Last week marked an interesting release on American shores, as Atlus shipped out Persona 3:FES. FES is both an expansion pack and a revision to the original P3 – it mainly serves as an epilogue chapter to the story, but was also served with the original game as a “director’s cut” that added new goodies to the entire quest.
This kind of release is very rare on consoles. For example, whenever Square releases an International Edition of a hit RPG, you can be sure this nation won’t see it. Yet for whatever reason (likely due to success of P3 last fall), Atlus decided to grace us with more of this excellent game, rather than leave Western fans out in the cold as happens so many times. Not only that, but the price is only $30! Of course, this decimates whatever high prices the original P3 might have held on eBay, but that isn’t any sort of price compared to what we’re getting.
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Personally, I have yet to finish the damn game, but I still intend on looking for FES this afternoon (Best Buy had it released today for some reason). True I already paid $50 for it before. True I won’t get to FES any time in the near future. But dammit, someone has to look Atlus square in the eye and say “thanks for looking out for us”. And yes, they are looking out for the fans. If they could have released the P3 + FES package initially, I am sure they would have. The fact we got this at all is still a small miracle.
What can I say, I am becoming an Atlus Faithful.
I need to fill this post up with some more content, so I will bring up a discussion I had with Jay today. I got a text message from my roommate rejoicing over the fact that he was able to pick up a copy of GTA IV, something that surprised us both. You see, in order to get the game for free with left over holiday gift cards, he had to buy it at Gamestop, and as we all know, trying to buy any new game at the ‘Stop without a preorder is a losing gamble. I’m not sure what is more amazing; that he got it, or that he, I, and you have to worry about whether one of the biggest game retailers in America will have enough copies of the biggest game of 2008.
Fuck that jazz.
I’ve been thinking about getting this because Atlus and Shin Megami Tensei games in specific are always impossible to find. But then I haven’t even opened P3 so maybe I don’t like it. Looks like I have some homework.
A note to folks; a week after release, and I’m not seeing any gamestop in 100 miles carrying new copies. Again, Best Buy just released their copies today, and when the original P3 came out, it was one store that I could find a copy or two in a month after release. Bottom line; get it soon, like this week, online or in store, or you may be screwed.
I picked up FES and surprised myself by starting over the main story again.
I would not have imagined myself picking up a 70-hour game less than half a year after the first play-through, but P3 is one hell of a game in my book. The regular game (“The Journey”) doesn’t change a lot, but it does tweak it just enough that it feels right. Plus it has some remixed music from Persona 1!
Also, this came just after Atlus consented to a reprint of Nocturne. I’d say Atlus really does “get it”, and I’m grateful.