After twelve years, Atlus is finally bringing Persona 2 - Innocent Sin to America via the PSP.
Late last night, Atlus officially announced plans to bring Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2 - Innocent Sin to America. The game, recently remade for the PSP in Japan, will be translated and brought to America this fall. The original PlayStation game was planned as a two part release, but only the Eternal Punishment half was released in America, though both parts did see release in Japan.
The remake will offer improved visuals in a 16:9 display, remastered audio, a brand new interface, a choice between the original and remixed soundtrack, as well as new sidequests in the Climax Theater.
Similar to many of the other games in the MegaTen line at the time, the Persona series started as a first person dungeon crawl. Persona 2 breaks that mold, pulling the view out to a third person perspective, while incorporating many of the concepts, like demon negotiation that made the original unique.
Though Eternal Punishment was the first title in the Persona 2 story arc to be released in America, it's actually the second part of the series, following the story line of Tatsuya Suou, a high school student in Sumaru City. The game takes place shortly after the original Persona title wraps up. Here, the students are living in a "reality being twisted by rumors... who must draw on their inner strengths, [and] their Personas, to bring back order." Tying into the Eternal Punishment storyline, players will meet and team up with Maya Amano, the protagonist of the second game.
Currently Atlus has no announced plans to remake Persona 2 - Eternal Punishment, so players looking to experience the entire story arc of the game will need to hunt for a copy of the original PlayStation release of the game.
Press Release
OVER 12 YEARS IN THE MAKING: ATLUS TO BRING SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: PERSONA 2: INNOCENT SIN FOR PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) SYSTEM TO NORTH AMERICA THIS FALL
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA -- MAY 24, 2011 -- ATLUS today announced that Shin Megami Tensei®: Persona®2: Innocent Sin, the one entry in its acclaimed Persona series of roleplaying games never to be released outside of Japan, is finally coming to North America for PSP system this fall. In a world in which rumors are becoming reality, an unlikely team of citizens must discover and harness a hidden power dormant within each of them if they're to have any chance of getting to the bottom of this dangerous phenomenon and stopping it before it gets out of control.
Over 12 years in the making, the official localization of Innocent Sin provides patient fans with the other side of the Persona 2 arc, a dark adventure about high school students who find their reality being twisted by rumors, and who must draw on their inner strengths, their Personas, to bring back order. Taking advantage of PSP system's 16:9 aspect ratio, higher resolution display, superior audio, and increased horsepower, this remastered version of one of the pinnacles of ATLUS' flagship Shin Megami Tensei franchise delivers the game in style with a sleek new interface, new sidequests in the Climax Theater, and the player's choice of the fully remixed or original soundtrack.
While the original Persona still exhibited many foundational ties to the core SMT series, Persona 2: Innocent Sin marked the point at which the beloved RPG series found its identity. While retaining core series mechanics like demon negotiation and party-building, Innocent Sin was ultimately defined by its far greater emphasis on character and story over surviving long dungeons, eschewing the tradition of first-person dungeon crawling in favor of a third-person view of the ever-escalating insanity. The story unfolds through lovingly crafted sprite animations and dialogue portraits, which were current series artist Shigenori Soejima's first contribution to the Persona games, but it's the characters who shine most, from the memorable villains to the fully fleshed-out main cast to the vast array of people they meet along the way.
SMT: Persona 2: Innocent Sin for PSP system is currently scheduled to release in North America this Fall. For more info, visit the official website at http://www.atlus.com/persona2.
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