Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Producer: Atlus
Release Date: September 30, 2014
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3
Rating: Teen
Genre: Fighting
Sho Nuff
Written by Jesse Seilhan
We currently live in a fighting game resurgence. There was a dark period where Street Fighter was dormant, classic franchises were dead, and 3D fighters lost all their steam. Luckily, companies like NetherRealm (Injustice, Mortal Kombat) and Arc System Works (Guilty Gear, BlazBlue) helped keep the genre alive, by creating deep and engaging battle systems that welcome new fans and empowering veterans. With a game like Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Arc System Works is bridging the gap by creating a deep and beautiful fighting game that both rewards fans of the RPG series Persona while still embracing fighting fans that could care less about the story. While it once only existed in Japanese arcades, it now lives on the Xbox 360 and PS3, giving fans in North America something to hold them over until the next real canonical Persona game is released.
Anime fighters are kind of in their own class, as the philosophy of balance and tiering is a little different than your standard fighter. Most characters have a second-self, a Shadow Type, that has its own attacks and combos, different than the version of the character that flies solo. Even further, some characters have wacky sub-battle systems, like a baseball diamond or deck of playing cards, each performing completely differently in battle than everyone else. Luckily, there is an extensive tutorial mode that covers a myriad of systems, although it never gets character-specific enough to explain some of those wackier ones. The game follows a four-button layout, eliminating some of the cramping maneuvers needed to navigate modern fighters. Spending time in both practice and tutorial battles will help create rhythm with the varied cast and might not be as easy as trying to pick the Ken and Ryu of this game before going blind into a match.
The character design and variety of modes is the real draw, as the story mode covers the storied Persona mythology from the view of multiple characters. The Persona universe is kind of insane, focusing on teenagers that have the ability to summon aspects of their psyche that are used in battle. Each character is fairly different, in both design and philosophy, and playing them requires a slightly different focus and implementation. The Golden Arena mode is a fun time sink, as your fighter levels up with each successful battle, eventually gaining new abilities and stat increases over time. In the PS3 version, there is a cool virtual lobby where players can mingle before online fights begin, perusing various locations from the franchise and utilizing classic music from prior games. The game does have a fairly dedicated community online, with players vying to hone their skills to one day compete in the excellent EVO tournament in Las Vegas.
For those that have yet to buy a shiny new console, there is not a whole lot of new software coming your way, especially in the fighting genre. This game is already a must-buy for Persona fans, but those new to the genre and the lore will probably be happier with something a little more accessible. The tutorials do a great job getting the uninitiated comfortable, but without any strong ties to the story or the characters that operate within, it would be real tough to recommend this to a fighting game fan. This is no fault of the game itself, as its made just about as well as can be, stuffed with fighters, modes, and already an extensive amount of DLC. Those willing to dedicate many hours to mastering a different kind of fighting game, pick up Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, but for casual fans, wait until you pick up a new console see what the landscape looks like then.