Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable

Variety 8 of 10
Hopefully, you don't need me to tell you that Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 is an exceptional game. I mean, IGN's reviewed the game twice now -- once as a standalone game and again as the director's cut known as FES -- and each time the advice was simple: play this game. Now, the Shin Megami Tensei title is back as Persona 3 Portable, a hybrid that packs the story of Persona 3, the improvements of FES, and a new female character that's the PSP's own...It's a hodgepodge that keeps what works while dealing with the limitations of the PSP, but it's still a stellar game that people looking for a Japanese RPG or cool story should play...The rad story spills over into some rad gameplay. At night, you'll head to Tartarus with members of the SEES and battle all sorts of Shadows -- blobs of black, flying monsters, and so on. You'll fight them with swords and arrows, but your main avenue of vengeance are Personas, representations of the SEES members' personalities. These are massive creatures that pack special attacks such as fire moves and lasers and all sorts of crazy crap. They're nifty, and as you play, you'll be able to combine Personas to create super-powerful allies...Hopefully you don't need me to tell you that Persona 3 is a well-done story filled with interesting people, cool battles and a ton of stuff to do. Persona 3 PSP keeps all of that and adds in some battle improvements and boosts the replay value. Sadly, Persona 3 PSP loses some of its polish, as the game ditches the anime cutscenes and free roaming. However, the heart of the game is still here and still awesome. - Greg Miller