yes, damnit, that motherfucking rap-jpop bit did nearly ruin the whole thing. but, take the “velvet room aria” or whatever-the-hell it’s called.

i…i like it. it’s no FFIV, but I doubt it’ll get old anytime soon.

god, I hate rap.

and yes, Persona is no GOTY. but it is definitely worth 50 bucks. just for the New Game+, and the fight with Elizabeth. old school tough, that chick is.

I’m curious to see what actionbutton has to say about Bioshock. Sure, it is way too easy, but I think everybody should give it a playthrough.

i’m into interactive storytelling, and Bioshock spins one hell of a yarn.

As for the review, I really don’t think this game is deserving of three stars. It pales very much in comparison with the previous Persona games, and it seems more like an attempt by Atlus to appeal to a wider audience by making their games as cliché as they can. I couldn’t stomach the game, and don’t know why the hell people are claiming it to be Game of the Year, among other things.

The social links are not as cumbersome as you make them sound, either. Even though I graduated High School nearly ten years ago, I love this game. That, and seeing attractive young adults shooting themselves in the head never really gets old.

I personally find the game’s treatment of the hero (and well, everything else, but this is enough) to be extremely fascinating. First, just the element of him becoming the school’s smartest, coolest and most badass student, along with the most popular person in town, as the review notes. But also there’s a weird element of what he’s really like. Is he a self-serving jerk (and serial womanizer) who tells people what they want to hear just so they’ll like him? Or is he really the greatest, most sympathetic person on earth? The question goes well beyond the dialogue choices the game gives you into what you’re really thinking when you pick one. I’m trying to think of a good example but they kind of spoil the wonderful little storylines associated with each character.

Although, the text messages you get if you max a social link with a girl after arranging a date with them on Sunday but before going on that date are pretty serious bullshit. There’s a reason they work that way (so you can move on) but it’s so retarded and contrary that I really have to think they could’ve done better. I totally love everything else though.