Persona 3 FES

[sincere]

I finished FES a few days ago and started P4, which howhoa is totally awesome. I'm digging the creepy and the psychological headgames. I'm also restarting Crisis Core, still with the stubborn belief that if I get all the missions or something, I will get the secret good ending.


Combat: Okay. I had quite a lot of problems. Like how the AI is too good, too rational, too human; the characters won't voluntarily take actions that endanger themselves, which sometimes results in them skipping their damn turns uselessly, so that in the end I had to do the stupid thing that endangered me just so that the rest of them would stop being useless. And I'm the only member of the party who isn't fucking expendable. I should always be the person their AIs prioritize, because if I fall down, the game ends instantly.

There were other objections. But... it's hard to be angry at them anymore when I'm so happy that P4 has fixed those things. I can now directly control everyone! Characters will take fatal blows for me! It's beautiful.

Music: One of you, my beloved flist, mentioned that if I hated The World Ends With You music, I'd probably hate Persona 3 music. I'm pleased to report that this is absolutely not the case. I enjoy P3 music, and sometimes (especially all of the variations that debuted in the last month of the game) I actively love them. The Nyx Avatar battle theme that varies on the Velvet Room's theme... ♥

As for the characters...

Someone recently argued with me about whether or not Minato (MC) is soulless. He isn't, of course, but at the same time he kind of is. Minato has Orpheus as a "base" personality, it's true, but frankly, Minato's "base" seems to equal "closed off and reserved". In the manga he's characterized as being lazy, only speaking when spoken to, and spending his spare time sleeping. In other words, he really is the blank slate, exressionless, barely reactive creature that we see in the opening cutscenes.

Meanwhile, although I'm only a few hours in, Souji (P4 MC) is less dead in cutscenes -- he's even emotional, perhaps. He has a lot more and more frequent dialogue options (he's more outgoing) and his are a lot more interested in his surroundings and concerned for other people. (Though it's hard to beat some of Minato's dialogue options, like the one to tell a little girl that it's probably her fault her parents are getting divorced, and that she probably deserved to get hit by her dad.)

Aigis and Minato are totally OTP. The soulless boy and the little robot girl who loved him. Minato's romantic social links (Mitsuru and Yukari and Fuuka as well as everyone else) were like all his others: people he put on Persona for, instead of being himself. They were all about the girl in question. Her problems, the things she wanted to hear, the person she wanted him to be. Minato was wearing a mask for them, which is indicated by the fact that he had to be X amount of charismatic or intelligent before they would begin to be interested in him. Whereas Aigis is interested in... him. Not the magnetic person or the genius, but Minato. There's no qualifications on her social link, very little in the way of right or wrong answers for her (you only need 1pt per rank to move up with her, any little thing can make her love him more), and even if you ignore her totally, she still falls in love with him.

I liked Yukari, up until the Answer, when she took a nosedive off the edge of reason. She just got -- very bitchy at everyone, outright cruel, and her reasons for doing so were extremely shallow and inconsistent. I understand a lot of it: I know why, and I think that the themes she was working with (setting an impossible goal, becoming frustrated and overacting in her attempts to live up to it; jealousy over someone else's connection to someone she never had a real connection with) are very mature themes. But she was very immature, very childish, always thinking only of herself and her own wants and her own opinions and her own past, and while I think this is IC -- after all, when her father died and her mother got all whorish she forced on herself a kind of mature outlook and grim determination that she wasn't emotionally ready for, so she needs to revisit childish wants -- I wound up liking her less for it. She can stay, but I still found her behavior inexcusable for likes 95% of the Answer.

Junpei also took a nosedive off the edge of reason when he met Chidori and became obsessed with her within days. He lost massive cool points because I couldn't have a conversation with him without it being about Chidori Chidori Chidori. Fortunately, he recovered and became awesome again, so I give him almost all his points back.

On a related note, I have zero interest in Chidori. Or Takaya or Jin, but especially Chidori.

Mitsuru and Akihiko are fucking adorable and should get married. I love them both so much, and Akihiko's motivation flashback in the Answer was-- sklfjglfkjg. They were tiny. :D

Also, I heart the puppy. Also, Ryoji. :( ilu

And the Hermit social link in the epilogue is -- is fucking priceless. Oh man. Wow. She's awesome.

Long story short: Awesome game. I mean, truly in another class. The ending and the sequel brought everything together and made it totally complete. Except that someday Minato and his little metal girl will be reunited.

Also, seriously? Just died in your sleep. The end of the first game was you dying? Goddamn Minato. Lame. In his sleep. Mutter.

Comments

[v-voltaire.livejournal.com]

I'm also restarting Crisis Core, still with the stubborn belief that if I get all the missions or something, I will get the secret good ending.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha. Awesome.


Can't remark on P3 because I played up to September or October or so (whenever Shinji first joins the party) and then got fed up because I disliked most of the characters and the combat was boring.

(Though Shinji can stay. I like him. Also, Bebe and the guy who was the Star link. And the Love Motel bit was priceless. I touched the wrong mirror so many times and it got funnier each time.)

[kay-willow.livejournal.com]

I BELIEVE IN THE SECRET GOOD ENDING ;_;

[syvia.livejournal.com]

I can now directly control everyone! Characters will take fatal blows for me! It's beautiful.

XD Yes- finally the characters who don't have all that much sp to begin with will stop wasting it on enemies who aren't weak to their element! *victory sign*

I figure the game designers meant to make Minato so damn blank that he could be exactly what the player wanted him to be. :/ It's a lost cause to make me feel like I'm the character.

I like Souji more than I liked Minato. :3 Since I can't imprint as much on these boys as a male gamer might, I like to see them have their own personality.

I'm also amused (and glad) that Souji doesn't seem to be the pimp that Minato was.

Also, seriously? Just died in your sleep. The end of the first game was you dying? Goddamn Minato. Lame. In his sleep. Mutter.

Seconded. *huff*

[kay-willow.livejournal.com]

Not only will I be able to, as Mitsuru, NOT attempt to charm bosses, I can choose to UNLEARN her charm spell! *dies of glee*

I like Souji and Minato both, but for very different reasons. I like Minato the soulless cipher, I just happen to think that he -- well, it's misguided to suggest that he isn't what I refer to as "soulless". X3 Anyway, Souji seems a lot more outgoing and a lot nicer, because he has a lot more concerned and considerate and interested answers. (Not to mention he can be friends with girls without attempting to hit-and-run them in the bedroom. *sob*)

[abrogate-nadir.livejournal.com]

In spite of some of its faults, I really loved Persona 3 a lot too. That damn AI thing killed me sometimes, with people throwing a useless medicine when I could really use an extra 300+ HP, or whatever else. Props to Persona 4 for fixing that (but why no shooting yourself in the head?!)

I think of all the links, Yukari is still my favorite, but I'd never thought of Minato and Aigis like that, so I'd say I have an added appretiation of their relationship as well.

I was really surprised by the way Yukari acted in the Answer. I can understand it to an extent, but it seemed like it was really over done, like one of the 90% of the people on the internet who hate her did her characterization.

But the whole "the world is ending thing", the last few months...pure awesome.

Also, I...I want to...do a P3/P4 super special awesome x-over fic somehow. Do you think such a thing could be dandy??

[kay-willow.livejournal.com]

Haha, yeaaah, it kind of does. XD It's the sort of thing I'd genuinely expect from a fanfic writer who wanted to bash the character, and then was sidelined by a better writer attempted to make up for it in the end by giving her a reeeeason.

I think it verily could be! It's only a year later. :D

[fallingjunkyard.livejournal.com]

Fnghhh /too lazy to log into tenshinoakuma but ahahah I'm playing P3 currently (not FES D: ) and ugh I wish I wasn't missing out so much by not having FES.

RE: Battle system. YES, oh god yes ;; That's one of the biggest beefs I have with the P3 battle system 8[ It's not too bad messing around with the AI, but some battles get really annoying because of the whole 'dammit why are my party members such wusses' thing.

I kind of wish we got more Ryoji in game, though, because I want to know more about him and his interactions with other characters. I like how the manga expands a little more on the Aigis and Ryoji relationship, though even then, there still isn't a lot ): He feels kind of... tragic, to me? He didn't really get a long time to enjoy human things, and at the very least, I kind of wish he had more time.


(Are you like me and talk to Koromaru every time you see him, even though you'll know he'll 'say' the same thing? |D Also, I see Mother 3 on the list of games to be played <3 )

[kay-willow.livejournal.com]

I can like, summarize FES for you if you like. XD It's a lot of gameplay for a small/medium amount of plot.

Ryoji is so sweet and sad. :\ I wanted to hug him all the time after he woke up, and he was cute even before then. Sob sob. So tragic.


(KOROMARU I always felt so bad when enemies hit him. ;_; And he'd. Squeak woundedly. Nooo puppy.)

[tenshinoakuma.livejournal.com]

Hahahah, I can live with that 8)

I got spoiled to Ryoji's identity aaages ago, so it kind of killed me inside knowing that there's a guy whos just living but... just never getting the chance to ; A; I kind of wanted more Stupei and Ryoji too, since Junpei on his own = hilarity, Ryoji on his own = hilarity, so obviously both of them together = hilarity^2. IT CAN'T GO WRONG.

Yes / ; A;/ (he even squeaks when he dodges attacks IIRC * A*) He's so cute and now I want to have a puppy with little wings too :< Although. He's a dog that uses a knife to attack. WHY. fng;sjdf


Also, I hear P3 is referenced in P4. Or at least, Minato is 8) /waaants P4 so bad ; A; /grabby hands at your copy >8]

[slayerofgod.livejournal.com]

In P4, Margaret(Igor's new assistant) reveals that Elizabeth left Igor's service because she was looking for a way to rescue Minato from being a soul pillar. That's all the mention he gets.

[tenshinoakuma.livejournal.com]

oiccc, thanks 8)

[voicing.livejournal.com]

I was the one that suggested the music thing, but for once I'm glad to know I'm wrong. XD I like P3's music (some of it anyway), but I find I'm liking P4's music a lot better. Then again, there's a lot about P4 I like better, and I loved P3.

WORD on Aigis/Minato and Yukari in The Answer. The Answer seemed to throw out any and all development Yukari had in The Journey to me, and while her reasons for acting the way she did are understandable, there's no reason I can't be annoyed or angry with her about it (to the fandom, disliking Yukari in The Answer seems to equal disliking or bashing Yukari in general *sigh*).

As for Junpei, while I like the Junpei/Chidori pairing and appreciate the development Junpei got because of it (more on that later), I just never found their relationship to be as interesting as others. I did get a little annoyed that FES allows her to come back to life, as that feels like a cop-out in regards to Junpei's and Chidori's development, and the former's final decision to me. So, when I pick FES back up, I'm not letting that happen. Sorry, Junpei.

I think I'm the only person who isn't interested in Ryoji. He didn't annoy me as much as Ken did, but I wasn't fond of him either. :/

[(Anonymous)]

Dude,ya have the Nyx Avatar song?
if you do,mail me at
merchant_re_4@yahoo.com.br

Thanks one heck of a Lot

[slayerofgod.livejournal.com]

The more I hear people talk about The Answer, the more glad I am I decided to never play it, namely because it seems that it takes what I hated about The Journey's Aigis and centers it on the characters.

In The Journey, Aigis messed up the plot by feeling incredibly ham-fisted into it. I will never buy a whole line of combat robots with complex learning AIs being created pre-1999. This was then exacerbated by the rest of the game shoving how awesome and adorable Aigis was down your throat, which particularly irritated me since I never found her personality very interesting(I'm more of a Yukari, Junpei, and Maiko fan). Then there was my shipper side, which balked at throwing her and Minato together right before he dies, when I felt Yukari suited him the best(The additional ending with her wanting to bring him along when she goes to meet her mom made my heart break).

Then there's The Answer, which from all I've read is focused pretty much on Aigis being more awesome than the rest of the cast, and beating all of them up to prove it. This is compounded by the continuation evidently screwing up character personalities and not showing us anything really meaningful about how they got their Personas. Instead of showing us Yukari's troubles with her Mom after her father died, we get a meaningless and vague conversation she has with herself. Instead of seeing Junpei struggle with his alcoholic dad, we see a meaningless and vague convo with Koromaru. The biggest insult however is not seeing the death of Akihiko's sister, which is heavily implied as the reason he developed his Persona. Instead, we get a scene that only feeds Akihiko/Mitsuru fandom, which is doubly irritating for me since said pairing has pretty much taken over P3 fandom at this point.

In other words, she felt like she was only in the game because someone on staff loved robot chicks and wanted one in the game, and the rest of the game duly suffers for it. It was like they were saying "Hey, I know there's no logical reason for having a robot in the game, but the fact that she's totally awesome makes up for it! Hey, I know we just screwed up character personalities and the plot in our continuation, but isn't Aigis totally awesome?!" Meanwhile, I sit there and say to myself "No, she really isn't."

P4 thankfully, has yet to suffer from this problem(I'm up to the dungeon after you rescue Rise), and is much more enjoyable plot-wise for it.

[madfnorder.livejournal.com]

Cool beans~ Glad you liked it!