Shin Megami Tensei: Persona PSP
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona Image
Metascore
78 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 25 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Summary: The rumor going around St. Hermelin High School holds that if you play the "Persona" game, you can see what the future holds for you. When a group of students-some eager, some skeptical-tries the game out, they experience something quite different. Before long, the city is turned upside-down and demons are roaming the streets, and only the students' newfound power of Persona can set things right again. Whether you pursue Takahisa Kandori and his abuses of the power he wields as SEBEC's president, or whether you delve into the curse of the Snow Queen that has plagued St. Hermelin for decades, a deep, modern, psychological tale awaits. Remember your true self, and free the tortured psyches of others... More than the same old JRPG -- Dark, philosophical, and complex, Persona sets you up in a modern day Japan that has gone into chaos. Demons run free, and you and your team must navigate corruption, mental frailty, and an alternate version of your world to bring your reality back into order. A second chance on PSP -- Offering a second opportunity to experience the beginnings of the acclaimed Persona series, this remake boasts a fully relocalized script, revamped user interface, faster battles, expanded soundtrack, and new in-game movies with voice work added just for the North American release. Unique tactical opportunities -- The inner selves known Personas are your key to progressing through the adventure, adding skills and incredible depth to your battle tactics. Expand and improve your collection through the Demon Negotiation system that offers spell cards that you can later fuse into new Personas. [Atlus USA]… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. 1UP
    100
    In every way, this is a perfect example of how to remake a great game -- graphics notwithstanding -- and this release makes a brilliant game feel fresh and relevant again.
  2. My Gamer
    86
    Persona is a great package that is worth the price, regardless of the purchasing method.
  3. GameFocus
    73
    I had so many mixed emotions playing through SMT: Persona. At times, the story kept me wanting more but the tedious combat, annoying first person perspective and high amount of random battles made me literally drop my PSP in disgust. If this is your first experience with the Persona series, this is not the game to start with; even those who are familiar with the series will probably only enjoy certain aspects offered.
  4. Gamers' Temple
    28
    It's a terrible remake of a terrible game, and will probably top my "Worst of 2009" game list come December.

See all 30 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. SteveM
    10
    Buy this game. Period. Random battles are a good thing. Especially when the battles are this damn interesting. The choices you are provided in battle are extremely diverse. Honestly, this game holds up today because no one has copied this formula since this game was released 13 years ago, which is insane because the battle system is so satisfying. Graphics are dated, but you quickly get used to them and they do the job. And the story is excellent...sure, it can be glanced at and dismissed as a semi-standard tale (though not really; it really is pretty damn original), but the details are so wacky and unique that it makes it fresh...once again, 13 years later. Don't listen to critics condemning this as an archaic RPG. This game was ahead of the (current) curve in 1996. It may not have all the bells and whistles of current RPG's, but it's got heart, and a lot of it. And perfect music. Really great music. Go for it! I've never posted a review on Metacritic and simultaneously been more sure of my recommendation.… Expand
  2. silentlea
    10
    Like SteveM said, buy it. Now. The quality of the gameplay and storytelling in Persona far far outweighs the slightly dated battle graphics. Honestly, after you're an hour in you won't even care. Especially as the presentation in every other regard is gorgeous. I rate it higher than P3P, and that's saying something.… Expand
  3. AceOfCakez
    5
    This is just a standard JRPG dungeon crawler. It's nice to see the roots of the Persona series but unless you love grinding and dungeon crawling, stay away from this one. Also, keep in mind that you can reject new party members. If you choose to keep them, you won't be able to get other party members in the future.… Expand
  4. Igor
    2
    This game really sucks. I like every game in the series except this and Devil Survivor. The dungeons you go through lack any detail what so ever, as well as the battle screens do, so the graphical presentation is probably the worst I've ever seen. Also the combat is no fun. You get so much variety in moves, but in a bad way so it can feel redundant at times. Also, just because there are more options in negotiations than in other SMT games does not make it better. You just find one that makes the enemy tick and use it over and over untill they get bored and you try a different option. Going back on this game's uglyness, everyone who is not a school friend is so weird looking. Also, going on friends, I should probably mention that there is no social link system this time, all though I all ready knew that when I bought it. The music can be cool at times, but it isnt anything to die for, but it certainly was nice of them to pack in a HUGE OST CD. The random battles are a huge problem. Remember Digital Devil Saga? Remember how you'd run into enemies every two steps? Well, this is nothing like that!! Every inch you move across the screen is another set of the same enemies over and over again, and the character development is as slow as Devil Survivor. This game is also one of those "where am i supposed to go now" kinds of games. According to some reviews I've read, the origional Persona for the Playstation was full of mistranslations. I've never played the Playstation version, but everything looks normal to me on this, so I guess they get a pat on the back for proofreading in this remake. It just makes me wish that they fixed everything else, too. Again, the Shin Megami Tensei series is my favorite franchise in video games, and this game does not reflect on the masterpieces on the Playstation 2. Even though it's a pile of garbage, I am at least glad this game was made so I could get a chance to see what the games were like when they were just starting without spending a hundred dollars for the origional Playstation version on ebay.… Expand

See all 7 User Reviews

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