Atlus
Latest
Strategy RPG Tears to Tiara 2 headed to US, Europe this fall
PS3 owners can add one more role-playing game to their ever-growing watch list: strategy RPG Tears to Tiara 2: Heir of the Overlord will serve as its series' Western debut on October 14 in North America, with a November 11 release planned for Europe. Atlus will be publishing Tears to Tiara 2 in the US for $39.99, but a price for NIS America's European version is still to be determined. Hamilcar Barca leads Tears to Tiara 2 as a man indentured to the Divine Empire, but when the Empire burns an innocent girl at the stake, Hamilcar unhinges, channeling the might of the berserker. With a new-found understanding for his power and the support of a goddess, Hamilcar moves to free his people from the corrupt Empire. Thankfully, it doesn't sound like Hamilcar will have to take on an entire empire by himself – Tears to Tiara 2 will have more than 15 main characters, with the game's overarching story progressing in a "visual novel style," according to a press release. You'll likely be reading your way through most conversations as well, as Tears to Tiara 2 will retain its Japanese dialogue and offer English subtitles for its "80-hour" adventure. It only takes 80 hours to overthrow an empire? Jeez, channeling the power of an ancient Norse warrior sure seems efficient. [Image: Atlus]
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.
Watch out for free Adachi DLC when Persona 4 Arena Ultimax launches
Oh, Tohru Adachi. So clumsy, so silly, so charmingly incompetent. We bet you're not going to be any harm whatsoever as a DLC character in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. That must be why Atlus is making you free to acquire during the fighter's launch week (after which the DLC will require payment) So... yup, there's nothing to worry about here whatsoever. Now you're safe and secure in that knowledge, why not relax and watch an hour of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax in action? You'll find Atlus' recorded stream below the break, showcasing some of the follow-up's new combatants including Sho, Rise and Ken (of Persona 3 fame and not Street Fighter sadly.) Apart from new characters, Ultimax brings new story modes to the returning ones, along with alternate shadow characters that play differently, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is due to launch on Xbox 360 and PS3 this fall.
Persona 4 Golden anime begins July 10, US streams confirmed
US viewers will be able to tune in to the first episode of Persona 4: The Golden Animation when the series begins airing on July 10. Aniplex revealed it's streaming the anime on its own online channel, with new episodes promised every Thursday - there's no word yet on times but we can only hope they'll be aired at midnight. The presumably subtitled streams will also be available to watch on Hulu, Crunchyroll and Daisuki.
PS3 puts hands together for Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2
Atlus continues to pump Shin Megami Tensei PS2 games onto PS3, with Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon coming to PSN in North America next week. The news comes via the PlayStation Blogcast, which didn't reveal any price details. The 2009 entry was a sequel to the Devil Summoner comeback game on PS2, and one of the last to be released for the console alone. Sadly, the downloadable PS2 Classics version is somewhat unlikely to come with the Jack Frost doll that accompanied physical copies. Devil Summoner 2 is the latest Shin Megami Tensei game to join the PS2 Classics line-up, with Nocturne and Persona 4 both hitting the PS3 in recent months. It's almost as if there's a whole bunch of new SMT games coming up. [Image: Atlus]
Persona's demon designer wants your opinion
Shigenori Soejima is the man behind the distinctive look behind super stylish games like Persona 4, Persona 5 and Catherine. Yes, he's the man you thank for the nightmare-inducing Immoral Beast, but he's also the one who gave us Chie, Teddie, Kanji, Koromaru as well as the bevvy of fascinating demons that populate the games of the Persona universe. Soejima was on hand at E3 for a rare autograph signing, and fans lined up for hours to meet him and thank him for his work on the art of the Persona games. I asked him, through a translator, how he felt about the outpouring of appreciation, and his answer was both humbling and surprising: "He was very happy to be able to come into contact with such fans but to be honest, he wanted to talk to them more. Because he's Japanese and he can speak to the Japanese fans, he knows what kinds of things that they think about his artwork, versus, he's not sure what foreign audiences think, because he can't speak with them. He wishes he had a little bit more one-on-one time and could ask each of the people what do you like about it, what is it that draws you to my artwork? So because he wants to know that, he says for your readers to actually write to him, he would love to hear from your fans." We confirmed with Atlus that this offer is completely legit, so if you've ever wanted to let Mr. Soejima know what you thought about his work - or to ask what the real deal is with Teddie - now's your chance. We'll collect the comments below and send them off to Atlus for translation so that they can be passed along to Soejima himself. First question: Mr. Soejima, have you ever considered a micropig sidekick for Persona 5? Just something to think about. [Image: Atlus]
Shin Megami Tensei 4 finally journeys to Europe in Q3 2014
After being lost and presumed KIA, Shin Megami Tensei 4 finally has a targeted European window of Q3 2014. In 2013 Atlus confirmed a European arrival for the 3DS JRPG, but the game only hit Japan and North America last year. This week, Atlus said it's self-publishing Shin Megami Tensei 4 as an eShop-only game, and it'll be English-language only. The news follow's Zen United returning Persona 4 Arena's digital rights in Europe to Atlus, suggesting the Japanese publisher may be starting to self-publish its games in European territories. On the other hand, there remains no word on European release details for the four recently announced Persona games, including Persona 5. [Image: Atlus]
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]
Report: Former Index president arrested for fraud
Masami Ochiai, former president and CEO of Atlus parent company Index Corporation, has been arrested by Japanese authorities who claim Ochiai fraudulently boosted Index's financial records prior to its sale to Sega Sammy Holdings last year. News of the arrest comes from Japanese business periodical Nikkei (via a Gematsu translation), which claims that the 4 billion yen profit shown on Index's records of the third fiscal quarter of 2012 doesn't actually exist. Investigators believe Ochiai fraudulently reported business transactions that never occurred in order to avoid the removal of Index from JASDAQ (the Japanese analogue to the American NASDAQ stock exchange). Unfortunately for Index, even that profit (the first Index had shown in six years), couldn't save the company from bankruptcy, and it was while sorting out that mess that authorities picked up on Ochiai's reported attempts to make his company look a few million yen better than it otherwise would have. Though Ochiai claims that he has "not been engaging in fraud," investigators plan to delve deeply into Index's financial records under the belief that Ochiai wasn't alone in his deception, and that these financial hijinks were systematically plotted out by Index management. [Image: Sega]
Feel the burn in this Persona 4 Arena Ultimax character trailer
Sho Minazuki sho is fiery in this Persona 4 Arena Ultimax trailer (sorry, we had to). Sho is a new character in the Persona series, and the video gives us a little backstory before jumping into the actual fighting – it's all in Japanese, but the images are pretty clear. He has an evil, creepy grin, and a red scar that glows when he's enraged. He also throws a vicious tantrum, apparently. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is due out in the fall for Xbox 360 and PS3, for $60. Pre-orders are live now. Ultimax is a fighting game that expands on 2012's Persona 4 Arena, which we found to be delightful. [Image: Atlus]
Persona 4 Arena removed from Europe's PlayStation Store
Persona 4 Arena and all its DLC are no longer on the PlayStation Store in Europe, all of a sudden. When asked about the disappearance, Sony Europe's Jawad Ashraf could only note the fighter was removed by request of "the publisher." "I haven't been given any information as to why, just that we obliged with the request," Ashraf said in the PlayStation Blog comments. "Sorry I can't be more transparent."
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]
Etrian Odyssey 4, Untold $20 each on eShop this week
We knew there was an eShop sale on the way for the Etrian Odyssey 3DS games, and now we know the discounts. EO4: Legends of the Titan and EO Untold: The Millennium Girl are each going for half-price at $20, and that sale runs through until Monday, May 19. Atlus' dungeon-mapping series has enjoyed a strong start on 3DS. New entry EO4 took four stars in our review, which praised the RPG for being accessible while retaining the series' core values. Meanwhile, EO Untold is a remake of the first Etrian Odyssey, but with enough "tedium-reducing improvements" to also earn four stars. While it's an entry in another franchise, Etrian Odyssey fans will see the series' dungeon-crawling elements return in upcoming 3DS game Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth. [Image: Atlus]
Atlus launching Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne on PSN today
Atlus' PlayStation 2 demon-fusing RPG Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne is set to return as a downloadable PS2 Classic later today via the PlayStation Network, Siliconera reports. The third core entry in the long-running Shin Megami Tensei series, Nocturne premiered in Japan in 2003, with an enhanced director's cut version arriving in North America in 2004. Gameplay involves befriending and powering up demonic helper characters throughout a series of turn-based battles. A re-release was teased this week before being confirmed by an ESRB ratings submission. The downloadable PS2 Classics version of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne will launch at $9.99. [Image: Atlus]
Persona 4 Golden to get its own anime [update: trailer link]
Vita JRPG Persona 4 Golden is going to have its own TV anime in Japan, following in the footsteps of Persona 4 The Animation. Atlus streamed a trailer for it today, which showed protagonist Yu along with Marie, the major new character added to the Golden re-release of the original PS2 game. The new anime is due to begin airing in July. It's a bit of a surprise move given the extra story content in Golden was supplementary and not particularly substantial, but let's take it in context. Atlus is releasing a dancing game spin-off, a dungeon crawling spin-off, and another version of its fighter spin-off for Persona 4, all in the lead-up to Persona 5. Maybe, in fact, it makes loads of sense. Update: The official site is up, along with the trailer.
Daylight review: Whistling in the dark
Daylight is a procedurally generated horror game, promising players a new spooky environment and a new experience every time they play. That's the game's big selling point, or so developer Zombie Studios would have you believe. The truth is that procedural generation is one of Daylight's least interesting features, doing little to either heighten the tension or encourage multiple plays. Unfortunately, apart from a handful of heart-pounding frights, the rest of Daylight isn't much better.
Rise Kujikawa confirmed to be playable in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Former teen idol Rise Kujikawa isn't staying idle in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, after Famitsu confirmed her as one of the game's playable fighters. The original Arena introduced the Persona 4 starlet as a non-playable announcer, but in the enhanced follow-up she's one of a bunch of new fighters including Yukari and Junpei from Persona 3, and a character that's brand new to the series, Sho Minazuki. The news gives credence to rumors that Ken Amada, Persona 3's youngest (human) protagonist, also features in the Ultimax roster. As Siliconera reported, a now-baleeted Best Buy listing noted both Ken and Rise as playable in Ultimax. It also mentioned a total of six newbies, indicating there's another fighter we've yet to hear anything about. We'll likely find out soon enough, given the game is due to hit PS3 and Xbox 360 sometime this fall. [Image: Atlus]
Tesla Effect slinks back into the shadows for now, out May 7
Full-motion space quest Tesla Effect isn't touching down today as planned, after dev Big Finish Games decided to hold it back a couple of weeks for some finishing touches. The PC and Mac game's new release date is May 7, when it will come to GOG.com and Steam. Players can expect another serving of near-future ham and cheese in Tex Murphy's returning adventure, which sees the hapless gumshoe wrestling with more murders, more secrets and more trouble with the ladies. Also, he's managed to forget the last seven years of his life, which proves to be somewhat of a bummer. Tesla Effect charges a regular price of $20, but pre-orders are going for $18 and come with previous entry The Pandora Detective and the game's Tex Murphy Live Jazz soundtrack. [Image: Atlus]
.jpeg.cf.jpg)
Conception 2 coming to Europe in May
European role-playing game fans will be able to enjoy Spike Chunsoft's Conception 2 in May, publisher Atlus has revealed. Though Atlus has yet to solidify dates, an email blast revealed both a demo for the game and the official release will come to the region next month. "If you pick up the game, but haven't played through the demo, you may want to give it a shot! Your save data transfers over, and you'll get a set of free goodies," the promotional email noted. For the first month of release players can download the Disciple Weapon Pack DLC for free, which offers five weapons for players to distribute within their game's party. Additional quests will be released as free DLC in May, Atlus says, with more content rolling out each week. Conception 2: Children of the Seven Stars launched in North America yesterday for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. The Joystiq review said of the game, "none of its elements manage to rise above a general feeling of mediocrity." [Image: Atlus]
Conception 2: Children of the Seven Stars review: If you love a baby, set it free
A game doesn't need to be perfect in order for you to keep playing it, so long as there's some kind of tradeoff that provides something good in exchange for the bad. Maybe the voice acting is iffy, but you can deal because the combat is fast-paced and exhilarating. Perhaps the level design is pedestrian, but the story is enchanting enough for you to overlook it. In the case of unusual 3DS and Vita turn-based RPG Conception 2: Children of the Seven Stars, that exchange never quite happens. Although it contains some genuinely interesting ideas and even some charming weirdness, overall Conception 2 is disappointing and disjointed. The situation is a familiar one: A select few are given the power to fight an invading evil. In this case, the Star God blesses certain teenagers with his energy so that they might slay the monsters spewing out of dark portals across the land. It's pretty standard gather-your-party-and-sally-forth-into-the-dungeon stuff, reminiscent of series like Pokemon and Shin Megami Tensei, except some of your party is made up of Star Children, which you create by "Classmating" with the other students at the school where you've been sent to hone your combat abilities. As "God's gift," a nickname you're given because the Star God has given you an astonishing amount of power, it's your obligation to Classmate as much as possible to improve humanity's odds for ridding the world of darkness. You're the world's most important pick up artist.
