Persona 5 PS4 Game

This is among one of the best games I have ever played. The voice acting is charming, the art style and UI are stylish, and the characters are beyond lovable. The plot is a delightful mix of classic and unique, and while it can feel predictable, the ways in which you get to the ‘twists’ make it worth it. The biggest problem is that the writing is contradictory at times. The story will use a character to make a point about the world or the rest of the plot and then proceed to hypocritically go against whatever moral they set out to show earlier with the same character. However, the entertainment value of the game mostly puts this at the back of your mind whilst playing, and makes up for it with its positive qualities.

A fantastic JRPG that's well worth your time

If you played a Persona game, you know what to expect. It's half social role playing and and the other half is dungeon crawling. The social aspect is incredibly important because forming bonds with people allow you to create stronger personas for your battles. Not to mention that often having stronger bonds usually lead to other perks like increased experience points for your reserve party members or switching them out mid-battle.Keep in mind that you're limited by your time during the day much like real life. So you have to decide if you want to dedicate your free time to increasing your stats (some relationships require certain stats), going into dungeons, or spending time with your friends.The actual story is good though the pacing could be better. You don't ... MoreIf you played a Persona game, you know what to expect. It's half social role playing and and the other half is dungeon crawling. The social aspect is incredibly important because forming bonds with people allow you to create stronger personas for your battles. Not to mention that often having stronger bonds usually lead to other perks like increased experience points for your reserve party members or switching them out mid-battle.Keep in mind that you're limited by your time during the day much like real life. So you have to decide if you want to dedicate your free time to increasing your stats (some relationships require certain stats), going into dungeons, or spending time with your friends.The actual story is good though the pacing could be better. You don't really get a sense of the overall plot and conflict until much later in the game. Without venturing too much into spoilers, you play as a protagonist(name is up to you) who is transferred to a new school. Certain events transpire and you end up forming a vigilante group with your high school friends known as the "Phantom Thieves" who are able to reform malicious adults by venturing into an alternate reality.Graphics are a step up from Persona 4 with characters looking more like their artwork with its distinct cell-shading style. There are also more places to explore around in Tokyo as oppose to the country-side from the older game. You can walk from location to location or you can quick travel via a map.The entire game took me 124 hours to complete. Though, I also did many of the side tasks, grind to level 99 (doesn't take that long), and created many Personas. If you're into JRPGs or Persona games, this is definitely a game worth looking into.

Amazing game, but the format is the question

First off, the game deserves a solid six out of five stars - This is an extraordinarily unique, visually stunning, and audibly brilliant experience. There is nothing quite like it (save for its predecessors), particularly in the North American market.However, and this is the point that I make with the four star rating; The issue is whether to bother with the physical copy. With the PS4/PS4 Pro, this disc is copied to your HDD, but the physical blu-ray needs to be there to play this is you bought the physical copy. This is not a fault of the game, but of the platform limitations of Sony's PlayStation at this time. It's not unlike the XB1 methodology from Microsoft. But it you buy this on a PSN sale, for a similar price, you use essentially the same HDD storage ... MoreFirst off, the game deserves a solid six out of five stars - This is an extraordinarily unique, visually stunning, and audibly brilliant experience. There is nothing quite like it (save for its predecessors), particularly in the North American market.However, and this is the point that I make with the four star rating; The issue is whether to bother with the physical copy. With the PS4/PS4 Pro, this disc is copied to your HDD, but the physical blu-ray needs to be there to play this is you bought the physical copy. This is not a fault of the game, but of the platform limitations of Sony's PlayStation at this time. It's not unlike the XB1 methodology from Microsoft. But it you buy this on a PSN sale, for a similar price, you use essentially the same HDD storage space, and don't have to switch discs from whatever you were playing/watching previously. I do not mean to detract from the game, but from the physical copy sales model of the game - If you have to deal with this, at least give me something for the trouble, other than a noisy disc drive.Overall, amazing game, and I would recommend it, particularly as a digital download. I generally like physical copies, but without some incentive to having a physical copy, either in the form of extra in-game content, discounted DLC, or art books, this becomes harder to justify, even with a PS4 that has an expanded HDD for storage.

An incredibly impressive and ambitious game

Persona 5 is undoubtedly the most impressive entry both in the Persona series and including its parent series Shin Megami Tensei for a couple different reasons:- The technical aspect is leaps and bounds ahead of anything Atlus has ever done. The new 3D models resemble the ones in Catherine, while the games overall presentation (everything from shop menus to combat HUD) is about as stylish and intuitive as it gets.- Saying the combat system has received a significant overhaul, while completely true, seems like a vast understatement. Staples remain with a lot of new bells and whistles complimenting them. Also worth noting that guns are back baby!- Thematically Persona 5 tackles some rather complex and deep issues for a video game: Adolescent repression, ... MorePersona 5 is undoubtedly the most impressive entry both in the Persona series and including its parent series Shin Megami Tensei for a couple different reasons:- The technical aspect is leaps and bounds ahead of anything Atlus has ever done. The new 3D models resemble the ones in Catherine, while the games overall presentation (everything from shop menus to combat HUD) is about as stylish and intuitive as it gets.- Saying the combat system has received a significant overhaul, while completely true, seems like a vast understatement. Staples remain with a lot of new bells and whistles complimenting them. Also worth noting that guns are back baby!- Thematically Persona 5 tackles some rather complex and deep issues for a video game: Adolescent repression, political corruption, identity crisis. It being a game of Japanese origin makes it all the more interesting considering Japan specifically struggles with all these.- Finally we get to game design. Now I've played hundreds upon hundreds of games over the years and I can say with confidence Persona 5 is the best designed game I have ever played. Everything from the dungeons' construction to the pacing at which the story moves is utterly unique but, most importantly, it's fun.As for the contents of the CE itself, everything came as described. The Steelbook is gorgeous and looks great on display, and the CE case is of surprisingly high quality as well. It's firm and has a magnetic strap that keeps its contents secure. Overall, not the greatest CE I own, but far from the worst especially considering the price.How to some this all up? Whether you are a series newcomer or a veteran this is one purchase you will not regret.

Awesome for Turn Based RPG Lovers

So this game was talked about when it released but I aways check things out after to see if they are really good. All I can say is that this game was engrossing. I thought I wouldn't like a game that had high school in it, but it's amazingly in depth. Combat is turn based but it allows for a multitude of ways to mix and combine the skills of your party. The boss fights are also creative. The story is really interesting. You live during the day as a high schooler. Who knew school would be this fun. It certainly wasn't when I was in high school. The story beads for the other portion of the game are also intriguing and not predictable. I would recommend this to anyone who likes JRPG's and doesn't mind dropping 100 hours easily to not just complete, but to experience ... MoreSo this game was talked about when it released but I aways check things out after to see if they are really good. All I can say is that this game was engrossing. I thought I wouldn't like a game that had high school in it, but it's amazingly in depth. Combat is turn based but it allows for a multitude of ways to mix and combine the skills of your party. The boss fights are also creative. The story is really interesting. You live during the day as a high schooler. Who knew school would be this fun. It certainly wasn't when I was in high school. The story beads for the other portion of the game are also intriguing and not predictable. I would recommend this to anyone who likes JRPG's and doesn't mind dropping 100 hours easily to not just complete, but to experience the world created in Persona 5.

Cool Characters, Cool Music, Cool Style

First of all, this version is basically obsolete with Royal out, but for how cheap it is (I got it for $11!) and for how long it is (100 hours!!), you're seeing tremendous value. Even then, you can always buy this version and buy Royal later depending on how you felt about this game.And for the game itself, it's one of the best RPGs of this era. This game is oozing in style, making turn-based battles less of a slog. Voice acting (for English) is on point. And the music!! Takes a while to "get it", but once you do, it's hard to get the tunes out of your head.My major complaint is the pacing of the story overall. Some areas pander with your time a bit too much, and sometimes the plot is a bit too large for its own good. Some might dislike the social aspects of ... MoreFirst of all, this version is basically obsolete with Royal out, but for how cheap it is (I got it for $11!) and for how long it is (100 hours!!), you're seeing tremendous value. Even then, you can always buy this version and buy Royal later depending on how you felt about this game.And for the game itself, it's one of the best RPGs of this era. This game is oozing in style, making turn-based battles less of a slog. Voice acting (for English) is on point. And the music!! Takes a while to "get it", but once you do, it's hard to get the tunes out of your head.My major complaint is the pacing of the story overall. Some areas pander with your time a bit too much, and sometimes the plot is a bit too large for its own good. Some might dislike the social aspects of this game (which are heavily integrated with the game itself), but I think it's very hard to dislike a character in this game (the protagonists, anyways).This was my first Persona game and I'd say it was a pretty amazing experience. If you have a PS3/PS4, don't skip on this game! Even if you're not into anime, I'd argue this is one to at least try out.

Great entry in the Persona series

I just finished the fourth dungeon so far and I'm about 50 hours in but so far I can say that it is an improvement over Persona 4 which I also really liked. Persona 5 has a ton of content and a huge variety of things to do (I'm about halfway through I believe). This game is also the most accessible game in the series so definitely give it a go if you are on the fence. I'd easily rate this a 9 or 10.Pros- Very unique gameplay that mixes visual novel style life sim with the dungeon crawling found in Shin Megami Tensei, veterans of Persona 3 and 4 will feel at home as you go about your Japanese high school life- Story is an improvement over Persona 4, the main character has faults and isn't perfect like Persona 4's main character, also the villains have much ... MoreI just finished the fourth dungeon so far and I'm about 50 hours in but so far I can say that it is an improvement over Persona 4 which I also really liked. Persona 5 has a ton of content and a huge variety of things to do (I'm about halfway through I believe). This game is also the most accessible game in the series so definitely give it a go if you are on the fence. I'd easily rate this a 9 or 10.Pros- Very unique gameplay that mixes visual novel style life sim with the dungeon crawling found in Shin Megami Tensei, veterans of Persona 3 and 4 will feel at home as you go about your Japanese high school life- Story is an improvement over Persona 4, the main character has faults and isn't perfect like Persona 4's main character, also the villains have much better build up- More elements taken from the mainline Shin Megami Tensei series like negotiation and using the demon designs for enemies- New attack elements like nuclear, psi, dark/holy, and guns add some more variety to the battles- Very stylish presentation and amazing soundtrack add a lot to the experience, the song "Last Surprise" feels as though its designed to get stuck in your head as it plays in most battles- Party members are all useful this time, can't go wrong with any combination so you can use your favorites, best of all you can now switch party members in dungeons and later mid battle- Main party persona designs are the best in the series- Best dungeon designs in the series (adds platforming and more puzzles) and there's a dungeon that is randomly generated like tartarus in Persona 3 that opens up more as you progress in the storyCons- Story sometimes forces you to pass time or sleep when you want to do other things, this isn't really a problem as much as it is annoying sometimes- A con for some people would be having to finish the game twice to get all the trophies, its a really long game and you have to go through lengthy dialogue (which you can fast forward but still takes awhile)

My first Persona game and its excellent

I always loved jrpg's ever since the PS1 but the genre hasn't been that great since mid ps3 generation. The social link simulator aspect of the persona series has kept me away from the series all this time but since I was looking for a good JRPG series I though I might as well give it a try after giving other series a try that I normally wouldn't touch.I still don't like the social link simulator part of the game but it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would on a first time playthrough. Very good story, character interactions, and gameplay, and especially presentation. Game even provides difficulty settings and a new game plus. Sank 180 hours into the game and came out loving it.I only regret one thing and its that I didn't get to fight the strongest ... MoreI always loved jrpg's ever since the PS1 but the genre hasn't been that great since mid ps3 generation. The social link simulator aspect of the persona series has kept me away from the series all this time but since I was looking for a good JRPG series I though I might as well give it a try after giving other series a try that I normally wouldn't touch.I still don't like the social link simulator part of the game but it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would on a first time playthrough. Very good story, character interactions, and gameplay, and especially presentation. Game even provides difficulty settings and a new game plus. Sank 180 hours into the game and came out loving it.I only regret one thing and its that I didn't get to fight the strongest boss in the game since it was locked behind new game plus. Great experience but I would not replay the game because of the social link simulator part of the game that eats up majority of your time. Still anyone who likes JRPGs should play this game.

One of the Best Games Ever Made

This game is phenomenal. I get sucked into games every once in while but rarely for more than a week. Persona 5 is different. I put in over 135 hours into it in just over a month. I have a full time job and try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night so almost 100% of my free time during that month was dumped into this game (in case you are wondering, I'm single so it didn't ruin any relationships, but it could have). I just couldn't put it down! I think one weekend I played for 16 hours straight and didn't even realize it until I checked the clock at it was 6 AM.The characters are very well written and fleshed out, with unique personalities that evolve as you get to know them better. It's amazing how entertaining doing mundane things like studying and taking a ... MoreThis game is phenomenal. I get sucked into games every once in while but rarely for more than a week. Persona 5 is different. I put in over 135 hours into it in just over a month. I have a full time job and try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night so almost 100% of my free time during that month was dumped into this game (in case you are wondering, I'm single so it didn't ruin any relationships, but it could have). I just couldn't put it down! I think one weekend I played for 16 hours straight and didn't even realize it until I checked the clock at it was 6 AM.The characters are very well written and fleshed out, with unique personalities that evolve as you get to know them better. It's amazing how entertaining doing mundane things like studying and taking a bath are in this game. These type of activities are how you boost your social stats, and you need social stats to build character relationships, and relationships are how you unlock battle perks and abilities. It's a wonderfully balanced system that encourages you to explore every aspect of the game.The time progression is also interesting and refreshing in this game. The battles are turn-based, which is common with JRPGs but the out of battle time is also turn based. You have a "block" or two of time per day where you can do things. Should you study and boost your knowledge skill? Or hang out with one of your friends and see if you can raise your friendship with them? Or do you craft items for your dungeon crawling adventures? The choice is yours, but you can only do one thing per block (with a couple of exceptions). This is a great system because it creates tension and urgency without being stressful or panic driven. And as the days tick by the story marches on, whether you have prepared properly or not.The art in this game is also very well done. It's polished, beautiful, and consistent. Even the menus feel like they are straight out of a high quality comic book. Music in this game is also great. Some of the songs are very catchy and there is enough variation and variety that even after over a hundred hours of playing I wasn't tired of the music.Bottom line:This game is amazing! If you have a PS4, BUY THIS GAME. This is one of the this generation's must-play titles.Bonus Fun Fact:Even though it was released April of 2017, when I popped it in to install it, no patches. Zero. This is so rare nowadays with multi-gigabyte day one patches and patches that are larger than the game install itself. I never encountered any bugs, either. Atlus made this game right the first time and deserve praise for that.

Worthy of the title game of the year

Without a doubt, this is one of the greatest JRPGs to be released this generation. While the gameplay affords the player a lot of freedoms, it maintains its pace by heavily controlling the passage of time (as it follows one academic year of the protagonists school career). The battle mechanic harks back to the days turn-based systems such as final fantasy 3-13 (having never played the original and second instalments), and is a smorgasbord of tactics and lucky escapes. The narrative and social-linking is extremely interesting and slow (in a good way) as it demands the player engages with the story and, prioritising certain relationships, builds a strong social circle of characters that eventually coalesce to take on a series of bad guys. Building the main characters ... MoreWithout a doubt, this is one of the greatest JRPGs to be released this generation. While the gameplay affords the player a lot of freedoms, it maintains its pace by heavily controlling the passage of time (as it follows one academic year of the protagonists school career). The battle mechanic harks back to the days turn-based systems such as final fantasy 3-13 (having never played the original and second instalments), and is a smorgasbord of tactics and lucky escapes. The narrative and social-linking is extremely interesting and slow (in a good way) as it demands the player engages with the story and, prioritising certain relationships, builds a strong social circle of characters that eventually coalesce to take on a series of bad guys. Building the main characters attributes will serve you, the player, well, as it not only opens doors in the narrative, but also prepares you for the second play-through, titled: New Game+. Before buying this game, it is imperative to understand that you will most likely put almost 120 hours into the first play through, and the first ten of those is significantly more linear than the remaining. This is to settle the player into the various mechanisms within the game, so heed the loading screen and take your time. Personally, I would give this game a 98%, as perfection is completely unattainable. However, this game comes damn close. My PS4 hasnt been on this much in years.