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Persona 4 dated in the US! Yes! photo

I'm here covering the Shin Megami Tensei panel at Anime Expo here in Los Angeles (more coverage on that later), but I wanted to drop in now and say that Persona 4 does have a US launch date now. I'm so happy!

After hearing the full history of the Shin Megami Tensei games (awesome, by the way), Atlus surprises us with the screen you're seeing above. Just in time for the holidays, P4 will hit shelves on December 9th, 2008. This will also include a bonus soundtrack CD!

I know some of you haven't finished Persona 3: FES yet, so you better hurry!

Are you ready for P4 yet?


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51 comments | showing # 1 to 50

Projectexodus's Avatar
Projectexodus at 07/05/2008 21:29
What type of game is Persona anyway? I've heard so much fuss about these games, but I really dont know...
Josh Tolentino's Avatar
Josh Tolentino at 07/05/2008 21:30
YES YES YES ATLUS IS RANK 10 IN MY SOCIAL LINK.
Novakaine's Avatar
Novakaine at 07/05/2008 21:31
Aw shit, that means I have only a few months to finish P3... goddamn that game is long.

@ Projectexodus: RPG, aimed squarely at the heads of weeaboos. It can get really repetitive at times, but P3 has an amazingly mature story and cast of characters. Not mature as what the gaming industry thinks is mature (gratuitous sex, profanity, and violence), but actual maturity that makes you feel at home with those aforementioned subjects. Probably the most mature game I've played.
Krahsh's Avatar
Krahsh at 07/05/2008 21:31
I was completely new to the Persona series but after hearing others go on and on about it I picked up the fes edition and have to say I've throughly enjoyed it.

Reserving this is a nobrainer, can't wait.
Joseph Leray's Avatar
Joseph Leray at 07/05/2008 21:32
Oh fuck, that means I have to finish my second playthrough of FES stat.
madninja's Avatar
madninja at 07/05/2008 21:32
Darn it! I didn't know that this panel was today. I should have gone but the Mega64 panel was awesome.
Spartacus's Avatar
Spartacus at 07/05/2008 21:36
I should probably pick up P3 sometime soon, then.
Josh Tolentino's Avatar
Josh Tolentino at 07/05/2008 21:48
@ Projectexodus

>>What type of game is Persona anyway? I've heard so much fuss about these games, but I really dont know...

The Persona games are spinoffs from the core Shin Megami Tensei franchise. The series itself is distinguished by a closer emphasis on the school-life setting so popular in most anime TV shows. Gameplay-wise, the battle system features Persona, which are basically summoned creatures who perform attacks, each with weaknesses and strength. Personae can be switched out, leveled up and fused together to make new ones.

The first two PS1 games were fairly bog-standard jRPGs.

Persona 3 introduced Social Links, which are basically scores representing your relationships to the game's cast and ancillary different characters, each relationship corresponding to a persona's arcana grouping.

Building ranks by spending time with the characters produced stronger personae during fusion, and netted special story events that were like an anime series' various plot arcs.

With P3 the series evolved from a standard cutscene-to-cutscene ride common in the jRPG to a time-management game with an attached dungeon-crawler. Good call on that for ATLUS.
Tet's Avatar
Tet at 07/05/2008 21:48
Another game to throw into my list of must haves.
PikkonX's Avatar
PikkonX at 07/05/2008 21:49
This is the best news I've heard in a while. Gotta have another run through FES soon.
coffeesash's Avatar
coffeesash at 07/05/2008 21:54
12.09.08 in the UK is 12th of September 08 and I thought yay! That's not tooooo bad. But it's 9th of December -_- oy
That's quite a long way away. I'll have to import it of course, I bet 3 FES doesn't even come out in the UK til 2009
Kinsella's Avatar
Kinsella at 07/05/2008 21:56
Playing thru FES now, just killed floor 135 boss, that miserable sleeping table! Great game, love the characters, the voices seem like perfect matches for their personalites.
Jonathan Holmes's Avatar
Jonathan Holmes at 07/05/2008 22:02
I really wanted to like P3, and I did...for the first hour. Then tedium set in big time.

I'll buy P4 just in hopes that it grabs me, and to financially support Atlus. They've brought so many amazing games to the States that never would have benn localized by anyone else.

For Rule of Rose alone, I am indebted to them for life.
lawlflip's Avatar
lawlflip at 07/05/2008 22:05
MSRP?
MrSadistic's Avatar
MrSadistic at 07/05/2008 22:12
Sweet. I just hope P4 will make up for my distaste of the ending(s) of P3 (and FES), which totally killed any great praise I had for the games.
Junpei's Avatar
Junpei at 07/05/2008 22:35
BABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABY OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
ZenGaijin's Avatar
ZenGaijin at 07/05/2008 22:39
I just beat Persona 3 last week I still got the Answer to go through but after beating 3 I'm right there day one for 4.
Chocobo Knight's Avatar
Chocobo Knight at 07/05/2008 23:05
YES! YES! YES! WOOOOHOOOO!
13thDragon's Avatar
13thDragon at 07/05/2008 23:10
Goddamn I haven't even started Persona 3 yet. Oh well I'll still grab a copy of 4 though. I'll play them eventually.
Novakaine's Avatar
Novakaine at 07/05/2008 23:20
An unrealistic wish of mine to see with the Social Link system is maybe an unlockable party member system. When I first played through P3, I for some reason had a hunch if you maxed out a person's SL maybe your Potential would rub off onto them, and thus I thought maybe later in the game you'd have Yuko and Mamoru as party members.

I don't know why I thought that, and I know it'd be a huge pain in the ass and bit of work for Atlus to even come close to pulling off, but that's one of my dreams for a future Persona game.
Faceless's Avatar
Faceless at 07/05/2008 23:22
You know what Atlus needs to pack in with Persona 4? A machine that stops time, because that's the only way I'll be able to finish that damn game.
nilcam's Avatar
nilcam at 07/05/2008 23:27
Good call, faceless. These games are too damned long.
F Whipple's Avatar
F Whipple at 07/05/2008 23:32
aghghghgh....i have to get some way to play ps2 games
Gen Eric Gui's Avatar
Gen Eric Gui at 07/05/2008 23:38
If I can work it, I will be buying this pre-day one. SO EXCITED.
Qraze's Avatar
Qraze at 07/05/2008 23:52
i was playing the original shim megami on the snes and wasn't to exited over it but P4 is gonna be the shit.
Kia's Avatar
Kia at 07/06/2008 00:02
I believe this calls for a

FUCK YEAH, ATLUS!
thinkfreemind's Avatar
thinkfreemind at 07/06/2008 00:18
Hooray! I can't believe it's coming so soon.
Brian Keljore's Avatar
Brian Keljore at 07/06/2008 00:25
Damn... that's fast. I can't wait.
thinkfreemind's Avatar
thinkfreemind at 07/06/2008 00:34
To anybody who went. What was the special gift?
frozenbabylon's Avatar
frozenbabylon at 07/06/2008 02:13
Meh. I hated the P3 and haven't ever liked a damn SMT game, So I'm not going to waste my time this time.
nintendoll's Avatar
nintendoll at 07/06/2008 03:08
Want. I <3 MegaTen games.
Doomtrain's Avatar
Doomtrain at 07/06/2008 03:08
What I played: Persona 3
What I expected: A decent RPG
What I got: A 999 hour long episode of Degrassi
Sir Unimaginative's Avatar
Sir Unimaginative at 07/06/2008 04:07
Joining the crowd that still needs to finish up P3.

Seriously, people need to stop making so many good games, so maybe we can finish what we have. We are only human.
Im OK's Avatar
Im OK at 07/06/2008 04:49
I'm currently about halfway through September in FES right now (which is further than I made it in vanilla P3, back in the day).
Tristero's Avatar
Tristero at 07/06/2008 05:39
So wait a minute ... you're here in Los Angeles and you didn't even holla? For shame.
Anus Mcphanus's Avatar
Anus Mcphanus at 07/06/2008 07:19
So no Euro release date? :-( or should we just change the 08 to 09 like usual?
AKK's Avatar
AKK at 07/06/2008 07:29
That's a day before my birthday. Conveniently, that's a day before my 17th birthday, so this will be the first M game I get by myself and not through someone else.

Fuck yeah.

Still have to beat FES though. I have three or four more Ordeals to get through.
deiga-the-semivaliant's Avatar
deiga-the-semivaliant at 07/06/2008 10:20
Arrgh, I'm stuck right now in Persona 3. I can't get past the boss on floor 110 because of it's cheap charm bullshit.

Maybe I'll give it another stab later, but I got kinda burnt out. P4 looks awesome, however, and I will most definately give Atlus my monies.
Josh Tolentino's Avatar
Josh Tolentino at 07/06/2008 10:49
Looking at the trailers, I see complaints that Persona summons no longer involve head-shooting, but I'm thinking that's ok. Smacking a burning card may not be as "edgy", but it allows for more creative animations.

Characters drop-kick the cards, pull them out over fans, hit them with a chair, crush them in their hands, and so forth. At least they're not drawing them over some ridiculous card-holding device and laying them on a deck*coughYuGiOhhack*.

Another key device seems to be a pair of glasses, which is cute since it provides additional visual twists to the characters. Daytime = no glasses, Nighttime = glasses. It's more interesting than the addition of a SEES armband to the school uniform, at least.

Weather looks like it plays a part in the proceedings, and there are group victory animations. So the game still oozes style like blood from a horror-house wall and drives a neon-colored stake into the grays and browns of "next-gen" gaming. Works for me!
The-Excel's Avatar
The-Excel at 07/06/2008 10:54
Five months isn't enough time for me to finish The Answer. They're doing this on purpose.
Josh Tolentino's Avatar
Josh Tolentino at 07/06/2008 10:58
Oh yay! Party control! No more spamming useless charm spells!
Slick Icarus's Avatar
Slick Icarus at 07/06/2008 11:03
I'm getting P3 with my b-day money as soon as I get it... That and P4 should hold me over 'till next year when I graduate and get a decent PC.
JonDarkwood's Avatar
JonDarkwood at 07/06/2008 11:46
I think it was Colette who sold me on Persona 3 FES. I bought it last week but i'm on vacation so I can't wait to get home and play it.
JonDarkwood's Avatar
JonDarkwood at 07/06/2008 11:46
I think it was Colette who sold me on Persona 3 FES. I bought it last week but i'm on vacation so I can't wait to get home and play it.
Batthink's Avatar
Batthink at 07/06/2008 12:08
@ coffeesash;

Indeed, great news, but us people in Europe would be waiting until June for this. By that time, the Americans will have the special edition. ¬_¬
coffeesash's Avatar
coffeesash at 07/06/2008 15:08
I think America will have Persona 4 FES by the time we get Persona 3 FES.
LadyLucifer's Avatar
LadyLucifer at 07/06/2008 17:17
Mmmm I've had Persona 3 FES since last September, played it and I love it, it's brilliant.

All I can say about P4 FES is "want."

^.^
Lucca's Avatar
Lucca at 07/06/2008 17:40
Damn regional encoding.

I'll play it anyway, though. ;)
Cletus the Fetus's Avatar
Cletus the Fetus at 07/06/2008 18:35
I love you Atlus. Have my babies!
gomeja's Avatar
gomeja at 07/06/2008 21:07
All I can say is: "YEAAAAAHHHHHH"

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