Persona 5: 10 things we want to see

George Reith — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:32:11 +0000

Though it is generally considered a cult classic, the Persona series has gone from strength to strength. Though early entries in the series failed to garner much acclaim outside of Japan, it seems that critics of all nations can hardly throw enough praise at Persona 3 and 4. With it’s traditional JRPG mechanics unique blend of social sim elements, it’s easy to see why the games are so highly praised. Now that Atlus have nearly finished bringing Catherine over to America, their first foray into our current generation of hardware is complete. We can only hope that they will now turn their attention towards Persona 5 but, should they do this, how could they improve upon previous games in the series?

Less repetitive music

Getting the criticism out of the way early, I will openly state my disgust for the soundtrack in Persona 3. It’s a great game, but the pseudo J-rap tunes were the definition of lame and the drone effect provided by the hip hop beats made the music even more monotonous and irritating. Persona 4 took a step in the right by incorporating perky and needlessly catchy pop tunes into the mix, but the songs still tended to drag on somewhat. A more varied soundtrack, possibly in a different style, would really help with the presentation in Persona 5.

Better level variety

There's nothing quite like a maze that looks the same the whole through

Variety is the spice of life, and it wasn’t a spice that was favoured by Persona 3. Though the town and social sim aspects offered a pleasing amount to see and do, the single dungeon you had to explore soon became wearing. Different blocks of the tower of Tartarus had different themes, but this was little more than a colour change. Persona 4 began to successfully mix up the dungeons (with some awesome visuals designs to boot), but Persona 5 will have to take this even further.

A different character age group

An older group of characters could allow for more mature themes

Though there are a few exceptions, Atlus tend to focus all the stories in the Megami Tensei series around groups of teenagers. It’s all part of the formula, and is normally a necessary and effective element of the story. That said, considering how Catherine revolves around more adult characters and themes, I’d be interested to see a Persona game with older characters. Maybe young graduates or middle aged people going through a mid-life crisis could make up the cast of Persona 5; anything to get a new angle on the tried and tested MegaTen narrative.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona gets released in Europe and Australia

Rashid Sayed — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 09:26:02 +0000

Atlus today announced that Shin Megami Tensei: Persona for PSP, the handheld remake of the first chapter in the critically-acclaimed Persona series, is now available on PlayStation Network in Europe and Australia.

SMT: Persona was well-received in North America, gaining multiple positive reviews. 1UP.com gave it an A grade, saying, “In every way, this is a perfect example of how to remake a great game…” GamingNexus.com gave it their Editor’s Choice award and called it “…one of the system’s top adventure games.”

Completely remastered for the PSP and now finally available in Europe and Australia, SMT: Persona boasts a fully redone English localization, all-new music from composer Shoji Meguro, beautiful new animated sequences overseen by famed artist Kazuma Kaneko, and enhanced graphics optimized for the PSP system’s widescreen aspect ratio. With new content, adjustments to game balance, and a number of technical and design improvements, this is the definitive version of one of the most sought after RPGs of all time.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is now available in Europe and Australia on PlayStation Network for €24.99.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona – Video Game News, Reviews, Walkthroughs And Guides | GamingBolt

Persona 5: 10 things we want to see

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona gets released in Europe and Australia