Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4

Other products by Atlus

Product Features

• Every copy of Persona 4 is a special two-disc set including the game and a soundtrack CD featuring music from acclaimed composer Shoji Meguro
• Contains a sountrack CD featuring selected music from Persona 4
• unprecedented team control with emphasis on developing bonds in the fight to solve mysterious murders
• 60 plus hours of gameplay
• Manage and integrate your activities withing each day to determine your progress

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B001C6GVI6
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches ; 6.1 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: December 9, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #915 in Video Games (See Bestsellers in Video Games)

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Product Description

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Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is a console role-playing game (RPG) for Sony's PlayStation 2. Chronologically the sixth installment in the Persona series, Persona 4 is a suspenseful countryside murder mystery with multiple twists and turns in the plot that will have you guessing all the way to the end.

Chronologically the sixth installment in the Persona series, Persona 4 is a suspenseful murder mystery. View larger.

The silent male protagonist wields a two-handed sword weapon. View larger.

Using Mayonaka TV, you can phase into the television set and enter a shadowy world. View larger.

game play and style are similar to Persona 3, but there are plenty of new twists and additions. View larger.

Myth and Occult Mixed with Contemporary Japan
Megami Tensei was originally based on the novel series Digital Devil Story by Aya Nishitani. A major franchise in the RPG genre, MegaTen games take place in the contemporary or near-future Japan, mixing occult and cyberpunk elements. The games feature mythological references from multiple mythologies, and the player is often asked to make moral or philosophical choices that affect the game's storyline and ending.

The silent male protagonist who represents the player in Persona 4 attends Yasogami High School with Chie, Yosuke, and Yukiko. His entire personality and name is decided and portrayed by the player's in-game actions and decisions. He wields two-handed sword type weapons, but unlike Persona 3, he doesn't use alternative weapons.

Mysterious Murders Abound
Persona 4 takes place in a rural town named Inaba where mysterious murders occur whenever there is fog after heavy rain. The town has a television channel that airs only at midnight called Mayonaka TV, during which it is said that one can see their "other half" while staring at the screen. After hearing about a recent unsolved murder, some characters realize that they had witnessed the murder victim while watching Mayonaka TV.

The protagonist discovers that during midnight when the channel is on, his body can phase into his television set, using the set as a gateway to another world infested with shadows. Mayonaka TV and the town murders seem so connected that it's possible that the victims may in fact victims of Mayonaka TV itself. The characters decide to solve the mysterious murders by exploring the hidden world of Mayonaka TV.

Brand-New Yet Familiar game play
Persona 4's game play and style are similar to the popular Persona 3. Players familiar with Persona 3 will quickly recognize the social links and dungeon crawling game play, as well as the engine itself. The battles also have some similarities, such as the One More system, All-out attack, and the AI controlled support characters.

However, unlike Persona 3, characters can be set to take commands from the player, new glasses allow characters to see through the heavy mist inside Mayonaka TV, and tarot cards can be shattered to summon the characters' respective Persona. Other changes include an increase in player stats from three to five, and the removal of health status, allowing players to explore dungeons continuously.

Let the Action Begin
Battle-wise, Persona 4 lets you directly control the actions of other party members and continually exploit an enemy's weakness. Post-battle card shuffles have added Arcana Chance, which bring you good or bad status depending on the Arcana. Battles now occur after school instead of at midnight, like in Persona 3, giving the player less time in which to do social activities. This turns out to be significant because Social Links now have a greater effect on battle.

At higher levels, the player's allies progress from occasionally protecting the protagonist from a deathblow, through occasionally offering follow-up attacks, to eventually allow the persona of the corresponding ally to evolve into another persona. And persona can retain or even lose weaknesses and can be immune to certain kind of magic attacks. All allies who have their corresponding Social Link levels maxed out now have a chance to survive an otherwise fatal attack, leaving them with one remaining HP.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Overall Great Experience., December 11, 2008

By	Duy Mo (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

For many of you who enjoy the Megaten series (Persona, DDS, Nocturne, etc), you will instantly enjoy this. Two years ago, Persona 3 (P3) broke onto the PS2, creating an influx of newcomers and old school gamers alike. It provided a unique battle system, an intriguing dark story, a plethora amount of characters, and overall a great experience. Persona 4 is a standalone game, bringing many of the features, settings, and atmosphere from P3.

You are a silent protagonist who transfers into a rural area. Soon enough, you find something mysterious and dangerous. On one rainy night, you look into a television. Voices begin to ring, the storm seems to enrage, and the television flickers on and off. Reaching into the t.v, you are sucked into a whole new dimension.

Interesting, is it not? You'll find many mysteries held within the storyline. Unlike the city life in P3, you're in a very small town called Inaba.

The battle system holds it's true colors. Although, this time around, there are some tweaks for the good. In P3, you were unable to control your allies, they were under the influence of the AI. All you could really do was give them certain commands. This time around though, you are able to control their every move, from item using, attacking, defending, etc. The all-out-attack is still implemented and the battle mechanics overall are ALL the same.

For those who have played P3, Tartartus was a large dungeon with many different themes and atmospheres. Instead of that, the dungeons in this game are spread out. Giving a more variety in gameplay.

Many of the things you find in P3 and, to an extent P2, are all found in Persona 4. If you love the Persona series or you are a newcomer, pick this up, it's well worth your money.

(Side Note: For those who pre-ordered this game, the art-book is quite large (100 pages) and provides a few major spoilers. It's highly recommended you wait to look at it later. Although, the presentation of the package is wonderful, giving both the artbook and soundtrack is awesome).

Pros
+Fast-paced action.
+A great, long story. Develops quite fast.
+Interesting concept. Different from many other RPG's.
+Amazing soundtrack and character voices. It won't disappoint.
+Different Endings create a twist.
+Characters have a lot of depth and stories behind each one (Social Links)


Mid
+-Graphics are good for the PS2.
+-No drastic changes have been made from P3
+-A lot of talking, get ready for some good sit-back dialogue.

Cons
-Long adventure may tire some people out.
-Town is somewhat small, not many places to explore.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my new favorite gaming franchise., January 5, 2009

By	Smartass (Boston, Ma) - See all my reviews

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

For years I've been playing the same, mediocre RPGs. The names change, but nothing else seems to.

The Shin Megami Tensei series, on the other hand, has been making widely original content from the beginning and hasn't looked back. I sit here and look at Persona 4, and it's predecessor, Persona 3, and I'm just amazed at the amount of content thrown into these games. The games are so deep, I've found myself easily playing 90+ hours, just on the first playthrough. However, I'll be starting my next playthrough soon, because I hadn't even begun to scratch the surface through that 90 hour journey.

Social Links: One of the main things that makes the Persona series so spectacular is it's bizarre popularity system. You make friends. Have serious (sometimes intimate) relationships. Take tests. Become more popular if you get high scores on your tests. Get more friends. And these friendships are merely the tipping point of the game. These Social Links may seem to be pointless at first, even if they do provide some deep stories and hilarious commentary, however, once you cross over to the "other world", you'll find that these mean more to you than you think. Now, remember a few minutes back, when I said it took my 90 hours to finish 1 game? I didn't even get half of the Social Links. There are a freakin ton.

Because you're ranked high socially with so and so, you're able to form stronger and more meaningful Personas, which in turn, will be the main decider in any battle you face. If you have a terrible Persona when facing a random battle, you're dead for sure. And then, just to add a bit more to the mix, as if P4 doesn't want to be like it's father, P3 (which would be fine, if it were), it decides to ALSO make a difference in your own party members. Now, if you're incredibly close to Chie personally, she'll take deadly hits for you; knock out enemies you're struggling with; heal your status ailments. And not only that, but unlike P3, you now have control of all 4 party members. Which makes things a tad easier :)


And by now, if you're still reading this, it probably sounds like these social links are the biggest amount of story this game will get. That's pretty incorrect, actually. These social links are only tiny side plots in this beautiful adventure. The main plot / theme of this game goes beyond the Social Links, and really makes a social commentary on our own world and society today.

Then add the insanely odd style (the art, the colors, the backgrounds, the music) and it somehow manages to work perfectly with the path the own game goes down. Pure genius all around. AND it's on the ps2. It's 40 bucks and it's better than almost any game out so far on the new generation consoles. Come on RPG fans. You need to get into this underrated series already.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Girlfriend Review, March 27, 2009

By	Lestey "Vodka, Apple Pucker & Sweet 'n' Sour" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

Sometimes, being a good girlfriend means sitting on the couch and watching him play a game or playing a game together. I'm a moderate gamer, the new controls are generally more complicated than I'm willing to commit to. He is a hard core gamer. Some games are easier to watch than others, and some are easier to play. This review is not for the hard core gamer. This review if for the girlfriend (or boyfriend, who am I to judge?) that sits on the couch and watches.

Persona 4 is a great girlfriend game. We jokingly refer to it as "time to watch the anime". It's a single player game, so my involvement is limited to "don't say that...say this" or "I don't think that's the right answer...." The characters are interesting and the game is very story driven. With the exception of battle days, which don't happen all that often, the game is actually almost entirely story. I won't get into the plot, but if you're a fan of anime, you will enjoy this game. The game play is intuitive and you will rarely find yourself at a loss wondering what you should do next. The Persona fusing is the most complicated thing about the game, and I usually check the laundry or load the dishwasher when it comes to that point in the game. There are many games that I have sat through in defeated resignation, this is not the case with Persona 4. I'd find myself telling him that it's been 3 days, when are "we" going to play the game again! I hate to admit it, but I think I had a little crush on Rise! Great characters, great story, a great time overall.