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Persona 4 Arena review: Scary monsters, nice sprites
As I've had an extensive history with Persona 4 Arena's older sisters BlazBlue and Guilty Gear XX #Reload, I felt I knew basically what kind of experience I had in store with Arc System Works' latest 2D anime fighter. I was wrong, as it turns out, in a surprising and endearing way.Now, while my knowledge of Arc System Works' back catalogue is virtually all-encompassing, my know-how of the Persona series is substantially less-than, which is to say "nonexistent." What a shock it was, then, to be thrown head-first into a developed, storied world with characters I've never known and places I've never seen, only to come out the other side deeply invested and hungry for more. Without a doubt, no fighting game has ever made me care about its characters like this.Persona 4 Arena gave me feelings.%Gallery-148152%
BlazBlue hits 1.7 million copies sold worldwide
After four years and four iterations of Blazblue, Aksys announced recently that the Blazblue series sold 1.7 million copies worldwide. Of those copies, 800,000 were unloaded on US street fighters. In celebration of the series' third anniversary in the States, Aksys is holding several contests between now and October. Prizes include signed artwork from developer Arc System Works and an "exclusive" Blazblue wall banner. Details for the contests will be revealed "in the near future" at the official Blazblue site.Arc System Works recently announced Xblaze, which may tie into the Blazblue series. Xblaze is slated for this fall. Meanwhile, Arc System Works' next game, Persona 4 Arena, will be released next week.
Persona 4 Arena videos display sick moves, goofy work environment
This latest quartet of trailers for Persona 4 Arena communicate two very important concepts: One, entering combinations of directional inputs and button presses result in impressive feats of daring do while playing, and two: Being a voice actor looks really, really fun.The behind the scenes video above gives a glimpse into the recording process for P4A's English dub, while the three other videos tucked beyond the veil break down Elizabeth, Labrys and Shadow Labrys' special move sets. Not only did we learn a bit more about the game's characters, but we also added the word "gesitantly" into our ever-growing vocabulary of portmanteau, which was a pleasant surprise. A "plurprise," if you will.
Persona 4 Arena will be region locked on PS3
The PlayStation 3 version of Persona 4 Arena carries with it an unusual distinction: The Arc System Works-developed fighter will be region locked, meaning that North and South American copies of the game won't function on Japanese PS3s, and vice-versa."Yes, the PS3 version game will be region-locked. I certainly can't offer details as to why, but there might be an official response at some point," said an Atlus employee on the company's official forums."To reiterate, our version of the game works for the North and South America regions. Also keep in mind that both the NA and JP versions have both English and Japanese text/voice options, making them nearly identical. I'm unsure of what the case will be for the EU version."While Blu-ray film playback has been subject to regional limitations since the get go, PS3 games have only been limited by the differences between PAL and NTSC -- standards which have waned in relevance since HD televisions became more prevalent.
Seen@E3: Atlus' custom Persona 4 Arena arcade stick
During E3, we met with Atlus to check out Persona 4 Arena, among other things, and upon sitting down at the small table in our private presentation room we were surprised to find a P4A arcade stick waiting for us. Immediately, our hearts were all a-flutter with the prospect of a nice limited edition arcade stick."There is an official HORI stick in Japan," Aram Jabbari told us, "but this is a Mad Catz that we've customized. There is no official North American stick at this time," and as quickly as they had arisen, our hopes were quickly dashed. Jabbari, who is Atlus' Manager of PR and Sales, said we could post about the stick so long as we promised not to insinuate that it was a real product, or that it was ever going to be released. So! Expect to see it on store shelves before the end of the month.(But seriously, there is no North American stick at this time.)
Persona 4 Arena starts a North American fight August 7, includes Japanese voice track
Persona 4 Arena, the upcoming fighter from Atlus and Arc System Works for Xbox 360 and PS3, received a North American launch date of August 7 on this E3 morning. The game will feature an English-speaking dub and also include the original Japanese cast."Persona 4 Arena represents one of the biggest investments in Atlus history," said Atlus VP of sales and marketing Tim Pivnicny. "While it remains a feature we are unable to add in every one of our releases due to any number of factors, we are incredibly excited to be able to offer our fans the frequently requested dual language option in as highly anticipated a title as Persona 4 Arena."
Playing Persona 4 Arena, Episode 1: Buttons and systems
Despite the exceedingly rudimentary tone of this video's first half, Atlus' new series of Persona 4 Arena tutorial videos will undoubtedly come in handy for those less mired in the intricacies of fighting games, yet still interested enough to give P4A a shot.This first episode covers basic movement and button functionality, as well as P4A's cornucopia of special techniques and gameplay systems. RPG fans following the series into this brave new world will undoubtedly be able to handle concepts like "blocking" and "jumping," but the game's "Auto Combo," "Furious Action," "Burst," "All-out Attack," "SP Skill" and "Awakening" mechanics are probably worth familiarizing yourself with ahead of time.And by "probably," we mean "We're never going to remember any of this."
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus coming to Japan this summer, limited edition arcade stick in tow
The XBLA/PSN port of Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus will roman cancel its way into Japanese living rooms sometime this summer, according to Siliconera's translation of Famitsu. Still no word on a North American or European release date, however, but a Japanese release window is a good sign that things are progressing in some fashion.Despite years of inactivity brought on by legal troubles and developmental purgatory, the Guilty Gear series still holds a very special place in the living, beating heart of the fighting game community. So much so, in fact, that arcade parts manufacturing powerhouse Sawna Denshi is producing a limited edition Guilty Gear arcade stick for the PS3, set to launch alongside the game's Japan release.The stick will be available from Ebten for ¥13,980 ($171.95) when it does launch, but since Sanwa only operates in Japan, we doubt it'll make its way to any domestic retailers that don't specialize in importing esoteric wares from the Land of the Rising Sun.
Rampant Speculation Theatre presents: 'Xblaze' announced by Arc System Works
Arc System Works, the development house responsible for the Guilty Gear and BlazBlue series of fighting games, has announced the first entry in what it mysteriously refers to as its "Adventure Project." The game, Xblaze, will be released this fall on unknown platforms in unknown regions, and may tie in with the BlazBlue universe/mythos. No further information is yet available, so at this point the game could be virtually anything. In true Rampant Speculation Theatre fashion, our hastily concocted educated guess is as follows: It will be revealed that the "X" in Xblaze is actually pronounced "cross," ala Street Fighter X Tekken. Yes, Xblaze will be the first cross-over fighting game ever to cross over with itself, pitting characters from BlazBlue against characters from, uh, Blazblue.
Persona 4 Arena's release window narrowed to August 2012
Persona 4 Arena, Atlus and Arc System Works' confrontational extension of the Persona universe, was announced two weeks ago with a rather vague "summer" release window for its North American launch on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Apparently that meant "the tail end of summer," as Atlus has specified a slightly more specific August, 2012 window on the PlayStation Blog.When it does launch, the game will include the prerequisite Online mode, as well as a console-only Story mode, which Atlus is attempting to populate with the English voice actors used in Persona 3 and Persona 4. In situations where English actors aren't available, we always recommend using Scottish or Welsh actors as a substitute. Their geological proximity to England often gives them a familiarity with local dialects that can be useful when replicating an accent. ... Oh, English.
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend review: Accessible insanity
My experience with BlazBlue doesn't stretch beyond a few hours with the Xbox 360 version of the original, dramatically subtitled Calamity Trigger. Having pumped a few more hours into BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend, I can at least confirm that it remains a beautiful and eminently playable fighter with lots to offer and plenty to keep players busy.%Gallery-136395%
Persona 4 fighter officially coming stateside this summer
The mystery of that spooky teaser email has been definitively solved. Atlus announced plans to localize Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena for PS3 and Xbox 360, under the title Persona 4 Arena, which we won't have to look up every time we write about it.Developed by Arc System Works, the fighter features battles between Persona 3 and 4 characters in high-resolution 2D, and will be delivered to North America this summer. So if you were planning to summon a demon to bring this to you -- or import a copy -- you can cancel plans for those extreme measures.%Gallery-148152%
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus coming to XBLA and PSN
One of the most technically demanding fighting games ever created is on its way back, no longer doomed to toil in irrelevant obscurity while its younger brother masquerades in its clothes.Testament, Sol, Kai, Dizzy and the rest of the musically inspired cast of Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus are all headed to the welcoming arms of XBLA and PSN, according to Arc System Works. Like other XBLA/PSN re-releases, GGXXACP will feature netplay, though whether that will be done in-house or powered by an external service like GGPO remains to be seen. No word yet on pricing or a release date, but we're willing to accept anything up to and including a crapdillion dollars, just so long as the launch happens before we die.Not to be confused with Guilty Gear XX Accent Core, Guilty Gear XX Slash, Guilty Gear XX #Reload or Guilty Gear XX: The Midnight Carnival, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus was the final version of Guilty Gear XX, released way back in 2008 on the PS2 and Wii. The XBLA/PSN port follows an announcement that Arc System Works will be producing the very first arcade versions of the game; hopefully this ramp-up in Guilty Gear goodness is a sign of things to come.
Persona 4 fighter hits Japanese arcades in March
The Japanese console release of Arc System Works' Persona 4-based fighting game is due this summer, but you'll be able to play the game sooner ... if you happen to be near a Japanese arcade or an American arcade that really keeps up.Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena will hit Japanese arcades in "early March," developer Arc System Works announced today. We're just going to think about this as a very long testing period, so Atlus can get an idea of balance tweaks before announcing the American release of this lovely 2D fighter. Right?
BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2 dated for Europe, keeping silly name
Despite repeated, impassioned cries from our web-based pulpit, Arc System Works is sticking with the full name "BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2" for the European release on 3DS and PlayStation Portable this November. Blast! The game's November 4 launch date was announced by the Japanese dev house and its European publishing partner, PQube, this morning, alongside a slew of new media. But considering the game came out last May in North America, there's a possibility you've already had your fill of video-based gameplay. But have you seen BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2's gameplay ... set to a rockin' metal riff? We thought not!%Gallery-135315%
The Persona fighting game caught on video, straight from TGS 2011
When we first heard about a rumored Persona-based fighting game from BlazBlue dev Arc System Works, we couldn't believe our eyes. And then Famitsu's full report on Persona: The Ultimate In Mayonaka Arena went live, officially detailing the bizarre mashup of Persona and the fighting game genre.Now, just a few short weeks later, we've got a full 10 minutes of the game being played on video, courtesy of Japanese video sharing site Niconico. If you woke up this morning hoping to see a virtual female viciously beaten with a chair, look no further -- this video's just for you.
Arc System Works planning new Kunio game for 3DS
Arc System Works and developer Million, a group of former Technos employees, have resurrected the Kunio series (which we know best from River City Ransom) in recent years with DS-based games like Super Dodge Ball Brawlers, River City Soccer Hooligans, and River City Sports Challenge. Now, the pair appear to be returning to the origin of the series, with a 3DS game called Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun (Hot Blooded Tough Guy Kunio-kun). That same title was used for the first game in the series, the absolutely terrible brawler we know as Renegade. We're hoping Arc is using that title to refer to the overarching series, and not actually returning to the wooden Renegade gameplay style. Or maybe making the same kind of game ... except not awful. [Image: Hardcore Gaming 101]
Blazblue Continuum Shift Extend stretches to PS3, Xbox 360, and Vita
At E3, we saw a PlayStation Vita version of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 2. Arc System Works has now officially announced that version, along with new PS3 and Xbox 360 games based on the same revision of the HD arcade fighter. Due in Japan this winter, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend adds a new playable character, Relius, new online modes, and all the DLC from the previous console release, among other tweaks. The PS3 and PlayStation Vita versions will share save data for use in the story mode, but Arc System Works has yet to determine whether they'll be able to interact directly in multiplayer. All three versions will be playable at Tokyo Game Show, if you happen to be nearby and want an early look.
Report: Famitsu leak says Persona 4 coming to Vita
The Playstation 2's swan song, Persona 4, will reportedly be receiving a fairly hefty re-release on the PS Vita, according to Andriasang's recent leak of an upcoming issue of Famitsu. The massive RPG was well-received in the console's twilight months, and will only be massiver once its hits Sony's new handheld (under the subtitle The Golden). The site reports the version will include a new character named Mary, additional voice overs and some kind of wireless functionality that lets online friends help you out in a pickle. The magazine also reportedly announces Persona 4: The Ultimate In Mayonaka Arena, a fighter designed by BlazBlue creator Arc System Works for Xbox 360 and PS3. The title will let you brawl as select characters from Personas 3 and 4, and has a new storyline which follows the events of the latter game. Given the lineage of the developer and franchise, we assume that it's going to be absolutely bananas. Update: Famitsu has posted its full report on the games to its website. Go check it out for more details!
EVO 2011 Results Roundup
This year's EVO Championship Series was bonkers, you guys. Not only did MVC legend Justin Wong get perfected into third place during the Marvel vs Capcom 3 grand finals, but The Beast took a bewildering fourth place in Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition, ending two consecutive years of first-place victories. This was also the first EVO ever to feature a Mortal Kombat game, which is a major victory for both NetherRealm Studios and the MK kommunity. Historically, Mortal Kombat titles have never been considered balanced or polished enough to participate in high-level tournaments, and EVO's seal of approval goes a long way in legitimizing Mortal Kombat in the eyes of the fighting community. Check out the highlights reel above for some incredible displays of skill, dedication, and heart, and be sure to peep the full list of winners and finalists after the break.
