People of the Blog of PlayStation,

The purpose of this post is two-fold:

We wish to remind you of and/or inform you of the existence of our upcoming RPG epic, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable for the PSP. We would like to bring to your attention the below pre-order bonus for Persona 3 Portable (only at participating retailers, only while supplies last)

“What is it?” you ask? Why, it’s a lovely collectible (and wearable, fortunately) cap modeled after the one worn by popular character Junpei Iori, Gekkoukan High School’s bantering, jabbering class clown.

Not familiar with him? Or the game, perhaps? That’s where this post comes in.

SMT: Persona 3 Portable is the handheld version of one of the highest-rated, meatiest RPGs of all time. “What’s so special about it?” you ask as you click around multiple tabs in your web browser. Persona 3’s unique dichotomy of social sim and dungeon crawling elements shakes the genre to its core, offering a constantly refreshing blend of character development, sharp writing, a powerful narrative, and ultra fast-paced turn-based combat in the many varying levels of Tartarus.

Let’s face this enemy! (get it?)

In an interesting twist, the bonds you share with your friends are the source of your strength in battle. As your relationships, called “Social Links,” are increased and ultimately maxed out, you will unlock new abilities and grow much stronger when engaged in combat. The game is full of options in terms of whom you can befriend and/or choose to spend your time with, meaning that maxing out all your social links becomes a very tough, very satisfying challenge. The game is full of contrasts, which is most apparent in the disparity between the action of Tartarus versus the joys of spending time with friends.

The PSP system release of P3P offers the most refined, improved version of the game to date. In addition to new content, functionality and features, like faster load times, one-button menu shortcuts, streamlined team equipment changes, and part-time jobs, P3P also adds a new playable female protagonist.

Pretty in pink.

Playing through the game as this new character, series fans will notice a number of new and different dialogue (and since the original voice cast is intact, they’ll all sound exactly as they should). Other content additions include new social links, special events, and new romantic opportunities.

Look out, ladies/gentlemen! (depending on your choice of character, of course)

Already spent dozens of hours in the world of Persona 3? Now you’ve got reason to dive back in and experience it all over again.

And now you’ve got a reason to pre-order it, too. The Junpei Baseball Cap pre-order bonus promotion is exclusive to GameStop/EB Games (in stores and online in North America and Canada), Amazon.com, and Amazon.ca, and only while supplies last, so reserve your copy (and your collectible hat) today!

For more info, visit atlus.com/p3p, and be sure to look for SMT: Persona 3 Portable to land in stores and on the PlayStation Store on July 6th, 2010, exclusively for the PSP.