Persona 4 Arena discussion thread.

[neonsword13-ops]

I recently got into the whole Persona thing with P3P and P4:TA but this looks...insane. And I mean that literally. Flashes, spam and animations all over the place and I don't know what the hell is going on.

How am I ever going to be able to play this?! It's so inhumanely fast. I'd love to, really, because I love myself some Persona but I wouldn't know where to begin with this. It looks so insanely hardcore.

And I'm not all that good at fighting games either. I could barely get along with Soul Calibur and plain ol' suck at Street Fighter 4. The only fighting game I was ever any good at was Super Smash Bros. Melee. I'm not sure whether this game is suitable for me.

It's not as fast as it seems. If you're willing to get into the super-ultra-mega-combo system, then I suppose it would be.

And the game is made with Persona fans in mind. It makes sure players who are unfamiliar with fighting games can jump right in and start kicking tail. The auto-combo system is where the game really shines. It allows for new players to do some pretty sweet looking moves by just mashing a button a few times.

And listen, I'm not good at fighting games too. Street Fighter 4 kicked my ass on easy mode. This game, on the other hand is very easy to learn and I was doing some crazy combos in no time.

If you still have your doubts, you could borrow it from a friend or maybe give it a rent. I give it my full recommendation.

 

[SwOJester]

I will be picking this up on the 17th when I get paid. Looks amazing.

I have to ask what the RQs are for the IK moves. Guilty Gear made them too easy, BlazBlue made them pointless. What about here?

Last round. Opponent critical. SP at 100+
Down x 3 + Triangle and Square (PS3)
(some characters require you to be in the air)

Really? Same as BlazBlue? Crap. So they're useless again?

There's an easy way to make them useful without making them busted. And they failed at it... again.

Not really, the opponent dont have to be at 30% of its HP to use it. They made it clear you can use it whenever you want as long as it's the last round and you have 100% SP.

 

[Eduku]

Hm, I'm on the fence about whether to get this. I think the main concerns holding me back is the possibility of another revised 'update' to the game getting released down the line or simply waiting for the upcoming Blazblue sequel.

 

[Cowabungaa]

And listen, I'm not good at fighting games too. Street Fighter 4 kicked my ass on easy mode. This game, on the other hand is very easy to learn and I was doing some crazy combos in no time.

Hmm. So in what way does it play differently than other fighters? Apart from the auto-combo system that is, but rather controls or general gameplay style. I don't know; educate me.

And sadly no friends who buy this sort of thing around, or rental places. Will there be a demo? That'd be ideal.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

And listen, I'm not good at fighting games too. Street Fighter 4 kicked my ass on easy mode. This game, on the other hand is very easy to learn and I was doing some crazy combos in no time.

Hmm. So in what way does it play differently than other fighters? Apart from the auto-combo system that is.

And sadly no friends who buy this sort of thing around, or rental places. Will there be a demo? That'd be ideal.

Well, it keeps things simple by only giving you 4 buttons to fight with. (weak fighter attack (Keep mashing this one and it turns into an auto-combo), strong fighter attack, weak persona, strong persona.) That's it. Triggers, shoulder buttons, and L3 and R3 can be reserved to shortcuts for furious actions, bursts, and so on.

Special attacks only require quarter-circle forwards or backwards. No silly button combos. Status ailments like those found in the real Persona games (such as shock, charm, fear, silence, etc) are in here and they can hinder you or your opponent's performance as you play.

And the training mode is excellent. It failed to teach me the basics, which is what SF4 failed to do. The challenge mode taught me some of the more advanced techniques after I was done with training.

Other than that stuff, it's pretty much like other Arcsys fighters. It avoids the weighty and complex feel of SF and goes for an approach to draw in new fans of the genre.

EDIT: Regarding the demo: They might make one if they decide to make DLC characters, but there is not one as of yet. Sorry.

 

[Cowabungaa]

And listen, I'm not good at fighting games too. Street Fighter 4 kicked my ass on easy mode. This game, on the other hand is very easy to learn and I was doing some crazy combos in no time.

Hmm. So in what way does it play differently than other fighters? Apart from the auto-combo system that is.

And sadly no friends who buy this sort of thing around, or rental places. Will there be a demo? That'd be ideal.

Well, it keeps things simple by only giving you 4 buttons to fight with. (weak fighter attack (Keep mashing this one and it turns into an auto-combo), strong fighter attack, weak persona, strong persona.) That's it. Triggers, shoulder buttons, and L3 and R3 can be reserved to shortcuts for furious actions, bursts, and so on.

Special attacks only require quarter-circle forwards or backwards. No silly button combos. Status ailments like those found in the real Persona games (such as shock, charm, fear, silence, etc) are in here and they can hinder you or your opponent's performance as you play.

And the training mode is excellent. It failed to teach me the basics, which is what SF4 failed to do. The challenge mode taught me some of the more advanced techniques after I was done with training.

Other than that stuff, it's pretty much like other Arcsys fighters. It avoids the weighty and complex feel of SF and goes for an approach to draw in new fans of the genre.

EDIT: Regarding the demo: They might make one if they decide to make DLC characters, but there is not one as of yet. Sorry.

Furious actions, bursts? What's all this fancy talk? I suppose that those are terms featured in more Arc Systemworks fighters? Because I haven't played any of them so the fact that P4A is like those doesn't tell me much.

Other than that, sounds good. I like my fighters simple in controls and strong in player creativy, in the sense that you're not dependent on amazing combos but rather on playing quite clever. Like how Super Smash does it. It seems that P4A is at least closer to that than SF4 or something was. Shame about the demo though but who knows when it finally hits European shores.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

-sniparoo-

Actually, bursts were in BlazBlue (Thanks, Fappy!). It's simple to use. It's like a shockwave to push away your opponent. Think of it like Pikachu's Down B in melee. It can be used on the ground and in the air. It's mostly used for interrupting the opponent's combo, but if you hit the opponent with it while they're not attacking, it will fill your SP gauge to max.

Furious actions are unblockable attacks, but you sacrifice a smidgen of health every time you use it. Some characters are defensive, like traps, while others are offensive. My favorite furious action is Yukiko's. She uses Dia, which allows her to heal herself just by holding down L1.

And It comes out September 7th. Exactly one month after the US release.

 

[Fappy]

-sniparoo-

Actually, bursts were introduced in this game, I believe. It's simple to use. It's like a shockwave to push away your opponent. Think of it like Pikachu's Down B in melee. It can be used on the ground and in the air. It's mostly used for interrupting the opponent's combo, but if you hit the opponent with it while they're not attacking, it will fill your SP gauge to max.

Furious actions are unblockable attacks, but you sacrifice a smidgen of health every time you use it. Some characters are defensive, like traps, while others are offensive. My favorite furious action is Yukiko's. She uses Dia, which allows her to heal herself just by holding down L1.

And It comes out September 7th. Exactly one month after the US release.

Bursts were in the BlazBlue franchise since the beginning, but I don't know if they originated from BlazBlue. Not sure if Guilty Gear had it.

 

[Cowabungaa]

le snip

Really? Huh, you're really making it sound more and more interesting with every post you place. Simple to use so that all your attention can go to when you should use it. Perfect if you ask me. Yeah I'll definitely keep my eye on it amidst the game release pandemonium around that time. But it might actually sound like a fighter I could become somewhat decent at.

 

[AbstractStream]

After going through Labrys's story

.
I won't spoil it (just in case anyone hasn't done it yet), but that was so sad D:

 

[neonsword13-ops]

le snip

Also, I put 2 video tutorials below if you're interested. These are all you need to know before you get playing.

 

[Razentsu]

-sniparoo-

Spoiler: Snip

Actually, bursts were introduced in this game, I believe. It's simple to use. It's like a shockwave to push away your opponent. Think of it like Pikachu's Down B in melee. It can be used on the ground and in the air. It's mostly used for interrupting the opponent's combo, but if you hit the opponent with it while they're not attacking, it will fill your SP gauge to max.

Furious actions are unblockable attacks, but you sacrifice a smidgen of health every time you use it. Some characters are defensive, like traps, while others are offensive. My favorite furious action is Yukiko's. She uses Dia, which allows her to heal herself just by holding down L1.

And It comes out September 7th. Exactly one month after the US release.

Bursts were in the BlazBlue franchise since the beginning, but I don't know if they originated from BlazBlue. Not sure if Guilty Gear had it.

GGXX was the originator of the Burst mechanic, if I remember correctly.

But yeah, despite all these mechanics, P4A is a pretty accessible game.

After going through Labrys's story

.
I won't spoil it (just in case anyone hasn't done it yet), but that was so sad D:

I'M READY FOR THIS. I just unlocked her route.

 

[AbstractStream]

I'M READY FOR THIS. I just unlocked her route.

Fair warning about it though.

Spoiler

It's all cutscenes and text. There's only one battle. Still, it's necessary to do to continue.

 

[Razentsu]

I'M READY FOR THIS. I just unlocked her route.

Fair warning about it though.

Spoiler

It's all cutscenes and text. There's only one battle. Still, it's necessary to do to continue.

Yeah, I just finished it. Dude, I was tearing up hard. ;_;

Her story was interesting enough that I didn't even mind the lack of gameplay at all. ATLUS sure delivered.

Well. That's it, I'm maining Labrys.

 

[AbstractStream]

Yeah, I just finished it. Dude, I was tearing up hard. ;_;

Her story was interesting enough that I didn't even mind the lack of gameplay at all. ATLUS sure delivered.

Well. That's it, I'm maining Labrys.

Seriously, I didn't mind it either. Damn you Atlus! You know the direct path to my feelings ><

Once Labrys's story is done, continuing the other stories from the cliff hanger is a breeze. Won't take more than a few minutes.