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Best of the Rest: Richard's picks of 2014
ATTENTION: The year 2014 has concluded its temporal self-destruct sequence. If you are among the escapees, please join us in salvaging and preserving the best games from the irradiated chrono-debris. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter The best thing about The Vanishing of Ethan Carter might be that it tells its story in a way that only a video game can. Other games aspire to emulate other forms of media, to be more like movies or books. Ethan Carter, on the other hand, embraces the interactivity of the medium in a wonderful way, with an awareness of a video game's ability to let you live through a moment, rather than just witnessing it. At first, Ethan Carter feels like a typical paranormal mystery, and its investigation mechanics are cleverly implemented, asking you to put the events of the past in the correct order to reveal the truth behind a series of murders. The mystery elements turn out to be just a small part of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, though, and you soon find yourself pulled into some of the greatest moments of pure fantasy that I've ever seen in a video game. I won't say another word, for fear of spoiling anything. If you appreciate a good mystery, and you believe in the transportational power of games, do yourself a favor and pick it up.
Fan-made Persoronpa Q mash-up looks beary interesting
This fan-made recreation of the Persona Q opening with Danganronpa characters is a little old and it's also quite spoiler-ish, but we figured it's still worth highlighting because, well, it's fantastic. Also, since it's apparently open season on crossovers in Japan, maybe it will nudge Atlus and Spike Chunsoft in the right direction, hmm?
Persona Q DLC schedule and price points
Persona Q players, listen up. Atlus has laid out the game's DLC release schedule, including prices for each piece. Persona Q launched yesterday, alongside a free bit of DLC, the Kaguya sub-Persona. Available on December 2, the sub-Persona Orpheus Telos is free, while Magatsu Izanagi and Thanatos are $2 apiece. On December 9, players will be able to purchase Margaret, Elizabeth and Theodore navigator voices for $3 each. On December 16, Marie and Nanako voices will be available for $3 each. Atlus has also released a series of four videos designed to help players navigate the labyrinths. See those below. Also, check out our review of Persona Q – overall, we found it to be "excellent." [Image: Atlus]
Persona Q review: When worlds collide
3DS When I began playing Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, I expected it to be a time-biding knockoff of the Persona franchise, meant to placate rabid fans until Persona 5 finally emerges and provides fresh meaning in our lives. (We Persona fans are a little intense, ok?) I admired the super-cute art style and was naturally pleased to see the familiar characters, but a crossover with Atlus' other long-running RPG series, Etrian Odyssey, didn't seem like a good fit, except perhaps as a marketing ploy. I was completely, totally, utterly wrong. Persona Q is a brilliant game in its own right, more than able to take its place in the Persona lineage, taking the best elements of each franchise and combining them into an addictive, hour-devouring experience.
Persona Q's Wild Cards edition packs in a 3DS XL hard case
We're one month away from reuniting with Persona 3 and Persona 4's leads in the 3DS' Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, but Atlus isn't quite done tempting us with special-edition treats. While Persona Q's Limited Standard Edition will pack Tarot Card Set #2 (the first set can be earned via Persona 4 Arena Ultimax) in with the game for a combined total of $49.99, The Wild Cards Premium Edition gets a little more fancy. In addition to Set #2, Wild Cards Premium Edition offers up a CD of tunes from the game, a hard case for the 3DS XL featuring Persona Q's cast, and a 38-page artbook, which you can flip through a sample of. The Premium Edition will go for $79.99 and, like the Limited Standard Edition, can be found at Amazon, GameStop and other select retailers. A refresher of what Persona Q's demon-battling gameplay looks like can be viewed after the break, in which Persona 3's Yukari Takeba finds wholesome reasons to fight before getting some practice in with her bow. [Image: Atlus]
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth ships 250,000 in Japan
With 250,000 copies shipped in under a month, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth was a bright light in an otherwise quiet quarter for Sega Sammy, games-wise. It's a solid start for Atlus' 3DS RPG, which should have appeal to both Persona and Etrian Odyssey fans. For comparison, Etrian Odyssey 4 shifted 150,000 copies in roughly its first three months on sale in Japan, while Vita entry Persona 4 Golden shipped 700,000 worldwide by the end of 2013. Persona Q is still to come to the West, with releases penned in for North America and Europe on November 25 and 28.
Pay attention, 007, Persona Q arrives on November 25
Persona Q, the 3DS spin-off which isn't a tribute to James Bond's gadgets man, hits North America on November 25. The release date arrives courtesy of a new trailer re-featuring the game's opening movie, providing you with the perfect excuse to let your heart melt as you re-watch Kanji hugging Koromaru - it just might be too adorable. Persona Q brings together the characters of Persona 3 and Persona 4, but it also brings in mapping elements from the Etrian Odyssey series. While that may be an unknown quantity to Persona fans, the story will make them feel right at home: It all takes place at a parallel version of Yasogami High School, one that's home to a dark, foreboding tower. The word on the parallel street is anyone who hears the tower bell ring out is certain to die. Naturally, our chibi-fied Persona team sets off to investigate.
NIS America opens Euro store, lists Persona Q for November
NIS America opened a new online store for European customers this week, offering limited editions previously restricted to its American side. However, that means the American store is no longer shipping to customers in PAL regions such as Europe. Also, the European store's prices look steep in comparison. The limited edition version of Disgaea 4 is $50 plus shipping on the US side, while on the Euro store it's £50 ($85) plus £5 shipping for UK ($8.50), or £15 for most other countries ($26). That aside, a bit more browsing reveals a listing for Persona Q pinning it to hit Europe on November 28. NIS America''s confirmed it's bringing the 3DS Etrian Odyssey-style RPG to Europe, but neither it nor North American publisher Atlus have announced a release date. However, late November looks a reasonable bet, given Amazon and GameStop have it down to arrive stateside on November 25. [Image: NIS America]
Seen@E3: Persona art director Soejima puts pen to posters
Lucky Persona fans have been waiting patiently at E3 to get posters signed by Shigenori Soejima, the art director and character designer for games like Persona 3, 4 and Q. If you love the art in Persona - like any sane person should - Soejima is the man to thank.
Worlds collide, dogs get hugged in Persona Q's opening movie
Aigis and Teddy dance, Kanji hugs Koromaru, and two silent protagonists meet at last in the opening movie for Atlus' upcoming Nintendo 3DS dungeon crawler, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, due to hit Japan this week and North America this winter. It's bright, it's colorful, and it's just a little bit Scooby Doo-ish. What's not to love? [Video: Atlus]
Persona Q, Pokemon Trozei 3DS XLs revealed for Japan
It's kind of fun to anticipate special edition 3DS XL designs, except for when they don't end up reaching Western audiences. Two new XL handhelds were shown off this week, wearing the influences of the upcoming Pokemon Battle Trozei and Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, respectively. Serebii points out that, unlike most special edition XLs, the Trozei XL can't be found at retail - it's currently only obtainable by winning a Pokemon Daisuki Club competition, a Japanese fan club for pocket monsters. Considering that Western plans also haven't been announced for it while Trozei is only four days away from its North American release ... okay, we might be able to count this one out. That leaves the Persona Q XL, which coats an argyle backdrop with Persona art and lines up the game's cast on its backside. This design will reach Japanese retailers and is priced at $250, with Persona Q bundled in. Now it just remains to be seen if the special edition XL will join the game when it reaches North America in Fall 2014. Considering we're still crossing our fingers for that Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy: Curtain Call XL, we don't mind getting our hopes up once more ... nope, not at all. [Image Credit: Atlus, The Pokemon Company]
Report: Persona Q features FOE battles, touch-screen cartography
While it's long been known that Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth blends characters from Atlus' beloved Persona franchise with the mechanics of its likewise beloved Etrian Odyssey games, we've had scant solid information on how exactly this collaboration would work - until now. Famitsu, via Siliconera translation, claims that the map-making functionality of Etrian Odyssey will make an appearance in Persona Q. This gives prospective dungeon crawlers the chance to sketch out a map of their virtual surroundings using the 3DS' touchscreen. It's unknown how big a role this feature will play in Persona Q, though in the Etrian Odyssey games it was just shy of mandatory for anyone hoping to make any real progress. Likewise, Persona Q will feature FOE encounters. Officially, "FOE" is an acronym for "Formido Oppugnatura Exsequens," but more pragmatically you can think of these FOEs as largely optional boss encounters. Killing a FOE results in great rewards, but more often than not, it will be in a player's best interest to flee from the battle until properly prepared for that specific fight. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth lacks a specific release date, but Atlus has targeted the Fall of 2014 to launch the handheld roleplaying epic. [Image: Atlus]
Atlus confirms four new Persona games for North America
In November, Atlus revealed four new games in the Shin Megami Tensei spin-off series, Persona. Notably absent from that announcement was any information on a North American release, but now Atlus has revealed its plan to bring those games to the West. Chibi-style dungeon crawl Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth will reach the 3DS in the Fall of 2014. Atlus describes the dungeon crawl as a cross between Etrian Odyssey and Persona, that sees characters from Persona 3 and 4 plumbing the first-person depths of an alternate version of Yasogami High School. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, an enhanced re-release of Persona 4 Arena, is slated to debut on the PlayStation 3 in the Fall of 2014. Atlus' description of the fighting game mentions the addition of two characters from Persona 3, Junpei Iori and Yukari Takeba, as well as a wholly new character, the mysterious Sho Minazuki. A more nebulous "2015" release window has been attached to Vita rhythm game Persona 4: Dancing All Night. According to Atlus' description, Dancing All Night stars pop idol Rise, who returns to Inaba only to discover something called the "Midnight Stage." This Stage is populated by evil shadows, but these foes can't be defeated by simple elemental attacks. Instead, Rise will have to rely on funky fresh dance moves. Persona 5, the latest entry in Atlus' fan-favorite series, will also reach the PlayStation 3 in 2015, though Atlus offers no further information on this heavily anticipated roleplaying game. Alongside this confirmation comes a swath of new media. Above you'll see a new Persona 5 teaser, while footage from both Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth can be found below the break. Screenshot galleries are below this text. [Image: Atlus]
Cutesy 3DS dungeon crawler Persona Q gets another trailer
A second trailer for Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth provides a further look at the chibi-fied dungeon crawler that brings together Persona 3 and Persona 4 characters. Fans of the JRPG series will recognize the 3DS game's setting of Yasogami High School, as attended by the cast of Persona 4. As Siliconera reports, the Persona users find themselves at a parallel version of the school, which is home to a sinister looking tower. According to the rumors, those who hear the tower's bell toll will face certain death - again, this should all sound very familiar to Persona fans. How it plays may be a less familiar matter, since Persona Q integrates the battle system of Etrian Odyssey with elements from Persona. Players explore the labyrinthine tower in a five-man party of Persona 3 and 4 guys and gals, and as the new trailer shows there'll be some new characters to get acquainted with. Persona Q is dated to hit Japan on June 5, 2014.
Atlus sheds light on newly-revealed Persona spin-offs, Persona 5
On Sunday morning we reported on a quartet of new game announcements from Atlus Japan: Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, P4U: Persona 4 The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold, Persona 4: Dancing All Night and Persona 5. Today we have a bit more information on these games, courtesy series director Katsura Hashino. "Just like the experiment of making a fighting game based off the Persona series in Persona 4 Arena, which was also well received by fans, the plan of making Persona Q came from wanting a game that could bring further joy from an even more 'unexpected element'," Hashino stated in a Famitsu article translated by Siliconera. "This will be the first title the Persona team will be making for Nintendo 3DS, and we also have Etrian Odyssey that represents Atlus for the 3DS, and we'll be using its system as part of a 'festive' collaboration mindset in the development for Persona Q." While Persona Q is a fusion of Persona and Etrian Odyssey, Hashino assures fans of the former that Persona elements will be the foremost focus of the game. "While we are implementing Etrian Odyssey's system into it, just as the name implies, Persona Q will be a completely new title, but first and foremost, it'll be for the fans of the Persona series." Though Hashino doesn't go into this level of detail on the other games, he does discuss how far along each is in its development. Like Persona Q, Persona: Dancing All Night is almost completed, with only a few new dances and animations to be added to the rhythm-focused spin-off game. Likewise, P4U: Persona 4 The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold is nearly ready to release (though this shouldn't be surprising given that its arcade incarnation was announced in August). Persona 5 lags behind the other titles announced, but Hashino is committed to releasing the game in Japan toward the end of 2014. Notably absent from Hashino's comments is any word on when or if these games might appear outside of Japan.
Atlus reveals Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth after countdown on NicoNico
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is in development for the 3DS, Atlus revealed during their presentation on Japanese video platform NicoNico. Persona Q is planned for release on June 5, 2014 in Japan. Atlus has been teasing the reveal for several days and peppered fans with video hints during a 72-hour countdown on the NicoNico service.
