via IGN
At the Anime Expo 2008 earlier today, Atlus U.S.A. announced that Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 would be coming to PlayStation 2 this holiday season. Larger and deeper than previous Persona titles and set within the Japanese countryside, Persona 4 will balance many familiar game mechanics from previous Persona titles to create an intriguing adventure for players. Set in the countryside town of Inaba, Persona 4 revolves around the year long visit from a young urban man. Shortly after his arrival, a horrible murder occurs in the town that leave no clues or suspects, an incident that seems to spawn a series of crimes. Only the young man and his friends seem to have the ability to solve the mystery behind these events, restore peace to the town and discover who's behind the crimes.
With more than sixty hours of gameplay, players will need to work on balancing their high school classes, part-time jobs and extra-curricular activities with interaction with friends, fusing Personas and new weapon creation systems to prepare them for battle. Forging bonds and tighter Social Links with friends are much more vital to success in combat, as you'll directly control your teammates in Persona 4 in battle and improve party support with each successful fight.
Persona 4 is currently scheduled to be released on December 9th, 2008. The title will be a special two disc set, with customers receiving a soundtrack CD along with the game disc. Persona 4 has not yet been rated by the ESRB.
