It's the end of another year, and that can only mean one thing: it's list season. Inevitably, you're going to see top ten lists by the thousands; and, as an official member of the enthusiast press, I'm afraid I can't violate my directive. But, to make things a little more interesting, I've decided to assemble my 10 favorite games of this year in non-hierarchical form because--let's face facts--it's hard to pick a favorite. And unlike other top 10 lists, this one will be doled out to you in piecemeal over the next several excruciating days! Please enjoy.
I really didn't know what to expect when I picked up Persona 3: FES; I was initially drawn to the game by its budget price of 30 bucks, and the fact that I was about to have a lot of free time on my hands. My brief flirtations with the Shin Megami Tensei series usually ended in frustration--chalk that up to the fact that I only started messing around with the franchise with SMT: Nocturne, which was notoriously difficult. But Persona 3 was a pleasant surprise, aside from its typically slow JRPG start where you're not actually allowed to do anything for several hours. I wasted over 100 hours of my late spring/early summer 2008 time on this game, but that's really nothing to be ashamed of; Persona is a pretty good way to waste your life.
I've been doing my best to avoid Persona 4; as I've blogged in the past, I know that it'll take up most of my well-deserved multiple-week break from academia. But, since writing that initial post, I've been growing weaker and weaker. And I know what's going to happen. The rational part of my brain will say, "Yes, but you still need to finish the bonus content of Persona 3!" Then, after succumbing to my desires, Ol' Mr. Rational will spout, "But Bobbbbb, it's an Atlus game! You need to get a copy before you can't get one at all anymore!" Then, when my copy arrives in the mail, I'll say, "Hey, no harm in checking it out for just a few minutes, right?"
In other words, please stay tuned for my Best of 2009 list, where Persona 4 will undoubtedly make an appearance.
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