Persona 4 Golden Is The Best Game On PlayStation Vita [MUO Gaming]

A few months back, I reviewed the PlayStation Vita, and I was quite happy with the device overall. It has some incredible graphics, and it’s an incredibly well-made device, in terms of hardware. There are some games that are worth owning. However, since its initial release, things have slowed down a great deal for the PlayStation Vita. The system is just not getting enough games to create a compelling argument to drop the money on one. Amazon’s Black Friday deal on the Vita certainly put a few more units in the hands of gamers, but what game is the one they really need to get? The answer is simple: Persona 4 Golden.

Persona 4 is, in my opinion, the best Japanese RPG ever made. It offers a deep, entertaining story that perfectly compliments an incredibly fun turn-based battle system. Now, it’s available on the go with PS Vita, and it’s absolutely incredible. If you own a Vita, this is a game you must have. If you don’t have one, this game might be a compelling reason to run out to the store and grab a copy, and here’s why:

Story

Because Persona 4 was not built as a portable game, it does not feature one of the things that annoy me most about games on the go. Games built on a handheld platform always seem to feature weak stories, since they are designed to be played in bite sized chunks. With Persona 4, you get none of that; it has a full a story as anyone could ever want from a game.

In Persona 4, you play as a high school student who is forced to move from the big city to a small town. On the way, you meet some friends, and things seem to be going well. Then, people in the town start getting killed, and by pure happenstance, you end up being the one who can stop the murders. Of course, it is much more intricate than that, but I won’t spoil anything for you.

Value

Persona 4 is massive. I’m talking Skyrim length here, which is quite impressive for a game that originally came from the PlayStation 2. You’re looking at about 100 hours, minimum, to get through all the content in Persona 4 Golden. That is a ton of gameplay that you can take on the road with you anywhere your heart desires.

With Persona 4 Golden, you get some new content, which may not be enough to bring back people who already beat it on PS2. For me, I was happy to go back and experience the world of Persona 4 again, but that’s really going to come down to how much you love the game (and if you’ve played it, you probably love it a lot). The major new characters introduced are incredibly compelling, and personally, I think they make it worth playing through again. There are plenty of smaller changes and even new areas in the world to explore.

Online Functions

Persona 4 Golden adds some online functions that are cool, but subtle. There is a Voice button that tells you what other players did on that particular day in the game world. For players new to this type of game, this extra guidance can be really helpful, as they may find themselves unsure of what to do.

Persona 4 also adds an SOS feature. This allows you to call for help from other players. If used, you will get a little health and SP (the game’s resource for casting spells) boost from their words of encouragement. It goes both ways, as you can tap the help button to give aid to other players.

More Difficulty Options

Persona 4 on the PS2 came with three difficulty settings — easy, normal, and hard— and that has been expanded in Golden. Now, there is a very easy and a very hard setting, so if you are either really casual or very hardcore, there is a difficulty option that is more suited to your skill level.

Conclusion

If you own a Vita or are thinking of buying one, I can say with 100-percent confidence that Persona 4 is a game that makes the system worth owning. Of course, if you hate role-playing games. Persona 4 might not be for you, but if you have even the slightest interest in the genre, you should buy this game!

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