Persona series.

[Demon-Mask]

So, I figured that I'd make a topic about the Persona series, because I figured a discussion about them was in order, seeing as one has already started from a tangent in another topic.

Well then, let's begin:
I enjoy the Persona series because of how unique each of the games is:
The first one is more traditional and grind-intensive, but still allowed you to talk your way out of a fight, and fuse personas.
The second one was released as two separate games, one that didn't make it across the Pacific, and one that did:
Innocent Sin didn't make it to America because of how strange it was, and how much the western world hated to important topics within the game:

The first one being a homosexual male character, seeing as a good portion of Americans were homophobic {even more so then they are now}, the fact that this would be a reason Atlus would be wary of bringing this one over is natural.

The second big one is Hitler. Unless a game is set during WWII, Hitler is sort of a taboo in video games. Now let's make it more than just Hitler though, he was resurrected, and had a very powerful persona, so he was really powerful, almost to the point of being cool.

There is an English patch of Innocent Sin that you can find, and it's pretty well done.

So far as the story goes, a mysterious figure known as Master Joker decides to mess up reality by turning rumor into fact, as punishment for a sin that no one remembers.

I never played too far into Eternal Punishment, but it has the same basic gameplay as Innocent Sin, the story is set a bit after Innocent Sin and is set in an alternate dimension, my guess is that this was done so America could get something of Persona 2, and if it was set in an alternate dimension, the homosexuality and Hitler didn't have to be mentioned.

The gameplay for both versions of Persona 2 is dramatically different from that of the first Persona. Instead of going by turn, characters just constantly repeat the attack command in battle, unless you interrupt this flow, in which case you can select the moves and that stuff. Enemies no longer gave spell cards, but tarot cards fitting the tarot deck's traditional arcana, and sometimes blank ones that could be made into any arcana you wish, you still had the option to talk your way through a fight.

Persona 3 is half social simulation, and half dungeon crawling RPG. There is only one dungeon, and it is called Tartarus. It only appears during a secret hour known as the Dark Hour, when most people turn into coffins {the game explains it a lot better than I could ever hope to}. Monsters known as Shadows roam around and kill people who aren't turned into coffins. Tartarus in their breeding ground. To use a persona, your character must shoot himself in the head with a fake gun known as an Evoker, it was cool the first time, but after seeing the animation and hearing the glass shatter sound effect for the hundredth time, you will hate it. Also, you could no longer talk your way through a fight.
This is one of the best games in the series, and also the game that really finalized the gameplay style of Persona.

I haven't yet played Persona 4, how is it?

I would find pictures and music for you, but it's getting late and stuff, so I am done for now, don't be surprised if you get a post from me, in this thread, not to long from when I post this, with a ton of pictures and videos.

It is now 1:39 A.M. {Pacific} and time for me to stop writing, before I stop thinking before I type.