As previously revealed, ports for Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden are coming to most modern platforms early next year, and a new post on the official Persona website has detailed some of the features that will be added to these versions, as well as their prices. As translated by publication Gematsu, each title will cost 1,980 yen. Unless the games get a price bump for US markets, which is unusual, it's most likely that they'll cost $19.99, as that's the standard equivalency.When it comes to the features, both Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden have gotten HD resolution upgrades. Though they're still noticeably older-looking, especially when compared to Persona 5, they're a welcome improvement to the game's original versions, which both first launched on portable consoles. You can get a good feel for the visuals in the following explanation trailer.Players will be able to choose the highest difficulty option from the moment they boot up any of the two games. Usually, there is a 'very hard' mode that's locked until the game is completed once, but buyers of these ports will have the mode immediately available, which is referred to as "Maniacs" in Persona 3, and "Risky" in Persona 4. Players of both games will also be able to quick save at any time, even outside the usual save point locations.
Specifically, on Persona 4 Golden, players will have access to an album that will allow them to replay previous scenes. When replaying them, you can even choose different dialogue options than what you chose the first time through.
Both games will also be available on Game Pass, so if you happen to already be paying Xbox's subscription service, then you don't have to worry about price. Xbox clearly has some sort of marketing deal with developer Atlus, as the trailer only shows Xbox and Windows logos, with no mention of Switch or PlayStation 4.
The Persona franchise began way back in 1996, but it only gained worldwide recognition after Persona 5 launched in the west in 2017. The game was a huge success, and given its popularity, it was many gamers' entry to the series. Since the prior games were stuck on old hardware, a lot of Persona 5 fans didn't have a chance to check them out, but that will change soon.
Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden will release on January 19, 2023, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.