Recently I finished playing Persona 3 Reload. That sure was a remake. I played the game in a unique way, I completed the game on hard and I played with the Japanese dub, and I also completed the game using the tactics only. I played with the Japanese dub because I just can not get over the fact that the original dub cast was replaced, unlike the Japanese cast. I'm sure the new dub is fine... but I don't want to hear new voices...
Anyway, some things I don't like. The redone music I find to be worse, I can't think of a single song I prefer in comparison to the original. Songs like Iwatodai Dorm, Changing Seasons, Battle for Everyone's Souls, and Mass Destruction stand out to me for being worse to me, not better. Meanwhile all the new tracks created for the remake like Color Your Night and It's Going Down didn't really resonate with me either. It kinda pisses me off that the original OST isn't available as an option I can think so many remakes that offer this basic feature it's not even DLC total missed opportunity. But I guess Atlus didn't learn anything from Persona 1 PSP OST debacle. I usually like the music done by Atsushi Kitajoh, but yeah, this OST is a huge miss to me. Speaking of music, I find it annoying that they removed Maya's Theme, Time Castle, and Snow Queen. WTF is that, and if you want to change the dungeon music, that's DLC and its songs from Persona 4 and 5.
Another thing I don't care for is the new character designs done by Azusa Shimada. Part of me wants to just say it's worse because it's not Shigenori Soejima, but I need a more valid reason than that, don't I? I'm not sure how to word it, but I don't like how...uh "poppy" the colors look in the new art. Saying the original Persona 3 art is "flat" is probably not the correct word say either but the new art in Reload stands out too much in a way I just don't find as appealing than the original art. I also just can't help but think the art is just a not as good imitation.
Another thing I think kinda sucks is the anime cutscenes. Now, to be fair, the anime cut scenes in Persona 3 FES aren't that great either, but Atlus was nearly dying, so they get a pass. But the anime cutscenes are worse than the Persona 3 Movies. Now, is it fair to compare anime movies with actual budget to anime cut scenes in a video game? Probably not but I'm gonna do it anyway and here's why this is modern Atlus were talking about you're really telling me they don't have enough Persona 5 money to make anime cut scenes that are on par or superior to the movies? I just think that it's kinda lame that even the anime cut scenes provide an inferior experience when I can just watch the movies instead.
Now I'll talk about some gameplay things. I'm kinda mixed on theurgy's. I like it for the fusion spells, unlike FES or Portable. I actually ended up using them more than a couple of times. However, aside from that, the rest I could have done without there overpowered, I also don't like the decision to make origa mode a theurgy. Something else that bothers me is why does this game have the gutted tactics from Persona 4 and 5. Like, sure, I'm maybe a small percentage who actually wanted to play the game that way, but would it have been so hard to include the tactic options from FES. Sure would have helped make Reload an even more definitive version of the game. Also, why is baton pass in this game. I don't think it was needed. I also don't really like that in tartarus, I can no longer directly talk to the party members while exploring unless I'm missing something it wasn't there. The twilight fragment mechanic is also something I don't really like, I wish I could just pay for healing with yen instead, like in Persona 3 Portable.
I keep talking about things I don't like. Here are some things I do like. The redone character models and environments are nice. Manual skill inheritance is also nice. I like that you can resume from the floor you left off in tartarus if you decide to go to floor 1 to do fusions or something. Social links being fully voiced for the first time is pretty awesome. Being able to do more than three Elizabeth's requests at a time is also cool. I actually did them more often than in FES or Portable. It's also kinda cool that, like in Portable, the game has fast travel and part-time jobs. The link episodes are a good addition, while I don't think they are better than the male social links in Portable. It helps the schedule feel more packed to do. Farming and the shared PC are also pretty harmless additions that I don't mind either. Being to rewind time is kinda nice, though I almost never used it . On the occasion I did, it was convenient when I would forget to do x thing like a fortune telling reading before entering tartarus. Oh yeah, having light and dark skills aren't insta-kills is nice. That is a feature I appreciate in newer MegaTen games.
I realized I some how to forgot to talk about a couple things regarding the difficulty I found the game decently challenging enough while it's a lot easier than FES I didn't find game as brain dead as Persona 5 Royal. Then again I did play with tactics which added to the challenge. Regarding the tactics though I found the AI pretty reliable although since tactic options are missing from FES it not as good as it could be. Still I really enjoyed playing this way, not only is it closer to the original intent of the Persona 3 experience but I forgot how fun and satisfying it can be to play with tactics on.
When it comes to the Japanese dub I like most of the voices and while I do still prefer the original English dub cast the Japanese cast does a great job. I'd say the only voice I don't like as much as in Japanese is probably Aigis but that's only because I didn't think she sound as robotic early on then more human later on in the game but maybe that's a language barrier thing.
Overall, this may sound surprising, but I think Persona 3 Reload is a great game. But it's only a great game because its base is already a great game. My generous rating mostly comes from my original love for Persona 3. Really, I can't think of many aspects that makes me think that it justifies the remake's existence. Most of the new additions are neat, but I don't think it makes it worth it. It's a fun game, but it's only fun because it's Persona. I would have just as much fun if I played the original. Persona 3 FES was my first MegaTen game, it's one my favorite MegaTen games, and I also played during my high school years and that for me was like 12 years ago. So it will always be just special game to me. But I can't help but think Persona 3 Reload isn't really made for me. The game is just Persona 3, but for the younger audience who only played 5, and they don't know what a PS2 emulator is, and I don't really like that. I feel like I hate more what the game represents than the game itself. Reload plays more like Persona 5. I don't like the idea of Persona 3 being Persona 5-fied. When I play Persona 3, I wanna Persona 3. I don't need Persona 3 with a Persona 5 skin, and that's what Reload pretty much is. It makes the overall game less unique and interesting. It also makes me worried for the future of Persona. I don't want the games to become homogenized. Remakes often are made to be the best, most definitive version of a game. Something like Ocarina of Time 3D is a good example of that. But Reload doesn't even accomplish that considering it's missing FeMC, and the fact that it's missing features and content from previous versions of Persona 3 to me makes it a failure of a remake.
Persona 3 Reload ultimately just another version of Persona 3 instead of the version of Persona 3, and that's just lame to me. The thing is despite all the pointless changes and new coat of paint I still find the game fun. The Persona game play loop I think will always love it and find it addictive. Which is part of why I feel kinda mixed on the game. It's Persona 3. I can't hate Persona 3, it doesn't really feel right for me to say I dislike the game cause that wouldn't be true. But there is a lot about the game I don't enjoy. Maybe I'm just being petty or nostalgia blinded, but really thinking about it Reload one of the weakest MegaTen games for me and I would rank it pretty low simply because...I'd rather just play almost any other MegaTen game. Truth be told I would have been perfectly fine with a HD Remaster of Persona 3 FES over this.
Anyway, some things I don't like. The redone music I find to be worse, I can't think of a single song I prefer in comparison to the original. Songs like Iwatodai Dorm, Changing Seasons, Battle for Everyone's Souls, and Mass Destruction stand out to me for being worse to me, not better. Meanwhile all the new tracks created for the remake like Color Your Night and It's Going Down didn't really resonate with me either. It kinda pisses me off that the original OST isn't available as an option I can think so many remakes that offer this basic feature it's not even DLC total missed opportunity. But I guess Atlus didn't learn anything from Persona 1 PSP OST debacle. I usually like the music done by Atsushi Kitajoh, but yeah, this OST is a huge miss to me. Speaking of music, I find it annoying that they removed Maya's Theme, Time Castle, and Snow Queen. WTF is that, and if you want to change the dungeon music, that's DLC and its songs from Persona 4 and 5.
Another thing I don't care for is the new character designs done by Azusa Shimada. Part of me wants to just say it's worse because it's not Shigenori Soejima, but I need a more valid reason than that, don't I? I'm not sure how to word it, but I don't like how...uh "poppy" the colors look in the new art. Saying the original Persona 3 art is "flat" is probably not the correct word say either but the new art in Reload stands out too much in a way I just don't find as appealing than the original art. I also just can't help but think the art is just a not as good imitation.
Another thing I think kinda sucks is the anime cutscenes. Now, to be fair, the anime cut scenes in Persona 3 FES aren't that great either, but Atlus was nearly dying, so they get a pass. But the anime cutscenes are worse than the Persona 3 Movies. Now, is it fair to compare anime movies with actual budget to anime cut scenes in a video game? Probably not but I'm gonna do it anyway and here's why this is modern Atlus were talking about you're really telling me they don't have enough Persona 5 money to make anime cut scenes that are on par or superior to the movies? I just think that it's kinda lame that even the anime cut scenes provide an inferior experience when I can just watch the movies instead.
Now I'll talk about some gameplay things. I'm kinda mixed on theurgy's. I like it for the fusion spells, unlike FES or Portable. I actually ended up using them more than a couple of times. However, aside from that, the rest I could have done without there overpowered, I also don't like the decision to make origa mode a theurgy. Something else that bothers me is why does this game have the gutted tactics from Persona 4 and 5. Like, sure, I'm maybe a small percentage who actually wanted to play the game that way, but would it have been so hard to include the tactic options from FES. Sure would have helped make Reload an even more definitive version of the game. Also, why is baton pass in this game. I don't think it was needed. I also don't really like that in tartarus, I can no longer directly talk to the party members while exploring unless I'm missing something it wasn't there. The twilight fragment mechanic is also something I don't really like, I wish I could just pay for healing with yen instead, like in Persona 3 Portable.
I keep talking about things I don't like. Here are some things I do like. The redone character models and environments are nice. Manual skill inheritance is also nice. I like that you can resume from the floor you left off in tartarus if you decide to go to floor 1 to do fusions or something. Social links being fully voiced for the first time is pretty awesome. Being able to do more than three Elizabeth's requests at a time is also cool. I actually did them more often than in FES or Portable. It's also kinda cool that, like in Portable, the game has fast travel and part-time jobs. The link episodes are a good addition, while I don't think they are better than the male social links in Portable. It helps the schedule feel more packed to do. Farming and the shared PC are also pretty harmless additions that I don't mind either. Being to rewind time is kinda nice, though I almost never used it . On the occasion I did, it was convenient when I would forget to do x thing like a fortune telling reading before entering tartarus. Oh yeah, having light and dark skills aren't insta-kills is nice. That is a feature I appreciate in newer MegaTen games.
I realized I some how to forgot to talk about a couple things regarding the difficulty I found the game decently challenging enough while it's a lot easier than FES I didn't find game as brain dead as Persona 5 Royal. Then again I did play with tactics which added to the challenge. Regarding the tactics though I found the AI pretty reliable although since tactic options are missing from FES it not as good as it could be. Still I really enjoyed playing this way, not only is it closer to the original intent of the Persona 3 experience but I forgot how fun and satisfying it can be to play with tactics on.
When it comes to the Japanese dub I like most of the voices and while I do still prefer the original English dub cast the Japanese cast does a great job. I'd say the only voice I don't like as much as in Japanese is probably Aigis but that's only because I didn't think she sound as robotic early on then more human later on in the game but maybe that's a language barrier thing.
Overall, this may sound surprising, but I think Persona 3 Reload is a great game. But it's only a great game because its base is already a great game. My generous rating mostly comes from my original love for Persona 3. Really, I can't think of many aspects that makes me think that it justifies the remake's existence. Most of the new additions are neat, but I don't think it makes it worth it. It's a fun game, but it's only fun because it's Persona. I would have just as much fun if I played the original. Persona 3 FES was my first MegaTen game, it's one my favorite MegaTen games, and I also played during my high school years and that for me was like 12 years ago. So it will always be just special game to me. But I can't help but think Persona 3 Reload isn't really made for me. The game is just Persona 3, but for the younger audience who only played 5, and they don't know what a PS2 emulator is, and I don't really like that. I feel like I hate more what the game represents than the game itself. Reload plays more like Persona 5. I don't like the idea of Persona 3 being Persona 5-fied. When I play Persona 3, I wanna Persona 3. I don't need Persona 3 with a Persona 5 skin, and that's what Reload pretty much is. It makes the overall game less unique and interesting. It also makes me worried for the future of Persona. I don't want the games to become homogenized. Remakes often are made to be the best, most definitive version of a game. Something like Ocarina of Time 3D is a good example of that. But Reload doesn't even accomplish that considering it's missing FeMC, and the fact that it's missing features and content from previous versions of Persona 3 to me makes it a failure of a remake.
Persona 3 Reload ultimately just another version of Persona 3 instead of the version of Persona 3, and that's just lame to me. The thing is despite all the pointless changes and new coat of paint I still find the game fun. The Persona game play loop I think will always love it and find it addictive. Which is part of why I feel kinda mixed on the game. It's Persona 3. I can't hate Persona 3, it doesn't really feel right for me to say I dislike the game cause that wouldn't be true. But there is a lot about the game I don't enjoy. Maybe I'm just being petty or nostalgia blinded, but really thinking about it Reload one of the weakest MegaTen games for me and I would rank it pretty low simply because...I'd rather just play almost any other MegaTen game. Truth be told I would have been perfectly fine with a HD Remaster of Persona 3 FES over this.