A few minutes ago, Atlus USA posted the opening cinematic for upcoming PSP game Persona 3 Portable on Youtube, and naturally I was excited to check it out. I thought it would be fairly similar to the intros of P3 and P3 FES, but it's actually completely different. This makes me even happier, because it appears that the developers are absolutely not half-assing it on the remake of one of my favorite games of all time. Interestingly enough, the opening for Persona 3 Portable has also revealed the game's North American release date: July 6, 2010.



Though Atlus is only just confirming that the game will be coming to North America, I pretty much already expected P3 Portable in the spring or summer, so July isn't too out of line with that, but it's nice to actually have a date for it. GameStop already has a listing for the game, so you can reserve it as soon as possible, which I'd recommend, since Atlus games tend to ship in small quantities and disappear fast. I hope we get some neat pre-order goodies from the publisher as well, since they're usually good for that sort of thing. Now I just have to hurry up and finish the FES portion of the game so I can start all over again this summer.

For more details, check out the press release below.

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA -- JANUARY 20, 2010 -- Atlus U.S.A., Inc. today revealed that Shin Megami Tensei®: Persona®3 Portable™, the handheld adaptation of one of the highest-rated role-playing games of all time, would release in North America for PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system in July.  
 
Featuring the unprecedented addition of a new player-controlled female protagonist who offers players a fresh new perspective for one of gaming's most inventive narratives, P3P adds dozens of additional hours of playability on top of a game that already easily exceeded 100 hours of total play time.  Numerous additional improvements and enhancements serve to streamline the experience for optimal handheld RPG enjoyment.
 
"Persona 3 introduced a revolutionary social element to role-playing games," explained Aram Jabbari, Manager of Public Relations and Sales at Atlus.  "Players weren't just progressing through a story; they were a part of it, and their decisions and the relationships they chose to foster or neglect became a powerful complement to the game's satisfying combat.  Persona 3 Portable takes everything that made Persona 3 such a tremendous, award-winning hit and translates it into the perfect handheld RPG experience."
 
SMT: Persona 3 Portable is currently scheduled for release on July 6, 2010.