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Amazon has Persona 4 for $30, you should have the game
While not quite as sweet as the Gold Box deal it offered on the game back in February, Amazon's price drop on Persona 4 to $30 is still a boon for those who still haven't experienced Atlus's superb PS2 title. The $10 cut isn't any sort of special promotion, and while there's been no word regarding dwindling quantities of the game at retail, anyone who considers themselves a fan of JRPGs should grab a copy immediately. You won't regret it -- just don't make any plans for the next several days.
Deal of the Day: Persona 4 for $26
PS2 and BC-compatible PS3 owners, watch out! One of the best RPGs of 2008 is now available for cheap: Atlus' Persona 4 is amazon's Gold Box Deal of the Day, its price slashed from $40 to $26. This unique RPG goes away from the sci-fi and fantasy worlds of most RPGs and offers a mature look into rural Japanese life. Other PS2 games are expected to drop in price today as well, so expect a Yakuza 2 discount later on.
Persona 4 comes to Europe in March
Much like its predecessor, Atlus' Persona 4 is coming to Europe via another big-name publisher. This time Square Enix is picking up the dungeon-crawler and releasing it in European and other PAL territories on Friday the 13th. That's quite a suitable date for a murder mystery tale like P4. And no that "Friday the 13th" is not today; we're talking about the 13th of next month -- March. It'll come in a two-disc set including the game and a 24-track music CD. It's similar to the bundle released in North America; however, unlike the NA release, it looks like the European version won't be getting the added 100-page art book. Pricing for P4 wasn't mentioned, though we suppose it won't break the bank.
Gamasutra examines sexuality, homophobia in Persona 4
Gamasutra has examined the meaningful portrayal of sexuality in the recently released Persona 4. The protagonist, Kanji Tatsumi, views his alter ego, Shadow Kanji, as an openly gay and flamboyant manifestation within the in-game world, The Midnight Channel. Although Kanji's sexuality remains ambiguous, the developer does not reject the possibility that he might be gay. Instead, the decision to leave Kenji's sexuality open was made to give players more context to the views on homosexuality in Japan. According to Yu Namba, Atlus USA's Persona 4 Project Lead, it was the developer's goal to retain the majority of the Japanese content and accurately portray the Eastern culture regarding the subject. Varying sexual orientations within games from Japan are not unheard of, with Metal Gear Solid 2's Vamp ranking as one of the more famous outed characters. In this case, Kanji's internal turmoil with his orientation is a fascinating take on personal journey, which no other publisher has been brave enough to bring to the North American market.
Demons ready for summoning, Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine goes open beta
Do you wish there was an MMO that allowed you to summon demonic minions under your control in order to restore a post-apocalyptic Tokyo? Well thankfully for you, Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine has entered open beta! Now all your world-saving via demonic pet needs can be addressed thanks to Aeria Games' and their hard work.For anyone whose played Persona 3 or the more recently released Persona 4, an MMO set in the world of SMT is a very interesting proposition. The game has all the demon fusing and combat from the other games (beyond even the Persona series) but it's all done in real-time instead of through turn-based combat. We're curious to see how this handles, as our guess is that it's likely more of a quasi-real-time ala standard MMO design in games like World of Warcraft.
Metareview -- Persona 4 (PS2)
You might look at this metareview's title and think we've made a mistake. No one makes PS2 games anymore. Not so, and as any RPG player worth their elixir knows, Atlus has been prepping the latest in its acclaimed Persona series for release on the last-gen system. Now it's here, and the reviews – praising everything from its characters to its gameplay and voice acting as best-of-breed – are absolutely glowing. (In the sense that they're really good, not "turn off your monitor and back away slowly.") Game|Life (100/100): "The truly stunning thing about Persona 4 is that it just doesn't have any glaring flaws. Even though it doesn't stand up to the graphics of the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, the clever art style makes up for that. Those who despise reading large blocks of text in games will be pleasantly surprised by the solid voice-over work applied to almost every conversation." 1UP (A+): "What really sets Persona 4 apart, though, is its endearing, relatable cast. " GamePro (100/100): "I can't recommend this innovative experience highly enough, and from first time visitors to the Velvet Room to jaded MegaTen fanatics, Persona 4 is an absolute must buy." WorthPlaying (95/100): "Everything – from the story to the combat system to the dungeon crawling and Social Links – has been improved. Considering that Persona 3 was already an excellent game, Persona 4 is a true standout.
New games this week: Persona 4 edition
You may be familiar with classic children's book Tight Times, which depicts a family in a financial struggle. Even if you're not familiar with the book itself, you'll at least recognize the subject matter, especially after you check out the scraggly, scrowdy-row crop of titles filling our game account this week. We didn't forget to list the 360, there just aren't any. Yeah. Tight times. But, as no one says, in the land of Slingo Quest, the Persona 4 is king. Congrats, little guy, you (sort of) earned it.
Atlus: No enhanced version of Persona 4 planned
If you're thinking of holding off on Atlus' upcoming Persona 4 in hopes that the PlayStation 2 RPG will be followed by an even shinier edition, wait NOT! Following April's release of Persona 3 FES, which added enough new content to the RPG to fill a high school student's locker, Atlus now confirmed that "at no point in the future" will it give similar treatment to the upcoming sequel. So whether or not you plan on pre-ordering the game or strolling up to the register on day one, buy with confidence, niche role-playing faithful, when Persona 4 drops onto shelves on December 9.
Joyswag: Persona shirts, signed art books
Our initial plan was to give you excellent readers brand new copies of Atlus' upcoming Persona 4, a desire which those purveyors of quirk deemed noble, but overly contingent on them finishing the game. Sensing our outraged impatience regarding the anticipated RPG's December 9th release, they instead granted us some Persona 3 art books (signed by character designer Shigenori Soejima!) and Persona 4 t-shirts (tagless!). The chance to wear Persona on your person, eh? To enter this giveaway: Leave a comment telling us who your summoned Persona is! It could be anyone or anything from Cthulhu to something infinitely more evil, like TV's Patrick Duffy. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec and sprawling, otherworldly dungeons). Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day (comment more than once and you'll be kept in detention). This entry period ends at 7:00pm ET on Friday, August 22nd. We'll randomly select three winners at that time, who will receive a signed art book and t-shirt, valued at $50 (can you really put a value on that signature?). Please check your e-mail! For a list of complete rules that you can peruse or shoot in the head, click here. If you're really set on winning, sign up for the Atlus Faithful spam ... err, mailing list -- another three winners will be randomly selected from Faithful members. Update: Entries closed! Keep an eye on your inbox over the next few days!
Atlus bringing Persona 4 to North America on December 9
While Japanese audiences will be playing Persona 4 this July, North American gamers won't have to wait long to wander the halls of Gekkoukan High. Atlus USA has taken time away from blowing things up with small explosives this holiday weekend to announce plans to bring Persona 4 to North America on December 9. Sweetening the deal even further, the publisher also notes that each copy of the game will come bundled with a soundtrack CD featuring "select music" from the title, which represents the sixth in the role-playing series, and the latest to cling tightly to Sony's aging last-gen console. If, however, you're having trouble waiting until this holiday season to get your Persona fix, check out the game's English announcement trailer after the break.
Check out 17 minutes of Persona 4 footage
The issue of Famitsu announcing Persona 4 also included a bonus DVD insert, with a whopping 17 minutes of cutscenes and in-game footage of the highly-anticipated RPG. The footage reveals the return of Igor, and the departure of the pistol-like "Evoker" used to summon Personae. Instead, it appears that the player-characters all wear glasses, which they remove in order to summon helpful spirits. Televisions will also play a major role in the game, which otherwise does not appear to diverge much gameplay-wise from Persona 3. Not that that's a bad thing, of course. Check out the entire 17 minutes of footage after the break. [Via Siliconera]
Persona 4 to school Japan in July
Repetitively suicidal magical teenager news now, with Atlus Japan lifting the lid on its PlayStation 2 follow-up to Persona 3. Confirming earlier reports, Siliconera has revealed that Persona 4 is scheduled to arrive in Japan on July 10th, complete with a new weather system. Though a meteorological forecast might not sound like the most exciting addition to an RPG (unless its the name of a spell), consider that misty days will signal someone's untimely demise in Persona 4. There's no word yet on whether Atlus USA will bring the game to English audiences, but with Persona 3: FES preparing to make the jump, we'd be surprised if this one remained in Japan. In the meantime, you can pop by insert credit for some Famitsu magazine scans showcasing the franchise's recognizable art style.
Bloomberg: Persona 4 dev sticks with PS2
Already finding critical and commercial success with Persona 3 on a noticeably last-gen console, it looks like developer Atlus doesn't see any reason to jump ship for the sequel. An article at Bloomberg Japan (via Siliconera) listing upcoming Atlus titles has Persona 4 coming next fiscal year for the PlayStation 2. (Note: image above from Persona 3.) The word doesn't come directly from Atlus, so there could be a typo or miscommunication (major news outlets are prone to mistakes every now and then). The platform, however, would not be surprising given the company's comfort with developing for the PS2 and Sony's continued success with the now value-priced system. As Siliconera notes, the timing of Persona 4's release could make it a tie-in with Persona -trinity soul-, an anime series due out next year.
