beat him) he was a pushover. Why? My party is why....
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED ON YOUR PARTY MEMBERS DO NOT READ THIS PARAGRAPH
That party was Yu (the main character) using the Trumpeter persona (which may have been mostly as effective as it was due to the skills passed in fusion. He basically had immunity to certain kinds of attacks & a strong spell from most of the elements), Yukiko (for her strong recovery & fire abilities), Naoto (because she is basically unstoppable... if you aren't using her once you get her, you are playing the game wrong) & Teddie (for his strong healing, buffing & Ice abilities). All my party members had reached Max Social Link status at the time of doing this & therefore had there 2nd best persona & 2nd best ability.
END SPOILERS
Overall I would still say the game is well worth playing, especially to the game starved Vita gamers such as myself, & I do still highly recommend it despite what I personally see as flaws.
4/28/13
GREAT JRPG
i got this game a week ago and i have already logged in 14hrs! i would have done ALOT more but i do have to work, study, etc LOL it does have a lot of dialogue but for the most part it is interesting! the story will captivate you and the gameplay is great! good turn based action and the grinding you will do in the dungeons are fun! =] trust me if you are looking for that 1 game to play on the Vita that will keep you wanting more its gonna be this game! P4G is great go get it now!
4/23/13
Everything I was hoping for and more.
This game was the entire reason i purchased my Vita. It was well worth it, too! The story is so captivating, the graphics are superb, and the overall experience is so addicting, I had a hard time putting it down just to go to sleep. If you have ever liked an RPG, ever, you need to own this game. The only disappointment was that I couldn't choose a female character like in P3P. This was only a blip on my radar as I got so immersed into the story. I've put a solid 60 hours into the game, and I'm not finished with the story yet. Take it from me, this game is worth every penny.
4/15/13
REASON WHY YOU EVEN GOT A PS VITA
Pick this game up already. For starters, if your a huge fan of Japanese Role Playing Games, then Persona 4 Golden is definitely for you. If you missed the chance to play the original Persona 4 on the PS2, no worries Golden has got you covered. Persona 4 Golden is just incredible. The gameplay is just like those you would find in the past Shin Megami Games or Pokemon (takes on the whole turn-based system gameplay). The story is brilliant, the second you start Golden, you aren't going to want to put it down. As for the Graphics, they aren't new generation realistic material but that's okay, the graphics are cleverly designed in this art form that still looks wonderful. Sound is amazing, great music in the background at the right time also at a great quality. I can write a lot more about this game, but that doesn't make any sense cause there's no stopping of expressing just how amazing this game is. If you own a Vita and your an RPG fan, then this is a must buy. For those who played the PS2 version and own a Vita, I still highly recommend you get this game. The game is packed with so much more content that it makes the original and this remix feel like two entirely different game. (JUST GET THIS GAME)
4/12/13
Awesome
This has to be one of the best JRPGs I've played in a long time. Going into the game at first I didn't have high hopes at all because I usually only like action RPGs not turn-based ones. This game got me so involved in the story and these kids lives, that I had absolutely no problem playing turn-based combat and I actually rather enjoyed it. I strongly recommend this game to anybody, even those who like me don't usually like this type of game. The story is so enthralling that I've almost beat the game in less than a month when usually I don't have the attention span to even get half through one. Go Persona!
4/11/13
One of the Greatest JRPGs of All Time
I clocked nearly three-hundred hours into the Playstation 2 version. This one adds even more content. One of the best dollar-to-gametime ratio of any generation. Beautiful story, well-developed characters, and a rewarding battle system. There's not a single thing I can think of to dislike about Persona 4. I've no love for the Vita, but I managed to love my experience of this version of the game regardless; this should speak volumes.
4/5/13
One Of, If Not The Best, Game I Have Ever Played.
Without a doubt, this is the best game the Vita offers. It has everything you loved from the first Persona games and the nostalgia of the fourth game. It also offers new moments and new characters to create social links with. I have had the game for about a month now and I have logged in 70 hours of gameplay. After I beat the game, which took about 40 hours, I went right back to play through it again with different choices. The battles and dungeon crawling is addictive, you really care about the characters, and the story is sure to suck you in. I would recommend this game to anyone who loves rpgs and level grinding. Also, you will fall in love with the soundtrack for sure. Everything about this game is perfect. This could be the best game I have played in a long time with a lasting appeal that will go on forever.
3/27/13
Amazing
Haven't touched the persona series since I was a kid playing the first one. And I don't know why this was one of the greatest games I have ever played, it has me hooked and I just can't put it down. A must buy in any rpg players books.
3/10/13
Good Game
This game is really fun. The beginning of the game is kinda boring but once you meet "teddie" then it starts to get fun. If you like RPG's then you'll like this game
1/10/13