ATLUS revealed plans to publish Persona®4 Golden™, a remastered version of the
award-winning RPG Shin Megami Tensei®: Persona®4, in North America this fall exclusively for PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) handheld entertainment system.
Why do I say this? Because it got a Great score on our reviews way back in 2009! Check out the Ps2 review….It can only get better.
We have for you Persona 4, a role-playing game set up with traditional turn based action. You are a student that is transferring to a new school into a small town in Japan. Strange things are happening though as rumors spread around school that on a rainy night, at 12am, the face of your soul mate will be revealed in the tv screen. People are being murdered and they are somehow connected to this. It’s up to you to solve the mystery…..but how are you going to do that?
Graphics (Great) – This is one of the best looking games to come out on the PS2 to date. The animation is near seamless in its transition from animated cut scenes to actual game play. Any fan of anime will appreciate the in game characters and cut scenes.
Game play(Great)-There is plenty to do in this turn based RPG. Like previous Persona 3, you will be required to explore and defeat bosses as well as improve social links to unlock /create new more powerful personas to help you in battle. A vast improvement over Persona 3, you are now able to control every character’s action. One of the best ways to defeat your enemy is to take advantage of any weakness they have to perform super powerful combos. Previously, you were subject to the computer casting something stupid for you rendering a combatant useless or have them inadvertently heal a monster you are trying to kill. Persona 4 also contains several mini dungeons instead of one massive tower with several hundred levels to grind through. This helps pace the game to go along with the story that unfold plus gives the player an opportunity to jump in and out quickly to save progress. Several mini games are available to help boost your character stats. Taking up a part time job not only increases the money you have but can lead you to new social links. Trash you find in the dungeons can be sold to t he local blacksmith and crafted into new armor and weapons for your part members, so visit often! Don’t forget, a young man needs a young lady. Perhaps you can find yourself a girlfriend roaming the school.
Story(Great)- You are a transfer student that has been sent to live with your uncle and cousin, leaving the life of the big city behind you as you travel to the country to sample life for a year somewhere new. Your uncle is always called away to do police work and you are left to take care of your younger cousin but all is not as it seems. There is a connection to your arrival and a series of gruesome murders that are happening to people in your very school. What is the connection? What is this power you seem to be dreaming that you have? There’s only one way to find out. I couldn’t get enough of this game myself, I was addicted to the story. How addicted and involved is this game? I dropped about 90 hours in my first play through.
Soundtrack(Good)- Included with the game is the soundtrack which in my opinion increases the value of the game itself. Most of the songs are specific to the dungeons you will enter and explore throughout the game that play in the background. A few of the tracks stand out more then others but they are nothing you will latch onto and play in any MP3 rotation. J-pop and electric guitar set the tone for this RPG soundtrack.
Replay Value(Great)- The first time through is always awesome but after you reach your ending, of which there are multiple, you can start the game over in a game + mode. Not only will you get to explore the social links and events that you didn’t complete your first time through but now you will have quite the head start as most of your stats are passed down to the new game. Can you get all 3 endings?
Over all rating of the game : 3.5/5 (Great) Game Type: Turn Based RPG System: Playstation 2 By: Atlus(www.atlus.com)
Rating system: Rating Point Value: (Trash)=0 (Meh)= .25(Good)=.5(Great)=.75(Outstanding)=1.0
Game Score System: Overall Total Value: (Trash)=0-1.5(Meh)=1.75-2.25(Good)=2.5-3.25(Great)=3.5-4.25(Outstanding)=4.5+
Rating Suggestions:
(Trash): Don’t bother with any form of purchase. This product isn’t worth the effort to purchase it.
(Meh): Not at all impressive. This product isn’t something that should be recommended for most people to enjoy. Flawed or incomplete.
(Good): An average score this product does what it is intended to do and will be worth at least a rent if you are interested in it. A solid item that will be enjoyed.
(Great): This product is highly recommended. It is well worth the investment if you are interested in it. You will not be disappointed in a purchase of this item.
(Outstanding): You needed to own two of this product yesterday. Superior quality, going beyond what it was intended to do.
With an overall Metacritic score of 90 and a multitude of “Editor’s Choice” and “Best Of” awards, Persona 4 stands as one of the finest games ever made, delivering many dozens of hours of enthralling storytelling, immensely satisfying combat, intricate party management, and addicting demon collection and customization. Its brilliantly realized story–which features a memorable cast of personalities with whom the player can forge and strengthen pivotal bonds called “social links”–combined with the game’s breathtaking visual and aural design, are part of an overall package that is on almost every genre fan’s list of all-time favorites.
Now, following in the footsteps of Shin Megami Tensei®: Persona®3 Portable™, the second highest rated PSP system game of all time (gamerankings.com), Persona 4 Golden for PlayStation Vita offers an enhanced and expanded portable version of the highly acclaimed original. Visuals have been beautifully remastered to take advantage of the PS Vita’s crisp, vibrant 5″ OLED display. The game’s aural presentation is better than ever, with 1.5 times the voiced dialogue of the original release. A new online dungeon rescue feature allows users to call on other players for assistance when they are about to die in the TV world. Persona 4 Golden is also overflowing with new content: new Personas to collect; new story events along with an all-new character; stunning new anime cutscenes, which include a new opening animation with a new song from master composer Shoji Meguro; a host of fan suggested tweaks and changes, and much more! Persona 4 Golden is far more than just a handheld version of an all-time classic: it’s the best way to experience it yet!
This is what you were waiting to buy a Playstation Vita for.
-Nate Biller
