All-girl PS2 fighter Arcana Heart coming to North America

by Jason Dobson { Feb 1st 2008 at 5:00AM }

When it comes to the PlayStation 2, publisher Atlus USA is certainly not afraid to point out where its loyalties lie. The company indicated as much when we spoke to them last month, as Atlus PR front man Aram Jabbari called Sony's venerable console "a viable platform," adding that "there is no reason to abandon a veteran system just because it isn't the newest thing around."

What this translates to is that players can expect to continue to see Atlus' unique brand of niche Japanese titles coming stateside for some time. The latest to be confirmed of which is Examu's all-female fighting game Arcana Heart, which promises PS2 owners all the girl-on-girl 2D action they can handle when the game drops in North America on April 8. With 11 different customizable gals and a budget price of $29.99, Arcana Heart certainly has all the markings of a game worth picking up, though given Atlus' history, we expect that it will become near impossible to find at retail just hours after it's released.

Tags: arcana heart, ArcanaHeart, atlus, examu, fighter, girls

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Dr0ooo @ Feb 1st 2008 5:30AM

Good for atlus. They continue to make tried and tested 2D Fighters on the ps2 that continue to sell like crazy. Though I wouldn't mind seeing what they have in store for some next gen consoles in terms of 2D fighters.

Demaar @ Feb 1st 2008 5:31AM

Hmm. I appreciate Atlus' niche leanings, but this game looks to have taken it a few steps to far for my tastes.

Zouden @ Feb 1st 2008 7:51AM

That game looks... terrible.

Norm @ Feb 1st 2008 10:01AM

Actually, if you like 2D fighters, it's actually pretty good. Not for everybody, but I think its popular enough in the states already to warrant it's placing at Final Round XI in Atlanta this year. Too bad the US version is coming out a month after that.

WiNG @ Feb 1st 2008 8:41AM

CAT FIGHT!

ViagraFiend @ Feb 1st 2008 10:36AM

I like how the image shows one girl bitch slapping another.

Gangsta Smurf @ Feb 1st 2008 8:47AM

Pointless port confirmed!

Region2 @ Feb 1st 2008 8:55AM

Oh, so they did go with this game after all. For some reason I remember my buddies at there talking about Melty Blood. Still, Arcana Hearts isn't too bad. I just wish my arcade had the patched version instead of the broken, unbalanced original.

zakufever @ Feb 1st 2008 9:05AM

i just ordered this on weekly special from playasia 2 days ago! i'm not sure just how good a game this is yet, but for $30 it's worth a try. choosing from playing either street fighter II, III and alpha or KoF '99 up to XI is getting stagnant.

samfish @ Feb 1st 2008 9:14AM

I'll buy it and give it a whirl. Can't possibly be worse than any of the recent Mortal Kombat games, at any rate.

Mr.ESC @ Feb 1st 2008 11:50AM

Actually MK:Deception was good but Armageddon was awful.

Bustahwolf @ Feb 1st 2008 9:19AM

Arcana Heart's nice and all, but I'm still waiting for a console port of Rumble Fish 2 to come out. Balance issues aside that's still my favorite 2D fighter of recent memory.

Region2 @ Feb 1st 2008 9:36AM

+1 for you sir. I thought it was only me and a small handful of friends that enjoyed Rumble Fish 2. Yes, yes, RF2 port!

Bustahwolf @ Feb 1st 2008 10:17AM

If it weren't for Chinatown Fair in NYC, I wouldn't even know that RF2 existed. I dunno if Sammy wasn't as fond of it as the GG franchise, or if it just bombed in Japan, but they've never even tried to get a US audience.

Meh, I'm still gonna pick Arcana Heart up when it's out, agree with Zakufever that it'll be a nice change of pace from the usual.