It’s official: Persona 3 Portable hitting North America in July

Atlus USA has confirmed that they will be bringing Persona 3 Portable to North America. When? This July. Details and a video are past the jump.

Atlus USA has confirmed that they will be bringing Persona 3 Portable to North America. When? This July. On July 16, specifically, so you Persona fans better mark your calendars.

Even if you’ve already played through the PS2 original countless times before, Persona 3 Portable still brings a lot of new features to the table. There’s a new player-controlled female protagonist and hours of extra content crammed on top of the original’s already long play time.

Here’s a closer look at the game’s features. This is straight off the press release so forgive the PR-speak:

• Maximum Persona 3 – The RPG that captured critics and fans alike achieves a new level of excellence. Built upon an enhanced version of the game, players will find numerous significant improvements, including the addition of Skill Cards, part-time jobs, a total of five difficulty settings (ranging from the newcomer-friendly “beginner” to the ultra-hardcore “maniac”), and most importantly, the ability to directly control your teammates in battle.
• Gain a whole new perspective – The choice of your protagonist’s sex at the start of the game has a dramatic impact on the game’s intricate social dynamics. Persona 3 veterans will get a kick out of playing through the story from a new female perspective, gaining new Social Links, special events, and unique romantic opportunities.
• Slick system enhancements – Improved playability permeates every aspect of the gameplay experience. One-button menu shortcuts, streamlined team equipment changes, incredibly short load times, and other tweaks and enhancements create an ideal pace for portable gaming.

And just for posterity’s sake here’s a video of the opening: