I am PUMPED for this game. I wish I could start playing it right now, but clearly that isn't possible. I'm thinking I should play a somewhat similar game in the meantime. Obviously no two fighting games are alike, but all certainly share similarities.

I'm thinking BlazBlue would be the right choice. Based on some of the similarities:

http://www.siliconera.com/2012/02/17/teddie-explains-how-to-play-persona-4-the-ultimate-in-mayonaka-arena/

...not to mention both are AKSYS.. but any other recommendations?

I'd imagine any Arc Systems (not Aksys) fighting games are similar enough, especially the BlazBlue series.

BlazBlue and possibly Guilty Gear would be your best choices.

Having played bits and pieces of beta arcade versions when they've let the public play them, in terms out of outright controls and fundamental advanced mechanics, other games made by ArcSys, as you already wrote, are probably going to be the way to go to familiarize yourself with the basic operation of the game. I think especially with regards to how characters like Teddie and Chie play, Guilty Gear is slightly more analogous to Mayonaka Arena than BlazBlue, but that might also just be because I've got a lot more experience with Guilty Gear in general. That being said, the presence of Personas and how you operate them does mean that all of the skills you'll accrue through one of ArcSys' other games will not transfer over completely to Mayonaka. In that regard, people who know their way around fighting games better than me claim that Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is similar, although I've never played the game, so I can't attest to how valid of a comparison that is one way or the other.

Right that's what I was thinking. I've been meaning to dive into BlazBlue so now I've got my excuse! I'll probably get the PS3 version.. though part of me wants to get the Vita one to have as a portable fighter.. though I think your game save carries across both titles so I could just pick up the Vita version as well down the line if I get really invested.

@Pepsiman said:

That being said, the presence of Personas and how you operate them does mean that all of the skills you'll accrue through one of ArcSys' other games will transfer over completely to Mayonaka.

hah! That's what I wanted to hear. Awesome.. looking forward to getting into it.

@RainVillain said:

@Pepsiman said:

That being said, the presence of Personas and how you operate them does mean that all of the skills you'll accrue through one of ArcSys' other games will transfer over completely to Mayonaka.

hah! That's what I wanted to hear. Awesome.. looking forward to getting into it.

Ack, that's what I get for not proofreading my writing before posting it. Hopefully you caught my drift and know what I really meant, which was the exact opposite.

But yeah. I've really enjoyed what I played and the way the Personas work still makes it feel like I have to relearn how I approach certain aspects of fighting within that game specifically. It's intimidating, especially as somebody who's only ever been a casual fan of the genre, but it also feels good knowing first hand that the game has its own mechanical feel that makes it feel distinct compared to ArcSys' other games.

@Pepsiman: Do you have any experience with Carl in BB? I'm just curious if the Persona mechanic is in any way reminiscent of his nee-chan.

@StarvingGamer: I've barely put any time into BlazBlue over the years and when I have, it's mostly just been with Taokaka, so I can't say I really know from an actual mechanical perspective how similar Carl is to the Personas. From what I know, you could draw some basic comparisons, such as how Personas are controlled separately from the base character you play as, but in practice, I'd say they're at least somewhat different. I'm not an expert in either game at all, so I'm not the one to ask for a breakdown of stuff like that, but yeah.

Blazblue certainly seems the most similar, though I'm not sure as I don't have a lot of experience with that system. Visually, the Persona system looks a bit like SFxT but they certainly operate differently as there is no second character. Actually it kinda reminds me of what little I know of the first MvC, where you could call in a character to assist you.

@StarvingGamer: No, from the looks of it, it will be different than that. Handling Carl and Nirvana is a pain and difficult to do. I think a more proper comparison would be the new character Relius and Ignis.