Addicted to Persona 3

This week, I picked up a game I had been searching for quite some time called Persona 3. I had wanted this game for the whole school year, but never had the time or expendable finances to obtain it. So, this week, the whim finally came to me to go get it, and I figured my surest bet would be to buy a copy online. Now, if you know me, you know I am the cheapest guy ever and will go to great lengths to get a deal. Copies I found online ranged from $30-$90. I am a person that does not like to spend more than $20 on a video game, unless it is something like Mass Effect or Metal Gear Solid- Games that there is no question that I must play immediately despite their weighty sixty dollar price tag. Now, I have the means to buy a game for thirty dollars, don't get me wrong, I just didn't want to spend it.

How did I solve the problem? I discovered that Google has this thing called "Google Shopping" that can compare prices of items you type in based on stores in your area. The service found a shiny new copy of the SPECIAL EDITION of the game for 15 dollars at a Gamestop about 5 minutes from my house. I responded by promptly rushing to the store, forking over the 15 and popping the game into my PS2.

So what the heck is so great about this game? If you are one of my close, nerdy friends, you probably already know about the game and can stop reading here. If you are a member of the general public who says "Man I loved playing Mario when I was 6, old school games are the best!" (by the way, those kind of people annoy the heck out of me) you probably have never heard of this game and couldn't care less about it. But I'm going to tell you about it anyway. Persona 3 is a JRPG (Japanese Role Playing Game) about a couple of high school kids that have to stop some evil, demonic force in town. The aspect that sets this game apart from other JRPGs is that it has a social aspect to it- the game has a time system, and by day you go to school and develop your social life, while night is spent with the secret SEES (this stands for something involving Students and paranormal crap, I forget) group fighting monsters and trying to figure out what the hell is going on. The game has a cool anime art style that reminds me of anime like Soul Eater and recent GAINAX stuff. To see what I'm talking about, watch the opening movie! (It features wonderful Engrish rapping)



The game is also incredibly edgy and mature- when you use your spells in the game, you have to summon a "Persona", a weird monster-spirit thing that somehow reflects your hidden desires and personality traits. The way these monsters are summoned are by the characters putting this gun-looking object called an "Evoker" to their head and pulling the trigger. I'm surprised that Jack Thompson and other media watchdogs didn't jump all over this game and accuse it of promoting suicide. Here's an example:



There are hundreds and hundreds of personas you can obtain in the game, all with unique abilities, which are unlocked by fighting monsters and gaining experience.

So the combination of the social aspect, awesome battle system, cool story and hundreds of creatures to collect have created a dangerous cocktail that has addicted me. Why do I always have to get into long, addicting games at crucial points in my life? (right now I am looking for a "professional" job after getting out of college and planning for my upcoming wedding) Oh well. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a hangout scheduled with Yoko at the coffeehouse after school, I have to study for the upcoming midterm exams at Gekkoukan high, and I have to get to level 25 of the Tartarus tower so I can defeat the powerful Shadows that lurk there.