One great games i have played. I just started getting into the jrpg genre and this blew me away. The characters and cast are some best and most likeable i have seen in a video game and by the end i was sad to see it end. Most jrpg's can feel to long or drag this one was amazing all threw it and i wanted more :(

So far just starting to get into jrpg's Chrono trigger and Persona 4 seem to the high so far both have some best most believable characters you actually feel for them.

The only thing im worried about is now that i started with the best the rest feel so good here hoping. Persona 3 and FF4 and 6 are next.

It's pretty damn great, yeah. You should check out Lost Odyssey and Tales of Vesperia as well.

Ya im trying to work my way up i own both of them. Im trying to play older classics first.

Persona 3 is a bit of a slog after playing Persona 4, just as a warning.

I expect it to be dated and different. Im going to go in with an open mind. Golden is a remaster so its alot more polish to it. They really should have waited to remaster persona 3 from what im told the ps2 fes is best one to get since psp is missing the over world and cutscenes. Im going to play it emulated on ps3.

I think Persona 3 must have some good quality to it since i see alot people argue persona 3 is better than 4.

I played P4G in january of last year and now it's my favorite game of all time. I met the best friends of my life going to an anime con for a Persona concert. This game has gave me so much.

P3 FES is a great game too with likeable characters and a breathtaking ending. A little worse though

Persona 3 has a lot more dungeon time in between story stuff. The story has a different tone to it than 4, which I think is why some people like it more. Also, the game is a little stricter in that you can't spend too much time in the dungeons before your characters become "exhausted" and you have to switch them out or advance to the next day. Still, I think 3 and 4 are equally excellent games.

Ya im interested to see if i fall in P3 or P4 is better category. From what i heard alot people saying Persona 3 has far better end game and story but worse gameplay.

To be honest with you i dont really play for the gameplay. I played P4 golden on easy. I did not really want to do any grinding or get stuck i just wanted to enjoy the story.

I guess that could actually be a downside for me personally since i usually rush threw the gameplay.

@bcooper21: Your choosing of thinking which version of Persona 3 is "better" pretty much boils down to Story presentation (P3: FES) or Combat Mechanics (P3P)

Personally after playing both I like P3P much more than FES.

Story since PSP was to small to fit all the content even if combat is better it matters little since i play games for 70% story 30% gameplay.

It kinda bums me out that P3P lacks some of the story stuff the PS2 version had as it's the only way I have to play it.

I'm doing my first run through of Golden at the minute. In the mid 40s and I suddenly realised Chie was still using bufu/mabufu. Had a quick google and apparently she no longer learns Bufula in this version?! Well that's me scrapping her for Teddie in the next dungeon...

I would suggest checking out the PSP Persona 2 remake as well. It's my personal favourite of the series, though it's much more of a traditional JRPG. You really need see the story, as it goes in some pretty wild directions; and on the whole, the combat is deeper and more fun.

I really like P3P, I'm indifferent towards FES - not being able to control your party is one of the dumbest things ever.

The story thing is super subjective, I really like P4's story and whilst I think P3's is okay - it's full of "Typical JRPG Melodrama" and the pacing is horrible, even compared to P4 which has problems with that.

This game was such a great journey that I was left with this incredible empty feeling once the credits started rolling. It probably has something to do with how much I enjoyed interacting with the party members, and I don't think a game has made me feel that way before or since.

@creepingdeath0: Chie learns Bufula at S.Link level 8

http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Chie_Satonaka#Skills

You should try giving Shin Megami Tensei a go overall. SMT (and spinoffs) are pretty cool JRPG series, especially if you're tired of the tropes that plague most JRPGs. If you have a PS2 (or can emulate one) and you want to get into JRPGs, I'd say that SMT 3: Nocturne, is a must play.

Not SMT, but Dragon Quest VIII is perhaps one of the best JRPGs on the PS2 overall. I'd say it's better than Final Fantasy X.

Persona 4 might be a bit too cheery for some (including me), but I always felt it had a good message about friendship. People aren't special to you because they are perfect or incredibly skilled at something. They're special because they're your friends, not matter what flaws they have.

Problem with Dragon Quest VIII is i dont own a ps2 :( and its not on psn or any where to buy. I guess its on ios but i dont really think the game is fit for a touch screen device like the iphone.

If they ever finally put it on ps4 ill get it. I dont have space in my room for a ps2 when most stuff i can get on ps3 and ps4.

I agree about it being a little to cheery or less serious but i still think characters are really well done and believable. You believe there actually friends which alot of jrpg's dont do that well they seemed more forced like they came together just to stop the bad guy.

@creepingdeath0: A party without Chie is not a party I want any part of.

It's a fantastic game, I really can't say enough for how much they refined an already-incredible game with Golden. The quality of life tweaks they added plus all the new content really come together to form a phenomenal package. I'll continue to say that it justifies purchasing a Vita by itself, it's that good.

Just started for the first time couple days ago. I really love the life simulation aspect of the game and the story is super interesting. However, the combat gets a little stale for me.....always leaves me with wanting to get back to the city stuff.

I just bought a Vita and this is definitely on my list. Though I know very little about it besides watching a few bits of the Endurance run.

Congratulations anyway, just hearing about the amount of time it takes, it definitely sounds like a big achievement.

I found Lost Odyssey to be one of the most bland, boring JRPGs I've played. The combat is about as basic as it gets. The best parts are the short story segments. Vesperia is excellent though.

This is very true. Persona 3 takes about 20 hours to actually get going. It's still a very good game though, and worth the trip. It's a LOT harder though. Especially if you're playing the PS2 version and not portable. I was pretty unimpressed by it after beating FES, but this year I wrapped up my playthrough of portable and I liked the game a lot more. With the addition of the female main character, they had another chance to take a pass at the script and add some new social links. All of the team feels much better written and realized in the female campaign of portable.

Persona 4 Golden was the only game in like the last 15 years that I actively missed sleep to play. I felt pretty empty when it was over. That Snowflakes song is absolutely perfect for the melancholy of those last few months.

@hollitz: Lost Odyssey is a very beautiful game, in its themes and its writing. The combat is standard for the most part, and pretty easy to get through if I remember correctly. It sounds like OP doesn't care about that stuff though, and so I still stand by my recommendation.

I like good gameplay i just value story over it. I can tell difference in good or bad gameplay. Some perfect examples would be Nier and Deadly premonition gameplay was rather shit in both but there still geat games and i love them. I like interactive stories thats why i get annoyed when people say just watch movies or tv or read a book since games will always have a weaker story they say.

I really liked Persona 3 too (and I played it after 4). 4 is better overall but you should enjoy 3.

There are other good JRPGs but those are two of the best. If you haven't played Final Fantasy Tactics, I would recommend that. Personally my favorite JRPG (though it is a strategy RPG). Fantastic combat.

Re-watching the Endurance Run back from 2011. I picked this edition up from hearing how great this title was and remember hearing even Jeff enjoyed this game. I was kinda shocked to see how cold people were towards this game in the comments and Jeff sounding like he HATED what he saw from it. What happened? Did the golden edition change THAT much up to get Jeff onboard? Super curious about his thoughts on this game because I think it's quite a special little gem.

Man I'm somewhere in this game on my vita and am stuck on a dungeon. I would love to get back to it but man, I really regret just not tossing the combat on easy to see the story.

@thesecondagent: I don't quite understand what you're saying, Jeff gave P4G honorary game of the year on his personal list sight unseen, because of how much he enjoyed the original release. I think he only ever played the very opening of Golden when they did the Playstation TV stream and was super confused by Marie.

@thesecondagent: I'm gonna need a source for that, because from what I've seen and heard, everyone that liked the original absolutely loved Golden, myself included. It's still considered the best game on the Vita and even one of the best jrpgs of all time. God P4G is so good. I should replay it again.

So who did you pick as your waifu?

@frostyryan: ah that's cool!

@berserker976: @evan223: Maybe I got it all wrong then. The endurance is funny, but got the feeling Jeff was getting annoyed towards some parts. Going into Persona knowing Jeff really enjoys this game....I suppose I was expecting his impressions to be hyped up. On a side note: Didn't know Chie had a different voice actor back then. I think I prefer the new one myself....more emotion.

@bcooper21: Persona 3 is still a really awesome game, even if you've played the (I believe) superior P4 first. I think the whole final boss fight sequence in P3 is the best of any game I've ever played. Plus, if you're the type of person who likes grinding in RPGs like me, the game will suddenly get survival horror elements and force you to manage your party in a really unique way.

The final boss and making grinding interesting are where P3 trumps P4, I think. Sucks that you can only hang out with the friends who are of the opposite sex in that game, though. I hear playing as the girl in Portable has better character stories, although I haven't played it myself.

Have fun!

Nocturne is incredible. DQVIII is great, but it's just too long for my taste. 100+ hours to beat the main story is pushing it too far.

@joe423: Yeah, I've been experiencing that. 20 hours in, the game is pretty good, a lot like persona 4 in many ways, but damn, 4 is so much better. The whole premise is much more interesting in 4, this Midnight Hour think is a bit silly in comparison.

FF6 is the bees' knees. Play it. Love it. Cherish it.

Naoto was debating between her or Rise. I kinda wish i went with rise because Naoto and Kanji are meant for each other lol.

Have not played DQVIII or Nocturne yet. I wish DQ was available os something other than ps2 so i could play it.

I need play FF4, FF6 and Nocturne THO.

I can vouch that FF6 is a masterpiece. Played it last year for the first time, and it blew me away so hard. A timeless game! FFIV kind of bored me the first couple of hours so i dropped it. I might give it another shot one day. You should totally play Suikoden 2 it's one of the greatest games of all time in my book.

I hope you found the little something extra thing that you get with Naoto which can lead to some potentially amusing dialogue while dungeon crawling given her disposition.

Also, It's fair game. Kanji didn't make a move and you're better at spittin' game than he is.

Get yours playa.