Persona 5

[Radiant head]

haha wow the sun confidant is bernie sanders huh 

really wish i had more time to play this.  like i could probably sink hours into just exploring shibuya, let alone how long the game's plot actually is. 

[Slumber]

Beat it, and goddammit, I'm so tempted to jump immediately into NG+. I only got like, 7 maxed Confidants, and 4 of those you get from progressing the story. But I didn't fuse any ultimate Personas, I didn't even start every confidant(I had no idea what I was supposed to do to get the Sun/politician confidant. I talked with him, did the restaurant thing to trigger him to be interested in me, then nothing happened.), and of the party members, I only S ranked Morgana and Ryuji, so I didn't even see all of their awakened Personas(I didn't even realize the last one was available to have as a Confidant until like, two weeks before endgame). Definitely gonna go for Makoto or Punk doctor next time around. 

Though, now that I think about it, I don't think there's really much worth seeing that I missed the first time. I never beat Death, but that's pretty much the only thing that I'd really get out of NG+ and fusing a bunch of OP Personas, as far as I know. I really gotta get back to NieR. Maybe I'll just wait for the "extended cut" and replay when that comes out, or maybe that will be like DLC or something. 

But yeah, I think I liked it more than 4. That last act kinda comes outta nowhere, but that's par for the course for the series. Though if Persona 4's escalation of stakes went from like 2 to 5, Persona 5's goes from like, 5 to 10.

Anyway. It's as close to a 10/10 as I can give a JRPG. Have some gripes, but still an amazing journey. Definitely the best JRPG that wasn't a remake that I've played since Dragon Quest 8. And it says a lot that I'm so tempted to dump potentially another 80 hours into it right away. 

Edited April 14, 2017 by Slumber

[Midoro]

I'm on the third dungeon so far. Just about everything in this game is a tremendous step up in quality from P3 and P4. I get a lot of Persona 2 vibes from this game and that's always nice. In many ways I can't help but feel Hashino went back to the roots of Persona and combined it with the modern sensibilities of P3 and P4. That might be why we have Not!Lisa and Not!Jun as party members... The pacing in the beginning was a big turn-off, but it's gotten into a much more palatable rhythm. So far I love each of the individual "episodes" in the story. They're super engaging and well-written. I have high expectations for the rest of the game.

The introduction to the Temperance confidant was also genuinely funny. 10/10

[Slumber]

49 minutes ago, Midoro said:

I'm on the third dungeon so far. Just about everything in this game is a tremendous step up in quality from P3 and P4. I get a lot of Persona 2 vibes from this game and that's always nice. In many ways I can't help but feel Hashino went back to the roots of Persona and combined it with the modern sensibilities of P3 and P4. That might be why we have Not!Lisa and Not!Jun as party members... The pacing in the beginning was a big turn-off, but it's gotten into a much more palatable rhythm. So far I love each of the individual "episodes" in the story. They're super engaging and well-written. I have high expectations for the rest of the game.

The introduction to the Temperance confidant was also genuinely funny. 10/10

Ann will never live up to Lisa.

Ann doesn't have Steven Seagal for a dad.

[Ebony]

5 hours ago, Midoro said:

I'm on the third dungeon so far. Just about everything in this game is a tremendous step up in quality from P3 and P4. I get a lot of Persona 2 vibes from this game and that's always nice. In many ways I can't help but feel Hashino went back to the roots of Persona and combined it with the modern sensibilities of P3 and P4. That might be why we have Not!Lisa and Not!Jun as party members... The pacing in the beginning was a big turn-off, but it's gotten into a much more palatable rhythm. So far I love each of the individual "episodes" in the story. They're super engaging and well-written. I have high expectations for the rest of the game.

The introduction to the Temperance confidant was also genuinely funny. 10/10

"I'm a dad."

[Water Mage]

I finishing the game, I must say I really like it, maybe even more than Persona 4. Here's some of my thoughts:

-I like Ryuji more than Yosuke and Junpei as a "bro" character. While he is a hothead, I also like how different he is from them. Like how he isn't jealous of the main character. Also I really like how he isn't sexually desperate compared to the Yosuke and Junpei. I mean, he has some perverted moments, but he's still much more respectful towards girls.

-Speaking of fanservice, it never really bothers me, but I must admit, Persona 5 not having a lot of fanservice compared to P4 was surprisingly refreshing. Take Haru's swimsuit for example. In a series known for fanservice, Haru's swimsuit could be considered conservative. Maybe they thought that a lot of fanservice would be considered of poor taste after the whole thing with Kamoshida?

-Another different thing that I found very interesting how they didn't romanticize high school life this time. In fact, it gives a pretty negative view of it.

 

-I also found pretty interesting how they showed that even the Velvet Room and Igor aren't invincible. Even they can be attacked by the villains.

-And even though he was a bastard and murderer, I can't help but like Akechi. And I'm pretty sure will he return in spin-offs. But for some reason, I get the feeling he will end with amnesia.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Water Mage

[Slumber]

45 minutes ago, Water Mage said:

I finishing the game, I must say I really like it, maybe even more than Persona 4. Here's some of my thoughts:

-I like Ryuji more than Yosuke and Junpei as a "bro" character. While he is a hothead, I also like how different he is from them. Like how he isn't jealous of the main character. Also I really like how he isn't sexually desperate compared to the Yosuke and Junpei. I mean, he has some perverted moments, but he's still much more respectful towards girls.

-Speaking of fanservice, it never really bothers me, but I must admit, Persona 5 not having a lot of fanservice compared to P4 was surprisingly refreshing. Take Haru's swimsuit for example. In a series known for fanservice, Haru's swimsuit could be considered conservative. Maybe they thought that a lot of fanservice would be considered of poor taste after the whole thing with Kamoshida?

-Another different thing that I found very interesting how they didn't romanticize high school life this time. In fact, it gives a pretty negative view of it.

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-I also found pretty interesting how they showed that even the Velvet Room and Igor aren't invincible. Even they can be attacked by the villains.

-And even though he was a bastard and murderer, I can't help but like Akechi. And I'm pretty sure will he return in spin-offs. But for some reason, I get the feeling he will end with amnesia.

- I liked Ryuji more than Junpei, not as much as Yosuke. Yosuke was a dick, but he wasn't a complete moron, and generally knew when to keep his mouth shut. Ryuji gets some moments to shine later in the game, but EVERY TIME the team is like "Alright, we have to do this carefully and considerately", Ryuji shows up to fuck something up somehow. He's definitely the bro-iest bro out of the bro characters, but he's got problems that I feel like Yosuke doesn't always have. However, Ryuji's dickishness never came off as completely mean-spirited, like Junpei could.

- This is probably true. I mean, Ann exists, and she's more fanservice-y than anyone in P4, but on the whole, there's a bit less fanservice in the game. Which is odd, since most of your party in P5 are 17/18, so it's less weird than P4, where your party was 15/16(Rise being the biggest fanservice girl, and being the youngest in your party). I expected there to be way more fanservice given the first dungeon has a manifestation of one of your main party members walking around in a bikini, and there's a room full of topless volleyball girls, but thankfully this is mostly isolated to the first Palace.

- The game's still about high school kids dealing with shitty adults, so while it may not romanticize high school life like P4, they're definitely romanticizing being a kid with your life ahead of you still. Plus, P3 didn't really romanticize high school life, either. It may just be the different tones of the games. P3 is super broody, doesn't really romanticize being in high school. P4 is bright, bubbly and happy, romanticizes high school. P5 isn't quite as broody as P3, but definitely not bright, bubbly and happy.

 

Yeah, I can see Akechi coming back. Probably in the extended version of the game, whenever that happens. He was a bastard and a murderer, but he was painted in a much more sympathetic light than any of the other bad guys. He had a shit life, and he ends up losing because everyone hated him and he couldn't form any bonds with people like Joker. There's much more room to humanize and "rehabilitate" him compared to say, Adachi, his closest point of comparison(Which they tried to do in P4: Golden). It'd almost be funny to see both Joker and Akechi testify against Shida,  go to prison together, and the time jump from Christmas to Valentine's is spent hanging out with Akechi in prison.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Slumber

[Radiant head]

any suggestions on which confidants to max? party members are a given (though maybe not all of them), and i understand temperance, death, sun, and moon seem pretty good.  might just stick with those to make it easier for myself.  anything good i should add? 

[Water Mage]

1 hour ago, Radiant head said:

any suggestions on which confidants to max? party members are a given (though maybe not all of them), and i understand temperance, death, sun, and moon seem pretty good.  might just stick with those to make it easier for myself.  anything good i should add? 

Pretty much those, but Devil is a good one if you're bad at the stealth sections, the Rank 10 reward for Strength can be incredibly broken in the right conditions and Star has some nice rewards.

Also, I forgot to mention it before, but I've found some references to previous game. They mention Yukari and Taro Namatame on TV, and there's a day where they mention "heroes" of the Police, a detective with red sunglasses, a guy who took down a bear and a girl who isn't a police officer yet, but knows kung fu. They probably are Katsuya, Akihiko and Chie. 

EDIT: There was also an interview with Adachi! Can't believe I forgot that one!

Edited April 15, 2017 by Water Mage

[Slumber]

2 hours ago, Radiant head said:

any suggestions on which confidants to max? party members are a given (though maybe not all of them), and i understand temperance, death, sun, and moon seem pretty good.  might just stick with those to make it easier for myself.  anything good i should add? 

The Tower and Star confidants give you a bunch of new options in combat, like being able to intimidate enemies during negotiations, or being able to swap party members mid-battle. Also, Hierophant, since making coffee and curry are your only viable options for SP restoration, which becomes very, very, very important in the mid-end game.

Also, I'd advise against Devil if you're like me and blow through the palaces in one-go. If you've got the time, it's fine, but otherwise I'd say it's a waste of time.

28 minutes ago, Water Mage said:

Pretty much those, but Devil is a good one if you're bad at the stealth sections, the Rank 10 reward for Strength can be incredibly broken in the right conditions and Star has some nice rewards.

Also, I forgot to mention it before, but I've found some references to previous game. They mention Yukari and Taro Namatame on TV, and there's a day where they mention "heroes" of the Police, a detective with red sunglasses, a guy who took down a bear and a girl who isn't a police officer yet, but knows kung fu. They probably are Katsuya, Akihiko and Chie. 

EDIT: There was also an interview with Adachi! Can't believe I forgot that one!

Katsuya doesn't exist in the P3/4/5 universe. The P1/2 universe is separate. Persona 2 is an MMO in Persona 3. So it's probably not Katsuya.

Edited April 15, 2017 by Slumber

[Water Mage]

2 minutes ago, Slumber said:

The Tower and Star confidants give you a bunch of new options in combat, like being able to intimidate enemies during negotiations, or being able to swap party members mid-battle. Also, Hierophant, since making coffee and curry are your only viable options for SP restoration, which becomes very, very, very important in the mid-end game.

Also, I'd advise against Devil if you're like me and blow through the palaces in one-go. If you've got the time, it's fine, but otherwise I'd say it's a waste of time.

Katsuya doesn't exist in the P3/4/5 universe. The P1/2 universe is separate. Persona 2 is an MMO in Persona 3. So it's probably not Katsuya.

P1/P2 actually do exist in he same universe. The Kirijo group was originally a branch of the Nanjo group, and there are tons of refere in a P3 tv show.

[Slumber]

Just now, Water Mage said:

P1/P2 actually do exist in he same universe. The Kirijo group was originally a branch of the Nanjo group, and there are tons of refere in a P3 tv show.

Then why do they play the Persona 2 MMO in Persona 3, where the MC and his teacher name themselves after Katsuya and Maya?

[Azure Sen]

Just now, Slumber said:

Then why do they play the Persona 2 MMO in Persona 3, where the MC and his teacher name themselves after Katsuya and Maya?

That was only a reference in the English version. In the original Japanese, it was a shout-out to Megami Tensei II.

[Slumber]

Just now, AzureSen said:

That was only a reference in the English version. In the original Japanese, it was a shout-out to Megami Tensei II.

This has confused me for so long, and now it makes way more sense.

[Water Mage]

I was just watching some videos from Persona 3 and 4 and it made me realize something. I began to notice the flaws of those games compared to Persona 5, most specifically, the characters interactions as a group. There's a much bigger sense of camaraderie in the Phantom Thieves than there is in the Investigation Team and SEES. The Phantom Thieves also feel much more respectful of each other as people. Honestly, I'm starting to see the friendship in the Persona 3 and 4 groups as a little bit superficial compared to the Persona 5 group. Did anyone else began seeing flaws in the previous games, after playing Persona 5?

Edited April 16, 2017 by Water Mage

[DodgeDusk]

20 minutes ago, Water Mage said:

I was just watching some videos from Persona 3 and 4 and it made me realize something. I began to notice the flaws of those games compared to Persona 5, most specifically, the characters interactions as a group. There's a much bigger sense of camaraderie in the Phantom Thieves than there is in the Investigation Team and SEES. The Phantom Thieves also feel much more respectful of each other as people. Honestly, I'm starting to see the friendship in the Persona 3 and 4 groups as a little bit superficial compared to the Persona 5 group. Did anyone else began seeing flaws in the previous games, after playing Persona 5?

Well the members of SEES aren't meant to be friends with each other; there's a huge gap between the second-years and the third-years, and the two groups pretty much keep to themselves, outside of operations (and even then, it's not like Yukari and Junpei are good friends with each other. Same can be said with Aikhiko, Shinjiro, and Mitsuru). That's intentional, and no way is that a flaw. Think of them as co-workers. Persona 4's Investigation Team are arguably more closer with each other than Persona 5's Phantom Thieves, and that's mainly due to one's Shadow--their repressed and ugly emotions--being on display for everyone. And despite that, they get accepted into the Team. That's genuine trust. The Phantom Thieves don't have that. That's reflected in the diallogue in Persona 4--only Yosuke comes across as disrespectful towards anyone (namely Kanji and the girls), but that's because the dude's a dick and a pervert. And if we're talking about Persona 5 and respect for one another... Eh, it's not exactly a spoiler, but I'll put it under tags just in case.

There's no way Morgana respects Ryuji. It's hard the say if the opposite is true, though. I don't think Ryuji intends to come across as mean-spirited, despite what he can say sometimes.

[Water Mage]

I disagree on that point. It's not only Yosuke that disrespects others in the Investigation Team. Kanji gets treated as joke by most of the group, not just Yosuke. Chie, Yukiko and Teddie are all guilty of this. And the fact that they saw each other's Shadows actually makes it worse, because that means that they should know better. In fact, while I know the situations are meant to be comical, I noticed that there are lot of scenes in Persona 4 that make the male members absolutely jokes. I think there's a limit of how much you can make fun of a character. In Persona 5, while they do make fun of Ryuji, it never goes overboard, like in Persona 4.

While it does seems that Morgana never respects Ryuji, their interaction never comes off as mean spirited, as compared to say Yosuke and Teddie. I mean, there are times that Teddie is downright ungrateful to Yosuke, even after everything he does for Teddie.

[Slumber]

1 hour ago, Water Mage said:

I disagree on that point. It's not only Yosuke that disrespects others in the Investigation Team. Kanji gets treated as joke by most of the group, not just Yosuke. Chie, Yukiko and Teddie are all guilty of this. And the fact that they saw each other's Shadows actually makes it worse, because that means that they should know better. In fact, while I know the situations are meant to be comical, I noticed that there are lot of scenes in Persona 4 that make the male members absolutely jokes. I think there's a limit of how much you can make fun of a character. In Persona 5, while they do make fun of Ryuji, it never goes overboard, like in Persona 4.

 

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While it does seems that Morgana never respects Ryuji, their interaction never comes off as mean spirited, as compared to say Yosuke and Teddie. I mean, there are times that Teddie is downright ungrateful to Yosuke, even after everything he does for Teddie.

 

There's a difference between full on disrespect(Like Ryuji/Morgana) and just teenage ribbing. The banter between the characters in P4 seems more like teenage ribbing, even the Teddie/Yosuke interactions(Plus, Teddie deliberately acts like everything just rolls off of him, and it isn't until his shadow shows up that the party even realizes that Teddie has anything bothering him behind his jovial, pun-spewing personality). Yeah, the group sees Kanji's shadow which showcases his insecurities, but they don't ever directly make fun of Kanji's sexuality. The closest they ever get is making Kanji crossdress, but all of the dudes got roped into that. It's not like they were singling out Kanji because he may or may not be gay. Hell, none of them even point out how uncomfortable Kanji seems to be around Naoto when they all still think Naoto's a guy, which would be the prime opportunity to "disrespect" Kanji over what they saw from his shadow. Instead they're more just like "Hey Kanji, chill out". Most of Kanji's ribbing comes from him having a short temper and being kinda stupid.

Now, there is the camping trip, where Yosuke seems to be uncomfortable sharing a tent with Kanji, but even he realizes how much he's screwed up when Kanji storms out of the tent to prove his "Manliness", and that's pretty much the last time he comes off as insensitive to Kanji in regards to his insecurities that caused him so much torment.

Compare to Ryuji/Morgana, where Ryuji just openly calls Morgana useless, to the point where Morgana

 

leaves the party. And we learn that he doesn't leave because he wants to leave, we learn that he leaves, hoping that the party will come to him, validating his place in the group. And Ryuji doesn't let up after this in the slightest. Even in the "heartwarming reunion", Ryuji's still calling Morgana useless, struggling to come up with a reason of his own as to why the party came to help Morgana and Haru.

Now, there definitely IS better camaraderie than in P3, but like, half of the group hated the other half in P3, and very few ever interacted. Shinji didn't even want to be there, and Ken was only there in the hopes that he could kill Shinji. Yukari, meanwhile, acts like she'd leave Mitsuru and Junpei to die if she could, and Junpei likely would return the favor. Aigis is really only concerned with the main character, and Koromaru is a dog that can't talk. The only people who would likely be part of SEES of their own accord(And for good reasons) are Mitsuru, Fuuka, and Akihiko.

P4 and P5 seem like games about teenagers who organically bond over their journeys, while P3 seems more like a game where random teenagers are tossed together to save the world.

Edited April 16, 2017 by Slumber

[saisymbolic]

After seeing the game, I still think character development in P3 was much better than in the later series' entries. Everyone visibly changes from the beginning of the game to the ending of the game and from the ending of the game to The Answer. This is mainly because of how the characters were developed along with the plot in P3; the social links merely added secondary depth to SEES (which P3P refined by adding social links to the male party members).

The development of characters in P4 and P5 was very stunted, in my opinion. Their "darkest secrets" are laid bare for the world/team to see, and the aftermath of these issues are resolved one-on-one with the main protagonist during social links. There is no mention or sign of their growth during the main story line where the other members can observe; it is very much akin to supports in Fire Emblem happening in an isolated universe, essentially making them not canonical. 

Another issue adding to this is that there are no interpersonal interactions seen separate from the main character's perspective.

In P3, life happens outside of the main character's point of view.

Spoiler

Ken doesn't get over his mother's death during his social link. He gets over it by overhearing Akihiko and Shinjiro's conversations; witnessing Shinji get shot in front of him; and then gets motivation from Akihiko to continue on with his life.

Yukari doesn't learn the truth about her father during her social link. She sees the video at Yakushima; is at odds with Mitsuru for the majority of the game; and then gets the real video from Fuuka after Ikutsuki tries to off everyone.

You can't even begin Mitsuru's social link until after her character arc with her father is finished!

In contrast, we only see things from the main protagonist's perspective during P4. The characters are always together with Leader/Senpai at the center. We never see things like Naoto and Kanji share their common insecurities. We never see Chie and Yukiko help each other grow by talking out their issues; I honestly thought there would be a follow up scene after Yukiko's dungeon where they discuss their relationship. The only character that grows throughout the story is Teddie, which is why he was one of the only characters that felt natural, despite him actually being unnatural.

I suppose P5 has a reason due to the narrative framing device in the first two-thirds of the game, but it doesn't do itself any favors when it comes to developing its playable cast. I think Ann and Makoto briefly talking to each other in that one scene either during or after the third dungeon was an attempt.

I'm not saying P3 was perfect (because it really isn't), but I feel the character development in P4/P5 was lacking in comparison to P3.

im still going to buy P5 tho

 

Edited April 16, 2017 by saisymbolic

[Slumber]

40 minutes ago, saisymbolic said:

After seeing the game, I still think character development in P3 was much better than in the later series' entries. Everyone visibly changes from the beginning of the game to the ending of the game and from the ending of the game to The Answer. This is mainly because of how the characters were developed along with the plot in P3; the social links merely added secondary depth to SEES (which P3P refined by adding social links to the male party members).

The development of characters in P4 and P5 was very stunted, in my opinion. Their "darkest secrets" are laid bare for the world/team to see, and the aftermath of these issues are resolved one-on-one with the main protagonist during social links. There is no mention or sign of their growth during the main story line where the other members can observe; it is very much akin to supports in Fire Emblem happening in an isolated universe, essentially making them not canonical. 

Another issue adding to this is that there are no interpersonal interactions seen separate from the main character's perspective.

In P3, life happens outside of the main character's point of view.

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Ken doesn't get over his mother's death during his social link. He gets over it by overhearing Akihiko and Shinjiro's conversations; witnessing Shinji get shot in front of him; and then gets motivation from Akihiko to continue on with his life.

Yukari doesn't learn the truth about her father during her social link. She sees the video at Yakushima; is at odds with Mitsuru for the majority of the game; and then gets the real video from Fuuka after Ikutsuki tries to off everyone.

You can't even begin Mitsuru's social link until after her character arc with her father is finished!

In contrast, we only see things from the main protagonist's perspective during P4. The characters are always together with Leader/Senpai at the center. We never see things like Naoto and Kanji share their common insecurities. We never see Chie and Yukiko help each other grow by talking out their issues; I honestly thought there would be a follow up scene after Yukiko's dungeon where they discuss their relationship. The only character that grows throughout the story is Teddie, which is why he was one of the only characters that felt natural, despite him actually being unnatural.

I suppose P5 has a reason due to the narrative framing device in the first two-thirds of the game, but it doesn't do itself any favors when it comes to developing its playable cast. I think Ann and Makoto briefly talking to each other in that one scene either during or after the third dungeon was an attempt.

I'm not saying P3 was perfect (because it really isn't), but I feel the character development in P4/P5 was lacking in comparison to P3.

im still going to buy P5 tho

 

I kind of think you're looking at it the wrong way. You seem to be putting more value in a game ending a character's journey through static scenes, compared to starting a character's journey through static scenes. P3 does the former, P4/5 does the latter. If you like the former more than the latter, cool. You just want to see a different way of character development than what 4/5 give you. But I don't think 4/5 have inherently less because of it.

P4/5 are also a lot more about camaraderie, which is why you see less scenes where characters develop outside of the main characters' perspective. Again, half of SEES fucking hated the other half. It makes sense in that context why, say, Ken would realize what happened between Shinji and his mom by overhearing Akihiko talking in this context. But look at P4 or P5. While it doesn't happen all at once usually, there are tons of scenes throughout P4 of the group getting to find out Yukiko's weird ass sense of humor, which she shows more and more as she starts feeling more comfortable around her group of friends. It's something minor that develops over the course of the entire game, while her Shadow and social link deal with her insecurities as a hotel heiress and the expectations put on her. There are tons of things like this that we see for nearly every character in P4/5, because they clearly become more comfortable around their friends. It's a different way of doing it. It's not quite as dramatic as like, the stuff with Ken/Shinji or Junpei/Chidori in P3, but it's still there, just in different ways.

I also think the change for major character development being put at the beginning of a character's story/in their social links was more of a change for consistency. I've talked with people about this before, but the way they did it in P3 made for some big inconsistencies. Social links are supposed to be about your main character getting whoever they're linking with open their hearts. In P3, where a lot of characters go through major changes over the course of the story(Persona awakenings were even tied to story moments), it became REALLY weird when you'd start linking with characters, and they'd never mention these relatively huge moments in their lives that just happened. Akihiko wouldn't bring up Shinji's death when it'd make sense, Mitsuru wouldn't talk about her dad getting crucified in front of her, Yukari wouldn't talk about learning what actually happened with her dad. Stuff like that. Which is why I think they went with the "Learn about the character's main dilemma FIRST, then use social link to learn more about them" direction in P4/5.

Yeah, it kinda sucks, because you might never learn about or resolve several character's problems since they're more dependent on actively engaging with them, but it makes sense to some degree. It makes sense that you'd never learn about

Yusuke struggling to find himself as an artist now that he's lost his mentor if you didn't put in the time to hang out with him outside of the Phantom Thieves and go to his shows.

It makes less sense that Mitsuru would never bring up her father dying horrifically in front of her when you do her social links and learn about all of the problems she has being the leader of SEES and juggling schoolwork and all of her other responsibilities.

Again, I don't think P4/5 characters have less development than 3, just that it's presented in basically the opposite fashion for the sake of the development being more coherent if/when you decide to develop your social links.

[saisymbolic]

1 hour ago, Slumber said:

I kind of think you're looking at it the wrong way. You seem to be putting more value in a game ending a character's journey through static scenes, compared to starting a character's journey through static scenes. P3 does the former, P4/5 does the latter. If you like the former more than the latter, cool. You just want to see a different way of character development than what 4/5 give you. But I don't think 4/5 have inherently less because of it.

That's an interesting way I never thought of seeing it. I suppose that could be the reason I didn't see the character development in the later games, though I still they missed some pretty good opportunities with individual interactions here and there.

[Starman]

Finished the game last night and even if there are some issues with it, this might be one of my favorite RPGs of the past few years.

The main cast is pretty solid with no one i flat out hate or despise. Everyone gets their moment to shine. Personal favorites of mine include Yusuke, Makoto and Akechi (though the avatar and signature should have been a giveaway for that). Though i do dislike Morganas arc before Okumura's palace. I know the general consensus is disliking Ryuji because of his actions, but i can't help but find Morgana to be annoying and needlessly stubborn then. Thank goodness it ends as quick as it started.

The games plot flowed well in my opinion with the only real instance of filler i feel being around the time of Kaneshiro's palace. Though the game does try to justify it in the later parts. Problems do pop up more at endgame though with some moments i do agree in feeling kind of rushed.

I personally love how Co-Ops/Confidants give you in game bonuses with my absolute faves being the bonuses gained from Kawakami/Temperance(Max allows you to regain use of an evening after dungeon crawling) and Hifumi/Star(Max bonus gives you the ability to freely switch in party members mid battle). Thought Ohyas is generally not too helpful(Unless you're sneaking skills aren't too great) with the only use out of hers is more Charm.

This OST is amazing. Not one track that falters or is generally unforgettable.

The settings and aesthetics are very unique. With everything working to the whole crime, comic book style the game has for it. It's very visually pleasing

Overall, this is a pretty great game and i'm happy to have been able to experience it. There are problems with the plot , character interactions and what not, but nothing is perfect.
And besides all the problems might be fixed by the time the P5 update that is totally happening comes out

[Thane]

17 minutes ago, Trisitei said:

And besides all the problems might be fixed by the time the P5 update that is totally happening comes out

Spoiler

"Glasses-kun, it was almost as if someone set all this up. Hmm...oh well, enjoy the credits!"

 

[Slumber]

4 hours ago, Thane said:

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"Glasses-kun, it was almost as if someone set all this up. Hmm...oh well, enjoy the credits!"

 

I thought that was a reference to

 

Yaldabaoth, since I don't think Sae knows of anything that happens after Christmas eve, and Yaldabaoth set up the whole thing with the MC and Akechi for shits and giggles.

I think it's just supposed to show that Sae knows what she's doing, and can figure stuff out without needing to be in the loop like the rest of the party. I think. It's been a week since I beat the game, so she could totally be aware of the stuff that happened at the very end, that segment just goes by so quickly, so I could just be forgetting.

But it's also something Atlus may have left in there when Persona 5: Blood Orgy or whatever comes out.

Edited April 17, 2017 by Slumber

[Water Mage]

7 hours ago, Thane said:

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"Glasses-kun, it was almost as if someone set all this up. Hmm...oh well, enjoy the credits!"

 

I agree with Slumber. I'm pretty sure it was meat to be a reference to Yaldabaoth. The one thing see for sure in a Persona 5 updated version is the ability to save Akechi. It's going to happen, considering that in a character poll, he got first place as a favorite character. The main character got second, and Makoto got third. I can also see some more interactions with Lavenza.