Persona gets simultaneous retail, PSN launch

When the PSP Go launches October 1, Atlus wants to have one of its games immediately playable for the UMD-less handheld. Today, the company announced that Shin Megami Tensei: Persona will launch simultaneously over the PlayStation Network and in stores on September 22 for $40.

The upcoming edition of Persona is a remake of the 1997 PlayStation role-playing game. The revamped version--showcased at the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo--includes a fully relocalized script, a reworked user interface, quicker battles, an expanded soundtrack, and voice work exclusive to the North American release of the game. The PSP version will also feature game balance adjustments and new animated sequences by Kazuma Kaneko (a designer behind Devil May Cry 3).

When Persona launches, every retail copy of the game will include a full two-disc musical score composed by Shoji Meguro, the songsmith behind the original game, the forthcoming RPG Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, and several other franchise titles. However, Atlus has said the exclusive boxed edition is only available for a limited time at launch.