Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3

 PlayStation 2
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 443 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 268 out of 443
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 443
  3. Negative: 157 out of 443
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  1. M1rito
    Aug 22, 2023
    5
    Bad story. Terrible tartar. Worst Social Links in the series. And sooooo much more. Don't play this, or you'll regret
  2. Naked_Snakee
    Apr 7, 2023
    9
    Just text (crutch) to save the game to the list. Such things. Maybe I'll do a review later.
  3. DarkwingSchmuck
    Mar 5, 2022
    10
    Persona 3 didn't just reinvent the Persona series, it set a new standard for JRPGs; a standard that no other franchise has matched still to this day. Persona 3 is a stylish game that took the unlikely combination of sim life and dungeon crawler and merged it into something far better than the sum of its parts. Furthermore, every aspect of the game's design -- from story, structure,Persona 3 didn't just reinvent the Persona series, it set a new standard for JRPGs; a standard that no other franchise has matched still to this day. Persona 3 is a stylish game that took the unlikely combination of sim life and dungeon crawler and merged it into something far better than the sum of its parts. Furthermore, every aspect of the game's design -- from story, structure, characterization, battle system, dungeon design, social links, etc. -- are all finely crafted to fit with the game's overall themes.

    Match all this with an engrossing narrative from start to finish in what could easily hit triple-digit hours, and what you had was the very best RPG on the PS2.    … Expand
  4. LordFaidal
    Jan 13, 2022
    9
    Easily the best entry in the series and one of the greatest JR-PG's in my opinion. The characters are great and so is the story. I wouldn't skip out on this one. If you can't pick it up on ps2, grab it for the PSP.
  5. IviAless
    Jan 29, 2021
    0
    From here, Persona isn't Persona anymore...
    Persona 3 is a bad game. Unnecessesarily boring, awful voice acting, really bad combat mechanics, you can't control your party (meaning they WILL do what they want), your party can't use multiple personas, and the story... is just stupid
    Overall, this game feels like a crappy dating sim.
    Wanna know why? Social links... what's the point of it?
  6. Kingdomhear
    Nov 12, 2020
    0
    Noioso e scritto male come gli altri capitoli della saga...recensioni alte solo per vendere giochi da serie d...tutti i dungeon identici...almeno sforzarsi a cambiare un po...esteticamente vuoto
  7. KouroshieYoshi
    Jul 21, 2020
    10
    Persona 3 is one of my favorite games ever. Even the "tedious" parts of the game don't feel cheap, though that may vary from person to person. I love the way this game combines realism and mundanity with the fictional world and it's symbolism. It has a pretty good message about death which the later games get rid of (don't play them) and its story can honestly rival most smt games in theirPersona 3 is one of my favorite games ever. Even the "tedious" parts of the game don't feel cheap, though that may vary from person to person. I love the way this game combines realism and mundanity with the fictional world and it's symbolism. It has a pretty good message about death which the later games get rid of (don't play them) and its story can honestly rival most smt games in their edginess and importance. Play this game if you can, it's on the cheap, it's on the darn PS2, and it's honestly one of the greatest JRPGs ever!… Expand
  8. SexyTractorDsco
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    One of the best games ever man. The fact that it got bombed for no reason is some bull
  9. DarkFireUmad
    May 19, 2020
    10
    Segundo juego de la saga Persona que juego y disfruto un montón. Se nota la edad y que no es tan accesible para el público por su "dificultad" pero sinceramente sigue siendo un juegazo, banda sonora de 10, personajes muy interesantes, vamos, un Persona.
  10. Yukiko
    May 4, 2020
    7
    If you can get past the depressing atmosphere and funky AI, this is a game with a gripping story and complex characters that stand the test of time.
  11. iKen
    Apr 13, 2020
    10
    Played on PlayStation 2.
    Gameplay: AWESOME.
    Story: GREAT.
    Graphic: GREAT.
    Music/Sound: AWESOME.
    Dialogue: GREAT.
  12. MoonCanLight
    Feb 11, 2019
    2
    Persona games are the best japanese student simulators, but everything else in it is really poor. Fights are boring and frustrating at the same time, and story in P3 is really bad written. Main hero has almost zero impact on the course of events. Except beating shadows, main hero do completely nothing during all story. It's a shame that Mitsuru must landed in such lame game.
  13. EW7783
    Oct 15, 2017
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Persona 3 combines Life Simulation & Role-Playing Game (RPG) genres, making it a unique gaming experience. It falls under the JRPG (Japanese Role Playing Game) genre with games like ‘Final Fantasy’ or the ‘Tales of’ series, due to the Japanese anime style of the characters & Japanese setting. It was released by Atlus for PS2 in 2007 with a Mature (16+) rating. It is a long journey, spanning 70+ hours. Due to the way the game is paced, with one day leading directly into the next, it is easy to get trapped in very long play sessions. Some segments last over an hour without a place to save. If you die, you go back to the last save, so I recommend playing on easy on the first run, as you get 10 ‘Plume Of Dusk’ items which revive your whole party, restoring all HP/SP, these can’t be bought after they’re used, so use them sparingly!

    The game is centred around the trials & tribulations of Japanese high school life, where you spend the day developing ‘Social Links’ with classmates & others you meet in the town of Tatsumi Port Island. By night you & your team fight monsters (‘Shadows’) to save the world.
    The main mechanic is the ability to evoke a ‘Persona’. Personas are a ‘manifestation of one’s psyche’ (a part of your personality manifested into real form). There are 170 personas that the protagonist can obtain & make use of, due to his ‘Wild Card’ nature. Other persona users can only access 1 persona – methods of this include cards in ‘shuffle time’ at the end of battles & when using the ‘Velvet Room’ where you can fuse personas to make others. Personas can be levelled up by Social Links, relationships the protagonist makes through the course of the game. Each one has an ‘arcana’ (corresponding to tarot cards) & are levelled up the more you talk to people during life simulation periods. Social Links are like real relationships, you want to spend enough time with the person so the link doesn’t become reversed, preventing you from levelling up personas of that arcana until it is fixed. However, this can also happen if you spend too much time with that person, making it a complex balance. The game has a dark atmosphere, including the method that party members evoke their personas, putting the evoker (an instrument closely resembling a gun) to their head & pulling the trigger. One of the main aspects is the mysterious Dark Hour, said to fall between one day & the next. During this time normal humans are transmogrified into coffins, all electrics cease to work, besides those modified to, & all liquids turn blood red. Those transmogrified remain blissfully unaware of the hours’ presence, but S.E.E.S can experience this hour & use this time to defeat enemies (Shadows) in their nest, known as Tartarus, the main dungeon in the game. The Shadows came about with the Dark Hour & feed on the psyche of humans who have been lured out of their coffins.

    The protagonist is a 17 year old Japanese school boy who has the ability to use a persona, at the start you are asked to join a ‘school club’ called S.E.E.S (the Specialised Extra-curricular Execution Squad) a group of persona users you are living in the dorm with. S.E.E.S expands over the course of the game, eventually encompassing persona users of many types that are strong & weak to different abilities.

    Battles occur when you hit an enemy or an enemy hits you, taking you to a separate screen. During a battle you can use persona specific abilities: Bufu (ice), Garu (wind), Agi (fire), Zio (electricity), Light, Dark & Almighty. Abilities that characters can equip through various weapons & that personas can also have are strike, slash & pierce attacks – physical attacks demonstrated during the powerful ‘All-Out Attack’ you can perform once all enemies have been knocked down by having their weakness exposed. You can find these out by asking your out of field scouter to analyse the enemies.
    The games’ graphics aren’t as good as other PS2 titles of the time, Final Fantasy X (2001) graphics far excel those of Persona 3. In addition, colours appear quite washed out, mainly being dirty greens/reds during the dark hour. Black looks more green, seen on enemies crawling the dungeon floor, & white looks more grey as seen on character uniforms/floor tiles. However, animated cut-scenes & drawn elements look stunning. The graphics don’t really hold your understanding of the game back, as character emotions are expressed in drawn portraits above their speech & convenient over head emoticons (exclamation marks/sweat drops).

    Overall, Persona 3 is a great game, with an in depth story & developed & unique characters. I would definitely recommend it to JRPG fans & also dungeon–crawler fans who are looking for a new experience.    … Expand
  14. AzurealZX
    Apr 14, 2017
    1
    I expected something better for all of the hype this really average franchise gets.

    All characters were boring anime archetypes with no flavor of their own. The story was an extremely generic premise that flows in the typical Japanese way of story telling like Light Novels. Tartarus, the main gameplay feature was fun at first but as you progress in the tower, it becomes more and    I expected something better for all of the hype this really average franchise gets.

    All characters were boring anime archetypes with no flavor of their own.
    The story was an extremely generic premise that flows in the typical Japanese way of story telling like Light Novels.

    Tartarus, the main gameplay feature was fun at first but as you progress in the tower, it becomes more and more tedious by the second. In the end, I forced myself to complete the game.

    Bosses have a terrible gameplay design, for example the ones under the Millitary base, you have to kill the 2 bosses in the exact same turn or the one that wasn't killed will revive the other one ON FULL HP. No, they don't warn you about that, they never tell you about it until the first revive happens.

    One of the bosses even relies COMPLETELY ON LUCK. That's bad game design.
    He uses a move that spawns a roulette in front of you and you spin it and stop it.
    Whether you damage him for some small amount or he 2-3 shots you, that's up to luck.
    Whether you get debuffed or he gets debuffed, that's up to you..
    Oh, did I say that there' s another boss fighting besides that guy? Yeah, 2 enemies at the same time.
    Not only you have to rely on luck but you also must simultaniously fend off that other guy who has an attack that can one shot you if you have an Ice based Persona. or leave you barely alive on about 30 hp if you don't.

    The whole game is riddled with badly designed bosses and the pacing of the story is bad. A story sequence happens and you're left with a whole month of free time before the next one.
    Either you grind which is boring, or do Social Links, which are just unfleshed dialogues that get the other characters attached to you. The characters seem to start loving you way too quickly. You go and say hi and you already got a girlfriend... (It's an over exaggerated example, chill.)

    I started with the P3P version of Persona 3 so I was happy that I get to walk around at first... but as soon as the novelty wears off you realize how **** tedious it is, constantly having to walk in a boring world just to advance the story a bit or do Social Links. You would wish for P3P's hub.

    Also, an additional -1 point for containing The Answer which is hands down the worst additional content I've ever played in any game.
    You play as the most boring character in the entire cast as the protagonist, Aigis and the whole thing contains **** enemy design and is extremely long for the little story it offers, you can just look it up on YouTube. Did I mention the whole thing is just grinding? Yes, THE WHOLE THING!    … Expand
  15. Panzidane
    Mar 24, 2017
    10
    This game is creepy, and i love it. This game make me born in RPG world. Just make me feel alive. Persona 3 is masterpiece of Shin Megami Tensei series. JUST PLAY IT, PLEASE.
  16. AndrewNemetz
    Oct 1, 2016
    10
    Persona 3 is simply a masterpiece of the genre. It simply takes every element that makes Shin Megami a revolutionary series, and makes deeper its charm. It's not just about its astounding RPG environment, but that special care in the relationship between NPC 's, main and secondary characters, giving a bit of fun to the academic experience. The art, compared to others behind and beyond it,Persona 3 is simply a masterpiece of the genre. It simply takes every element that makes Shin Megami a revolutionary series, and makes deeper its charm. It's not just about its astounding RPG environment, but that special care in the relationship between NPC 's, main and secondary characters, giving a bit of fun to the academic experience. The art, compared to others behind and beyond it, is second to none, and demonstrates that the series has a lot to offer. A must have for every RPG player, and a must have for every PS2 owner.… Expand
  17. Von_Fred54
    Jun 21, 2015
    9
    Intriguing calendar based story, fantastic soundtrack and the satisfaction of being able to play the game two completely different ways... You can either grind in Tartarus (basically the twilight zone) every night to gather, fuse and level-up personas or you can spend time with your social links and strengthen your personas' potential and allow for insane fusible combinations.Intriguing calendar based story, fantastic soundtrack and the satisfaction of being able to play the game two completely different ways... You can either grind in Tartarus (basically the twilight zone) every night to gather, fuse and level-up personas or you can spend time with your social links and strengthen your personas' potential and allow for insane fusible combinations.

    Incredibly unorthodox RPG (to those who are new to the SMT series). I put 110 hours into it !!    … Expand
  18. Rox22
    Feb 14, 2014
    9
    I suppose the biggest problem I had with this game was that I played Persona 4 first. Because of that I feel my experience of the game was not what it could have been.

    It is clear that this game is the game before Persona 4 as all the same mechanics are there, just in a far more raw form. I did really want to like this as much as I did P4, but I just could not get past the flaws that I    I suppose the biggest problem I had with this game was that I played Persona 4 first. Because of that I feel my experience of the game was not what it could have been.

    It is clear that this game is the game before Persona 4 as all the same mechanics are there, just in a far more raw form. I did really want to like this as much as I did P4, but I just could not get past the flaws that I think I wouldn't of noticed had I not played P4 first.

    Story wise it is on par with P4. The narrative is deeply engaging, but perhaps a little too transparent at times.

    Most of the characters are well developed and interesting, however not as flushed out as in P4. I never felt any deep connection to any of the characters, at least not to the same degree as I did for the P4 cast. I suppose it could be because there are perhaps far too many character and your time is spent to spread out to really feel a strong connection to each individually.

    Combat is practically the same as P4 however clearly an earlier stage. The inability to directly control anyone except the main character is deeply annoying at times. If anything, it helps you appreciate the P4 system even more.

    In game visuals are on par with P4 but the Anime cut scenes are clearly inferior.

    Soundtrack is OK, but doesn't feel as ...... personal as P4's.

    To round up. I know this sounds like me bashing on the game, but in truth I'm not. P3 is a fantastic game and if not for it, P4 would never have been. I just wish I could go back and play them in the right order.

    Overall:
    A great game, that is a little rough around the edges, but worthy of any JRPG fan's collection.    … Expand
  19. Kyle34
    Dec 29, 2013
    10
    Excellent music and great characters make this game truly satisfying from beginning to end. The game can be extremely unforgiving if someone wants to get 100% completion on their first play through but, do not let that deter you. The boss battles are very challenging and the combat is fluid and makes leveling up less of a grind.10/10.
  20. FFallen
    May 2, 2013
    10
    ATLUS always impresses me with their games. This one is no exception, in fact, this is probably my favorite RPG as of right now. All the attention to detail and things to do besides just explore and grind in the tower make it a stellar experience with tons of replay value.
  21. ageofwinter
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    I played Persona 3 FES, so I will submit this review for both the original and FES. Persona 3 is right up there on my list of "greatest games of all-time" alongside Shenmue. The story in this game is simply the best ever, it's emotionally engaging, great voice actors and really puts you in some tough positions when you have choices to make. This is RPG at it's finest. I fell inlove withI played Persona 3 FES, so I will submit this review for both the original and FES. Persona 3 is right up there on my list of "greatest games of all-time" alongside Shenmue. The story in this game is simply the best ever, it's emotionally engaging, great voice actors and really puts you in some tough positions when you have choices to make. This is RPG at it's finest. I fell inlove with all the characters here and I never stopped. The gameplay is top-notch, dungeon crawling has never been more fun, the combat is the best I've seen for a JRPG, the use of Personas gives it a nice, unique twist to it. When you're not in combat, you're either in the dorm, at the mall, in school or exploring the other areas of the city. There is so much to do, and the game is extremely long, took me ~80 hours to complete this. Oh and lets not forget the soundtrack, simply one of the best, if not the best, of all time. If you love JRPGS, great stories, and great combat, make sure you purchase this game, you WILL NOT regret it.… Expand
  22. Welterweight426
    Jun 9, 2012
    10
    A downright fantastic game! I loved every minute...even when it was somewhat repetitive. The story, the characters, there is nothing that I didnt love about this game. Even when other characters would be mad at me I was entertained...albeit a little hurt. This game really shows you how important it is to form bonds, even though we are not all out to save the world. The story kept me goingA downright fantastic game! I loved every minute...even when it was somewhat repetitive. The story, the characters, there is nothing that I didnt love about this game. Even when other characters would be mad at me I was entertained...albeit a little hurt. This game really shows you how important it is to form bonds, even though we are not all out to save the world. The story kept me going and I was sad to see it end. The persona system itself is genius and the social links just add to the fun. I HIGHLY recommend this game.… Expand
  23. vahn
    May 30, 2012
    8
    This is the one of the best JRPG on the ps2, and to me it still is because of its originality and how different was the common RPG where you're the usual hero and go on a travel and do dungeons: in here, you are a student and you have a life to handle too, by attending school, making relationships (which is needed), but also having the exploration in THE dungeon and train in order to go onThis is the one of the best JRPG on the ps2, and to me it still is because of its originality and how different was the common RPG where you're the usual hero and go on a travel and do dungeons: in here, you are a student and you have a life to handle too, by attending school, making relationships (which is needed), but also having the exploration in THE dungeon and train in order to go on in the game, and in this part of the game you'll end up using Demons, or Personas, which are basically your set of magic spells, stats, weaknesses and defense. Except for the main character, which can use any persona, thus can change his stats at any time, the others are fixed characters with fixed personas. and they'll usually behave according to their "role" (Yukari is basically your healer, while Akihiko is your physical attacker with few spells). Nothing original on the fighting system, but it works great, and the plot of the game is very good and dark, with some few twists as well, and the setting for the story is very intriguing.....but with that said, I wouldn't recommend this game to everyone for few good reasons, actually 3: 1) This game is based on the dungeon crawler formula, which is basically "One dungeon with lots of floors", and that's it. Yes the floors are many (about 200+) and actually varied, but this formula isn't what many people expect on a home console and even though I don't mind I "kinda" got disappointed too on this regard...oh well, at least it's explained and makes sense. 2)The relationships I've mentioned are actually a MUST: you have to increase the Social Links, which is basically a way to measure the relationship with a certain friend or person, and you need it in order to create better personas via fusion; with that said, the game is basically a mix between the first point and this one, so....it can be a real big disappoint if you like more variety. But one more issue can be a problem, and that is...3) This game has a time limit!!! You have an (ingame) year of time to complete the game, but don't worry about it because you'll have TONS of time in order to finish, without mentioning time never actually passes when you do dungeons or play anything. But you still have a specific dead line and this aspect can be in conflict with the other 2 points, because you have to plan your interactions with your friends and ALSO train in the dungeon. Even though it's possible to increase all Social links to maximum you'll have to plan what to do next and, since you need to train in the dungeon, you'll won't be able to do some specific Social Links at night. Oh, you also have to train your character interaction stats (Charisma, Courage and Academics) in order to speak to some of them too! Anyway, these 3 points aren't real big flaws but I believe these 3 points can go in contrast and be annoying to each others, so that's why this 8, but if you like dungeon crawling, a good story, a simple yet good fighting system (I know the compagnions are AI controlled, but I actually had no big trouble with them, but yeah I wish I could control them), this game still and will remain one of the best RPGs on the ps2, and that isn't easy considering there are many good rpgs on it!… Expand
  24. doodlerman
    Jun 12, 2011
    7
    I wasn't particularly impressed, but it is pretty addicting. Normally anime high school based games aren't my cup of tea either, but something about this game's build up was much better than games I've played previously in this sort of gameplay style. At first I wasn't sure why this was M-rated, but then when I got to the part where you have to shoot yourself in the head in order to attackI wasn't particularly impressed, but it is pretty addicting. Normally anime high school based games aren't my cup of tea either, but something about this game's build up was much better than games I've played previously in this sort of gameplay style. At first I wasn't sure why this was M-rated, but then when I got to the part where you have to shoot yourself in the head in order to attack with your persona(s) it became pretty clear (it's not a message you want to send to kids). There's a lot of interesting things you have to take into consideration in this game that most other games don't consider - like resting and relationships with other people... (well I guess a lot of games consider this, but I don't play a whole lot of them) Anyway, that's pretty much why I find it decent. Not really the best reason I suppose, but hey, I enjoyed this game. (it's got creepy incoherent animated scenes)… Expand
  25. theshonen8899
    Apr 19, 2011
    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!
  26. NicholasT.
    Mar 6, 2008
    7
    Modernized hardcore oldschool town+dungeon(tower) gameplay tickles my rpg-bone but in the end the game may be a tad bit too hardcore for it's own sake. That is why they HAD to add the easy mode that helps but a hardcore rpg gamer like me refuse to use. So the result is a game with fatal random factors that can cost you to lose hours of work. Very similar Experience to atlus'Modernized hardcore oldschool town+dungeon(tower) gameplay tickles my rpg-bone but in the end the game may be a tad bit too hardcore for it's own sake. That is why they HAD to add the easy mode that helps but a hardcore rpg gamer like me refuse to use. So the result is a game with fatal random factors that can cost you to lose hours of work. Very similar Experience to atlus' other hardcore rpg Etrian Odyssey to which this game is remarkably similar to. Only real differences are the presentation, themes and the extra activities outside of the dungeon. A must for rpg fans, even the newbies. This game will break you in or just break you.… Expand
  27. CassieB.
    Jan 17, 2008
    9
    I'm a huge fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series, so this game appeals to me as it is. But out of all the RPG's I have played this has got to be one of my all time favorites.
  28. NathanT.
    Jan 6, 2008
    9
    I've ALWAYS hated japanime games but this one did something different. It had a great story, excellent characters and the balance act between school and Tartarus was fun. Downsides are that it's repeptitive and has bad music. So what? This game is the first JRPG to ever interest me and I like it. You will too.
  29. Eric
    Jan 4, 2008
    8
    The compelling story and interesting character interactions make this game worthwhile. Unlike other RPGs which go for breadth, this one goes for depth. You don't have a big world setting to explore, but you get to know a small setting intimately well. The biggest problem is gameplay. The vast majority of the gameplay takes place in a single, repetitive, and increasingly irritating The compelling story and interesting character interactions make this game worthwhile. Unlike other RPGs which go for breadth, this one goes for depth. You don't have a big world setting to explore, but you get to know a small setting intimately well. The biggest problem is gameplay. The vast majority of the gameplay takes place in a single, repetitive, and increasingly irritating dungeon - brief stints into other "dungeons" are brief and lack depth. The combat system is an uninspired rehash of RPG cliches. The lack of direct control over your party members is maddening and adds nothing to the game. Even with the command system, they inevitably make poor strategic decisions that prolong, or worse, lose battles. The single most frustrating aspect is the fact that no one can revive the main character. When another character is knocked out in battle, you can revive them. If an enemy knocks out the main character, it's game over. This means that one lucky critical hit from a relatively minor enemy can undo hours of progress. Even with the best of planning and preparation, this will happen to you numerous times. That said, the pluses are strong enough to more than make up for the minuses. The game uses suspense masterfully and I keep playing just to see what will happen next.… Expand
  30. YujiY.
    Oct 1, 2007
    10
    The mix of dungeon battles and dating sim like gameplay makes it a very strategic and great game to play.
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best PS2 Game of 2007
4
#4 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2007
4
#4 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 52 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 52
  3. Negative: 0 out of 52
  1. Game Almighty
    84
    Persona 3 is an amazingly unique title for the Playstation 2. Even if you're not a fan of dungeon crawls, Persona 3 deserves your attention for its maturity alone. Gamers that are sick of typical JRPG settings will love the new atmosphere and relish the creepy style.
    Read full review
  2. Game Informer
    85
    Persona 3 holds its themes together with solid gameplay and cool characters, and thoroughly rewards you for the time you invest. [Aug 2007, p.96]
    Read full review
  3. GamerNode
    75
    Persona 3 is a fairly unique game, in that it combines stale and tried elements to make them fresh. The presentation is good, and the environments are crisp. This is definitely a game only for the true RPG faithful.
    Read full review
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