Persona 2: Eternal Punishment Hits PSN Tomorrow

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Persona 2: Eternal Punishment Hits PSN Tomorrow

If you’re a die-hard Persona fan, there’s a good chance you have every game in the series—Persona, Persona 2: Innocent Sin, Persona 3 Portable, and the recent Persona 4 Golden—playable on PS Vita… except one. Persona 2 was split into two games — Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment — the former of which came out on PSP in 2011 and the latter having had no American release.

Persona 2: Eternal PunishmentPersona 2: Eternal Punishment

There’s good news and bad news about that. The bad news is that unusual circumstances have prevented us from localizing Eternal Punishment PSP the way we’d have liked to, but the good news is that you can still find out how the story of Tatsuya Suou, Maya Amano, and the Joker curse ends! Unlike Innocent Sin, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment was localized once before on PlayStation in 2000, and it’s that version of the game that we’re bringing to PSN as a PSOne classic now.

Since Persona 2: Eternal Punishment on PSP was a port of the original, the general graphics and gameplay in this PSOne Classics release are the same as you would have gotten. You’ll still control a party of oddballs brought together by disturbing goings-on in Sumaru City: teen-focused magazine reporter Maya Amano, her unlucky-in-love boxer friend Ulala Serizawa, the upright police detective Katsuya Suou, and a shady Taiwanese fixer known as “Baofu.” Together, the four of them must hunt down the cause of the Joker Curse and unravel the mystery of a strange boy whom Maya could swear she’s seen somewhere before.

Persona 2: Eternal PunishmentPersona 2: Eternal Punishment

Fortunately for them, they have the power of Persona on their side. As in Innocent Sin, you have the option to fight the demons you meet or negotiate with them to earn items, assistance, or their Arcana cards in order to fuse new Personas. Spreading specific rumors through the city can also cause them to come true, which has all sorts of effects on the game.

The one thing that might throw players who got their start on the PSP or Vita is that a few of the names might seem unfamiliar. The original Eternal Punishment was sort of a halfway point in that era’s approach to localization: by that time, we were making a move toward the more faithful translations we’re known for today, but we were also mindful of the established naming conventions American players would be familiar with from “Revelations: Persona.” To help smooth things over for you, here’s a list of mental replacements to make as you go through the PSOne Classics release of Eternal Punishment:

Saeko Smith: You’d know her better as Ms. Saeko, formerly a homeroom teacher at St. Hermelin High and later on a warm, caring educator at Seven Sisters High.

Principal Harding: Principal Hannya, another veteran of St. Hermelin. In Innocent Sin, he was the hated principal of Seven Sisters who used the Joker’s power to make the students love him, even if none of them understood why.
Tammy: Tamaki, who’s actually a nod to the original Shin Megami Tensei series: she was the heroine of SMT If…, and became a devil summoner to rid Karukozaka High of evil. Now, she works for fellow devil summoner Chief Todoroki at the Kuzunoha Detective Agency.

Tad: Tadashi, son of the owner of the Satomi Tadashi drugstore chain.

Mary: Maki Sonomura, the troubled heroine of Persona PSP, is now grown up and running Hiiragi Psychotherapy to help ease the minds of others who are psychologically tormented.

Sky Museum: Known as the Aerospace Museum in Innocent Sin PSP.

Ellen: Elly Kirishima in Persona PSP. She’s one of two guest stars from the original game who can briefly join your party in Eternal Punishment. The unnamed “Boy with Earring” who shows up in her route was the protagonist of that game.

Nate: Kei Nanjo, the other possible guest party member from Persona PSP. He’s the heir to the Nanjo Group megacorporation, which Persona fans with a sharp memory might know as having ties to Mitsuru Kirijo’s own business empire in Persona 3.

Yuki: Yukino Mayuzumi, another character you might know from Persona and Innocent Sin PSP. Once the leader of a girl gang at St. Hermelin, she grew up to be a professional photographer who works alongside Maya at Coolest.

Chris: Reiji Kido, sort of a hidden character in Persona PSP, will make a brief appearance in Elly’s path in Eternal Punishment.

Brad: Hidehiko “Brown” Uesugi’s routine is just as obnoxious as it was in Persona PSP, but now he’s famous for doing it on TV.

Guido: More properly known as Takahisa Kandori in Persona PSP, where he was the mastermind behind the dimensional warp that drew in the city of Mikage-cho. Though he died in the events of Persona PSP, Kandori casts a long shadow, and his influence will be felt in Sumaru City during the course of Eternal Punishment’s story.

Masquerade: Localized in Innocent Sin PSP as the “Masked Circle,” this was an innocuous child’s game that was twisted into something more sinister many years later.

Araya Shrine: Corrected to the Alaya Shrine in both earlier PSP games. “Alaya” is a Buddhist term for the uninfluenced stream of thought before it is transformed by self-knowledge and reflection.

But even if that seems like a lot to keep in your head, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is still an accessible capstone to the story, which provides enough explanation of the callbacks and references that even newcomers can appreciate its twisting, spiraling plot that leads up to a confrontation with the grand shadow of humanity. And hey, if there’s one silver lining to this “consolation prize” version, it’s that now it’ll only run you $9.99 to get the rest of the story!

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72 Comments

  • i loved Persona 3 and 4 on ps2 but i have to be honest i have no interest in playing the previous 2 games. The gameplay videos make them look and feel different from 3 and 4. The battle system doesn’t grab me, neither does the story.

    I hope sells well though. Anything to get Atlus more motivated to start production on Persona 5.

  • I’m looking forward to playing it.

    Sad to hear about not being able to localize it better, but I’ll take what I can get.

  • I’m going to be the off-topic jerk here, or at least the first one: please have another world tendency event in Demon’s Souls, a black one this time. I loved the white one a couple months ago. Still one of the very best games I’ve ever played and the only one I’ve returned to long after beating the game.

  • Maybe one day there’ll be a Vita compilation of the PSP Personas, and we’ll see Eternal Punishment in (nearly, given those Nazi downplays) all its glory at some point.

    Still, good on ya guys for getting this out. Don’t wanna leave the fans hangin’, even if they do miss out on some of the new age flash.

  • Sad to hear the PSP version of EP won’t be coming. I own it on disc for PS1, but was waiting for the better experience.

  • It’s a shame we have to deal with this horrible translation and missing quest. I guess it is better than nothing but still I am very disappointed we are not getting the new PSP one.

  • Eternal Punishment PSP came out last year (2012) Nich …

  • Oh, wow. I misread that. You meant Innocent Sin came out in 2011.

  • I just forked over $52 a month or two ago for the PS1 copy; wish I would have known about this sooner.
    Also, you never mentioned why the newer PSP version was not the version being localized…

  • Dear Nich or anyone at Atlus USA:

    PLEASE release this in the European PSN, or work with Ghostlight/some other company to have it rated and published in the EU PSN.

    Us European Vita owners can’t complete our Persona collection if his doesn’t happen :(

    Thank you very much for your time!

  • I’m a little confused. Will this be playable on PS3 or is this only available for the Vita? I’d like to see ALL the Persona titles available for PS3 someday soon. Please make this happen Atlus.

    I played the first Persona on the original Playstation and loved it. I played 3 & 4 on the PS2. I’ve never even been able to find Persona 2 and have always wanted to play it. So I hope this will be playable on PS3 as I have no interest in PS Vita or any handheld device.

  • I demand an explanation about this, you promised that on neogaf. “unusual circumstances” means nothing

  • Hey Nich,

    Could you explain as to why the PSP version is not being brought over? Not that we deserve any explanation. It would just be nice to know. I was really looking forward to it, as I think most of us were, and while I’ll get the PSN PS1 version, I’m still curious about what happened.

  • I’ve never played Persona, looks kinda cool

    I can only hope we get Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops on the PSN store in the future, Europe has it *crosses fingers*

  • Dear Atlus,

    Will games like Digital Devil Saga and Nocturne ever be available on PSN?

    I’m ready to give you my money. I just need the games. :)

  • Was hoping for a better answer then “unusual circumstances”, but ah well… what can ya do.

    PS1 Eternal Punishment has a great translation (Although I still think Thousand Arms is Atlus’ best work from that era), the remixed PSP soundtrack is on YouTube, and a translated script from the PSP exclusive Tatsuya scenario can be found online easily enough. So all-in-all no big loss.

    Will be picking it up, and I hope others do to.

  • Already have the CD version. Not sure why I should double-dip when I was expecting to get the enhanced PSP version. I’ve been buying all the PSP releases and now I have a hole in my collection. I’m very disappointed. >_<

  • Well, thank you very flipping much, mun! =\

    This version I had played and played and played back in 2001, 2002 and so on till 2005 =\

    DO NOT WANT

  • Man i love Persona 2… Played on PS1 and i will surelly purchase it for PS3.

    Well done Sony!

  • Let’s celebrate by discounting the other Persona games!

  • Oh, that sucks. :/ I already have this one and was really looking forward to the PSP remake. :( Still nice that it will be put up on PSN for the people who haven’t played it.

  • altus quit being lazy and give us the PSP remake of Person 2 Eternal Punishment!!!!

  • I’m excited about this….any way we can talk Atlus into a discount on PSP Persona 2 portable to mark the occasions? :)

  • You know, I bought all the other PSP Persona games in hopes that we’d get them all. I haven’t finished Persona 1 and haven’t even started Persona 2: Innocent Sin. And I still would’ve gotten the PSP Eternal Punishment. Oh well…

  • lets recapitulate some interesting moves from atlus: region lock persona 4 arena, no japanese audio in blu ray persona 4 animation, cut content from persona 2 Innocent Sin (psp), no localization Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (psp). is hard to be an Atlus Faithful with things like this, way to go Atlus

  • It’s good to get confirmation that EP is coming out, but I want to see more SMT games on PS2 Classics. Nocturne, Digital Devil Saga, Raidou, give em all to me please!

  • Thanks for bringing a game like this to the classics collection, far too many of the ps1/ps2 games lately have been… less good.

    Big fan of P3 and P4 (have on ps2 as well as p3 portable, p3 from PSN and p4 golden), also have the psp games for 1 and 2is though I haven’t played those as much yet.

    Will definately pick this up, guess the 10$ random voucher thing came at a good time :)

  • It would have been better if it was a remake for the vita :D

  • Hey! Any chance we’ll see Tail Concerto on the PSN?

  • Very glad that this came out so that I could complete my collection; I’m pretty disappointed that we won’t be getting the updated version though. Oh well, put those resources into Persona 5 please!

  • Man i can’t Wait to Play this again, So i can kill Hitler or “Fehrur” As they tittle him in the game.

  • This is a load of crap.

    How about you stop treating your audience like idiots and tell us the real reason this isn’t coming?

  • If this sells, can we get Persona 4 or Persona 4 Golden (preferred) on PS3’s PSN? I’d enjoy playing those an I don’t feel like pulling out my PS2 to play it.

  • Nich,

    Thank you so much for this blog post.

    As more of a “modern” Persona fan (loved 3 FES as a PS2 classic from the PSN store as well as Persona 4 Golden, in the form of the Solid Gold Edition), I was curious about the older games in the series.

    I was on the fence after reading about this last night, as I’m aware of the PSP versions of the game.

    Since EP won’t be getting localized, I’ll definitely be picking this up tomorrow.

    Now, just give us a real detailed explanation as to why it won’t come over, and I’ll be totally satisfied :)

    Thanks!

  • Thanks for the name guide, it means a lot to us that you care enough to do something like this.
    Please get us some news regarding Persona 5 soon! :)

  • Nice, but i hope ATLUS is working on persona 5 for vita, ps3 or ps4 already!!

  • Thats made one thing correct in this post.
    “Persona 2: Eternal Punishment Hits PSN Tomorrow”
    Literally tomorrow since we can never get a decent time Store update on Tuesdays.

  • Awesome. Thank you ATLUS. This gives me hope for the future. I was just thinking the other day I hope with the talk about PS4 that they don’t give up on the classics section. Thanks for this and I look forward to your next post. Hoping that Nocturne or Digital Devil Saga are next in line.

  • Dear Nich minion of ATLUS, please accept and send my thanks up the chain for snowboard kids, Catherine, Demon soul’s and last but most importantly THOUSAND ARMS. Please get on your guys to put this up for a PS1 classic for digital download and soon ASAP!!! Many thanks and may you forever have company while forging your swords! hehe one of my favorite all time rpgs <3 Wasp.

  • Nice work, ATLUS. It’s about time you put this on the PSN. I still remember the botched reprint from a couple years ago. I’ll certainly be picking this up and the PSP version soon. :)

  • Kinda disappointing that we won’t get the “remix” version for the PSP especially since they added the Tatsuya scenario but this is great for people that never got to play the original. This was my first Persona game & my favorite along with Innocent Sin since they go hand-in-hand so I’ma definitely have to download this asap.

  • There’s some other ATLUS PSOne and PS2 titles that I’d really like to see on the PSN:

    Growlanser: Heritage of War (PS2)

    Growlanser Generations (I realize the licensing for this might be messy because it was published in NA by now defunct Working Designs but it was my favorite PS2 game and I really want to play it on my PS3!!!

    Thousand Arms (PSX)

    Any chance of getting any more older ATLUS games on the PSN?

  • Really disappointed that we aren’t getting the PSP version. Why on earth did Gungnir and Growlanser get physical and localizations and not Persona 2: EP?

    I’m not very happy with you, especially when Aksys is still releasing physical PSP games that are far more niche than Persona is.

    I’m glad we got the PSone Classic version, but I wanted to have all my Persona on my shelf and as consistent as possible.

    It’s stupid we have never gotten Persona 2 in it’s entirety on one platform outside of Japan. Shove them together and put it on Vita and I’d buy it.

  • I really wish they localized the quote on quote remake of this for the psp but I never played this one so I guess it’s better than nothing. I love Persona too much to pass this up. Super stoked for Persona 5! :D

  • I prefer Persona 4: Arena! Now that’s the way games should be… If this game was llike Persona 4: Arena i would of so got it… Oh Well!

    ;)

  • I’m still Hoping the Playstation Brings us Arcana Heart 2 Now that’s one Game that The PS Store needs and should get….

  • Wish this game was for Vita, since I prefer to play this type of game on Vita.

  • @47

    If not on the Vita’s storefront, you’ll probably be able to transfer it from your PS3.

  • While I’m very glad to see this coming out for PS3, with it being the second half of the story, I can’t help but feel that you guys should port the first half of the story to consoles, as well. Not everybody plays on portable systems, so why not give us console gamers a treat too, with the Persona games coming to PS3?

  • Can’t wait to get my hands Persona 2!! Loved 3 and 4!!

    @42
    Believe it or not, some word I’ve been hearing is Lunar and Lunar 2 are in the process of being distributed digitally!! That was the word of the Previous CEO of the defunct Working Designs who now heads Gaijinworks.

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