I played the demo a couple of days ago (and am probably going to go over it a few more times). Personally, I really liked it.
Visually, the 3D looks really great. Of course, it doesn't really hold much of purpose, but it just makes it feel so much more real. The animations are really smooth too. I enjoyed the anime cutscenes as well. With them in, it started to feel almost like an anime show.
I did personally enjoy it just as much as the other games. It's only the first case (and not a whole one, even with that), but from what I can tell, it seems really good. I didn't like that Phoenix's personality has just reverted back to normal, though.
As for mechanics, I really like the mood matrix. I like the idea of questioning peoples emotions. That being said, I didn't really like the way they explained Athena's gift. For Maya, it was explained that she was a spirit medium, then the magatama came in. This is just me being really nitpicky, but if there was something I didn't like. Then it would probably just be that they didn't explain it. Maybe, it'll become clear later.
I tend to feel voice acting is hardly ever brilliant over here, especially in games. I'm not saying I dislike all dubs, there are some amazing ones, but sometimes Western voices in translated Japanese series can come across as corny. That being said, I don't think it's that bad at all. I probably would have preferred the original voice acting, but that's just me. I think Athena's voice suits her character, and it makes sense for Phoenix's voice to be deeper. Anyway, I wonder what the other voices will sound like.
