Just this past week, those hopes were given a prescription-strength injection of horse steroids as Atlus (that’s us) officially announced Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time, the enhanced PSP version of the long-beloved and much-requested fourth chapter in the popular series of RPGs, for release this summer in North America.

Let’s tune out all those exclamations of shock that ATLUS is releasing a PSP game in 2012 (because it isn’t going to be the only one) and get to the heart of the matter: telling you everything you need to know about Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time.

First of all, a fun fact: we decided not to put the numeral in the title because a) none of the other North American releases of the Growlanser games have done so, and b) because we didn’t want folks unfamiliar with the series to avoid it outright because they were worried they were jumping in too far into things. Like many Japanese RPG series, the games don’t have a narrative tie, meaning uninitiated genre fans will get as much enjoyment (i.e. a lot) as will those who live and breathe the series.

Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time tells of a land—once rich with culture and technology—long ago nearly obliterated by evanescent divine entities. Two millennia later, the mysterious entities appear again, threatening to bring about an end to all things unless a fabled warrior of destiny can rise against them. It may sound similar to games you’ve played in the past, but Wayfarer of Time —and in a more general sense, the Growlanser series at large—goes much further than most RPGs when it comes to the level of interaction players have with characters they encounter during their journey.

Much like the very popular Social Links in the Persona series, players can pour a lot of time and energy into winning over a special someone in the game and then, when they think they’ve won them over, invite the party member to join them on a special getaway. It’s a chance to learn a lot more about the character’s motivations and backstory and really helps build the sense that you’re getting to know them. They’ve even added the ability to save a character from otherwise certain death, a decision that—like many of the others you can make during your play time—can change how other events will unfold. Did I mention the game has over 40+ endings, and that it keeps track of how many of them you’ve unlocked?

Combat is tactical, the story is epic, the character designs are done by the LEGENDARY Satoshi Urushihara, the PSP version has improved visuals, quickened load times, features to make players’ experiences more streamlined and enjoyable, and much more. It’s a ginormous RPG experience, it’s coming to PSP this summer despite tons of doubt that it ever would, it’s getting a quality Atlus localization…High fives all around, right?

Lollerskates, roflcopters, and other meme-related modes of transportation.

Jeer-worthy humor aside, we’re very excited to share with you that Trine 2, sequel to one of the highest-rated PlayStation Network games of all time, is coming to the PlayStation Store next Tuesday, December 20th.

But first: HAMMERTIME!

“What is Trine 2?” you ask, only to suddenly be filled with a powerful rush of guilt at your lack of Trine-related knowledge. “We’ll tell you,” we reply unnecessarily, clearly prepared to offer that information with or without your consent.

Trine 2 is a three-player cooperative action-packed physics-based platformer set in a lush fantasy world of cornea-searing colorful and beauty. Played from a side-scrolling 2D perspective (but breathtakingly rendered with polygons), gamers take control of one of three highly specialized characters — Pontius, the slow yet mighty knight; Zoya, the agile thief; or Amadeus, the crafty wizard — and guide them through puzzles and numerous foes. In addition to a host of improvements, additions, and tweaks over the original Trine, this much-anticipated sequel introduces highly anticipated online multiplayer, letting friends from all over team up and seek adventure.

Each character has distinct strengths and weaknesses, requiring the player(s) to properly use their skills to make it over, under, or through spike pits, gaping chasms, fiery hazards, and much more. As they quest and explore, the player can also acquire Experience vials that will ultimately allow them to learn new abilities for their three characters. Pontius, for example, can learn to swing a sword engulfed in flame, while Amadeus can improve his ability to craft multiple objects and even to throw enemies around using his magical powers.

Now, we could go on and on about just how vibrant Trine 2’s visuals are, or how improved it is in every sense over its predecessor. We really could, trust us. But why should we prattle on while we could just reinforce this charming attention grab with some third-party endorsement?

“Trine 2 is a lesson of how a great game should be. Action, platforming, puzzles, an impressive visual design, a great soundtrack, amazing level design and one of the best cooperative modes, both local and online, we have seen in a very long time.” -Vandal Online

“Trine 2 is a genuinely lovable game, and one that I can safely and heartily recommend to nearly everyone.” -GameSpy

“Trine 2 is a perfect sequel: better, bigger and funnier.” -Eurogamer.it

So, to recap… Physics-based action platforming? Check. Some of the most beautiful visuals EVER? Check. Satisfying action and puzzle solving? Check. Local and online support for the game’s beloved three-player cooperative multiplayer? Check.

Check, check, check, check, check… Oh wait, there’s one under the desk.. Check… Sorry, we spilled a box of checks and we’re just counting them. It’s messing up my train of thought as I check, er, write this.

Trine 2 will be available for PlayStation 3 system via the PlayStation Store on Tuesday, 12/20 for a price of $14.99. It is awesome and you should get it.

Even when you read up on what a potential game mate has to offer, even when you read previews or an early review or two, you’re still left wondering: is this the game for me? Will it satisfy my gamer needs? Will it leave me feeling complete?

That’s why we’re so excited to reveal that tomorrow (7/12), we’ll be releasing a demo for our upcoming game that explores of the psychology and horror of relationships, commitment, and love—Catherine. What exactly is the game’s story? What kind of play style can you look forward to? All such questions and likely many more will be answered with the demo. And all you have to do is download it and play!

The demo will take you through the opening hour or so of the game, learning about Vincent (the protagonist) and his life. Catherine is all about its story and characters; the fact that you’ll meet Vincent, his girlfriend, and his close circle of buddies in your short time with the demo should give you a great idea of what to expect in the full game. And then there are the nightmares… You’ll have to contend with a couple of those. The experience should give you an idea of just how much stress Vincent deals with throughout the game. And just how much fun you’re in store for if you opt to pick a copy up.

We’re also thrilled to start teasing glimpses of the finished goodies to be found inside the limited run “Love is Over” Deluxe Edition available at select retailers. You know, the one with the t-shirt, boxers, and pillowcase taken directly from or inspired by elements in the actual game? The one that even gets its packaging into the “straight from the game” act by bundling everything together, including the game, in a collectible pizza box emblazoned with the logo of the bar Vincent and his friends frequent in the game. Yes, that one.

Catherine lands in a store near you on July 26th, and of course, the aforementioned demo hits a couple weeks earlier on July 12th (tomorrow!). Be sure to pre-order (either the regular or deluxe version) from a participating retailer to guarantee you receive the free artbook and soundtrack CD combo.

Think the demo won’t answer every last question? Interested in seeing even more of Catherine? Have you ever pondered the meaning of life? Good news! ATLUS PR Manager Aram Jabbari (that would be me) will be visiting PlayStation Blog HQ this week, looking to address two of the three aforementioned outstanding items and also to answer as many of your questions as possible, so ask away in the comments section and be sure to check back soon for more Catherine awesomeness!

We’re willing to guess that until someone finally dares to make The Adventures of Methuselah Jones, it’ll be hard to find a game that’s been anticipated by fans for over a decade.

That’s right, back in 1999—in between all those exciting millennium parties, of course—a new chapter in the acclaimed Persona series of roleplaying games came out in Japan and was ultimately never published in North America. This “lost” chapter, long anticipated by fans of Atlus, the series, and RPGs in general, is extremely overdue. Apart from one other game coming out this year that has teased and tortured its fanbase for a similarly agonizing stretch of time (you know, the one that wants bubble gum but is out of it), there really isn’t much else out there that fans have been waiting as long for.

…Which is why we’re so excited to announce that the wait is nearly over. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Innocent Sin, or rather, an enhanced version of it for PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, is finally coming to North America!

Innocent Sin stands for more than just its deliciously dark, twisted narrative about a world in which rumors are becoming reality. While the original Persona still had a lot of foundational ties to the core SMT games, Innocent Sin marked the moment in which the Persona sub-series came into its own. Carrying over franchise traditions like demon negotiation and party-building, Innocent Sin was ultimately defined by its far greater emphasis on character and story over surviving long dungeons, discarding things like first-person dungeon crawling in favor of a third-person view of the ever-escalating insanity.

But we’re not just going to give fans the same game that came out in Japan in 1999. Oh no, the PSP version of Innocent Sin is loaded with improvements and additions, including but not limited to:

• 16:9 Aspect Ratio
• Remastered Visuals and Audio
• Remixed Musical Score (with option to toggle between that and original)
• Streamlined User Interface
• New Quests
• New Intro Animation
• And more!

For years, you discussed it, Atlus fans. You debated. You requested. At last, it’s coming, and it’s loaded with enhancements.

Look for SMT: Persona 2: Innocent Sin for PSP system to finally make its North American debut this Fall, in stores and via PlayStation Network.

This question, self-posed, is what put everything in motion. From there, it was basically a lot of late nights, major damage to office furniture, a couple of trips to the emergency room, and a few really beautifully sliced watermelons. Finally, we realized it had been under our noses the whole time: why not cut our games in half? Sadly, after destroying the last couple Demon’s Souls Collector’s Editions in the office, we realized the BEST option was to cut PRICES in half, hence this sale, which we’re calling, in full caps for maximum attention-grabbage, the SUPER-MEGA-ULTRA 50% off PlayStation Network sale*.

The sale starts tomorrow, Tuesday, November 16th and ends on November 29th. Supplies aren’t limited, because hey, it’s digital, and the sale applies to the North American PlayStation Store. You will be able to use your PS3 or PSP to view the full list of discounted titles, or you can peep the list below:

List of discounted titles:

*Things were harmed in the making of this sale. Sale applicable to North American PlayStation Store only.

Age: 1 day old
Location: In stores & PSN
ESRB: Teen
Players: 1

Hello, PlayStation.Blog readers. I’m a super fun and newly available (in stores and on PSN) game seeking that special person to take me home and get me going. To be clear, I’m not a casual game; I’m the real deal, a true hardcore experience, and I’m looking for a serious gamer who can commit to a mix of action, strategy, and roleplaying to delve into my campaign and unlock my secrets. My name is Knights in the Nightmare, and I’m available now on the PSP.

I vary between 2” tall and total non-corporality. I love long walks along the lakeside; fast-paced, action-packed bullet hell shooter gameplay mixed with tactical RPG goodness; and dark chocolate. I think I have a lot to offer a prospective player: over 40 missions spanning an emotionally charged narrative fraught with loss, hope, and retribution, not to mention a thrilling mix of fast-paced action and strategic roleplaying, beautiful visuals and sounds, and much more.

I’m looking for someone who can handle my uniquely involved, satisfyingly challenging mechanics. He/she must be open to a slight learning curve, but after that it’ll be non-stop innovation, a stunning array of colorful, stylized graphics, and a ton of replayability to boot.

The more time you spend with me, the more you’ll get out of me. I have three different main characters I can offer an interested player, each with their own unique take on my story’s events. Moreover, because recruiting characters throughout my adventure is a big part of the experience, and because it isn’t possible to recruit every single one in one playthrough, you’ll have plenty of cause to boot me up for a second or even third run.

Even better: for a limited time, regardless of whether you pick me up from a store or through PlayStation Store, I’ll have a friend of mine tag along, too. That’s right, get me and you’ll also get Yggdra Union (PSP). Everyone knows two is better (and more fun) than one!

Do you have what it takes to complete me?

• It’s NOT ok to contact this poster with questions/requests regarding the localization and/or release of unrelated games

The Basics

You are The Wisp. You awaken with no knowledge of where you are or why you’re there. Only one thing draws you: a battered, cursed castle. There, you sense, a terrible tragedy occurred. You find you have the power to awaken and control the spirits of victimized knights, and you find yourself compelled to use this power to uncover the story of this calamity and rid the castle of its curse.

You begin every chapter of the game with a story sequence. These cutscenes are one of the game’s biggest strengths—lovingly drawn and animated, they are heavy with emotion and stray far from your typically bright and happy clichés.

It should be no surprise that you’ll next find yourself on the battlefield. From this first tactical map, you’ll first need to determine who you’re taking into battle. Early on, you won’t really have a choice; you’ll have only the characters the game story provides you for the given scenario. But later, you’ll have one of three different character types in your party:

• Nameless Knights: Their sole purpose is to fill in and help out; they’ll be gone at the end of the battle.

• Recruited Knights: You pull them into your party by giving them an item (in battle) with which they have an emotional connection. Miss your one opportunity and you won’t be able to recruit them until the next playthrough!

• Your Main Character: There are three main characters in Knights, one of which, Princess Yggdra, is all new and exclusive to the upcoming PSP release!

You’ll probably deal the most with recruited Knights, as they’re the only ones whose souls can be fused or harvested in order to improve your overall options on the battlefield. That particular feature, however, is best left for the in-game tutorials. Yay, incentives to buy!

Teh Fighting Rules

Each chapter gives you a set number of turns (based on difficulty setting) to complete the battle. Let me give you an example scenario. You’re starting the first of six turns in particular chapter. You wipe out all the enemies, thus ending the first turn. From here, two things happen: you go to a slot machine of sorts (The “Encounter” Reels) from which YOU, based on your timing, choose which enemies you’ll fight in the next turn:

Tied to each enemy is a tile on the Enemy Matrix. Essentially, you want to fill up a row or column (or a diagonal line) of tiles. Meaning, each time you end a turn and get to the slot machine, you can affect how many turns it takes to complete the chapter. Want to try and recruit as many Knights as possible? Looking to gain as much experience as you can to level your knights up? Well then, try to take as long as possible to get a complete line on the Enemy Matrix. Or maybe you just want to get through the chapter as quickly as possible? Well, try and time your selections on to fill a line up on the Enemy Matrix as soon as possible (I’ve zoomed in on it below):

Teh Fighting Controls/Mechanics

There is one very important thing to know about fights in Knights in the Nightmare: You do not control the Knights. You are the Wisp. That is what moves when you move the nub/directional pad. So, as the Wisp, here’s what you can do. At the start of your fight, you set four weapons in the four slots around the screen (or maybe three weapons and one key item, so that you can hand it to a Knight and have them join your party). These weapons have two primary traits:

1. Alignment (Law or Chaos): A balancing system for the game’s combat. In short, as you spam a weapon in one alignment (you actually toggle between the two), it becomes less effective and you receive less MP to use on special attacks from your enemies. Law weapons cannot be used when you are in Chaos mode, and vice versa.
2. Class restriction: Weapons are all designed for one knight class (of which there are 9). You cannot use a Warrior’s axe with a Lance Knight and you only have four weapon slots and typically 2-3 characters in a fight at once. This means you’ll often have to be making tough choices: what items/characters you take into which fights and so forth. Rewarding strategy!

So you move around as the Wisp and drag weapons ONTO the characters you command. Your enemies attack you with floating, neon projectiles. It doesn’t matter if their attacks hit your Knights; they’ll just pass right through them, really. But they can hit you! A timer that starts at 60 seconds and only depletes when you charge an attack or when you get hit acts as your health. You need to avoid your enemies’ attacks, which can be varied in pattern and speed, deal out your own attacks, constantly cycle between Law and Chaos, collect fusion components from enemies when you hit them, and so forth.

Gosh, this might have been a bit much, too involved and detailed. But then again, we want you guys to be prepared when Knights in the Nightmare hits stores and PlayStation Network on November 9th for $29.99. And again, if you pre-order/get a copy at launch, you get a FREE digital copy of Yggdra Union (a $14.99 value!). Did we pique your interest? Or just bore the hell out of you? Because it’s the latter, I’m going to go be depressed for a week.

Visit the official Knights in the Nightmare website, for more details about the game. For more info about Yggdra Union, visit http://www.atlus.com/yggdraunion.

It begins, as many such unnecessarily, inappropriately flowery ones do, on a cold winter’s eve. Okay, that’s probably not accurate. It was a casual conversation actually, one with your very own, very awesome Jeff Rubenstein. He thought, rightly so, that the awesomeness that is 3D Dot Game Heroes would be even greater if other awesomeness — say, the mighty Sackboy — were to be added to its already more-than-sufficient awesomeness.

It was a recipe for potentially cataclysmic awesomeness. And thanks to the little seed Mr. Rubenstein lovingly planted, a tree was born. A tree of awesome. Sackboy awesome. Well, and other stuff.

For you see, PlayStation Readers, today we launched a patch for our retro action-adventure 3D Dot Game Heroes, the ultimate throwback to the 8- and 16-bit eras of gaming. The patch adds 50 fan- and staff-created heroes, the ability to carry over certain swords to New Game+, and adjustments to the completion times for the Dash Circuit mini game. In addition, a bug fix restores previously absent loading art images so they will randomly appear and be viewable in the Loading Art Gallery.

And of course, the aforementioned inclusion of the lovable Sackboy from Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet for PS3, courtesy of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Few games convey the notion of “creation” and “customization” better than LittleBigPlanet, so what better way to bring more attention to 3D Dot Game Heroes and its powerful character creation tool than to throw one of the gaming’s most popular mascots into the Kingdom of Dotnia?

Fired up your copy of 3DDGH recently, Readers? Or maybe you’ve been on the fence for the past few months (how painful)? Well, hopefully you have fewer/no excuses left!

3D Dot Game Heroes is on sale now for PS3 system wherever fine video games are sold. For more info, visit the official game website.

We’re proud to announce a special promotion for folks who pick up a copy of Knights in the Nightmare at launch. Whether you buy from a store or through PlayStation Network (we love you, too, PSPgo owners), launch copies will come with a FREE digital copy of Yggdra Union for PSP system (a $14.99 value!). The perfect companion to Knights (heck, it was made by the same folks, Sting, and takes place in the same series), Yggdra Union is a turn-based strategy RPG with real-time elements. It’s all the more fitting that one of the big new additions for Knights in the Nightmare on PSP is a third playable character, Princess Yggdra herself, which makes the free copy of her star turn all the more appropriate.

So, let’s recap. You wanted an innovative mix of bullet-hell action and strategy roleplaying for your PSP system, with improvements like enhanced visuals and sound, a widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio, and new content like a third playable character?

Now, you’re also getting a FREE COPY of Yggdra Union, a game that GamePro scored a 5 out of 5, calling it “…a rare gem that manages to stay interesting after hours and hours of playtime.”

Yeah, we know, we’re awesome.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Knights in the Nightmare is now coming out a bit later, on November 9, 2010, in stores and via PlayStation Network.

The free copy of Yggdra Union is redeemable via PlayStation Network, and only by qualifying North American accounts. It will only be available for a limited time while supplies last, so pre-order a copy today to guarantee yourself the goodness!

Visit the official Knights in the Nightmare website, http://www.atlus.com/knightspsp, for more details about the game. For more info about Yggdra Union, visit http://www.atlus.com/yggdraunion.

If you answered Knights in the Nightmare, slated for release on October 19th in stores and via PlayStation Network, then a winner is you! Now for your prize: a pat on the back.

*pat*

Ok, fine, we know that’s kind of weak, so how about a new video trailer for the game?

We’re quite confident you’ll find this to be an extremely meaty and informative trailer. Heck, the trailer is so packed with info that it makes the word “trailer” seems a bit puny-ish because it really does feel as though you’ll need some sort of large camper or RV to store all this Knights in the Nightmare goodness.

“I’ve heard nothing about this game until this point,” you muse, playing absent-mindedly with a wisp (another pun… you’ll see) of hair (chin hair for the boys, head hair for the girls). “What’s it about?” you ask, your attention starting to drift.

Excellent question! Knights in the Nightmare puts you in the role of a Wisp, awakened in an abandoned, long-forgotten church deep in the woods. You don’t have any memory of how you got there or why you were in a deep slumber in the first place, but you find yourself drawn toward a monster-infested castle. There, you witness sorrowful events from the past, memories of vanquished knights whose souls you re-awaken and whose abilities you take control of in order to confront the very forces of evil that took their lives. It’s a haunted, emotional narrative, one that gets better each time you play it (and considering playing as each of the game’s three playable characters lets you see the game’s events from a different perspective, you’ll have more than a bit of incentive to do so).

Did the above story description leave a little to be desired? Perhaps it was a little too mysterious? Good; hopefully that means you’re more interested in playing it now!

As for how the game plays… Well, I could explain it here, and I would most certainly use words/phrases like “action-packed,” “strategic,” and “unlike anything you’ve ever experienced,” but frankly, that’s why we made the video, so mayhaps now would be a good time to watch it?

Look for Knights in the Nightmare on October 19th in stores and via PlayStation Network!