June 30, 2010July 1, 2010

Burn your Dread: Persona 3 Portable Signed Soundtrack Drawing!

Allow us to get your week on track, PlayStation.Blog readers. SOUNDtrack, that is. SIGNED soundtrack, even. That’s right, we’ve got 10 soundtracks graced by the pen/magic marker/writing instrument of one Shoji Meguro, master composer of games like Persona 3 and Persona 4, and we’re giving them away. Here. Just to you folks.

“How do I enter?” you inquire, leaning forward in excitement. Easy! Just tell us what you’re most excited about regarding the upcoming P3P as a comment under this post. Maybe it’s the fact that you can take one of the highest rated RPGs of all time on the road now? Or the cast of memorable characters you just can’t get enough of? Or the dating sim elements? The fantastic music? The great art? The addicting gameplay? The original story?

10 lucky winners will be randomly (or as close to randomly as possible) chosen and sent a SIGNED soundtrack CD. Only North American residents are eligible to win, however. It’s not that we don’t love you rest-of-the-world’ers; we just want to focus this giveaway on the region in which the game is actually releasing.

Why are we doing this? Well, we’d love to use this opportunity to remind you that:

a) Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable, Atlus’s upcoming handheld RPG epic, is right around the corner, releasing in stores and via PlayStation Network on July 6th.

b) It features one of the best soundtracks ever, and in order to further emphasize that point, we want to give a few of those soundtracks away. SIGNED.

In case you all are a bit unfamiliar with the P3P soundtrack, perhaps we should share a sample with you:
[audio:https://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/05_Wiping-All-Out_short-3.mp3]

For more music samples, visit the official Persona 3 Portable website!

“The music seems awesome,” you say, pensively prodding your chin with your finger, “but I’m not guaranteed to win it. I just wish there was some cool bonus with Persona 3 Portable that I was guaranteed to receive.”

Funny you’d say that, because there’s still time to pre-order your copy of Persona 3 Portable at a participating retailer (GameStop and Amazon in the United States and Canada) and receive a collectible Junpei Baseball Cap. It’s modeled after the one he wears in the game!

“Wow, they’re sure giving us a lot of physical awesome to celebrate the release of the game, but what about the game itself?” you muse aloud to no one in particular, gently tapping your pointer fingers together in front of your mouth.

We’ve already told you in previous posts about how Persona 3 Portable puts you in the shoes of a team of gifted high schoolers forced to use their developing supernatural abilities to save the world from destruction, and how the game cleverly mixes addicting RPG dungeon crawling with social sim elements. And how the PSP system release introduces a new female protagonist who experiences the events of the game from a new perspective, not to mention the addition of one-button menu shortcuts, a streamlined user interface, and more.

We’d say more about the game, but really, why not let others speak for us? Early reviews are in, Blog readers, and they’re glowing:

Gaming Nexus – A
“Atlus added enough new content to make this the first must-own PSP RPG of the year!”

Gamervision – 10 out of 10
“Persona 3 Portable is one of the strongest games in the PSP catalogue, and a shining example of a role-playing game done right.”

GamerTell – 99 out of 100
“Simply said, Persona 3 Portable is a system seller. If you own a PSP and can purchase “Mature” games, you should own it. If you don’t own a PSP, Persona 3 Portable is easily a game to inspire you to pick one up.”

PlayStation Illustrated – 95 out of 100
“It’s a fantastic RPG stuffed with things to do and interesting, yet unusual, ideas.”

1UP.com – A-
“I’d actually recommend Persona 3 Portable as the best introduction to the series — even ahead of the console versions of Persona 3 or Persona 4. But I’d also highly recommend P3P for longtime fans of the franchise…”

gamrReview by VGChartz – 9 out of 10
“PSP fans can rejoice that such a grand RPG has arrived on their system of choice…”

GameZone 8.5 out of 10
“…a solid version of a great RPG.”

Look for Persona 3 Portable on retail shelves and in PSN Store on July 6, 2010! For more info about P3P, visit the game’s official website.

Don’t forget: What about the upcoming Persona 3 Portable are you most looking forward to? Tell us below for a chance to win a SIGNED soundtrack CD! We’ll try and choose winners by the game’s release date (winners will be notified with a message sent to their PSN account).

Comments are closed.

1,352 Comments

24 Author Replies

WayneThaPain
June 30, 2010 at 5:53 pm PDT

I am most looking forward to pimpin’ my female classmates as a female…. oh wait that’s probably another game.

I am looking forward to burning my dread and checking out what sorts of new things they added to P3P!
KonekoTabby
June 30, 2010 at 5:53 pm PDT

Yes! I am so excited about Persona 3 on the PSP! I love the original Persona 3, and I can’t wait to play the new protagonist! This will be the most awesome PSP RPG of the year! And in my opinion it will be the best game in the year!! All hail ATLUS from bringing us another great game!!
chazmaniandevil8
June 30, 2010 at 5:53 pm PDT

i’m most excited to have the fusion of persona 3 and persona 4: the characters from 3 stuck with me really well and i loved the serious tone of the story line, while 4 greatly improved the battle system. I’m really interested to see how the navigation of the world works with the main character replaced by an icon when outside of tartarus. I think it’ll also be great to be able to hear the music through headphones while i’m playing anywhere, rather than just on the tv in my living room.
Kyle3572
June 30, 2010 at 5:53 pm PDT

I initially bought P3:FES after hearing some reviews. I played through about half the game before giving up. Sometime later, I picked up Persona 4 and loved every minute of it. This prompted me to replay P3 with a new appreciation. The Playstation Persona games are some of my favorite RPG’s of all time.

Being able to play P3P is going to be a wonderful time yet again.
Simari
June 30, 2010 at 5:53 pm PDT

Like many, I definitely want to play as the female protagonist and compare the story changes as well as any musical changes that occurred. Meguro’s music is something that I always have an interest in.
Knoxximus
June 30, 2010 at 5:54 pm PDT

I’m just happy that Persona 3’s…PORTABLE! ^_^
- Aram Jabbari
  June 30, 2010 at 5:56 pm PDT
  
  Hey, that’s the title!
PsychoSamurai
June 30, 2010 at 5:54 pm PDT

I’m looking forward to having full control over my party, so that I don’t wind up helpless as a kitten whenever the main character gets hit by a status ailment while the AI ignores me.

Oh, and to being the only one of the employees in the store who both knows what the game is and can pronounce the title properly.
VerdugoDeFlies
June 30, 2010 at 5:54 pm PDT

I’m uber-excited to have an excuse to replay P3! Not that one needs an excuse to play such a monumentally fantastic game, but I’m uber-psyched to have a chance to be flirtatious with Akihiko!(Creepy, I know) Plus, being able to actually control my party’s individual actions will probably make the game a lot less hair-raising.

On a slight tangent…any plans to port P2 to the PSP? 0_0
Michaelsword
June 30, 2010 at 5:55 pm PDT

I loved Persona 3 and I’ll love it even more when I get it on the PSP. What loved about this game was the system and music. My brother played the first P3 back in ’07-’08 and he beat the game. It got me into the game when I started to play it. We have FES and still love it. Everything about this game is just awesome!!!
FluffyShoe
June 30, 2010 at 5:55 pm PDT

I’m excited to play through the social links as a girl this time around (especially the new Ryoji one)!
Azgral
June 30, 2010 at 5:55 pm PDT

I’m looking forward to Persona 3 because while I greatly enjoyed it on the PS2 I never finished it, it isn’t always easy to have time to sit down at the TV for lengths of time so the portability will be awesome. Also the combat system upgrades sound like they will be great.
Vaaniks
June 30, 2010 at 5:56 pm PDT

Persona 3 is a game that means a lot to me and stands as, by far, one of the absolute best PS2 RPG’s, and one of the best ever. It introduced the US, and, indeed, the rest of the world to an RPG experience it has never experienced before. To play a portable version of one of my favorite games, and this time with the option to play it as a female protagonist instead, is definitely a dream come true for me! I will definitely purchase this game and play through it multiple times, both as the male and the female protagonist. And with such awesome music to accompany me through it, how could I not? Bring it on!
wtfmove
June 30, 2010 at 5:56 pm PDT

Updated battle system to P3! Plus more Aigis!
Kat_Taxi
June 30, 2010 at 5:58 pm PDT

I just really want to be able to have Persona 3 as a portable game, and the female story coupled with another, harder game mode is just icing on an already delicious cake.
makesfive
June 30, 2010 at 5:58 pm PDT

I’m really looking forward to playing through the game again as the female main character. I wasn’t going to rebuy the game initially but I think the addition of the new character and all the new social links added/changed because of her will definitely make it worth my while. And woo for portable rpgs, it makes them so much easier to play because I just don’t have the time at home anymore.
Vaaniks
June 30, 2010 at 5:59 pm PDT

Persona 3 is a game that means a lot to me and stands as, by far, one of the absolute best PS2 RPG’s, and one of the best ever. It introduced the US, and, indeed, the rest of the world to an RPG experience it has never experienced before. To play a portable version of one of my favorite games, and this time with the option to play it as a female protagonist instead, is definitely a dream come true for me! I will definitely purchase this game and play through it multiple times, both as the male and the female protagonist. And with such awesome music to accompany me through it, how could I not? Bring it on! (By the way, this will be my third time purchasing the game; the first time was the original with the artbook and everything that was stolen when our house was robbed :( ; the second time was FES; third time will be this version.)
NWTrefren
June 30, 2010 at 5:59 pm PDT

I’m most excited about going through the game as the lady protagonist and getting to see new scenes and listen to the new music. I’m also pretty stoked about being able to give direct commands to the other characters, like in P4!
battywings
June 30, 2010 at 5:59 pm PDT

I’m looking forward to the Social Links and battle system. NO MORE MARIN KARIN.
soulspirit4
June 30, 2010 at 5:59 pm PDT

Shin Megami Tensei is one of my favorite rpg games on the planet. Atlus as designed one of the best rpg games and has won many awards. Persona 3 from what I saw on the trailer, they have incorporated new feature like the female protagonist, a new interface and story line. They have out done themselves again in designing one of the best rpg games on the planet. Also their music that they put in the game is excellent. I still have the persona portable soundtrack, because I like to listen to the music that they created and I continue to listen to the music and enjoy their masterpiece that they put in the game, both the music and the game itself. Shin megami tensei series is the best and I look forward to buying the persona 3 portable game and enjoying playing their creation on the psp.
Mjunter
June 30, 2010 at 5:59 pm PDT

Well, Persona 3 was one of my favorite games of all time now. Revisiting all the characters and really excited about all the new ones that will be introduced with the girl protagonist. The improved battle system will make the dungeon crawling more enjoyable I’m sure.

Honestly I would probably buy anything related to the Persona series right now. Its one of the few RPG series I can count on to give me a memorable experience. Even this remake has me more excited than any other RPG coming out.
skellyplay
June 30, 2010 at 5:59 pm PDT

I’m going to Comic Con with this baby, and I wouldn’t be surprised if P3P is what I spend all my time on during my free days. I’ve had it pre-ordered for 3 months or more already, and I’m excited beyond belief that I don’t actually have to be at home or lugging around a Playstation 2 in hopes of a hookup in hotels to play it.

Persona 3: Fes was my favorite. I’m glad for the changes, and I know it’s going to be something I’m going to be playing over and over and over.
taranissnark
June 30, 2010 at 5:59 pm PDT

Well, I for one am very excited about P3P’s release. It’s a simple recipe, but one bound to please: include

1 silent protagonist with a perchance for long blue hair
1 very realistic world filled to the brim with interesting people
1 towering…tower luring you in with it’s dark secrets
a deep, dark story that leaves you on the edge of your seat till the end
More demons than I care to count to be obtained and fused
now add

another silent protagonist, this one female and very energetic
more story elements to go along with this new protagonist
even MORE demons to collect
all wrapped up an an over 80 hour, PORTABLE, TAKE IT ANYWHERE RPG

What’s not to like? Its got everything I can ask for in an RPG, and its a portable one, meaning I can take it anywhere

bah, who am I kidding? I just want the soundtrack CD! =)
greg2455
June 30, 2010 at 6:01 pm PDT

I’m really looking forward to the new female protagonist. Her battle theme is way better than Minato’s and I looking forward to using Mara with her!
muffin_man97
June 30, 2010 at 6:01 pm PDT

I’m excited about getting to experience fully experience one od my favorite stories of all time, filled with some of the most unique characters and gameplay elements ever to have graced me, in a new way by playing as the new female protagonist, but even moreso, I’m excited about the portability of P3P. I always tell my friends about Persona 3 and how great of a game it is, but they never get to come over and see it, but now I can actually show them how awesome Persona 3 is and maybe get my friends interested in SMT and Persona games as a whole, giving me someone to finally talk to about one of my favorite series.
Zeylon
June 30, 2010 at 6:02 pm PDT

I’ve been a huge fan since I played the P3 on the PS2. I of course picked up FES when it came out later. I scoured the internet looking for his headphones and a close match for his MP3 player anyway(and found them).

I think my favorite thing about the more recent entries is the sense of passage of time. Most games seem to exist outside time, when the world needs to be saved RIGHT NOW – you can go gamble at a casino for days without it being a big deal. Persona forced you to work in fighting evil around your daily life, and prioritize what you want to do with your time much like real life. You can’t hang out with everyone all the time. You can’t cram for a test and spend all night in combat too.

It’s not just the day to day choices, but the feeling of time shifting forward day by day. Before you know it, a month will be gone, and those choices are already behind you unchangeable. It brings a greater sense of verisimilitude, to the extent you can have it while mastering magical powers and fighting shadows.

Aside from that, and specific to the portable version, I can’t wait to see how dialog and s-links shift with a female. Can we forget the Junpei hat? Missing out on that would totally be Stupei ace-defective.
kowan
June 30, 2010 at 6:02 pm PDT

I have never finished persona 3 nor FES(i won both btw) and i do know for a fact that i fail because of that. But certain events in my life have hindered my playtime with persona 3 on my console. College, graduation, job, and other things my parents want me to do to make me a responsible and successful adult. I have dreamed of playing persona 3 on the palm of my hands anywhere i may go and i can only say now that dreams(although not the most ambitious of dreams if i must say) do come true. P3P is here(on july 6) and i can almost smell that dread of not being able to experience p3 burning while i await for it’s release(lol). And knowing how ATLUS further enhanced this game(adding some persona 4 touches and the girl main character and others), makes things even better.
j3n_0syd3
June 30, 2010 at 6:02 pm PDT

I am super excited about P3P for sooooo many reasons. I think P3 was the best game of the last 10 years, it may sound fan-girlish but you know a game is amazing when after you beat it you feel like you just lost all of your friends. And that’s how I feel every time I play a Shin Megami Tensei game. Now it is going to be like a whole new experience because I get to play as a female! I’m also excited because of Shoji Meguro. I really don’t feel you need to say anything else here. He is the most amazing composer ever. I already own P3 and FES so I bought a new PSP specifically for this game because I want to experience it all over again.
Tai-dono
June 30, 2010 at 6:03 pm PDT

I’m most excited to be able to once again step into the shoes of my all time favourite video game hero for a third time and re-experience one of the greatest RPG stories ever told.(All while wearing Junpei’s stylish hat of course)
azrael0070
June 30, 2010 at 6:03 pm PDT

I’m interested in playing as Hamuko as well as being able to play P3 with P4’s gameplay. Makes things easier, especially with Mitsuru.

I also want the hat. With P4’s shirt and Junpei’s hat all I need now is some pants to go with it all.
The_lust
June 30, 2010 at 6:03 pm PDT

I’m looking forward to just about everything in persona 3 portable. New social links, new music, new persona and weapons. Atlus is the god of rpgs <3
Izanagi_XIII
June 30, 2010 at 6:03 pm PDT

I’m interested how we’re able to choose a female protagonist this time. I’m curious on what’ll change in the story because of this.
conan_wong
June 30, 2010 at 6:04 pm PDT

i’ve been waiting for Atlus to drop this game ever since it came out in Japan.. so finally, its here and its gonna kick some serious ass in terms of RPG games out there.
Dragonball_Hero
June 30, 2010 at 6:05 pm PDT

Being able to play as another character has me really excited.
Colonel_Curtiss
June 30, 2010 at 6:05 pm PDT

P3P is the excuse I’ve been looking for to finally get a PSP. Persona 3 is my favorite game of all time, and I’m looking forward to as many new little features as I can get. I’m especially eager for new songs, as I feel madly in love with the original soundtrack, and listen to it almost daily.

Persona! Forever!
Diaboros72
June 30, 2010 at 6:05 pm PDT

Can’t wait to play as the FeMC, and to play through from her perspective! I’ve already played through P3FES, but I’m looking forward to all the new stuff in P3P, and the ability to play it all the time will be awesome… Except for productivity, but who needs that? Or a job? It’s summer, and this will be my guide through the usual gaming drought! This and a sweet signed OST would be awesome, can’t wait to play…. and play… and play… Thanks for the awesome contest!
Tian-ming
June 30, 2010 at 6:06 pm PDT

I’m looking forward to fighting the new optional bosses, and to the persona fusion projects I can concoct to break the game open.
TheIdesofJanuary
June 30, 2010 at 6:06 pm PDT

Honestly, I was just looking for a reason to play this game a third time and this is more than perfect. If I had to choose a part I was looking forward to most, though, it would be the changes to the soundtrack, which was already amazing.
zooKreature
June 30, 2010 at 6:06 pm PDT

Art style, and concept…
KOS-MOS_X
June 30, 2010 at 6:06 pm PDT

This is the reason why I bought a PSP again (Well, this and original Persona). Looking forward to sinking tons of time into this game at work (where I have permission to play games when not busy. Booyah). July 6th can’t come fast enough.
Slasher71
June 30, 2010 at 6:06 pm PDT

I absolutely love Persona 3 and have gone so far as to buy the game as presents to my friends just to spread the SMT love. And have turned them into fans as well. I’m so pumped about the new things in the game and just for the simple fact that I can play one of my favorite games of all time, anywhere.

Even if they had just left the game as is and not added the new female protaginist and the boatload of new additions I would have still bought this game. Specifically because I love the music and some of them are just incapable of getting out of my head. I have been following P3P since it was announced and the music has been the first thing I wanted to see/hear. And I am so pumped to play the female protaginist just to hear the new tunes.
OokieSpookie
June 30, 2010 at 6:07 pm PDT

Persona is one of the greatest series out there, and Persona 3 was the greatest in the series (in my opinion).
This release takes something great and makes it even better.
rainstrife
June 30, 2010 at 6:07 pm PDT

Addiction click inside of me when Persona 3 was released. I’m hoping to feel the same addiction for Persona 3 Portable.
Blade133
June 30, 2010 at 6:07 pm PDT

I’m excited because this is going to be my first Persona experience! I’ve heard great things about these games so I can’t wait to try one!
Raikadox
June 30, 2010 at 6:08 pm PDT

Es un juego con una historia original,es muy adictivo y hasta la fecha no e encontrado un RPG o cualquier otro juego q sea tan adictivo tanto en su jugabilidad con su historia.

El juego me trae muy buenos recuerdos y ahora en PSP sera una gran joya.

En cuanto a la musica es muy pegajosa y buena,tanto asi que algunos tracks los llevo en mi MP3.

saludos
ReIysis
June 30, 2010 at 6:08 pm PDT

I’m most excited to play one of the best RGPs ever made…. as a woman…. on the road. I can’t wait to see how the story changes based on the gender chosen. You’re mine, Akihiko…
Kanji009
June 30, 2010 at 6:08 pm PDT

Honestly? The thing that has me excited for P3P is not only the portability, but the female story arc as well. So not only can people SEE me playing the game out in public, they can haul me off to a psych ward when they see me playing a female character, I just hope they let me keep the PSP…

In all honesty though, had this come out a few years ago, I would have had no work done in any of my high school classes. When I got a hold of P3 (and then P3FES), I would literally run off the bus and just play. Having that with me at school, I can just feel the grades slipping. Honestly, this is the perfect thing for me.. and it’s coming out 3 days before my birthday… What an early birthday for me!
unsquared
June 30, 2010 at 6:09 pm PDT

The extra social links and the girl side of the story, of course.
bebopjp
June 30, 2010 at 6:10 pm PDT

Female Protagonist!!! :D
majinbrrt
June 30, 2010 at 6:10 pm PDT

I’m excited for P3P. It’s like Atlus said ‘yo we heard you like persona, so we put some persona in your persona so you can burn your dread while burning your dread’ or something. No really, burning my dread on the go? I’m sold.
D4rk_0rchyd
June 30, 2010 at 6:11 pm PDT

I’m an Atlus fangirl and I own PSP because Persona 1 was released on the portable. I actually bought the game before the console (it was the last persona I was missing…). When I heard Persona 3 was coming on it as well, I was really excited. My long ride on the bus to work in the morning will feel too short… I love the graphics, the music, the storyline, and of course the exciting system of demon combination. When I saw the pre-order came with a cap, I thought ‘My bf loves caps…but…he’d be more awesome with a Junpei cap’.

That aside, I just read that you can play as a girl too. As a gamer I’m very used to playing as a male character, but I do get thrilled if I get to play as a girl (helps with the story submersion).

For those of you who haven’t tried Persona yet, I do think 3 is a nice place to start. :)