Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable Coming to PSP

One of the best Playstation 2 role-playing games is coming to the PSP with extra content. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 will be ported to the handheld system.

Persona is a spin-off of sorts from the Shin Megami Tensei role-playing series. The Persona titles revolve around the idea of using a magic system that requires you to summon a certain creature. In the Shin Megami Tensei games, you can recruit and fuse these creatures.

The Persona series itself started out as modest spin-off titles to the role-playing brand. While Revelations: Persona, Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment got a strong following, the Playstation games weren't really strong sellers. Thus, Atlus wasn't in a hurry to develop the third main game.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 was released six years after Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. The third game shares plenty of elements, like taking place in a modernized setting in Japan, with the first two titles. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 also brought many new elements to the table like flashy presentation, streamlined combat and a social system. Because of these factors, the Persona series managed to reach the mainstream audience and become quite popular.

It wouldn't take long for Atlus to released Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 on the Playstation 2. They weren't done there either as they also decided to bring the original Persona to the PSP. The PSP remake includes enhance visuals and new content. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona will be released this fall in North America.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 became so popular that Atlus had to reprint the game from time to time to satisfy demand. Atlus also released Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES, which is an expansion of the original game on the Playstation 2.

Now the popular game is being ported to the PSP. Unlike the original title, you can pick between a male or female protagonists in Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable. Changes to the social gameplay of the original on the Playstation 2 are also expected in addition to new content like new difficulties and the ability to control all your party members (a feature that was available in Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4). So even to players who already bought Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 and Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES, the PSP port still have plenty of content to warrant a third go around with one of the best role-playing games in recent years.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable will be released in Japan for the PSP this November. A North American release should follow shortly after.