Shin Megami Tensei - Persona 4 (USA) ISO

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is a console role-playing game (RPG) for Sony's PlayStation 2. Chronologically the sixth installment in the Persona series, Persona 4 is a suspenseful countryside murder mystery with multiple twists and turns in the plot that will have you guessing all the way to the end.
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.
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.
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.
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.
 

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is a Japanese role-playing game from Atlus. It was released in 2008 in Japan and 2009 everywhere else. It is the second Persona game released on the PlayStation 2, however you do not need to play Persona 3 (or any of the others) to enjoy Persona 4 - every Persona game has its own story.

Shortly after moving to a small countryside town known as Inaba to live with your uncle for a year, you hear of a rumour that looking into a TV at midnight will reveal your soulmate. Then a series of murders happen that seem to be connected to the rumour. After you and your friends discover that you have an ability called "Persona", you set out to investigate the murders, which leads you to a world inside the TV. Inside the mysterious TV world are Shadows, which must be defeated to save more people from being murdered.

The game was released to critical acclaim, earning a perfect score from Wired magazine, 90 on Metacritic, and 5th place on The 15 Best Games Since 2000 list published by USgamer.

First Persona franchise I ever played. Also the best not considering the new title to be released. Got hooked instantly.

Game play: 5/5, As if a turn based RPG had a loved child with dating sim. Although the fight sequence has a weird rock-paper-scissor scheme the sim sequence is very immersive.

New Game Incentive: 5/5, you'll be sinking a lot gaming time with this tittle considering there is a lot to unlock and multiple endings.

Graphics: 4/5, combines anime cut scenes with over all 3D game play.

Sounds: 5/5, the most LOS causing soundtrack and sounds. Very anime, such remix, much wow!

Persona 4 is an amazing JRPG for the PS2. 
As an exchange student you arrive at Inaba, a small town where mysterious murders are happening.
In this somewhat quirky game with it´s unique humor your task is to investigate to find out who is behind these murders.

Between the investigations you´re living the live of a highschool student trying to find new friends, struggling to pass exams and wandering around town.

There are funny scenes like when you´re on your school trip and the characters are quite interesting too.

A playthrough takes about 30-40 hours and is very well worth it in my opinion.

Persona 4 is regarded by many as the best installment of the series. It may not be the best of the bunch (that honor goes to Persona 3 FES) but it certainly is the most accessible.

You play as Lifeless RPG Protagonist #5924 (commonly referred to by his canon names Yu Narukami or Souji Seta) who moves out to the small rural Japanese town of Inaba, after his parents move away on work-related matters. For the next year or so, Mr Protag is forced on a wild ride through a murder mystery where victims are thrown through their television sets into an alternate universe. He, alongside a goof-troop of 'wacky' characters who also have the same 'Persona' power as him, decide to solve it by venturing into the TV world, slogging through dungeons and grinding like hell to level up enough for boss fights, all to find out who the true murderer is.

Of course, you don't spend your entire time inside the TV. There's also a bunch of other pointless but otherwise satisfyingly time-wasting tasks and quests to enjoy in the normal world. You can spend your time folding envelopes, cleaning hospitals, washing dishes at the local bar, eating meat bowls until your stomach bursts, proceeding to continue eating meat bowls, talking with strange foxes that deal 'medicinal' herbs and probably a bunch of other things that are as boring and mundane as they actually sound.

If all that sounds interesting to you, then this is probably the game for you. Then again, you're probably better off playing the updated port, Persona 4 Golden, for your PS Vita or PS TV. If your wallet isn't quite as deep, however, then you'll probably enjoy the original PS2 version all the same.

Persona 4 is also available fairly cheaply on the PSN store as well as in animated form if a 50+ hour dungeon crawler/dating sim isn't your fancy.