Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

sadly, this game is a major let-down when compared to it's predecessor. it had great ideas - fixing a lot of the gameplay's major flaws from the first entry, introducing a new cast of adults (a unique feat never done again until this day on the franchise), more mature tones.

but in the execution it's where the game falls short. the story is rushed, frankly, seems incomplete sometimes, the characters are bland because they (mostly) never receive any development (maya herself is one of the biggest waste of potential i've ever seen in my entire life).

still, the characters themselves are pretty funny and carry the piano of the game throughout the whole duration. having a cast of adults is pretty neat, atlus should try that again, honestly.

By comparison, Persona II: Eternal Punishment is a disappointment. While a few flaws in Innocent Sin's combat have been addressed - and the new cast of characters are less dramatic/more grounded, the story is much less interesting, and often wanders into the stereotyped, convoluted territory longer than it should. There exists entertaining moments, sobering themes, and a few memorable characters (Baofu is easily the standout), but nothing that matches the extent of its predecessor.