Persona 4 preview

With the migration towards the PlayStation 3 gathering pace, many players have missed out on both opportunities to experience the unique Persona brand during 2008. First to arrive was Persona 3, a remarkably enchanting RPG that was as distinctive as it was memorable. Soon after the game was refined and enhanced in the guise of Persona 3 FES. In an age of tiresome Square Enix epics, focusing on the need to level up and perform repetitive chores, Gamestyle thoroughly enjoyed both.Persona 4 looks set to expand on what has made previous instalments so successful, by including another remarkable plot with new additions to the core game play. Set almost a year after the events of Persona 3, its another school year and a new arrival is on campus. Yet this is a new environment, moving from the sprawling urban feel of Persona 3 to a new location in the countryside. Despite the peaceful feel of Inaba, the menace of the midnight hour remains ever present.Whereas in Persona 3 the arrival of midnight brought strange and mysterious consequences, this sequel dispenses with the time factor. The tale is set around the confines of a single term year and the need to attend school whilst building social links and vital skills. The new focus allows entry into the Shadow world when the weather is suitable, rather than staying up late on a school night. The distinctive Atlus flair remains firmly in place as entry to this world is via a television set whilst on the mysterious midnight channel.Crawling in and out of a television set brings back Gamestyles fear and loathing of the Ring series. Here it acts as the only port of entry into the other world and a journey you and your friends must make to solve a series of murders. A killer is dispatching victims to the other side, where they meet a grisly fate. Your character forms a team with friends to solve the mystery and rescue would be victims from the Shadows.Dungeons in the Persona series form a large part of the combat and exploration. Persona 4 relies on randomly generated offerings when you venture into the Shadow realm. Interestingly these are based on the fears and secrets of the current victim, thereby promising to be a voyage of discovery. Persona 4 will be fully optimised for the PAL market, including a 50hz mode for those that still require such a setting. Atlus has also calmed fears that an enhanced FES version is also in the works, confirming that this is the one and only version of Persona 4. This is welcome news but arguably is confirmation that the title is the last instalment to be released on the PlayStation 2. For those that have missed out before, this is your third chance to grab a game worth experiencing.