Several pages from this week’s Famitsu have appeared on the web a day early, bringing with them exciting news concerning Atlus’s Persona series.  Two titles were detailed — one of which was recently hinted — the other, a total surprise.  Let’s get right into it, then.

Persona 4: The Golden for PS Vita (more screens at Famitsu)

The updated title doesn’t make a lick of sense (Golden Theater?) but hey, I can live with an enhanced port of Persona 4 for the Vita.  Here are the changes to the Vita version noted in Famitsu:

• Will feature a new opening movie with new music by Shoji Meguro (who else?)
• Compared to the PS2 version, there is approximately 1.5 times the voice acting
• Players may use the Vita’s online functionality to request aid when in trouble in a dungeon
• Like Persona 3: FES or P3P, this update will also feature new scenarios

Atlus has stated that they have listened to those who played the original and will be implementing changes that those players requested.  We can expect more information on this soon.  The game is scheduled to be released next summer in Japan.

The biggest known addition at this time is a new character named Marie:

I am not sure whether Marie is an S-Link character or one who will join the cast on their dungeon exploits. All we can do now is marvel at her character design and wait for more info.

Naturally, I am excited for this.  Persona 4 was a fantastic game (I would go so far to say I prefer it to Persona 3).  An updated version on a new system is a classy way to execute a port, and for that I applaud Atlus.  As it stands, this title will make its way onto my growing list of PS Vita must-haves.  I would like to tell you that I am being a discerning consumer — saving my money until I know the full extent of the game’s updates… but that would just be lying to both of us.

Next up is the move from Atlus that no one foresaw, except maybe whoever drew this:

Persona 4 The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena (more at Famitsu)

That’s right: a fighting game featuring characters from Persona.  I am honestly shocked this wasn’t even so much as a rumor until now.  Atlus kept this secret very well — and so did Arc System Works, who will be helping when it comes to development.  You may be familiar with Arc System Works if you are a fan of BlazBlue and/or Guilty Gear — both excellent 2D fighters in their own right.  It has been confirmed that the same team who worked on BlazBlue will be working on this project as well.

The game will be released initially for arcade in Japan next spring, then trickle onto both the PS3 and Xbox 360 for the summer.  Confirmed characters at this time include:

• Narukami Yuu (Persona 4’s protagonist) with Izanagai
• Chie Satonaka with Tomoe
• Yousuke Hanamura with Jirae
• Aegis with Athena

Character can be seen attacking both with their personae and with weapons.  The protagonist wields a katana.

Here are some basic shots (click here for the whole thing):

The game’s story takes place 2 months after the events of Persona 4.  Apparently Kuma (or Teddie) sponsors or organizes the “P-1 Grand Prix” television show.  I would assume this all occurs in the mayonaka TV or midnight channel.  How or why he gets them to agree is beyond me, but I generally don’t look too hard for a story from my fighting games.  Here is Kuma’s updated appearance:

If this weren’t enough, Atlus has confirmed that the Persona team (formally working on Catherine) is now being organized for Persona 5.  This isn’t really worth getting too excited for — I wouldn’t count on anything concerning Persona 5 for a while.

So, there you have it.  Two exciting new titles on the horizon from Atlus.  I want them both.  I want them yesterday.  I will even settle for tomorrow if I absolutely must.

But in all seriousness, this is some impressive ingenuity from a company who has proven that even during tough times for the industry, they can continue to innovate and do it right.

Yesterday Atlus launched a mysterious teaser site featuring only the above logo. The colors, font choice, and foreshortening effect all conjure up memories of Persona 4.  It doesn’t even seem like Atlus really wants to cover up this fact.  That could be because (assuming this teaser is in fact for Persona 4) the big question remains: what system?

Look familiar?  Oh, but the case is capitalized…

Here are the obvious theories, all of which are completely based on personal opinions and nothing else:

• Persona 4 PSP port: While totally possible this seems late in the game considering Vita on the horizon.  P3P rocked my world, but it doesn’t seem like Atlus to give both games the same treatment with all the more advanced hardware out there.
• Persona 4 Vita port: NIS has announced a port of Disgaea 3, so perhaps Atlus is following suit.  The processing power and graphics capabilities of the Vita could definitely handle a straight port, possibly with some decent enhancements or new features.  I can has female MC option? With Tokyo Game Show on the horizon, this seems like the kind of game that would attract some attention…
• Persona 4 HD for PS3: Definitely a possibility.  Slap some trophies on there, plus some FES-ish features and I am confident most fans would be willing to double dip.  But something tells me the game is destined for the portable world…
• Persona 4 3DS port: This is certainly the wild card of the bunch, but it’s not altogether impossible.  Imagine Persona 4’s stylized interface coming at you in stereoscopic 3D…  And while the Persona series has been faithful to Sony, Atlus has proven they aren’t afraid to get into bed with Nintendo with the Devil Survivor franchise.

So there you have it.  All the most realistic possibilities under the assumption that this teaser site is in fact for a Persona 4 port.  Personally I would be up for any of these options, I just want to know what Atlus has in store for us in terms of enhancements for the port.  As polished as Persona 4 was, it’s hard to imagine where they can improve it.  Expect more information as we get closer to Tokyo Game Show!

Atlus is continuing to create new “game characters collections” via MegaHouse.  The next title to have its characters forever immortalized in adorable phone strap figures is Persona 2.  This is especially relevant with the release of Persona 2 Innocent Sin scheduled for early next month.

There are 8 characters in total (1 of which is secret).  They include (from left to right):

• Jun Kurosu
• Ekichi Mishina
• Lisa Silverman
• Tatsuya Suou
• Trish
• Maya Amano
• Yukino Mayuzumi

I am a huge fan of these little figures, mostly because they are relatively affordable and cute.  However, they aren’t very durable: the body of my Aegis figure broke off from her head recently.  Now I just have a robot head chained to my PSP Go since I am too lazy to track down a glue strong enough to re-adhere it.

For the Persona 2 set, a box of 9 blind boxes can be pre-ordered at Ami-ami for around $42.00 USD.  As shipping goes by weight, you can hopefully get away without paying too much.  You can check out more detailed images of each figure here.  According to MegaHouse, this set is scheduled to be released sometime in November, giving you plenty of time to start Persona 2 Innocent Sin and learn who all these  characters actually are.

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All OMG Toys posts can be found here.

I never thought I would see the day when a post would require me to use both the “Persona” and “Pokémon” tags. Well, that day has come. While browsing Pixiv I stumbled upon a user named Elle (エル), who is not only a prolific artist but happens to love Persona 4.  Amongst their work I found this collection of Persona 4 X Pokémon profile art.  Not only does each image perfectly capture the stylish menus of Persona 4, but the skills and elements of each pokémon are likewise translated into the world of Persona.

For instance, Gardevoir, pictured above, is weak to mudo or death skills, which we can relate to the dark element in Pokémon.  Her skills are a blend of healing (recarm, sama recarm), hama skills, and almighty (megido, etc.)  Stats-wise she is as much a glass cannon in the world of Persona as that of Pokémon — her agility and intelligence are off the charts while endurance is very low.  Finally, she is of the Temperance arcana generally associated with healing and angels.  Bravo to Elle for his/her artistic eye and creative, RPG-driven mind.  If any gifted individuals wish to continue the trend, I humbly request the following pokémon: Kecleon, Shedinja, Crustle, and Emolga.  Here are the remaining profiles with some bits translated. Enjoy!

Pokémon: Milotic
Arcana: Priestess
Elements: Strong against ice, normal, and fire.  Weak to electricity.
Skills: Bufudyne, Mediarahan, Boost Ice

Pokémon: Togetic
Arcana: Justice
Elements: Strong against light, weak to electricity…
Skills: Garudyne, Megidolaon, Brave Zapper

Pokémon: Hydreigon
Arcana: Death
Elements: Strong against normal, fire and electric.  Repel dark.  Weak to light and water.
Skills: Mudo Boost, Agidyne, Devil’s Smile

Pokémon: Chandelure
Arcana: Hermit
Elements: Immune to normal, absorb fire, strong against dark.  Weak to ice.
Skills: Mahamudon, Agidyne, Mudo Boost

Pokémon: Jolteon
Arcana: Star
Elements: Weak to normal attacks.  Absorb electric, strong against wind.
Skills: Ziodyne, Electric Boost, Maha Sukukaja

Pokémon Gym Leader: Flint
Arcana: World
Elements: Absorb normal, strong against fire. Repel light and dark. Weak to ice and electric.
Skills: Die for Me, Morning Star, Ragnarok

Click here to view the embedded video.

Today my suspicions concerning Atlus’s retro e-mail from last week have been confirmed: Persona 2: Innocent Sin is coming to the west this fall.  Anything I can say about this title has already been said in a post about the Japanese announcement of the port.  For that reason, I wish to draw your attention to this post.

Basically everything you need to know is mentioned there, with the exception of the toggle-able soundtrack which I was unaware of.  Basically, the player has the option of choosing if they prefer to play the game with its original score or with Meguro’s updated soundtrack.  That is a nifty feature and shows how seriously Atlus takes their jams.  Pre-orders are not yet up on Amazon (unless you live in Canada), but should be soon.

This is exciting news for Persona and Atlus fans: over a decade of waiting (and at least a little complaining) has finally yielded an enhanced version of Persona 2: Innocent Sin available outside of Japan.  I can’t wait to finally close the book on this chapter of the Persona universe.

This past Saturday was Free Comic Book Day, and I spent the day alone, indoors, playing video games.  Hey, we all have different ways to celebrate, right?  And besides, taking free comic books feels wrong to me.  It’s a medium which already doesn’t see the money it deserves, unless it’s in the form of a shitty Hollywood film. (Oh, Thor is good, you say?  Don’t care.)

Anyway, Sarah took a trip to Massachusetts with some friends for a convention of sorts.  Massachusetts is easily my most hated of the lower 48.  I would sooner carve a life for myself on the streets of Detroit than spend a day in the bosom of New England’s infected shank wound.  Thus, I repeat, I spent the day alone playing video games.

Somehow, among the constant construction efforts, numerous chain eateries, and the worst drivers you will ever meet in your life, Sarah stumbled upon a decent comic store by the name of Outer Limits.  There she got a very old but free comic of some nature (it’s not important), and within it was an ad that will probably make you sad.  It made me sad, at least:

That’s right, an ad from a simpler time. A time when the “Enix” in Square Enix was spelled S-O-F-T.  Look at that lineup…

• Parasite Eve
• Xenogears
• Bushido Blade 2
• Brave Fencer Musashi
• Final Fantasy Tactics
• SaGa Frontier
• Einhänder

Just typing that out brought waves of nostalgia.  Seeing this, one can’t help but consider where Square Enix is today.  Namely, the recent announcement that the company experienced “extraordinary losses” in the last fiscal year.  I can’t claim to be able to outline what is currently plaguing the company, but it certainly has fallen far from grace, and the above ad was a big reminder of that.

Sarah also got me a souvenir from a shop called AniMadness, one which is certainly less thought provoking but much more awesome.  That’s right, a Persona mini strap figure:

Click to see which character I got

This figure actually had me consider planning a trip to Massachusetts to buy any and all remaining boxes.  I would, of course, wear a full suit of lead dental gear, make my car airtight with duct tape, and bring my own supply of drinking water.  Expect a post on my adventure if I decide to do so — just know that it may be my last.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you are a fan of Peachi’s Persona 4 comics, you definitely need to check out the fan-made comic dub series on YouTube.  I just discovered this today, and although I think it has been out for a while it’s still worth watching.  The voice acting is better than some games I have played, which is just sad.

On a related note, the author Peachi has decided to take a hiatus from pointing out the absurdities of our favorite video games to work on her own comic series.  I of course wish her the best of luck, and look forward to seeing more of her work in the future.

Related Articles:
Peachi’s Persona 4 Comic: It’s Funny Because It’s True
Peachi’s Persona 4 Comic Part 2 Available
Peachi’s Persona 4 Comic Part 3 Available
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The above scan emerged yesterday to reveal that Atlus will be releasing Persona 2: Innocent Sin for PSP.  They are handling the port the same way they handled the port of the first Persona: with a few modern improvements.  The game will be in a widescreen format with minor tweaks to the menu and general interface.  The opening movie is being remade by Satelight Animation Studio.

Here is the old opening in case you’re interested:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And here is a Japanese commercial for the game, just because it’s somewhat amusing:

Click here to view the embedded video.

A bit of background to those unfamiliar with the earlier Persona titles: Persona 2 was actually composed to two titles: Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment.  While these were two separate titles, the latter would make little sense without having played the former.  Naturally, Atlus USA released only Eternal Punishment which caused no small amount of confusion and frustration for fans in the West.  Mind you this was a very different Atlus USA at the time, not the same company we’ve come to know and love.  Those of you lucky enough to own a copy of Eternal Punishment (oh yeah, I got me one) will finally be able to understand the game if/when Atlus USA brings this over.

In an interview with Shoji Meguro, he stated that they had considered releasing both versions simultaneously and bundling them on one UMD, but this was ultimately impossible.  At this time there are no plans to remake Eternal Punishment but Meguro is very excited to do so.

There is no set release date in Japan at this time, so more news is on the horizon.  Personally I wouldn’t mind waiting an extra six months just to end up with the whole shebang, but I will take what I can get.  I just want to be able to close the book on Persona 2 with a smile rather than a confused grimace.

**UPDATE**

Here is the new opening movie:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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With the popularity of the music from the Persona games some of the soundtracks have become rare and expensive, especially in the West. Luckily Atlus is releasing two CDs containing some of the hits from Persona 3, Persona 3 FES, Persona 4, and Persona 3 Portable. They are being released individually, or in a box set in Japan next Wednesday.  Disc one contains music from Persona 3, and Persona 3 FES while disc two contains music from Persona 4 and Persona 3 Portable.  I am including a tracklisting at the bottom of the post for those interested.

Here is an image of the two disc volume, it’s pretty sexy:

I like how the female MC’s headphones are used on the side of the box, which I think is shared with the male MC on the opposite side — all around awesome packaging.

The price for an individual CD is 2,625 yen, and the box set is 5,250 yen.  You can find both on sites like Ami Ami or CDJapan.  If you are interested, I would suggest pre-ordering now to prevent having to pay prices like these in the future.

Also if you have some free time, a printer, and aren’t afraid of a paper-cut or two, you may be interested in some Atlus paper craft featuring a few familiar demons:

The demons you can make are:

• Jack Frost
• Decarabia
• Girimehkala

So get out there and make some paper art, and be sure to send me a picture of your handywork!  Also, the tracklisting for both CDs is included below and can be viewed by clicking “read more”.  Don’t forget to pre-order while you can!

T R A C K L I S T I N G

Persona Compilation CD 1

01.Burn My Dread（P3）
02.全ての人の魂の詩（The Song for Everyone’s Souls — P3）
03.Want To Be Close（P3）
04.避けられぬ戦い（Unavoidable Battle — P3）
05.When The Moon’s Reaching Out Stars（P3）
06.Mass Destruction（P3）
07.Deep Breath Deep Breath（P3）
08.Master of Shadow（P3）
09.Calamity（P3）
10.Joy（P3）
11.Changing Seasons（P3）
12.Master of Tartarus（P3）
13.Living With Determination（P3）
14.時価ネットたなか（Jika Netto Tanaka — P3）
15.Mistic（P3）
16.全ての人の魂の戦い（The Battle for Everyone’s Souls — P3）
17.Burn My Dread -Last Battle-（P3）
18.キミの記憶（Memories of You — P3）
19.P3 fes（P3F）
20.Brand New Days -はじまり-（P3F）
21.Heartful Cry（P3F）
22.闇（Darkness — P3F）
23.Brand New Days（P3F）
24.Heartful Cry -special ver.-（P3F）

Persona Compilation CD 2

01.Pursuing My True Self（P4）
02.記憶の片隅（Glimpse of a Memory — P4）
03.Signs Of Love（P4）
04.Your Affection（P4）
05.Like a dream come true（P4）
06.Reach Out To The Truth -First Battle-（P4）
07.SMILE（P4）
08.Backside Of The TV（P4）
09.推理（Reasoning — P4）
10.狂気の境界線（Borderline of Madness — P4）
11.I’ll Face Myself -Battle-（P4）
12.I’ll Face Myself（P4）
13.人の夫（Someone Else’s ManP4）
14.Heartbeat,Heartbreak（P4）
15.霧（Fog — P4）
16.ジュネスのテーマ（Junes Theme — P4）
17.Heaven（P4）
18.The Almighty（P4）
19.Never More（P4）
20.Soul Phrase（P3P）
21.A Way of Life（P3P）
22.Time（P3P）
23.Wiping All Out（P3P）
24.Danger Zone（P3P）
25.I’ll Face Myself -special ver.-（P4）

The other day I was chatting with a friend who compulsively pre-orders everything Atlus makes.  I told him I was reviewing Persona 3 Portable and was shocked when he told me he had since canceled his pre-order of the game.  “I have already put too much time into it,” he said.  His 100+ hours spent on both Persona 3 and its enhanced spin-off FES proudly reinforced this.

My site certainly caters to and (hopefully) attracts the Persona fan, so I am in a unique situation reviewing Persona 3 Portable: odds are good you have already played either the original title and/or FES, and maybe like my friend you plan to pass over P3P.  Or maybe (also like my friend) you pre-ordered it the moment you could.  My review is tailored to Persona fans; hopefully providing direction as to whether they should try P3P, or like my friend, let it pass.

Story -– The Gender Bender

The game’s flagship feature is the ability to play the game as a new female protagonist, which I did.  Many things remain the same as with the male’s scenario, but many things change as well.

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I will start by saying that there was a time when I harbored a deep hatred for Junpei.  He was annoyingly upbeat, lazy, dumb, perverted and only occasionally funny.  I liked to think we are opposites in every way.  When I learned he was a social link in P3P, I was not happy to say the least.

Then, out of pity perhaps, I sat down and had tea with him at Chagall Cafe.  Moments before drowning myself in my own teacup, I realized that there is more to this lazy jerk than I thought.  He has real thoughts, emotions, hobbies, and interests.  He started taking me to eat desserts at different cafes (Junpei? A desserts connoisseur? Who knew?) as he felt awkward going on his own; he needed to have a girl there as an excuse.  Damn, not only does that pull the heart-strings, it also gives him something he really lacked in the other versions of the game: depth.  I should mention that this was still at a relatively low S-link level, so it’s just a glimpse – it gets deeper and sadder.

The male’s story brought you close to the female supporting characters, but now the female’s story brings you closer to the male supporting characters.  For the first time the whole picture is visible.  The sense of really knowing the characters around me reminded me of the polished product that was Persona 4 — where all supporting characters were social links.  I think adding the female scenario was a successful and creative way to accomplish this — and thankfully, it was done tastefully (i.e., no how-many-bananas-can-you-eat-at-once-in-this-bathtub fanservice).

The most time I dumped into Persona 3 Portable in a single sitting was on the plane ride to and from LA.  In the dark and white noise of a Boeing’s passenger cabin I became a Japanese girl.  Let me explain: for the first time in my gaming career, I was assuming the role of a character in a story that was not male as my SOLE protagonist.  I made all the decisions as the player, and yet some female persona arose in me that was playing it all out.  “I won’t hang out with him, he’s weird,” I would think. “I would rather take a part time job at the cafe than the spa.”Is this what it’s like when girls play games as a male character?  I am not sure, but it felt strange.  If you are a girl who loves Persona games, maybe this strangeness I felt is something you have simply gotten used to, and maybe P3P can make it go away.

System -– After Class

For the most part the battle system is the same great element driven, weakness exploiting system we remember.  Some updates taken from Persona 4 were incorporated to modernize things.

Hands down, the best update is the ability to control your allies in battle.  No longer do you have to hold your breath and hope that the game’s AI will figure out what to do in a jam, because odds are, it won’t.  I found that on normal difficulty I was flying up Tartarus.  Perhaps this is why there is a new higher difficulty added.  I almost wish I had selected that, and would probably encourage veterans to do the same.

Another P4 carryover is the ability to heal while inside Tartarus.  There is no leaf-wielding, bib-wearing fox – in fact I am not really sure HOW you get healed, but something heals you for money.  And the price is right; in fact, it’s almost unbalanced.  I was able to consistently reach the barrier of Tartarus in one day every time it was raised.  The fact that becoming tired doesn’t take effect until the following day makes things even easier.

While it felt really good to get the dungeon crawling out of the way so I could maximize time for my social links and such, I couldn’t help but feel like some of the reality of having to balance a high schooler’s life was gone.  I missed feeling like I had really worn myself out and instead became more aware that this was a game where reality was on hold.

Outside of Tartarus I was happy to see that there are a variety of new ways to sculpt your high schooler’s stats.  By stats I mean academics, courage, bravery, and charm.  Now you can play arcade games, take purikura, go to a healthy spa, and even get a part-time job.  All of which either increase your stats, wealth, your persona’s stats, or change your status to “great.”  The area surrounding the dorm feels much more real now that there are so many places to go and more decisions to make.

Presentation — Pink Orb

Another big change with this port concerns the game’s basic interface when exploring.  Maps and character sprites are simplified to an almost flat 2D look, and your character moves around as an orb interacting with whatever you select.  At first I wasn’t crazy about this system. To me it screamed “look at what the PSP can’t do.” But the sprites are actually really cute, and the ease of getting around really saves time. I should mention that the press-square-go-where-you-want feature from Persona 4 is in place to accent this.  This is a great example of art direction and functionality bro-fisting.

The game also received an updated score from composer Shoji Meguro.  There are about ten new tracks, all keeping in the Persona 3 style with poppy beats and nonsensical lyrics.  Since the game is for PSP, it was easier to enjoy these tracks with headphones, which I recommend!  Somehow the songs feel different and yet like they were there the whole time.  Ultimately they are a nice way to keep the game feeling fresh.  On a side note, my favorite of the new songs is Way of Life — give it a listen!

Conclusions — Soul Phase

Today’s release of Persona 3 Portable marks the third revisiting of Persona 3 since it was released in 2007.  The original was an incredible, award-winning game.  Sometimes building on incredible things lessens the value of said original thing, muddling up what was good.  I can say without a doubt that Persona 3 Portable was altered just enough to make it feel new and yet familiar.  Its new protagonist, new interface, and new features make the gameplay more fun and deepens the already interesting characters. Bringing the whole experience to the PSP makes for a highly addictive portable title, which will easily drain you of 100+ hours if you give it the chance.