Best Non- Square Enix JRPG Competition ! ROUND 10 !

[maybee]

Here we have some more Persona! The one with the giant bear VS the one with the dog.





VS




Closes in 24 hours

[Vermachtnis]

I like the cast and music of Persona 4 more than 3.

[Fynn]

3 by a landslide. Much stronger theme, a cast that actually feels like real, living people, and I like the soundtrack more. 4 is fine but i didn’t like the cast nearly as much and I’m mad it gets so much more exposure than 3.

[Karifean]

Persona 3. It stuck with me a lot more than Persona 4. In terms of story, while P4 had undoubtedly the better antagonist, it didn't go far enough with its potential. While P3 on the other hand was a seriously powerful game and the entire game serves to support its narrative. I'll have to thank Wolf Kanno for his post in his favorite games about it as it made me have a higher appreciation for how the game is constructed in this regard.

Gameplay-wise, Persona 4 was far too easy for me. I played Golden I admit, but in the end fights never became really challenging. Random encounters while often carrying a serious sense of danger in P3 were real simple in P4. Physical skills that hit all enemies multiple times not only do insane amounts of damage but also frequently enough get at least 1 critical hit which is enough to grant you a free extra turn. Persona 3 on the other hand was still legitimately dangerous even on the highest levels, and while I despise the occasional Hama/Mudo instant game over with a passion, it just felt a lot more rewarding to beat actually powerful enemies than in Persona 4.

While the cast hijinks of P4 were fun, they didn't really do much to make the cast special and I still have a hard time pointing towards any character in the cast I specifically like and care about. While the P3 cast ended up being a lot more memorable to me.

So yeah, P3 over P4 for me. When P4 ended it was just over, another game done with. While P3 still sticks with me, and I won't forget it anytime soon.

[Skyblade]

Persona 4 is a far superior game from a pacing and technical aspect (though removing the various types of physical attacks was a step back).

Persona 3 is superior in basically every other way. Characters, storyline, writing, themes, music... In so many ways, Persona 3 stands head over heels above Persona 4.

[WarZidane]

While Persona 4 has better gameplay (more polished and evolved combat etc), Persona 3 has better...almost everything else and is definitely more memorable to me.

Gameplay is a big part of Persona games for me so that makes it not quite as one-sided as it sounds, but in the end it's Persona 3 that comes out ahead for me.

[Chibi Youkai]

Hm, haven't played either of them. Must go do some research.

[Lord Golbez]

This is hard because I'm kind of undecided on this one. I went with Persona 4 because of the gameplay improvements.

[Fynn]

It’s interesting how people mention gameplay improvements. P3P has pretty much all of those improvements retroactively added to the game, and then there’s stuff like getting rid of the three physical attack types in favor of one and the general dumbing down of difficulty that’s hard for me personally to classify as an improvement

[Lord Golbez]

It’s interesting how people mention gameplay improvements. P3P has pretty much all of those improvements retroactively added to the game, and then there’s stuff like getting rid of the three physical attack types in favor of one and the general dumbing down of difficulty that’s hard for me personally to classify as an improvement

P3P does not have all the gameplay improvements of P4, but I guess it depends on what you consider an improvement. Also, in many ways P3P is a downgrade. I'm not sure how well I would have even liked the game if that was my initial experience of it. I got it for the female MC but would always choose the console version for male MC. The dumbed down interface when outside of Tartarus is too much of a drag.

I'll agree that getting rid of the three physical attack types was bad. P4's difficulty is fine though. They went too far with P5, but P4 still has reasonable difficulty. I would argue that the story bosses are harder than most of the full moon bosses of P3. P3 had much harder Tartarus bosses than anything in P4, but you could just reload and play them again instantly. It was a nice little challenge to have but not necessary. I don't think the difficulty difference is a big deal.

Also, I don't regard the story and character difference to be as stark as you. On the contrary, I would still regard this as a difficult choice even neglecting gameplay, though I would probably give P3 a slight edge there.

[Wolf Kanno]

There is a reason why P3 is listed as one of my top ten games of all time, while P4 couldn't even crack my Top 100. That's not to say P4 is bad in any way, but I beat it, and have never had a desire to ever come back to it, whereas the other Persona games don't have this issue with me. P3 just handles it's themes better and the game mechanics reinforce those themes in a really beautiful way, whereas P4 kind of felt too much like a "follow the leader" type game. The cast of P3 is also just more interesting overall, with strong character moments, drama, and an ending that leaves you reeling.

[maybee]

Wow! Persona 4 got slaughtered! I'm stunned because this is the more mainstream one. What a surprise winner!


Persona 4 is out of the contest.





*CLOSED *

[Fynn]

I’m pleasantly surprised too!

[Vermachtnis]

Since 3 is going through, is Labrys part of the P3 or P4 cast?

[Wolf Kanno]

She's technically P3's because she debuted in one of the P3 Drama CDs before physically showing up in P4 Arena.