Quick note: There are 4 releases of Persona 3. The original Persona 3, Persona 3 Fes Append (Right boxart) which is a seperate disc you play after the original, Persona 3 Fes (Left Boxart) is the combination of Persona 3 and Fes Append on one disc. Persona 3 Portable is the final release for the PSP and features a bit of an overhaul.
Another quick note: This covers only Persona 3/Fes for the Playstation 2. I won't be talking about P3 Portable just yet...
I enjoy playing games like this in their original form. It feels natural. The culture tidbits, the dialogues, all of it is a real treat.
Persona 3 and it's Fes add on make for one of the most enjoyable RPG experiences out there. It's one of my personal favorites and is definitely a game that I recommend to anyone who enjoys RPG's or even slice of life games with a Japanese flavor.
But if you're playing through this your first time and in Japanese none the less, how hard is it?
Well, that depends.
It's an RPG, so right off the bat, you know there are a ton of item names, and effects to remember. Knowing katakana or hiragana may not be helpful in these regards. Knowing the jouyou kanji and jukugo is your best bet for a safe play through.
Aside from the RPG elements of the game, there's the moments when you're not dungeon crawling. These can also be complicated for a beginning and even intermediate japanese learner.
Since you're a student, mingling with students from different areas, expect accents, slang and phrases you've never come across. It's all there.
I think I learned this from RTK...
The beauty of playing this game however, is something you don't see often in a lot of Japanese media. Text going along with what's being spoken! You'll see plenty of jouyou kanji (常用漢字) but the jukugo compounds are very important in this game. You'll learn plenty of new ones, but it's important to go over basic ones to get a grasp of the story.
I played Persona 3 in Japanese during my early stages of learning the language. Needless to say I missed out on a lot. But at the same time, picked up on so many words I heard before but didn't know how to write and vice versa.
So how can you get this game? It's unfortunate that there is no Japanese language and text option on the English release of the game. Importing is the only way if you want to play fully in Japanese.
Also unfortunately is that the game is not available for download on the PSN like it's American counterpart (P3P takes its place).
I had a similar expression when I saw only P3P on the Japanese PSN
The game shows up on eBay from japanese sellers frequently but you'll want to look for the FES edition to get the full story. Buying the regular Persona 3 game and the Fes Append add on is a substitute method, but a bit more of a hassle and can cost more money.
If you want the game guaranteed new, Amazon Japan is your best bet. However, for the original releases of Persona 3, Fes Appended Edition and Fes Full edition, are ludicrous without shipping included. You'll want to get "THE BEST" edition (with the slightly tacky yellow/gray border on the cover) because it's nearly 1/3 of the price for the same game.
We want to learn Japanese and not get broke in the process...Right? I'll leave a handy guide at the bottom to help with Amazon Japan imports.
Wrapping Up:
-English version available, no Japanese text or voice options.
-Importing is necessary.
-Importing "new" is best option, but for sake of collectors, "used" may be only affordable option.
-Have a good grasp of most, if not all Jouyou kanji. The more the better.
-Know your basic Jukugo as well.
-You'll learn a lot if you're coming into this game as an intermediate or beginner. You may even pick things up as an expert.
-You'll see some Engrish. It isn't that bad actually.
-Have a dictionary on you at all times, just one small mistake can end your dungeon crawling or ruin a social link.
That's it for Persona 3/Fes. I'll tackle the other games in the series as soon as I finish them, and maybe add P3P to this article. Maybe one day, someday...
External Links:
Tae Kim Blog Post on Buying Japanese Import Games - I'm sure almost all Japanese language learners have, but if you haven't, definitely check out Tae Kim's website/blog/guide. Full of valuable information, worth its weight in gold. Lots of fun humor as well.
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