Well, the nerdy culmination of the FGC and Persona lovers has finally arrived. Praise be to Atlus for giving us a damn good game. Everything about Persona 4 Arena oozes true devotion from everyone involved. From the intro movie to the ___ Wins! screen, everything is well executed, and caters to Persona 3 and 4 very well. Let's begin with user interface, and we'll get to the meat of things in a little bit!
Menus and Navigation
I can't say anything short of how well presented menus are in this game. They're characterized by Persona's TV influenced theme, yet they're minimalist is how they're presented. It looks nice, and shows you just what you need to know, cutting all the crap in between. The music choice is great, taking "Hang Out" themes from Persona 3 and 4 whilst displaying certain characters on the main screen evokes plenty of fond memories for Persona 3 / 4 players. If you've played of the games, you're sure to fall in love with the game's soundtrack as soon as you hear it. If you haven't it's still as catchy and vibrant as ever.
Even something as simple as choosing your character is an experience. You get to hear various versions of the Velvet Room theme, while choosing Arcana cards from Igor's table, each representing a character. Once you find your warrior, choose your colors and get whisked away on a visual dream!
Visuals and Effects
One thing that is readily apparent about Persona 4 Arena is how detailed and "pretty" it is. Each sprite is beautifully animated: fluidity of motion, the speed at which it happens, the expressions, the movements, the entrance and exit of Personas, each so well done, you'd hardly think it was a game. The effects are vibrant and noticeable, but at the same time don't detract from the action. Said effect remains an effect, nothing more than that. Each character's unique moveset easily recognized. nothing muddles, and the framerate remains at a nice constant despite moments of frenetic gameplay. On a side note, I can say that the color palettes we're given in this game are actually well done. None of them feel like a waste or are too lame for use. Each palette fits the character pretty well and is fun to see shooting across the screen every now and then!
The HUD is also very stylized, taking in basic elements of a fighting game, but keeping it all unified under that SMT feel every Persona player knows and loves. The backgrounds are amazingly detailed and well kept. Each place is a recognizable location from Persona 3 or 4, complete with hazy TV effects, lingering and moving Shadows, distinguishable architecture, and other subtle nuances people rarely find.
Soundtrack
Persona soundtracks in general are known to be some of the best in gaming. One thing Atlus and Shin Megami Tensei do very well is ambiance and music. The music in a Persona game ranges from something light and flighty, suitable for enjoying yourself with friends; to something eerie and sinister, more usually seen in dungeons and dangerous situations.
Persona 4 Arena of course, more handles music in a battle kind of situation. Each character's theme is maddeningly memorable, easily capturing the mentality and personality of the associated warrior. A couple or so are remixes of older themes, not bad ones either. They seem like a whole new song, while also maintaining a recognizable tone of the old song. The soundtrack is nothing short of brilliant.
Gameplay
This game is easily accessible to new players and new member of the FGC. The controls feel great: every movement feels deliberate, it feels like you're in complete control of your fighter, and the moves are rather easy to pull off. It's a game that's easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master. I can say from experience, the online play for this game is FANTASTIC. The lag is pretty minimal, and even in awful conditions, I find myself pulling off combos I normally do. All in all, the games plays like a dream.
Voice Acting
They managed to get a majority of the voice actors from the old Persona games, with the exception of Chie and Teddie. Chie is pretty jarring. She went from sounding pretty normal to sounding younger and much more irritating. Teddie also get more annoying with his new voice. You can hear the old versions from Persona 4 in this clip. The newer voices aren't as good, really. New Chie , new Teddie. You get used to it, but still. The rest of the cast is phenomenal though, so it's always a blast to hear your character talk mad shit about everyone else!
Honestly, it's just a really fun game. If it's not your forte now, wait til it's cheap and then get it. It's totally worth it!
