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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | Beyond our world lies that of the Elemental beings the Arcana. These mighty spirits offer their abilities to the Maidens those rare humans who are able to communicate with them. Long ago our worlds were connected. However the two worlds unexpectedly split apart and a dimensional boundary was formed between them separating our world from the Arcana. Seeking to harness their energy the mysterious Mildred Avalon is trying to form a rift in the boundary and merge the worlds once more. Should her plan succeed life on our world will never be the same again. Only the Maidens with the help of their Arcana can prevent her from bringing an end to all humanity.Features:An all‐girl fighting spectacular Battles heat up with 11 beautiful female fighters to choose from.Customize your fighter s skills Arcana add new attack and defense skills. Build your combat strategy by selecting from 11 different Arcana to pair with your fighter.Supreme vertical action Take your fighting skyward! Huge battle maps let you rain down punishment on your opponent with air dashes and homing techniques to create devastating aerial combos.Exceptional replay value Includes the original Arcana Heart and the remixed Arcana Heart FULL and offers four different modes: arcade story versus and training as well as a gallery mode filled with unlockable extras.Format: PS2 Genre: FIGHTING (VG) Rating: RP UPC: 730865530274 Manufacturer No: 53027 | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Product Length: | 7.5 inches | | Product Width: | 5.5 inches | | Product Height: | 0.25 inches | | Product Weight: | 0.2 pounds | | Package Length: | 7.5 inches | | Package Width: | 5.3 inches | | Package Height: | 0.6 inches | | Package Weight: | 0.3 pounds | | Release Date: | April 10, 2008 | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 20 reviews |
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| | Game Information | | Platform: | PlayStation2 | | Media: | Video Game | | Item Quantity: | 1 |
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| | Features | Gorgeous anime‐style 2D fighting with cute characters and smooth animations.Deep fighting engine with significant fighter customization options.Very popular arcade and console fighter in Japan comes to North America.
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 20 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 53 found the following review helpful:
 Don't be a band wagon yokol. If you love 2D fighters purchase this game! Apr 15, 2008
By Benjamin S. Sprague
"Broken Hierophant"
This is a fighter that likely has caused more controversy than God Of War and San Andreas. You'd think an all girl 2D fighter with very few vulgarities would not be a big deal to our sensibilities. After all we watched boobies bounce in rumble roses and noone raised a stink. We watched panty shots and string thongs in DOA beach volley ball and like-wise everyone gave "yays!" across the board. Arcana Heart doesn't exploit its' characters as sex objects though admittedly Mildred and the android china doll Mei Fang have the usual voluptuous assets.
To be honest Arcana Heart is no more controversial than what you'll see in a campy Saturday morning cartoon or on an episode of Sailor Moon/Inuyasha. You have 11 selectable cute girls who have all befriended elemental spirits called Arcana. When I say cute here I commonly mean "adorable" instead of sexy hawt. There is a difference between those distinctions. The goals of each heroine are somewhat unique but they all must face Mildred Avalon, a callous angel ice queen that is willing to bring about Armageddon just so she can become an Arch angel. As expected her goal to merge our world with the elemental world would result in billions of lost lives. Only you (Heart) and your entourage of friends can stop her. Sound like cutesy general audience anime fan fare? Well that's just it. For the most part it is. Yes there are suggestive themes but even Naruto and Pokemon have suggestive themes. Come to think of it He Man and Thunder Cats had suggestive themes too.
Anyway back to that later. Though by story line each girl has an Arcana they specifically befriended you can equip each fighter with any of the 11 Arcana you want. This has limitless potential for a lot of possible power up combinations as each Arcana interacts with every girl a bit differently. Arcana do various things. Some can for example speed you up , slow time, entangle enemies in vines, drop boulders on the heads of your foes, rush at enemies for a brief cameo summon attack, or give you bonuses that will effect your jumping, falling, defense, and recovery time. These are very basic examples mind you. There's a lot more to it.
The only critique I have is things feel slow and floaty. Yes you can dash forward in the air and double jump or even run across the ground, however when not doing these actions you are not fluid in the least bit. Also do not expect matches to end as quick as they do in King of fighters or Street fighter alpha 3 max. Arcana Heart heavily emphasizes patient games of cat and mouse. Button mashing will not get you that far even on the easiest possible difficulty. Picture Guilty Gear XX if it was not as cheap and running at half its' normal speed and you end up with this game.
However before you lament remember some of these faults are a blessing in disguise. This is a fighter that encourages you to use your noggin. It is a fair fighter in which everyone stands on an equal playing field. In most brawlers corner trapping and knowing each fighter's special moves will get gamers by on cheapness alone. Not so with Arcana Heart.
So what of the characters? Yes there are not many here. Only 12, and that is including Mildred who is the boss. However though these characters proudly wear cutesy anime cliches on their sleeves they all have more personality, more soul, and more originality than most of the fem fatale fighter girls already out there. Heart is the sweet innocent cheer leader girl that cares for both friends and enemies alike. Saki is a wealthy daughter to a businessman who regrets not saving her best friend Fiona. Kamui is the typical quick blade drawing samurai girl in a black uniform cliché yet there is much more to her than that. Konaha is a cute part dog ninja girl. Lilica is a kind hearted yet trouble making part demon girl prankster on roller blades. There is also Yoriko a meek and shy witch whose polymorphed staff is actually a demon lord, and Lieselotte, a gothic lolita from Germany that carries the soul of her sister in a possessed doll. I'd go on but you get the point. These girls radiate with personality and on top of that their sprites are so life-like they out-shine Guilty Gear XX and even Street Fighter III third strike. Perhaps seeing the moving mouths and blinking expressive eyes of pixilated cuties will go unnoticed to some but if you ever loved and admired 2D sprite work you'll realize the artists and programmers working on Arcana Heart pulled off something incredible.
As far as the sound goes this is a sore spot with many people that own the game. However I found the music for each stage matched up pretty well to create the intended mood. There are not many tracks but the ones that are here shine.
With so much going for it you may still ask why many will log onto topic threads just to heckle it. The equation is simple.
First you create a fighting game about young girls and elemental spirits . You add good characters, a decent plot, and great fighting physics.
Secondly you release it to the masses. As you know individuals are smart but masses never are. Two camps of ignorant slack jawed yokols arise. The first camp chortles that this game is for pedophiles and the second camp of inbred idiots draws the conclusion if you like a fighter with only girls in it you must be gay. (Not that homosexuality IS necessarily a bad thing. But homophobic beer swilling frat boys feel threatened by anything that is different.) Though the game is a "fighter" and not a hentai sex game the yokols are convinced it must be the fusion of satanic energies with underage horny school girls. Yes, seems like they protest too much. After all they were the first people to throw accusations and see Arcana Heart from that twisted perspective. Another words these yokols were the first people to perceive the cute girls in Arcana heart in a sexual manner. The rest of us on the other hand were just excited we were getting another great 2D brawler from Atlus that had a deeper element to it through the Arcana system.
Case and point. There have been cartoons and games using young girls as characters since the early 80's. Before that we had Alice in wonder land and Nancy drew. Just because said properties focus around young girl heroes and villains does that mean if you are a guy that enjoys them you're out surfing for underage jail bait? No. It doesn't.
As with the above mentioned intellectual properties Arcana Heart is fun with a good story line and a likable cast. In any cohesive series THAT is what keeps people of any age hooked. I know a lot of adults for example that read Harry Potter and they're on average normal people that simply have their inner children still alive . Many adults like putting themselves in the roles of younger characters just because it makes them feel young again themselves.
In closing my point is if you are a 2D fighter fan you should at least try Arcana Heart. Have a back-bone. Don't join the ignorant torch bearers on the fence just because you are afraid your masculinity or maturity will be questioned. If people are going to judge you over the fact you play this game they are in need of professional psychological help. You have to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
A cute, interesting fighter, great for anime lovers. Apr 24, 2008
By Pixie
I am so extremely pleased that Atlus picked up Arcana Heart for US release. I wanted to play it so much that earlier this year I was looking at prices for import PS2s. Imagine my excitement to see it sitting on a shelf at a game store a week ago. I really did NOT think this type of game would be a candidate for localization, but it's great that it was.
Why didn't I think it would be? Well, the game's very obviously aimed at anime fans, chiefly male. It's funny that people have alleged that a male would be "gay" for playing this game, because the cute female characters are meant to attract a male audience. All the girls have popular "moe" characteristics. "Moe" basically means a huge interest, love, or fetish for a thing or a particular characteristic- there are, for example, people who are very, very interested trains, and for those people, trains would be moe. But chiefly the word is used to describe anime and video game characters. You can consider anything moe, but some of the larger ones are things like glasses-wearing girl (meganekko), maid, catgirl (nekomimi), tsundere (someone with a distant or argumentative personality but who is actually loving), and so forth. All of these and many more are represented in Arcana Heart. You'll see everything represented from swimsuits to priestesses to gothic lolita.
There is, of course, a LOT of fanservice, but for the most part it's nothing very racy. A lot of the "sex appeal" comes from these moe characteristics being present rather than nudity. Even if you're not interested in any sexual aspect, you can appreciate the characters for being what they are- REALLY cute and lovable. When I play it, I'm exclaming, "Awwww!" every few minutes, because the girls are so darn adorable.
The graphics are great, both the 2D battles and the anime-style cutscene illustrations. This game is super pleasing on the eye in every aspect. The battle graphics are fluid and have a fresh, bright quality and the stages have lots of life and detail. The music is pretty nice, too, and the girls have the cutest voices.
There is a story mode, and each character has her own little storyline comprised of dialogs with the other characters. The stories I've played through so far have been nothing earthshaking and they don't have much plot, but they are very cute, amusing, and full of pretty pictures, so I'm not complaining. They also demonstrate the relationships between various characters, which is always nice.
As for gameplay, it's pretty good- not revolutionary, but fun. There are 11 playable girls and 11 usable arcanas. Each girl, of course, has her own "Maiden" moves. Lieselotte, for example, fights with a possessed doll which she can keep inside her briefcase for stronger physical hits, or whom she can release to move around and fight on its own. The priestess Maori can call in her sisters during battle for attacks. The different arcanas each have a specific element and grant you some moves and various special powers- one allows you to use lightning strikes, another enables you to poison your foe, and so forth. Aerial combat is a prominent feature of this game. You can go EXTREMELY high into the air, higher than any fighter I've ever played, and many attacks still work in the air.
Like most fighting games, you have a Super Meter in order to store up a "Super" and use special attacks. You can save up to 9 Supers, and using a Maiden or Arcana special attack will drain 1 Super. You also have a Homing Meter, which looks like three smaller meters. Certain abilities allow you to home in upon your opponent, and using one of these will take away one bar from the Homing Meter. They refill over the course of the battle.
Another thing you can do is call upon your Arcana, called the Arcana Force. This will refill your Homing Meter instantly but it will also drain your Super Meter constantly. The more Supers you have saved up, the longer an Arcana Force will last. While an Arcana Force is active, you'll get different abilities based upon the Arcana you are using. If you use Dieu Mort, for example, the Arcana of Poison, your physical attacks will poison the enemy during an Arcana Force. Finally, there is one special attack called the Arcana Blaze you can only do during an Arcana Force, and it is very powerful, but it will drain your Super Meter back to zero.
This is not a game that leads itself to button mashing, and you do have to strategize. It's slower paced than other fighting games, but you REALLY have to make use of that time. You have to become familiar with a character's moves and come up with tactics. It's a process of trial and error and it can be frustrating but as you become familiar with a character it isn't so hard. My biggest complaint is probably that, to me at least, combos don't feel very fluid and can be tough to pull off. I love combos, so this is sort of a bummer for me. It's not so bad, though, and I still get tons of enjoyment out of the game.
Based on my minor gameplay gripes, lack of revolutionary content, and the fact that it's just not a game that's for everyone, I give it a 4 rather than a 5. But if you enjoy 2D fighters and love the anime aesthetic as much as I do, it's definitely a worthy addition to your collection. The characters are cute, quirky, varied, and engaging; they really make the game an experience. So for fun, I give it a 5/5.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
I am absoliutely terrible at fighting games... Oct 22, 2008
By Jacob Hoenshell
Yes, I absolutely suck when it comes to fighting games. Anyone who can mash buttons can beat me, but that doesn't change the fact that I love playing them.
Arcana Heart is an all-female fighting game, which I think was long past due to debut in a culture where in fighting games the token females were only about half as strong as any male. With 11 girls and 11 arcana to choose from, there are 121 possible choices to make for your fighter, pretty much meaning a fighting style for everyone.
The animations are fluid, the storyline is fun, and each girl and arcana has a unique move-set that can keep your opponent guessing at what you'll do next. I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys fighting games.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Fun, not for everyone Jul 10, 2008
By Kellan Cathal
"Laevatienn"
This is a great game, for a niche audience. It's very fast paced as well as exciting. Very challenging at times too. The great thing about this game is it's great fro just pick up and play, or to pass the time, seeing which scores you can beat and unlocking all the art. The fighters are very diverse and when played right are very well balanced.
The girls themselves are very interesting and, while not quite a story game, they have some unique personalities to be sure. The music isn't great for listening alone but with the fighting it just feels right, no complaints here anyway. The controls are smooth which allows for some very intense matches that you'd never see in Soul Calibur.
Overall a fun game with a great cast and playability. If you like anime/2d fighters you owe it to yourself to pick this game up.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Surprisingly good 2-D fighter May 20, 2008
By N. Durham
"Big Evil"
Atlus' Arcana Heart is for truly devoted fans of the 2-D fighter and it shows. Featuring an all female fighting roster, Arcana Heart features a surprisingly deep fighting system and an interesting, obviosuly anime-inspired art design to boot. The animation is fluid and looks very good, the storyline and characters are quirky, and the Japanese flair overall is ever-present as well, although there are some issues to be found the deeper you get in the game. For starters, some may find the loading time to be a little on the long side, while others may have a hard time getting into Arcana Heart's play style and unique fighting mechanics. Make no mistake that Arcana Heart is not meant for the mainstream fighting gamer, but for hardcore fans of the 2-D fighting genre that don't mind an anime flavor. If that sounds like your thing, you'll have a blast with Arcana Heart, and the budget price tag certainly doesn't hurt things either.
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