Gameplay-wise, P4G adheres firmly to its J-RPG roots. Once you’ve heard it, it will never, ever leave your head. The series has spawned a wealth of brilliant tracks over the decades, including P4G's unforgettable Junes department store jingle. Atlus regularly stages Persona-themed live concerts to rabid audiences in Japan, and for good reason. If you’re not already a fan, catchy tunes such as “Pursuing My True Self” and “Your Affection” just might sway you to become one. Let’s just say if you’re a fan of J-pop, J-jazz, etc., these songs will probably end up on your permanent playlist. I typically tend to overlook audio design in video games, but I cannot enough heap enough praise upon Shoji Meguro's amazing P4G soundtrack. Gamers may take this for granted as a bare minimum of effort for such a dated title, but compared to uninspired remaster efforts such as Sega’s Shenmue 1 and 2 and even Atlus' own Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, this version of P4G is an absolute joy to behold. It's great to see that Atlus actually took the time to upgrade many of the textures to HD while hitting a solid 60fps on PS4/5. Visually speaking, the game has never looked better. Published in 2012, the Vita version of P4G already featured enough enhancements to warrant another playthrough, but combined with the numerous upgrades and quality-of-life improvements from the 2020 PC release, the 2023 console release is now an almost completely different experience compared to the original. I've played through the original Persona 4 many times but never had the opportunity to play Persona 4 Golden on the PS Vita (Sony's briefly-lived hand-held), therefore all of that version’s expanded content is new to me. Now that the game has (finally!) been updated and released on modern consoles as of January 2023, there's never been a better time to go back and revisit the Midnight Channel. Along with other classic slice-of-life RPGs such as Shenmue, Persona 4 compensates for what it lacks in modern convention with an overabundance of charm and personality, inspiring an entire genre of "Persona-like" games in the process. It’s a bizarre concept for a video game-or any medium for that matter-but it totally works, thanks in large part to some innovative storytelling and character development. Set in the fictional Japanese town of Inaba, the game combines old-school dungeon crawling with teenage life management simulation, which basically means warping to a remote world to battle horrific creatures while attending drama class and studying for exams. Originally released for PlayStation 2 way back in 2008, Atlus' Persona 4 is a groundbreaking role-playing game which has seen several updates and re-releases over the years. So what exactly is it that makes this quirky throwback game such a sentimental fan favorite? Hopefully I can explain. What’s really surprising is that Persona 4 isn’t even the best game in the Persona series (that distinction goes to Persona 5 Royal), let alone the best J-RPG ever made (that distinction likely goes to Persona 5 Royal as well). After all, there are plenty of hardcore Persona 4 devotees out there, the game has enjoyed a steady stream of mainstream and critical success for nearly 15 years. I even considered buying a PS Vita just to play the updated version, Persona 4 Golden. I also own the Japanese strategy guide and art book as well the complete manga series. How much do I adore this role-playing gem? I own the original PS2 version, the PS3 digital version, the fighting game spinoff, the dancing game spinoff and the PC edition even though I don’t have a PC to play it on. I'll kick off this article with a direct statement: Persona 4 is my favorite Japanese RPG of all time and there isn't even a close second.
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