Inactive Let's reach out to the truth in Persona 4! - Archive links on page 28

[RK47]

XD Hahaueheehahaeuhaee~

OK time to go back to updating my journal.

 

[Hirato]

Just thought you guys would like to know I've cleaned up over 100 portraits, we were at 99 before this update.

Interesting, looks like we have Friday off, I wonder what's up...
It's as good a day as any to save Yukiko really...

Scratch that, something appears to have come up.

Uh, hey, this is Kou.
If you're bored, let's hang out. I'll call up Daisuke too.

Ahhh, I haven't breathed air this bad in a long time.

I know what you mean. I can't relax here...

Is the town you come from as backwater as Inaba then, Hirato?
I bet you had way more to do than go to Junes, though.

Like posting on the Codex

Hey, I like Junes.
It's super convenient, and they've got like everything. That Yosuke dude is hilarious, too.

Huh? What does Yosuke have to do with anything?

Although now that I think about it, aren't you friends with him, Hirato?
The four of us should hang out sometime.

The three of us have a blast in Okina, but alas the day is over all too soon...

Do you wanna go inside the TV tomorrow?
I know you have other stuff to do, but think about exploring, too.

Yay! About time.
We have two choices here, the drama club and the symphonic band. For those of you who've played the game, you should already know I intend to join the latter by the omission of Yumi Ozawa from the poll.

<Chatty girl> You're welcome to join, even if you're already in a sports club. Hmm... Which cultural club should I join?
<Braided girl> Huh? You mean you joined a sports club after all that whining? And now you're trying to join a cultural club!?
<Braided girl> Don't say you're confident just because you wished for luck in your exams!
<Chatty girl> Look, colleges look more at your extracurricular activities than your grades, right?
<Chatty girl> I think I should be joining clubs so I can show that I'm a real team player!

Ohayou, Chie-chan!

Hey, have you been checking the weather reports? It's not gonna be good by the end of the week!

Common sense dictates that the answer is "Yes"... I pick the closest alternative...

...I know! Let's save her!

<Mr. Kondo> Just because it's such nice, warm weather, doesn't mean you have time to be drowsy!
<Mr. Kondo> It's dangerous to fall asleep sometimes, you know that?
<Mr. Kondo> I mean, you could get mugged, or a thief could sneak into your house!
<Mr. Kondo> Hey, Hirato!

<Mr. Kondo> Yup, as Hirato says, mornings are the most dangerous time! You should be ready to react to anything in the morning!
<Mr. Kondo> Hm? You don't care because you're at school by that time?
<Mr. Kondo> ......
<Mr. Kondo> Well, alright! Let's shake the sleepies out with a little endurance training! Line up, ladies and gentlemen!
<Mr. Kondo> Let's take a jog around the school!

Last time I went with the Drama club. Yumi's Social Link was alright.
I'd like to experience Ayane's route as well, so here we are...
Much like the Soccer club, this is all new territory to me.

Okay, no problem!

I kind of regret it already...
Why do you want me to romance her codex? She's not my type!

Oh... Sorry about that.
......? Ummm...
> You told her you're here to join the band.

So shy... so meek...

Oh, okay. Umm, wait right here, please.

Captain! Caaaaptain!

<Band members> Welcome!

Um.. yeah... just some...

<Band captain> Yeah? Can you sight read? We aren't really that good...

sightread: perform music from a score without having seen the score before.

Sounds like a real quality band...

<Band captain> Why don't you stick around and watch for today?
<Band captain> We meet on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
<Band captain> And... Hey, Ayane!
<Band captain> Why don't you introduce yourself to Hirato?

Y-Yes!

Umm, er, my name is Ayane Matsunaga. I'm a first year.
> She seems somewhat embarrassed.

I-I play the trombone. And, uh...

<Band captain> Alright, she'll get you brought up to speed. If you'll excuse me...
<Band captain> Bring it in, guys. Break's over. Let's take it form the top again.

Oh, Senpai... You're still here? It's okay, you can go home!
Oh... I'm sorry! I was supposed to give you the details on our club, wasn't I?
Umm, we meet on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays... er, they already told you that, huh.
We don't take attendance, so you don't have to come if you don't want to. But practice makes perfect, so...
If you keep at it, this is a great way to learn to express yourself!

Though... I'm not the best example of that...

I succumb to the pressures of my codexian peers...

Huh...?
Ummm... N-No, I don't...
......
I-I'm sorry. Y-You caught me off guard...
A-Are people from the city... always that forward...?
......
Oh, I forgot to tell you something!
We do have performances sometimes, usually for hospitals or senior homes.
We aren't a big enough band to enter any competitions...
But people enjoy our performances. We really pour our hearts into our music.
Well... I say "we," but I don't usually play. I take care of all the paperwork around here.
> Her face flushes a bright red.

A-Anyway, I have to tidy up.
Why don't you go on ahead, Senpai?

> Your Understanding has increased.

Huh? Uh, ummm...

Are you some sort of doormat?
She seems shy and meek... maybe that's what we'll help her overcome during the Social Link's progression...

N-No, i-it's okay! It's my responsibility!
So, um, please, don't go out of your way!
Still... It was nice of you to offer.

> Ayane is smiling cheerfully
> You joined the symphonic band and became acquaintances with Ayane Matsunaga.
> It seems Ayane handles even menial tasks with a smile...

> You have established the Ayane Matsunaga Social Link of the Sun Arcana!

Oh, it's already getting dark. Be careful out there, Senpai.

Something in the fridge for a change... this could be amusing...

> ...?
> You think that this used to be red miso, though...
> There is a package of red miso, but it is far past its expiration date.
> ......

> ...
> ......
> .........
> ......
> Your eyes water from the odour...
> ......
> Your throat is burning...
> Your Courage has greatly increased.
> However, you don't feel very well.
> ......
> You decided to go to bed early today...


This is generally how the fridge works.
There may be a meal you can consume, consuming it will generally boost your courage as well as prevent you from taking further action during the current time slot.
There are a few exceptions to those guidelines.

 

[Hirato]

Looks like it's gonna start raining tonight.
*sigh* I've never had to worry about the weather 24/7 like this...

I'm not too sure...
But I can't give up.

Er... Um.... Right... moving on...

<Mrs. Nakayama> Supposedly, it knows how to search the change dispenser of the vending machines. How amazing is that?
<Mrs. Nakayama> Even animals can learn the value of money... I guess I'll have to keep my wallet more secure from now on.
<Mrs. Nakayama> Students, at your age might not understand, but money is very important! You can't do anything without it!
<Mrs. Nakayama> And you know, smarts don't guarantee wealth.
<Mrs. Nakayama> ...Anyway, I guess I should do what they pay me for and lecture you.
<Mrs. Nakayama> Let's see, we left off talking about the properties of whole numbers...
<Mrs. Nakayama> Oh, here's an interesting one. A natural number that's half the sum of its positive divisors is called...?
<Mrs. Nakayama> Come on, look at the third page of the handout. What's the answer, class?

Huh? I can't find my handout...

I never knew...
Guess I was too busy deriving/integrating functions, graphing them, solving for y = 0 and 2D and 3D vectors, matrices and assorted other crap...

<Mrs. Nakayama> Right, a perfect number. Satonaka-san, please come pick up an extra handout if you don't have one.
<Mrs. Nakayama> Now, about these perfect numbers... The first one is 6, then 28... Then we jump to 496, and the next one is 8128.
<Mrs. Nakayama> For your information, no perfect number that is also an odd have been found yet. That's why these numbers are so special.
<Mrs. Nakayama> Anyway, let's move on. This is the Mersenne Prime. It's really quite...

Ooops, I guess she saw me...

But... thanks, Hirato-kun!

> Chie appreciates you!
> Your Expression has significantly increased.

The whole team seems a little restless lately...
...Well, let's get practice over with.

Oh, Senpai. I just wanted to remind you that we have practice today.
I think we'll all be playing together, so it should be a lot of fun.

This this is the last chance we'll have before the rainy period, I opt to attend soccer practice.
Sounds like something big is going down too... Not quite so much with our kouhai in the music club...

<P.E. teacher> Now you guys won't have to take turns doing all the work anymore. You can thank me later!
<P.E. teacher> Go on, introduce yourself.

...Ai Ebihara.

Schmucks...

......

<P.E. teacher> Great! You can take it from here. I'm going home!

Looks like I and Daisuke are the only ones with a modicum of sense...

I'm gonna tell you guys straight up, I'm not lifting a finger for this team.
I wouldn't be caught dead watching out for a bunch of sweaty guys.

<Soccer player> What? Then why did you--

I've missed too many days of school. But they'll let me move up if I manage a team.
But don't expect me to put any effort into it. For the most part, I'm not even gonna be here.
Well, seeya. Or not.

She's totally after Daisuke though, we should take care to romance him before she does...
I'm just joking... He wouldn't date her!

<Soccer player> Oh well. I guess Ai-san won't be doing our laundry, huh?
<Soccer player> Tch, why are you showing her so much respect? She's the same age as us.
<Soccer player> Dude, just let me fantasise about her in peace, alright?
<Soccer player> No way! Her!?

<Soccer player> Hey daisuke, think you'd go for a chick like Ai-san?

Not in a million years.

I don't like her either bro, but the Codex wants me to romance her...

<Soccer player> Really? I mean, yeah, she's got major issues, but don't you think she's kinda hot?

Not really...

...Girls annoy me.

You want to talk about it, Daisuke?

<Soccer player> They do? How 'about guys, then?
<Soccer player> Knock it off!
<Soccer player> Weren't you dating back in middle school, bro?

......

<Soccer player> Ohhh, I get it. You've got higher standards now, huh?
<Soccer player> Must be nice to be so popular than you can get any chick you want! Us "normal" guys couldn't possibly understand...

Whatever... Girls are a pain in the ass, right, Hirato?

I recall Chie's impulsiveness during our initial trip to Yukiko's castle as well as the events of the Cultural Festival and our trip to the Amagi Inn from my previous playthrough...

Brownie points scored...

Yeah, you see where I'm comin' from?

Girls don't even talk to me, but they're always coming up and asking me out.
What do they know about me?
......

Let's do this!

Hm...
Haha. Sure, let's do it.

> After practice, you cleaned up and went home.

What's wrong, Senpai...? You weren't at rehearsal today...

 

[felipepepe]

What's wrong, Senpai...? You weren't you at rehearsal today...

I'm so glad now I always skipped those classes to work at the hospital...

 

[Hirato]

I'm so glad now I always skipped those classes to work at the hospital...

Work late at the Hospital; For the courage to face your dreams!
and I just noticed a typo...

I just thought I'd shop a 'Shadow' version of Ayane for the dream.
I overlaid Shadow Chie's smile onto her, and applied a few gradients to give it a similar look as the others (I probably missed a few).
Worked out pretty well...

 

[Crooked Bee]

Yeah, nice shop.

 

[MaroonSkein]

The infinite pain in his eyes... Unfortunate strap-on experience?

 

[Mrowak]

Boy, this social links nonsense drags forever. I know that his stuff is necessary to get all the upgrades and boosts, but it's Couldn't we just go on with the gameplay?

Apart from that - I ordered the copy of the game (should be here by Wednesday). Any tips how to make a successful build on your first playthrough (yeah, including that social links stuff)?

 

[MaroonSkein]

Boy, this social links nonsense drags forever. I know that his stuff is necessary to get all the upgrades and boosts, but it's Couldn't we just go on with the gameplay?

Apart from that - I ordered the copy of the game (should be here by Wednesday). Any tips how to make a successful build on your first playthrough (yeah, including that social links stuff)?

There's really no such thing as a build in Persona 4. All your stats except the HP and SP pools are derived from the currently equipped persona. I prefer to have 6 personas on the main character at all times, one of each element. I don't use personas focused on physical damage because they don't see much action outside of boss fights and take forever to level up. When a persona learns every skill it can, I register it at the compendium and fuse it into another persona of the same element. During fusion, I make sure that the new persona inherits passive skills that increase the elemental damage output (Boost and Amp) and those that improve its elemental resistances. For bosses, I usually fuse a persona that resists the boss' most powerful attacks and has as many -kaja and -nda spells as possible. Works for me.

As for social links, it's entirely possible to max them all out in one playthrough. The important thing to note is that the Strength, Temperance, Devil, Tower and Sun links improve your social stats (required for unlocking other links), so you should give them a priority. Think twice before buying new armor. It doesn't reduce the damage of magic attacks (which is what you'll get hit with most of the time), and money saved can be spent on recovering your SP. This can buy you several days.

EDIT: Yeah, and if you have a persona of the same arcanum when advancing a social link, all disposition increases will be higher than usual. You want that bonus.

 

[Hirato]

Some of the Social Links are also required to unlock additional ones.
Devil and Strength and probably the most notable in that regard.
So you should aim to get at least some ranks in all of them.

 

[Hirato]

My file manager apparently doesn't understand that when I go into a directory and press CTRL-A followed by CTRL-C, I WANT IT TO COPY FUCKING EVERYTHING, not completely ignore it and paste the previous item(s) that was in the copy buffer if I was to press CTRL-V elsewhere...
Jesus Fucking Christ...
most of the screenshots I wasn't going to use for the first half are irretrievably lost - I cannot transcribe them
I am seriously doing all future file system manipulation via the command line...

All my saves and savestates are beyond this part so there's no regenerating them without replaying the game, so the first half of this update is going to be really terse.
I'm relying on my memory to fill in some moments of dialogue, so it'll probably be full of delusions and errors as well...

So mad....
Oh well, gives some of you a reason to play the game...

Her Social Link will not be established right now.
It involves truancy and will be resolved at a later date.

Ai's Arcana is that of the Moon...
I go prepared for future events.

With nothing better to do, we go to the TV world today...

As previously mentioned, we can reenter dungeons at the last level we reached, this happens to be the 8th floor where the Boss is.

I knew it! There's two of them!

The surprise guests from earlier?
My 3 princes have arrived!

Is this that "scoring a hot stud" thing?

Am I... a prince?

No way! That has got to be me!

Doubt it...

When it comes down to it, Chie's just not good enough.
She's strong and kind, but she will never take me away from this place!

All the managerial training, the historical Amagi Inn... I am just so sick of this bullshit!

I wait day and night for my prince to come...
Someone to take me away; anywhere but here!
To some place where nobody knows me!
Isn't that right, me?

N-No...

She absorbs fire damage, and takes normal damage from ice and wind attacks.
The Persona I'm wielding was more to resist her attacks than attack her.
I'll mainly be using sukukaja and support items as opposed to offensive abilities.

This fellow is weak to ice and heals Yukiko with Dairama.
Making it ideal to take care of him first...
He opens up with an ability that raises his hit/evasion.

Yosuke Strike, Yosuke's "Follow up" attack.
It proved largely ineffective, so I opt not to use it again for the remainder of the fight, preferring to use the 1more to inflict Dizzy.

The ability of Chie's Fire Suppressor accessory in action.

Yosuke got a critical...

We make him dizzy so he won't bother us for a little while.

Shadow Yukiko uses an ability named Double Fang quite a lot, it does two strikes of roughly similar damages.

He inflicted fear upon Yosuke... bugger...
I don't have a means of removing it at present either...

This seems to be a sort of team up thing with the Prince, where she uses Shivering Rondo on whoever is inflicted with fear.

She destroys him...

It's best to heal these status effects as soon as possible, seriously.

She uses Shivering Rondo again...

And again... This time hitting him for a lot of damage and dispelling Fear...

A fire attack obviously... This and agi is why we're wearing fire suppressors or Personas resistant to fire...
Especially for Chie as she's weak to that affinity.

Poor Yosuke... I revive him.

Chie deals the finishing blow...

And the fight is over! Yay!

Normal transcription mode resumes in a little bit...

You had everything that I didn't... That jealousy was like a wall, and I was so lonely...!
I was always jealous of you, Yukiko
I wanted you to need me... But it was me who needed you.
I can't do anything on my own...
I've caused so much trouble for Yosuke and the others.
If you weren't by my side, I... I wouldn't know what to do...

Chie...
I never saw the real you either...
I was too busy trying to find an easy way out.

"I want to run away..." "I want someone to save me..." You're right, those feelings are part of me, too.
I understand now... You're me.

Yukiko obtained her Persona, Konohana Sakuya.

Yukiko!

Yes, I'm just a little tired...

You all came to rescue me...?

Of course!

Thank you...

Don't even mention it. I'm just so glad you're safe...

Hehe... Right on.

So, who threw you in here?

Huh...? Who are you?
Rather... What are you?

I'm Teddie! So, who threw you in?

I don't know...
I think... someone called my name...
But my memory's a blur. I can't remember who it was... I'm sorry, um... Teddie.

No new clues...

Not necessarily. Now we know for sure that someone threw Yukiko-san in here.

Hrmm...

> Chie and Yosuke turn to face him.

N-No no no no no! Absolutely not!

You little... You're one lying sack of honey...

Anyways, let's hurry back home. Yukiko looks exhausted...
Thanks again, Teddie!

Huh? Wait, you're leaving me here?

Leaving you? What're you talking about? You live here.

Well... yeah, but...

So be a good boy and wait here until then.

R-Raaawr!

My, it's getting crowded here. Why don't you and I go somewhere else...?
C'mon... Pretty please?

Gah... You're giving me the creeps! That's it, you're stuck here for the rest of your life!

I'm sorry, but... I don't remember anything...

Well, no worries! You're safe, and that's more than enough.

But there's no mistake that Yukiko-san was... um...
...attacked... the same way as the last two victims.

And I think the one we saw on the Midnight Channel wasn't the real Yukiko-san, but her Shadow.
Maybe the things Yukiko-san was suppressing in this world took form in the TV...?

You know, Teddie was saying something like that...

Awww, it's no use. I'm just going round and round in circles.

What kinda person could be doing this?

Wait, can't we talk more about this some other time?
Yukiko really needs to get some rest. I'll take her home.

Oh, that's right... Sorry. Yukiko-san must be exhausted.

> You were able to rescue Yukiko safely.
> But this case's mysteries have deepened even further...
> For now, you should wait for Yukiko to recover.

Um... hello...

Hi there.

We got off work at the same time, so I'm giving him a ride back to his place. And I thought we might as well swing by.

Nice to meet ya. I'm Adachi, the guy who's been your dad's slave since spring.

I can still work you harder, you know.

Haha, good one, Sir! Ha... ha...
> He notices me.

Oh hey, you're Amagi-san's friend right?

Yeah, for us on the force too.

But this doesn't mean the case is closed, though.

We were just questioning Ms. Amagi, but she says she doesn't remember anything that happened while she was missing.
And we can't figure out her whereabouts during the missing period, either. It's like she really disappeared.

It's all pretty fishy, if you ask me... Like there's something else going on...

Ow!

Stop blabbering, dumbass!

Such foul language in front of Nanako! The nerve!

S-Sorry...

Don't worry. The police aren't common hayseeds who believe everything they hear.
He's just muttering to himself. Don't take it seriously.

I'm hungry.

Hey, you're right. My stomach's growling too.

Hahaha, so you do have a softer side around Nanako-chan, Sir.

Shut up and siddown... And wash those hands first!

Hm, I should do the same...
> Dinner promises to be lively for once...


Hmm... I think I'll redo some of Ryotaru's and Nanako's portraits...

 

[Crooked Bee]

Longing for a prince to come can do you no good. True story.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

That's right. Princes are gentlemen and will not come before the lady does.

-

 

[Hirato]

> The rain doesn't seem to be letting up this morning...

Hey hey! Yukiko told me that she'll be able to come to school again in two days!

I-It's not like I'm saying it just because you landed the killing blow or anything! A-Aho baka!
In all honesty, the other answer is just too stuck up...

C'mon, you know it's because all three of us did our best.
......
Actually, more like the three of us, and one animal-thingy...?

There's nothing better to do at present so I head to music rehearsal... only to realise I lack a Persona of the Sun Arcana...
I grab the weakest one I have and attend practice.
As previously mentioned, having a Persona of the respective Social Link's arcana boosts all interactions with those in said Link.

<Band captain> Cut, cut, cut!
<Band captain> The trombone is flat. Is that you again, Ayane?

I-I'm sorry!

<Band captain> Alright. Let's see what we can do about the tempo in that second movement...

> You attended band rehearsal.
> You played your trumpet with passion...
> Your Expression has significantly increased.

You have such a great tone! I guess you weren't kidding when you said you'd played before.
> Her face is flushed momentarily...

Oh, sorry, I know that doesn't mean much coming from someone like me.
I was sticking out again today...

Honestly? I have no idea...
We haven't actually heard them play.

Huh? Y-You really think so? I guess I'll just have to keep at it, then...
> Ayane smiles happily.

Oh, but... we have another trombone player here.
Takeru-senpai. He's really good, so he always gets picked for the performances.
That's why I've never gone to one. But it doesn't matter, I can't play in front of an audience anyway.

I'm sorry... I shouldn't bother you with all this. I better get this place picked up so I can go home.

Cleanup duty again? And why do you apologise so much?
Naturally, being the monocled codexian gentleman, I lend our kouhai a hand...

Huh? Uh, ummm...
Thank you so much... I'm sorry, you really shouldn't have to do this...
> Ayane looks apologetic.
> You feel Ayane's kindness toward you...

Oh my, it's already getting dark.

Alright, let's do it!

Oh my, Tuesday and Wednesday off...
Could this be the infamous "Golden Week."

> Today is Showa Day, so you have the day off from school.
> All you can do it wait for Yukiko's recovery.

Shōwa Day (昭和の日 Shōwa no hi) is a Japanese annual holiday held on April 29. It honors the birthday of the Shōwa Emperor (Hirohito), the reigning Emperor from 1926 to 1989. The purpose of the holiday is to encourage public reflection on the turbulent 63 years of Hirohito's reign.

Today kind of sucks... There is nothing to do outside apart from eating at Aiya, but my Social Attributes are already maxed out.
On rainy days there's a "Mega Beef Bowl", which will boost 3 of them slightly, costs a fair bit of Yen though.
The only other option for today is doing one of our desk related jobs... with plenty of money I opt for folding cranes...

> You carefully and precisely folded cranes for a person you have never met...

Disclaimer: Results may vary...

> You empty your mind and let your hands fold paper by themselves. Before you know it, you have made a mountain.
> The bundle of cranes has not been completed... You'll have to continue next time.

<Weather announcer> Due to the weekend rainfall, clear skies seem unlikely in the area.
<Weather announcer> A think fog is expected to set in tonight and remain until tomorrow morning, with heaviest concentration in the Inaba area.
<Weather announcer> Anyone planning to go out tonight should take care. Now for our hourly weather breakdown...

More fog, huh...? There's been a lot of that lately. Hopefully it's not a sign of more trouble...
> Nanako changes the channel.

Ah-ah-ah. What did I say about changing the channel without asking?

<Commercial> Have a great day even during Golden Week at your local Junes!
<Commercial> Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!
<Commercial> Every day's great at your Junes!

I guess the upcoming holiday really is golden week...

Dad! They're going to be open during Golden Week!

Haha, I heard. Do you want to go somewhere during the long holiday?

We can go somewhere!?

It's not like there's anyone besides Teddie inside the TV world right now...

Then let's all go somewhere together!
Junes! Junes-Junes-Junes!

You're sure you want to go to Junes? We can go there anytime...

Come on, girl, time for bed. It's late.

Alright...

Every day's great at your Junes!

> Since Yukiko has been rescued, it seems the killer was thwarted this time...
> Meawhile... at the fog-shrouded shopping district...

This is the last one for this page, it's starting to get a little crowded.

 

[Majestic47]

Boy, this social links nonsense drags forever. I know that his stuff is necessary to get all the upgrades and boosts, but it's Couldn't we just go on with the gameplay?

Apart from that - I ordered the copy of the game (should be here by Wednesday). Any tips how to make a successful build on your first playthrough (yeah, including that social links stuff)?

There's really no such thing as a build in Persona 4. All your stats except the HP and SP pools are derived from the currently equipped persona. I prefer to have 6 personas on the main character at all times, one of each element. I don't use personas focused on physical damage because they don't see much action outside of boss fights and take forever to level up. When a persona learns every skill it can, I register it at the compendium and fuse it into another persona of the same element. During fusion, I make sure that the new persona inherits passive skills that increase the elemental damage output (Boost and Amp) and those that improve its elemental resistances. For bosses, I usually fuse a persona that resists the boss' most powerful attacks and has as many -kaja and -nda spells as possible. Works for me.

As for social links, it's entirely possible to max them all out in one playthrough. The important thing to note is that the Strength, Temperance, Devil, Tower and Sun links improve your social stats (required for unlocking other links), so you should give them a priority. Think twice before buying new armor. It doesn't reduce the damage of magic attacks (which is what you'll get hit with most of the time), and money saved can be spent on recovering your SP. This can buy you several days.

EDIT: Yeah, and if you have a persona of the same arcanum when advancing a social link, all disposition increases will be higher than usual. You want that bonus.

What's funny is I already accepted that this whole Persona thing is tied with the social stuff. Hence...you want gameplay? That IS the gameplay.
Reminds me of grinding social points in Sims to get promoted, but less inane.

 

[MaroonSkein]

What's funny is I already accepted that this whole Persona thing is tied with the social stuff. Hence...you want gameplay? That IS the gameplay.
Reminds me of grinding social points in Sims to get promoted, but less inane.

Not really. The mastery of fusion, the knowledge of how to pass certain skills to specific personas is the gameplay. Social links just make the process easier by giving fused personas extra levels and, by extension, extra skills.

 

[spekkio]

Call me an oldfag but by the looks of it I prefer main SMT games to Persona games. This social bullshit gives me a headache. Gimme back my good old saute dungeon crawlin'!

 

[Black]

Call me an oldfag but by the looks of it I prefer main SMT games to Persona games. This social bullshit gives me a headache. Gimme back my good old saute dungeon crawlin'!

Be quiet and do an LP of Psychonauts.

 

[Hirato]

spekkio
Persona 4 is very much a storyfag game, hence the focus on plot and character development, of which a lot of this is done via the Social Links.
I wouldn't actively recommend it to people who don't place some significance on those points, as the dungeon crawling is frankly quite boring.

As you yourself have mentioned, the main series as well as some of other spinoffs may be more to your taste if you simply want to do some old fashioned dungeon crawling.
From what I've seen, SMT:Nocturne is quite well received on the codex.
I've played it briefly and I can attest that it's very light on story and character development and is pretty much full on dungeon crawling after the introductory sequence.

If there's enough interest, I can do a blind LP once I'm done here.

 

[spekkio]

I've played SMT3 having great fun and it was LPed already by Lestat. but you can always continue with Persona 3 after this one...

 

[Crooked Bee]

We really need an LP of Devil Survivor as well as a completed one of Strange Journey. (No mercy to Black Cat for having abandoned it! The one at SA sucks.) I'd gladly do a DS LP myself if only I had the time and talent required.

 

[Hirato]

I'll think I'll pass on Persona 3.
While I don't mind having teenaged protagonists, whiny ones get on my nerves. Based on P3's reputation, I fear that's what I'll find.


Devil Survivor and Strange Journey appear to be for the Nintendo DS, a system I'm not particularly interested in, so I'll probably pass.
There does appear to be an emulator I can use (desmune). I'll let you know if I have any interest in picking up either of them.


also
inb4 page 8

 

[Crooked Bee]

Page 8?

Oh yes indeed.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

You had a dream that you and Yosuke were wearing luchador masks and wrestling...

Another one? You might want to add Yosuke to the poll...

 

[Majestic47]

What's wrong, Senpai...? You weren't you at rehearsal today...

I'm so glad now I always skipped those classes to work at the hospital...

.......*looks at poll* ... XD

EDIT: why did u set the poll as multiple choice allowed anyway?