'Persona 3' releases your inner demon

— -- If you like a little gothic horror in your life, try Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3

Atlus' new role playing game (RPG) for the PS2 opens with a scene of bustling city streets. A blue-haired high school boy steps from a train just as the clock ticks midnight and time stops. He makes his way to his newly-assigned dorm, passing coffins and stepping in blood-reflected puddles. Once inside, he signs a contract to bear responsibility for his actions and thus he unknowingly takes on the fate of humanity.

Every night at midnight, time stops for everyone but your blue-haired protagonist, a handful of high school allies and an army of demons. These demons, or Shadows, prey on your frozen-in-time neighbors. It is up to you and your allies to return the small world to a sweeter, demon-less status before the end of the year.

Back to school

Like nearly every other RPG, your actions are driven by stats and victories. Yet, only half of Persona 3 is spent fighting. Your character passes much of the game inside Gekkoukan High, making friends, failing midterms and listening (or not) to boring professors.

Really, it's not that bad. Your character breezes through the school day by skipping uneventful lunch periods and classes. (Time only slows when necessary, and for the most part it's worth reliving painful grade-school memories.) By listening to your peers complain about life's Catch-22s, you open dozens of stat-enhancing side quests. Even if you're not a fan of reliving your high school days, the relationships you create and maintain are always well-rewarded.

During the Dark Hour

The real action occurs, however, during the Dark Hour. You return to school only to find it transformed into the taller, darker Tartarus Tower. To fight the Shadows, your allies shoot themselves in the head to evoke pent-up guardian forces — an action guaranteed to floor you at first sight and the main culprit of the game's "Mature" rating. You can choose to use up all four character slots or to go it alone. Combat features amusing tactics that shake up the monotony of turn-based systems. My favorite, the "all out attack," sends all allies at the enemy in a chaotic cloud of flailing bodies and comic-esque 'WHAM's and 'THUMP's.