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[noi5e]

Near end-game
Do I stand a chance against

Spoiler

margaret

if

Spoiler

Kanji's persona is not upgraded

?

You'll be OK, but it might be a pain in the ass b/c of the weakness, which is sure to be exploited. Chie will do more damage anyway.

 

[charlequin]

Spoiler

Flashes of the reporter being brutally abducted are shown. Saki Senpai is shown being strangled on many occasions on MTV by her shadow. You can effectively murder Namatame in November. After a certain amount of time Kanji seems to never stop saying "shit".

Every single piece of which is well within the realm of the T rating, which is designed to be equivalent to PG-13 for movies. Murder, and investigation of murder, is well within the T rating; swearing is permitted (and nobody says "fuck").

Spoiler

Hello Nurse! will give you a blowjob the first time you establish a social link with her.

That... does not happen.

A giant penis demon exists in the game.

Okay, I forgot about that part too. :lol Looking at the ESRB rating info for P4, it looks like the real factor here is the vulgarity of the demon designs, which I guess I must have been mentally glossing over -- the designs Incubus, Mara, and Satan together are probably enough to push a game over into M territory even without the plotline themes or the discomfort at letting people control Satan in the first place, I guess.

 

[Adam Prime]

yeah I figured P4 earned it's M rating on account of the design of certain Persona. Not to mention the language and somewhat "mature" themes of death and such.

 

[KibblesBits]

That... does not happen.

it's heavily implied.

 

[Femmeworth]

Listening to the soundtrack, the credits song is so good. While I don't think The Genesis works as well in the game, it's pretty damn awesome by itself. The build up to the end is just great.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Ah, yes. The SMT Factor. P4 has more cussing than any previous SMT family title, so that threw me off.

Spoiler

They did not pull any punch or change the translation in the club scene. In asian culture, that type of placebo effect is called "raw drunk" and it's a common joke and phenomenon that people encounter. Because many people in Asia (especially girls) are introverted, they sometimes use alcohol to bring out a more sociable side of them. Their friends then sometimes tease this as "raw drunk", implying that they use alcohol as an excuse to show this out-of-character side even when there's no or very little alcohol.

Spoiler

Learn something new every day. Yukiko's big thing was her inner chatty self that she used to show Chie only, and that side didn't act like this there, nor slur like this, which threw me off.

Still, it felt like one of those ugly pull-punches involving alcohol from the PS1 era where "coffee" was inserted into what was obviously a bar.

 

[Fair Witness]

Finally finished P4 today and got the true ending. Awesome, awesome game. Can't wait for the next one! Any chance the next one will still be PS2? Or is that unlikely at this point?

 

[lastendconductor]

Oh fuck! the true ending

Spoiler

it has its own dungeon! aghh, I though the game was about to end... . And I don't even have all the true personas of my teammates. Oh well... at least the twist was fucking awesome, the gas station worker was an ancient god of death? wow. It was even better when I recalled that the teacher from Gekkoukan talked about her. I understand now why Adachi and the eyeball guy were so easy (Namatame on the other hand, now that was a fucking hard as nails fight, I won by a hair)

 

[charlequin]

it's heavily implied.

It's maybe true that she implicitly offers. I don't think it's implied at all that it happens, especially since that link doesn't trigger and of the "you are in a relationship with another girl..." warnings. :lol

 

[KO Traveling Hobo]

Fuck, you guys need to seperate the Persona 3 spoilers from the others. Well, now I know the general ending to P3. :\

seriously. this pissed me off

 

[cakeman19]

Persona 4 is only rated CERO B ("Ages 12 and Up") in Japan. The reason the game doesn't feel M-rated otherwise is that it isn't; the ESRB just rates it that way because the religious themes are going to offend little old church ladies. (Nocturne is actually rated the equivalent of "All Ages" in Japan but M in the US.)

It still baffles me how Nocturne is the equivalent of E in Japan. I don't think there's a game out there that has a more depressing tone.

I may be remebering wrong, but wasn't there only one good ending out of 5 or 6? I haven't played the game in a while so I could be messing up facts, but I remember a major theme being turning our world into a completely different world.

Spoiler

(one of your friends wanted a world where only you exist)

. I don't know about you guys, but that's some heavy stuff that a normal child shouldn't be able to handle.

 

[noi5e]

The awesome thing about Nocturne is the ending that takes the most work to get

Spoiler

has you ditching your last remnants of humanity and becoming the leader of Lucifer's army

...

I can see why the rating wouldn't be as high in Japan, since anti-Christian elements aren't as big a deal, but... Yeah, while Nocturne isn't really gory there are some intense moments

Spoiler

like that story in Amala Labyrinth with the ghosts and the bell.

 

[P90]

It's ridiculous to think that a 12 year-old can't handle it. Not that I necessarily think this would appeal to the average 12 year-old, but a lot of people give kids far too little credit as to what they can handle. Harry Potter has numerous cases of murder, rather brutal torture, not to mention underage drinking and implied sex between two sixteen year-olds.

Persona 4 does deal with some relatively deep themes at times, but nothing that I would think any intelligent 12 or 13 year-old couldn't grasp.

Do you have children?

Are you a professional that specializes in pediatrics?

Are you thoroughly up to date on the research on children and violent-themed and/or sexually-themed content?

Just wondering what you are basing your judgments on.

 

[keanerie]

It's maybe true that she implicitly offers. I don't think it's implied at all that it happens, especially since that link doesn't trigger and of the "you are in a relationship with another girl..." warnings. :lol

Ehhhhhhhh, those ellipses are pretty damn expressive.

 

[P90]

P4 doesn't show the act of murder once, and only shows the victims after they're dead, with no blood, from a relative distance; it doesn't include the word "fuck" once (ask NichM, who posted to this effect here earlier), and in no way are questioning one's sexuality, adolescent flirting, or sexual intercourse hidden behind euphemisms and fade-to-black really that mature. Persona 4 is well within the realm of what would normally be rated "T" (in games) or "PG-13" (in movies), except for the religious stuff.

(Well, and maybe the boss battle in

Spoiler

Rise's dungeon

. Maybe.)

nvm.

I'm not gonna bang my head against a wall.

 

[KibblesBits]

nvm.

I'm not gonna bang my head against a wall.

*pats hand*

i'm not derailing the thread further. just let it go, he has some point to prove.
perhaps he's underage himself.

 

[lastendconductor]

Just finished the whole game.
Wow, that was awesome. This is one of the best jRPGs I've ever played in my life. P3 didn't do anything for me, in fact it ended being annoying, but this... I can identify with all the characters, the cutscenes and conversations are very interesting, full of emotions and fun (I actually laughed out loud a lot, specially with Teddie :lol ), the battle system has improved a lot, the dungeons and pacing are great... I squeezed out every day and there was always interesting stuff to do. I've spent hours in the velvet room messing with the demons, and the SP constrain helped the pace a lot. Tight boss fights, sweating the jacket in almost every random battle...
What more can you ask for? heartwarming story, full of underlying mature themes, mixed with awesome occult stuff, plot twists, and top notch presentation. The soundtrack was unbearivable good, even better than P3 (my favorite track being the Magatsu Inaba theme), and the graphics are amazing on the art department.
It also helped a lot that the character looks a lot more like me and behaves generally like a much better person. The P3 guy looked and acted like a introverted jerk :lol
Inaba was a great backdrop too... they managed to nail that nostalgic feel about small towns, and even the nameless NPCs were interesting to talk to.
This game has seriously blown me away, I was almost going to pass after P3, but I'm so glad I didn't.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Do you have children?

Are you a professional that specializes in pediatrics?

Are you thoroughly up to date on the research on children and violent-themed and/or sexually-themed content?

Just wondering what you are basing your judgments on.

Not yet, although my fiancee and I have talked a lot about children.

I'm speaking from personal experience, and children who I know. I don't think this is really something we can solve conclusively, but a few years back I started talking to someone online. He watched plenty of intense anime, used excellent grammar, and was extremely well-spoken politically. A couple months later, I found out he was 13. I've also known plenty of other people who are in middle-school and show the ability to handle plenty of things that people just look at and say 'no 12 year old could handle that'.

In short, my point was just that people give far too little credit to what kids can or can't handle. I have no doubt there are young people out there who can (and maybe even do) play Persona 4, and handle it just fine. I'm sure there are also people in the same age who might not be able to handle it. Ultimately, though, it's up to the individual as well as their parent/guardian to discern that on a case by case basis.

 

[Adam Prime]

Just finished the whole game.
Wow, that was awesome. This is one of the best jRPGs I've ever played in my life. P3 didn't do anything for me, in fact it ended being annoying, but this... I can identify with all the characters, the cutscenes and conversations are very interesting, full of emotions and fun (I actually laughed out loud a lot, specially with Teddie :lol ), the battle system has improved a lot, the dungeons and pacing are great... I squeezed out every day and there was always interesting stuff to do. I've spent hours in the velvet room messing with the demons, and the SP constrain helped the pace a lot. Tight boss fights, sweating the jacket in almost every random battle...
What more can you ask for? heartwarming story, full of underlying mature themes, mixed with awesome occult stuff, plot twists, and top notch presentation. The soundtrack was unbearivable good, even better than P3 (my favorite track being the Magatsu Inaba theme), and the graphics are amazing on the art department.
It also helped a lot that the character looks a lot more like me and behaves generally like a much better person. The P3 guy looked and acted like a introverted jerk :lol
Inaba was a great backdrop too... they managed to nail that nostalgic feel about small towns, and even the nameless NPCs were interesting to talk to.
This game has seriously blown me away, I was almost going to pass after P3, but I'm so glad I didn't.

I pretty much have the same sentiments as you.

 

[cakeman19]

Just finished the whole game.
Wow, that was awesome. This is one of the best jRPGs I've ever played in my life. P3 didn't do anything for me, in fact it ended being annoying, but this... I can identify with all the characters, the cutscenes and conversations are very interesting, full of emotions and fun (I actually laughed out loud a lot, specially with Teddie :lol ), the battle system has improved a lot, the dungeons and pacing are great... I squeezed out every day and there was always interesting stuff to do. I've spent hours in the velvet room messing with the demons, and the SP constrain helped the pace a lot. Tight boss fights, sweating the jacket in almost every random battle...
What more can you ask for? heartwarming story, full of underlying mature themes, mixed with awesome occult stuff, plot twists, and top notch presentation. The soundtrack was unbearivable good, even better than P3 (my favorite track being the Magatsu Inaba theme), and the graphics are amazing on the art department.
It also helped a lot that the character looks a lot more like me and behaves generally like a much better person. The P3 guy looked and acted like a introverted jerk :lol
Inaba was a great backdrop too... they managed to nail that nostalgic feel about small towns, and even the nameless NPCs were interesting to talk to.
This game has seriously blown me away, I was almost going to pass after P3, but I'm so glad I didn't.

This is pretty much how I feel in a nutshell. I was very skeptical about getting this game after P3, but my friend kept hyping himself up about it (someone that didn't play P3) and that excitement kind of rubbed off on me. I didn't even watch a video of the game until a couple of days before release, which I found the 2nd start screen intro (the one with Reach out to the truth instrumental) and I was blown away by how fun the game looked.

 

[straydog1980]

okay, I have a quick (hopefully) question about maxing the Hermit s. link

I've completed the final quest by

Spoiler

catching the guardian

, and proceeded to the shrine as normal. The fox looked "exuberant" or whatever, then went up to the offertory box as usual, and time passed, but then it said there are some "conditions that need to be met before our relationship can grow stronger"....????

what's going on? It's 7/24

 

[Chorazin]

Maxed out my S.Link with Yukiko last night, and I find it funny how now when I want to hang out she's all "Lets go to your room and be alone." She turned freak on me!

Just finished the

Spoiler

School trip to Port Island, and I was kinda hoping to see more people from P3. Maybe later?

 

[Tamanon]

okay, I have a quick (hopefully) question about maxing the Hermit s. link

I've completed the final quest by

Spoiler

catching the guardian

, and proceeded to the shrine as normal. The fox looked "exuberant" or whatever, then went up to the offertory box as usual, and time passed, but then it said there are some "conditions that need to be met before our relationship can grow stronger"....????

what's going on? It's 7/24

Just spend another day with him.

 

[RedBoot]

Just finished the

Spoiler

School trip to Port Island, and I was kinda hoping to see more people from P3. Maybe later?

The only characters

Spoiler

from P3 that appear in the game are Chihiro, Tanaka, and the science teacher guy. And Igor too, though he's always around.

 

[firex]

Spoiler

I was kinda hoping to see more people from P3. Maybe later?

Spoiler

By 2011, everyone from SEES is in college or in the workplace, so it makes sense you wouldn't see them at Gekkoukan. It's not like they know about the investigation team and their personas.

 

[cakeman19]

Spoiler

By 2011, everyone from SEES is in college or in the workplace, so it makes sense you wouldn't see them at Gekkoukan. It's not like they know about the investigation team and their personas.

This just made me realize something. The fact P4 and P3 are in the same universe makes no sense. I may be remembering wrong, but didn't

Spoiler

only special people that stayed concious during the midnight hour have the power to call Persona? Now in 4, it seems like everyone has the ability as long as they face their true self. Are they 2 different types of Persona without any noticable differences?

 

[charlequin]

I may be remembering wrong, but didn't

Spoiler

only special people that stayed concious during the midnight hour have the power to call Persona?

Spoiler

All five Persona games take place in the same universe, actually. The basic metaphysics are pretty broad: Personas are the manifestation of human emotions that have been tamed by the ego (or something to that effect.) The Persona universe is one where powerful magical beings are constantly getting involved in human affairs and weird magical things happen as a result; people who are exposed to any of said weird magical causes can become Persona-users, and the specifics of how it works is dependent on the specific magical cause in question.

 

[octopusman]

yeah I figured P4 earned it's M rating on account of the design of certain Persona. Not to mention the language and somewhat "mature" themes of death and such.

this one

why didn't they put the mouth at the top?

 

[whiterabbit]

looks like a penis! :lol

actually came in here to post that my favorite song is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9CDfMhq6dM it really makes me smile.

 

[sca2511]

so im playing the game right now, about 20 or 30 hours in and it seems like I won't be able to get all the slinks and what not. What I'm asking is when I start a new game+, what carries over?

looks like a penis! :lol

actually came in here to post that my favorite song is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9CDfMhq6dM it really makes me smile.

I actually play that song when I'm going to school and back. I think it's my favorite track on there.

 

[Chorazin]

Spoiler

By 2011, everyone from SEES is in college or in the workplace, so it makes sense you wouldn't see them at Gekkoukan. It's not like they know about the investigation team and their personas.

Yeah, I guess you're right, I didn't think about that. Still, woulda been nifty.

 

[cakeman19]

Spoiler

All five Persona games take place in the same universe, actually. The basic metaphysics are pretty broad: Personas are the manifestation of human emotions that have been tamed by the ego (or something to that effect.) The Persona universe is one where powerful magical beings are constantly getting involved in human affairs and weird magical things happen as a result; people who are exposed to any of said weird magical causes can become Persona-users, and the specifics of how it works is dependent on the specific magical cause in question.

Okay, that makes sense I guess. I should probably play the first 2 games.

 

[Tamanon]

so im playing the game right now, about 20 or 30 hours in and it seems like I won't be able to get all the slinks and what not. What I'm asking is when I start a new game+, what carries over?



I actually play that song when I'm going to school and back. I think it's my favorite track on there.

On New Game+, you keep the money you have at the end, your compendium, the ability to hold 12 personas, your stats(courage/knowledge and the like) and any of the max S. Link items. If your stats are high at the beginning of the game, it makes S. Links a TON easier to max.

 

[Red Scarlet]

looks like a penis! :lol

actually came in here to post that my favorite song is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9CDfMhq6dM it really makes me smile.

That's my Tank song in Left 4 Dead. Makes everything cheery.

 

[charlequin]

actually came in here to post that my favorite song is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9CDfMhq6dM it really makes me smile.

I really love Your Affection (I always liked getting sunny days over cloudy because of it), although like all the vocal songs in Persona 4 Ela Hadrun and I spent most of our play time singing along the "real" English lyrics that we've fitted to the song. The chorus of this one really sounds like they're saying "Location, location, location" as if it's a song about real estate. :lol

Okay, that makes sense I guess. I should probably play the first 2 games.

I am repeatedly assured that the Persona 2 games (Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment) are not necessary in any way to really understand P3 and P4, but also that they are quite excellent in their own (i.e. totally different in all gameplay aspects) way.

 

[ukiraros]

So after doing countless times trying to catch the guardian during a rainy day and fail. I decided to search this thread on how to catch it. Damn, I am going to have to rely on luck because I have a sixaxis and no dualshock. I did read that it depends on how long the ripples are so I am going to try it out.


Edit: Success, I didn't on my second try. Thanks for the tips.

 

[noi5e]

The chorus of this one really sounds like they're saying "Location, location, location" as if it's a song about real estate. :lol

Hahaha, I thought they were singing "Your patience... Your patience..."

In "Heartbeat, Heartbreak" I thought the first verse began "Why are you always trading one dream for another," and I refuse to hear it any other way! :lol

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I really love Your Affection (I always liked getting sunny days over cloudy because of it), although like all the vocal songs in Persona 4 Ela Hadrun and I spent most of our play time singing along the "real" English lyrics that we've fitted to the song. The chorus of this one really sounds like they're saying "Location, location, location" as if it's a song about real estate. :lol

Hahaha. It's so true. I've made up my own words for all the songs too.

My own version is "No Pressure, No Pressure, No Pressure." :lol

And don't even get me started on the battle theme.

 

[whiterabbit]

Hahaha, I thought they were singing "Your patience... Your patience..."

In "Heartbeat, Heartbreak" I thought the first verse began "Why are you always trading one dream for another," and I refuse to hear it any other way! :lol

Thats what I thought until I looked it up, although I was always wondering what does that mean? Your patience/ Im glad yall like it too though!

 

[Adam Prime]

looks like a penis! :lol

actually came in here to post that my favorite song is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9CDfMhq6dM it really makes me smile.

Yeah P4 has such chill ass songs.

My favorite is still the battle theme, reach out to the truth. Over 70 hours of playing this game and I NEVER ever got tired of hearing it!

 

[keanerie]

Yeah P4 has such chill ass songs.

My favorite is still the battle theme, reach out to the truth. Over 70 hours of playing this game and I NEVER ever got tired of hearing it!

I miss the absurd lyrics from P3, but yeah, P4's music is overall way better.

 

[charlequin]

Hahaha. It's so true. I've made up my own words for all the songs too.

The worst part is that once I hear them, I can't hear them any other way, and then I feel compelled to sing along. There's an earlier part in "Your Affection" that I'm convinced says "And the stream of trees/ makes me bigger than her"...

Also, am I the only one who hears "I'm a lesbian/ with you lesbians," like, really super clear in the middle of the battle theme? :lol

 

[Tamanon]

I keep hearing it as "All the lesbians, let me lift you up" and that's hawt.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Eh, decent "finisher"?

I guess it was a good thing I went with the crappier Black Frost I made (bottom), so I can do the Rank 10 Empress link in 2 fuses from that.

Hooray!

Money still sucks though.

 

[Big Icarus]

Which Persona gives spirit drain? I never came across that skill.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Incubus gets it, I think it was his 2nd to last ability. I think I had one more that did too, that 'face on a star' one, but not sure. I re-made Matador from either Incubus or the star one, then re-made Ghoul with it for BF to have it, and I think I've spread it to a handful of others, but not very many really.

Oh it's Kaiwan, if he gets it too anyway. He has it on my game, and I think he learned it naturally, but I'm not totally sure. I know Incubus gets it, though.

I think it ended up being Kaiwan + King Frost, since my Matador had Spirit Drain and Null Fire.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

The worst part is that once I hear them, I can't hear them any other way, and then I feel compelled to sing along. There's an earlier part in "Your Affection" that I'm convinced says "And the stream of trees/ makes me bigger than her"...

Also, am I the only one who hears "I'm a lesbian/ with you lesbians," like, really super clear in the middle of the battle theme? :lol

I keep hearing it as "All the lesbians, let me lift you up" and that's hawt.

OMG, me too! Hahahaha. :lol :lol

All you lesbians, will you let me up, do do do dodo do do do do do dodoooooo.

 

[TouchMyBox]

Just completed it, went for both Normal and True endings. I don't think there's much more to say that what others have said here, but P4 is definitely the best RPG I've played (and I played nothing but RPGs back in the day). It was really something special.

 

[kle89]

I've read around there are some small issues with this on the 80gb PS3. Just wondering if it's still around? I'm thinking about picking this up to play on the 80gb bc ps3.

 

[firex]

what I always heard from the Your Affection song was "we cannot always forget / what we've wept for / day after day" but with Reach Out to the Truth, that part always sounded like "can you let me out / will you let me out / will you set me free from this place" and I bet I'm as far off from the actual battle theme lyrics as I was on Your Affection.