Shin Megami Tensei: Persona for PSP to Have Simultaneous Retail & PlayStation Network Launch

Atlus U.S.A., Inc. today announced that the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei®: Persona® for PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, the highly-anticipated remake of the first chapter in the critically-acclaimed Persona series, will launch simultaneously at retail and via PlayStation®Network on September 22nd.  Retail customers have an added incentive to pre-order; the UMD release of SMT: Persona is a Collector's Edition boxed set, with each and every launch copy including the game's full 2-disc musical score, courtesy of master composer Shoji Meguro, at no additional cost.
 
Lauded for its mature and philosophical narrative, SMT: Persona stands apart from other RPGs of its era, blending sophisticated storytelling with addictive combat, demon negotiation, and demon fusion components.  Boasting a fully redone localization (including content never before seen in North America), all-new music, beautiful new animated sequences overseen by famed artist Kazuma Kaneko, enhanced graphics and sound, adjustments to game balance, and a number of technical and design improvements, this is the definitive version of one of the most sought after RPGs of all time.

"Over a decade after the game was originally released for PlayStation®, we're proud to be able to deliver a remade, remastered SMT: Persona through the ever-growing PlayStation®Store in addition to traditional retail channels," said Tim Pivnicny, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Atlus.  "When the PSP®go System launches in October, customers will immediately be able to load up a digital copy of what promises to be one of the platform's strongest RPG releases of the year.  To show our devotion to our fans and retail partners, the UMD release of SMT: Persona will include the game's complete 2-disc soundtrack.  This tremendous value is exclusive to the retail version of the game, and only available for a limited time at launch."
 
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is currently scheduled to release in stores and via PlayStation Network on September 22, 2009.  Both versions have an MSRP of $39.99, but only the physical launch copies will include the game's soundtrack on 2 discs, all packaged in a premium oversized outer box.

About SMT: Persona
The rumor going around St. Hermelin High School holds that if you play the "Persona" game, you can see what the future holds for you. When a group of students-some eager, some skeptical-tries the game out, they experience something quite different. Before long, the city is turned upside-down and demons are roaming the streets, and only the students' newfound power of Persona can set things right again.
 
Whether you pursue Takahisa Kandori and his abuses of the power he wields as SEBEC's president, or whether you delve into the curse of the Snow Queen that has plagued St. Hermelin for decades, a deep, modern, psychological tale awaits. Remember your true self, and free the tortured psyches of others...
 
Key Features

• More than the same old JRPG -- Dark, philosophical, and complex, Persona sets you up in a modern day Japan that has gone into chaos.  Demons run free, and you and your team must navigate corruption, mental frailty, and an alternate version of your world to bring your reality back into order.
• A second chance on PSP -- Offering a second opportunity to experience the beginnings of the acclaimed Persona series, this remake boasts a fully relocalized script, revamped user interface, faster battles, expanded soundtrack, and new in-game movies with voice work added just for the North American release.
• Unique tactical opportunities -- The inner selves known Personas are your key to progressing through the adventure, adding skills and incredible depth to your battle tactics. Expand and improve your collection through the Demon Negotiation system that offers spell cards that you can later fuse into new Personas.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona has been rated "T" for Teen with Fantasy Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Simulated Gambling, and Suggestive Themes by the ESRB.