deeply flawed in many ways, yet burns bright with an unyielding dedication to its core themes. its ideas revolving around the unpredictable and inevitable truths of reality and the way in which they're thrusted upon youth in the midst of introspection are all so thoughtfully represented in every facet of its design; whether be in its character writing, its silent protagonist, or its very mechanics. it all beautifully culminates in the absolute greatest conclusion to the most impactful narrative i've personally experienced in this medium. it's true what that robot girl said. i will never leave you.

despite reusing many of the same set pieces for the sake of its theming, it still manages to be a stark contrast to its predecessor in so many ways. a journey of self discovery through the lens of adulthood comes a whole new cast with far more jaded perspectives on life, crushing difficulty, and a much quieter tone. a very emotionally resonant story for me personally. fate ain't any different than a prediction too late.

the shift in atmosphere from the first game is felt the second your ears take in the best standard battle theme shoji meguro has composed. shit has truly hit the fan. the abstract, sci-fi beauty of digital devil saga is here on full display, but this time with a much more realized cast. there's some games below this one where i prefer their stories, but it's got a massive edge thanks to its gameplay. the tightest, snappiest combat in megaten with some pretty great dungeons to boot.

as with every rerelease or new iteration of persona 3, it's a give and take. and as with most cases, it often takes more than gives. but nevertheless, it's a perfectly acceptable remake of the best game ever and could definitely be seen as an improvement if you weren't a fan of the original's experimentative outlook on game design. despite being held back by sadly noticeable time and budgetary constraints, especially when it concerns presentation, it's still able to breathe new life into my favorite game ever; thanks to its linked episodes, smoother gameplay, and added story scenes.

i'm far more forgiving to this game than i should be. in spite of its awful presentation that often times destroys the original story's tone and atmosphere, i can't help but adore its female protag. with her contrasting characterization to the male protag and the new perspective she brings as a result, it allows for such a fascinating extended exploration of a cast i already adore. undoubtedly the worst way to experience this game for the first time, but i'd still consider it an excellent companion piece.

i'll always love this game for being as comedically explosive as it is, yet always staying mindful of when to reel it back and focus on its characters. it starts to trip up on itself in the middle of the third act due to its breakneck pacing, but manages close itself out with the most insane finale in the series.

honestly i find this one really holds up as the most charming game from atlus. it acts as such an amazing time capsule for the era it released in, something you're able to gleam from the creative applications of its cyberpunk aesthetics and its optimism in the face of an uncertain, technology based future. far from the most realized narrative, but still fun, engaging, and honest the whole way through. also the personality system is awesome and makes team management so much more engaging in comparison to other classic megatens. if u disagree, ur just bad imo #TBH

this duology might have been a failure, but it'll always have a place in my heart. with a highlight on cinematography up there with PS2 console sellers like final fantasy x, it stands as one of atlus' greatest games as far as pure VIBES goes. the text itself isn't much to write home about, yet the tone is emphasized by these bleak setpieces and a super unique meguro OST, which all help the desperate struggles of its characters feel so rich. a very strong iteration of press turn as well that deviates nicely from nocturne's.

the one that dragged me down this hell. definitely need to replay it for a firmer opinion, since there's a mix of things i feel are phenomenal (presentation, certain social links, royal content) and things i feel are ughhhh (general structure/framing, script, mementos). evens out in my head as a pretty great game though. visually, still one of my favorite games ever. and the royal content really is that good. i will come back for you one day, persona 5.

though it couldn't be farther from shin megami tensei's roots in terms of gameplay, it does an amazing job at capturing the spirit that game is known for. it's very believable in the way it utilizes its claustrophobic tension to slowly impact the ideals of the people around you. something that feels extra palpable, with how it's a feeling that extends to impact the player though the time management mechanics. also helps that every alignment feels well thought out instead of the standard "commit genocide? y/n?" proposal lol. and the gameplay's pretty fun, albeit a bit grindy towards the end.

you can feel the passion in this one, but it is undercut by restrictions likely caused by a smaller budget and scope in comparison to the first game. i adore the improvements to combat, the much more character focused storyline, and the more individualist alignment system. but it's undoubtedly a bit hampered by the sheer lack of content and polish on all fronts. still would call it underrated though. dahn tsukigata, you will always be the greatest chaos rep.

need to replay this one and actually focus on its strengths, because i initially walked away disillusioned by its failings. but occasionally abhorrent dungeons and engaging thematics undercut by a mediocre story aside, this game is remarkable for everything it gets right in spite of being megaten's first 3D outing. press turn is the greatest turn based battle system to ever do it, but it's crazy how its first iteration came with probably the strongest boss design in the franchise with its emphasis on diverse strategy. its set pieces are pretty strong too, though i feel they immediately outdid them with DDS lmao.

extremely fascinating as the first entry in the persona series, seeing how its wholly unlike any other game that follows it. it utilizes its setting and atmosphere unlike any other. bouncing between ethereal, dreamlike worlds accentuated by whimsical fairytale dilemmas and brutal, horror-esque, nightmare scenarios all to perfectly illustrate the internal conflict of nihilism its central character faces. its gameplay might be awful. some story beats might be undercooked. but still i love you, megami ibunroku persona.

batshit insane in the best way possible. this must've moved mountains for some 15 year old kid in the 90s. the battle system is whatever and i don't find much intrigue in the story, but boring it is not. all and all, it's really strong for the main game that kick-started each series present in this list.

im spiteful. they took the format of 3, one made to specifically cater to that game's unique themes of responsibility and the fleeting nature of life, and applied it to a game that has little to do with those concepts. while also taking the core ideas that do overlap and converting them into something entirely conventional. all to service a story that i find quite repetitive. there's a lot that it excels at and it's still unique in its own right. but man. persona as a franchise could've been so much more if they didn't take the lamest approach after 3. i plan to play the original someday, since golden really diminishes the day to day aspects of the original through added fluff content. maybe i'll connect with it more then.

i want to root for this game, since reviving a dead franchise that wasn't very popular globally to begin with clearly couldn't be a decision made out of greed and has to be one motivated by a desire to return to the diverse appeal of megaten. but they really should've put more effort into it. the elements are there, but the awkward story structure and awfully bland dungeons stop it from being as great as it could've been. pretty alright cast though. and its battle system is quite sound. ringo is so awesome.

love it for its aesthetic, character designs, and being able to retain devil summoner's saturday cartoon narrative appeal through it's insane yet charming set pieces. but not a fan of everything else. baller ass ending though.

lmfao i loved this game when i first finished it because i openly disregarded everything that wasn't the gameplay. i found a lot of the concepts present extremely intriguing, like the open exploration based traversal or the blend of mechanics from games like SMT:IV, DDS, and strange journey. but thinking about the hoops you have to go through in order to even fully enjoy it thanks to level gated bosses, along with them rarely being interesting on a design front, made me realize it's actually kind of terrible even in that specific regard.

if i speak