Before the launch of the PlayStation 4/Xbox One generation, software publishers were unsure how well the new consoles would do. The questions around gamers' contentment with the 360 and PlayStation 3, whether or not folks would migrate over to mobile and PC, and others had the bigwigs gun shy about putting too much into developing new titles for the fledgling systems. History shows that the PlayStation 4 ended up selling like gangbusters, leaving the audience hungry for new titles and developers knocked back on their heels. What followed was an era of definitive editions, remasters and the like, selling old games with a new, but often hastily-applied sheen. Those things sold like gangbusters, so the trend continued. Oftentimes, these re-releases are cash grabs. Occasionally, they're released as an inexpensive way of gauging consumer interest in a new franchise entry. But they're always marketed with the idea that the re-released product is the best version. That's why it's odd that Atlus and developer Arc System Works didn't try that marketing tactic with the re-release of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. Instead, they're basically saying "here it is again if you want." That level of honesty is appreciated.
To be clear, the entirety of our review of the original release back in 2014 still holds true. The new version is that game with most of the DLC released afterwards included. To be truthful, I say "most" because that's what the publisher is advertising. For the life of me, I cannot figure out what was left out. The DLC story chapter centered around Adachi, all of the DLC fighters, as well as a plethora of cosmetic and announcer options that were optional DLC in the original version are present and accounted for. This package includes the stories from the original Persona 4 Arena, as well as the sequel story found in Ultimax.For folks who discovered Persona 4 more recently, say with the successful Steam release, and want to spend more time with the characters, it's an easy sell. This version runs on modern consoles and PCs and sells for less than a copy of the original release on eBay.
Returning players may want to know if anything else was done. The answer there is yes, but not a ton. As a fighting game that was continually supported, there have been Japanese arcade iterations that didn't make their way to the home ports. This release rectifies that with the most recent 2.50 balancing. That balancing change also applies to the Challenge mode and RPG (fun) time sink, Golden Arena mode. This may sound like a big deal, but comparing the PlayStation 3 version to the PlayStation 4 version, I didn't detect too huge of a difference in the balancing. That isn't to say that there aren't any differences, but these changes are less likely to be detected by a casual player.
Graphically, the game did get an upgrade to the resolution. Playing the PS3 version on a 4K television, there's a certain fuzziness around the portraits and character models due to the hardware limitations at the time. The newer version solves that. Portraits are sharp and the character models are displayed at a higher resolution. This can be a bit of a double-edged sword, though. Some of the fighters take to the higher rendering well. While the work doesn't hit the level of Arc System Works' more recent...work, the animation and crispness of a fighter like Labrys holds up well eight years after the original. Others, such as Chie Satonaka, exhibits a blocky quality that serves to remind the player that this is an older title. Fortunately, even the less-stellar models are beautifully animated, with a fantastic balance struck between '90s fighting game nostalgia and modern sensibilities.
One thing that would've been nice for them to improve would be the story naming. When hopping into Story Mode, the options are P4 and P4A, with P4 being listed first. For players picking up a Persona fighting game for the first time, they would naturally assume that P4 is the first chronologically, but they would be wrong. P4A is actually the story that takes place a couple of months after the crew solved the mystery in Persona 4, with P4 taking place the day after P4A. It simply makes no sense. It's a minor quibble, but considering part of the reason for this release is to give new fans of Persona 4 a chance to experience the sequel, it's a small fix that should have been considered.
Besides serving Persona 4 (and 3) fans with the return of beloved characters,Ultimax was, and still is, one of the forerunners of the trend to allow newbies to slap the buttons and do cool stuff, while having the deep mechanics to give the folks who learn the game the upper hand every time. I'll admit that I'm long out of practice with this one, so playing against the wife was a series of failures as I tried to utilize half-remembered techniques against her slap-fu. Eventually, I gave up and decided to mash, and had a better time. Little does she know that the game features one of the better training and challenge modes out there, which will prove to be the balm to my bruised ego.
The other sticking point will be the netcode. Rollback netcode is currently the gold standard for online fighting games and this re-release doesn't include it. While this is a startling oversight from a developer that has nailed the concept with their recent title, Guilty Gear Strive, it should be noted that they did listen and plans are to update the title in the Summer of 2022. With their track record on netcode, though, there's little reason to be concerned even during the busiest of times.
Closing Comments:
For better or worse, mostly better, the re-release ofPersona 4 Arena Ultimax is just that: a re-release. This isn't a superior version that has seen huge amounts of love and care. Instead, it's a competently-ported game with a resolution upgrade and the latest balancing. Fans who missed out on the game before but love the characters in Persona 3 and 4 should snag this one. Returning players who have had their fill of Ultimax, however, will have a harder time justifying a purchase. This is not the fault of the publisher or developer, though, as this is sold and marketed as just the game, not an attempt to double-dip. Because of this, treating the game on its own merits, the re-release of Persona 4 Arena Ultimaxcomes highly recommended. It has fun characters embarking on a fresh adventure in a new genre. The story can be padded, but it still scratches that itch. The most fantastic part is that this old game has systems and gameplay that still holds up favorably to modern fighting releases. There are few fighters that can boast that.
4.0/5
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Reviewed on PlayStation 4
Fighting
Visual Novel
- Franchise
- Persona
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360
- Released
- September 30, 2014
- Developer(s)
- Arc System Works, Atlus
- Publisher(s)
- Atlus
- How Long To Beat
- 11 Hours
