Persona 4‘s a very popular game, if you haven’t heard. Spinning out of the title is Persona 4: The Animation and Persona 4 Arena, an anime and fighting game, respectively. Having been released in 2008 means the game’s a little outdated, but it’s popularity has remained. If you have a PlayStation Vita, though, you’re in for a treat.

Atlus has announced they’ll be releasing Persona 4 Golden, an HD remix of the original title.

Following in the footsteps of Persona 3 Portable, the second highest rated PSP game of all time, and based on Persona 4, one of the most beloved ATLUS titles ever, P4G delivers an enhanced and expanded portable roleplaying experience. Visuals have been beautifully remastered to take advantage of the vibrant 5” OLED display. The game’s aural presentation is better than ever, with 1.5 times the voiced dialogue of the original release. A new online dungeon rescue feature allows users to call on other players for assistance when they are about to die in the TV world. P4G is also overflowing with new content: new Personas to collect; new story events along with an allnew character; stunning new anime cutscenes, which include a new opening animation with a new song from master composer Shoji Meguro; a host of fan suggested tweaks and changes, and much, much more! Persona 4 Golden is far more than just a handheld version of an all‐time classic: it’s the best way to experience it yet!

A BIGGER, BETTER VERSION OF ONE OF THE BEST RPGs EVER
Improved visuals, new anime cutscenes, tons of new story and voiced dialogue, and much more combine with deep turn‐based combat, addicting character and Persona management, and a memorable cast of personalities.

MAKE MEANINGFUL BONDS WITH CHARACTERS VIA SOCIAL LINKS
In between its exploration, battles, and Persona management, P4G lets players choose how they wish to spend their time each day in a variety of different activities. What they opt to do and who they choose to spend time with can have a significant impact on their experience.

WILL YOU UNCOVER THE TRUE ENDING TO THE STORY?
Nearly 100 hours of gameplay thrusts you into a deep mystery where midnight television leads to serial killings. You must investigate murders, rescue those who can be rescued, and unmask the culprit behind it all… Or risk being forever shrouded in the fog of doubt.

The game is scheduled for fall 2012.

Is this the game that’ll make you jump for the new console?

Source: Atlus

Today Rockstar Games released a general outline of all DLC packages that will extend from June ’til Fall of this year for the upcoming Max Payne 3. Starting today, you can pre-order the Rockstar Pass through Xbox live, PlayStation Network, Best Buy or GameStop in the US. With the connecting multiplayer aspects between Max Payne and GTA, Rockstar is showing just how committed it is to multiplayer.

You can either buy each DLC package individually or opt for the Max Payne 3 Rockstar pass, which gives over a 35 % discount rate rather than buying individually.  The retail price for the pass will be $29.99 or 2400 Microsoft points.  When purchased, the pass enables gamers to download all DLC releasing through the end of 2012 through the in-game store as soon as it’s made available.

The first DLC released will be the Local Justice Map Pack, releasing in June, including the Police Precinct map for Gang Wars, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Payne Killer mode.  The pack will feature two additional maps for Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Payne Killer; new precinct-themed avatar items, multiplayer challenges, and much more.

Here’s a look at the full release schedule:

June 2012

• Local Justice Map Pack

Summer 2012

• Disorganized Crime Map Pack
• Deathmatch Made In Heaven Mode Pack
• Hostage Negotiation Map Pack
• New York Minute Co-Op Pack

Fall 2012

• Painful Memories Map Pack
• Trickle Down Economics Map Pack

Source: Rockstar Games

(we have) started making a variety of movements for the new title(s) in the series (and we will) be able to make an announcement pretty soon.

Nomura offered some fuel for speculation by ruling out a sequel to 2010′s PSP release Birth by Sleep and also confirmed that there are no plans to release a Final Mix version of Kingdom Hearts 3D,which has been common in previous games in the series. However this doesn’t necessarily mean Kingdom Hearts 3 is in developement, as it could as easily be another Nintendo Handheld game, a new title and the first on the PS Vita, an iOS title or perhaps even a launch title for the Wii U?

Since the Kingdom Hearts first launched 10 years ago there have been several new Disney franchises launched(Pirates of the Caribbean, High School Musical etc) as well as new major company acquisitions like Pixar in 2006 and Marvel last year.  This opens a whole new realm of possibilities,  just as Kingdom Hearts has levels based around Disney movies, this new game could have levels based around comics; a level for X-men, Spider-Man. Avengers, Fantastic Four etc each with their own villains. You could easily just re-skin the first two games with Marvel characters and it would sell.

Kingdom Hearts 3D is out in July 2012 in both UK and North America.

Source: DigitalSpy, CVG

An apparent fact of life when it comes to being a gamer nowadays is dealing with pre-order bonuses. If you’re going to buy a game at launch, it’s no problem… except when different retailers have different packs. I know I preordered three different versions of a Street Fighter title just to get all the DLC. It usually comes back to bite you when the exclusive DLC is released down the road.

The upcoming PS Vita title Gravity Rush has some pre-order bonuses at GameStop and Amazon.

Extra Missions:
Once you complete Episode 17 of the main story, you’ll unlock the new “Game Rules” side mission. In this mission, Kat has been asked by Commander Yuri to train as a military officer. As she trains with her rival, Seawasp, a message comes in saying that the Nevi have appeared and it is up to you to defeat them. After you clear this mission, you’ll receive Kat’s unique military costume!

Complete the “Game Rules” side mission and you’ll be able to access a second side mission: “Visionary courage.” In this mission, D’nerica has ordered for the capture of a massive amount of Nevies. En route, a disaster strikes and Hekseville is swarmed. Amidst the chaos that ensues, Kat must decide which is more important – her mission, or her friends.

Challenge Missions:
Once you’ve completed Episode 8 and Episode 11 of the main game, you’ll also be able to access the “Factory Energy Gate Race 2” and “Slide Race in Another Dimension” challenge missions respectively.

Have you been paying much attention to the Vita or Gravity Rush? Seems like an intriguing title for when I eventually get a Vita.

Source: PlayStation.Blog

Something’s wrong, or cheap, in Sony Land.

The PlayStation Vita premiered in America two months ago. By all accounts, a console this early in its lifespan should be scarce. At this point, people will still scouring stores for the Nintendo Wii, Amazon was running promotions for a chance to purchase a PlayStation 3, and the red ring of death was starting to appear for Xbox 360 owners, those considered lucky enough to find the console. From firsthand experience, a local GameStop sells the 3G-enhanced Vita for $250, the same price as the WiFi model new.

Yet, Amazon apparently had enough used Vitas on hand to put them on sale this morning. Amazon Warehouse had them down to $162.50, marked as “Used- Good”. With free shipping, it was a good deal. Snatched up rather quickly, reports are in that Amazon’s actually issued a credit to those who can’t get one.

Many chains have been running bundle deals, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a Target that doesn’t have some sort of Vita accessory on clearance.

The Nintendo 3DS didn’t fare too well in its early days, but never had a major used sale on Amazon. Does this indicate that many people are returning, or trading in, the console? Nintendo alleviated things for the 3DS by having a massive price drop. Could the PS Vita see one coming?

I’ve been on the fence on the console. I end up getting all consoles (why prevent yourself from playing certain games), but with the Vita, it seems smart to wait on a console revision, price drop, or killer games. With the largest retailer on the Internet clearing out an apparent backlog with a sale, it seems like a price drop might be sooner than later.

Then? I’ll probably grab one.

Source: SlickDeals

When you said “portable gaming” to someone a 5 years ago, they had a pretty clear picture of what you meant; a Lynx, PSP, Game Gear or GameBoy of some variety.  Maybe even an old Game & Watch or other LCD and LED games. A few years ago, this concept of portable gaming expanded to cover mobile devices, such as iPod Touch, or various phones.  Now we have a much more diluted picture when it comes to portable gaming, what with tablets, phones and actual gaming systems all vying for your eyes while riding on a train, plane, or automobile (hopefully not while driving).  The need for mobile games to be more pick-up-and-go lends itself well to casual games, which gives tablets and phones a leg-up, but even more engrossing games such as RPGs or 3D platformers are starting to become quite robust on non-traditional devices.  Throw in services like OnLive being able to be played on tablets, and you have full fledged games being played on things other than traditional hand held gaming systems.  As systems like the PlayStation Vita scramble to integrate social media aspects into their gaming, and link the at-home gaming experience to your on the go gaming, other mobile platforms, such as Windows Phone 7, are doing the same.  It seems like every device is trying to be your social media, gaming, internet browsing, phone call making buddy all in one.  I’m convinced that where you find the best games, you’ll find the gamers, so it brings us to this week’s question:

What mobile device are you giving most of your portable gaming time to?

(You may need to refresh the page to see the poll)

Important caveat: I’m not asking what mobile device you PREFER, but rather, what’s eating all of your portable gaming minutes right now?  If I was saying what I prefer, it’s be a traditional gaming handheld (a DS at the moment, but I’m eyeballing a Vita), but my Windows Phone is what’s getting my portable gaming minutes right now.  If I had a tablet, that would probably win out as well.  Unfortunately, I see the dedicated gaming handhelds as a dying breed, especially as I see phones being able to do the “play the game at home, save it, then pick up your phone and continue” thing.  This integration between home gaming system and portable gaming system will be key to the next generation of devices, and is something that OnLive can do right now.  I’m not saying dedicated portable gaming devices are dead, but they’re going to need to become defining gaming experiences to differentiate themselves from more dynamic and multi-faceted devices.

What do you think?  Use something other than what’s listed above as your primary portable gaming go-to?  What is most important to you, good games, or ease of use? Vote above, and let us know below!

View previous ASQ: Rock Band Blitz - View next ASQ: Fall 2012 Gaming Releases Showdown – Round 1

A Simple Question (ASQ) is a weekly segment for Platform Nation.  Give a response and let the world know what you think; there is no right or wrong answer here. If you have a suggestion for a question, hit me up on twitter @vttym.

The Vita version of Mortal Kombat isn’t just a straight port to the device as it will feature tons of new exclusive features such as 150 new Challenge Tower missions, touchscreen fatalities and all of the downloadable characters from the console versions.

If you own the console version of the game and happen to have a PlayStation Vita lying around then check out the game when it launches on May 1st. Stay tuned to Platform Nation for more information about the game as we it gets closer to the release.

Silent Hill: Book of Memories is the first Silent Hill game to hit the PlayStation Vita. Book of Memories is a spin-off from the main games and is exclusive to PlayStation Vita, it features some returning creatures from the main games and looks like it follows the same gameplay elements as the console games, running around confused and scared.

Konami still haven’t officially confirmed this news yet, but it seems pretty clear from the retailer listings that the delay is happening. Keep your eye out for Silent Hill: Book of Memories on May 31st.

Starting in April, EA will shut down online servers for 11 games including MMA, The Saboteur, and Need For Speed Pro Street.  The closure is stated to be due to lack of activity, even though many are questioning the closure of MMA, which is only around 18 months old.

EA stated “We would rather our hard-working engineering and IT staff focus on keeping a positive experience for the other 99% of customers playing our more popular games.  We hope you have gotten many hours of enjoyment out of the games and we appreciate your ongoing patronage.”

Below is a list of titles and dates of changes and closure:

April 13, 2012 — Online Services Shutdown

• BOOM BLOX Bash Party for Wii
• Burnout™ Revenge for Xbox 360
• EA Create for PC, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360
• EA Sports Active 2.0 for PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360
• EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp for Wii
• FIFA 10 for PlayStation Portable and Wii
• The Godfather™ II for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
• MMA for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
• Need for Speed™ ProStreet for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
• The Saboteur™ (loss of The Midnight Club access) for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
• Spare Parts for PlayStation 3 Xbox 360

 March 31, 2012 — Online Services Shutdown

• BATTLEFIELD™ 3: Aftershock for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
• Fantasi Safari for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
• Ghost Harvest for iPhone

 January 18, 2012 — Change in virtual currencies

On January 18, 2012, EA will switch users from game-specific virtual currencies to a common currency in four Play4Free games. Existing balances in the current currencies will be converted into the new common currency – called “Play4Free Funds” – without loss for the customer.  Affected games and currencies are:

• Lord of Ultima – diamonds
• Battlefield Heroes – battlefunds
• Battlefield Play4Free – battlefunds

From January 18, 2012 all games will use Play4Free Funds as the virtual currency. More information will be posted on the respective games’ websites closer to the time of change.

Source: EA

Recalibrating their internets

[UPDATE] Tomorrow’s scheduled downtime has been postponed. No date has been given, but updates to follow. Source: Twitter

Tomorrow, Thursday March 1st, the PlayStation network will be down from 8am Pacific to 10pm Pacific during what Sony is calling a  ”significant maintenance period”. Everyone will be signed out, the store will be inaccessible as well as PlayStation Home and any online play or leaderboards. The post on the PlayStation Blog was absent of any details other than the day and time.

There is a lot of speculation about the maintenance. Could it be Vita-related or a security vulnerability being patched up? I do want to note, it is listed as a significant maintenance “period”, which could be speaking about the length of planned down time (14 hours).

Nevertheless, download your games, demos, videos, get your high scores and fast times posted today, while you can!

Source: PS Blog