Catherine, the first HD title to come from Atlus, has been a major success in Japan. It's even outselling Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, quite the accomplishment that goes to show that the Japanese truly love their trippy RPGs.

Fans of the Shin Megami Tensei series in the U.S. have been clamoring for this title, but Atlus hasn't made a peep about a North American release, leaving their loyal American followers to pray for a U.S. launch. Those prayers might be answered, if the rumors of tomorrow's announcement are true.

Apparently, the North American GameStop site had Catherine listed for a release date of July 26th, however this was quickly taken down but was cached by Google (yes, yet another GameStop early "accidental" release). This news also comes as a surprise since Atlus claimed that it wasn't planning to bring the title to the United States.

Other rumors are swirling around the internet that Atlus is planning an official announcement tomorrow regarding the localization of Catherine. Ever since this game was first announced, Persona fans have been squealing with glee in anticipation to play the first HD title from the developer. However, unlike past titles, this will not be an JRPG but an action-adventure game.

It's unknown how Persona fans will react to this, though we expect they'll love it since gamers who enjoyed one Atlus title tend to like them all. As seen in a previous trailer, Catherine is intended for adult audiences and is designed to startle but not scare the player. The game's focus on the bizarre is definitely drawing the attention of many gamers, including this one, who hasn't picked up a JRPG in a long time.

If these rumors are true, check back here tomorrow for the official announcement, and expect to see Catherine on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in July.

Are you excited to hear that Catherine might be coming to North America, or have you already imported a copy from Japan?

[Update: it's official. Catherine will be coming to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this Summer. GameStop and Amazon list the date as July 26,2011.]

Source: Beefjack