So since P3P isn't coming out over here in Europe (to my knowledge at least), i decided to take the plunge and bought P3FES for the PS2 and there's some..... interesting design choices that are making me crazy. Does anyone have any tips on how to handle the clusterfeck that P3 battles are (incompetitent ai etc.)?
 
I played through persona 4 twice and died only once (mudo be damned!), but im only at july and have died 4 times solely due to bad teammate ai!

Just import P3P. PSP games are region free, and since PSP games cost considerably less in the States, importing would've been the best choice even if the game had gotten a European release.

Yeah I'd highly consider abandoning FES and trying to get P3P. After playing P3P I never want to have to use the FES battle system again.

you can always change team tactic's, Yukari on healing and everyone else doing something else, i never had that much difficulty with the AI.

" you can always change team tactic's, Yukari on healing and everyone else doing something else, i never had that much difficulty with the AI. "

Yup what Catolf and Aaox said.
 
 

Possible Spoiler:
 
Try and never rely on Mitsuru healing you...

" you can always change team tactic's, Yukari on healing and everyone else doing something else, i never had that much difficulty with the AI. "

Change tactics when needed, and make clever use of the "Rush" feature when you want to attack and not do something dumb. You can toggle it between attacks; just make sure you look at the turn order beforehand and plan out when you're going to rush.

Ah now i see, i had been completely neglecting the tactics bit. Just played a few hours and was a breeze! Cheers everyone for the help.

" Ah now i see, i had been completely neglecting the tactics bit. Just played a few hours and was a breeze! Cheers everyone for the help. "

Yeah, just get used to the tactics, use rush whenever you want them to attack, and always scan the enemy right away. 
 
I never had any trouble with the battle system, It's actually my favorite in the SMT series after the press turn system.

Also never have equiped a persona with a weakness whenever dealing with unknown enemies.  They can easily keep knocking you down and you'll never get back up.

The AI will actually do consistent things. But unlike in P4, you have to be very careful about who you bring into battle. 
 
Basically, P3 is WAY harder than P4, and the FES chapter is even harder. It's not unbeatable by any stretch, but you just have to be very strategic, from fusing to affinities.

I like the P3 system as much as P4 since it requires smart fusing and tactics. In P4, it's too easy to destroy most of your enemies, so the battles get mundane much quicker (with the exception of the optional boss fights).
 
Yukari is an absolute must in battle though. I don't see how this game would be beatable without her set as healing/support.

I just stopped using Mitsuru entirely for obvious reasons. Things have been going much better since. 

I don't remember having much problems with Mitsuru.  Sure, she used Marin Karin/Mind Charge at weird times, but never to the extent of killing the entire team.