[Atlus] Persona 3 & Persona 3 FES

The critically and fan acclaimed hit, and RPG of 2007, Persona 3 makes its return with new additions and a continuation of the story adding 30+ hours to the already 70+ hour game. All for the price of $29.99!
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Persona 3

QUOTE:
A teenager who was orphaned as a young boy returns to the city of his childhood. Shortly after transferring to Gekkoukan High School, he is attacked by Shadows — creatures that feed on the minds of their victims. He soon discovers that he shares a special ability with other students at his new school. From them, he learns of the “Dark Hour,” a hidden time that exists between one day and the next, swarming with Shadows. He joins the Special Extracurricular Execute Sector (SEES), and with his new friends, confronts the threat of the Shadows.

QUOTE:
Persona 3 takes place in modern day Japan and focuses on an un-named 17 year old, male protagonist. He has just transferred to a new high school, in an area known as Minatoku. This consists of the harbor city of Iwatodai and a nearby, man-made island known as Port Island. His co-ed dormitory is located on Iwatodai and each day, he and his friends take the monorail to school on Port Island. For the Protagonist, day time in this area plays out like it may for any one his age: a day of school and then an afternoon of hanging out with his friends.

However, at the stroke of midnight, a period known as "Shadow Time" begins (Dark Hour in the US). During this time, creatures known as Shadows wander the streets hunting and looking for battle. Early on, the Protagonist and his new friend, Yukari, are attacked by one such Shadow. Yukari is already a member of a group dedicated to fighting the shadow, known as the Special Extracurricular Execute Sector (or S.E.E.S. for short). Unfortunately, Yukari seems unsure of herself when using the required Persona summoning device and is left open to attack. The Protagonist decides to try this item for himself and here it is discovered that not only is he able to summon personae as well, but he can summon more than one at a time. Following the attack, he is asked to join the group, which also includes fellow classmates Akihiko and Mitsuru.

A vast majority of the city is unaware of the existence of Shadow Time or even the Shadow itself. This is largely thanks to the fact that those unable to summon personae are crystallized into a shape resembling a coffin during the Shadow Time transition, awakening the next day with no knowledge of the previous night's happenings. The protagonist and his friends, however, are fully aware of this time and space anomaly. Thanks to this newfound power, he is chosen as the "leader" of a the S.E.E.S. who plan to dispose of the Shadow once and for all. He joins the current ranks, as do other characters as time goes on.

However, being 17 and living in the real world also means that these so-called heroes have more normal things to deal with. Persona 3, more so than previous entries in the series, attempts to mimic a general school year for a student. Thanks to this, the game takes place over a full, 365 day year (which Atlus had stated should last about 50 hours of game play). During school time, weekdays are filled up with classes, tests and even sick days. After-school clubs and activities are available for the characters to participate in. You can make plans with others for weekends, vacations and holidays or just spend your time wandering about town shopping, participating in events (such as Sports Meets) or even just talking.

Beyond this, the game contains a variety of other options. Voices can be turned on and off, cursor memory can be disabled or enabled and so forth. At the start, the player may choose between Normal or Easy difficulty levels. Among other things, Easy mode allows you to continue without loading a save up to ten times per game.

QUOTE:
It’s worth noting that Persona 3 can contain some disturbing imagery and is certainly not suitable for juvenile gamers who are looking for something new to play after finishing Kingdom Hearts 2. Did I mention that your character summons his Persona by shooting himself in the head? You don’t take any damage when you do this, but it’s certainly a strange sight the first time you do it. The Evoker used to summon your Persona is only one of many unique and interesting facets that Persona 3 brings to the Playstation 2’s RPG library.

QUOTE:
96/100 (RPGFan) - I loved Persona 3. It delivered an experience that was both novel and familiar, and with the exception of the anime cutscenes and some of the voice acting, did so with excellent quality.

95/100 (Play Magazine) - Games like Persona 3 are the reason we play games. So, I can't say this enough. Play it. [Aug 2007, p.62]

90/100 (PSM) - Regardless of whether or not you like RPGs you should pick it up, because its one of the most enjoyable games weve played in a long time.

90/100 (GameSpy) - One of the best RPGs available, regardless of console.

90/100 (Deeko) - A story telling masterpiece.

85/100 (GameSpot) - At times shocking and always intense, Persona 3 is not a game you are likely to forget.

85/100 (Game Informer) - Persona 3 holds its themes together with solid gameplay and cool characters, and thoroughly rewards you for the time you invest. [Aug 2007, p.96]

84/100 (Game Almighty) - Persona 3 is an amazingly unique title for the Playstation 2. Even if youre not a fan of dungeon crawls, Persona 3 deserves your attention for its maturity alone. Gamers that are sick of typical JRPG settings will love the new atmosphere and relish the creepy style.

83/100 (IGN) - Amazingly deep, with tons of replayability in both the dungeon crawling and social link directions, Persona 3 is an incredibly engaging title.

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(As of 2008.03.25) Persona 3 FES

QUOTE:
Play Magazine - 10/10

"Persona 3 FES is one of the best RPGs the PS2 has ever received, and one of the consoles proudest moments period."

IGN.com - 88/100 (Editors Choice)

"The fact that youre getting both the original and its virtual sequel for thirty dollars is a steal that no PS2 RPG fan should be without, and youre not likely to see such an excellent collection on the system again."

EGM - A/A/A (Gold)

"FES’ arrival—at a budget price—is the best thing to happen to role-playing games this year."

GameSpot.com - 85/100

"The gameplay has been deepened, broadened, and lengthened, yet the game sells for a discounted price, which makes FES a bona fide steal--even if you already played last years release."

GamesRadar.com - 9/10

"...if youre after a challenging and engaging game thatll reward you with a huge well of gameplay with polished style, and - well just say it - youre not afraid to nerd out, Persona 3 FES is an all around quality title that itd be a shame to miss.