Persona 4: Late to the party

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I've been playing Persona 4 (the PS2 version that released on PS3 via PSN a few months ago), and have been really enjoying my time with it. I think I'm about halfway through with it, so no late game spoilers please.

Gameplay

The interspersion of the social links and characteristics with the TV World combat and dungeon crawling make the game consistently consumable and fun, as you don't get too bogged down in one or the other. Need a break from fighting Shadows? Go hang out with Yosuke at the food court or train with Chie or do an after school club. Tired of school work and part time jobs? Go grind for Personas to fuse in the Velvet Room. It works well to keep the game constantly moving, while still being fun.

The turn-based battle system is fairly complex with the number of different Personas you can use, each with their own set of abilities, strengths and weaknesses, while the social links work to both support Personas and provide characterization, back story, and connection to an ever larger cast of fairly well written characters.

Soundtrack

What are some of your favorite songs from the game? The soundtrack is fantastic!

The opening song:

[Persona 4 OST] 01 - Pursuing My True Self

Main battle theme:

[Persona 4 OST] 11 - Reach Out To The Truth -First Battle-

Shoji Meguro did an excellent job with this soundtrack, creating audio tracks that I don't mind hearing over and over again, that contribute to the atmosphere of the game so well, and yet are fairly far removed from most modern RPG soundtracks.

Closing

What are your thoughts on the game? Does it have you excited for the spinoffs/Persona 5? Worth getting a PlayStation TV to play Persona 4 Golden if you don't already have a PS Vita?

Finally: obligatory best girl poll!

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