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I have heard many good things. A few of my friends suggested it and I looked up a ton of reviews on youtube and other sites. It's the only game I know that has 105 out of 108 votes towards five stars on Amazon. That's pretty impressive for anything to be rated like that honestly.

And tomorrow I will have it for the shiny new Vita. I even have extra screen protectors and a sick case. Incredibly stoked. >< When work pays off.... For realsies.

Thank you! I was sleepy when I wrote this, so I worked it up a touch and de-sleepified this.

Persona 4 is by far one of the most amazing games I have had the joy of playing. It's so crazy. The art is gorgeous, the graphics are top notch, and it's a solid re-make with tons of extra content. The cut scenes are beautifully done, all crisp HD anime on a beautiful OLED screen.

The way the game works is... It's kind of like a dating sim combined with a turn based RPG. It begins as you arrive as the new kid in town, and just as you do mysterious deaths begin occurring where people are questionably being hung from telephone poles. Your job is to figure out why. So that begins your struggle with your real life, and what turns out to be the world inside the T.V. which your character has a miraculous ability to traverse. (This is also where the turn based RPG battles occur) Anything beyond that would be a spoiler, but ultimately it's your decision on who you bond with, where you go, what you do, and also your responsibility to face the consequences that follow your actions.

There are multiple social links, and there is over sixty hours of game play. (I am currently 60 hours in and there is no end in sight.) Heck, the first two hours are an introductory to the world you're in. The story is captivating, and the suspense is killer, almost literally. It's very animazy, and all of the characters are really fun.

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TL;DR: It's Awesome! Tons of game play and a captivating story thus far. I think you would love it, but you play a male character. I am not sure whether that would bother you or not granted the type of game is a dating sim combined with an RPG. xp regardless it's awesome and fun. Highly suggest it even just to mess around in.

Started on Persona 3 FES for the Playstation 2 and I am highly enjoying it so far.

30 hours in and I am still debating on what to think about it. I like 4 more at my current point, and it's definitely my favorite game but I am still getting adjusted to the music and overall feel of 3. 4 was very colorful, but shrouded in mystery and death. 3 is far darker than 4 in the way it's portrayed. The battle system is also kind of bizarre. You summon your persona by shooting yourself in the head with a gun. It's funny in a way granted the gun isn't a real gun, but I am sure it's frowned upon. Personally I love it. It's insanity and I don't give a damn. The creators went above and beyond.

The game is much less forgiving than 4, and only really recommended if you want a challenge. If you just want to play it for the story element, which is also highly recommended, they have an easy setting for the game. Forewarning if anyone decides to pick it up, and you pick normal setting it's actually pretty tough. Mostly because there seems to be a ridiculous amount of leveling Persona and overall grinding in this one.

Plot:

Opening Cutscene is literally all you have to go on.

Differences in versions:

Persona 3 FES - PS2

- You can move your character around during time off from battle, and you can interact with the people and environment behind your character.

- You get more of the story

- The main character is male. There is no option.

- You have access to "The Awakening" which is an entire sequel to the original game, and well worth the play.

Persona 3 Portable

- You get the option of choosing male or female. The female has her own portion of the story that's actually different from the male perspective. She's much more cheerful, and you may also have a relationship with the male characters.

- During your time off from battle, you have a birds eye view of the land in which you get to inspect things. This makes it particularly easier to move around and see what's in an environment. I found myself wishing I could do this often, but something about not being behind my character made it seem off.

- It jumps around a lot, and if you're playing male you don't get nearly as many story elements. I tested it on both systems. Cut scenes are also axed.

- You are able to actually control your team members in P3P

The battle system is virtually the same as 4 with the exception you cannot control your team members in the PS2 ver. This is something that's annoying, but at the same time it gives them their own personalities which is pretty fun in its own way.

Edit: The verdict: I actually really liked the story far more than I did 4. 4 shined at other points and there is serious competition to the point neither one struck me as better. I loved the metaphors, how dark it was, the foreshadowing of everything that was happening, and the characters seemed much more original and realistic. If you're not into the game than check out the movie they are releasing fairly soon to come in 2013. Enjoy.