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#24
Persona 4 (PS2)
YoY: -1
The first, and so far only, Persona game I've played, Persona 4 was a very late addition to the PS2 library, especially in Europe, where it wasn't released until March 2009. It was effectively the last truly great PS2 game I played before moving properly to the next generation of consoles, and for a game to go out on, there weren't many better options. In fact, in the entire PS2 library, there are only three games I would rate higher.
The game is effectively split between traditional JRPG dungeon exploring in an alternate dimension, and managing your relationships between the people you meet and get to know in the real world. It is the latter that truly makes Persona 4 great. The battle system and dungeons are fun, but the dungeons often tend to overstay their welcome to the extent that I often felt like I was just forcing myself to play through them to get to the next story section.
Fortunately, that story is genuinely excellent, and the characters are still some of my all-time favourite in any video game. The writing is also smart, and tackles quite a few challenging topics, from depression, suicide, sexuality, and more, and for the most part does it with tact and subtlety. The great soundtrack is just a nice bonus on top of everything.
