Sonic has been enjoying renewed popularity in recent years thanks to the two Sonic the Hedgehog movies that have become?? some of the highest-grossing video game adaptations. Sega hopes to capitalize on this by bringing more of its franchises to a non-gaming audience.

In an interview with CNBC, Sega's chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi revealed that the platforms they are considering include movies and even Roblox. The second Sonic movie grossed an impressive $405.4 million, so it's no surprise that they hope to ??replicate this success ??with its other IPs.

IPs that are being considered include Like a Dragon (previously known as Yakuza). An adaption could be a hit, as it already has a huge following. ??As Sega reveals, the franchise has sold 21.1 million units.

Persona may also find itself on more platforms. It's easy to imagine it being adapted to a film series or even a television series, as the franchise already features gripping narratives and plenty of relationships and friendships to explo??re.

Sega denies acquisition rumors

There have?? been rumors that Microsoft is keen to purchase Sega, but Utsumi denies this. He explains that several co?mpanies are interested in acquiring Sega, and though it is an honor, he doesn't believe that "kind of transaction is going to happen."

This doesn't mean that Sega isn't planning to make some acquisitions for itself. Utsumi claims the company?? is still looking for growth during a time when Japanese studios are doing well while "European studios are struggling" following the post-COVID-19 sales decline.

We've seen some of the effects of this th??rough the seemingly endless waves of layoffs that have struck the industry. Utsumi remains optimi?stic, and he believes that the future is bright so long as "you have solid development studios and also solid IPs."

The post After the success of the Sonic the H??edgehog movies, Sega wants to bring more of its IPs to ot?her platforms appeared first on Destructoid.

On Tuesday, Atlus uploaded a gameplay video for Persona 5 Tactica detailing the remaining members of the Pha??ntom Thieves.

In the trailer, we see the abilities of Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba. Each uses their signature Persona and has their own advantages on the battlefield. For example, Ryuji can use Shock attacks via his Persona, Captain Kidd. He can also use his shotgun to hit multiple? targets in one area. Ryuji's signature move, Brigantine Blitzkrieg, stuns all enemies in a straight line, even those ??behind cover.

Meanwhile, Makoto and her Persona, Johanna, are strongest up close and? personal. Her ability, Full Throttle, lets her charge her motorcycle into en??emies within a straight line and knock them out of cover.

It's Showtime!

Tactica, a strategy title, follows Persona 5's Phantom Thieves as they are transported into an alternate war-riddled world. They join forces with the Rebel Corps, led by Erina, as they take down the regime of Legionnaires. Revealed in June (and leaked the day prior), this is the third Persona 5 spinoff title, following Persona 5: Dancing in Spotlight and Persona 5 Strikers. The gameplay is reminiscent of typical tactical games like Mario & Rabbids: Kingdom Battle and XCOM 2, as players will use cov?er an?d various weapons/powers to defeat their enemies.

Persona 5 Tactica is shaping up to be a strong and unique title for the series. Updates for the game are pretty frequent on Atlus West's YouTube account. Trailers, usually labeled under the banner of Sergeant Morgana's Marvelous Tactical Training, have been coming out weekly. Our very own Timothy Monbleau went hands-on with the title in August, which he cites as an interesting take on the franchise, harkening back to its Devil Summoner roots

Those who pre-order the game get access to two familiar Personas, Orpheus Picaro (Persona 3) and Izanagi Picaro (Persona 4). The Digital Deluxe version includes more Personas, weapons, and the Repaint Your Heart Challenge Pack. Phantom Th?ieves Akechi and Kasumi will be play??able in the pack, though no gameplay of them has been shown.

Persona 5 Tactica will launch on Xbox One, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, PlaySta??tion 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch on November 17th, 2023, and will be a day-one Xbox Game Pass game.

The post Pers??ona 5 Tactica showcases more Phantom Thieves in new trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

Tokyo Game Show 2023 is just around the corner, and it looks like Atlus is already aiming to impress. Notably, a new trailer for Persona 3 Reload has debute?d, including an English dubbed version for t??hose of us across the pond.

Any new footage is a treat for Persona fans. However, what makes this trailer unique is its focus on the Persona rival team Strega. While they did appear in the original version of Persona 3, their emphasis here hints at some surprises for even seasoned fans of the series. Also, perhaps more importantly, we can see Elizabeth climbing up a descending e??scalator. I hope she finally turns the Velvet Room into a? nightclub too.

Strega people, ah oh ahhhhhh

For added context, the trailer coincides with a new blog post with more details and images for fans to peruse. Through this, we can see Persona 3 Reload will include new story content, including “A new episode focusing on Strega.�/p>

For Persona fans, this is pretty big news. There has been quite a bit of unrest over the confirmed cut content from Persona 3 Reload, which includes The Answer campaign and the Female Protagonist route from Persona 3 Portable. So the confirmation of all-new story content at least softens the blow a bit there. This means longtime Persona fans will have reason to check out this remake beyond the prettie??r graphics.

Truthfully, this lines up with what I hoped to see when I demoed Persona 3 Reload last month. I had already observed some lines and mechanics not present in the original game, so I’m glad to see Atlus is going further in that direction. Additionally, the blog post also briefly details the new Shift battle mechanic, which I also got to see. It looks like it is indeed Persona 5’s Baton Pass without the added stat buffs. Taking a look at the fan reaction to this, it seems like there was much rejoicing.

Given what we’ve seen so far, who knows what else is hiding in Persona 3 Reload? We’ll see how it all shakes out as we get closer to the launch of the game on February 2, 2024 for PlayStatio??n 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

The post New Persona 3? Reload trailer shows off new conten?t involving Strega appeared first on Destructoid.

Persona 3 Reload proved to me just how much Persona 3 has needed a remake.

Originally released in 2006 (2007 in North America), Persona 3 marks the start of the “modern�Persona series. Sure, the first games featured students summoning demons like they’re Pokémon. But your social links, life sim elements, and more �that all started with Persona 3. I know many who still consider it a series high, but honestly, Persona 3 h?as always been a bit h??ard to come back to. On PS2, the game is missing essential quality of life, such as being able to even control your own party members. And while the PSP version fixes some of this, it comes with the caveat of feeling very much like a condensed PSP game.

As someone who has tried and failed to get deep into Persona 3 myself, I’ve been deeply curious about Persona 3 Reload. On the surface, just slapping Persona 3 on top of the foundation of Persona 5 would have been enough. But after getting to test Persona 3 Reload for myself at a recent event held by Sega, I’m hopeful that Persona 3 Reload will be even more than that.

[caption id="attachment_398165" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

Prepare to dungeon crawl

At the event, I was able to demo two small slices of the game. The first section gave me roughly 15 minutes inside of Tartarus, the game’s dungeon crawli??ng hub.

Right off the bat, I can’t stress enough that Persona 3 Reload is a very, very pretty game. While it might not look too special compared to Persona 5, the new character models alone are a huge jump from Persona 3. Similarly, just as Persona 5 oozed with style via its UI, Persona 3 has much the same flourish. Everything from your main menu to your victory screens are just what you’d expect from a Persona 5 successor, even if this is a remake.

The inside of Tartarus felt familiar at the outset. Just like the original, you’ll make your way through corridors while you aim to get preemptive attacks on roaming enemies. The dungeon layout was kind of generic, but floors were brief with? roughly three battles on each if you fight everything you see. The inclusion of a dash button helped minimize backtracking, and overall, the exploration fel?t well-paced.

Of course, this is based on the very early game. Tartarus could feel repetitive after a while, so we’ll only know how well this portion of the game holds up in the full release. I will say that, after comparing footage of the original game, the version in Tartarus in Reload does look quite a bit different with its sharp blue and green aesthetic. It felt familiar despite ?being new, which was a recu??rring theme with much of this demo.

[caption id="attachment_398166" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

Returning battle mechanics

Combat in Persona 3 Reload felt immediately familiar to me, which I’d consider a good thing. You’ll strike enemy weaknesses via physical or elemental attacks, which will knock them down. Knock downs give you extra turns, and knocking the entire enemy party lets you trigger bonus all-out attacks. Reload retains the three physical elements from Persona 3, meaning that you’ll delineate between Slashing, Piercing, and Striking damage. My demo tools? mostly focused on the magical end of things, though.

I was happy to see the return of Shuffle Time, which I really enjoyed in Persona 4 Golden specifically. Cards will stay face up here, making it really easy to pick which boon you’ll take following combat. I love the dynamic of wondering what cards you’ll find after a battle, especially if you, say, want to conserve healing items and hope you’ll find a card to heal you instead. I?t’s a small thing, but it really makes the happiness chemicals fire off in my brain.

Near the end of my time in Tartarus, I got a glimpse at a mechanic that Persona 3 Reload calls Shifting. Basically, when you knock an enemy down and earn a One More, you can donate your extra turn to a party member. In other words, it’s similar to Baton Pass in Persona 5. This side of the demo ended shortly after I uncovered this, so I couldn’t get into the specifics of how Reload handles this mechanic. However, in a game that originally stripped party member control away from the player, getting Shifting so early alm?ost felt like an apology from the developers.

[caption id="attachment_398170" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

Some old, some new

The second section I got to test in Persona 3 Reload involved the sequence leading to the Arcana Priestess boss. I initially thought this sequence stayed perfectly faithful to Persona 3. However, I didn’t realize that a few?? changes were mad??e when I compared it to footage of the original game.

For starters, the path to the boss in which the party rushes through train cars featured a bit of added dialogue. The text that I could identify as new wasn’t exactly riveting, but I did find the inclusion exciting. It showed me that Persona 3 Reload isn’t afraid to expan??d on the original game, even if? it was in a smaller capacity.

The boss battle itself was where I noticed the starkest change. In both the original Persona 3 and Persona 3 Portable, the party is given a little more than six minutes to finish this battle. As long as you keep up a solid pace, you can take the boss down with time to spare. Reload, on the other hand, gives you a much more generous window of about 30 minutes. However, as the battle progresses, the boss will spend turn?s accelerating the train, cutting mi??nutes off your time.

This kept me on edge the entire battle, since I could never tell how much time I really had to work with. Once I put an end to the boss, I had about 40 seconds to spare. This certainly wasn’t ?a major change to the battle. Mechanically, I could see Atlus handling this encounter this way so your timer doesn’t matter until the final stretch. Still, it marked a deliberate change, which left me excited for what the full game could bring.

[caption id="attachment_398172" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

I’m so ready for more Persona 3 Reload

Persona 3 Reload certainly has a bit of baggage weighing its own hype down. Specifically, the news that the game wouldn’t include The Answer or the female protagonist route from Persona 3 Portable doesn’t make Persona 3 Reload as definitive as many would like. ??I think these are valid criticisms, and my time with the game certainly didn’t change that.

That said, after my session with Persona 3 Reload ended, I knew that this was the version of Persona 3 I was going to finish. What I played was polished to an absolute shine, without a single boring second in sight. Everything from combat to exploration was engaging, to the point that I forgot I was at an event and just wanted to keep playing it ??for another three hours.

And the music. Oh man does this game sound good. Getting an initiative in normal battles triggers a new battle theme that riffs on Mass Destruction,?? which was so catchy that would have spent time in battles just listening to it if not for the time limit. I hope Atlus uploads this track early to sate my ears.

All in all, for anyone who likes Persona, Persona 3 Reload looks like an ?essential playthrough. Whether the final product will stay faithful to the original or take risks here and there, I’ll be ?excited to play this one when it comes out on February 2, 2024.

The post Hands on Persona 3 Reload: Baby baby baby yeah! appeared first on Destructoid.

Try and look surprised

As Summer Game Fest continues, the black-and-green brand is preparing to take the stage, as Microsoft's X?box brand prepares to regale us with all of the titles headed to Xbox Series X/S and Xbox Game Pass in the remainder of 2023 and beyond �The Xbox Games Showcase is set to kick off in about an hour from now, and we'll be on deck to bring you all of the hot news and updates from today's stream.

//youtu.be/qGtYn7DCIYo

Xbox has had something of an inauspicious year so far, with the very disappointing launch of Arkane Studios' Redfall and... well, not a whole lot else. As such, Xbox really ha??s to sort of knock it out of the park tonight, showing its best hand to its dedicated customers and hoping to encourage them to fill up their MS store wishlists. This isn't to say that there aren't plenty of fine multiplatform titles headed to the platform, but it would neat to see Team Spencer drop a couple of "Killer Apps" today, as they say.

You can also watch along with Destruc??toid's own Brett Medlock?? and Mary Stowe below!

?//www.you??tube.com/watch?v=BsLS_0WI5kY&ab_channel=Destructoid

The Xbox Games Showcase starts at 10:00 PT / 13:00 ET / 18:00 BST and is expected to run around two hours... They always run around two hours. You can watch the stream in the embed below, and Team Destructoid will be on board to bring you the headlines. Oh, and if you're looking forward to Starfield, then stay tuned after the main show, as Bethesda will be presenting a special showcase of the sci-fi epic.

The post Come Burn Y??our Dread with the Xbox Games Showcase live stream appeared first on Destructoid.

Prep your Evoker

The hopes of the Persona fan community continued to rise as ongoing evidence suggests Atlus is prepping a remake of the much-loved 206 release, Persona 3. While there have already been whispers that said remake was in the works, a new domain p??urchase by the publisher adds fr?esh fuel to the fire.

Atlus has recently updated the domain name "P3RE", which has led fans to believe that an announcement pertaining to a Persona 3 Remake or Persona 3 Reloaded is imminent. The "Reloaded" suffix would reference the controversial "Evoker" guns used by the characters in-game to travel to Tartarus, the mysterious, demon0filled world that exists within The D?ark Hour.

Given the launch of Summer Game Fest today, there are several key presentations that could see Atlus make the grand reveal, including tonight's kick-off show, hosted by Geoff Keighley, and Sunday's Xbox Games Showcase. Of course, it should be iterated that the Persona 3 remake remains nothing more but speculation at this point. But given the overwhelming success of a simple PC port of Persona 4 Golden, it's easy to assess that a returning P3: FES �offered modern visuals and mechanics �would ??essentially be a license to print money.

Whether "P3R" shows up or otherwise, the Summer Game Fest stream kicks off today at 12:00 PT / 15:00 ET / 20:00 BST. We wil?l bring you all of the news from the stream right here on Destructoid.

The post Persona 3 remake rumors i??ntensify with new domain purchase appeared first on Destructoid.

Steal Your Heart (And Wallet)

Just in case you liked Persona 5 a little too much, publisher Perfect World Games has announced the coming of a brand new release within the slick 'n' stylish RPG franchise, situated within the much-loved "free-to-play mobile title with in-game purchases" genre �Presented for your consideration: Persona 5: The Phantom X aka Persona: Phantom of the Night.

//www.yout?ube.com/watch?v=g88lHDhbEQI&ab_channe??l=GamersPrey

Developed by Black Wings Game Studio, Persona 5: The Phantom X will see an entirely new gang of Phantom Thieves stealing hearts and purchasing microtransactions against the backdrop of a depressed Tokyo populace. The new title will feature all of the typical action player??s have come to know from the series �from attending school classes and enjoying local activities to battling demons and exploring alternate universes. Both Sega and Atlus' dedicated P-Studio will supervise production.

//w?ww.youtube.com/watch?v=upvfxp00Bv4&ab_channel=GamersPrey

Two new trailers showcase The Phantom X's very nice visuals, and also reintroduce us to The Velvet Room, complete with what appears to be a whole new assistant. I'm certainly not denying that it looks like a legitimate and authentic spin-off of the Persona series' biggest-selling release, (and that new owl companion is super cool) but by its core F2P w/ in-game purchases concept, it's difficult not to view the title immediately with a raised eyebrow and an impending sense of expensive dread. Am I being presumptuous? Perhaps, but then, we've all had more than enough experience with these titles.

Here's hoping our new Phantom Thieves will buck the trend.

Persona 5: The Phantom X / Persona: Phantom of the Night is in development for iOS and Android platforms. There is no release date, but players in China can already sign up for an "Infiltration Test" over on the official website.

Related: 8 Things You Need to Know ??Before Playing Persona 5 Roy??al on PrimaGames

The post Persona: Phantom of the Night is an?? incoming free-to-play mobile game appeared first on Destructoid.

The battle of wits has begun

One of my favorite diplomatic encounters in a game comes from the tabletop adventure Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon.

After a long night of questing, my brother and I just wanted our current chapter to end. However, as we passed through a city, we triggered an encounter with a lost child. In Tainted Grail, diplomacy is treated equal to combat. You’re given a unique deck of cards to resolve these encounters, and the intended solution involved using empathy-based cards to calm the child ?and find a caretaker for them. However, we decided on a di??fferent strategy.

My brother’s burly blacksmith had two cards in his hand called "Sinister Voice". Due to some funny mechanics, these cards could resolve both phases of this encounter single-handedly despite scaling off his aggression stat. The moment left us in hysterics due to how fast we resolved the situation despite handling it as inappropriately as possible. We kept joking that we entered this village, saw this child crying, and yelled “Hey you! STOP CRYING! Hey adults, RAISE THIS CHILD OR I’LL BE PISSED! AAAGH!�before peacing out and continuing our journey. By playing to our strengths to resolve the encounter, the outcome actually reflected how we felt "in the moment", despite defying the path Tainted Grail wanted us to follow.

I? want social situations in video games to feel like this.

[caption id="attachment_361080" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Atlus[/caption]

Conversations aren't quizzes

Despite playing roughly 250 hours of Persona 4, its social link events always felt off to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love the life sim elements of Persona 4. Failing to eat beef bowls on rainy days is the ideal way to unwind from dungeon crawling. Though I like the social link stories in Persona, I never took to the di??alogue options required to advance them.

I love visual novels with branching story paths, yet choices in Persona aren’t like that. With a few exceptions, choices only trigger some unique dialogue and a variable boost to a relevant character’s relationship stat. In other words, conversations aren’t “what would I do in this situation?�and instead are “what does the game want me to say?�Since relationships cost time to build in Persona and time is your most limited resource, you’re incentivized to always pick the “correct�dialogue option and treat yourself like a happiness pump. Social link conversations are the climax of Persona's social el??ements, yet they of??fer the shallowest gameplay.

I don’t mean to pick on Persona 4. I admit this is a minor gripe in an otherwise fantastic game. Yet I’m astounded that series like Persona are so influential, yet titles copy these threadbare dialogue options instead of experimenting with other ways to express social situations. Even Fire Emblem: Three Houses has numerous guides explaining the “correct�dialogue options you should make throughout your play??through.

These games are fi??lled with complex systems, yet their social elements are distilled into conditional branches that increase a number. Players obviously love these social ele??ments, because why would games even include them if we didn’t? I just wish someone could crack the formula to make the conversations themselves as engaging as combat in video games.

[caption id="attachment_361084" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Enter social combat

Social combat is a term used in the tabletop gaming space to describe "combat" systems without the violence. Like my Tainted Grail example, these typically share mechanic??s with traditional combat systems and feature twists to fit the format better. It’s hard to describe social combat since it's an emerging trend, especially when it comes to video games.

The first video game I played that used unique mechanics to express social conflict is Pheonix Wright. While not quite “social combat,�its courtroom scenes are still an incredibly inventive way to immerse you in the drama. There’s still one solution you’re chasing, but Pheonix Wright lets you get there on your own terms and even make some mistakes along the way. Much like a hard boss battle, these situations test your mastery of the game’s mechanics and make you feel like you’ve earned the victories in its story moments. Yet more importantly, Pheonix Wright connects you with the story through its gameplay. It emulates being a detective and a lawyer, not just someon?e observing a detective at work??.

Even if these social systems aren’t pervasive in the industry, many games have made admirable efforts to develop them. Undertale blew everyone’s minds in 2015 by making pacifism viable in turn-based combat. Griftlands is a deck builder with diplomacy cards like Tainted Grail. Yet a more comprehensive example is Betrayal at Club Low, reviewed by our own Zoey Handley last year. By imagining social situations as dice rolls based on social stats of your choosing, Betrayal At Club Low is a strong proof-of-con??cept as to what social combat could look like on a foundational level.

Video games have the potential to be anything, we just need someone to imagine it.

[caption id="attachment_361082" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Embrace the abstraction

Look, I get it. You might say that adding so many systems and dynamics to social situations is a bit silly and unrealistic. To that, I say, you know what else is silly and unrealistic? One of the most celebrated video games of all time featuring an attack th??at involves?? a meteor blasting through the cosmos that destroys several planets in our solar system before causing our sun to trigger a supernova, destroying the f?oundation for life itself to exist just to inflict a moderately high amount of damage.

Video games thrive on abstractions. Combat systems are fun because they feel frantic and exciting, not because they accurately reflect what combat looks like. It’s like how a musical is unrealistic by design. No one breaks into song when they fall in love, but these moments feel romantic and stirring because it’s what idealized love feels like. Even Sephiroth's Supernova is awesome because it conveys the scale of the battle, not the reality of it. Really, that’s what any social system should focus on: reflecting how social situations feel in our heads. Just as how the original battle system of Final Fantasy was inspired by American Football, all that matters is ho?w the players connect and interact with the events onscreen.

We can see this abstraction of combat systems taken literally in MiHoYo’s otome gacha Tears of Themis, which uses a standa?rd battle ??system to convey social conflict. This isn't groundbreaking gameplay, but it's intriguing to see systems reserved for swords and sorcery make about as much sense when applied to conversations. Social combat doesn’t need to mimic traditional combat, nor is Tears of Themis the only game to ??use ?this gimmick. Yet it's a great starting point to imagine what social systems could feel like as they mature.

[caption id="attachment_361090" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The time is now

Let me make one thing abundantly clear: I’m not saying all video games need to change. Fans love Persona and Fire Emblem, and I'd never want to take something away from them. Even I have a propensity towa?rds gory sidescrollers with basic narratives, so I’d ???be a hypocrite implying those can't exist.

That said, it’s clear that the market is hungry for social systems to evolve like never before. “Cozy? ?games�have gained intense popularity in recent years, despite the term arguably not even existing before 2016. Undertale has inspired literal??ly hundreds of fangames based around its battle system that allows pacifism as an option. Even rap battle sensation Friday Night Funkin has mods that generate millions of views on YouTube within months. You don’t need me to tell you that g??ames should expand their nonv??iolent systems. The market is literally pointing that way!

The only obstacle to overcome is just developing the core mechanics and terminology that developers can then iterate on to develop awesome and engaging systems of their own. We owe so much to the early Final Fantasy series for making turn-based combat engaging and awesome, and really, that’s what we need. Social systems need their Final Fantasy or Mario to turn them from a fun gimmick into a robust genre. Maybe these theoretical games wouldn’t be for everyone, but that’s okay! At least you’d be able to try it and decide if it’s the kind of experience you would want.

[caption id="attachment_361092" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Obsidian Entertainment[/caption]

Let's celebrate the pioneers in this field

There have been many games that have experimented with their social systems in interesting ways, and I’m sad I couldn’t fit them all in without making this article way too long. For example, I missed Alpha Protocol and read passionate things about its narrative design as I researched this topic. Even if I had the time ??to test another game, Sega won't let me buy it on Steam.

So, once again, I gotta reach out to you all in the comments: what are some of your favorite games to innovate with social systems? Would you like to see social situations treated like battle systems, or would you prefer finite branching dialogue options? Whether it’s morality systems in classic BioWare titles or something completely different, I’m genuinely curious to see what games have resonated with you the most. Maybe yo??ur perfect vision of social conflict goes in a completely direction than what I discussed here!

I honestly can’t say if we’ll see robust social systems in video games over the next decade. M?aybe social combat isn't as awesome in execution as it is in my mind, and if so, I'll accept that. But if more games allow me the freedom to shout at a village to resolve their problems, I'll at least be content.

The post The case for social combat in video games appeared first on Destructoid.

Portable power!

The mos?t popular current-generation console is a handheld. Computer companies with limited experience in the console market are jumping in with handhelds of their own. There's no denying it: portable gaming is in the midst of a renaissance. But as companies continue to release handheld consoles, and as consumers continue to buy them, I'm struck by an interesting question: what was the last mainstream handheld game?

I'm not talking about a game that you can play on a handheld. At this point, you can play basically any game ever made on a handheld. I'm talking about a game built for handhelds, one that benefits from a smaller form factor, lower processing power, and increased portability. Handheld consoles are about as big as they've ever been... so where are all the handh??eld games?

Very important pockets

Think back with me on simpler times. Remember when companies like Nintendo and Sony would have two main consoles on the market at once? A chunky home device and its lean, mean, pocket-friendly little sister? And, crucially, remember when they had different libraries? There was a kind of separation of powers in those days, and ??it led to some really compelling design decisions.

[caption id="attachment_359259" align="alignnone" width="640"] Ima?ge via Sony?? Interactive Entertainment[/caption]

The limited power of the handheld has also always been of some import. Patapon, Loco Roco, and Echoshift are all wildly beloved PSP and Vita franchises, and it's hard to imagine any of them connecting on the PS3. While home consoles were in the midst of a graphical arms race, pushing more and more cinematic stories, Sony was quietly publishing some deeply innovative and interesting titles on their dedicated handhelds. At home, you get Halo and The Last of Us.?? On the go, you get a ??rhythm tactics side-scroller.

Most of these games are designed based on a simple philosophy: a great handheld game is built on the idea that it will be played in your hand. It's a game in which nothing is lost on the small screen, and, indeed, one in which something is gained. Patapon plays great on my PlayStation 5, but its miniature heroes, are built for a smaller world. The characters bear simple designs that are readable on a smaller screen. They address the player directly, assuming a level of intimacy that the PSP facilitates nicely. Most importantly, the tight, brief levels are the kind of thing that ??belong in a back pocket, not on a TV stand.

A delicious bite

When I talk about games that are truly built for handheld play, it's hard to avoid Pokémon: I have long believed that the original Pokémon games would have faded into the realm of the cult classic on home consoles. These games are full of smart design calls that make them sing on the go. Of course, Pokémon has?? some pretty foundationally pocket-sized ideas. A game about going on an adventure and finding new things outside was undoubtedly able to more fully resonate with young children who could actually take it with them on their own mini-journeys.

Portability in Pokémon is baked into its ethos, but it also plays a meaningful role in its design. Battles are tactical, but they're usually brief affairs. Every moment offers up the chance to see a cool new character, or to win a really tough fight. Satisfaction and ?engagement awaits around every corner... which also means every play session, no matter ?how bite-sized, is satisfying and engaging.

[caption id="attachment_359268" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

"Brief but satisfying" is the aim in a good handheld game. That's also why a lot of homebound games earned a revival in the back seat of Mom's car. Series like Final Fantasy and Persona earned second lives through handheld ports - where sprawling RPGs with intense stories were once considered TV-oriented affairs, ports like Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions and Persona 4 Golden posited that a sixty hour game with three minute fights might actually be more digestible on the go. These games were already satisfying in bursts, so they made for a natural fit on the PSP and PS Vita. Likewise, Tetris' earliest releases were on Soviet home computers, but its most iconic incarnation was on the original Game Boy. As it turns out, people like score?-chasing dopamine hi??ts in their pockets.

A necessary lifeline

Handheld design philosophy also left the door open to iterate on home concepts. When home gaming systems entered the 3D era, a lot of franchises made the jump with them. Handheld consoles needed games, too, but sprawling adventures didn't always play as well on the go. That meant older design philosophy met with handheld design philosophy to ke??ep certain c??orners of the gaming world alive.

I often think of Metroid Fusion. This was a 2D Metroid game released on the Game Boy Advance exactly one day before Metroid Prime, which would become the "main" Metroid series for the following twenty years. My personal opinions on Fusion aside, it is a great portable title. It's fairly linear by necessity, because it is designed to be played in shorter bursts by more casual players. More notably, though, it's an actual 2D Metroid game - I can't help but feel that if the GBA wasn't around, 2D Metroid might have disappeared entirely. As a matter of fact, when a new 2D Metroid game finally arri??ved on the Nintendo Switch in 2021, it was a reto?oled version of a DS game.

[caption id="attachment_359263" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda followed similar trajectories: as the home console games got more expansive, ??the portable games tightened the bolts on classic concepts, offering up some of the best games in their respective franchises.

What now?

In 2023, the distinction between "handheld" and "home console" is becoming increasingly muddy. The Nintendo Switch, of course, exists to destroy that distinction entirely, serving as both Nintendo's current generation handheld and its home console. Games made for the Switch need to be both home console titles and handheld titles (and the handheld bit usually cedes itself to the big-screen bit). The Steam Deck, similarly, is a handheld that plays PC games. At least for now, basically nothing is built for the Steam Deck. It also bears mentioning that, while they do fit in your hand, neither of these consoles are especially portable, so the "on-the-go" philosophy that defines games like Pokémon isn't something developers need to consider.

I think the impact of this has been almost instantaneously obvious. It seems unlikely that we'll ever get, say, a new 2D Zelda game on the Switch. When an old 2D Zelda game was brought over, it was prettied up and converted to 3D to make it look and feel less like a handheld game. Sony has seemingly given up on its handheld platforms entirely. The company offers PS4 and PS5 remote play on mobile devices, as well as a meager offering of remastered PSP titles for its home consoles, but looking at a list of Sony-p??????????????????????????ublished games from the last several years, it's ??apparent that the portable design philosophy has vanished.

[caption id="attachment_359260" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

There have been proper handheld games developed and released more recently - Panic's Playdate, for example, is a comically underpowered monochrome handheld with a dedicated and compelling library. It's become something of a safe haven for independent developers looking for a quirky platform where smaller games can flourish. Developers want to make new games like Patapon, and the Playdate offers them that space. While there are plenty of Playdate games that would be comfortable enough on home consoles, the most beloved titles on the platform tend to be games like Bennett Foddy's Zipper, a tactical RPG full of brief, s??atisfyi?ng encounters.

In terms of mainstream consoles, though? We're pretty much out of luck. Every game made for Nintendo's flagship handheld must necessarily be made for its flagship home system??, and nobody else is even trying to offer a smaller counterpart to their massive offerings. There's a portable hole in the market, and I truly hope some??one comes along to fill it.

The post Where have the handheld games gone? appeared first on Destructoid.

Gorgeous hair and anime waistline not included

If there's one thing can agree on about Persona 5's cast of characters: They're a good-looking bunch. of hipsters. And now, you too can adapt the visual style of your favorite heart-stealer or confidant, thanks to this mega make-up kit, now available to order from the face-plasterers at Game Beauty.

The Persona 5 x Game Beauty collection features a wide variety of lipsticks, shadows, pencils, blushers, and eyeliners, with colours and shades stylized after those lovable roustabouts, The Phantom Thieves. There are various items and sets available to order, ranging from bundles of character blushes to a $196 dollar Limited Edition set, which in?cludes a variety of items from the new line in a slick collector's box.

Each item is based on a different element of Persona 5. We? have a palette for the thieves themselves, eyeshadow for the?? palaces, and lipstick and further shadows repping the individual personas.

All items ship globally (excluding Japan) and all products are cruelty-free and vegan-friendly. The set appears to have a vivid and delightful color palette, and is sure to get you looking pretty anime for the coming Holidays. Speaking of which, the makeup would also make a fine gift for the many beautiful Persona fans in your life. I'm hoping that just a few swabs of shadow and a dab of eyeliner will instantly turn ??me into Sae Niijima. This might be wishful thinking for The Industry's Chris Moyse, but we all gotta dream...

The Persona x Game Beauty collection is available now from the Game Beauty website.

The post This Persona 5 make-up set is going to tur?n me into Shadow Sae, right? appeared first on Destructoid.

That'll be a helluva lot of hearts stolen

Atlus has released a variety of sales figures concerning the many titles set within the sexy 'n' stylish Persona 5 universe �The figures are spearheaded by the recent release of Persona 5 Royal on PS5, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms, which have he??lped to push the brand's sales through the r??oof.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2ttcVKwz8I

Since its October release on the aforementioned platforms, Persona 5 Royal has shifted one million units in total. When added to the previous sales of the remixed release on PS4, Persona 5 Royal hits a high of 3.3 million copies sold. I know what you're thinking, "Can't get classier than that, Moyse". Oh no? Well, when you add all Persona 5 branded titles �Persona 5, Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight, and Persona 5 Strikers �??Joker and his trendy friends have sold a grand total of 8.3 million video gam??es.

For those keeping count, that's somewhere in the region of 16.8 million Persona titles overall, showing metaverse runners everywhere that the Shin Megami Tensei spin-off series has never been hotter. The Persona 5 franchise managed to eik several solid games off of the back of its initial 2016 launch date, (not forgetting the Nintendo 3DS release Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth and Joker's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate). And, with the lofty sales of the Persona 4 Golden PC port, it seems clear that the popular JRPG franchise is se??t to run and run.

Persona 5 Royal is available now on PlayStation??, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms.

The post The Persona 5 brand has sold over 8.3 million ga?mes to da??te appeared first on Destructoid.

It's right there on their official YouTube channel

The full top 30 billboard for Persona 5 Royal tracks is?? in, thanks to a new event from Atlus on their YouTube account (presented by "DJ Morgana" on behalf of the development studio). As a?? reminder, Atlus is using the opportunity to push one of their most successful games of all time again, given the recent re-release on multiple platforms.

Over on the official Atlus YouTube channel, the publisher has been slowly revealing the top-voted Persona 5 Royal music tracks over the course of several weeks. But today, we finally got the number one pick: Life Will Change. Let's take a look at how the res?t of the top five shook out!

The top five Persona 5 Royal tracks from Atlus:

1. Life Will Change
2. I Believe
3. Rivers in the Desert
4. Take Over
5. Last Surprise

The most incredible thing about this is that there are so many choices for top Persona 5 Royal tracks. Like, literally just one game: as so many other franchises would kill to have a top thirty of beloved tracks total. My only gripe is that Beneath the Mask clocks in at number 13 (it should be higher!). Other than that, it looks mostly fine. It was a good opportunity to basic??ally queue up the entire soundtrack and listen to it all over again.

Life Will Change is the top pick

It's not a surprise win, but "Li??fe Will Change" is the number one pick. You can listen to it, with the winning declaration, below.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX_5BDleeTc

The post Atlus reve??als their list of top Persona 5 Ro?yal tracks appeared first on Destructoid.

But you should probably go to bed

Atlus' celebrated JRPG Persona 5 Royal is getting set to head to tabletops everywhere, in the form of a brand new card game adaptation that is currently in the works at Pandasauras Games. Designed by veteran designer Emerson Matsuuchi, t??he new game hopes to capture the surr?eal adventure and excitement of the 2019 smash hit.

Details are slim-to-none on the rules and setup of the Persona 5 Royal card game but, according to Matsuuchi, games will see players will team up as members of The Phantom Thieves before embarking upon quests to steal hearts, defeat demons, and redeem a rogues' gallery of bad dudes and dudettes. The world and characters of Persona 5 will all be?? putting in an appearance, from Joker, Lady Ann, and Morgana, to the Palaces, The Metaverse, and the luxurious but unnerving Velvet Room.

The Persona series has always been a fine fit for tabletop adaptation, what with its compendium of monsters and demons, multiple protagonists and antagonists, dungeon-crawling nature, and, of course, its sexy and immediately recognizable visual style. The franchise has seen a number of official and unofficial adaptations already, in the form of the Japanese card game Persona VS, and the very cool Unofficial Persona 5 Phan-Game.

Persona 5 Royal will launch in the fall of 2023. In related news, Atlus announced this weekend that series classics Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden will finally launch on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms in January 2023. You can read more about these releases right here.

The post Deal your Heart: Persona 5 Royal c??ard ?game in the works appeared first on Destructoid.

Thank you for the music

Next month, the legendary Persona franchise will take to the stage once again, as the returning Persona Super Live P-Sound 2022 concert will regale a packed auditorium with a p??laylist of memorable and distinctive tunes pulled from the iconic JRPG series. However, anyone expecting any sort of reveal may want to keep their expectations in check...

According to a statement by publisher Atlus, the concert will not be used as an opportunity to reveal any new games set within the reality-bending universe. Fans can expect some awesome music, live vocals, bafflingly written lyrics, and appearances from the series' voice cast �but if you go in expecting a Persona 6 announcement, then? you might come away a little disappointed. With ringing ears, tapping toes, and having had a great night, mind, but disappointed.

It's understandable that some fans might be getting a tad antsy, given that the smash-seller Persona 5 debuted way back in 2016, following a development cycle that lasted practically an entire generation. Since then, Atlus has released several new spin-offs, including musou-like Persona 5 Strikers, two new Persona Dancing titles, and Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth for Nintendo 3DS. But if you're holding out for Persona 6 announcement, keep holding, friend. After all, even when we get the inevitable reveal, how long is that dev cycle going to be?

Persona Super Live P-Sound 2022 takes plac??e October 8-9? at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan

The post Atlus says no new Perso??n??a announcement at P-Sound Concert appeared first on Destructoid.

The arena expands even further

Persona 4 Arena fans just got a long-awaited update. Atlus announced today, during Evo 2022, that the rollback netcode update for Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is rolling out today to PlayStation 4 and Steam.

Atlus and developer Arc System Works had announced earlier this year that the Persona 4 Arena Ultimax re-release would be getting rollback. However, it wouldn't be in? at launch, but arriving as part of a post-launch update.

The date, as it so happens, is today. Ev??o 2022 just kicked off, and Atlus announced that the update is live for both PS4 and Steam. No mention of ??Nintendo Switch rollback, however.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpOQ9dJ6Lfg

PlayStation owners should only need to update their consoles. Steam users, meanwhile, will need to opt into the rollback netcode beta branch. Details have been laid out on Persona 4 Arena Ultimax's Steam feed, and it's fairly easy to do.

Sky's the limit

It's really exciting to see this, as someone who dove deep back into the Persona arena when it got a re-release. Not only is it still a fantastic fighting game, filled with really enjoyable characters to learn and fight against, but it's got an incredible style too. As more and more fighting games turn to 3D, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax feels like a relic of classic 2D art and design.

And now, those beautiful bouts should be much more playable online. If you're unfamiliar with rollback netcode, Hold Back to Block has an excellent explainer on the topic. But the short of it is that rollback netcode makes it easier to play fighting games like Persona 4 Arena Ultimax with fewer apparent connection issues. Smoother fighting means a better experience, and a h??igher likelihood that I'll keep hitting the rematch option in the menu.

The Persona 4 Arena Ultimax rollback netcode update rolls out today for PlayStation and Steam players. Meanwhile, if you're still in a fighting mood, you can tune into Evo 2022 this weekend for even more action.

The post Persona?? 4 Arena Ultimax gets rollback netcode today for PS4 and ?PC appeared first on Destructoid.

Revelations: Persona came in third

If you could get one Persona remake, what would it be? Well, Atlus asked that exact same question, and fans answered: Persona 3.

The results came via the Atlus Survey 2022 special program, where they were gathered by Persona Central.

Stuffed into one category (P3/FES/P3P), Persona 3 came out on top, but Persona 2 (Innocent Sin/Eternal Punishment) was right there too with roughly the same percentage of votes, coming in second. After that we have Revelations: Persona (Persona 1), then Persona 4 (+Golden), and Devil Summoner: Raidou rounding out the top five.

I think I'd go with Persona 1 or Persona 2. The third, fourth, and fifth entries have been celebrated enough: it would be great to unify the entire series and have all five games in a palatable modern context, potentially even by the end of this console generation (or with some form of backward compatibility). With Persona 3-5 already being preserved again, it would round everything out.

Atlus' Persona remake/Atlus game poll results:

1. Persona 3 (P3 / P3FES / P3P) (78.9%)
2. Persona 2: Innocent Sin / Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (78.9%)
3. Revelations: Persona (76.3%)
4. Persona 4 (P4G) (74.8%)
5. Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha series (72.1%)
6. Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (69.5%)
7. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse (66.7%)
8. Shin Megami Tensei IV (65.3%)
9. Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner series (62.4%)
10. Etrian Odyssey series (58%)

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=cISLbrNyg5U

The post Persona 2 and 3 won the official Atl??us most-requested remake poll appeared first on Destructoid.

Putting your hand in the TV might get too realistic

Sega is looking into doing more film and TV, ??and it's eyeing properties under the Atlus umbrella. A new story indicates Sega is digging into the Atlus catalog for potential live-action film?? and TV adaptations.

Speaking to IGN, Sega says it is currently exploring live-action film and TV projects with various studios and producers. Toru Nakahara—producer on the Sonic the Hedgehog movies—says Sega is exploring the idea, specifically pointing towards the Persona franchise.

"Atlus' worlds are filled with high drama, cutting-edge style and compelling characters," said Nakahara. "Stories like those from the Persona franchise really resonate with our fans and we see an opportunity to expand the lore like no on?e has seen—or played—before.

"Together, Sega and Atlus??, are working to bring these stories and worlds to life through new mediums and for new audiences," Nak??ahara says.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmG-k8SHkng

Sky's the limit

Sega didn't specify any production compa??nies in particular to IGN. It's only interested in explor??ing potential projects with various studios and producers at the moment.

It's not like Persona hasn't been adapted before, thou?gh mostly through animated series and OVAs. But making it w??ith human actors could get a little weird.

While The Witcher and other series have moved into the corporeal realm with solid results, anime-styled adaptations haven't always fared so well. Look at Netflix's Death Note if you need an example.

Still, vid??eo game adaptations continue to be all the rage. Sega has done pretty well with the live-action Sonic movies so far, s?o there's some earned lee-way in experimenting a bit. Just uh, please don't make a live-action Teddy. The world isn't ready yet.

The post Sega is looking into ?live-action adaptations?? of Atlus games, including Persona appeared first on Destructoid.

Before it was even officially out a full day

Nexon's absurdist, highly enjoyable fighting title DNF Duel launched yesterday, and it wasn't even 24 hours before modders were already adding popular anime and gaming heroes into the PC edition of fast-paced fighter �such is the way?? of the FGC and its incredibly talented modding community.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe9RmGZGwfU

The first that caught my eye was this wonderful skin of Persona 5's button-down bookworm Makoto Nijima, whose skin fits like a glove over DNF's martial arts cutie-pie, Striker. Created by modder Monkeygigabuster, the skin sees the school president rocking her "Queen" biker persona, throwing out fists and feet in keeping with her own martial arts expertise. A video from YouTuber DanteLive4Game spotlights the skin in action. Makoto is available to download over at GameBanana. Incredible work.

//twitter.com/Wistful??Hopes/status/1541846287011573760?s=20&t=zsIWqUgAfzpfxQiId0RrIg

Another popular modder, Ryn, has also opened the door for crossover fighters wanting to show up on DNF Duel's wild battleground. Ryn is already working on a fresh DNF mod, which will see Dragon Ball Z's Goku going Super Saiyan in the guise of DNF's poster boy, Berserker. There's still some work to be done to complete Goku's moveset, but he's already looking pretty comfortable. Mods such as these are made somewhat easier thanks to Arc System Works' utilizing similar software for its games. So don't be surprised if we see more Dragon Ball FighterZ, Guilty Gear, or BlazBlue characters in the future.

DNF Duel, which is now available on PlayStation and PC platforms, is a fighter spun-off from the Korean MMO series, Dungeon Fighter Online. As I stated in my review yesterday, it is a highly aggressive but very accessible entry to the fighting game gen?re, that embraces a sense of proactive combat and wanton chaos. The community is only just beginning to get stuck into the new title, which is surprising some players with its fast-paced nature and explosive visuals. In general, feedback has been very positive.

Oh, and ?if you're wondering who is top tier, the answer is Everybody.

The post Persona 5 Makoto and Dragon Ball Z Goku already modded into DN??F Duel appeared first on Destructoid.

Persona 5 is coming to Switch this year on October 21, 2022

The Persona Switch dream is a reality.

Today during the Nintendo Direct Mini, which was aimed at third-party partner announcements, Nintendo showcased the release of Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal on Switch. The former two are slated as a nebulous "coming soon" release, while Persona 5 is fully dated for October 21, 2022.

This news directly follows the recent announcement of t??he tr??io for the PC, PS5, and Xbox platforms two weeks ago. And really, it's not even something that needed to be leaked, rather than assumed! Nintendo isn't shy about collaborating with Atlus, and given that they aren't exclusive to any one platform, the company? likely wants to see the trio out on as many platforms as possible: including one of the best-selling consoles of the modern era.

In any case, a Persona Switch announcement is great news. All of these games need to proliferate as far and wide as possible, and all of them have their own unique spins and cast members to differentiate themselves. I like all three of them for very different reasons, though Persona 5 has bec??ome the golden goose in ??recent years, and the favorite in many circles.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgbQIcjzq_4

The post Nintendo reveals t?hat Persona 3, 4, 5 are coming to Swi??tch appeared first on Destructoid.

The Portable, Golden, Royal trifecta

A long overdue fan-favorite RPG series will finally be accessible to Xbox players, and Phil Spencer showed up on stage at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase to share the good news. That's right, the Persona series is on the way to Xbox, including Game Pass support, and Persona 3 Portable and Persona 5 Royal will be arriving on PC at long last. What a get!

Here's the full rundown: Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal will be playable on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, with P5R confirmed for October 21, 2022, and P3P and P4G coming sometime in 2023, according to an Xbox release calendar.

[Update: Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal are also coming to PS5, and Atlus has confirmed Steam releases, per Eurogamer. The timing is up in the air.]

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QESuddo8afY

This hype trailer should conjure a lot of fond memories with old friends, and Atlus also has a dedicated hub site for these Persona games showing up on "modern platforms."

How many hours of JRPGing are we going to need to set aside? On that note, once the Persona games show up in the Game Pass library, I ??????????????????????????hope they stick around for a long time. No one wants to have to rush through them, and no one wants?? to be left hanging.

//www.tiktok.com/@destructoid/video/7??111438005788740869?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7052788164067706373

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I'm Already a Demon (Summoner)

_{[Destructoid alumni The Blonde Bass returns with a Shin Megami Tensei-themed entry of the Destructoid Draws series, spotlighting the fine artistic abilities of our community. Amazing work from all, as always! �Moyse]}

I'll be honest, I've been stumped for a while trying to come up with a fitting theme for this Destructoid Draws. So far, the Encore series has been trying to mirror the original one. Dream Crossovers was the tock to Favorite Franchises' tick. Favorite Sidekicks naturally followed from Favorite Villains. And, uh... we did Guilty Gear twice. As a treat.

But this time around, I did not know how to follow up the fourth ever Destructoid Draws: OC Mega Man Robot Masters. That one was something special. We were able to let our inner kids loose �and it resulted in a ton of gre?at designs like Net Man, Soda Man, and Ocean Man. Where do you go from here? Was there anything that could give us the sa??me mix of creative freedom and thematic consistency?

Well, Cactooze came up to the rescue, suggesting Shin Megami Tensei for this installment. It clicked instantly. SMT is a??lready a fascinating mix of characters from across humanity's myth?s and stories as is.

S??o without further ado, let's get into what members of the community came up with!

Cactooze
Vodyanoy

The Vodyanoy is sort of like a Slavic Kappa, so I mixed them a bit. It drowns people for fun... pretty fucking metal. It would have access to the Bufu tree because there are no water skills in this series. Let's also give it a gun since that's a thing too in these games!

(Bass: This is another reason why Persona 2 is the objectively superior Persona, it has the Aqua line)

TheBlondeBass
La Corriveau

Be careful of the Corriveau's wiles, lest you end up as another dead husband in the pile. Or, so the legend says. A popular character in Québecois stories, the only clear-cut fact of Marie-Josephte Corriveau's life is that her husband was found dead shortly after New France fell under English rule. The death was first found to be an accident, then investigated as murder with the Corriveau's father found guilty. Just before his execution, however, he confessed to being an accomplice to his daughter. In the end, she was executed and put on public display, while he got off without a sentence...

This public display after the execution was striking, leading to a distortion of her story. Mentions of the Corriveau in tales and songs often mention as many as seven husbands murdered in cold blood, a number sure to bring chills to children and adults alike. 

It would be interesting to represent her duality as an SMT character. She's after all a potential victim, of the treatment of her husband, of the accusations against her if she was innocent, and the twisted way her story has been twisted posthumously. But as far as SMT goes, she'd have to be representing the impression she left on the collective unconscious. She'd probably be an early-to-mid game demon using Marin Karin to charm party members along with some beefy physical attacks.

DeScruff
The Big Bad Wolf

I tried to incorporate elements of each of the stories this wolf has appeared in into the design. He has wind attacks and is weak to fire. He wears Little Red Riding Hood's grandma's glasses and bonnet, and a shepherd's whistle from that boy who cried wolf.

I'd imagine he'd be an early game demon (likely the lowest level Wilder, and early game Garu/Zan user). Their interactions could be like: "Why do you smell like a human?" - Because I ate one - "Yeah they taste good, hard to keep in your stomach though!"

Perro
The Grim Reaper

Race: Fallen
High Magic, Low Physical Attack
Resist: Dark
Weak: Wind

The Grim Reaper is reimagined as a bratty skater kid. I have been drawing variations of this guy on my notebook in high school back in the day when I was trying to make metal album covers for the band I never formed with my friends.

RLZ
Jeanne d'Arc

Jeanne d'Arc's a figure of French history, a young maiden who led an army against English invaders after hearing a message from God. She was later sold out and burnt at the stake, before getting canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church. 

I see her as leading a mostly human army for a Law faction. She would probably be an early mandatory mid-boss/boss. While fighting she would be joined by several Archangels/Powers who would protect her by taking damage instead of her while she buffs them. She would also occasionally attack with Light magic. Even though I drew her surrounded by flames she is actually weak to Fire (it would feel so wrong to not get a press turn when casting Agilao on Jeanne) and Dark while being immune to Light and Ailments.

The design is inspired by the song Bigmouth Strikes Again by The Smiths. I found the idea of her with some headphones rather funny. The cross on them suggests that they may be the origin of the message she heard.

ZombieCorps
Mazomba

The Mazomba is a giant fish in the mythology of the Chaga people of Tanzania. I don't much about it, and it's hard to find much about it either online, so I'll just make its description up.

It is a neutral deity only taking action when its life or home is threatened. The people of Tanzania worship Mazomba for its beautiful blond hair and its near-encyclopedic knowledge of weeb shit and Magic cards.

(Bass: I can't help but shape this feeling... Like there's an impos?ter among us.)

Whew! Things got a bit weird there at the end, but I hope you've enjoyed this edition of Destructoid Draws. Maybe you even learned a thing or two this time around? As always, if you have an idea of a mythological figure that would fit well with Shin Megami Tensei, please feel free to participate in the comment ??section!

Hungr??y for? more Destructoid Draws? Check out the previous installments:

• Guilty Gear
• Favorite Franchises
• Villains
• Original Mega Man Robot Masters
• Indie Games
• White Whales
• Super Smash Bros.
• ENCORE: Guilty Gear
• ENCORE: Dream Crossovers
• ENCORE: Favorite Sidekicks

The post Destructoid Draws ENCO?RE: Homemade Shin Megami Tensei Demons appeared first on Destructoid.

What platforms will Persona 6 debut on?

Persona on Switch and Xbox? I mean, probably one day! Atlus just put out a lengthy survey (with an approximate completion time of 45 minutes) that covers pretty much all ?things related to the company, including all sorts o?f potential platform implications.

The survey, which is now closed, asked open-ended questions about whether or not fans would like to see Atlus franchise games on various platforms. Shin Megami Tensei and Persona were mentioned by name under Persona on Switch and Xbox options, as well as a theoretical remake? or port projects. These sorts of periodic check-ins are the norm for many companies, but they're often precursors for change. Naturally if an overwhelming amount of people respond, and the Switch is in-demand (which it is), it could spur some sort of shift for platform availability.

There are a ton of other considerations (especially when it comes to the Xbox platform as it relates to Japan), but it's entirely possible that Atlus could shift away from the "PlayStation first" Persona standard eventually ("any day now" right). And the same goes for Shin Megami Tensei games erring on the side?? of Nintend??o portable devices.

Atlus sometimes works in mysterious ways, but it generally errs on the side of whatever the most popular system is at the moment (especially in Japan) as the flagship. Seeing Persona 6 on PS5 and whatever the next Shin Megami Tensei game ??is on whatever the Switch successor is wouldn't be a stretch. But the company is likely going to be ?around for the long haul, and things can change.

//www.tiktok.?com/@destructoid/video/7101367166141746437

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Better take some time to download it now

PlayStation has announced the games coming to PlayStation Plus in April. Alongside cards and outlaws, there's also a heads-up that one game will be leaving another part of the service in May. Persona 5 is? leaving the PlayStation Plus Coll??ection on May 11.

In an addendum on the PlayStation Blog, Sony says that adding the game ?to your library before May 11 will allow users to still have access, as long as they have an active Plus subscription. The PS Plus Collection is available for PS5 owners who have an active sub.

As for April's PS Plus games, both PlayStation 4 and 5 get in on Hood: Outlaws & Legends. The PlayStation 4 entries are SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated and Slay the Spire. The former isn't quite the best foot forward for a cult classic, but the latter is a deck-building roguelike that will eat your time like nobody's business. Seriously, check out Slay the Spire if you somehow haven't tried it yet.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnDzJ9KzuV4

March's PlayStation Plus games also take off on April 4, so don't forget to pick those up. Those are Ark: Survival Evolved, Team Sonic Racing, the PS5 version of Ghostrunner, and Ghost of Tsushima: Legends.

The PlayStation Plus Collection is still sticking around

Sony recently revealed its revamped PlayStation Plus plans, with "Essential" players keeping access to current benefits while higher tiers can get a catalog of games ranging across generations. It all goes live in June, and PlayStation confirmed to IGN that the Plus Collection will not be going away with this change.

As for Persona 5, it's a bummer the beefy Atlus RPG is leaving the collection. Granted, it's the base version and not the significantly expanded Royal. But Persona 5 is a major RPG of the last console generation, and one?? that added some nice variety to the PS Plus Collection.

Considering Atlus has been rolling out a series of Persona announcements over the last few month?s, maybe something's in st??ore. For now, it's a good reminder for PS5 owners to make sure they've got all the Plus Collection titles in their library.

The post Persona?? 5 is leaving the PlayStation Plus Collection? in May appeared first on Destructoid.

P4AU is still an excellent game, even if it could use some modern touch-ups

The nice thing about the new re-release Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is that it's just how you remember Persona 4 Arena in the first place. It is still the RPG-infused fighter that has the stellar cast of characters from Personas 3 and 4. It's s??till fast and fun, with a lot of depth and a good variety of playstyles. If any of that's your chief concern, then don't be too worried.

Where Persona 4 Arena Ultimax earns an asterisk on its recommendation is how it is, still, a game from 2013 and 2014. The re-release of Ultimax occasionally feels o?ut-of-time in less-than-desirable ways, like lacking explanation on certain mechanics and netcode that will eventually be rollback, but isn't at launch.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBbtdKZoqlA

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (PS4 [played], Switch, PC)
Developer: Arc System Works, Atlus
Publisher: Sega
Release: March 17, 2022
MSRP: $29.99

For those who never took the plunge in the first place, I'm mostly there with you. I played a handful of Persona 4 Arena matches in college, but most of my experience with these characters was with their guest appearances in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. It's exciting to finally play as the Persona crew in their own fighting game, and in the system?s made specifically for them.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a one-on-one fig??hting game, with the anime fighter aspects of air-dashing and potentially long combos. The big distinction is the Persona system; every fighter can strike with their own weapons or use their Persona, their spirit companion, to attack the enemy. Personas can do some pretty big attacks with some devastating effects, but they're limited both by the number of cards available and can be stuffed—hit by the opponent—to be temporarily taken out of the action.

With an SP meter and, for most characters, a number of individual meters to watch alongside the universal ones, this is a knowledge-heavy game. ??Playing Aigis means keeping an eye on my Persona usage, SP, number of bullets, and Orgia meter alongside my health. Others like Yukiko or Akihiko just have simple counters, but still have a resource to consider and adapt to.

I don't think this required knowledge is a fault; I actually like that each character has their own sub-system that they make decisions around, and it's interesting seeing how those decisions interact with the actual fight on-screen. When I fight Junpei, I'm not just considering my own game plan, but his efforts to score runners on a miniature baseb??all game playing out on the bottom of the screen. It's fun and rewarding to master, and it really encourages newcomers to get familiar with one fighter at a time. Not a bad habit to re??????????????????????????inforce.

What still feels lacking is lessons on how this all works. Some techniques, like Aigis' Orgia mode, get explained in special tutorials. Others, like Junpei's baseball gameplay, get a little learn-by-playing moment in challenges, but not many laid-out explanations. I found out a few quirks and mechanics just from having a Wik??i page open while practicing different characters, and that really seems like the way to learn this stuff.

I don't hold this against Persona 4 Arena Ultimax too much, as it's really just trying to bring forward a game from 2013 to modern systems. But if you're a newcomer used to the more in-depth tutorials and missions in games like Mortal Kombat 11 or Guilty Gear Strive, you might want to have a second monitor handy.

The absent modern convenience that's a little more annoying, and the actual concern for checking out Ultimax at launch, is the netcode. Atlus has said that rollback netcode is coming to Persona 4 Arena Ultimax not at launch, but later on down the line, targeting this summer.

When I was playing the pre-release version on PS5, with friends on wired connections, all on the same continent, we only had a few hiccups and stutters. But once wireless connections got introduced, lobbies grew, and distances widened, we started to notice a lot more hitching and errors. Considering netplay against friends is a big selling point for a re-release like Ultimax, it's worth knowing that it's not using rollback right out of the g???ate.

Even if it's a bit daunting at times for fresh players, I've been really enjoying my time with Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. Its style hasn't faded at all in the years since its first release. The sprite art really brings these characters to life, and I love seeing the updated versions of Persona 3 characters in particular.

Every fighter has their own approach, as well as a Shadow version to mess around with, so there's a lot of variety in the roster. And despite how intimidating so many meters and mechanics to notice might seem, actually playing a match of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is fast and breezy in a good way. Auto-combos can help with early building blocks into personalized mix-ups, and it only took a fe??w matches with each character to get a feel for how they should handle.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax makes a solid case for why this deserved a re-release. And if you're a solo fighting game player or even just a Persona fan, there's a huge wealth of single-player content to dive into here. Ultimax has a ton of single-player options, which is nice for those who aren't looking to just try and climb ??the ladder.

Even more than that, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a strong argument for why a Persona 5 Arena would be absolutely phenomenal. Heck yes, I want to see Joker and the Phantom Thieves duke it out with the casts of previous Personas. It might be a dream right now, but let me have it, o??kay?

If you've been eager for an easier way to play Persona 4 Arena in the year 2022, the good news is that Ultimax delivers exactly that. Nitpicking of some of the external features aside, the gameplay is still good, and I haven't missed an opportunity yet to boot P4AU up and run a couple matches with others. It might sound a little odd to gleefully declare that Ultimax clears the bar of simply being Persona 4 Arena Ultimax on modern systems, but when it's a fighting game like this one, that's a good bar to clear?.

_{[These impressions are based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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25 years of dread-burning adventure

This year sees the 25th anniversary of one of the most successful, stylish, and loved RPG franchises of all time, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona. Publisher Atlus has announced that it will be holding a?? special two-month live exhibition to celebrate the birth?day of its slick, stylish, and uber-melodramatic series.

Persona 25 FES, which will take place in Saitama, Japan between May 28 and July 10, will take over the Tokorozawa Sakura Town complex to showcase the fascinating worlds, characters, and demons that make up the Persona universe. The event will feature artwork pulled from the entire series, as well as recreations of some of its most famous locales, and incredible full-size statues of Persona 3's Thanatos, Persona 4's Izanagi, and Persona 5's Arsene.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=82ekgDPf0V8

Several stores and eateries, decorated in Persona-themed fashion, will be selling exclusive goodies and merchandise, while the local EJ Anime Hotel will see feature "collab rooms" with the Persona cast welcoming you in staff uniforms. If that wasn't enough, then a smartphone app will let visitors take on specially designed A.R. missions located around Sakura Town. It sounds like a neat couple of days for Japan-living Persona aficionados. I hope Ohya is found propping up the local bars.

Will we get any new ann?ouncements duri??????????????????????????ng the event? It's the hope that kills you.

Persona FES 25 kicks off at Tokorozawa Sakura Town, Saitama, Japan from May 28, additionally, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax?? ??launches on PS4, PC (Steam), and Nintendo Switch on May 17.

The post Persona 25 FES exhibition to celebrate JRPG series’ anniversary appeared first on Destructoid.

Escape from the City was the obvious one, this is way crazier

Did you ever expect someone really talented to cover the Sonic 3 continue music? Me neither! But that's just what Persona 5 singer Lyn Inaizumi did, as part of the "Continue - 30th Sessions Version" album, which covers classic Sonic songs.

We already got a taste of Lyn's version of Escape from the City, which was a smart song to put out in front as one of the marquee parts of this project. But the Sonic 3 continu??e music is definitely a more left-field pick.

While this track is burned in my brain from playing tons of Sonic 3 as a kid, Lyn re-imagines it (with an arrangement by Jun Sono??ue) with a vocal bebop jazz style song in a way that still sounds faithful, and extremely? Lyn.

At this point they seem to have a good rapport with Lyn, and I think she should just become a fixture of future Sonic games. While the jury is out on Sonic Frontiers, running around an open world with chi?ll music like this is something I can easily get into.

It would be funny if this was actually in Sonic 3: you'd kind of want the time to run out just to hear?? and respect the entire song!

Sonic 3 continue music Lyn cover:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGFq5fimj1c

Sonic 3 original:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=B00BMZKTieU

The post This b?ebop rendition of the Soni??c 3 continue music proves that Persona 5 singer Lyn can cover anything appeared first on Destructoid.