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Video Game Vintage Title: Persona 4 Arena

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Persona 4 Arena

Persona 4 Arena

Persona 4 Arena, known as Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena in Japan, is a 2012 fighting video game, developed both by Arc System Works and Atlus based on the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series owned by the latter company. It was released in Japan in March 2012 for arcades, and on July 26, 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. It is the second region locked game on PlayStation 3 . However, it is the first region locked disc-based PS3 game. It has been released in North America on August 7, 2012. The European version was delayed and was released on May 10, 2013. During the game, the player controls a user of a being called a Persona that has access to multiple type of attacks and is pitted against other Persona-users.

The console versions added a story mode that expands the plot from the arcade version. The game takes place two months after the events of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 and features characters from both that game and Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3. The plot focuses on a fighting tournament named "P-1 Grand Prix" starting in a dimension known as the Midnight Channel where characters from the Persona series are forced to fight each other using their Personas in order to progress and find the host. The main composer is Shoji Meguro and the music includes both new and rearranged themes.

Atlus requested Arc System Works' collaboration to make Persona 4 Arena with the former handling the story and the latter the gameplay. Persona 4 Arena became one of the fastest selling fighting games in Japan with 90% of its stock sold in its debut week. Reviews for the game have been positive with critics praising the gameplay and graphics employed and has been compared with other well-known fighting games franchises. While the story has been praised for its accessibility and voice acting, the amount of dialogues resulted in recommendations from critics to try other shorter modes.

A sequel, titled Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold , is currently being developed for Japanese arcades, featuring new characters and abilities. The story is set after the original Persona 4 Arena event. It will be released on PlayStation 3 in the summer of 2014.

Persona 4 Arena Plot

The first four story modes focus on Yu Narukami, Chie Satonaka, Yosuke Hanamura and Yukiko Amagi watching a commercial of a fighting tournament, "P-1 Grand Prix", hosted by what appears to be their friend Teddie. The tournament not only involves them but also their companions Kanji Tatsumi and Naoto Shirogane. With their friends Rise Kujikawa, Kanji and Teddie missing, and Naoto absent, the following day Yu, Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko decide to investigate the tournament. They head into the TV world and find themselves stuck in the tournament. During the tournament, the group is forced to fight each other as they see illusions of their friends acting aggressive, while an impersonator of Teddie named General Teddie serves as the host. An impersonator Rise works doing the commentary of the fight with real one trapped inside the TV world. They also meet Labrys, a girl without a Persona, who entered the TV World and suspect her Shadow may be responsible for this tournament. Additionally, an unknown entity starts tricking fighters into believing he is their Shadows. After defeating all the opponents, the player learns that General Teddie is Labrys' Shadow in disguise that attempts to kill the real one.

Other connected storylines involve Yu's friends who are met in the tournament. The real Teddie finds himself trapped in the TV World before Yu and the others learn of the competition and finds he has been impersonated by the host; Kanji accidentally falls into the TV World but believes the tournament is a dream; Naoto is hired by public safety to spy on the secret special forces Shadow Operatives and follows them to the TV world where she finds herself in the P-1 Grand Prix.

The Shadow Operatives is explored in Mitsuru, Akihiko, Aigis and Naoto's story modes. Mitsuru is the leader of Shadow Operatives that fights Shadows and it was formed two years after the events of Persona 3 FES. A weapon from them designed to fight Shadows, Labrys, disappears when Mitsuru's plane is hijacked. Mitsuru and Aigis track her down to Yasoinaba and enter the TV world, joined by Akihiko and with Naoto in close pursuit. As a result they become involved in the Persona tournament. Before encountering Labrys' Shadow, Yu and Aigis also meet a woman named Elizabeth who wishes to test their skills with their ability known as the Wild Card in order to obtain a new power. After leaving the TV world Elizabeth gains insight on the nature of the Wild Card from Yu and Aigis, and she gains her own Fool Arcana, signifying the start of a journey.

Labrys' storyline features her creation at the Kirijo Ergonomics lab and her development done through forcing her to fight other models of her series. She grew close to one of her sisters, #024, but was forced to destroy her too. She eventually escaped the lab, dealing a lot of damage to it in the process, and was recaptured and sealed away. After vanishing from Mitsuru's plane she was tossed into the TV world and her Shadow created the tournament to let other people feel what she felt.

The final part of the game, titled "Cliffhanger", starts after the appearance of Shadow Labrys in the tournament. Once the player defeats Shadow Labrys, Labrys accepts her Shadow which turns into the Persona Ariadne. As they prepare to leave though the true mastermind behind everything takes control of her to attack everyone. He is defeated and Labrys is freed as the culprit escapes. The mastermind's objective is to weaken the Persona users mentally so that their Personas will revert to shadows. Before going back to investigate the culprit, Mitsuru tells the Investigation Team group to forget about everything. Labrys decides to join Mitsuru's group in her next work. Aigis also decides to help Labrys search for the girl in her memories. Yu also reveals his intentions that the Investigation Team should continue working on the same goal as Mitsuru.

Persona 4 Arena Gameplay

As a fighting game, the controllers buttons have their own respective actions using four buttons. While characters are able to perform attacks on their own, they are also able to call their Personas to assist them during battles. Should the Persona be attacked by the opponent, the player will lose a blue card situated below the health bar. Following four attacks, the player will be unable to use Persona for a short time. Some attacks can also have status elements such as poison in which the opponent suffers damage over time.

Through button combinations, characters are able to perform a series of special attacks as well as defend themselves for a prolonged time. The strongest attack is the "Instant Kill" which can immediately defeat the opponent if the attack connects. However, these types of techniques are limited as a result of using the "SP Gauge" which is at the bottom of the screen in the form of blue bars. When the character has low life left, they enter into the "Awakening State" that refills the SP Gauge and increases the character's defense. Below the life bar there is the Burst Gauge which gives access to other forms of the Persona Attacks as well as refil the SP Gauge depending on how it is used.

The console versions also feature a story mode and an online mode, with the former giving multiple campaigns that focus on a single character. When first starting the game, only four character campaigns are available, requiring the player to complete to unlock more. Across the story, the player is given the option of choosing answers for questions which can result in a different ending from the regular one.


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