gambar ini gua buat sepenuh hati dengan sungguh-sungguh, walaupun tadinya gw ngga percaya bisa jadi seperti ini...
05 Februari 2009
Lukisan yang gw buat Sepenuh Hati
beberapa hari ini gw mendapat kerjaan dan tugas yang bejibun : tugas pak Armat, tugas Mrs. Shelma, tugas KJ, Ujian olah raga, dan yang paling gua sukai Seni Rupa....
gambar ini gua buat sepenuh hati dengan sungguh-sungguh, walaupun tadinya gw ngga percaya bisa jadi seperti ini...
gambar ini gua buat sepenuh hati dengan sungguh-sungguh, walaupun tadinya gw ngga percaya bisa jadi seperti ini...
04 Februari 2009
The Alchemist
ini buku hebat buatan Micahel Scott(ahli di bidang mythologi dan cerita rakyat) yang menggabungkan mythologi dengan cerita fantasy dan petualangan. walaupun tidak sebagus novel avatar yang sering di bawa iput tapi ini novel yang cukup bagus untuk dibaca
Kingdom Hearts Re : Chain of Memories
"An enjoyable but frustrating remake"
-Intro-
This game is the remake of the GBA game that came out a few years ago but I'm sure you knew that already. I'm a big fan of the series but I have never played the original version despite owning a Game Boy Advance. When I heard Square was bringing this game to the PS2, I decided to give it a shot after missing it the first time. Now that I have beaten the game, here's my take of Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories.
-Story- (8/10)
This is the main reason why I bought the game. I missed out on this part of the story and when I played KH 2 for the first time, I was like "what the hell is going on?". "Who is this Roxas and who are all these kids?". You know, "where is Sora and why is he sleeping in this weird thing" and stuff like that. I was confused initially but then I quickly realized that stuff happened in CoM and I missed it. People who kept up with KH2 and Chain of Memories probably knew all these details and such but I didn't, so I knew nothing about the story. Well, the story that I missed is here and although it's corny at times, it is unique and different from the other games. It start off a little slow but it gets a lot more interesting near the end of the game with the plot twists.
The game starts off immediately after KH1 with Sora/friends searching for Riku and The King. Sora meets a mysterious figure dressed in black that tells him "Along the road ahead lies something you need but in order to obtain it, you must lose something dearly" thus leading him to a mysterious place known as Castle Oblivion. This is where the game's theme comes in, "In this place, to find is to lose, to lose is to find". What that means is that Sora will forget his "current" memories the farther he goes into the castle while remembering things that he has long forgotten. The figure also told Sora that he will meet those he knows now and ones that he miss in order convince him to go deep into the castle. Little do they know, they'll soon find out that it's all part of a plan.
-Graphics- (7/10)
The game is now in 3D and it's comparable to the other games. Most of the character models and locations are recycled from the first game. Some of the facial expressions and movements are still very well done while some needs more work. I was surprised that there weren't any new FMVs in this game and that is a minor disappointment. You'll see a recap of the first game at the beginning with bits of the same FMV in it and that's it. The battle animations is pretty much the same as the other games except for a few new ones.
Overall, it's a solid looking PS2 game.
-Gameplay- (6/10)
The new battle system is a love or hate it kind of thing. Some like it for it's complex and originality while others like me, find it too complicated and annoying (card breaks and switching screens). Unlike the other two KH games where it's just simply a hack-n-slash, the battle system here consist of using cards with values (numbers 0-9) to attack and use magic. It's still hack-n-slash but requires careful planning and strategies. Sure, it sounds great on paper but it only made the game more difficult and frustrating. For this very reason, this game is not recommended for new KH players. Those that played the GBA version before won't have any problem obviously but for me, it took a very, very long time to fully understand the concept of the system. What is frustrating about the game is that once you're beating heartless and the Disney bosses like it's nobody's business, you'll think you got the hang of it until you get your @$$ kicked by one of the organization in an instant. Just when you think you have a solid deck to work with, the game gets very difficult quickly. So in order to stand any chance, you'll have to spend a large amount of time grinding levels and moogle points to get the best cards.
There are a lot of sleights (a combination of cards to use abilities) that you'll have to remember and will need to build your deck around for hard boss battles. If you are expecting to just use the keyblade cards individually, you're not going to get very far. I found that out the hard way. The problem with sleights is that I often forget it's value requirement and mixing it with wrong cards only to screw it up in boss battles. I don't know about other people but it happens a lot especially when I'm in desperate situations.
Not only are cards used for battles, they are also used to synthesize different types of rooms for each world. These are called map cards. For example, you can use a card to create a room with treasure in it or another room with a lot of heartless depending on the type of card. The whole point of this is that you'll have to go through one room to the next to advance the story and to get to the next floor in the castle. There are thirteen floors and the worlds are the same from the first game. Same Disney boss fights but a slightly different scenario to fit this game (ex: memory potion/Halloween town). I like the non-linear aspect of the room synthesizing but I really missed the free-flowing exploration from the first two games.
-Sound/Music- (8/10)
The same as before unfortunately. It's good to hear the classic tunes again as well as "Simple/Clean" but there's not much new music to be found here which is a little disappointing. On the bright side, we get new voiceovers from Haley Joel Osment and David Gallagher to name a few. The voice acting is solid as always despite Sora having his deeper, KH 2 voice. I didn't mind it at all. Voice acting occurs only in the hallway scenes only which is understandable.
-Replayabilty- (7/10)
Once you beaten the game, you get reverse/rebirth aka Riku mode in which you get to play his side of the story. I thought it was a nice addtion and it boost your playing time even more. Riku's battle system is different than Sora's and probably a little easier. When I said easier, I meant that for Riku, you won't have to worry about deck building because you can't customize it like with Sora's. Some may or may not like that. Another difference is that Riku gets to use his awesome dark powers. It's a very enjoyable mode.
You also get a theather mode for watching the game cutscenes which is nice too. Other than that, there's not much else to do but you can try to collect all the cards and complete Jiminy's journal entries. If you want more challenge, you can always try the proud mode if you haven't already from the beginning.
-Conclusion-
Well, I can say that it is worth the $30 despite some of it flaws. It was an enjoyable game while frustrating at the same time. I will recommend this game to any KH fan but for new KH players, start with first one (it's cheap), and then give this a try. The story is worth playing for and like I said earlier, it's why I bought the game. Right now, I'm anticipating the release of the next two KH game, 358/2 days and Birth by Sleep. One is side story and another is a prequel. Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read this review.
Story: 8/10
Graphics: 7/10
Gameplay: 6/10
Sound/Music: 8/10
Replayability: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
-Intro-
This game is the remake of the GBA game that came out a few years ago but I'm sure you knew that already. I'm a big fan of the series but I have never played the original version despite owning a Game Boy Advance. When I heard Square was bringing this game to the PS2, I decided to give it a shot after missing it the first time. Now that I have beaten the game, here's my take of Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories.
-Story- (8/10)
This is the main reason why I bought the game. I missed out on this part of the story and when I played KH 2 for the first time, I was like "what the hell is going on?". "Who is this Roxas and who are all these kids?". You know, "where is Sora and why is he sleeping in this weird thing" and stuff like that. I was confused initially but then I quickly realized that stuff happened in CoM and I missed it. People who kept up with KH2 and Chain of Memories probably knew all these details and such but I didn't, so I knew nothing about the story. Well, the story that I missed is here and although it's corny at times, it is unique and different from the other games. It start off a little slow but it gets a lot more interesting near the end of the game with the plot twists.
The game starts off immediately after KH1 with Sora/friends searching for Riku and The King. Sora meets a mysterious figure dressed in black that tells him "Along the road ahead lies something you need but in order to obtain it, you must lose something dearly" thus leading him to a mysterious place known as Castle Oblivion. This is where the game's theme comes in, "In this place, to find is to lose, to lose is to find". What that means is that Sora will forget his "current" memories the farther he goes into the castle while remembering things that he has long forgotten. The figure also told Sora that he will meet those he knows now and ones that he miss in order convince him to go deep into the castle. Little do they know, they'll soon find out that it's all part of a plan.
-Graphics- (7/10)
The game is now in 3D and it's comparable to the other games. Most of the character models and locations are recycled from the first game. Some of the facial expressions and movements are still very well done while some needs more work. I was surprised that there weren't any new FMVs in this game and that is a minor disappointment. You'll see a recap of the first game at the beginning with bits of the same FMV in it and that's it. The battle animations is pretty much the same as the other games except for a few new ones.
Overall, it's a solid looking PS2 game.
-Gameplay- (6/10)
The new battle system is a love or hate it kind of thing. Some like it for it's complex and originality while others like me, find it too complicated and annoying (card breaks and switching screens). Unlike the other two KH games where it's just simply a hack-n-slash, the battle system here consist of using cards with values (numbers 0-9) to attack and use magic. It's still hack-n-slash but requires careful planning and strategies. Sure, it sounds great on paper but it only made the game more difficult and frustrating. For this very reason, this game is not recommended for new KH players. Those that played the GBA version before won't have any problem obviously but for me, it took a very, very long time to fully understand the concept of the system. What is frustrating about the game is that once you're beating heartless and the Disney bosses like it's nobody's business, you'll think you got the hang of it until you get your @$$ kicked by one of the organization in an instant. Just when you think you have a solid deck to work with, the game gets very difficult quickly. So in order to stand any chance, you'll have to spend a large amount of time grinding levels and moogle points to get the best cards.
There are a lot of sleights (a combination of cards to use abilities) that you'll have to remember and will need to build your deck around for hard boss battles. If you are expecting to just use the keyblade cards individually, you're not going to get very far. I found that out the hard way. The problem with sleights is that I often forget it's value requirement and mixing it with wrong cards only to screw it up in boss battles. I don't know about other people but it happens a lot especially when I'm in desperate situations.
Not only are cards used for battles, they are also used to synthesize different types of rooms for each world. These are called map cards. For example, you can use a card to create a room with treasure in it or another room with a lot of heartless depending on the type of card. The whole point of this is that you'll have to go through one room to the next to advance the story and to get to the next floor in the castle. There are thirteen floors and the worlds are the same from the first game. Same Disney boss fights but a slightly different scenario to fit this game (ex: memory potion/Halloween town). I like the non-linear aspect of the room synthesizing but I really missed the free-flowing exploration from the first two games.
-Sound/Music- (8/10)
The same as before unfortunately. It's good to hear the classic tunes again as well as "Simple/Clean" but there's not much new music to be found here which is a little disappointing. On the bright side, we get new voiceovers from Haley Joel Osment and David Gallagher to name a few. The voice acting is solid as always despite Sora having his deeper, KH 2 voice. I didn't mind it at all. Voice acting occurs only in the hallway scenes only which is understandable.
-Replayabilty- (7/10)
Once you beaten the game, you get reverse/rebirth aka Riku mode in which you get to play his side of the story. I thought it was a nice addtion and it boost your playing time even more. Riku's battle system is different than Sora's and probably a little easier. When I said easier, I meant that for Riku, you won't have to worry about deck building because you can't customize it like with Sora's. Some may or may not like that. Another difference is that Riku gets to use his awesome dark powers. It's a very enjoyable mode.
You also get a theather mode for watching the game cutscenes which is nice too. Other than that, there's not much else to do but you can try to collect all the cards and complete Jiminy's journal entries. If you want more challenge, you can always try the proud mode if you haven't already from the beginning.
-Conclusion-
Well, I can say that it is worth the $30 despite some of it flaws. It was an enjoyable game while frustrating at the same time. I will recommend this game to any KH fan but for new KH players, start with first one (it's cheap), and then give this a try. The story is worth playing for and like I said earlier, it's why I bought the game. Right now, I'm anticipating the release of the next two KH game, 358/2 days and Birth by Sleep. One is side story and another is a prequel. Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read this review.
Story: 8/10
Graphics: 7/10
Gameplay: 6/10
Sound/Music: 8/10
Replayability: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
Dissidia Final Fantasy
"Basically an interactive FF7: Advent Children game."
Well, well... Final Fantasy is 20 years old now. A video game series that is known for its stories, graphics, memorable characters, CGI and what not. Final Fantasy has been through so much over the course of its history, including the bad. Square Enix decided to make a video game starring all the characters the past 20 years all into one game which consisted Final Fantasy I through X. In the end, they came up with a fighting game call: Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Finally, a real Final Fantasy game with all Final Fantasy characters, unlike Ehrgeiz. What better way to celebrate this long running series?
A mediocre fighting game.
Story:
The game uses the classic story of the forces of good and evil in an eternal conflict. The Goddess, Cosmos, summons the help of the heros to combat the God of evil, Chaos. Who also summons the help of the villains in order to take over. You learn that in order to achieve your goal, you'll be going around collecting crystals in order to put a stop to Chaos once and for all.
The story wasn't really thought out at all. It may have moments where characters learn about themselves and form friendships but it's all we've seen before. It's not good but it's not bad either.
Graphics/Sound:
The first thing you'll notice immediately is the graphics. This is one the best looking PSP games, which is nothing short of a surprise since this is Square Enix here. Characters stay true to the art style they've been drawn in, while some of them have a been a bit modified but retain the same look. Each stage is taken from each Final Fantasy game where memorable battles have taken place. The fighting is colorful and nice to look at, especially some of the EX attacks, however though, some of the animations could have been better.
The soundtrack consists a few pieces from each Final Fantasy game. Some which have been remixed for this game. Which are either are a hit or miss. For example, the remixes for the Final Fantasy V songs are great while remixes for Final Fantasy 8 could have been better. This game also have its own music though. The theme song for this game is a nice upbeat musical while the vocal song for this game is just awkward and isn't even suited for this type of game. Which I don't know why Square Enix would have a random band perform mediocre music for them when they can compose much better vocal songs.
Overall, this game looks and sounds good.
Well, well... Final Fantasy is 20 years old now. A video game series that is known for its stories, graphics, memorable characters, CGI and what not. Final Fantasy has been through so much over the course of its history, including the bad. Square Enix decided to make a video game starring all the characters the past 20 years all into one game which consisted Final Fantasy I through X. In the end, they came up with a fighting game call: Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Finally, a real Final Fantasy game with all Final Fantasy characters, unlike Ehrgeiz. What better way to celebrate this long running series?
A mediocre fighting game.
Story:
The game uses the classic story of the forces of good and evil in an eternal conflict. The Goddess, Cosmos, summons the help of the heros to combat the God of evil, Chaos. Who also summons the help of the villains in order to take over. You learn that in order to achieve your goal, you'll be going around collecting crystals in order to put a stop to Chaos once and for all.
The story wasn't really thought out at all. It may have moments where characters learn about themselves and form friendships but it's all we've seen before. It's not good but it's not bad either.
Graphics/Sound:
The first thing you'll notice immediately is the graphics. This is one the best looking PSP games, which is nothing short of a surprise since this is Square Enix here. Characters stay true to the art style they've been drawn in, while some of them have a been a bit modified but retain the same look. Each stage is taken from each Final Fantasy game where memorable battles have taken place. The fighting is colorful and nice to look at, especially some of the EX attacks, however though, some of the animations could have been better.
The soundtrack consists a few pieces from each Final Fantasy game. Some which have been remixed for this game. Which are either are a hit or miss. For example, the remixes for the Final Fantasy V songs are great while remixes for Final Fantasy 8 could have been better. This game also have its own music though. The theme song for this game is a nice upbeat musical while the vocal song for this game is just awkward and isn't even suited for this type of game. Which I don't know why Square Enix would have a random band perform mediocre music for them when they can compose much better vocal songs.
Overall, this game looks and sounds good.
Shin Megami Tensei Online: Imagine (Preview)
kapan ya game online Shin Megami Tensei bakal masuk ke Indonesia....
Berdoa lebih banyak semoga semakin cepat semakin baik...
Berdoa lebih banyak semoga semakin cepat semakin baik...
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
"I'm the voice inside your head that you refuse to hear..."
What do you hate about yourself? Come on, be honest. Or are you too ashamed to admit anything? Perhaps you're not even aware of it. It's those perceived flaws, those nagging insecurities that can drive a person mad. Maybe you're afraid of failure, that everything you do in life will ultimately amount to nothing. How about the resentment or jealously you might feel towards someone more successful than you are? A close friend you keep around to satisfy your sense of self-worth and need for acceptance? How about your gender or sexuality? What's really hiding beneath that humble exterior, or that facade of an outgoing attitude? All your justifications and excuses might be the only things letting you sleep at night. Denial is the cornerstone of your behavior; you alter your personality, your actions, and everything else by measuring them against what is believed to be ‘normal.' When it comes down to it, no one sees you in your true, flawed splendor. So, what are you really like?
…Not going to answer, huh? That's understandable. Those are hard, unfair questions. Besides, you're probably not ready to face whatever truth might be lurking deep in your psyche. But keep in mind that self-acceptance, regardless of the revelations that come it, is far more beneficial than that systematic denial that's ruling your existence. In fact, it just might be what saves your life.
That's the core theme of Persona 4; the necessity of self-acceptance. It's a lesson that several of characters will have to learn the hard way. It doesn't seem like it at first; the setting and the folks you'll meet along the way seem boring at first glance. The Silent Protagonist is some high-schooler that has been sent to live with his uncle and cousin while his parents are off working. He's left to transition from the fast-paced life of the city to the dull, bland pace of the town of Inaba. His initial friends are a blend of all the pals you might hang out with; Yosuke is the slightly goofy best buddy that'll always back you up, Chie is the female athletic with an obsession over kung fu flicks, and Yuikiko is the responsible introvert. They're ordinary, seemingly normal characters with whom gamers can easily identify. That's the beauty of it; these people are just as flawed as the anyone else. The progression of the story doesn't spare any of them from the awful truths that they try to hide; you'll get to see them deal with fears of isolation, arrogance, sexual orientation, self-image, perceived immaturity, frustration over social norms, and several other problems.
This game isn't some kind of touchy-feely group therapy session, though. Something evil has come to Inaba, and everyone's inner demons have something to do with it. Every few days, another mangled corpse is discovered; police have no leads, no witnesses, or anything else that might help catch the murderer. The Silent Protagonist and his friends, however, have stumbled across the key to it all: a parallel dimension that can be accessed by entering a television screen. Inside, reality is warped based upon the murder victim's perception of their life; depending on who you're trying to save, you might have to peek into a steamy bathhouse, explore a massive castle, or a handful of other fantasy locales. Each of these mini-dungeons is riddled with “Shadows”, otherworldly beings that represent the darker, hidden sides of other peoples' personalities. Since these creatures have no qualms about slaughtering you - the body count in Inaba is steadily rising, after all - you'll have to come armed with whatever weapons and armor you can gather. Though you'll start off with a golf club and some medicinal pills, a few trips to the local weapon maker will make things a bit easier. The point of the game is to get into a randomly generated dungeon, save the latest victim, smite anything that gets in your way via turn-based battles, and unravel more of the murder mystery at hand.
More importantly, you'll get to develop your Personae. As the name suggests, a Persona is the extension of your personality. Without getting too much into Jungian psychology, this basically means that all of your beliefs, emotions, and unique traits are all cobbled together into something that represents you to the rest of the world. This game, however, gives the Personae a far more direct purpose: kicking ass. Each of the characters is capable of summoning his or her own inner beast and using it to lay siege to the battlefield. These things come in all shapes and sizes; you'll get to see everything from angels, demons, pixies, mutated monstrosities, disco dancers, and several others. Each of these creatures can be leveled up and learn new powers to be used in battle. Even if you managed to find some ridiculously overpowered sword, nothing beats the slew of offensive and defensive spells your Personae can dish out. Since the Silent Protagonist can acquire, combine and use different Personae (the other characters are stuck with their defaults), there's plenty to do in terms of development, stat growth, and all that other standard RPG stuff.
The strength of your Personae isn't determined by just your battles in the TV dimension, though. When you're not busy saving lives and hacking and slashing through psyches, you'll have to maintain the boring, everyday life of the real world. That means going to class, taking tests, joining the clubs at school, and building relationships with the people around you. Every choice and action you perform will reflect on your character's overall growth; get a high enough courage stat, and you might get enough confidence to ask certain friends some direct questions. Even if being a bookworm and answering in class nets you some intelligence points, standing up to some authority figures might boost other things as well. It's always good to get to know the other students and whoever else might wander into your life. If you focus on building Social Links - the emotional bonds between the characters - your efforts will be reflected in your Personae's development. Eventually, your Social Links will be so fully developed that you'll be nigh unstoppable. Given the intricate systems at work, building the perfect Persona is half the fun.
Needless to say, this is a very different kind of RPG. If you've played Persona 3 (and shame on you if you haven't!), this should all be eerily familiar. This game borrows several elements from its predecessor. But despite all its similarities, Persona 4 manages to trump the previous game by improving on the established formula. The game is so much more streamlined and efficient; rather than plodding back and forth over Inaba during the day, you can go to a necessary location with the push of a button. Being able to fully control everyone in your party is a huge step forward in terms of strategy; rather than simply keeping supporting cast alive, you'll have much more say in how the battles are waged. Another is the format of the dungeons; in the last game, you have to scale a massive tower that had warp points every so often. This time, you'll have to buy items that'll let you escape and return to the dungeon when necessary. This demonstrates the necessity for preparation; if you don't come with everything you need, you'll likely find yourself in a tough spot in later areas. There's nothing more annoying than leveling up a few times and acquiring some new Personae, only to lose them after you try tackling one floor too many and end up getting killed.
One of the most interesting improvements in Persona 4 is its overall pacing. The game utilizes the same system of progression from its predecessor; you wake up, go to school in the morning, do activities or fight in the afternoon, come home for dinner, and go to bed. What makes this different, however, is the emphasis on the weather. The murder victims are unveiled as the local fog bank recedes, which means you've got to keep a close track of the weather forecasts. Since you have only a limited number of days before the weather changes, you'll have to rush to get prepared, jump into the next dungeon, and hopefully save the victim. If you waste too many of your afternoons, you might not have enough time to stop the next murder, which means a Game Over. That means that each day will be like a desperate scramble to get your teams ready or Social Links built up and hopefully save the next person before time runs out. Since that you have to balance everything in the afternoons, you might have some trouble figuring out what best to do with the given time It's not exactly fast-paced, but progression seems so much more prevalent than that of the last game.
The same goes with the coherency of the story. Persona 3 had a considerable amount of shocking imagery (the suicidal summoning poses come to mind), but its characters lacked a certain appeal. Persona 4 strives to make its characters and story more approachable within its context; even if there are all kinds of inter-dimensional craziness going on, it's still a murder mystery. It's all about those subtle things that wouldn‘t normally matter in another game. It captures the loneliness of the Protagonist's little cousin, who has grown up isolated and burdened with household responsibilities because the father is never around. Or the social issues that come with big businesses edging out the locals. The presentation is pulled off with a superb localization and great voice acting; there's plenty of emotion backing every line. The cutscenes and dialogue are plentiful, but they're easy to bear. It's the Personae and Shadows, however, that truly steal the show; the monsters come packing detailed designs at every turn. One of the most impressive foes you'll ever face is a demonic dominatrix being propped up by her otherworldly slaves, all with flowing tentacle whips and monstrous limbs. Despite the somewhat bland outdoor settings, it's clear that a serious amount of effort went into designing the characters.
Look, folks. If you have any interest in RPGs, you need to play this game. Period. It's one of the best titles available on the PS2. In fact, it just might be the console's swan song. It's a worthy sequel to Persona 3; it takes all of the things that made that game kick ass, and improves upon it. The revamped battle system offers more options and strategy than ever before. The intricate systems involved in creating and developing your Personae are deep and interesting to utilize; you'll have to balance the reality of daily life with developing your psychological juggernauts. The choices you make reflect on your character's unique personality. The dungeons might not be as easy to traverse, but they demonstrate the great need for preparation for the tasks at hand. The brisk pacing offers you a more structured and satisfying playthrough. The story itself is a great, dark exploration of the human psyche; it makes us consider our own fears and by witnessing the struggles and revelations of its very human characters. Who knows, maybe you'll learn something about yourself along the way.
What do you hate about yourself? Come on, be honest. Or are you too ashamed to admit anything? Perhaps you're not even aware of it. It's those perceived flaws, those nagging insecurities that can drive a person mad. Maybe you're afraid of failure, that everything you do in life will ultimately amount to nothing. How about the resentment or jealously you might feel towards someone more successful than you are? A close friend you keep around to satisfy your sense of self-worth and need for acceptance? How about your gender or sexuality? What's really hiding beneath that humble exterior, or that facade of an outgoing attitude? All your justifications and excuses might be the only things letting you sleep at night. Denial is the cornerstone of your behavior; you alter your personality, your actions, and everything else by measuring them against what is believed to be ‘normal.' When it comes down to it, no one sees you in your true, flawed splendor. So, what are you really like?
…Not going to answer, huh? That's understandable. Those are hard, unfair questions. Besides, you're probably not ready to face whatever truth might be lurking deep in your psyche. But keep in mind that self-acceptance, regardless of the revelations that come it, is far more beneficial than that systematic denial that's ruling your existence. In fact, it just might be what saves your life.
That's the core theme of Persona 4; the necessity of self-acceptance. It's a lesson that several of characters will have to learn the hard way. It doesn't seem like it at first; the setting and the folks you'll meet along the way seem boring at first glance. The Silent Protagonist is some high-schooler that has been sent to live with his uncle and cousin while his parents are off working. He's left to transition from the fast-paced life of the city to the dull, bland pace of the town of Inaba. His initial friends are a blend of all the pals you might hang out with; Yosuke is the slightly goofy best buddy that'll always back you up, Chie is the female athletic with an obsession over kung fu flicks, and Yuikiko is the responsible introvert. They're ordinary, seemingly normal characters with whom gamers can easily identify. That's the beauty of it; these people are just as flawed as the anyone else. The progression of the story doesn't spare any of them from the awful truths that they try to hide; you'll get to see them deal with fears of isolation, arrogance, sexual orientation, self-image, perceived immaturity, frustration over social norms, and several other problems.
This game isn't some kind of touchy-feely group therapy session, though. Something evil has come to Inaba, and everyone's inner demons have something to do with it. Every few days, another mangled corpse is discovered; police have no leads, no witnesses, or anything else that might help catch the murderer. The Silent Protagonist and his friends, however, have stumbled across the key to it all: a parallel dimension that can be accessed by entering a television screen. Inside, reality is warped based upon the murder victim's perception of their life; depending on who you're trying to save, you might have to peek into a steamy bathhouse, explore a massive castle, or a handful of other fantasy locales. Each of these mini-dungeons is riddled with “Shadows”, otherworldly beings that represent the darker, hidden sides of other peoples' personalities. Since these creatures have no qualms about slaughtering you - the body count in Inaba is steadily rising, after all - you'll have to come armed with whatever weapons and armor you can gather. Though you'll start off with a golf club and some medicinal pills, a few trips to the local weapon maker will make things a bit easier. The point of the game is to get into a randomly generated dungeon, save the latest victim, smite anything that gets in your way via turn-based battles, and unravel more of the murder mystery at hand.
More importantly, you'll get to develop your Personae. As the name suggests, a Persona is the extension of your personality. Without getting too much into Jungian psychology, this basically means that all of your beliefs, emotions, and unique traits are all cobbled together into something that represents you to the rest of the world. This game, however, gives the Personae a far more direct purpose: kicking ass. Each of the characters is capable of summoning his or her own inner beast and using it to lay siege to the battlefield. These things come in all shapes and sizes; you'll get to see everything from angels, demons, pixies, mutated monstrosities, disco dancers, and several others. Each of these creatures can be leveled up and learn new powers to be used in battle. Even if you managed to find some ridiculously overpowered sword, nothing beats the slew of offensive and defensive spells your Personae can dish out. Since the Silent Protagonist can acquire, combine and use different Personae (the other characters are stuck with their defaults), there's plenty to do in terms of development, stat growth, and all that other standard RPG stuff.
The strength of your Personae isn't determined by just your battles in the TV dimension, though. When you're not busy saving lives and hacking and slashing through psyches, you'll have to maintain the boring, everyday life of the real world. That means going to class, taking tests, joining the clubs at school, and building relationships with the people around you. Every choice and action you perform will reflect on your character's overall growth; get a high enough courage stat, and you might get enough confidence to ask certain friends some direct questions. Even if being a bookworm and answering in class nets you some intelligence points, standing up to some authority figures might boost other things as well. It's always good to get to know the other students and whoever else might wander into your life. If you focus on building Social Links - the emotional bonds between the characters - your efforts will be reflected in your Personae's development. Eventually, your Social Links will be so fully developed that you'll be nigh unstoppable. Given the intricate systems at work, building the perfect Persona is half the fun.
Needless to say, this is a very different kind of RPG. If you've played Persona 3 (and shame on you if you haven't!), this should all be eerily familiar. This game borrows several elements from its predecessor. But despite all its similarities, Persona 4 manages to trump the previous game by improving on the established formula. The game is so much more streamlined and efficient; rather than plodding back and forth over Inaba during the day, you can go to a necessary location with the push of a button. Being able to fully control everyone in your party is a huge step forward in terms of strategy; rather than simply keeping supporting cast alive, you'll have much more say in how the battles are waged. Another is the format of the dungeons; in the last game, you have to scale a massive tower that had warp points every so often. This time, you'll have to buy items that'll let you escape and return to the dungeon when necessary. This demonstrates the necessity for preparation; if you don't come with everything you need, you'll likely find yourself in a tough spot in later areas. There's nothing more annoying than leveling up a few times and acquiring some new Personae, only to lose them after you try tackling one floor too many and end up getting killed.
One of the most interesting improvements in Persona 4 is its overall pacing. The game utilizes the same system of progression from its predecessor; you wake up, go to school in the morning, do activities or fight in the afternoon, come home for dinner, and go to bed. What makes this different, however, is the emphasis on the weather. The murder victims are unveiled as the local fog bank recedes, which means you've got to keep a close track of the weather forecasts. Since you have only a limited number of days before the weather changes, you'll have to rush to get prepared, jump into the next dungeon, and hopefully save the victim. If you waste too many of your afternoons, you might not have enough time to stop the next murder, which means a Game Over. That means that each day will be like a desperate scramble to get your teams ready or Social Links built up and hopefully save the next person before time runs out. Since that you have to balance everything in the afternoons, you might have some trouble figuring out what best to do with the given time It's not exactly fast-paced, but progression seems so much more prevalent than that of the last game.
The same goes with the coherency of the story. Persona 3 had a considerable amount of shocking imagery (the suicidal summoning poses come to mind), but its characters lacked a certain appeal. Persona 4 strives to make its characters and story more approachable within its context; even if there are all kinds of inter-dimensional craziness going on, it's still a murder mystery. It's all about those subtle things that wouldn‘t normally matter in another game. It captures the loneliness of the Protagonist's little cousin, who has grown up isolated and burdened with household responsibilities because the father is never around. Or the social issues that come with big businesses edging out the locals. The presentation is pulled off with a superb localization and great voice acting; there's plenty of emotion backing every line. The cutscenes and dialogue are plentiful, but they're easy to bear. It's the Personae and Shadows, however, that truly steal the show; the monsters come packing detailed designs at every turn. One of the most impressive foes you'll ever face is a demonic dominatrix being propped up by her otherworldly slaves, all with flowing tentacle whips and monstrous limbs. Despite the somewhat bland outdoor settings, it's clear that a serious amount of effort went into designing the characters.
Look, folks. If you have any interest in RPGs, you need to play this game. Period. It's one of the best titles available on the PS2. In fact, it just might be the console's swan song. It's a worthy sequel to Persona 3; it takes all of the things that made that game kick ass, and improves upon it. The revamped battle system offers more options and strategy than ever before. The intricate systems involved in creating and developing your Personae are deep and interesting to utilize; you'll have to balance the reality of daily life with developing your psychological juggernauts. The choices you make reflect on your character's unique personality. The dungeons might not be as easy to traverse, but they demonstrate the great need for preparation for the tasks at hand. The brisk pacing offers you a more structured and satisfying playthrough. The story itself is a great, dark exploration of the human psyche; it makes us consider our own fears and by witnessing the struggles and revelations of its very human characters. Who knows, maybe you'll learn something about yourself along the way.
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