High School was never this much fun!

Who says the Playstation 2 is over the hill?

The system which is now marketed at the casual market is still getting one or two gems among dozens of Singstar and Buzz releases. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 released in March 2008 here in the UK from ATLUS turned out to be an excellent role-playing game delivered at the start of what some would call a consoles retirement. The game centers on a Japanese high school student who when transferring to a new school is brought into a twisted story centering on "The Dark Hour". The Dark Hour occurs at midnight each night and only a few are aware of its existence, most of the population become coffins at this time. During The Dark Hour the local high school becomes "Tartarus" a huge tower filled with fiends that prey on the minds of those who remain awake. A group called SEES researches what happens during The Dark Hour. The players character becomes a member and discovers control of  powerful creatures called Persona to help battle the many preying monsters within Tartarus. The story of persona 3 is a refreshing twist on the majority of traditional Japanese role-playing games of recent and past years.

The Gameplay mixes time at the local high school where players need to interact their classmates, pay attention in class and other activities that are actually interesting. Outside of the high school other locations such as shops and cafe's etc make the world feel like it has substance. A polar opposite comes with Tartarus which is a huge maze where players need to take part in exploration and turn based combat. The combat has an exciting twist when summoning a Persona. Characters use an "Evoker" which shows them holding a gun to their head and pulling the trigger. This is a controversial move by the developers which makes each summoning a real sight to behold.

The soundtrack needs to be heard. Its a charming collection of several genres of music. The traditional role-playing melodies of games like Final Fantasy etc are mixed fantastically with some great J-pop tidbits such as the title song "Burn my Dread" The main battle theme is also worth a listen.

Persona 3 overall was a real surprise for me it surpasses most of the role-playing games on the current generation of systems because it does one important thing to keep me interesting in a role-playing game FUN gameplay that only gets more complex and rewarding. This game is a beacon of hope for a genre that is swamped with big budget, flashy games that are bordering on dull.

Square-Enix have recently announced that they plan to publish the next chapter in the series Persona 4 this spring in the UK. If you missed Persona 3 and its expansion Persona 3:FES buy them on Amazon/ Play etc + dont miss Persona 4's release as US and Japanese reviews are more positive than Persona 3's.