Persona - Where to start?

[Yeargdribble]

As always, I'm trying to play catch up, especially on series that I've never touched but are obviously significant. Persona is one of those that really mystifies me. It's far worse than MGS in terms of remakes and re-releases on dozens of platforms. I'm also not sure if I can skip earlier ones, though even if I technically could, I tend to not like to.

So where do I start to start at the beginning and which version of that beginning is most playable?

[NeoCracker]

They are pretty much stand alone, though 3 and 4 take place in the same world, not sure if 1 and 2 take place in that same world though.

I would suggest playing 3 first, if only so you'll get some of the awesome referances they make in 4, but it really doesn't matter.

I would also suggeset the FES version of Persona 3 over the portable, but only because of 'The Answer' not being available on PSP. (I would also suggest playing it on PS2 if possible. The PS3 download available of FES has a glitch that causes the final stretch of Tartarus to blink constantly, and can cause a big headache. If you can't get the PS2 verison of FES, and constant blinking for a dungeon is a problem, the Portable version should suffice.)

[Polnareff]

If you're about the battle system, play 1 on PSP and Innocent Sin on PSP, and Eternal Punishment on PS1 (since the PSP version of the game isn't out here yet). 1 on PSX is really clunky, so it's up to you if you want to play it.

If you're more a story guy, play 3 and 4 first, because the battle system was dumbed down in a couple ways for those 2 games. ironically even with that, the games are harder than the PSX/PSP ones.

[Hollycat]

Go with P3P. two words. Battle Bikini.

[Skyblade]

Personally, I'd say P3P. It's a wonderful little handheld version, and the Female main character adds huge depth of replayability, as when they added it in, they also added in a ton of really top notch writing to her character interactions.

[Hollycat]

Personally, I'd say P3P. It's a wonderful little handheld version, and the Female main character adds huge depth of replayability, as when they added it in, they also added in a ton of really top notch writing to her character interactions.

This is also true.

[Laddy]

Personally, I'd say P3P. It's a wonderful little handheld version, and the Female main character adds huge depth of replayability, as when they added it in, they also added in a ton of really top notch writing to her character interactions.

Yeah, I never really care for The Answer, so I suggest P3P for the reasons you listed.

[Roogle]

The Persona games take place in the same universe. You might feel more comfortable starting with Persona 3 as the other games offer a more dated gameplay experience.

[Jessweeee♪]

Yeah, I say start with Persona 3. If you do get FES for PS2 or Persona 3 Portable for PSP. If you like it, pick up Persona 4. If you don't like it, consider trying the Persona 2 Innocent Sin PSP port. If you really really wanna start with the first Persona, go with the PSP port, but I highly recommend starting with Persona 3 if you wanna see where you stand with the series

[Wolf Kanno]

Persona 3 and 4 are basically the FFVII's of the series, streamlined and making the series more popular to a wider audience. They are also the most accessible to the modern palette of gaming taste. Persona 1 and the Persona 2 Duology are games from the 90s so they are much more dated experiences but if you happen to like old school turn based gameplay and dungeon crawling, then go for it.

The series, as far as fans know, takes place in the same world, though their is a ten year gap between P2 and P3 as well as some questionable inter-dimensional shenanigans from P2 but I won't complicate this with details. The games are mostly standalone titles though Plaything through all of them allows you to spot a lot of sly references between the games. Beyond that, most of the games don't really build off each other beyond certain themes like Personas, Philemon, Nylarathotep, and Shadows. The only exception is probably the Persona 2s. Several characters from Persona 1 return as cameos, minor characters and even as party members, but the story mostly revolves around the mostly new cast of characters.

Here's a quick(though still pretty long) breakdown of the titles for you.

P3 is probably the easiest game to get a hold of and the most accessible to new fans. It's considered to be a "reboot" of the series. I would also argue that overall its the best entry though P4 does make vast improvements over some of P3's elements and P2 is a pretty strong title in both story and customization/battle system. P3 is my main choice of where to start. I would actually say it's best to avoid P1 until you decided you like the series because it's marred with a overly convoluted battle system and B-Movie plot that would make Bruce Campbell proud. There is a lot to dislike with this game so I tend to tell people to steer clear of it. P4 is also quite exceptional, improving a lot from P3 in terms of the Social Link system but several minor changes in the gameplay side makes the game less smooth and more tedious than P3. P2 is a different beast entirely, you may want to wait until P2: Eternal Punishment's PSP port gets brought over before tackling the games. P2 is basically two games that share the same cast and gameplay but offer two sides of one big epic story. Innocent Sin is a bit more goofy and B-Movie-ish with its plot until about 2/3rds in when the game goes into detail as to why it's called Innocent Sin. Eternal Punishment is a much darker entry and cuts back on the goofier plot elements of the IS. Course the strong point of EP comes from having played IS before because the games strongly build off each other. They are the only direct "sequels" in the series, well accept Persona 4 Arena but let's just stick to the main games.

[Yeargdribble]

Super awesome info guys. I suppose I'll start with P3P most likely just because of the easy of acquisition. Of course, I've got to finish 4 Heroes of Light first since I got started on that while waiting for info to roll in.

I'm also thinking about picking up Lunar: Silver Star Harmony at some point.

[Nice]

I'm going to suggest Persona 4. I know you've made up your mind already, but P4 is a great game. After P3P, pick up P4 for sure.

[Hollycat]

Play as the female lead, it is an even better version of an already terrific story.

[Fynn]

Play as the female lead, it is an even better version of an already terrific story.

Hmm... I think it's better to start with the male protagonist, actually. I feel it makes you appreciate the female storyline better.

[Jings]

I'd just like to say that the battle song in P4 is awesome. The game is pretty good too. Chie is adorable.