Persona
Latest
Persona 3 spawns a third feature film in Spring 2015
Following this Summer's successful Japanese debut of Persona 3 The Movie #2: Midsummer Knight's Dream, the second feature film spin-off of Atlus' beloved roleplaying game Persona 3, the publisher has announced that a third film will reach Japanese theaters next Spring. Entitled Persona 3 The Movie #3: Falling Down, the film centers on the stars of Persona 3 - the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, or SEES - as they attempt to finish the seemingly endless battle against the Shadows that threaten humanity. Plot details are scant, but Atlus has revealed that Persona 3 The Movie #3: Falling Down will heavily feature Ryoji Mochizuki, the waifish scarf aficionado seen above who fans will recall from Persona 3. We don't want to spoil the character's significance to that game, but suffice to say his appearance in the film suggests that very bad things are about to happen. Unfortunately for Western fans of the Persona franchise, there's no word on when or if Persona 3 The Movie #3: Falling Down might appear outside of its native Japan. [Image: Atlus]
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 4 Arena Ultimax's Margaret, accessory DLC priced
Last month we learned that the Velvet Room's Margaret will summon ass-kickings in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, but a more-recent press release from Atlus has laid the DLC pricing-related cards on the table. Serving as both the date of Margaret's arrival and when at-launch freebies Adachi and Marie will convert to paid DLC characters, October 7 is when "all three characters will be priced at $4.99." The press release also notes rates for other DLC, including the Complete P4A Story for $9.99, extra colors and pairs of glasses going for $1.99 each (or $5.99 in two different sets), and navigator voices for $2.99, with options including Teddie, Yosuke, Aigis, Nanko, Mitsuru, Adachi and Fuuki. While you're determining the exchange rate for converting your love of Persona into funds for DLC, you can watch Margaret show off some combos in a trailer after the break. [Image: Atlus]
Persona 4: Dancing All Night delayed, Persona team leading development
Atlus' Persona team is now leading Persona 4: Dancing All Night's development troupe, according to IGN's translation of a blog post from the game's producer and director, Kazuhisa Wada. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva series developer and Dancing All Night collaborator Dingo will continue working with Atlus on the routine for Vita, but a delayed Japanese release to January 2015 suggests the rhythm game needs some more time to practice. Dancing All Night was first announced alongside spinoff Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, fighter expansion Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and the next entry in the main series, Persona 5. We know that P4 Arena Ultimax's ring opens on September 30 and that Shadow of the Labyrinth's dungeons will flood with monsters on November 25, but Persona 5 and Dancing All Night share a less specific launch target of 2015. [Image: Atlus]
Margaret joins Western cast of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Atlus has made it official: Velvet Room attendant Margaret will be joining the cast of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax in the Americas as post-launch DLC. Fans of the Persona roleplaying game series will remember Margaret from Persona 4 as the dapper assistant of the mysterious Igor, lord of the equally mysterious Velvet Room. Since Margaret has such close ties with the likely supernatural Igor, she boasts more than her fair share of Personas. According to Atlus, Margaret will enter battle armed with "three Personas, Cu Chulainn, Yoshitsune, and Ardha, and a staggering eight Persona cards." Like Adachi and Marie, Margaret will appear after the debut of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax as a DLC character. Unlike those two, however, Margaret will only come available a week after the game's launch and will not be included in the "FreeLC" promotion that grants the former two fighters to players at no charge. There's currently no word on how much the Margaret DLC might cost. [Image: Atlus]
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax priced at $59.99, pre-orders now live
The stars of the Persona series are winding up for another bout in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, which will host its brand of 2D fighting on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Ultimax won't be out until the fall, but you can plan really far in advance right now by pre-ordering the $59.99 fighter at GameStop, EB Games, Amazon, Newegg or Video Games Plus. The associated press release notes that there will be pre-order incentives, but it doesn't offer hints to what those will be, nor does it specify whether any will be exclusive to a particular retailer. Ultimax is an expansion on 2012's Persona 4 Arena and follows the cast's participation in the P-1 Climax, a round of battles that must be conquered before the world ends. Several new characters will tag in as playable fighters, including Persona 3's Junpei Iori and Yukari Takeba, as well as Persona 4's Rise Kujikawa. There's also a debut from the crimson-haired Sho Minazuki, who will assuredly be pleasant to deal with. Utlimax is one of four Persona games heading to the West this year, including the Vita's left-field rhythm game Persona 4: Dancing All Night and the PS3-bound Persona 5. [Image: Atlus]
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]
Sega reveals plan to make Atlus into Atlus once more
In its first major move since acquiring the company in 2013, Sega has revealed plans to split Index Corporation into two separate divisions, according to a Gematsu translation of a Sega press release. Come April 1, Index Corporation will cease to exist and in its place will be two new divisions of the overarching Sega corporate umbrella. Atlus will continue to create the sort of quirky, Japanese games the company is most famous for, while Index Corporation - this new division borrows its name from the now-split subsidiary - will handle things like advertising and content distribution. Sega managing director Yukio Sugino will serve as representative for Atlus while Yasuhiko Hamada, Index executive vice president, will lead Index Corporation. Additionally, Index Digital Media, Inc. (Index Corporation's international arm) will be rebranded Atlus USA Inc. According to Sega, this corporate restructuring will allow both Atlus and Index Corporation to function more smoothly, yet remain independent to create the kind of content that made Atlus an attractive acquisition for Sega in the first place. [Image: Sega]
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.
Persona 5 announced for PS3
Atlus has announced that Persona 5 will be released for Japanese PS3s in the winter of 2014. No gameplay was shown, but the reveal trailer provided a crimson image of shackles laying beside chairs.
Persona 4: Dancing All Night announced for Vita
A rhythm game collaboration between Atlus and Dingo called Persona 4: Dancing All Night is coming for Japanese Vitas in fall of 2014, Atlus announced during their NicoNico presentation.
P4U: Persona 4 The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold announced for PS3
P4U: Persona 4 The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold is coming to Japanese PS3s in 2014, Atlus revealed during its NicoNico presentation. The game is a followup to Persona 4 Arena, the fighting game that combined Persona rosters for brawls last year.
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.
Storyboard: You are what you pretend to be
It's the day after Halloween, and that means we all take off our costumes. Or to be more accurate, we all take off the costumes that other people get to see. We're still wearing costumes just the same, except we call them our normal personalities and hope that no one notices. None of this is shocking. We all know that we present ourselves differently to different people. You don't act the same way around your boss that you do around your closest friends, you don't treat strangers like your mother, and so forth. It's part of the human condition: We put on different faces depending on whom we're dealing with at any given moment. Do your characters do the same? They should. Even if they aren't technically human, most alternative options in games still have more or less human thought patterns. So let's talk a little more about putting on a brave face for the outside world and what it says about your character as a whole.
Atlus parent company registers Persona 5 domain
Index Corporation, the parent company of Persona series developer Atlus, registered the domain "persona5.jp" on June 25. Before throwing your hands up in glee, take a breath and look at the big picture: Index doesn't own "persona4.jp," "persona3.jp" or other similar constructions, and snagging a domain for Persona 5 doesn't, on its own, confirm the existence of the game. Index could simply be protecting its brand against potential squatters. Or Team Persona could be close to announcing Persona 5. (OK, now throw your hands up in glee and with full acknowledgement of all the information.) In August 2012, series producer Katsura Hashino said Team Persona was working on "the next numbered Persona game," but it wasn't specified to be Persona 5. After all, a Persona 2 remake is still a numbered Persona game.
Mozilla Persona sign-in launches in beta, skips the social networking ball and chain (video)
We all know those web pages where the only alternative to a site-specific login is a social networking account. That's not very reassuring for anyone skittish about linking their commentary to a Facebook account relatives might see, if they're even willing to join a social network in the first place. Mozilla has been aware of that hesitation long enough to have just released its long-in-development Persona sign-in service as a beta. Although it has the same kind of simple approach to a login as a Facebook or Twitter pop-up window, Persona's emphasis is on privacy: it stops paying attention the moment credentials go through, keeping any diatribes or subscription details from landing in social streams or central databases. Users don't have to play a rousing game of guess-the-username, either, as they just need to sign in with one or more familiar e-mail addresses and a single password. Persona faces an uphill battle in getting web developer adoption when the establishment sign-in services are open to hundreds of millions of internet citizens, but it does have The Times' online crossword section, OpenPhoto and Voost as early poster children -- and anything that lets the privacy-minded join the party has our vote.
Team Persona at work on next numbered Persona game
In a Famitsu magazine interview leaked early from the magazine (and translated by Andriasang), Team Persona producer Katsura Hashino said that his team is currently focusing on the next numbered Persona game, which very likely means Persona 5. We must admit, our cynical nature forces us to note the possibility that more Persona 3 and 4 remakes would also have numbers on them.According to Hashino, art director Shigenori Soejima has started turning in sketches for new designs. In the meantime, you can play Persona this week as you never have before: as a fighting game.
Ghostlight looking to bring JRPGs from console to PC
Ghostlight is a UK publisher that's known for its adaptations of Japanese games (specifically JRPGs). Last week it asked readers of its official blog if there was any interest in seeing Ghostlight bring some JRPGs from Japanese consoles to PC. The interest was apparently high, because this week's blog post says Ghostlight is planning on doing exactly that.There aren't a lot of details yet, but Ghostlight says talks are underway, and while the original plans were to just release these games digitally, fan response has got the company thinking about boxed copies of these translated games as well.
Mozilla demos WebRTC integration, browser-powered video chat (video)
Last week at IETF 83 in Paris Mozilla gave a little demo that went almost completely unnoticed. The team behind Firefox showed off an experimental built of its flagship browser with integrated WebRTC support. To showcase the real-time communication plug-in's capabilities, the foundation built a simple video chat client based around Persona and SocialAPI. Whether or not such a feature will ever make it into an official build of the browser remains to be seen, but for now you can check out the simple, yet impressive, HTML and Javascript demo after the break.
