Persona 4 G: Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena (PS3/360/Arc) Announced (2012,ASW/Atlus)

[Kevadu]

OK, having completed a significant fraction of the stories, including what I think are all the main characters, I can safely conclude that they really did decide to leave things wide open for a sequel.  I'm kind of bummed by the lack of resolution.  I guess Arcsys really did want to annualize this series.  On the other hand, since the game sold quite well I think a sequel is pretty much guaranteed now.

[John]

Playing it and digging it.  Finally found my character (Chie) after having toyed around with most of the others.  She wasn't really a favorite of mine in P4, so I hadn't had her on the top of my list of P4A characters to play as.

[Bleaker]

I can safetly say, this game's story...blows. Would anyone have been sore if they left P3 and P4 alone? They could have done this way better as in, not give us 11 OF THE SAME GODDAMN STORIES. They could have gone the Mortal Kombat route, but they didn't. Seeing the same story over. And over. And over. And over, has made me very pissed. Sure, I love seeing P3 and P4 characters interact with each other, but they barely frickin do! The thing that pissed me off the most, was the goddamn cliffhanger. Seriously? You introduce a cool plot point, and then you END.  THE. GAME? No.

The one bright shinning part of this game is Labrys' story. So sad. Yet even there, its reaaaaallly predictable. I hope we never see another Persona fighting game, because Atlus does NOT know how to write them!

Also, plot hole: WHY IN THE HELL AREN'T THEY WEARING GLASSES?

[Kevadu]

Well I'm going to have to disagree with you, Beaker.  The story does not blow.  It's quite good, in fact.  I think they did a remarkable job of incorporating all this different characters and making them fight each other.  The only one who feels a little forced is Elizabeth, but then she's just kind of wandering around doing her own thing.

Is it repetitive?  Sure, a bit.  You're seeing the same events from different perspectives, so it's only natural.  Every story has something to add, though, especially when you start getting into the P3 characters.  And as mentioned, Elizabeth is really just doing her own thing.  Her story is totally unique.

Labrys's story may have been a bit predictable (though I wonder how much of that is just because of the hints dropped in the other stories), but the writing really shines.  Good writing can make even the mundane interesting, but in this case they're starting with something interesting and making it fantastic.  I do wish there were more actual fights in her story, though.

Really, the worst are the starting four characters.  Well, they're not bad the first time but they really are pretty much the same.  I guess Yu at least has the velvet room scenes to mix things up, but the other three...Yukiko's was especially weak, which disappointed me because I really liked Yukiko in P4.  But when you start getting into the P3 characters and even the rest of the P4 cast then I think there are plenty of original moments.  They do all sort of end the same, but that kind of has to happen for the idea of having a consisten canon to make sense.  I agree the ending was a disappointment...definitely sequel-baiting.

[Bleaker]

I've calmed down a bit, not playing the game helped that. The writing is good in a way, but after the 13th time learning they're are Invisible Walls, and only one can go one on, it starts to grate.

[Yggdrasil]

Also, plot hole: WHY IN THE HELL AREN'T THEY WEARING GLASSES?

I think that's DLC.

[Bleaker]

Also, plot hole: WHY IN THE HELL AREN'T THEY WEARING GLASSES?

I think that's DLC.

The worst part is that they would make a large plot hole, just for money...

[Akanbe-]

Damn, I'm pretty sure this might be one of the most challenging fighting games to get a platinum for.  Some of the trophies like score attack clear for every character are going to take a lot of time/patience/skill.

[Kevadu]

OK, about the glasses thing, it's not a plot hole at all!  Persona 4 spoilers:

Code:

The glasses are necessary in Persona 4 to see through the fog.  You find out at the end that the fog is being made by the final boss thing (I can't remember its name right now...) and you defeat it.  With that thing gone there shouldn't be any more fog, so why would they need glasses?

[Lazlowe1984]

Elizabeth is broken.

That damn beam is too much.

[Akanbe-]

Well, she does have the lowest health in the game after all.  Sometimes it's just not knowing the matchup, especially in a zany game like this.  I've only played one Liz before and I still don't know what all she is capable of.

All I know is getting in with Akihiko is kind of an uphill battle.

[lavarock]

I think the "core" story is brilliant, concerning Labrys and how she got there. 

The slight "downfall" is due to the visual novel format and canon ending, so that repetition is a bit inevitable.  It is also interesting that, the story is really more as a continuation of P3 rather than P4, maybe they should have called it Persona 3 Arena:)

[Bleaker]

I think the "core" story is brilliant, concerning Labrys and how she got there. 

The slight "downfall" is due to the visual novel format and canon ending, so that repetition is a bit inevitable.  It is also interesting that, the story is really more as a continuation of P3 rather than P4, maybe they should have called it Persona 3 Arena:)

Well it doesn't really focus on the P3 characters as much as the P4 ones. Its more just another, save the person from their shadow, story that P4 used.

[Lazlowe1984]

Well, she does have the lowest health in the game after all.  Sometimes it's just not knowing the matchup, especially in a zany game like this.  I've only played one Liz before and I still don't know what all she is capable of.

All I know is getting in with Akihiko is kind of an uphill battle.

What I hate is how when you're close to winning online against Elizabeth,your opponent will just spam beam until the match is over.

[lavarock]

Well it doesn't really focus on the P3 characters as much as the P4 ones. Its more just another, save the person from their shadow, story that P4 used.

True but I felt like the routes in P3 characters add a lot to the story, while the P4 chars... not so much but rather repetitions of same story, which get old pretty quick.  Also to me the story has bigger scope than the TVworld/P4's plot, and is more connected to P3.