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Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 PlayStation 2
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Image
Metascore
86 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 52 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 45 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: In Persona 3, assume the role of a high school student, who was orphaned as a young boy, and has recently transferred to Gekkoukan High School on Port Island. Only days after he arrives at the school dorm, he is attacked by a Shadow. The assault awakens his Persona, Orpheus, his only chance at defeating this creature 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 that have been slowing claiming victims known as The Lost - poor souls who have inexplicably been turned into walking zombies. Under the supervision of school chairman Shuji Ikutsuki, he joins his new friends in confronting this evil threat... With your school as the primary battlefield, you are forced to juggle between two lives: student by day, defender against evil by night. And your greatest challenges await you on the eve of each full moon. [Atlus]… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 52
  3. Negative: 0 out of 52
  1. Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK
    100
    Spellbinding stuff with lashings of imagination: well worth top marks! [Feb 2008, p.76]
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  2. GameShark
    100
    Persona 3's unusual take on the RPG formula takes some getting used to, but it's well worth the small amount of effort it requires to become acclimated. If you're tired of the same old RPG shtick, but still want a compelling story and addictive gameplay, look no further.
  3. Edge Magazine
    70
    Games with distinct souls are rare things, but Persona 3 succeeds in displaying a mesmerising personality that touches the many well-crafted aspects of its curious and singular approach. [Nov 2007, p.94]
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See all 52 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. theshonen8899
    10
    anime in general needs to pick up this game as well as Persona 4. The Social Link system is an amazing way to mix up the action, and the end result is a perfect blend of dungeon crawling, monster collecting, and visual novel. The grind might be repetitive, but the boss battles are great and the story/characters are amazing. Definitely not an RPG to be missed!… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. YujiY.
    10
    The mix of dungeon battles and dating sim like gameplay makes it a very strategic and great game to play.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. ChrisP.
    5
    I've been a huge fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series until now, but Persona 3 has changed that. While absolutely brilliant at times, the game is far longer than it should be and completely flounders near the end. There is simply not enough content to fill 300 calendar days; before the game is even half over, all of the non-combat stats will be maxed out, leaving you with nothing to do during the Evening and Late Phases during the days you choose not to go to Tartarus. Since the entire month's worth of quests, bosses, and exploration can be completed in two days (and frequently just one), too many phases have to be skipped to no benefit. This wouldn't be that big of a problem if the load times were not so bad, but they are. Furthermore, by the end of the game, even the daytime phases will be wasted. There are too many restrictions as to what S-Link threads you can do on what days, so once you complete a few, you may be left with nothing to do on certain days of the week. Lastly, the last few hours of the game are drawn-out, cliched, ridiculously easy, and offers none of the vital explanations necessary to truly understand the game. The FES expansion released in Japan explains a lot, fills in some of the gaps, and gives the game another difficulty, but, as the game currently stands, the moments of brilliance are too spread out to justify the 70+ hour investment. It isn't ALL bad though; six or seven bosses can be a bit a difficult, some of the music is outstanding, and the S-Link stories are awesome. However, they are not enough to compensate for the terrible endgame.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 15 User Reviews