I get to review it anyway, but there’s quick thoughts I have. Essentially, before this game came out in the U.S., there were a lot of people who had been playing it already who said, “If you’re a Persona fan, get this game, seriously, it’s important to the story. Don’t be turned off because it’s a fighting game, if you like the franchise and Persona 4 and all that, play it.”
Well, they’re right.
Now, if you’re one of those gamers who doesn’t do fighters, don’t let the killer combo videos on youtube dissuade you. There’s a reason why Atlus has posted tutorial videos, why there’s lesson mode, and training, and all that. They want to include you in this game. They know that Persona is an rpg and its fans might not be quick to hook up a fight stick or know how to knock people around, cancel out a combo, start a new combo and just wreck shit up. There’s actually easy combos you can pull off in the game (I’m talking one button Smash Brothers style, keep tapping one button and watch magic happen). As for the experts, well, there’s complicated moves and tricks for you to pull off, too (I’m looking at you final Naoto challenge mode where you have to pull off a combo that does 10,000 damage).
And I’m going to be honest with you. The game itself is sort of divided for each type of gamer. If you’re an rpg fan who spent 100+ hours with Persona 4 and doesn’t know the first thing about fighting, do storymode. Storymode is like 90% story, 10% fighting. There’s choices to make that lead to new paths and everything. When you get to a fight, it’s one match you have to win, that’s it. Then the story continues. Now, if you’re getting this game for Guilty Gear and BlazBlue feelings and don’t know the first thing about Persona 4, then arcade mode is for you. Arcade is like an abridged version of storymode, but that’s where you can max up the difficulty and let loose (or keep it on normal, or turn it down, whatever). And who knows, the hints of story in arcade mode might make you interested in the story as a whole.
If you haven’t played any of the Persona games, story mode isn’t that daunting. There ARE nice little flashbacks, and the characters tell you who they are, “My name is Naoto Shirogane. I’m a detective,” and all that stuff. You get explanations of what persona and shadows are, what the team went through to get them, the murders, the T.V. world, and all that jazz. It’s also a nice refresher if you haven’t been with the series since it’s release in 2008 (though since I watched the anime and stalk tumblr, lol…)
And the game is just great, anyway. All the wonderful things with the team I felt in the rpg are in this new entry into the game. I think what I like most is that it really does feel like a worthy entry into the Persona 4 story. It doesn’t feel like some random sidestory that has no business in the Persona 4 universe (like Guilty Gear: Overture did -_-), it’s just another part of the overall plot. I also really like that old issues resurface which, normally, I don’t. Normally I’m like, “This is solved, we don’t need to do this again,” but the situations in P4 were so personal that, you know, even if you think you’re over something so personal it’ll still sting if it comes up again (ie Kanji’s story). I mean yeah, sure, you spent a year with your friends helping them, but think about it. In real life, if you’re over a situation and someone brings it up again, are you always like, “Nope, doesn’t bother me anymore,” or are you more like, “Why are you bringing that up again?!” It depends on the situation, of course, but if it’s something you’ve struggled with for a while, it’ll still effect you.
So, these are my quick thoughts on the game before I expand them into something longer. Did you pick it up? What do you think so far?