Which Versions of Persona 3 Should You Play? - All Versions Reviewed & Compared

Comments · 607

• LO

  @lordT02 · 2 years ago

  I swear, "the best version of Persona 3" is like the most difficult thing in SMT 💀

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• CH

  @ChrisGroff-z1y · 1 year ago

  I really like the free point of courage. You can not believe how annoying it is to follow a guide which tells you to remain sick and, no matter how many times you reload, you ALWAYS recover from the sickness. That's why I stopped playing Portable. X(

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• M4

  @m4321-u6i · 1 year ago

  You can criticize P3R all you want about it being 'toned down' or 'different vibes/ not as dark', but the addition of fully voiced social links is genuinely one of my favorite things in this game. When I go back to play P5R or P4G, I feel so spoiled by fully voiced social links in P3R.

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• CL

  @cloverraven · 2 years ago

  The sound compression side by side is a god send. Thank you for being meticulous for people like me.  Very important to me and I appreciate you.

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• JS

  @jsostick · 1 year ago

  I'm so confused why they didn't just put persona 3 fes on the new systems, clearly the better option, i wish i could play that version on my switch.

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• TH

  @the-homosaur · 2 years ago

  I've put probably 2000 hours into various P3 versions over the years and it's hard to beat Reload. Just an incredible but faithful reworking that keeps most of the feel of the original. Now that you can get it for $40-$50 new instead of $70, if you're still on the fence as a Persona or SMT fan, it's definitely worth it.

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• AZ

  @azfaarrealm9426 · 2 years ago (edited)

  Generally:<br>P3FES if you want to experience the game as close to the original develoeprs vision.<br>P3R if you are new to Persona and/or just care about the social aspect (they are much better in this version because of voice acting plus link episodes for male casts).<br>P3P If you want to experience the female protagonist route.<br>And there is virtually no reason to play regular P3.

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• BE

  @BenKii · 2 years ago

  That...was a lot to take in. Very detailed report on all Persona 3 versions. Well done Austin, as always. I&apos;ll have to go through this video several times to really find out which one I&apos;d want start with but I&apos;m leaning toward the Xbox version of Reload since they did just give away the Season Pass to anyone who had a Gamepass subscription but then I&apos;d miss out on modding the PC version. Dunno, like I said, need another watch.

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• SA

  @saeria7828 · 1 year ago

  Persona 3 portable was my first persona game back in the days on PSP and was the game I learned English with. Then I became fan and bought the original and FES on Ps2 and ps3 PSn.

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• OW

  @owlyus · 2 years ago

  There should be a mod where everyone wears a fez

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• Y-

  @y-s- · 1 year ago

  I played p3p thinking it was the base version of the game simply updated. It works so well to do point and click in the overworld, and ties directly to every SMT game since the beginning, so i didn&apos;t think anything of it. &nbsp;Also there&apos;s something asmr-inducing about that cursor.

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• SA

  @samw9946 · 1 year ago (edited)

  I swear this is going to be controversial but this is my ranking of the versions of Persona 3<br><br>1. Reload (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC) - This is probably the easiest version of the game to recommend and the most accessible. Bringing in elements from Persona 4 (specifically Golden) and 5, such as shifting (or baton passing in Persona 5), gardening, and additional activities you can do with your friends such as study groups. The new additions such as therugies and Linked Episodes that gave the player opportunities to hang out with male party members are also excellent additions to the Persona series. The amount of quality of life changes are great such as the game being properly balanced around direct commands, finally being able to select which skills are inherited when fusing personas, and the fatigue system being removed. The new English voice cast also does an excellent job at voicing their roles and to that, all the social links are now fully voiced and are more memorable as a result. The Answer, known as Episode Aigis in this version, was later made available as DLC and has some notable improvements over FES (Pro Tip: wait until it’s on sale to get it). Aigis now has access to a compendium, you now have direct control your party members, a difficulty setting, grinding is significantly cut down, and Joker from Persona 5 is a super boss. Overall, while there is an argument as to whether this version is definitive or not, I think if I were to pick, I would pick this version as it is the easiest to recommend and the most accessible.<br>2. FES (PS2 and PS3) - Up until the release of the Reload, this version was the developer’s intended was to play Persona 3. The additions to the Journey such as Aigis’s social link, walks with Koromaru, and Chidori’s extra scene do make it more definitive. The biggest edition to FES is the 30 hour epilogue, The Answer, where you play as Aigis and is more focused on combat. While The Answer is very divisive, I think it helps make this version more definitive. The grinding and lack of compendium do suck but the story is very good, dealing with themes such as grief, the loss of a loved one, and importance of memory. Seeing how the SEES members cope with the death of Makoto Yuki and their backstories was very interesting. Metis is also an interesting addition to the story and gave Aigis more depth. Overall, this version was the way the developers intended you to play Persona 3 and probably the most definitive version until the release of Reload.<br>3. Portable (PSP, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC) - The addition of a female protagonist is great, the visual novel presentation helps this version stand out more and the exploration of Tartarus is just as good as ever. The lack of 3D effects and removal of anime cutscenes really bogs this version down. The omission of The Answer is to me a very hard knock against this version as well. Direct Commands is also a bit of a double edged sword, while it is nice to fully command your party, the game wasn’t properly balanced around this and can be a bit too easy. Overall, not the best version to start with. You’d probably be better off starting with FES or Reload.<br>4. Original Release (PS2) - There really is no reason to play this version anymore especially with the release of FES

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