Persona 3: FES - YAY!

[Bacon McShig]

I really miss Happy Finch That Didn't Hate Everything.

[A Robot Bit Me]

He's right, though.

[Thief Silver]

He's pretty much pointing out what makes it not the best RPG ever.

[A Robot Bit Me]

He's pointing out what keeps it from being above average. The game says "Yeah, the dungeons kind of suck, but it's all about the interaction," with a straight face, and that's fine. But when the interaction ends up being inconsequential aside from boosting your stats for use in the afforementioned shitty dungeons, the game falls apart from a design standpoint.

It's hard to feel like you're actually Playing a Role in a Game when, to quote Frog, "I can be as mean to main character girl as i want, i can tell smart red head that she's a bitch, i can tell annoying cap guy to piss off, but none of it's going to matter." It's like the game is just progressing at its own leisure with or without you; I felt like I was more of a spectator than a part of it.

[epmode]

Expecting meaningful decisions in a JRPG was a mistake.

Anyway, that particular complaint is apparently going to be addressed in Persona 4. Branching social links and all. Also: varied dungeon environments

Even so, Persona 3 > you.

[NeoZeedeater]

Expecting meaningful decisions in a JRPG was a mistake.

True, but everyone was hyping this game as something way different than the average JRPG, and saying how awesome the character interaction is. It is structurally different in a lot of ways but it could have been a million times better if the social parts had more cause and effect from decisions. I do like the game, and am glad I bought it to experience it, but I haven't even hit the 20 hour mark and the appeal is starting to fade a bit for me. I can't picture it holding my interest for another 60 or so hours.

[A Robot Bit Me]

Exactly. Only in its promise to let the player impact the story does Persona 3 subject itself to criticism. I'm not going to knock Final Fantasy IV for not letting me profoundly affect character relationships because it never pretended that I could.

[epmode]

I agree that it's a failing. However, it's not anything that really bugged me in-game. I was just interested in seeing how each link would play out.

[Thief Silver]

I am pretty sure I said the exact same thing to Frog at some point, how I wished at least the interaction with the main storyline females would have some form of effect on it, or at least the little things you say to everyone each day had an effect. But those seemed to be more bent on giving an artificial sense of replay value in seeing what the different responses are.

[A Robot Bit Me]

It's not a bad game. I certainly admire its ambition, but I think it bit off a little more than it could chew.

I'm still on board for P4 if what epmode said comes to fruition.