Persona 4 Arena is out now, so let us go over the good and the bad of this game.
Persona 4 and Graphics
The art in this game is excellent. Roaring flames, screeching monsters and excellent backgrounds are all here. This game in action is quite impressive and reminiscent of the craziness of Guilty Gear. Overall fans will not be dissapointed with the combination of sound and sight that awaits them.
Persona 4 Arena and combos
The combos have some serious meat to them. You can do air cancels of many moves that lead to huge combos. Most characters can cancel moves into others, even grapple characters such as Kanji. There is also a challenge mode with some massive combos for those who want them. Tournament players should not be upset over that. However it remains to be seen how the balance of the game is.
Persona 4 Arena and the feel of Hokuto no Ken
As far as gameplay, it borrows quite a bit from Hokuto no Ken and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. You have status effects combined with what are essentially “stands”. Persona 4 Arena also has secondary ammo and gauges for some characters. This lends it the same exciting feel some predecessors have had.
Persona 4 Arena and the bad with the good
So what is the only shortcoming of Persona 4 Arena? It does not do anything new. Nothing, not a thing. Every single mechanic from dodges to EX to parries is from another game. Items and special gauges have been done before too, more than once. Overall it just does not try anything new in games. Does this ruin the game? No, definitely not. It does keep it from being absolutely perfect though.
The Final Verdict: 4/5
Great graphics, controls and overall gameplay create a great package for Persona 4 Arena. However it does little to add to the formula that previous games have created. This simple flaw keeps it from being absolutely perfect. You can of course find this game at most popular retailers. Or you can check out their main site.
