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Persona 2 PSP US: now with removed content!

cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
Before I go into the details of this sordid affair, just want to mention that this is a comparatively minor removal from an otherwise meaty port of a PS1 game that many(myself included) consider to be a genuine classic.


That said, here's where it gets interesting. Persona 2 PSP's original release wasn't just marketed with the Sumaru Climax Theater added quests; it was also going to have DLC quests and a custom creator.

Source: Andriasang

p2is3.jpg


Some weeks ago, I had asked at the Atlus MB what the plans for the US release of the content was.

Wasn't optimistic, but I figured I'd try.

No answer on that note.

Well, at least not until today when someone emailed them about it.

Here is the official Atlus response:

Hi,

You are correct. The ability to create your own quests was removed in the North
American version of Persona 2: Innocent Sin. Thank you for buying the game. We
hope that this news doesn't detract from your enjoyment of Innocent Sin too much
and ask for your understanding regarding this whole matter.

Rob Stone
QA Lead
ATLUS
A brand of Index Digital Media, Inc.
949.788.0455 x117
Click to expand...

And guess what followed in that very same thread at the Atlus MB some hours later.

AtlusAram said:
As has been the case with other similar games and their custom content features, a number of challenges—technical and otherwise—prevented the inclusion of the basic creation/customization functionality within the Climax Theatre for the North American release of Persona 2: Innocent Sin for PSP System.
Click to expand...


So I'm not too surprised the content got removed. It wasn't really a deal breaker to me.

What is surprising is how Atlus USA handled the subject. NISA were forthcoming enough to send out a press release(!) about Disgaea 4's alterations ahead of its US release.

I wouldn't expect an Atlus Faithful email on the subject, but a little more information would be nice.


I don't think this is too big a deal, but Kurt makes a very good point on this.

This hasn't been the first time this generation that this has happened. The DS port of Nippon Ichi's Rhapsody initially had a few extra scenarios taken from the later games, which were advertised on the English web site and would've been the first time English gamers would've gotten to play them. These were removed for the NA release and the web site quietly updated to remove those particular features. NISA was called out on it and eventually apologized.

A similar thing happened with Yakuza 3 and its removal of its hostess bar simulation segments and other minigames, which caused something of a shitstorm. This was discovered before release, and Sega admitted to it, sparking calls for a boycott. That didn't work, which was actually good, because the sales were enough to convince the company to localize the sequel, albeit without any stupid cuts this time.

The English DS version of Dragon Quest IV was inexplicably missing its party talk function, though it was included in the releases of V and VI. But the only real way for companies to stop this crap is to call them out on it, and here we are.
Click to expand...

Food for thought.


Will Atlus USA change their minds on this? Not bloody likely.

Couldn't hurt to try, though.
 
R

rainking187

Member
Wow, it's not like Atlus to pull this kind of stuff. Pretty shitty not to mention it until a lot of people had already bought the game.
 
L

LiK

Member
cj_iwakura said:
The custom quests? Tough as nails. The quest creator? I couldn't tell you, it's not in my copy.
Click to expand...

ah, i probably wouldn't touch it but losing any content is a bummer.
 
graywolf323

graywolf323

Member
honestly I don't really care

just happy we actually got the game, user created content for the most part doesn't interest me so no big loss

TheChillyAcademic said:
Yeah it wasn't THAT great a feature in the original anyway...what's more important is where the hell EP PSP is.
Click to expand...

very much this
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
DidntKnowJack said:
That kinda sucks, but at the same time I'm just happy they localized the game at all for North America.
Click to expand...

This is pretty much how I feel. I also agree that companies need to be called out on things like this, though.
 
L

LiK

Member
cj_iwakura said:
This is pretty much how I feel. I also agree that companies need to be called out on things like this, though.
Click to expand...

yea, doesn't hurt to say what was cut. people want the main game primarily.
 
S

Sage00

Once And Future Member
I'm guessing this problem is more along the lines of the one NISA encountered localizing Disgaea 4, that being the fear of sexual/copyright/etc content being created. Seems to be against SCEA policy not to have specific safeguards to prevent this, which is probably impossible without a significant reworking of the game.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
Zapdos1121 said:
So why did they remove it?
Click to expand...

They 'can't' say, but I bet it was because the same reason D4's custom maps were toned down. Fear of potentially offensive user-created content.
(Sorry, no TatsuyaXMaya fanfic for you!)

Also, I see no reason we can't still get the DLC quests, if they happen.
 
D

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
I agree with the OP. I'm not too surprised that they removed it, but they should have told players that they were removing it (though perhaps they would have faced fan outcry if they did this).

I'm glad the game finally got released in English, however. I really enjoyed the PS1 version of it, so I'm glad other people get to experience this great title. The translation seems good so far (though I haven't had much time to get really deep into the English version).

Still... they could have said something.
 
J

jooey

The Motorcycle That Wouldn't Slow Down
Will Atlus USA change their minds on this?
Click to expand...
and do what? be more forthcoming next time? (honest question because I'm not sure if you're implying you want them to go back to it or something)
 
K

KibblesBits

Member
TheChillyAcademic said:
Yeah it wasn't THAT great a feature in the original anyway...what's more important is where the hell EP PSP is.
Click to expand...

I'm suspicious that remixing the music could be something factoring in to how long it could take, if they are planning on releasing an updated psp port.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
jooey said:
and do what? be more forthcoming next time? (honest question because I'm not sure if you're implying you want them to go back to it or something)
Click to expand...

Release the new JP quests as DLC.
 
T

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
So, what's to stop some fans from just hacking out the official Atlus translation and putting it in the Japanese .iso for the PSP version with all the content creation tools included?

Seems like it would be something the insaner people would do.
 
E

Eusis

Member
Were these quests distributable over the PSN like D4's? It sucks these are gone, but I'm more concerned about what it may say about Sony policy than anything else.
 
H

Himself

Member
I'm not too outraged. Or, I'm not at all, actually. This is a relatively niche game for a dying (or dead) system in already tough times for the industry. I don't want to condone or advocate this practice, but I'm not running with my pitchfork to Atlus' headquarters anytime soon. Atlus has done wonderful things to keep niche alive in the US.

Plus, Catherine may be my GOTY. Plus plus, user created content is pretty much always just disposable bullshit. The only game that I can think of that was truly MADE, or brought to the next level by the community is LittleBigPlanet.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
TheSeks said:
So, what's to stop some fans from just hacking out the official Atlus translation and putting it in the Japanese .iso for the PSP version with all the content creation tools included?

Seems like it would be something the insaner people would do.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't be surprised if someone already started doing just that. Heck, people were using Game Sharks to play the Persona 1 Snow Queen Quest on the PS1.

Himself said:
I'm not too outraged. Or, I'm not at all, actually. This is a relatively niche game for a dying (or dead) system in already tough times for the industry. I don't want to condone or advocate this practice, but I'm not running with my pitchfork to Atlus' headquarters anytime soon. Atlus has done wonderful things to keep niche alive in the US.

Plus, Catherine may be my GOTY. Plus plus, user created content is pretty much always just disposable bullshit. The only game that I can think of that was truly MADE, or brought to the next level by the community is LittleBigPlanet.
Click to expand...

There's also new official quests, not just the custom content. I love Atlus as much as the next guy, but Atlus USA have been letting me down a lot as of late. That's another story, of course.
 
G

Gentleman Jack

Member
When did the ESRB start dinging games for potential user-created mischief or naughty things seen during online interaction? Would P2PSP have lost the T for someone potentially writing slash fic in the quest creator?
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
Gentleman Jack said:
When did the ESRB start dinging games for potential user-created mischief or naughty things seen during online interaction? Would P2PSP have lost the T for someone potentially writing slash fic in the quest creator?
Click to expand...

I don't think this is the ESRB, their 'online content is not rated' acts as a catch-all. I think this is SCEA.
 
K

KibblesBits

Member
Gentleman Jack said:
When did the ESRB start dinging games for potential user-created mischief or naughty things seen during online interaction? Would P2PSP have lost the T for someone potentially writing slash fic in the quest creator?
Click to expand...

They probably just left it out because they didn't have the proper resources to support it. That said, I think they could at least translate the official content and put it up on PSN. Hell, I'd pay a dollar or two a quest even.
 
C

C-Jo

Member
cj_iwakura said:
I love Atlus as much as the next guy, but Atlus USA have been letting me down a lot as of late. That's another story, of course.
Click to expand...
How so? I'm genuinely curious.
 
T

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
Himself said:
I'm not too outraged. Or, I'm not at all, actually. This is a relatively niche game for a dying (or dead) system in already tough times for the industry. I don't want to condone or advocate this practice, but I'm not running with my pitchfork to Atlus' headquarters anytime soon. Atlus has done wonderful things to keep niche alive in the US.

Plus, Catherine may be my GOTY. Plus plus, user created content is pretty much always just disposable bullshit. The only game that I can think of that was truly MADE, or brought to the next level by the community is LittleBigPlanet.
Click to expand...

That's because LBP made everything DIY basically. Which was the appeal behind it. I can see "creating custom Persona 2" missions appeal for some fans (and given the side-missions I've seen so far in the Climax theater, if done well they can be fun to explore/see), but I doubt the vast majority are going to stick around and learn the system because the sharing aspect is hard (AFAIK, PSN only?) and not really worth the effort for two-twenty fans that are going to stick around for months to do the stuff.

Speaking of which: I'd love to see Youtube videos of the creation engine in action to see how customizable it was in comparison to LBP.

I think this is SCEA.
Click to expand...

Correct, but if that's the case: Why is LBP different outside of the moderation system.

I think this is more that Sony is scared that people are going to make penis levels or penises in the automap and make Maya say "penispenispenispenisilovepenis." or something.
 
D

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
cj_iwakura said:
There's also new official quests, not just the custom content. I love Atlus as much as the next guy, but Atlus USA have been letting me down a lot as of late. That's another story, of course.
Click to expand...
Same here. When I compare this year's offerings with last year's plentiful offerings, I'm a little disappointed with what Atlus has offered this year (despite loving Radiant Historia and enjoying Catherine).

I really want Growlanser IV: Over Reloaded, but I guess Atlus has been turned off to releasing more of those titles here. It's really unfortunate. Extra disappointed that they aren't bringing over Tokyo Mono Hara Shi, Gungnir, Blaze Union and Gloria Union. :/
 
T

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
cj_iwakura said:
A few gems no one's localizing.

Niche games used to be their bread and butter, and now that's all XSeed and Aksys.
Click to expand...

They still do niche. But it's a question of "how well would they sell?" Like that Atlus JRPG in a high-school on PSP. How well would that sell in the US?

Atlus is generally good in a "translation + sale cost > cost to put in the effort" profit system. Which is why they may pass on some titles (like KitN's sequel which bombed/sold poorly here?) over others.
 
T

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
Chacranajxy said:
Just skimmed this thread, but is this stuff going to be in the European release?
Click to expand...

We dunno. Atlus doesn't have a EU branch last I checked. It's up to the publisher there if they want to put in the effort to localize the content and manage it.
 
Z

Zero-Crescent

Member
The reason and the cut content itself are irrelevant, since the former can only be speculated and the latter is fairly minor in the grand scheme of the game. The real issue is how Atlus went about cutting out this content, with silence and a total lack of transparency. They can try to hide behind the paper-thin shield of "Well, we never promised it," but they've been in the business long enough to know that there's an unspoken expectation that they'll try to bring over as much content as they can, and if they can't localize something, at least be upfront about it. This fact is particularly true nowadays, with sites like Siliconera that focus on import and domestic releases, as confusion can easily set in if a localizer silently cuts features.

The topic on their boards about this feature was posted on 9/2, so unless someone wants to argue that a community-focused company like Atlus didn't check its message board for almost a whole month, there's no reason that they couldn't give a timely response to the OP's query. Instead, they were completely silent on the topic until 9/28, well after the game's 9/20 release.
 
C

charlequin

Banned
Sage00 said:
Seems to be against SCEA policy not to have specific safeguards to prevent this, which is probably impossible without a significant reworking of the game.
Click to expand...

Yeah, only Sony's own games are allowed to have penis-creation tools, apparently.

Dark Schala said:
I really want Growlanser IV: Over Reloaded, but I guess Atlus has been turned off to releasing more of those titles here.
Click to expand...

I'm normally on board with the son-i-am-disappoint train about Atlus' recent drop in niche output (Gungnir is a particularly galling case.) But I can hardly blame them for giving up on Growlanser, a series that (whoever you want to blame for it) sells literally orders of magnitude worse than the higher-profile niche games Atlus generally trades in.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
charlequin said:
Yeah, only Sony's own games are allowed to have penis-creation tools, apparently.



I'm normally on board with the son-i-am-disappoint train about Atlus' recent drop in niche output (Gungnir is a particularly galling case.) But I can hardly blame them for giving up on Growlanser, a series that (whoever you want to blame for it) sells literally orders of magnitude worse than the higher-profile niche games Atlus generally trades in.
Click to expand...

Some companies used to take chances on titles more because they deserve the attention less than because they'll sell. Heck, that's pretty much Aksys' manifesto.
 
R

randomkid

Member
If only there was an alternate future where Atlus passed on the unsellable Steal Princess, Dokapon Kingdom and My World My Way. Then we could have had Sakura Note and Afterschool Boy, which would have at least been both unsellable while demonstrating good taste. Niche cachet is an important thing!

I can't be mad at Atlus though cuz they're committed at least to bringing over every single Megaten game no matter what. Persona 2 is still GOTY!
 
D

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
charlequin said:
I'm normally on board with the son-i-am-disappoint train about Atlus' recent drop in niche output (Gungnir is a particularly galling case.) But I can hardly blame them for giving up on Growlanser, a series that (whoever you want to blame for it) sells literally orders of magnitude worse than the higher-profile niche games Atlus generally trades in.
Click to expand...
Oh yes, I can hardly blame them based on the sales of the last Growlanser title they localized. But I was hoping that they'd try again one day. Shouta's impressions while playing through Growlanser IV: Over Reloaded seem favourable, at least. I am aware that the mk2 ratings are generally between 69-83 points (however this is only with 6 reviews), but those reviewers seem to think the game is alright. I honestly think Growlanser deserves another chance, but it's up to Atlus to see whether or not it's worth it. I'd like to think that it's worth taking another chance on.

A PSP game probably won't be profitable though. Unless they put it on PSN or something... I want it, but at the same time, I know it might not be the wisest decision to make unless it's promoted adequately.
 
C

C-Jo

Member
cj_iwakura said:
Some companies used to take chances on titles more because they deserve the attention less than because they'll sell. Heck, that's pretty much Aksys' manifesto.
Click to expand...
We obviously don't know the business specifics behind decisions like that, but if passing on a few titles is the difference between a healthy, profitable Atlus and well, the alternative; I can deal with being disappointed now and then.

It's certainly not ideal, however.
 
M

matmanx1

Member
Unfortunate but as with the case of Yakuza 3 I'm so pleased that the game made it over here at all (and in otherwise good form) that I am willing to accept it "as is". That's a sad statement for the current Japanese game enthusiast climate in the US but it is what it is. And really, Atlus has been so good to us for so many years that weighed against their previous track record I can hardly begrudge them much for this.
 
C

charlequin

Banned
cj_iwakura said:
Some companies used to take chances on titles more because they deserve the attention less than because they'll sell.
Click to expand...

Atlus did that with Growlanser 5, and it performed disastrously. I can't really blame them for not throwing good money after bad on that on.

Dark Schala said:
A PSP game probably won't be profitable though.
Click to expand...

Well, that's the other thing. If Growlanser's gonna get another shot, PSP's not the place to try it.
 
T

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
cj_iwakura said:
Some companies used to take chances on titles more because they deserve the attention less than because they'll sell. Heck, that's pretty much Aksys' manifesto.
Click to expand...

Thing is, most of those niche titles are on dead (see: PSP/PS2) console/systems in the US. It isn't worth Atlus' time to translate the title for maybe 5 fans that want the game and a few more that are on the fence.

SMT sells, meanwhile, and there was a clamor for IS: Hence, us getting it despite PSP being a wasteland in terms of sales in the US.
 
H

Hours Left

Member
Yeah, the lack of transparency is pretty disappointing. It sucks when any content is cut, but not even addressing it and hoping no one will call it out is pretty lame.

I'm still a fan of Atlus USA, but they are definitely not they company I loved so much just a few years ago anymore.

Dark Schala said:
Oh yes, I can hardly blame them based on the sales of the last Growlanser title they localized.
Click to expand...
Growlanser V didn't bomb. It turned a profit in the US.
 
A

Amagon

Member
_dementia said:
Reminds me of Project Justice's localization.
Click to expand...
Put so many hours into the create-a-character/boardgame in JP Project Justice. The US release is still boss to this day though.
 
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