Fans of the Persona series waited for more than a decade for Persona 2: Innocent Sin to be released in English, and now that Atlus' enhanced PSP port has hit shelves, some of those fans are angry, because it seems the game is missing some content that was in the original Japanese release.
"Specifically pertaining to the game's "Climax Theatre" feature."
Climax Theatre is a feature added to the remake that amounts to a set of optional dungeons and events that players can go through for special rewards, story details, new challenges, or simple level grinding. Seems that the Japanese version also allowed players to construct custom quests, which angry players claim Atlus USA promised, but did not include in the final North American release.
Persona 2 is a two-part series of Japanese console role-playing games for the Sony PlayStation, developed by Atlus. Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment are two chapters of the same storyline. The duology is a direct sequel to the first installment of the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series, Revelations: Persona, with several characters from that title playing various roles, both minor and major, in both games.
The story takes place in Sumaru City, a fictional metropolis (city designated by government ordinance) with a population over 1.28 million in modern-day Japan. Once the main story begins, the city becomes cursed; any rumor that reaches enough people will inexplicably come true. Sumaru City is navigated via an aerial view map. The party uses the map to visit each district as they become available.[3] Each district has key locations to visit, as well as a shopping mall where the party can converse with locals and visit restaurants or shops, as well as the Velvet Room.[6] There is always at least one Rumormonger stationed in each mall.
The city is the place to spend yen that the party has earned from winning battles. Most stores feature traditional role-playing game elements, such as a tanning salon which restores Hit Points, or a designer clothing store which sells armor. The "Satomi Tadashi" chain of pharmacies sells basic consumable items and is present throughout the game world.
As reported, Atlus PR Manager Aram Jabbari Says:
As has been the case with other similar games and their custom content features, 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.
This content was never promoted for the North American release.