Just got a PSP, want to get into Persona...

So, should I start with the remake for the first game and then play 2 and 3, or should I just skip to 3? AFAIK, there's no port of Persona 2: Innocent Sin for the PSP, so would I be missing much of the story if I don't play it? (Yeah, I know I can get it through... other means... but I wish there was a way to play the game with the improved interface and all that).

You should watch the quicklook of 1, then if that looks way too intense for you just buy 3. I have 3 for the psp and I still would recommend the ps2 version over it but that's just personal preference and it's still great for the psp.

All three games provide very different experiences. Persona 1 is a first-person dungeon crawler for the most part where only certain areas like shop interiors are depicted in third-person. Persona 2 is like a mix of Persona 1 and 3. It still retains a variant of the P1 battle system, but exploration is in the third-person. Persona 3 on the PSP is, unfortunately, very stripped down in its presentation. Exploration outside of dungeons is strictly through menus and the majority of the game plays out in an almost visual novel-like fashion. However, of the three, the combat is the fastest paced, and the fusion system is the simplest to understand.

@JoeyRavn: the storys dont connect at all so your fine. I played some of persona 1 on my psp when they brought it over and it is fun but honestly 3 is my favorite then 4.. I heard the psp version of 3 has no movie scenes or something which is probably the only reason i am not getting it since the videos were part of the game that made it awesome. So it doesn't matter where you start. But just so you know, persona 1 does look like an older game vs the others even though the ported it over.. still has that classic look.

@JoeyRavn said:

So, should I start with the remake for the first game and then play 2 and 3, or should I just skip to 3? AFAIK, there's no port of Persona 2: Innocent Sin for the PSP, so would I be missing much of the story if I don't play it? (Yeah, I know I can get it through... other means... but I wish there was a way to play the game with the improved interface and all that).

Innocent Sin is on the PSP....came out last month. Eternal Punishment isn't.

Innocent Sin was the one that was never released in the US, until this PSP version.

Edit: And yeah, like McShank said, the stories between 1, 2, and 3 don't really connect at all.

@metalhead87 said:

Innocent Sin is on the PSP....came out last month. Eternal Punishment isn't.

Oh, yeah, that's what I meant, sorry. I'm shit when it comes to JRPG titles.

Well, I'll probably pick them all up and play them in order. Persona is dirt cheap now, so I think I'll start with it and work my way up to Persona 3 Portable. I don't have a PS2, so I can't play the better version of P3 or P4, which is the one everyone seems to be crazy about :P

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

@JoeyRavn: I bought a PSP 6 months or so back strictly to play Valkyria Chronicles 2 and Persona 3 Portable, and I can vouch by saying get into Persona 3 asap - it is freakin' AMAZING! It's quickly become one of my favourite games I've ever played. On a side note, Valkyria Chronicles 2 is worth a look also! It's also freakin' fantastic and quite 'JRPG-esque'.

@JoeyRavn: You bought a PSP? Well, I'm sure their cheap now, but I'm still sorry.

is say play 3 the presenstation did not bother me as much as other people. persona 2 s=loooked cool so get that

@JoeyRavn said:

@metalhead87 said:

Innocent Sin is on the PSP....came out last month. Eternal Punishment isn't.

Oh, yeah, that's what I meant, sorry. I'm shit when it comes to JRPG titles.

Well, I'll probably pick them all up and play them in order. Persona is dirt cheap now, so I think I'll start with it and work my way up to Persona 3 Portable. I don't have a PS2, so I can't play the better version of P3 or P4, which is the one everyone seems to be crazy about :P

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

eternal punishment... well, you can play it on a PS1 emulator if you so fancy, you'll definitely get more out of it if you play innocent sin before hand (IS happens before EP) but yeah you really don't need to play it if you just want to move onto PS3.

I think playing them in order is a pretty cool idea -- I actually kind've wish I'd done that. Best of luck getting through them. IMO, Persona 1 and 2 can get a little tedious since the stories in both of them move quite slowly and the encounter rates are very high, but from what I've played of both of them, they're worth the effort.

P3P is probably my favourite game of all time and definitely the best version to play. If you have the patience, I'd recommend going through it twice -- first time through the Male character route, and then once with the female protagonist. The FeMC's route adds quite a lot of character development -- especially with your male party members.

@Hailinel said:

Persona 3 on the PSP is, unfortunately, very stripped down in its presentation. Exploration outside of dungeons is strictly through menus and the majority of the game plays out in an almost visual novel-like fashion.

This. Definitely get the FES version for PS2 if you're interested in playing 3.

@BulletproofMonk said:

@Hailinel said:

Persona 3 on the PSP is, unfortunately, very stripped down in its presentation. Exploration outside of dungeons is strictly through menus and the majority of the game plays out in an almost visual novel-like fashion.

This. Definitely get the FES version for PS2 if you're interested in playing 3.

But don't touch The Answer in FES. For the love of god please don't.

@Cloudenvy said:

@BulletproofMonk said:

@Hailinel said:

Persona 3 on the PSP is, unfortunately, very stripped down in its presentation. Exploration outside of dungeons is strictly through menus and the majority of the game plays out in an almost visual novel-like fashion.

This. Definitely get the FES version for PS2 if you're interested in playing 3.

But don't touch The Answer in FES. For the love of god please don't.

Yeah, I couldn't even finish it.