Persona 4 seems to be everywhere these days. With a fighting game spinoff and a Vita remake already out on the market, and three new spinoff games due out this year, the franchise has really blown up as of late. If you haven’t had the chance to check out the original game (and you don’t own a Vita to play the remake, Persona 4 Golden), then you might be interested in what the ESRB had to reveal this week.
An ESRB rating page for Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 appeared yesterday, listing the platform as PlayStation 3. This seems to indicate that the original game is making its way to the PS3 as a PS2 Classic. You can see the rating summary below:
This is a role-playing game in which players control a high school student who enters a mystical ‘TV World, ‘ saves lost souls who are trapped on the ‘Midnight Channel,’ and establishes bonds with town characters in order to develop ‘Personas.’ Personas, which are summoned through the use of tarot cards, are creatures that can perform special offensive and defensive moves to aid during battles against monsters. Combat is turn-based with numeric values and light effects indicating attack/damage inflicted. Pixilated blood spray is briefly depicted during battles, and colored bloodstains stain some walls and floors. Some female monsters (female Persona) are depicted with their breasts exposed, while other monsters have phallic-shaped heads and torsos. Other female Personas (e.g., ‘Succubus’) have sexual characteristics that are described in text: ‘They visit sleeping men and have sexual intercourse with them.’ Story elements also make references to alcohol, including a long scene in which the main characters hang out in a club and play ‘drinking games.’ Although alcohol is never consumed, the characters display the telltale signs of intoxication: slurred speech, staggered walking, and red faces. Profanity (e.g., sh*t, a*shole) can be heard in the dialogue.
So if you’re the owner of a PS3 and have been wondering what all the hype is about, this could be your chance to jump on board the Persona 4 train before Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, Persona 4: Dancing All Night, and Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold hit the market. Keep an eye out for an official announcement and release date. If you’re still curious about the other Persona 4 games that are currently on the market, check out our reviews of Persona 4 Golden and Persona 4 Arena.
