Remember that big, fat, red package we detailed a few weeks back regarding the PAL release of Persona 2: innocent Sin on the PSP? Well you can refresh your memory here if not. Anyway, Ghostlight have revealed that the Collector's Edition will cost £39.99 and will be out on November 4th.

We loved P3P, so we really can't wait, even if it is missing the Climax Theatre's customisation features that were in the Japanese version.

Destructoid reported earlier today that the creation and customisation features included in the Climax Theatre in the japanese version of Persona 2: Innocent Sin for the PSP were not included in the US release version.

'As has been the case with other similar games and their custom content features,' said Atlus PR Manager Aram Jabbari, '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.

'The content in question was never promoted for the North American release.'

We contacted Ghostlight, who are bringing the game across to European shores and they further confirmed that although the Climax Theatre would indeed still be a part of the game, there would be no customisation options.

'Our release is the same as the US one,' replied Ghostlight's Ross Brierley. 'So while it does feature Climax Theatre as the US one does it does not feature the quest customisation.'

Platforms: PC | XBLA
Developer: ACE Team
Publisher: Atlus

The game’s called Rock of Ages, so that means we need a heavy metal soundtrack on while playing. So, to the sound of a Godflesh, it’s time to get our balls out and start them rolling.

Rock of Ages mixes an exploration of various historical periods and characters with bowling. And utter lunacy, of course. To describe it as ‘quirky’ would be wildly understating the game’s uniqueness. And naturally it’s absurdly simple as well. Perhaps a bit too much so, but we’ll come back to that.

The object is simple: take your big boulder and roll it down increasingly complex courses until you see the gate of your enemy’s stronghold. Smash into it and then wait for your next rock to be constructed by an army of slaves. Then repeat.

While waiting for the next boulder to appear, you can place defences to stop your opponent from smashing your back door down (as it were). As you progress through the single player mode, you get more and more to choose from, and they get weirder as you go along as well.

Went went nuts for P3P went Ghostlight were finally able to bring the magnificent JRPG over to these shores and we're pretty damn stoked that Persona 2: Innocent Sin will be getting the same sort of treatment too. Expect a big, fat package containing the following:

• Special Collector’s Edition box
• UMD box featuring a double sided inlay
• Official Soundtrack CD with original and remixed soundtrack, as well as arranged songs by Shoji Meguro all packaged in a stylish slim jewel case with inlay
• 6 Double Sided Art Cards featuring the work of Kazuma Kaneko on the front and Shigenori Soejima on the reverse
• A3 Poster featuring the box art in all its glory
• EXCLUSIVE Persona 2: Innocent Sin T-shirt when you pre-order from the Ghostlight store
• ...and the game, naturally.

No news on a release date or price point yet, but we'll keep you posted.

Persona 4 as a 2D fighting game. Sounds curious, but it looks utterly mental if an offscreen video  from 4Gamer.net is anything to go by. With plenty of combos, an epileptic cavalcade of gorgeous 2D visuals and powerful spiritual reflections of the self abounding everywhere with rainbow coloured super moves, we're excited. Or at least our eyes are.

After Atlus confirmed their bizarre puzzle/romance drama hybrid for a European release earlier this year, we've been eagerly awaiting publisher Deep Silver to confirm a launch date. It was originally tentatively sounded out for a holiday season release, but MCV reports that Catherine has now been delayed into the first quarter of 2012.

That's probably for the best, to be honest. Catherine will now miss the horrific Christmas crunch period, which should ease the strain on both their sales projections and our sad empty wallets.

Rock Of Ages, ACE Team's bizarre and cathartic rolling rampage through art history, has released today on Steam. The developers behind the thoroughly wondrous (and thoroughly worrying) Zeno Clash also promise that the PSN version will be launched by the end of the year - and we'll keep you posted.

We'll have a full review of this utterly bonkers downloadable title shortly.

Certain corners of the internet erupted in excited conspiracy when Atlus launched a yellow-soaked teaser site last week, with many predicting that the colour scheme and font pointed towards a new take on critically acclaimed PS2 JRPG Persona 4. Well, they were right as, according to Andriasang, Atlus have announced two new Persona 4 games in the most recent edition of Famitsu.

Deep Silver To Publish

Atlus' sexy, scary and thoroughly twisted Catherine has been a bone of contention for months since a European distributor simply hadn't stepped forward (despite a successful Japanese and scheduled US release). However, after announcing yesterday that they were seeking a European partner, Atlus' US twitter account delivered the following coy missive.

#Catherine is getting her passport in order... #whatcouldthismean

Ooh, you big tease. Hours later, though, Deep Silver confirmed that they would be taking on the role of European publisher - and that Catherine is headed to "multiplatform consoles" in PAL territories. We'll keep you posted about the release date when we hear it, and we have a few more details below.

Click here to read more...

Just as a 14 year old unfinished title goes gold, so too comes the announcement that a game American JRPG fans have been waiting around 12 years for is finally getting an official localisation. Atlus have confirmed that Persona 2: Innocent Sin will indeed be getting a full official localisation process and should reach US shores this autumn on the PSP.

Platform: PSP

Developer: Atlus

Publisher: Ghostlight

There's a reason that the PSP is still selling like hot cakes in Japan, and it's really very simple: they got a lot more games for the damn thing! Like the kid at school who gets picked last, we Europeans haven't had a huge amount of luck with domestic releases of some of Japan's finest titles. But, finally, one the finest JRPGs in existence has popped up on our shores and we can whoop and shout and link arms and dance naked in a field at solstice time and sacrifice an ox in celebration to the gods of import gaming (Too much! - Ed).

P3P is here...and that's a really, really good thing!

That's right, folks....Persona 3 Portable is finally, finally coming to UK shores on April 29th, Ghostlight have confirmed. The portable game has been out in Japan and the US since November 2009 and July 2010 respectively, with Atlus having confirmed a Japan release for Persona 2 on the PSP in a couple of weeks' time on April 14th, although there's no news on the Western front as yet.

Ghostlight confirmed a Collector's Edition for P3P last month, as well. Details here.

Bizarre Japanese horror puzzler Catherine has been confirmed for a Western release, despite multiple statements from publisher Atlus to the contrary. Rumours have been flying about regarding whether or not we'd see this creepy (and overtly sexy) game on British shores, but we can expect further announcements soon. We have the details- and everything we know- below.

Report: Microsoft To Quadruple Kinect Accuracy...

After months of arguing about processors and costings, the Kinect hardware is now set in stone. However, a new report from Eurogamer suggests that Microsoft is hard at work on the only other variable: the firmware and drivers. Kinect's depth sensor resolution is yoked to a maximum 320x240 by its own firmware- but could theoretically be cranked up to 680x480 with some clever compression and patched software. This would allow Kinect to recognise wrist rotation and finger movement, which would exponentially increase the scope of the game experience that it could offer. All in all, EG's source suggests that the accuracy could approximately quadruple.

This is still a rumour at this stage- but you'd better believe that Microsoft are looking into it. We'll bring you a solid information or retire the rumour as we more details become available. [EG]

This enhanced accuracy probably would have come in useful for Thrixx's upcoming title. They're a veteran erotic games outfit that promised to use Kinect's motion control potential to provide "another exciting interface option for users of the sex simulation software to control the experience in extraordinary new ways"... but fortunately (?), Microsoft has stepped in to block any overtly sexual content reaching the Xbox 360 after a bizarre trailer hit the net earlier this week. Probably for the best, all things considered. [IGN]

Demon's Souls Servers Extended Again

Atlus have announced that the Demon's Souls servers will be extended yet again after their niche sleeper hit proved to be immensely popular beyond their wildest projections. Whilst opinions are divided about whether it's a genuinely great time or just a genuine grind, there's no doubt that a serious community has formed to leave notes and traps for other players. Atlus have restated their intent to keep servers active for as long as possible... and will be holding a White Tendency event beginning December 20th.

EA Believe That They'll Make The "Next Great FPS"; Slags Off Treyarch

Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 delivered unprecedented FPS sales... and Treyarch handily stepped up to the plate with Call of Duty: Black Ops. However, EA boss John Riccitiello believes that they- not Activision- are placed to deliver the next great shooter. In an interview with IndustryGamers, the loquacious exec merrily poured scorn on Treyarch, who are widely considered to be the industry's golden boys at present.

[Treyarch] didn't make a 90-rated game; I think it's 86 now. I don't think review scores are the be-all and end-all, but we all know a mid-90 when we see it, but this was mid-80s. I don't think you could anoint them by an executive saying: 'It's so.'

The question, I think, really is: 'What developer is going to put forward the next great FPS that sort of follows [what Infinity Ward did]?' It's wishful thinking, and let's hope for Activision's sake they're right.

I think it's far from proven that the gaming consumer views a product from Treyarch in the same category as a product from what was Infinity Ward.

Later in the interview, Riccitello stated that he'd be surprised if EA wouldn't "take a notch out of Activision" next year; citing the success of Battlefield Bad Company 2 and the recently-released Medal of Honor. [IndustryGamers]

Whoa there, John. We love big words and fighting talk just as much as the next site... but after the over-hyped MoH was loudly and thoroughly lambasted by the community, the onus is on EA to quietly deliver. Actions speak louder than words.

Want to weigh in on this one? Drop us a line in the comments!

Atlus Dissolved, Team 17 Goes Solo

The harsh financial climate has been taking its toll on every player in the industry, both major and minor. Studios and publishers have been forced to adapt or die (or both), and today brings two very different fortunes for two very different companies.

First up, JRPG publisher Atlus has been dissolved by its Japanese parent company in order to concentrate on "more profitable areas." Atlus are best known for the Persona series, though they were also overseeing the worryingly controversial Catherine and and ACE Team's next bizarre offering. There's apparently an indication that the brand and company might live on in some form, but not without a massively reduced staff and rebranding. [Eurogamer]

On a much more positive note, legendary British developer Team 17 has shrugged off their publisher to become a self-publishing studio. We can expect a digital distribution-based sales model from the guys that brought us the Worms franchise, Alien Breed, Body Blows, Super Frog and... unfortunately... the latest Leisure Suit Larry abomination. Every developer gets one, I suppose. We wish them the best of luck. [MCV]

Microsoft to Raise Xbox Live Gold Prices. A Bit.

Microsoft have announced that they'll be hiking the price for Xbox Live Gold membership from 1st November. The States has been hit with a seriously nasty $10 increase, but luckily us Brits will only have to pay one pound extra for official monthly membership directly from Microsoft. Annual prices should remain unaffected.

Naturally, we'll continue to bring you the best prices for Xbox Live Gold membership- but I'd seriously consider cancelling your monthly subscription and grabbing an annual card if I were you.

Monday Night Combat Free DLC Details

Monday Night Combat was the wild card of this year's XBLA Summer of Arcade. As an independent IP, it lacked the household name of Guardians of Light and the pretentious hype of Limbo. Thankfully, MNC turned out to be an absolutely fantastic blend of team shooting and tower defence; and fans will soon be rewarded by a patch and some free DLC.

The patch will fix a few technical issues and improve the netcode, while the DLC pack will apparently contain "new content". Some more maps would be nice. Or, you know, a straight-up deathmatch gametype. Two more content packs have also been announced, but we can expect to pay top dollar when they roll around. [1UP]

Want to know more? Step up to the plate and read my full review.

Vanquish Demo Deploys Today

We've been featuring a fair few trailers of SEGA's upcoming Sci-Fi shooter on our news roundups these last few weeks... on account of it shaping up to be ridiculously badass. If you've been left weak kneed and salivating by the Vanquish mix of fast-paced cover shooting and bareknuckle brawling with massive robots, you'll be delighted to know that the demo is out later today on Xbox Live Marketplace and tomorrow lunchtime on PSN.

You're going to need a bigger gun. If fututistic gunslinging floats your boat, download it, play it and let us know what you make of it!