Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES

"A game full of Shadows"

When Persona 3 was released in 2007 I bought it not knowing what I was getting into. It was $60 and came with an artbook and soundtrack. In spite of this I couldn't like the game and after spending that much money I tried hard to like it but couldn't. I traded that game in got $35 trade in credit and went along to spend the credit on what I considered to be better games. A year later I came across the title Persona 3 FES. It caught my interest so to see what it was I watched the trailers, heard about the extra content, and loved the new price tag. So I bought it and I'm glad I did. I can now appreciate it as it deserves to be.

Gameplay: 9/10
The gameplay is for the most part great. The character you control moves at a good pace not to fast and not to slow. The only true problem with the gameplay is in battles. The problem is that you can only control your character, usually not a big deal but the AI in this game isn't that bright. For example in one battle I fought no matter how many times the other characters said that attack would heal the monsters the AI controlled characters kept using that attack. Another thing in fights that some consider to be a problem is that when your character dies in a fight its game over. Myself I never found this to be a problem. In fact I found it to be a nice idea as you are the main character and without you the story couldn't go on.

Sound: 7/10
I'll admit that there is some nice tunes in the game. Other sounds are just plain wierd and leave me scratching my head thinking what was that? The music in Tartarus is great and you have 4 or 5, I can't recall how many options there are to choose from. During the day however in school in one part of the game there's this bouncy music playing with french words repeating itself again and again. Some parts of the music are great and others are.....well I'll stick with the word unique to sum it up.

Graphics: 10/10
I've never come across graphics like this and I actually like it. So far as I've been able to tell there is no difference between the original Persona 3 graphics and FES. Not a bad thing really as it would have delayed its release if they had decided to amp it up. The environments are well done and have dark scenery where it should be and bright colorful areas in the right places. The anime cinematics were done in a modern design rather then following traditional anime. Not a bad thing as its pretty eyecatching.

Story: 10/10
The story begins when the main character moves back to the town he lived in as a child. As a orphan he goes to live in a school dorm and meets an assortment of colorful if cliched characters. After staying in the dorm for a few days the dorm is attacked by a giant monster called a Shadow. He awakens to his power and defeats the monster and so his story begins. The story is definitely Japanese based and is very good. Not overly long and not too short either. There are quite a few shocking twists and turns in the plot and the end of the game is bound to leave the player feeling sad that its over.

Overall: 9/10
Persona 3 FES is a great game. I enjoyed it a lot more then the original Persona 3. It was well worth the $30 price tag. The main storyline doesn't change from the original Persona 3 but that's alright as the story was great to begin with. Definitely a must buy game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/18/09

Game Release: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES (US, 04/22/08)