Chronologically the sixth installment in the Persona series, Persona 4 is a suspenseful murder mystery. View larger.

The silent male protagonist wields a two-handed sword weapon. View larger.

Using Mayonaka TV, you can phase into the television set and enter a shadowy world. View larger.

game play and style are similar to Persona 3, but there are plenty of new twists and additions. View larger.

Myth and Occult Mixed with Contemporary Japan
Megami Tensei was originally based on the novel series Digital Devil Story by Aya Nishitani. A major franchise in the RPG genre, MegaTen games take place in the contemporary or near-future Japan, mixing occult and cyberpunk elements. The games feature mythological references from multiple mythologies, and the player is often asked to make moral or philosophical choices that affect the game's storyline and ending.

The silent male protagonist who represents the player in Persona 4 attends Yasogami High School with Chie, Yosuke, and Yukiko. His entire personality and name is decided and portrayed by the player's in-game actions and decisions. He wields two-handed sword type weapons, but unlike Persona 3, he doesn't use alternative weapons.

Mysterious Murders Abound
Persona 4 takes place in a rural town named Inaba where mysterious murders occur whenever there is fog after heavy rain. The town has a television channel that airs only at midnight called Mayonaka TV, during which it is said that one can see their "other half" while staring at the screen. After hearing about a recent unsolved murder, some characters realize that they had witnessed the murder victim while watching Mayonaka TV.

The protagonist discovers that during midnight when the channel is on, his body can phase into his television set, using the set as a gateway to another world infested with shadows. Mayonaka TV and the town murders seem so connected that it's possible that the victims may in fact victims of Mayonaka TV itself. The characters decide to solve the mysterious murders by exploring the hidden world of Mayonaka TV.

Brand-New Yet Familiar game play
Persona 4's game play and style are similar to the popular Persona 3. Players familiar with Persona 3 will quickly recognize the social links and dungeon crawling game play, as well as the engine itself. The battles also have some similarities, such as the One More system, All-out attack, and the AI controlled support characters.

However, unlike Persona 3, characters can be set to take commands from the player, new glasses allow characters to see through the heavy mist inside Mayonaka TV, and tarot cards can be shattered to summon the characters' respective Persona. Other changes include an increase in player stats from three to five, and the removal of health status, allowing players to explore dungeons continuously.

Let the Action Begin
Battle-wise, Persona 4 lets you directly control the actions of other party members and continually exploit an enemy's weakness. Post-battle card shuffles have added Arcana Chance, which bring you good or bad status depending on the Arcana. Battles now occur after school instead of at midnight, like in Persona 3, giving the player less time in which to do social activities. This turns out to be significant because Social Links now have a greater effect on battle.

At higher levels, the player's allies progress from occasionally protecting the protagonist from a deathblow, through occasionally offering follow-up attacks, to eventually allow the persona of the corresponding ally to evolve into another persona. And persona can retain or even lose weaknesses and can be immune to certain kind of magic attacks. All allies who have their corresponding Social Link levels maxed out now have a chance to survive an otherwise fatal attack, leaving them with one remaining HP.

The story this time concerns Tidus, a blond-haired star of a sport called Blitzball. While he is playing in a match, Tidus's city is attacked by an evil force called Sin, and everything is destroyed save Tidus and his guardian Auran. The adventure begins as the pair are somehow transported to another world. From here on, it's standard Final Fantasy gameplay: fight battles, manage experience points, learn new powers, and recruit a motley crew of nonplayer characters to join your quest.

The graphics, however, take things to a new level. They are amazing not only for their realism, but also for their imaginative art design. The world these heroes inhabit is breathtakingly beautiful, flowing, and full of inventive surprises. You haven't lived until you've surfed cables high in the air, or ridden a graceful airship through the clouds. The stunning effects are on display when you use magic in combat, summon gigantic monsters, and use fire columns to devastate your foes.

One new element is voice acting. The innovation yields predictably mixed results: it's wonderful to hear spoken dialogue rather than read subtitles, but as with most games translated from Japanese, the acting is mediocre and sometimes unintentionally hilarious.

Still, the game's new graphics engine and solid gameplay are sure to please fans of the series waiting to see what Square has in store for them. WhileFinal Fantasy Xdoesn't offer much innovation, it also doesn't disappoint. And fortunately, withFinal Fantasy XIalready in development, the title is still a misnomer.--Andrew S. Bub

Pros:

• Gorgeous graphics
• Epic story line
• Voice acting

• Little innovation
• The voice acting is sometimes laughable

This remake of the GBA original features improved graphics. View larger.

Donald and Goofy will lead you to spectacular adventures. View larger.

You'll meet and get advice from many familiar faces. View larger.

The Prologue
The story begins with Sora, Donald and Goofy wandering through endless fields. Eventually, they come to a crossroad. Standing in the crossroads, Sora gazes up at the night sky and thinks of his lost friends.

From the distance, a mysterious man approaches from one of the roads. "Ahead lies something you need," he says, "but to claim it you must lose something dear." The man vanishes, revealing a single path that leads to the eery Castle Oblivion, which resembles a girl's drawing.

The Story
After this encounter, Sora, Donald, and Goofy go their separate ways. Soon, on a night when his island home is besieged by a mysterious storm, Sora is whisked away to an unfamiliar burg known as Traverse Town. There he meets Donald and Goofy, and learns that there are strange things happening in the world.

Donald and Goofy set off to look for their missing king, and Sora joins them to search for his lost friend, Riku. After a long journey that takes them across numerous worlds, Sora and friends finally find Riku and the lost king. But to save all the worlds, Sora must use his Keyblade to close the door to darkness, even though Riku and the king are on the other side. Believing the king's parting words --there will always be a door to the light-- Sora locks the door, and the trio sets out on yet another journey.

The Characters
The cast of Chain of Memories combines Kingdom Hearts characters with familiar Disney faces. Sora, is a 14-year-old boy and the hero of this tale. Although a little naive, Sora has an uncommon sense of justice. On his journey, Sora is accompanied by Donald, a court wizard who shares a striking resemblance to Donald the Duck of Disney fame, and the clumsy, easy-going captain of the Disney Castle Royal Knights, Goofy.