Having just finished up Resident Evil 5 I was looking for a new game to sink my teeth into. I was asking around and had countless people recommend Persona 4 to me. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of games infused heavily with Japanese culture, nor am I fan of anime so I was hesitant to cave in and try out the game. After doing some research and lurking various forums I found that the games unique look and an interesting premise was enough, along with the recommendations, to encourage me to pick up the game.

After firing up the game last night and playing for about 2-3 hours I'm left thoroughly impressed. I wasn't expecting the story and characters to be that interesting. I went in to this game knowing well that it was text heavy, but at this point I don't even care thanks to an incredibly engaging plot. I can't wait to see what happens next! The presentation is top notch and I think that it is  handled so well that it helps keep you engaged if only on a subconscious level. The changing days and constant changing settings give a small sense of constant progression. The brief anime cutscenes are a nice touch and come up at the perfect times. I also find that the music is very well done and it fits each scene perfectly.

I haven't experienced too much as far as actual gameplay is concerned as of yet. I've fought a couple of battles here and there, but complete control isn't in my hands at this point. The battle system seems competent thus far and using the different Personas is a neat idea. I like the fact that certain Personas give you different moves. At this point it seems like the battle system is typical turn-based stuff, so I'm not too worried about it letting me down. Still, I can't really pass judgment until I play around with it more. Hopefully the story can stay interesting and more control is put into my hands later on. If it does, this will probably go down as one of my favorite games of all time. I'm really digging it.