Persona 4 rant

[asdfen]

I've been trying to finish Persona 4 game ever since it came out in 2008. I've probably attemted to play the game around 5 times in this time span always quiting around a month or two into its timeline because would bore me or piss me off with its 1 hit ko combat stuff. I've tried to play it on normal hard and easy. None of the difficulties made the game enjoyable for me.

The social aspect of has good character writing for a game. However, the way it is played out I absolutley hate with the restrictions on what you are able to do based on time of day, day of the week and so on. They also all very repetative.

The dungeon design is terrible. It consists of hallways followed by more hallways with some more halways on top. Battle system is horrible. Its either hit one button and watch basic attack happen or spam weakness attacks. No strategy of any kind involved. If playing on higher difficulties japanese ammounts of grinding is requiered. Bosses can and do one shot characters to a game over unless mega grinding.

After I got koed by random trash half way through the dungeon loosing about an hour of gameplay I am done. Not going to attempt to pay Persona 4 again. For me the game sucks.

Why people like this game I still dont know.

 

[R.K. Meades]

At least the combat isn't as frustrating as Persona 3. I can't tell you how many times AI allies would routinely fail to exploit a weakness[footnote]A high-level enemy is weak against fire, so your genius friend casts Mudoon instead of Agidyne.[/footnote], causing the entire party to wipe after the enemy's next attack.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

You sound like you don't understand the strategy of the combat and think grinding is the only answer when actually it's all about proper stat management and proper fusion of persona. You also sound like you don't understand that Jrpgs are Jrpgs and not something else. Also note that p4 is much easier than p3.

The restrictions in the time of day are there so as to make choosing what to do feel as though it has weight in it.


If you have been trying since 08 to beat this game and haven't, I don't know what to say. I beat it back then in like 2 weeks cause it was amazingly awesome. Maybe you just don't like Jrpgs or anime or something.

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

It's weird, I also have tried to play P4 multiple times and always stop before the halfway mark. And it's not because I don't like the gameplay or the characters or the battle system. I mean, I loved Persona 3 and it's just about the same thing. I'm not even sure why I can't finish it, but I keep getting tired of the grinding or the millions of fetch quests or something else.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

*waiting intensifies for

snip

to enter thread*

OT: I never finished persona 4 either, but I feel like you're not tackling the game the right way...although some of your complaints are certainly valid since they are opinionated if you like certain mechanics or not.

 

[FalloutJack]

Why people like this game I still dont know.

Well frankly, you just argued against most ANY RPG and/or dungeon crawl, not just Persona. Randomly generated dungeons with hallways and random sorts of rooms has been a staple for crawls since probably tabletop RPGs. The grind has been there and fairly-regular since the first Final Fantasy, at least. This also goes for using the combination of normal attacks and going at the enemy with their weaknesses. All very normal for these kinds of games, not just Persona. So, what you have is really a general issue getting the hang of RPG play itself. Since you're concerned about a lack of strategy, then the kind you're looking for cannot be found normally in RPGs. You're looking for an actual strategy game, with tactics and considerable thought put into every motion. This doesn't make the RPG bad. This just means you're not adept to their nature, when I think perhaps you would prefer the Total War or Age of Wonders series.

 

[Chaos Isaac]

Hm.

The social aspect of has good character writing for a game.

That's odd, as I found that part of it terrible. Sure, I never got past the... second hallway of Yukiko's dungeon. (So basically the beginning of the game. Yu basically got double weakness hit by the second mob I fought and so I instantly died, and never bothered to continue.) So, I may be missing out on all the parts that makes anyone likeable. (Asides Brosuke.)

Seriously. "Let's stand here and let Yukiko run away into a hellish nightmare and then come back later instead of, you know. CATCHING HER." "Welp. She ran away. Let's just leave her here in this hellish nightmare, the weather forecast is 100% accurate, so we should have... ooohhh, two weeks before she dies. She'll be fine."

It's just jarring coming off of P3, where the characters immediately stage a rescue when they learn someone is in trouble, instead of... waiting.


To be real though, instead of just jabbing P4, it just sounds like it's not for you. The repetitive dungeons is just how it is, and the abuse-counter abuse nature of the combat can make things swing WAY too far for or against your characters. It's basically the reason critical confirms are a thing in tabletop RPGs.

So, you're not wrong, but to others who don't get such rough times. (Or have more patience to go through it.) The rest of the game, characters, music and style make up for it.

 

[The Wykydtron]

*waiting intensifies for

snip

to enter thread*

OT: I never finished persona 4 either, but I feel like you're not tackling the game the right way...although some of your complaints are certainly valid since they are opinionated if you like certain mechanics or not.

Ok fine, i'll get off my Yugioh binge to talk about Persona 4 again. Nice to see i'm famous enough around these parts to get called in [http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Hero_Signal] like some kind of Persona Batman though.

I doubt i'm going to change the OP's mind and i'm sorry if he's not the kind of person who can appreciate the sublime perfection of Persona 4. Not everyone does somehow.

I don't get the whole grind complaint thing though, putting aside the fact that the first two bosses and Yukiko's dungeon are actually easy as hell until you get to fight Yukiko herself which is where the game takes the kid gloves off, there's an in-built anti-grinding mechanic in the Social Link system. You can ignore the dungeon for ages, rank up some S Links, go and fuse something that is in the Arcana you've been leveling and you get a load of free levels to just blitz through the dungeon in one or two days.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Ok fine, i'll get off my Yugioh binge to talk about Persona 4 again. Nice to see i'm famous enough around these parts to get called in [http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Hero_Signal] like some kind of Persona Batman though.

I doubt i'm going to change the OP's mind and i'm sorry if he's not the kind of person who can appreciate the sublime perfection of Persona 4. Not everyone does somehow.

I don't get the whole grind complaint thing though, putting aside the fact that the first two bosses and Yukiko's dungeon are actually easy as hell until you get to fight Yukiko herself which is where the game takes the kid gloves off, there's an in-built anti-grinding mechanic in the Social Link system. You can ignore the dungeon for ages, rank up some S Links, go and fuse something that is in the Arcana you've been leveling and you get a load of free levels to just blitz through the dungeon in one or two days.

I was partly jesting/making a light joke initially, but as far as escapist users go, you're probably one of the ones who talks about/knows the game the most, hence me tag-teaming you into the thread.

I think the game is a bit...different than what some people expect or see going into it initially, the game wasn't extremely difficult but the first few dungeons certainly weren't "easy as hell" as you put it, so I think the game mechanics either needed a better explanation or the OP (and to a slight extension, myself) were doing it the complete opposite that was intended as far as grinding/leveling goes based off experiences from other games.

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

I don't wish to insult you, but my younger brother who is terrible at jrpgs was able to beat this game, so you should be too. He got stuck on one boss and that was it. I don't even think he did much of the grinding and social persona things either.

I'll agree however that the dungeons and combat aren't the flashiest or most complex. I actually think the mobile ports of Persona 3 and 4 are much better, simply because I found their combat and dungeon design to be better suited to smaller, quick spurts of play. Persona 4 was my go-to game when going on trips or waiting somewhere.

But if you're not enjoying yourself, why keep trying? I can understand why someone wouldn't like the Persona games, they aren't for everybody. To repeatedly replay a game you "don't get" or enjoy seems arbitrary and unnecessary.

If it's for the story and characters, watch the anime. (I don't personally recommend watching the "Golden" version first, if at all. I consider it the "New Game+" version, since its pacing is all over the place and Yu takes on a much more aggressive and leadership like personality in a rather off-putting way.)

 

[mysecondlife]

Someone doesn't like Persona 4??! HERE'S A CHANCE FOR AN ALL OUT ATTACK!

Sorry you didn't like it. As a someone who generally doesn't like JRPG, Persona 4 is a game I've enjoyed for many hours. Combat is fast, I found almost no need for grinding. and Rise Chan is bery kawaii.

I won't try to convince you. I don't understand your complaints on 'restriction on daily activity' when there's a lot of things you can do. I don't understand your complaints on grinding when the game does a lot to minimize it.
The game isn't perfect and I have my fair share of complaints, but gameplay is not it.

Oh well. Can't wait for Persona 5.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Ok fine, i'll get off my Yugioh binge to talk about Persona 4 again. Nice to see i'm famous enough around these parts to get called in [http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Hero_Signal] like some kind of Persona Batman though.

I doubt i'm going to change the OP's mind and i'm sorry if he's not the kind of person who can appreciate the sublime perfection of Persona 4. Not everyone does somehow.

I don't get the whole grind complaint thing though, putting aside the fact that the first two bosses and Yukiko's dungeon are actually easy as hell until you get to fight Yukiko herself which is where the game takes the kid gloves off, there's an in-built anti-grinding mechanic in the Social Link system. You can ignore the dungeon for ages, rank up some S Links, go and fuse something that is in the Arcana you've been leveling and you get a load of free levels to just blitz through the dungeon in one or two days.

I was partly jesting/making a light joke initially, but as far as escapist users go, you're probably one of the ones who talks about/knows the game the most, hence me tag-teaming you into the thread.

I think the game is a bit...different than what some people expect or see going into it initially, the game wasn't extremely difficult but the first few dungeons certainly weren't "easy as hell" as you put it, so I think the game mechanics either needed a better explanation or the OP (and to a slight extension, myself) were doing it the complete opposite that was intended as far as grinding/leveling goes based off experiences from other games.

I dunno, I had never played a JRPG before Persona 4 so I never had bad grinding habits to unlearn to begin with. Game says S Links are the way to go so I follow it. If you'd been playing stuff like Hyperdimension Neptunia before I might understand because that game has so much grind.

It's not badly explained is it though? It handholds you through Shadow Yosuke while teaching you to put characters into Guard mode if they're gonna get hit by things that they're weak to, something you need to use during the fight with Shadow Yukiko because Chie gets her shit ruined otherwise. I guess you might somehow lose to Shadow Chie cuz you only have 2 party members at the time? I don't remember but I know for a fact that the moment the game really tells you the training wheels are off is if you go right for the optional boss in Yukiko's Castle.

Contrarian King. On behalf of everyone who ever went for you right after beating Shadow Yukiko. Fuck you.

 

[Maximum Bert]

What is the discussion here your entitled not to like it I personally dont like a lot of games either some quite popular ones either apparently but just saying you dont like it and giving what you feel are reasons for doing so doesnt really lead to much discussion potential.

Dont like a game just move on it highly unlikely someone over the internet is going to be able to make you enjoy it through something they write. Its strategy light I agree pretty much like all RPGs ever but there is some there.

I do feel you on being killed by mobs and losing progress though I personally lost 4 hours after being critical hit over and over and over again by the first frikkin mini boss in Yukikos castle (second time he did not CH me once thankgod and I crushed it). There is also a secret boss that uses a broken rampage move so basically the start is hope he does not use that move before I kill him (which was stupid as hell).

Overall the game is easier than P3 and far less frustrating but everyone likes and excels at different games just ditch the game and move on.

 

[Fox12]

You sound like you don't understand the strategy of the combat and think grinding is the only answer when actually it's all about proper stat management and proper fusion of persona. You also sound like you don't understand that Jrpgs are Jrpgs and not something else. Also note that p4 is much easier than p3.

The restrictions in the time of day are there so as to make choosing what to do feel as though it has weight in it.


If you have been trying since 08 to beat this game and haven't, I don't know what to say. I beat it back then in like 2 weeks cause it was amazingly awesome. Maybe you just don't like Jrpgs or anime or something.

Really? I found persona 3 WAY easier to beat. I beat every boss on the first try. You also had way more money, and could heal more frequently in dungeons. The only thing holding you back was fatigue, but by the time late game came around it almost never happened.

OT: I loved Persona 4 and it's time system. It's one of my favorite games. I agree that the dungeon crawling was painfully repetitive, but the stat based combat and Persona system was awesome. It's all about the strategy. I don't think I ever met a 1 hit KO, so I can't help you there. Definitely don't play Shin Megami Tensai though ; )

 

[Ushiromiya Battler]

I found it rather boring compared to Persona 3, but I don't really get the your grinding problem.
There's pretty much no reason to grind as long as do your fusing and S-links properly. And if that is to hard, well there's always guides on the internet.

 

[Drummodino]

Contrarian King. On behalf of everyone who ever went for you right after beating Shadow Yukiko. Fuck you.

Fuck. That. Guy. Little noob Drummodino went back into the castle straight away to take him on, got his ass handed to him and realized he hadn't saved once since entering again... It was painful.

OT: Honestly man it just sounds like the game/genre isn't for you. If you think the difficulty/grinding is bad in this game, I can only imagine what you would think of something like Persona Q or a main line SMT title.

 

[FalloutJack]

Someone doesn't like Persona 4??! HERE'S A CHANCE FOR AN ALL OUT ATTACK!

Aaand thank you for that heady laugh you gave me just now.

 

[asdfen]

Well thank you all for letting me share. I was a bit flustered when I've created the topic.
As in regards to me not liking jrpgs thats not it. I've played lots of jrpgs some good some bad and managed to finish most of them but this game just rubs me the wrong way for some reason. I even finished some other shin megami tensei games and enjoyed them like Devil Summoner and Nocture.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Oh man, you think Persona 4 is bad? Don't ever play Persona 3 then!
You felt the dungeons were boring, try 265 floors of completely story free randomly generated grind. In P4 there's only about 100 floors and each dungeon consists of around 20 and has it's own distinct theme. In P3 you are lucky if the colour of the walls change after 50 floors. Also you can't control your party members.
Now that game was a slog! The ending sucked too.

I really liked Persona 4 though.