Persona 4 Golden has come to PC, and I still can’t believe it. I never imagined Atlus would actually bring one of its most important and PlayStation-faithful franchises to another platform, let alone the PC, which the developer has barely touched. Fortunately, I don’t have to imagine it anymore. I’ve played the PC port, and it’s great. I’ve been spoiled by the many innovations and quality of life features in Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal, but Persona 4 Golden not only holds up well, it offers a distinct experience that still sets it apart from the rest of the Persona series.
Persona 4 Golden PC is a straight port of the original game. It isn’t missing anything, and it doesn’t have anything extra – which is fine, really. I reckon PC players will be happy to have access to this storied JRPG at all (without relying on an emulator, that is). And it doesn’t need anything else. Persona 4 was great when it launched on PS2 in 2008, and 2012’s Golden re-release is a strictly better version with oodles of new content that can easily push your playtime over the 100-hour mark. In other words, pretty much everything that was said about Persona 4 Golden eight years ago still rings true. With that in mind, I mainly want to focus on the quality of the PC port and how the game itself compares to modern JRPG standards.
Port report
(Image credit: Atlus)
I’ve only had time to play the first portion of the PC version, but I’ve had zero performance issues whatsoever. The frame rate is unlocked and mine stays well over 60 (on an i7-9700k and RTX 2080 Super). Everything loads quickly, and menus are snappy and responsive. I’ve been playing at 1440p, and I haven’t noticed much stretching outside of the animated cutscenes, which are somewhat disappointingly low-res. Playing at a lower resolution in windowed mode mostly fixes this, but the quality isn’t so bad that I want to give up my big screen.
Windowed mode is kind of the only workaround too, because graphics settings are limited to render scale, shadows, anisotropic filtering, and anti-aliasing, with a couple settings apiece. There are definitely some dated textures too, and the character models are blocky, but that’s to be expected from what started as a PS2 game. Character portraits look great, and I care about that more than anything. Basically, it looks how you’d expect and it runs smoothly.
I mean, yeah. Bit of an oof. (Image credit: Atlus)
Surprisingly, Persona 4 Golden PC does have full mouse and keyboard support. But while this control scheme is perfectly serviceable for putting around town, it falls apart when you’re exploring dungeons. By default, you use Q and E to rotate the camera, and this gets real awkward, real quick. It is cool that you can technically play the game with one hand using the default keybinds, and the mouse is integrated fairly well, but playing with a gamepad feels better in every way. I quickly hooked up my PS4 controller and it worked fine. I couldn’t get the game to show PS4 button prompts, sadly, but I suspect that’ll be fixed with a mod soon.
So, the port is rock-solid, and the game plays exactly like it did eight years ago. And I think that’s a good thing for the most part. Persona 5 and Royal added a lot of cool and comfortable things to the Persona formula, but there’s also a lot of stuff in Persona 4 Golden that’s never been replicated. And now that I’m experiencing it again, I’m kind of sad that these things were left behind.
Some rough edges
(Image credit: Atlus)
Let’s get this out of the way first: there are some things you’ll definitely miss if you’re coming into this game after playing Persona 5 Royal. Social Link benefits are a big one, because outside of your teammates, the Social Links in Persona 4 Golden are mostly there for character development and fusion EXP. There aren’t nearly as many other bonuses – no paying Kawakami to do your laundry or whatever. It’s also more difficult to max all your Social Links in one go since there are fewer ways to bypass the dreaded “just here for brownie points” hangout sessions that don’t advance your Link.
Additionally, there’s no Mementos-equivalent grind-a-thon, no Baton Pass in combat, and there are fewer element types (no Gun, Psy or Rad, and only insta-kill Light and Dark attacks). Oh, and initiating fights can be finicky because you actually have to run up and smack Shadows instead of pouncing on them from stealth from approximately half a mile away. The lack of a cover system makes exploration a little more monotonous too.
Those are the big ones that stuck out to me, but it’s nothing I can’t live without. And again, Persona 4 Golden has a lot of cool systems of its own. At the end of fights, for instance, you can enter Shuffle Time and pick from a pool of rewards, like bonus EXP or a new Persona. Shuffle Time becomes really handy later on, especially as you unlock more Social Links. I also like that you can collect materials and bring them to a craftsman to make custom weapons, rather than relying on shop inventories and combat drops. There’s a more direct quest system woven into the game too, and while quests aren’t always rewarding, I like that they aren’t sequestered off like the Mementos missions.
A darker tone for a darker town
(Image credit: Atlus)
More than anything, I was struck by the difficulty, tone, and music of Persona 4 Golden, and I think these are the things that really set it apart. Persona 5 is very easy, and Persona 5 Royal is pretty easy, even on their hardest difficulties. But Very Hard or even just Hard mode in Persona 4 Golden will beat your whole ass if you slip up, which I love. The added challenge encourages you to min-max Personas and Social Links to become as strong as possible, and it makes bosses much more threatening.
And while the story has some obvious parallels to Persona 5 – move to a new town to live with a no-nonsense family member and inevitably stumble into some supernatural shenanigans – it’s presented very differently. Persona 4 Golden straight-up opens with two murders, which really sets the stage and stakes for its more mystery-driven narrative. On top of that, I’d forgotten how well Persona 4 handles the concept of Personas and Shadows.
In Persona 5, characters awaken to Persona by defying unfair circumstances or labels thrust upon them. Persona are sort of a blanket manifestation of rebellion, which works in a story about youth and societal reform. But in Persona 4 Golden, Personas are born from peoples’ conquered Shadows, which represent the repressed and ugly parts of their personality. They’re a mass of petty, spiteful, and extreme urges devoid of all inhibitions, and characters have no choice but to confront them.
Persona 4 Golden also has Nanako, which is a big plus. (Image credit: Atlus)
This dynamic – main characters reluctantly accepting their Shadows as part of their psyche – is a driving force in the overall plot, and the inner battles that different characters face add a lot to the coming-of-age stories that all Persona games try to tell. I don’t want to spoil the specifics, but Persona 4 Golden deals with heavy, interesting themes – masculinity, sexuality, self-worth, agency. You know, the kinds of things that real teens grapple with when they aren’t on a quest to kill a god.
Finally, the music. I mean, what more needs to be said. The Persona 4 Golden soundtrack is banger after banger, and it’s incredibly varied. The Persona 5 OST has a great theme to it – a wonderful mix of brass and bass, snares and keys – and it’s got some of my favorite individual tracks in the series, but I think Persona 4 Golden wins in both variety and maybe even energy. Its high tracks have more bombastic pop and rock to them, and its lows are rich with rhythm and blues. I’m listening to it right now, and I’m glad more people will get to experience it.
So, is Persona 4 Golden PC a good port? Yeah. Is Persona 4 Golden still good? Oh yeah. Will you enjoy it regardless of whether you’ve played Persona 5 Royal or no Persona games at all? Yeah, I honestly think you will. It’s one of the best games of a previous era, and if anything, the qualities that made it stand out back then are even more striking today.
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
