Persona 4

Hello!

Don’t you always feel a bit out of place when you have just finished a book, movie, game etc? I certainly do. You want to do something else, but you just can’t seem to start on something completely new.

As I told you last week, I finished playing Bioshock Infinite (find the post here), and since then I’ve basically tried to find out everything about the game – obsessions are healthy, you know!

But there is a point, where you just can’t dig up any more of the good stuff, so I wondered what to do next. I concluded that a new game wouldn’t do much good for me, so I put my computer on snooze, found my extra cable for my headphones and then plugged it into my television.

It was PlayStation 2 time! Since I started playing computer games, my ps2 has been pretty lonely, but it was time to turn it on once again.

Persona 4: Golden

For the last three days I have been playing the ps2 game: Persona 4 – also called Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4. The game is published by the Japanese computer and video game developer: Atlus, and it was released in 2008. The game has been renewed as a “Golden” version, and is sold as Persona 4: Golden in the stores right now. I don’t own the console for that though, so I am not able to try it out.

 

As for the game itself; it’s a nice blend between simulation, role-playing and strategy, where you go to school, develop your social links and help people on small quests, and at the same time you find clues, save your friends and fight evil shadows.

The story circles around a small group of friends (which grows bigger throughout the game), and each of them has their own persona – their true selves whom they use to fight against shadows with. They all live in a small town called Inaba, where murders have been happening, and it is up to this group to make sure no other person dies. The game has a time limit of one year, where you have to improve the lives of yourself and your friends.

Persona 4

In combat you attack the enemy by turn, and when all team members have had their turn, it is the shadow’s turn to attack. The game uses the Press Turn System where player and enemy can take advantage of each other’s weaknesses, and you fight using either physical or magical attacks.

The great thing about the game is that you can’t just expect to be good in combat just by leveling up. You have to improve your relationships with your friends to get benefits in battle and to be able to create some pretty awesome personas.

 

To be honest I still haven’t finished the game – which is a fail from my side, but I still love the game very much, and I like the fact that I can play it and experience many surprises in the story – so yeah, I don’t know how the game  will end yet.

All in all, the game has a great plot, lovely characters, nice soundtrack (which is included on a CD when you buy the game) and a great idea for the gameplay!

Persona 4

A little hint of the game:

 

If you look at a turned off television exactly at midnight, while it is raining – your soul mate will appear on your screen.

 

What I have learned throughout all of the years I have owned the game though, is that it NEVER rains at midnight in real life!

 

Persona 4 - Opening                      Persona 4 - Trailer  

That’s all for now, I’ll see you next Wednesday!

Shia