A little over a month remains until the return, comrades. Why not familiarize yourself with the classic? Final boxart for Persona PSP, at least the Japanese version: In newer school news, Persona 4's pretty much gone global now, seeing as how it's available in the UK and Australia now. So now everyone has a chance, more or less. ATLUS TO BRING SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI®: PERSONA® FOR PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) SYSTEM TO NORTH AMERICA Leak this. IRVINE, CALIFORNIA — FEBRUARY 24, 2009 — Atlus U.S.A., Inc, today announced that Shin Megami Tensei®: Persona® for PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, a remake of the first entry in the critically-acclaimed RPG series, will be released in North America within the calendar year. SMT: Persona stands as a proud relaunch for the award-winning series, featuring a completely redone localization and content never before seen in North America. Combined with gameplay enhancements and additions new to the remake, fans will have the chance to experience the first Persona game released in North America in a whole new way. Those looking to see the original epic in a whole new light, those who missed out the first time around, and even those PSP system owners who crave a marquee RPG: that which you seek is approaching. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is currently scheduled to release this fall. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona has not yet been rated by the ESRB. No, not that one. That one. Trailer Official Website of Awesome Meguro Remixing Not only is the score being remade by the series' trademark composer, but Shoji Meguro is also directing the remake. - All the original FMVs will be remade by Kamikaze Douga, and there will be many brand new FMVs as well to enhance the storytelling. - Shoji Meguro will be arranging all the original BGM and the vocal tracks will feature Yumi Kawamura, the vocalist for the Persona 3 tracks. - The interface has been fully revamped to take advantage of the full widescreen view for the benefit of all users. - Both the original scenario and the Snow Queen scenario will contain additional dungeon floors not found in the original. The new dungeon elements will also contain tricky puzzles and extra content for the player to unravel. - The game has been fully rebalanced to enhance the playing experience from the original version. The encounter rate and dungeon designs have been tweaked as well. There will also be multiple difficulty settings to more player choice. - Battle animations can now be skipped entirely, and the battle load times have been decreased to 2/3 the rate of the original game. - There will be many more save points available throughout the game, and for portable fans the game will also feature a quicksave feature. - A beautiful 2D town map has been created for the game to bring it up to the standard of the rest of the series. If you don't own a PSP yet, this would be the time to get caught up. This is, as always, the thread for all your Shin Megami Tensei/Persona/Digital Devil Saga/game-that-involves-utilizing-mythic-beings-in-battle discussion needs. Atlus USA has this set up to be a rather busy season for SMT fans, so here's a taste of things to come. IRVINE, CALIFORNIA — JANUARY 27, 2009 — Atlus U.S.A., Inc. today announced that Shin Megami Tensei®: Devil Summoner 2™: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon, a new chapter in the stunningly original action RPG series for PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, is making its way to North America on May 12th. Improved over its predecessor in every way, Devil Summoner 2 is an action RPG breath of fresh air, with a deep, easy-to-control combat system, nearly two hundred demons to negotiate with, collect, and fuse, and a variety of strategies to employ and master. Experience a 1920’s Tokyo bustling with cases to solve, criminals to bring to justice, and the threat of the mysterious King Abaddon looming on the horizon. For a limited time, and out of an exceptionally small fixed number of units, North American gamers will have even more reason to pick up the game that raced to the top of the Japanese game sales charts upon its release. Each and every launch copy of Devil Summoner 2 will feature a rare Raiho plushie doll (not available for sale separately). Only a small amount of these rare bundles will be assembled, and each package will be numbered to ensure its rarity and collectible value. Should there be future print runs of the game, they will ship without the Raiho collectible. Act before they're gone! Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon is scheduled to negotiate its way into retailers on May 12, 2009 with an MSRP of $39.99. Each and every copy of the game’s limited quantity launch will ship with a rare Raiho collectible plushie. ### About Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha versus King Abaddon: A new threat to Japan's Capital calls for the return of its case-solving, tube-slinging Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th. When a woman walks into the Narumi Detective Agency and asks to find a man, Raidou's boss is reluctant to accept, but soon it's clear there's more to the case than it seems on the surface. It isn't long before Raidou is on the trail of crooked gamblers, masked ninja, and strange insects... a trail leading him inexorably to the mysterious King Abaddon. Key Features • Massively upgraded battle system— Advancements to the battle mechanics include a MAG balancing system, dodge and hide abilities, and the ability to command two demons in combat. Use the retooled Weapon Alchemy system to create new swords with unique special attacks. • Deeper demon integration— Demon negotiation returns with more than twice the number of demons to attempt to recruit to your side. Create more powerful demons through fusion and skill transfer. Control two demons in battle and choose from more tactical options. • Phenomenal creative team— The rich environment of this Taisho-era Japan comes to life with the character designs of Kazuma Kaneko and the musical score of Shoji Meguro. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha versus King Abaddon has not yet been rated by the ESRB. ### About Atlus U.S.A., Inc. Located in Irvine, California and founded in 1991, Atlus U.S.A., Inc. is renowned for its proud tradition of publishing exceptional role-playing games with strong niche appeal. The Atlus library of critically acclaimed video games includes Odin Sphere, Trauma Center series, and the award-winning Shin Megami Tensei series. For more information, visit http://www.atlus.com. For breaking news, special promotions, insider info, and more, visit http://www.atlus.com/faithful to join the ranks of the Atlus Faithful! Almost time to go back to war. Opening Not long after confirming that, Atlus also dropped another revelation on us: IRVINE, CALIFORNIA — FEBRUARY 6, 2009 — Atlus U.S.A., Inc. today announced that Shin Megami Tensei®: Devil Survivor™ for Nintendo DS™, a new RPG/SRPG hybrid in the award-winning Shin Megami Tensei franchise, is coming to North America this summer. This may be the first Shin Megami Tensei epic to land on Nintendo DS, but no aspect of the experience—story, visuals, music, or gameplay—has been shrunk in the process. In fact, Devil Survivor invigorates the series with an unprecedented RPG/SRPG combat system and more character customization options than ever before, all wrapped within a compelling, branching narrative. For the first time in the series, players can use a new Demon Auction feature to collect and eventually fuse demons as they seek to create the most powerful party. The government has quarantined Tokyo after a surprise demon invasion. No one within the isolation zone is safe. Can you and your peers turn the demons against themselves before time runs out and all is lost? Devil Survivor manifests at retailers on June 23, 2009 with an MSRP of $29.99. For more information about Devil Survivor, visit the official website: http://www.atlus.com/devilsurvivor ### About Devil Survivor Tokyo is in full lockdown, the government’s swift, coldblooded response to a surprise demon invasion. Trapped within the sprawling metropolis is the city’s helpless populace, forced to turn on each other in order to survive. A mysterious piece of technology, the COMP, falls into the hands of you and your peers. This device allows you to form contracts, forcing demons to serve you in battle against the otherworldly creatures. There are others with COMPs, so-called demon tamers, who seek to use the demons to satisfy their own whims—be they for justice, peace, or power—in the chaos that was once downtown Tokyo. Where did the demons come from? Why did they appear? Who created the COMPs, and what is their purpose? These questions must soon be answered, for if you fail to solve the mystery, much more is at stake than your own lives. Key Features • Shin Megami Tensei goes portable — The absorbing story, addictive demon-fusing, and hardcore RPG battle that define the Shin Megami Tensei experience finally arrive on Nintendo’s popular dual screen handheld. Expressly designed for Nintendo DS, SMT makes a seamless transition with trademark gameplay features built into an intuitive presentation you can take anywhere! • Collect and fuse demons like never before — Demon collection is updated for a new generation: competitive bidding determines the outcome! Place your winning bid through the easy-to-use menu interface to add new demons to your roster. Then, fuse them together to create new, more powerful creatures to aid you in battle. • Hybrid SRPG/RPG combat system — A perfect synthesis of strategy and traditional RPG combat, you’ll need more than the usual battle strategy to come out on top. Deployed in teams of 2-3, you must choose the right combination of human and demons for each unit placed on the grid, then prepare to launch into first person turn-based battle in the tradition of the classic RPGs! • Many possible conclusions — An epic story of mythological proportions lets you decide whether your loyalties lie with the angels, demons, or only yourself. Decisions made throughout the game will affect the course of the story, ultimately ending in a showdown where your choice of alliance will determine the survival of thousands. Devil Survivor has not yet been rated by the ESRB. Trailer Should be fun, if you need your SMT fix on the go. The fanservice ratio is ridiculously high, but that's what happens when you can't afford to put Kaneko or Soejima on the payroll 24/7. This thread is also open to discussion for any series which falls under the SMT banner. Encouraged, even. Including, but hardly limited to: Or Spoiler: show spoiler hide spoiler Or even Spoiler: show spoiler hide spoiler I suppose now's the time to pray for Atlus to bring Persona PSP stateside ASAP. So to that end,

Persona 4, March 13. Remember that date, EU people.

Looking at the box art for Devil Survivor just gets me more pissed off by the second. The character design is just so unbelievably bad for a SMT title. Cat ear looking wire things, pointless eye cover thingy, TITS TITS LOL, whatever the fuck that thing is on the head of the girl to the right, the Gin from Bleach lookalike, FUCK I HATE IT ALL. It's so just arrrrgh so fucking BAD. FUCK. Okay I think I've finally got it out of my system. I'll try to not bring it up anymore but I make no promises. FUCK.

Like I said, they probably just couldn't afford Soejima or Kaneko, so they brought in random C-list anime designer(see also: SMT Nine).

So I was listening to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ksvqc...eature=related , and then I realised the part at 0:28 sounds a lot like the tune you hear when the P4 MC summons Izanagi for the first time. Argh, now I really got to get a PSP...

I dunno. The LOLBEWBS thing the main girl has going on is annoying (though, really, hardly the first time an SMT character had big breasts), but other than that I don't have a problem with the designs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sva06...eature=related When I saw this trailer I was like, hey, the beginning sounds like one of the FES Tartarus songs The song in question is called, shockingly, Persona

My current theory is that they had a B-Team doing Devil Survivor, and now that P4 and DS4 are done, all the A-listers are free to work on this 360 project. Which also better end in a 4.

Yay new thread.

So I was listening to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ksvqc...eature=related , and then I realised the part at 0:28 sounds a lot like the tune you hear when the P4 MC summons Izanagi for the first time. Argh, now I really got to get a PSP... If this song is any indication of how good the Premake music is going to be, I can't wait.

My current theory is that they had a B-Team doing Devil Survivor, and now that P4 and DS4 are done, all the A-listers are free to work on this 360 project. Which also better end in a 4. Yeah, from a quick glance at Wiki it seems like Kaneko at least is pretty heavily involved in Devil Summoner Probably just busy with that Still, Devil Survivor sounds pretty interesting

My current theory is that they had a B-Team doing Devil Survivor, and now that P4 and DS4 are done, all the A-listers are free to work on this 360 project. Which also better end in a 4. Yeah, from a quick glance at Wiki it seems like Kaneko at least is pretty heavily involved in Devil Summoner Probably just busy with that Still, Devil Survivor sounds pretty interesting I think Kaneko directed the Devil Summoner games, at least the 3rd one. I heard he has a lot invested in the project for some reason. I expect the second Raidou game's going to improve on the first in spades. And yeah, Devil Survivor's story sounds pretty good. Hopefully the gameplay will be too.

so will Devil Summoner 2 be playable without having played the first one?

Yes. Same cast, brand new story. Though I hear there's a bonus if you have clear data from the first one.

When I saw this trailer I was like, hey, the beginning sounds like one of the FES Tartarus songs The song in question is called, shockingly, Persona The dungeon songs in FES are from other Persona games, if my understanding is correct.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbIYn...eature=related This song still gives me chills. Hardly the best final battle music ever, but easily the creepiest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjYau...eature=related The title music is still the most iconic Nocturne music for me.

Oh yeah, definitely. But something about that battle music and the fight I associate with it... brr. I also enjoy the piano piece that plays on the start menu. On my second run, I notice that music is overall very bleak. It's not a very uplifting game at all.

This song still gives me chills. Hardly the best final battle music ever, but easily the creepiest. Nothing with a wailing guitar in it can classify as "creepy" and I dare anyone to prove me wrong. You're just catching psychological residue from every other aspect of a really unsettling boss fight. I sort of think the final battle music for Persona 4 was one of the more fitting themes I've heard. Spoiler: show spoiler hide spoiler It really conveys the whole message of "You have gotten in way over your head this time and YOU. ARE. FUCKED. ...or are you?"

This song still gives me chills. Hardly the best final battle music ever, but easily the creepiest. Nothing with a wailing guitar in it can classify as "creepy" and I dare anyone to prove me wrong. You're just catching psychological residue from every other aspect of a really unsettling boss fight. That could definitely be it. That's the only final battle since Ninja Gaiden 2's on the NES that I felt genuinely nervous about seeing through. Spoiler: show spoiler hide spoiler The whole Kagatsuchi = DEAD indicator screams 'there's no going back now. I sort of think the final battle music for Persona 4 was one of the more fitting themes I've heard. Spoiler: show spoiler hide spoiler It really conveys the whole message of "You have gotten in way over your head this time and YOU. ARE. FUCKED. ...or are you?" Spoiler: show spoiler hide spoiler I like how the first half's music had the typical Meguro epic battle vibe. "Oh, that's not so bad." Then you fight that.

DDS2 had the best final boss theme by far. P3 is runner up.

DDS2 had the best final boss theme by far. P3 is runner up. Can't argue that. Though I also enjoyed Persona 2's. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qovA-8jb5GU I'm a sucker for choiral vocals.

Oh man, the P2 endboss music was great but even better in Innocent Sin, thanks to the nature of the boss itself. You kept dealing out and getting hit by huge full-party spells and the hit animations were in perfect sync with the chanting SHUT UP I THOUGHT IT WAS COOL.

Personas 2, 3, and 4 had some great epic boss sets with music to follow them. SMT games in general seem to be pretty good at epic boss battles. Spoiler: show spoiler hide spoiler Since you end up fighting God or Satan in at least half the games, I guess that's appropriate.

Nocturne is definitely one of the darkest games ever. I like the fact that it is unabashedly depressing. There are very few games that can truly own up to that. The best part of the final battle theme is the calmer, lighter guitar kicking in. That's just how MOTHERFUCKING EPIC Meguro is.