Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES PlayStation 2
Metascore
89 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
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  1. Gamestyle
    90
    Unquestionably if you did not get around to buying Persona 3 earlier this year then this is another opportunity and one not to be wasted.
  2. Wired
    90
    The game's audio is phenomenal. Throughout the game players are treated to a combination of Japanese-style blues, pop, techno and rock. Even those who have become tired of Japan's trademark stylistic alterations to American media will find the variety of tunes appealing.
  3. Worth Playing
    93
    Almost every addition to The Journey makes it a superior experience to the original Persona 3 , and the addition of The Answer increases that value.
  4. GamesRadar
    90
    If you're after a challenging and engaging game that'll reward you with a huge well of gameplay with polished style, and - we'll just say it - you're not afraid to nerd out, Persona 3 FES is an all around quality title that it'd be a shame to miss.
  5. Destructoid
    100
    Persona 3: FES manages to take one of last year's best RPGs and make it even better, trumping the original with loads of gameplay and fantastic value.
  6. RPG Fan
    98
    If you haven't played Persona 3, however, there is no better reason to pick up FES. Do it now!
  7. GamerNode
    90
    Persona 3 FES is a lesson to game makers and movie directors on what a repackaging should look like. New features, a much better ending and enough tweaks to fill a Starbucks makes FES a steal at its price.
  8. IGN
    88
    Persona 3 featured a lot of replayability and tons of depth. Persona 3 FES blows that out of the water, with hours upon hours of additional content, redesigned gameplay and an epilogue that fully concludes the story.
  9. GameSpy
    90
    A fantastic version of an astonishing game. Although you miss out on the sumptuous bonuses of the original release, you will get substantially more content at a great price.
  10. Gaming Age
    100
    Pick this one up while you can still find it, even if you've already played the hell out of Persona 3. Absolutely worth the time, and it'll hold your attention for the entire ride.
  11. 1UP
    100
    FES' other addition -- a remarkably expansive epilogue called "The Answer" that's instantly accessible from the title screen -- simply cannot be missed.
  12. Play Magazine
    100
    For the rest of you, Persona 3 FES is one of the best RPGs the PS2 has ever received, and one of the console's proudest moments period. [May 2008, p.58]
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  13. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    100
    Get FES no matter how familiar you are with "Persona 3". [June 2008, p.86]
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  14. PSM3 Magazine UK
    90
    Improved, with enough here to keep you busy till "Persona 4." [Feb 2009, p.84]
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 96 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. JonT
    10
    Epic Adventure! For those who have not played persona 3 this is a must get! For those of you who have, FES has a bunch of new features and a Loonnggg epiloge! Its a must play!… Full Review »
  2. BasilG
    5
    I love Persona 3, but that will not change my decisive opinion of one thing: it is not a good game. The story, music, characters and its distinctive style made Persona 3 what it is. The actual GAME is borderline bad. The Social Link aspect is enjoyable because the characters are attractive and develop the more time you spend with them, however its actual effect on gameplay is not significant enough. The same applies to character stats (charm, courage etc). You spend most of the first half playing this game developing these stats to unlock and level up Social Links that do not help as much as they are promised to. There are a fair amount of locations in this game but barely any reason for you to visit them. Throughout the full course of the game, Port Island Station is a perfect example. The battle system, at its core, is below average because it is plague with a number of massive flaws. The first being: you cannot fully control your party members. The extent you can being only with a number of vague AI command presets that don't always work as they are supposed to. Why Atlus implemented this feature is a mystery as it is nothing more than wasted effort. Even RPGs 10 years ago allowed you to control your party. When using the Health/Support tactic, the AI prioritizes the lowest health first not matter what. Why is this bad? I cannot count the number of times I had to re-load because a party member healed someone else instead of me. Here is an example of a typical scenario: an enemy uses a skill that leaves your parties' HP close to nothing. If you have ten hit points but everyone else has less, the healer will tend to everyone else before you. This also leads us to our next flaw: if the main character dies, it's game over. This is incredibly frustratingly especially in the case where all enemies decide to attack you, uses an instant kill spell or if you're currently weak against an element. If you get knocked down from a weakness or a critical hit, you lose the only chance to change the AI of a party member to heal you until the next turn when you get back up - BUT you're most likely already dead at this point. Almost every death I have had in this game was unfair. That aside, fusing new Personas is easy and can be surprisingly a lot of fun, especially when preparing for boss fights of which you already know what to expect. If you are playing Persona 3, you will be surprised by how much better Persona 4 is. Nearly every negative mentioned above is fixed. If you are considering to play this game, pick up Persona 4 instead as you will most likely enjoy it over this frustrating gaming experience.… Full Review »
  3. Laurier
    10
    Persona 3 was an incredible RPG, with a unique vibe, great blending of two apparently different gameplay styles, and FES only adds to this greatness. No need to list all the additions here (especially since some would be rather spoiler-ish), but for 30$, you get more content than in the original game, more things to do, and even a separate new game to go with it, for a fraction of the price. Definitely worth buying, whether you have the original or not.… Full Review »
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