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The first batches of Persona 5 information have been released, most of which center around thematic and basic gameplay elements. Details are bulleted below: Continue reading ‘Persona 5 Details Revealed’ »

Atlus will be launching a special news livestream for Persona on Wednesday, February 4, the company announced. The stream will reportedly be a not-insubstantial 30 hours long, where amidst existing and upcoming series content they will no doubt take responsibility and show Persona 5 properly. (Please?)

Anyway, the stream is set to begin at 1pm JST, and will be accessible through the Japanese Persona channel page and Niconico.

Source: Gematsu

As long as we’re talking about Atlus, the company also announced that Persona 4 Arena Ultimax will hit the PS3 and 360 in North America on September 30. Famitsu also revealed that Margaret will be a playable character, though only available as paid downloadable content released after the launch. This DLC has only been confirmed for Japan at this time.

Source: Gematsu

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth will land on the 3DS in North America starting November 25, Atlus announced. The game’s opening movie, which lists the release date, is also now available on YouTube.

Atlus announced that the Tohru Adachi DLC for Persona 4 Arena Ultimax will be freely available for the week following the game’s launch. Afterward the DLC will be priced normally, though the price has not yet been stated. Ultimax will launch this fall in North America.

Source: Gematsu

First-run preorders of Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth will include uniquely designed packaging and a special Tarot card set, Atlus announced today. The cards, evokers used in Persona 4, will be a collector’s set spread across Shadow of the Labyrinth and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax; the former includes Arcanas XI through XXI.

Additionally, Atlus will be releasing a premium edition for Shadow of the Labyrinth. For $79.99, the ‘Wild Cards’ edition will include the same Tarot card set as first-run copies, along with an art booklet, soundtrack CD, and deluxe hard case for the 3DS XL.

Shadow of the Labyrinth is set for a fall release this year.

Source: Gematsu

Persona 4‘s Tohru Adachi has joined the Persona 4 Arena Ultimax roster, available as DLC to those who buy first-run copies. The title itself is planned for a fall release on both PS3 and 360.

Source: Gematsu

Atlus has announced the titles they’ll be showcasing during E3 this year; and by this year, of course, we mean ‘starting Tuesday’. The list includes the expected Persona titles – Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Persona 4: Dancing All Night, and Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth – alongside Abyss Odyssey, Citizens of Earth, and the newly-revealed pinball RPG Rollers of the Realm.

Regarding that last one, Rollers of the Realm comes courtesy of developer Phantom Compass, and indeed works RPG mechanics and dungeon crawling around a pinball interface. Enemy creatures server as the ‘bumpers’, which can attack the pinball flippers, while the pinballs themselves are your playable characters. The game will be playable at E3, and will launch on PS4, PS Vita, and PC. A release date has not been announced.

Source: Gematsu

Atlus announced plans to release a special edition of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax in Japan. Priced at 8,315 yen, the “Premium Newcomer Package” focuses on downloadable content, and includes codes for the following items: the original Persona 4 Arena‘s story mode, the full character glasses set, 12 background music tracks (three from Persona 3, five from Persona 4, and four from Persona 4 Golden), and additional navigators (Teddie and Mitsuru). The package also includes a not-downloadable illustration from series artist Shigenori Soejima.

No word has been given as to whether the package will be available in other regions.

Source: Gematsu

As Persona 4 Arena Ultimax draws closer to its North American release, the steady drip of details continues. Atlus has set the price at $59.99 for PS3 and 360, with as-yet-unspecified preorder bonuses depending on the retailer. This week’s Famitsu also revealed that Persona 3‘s Ken Amada and Koromaru as a playable character – that is, the pair will fight together as a single character.

Friendly reminder: said North American release is this fall.

Source: Gematsu

As the title may have suggested, Atlus announced that an anime adaptation of Persona 4 Golden is in production. The show will be broadcast in Japan starting in July.

Source: Gematsu

Atlus announced they will host a “Shadow Hour TV Persona Hour” broadcast on May 2, 11:30pm Japan time. The program will open with a preview of Persona 3 The Movie #2: Midsummer Knight’s Dream, along with a recap of Persona 3 The Movie #1: Spring of Birth. This will be followed by other series information and announcements; a new Persona project has been hinted but not confirmed.

Niconico will broadcast the event live, which can be viewed here.

Source: Gematsu

Long as we’re talking Persona, Famitsu revealed more about Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, specifically how it uses StreetPass. Players who register with a special notebook can add other players’ Personas to their compendium through StreetPass; QR codes can also be posted online for the same purpose.

Furthermore, players can now upgrade their Personas through Sacrificial Fusion. As opposed to fusing multiple Personas together, this process sacrifices one to strengthen the other. The exact benefits have not yet been clarified, though reportedly the upgraded Persona will take on the abilities of the one being sacrificed.

Persona Q comes out on June 5 in Japan, and this fall in North America.

Source: Gematsu

Via Famitsu comes a flurry of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax news, starting with a release date of August 28 for Japan. Price is set at 6980 yen, with the first-run copies including extra scenario DLC. Rise will be playable, with her story occuring amidst her attempted idol comeback. In battle, she wields a mic and various music-based attacks.

Additionally, the game will feature a “Golden Arena” mode, which is essentially a battle tournament with RPG elements: players level up, customize their fighters, learn skills, and establish social links with partner characters.

Source: Gematsu

Another day, another Nintendo handheld version, and another bundle for said handheld; Atlus has announced that Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth will be getting a 3DS XL bundle. The bundle includes a stylized system cover featuring the entire cast of Persona 3 and 4, and will be available on launch day in Japan (June 5) for 25,380 yen.

Additionally, the latest Famitsu revealed more tidbits about the game’s dungeon crawling. In a nod to Etrian Odyssey, dungeons will include special F.O.E.-like shadows that are considerably more dangerous than normal enemies. These appear as you walk around and can be avoided, and players can expect a tough fight should they choose to engage one; that said, apparently the difficulty can be changed at any time.

Also on loan from Etrian Odyssey is the mapping system, which has players use the bottom screen to plot out the dungeon’s layout. Players unfamiliar with the system can instead activate the auto-mapping feature, though tutorials are on hand to explain how to draw your own maps.

Source: Gematsu

Sensing that fans have been kept in suspense long enough, Atlus has at last confirmed that the plethora of Persona games being discussed lately – Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Persona 4: Dancing All Night, and of course Persona 5 – will all be seeing a North American release. Shadow of the Labyrinth (3DS) and Arena Ultimax (PS3/360) are planned for Fall releases this year, while Dancing All Night (PS Vita) and Persona 5 are listed for 2015.

Source: Gematsu

Via Famitsu, Atlus has released two samples of Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth‘s background music. Theme #1 plays during battles while controlling the Persona 3 protagonist, while Theme #2 is one of the field tracks.

Source: Gematsu

As long as we’re talking Persona, Atlus also put out more information about Persona 4 spinoff Dancing All Night. Storywise, the game follows Rise’s idol group, who investigate an urban legend about a web video causing viewers to be taken to “The Other Side.” Said other side is apparently a place called the “Mayonaka Stage,” and when the phenomenon claims a fellow idol group, Rise and company willingly participate in order to free the captives. Cue dancing to defeat Shadows.

Apart from Rise, Atlus announced that the Protagonist of Persona 4 will also show up to help out. One of Rise’s junior idols, Kanami Mashita, is also a key character who gets stuck on the Other Side. The music will include remixes of prior Persona soundtracks along with new compositions: the former includes “Pursuing My True Self,” “Heaven,” “Reach Out to the Truth,” “Time to Make History,” and “True Story.”

Put on your red shoes and dance (in Japan, at least) starting Fall of 2014.

Source: Gematsu

Atlus has begun releasing information about Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth. Specifically, players will choose between the protagonists of Persona 3 and 4 to control. In either case, the plot revolves around a strange clock tower appearing at Yasogami High School during its cultural festival, which, among other things, sticks the teams from both games together. The exact story differs slightly depending on perspective, as the Persona 3 crew are the ones seemingly dropped into 4‘s world, but regardless both teams have to work together to figure out what’s happening.

Confirmed recurring characters are Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Shinjiro from P3, and Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko from P4. New characters Rei and Zen, students at the high school, are seemingly tied to the mystery, having lost their memories at the same time of the incident.

Persona Q is set for a June 5 release in Japan.

Source: Gematsu

Atlus has (at last) announced that Persona 5 is in development for the PS3, with a release window of Winter 2014 for Japan; so sayeth the official site. Very little is known at this time, though the imagery in the teaser suggests it will again make use of the high school setting.

Source: Gematsu