A while back I made a thread about Persona 5 prior to the Western release, stating it was a great game. It seems like a lot of people were ultimately disappointed, but I stand by my position. It was a notable improvement over Persona 4, with better pacing, higher highs, and real dungeons. Within the context of modern Persona 5, I thought it was pretty great, even with all of its flaws. Better than I was expecting it to be.
But since that thread I've been meaning to make this one. The thing is, Persona 2 is simply better. And there are a lot of reasons for this. Gameplay-wise, the most satisfying aspect of Persona 2 is the freedom to create varied party set ups throughout the game. No character is locked to a single Persona, so you're able to make use of the myriad of Personas available. Different characters have better compatibility with different types of Personas, but you're more or less free to create the party of your choosing. And because of the way the tarot card system works, you can always be working towards your next persona. The cards you collect at the beginning of the game can be used on creating a Persona at the very end. The encounter rate is entirely too high, but if you play the game correctly, 1 out of every 5 or so battles is spent accumulating free tarot cards from an enemy you have a contract with. Persona 5 might have a fairly decent variety of Personas to choose from, but only your MC can use them. It's a waste - and because the game uses the traditional MC system of negotiating, acquiring, and combining demons, they end up feeling disposable and insignificant, rather than something you build your party towards. And rather than something that can carry you through the next five, ten, or fifteen hours of the game.
Then there's the battles themselves. Persona 5 works in such a manner that battles are over before they begin. They're meaningless. They're flashy, and it's satisfying to hit an enemy's weakpoint, but it's no more involving than FFX's respond to X with Y, although I think common battles in that game were ultimately more involving in the latter fifth of the game. When you over-emphasize strengths and weaknesses, the room for nuance is lost. Choices cease to matter, because any tactical approach is smothered by the extreme advantages and disadvantages created by the system. In Persona 2 you can enter a battle with a slight disadvantage, and still come out victorious if you play your cards right. A disadvantage in modern Persona games can mean a battle is over before it begins. Innocent Sin might be a bit too easy, but the boss fights in Eternal Punishment are more engaging than those in 5 for that reason.
Then there's the story. Persona 2 isn't beholden to a calendar. The story is free to move as it pleases, and the result is one of best paced games in the genre. Once the Persona 2 gets going, there's more or less always something exciting happening. And in the real world, for that matter. It doesn't require things to take place in a separate reality, making full use of its modern setting in a way that 5 wasn't able to until the very end. Locations in 2 are highly varied, and the the heights the story reaches through its absurdity are unlike anything else. Even its sequel isn't quite as fun as the original Innocent Sin, in that regard.
I especially liked the context of the Casino
But since that thread I've been meaning to make this one. The thing is, Persona 2 is simply better. And there are a lot of reasons for this. Gameplay-wise, the most satisfying aspect of Persona 2 is the freedom to create varied party set ups throughout the game. No character is locked to a single Persona, so you're able to make use of the myriad of Personas available. Different characters have better compatibility with different types of Personas, but you're more or less free to create the party of your choosing. And because of the way the tarot card system works, you can always be working towards your next persona. The cards you collect at the beginning of the game can be used on creating a Persona at the very end. The encounter rate is entirely too high, but if you play the game correctly, 1 out of every 5 or so battles is spent accumulating free tarot cards from an enemy you have a contract with. Persona 5 might have a fairly decent variety of Personas to choose from, but only your MC can use them. It's a waste - and because the game uses the traditional MC system of negotiating, acquiring, and combining demons, they end up feeling disposable and insignificant, rather than something you build your party towards. And rather than something that can carry you through the next five, ten, or fifteen hours of the game.
Then there's the battles themselves. Persona 5 works in such a manner that battles are over before they begin. They're meaningless. They're flashy, and it's satisfying to hit an enemy's weakpoint, but it's no more involving than FFX's respond to X with Y, although I think common battles in that game were ultimately more involving in the latter fifth of the game. When you over-emphasize strengths and weaknesses, the room for nuance is lost. Choices cease to matter, because any tactical approach is smothered by the extreme advantages and disadvantages created by the system. In Persona 2 you can enter a battle with a slight disadvantage, and still come out victorious if you play your cards right. A disadvantage in modern Persona games can mean a battle is over before it begins. Innocent Sin might be a bit too easy, but the boss fights in Eternal Punishment are more engaging than those in 5 for that reason.
Then there's the story. Persona 2 isn't beholden to a calendar. The story is free to move as it pleases, and the result is one of best paced games in the genre. Once the Persona 2 gets going, there's more or less always something exciting happening. And in the real world, for that matter. It doesn't require things to take place in a separate reality, making full use of its modern setting in a way that 5 wasn't able to until the very end. Locations in 2 are highly varied, and the the heights the story reaches through its absurdity are unlike anything else. Even its sequel isn't quite as fun as the original Innocent Sin, in that regard.
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