An absolutely phenomenal game that's worth the full price tag. This game features a wonderful story, really great characters, lots of polish, and banging music.

Is this game better than Persona 5 Royal?

Well, it has the improvements of being a newer game, but the social links of the two are implemented differently; since this game is a remake of Persona 3, the social links are really for meeting characters and fleshing out the world, and the benefits they offer you are more indirect in the form of bonuses when creating personas of that social link's arcana. Whereas in P5R, there are abilities and mechanics that are unlocked by spending time with other people. That isn't to say those mechanics aren't in the game, just know that they aren't necessarily coming from bonds.

It's disappointing that the Answer was separated out into it's own DLC instead of belonging to the higher purchase tiers, especially considering the language originally made it seem like the Premium would include that release.

EDIT: I've just completed the game, coming in at around 112 hours for a near 100% playthrough (an optional fight was going to take probably 4 more hours for me to prepare for and I was thinking I just needed to finish it). Typically, I rate games on the below scale:

Bronze Star: I recommend playing this if you're a fan of the genre.
Silver Star: I recommend playing this if you're a fan of video games.
Gold Star: I recommend anyone play this, regardless of their experience with video games.

This game has a lot of depth for those that want it, but it's also accessible. Most important of all, however, is a story that will resonate with anyone that plays it through to the end.

Silver Star.