Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, which already comes with a soundtrack CD packed in a collectible outer box (launch copies only), can now offer décor-concerned gamers who pre-order a copy of the game at GameStop with a nice mini-poster (available online and in stores while supplies last) with which to add class to their living area.

“Some of the best bonus items are the kind you can listen to, hence the soundtrack CD we’re including with launch copies of the game,” commented Aram Jabbari, Manager of Public Relations and Sales at Atlus.  “Still, sometimes you want a bonus item that you can feel, something you can caress gently and hold against your face, something you can take a big whiff of and enjoy.  That’s what the mini-poster is all about.  With its gorgeous aesthetic, courtesy of master artist Kazuma Kaneko, Strange Journey stands out as a unique science fiction RPG experience, and this collectible mini-poster is the perfect way to show your friends that you are onboard for the adventure (and also, that you’re better than them).”

When the black spot appeared in the Antarctic, mankind became nervous; when it began to spread, that anxiety turned to panic. The Joint Project, convened to discuss how to deal with the expanding anomaly, decided to send in four ships carrying humanity’s finest soldiers and most cutting-edge technology. The mission: to investigate what lay on the other side of what had been dubbed the Schwarzwelt and find out if there was a way to stop it from eventually covering the Earth.

You are an elite soldier hand-picked for the Strike Team, outfitted with a Demonica environment suit and posted to the Red Sprite under Commander Gore. Upon entering the Schwarzwelt, the crew finds itself forced to deal with harsh conditions, supernatural interference, and throngs of demons populating the bewildering world. What exactly is the Schwarzwelt? What awaits at the end of this strange journey? It is entirely in your hands to find out…

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey will feature a potent demon password system, allowing players to generate and exchange codes representing their customized demons, and introducing an all-new facet to the franchise’s beloved “collect every demon” gameplay.

Key Features

• Shin Megami Tensei goes beyond — Strange Journey’s game mechanics represent a return to the proud tradition of the all-time dungeon-crawling classic SMT: Nocturne, while its story takes players into the near future on a mission to save Earth and to understand humanity’s position within the larger universe.
• A dark turn into science fiction — Who or what is causing the black hole that is engulfing the Earth? A mission to investigate the cause uncovers a whole world of demons that humans knew nothing about. Do they seek your destruction or will you seek theirs? Will you decide to save Earth or choose another path for humanity?
• Team up with demons — Demons may be friends or foes depending on your ability to negotiate, bribe, and coerce them to join your party. With more than 300 types of demons, you’ll have a huge variety of battlefield encounters and an equally large base of options on which to build your party strategy. 

The “Portable” version of game promises a new player-controlled female protagonist, dozens of additional hours of content – in addition to the 100 hours of total play time found in the original game, various improvements and enhancements to streamline play on the PSP, and a whole lot more to be announced.

SMT: Persona 3 Portable is currently scheduled for release on July 6. For more information, visit the official Persona 3 Portable website at www.atlus.com/p3p.

Much like The Last Remnant, Amazon Japan has suddenly just listed a Shin Megami Tensei game for PlayStation 3, the publisher being Atlus.

The title of the game on the listing reads: “Shin Megami Tensei (working title)”.

Are we getting closer to a Persona 5 announcement? We can only wait and see.

Along with new screens, Lead Editor for Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, Nich Maragos published a production diary highlighting the localization of the title. Be sure to read through it here.

Come March 23, 2010 most fans of the Shin Megami Tensei series will be playing the new title Strange Journey. Included in the retail release is not only the Nintendo DS cartridge, but also the soundtrack with every launch copy.

Along with new screens, Lead Editor for Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, Nich Maragos published a production diary highlighting the localization of the title. Be sure to read through it here.

In a developer diary, Nich Maragos, Lead Editor, details how tricky translating katakana to English can be, especially when you’re dealing with world mythology. Some names like Williams immediately click. Others like “Sukuugusuroo” or Skogsra, the name of a Sweedish forest spirit, require extra work and J.A. Coleman’s The Dictionary of Mythology to decipher.

The post is worth a read, at the very least, to appreciate the headaches the localization team at Atlus went through to ensure Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey was properly translated.

The website will list details on the game’s story, cast, and systems. The site also contains a mission breifing to set the stage. For the uninitiated, the “What is SMT?” section tells newcomers the history of the series. A downloads section will let them take something away once they’ve been initiated into the series.

“The official website for Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is the only source of information anyone needs to consult for breaking news on the situation in the Schwarzwelt,” proclaimed Aram Jabbari, the Joint Project’s ad hoc minister of information, shutting a door behind him through which flashing red lights could be seen. “Please remain calm and bookmark the website for regular updates from trusted experts on the subject.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is scheduled for release on March 23 with an MSRP of $34.99. Every copy will be a boxed set with a bonus CD with music from the game!

Check out the website and pre-order your copy today.

What is called the “potent demon password system” will allow customized demons to be exchanged through generated passwords. Since demons can be specialized and leveled in the game, it is possible to create rare demons with specific abilities that can assist other players in their own games.

Atlus USA will also be releasing a limited number of passwords that will unlock very rare demons.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey releases in the Spring of 2010.

However, what Atlus is best known for is their flagship Shin Megami Tensei series, more, popularly known as SMT, and in this regard, last year’s Shin Megami Tensei:  Persona 4 was their last big console RPG hit.  Although technically a “side series” of the actual SMT franchise, the Persona series has been making waves with its unique take on JRPG mechanics in a contemporary Japanese setting.  Now it looks like there might be more on the way.

Japanese game culture website Andriasang reports that Atlus staff are at work on another project.  Katsura Hashino, the producer of Persona 4, explained that his team was split into two at the completion of Persona 4, with one half working on the portable version of Persona 3, while the other half went to work on a still unnamed, original project.  He has recently announced that as this unnamed project nears completion, both teams will reunite to work on a larger project.  The question then becomes will this new game be a Persona 5 game, which is arguably Atlus most successful series to date, or a proper Shin Megami Tensei 4 sequel, since Shin Megami Tensei 3:  Nocturne?  The previous game debuted on shelves in 2003, making it a seven year absence for a true sequel to the original series.

When the black spot appeared in the Antarctic, mankind became nervous; when it began to spread, that anxiety turned to panic. The Joint Project, convened to discuss how to deal with the expanding anomaly, decided to send in four ships carrying humanity’s finest soldiers and most cutting-edge technology. The mission: to investigate what lay on the other side of what had been dubbed the Schwarzwelt and find out if there was a way to stop it from eventually covering the Earth. Upon entering the Schwarzwelt, the crew finds itself forced to deal with harsh conditions, supernatural interference, and throngs of demons populating the bewildering world.

The launch copies will be packaged similarly to Persona on the PSP, with the game and soundtrack in a collectible outer box. The publisher also announced that the game will be now be released on March 23rd, 2010 to include the new extras.

Strange Journey’s main draw is the dungeon crawl aspect, giving you several areas to explore and fight demons in. While your character is the only human fighting on the ground, he’s not alone; there are a huge number of demons to encounter and many of them can be convinced to join you if various requirements are met. Getting a good mix of demon allies with a variety of skills is important, since some will be very effective against some enemies but not very useful against others. This places a strong emphasis on making sure you have a variety of attack elements (fire, ice, darkness, etc.), party buffs, healing, and so on. They can also learn new abilities as they gain experience, letting you customize your demons to your liking.

While exploring each area with your new demon friends is the main point of the game, Strange Journey does have a plot that unfolds as you play. You have some say in what happens, as you get to pick your main character’s response to various things and even the most generic demons have at least a basic personality. There was only so much of the story on display in the preview build, though Atlus pointed out there is some depth to it, with the nature of humanity and its moral structure coming up in at least a few places; there seem to be a few points where this has an interesting relation with the invading demons trying to get to Earth.

Nonetheless, combat and preparing for it are a major focus in Strange Journey. It’s not enough to just get a good team of demons, you also have to track your character’s equipment and pick which special abilities you want installed in his suit; there are all sorts of bonuses to pick from, but only so much space is available to install them so trade-offs must be made. For that matter, why settle for the demons and equipment you currently have? Strange Journey lets you unlock new items by finding materials known as ’Forma’ in your explorations, and merge demons with one another to get wholly new types of creature to add to your team. If you find a demon you really like, you can record its password and share it with friends by word-of-mouth, email, and so on. When they enter the password, they’ll be given a duplicate of your demon; it has the same stats, same attacks (even if they’re different from the norm for that demon species), and so on.

Well aware of the usual flaws in this genre, the Strange Journey developers have added a few things to make random encounters less irritating. The most noteworthy is an auto-resolve feature; tap the button a few times and the battle will immediately play itself out, reducing what would normally take a few minutes down to only lasting a few seconds. You can also try to talk to demons you encounter, some of which will be convinced to join you. And if you talk to a demon type that is already represented in your party, there is a chance the enemy will agree to just walk away or even give you an item and let you be on your way in peace.

Atlus was showing off a preview build and not the final version, so not everything was able to be seen or tried at this time. Nonetheless, what they showed looked very promising and Strange Journey could be another fine RPG for the DS. We’ll know for sure when the game releases on March 23, 2010.