Thing is, I actually still believe Persona 4's success is well deserved (p3 less so). I'm a lot less blind to its flaws then when I first played it (the true last boss is the most enormous let down plotwise imo), but at its heart its still an excellent game. Just comparing the original versions ultra stylish intro to the pale imitation that SMT X FE brings really showcases that IMO.
I want to agree, and Nocturne is a fun game. I think the feeling of isolation works best in the beginning areas of the game because you are literally an unimportant guy who is caught up in things far bigger than you.
Thing is, I actually still believe Persona 4's success is well deserved (p3 less so). I'm a lot less blind to its flaws then when I first played it, but at its heart its still an excellent game. Just comparing the original versions ultra stylish intro to the pale imitation that SMT X FE brings really showcases that IMO.
My main problem with Persona is the rip offs (Devil Survivor 2 being the most egregious IMO) and attempts at milking it are really starting to wear thin.
I couldn't get into the atmosphere it was trying to put down. It never really felt like I was actually doing anything other than going around and seeing how shitty everything was. I get that I never got to the point where Reasons were starting to form, I never really felt like a part of the world. Just a tattooed dude that when around punching people for arbitrary reasons.
P2 is honestly my candidate for best in the series, with 3 being second...4 was good, but it had a more lackluster story, characters I connected with less (Kanji and Yosuke being the exceptions), and overall just didn't click like with 3 or 2. Now, the fighting game is passable because its basically Persona the fighting game...minus everything from 1 and 2, which was a totally wasted opportunity.
I couldn't get into the atmosphere it was trying to put down. It never really felt like I was actually doing anything other than going around and seeing how shitty everything was. I get that I never got to the point where Reasons were starting to form, I never really felt like a part of the world. Just a tattooed dude that when around punching people for arbitrary reasons.
I never even really felt isolated or anything either. I mean you run into NPCs all the time, most of them are even fairly nice. So it's like I didn't even feel like anything was wrong. Like yeah, humanity was destroyed but nothing really felt any more different than a regular jrpg. It's just instead of "Random Citizen A" you get "Randon Horrible Demon A".
Did not care of the characters that much either. They all seemed so... standard. like "oh there's the power-hungry cult guy", "oh there's the social darwinist.", "oh there's Lucifer". No one was particularly compelling or interesting, let alone likable (And I really feel that was due to the game's lack of voice acting, like holy shit. This game just gives you nothing).
You're not supposed to like these guys. Until you meet Fedora guy who you met at the start and your teacher, a lot of the characters spiral downward quickly. I started the game to get Dante, but it drew me in as I went. I normally feel that the game should draw you in right from the start, but with Nocturne, it feels like the average fair until things start to heat up in all honesty. Nocturne is easily the best in the series atm, but I can see your reasonng completely. But man, just wait till you meet the manikins and find out their fate. Oh god the wrath I felt.
On 3, I personally prefer the story. It felt more epic, like you were leading up to a giant goal. If 4 had ended with Adachi and the eye and it just being a small town issue I would have been fine. It was a down-too-earth story on a smaller scale with large scale-implications, but the ending and some other elements of it really torn me from that experience. 3 I felt made that large scale implications and grand story a lot more real. I connected with the majority of the cast and the combat was a lot heavier on self-reliance while balancing ally A.I., and it worked at times. Most of the time there were issues, I will admit 100%. 4 had the better battle system, but 3 felt more approachable and had better cast imo
Pretty much the same thing lol.
I mean, I guess. I always considered Mortality to be something more specific than death, focusing on the character's weakness and strive to improve in an oppressive situation. Being mortal, being weak and susceptible to nature is not the same as the implications of loss, death, contemplation of the end of one's own life, etc. Basically I consider mortality in this sense a totally different thing. Sorry if my viewing of it wasn't accurate to what you had in mind.
I mean, I guess. I always considered Mortality to be something more specific than death, focusing on the character's weakness and strive to improve in an oppressive situation. Being mortal, being weak and susceptible to nature is not the same as the implications of loss, death, contemplation of the end of one's own life, etc. Basically I consider mortality in this sense a totally different thing. Sorry if my viewing of it wasn't accurate to what you had in mind.
I'm so glad the movies exist so I can point people who hated Ken in the games to that. He was handled so much better in the second movie (as was shinji imo).
Chidori?
God,I hated the Male Social Links of Persona 3,and Chihiro is probably the biggest reason.There are just some characters I can't see ever caring about,Like Maya(Hermit S.link).
Pink Alligators crying rivers of irony for life,man.