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Persona 3

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Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3
Persona 3 US Cover
Developer(s)Atlus Co.
Publisher(s)Atlus Co.
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
ReleaseJPN July 13, 2006
NA August 14, 2007[1]
Genre(s)Role-playing game
Mode(s)Single player

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (真・女神転生ペルソナ3, Shin Megami Tensei: Perusona 3) is the fourth game in the Persona series. (Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment being separate games) The game was developed and published by Atlus Co. for the PlayStation 2 console system. Persona 3 was released in Japan on July 13, 2006, and was set to be released in North America on July 24, 2007, but due to a manufacturing error with the Persona 3 art book, Persona 3's ship date was delayed to August 14,2007.[1]

Gameplay

Persona 3 is a departure from its predecessors in that the story moves in a slow, day-to-day pace over the span of a year rather than jumping from event to event in typical console role-playing game (RPG) fashion. Like in previous instalments, the main character attends high school, but now school activities (studying, building a social life, etc.) are important to building up statistics, and half of the game is dedicated to participating in school activities; the other half involves fighting demons in Tartarus at night. This "day in the life" style of gameplay is similar to Japanese RPGs with dating sim elements, like Harvest Moon, Azure Dreams, or Atlus' own Imodoki no Vampire: Bloody Bride.

The battle system is a turn based-style interface called Once More, similar to the Press Turn battle system used in other recent Shin Megami Tensei games such as Digital Devil Saga. However, instead of rewarding the entire party for exploiting weaknesses, extra turns are given on an individual basis. There also appear to be special attacks that can be used when all enemies are knocked out from their weaknesses, such as where all characters rush at the enemies in a cartoon-style dust cloud. However, only the protagonist is controllable in battle, while the numerous allies that join your party are governed by AI, which the player can influence somewhat with preset "Tactics." At the beginning of the game, the player has a few basic Tactics to choose from, but more can be learned as one gets further into the game.

Plot

A teenager who was orphaned as a young boy returns to the city of his childhood. Shortly after transferring to Gekkoukan High School, he is attacked by Shadows -- creatures that feed on the minds of their victims. The assault awakens his Persona, Orpheus, his only chance at defeating these creatures of the night. He soon discovers that he shares this special ability with other students at his new school. From them he learns of the "Dark Hour," a hidden time that exists between one day and the next, swarming with Shadows. He joins the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES), and with his new friends, confronts this evil threat...

Playable characters

Protagonist

File:P3-hero.jpg

Japanese: ???. Voiced by Yuri Lowenthal

The main character of this story. He is a High School Junior who transferred to Gekkoukan High School in April. While being attacked by the merciless Shadows, he awakened as a Persona-user. In contrast to the past titles, he is the only one in this game able to change to various Personae. Like other Shin Megami Tensei games, the main character's name is left to be input by the player. He does not speak except for a few instances.

He is known in Japanese fandom as Shūjinkō (主人公, Shuujinkou, literally "main character"). In the Manga version, authored by Sōkabe Shūji , he is named Minato Arisato (有里 湊, Arisato Minato).

Yukari Takeba

File:P3-yukari.jpg

Japanese: 岳羽 ゆかり. Voiced by Michelle Ruff

Yukari is classmates and dorm mates with the main protagonist. She is positive and cheerful, and a very popular girl as a result, but tends to drive herself beyond her limits. She wields a bow and arrow.

Junpei Iori

File:P3-junpei.jpg

Japanese: 伊織 順平. Voiced by Vic Mignogna

Junpei is the cheerful class clown and attends homeroom with the main character and Yukari. He was the first one to make friends with the main character when the boy transferred. He decided to join SEES after his Persona awakens.

Mitsuru Kirijou

File:P3-mitsuru.jpg

Japanese: 桐条 美鶴. Voiced by Tara Platt

She is the daughter of the Head of the Kirijo Group, controller of vast corporate holdings, and Student Council President at Gekkoukan High School. Upon discovering the main character's potential as a Persona-user, she invites him into the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES). She is quite cold and acts as a distant navigator, although she is capable of holding her own in a fight.

Akihiko Sanada

File:P3-akihiko.jpg

Japanese: 真田 明彦. Voiced by Liam O'Brien

Akihiko is the preppy Captain of the Gekkoukan High Boxing Club. His main interest in fighting the Shadows is to train himself physically. He seems to have a driving need to become stronger for some reason.

Persona: Polydeuces, Caesar of The Emperor arcanum

Fuuka Yamagishi

Japanese: 山岸 風花

Fuuka's painful self-awareness makes her shy and withdrawn. She is a potential Persona-User, but frequently calls in sick to school on account of her fragile constitution. As a result, she cannot assist directly in battle.

Aigis

File:P3-aegis.jpg

Japanese: アイギス. Voiced by Karen Strassman

Aigis is a heavily-armed android created to destroy Shadows. She was given a psyche in order to enable Persona use.

Ken Amada

File:P3-ken.jpg

Japanese: 天田 乾. Voiced by Mona Marshall

Ken attends Gekkoukan Elementary School, and is the youngest party member. Like the others, he joins the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad because of his potential as a Persona-User, but unlike them, he is only in 5th grade.

Koromaru

File:P3-koromaru.jpg

Japanese: コロマル

After losing his master in an accident, Koromaru lived the life of a stray. Once he awakened as a Persona-User, he became a loyal SEES member and a welcome ally in Tartarus.

Shinjiro Aragaki

Japanese: 荒垣 真次郎

Shinjiro is a Senior at Gekkoukan High School. Everything else about him is a mystery, except for his acquaintance with Akihiko. Who is he really?

Other characters

Takaya, Jin, and Chidori

This shadowy group of three calls itself Strega.

  • Elizabeth

Persona 3: Fes

Metis

Japanese: メティス

A second android that claims herself to be Aigis' "sister".

Persona 3: Fes

On April 19, 2007, Atlus released an add-on disk for Persona 3 called Persona 3: Fes (ペルソナ3フェス, Perusona 3 Fesu). A "directors cut" version, which includes both Persona 3 and Persona 3: Fes, was released on the same date. "Fes" is said to come from the word "festival." Fes claims to add another 30 hours of gameplay to the Persona 3 game. It includes a chapter after defeating the main boss, called the Aegis chapter. Unfortunately, the U.S. will not receive the Fes Append disc with the Persona 3 as stated in a recent Atlus USA press release of the game although they have not ruled out that Fes may come to the states at a later date.[2]

Media releases

There has been several media releases for Persona 3, consisting of Audio CD and Drama CD. All music are composed by Shoji Meguro.

Audio CD

  • Persona 3 Original Soundtrack (SVWC-7380~81) (July 19, 2006)
  • Persona 3 Drama CD Vol. 1 - Daylight (FCCT-0050) (March 21, 2007)
  • Burn My Dread - Reincarnation: Persona 3 (SVWC-7460) (April 18, 2007)
  • Persona 3 Drama CD: A Certain Day of Summer (LACA-5635} (April 25, 2007)
  • Persona 3 Fes Original Soundtrack (SVWC-7464)(May 2, 2007)
  • Persona 3 Drama CD Vol. 2 - Moonlight (FCCT-51) (May 25, 2007)

Trivia

The headphones the protagonist wears throughout the game, available in a special edition release of Persona 3: Fes in Japan, are the Aluminum Ear-Fit Headphones ATH-EM700 SV Edition by Audio-Technica.

References

  1. ^ a b "Persona 3 - Slight Shipping Delay". Atlus. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  2. ^ "Atlus USA Officially Announces Persona 3". Retrieved 2007-04-25.
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