I've been wanting to get into the series, but I'm really not sure where to start since there are many games spread out on several consoles. I'm too unfamiliar with the story to know if the order you play them is important or not.

 

To start, I don't want to play the first one that much.  I've seen the gameplay and it's a lot of tedious random encounters and I would just rather watch an LP.  I know nothing about the second one, but I have heard a lot of good stuff about the third and fourth.  But then comes the question of whether to get the PS2 version or PSP version (don't own a Vita for the 4th sadly).  My PS2 is hooked up to my monitor with a converter so the quality isn't that great, but I've also heard cutscenes aren't in the portables and I wouldn't want to lose them.

 

So I'm at a dead end here and I'm afraid to research more and risk running into spoilers.  I know there are a number of Persona fans on the site so I would like to know your suggestions.

Just play Persona 3FES and then Persona 4 Golden if possible if not the regular P4 will work. Persona 4 Arena ties in closely with both games and is worth the play. The older Persona games arent as much fun as these three but if youre able to get enough respect for the series by the time youve played those then you can play the original Persona and both parts of Persona 2

I'd say start with Persona 3 first, specifically the FES version for the PS2 since it has more content than the original release or the PSP version (FES includes a playable epilogue sub-game that's like 30 hours, while the PSP version only adds in the option of controlling your party and being able to play as a girl with minor storyline changes). If you *really* want to play Persona 4, it won't matter if you skip out on the other installments.Persona 1 is...well, really dated, both the original PS1 and the PSP versions. Persona 2 has the interesting case of being made up of two games, Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment. IS comes first, which was only localized under the PSP remake. We never got the EP remake, so you'd have to sell your soul to afford the PS1 version if you're interested in that.But really, there's little continuity in between any of the games aside from side stuff, so you can pick any point and it won't really matter.EDIT: Also gameplay-wise, P1:P2::P3:P4. The earlier games play as straight up RPGs while the later ones throw in the dating sim / time management elements.

Edited June 29, 201312 yr by Jilly Shears

Persona 3 FES, then Persona 4. I wouldn't get the PSP version of Persona 3, sure the female protagonist thing is cool but they remove the anime cutscenes (which are awesome), they remove free roaming, so it plays out more like a visual novel and exploration is a lot more limited also there's no "The Answer" (about a  20-30 hour continuation/epilogue of Persona 3)

If you have Ps3, Download Persona 3:Fes (for 10$) it's great but flawed game. I only played P3P and P4G. So just get Persona 3 for ps2 or ps3 and Persona 4 for ps2 since you don't got vita. Also for me the cut-scenes weren't big loss to me because i didn't enjoy them.

Edited June 29, 201312 yr by Deadshot

EDIT: Also gameplay-wise, P1:P2::P3:P4. The earlier games play as straight up RPGs while the later ones throw in the dating sim / time management elements.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. There's a dating sim in the game?!  Can I make people fall in love with me, crush their hearts, and then make a completely mockery of their feelings until they start threatening me?  Because I LOVE doing that in Harvest Moon games.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. There's a dating sim in the game?!  Can I make people fall in love with me, crush their hearts, and then make a completely mockery of their feelings until they start threatening me?  Because I LOVE doing that in Harvest Moon games.

 

I wasn't aware one could do that in those games...

 

...Though I've heard a lot of good about Persona 3 and 4, and I can tell 3 would be your best shot. Though there are a lot of trade-offs between the different console versions. Everyone else seems to have described them...so it'd be up to you to decide what is best.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. There's a dating sim in the game?!  Can I make people fall in love with me, crush their hearts, and then make a completely mockery of their feelings until they start threatening me?  Because I LOVE doing that in Harvest Moon games.

Well, kind of. I just meant a few of the elements, but thinking about it is is really dating sim-like.You can form relationships with other people which helps you when making persona, but for the most part it's just arbitrary character development storylines (but there are a few "romantic" ones that can be pursued, but you only have control over choosing to spend time with them rather than, say, making them cry and causing ruin to your relationship...though you can choose to cheat, but that's a thing of its own).There's also stats and stuff like Intelligence or Courage that levels up depending on what you do during the day, which in turn can open up more friendships you can pursue.Basically it's more of a time management game where you have to balance between your school life, friendships, and fighting in dungeons, so you can get into a lot of time crunches, but that's what makes it fun and stand out from an ordinary RPG where there's not a heavy focus on doing optional content.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. There's a dating sim in the game?!  Can I make people fall in love with me, crush their hearts, and then make a completely mockery of their feelings until they start threatening me?  Because I LOVE doing that in Harvest Moon games.

Oishii shows her true colors...  You're allowed to get into one romantic relationship, I think, but you could probably turn down any of those to crush their hearts, i guess...  I don't think you can make a complete mockery of their feelings, but there's that, at least.

I've been wanting to get into the series, but I'm really not sure where to start since there are many games spread out on several consoles. I'm too unfamiliar with the story to know if the order you play them is important or not.

 

To start, I don't want to play the first one that much.  I've seen the gameplay and it's a lot of tedious random encounters and I would just rather watch an LP.  I know nothing about the second one, but I have heard a lot of good stuff about the third and fourth.  But then comes the question of whether to get the PS2 version or PSP version (don't own a Vita for the 4th sadly).  My PS2 is hooked up to my monitor with a converter so the quality isn't that great, but I've also heard cutscenes aren't in the portables and I wouldn't want to lose them.

 

So I'm at a dead end here and I'm afraid to research more and risk running into spoilers.  I know there are a number of Persona fans on the site so I would like to know your suggestions.

Well if you want to play by Story Walkthrough,i suggest you have to pick Persona 3 first but it doesn't matter if you pick Persona 4 since it's not continuation story,just a cameo character reference only.If you want to pick Persona 3,i also suggest that you pick Persona 3 FES (PS2) for a better explanation of the stories.Then,after you play and finish the Third,you can go to the Fourth...

 

 

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. There's a dating sim in the game?!  Can I make people fall in love with me, crush their hearts, and then make a completely mockery of their feelings until they start threatening me?  Because I LOVE doing that in Harvest Moon games.

That's how the game works.Your Persona will become stronger if you develop some bonds with the people you meet...

Edited June 29, 201312 yr by Hazimie