I think I’ve finally narrowed my main character selection down in Persona 4 Arena (P4A). As much as I would want to say otherwise, I think my main is going to be Teddie. I seem to grasp the system of his moves the best at this particular moment, and I do enjoy playing as him more than I do with the other characters that I’ve been trying. When I originally tried the game at EVO 2012, I had my heart set on using Akihiko as my main. I don’t see that happening at this very moment. While he has a lot of interesting moves, I just don’t feel as comfortable using him as I do Teddie or the other two characters I’ve been playing.
As for my sub, it seems as if I’m tied between Elizabeth and Yukiko. I have a decent grasp on both characters. I think it depends on how I feel as I progress in the game. It’s entirely possible that I could end up using Elizabeth or Yukiko as my main, but it all really depends on how things go as I start seriously training in the game.
I’m so proud of Tyler. He’s starting to get significantly better with Labrys and his execution with her moves. I think he’s actually better with Labrys than I am with any of my characters at the moment. He is regularly able to punish most hits he gets in with some of the combos he has learned so far. That is a lot better than anything I’ve done so far. I have a pretty advanced understanding of the mechanics of the game (since I’ve played Guilty Gear and BlazBlue in the past, and the mechanics of the game are similar in one form or another), but it sure has been something else trying to master the nuances of a new game when I’ve only focused on one game for so long.
On Sunday, Tyler decided to start playing some online P4A matches. He had some mixed feelings about how he did–won some matches, lost some matches. Even though my friends and I were drinking at the time, I decided to hop online and see if I’ve learned anything from all the challenges I’ve run through and the matches I have been playing. While I was initially concerned with my ratio, I figured that the only way to start learning more about the other characters was to start playing other people. Hell, I was hopeful that I would get to watch other players and possibly pick up new tech while I was at it.
Interesting experience.
I’ve noticed a trend in low-level characters that I’m good against and ones that I completely fail against. I seem to have a hard time fighting against Yu. A lot of his moves are so fast, not to mention that they hit hard. I’m good against low-level Yosuke’s because they try and rely on being fast rather than calculating a strategy. I am hit or miss against Akihiko. For low-level Akihiko players, I can easily bait them into rushing right into Teddie’s baseball bat. And oh my god, if that isn’t hilarious. Pretty much anything a basic Akihiko player does, I can knock him back and away really easy. And Mitsuru? Fuck Mitsuru. I can’t play as her, and I can’t play against her. Shota seems to be really good with Mitsuru, though…
One thing I’m trying my hardest to work on is my blocking. Since I’m starting to pay attention to all the characters’ moves and patterns, I’m starting to figure out how to maximize my block strings. I still get myself caught in a bunch of traps, I still mess up button inputs (thanks, BlazBlue muscle memory), and I still haven’t memorized my main characters’ move sets entirely.
My win/loss ratio is pretty awful. I lost a couple matches, I won a couple matches, Shota won a couple matches, Tyler won a couple matches, but in the end I lost more matches than I won.
I still get a bit of nerves when I play online. The feeling used to be so much worse when I first started playing BlazBlue online. When I’d get into a match, I would be incredibly tense, and I would feel my body pumping adrenaline through my system. My hands would often be shaking, and I would have to calm myself down before the next match. The feeling eventually became more natural in the long run, and when I play matches now, I don’t feel nearly as panicked and stressed as I used to. Everyone was right in saying that it is important to play matches online, with friends, and in tournaments. Playing in high stress situations on a more frequent basis helps you prepare for future high stress situations. I’m sure I’ll still tense up and mess up when I get in a high pressure situation like a tournament, but there’s only one way to fix this–adapt to the stress.
I’m still not sure how I feel about my progress in the game, but I haven’t even had the game for a month! It took me so long to get as decent as I was in BlazBlue… why am I so finicky right now? I know things will get better if I keep playing. I know I can.
Tags: FGC, P4A, Video Games