Although released in Japan in 1st November 2009, Persona 3 for the Playstation Portable (PSP) is sure to garner a lot of attention when it finally reaches our shores here in Malaysia. An English version will be released it the US sometime in July 2010. Originally released for the Playstation 2 in 2008, Persona 3 was a highly successful and very refreshing RPG from well known Japanese Developer Atlus. Famed for their Shin Megani Tensei series, Atlus has proven themselves a worthy contender when it comes to pure Japanese role playing goodness.

Now, Atlus is taking their masterpiece to the powerful little system and giving PSP owners a very big surprise! Persona 3 Portable will include a number of improvements from the original PS2 version and draws a lot of gameplay elements from it’s successor, Persona 4. A few of them are the ability to control each character in battle, giving the player greater freedom in making battle choices rather than letting the AI decide what to do. According to the developers, the game will feature a more robust social links system, with added events and possible romantic opportunities, ‘wink!wink!’. But the most surprising addition is the introduction of a NEW female lead character, who resembles the original protagonist of the game. From what was I’ve seen and read online, the new female protagonist will change the way the story flows with more twists and surprises! That sounds SO cool!

I’ve played Persona 3 AND Persona 4 on the PS2, and I fell in love almost immediately. Although my favourite would still be Persona 4, due to it’s many improvements from Persona 3 and a very fantastic cast of characters, Persona 3 Portable is looking very promising. From early screenshots of the Japanese version, the game menu now resembles a lot like Persona 4. But instead of the bright yellow template of Persona 4, P3P will be a lot more PINKISH, evident that the new female lead plays a big role in the game. Characters will also have different sets of costumes available and the new female protagonist persona looks awesome.

However, instead of navigating the protagonist in full 3D during the exploration parts of the game, P3P now features a cursor control system that the player can guide on screen. The characters will now look like little sprites in a pre rendered backdrop, and are represented by their portraits on the side of the screen when in conversation. Early reports states that the game will feature the original voice actors, a new musical score when the new female protagonist is playable, and several surprising cameos from the cast of Persona 4! The developers have also reported that the game will feature an improved equipment management, single button shortcuts in the game menu and faster load times compared to the PS2 version. Thank goodness, we can finally say bye-bye to those tiresome loading screens between dungeons. Although it wasn’t reported if there would be new types of enemies included, or even if new persona fusion recipes will be available, it would seem improper not to include them. I’m serious hoping to see more powerful persona fusion possibilities.

Battle screenshots of the Japanese version shows that battles are still presented in 3D, with menu design and colour scheme resembling Persona 4. As with the original Persona 3, players are again required to venture into the halls of the never ending tower of Tartarus, to battle the shadows, although how different the story and plot will be, remains a mystery until we finally get to play it. I sure hope the developers will include more variety and colours like they did in Persona 4 to the dull and boring dungeons of the game’s ONLY battle ground.

What makes me so excited about the same game that’s already been released more than 2 years ago? Well, given that Persona 3 was a critical success at its launch and garnering Gamespot’s Award for Best RPG of the year, it’s very exciting to learn that we’d be getting tons of additional goodies with the PSP version. Well, all that and also because I’m a BIG Persona 3 and 4 fan! It makes me all fuzzy inside thinking that Persona 3 Portable will be presented in the same visual and technological perfection like Persona 4. Let’s just hope the new storyline reported wont be to hard to understand.

So why release Persona 3 for the PSP? Well, why not? Since the first Persona remake on the PSP, which was the original 1996 Persona just simply couldn’t measure up to today’s modern standards, Persona 3 Portable is certainly the perfect title. Atlus deserves a lot of credit for being able to present the already ambitious Persona 3 with this latest iteration. Although I’d wish they feature the game as a playable downloadable game for the PS3 from the Playstation Network. If that won’t happen, well, there’s no better reason to finally get a PSP for myself when this awesome game finally gets released here.