Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

Persona for the PSP was a killer trip down memory lane with a pair of high-definition rose-colored glasses. The new upgrades made the experience smoother without sacrificing the game's integrity.

Proving once again that the PSP is the place to go to get your favorite obscure old school role-playing game, Atlus offers us Shin Megami Tensei: Persona. This thirteen year old remake not only improves on the original in every way (except for the graphics), but quickly becomes one of the system's top adventure games.

The music is superb, the streamlined battles are appreciated, the relocalization is fantastic, and the minor gameplay improvements (included the reinsertion of the Snow Queen quest) were all for the better.

Persona takes everything that made the original so memorable (the demon-fusing, the storyline, the atmosphere) and streamlines/updates it while restoring things that were cut from the original as well.

Persona is a great package that is worth the price, regardless of the purchasing method.

It may be unfair to compare the first game in a series to titles that came much later, but in a post-Persona 4 world such comparisons are inevitable. That being said, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is a great game in its own right, and worthy of being in the collection of any RPG fan.

For both new and old series fans, it's really fun to see how one of the most popular role-playing game series started out.

Overall, Persona for the PSP is great slice of RPG history, a very entertaining story with a great and challenging single player experience. If you like your RPGs hard and intriguing with a dash of complete insanity then by all means pick up Persona for the PSP today.

A classic hardcore grindfest that you can finally get your hands on if you happened to miss it back in the 90s - a must for any Persona fan, new or old.

The story that launched the series, finally presented to us Americans in the way it was always meant to be seen. Though I love what the Persona series has become, I will always adore this original chapter; and it’s still a hell of an experience even after all these years.

It has flaws, it has problems, but once you get past though issues, it's still a fun and involving RPG underneath.

Whether you've played Persona before or are playing it for the first time on PSP, it's hard to deny that this is one of the best RPGs of the year, and is a must-own for any RPG fan whose collection is without a version.

An hymn to what JRPG used to be before the FFVII era. Stunning plot, 100% customizable combat system and a sweet, old fashioned style that will drive any RPG fan mad. Casual gamers should really avoid this one.

For curious fans of the new Persona games, and people who enjoyed the mangled port for what it was, this PSP edition is a must-play.

This game is definitely worth the $40 on value alone, as it took us over 50 hours to beat and could probably be beaten in 40 hours if you know what you’re doing right away.

If you've only played Persona 3 and 4, Persona on PSP may not be what you're expecting, but it's a landmark RPG regardless. [Oct 2009, p.101]

A highly polished JRPG that is a must-play for fans of the Persona series. Although the visuals do look a little dated, the gameplay is as solid as the most modern entries in the series and certainly won't disappoint fans or newcomers.

While it shows its age at times, Persona more than deserves the respectable treatment it's finally been given. [Nov 2009, p.74]

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is a great PSP port of a cult classic PSOne RPG.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is a fun RPG, but compared to other Persona titles, it's rather unexceptional.

All in all, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona succeeds at transitioning a cult classic RPG into the handheld market, and proves that games this original and well-written are truly timeless.

If you are fan of the Persona titles, then you should have a good idea of what to expect. Just don't set your expectations too high since playing the previous Persona titles will most likely spoil you to this game and show you how far the Persona series has come.

If you can look past the game’s more dated elements, you’ll find a compelling story and wonderfully original takes on classic dungeon crawling mechanics. Just make sure you learn to love the grind first.

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.

For newcomers to Shin Megami Tensei, this is a good place to start as the game is not brutally hard or needlessly complicated, but at the same time, it might turn people off and label the unique franchise as a purveyor of the archaic despite their cutting-edge modern games.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona was so different and unique when it first came out that it still feels like a fresh experience today.

If you love 16-bit JRPGs or if you are a Persona fan, this game will be right in your wheelhouse. Otherwise, there isn't a lot to love here. If you haven't played a Persona game, this isn't the one to start with.

This decidedly old-school role-playing game got a fresh coat of paint but not the complete overhaul it needed.