Launch Station: Persona 4 Arena

The Persona series is a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei, a big franchise of RPGs which focuses on summoning demons.  Persona focuses on the many different groups of teenagers to summon a special side of their psyche known as a Persona to fight demons.  From a series that has established itself in the RPG genre, it is surprising to see Atlus create a fighting game based off the fourth and currently final entry in the Persona series.  Employing Arc System Works, the team behind both Guilty Gear and BlazBlue fighting game series, Atlus might have the right team to transition Persona from RPG to fighting game successfully.

Persona 4 Arena takes place two months after the end of Persona 4.  A mysterious fighting tournament has started in TV World, a realm that in the Persona universe runs parallel to our world, and characters from both Persona 3 and 4 are trapped fighting in it.  By playing through the story mode for each character, you will solve who is running this mysterious fighting tournament and how can these characters escape.  Unlike the latest entries in Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom that have embraced 3D models, Persona 4 Arena sticks with gorgeous high definition 2D sprites with incredible amount of hand-drawn animation and stages.  While in a fight, characters are able to fight on their own with their fists or call upon their Persona to assist them.  Combining your own physical attacks with assists from your Persona can prolong combos and be the difference between winning or losing.  Like in many other fighting games, players are able to execute special attacks and defend from opponent's attacks for prolonged periods of time.  To inhibit players from spamming these moves and techniques, special moves and guarding are limited by the Persona 4 Arena's Burst Gauge.  Persona 4 Arena also includes both offline and online multi-player for players to challenge friends and absolute strangers to one-on-one fights.

Personally, I have never played any of the Persona games so I am not too familiar with the series to get excited for a Persona fighting game.  For fans of Persona or fighting game fans in general, Persona 4 Arena looks like a solid fighting game that will satisfy your Persona and/or fighting needs.  I will say it is pretty cool yet risky decision for Atlus to take Persona from its' RPG roots and make it a fighting game.  One decision that I personally would like to see succeed.