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Rate best to worst, all 3 Persona games (UNMARKED SPOILER!)
- Thread starter warheat
- Start date
mrmickfran
Member
Story
P4 > P5 > P3
P5's story left a little to be desired.
Characters
P5 > P4 > P3
While P4 has the awesomeness of Kanji, it also has garbage like Yosuke and Teddie. Ryuji's lowest point is nowhere as bad as those 2.
Gameplay
P5 > P4 > P3
This one should be unanimous. It is actually really annoying to go back to the older games now thanks to how snappy P5 is in the gameplay department.
Music
P5 >>>>>>>>> P3 > P4
Persona 5 is easily soundtrack of the year for me right now. 3 and 4 had a few good songs, but nowhere NEAR as many as 5.
Rivers in the Desert, Last Surprise, Keeper of Lust, Blooming Villain, Will Power, Beneath the Mask,Layer Cake, Freedom and Security, Life Will Change, FUCK, I could be here all day listing songs from P5.
Overall:
P5 > P4 > P3
P4 > P5 > P3
P5's story left a little to be desired.
Characters
P5 > P4 > P3
While P4 has the awesomeness of Kanji, it also has garbage like Yosuke and Teddie. Ryuji's lowest point is nowhere as bad as those 2.
Gameplay
P5 > P4 > P3
This one should be unanimous. It is actually really annoying to go back to the older games now thanks to how snappy P5 is in the gameplay department.
Music
P5 >>>>>>>>> P3 > P4
Persona 5 is easily soundtrack of the year for me right now. 3 and 4 had a few good songs, but nowhere NEAR as many as 5.
Rivers in the Desert, Last Surprise, Keeper of Lust, Blooming Villain, Will Power, Beneath the Mask,Layer Cake, Freedom and Security, Life Will Change, FUCK, I could be here all day listing songs from P5.
Overall:
P5 > P4 > P3
P3 > P4G >>>>>> P5
I'm playing Persona 3 FES for the first time now (I played Portable back in 2012) and God yes the gameplay is so dated but man, the characters and story are just so much better. Relegating party member character development to social links from 4 onwards was such a massive mistake. The way P3s story plays out allows characters to be introduced without sticking to a rigid structure like 4 and 5 too. Hell, Ken stays in your dorm for like a full month before he actually joins your party.
P4G is the best overall package, though. Music (two regular battle themes!), events, characters, gameplay. Some of its highs aren't as high as 3 and 5s but it doesn't have many lows either.
P5 dropped the ball in so many areas. Pacing, story, characters, music. The god damn music. I can't believe more people didn't complain about the use of music in P5.
I'm playing Persona 3 FES for the first time now (I played Portable back in 2012) and God yes the gameplay is so dated but man, the characters and story are just so much better. Relegating party member character development to social links from 4 onwards was such a massive mistake. The way P3s story plays out allows characters to be introduced without sticking to a rigid structure like 4 and 5 too. Hell, Ken stays in your dorm for like a full month before he actually joins your party.
P4G is the best overall package, though. Music (two regular battle themes!), events, characters, gameplay. Some of its highs aren't as high as 3 and 5s but it doesn't have many lows either.
P5 dropped the ball in so many areas. Pacing, story, characters, music. The god damn music. I can't believe more people didn't complain about the use of music in P5.
MetalliCabombination
Member
COMBAT
P5>>P3=P4
GAMEPLAY
P5=P4>p3
5 would win if it didnt have crazy episodes of forced railroading
STORY
P4>P3> >> P5
P5's Mostly non existent central plot for a large majority of the game and even when it does show its largely underwhelming. P4's was easily the most interesting , you have a goal from the beginning and you get a satisfying end.
CHARACTERS
P4=P3>P5
P5's werent bad but they were just less extreme versions of p4, a less insane traitor, a not homosexual homosexual, a semi popular diva, pressured child of a rich household etc etc
MUSIC
P4>P3>P5
P5's was just overly repetitive and only a few themes hit the right notes for me
P5>>P3=P4
GAMEPLAY
P5=P4>p3
5 would win if it didnt have crazy episodes of forced railroading
STORY
P4>P3> >> P5
P5's Mostly non existent central plot for a large majority of the game and even when it does show its largely underwhelming. P4's was easily the most interesting , you have a goal from the beginning and you get a satisfying end.
CHARACTERS
P4=P3>P5
P5's werent bad but they were just less extreme versions of p4, a less insane traitor, a not homosexual homosexual, a semi popular diva, pressured child of a rich household etc etc
MUSIC
P4>P3>P5
P5's was just overly repetitive and only a few themes hit the right notes for me
Having recently replayed all of them (from 2: IS), they're very fresh in my mind.
P5>P4>P3>P2
I would put P4 at the same place as 5 if the social links very better as a whole. I enjoyed all of P5. I loved the cast, love the social links (and how they fit in the story), the last boss was well thought, mementos, etc. Everything seemed coherent to me.
I love P4's cast and how they bond together. Cared a bit less about the different twists and antagonist. Some social links are a bit weak too. However the setting is absolutely great. It really nailed the small town atmosphere for me.
P3's cast is great at first but they introduce too many characters at the same time once you're already rolling and they don't get much exposure. They also lack bonding scenes. If you don't date all 3 girls of your team you miss a lot of their characters and I didn't like having to date all 3 so I could know them better. Social links are not that great either.
Gameplay wise P5 is obviously ahead. P3 didn't age all that well imo and I hated the AI back then and hated it again during my recent playthrough. P4 is more fun to play but its dungeons are quickly boring and the enemy design is lacking. I was happy that P5 chose to reintroduce Demons as enemies.
That being said I really love all 3 and would recommend playing all of them. They all offer something different and that's precisely what I love and expect from Persona.
P5>P4>P3>P2
I would put P4 at the same place as 5 if the social links very better as a whole. I enjoyed all of P5. I loved the cast, love the social links (and how they fit in the story), the last boss was well thought, mementos, etc. Everything seemed coherent to me.
I love P4's cast and how they bond together. Cared a bit less about the different twists and antagonist. Some social links are a bit weak too. However the setting is absolutely great. It really nailed the small town atmosphere for me.
P3's cast is great at first but they introduce too many characters at the same time once you're already rolling and they don't get much exposure. They also lack bonding scenes. If you don't date all 3 girls of your team you miss a lot of their characters and I didn't like having to date all 3 so I could know them better. Social links are not that great either.
Gameplay wise P5 is obviously ahead. P3 didn't age all that well imo and I hated the AI back then and hated it again during my recent playthrough. P4 is more fun to play but its dungeons are quickly boring and the enemy design is lacking. I was happy that P5 chose to reintroduce Demons as enemies.
That being said I really love all 3 and would recommend playing all of them. They all offer something different and that's precisely what I love and expect from Persona.
Jawbreaker
Member
5 > 3 > 4
Yes, I prefer the music in 5, too. Also, while 2 isn't my favorite overall due to its dated, unbearable gameplay, it has a wonderful cast that I'd place at the top.
Seriously though, how can you not list "Layer Cake" as a notable track in 5? That song is killer.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P8Zs-YdOlTs
Yes, I prefer the music in 5, too. Also, while 2 isn't my favorite overall due to its dated, unbearable gameplay, it has a wonderful cast that I'd place at the top.
Seriously though, how can you not list "Layer Cake" as a notable track in 5? That song is killer.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P8Zs-YdOlTs
kunonabi
Member
funny since it's the best one in the franchise.
Overall, P1>P2EP>P2IS 
))
Yeah yeah.
Story: I technically like the overall story in P3 a bit better than P4's, but the pacing is awful and you essentially spend half of the game just killing bosses and progressing through Tartarus without knowing why.
The last stretch in P5 felt a bit rushed and the actual ending was underwhelming for me, but overall it still has the most enjoyable story.
P5>P4>P3
Cast: I like P3 and 4's almost equally, but P5 has the most characters I'm genuinely fond of.
P5> P3=P4
Music: P5>P4>P3
Gameplay (lol): P5>>>>>>>P4>P3
Tact in their writing regarding women and minorities: They're all shit!!
I think that's about it. P5 is just too good.
And yes, I played them in order. P3FES, P4, P4G and then P5.
)) Yeah yeah.
Story: I technically like the overall story in P3 a bit better than P4's, but the pacing is awful and you essentially spend half of the game just killing bosses and progressing through Tartarus without knowing why.
The last stretch in P5 felt a bit rushed and the actual ending was underwhelming for me, but overall it still has the most enjoyable story.
P5>P4>P3
Cast: I like P3 and 4's almost equally, but P5 has the most characters I'm genuinely fond of.
P5> P3=P4
Music: P5>P4>P3
Gameplay (lol): P5>>>>>>>P4>P3
Tact in their writing regarding women and minorities: They're all shit!!
I think that's about it. P5 is just too good.
And yes, I played them in order. P3FES, P4, P4G and then P5.
Stormblessed
Member
5 > 4 Golden > 3 FES
The series has clearly improved, gameplay-wise. They've made smart improvements to combat and the overall structure of the games. I prefer 3's cast and story to 4's, but so much of the rest of 4 is stronger. I'd recommend anyone getting into the series to play 3 to 5 in release order, since the improvements become clearer that way.
The older games are too different - and too much a product of their time - to make a fair comparison with the later ones. I think Atlus should have made more of an effort with the remakes.
The series has clearly improved, gameplay-wise. They've made smart improvements to combat and the overall structure of the games. I prefer 3's cast and story to 4's, but so much of the rest of 4 is stronger. I'd recommend anyone getting into the series to play 3 to 5 in release order, since the improvements become clearer that way.
The older games are too different - and too much a product of their time - to make a fair comparison with the later ones. I think Atlus should have made more of an effort with the remakes.
5>3>4.
5 took everything I liked from 3 and expanded upon it with tons of QOL changes. It was the first game in the series for me that made the dungeon crawling fun. 3 still has the best overall story and characters for me but Tartarus...it was tough to push forward sometimes...I wasn't that much of a fan of the somewhat lighter tone in 4 and didn't connect with the cast that much (I think that was mostly since I didn't like the dub). Still it's a great game though just didn't reach the highs of the other 2 for me.
5 took everything I liked from 3 and expanded upon it with tons of QOL changes. It was the first game in the series for me that made the dungeon crawling fun. 3 still has the best overall story and characters for me but Tartarus...it was tough to push forward sometimes...I wasn't that much of a fan of the somewhat lighter tone in 4 and didn't connect with the cast that much (I think that was mostly since I didn't like the dub). Still it's a great game though just didn't reach the highs of the other 2 for me.
P4 >> P3 / (Catherine) >>> P5
for everything except gameplay, P5 is the most polished version of the modern Persona formula.
P4 on PS2 was my first Persona game, so the newness of the experience and nostalgia obviously work in its favor in my ranking; but I really liked the the Inaba rural setting and Scooby-Doo vibe mixed with my favorite characters, story and OST in the series.
for everything except gameplay, P5 is the most polished version of the modern Persona formula.
P4 on PS2 was my first Persona game, so the newness of the experience and nostalgia obviously work in its favor in my ranking; but I really liked the the Inaba rural setting and Scooby-Doo vibe mixed with my favorite characters, story and OST in the series.
Layer Cake is amazing. Butterfly's Kiss is pretty awesome too. Problem is, they're both stuck in areas you can likely spend less than a cumulative hour in for the entire game. I know I barely spent any time in the airsoft shop anyway.
Persona 5 has a good soundtrack, but the way the tracks are used is just stupid. You have exclusive tracks for minor confident areas and then the generic tension music is used as this games equivalent to Memories of the City and Omen. Don't get me started on how the final boss music sounds like mid boss music at best Edit: meanwhile the track that plays directly before it, Rivers in the Desert, is one of the best songs in the series and is recycled from a previous boss. What are you doing Atlus?!
I disagree with this - the track stands out by starting off with something that is heavily reminiscent of a classic straight up SMT battle tune, which is a big contrast to the rest of the track before getting into a really cool second segment which replies to it. It's a track that is memorable because it's so different from the Persona formula. Now, I'm not claiming that it's as good as The Battle for Everyone's Souls, but I do think it's the equal of Fog
BossDarkseid
Member
It's not that uncommon for jrpgs to kill major characters : /
Story: Feel like its kinda equal. 3, 4 and 5 all have boring sections or parts that are weak, but they have a lot of really high points. None are so much better than the others.
Character: Gonna say 4 or 5. 3 was fine but...eh. It wasn't as good, imo. It's kinda hard to talk about though, I suppose, because as they write the characters and they are inspired by various events (like Kamoshida in P5 or anti-Abe stuff) they become more relevant. Ultimately...4 are probably the gang I'd most like to hang out with. Although really all of them are kinda cool.
Music: 4. 3 is really good and so is 5 but 4 is still the OST where something like A Corner of Memories can kick in and I feel all "the feels" . I prefer the melodies of 4 and 5.
Story: Feel like its kinda equal. 3, 4 and 5 all have boring sections or parts that are weak, but they have a lot of really high points. None are so much better than the others.
Character: Gonna say 4 or 5. 3 was fine but...eh. It wasn't as good, imo. It's kinda hard to talk about though, I suppose, because as they write the characters and they are inspired by various events (like Kamoshida in P5 or anti-Abe stuff) they become more relevant. Ultimately...4 are probably the gang I'd most like to hang out with. Although really all of them are kinda cool.
Music: 4. 3 is really good and so is 5 but 4 is still the OST where something like A Corner of Memories can kick in and I feel all "the feels" . I prefer the melodies of 4 and 5.
Neoleo2143
Member
By 3 persona games, I'm assuming the 3 Hashino games.
Plotting: Persona 5 is probably the most driven overall. P4 is more a meandering slice of life narrative than focused on its mystery related arc and P3 is just a little too lopsided in pacing for my tastes.
Gameplay: P5 is straight up better than P4 and P3. P4 than P3 is more enjoyable because it gives more control than P3.
Aesthetics: P5 is straight up better than P4 and P3 in its menu design and character modeling, being in HD is a huge advantage though. I like the tones of P3 more than P4 but the camera angles of P4 sell Inaba quite solidly and I think it's the most memorable locale in the games.
Characters: I have a hard time with this deciding between P4 and P5, though aside from Junpei from P3 and a good bit of Akihiko, I kinda don't like the overall cast of P3 in comparison to the later games. Give me some years to dwell on this.
Script: P4. P5's script was a bit of a let down compared to what came before. P3's script might even be better but I need to replay that.
Music Implementation: P5 has an outstanding score that has issues with Implementation and as a result suffers from repetition in spite of its breadth. P4 also has an excellent score that has the more varied implementation which helps keep the game structure that just a bit fresher. Once again I can't really say much about P3 here though The Battle for Everyone's Souls is the best Final Boss theme.
Plotting: Persona 5 is probably the most driven overall. P4 is more a meandering slice of life narrative than focused on its mystery related arc and P3 is just a little too lopsided in pacing for my tastes.
Gameplay: P5 is straight up better than P4 and P3. P4 than P3 is more enjoyable because it gives more control than P3.
Aesthetics: P5 is straight up better than P4 and P3 in its menu design and character modeling, being in HD is a huge advantage though. I like the tones of P3 more than P4 but the camera angles of P4 sell Inaba quite solidly and I think it's the most memorable locale in the games.
Characters: I have a hard time with this deciding between P4 and P5, though aside from Junpei from P3 and a good bit of Akihiko, I kinda don't like the overall cast of P3 in comparison to the later games. Give me some years to dwell on this.
Script: P4. P5's script was a bit of a let down compared to what came before. P3's script might even be better but I need to replay that.
Music Implementation: P5 has an outstanding score that has issues with Implementation and as a result suffers from repetition in spite of its breadth. P4 also has an excellent score that has the more varied implementation which helps keep the game structure that just a bit fresher. Once again I can't really say much about P3 here though The Battle for Everyone's Souls is the best Final Boss theme.
I haven't finished Persona 5 yet, about 55 hours in, but right now I'd say it's my least favorite of "all three" Persona games. It's much more polished from a gameplay perspective and it oozes style, but overall 3 and 4 have been so much more memorable and gripping than 5 has been. I'm also currently playing through Okumura's Palace in Persona 5 which is pretty much garbage from a story and gameplay perspective, which has kinda killed the wind in my sails in a way that never happened in 3 or 4.
So as of now:
Persona 4 > Persona 3 > Persona 5
So as of now:
Persona 4 > Persona 3 > Persona 5
The second segment is pretty good, but the first 50 seconds or so - and the repeat after the first response - just sounds messy to me. I enjoyed the battle tracks in Nocturne, IV and Appcalypse (the only mainline SMT I've played) but Yaldaboath did nothing for me. The Fog beats it easily and Battle for Everyone's Souls hasn't come close to being touched.
I will say that it maybe beats Genesis, but only because that spends 7 solid minutes building up to that amazing orchestral Reach Out to the Truth. Those 30 seconds still stuck with me more than the entirety of Yaldaboath, though.
*
C'mon guys y'all know Persona 1 and 2 are fundamentally different experiences to Hasino's 3 games. Cut OP some slack. P2 needs remade tho so its cast has a chance to shine.
This fucking title...
Anyway,
5>3P> 2 EP >2 IS> 4 >1(PS1)>3/3Fes
1 hasn't aged that well, but still has a great story.
2 story and villains are miles ahead of the other games, but the main cast isn't as good.
3 has by far the worst gameplay and neither the character nor the story are that great either.
PSP's gameplay improments + female MC fixed most of the games issues.
4 has the best character, but lacks in other departments
5 is the best package overall, while 3 Portable is pretty close behind.
Haven't play the PSP version of 1.
Anyway,
5>3P> 2 EP >2 IS> 4 >1(PS1)>3/3Fes
1 hasn't aged that well, but still has a great story.
2 story and villains are miles ahead of the other games, but the main cast isn't as good.
3 has by far the worst gameplay and neither the character nor the story are that great either.
PSP's gameplay improments + female MC fixed most of the games issues.
4 has the best character, but lacks in other departments
5 is the best package overall, while 3 Portable is pretty close behind.
Haven't play the PSP version of 1.
Trigonometrize.
Member
5>4>3
5 has more problems than 4, but the good is damn good.
I don't think I like 3 very much outside of the music.
5 has more problems than 4, but the good is damn good.
I don't think I like 3 very much outside of the music.
BassForever
Member
P4 > p3 > p5 overall
P5 does have the best gameplay, but the flaws in design, characters, and story drag it down
P5 does have the best gameplay, but the flaws in design, characters, and story drag it down
Lionel Richie
Member
"All 3 Persona games"
Sumio Mondo
Member
"All three", huh?
T.T This game is so sad. And OP is either a troll or a bit ignorant.
Pop-O-Matic
Banned
TIL that there's a Persona 1 and 2. Thought the franchise just started at a random number like how Final Fantasy started at 7.
Not Spaceghost
Spaceghost
It's also kind of absolute magic how the izanami fight is paced out so that orchestral reprise of reach out ot the truth kicks in during the last moments of the fight when you think you're about to win....before it all goes to shit.
daemonkiller92
Member
5>4G=4>1>P3P>2:IS>Revelations>P3FES
Still need to play Eternal Punishment and Q. The Arena games are neat, and Dancing exists.
I love the music in Persona 5,though the day to day music could have been handled better. There really wasn't that much variety that was present in the previous games. That's my main complaint about the game.
Still need to play Eternal Punishment and Q. The Arena games are neat, and Dancing exists.
I love the music in Persona 5,though the day to day music could have been handled better. There really wasn't that much variety that was present in the previous games. That's my main complaint about the game.
" Rate best to worst, all 8 FF games."
Dangerous1992
Member
Persona 2 Eternanl Punishment>Persona 2 Innocent Sin>>>>>>>Persona 1>>>>>>Abyss>>>>>>Rest
The cast of EP destroys every character that P-Team did create for the modern Persona Games.
The cast of EP destroys every character that P-Team did create for the modern Persona Games.
Oh yeah, that part kicked in exactly as one of my party members dived in to save me from her grab move. It was incredible.
But I can also totally see someone either going through the fight too fast or too slow and having it play at a totally inconsequential moment. I like what they were going for but it was risky. It also makes the song not really as listenable outside the context of the game.
AgentLampshade
Member
For the story, I liked what P3 did more than P4 and 5. They're all a bit formulaic, but I think 3 masked it the best. It wasn't "new dungeon introduced > new party member > plot happens > repeat." Party members were added in at certain points in the story and each go through a full character arc instead of being relegated to social links. P5 had the best twists though. 3 > 5 > 4.
I REALLY like the characters in P5 more than the other games, but it's such a shame there's nowhere near enough endearing moments for them to stay as memorable and P4s. I'd like to say 5 > 4 > 3, but I can't. I have to have 4 edge it out. 3s characters are more rounded, but not nearly as entertaining as the others.
Gameplay. I mean... 5 by a country mile. It's a little too easy now, but it's still so much fun. 5 > 4 > 3.
Overall, I think P5s music is the best out of the three. The boss theme isn't as good as I'll Face Myself and the final boss theme isn't close to Battle for Everyone's Souls, but the dungeon music is much better, especially Whims of Fate and Life Will Change. I was never that big on P4s JPop soundtrack unfortunately, so my ranking is 5 > 3 > 4.
I played 4 first, but I don't have much of a soft spot for it. I think it's all the milking Atlus did to it. That Golden anime... Yeesh. In contrast to that, I think the P3 movies are really damn good.
I can't comment on P1 or the P2 duology. I'd love to experience them (more so 2 than anything) without... Err playing them. Haha, I know that sounds stupid but from what I understand, they've aged poorly and I don't think I could stomach that at this point (I even had to put down Nocturne). The story of 2 sounds right up my alley though from what I've read, so it's a shame I'm missing out on it for so shallow a reason.
Overall ranking: P5 > P3 > P4.
I REALLY like the characters in P5 more than the other games, but it's such a shame there's nowhere near enough endearing moments for them to stay as memorable and P4s. I'd like to say 5 > 4 > 3, but I can't. I have to have 4 edge it out. 3s characters are more rounded, but not nearly as entertaining as the others.
Mitsuru still the queen though.
Gameplay. I mean... 5 by a country mile. It's a little too easy now, but it's still so much fun. 5 > 4 > 3.
Overall, I think P5s music is the best out of the three. The boss theme isn't as good as I'll Face Myself and the final boss theme isn't close to Battle for Everyone's Souls, but the dungeon music is much better, especially Whims of Fate and Life Will Change. I was never that big on P4s JPop soundtrack unfortunately, so my ranking is 5 > 3 > 4.
I played 4 first, but I don't have much of a soft spot for it. I think it's all the milking Atlus did to it. That Golden anime... Yeesh. In contrast to that, I think the P3 movies are really damn good.
I can't comment on P1 or the P2 duology. I'd love to experience them (more so 2 than anything) without... Err playing them. Haha, I know that sounds stupid but from what I understand, they've aged poorly and I don't think I could stomach that at this point (I even had to put down Nocturne). The story of 2 sounds right up my alley though from what I've read, so it's a shame I'm missing out on it for so shallow a reason.
Overall ranking: P5 > P3 > P4.
Whole Package:
5>4>3
Party Members:
Junpei>4>5=3
MC:
5>4>3
Social Links:
4>5>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>3 (forcing you to make harems and not being able to form social links with male party members was stupid)
Main Story:
3>4>5
Music:
5>4>3
Combat:
5>4>>>>>>>>>3 (played FES)
QoL:
5>4>3
-Team Junpei
5>4>3
Party Members:
Junpei>4>5=3
MC:
5>4>3
Social Links:
4>5>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>3 (forcing you to make harems and not being able to form social links with male party members was stupid)
Main Story:
3>4>5
Music:
5>4>3
Combat:
5>4>>>>>>>>>3 (played FES)
QoL:
5>4>3
-Team Junpei
Call the police I've been murdered
Captainbojanglesiii
Banned
Persona 5 > Persona 3 > Persona 4
Soundtrack: 3 > 5 > 4
Plot: 4 > 5 > 3
Dungeons: 5 > 4 > 3
Tone: 3 > 5 > 4
Cast: 5 > 3 > 4
Soundtrack: 3 > 5 > 4
Plot: 4 > 5 > 3
Dungeons: 5 > 4 > 3
Tone: 3 > 5 > 4
Cast: 5 > 3 > 4
DarknessTear
Banned
P5>P3>P2>P4>P1
There are SIX mainline Persona games as 2 is divided in half.
So I must assume you're only talking about the Persona 3 games, which is a good topic for a thread as the game doesn't have a definitive edition.
I'd go myself:
Persona 3 Portable
Persona 3 FES
Persona 3
The pluses including the new campaign outweigh the minuses of Portable (the map being changed)
So I must assume you're only talking about the Persona 3 games, which is a good topic for a thread as the game doesn't have a definitive edition.
I'd go myself:
Persona 3 Portable
Persona 3 FES
Persona 3
The pluses including the new campaign outweigh the minuses of Portable (the map being changed)
Novel Mike
Member
Lot of different opinions for this. I've talked a lot about this on the various P5 threads but heres how I see it.
Gameplay:
P4>P5>P3
Okay yes I said P4 gameplay is better then 5, hear me out. The biggest flaw with Persona 4's gameplay is the random dungeons but if you go back and play them they are damn well near perfectly executed for what they are. None of them are very long (around 10 floors in each dungeon) so each dungeon doesn't overstay their welcome. The game gives you plenty of hints on when you are getting close to the end as well (unlike Morgana giving you very vague hints on how far you are in each Palace in P5, but we'll get to that) so its fairly easy to judge where you're at in a dungeon and how far you still have to go.
Persona 4 also doesn't have the problems P3 does like being unable to control your party members (although they fixed this in P3P) and as I said before the dungeons aren't very long unlike Tartarus which is just a boring endless slog to get through.
Persona 5 has Mementos which is basically Tartarus lite but you'd think the Palaces would make up for that but in my opinion they don't. The first two palaces are fantastic and extremely well designed as is the 4th palace but the 5th Palace on they become increasingly grandiose and pad out the time within them to an extreme degree the perfect example being the Mice sections in the 7th palace which are by far the most annoying and relentlessly boring mazes I've played in a long damn time.
The Problems with P5 don't end their however. The main way you contact enemies in Persona 5 is also pretty broken. By taking Cover enemies can't see you, even if they are literally standing right on top of you and the camera doesn't always see to let you move it around so you can target the enemies correct to get a jump on them forcing you to wait for them to move or re-position yourself, but thats the thing its one of the main mechanics and it doesn't work as well as it clearly should but even then this mechanic is completely over powered and broken and makes battles trivial because if you get the jump on enemies 99% of the time you are going to win before they can generally even attack. It makes combat trival and uninteresting because its only rarely you ever feel like your actually in danger.
The battle system itself certainly has some new features but I'd argue they aren't implemented all that well. Guns for example are an interesting inclusion but outside of having an easy way to knock down certain enemies they aren't that useful, some of the Gun skills you can unlock later are but Guns themselves never feel like important equipment. Hell I didn't ever change the default guns that any of the characters started with as the only time you really need to use them is to hit a weakness.
Going off of that we also have new elements Nuke and Psy and I do not understand the point of these elements. They already had added direct damage spells to Dark/Light instead of just Mudo/Hama making those elements more interesting but on top of that they also added Nuke and Psy neither of which are really needed and I flat out don't understand their inclusion. They work just like every other skill does they don't even have a unique mechanic to them like Dark/Light do with Hama/Mudo they are just 2 more elements because the developers wanted slightly more complexity? IT also creates an imbalance in your party because no one learns the Dark/Light elements outside of a guest character making them elements you only really use via the MC which isn't a terrible thing but it seems odd intentional to do that when previous Persona games would generally give you party members to cover each element appropriately.
I could get into this more but I think you get the idea, just because what they added is nice and new doesn't mean it holds up extremely well. P4 by comparison dropped several physical elements that P3 had while still keeping the magic system the same and it worked quite well, it never felt like you were outright unmatched at any point outside of the BS of getting a game over if the MC dies (which P5 still didn't fix!)
So yeah, I think Persona 4's gameplay is better, Persona 5 is certainly newer and has more activities and elements to its gameplay but I don't think all of those changes are for the better and personally I'd rather go through all of fucking Tartarus again instead of doing Palace 7 again, and neither are those experiences that I enjoyed.
Story:
P4>P3>P5
Persona 4's story centered around a murder mystery is immensely well told and interesting and even after the culprit is revealed (no matter when you figured it out, it couldn't make sense until you spoke to Namatame and he filled in the gaps of things you didn't know) the game still nails its execution to the normal ending. Then things get really interesting as during your final day you have the option of heading down the true ending path and damn does it get interesting. The ultimate reveal of Izanami and the rumble of the controller at the beginning of the game (Ps2 only sadly, sorry Vita) coming back during the very last day of the game is so well done. Even IF you thought something was strange back at the beginning by this point you are likely well over 100 hours of playtime and no fucking way you still remember that but when she does it again HOLY SHIT DID IT ALL MAKE SENSE! That is how you do fucking foreshadowing from the beginning! The final arc of the game is about understanding the truth and the single most badass moment in the series is Yu taking off his glasses (symbolizing he can see the truth even through the fog caused by Izanami) and then summoning Izanagi-no-Okami to finish her off.
The twists in this game are all well done and foreshadowed extremely well what with what I already mentioned plus the story of Izanagi and Izanami being told to you during the school trip. It also ties in the cast of the game extremely well with whats going on (and I'll get more into them later) and its all just executed perfectly.
Persona 3's story is also good but more predictable then I expected. I do want to replay through it again, it certainly has the most interesting ending but I felt the pace was off in places and the villains just weren't that interesting, the evil team of Persona users was just awful outside of the development it gives Junpei and Chidori.
Persona 5's story is... a mess. It starts out extremely strong in the first arc but each new arc sets up the same pattern that doesn't change up until the very end. Then once you get to the final arc of the game it largely repeats P4 with several twists that just aren't done as well or foreshadowed properly (as much as I love the Igor twist its really not foreshadowed well at all unless you know the voice actor stuff) and what could have a super interesting twist villain ends up going out in the lamest way possible and isn't even a hard boss fight or anything, it feels like a completely wasted character in the end and brings down the previous twist. The true villain of the game is just not very interesting and echo's Izanami and Nyx before it without ever being foreshadowed or having any kind of real build up to it. It's all done in a very grandiose way which visually is cool but doesn't escape from how poorly this whole narrative played out. The first part of the ending felt extremely forced (why do you need to turn yourself in if Shido had a change of heart and confessed??) and while touching it didn't feel like the game really earned it at that point. The second part of the ending is literally Persona 4's just replace train ride with car ride.
Characters:
P4>P5>P3
I've talked at length about how much I love Persona 4's characters so as this is already going long I'll make this single point to solidify my decision here. The characters of Persona 4 feel like real friends that know and truly care about each other. The way the spin off games talk about how the bonds they created will never be broken feels very accurate because of how well Persona 4 does at developing the cast as a group of friends. You see them develop as a group on multiple events both in the original and in the Golden remake with the Camping Trip, the adventures of Mystery Food X, the school trip where half the cast gets drunk (on the atmosphere XD), the school festival and cross dressing beauty pageant, ect. These are a real group of friends that not only work together but also really love each other and each of them is better off for knowing each other.
The Persona 5 and Persona 3 casts just don't have that. Both casts feel more like colleagues who work together but you never really get a single that they truly care about each other. Some times the games will force an emotional moment on you but as a group they just aren't well developed. Both games have group events in P4 does but they are generally lacking in group development or don't end up using the cast the way they should. Persona 5's events are used more to develop the plot then they are to actually have character development and it feels like a complete waste doing what they ultimately did with them instead of developing the group as a whole. Also P5 introduces Haru way to late into the game, it would be one thing if she was introduced earlier on and you could have built up her S-link ahead of time and then brought her into the fold but as it was done you get like 1 or 2 group scenes with her in it before the ending? One of those ends up being used on the plot like I mentioned before so it just feels extremely wasteful as I really liked her character.
Music:
P4>P5>P3
This is honestly just personal taste more then anything, I just didn't like P3's music that much and while P5 has some great music some of it like the Mementos music is burned into my brain in the worst possible way it could be. P4 also has a music/dancing spin off game largely because of the excellent music so theirs that.
Overall:
P4>P5>P3
Persona 3 getting a proper remake and getting the golden treatment might make it better then P5 honestly but as it stands this is how I see it. I don't think Persona 4 is really lacking in anything, I can see why people say the gameplay of P5 is better but after replaying through P4G again I just can't agree. It might be flashier and do away with the randomized dungeons but I don't think that alone makes it better, the Palaces in P5 start off absolutely fantastic but the later Palaces drag on and on and take hours to complete largely do to excessive padding, that isn't fun and I'll take a 10 floor random dungeon over those any day. Even if you see the gameplay in P5 being better the story and characters of Persona 4 are much more interesting and well developed and personally I just hated how many things P5 just reused from Persona 4 by the end of the game with its story elements.
Persona 4 is still the best in the series and while P5 is also good if not great its still lacking and feels rushed. The story has pacing problems among other things and I just couldn't get attached to the characters in the same way largely because they never develop as a group very much and there is clear hostility among the group throughout most of the game that just wasn't really needed and didn't help to develop the cast very well.
Gameplay:
P4>P5>P3
Okay yes I said P4 gameplay is better then 5, hear me out. The biggest flaw with Persona 4's gameplay is the random dungeons but if you go back and play them they are damn well near perfectly executed for what they are. None of them are very long (around 10 floors in each dungeon) so each dungeon doesn't overstay their welcome. The game gives you plenty of hints on when you are getting close to the end as well (unlike Morgana giving you very vague hints on how far you are in each Palace in P5, but we'll get to that) so its fairly easy to judge where you're at in a dungeon and how far you still have to go.
Persona 4 also doesn't have the problems P3 does like being unable to control your party members (although they fixed this in P3P) and as I said before the dungeons aren't very long unlike Tartarus which is just a boring endless slog to get through.
Persona 5 has Mementos which is basically Tartarus lite but you'd think the Palaces would make up for that but in my opinion they don't. The first two palaces are fantastic and extremely well designed as is the 4th palace but the 5th Palace on they become increasingly grandiose and pad out the time within them to an extreme degree the perfect example being the Mice sections in the 7th palace which are by far the most annoying and relentlessly boring mazes I've played in a long damn time.
The Problems with P5 don't end their however. The main way you contact enemies in Persona 5 is also pretty broken. By taking Cover enemies can't see you, even if they are literally standing right on top of you and the camera doesn't always see to let you move it around so you can target the enemies correct to get a jump on them forcing you to wait for them to move or re-position yourself, but thats the thing its one of the main mechanics and it doesn't work as well as it clearly should but even then this mechanic is completely over powered and broken and makes battles trivial because if you get the jump on enemies 99% of the time you are going to win before they can generally even attack. It makes combat trival and uninteresting because its only rarely you ever feel like your actually in danger.
The battle system itself certainly has some new features but I'd argue they aren't implemented all that well. Guns for example are an interesting inclusion but outside of having an easy way to knock down certain enemies they aren't that useful, some of the Gun skills you can unlock later are but Guns themselves never feel like important equipment. Hell I didn't ever change the default guns that any of the characters started with as the only time you really need to use them is to hit a weakness.
Going off of that we also have new elements Nuke and Psy and I do not understand the point of these elements. They already had added direct damage spells to Dark/Light instead of just Mudo/Hama making those elements more interesting but on top of that they also added Nuke and Psy neither of which are really needed and I flat out don't understand their inclusion. They work just like every other skill does they don't even have a unique mechanic to them like Dark/Light do with Hama/Mudo they are just 2 more elements because the developers wanted slightly more complexity? IT also creates an imbalance in your party because no one learns the Dark/Light elements outside of a guest character making them elements you only really use via the MC which isn't a terrible thing but it seems odd intentional to do that when previous Persona games would generally give you party members to cover each element appropriately.
I could get into this more but I think you get the idea, just because what they added is nice and new doesn't mean it holds up extremely well. P4 by comparison dropped several physical elements that P3 had while still keeping the magic system the same and it worked quite well, it never felt like you were outright unmatched at any point outside of the BS of getting a game over if the MC dies (which P5 still didn't fix!)
So yeah, I think Persona 4's gameplay is better, Persona 5 is certainly newer and has more activities and elements to its gameplay but I don't think all of those changes are for the better and personally I'd rather go through all of fucking Tartarus again instead of doing Palace 7 again, and neither are those experiences that I enjoyed.
Story:
P4>P3>P5
Persona 4's story centered around a murder mystery is immensely well told and interesting and even after the culprit is revealed (no matter when you figured it out, it couldn't make sense until you spoke to Namatame and he filled in the gaps of things you didn't know) the game still nails its execution to the normal ending. Then things get really interesting as during your final day you have the option of heading down the true ending path and damn does it get interesting. The ultimate reveal of Izanami and the rumble of the controller at the beginning of the game (Ps2 only sadly, sorry Vita) coming back during the very last day of the game is so well done. Even IF you thought something was strange back at the beginning by this point you are likely well over 100 hours of playtime and no fucking way you still remember that but when she does it again HOLY SHIT DID IT ALL MAKE SENSE! That is how you do fucking foreshadowing from the beginning! The final arc of the game is about understanding the truth and the single most badass moment in the series is Yu taking off his glasses (symbolizing he can see the truth even through the fog caused by Izanami) and then summoning Izanagi-no-Okami to finish her off.
The twists in this game are all well done and foreshadowed extremely well what with what I already mentioned plus the story of Izanagi and Izanami being told to you during the school trip. It also ties in the cast of the game extremely well with whats going on (and I'll get more into them later) and its all just executed perfectly.
Persona 3's story is also good but more predictable then I expected. I do want to replay through it again, it certainly has the most interesting ending but I felt the pace was off in places and the villains just weren't that interesting, the evil team of Persona users was just awful outside of the development it gives Junpei and Chidori.
Persona 5's story is... a mess. It starts out extremely strong in the first arc but each new arc sets up the same pattern that doesn't change up until the very end. Then once you get to the final arc of the game it largely repeats P4 with several twists that just aren't done as well or foreshadowed properly (as much as I love the Igor twist its really not foreshadowed well at all unless you know the voice actor stuff) and what could have a super interesting twist villain ends up going out in the lamest way possible and isn't even a hard boss fight or anything, it feels like a completely wasted character in the end and brings down the previous twist. The true villain of the game is just not very interesting and echo's Izanami and Nyx before it without ever being foreshadowed or having any kind of real build up to it. It's all done in a very grandiose way which visually is cool but doesn't escape from how poorly this whole narrative played out. The first part of the ending felt extremely forced (why do you need to turn yourself in if Shido had a change of heart and confessed??) and while touching it didn't feel like the game really earned it at that point. The second part of the ending is literally Persona 4's just replace train ride with car ride.
Characters:
P4>P5>P3
I've talked at length about how much I love Persona 4's characters so as this is already going long I'll make this single point to solidify my decision here. The characters of Persona 4 feel like real friends that know and truly care about each other. The way the spin off games talk about how the bonds they created will never be broken feels very accurate because of how well Persona 4 does at developing the cast as a group of friends. You see them develop as a group on multiple events both in the original and in the Golden remake with the Camping Trip, the adventures of Mystery Food X, the school trip where half the cast gets drunk (on the atmosphere XD), the school festival and cross dressing beauty pageant, ect. These are a real group of friends that not only work together but also really love each other and each of them is better off for knowing each other.
The Persona 5 and Persona 3 casts just don't have that. Both casts feel more like colleagues who work together but you never really get a single that they truly care about each other. Some times the games will force an emotional moment on you but as a group they just aren't well developed. Both games have group events in P4 does but they are generally lacking in group development or don't end up using the cast the way they should. Persona 5's events are used more to develop the plot then they are to actually have character development and it feels like a complete waste doing what they ultimately did with them instead of developing the group as a whole. Also P5 introduces Haru way to late into the game, it would be one thing if she was introduced earlier on and you could have built up her S-link ahead of time and then brought her into the fold but as it was done you get like 1 or 2 group scenes with her in it before the ending? One of those ends up being used on the plot like I mentioned before so it just feels extremely wasteful as I really liked her character.
Music:
P4>P5>P3
This is honestly just personal taste more then anything, I just didn't like P3's music that much and while P5 has some great music some of it like the Mementos music is burned into my brain in the worst possible way it could be. P4 also has a music/dancing spin off game largely because of the excellent music so theirs that.
Overall:
P4>P5>P3
Persona 3 getting a proper remake and getting the golden treatment might make it better then P5 honestly but as it stands this is how I see it. I don't think Persona 4 is really lacking in anything, I can see why people say the gameplay of P5 is better but after replaying through P4G again I just can't agree. It might be flashier and do away with the randomized dungeons but I don't think that alone makes it better, the Palaces in P5 start off absolutely fantastic but the later Palaces drag on and on and take hours to complete largely do to excessive padding, that isn't fun and I'll take a 10 floor random dungeon over those any day. Even if you see the gameplay in P5 being better the story and characters of Persona 4 are much more interesting and well developed and personally I just hated how many things P5 just reused from Persona 4 by the end of the game with its story elements.
Persona 4 is still the best in the series and while P5 is also good if not great its still lacking and feels rushed. The story has pacing problems among other things and I just couldn't get attached to the characters in the same way largely because they never develop as a group very much and there is clear hostility among the group throughout most of the game that just wasn't really needed and didn't help to develop the cast very well.
I'll agree that the final boss track in P5 was super disappointing, especially given how good the regular palace boss track and Rivers in the Desert are. Also I didn't like how Rivers was reused for a couple of scripted, filler bosses either.
The reprise near the end of the fight elevates it though, so good. But the actual original song sounds like something out of Persona Q, really unfitting.
Then again I didn't like Genesis either. Reach Out is way too corny of a song to take an orchestral rendition seriously, and the buildup is boring as hell, Mist/Fog is way better. P3's is by far the best but the actual fight sucks, cinematic value aside.
Lmao.
The reprise near the end of the fight elevates it though, so good. But the actual original song sounds like something out of Persona Q, really unfitting.
Then again I didn't like Genesis either. Reach Out is way too corny of a song to take an orchestral rendition seriously, and the buildup is boring as hell, Mist/Fog is way better. P3's is by far the best but the actual fight sucks, cinematic value aside.
Lmao.
ASilentProtagonist
Member
P3>>>P4>>P5
RecRoulette
Member
Thread title change on point. (I've only played 1 and 2)
I love Eternal Punishment but I haven't played through IS yet ( I have the PSP version). I hated Revelations Persona way back in 1996 but it was so different than what I was used to. I've heard mixed opinions on the PSP remake of 1, some say its worth it, others say not so much. I got it cheap off of eBay a few years back but I'm unsure if its worth playing through. What say you GAF?
As far as the Hashino Personas, I'd go P4, P3FES and P5. Tartarus never bothered me like it does some people, which may be why I liked Mementos. It was random generated but the levels weren't huge and sprawling. P5's dungeons were more similar to a traditional SMT game and after a while, they just wear on me.
As far as the Hashino Personas, I'd go P4, P3FES and P5. Tartarus never bothered me like it does some people, which may be why I liked Mementos. It was random generated but the levels weren't huge and sprawling. P5's dungeons were more similar to a traditional SMT game and after a while, they just wear on me.