Persona 2: Innocent Sin Message Board

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, the original PlayStation game and second chapter in the Persona 2 saga, has a new ESRB rating for the PS3 and PSP, suggesting a launch on PSN.

The first Persona 2 installment, Innocent Sin, made the trek to PSP in 2011, with nary a word on Eternal Punishment following suit. An ESRB rating, however, is a fairly solid indication of an impending launch. Eternal Punishment received the same rating on PS3 and PSP as it did on PS1 all those years ago, T for Teen. Eternal Punishment on PS3 and PSP is published by SCEA, rather than Atlus, which published the PS1 version and Innocent Sin's iterations.

Persona 2: Innocent Sin for the PSP has been, in some circles, a very long time coming. Originally released in 1999 by Atlus for the Japanese PlayStation, this PSP port represents the first time the game has ever been available on American soil. Its sequel, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is a beloved...

Persona 2: Innocent Sin is hitting PSP September 20, but before it does, Atlus wants to show us just how hardcore the revamped game will be. The new "Negotiation and Summoning" trailer shows the rock-and-rollin' Demon Negotiation and Persona Summoning mechanics, complete with haughty taunts and epic guitar riffs. Just picture the PSP in the video riding a motorcycle over pits of fire and exploding kittens, because we assume that's the tone Atlus is going for here.

The PSP just got more personal -- Persona 2: Innocent Sin has an official release date of September 20 in North America, and it is available for pre-order, for $40, right now. Pre-orders from Gamestop and Amazon will get a free 10-track CD featuring original, remixed and arranged songs from Shoji Meguro, who composed Persona 3 and 4, and more recently, Catherine.

Atlus also released a new trailer for Innocent Sin, which can provide you an atomic series-nostalgia-bomb above.

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA - ATLUS today revealed that each and every launch copy of the highly anticipated Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Innocent Sin for PSP (PlayStation Portable) system--the one entry in the publisher's acclaimed Persona series of roleplaying games never to be released outside of Japan--will include a free mini-soundtrack CD featuring 10 tracks from the game's musical score...

We’re willing to guess that until someone finally dares to make The Adventures of Methuselah Jones, it’ll be hard to find a game that’s been anticipated by fans for over a decade.

That’s right, back in 1999—in between all those exciting millennium parties, of course—a new chapter in the acclaimed Persona series of roleplaying games came out in Japan and was ultimately never published in North America. This “lost” chapter, long anticipated by fans of Atlus, the series, and RPGs in general, is extremely overdue. Apart from one other game coming out this year that has teased and tortured its fanbase for a similarly agonizing stretch of time (you know, the one that wants bubble gum but is out of it), there really isn’t much else out there that fans have been waiting as long for.

…Which is why we’re so excited to announce that the wait is nearly over. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Innocent Sin, or rather, an enhanced version of it for PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, is finally coming to North America!

Innocent Sin stands for more than just its deliciously dark, twisted narrative about a world in which rumors are becoming reality. While the original Persona still had a lot of foundational ties to the core SMT games, Innocent Sin marked the moment in which the Persona sub-series came into its own. Carrying over franchise traditions like demon negotiation and party-building, Innocent Sin was ultimately defined by its far greater emphasis on character and story over surviving long dungeons, discarding things like first-person dungeon crawling in favor of a third-person view of the ever-escalating insanity.

But we’re not just going to give fans the same game that came out in Japan in 1999. Oh no, the PSP version of Innocent Sin is loaded with improvements and additions, including but not limited to:

• 16:9 Aspect Ratio
• Remastered Visuals and Audio
• Remixed Musical Score (with option to toggle between that and original)
• Streamlined User Interface
• New Quests
• New Intro Animation
• And more!

For years, you discussed it, Atlus fans. You debated. You requested. At last, it’s coming, and it’s loaded with enhancements.

Look for SMT: Persona 2: Innocent Sin for PSP system to finally make its North American debut this Fall, in stores and via PlayStation Network.

As hinted by a time-lost relic of a newsletter sent last week by Atlus, the PSP remake of Persona 2: Innocent Sin is on the way to North America, with a release scheduled for sometime this fall. Persona fans have extra reason to get excited about this particular release, as the PlayStation original was never localized.

Even if you have already played the original, in Japanese or through a fan translation, this one offers new content in the form of new sidequests, a new interface, and an optional new soundtrack by director Shoji Meguro. This post also offers new content: screens in the gallery below, and a trailer after the break.

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA - 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...

According to Atlus, rpg Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Innocent Sin is coming to North American PSPs this fall. This is the only Persona game never to receive a North American release. Atlus teased the game's localization late last week. More »

When we first pored over a recent email sent to us by Atlus -- a GIF-filled newsletter dated June 23, 1999, which is not today's date in the very least -- we thought we had inadvertently traveled between the folds of time while we slept. (Again.) Now, we've got another theory: Atlus might be hinting at a U.S. localization of its PSP port of Persona 2: Innocent Sin, which arrived in Japan last month.

The time-traveling newsletter doesn't actually mention the title, but its artificial date syncs up nicely with the original PSOne Innocent Sin's release date in Japan. Of course, we may just be reading too much into this altogether. Maybe Atlus really did just want to send us an email extolling the virtues of Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, and providing some helpful tips on surviving Y2K.

#rumorsandspeculation Atlus Faithful fan club members received a bizarre mailing today in the form of a newsletter dated June 23, 1999. What's significant about that date? Why that's when the only Persona game not to hit North America was released in Japan. How odd. More »

The opening moments of Persona 2 on PSP have been released!

Get another glimpse at the plot of Persona 2 on PSP in this trailer from Japan.

The roster of Innocent Sin is on display in this trailer from Japan.

A plethora of features coming to the Japanese version of Innocent Sin with soundtrack included.

The Japanese PSP remake of Persona 2: Innocent Sin was originally set to come out in Japan on March 3. However, Atlus issued a statement today to let fans know that the release date has been pushed back a month, to April 14 -- a date that is now reflected on the official site. It'll be available both on UMD and PSN.

According to Dengeki, Atlus cited no specific cause of the delay, instead just affirming that there were "various reasons." We're okay with the delay anyway, as it just gives Atlus USA more time to announce that North American release before the game hits Japan. Right, Atlus? Right?

Persona 2 is getting a flashy makeover in Atlus' upcoming PSP remake. As evidenced by this still, the updated RPG is oozing with style. But, pretty cinematics aren't the only new addition for the upcoming release. Siliconera has a terrific gallery, comparing the PSone original with the upcoming PSP port. The added detail on the sprites is immediately noticeable, as is the newly implemented widescreen presentation. Special effects look a bit crisper, as well

Some of the changes are not just cosmetic. The battle UI has also been updated, letting you see the upcoming turn order and the emotion gauge during demon negotiation. Siliconera adds that "Innocent Sin has cut-in screens when you use sync skills, a feature not in the PsOne release."

Unfortunately, Atlus has yet to announce the game for US release. Perhaps Atlus needs more time to figure out what bonus items to package with the UMDs?

Over 50 screens show some of the changes players can expect from the portable remake of the PlayStation classic.