I have been meaning to get into the Persona series for a while now, and I was wondering which game in the series is the best one to start with.
Start out with Persona 4 Golden for the Vita. Its one of the best RPG ever. This game is a remake of the PS2 version of the game and trust me you wont be disappointed on this game. The PSP version of Persona 3 was also pretty good but not as engaging as 4 IMO. Or you can also just wait for the Persona 5 for PS3.
Yeah like jptrey said, definitely P4 golden or P3 (PSP version or PS2). I would say start with the third game since it might feel a bit lackluster after you've played p4. It's still a damn fine game though, which is why you should play it! I haven't played the other instances in the series so I can't reall comment on those but I have a feeling they're very different due to having no social links in them (as far as I know)
I'd say it depends on what are you looking for. Persona 4 is the most accessible of the series, but inmy opinion, also the absolute dullest and most boring. It's really just another somehow generic JRPG with a ton of cliches everywhere. If you're a big fan of JRPGs, you probably won't mind, though, as the game itself is made just fine. Persona 3 is a little more "edgy", and a little less traditional, Persona 2 has quite a deep story that dabbles in philosophy a bit, and the first Persona is a lot like the old Shin Megami Tensei games. So, it really just depends on what kind of gameplay experience you're looking for.
I dunno why people are recommending P4G. I would recommend Persona 3 first. Either get Persona 3 FES on PS2/PS3 (as a PS2 Classic) or Persona 3 Portable. I would recommend FES because it features animated cutscenes and an epilogue chapter, which Portable lacks. But Portable incorporated a lot of the gameplay improvements Persona 4 made, so it plays better. Persona 3 is kind of annoying to play after Persona 4, due to Persona 4's improvements, so yeah. Start out with 3 instead of 4. Persona 1 and Persona 2 are very different and irrelevant to the story so you can ignore them, though I would recommend playing Persona 2 at some point while keeping in mind it's NOTHING like 3 and 4. Persona 2 is also divided in two games: Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment. Innocent Sin was the first, I think, and got a PSP remake (the PS1 original was never localized). Eternal Punishment is the sequel. It was remade for PSP but the remake never got localized. However, the PS1 original (which was localized) is available on the Playstation Store for PS3, PSP and Vita. I'd recommend skipping Persona 1 entirely since the combat is crap and the encounter rate is unbearable. The story is good but not good enough to suffer through the gameplay. But that's just my opinion...
I started with 4 and I still enjoyed 3. I think 4 is a good introduction to the series. Since it is more accessible and has improvements, it's easier to get into. Then you'll be hooked and still able to enjoy 3 and the rest of the series.
Yeah, I actually played 4 before 3 too, honestly. But P4 made a lot of improvements to the gameplay, so P3 felt kind of annoying at times in comparison. I'm just saying that to get most enjoyment out of both games, it's better to play P3 first.
I started with P3P, however, I would recommend starting with Persona 4 as it is more player friendly to new comers to the series. Persona 3 was more complicated in my opinion in regards to the Social links, fusion, etc..
I started off with P4G on the PS Vista, and I don't regret choosing that as my starting point at all. I played Persona 3 afterwards, and while I loved it, I would have had more trouble with it if I hadn't played P4G first. P4G is a good intro because of how well it gets you immersed into the story and the mechanics of the game in general, so you can learn the ropes easily if you start off a low/standard difficulty. Jumping right in with Persona 3 might be okay for some people, but even knowing how to play the game already and the mechanics of it, I still found it a lot more difficult and kind of frustrating in some fights that I had trouble getting past.
Well, I played Persona 3 and it was fun, 4 was great too because of the improvements. But for me I'm really sure that you should start with 3.
Start with 3 since it's when the games became a bit more newbie friendly and it doesn't contain as much obscure and complicated lore than the ones before it. Then you can move onto 4 which is an incredible game really and a massive improvement to the mechanics, then make your way back to 2 and so on. I started with Persona 2: Eternal Punishment and although I didn't understand the storyline too well it was still fun as heck and I enjoyed the little details in the conversations and the monster battles.
Both Persona 3 and 4 are fantastic games. I would recommend 3 before 4, just because 4 contains numerous gameplay and other improvements, which makes going back to 3 having played 4 difficult. Persona 2 Eternal Punishment and Innocent Sin are both great games as well, but they're much, much different in a lot of ways from the future games, I'd give them a try after you get through 3 and 4 at the very least. I can't recommend the first game at all.
I guess I'm the only one that liked Persona 1, huh? Though it's probably due to the fact that it was my first game along with Nocturne that got me invested in the series to where I'm playing SMT on my SNES emulator. Anyway, I would go with 4 since I found the story more light and the ending not as bleak as 3.
I would recommend either Persona 3 or 4 because those two are the most popular ones. Personally, I would start with Persona 3 just to get a feel for what the world of Persona is like and then tackle Persona 4 because they do have their own little differences. Either way, you can enjoy the Persona series comfortably because they have their own storylines in each game.
Persona 3 or 4, as others mentioned. They have a lot of quality of life stuff that make them more enjoyable. The only reason you should be playing the other games is if you want a really good story. Every Persona game has a good story and characters so I definitely recommend them all for that.
Persona 4 Golden if you have a PS Vita and want a lighter story with elements Jungian psychology or Persona 3 FES if you can find it at a decent price and have a PS2 and are in the mood for a darker and quite a somber story. These games are essentially the complete versions of the recent Persona Games. Persona Q is a great game but there are lot of in jokes that only those who have played previous games can truly enjoy. Persona Q is a love letter to the fans.
I watched my friend play a bit of Persona 3 a few years back and wasn't 100% sure I wanted to play it. When I got a Vita, I borrowed Persona 4 from them and enjoyed it very very much. I personally think the characters in 4 are a bit more likable than the ones in 3, though that is just my opinion.
The first Persona game I was introduced to was P3. I'm not a very big fan of number 2, and I haven't played number one or number four. If anyone ever asked me, I would probably suggest number 3. I'm in love with the entire aspect of the game. The creativity, the graphics, and especially the plot line.
