Japanese release date: June 14th. It'll cost ¥7,329 ($92) for the standard edition and ¥10,290 ($129) for the Famitsu DX pack which includes:

Six clear posters with illustrations from Madhouse, Studio Hibari (Persona 4 cutscene creators), Hiroyuki Maeda, Shuji Sogabe (Persona 3 manga artist), and Shigenori Soejima plus 10 postcards and a pouch shaped like Marie’s bag.

Additional information coming from this week's Famitsu is that players will be able to build their own gardens, taking care of plants and such. Famitsu apparently also has some info on the game's new opening, new winter clothing for the characters and the third tier of evolved Personas, so I'll be updating this thread when that information becomes known.

Source

So P4G has fishing, gardening, building relationships, visiting other towns, various seasons with accompanying events, side quests helping fellow Inaba residents... all it needs is the option to rent your own apartment and buy furniture for it and we have Animal Crossing.

Actually, I think there are a few more requirements that need to be satisfied before the game will become "Persona Crossing: The Golden Shovel Tree." These include, among other things:

• Neighbors who passive aggressively pester you to send them letters by constantly giving you stationary in return for conducting long, multi-neighbor fetch quests that span the entire neighborhood. They'll then proceed to not read your letters and then only occasionally give you something back if you include a gift in your initial letter.
• As the title states, golden shovel trees.
• The presence of Crazy Redd. Mysterious fox might suffice in the event that she acquires an actual voice that can do something other than yip and bark.
• The ability to play bad retro games nobody wanted to be reminded of existing. Obviously, this simply means replacing such classics as Wario's Woods and Clu-Clu Land with the original Megami Tensei games for the Famicom. Done.
• Either even more bear puns from Teddie or giving every character a unique speech quirk, preferably both. Ideally, this would be in tandem with replacing the dub with the sort of animalese that Animal Crossing is creepily known for.
• Being able to to fish for a coelacanth. Nevermind.
• A garbage dump with which to furnish your house and wardrobe, sometimes containing valuable goods that can then be sold back to Daidara at a profit.
• The ability to craft the town theme in the form of a 16 note MIDI tune that will play via various instruments every time you talk to a character.
• e-reader support.

Obviously all of these features might be in the game after all and Atlus just has yet to formally announce them. This very much so will require a wait-and-see approach in this instance.

That being said, oh thank god, farming in a video game.

Man I really hope for a NA release. I keep telling myself I'll get a Vita either when it's 200$ or when P4G comes out here. Adding minigames sounds weird, but hey anything to distinguish that playthrough sounds nice.

@MikkaQ said:

Man I really hope for a NA release.

Someone on NeoGAF put it well:

People who don't think Golden is coming are:
A) Beyond paranoid / pessimistic
B) Don't understand business
C) Are really dumb
D) Combination of above

Even before the announcement of P4U's localization, there was no doubt. It feels as though this scenario has happened way too many times to expect any other outcome, lest the binds that hold our universe be unraveled.

Seems pretty expensive for a vita game but then again I'm also considering on buying a vita just for this game so who am I to say. Still I will almost certainly pay whatever atlus wants as long as it come states side.

Gosh, that sounds awesome. More random stuff to do on days not spend in a dungeon is a good thing in my book.

......Some of these additions are really weird.

@mutha3 said:

......Some of these additions are really weird.

"A lost Shadow has wandered onto Charlie's turnip plantation! Won't you help your friend in finding it a home?"

Could all these additions signal a case of diminishing returns? Nope.

...And Nier has a gardening mechanic? You really do learn something new every day!

@juice8367: Japanese game prices have always been outrageous.

At least an NA release will be fairly prompt. It took a year and a half for P3P to come to Europe. On the bright side, if P4G takes that long as well, the VIta will be much less expensive by then.

@Bocam: It's the Blu-ray prices that frighten me, God damn!

It's too bad for Sony that the longer this takes to come stateside, the longer before I get a Vita :P

@WatanabeKazuma said:

@Bocam: It's the Blu-ray prices that frighten me, God damn!

Seriously. What was it, 70 bucks for the first episode? Holy shit. I can't believe people in Japan actually pay those prizes.

@WatanabeKazuma said:

Could all these additions signal a case of diminishing returns? Nope.

I think these changes are a little desperate, honestly. P4 was a very complete game, so the stuff they could add gameplaywise had to enhance the gameplay rather than "fix" it.

I just hope this garden feature-thing doesn't let you break the game as easily as skillcards in P3P.

@mutha3 said:

@WatanabeKazuma said:

Could all these additions signal a case of diminishing returns? Nope.

I think these changes are a little desperate, honestly. P4 was a very complete game, so the stuff they could add gameplaywise had to enhance the gameplay rather than "fix" it.

I just hope this garden feature-thing doesn't let you break the game as easily as skillcards in P3P.

I'm a little skeptical myself, I was just being a little facetious with the previous comment in fairness, apologies. This is a game geared towards the fans, and I don't think anything will happen to tread on those toes. For as much as I like P3P, I similarly wouldn't recommend it to a newcomer for that reason. I just read all this new content as something to justify the re-release, because truth be told, they probably would have gotten away with a straight up port.

I'm picturing Charlie in a lawn chair drinking rum out of a coconut while Nanako toils away in the summer heat trying to grow a watermelon.

This game might be the first real reason for me to get a Vita... soon.

@mutha3: For Persona 4? Vol 1 was ￥4200 ($52) it came with the full OP&ED songs and was usually discounted by at least ￥600. It's not that bad. For comparison Vol 1 of あの夏で待ってる is priced at￥7,350 ($92) and only comes with one episode.

@FluxWaveZ: I can always depend on you for breaking Persona game news, I love it!

All the stuff they are adding sounds awesome. I am happy it's turning out to be more then just a straight port.

Hopefully the Vita will of dropped in price by the time it gets to North America.

Damn it. I'm torn. It seems stupid to get the PS2 version when this is a thing, but Fire Emblem: Awakening is getting a European release. 3DS or Vita? 3DS OR VITA!?

@Video_Game_King: You would need to get a European 3DS if you want to play Fire Emblem. I wonder what region the Moon is considered? I say get whatever comes out first.

@WatanabeKazuma said:

Could all these additions signal a case of diminishing returns? Nope.

...And Nier has a gardening mechanic? You really do learn something new every day!

obviously you have never tried to make a pink moonflower

@Bocam:

I actually have to buy it all US. It's easier that way, since the British Us fuck up my translation equipment. (This shit was made back in the 50s, and it's pretty damn expensive to update.)

@Video_Game_King:The 3DS is region locked then, and as of right now there's no way of getting around it. So guess you should get a Vita.

"a third tier of evolved Personas"

I would think this is a little too important to be lumped in with something like new clothes.

That seems like a pretty big deal.

@LordXavierBritish said:

"a third tier of evolved Personas"

I would think this is a little too important to be lumped in with something like new clothes.

That seems like a pretty big deal.

Wait, characters can change clothes in Persona 4? This changes everything.

@Video_Game_King: In Persona 3 you can have people wear maid outfits or have the males wear fundoshi. They took that out of Persona 4 for some reason.

Gardening in a Shin Megami Tensei game? I hope this means you can grow your own Golden Bough.

ugh that was painful

@Bocam said:

@mutha3: It's not that bad.

what are you talking about dude

That is still way too much money for one episode.

@Soren said:

I hope this means you can grow your own Golden Bough.

I'm afraid this completely flew over my head. What are you referencing?

(should I be thankful that I didn't get it?)

@LordXavierBritish said:

"a third tier of evolved Personas"

I would think this is a little too important to be lumped in with something like new clothes.

That seems like a pretty big deal.

It's already been confirmed a while ago, so it was just rattled off on the list as another piece of info that will be more detailed in Famitsu:

@mutha3: James Frazer, all day, every day. It was a pretty cringeworthy attempt at humor, I know.

@Soren: Just learned what the Golden Bough is, but it'd be funny to see a plant named after it grow in your garden.

@FluxWaveZ: Yeah but I remember the 90s and I still don't trust Japan not to keep their niche games to themselves. I always wait for an announcement before I start making any plans.

@MikkaQ said:

@FluxWaveZ: Yeah but I remember the 90s and I still don't trust Japan not to keep their niche games to themselves. I always wait for an announcement before I start making any plans.

This is a silly position to hold. Atlus is Atlus, not "Japan" and they're not going to keep their (by far)biggest cashcow domestically when they bring over stuff like Devil Survivor 2 for the original DS in2012.

@Soren said:

@mutha3: James Frazer, all day, every day. It was a pretty cringeworthy attempt at humor, I know.

i don't even have a witty retort or whatever

oh god

@mutha3: In comparison to what they usually charge. Though I'm pretty much used to paying those prices so I'm not bothered by it. I mean I payed $500 for six episodes of a certain anime BD box-set

@mutha3: Atlus is one of the good ones, obviously. I'm still waiting on about oh... half the Tales series, Mother 3, the PSP Yakuza game, the Samurai Yakuza game, etc.

@MikkaQ said:

half the Tales series, Mother 3, the PSP Yakuza game, the Samurai Yakuza game, etc

Even if you ignore that Atlus had nothing to with those games-- I'd hardly call any off those games heavy-hitters for their respective companies....Like, at all. In fact, the only games you mention in that list that ever had any sort of good sales is the tales series. And that has been on a decline for years. I'm super impressed and thankful that Sega even bothered releasing Yakuza 4 in the west, honestly.

Honestly, wondering if P4G is hitting the western shores is roughly equivalent to wondering if a main series Mario game will.

@mutha3 said:

@MikkaQ said:

half the Tales series, Mother 3, the PSP Yakuza game, the Samurai Yakuza game, etc

Even if you ignore that Atlus had nothing to with those games-- I'd hardly call any off those games heavy-hitters for their respective companies....Like, at all. In fact, the only games you mention in that list that ever had any sort of good sales is the tales series. And that has been on a decline for years. I'm super impressed and thankful that Sega even bothered releasing Yakuza 4 in the west, honestly.

Honestly, wondering if P4G is hitting the western shores is roughly equivalent to wondering if a main series Mario game will.

No, what? It's not even close, there's entire cities worth of people in difference in sales here. Also it doesn't matter if those aren't Atlus games, I was talking about Japanese companies in general. They tend not to bring over a great deal of stuff. I was just expressing my disappointment at that.

I realize that P4G is very likely coming here, but until there is a proper announcement, I'm gonna avoid coverage. I wouldn't understand any of it anyway.

@MikkaQ said:

No, what? It's not even close, there's entire cities worth of people in difference in sales here.

Cities? Mario as a franchise has pushed 200 million copies. That's, like, 15 Netherlands right there or 2/3th of a USA. :P Persona's got a pitiful 3 mil. worldwide as a franchise if memory serves.

That's not what I'm saying, though. I'm saying Persona is to Atlus, as what Mario is to Nintendo-- its their biggest, most consistently-selling franchise. It makes no sense for them not to bring over a Persona game, and its irrelevant to bring up unrelated Japanese devs who probably had a great reason for not putting their games out in the west.

Only in some doomsday scenario where retailers refuse to carry Vita games, and Sony drops Vita PSN support or something, do I foresee Atlus not milking this.

@Soren said:

Gardening in a Shin Megami Tensei game? I hope this means you can grow your own Golden Bough.

ugh that was painful

More likely you'll be able to grow Soma in a closet with a timer.

Altus is bringing the damn fighting game over. There's no chance P4G won't come over

Siliconera's got some info up:

• Home gardening is done with Nanako
• The planted seedlings that are grown give items (Makaracone => Makarakarn; Tetracone => Tetrakarn)
• Kanji's third tier Persona is named "Take-jizaiten"
• New event: Narukami playing with Nanako in the snow while Dojima watches on the January 2

Andriasang's got more info on the stuff that's included in the Famitsu DX pack:

Also:

Ya know, I would have been fine with this had they just had the regular game in HD with a few new events sprinkled throughout the game, but I really have to applaud them for packing it full of a bunch of brand new stuff to do.

Still wish you could have the option to have a female protagonist in this version. Still sounds sweet, wish I had a Vita for it.

Thought I saw that Arena is being released at the same time in Japan and the US. If that's the case with Golden, I'll have a present from Atlus at my door on my birthday this year :)

@Phatmac: Mutha pointed out in a previous thread that it would alter the character dynamics too heavily to include a female protagonist, and I'm inclined to agree. In Persona 3, the characters were more separate, and interacted with each other more often than with you.

@MrAristocrates: I believe that's what Atlus themselves have stated too.

Oh man. Mysterious Fox isn't going to like this at all. Not one bit.

@Starclopsofish: Infact I love it