Customer Reviews

Wild Arms 3

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is my first Wild Arms game, everybody told me it was a great series and ya know what they're right! This is a great game that shouldn't be overlooked, and that EVERY RPGer should consider trying out.

First of all, the game is a more traditional RPG. What I mean by that, is that you walk around on the world map and gain levels the old-fashioned way or in my opinion the way an RPG on the console should be. More exploration of the world than other RPGs out there (Grandia games come to mind) and you can explore the world at your own pace instead of having to be at the end of the game to do it (FFX comes to mind).

The games battle system presents something new to me. Again, its a more traditional turn based RPG battle system. Much like Lunar and Legend of Legaia and that sort. You select all your characters actions and then watch tbe battle progress. It make you be more strategic, but like most battle systems if you exploit this then the game becomes to easy. The battle animations and Camara angles are spectacular. You can even battle on horseback and in a giant sand craft making it more enjoyable.

Now for the juicy parts. The Cel-shaded graphics are beautiful! They're astounding even if it does give it a cartoon like look it makes it look more amazing. The cutscenes are also fantastic...just wish they had more of them. Now for the next bit of juice, the storyline. The story is absolutely brilliant. The only problem with it is that some parts of the storyline move really slowly, but the story does shed some originality.

The "field" system in this game is quite unique. You can use tools and you actually need to reveal the town/dungeon to actually go into it. Also you can pick up stuff as well and throw it. The puzzles are quite interesting and complex and you actually have to think on them. Also you have an encounter gauge that goes down if you want to avoid battles. Pretty cool.

Character developement is actually pretty well done. Each character has their own indiviual personality and are adventuring for their own personal reasons. Also, something new to me in an RPG (I understand for those who've played WA2 this isn't though) is that you play through each main characters prolouge to see just how they got there...to me thats pretty new.

Now my small gripes. As mentioned the story does move slow at times. Also, there's the fact that the world map screen doesn't exactly help you locate that many towns...you have to discover them first making the World Map utterly useless. Lastly is that the game just WAY to easy near the end.

OVERALL
The good stuff
+Brilliant storyline
+Great Characters
+Amazing Cel-shaded graphics
+Great camara angles
+Amazing Battle animations and cinematics
+Great Interface
+Nicely done "field" system
+Tons of side quest and hidden bosses

The bad stuff
-Not enough cinematics
-Story moves slow at times
-Near the end the game is just too easy

-In the beginning the world map is useless

Overall I give the game a five even with the little gripes (even FFVII and CT had cons). The game is a great game to own espcially if you're an RPGer, Zelda and Final Fantasy aren't the only two RPGs out there ya know.

This WA is by far an excellent addition to anyone's RPG drawer. Unlike SOME people's bland analyses, this WA is unique in many ways in comparison to its previous cousins.

First of all, the story will feel familiar to those of you who played the first WA. A lot of references and names are used in conjunction with this one (including two big surprises in the middle I won't spoil for anyone yet to play this game) and make this game more engrossing. Second, the main character of this game is the first female protagonist for the Wild Arms series and she does a good job of playing the courageous heroine. While she's no Lenneth Valkyrie or Elly Van Houten, Virginia Maxwell performs well fighting injustice throughout Filgaia. To make it more interesting, she is the only female member of the team and the leader of a party that composes males. How's that for girl power? Third, if you loved the ARMS in the last two games, you'll be surprised to know that in this WA, ARMS are your regular weapons and that they are the main weapon of just about everyone you come across in the story. This brings on a feeling of classic wild west since cowboys and cowgirls relied on the same trusty pistols.

Now, for the gameplay stats:

Story-This WA's story is a tad on the huge side, so you must pay careful attention to details as they come. Of course, if you remember any info from the first WA, this won't be a problem for you. Most of the story's content centers around a lot of scientific detail and terms though, so be prepared for complex explanations.

Characters-Your party will compose the same four people for the entire game and each of them develops quite nicely as the story rolls along. In fact, each character has a tough dungeon later on that exclusively stars him/her as the central figure for the plot and helps explain some things that may have confused you before (a.k.a plot fillers, but by no means boring ones).

Music-Michiko Naruke, what a genius! She knows her wild west music. Reading everyone's other comments, I'm appalled by your rudeness and lack of musical comprehension. These are some of Naruke's best pieces to date. The use of strings, whistles and drums blend into some nice wild west themes, especially the many town and battle themes. Don't forget that there are also the traditional dark, sad, heroic, goofy and serious themes.

Battle System-This WA keeps the tradition of Force Points but now has a newer simplified setup. Each character has one unique Force move (ex: Virginia uses Mystic) and two that they all share, Gatling and Summon. Also, a new feature lets you turn monsters into magic gems when defeated by an elemental guardian summon or spell. The gems can be sold for quick money (which is scarce) or used to cast the same elemental spell that made it. Your ARMS can be upgraded and there are countless setups to have for each ally and while quite expensive, can improve your odds against tougher monsters. Each character's gun is unique in its stats, so you must consider carefully what parameters to build (especially since you can reset them but you don't get your money back). Guardians play a bigger role than before. There are 12 in all and each character can equip three. Each one ups certain parameters and gives the equipper four spells to use (sorry folks, no Crest magic in this WA). There are once again, endless setups, but certain Guardians work best with certain characters.

Sound-Magic spells, guns, explosions, horseriding and monster noises all in one game? Quite a coloful bunch of sound FX if you ask me. The gun sounds are especially on the mark.

I give this Wild Arms a 5/5. Buy it and enjoy, it rocks! And for those of you who want an extra challenge, the Abyss is back from WA1, but it's now 100 floors and a familiar face awaits at the end. Good luck!

Having waited for "Wild Arms 3" for quite some time, and considering the minimal promotion behind it (seen any screenshots online? I doubt it), I seriously didn't know what to expect. But I am happy to see that the attributes that made the first game great, and even gave some quality to part 2, are alive and well in part 3.

The first thing you'll notice is the cell-shading graphics, which you will either love or hate. I am not familiar with how cell-shading works, but it gives the game a cartoony, almost hyper-reality feel. I think the graphics are nicely done, with fluid animation and colorful characters and enemies alike. The settings are nicely detailed, and the camera is nice and easy to control. The cell-shading might turn a few people off, as it is already doing with the latest installment of Zelda for Gamecube, but as with all RPGs you need to look beyond the graphics. The music is also excellent, hailing from the composer of the first two games. Veteran "Wild Arms" players will notices quite a few familiar tunes, especially in battles. My one gripe in the sound department is the lack of voice acting, which would have greatly enhanced the gameplay, as it did in "Final Fantasy X". Otherwise, it is pleasing to the eyes and ears.

Storyline wise, it is very similar to the first "Wild Arms", with each character having a separate story that the player goes through before they all meet up. I like that because it nicely sets the stage for events that happen later in the game. The game is set in a fantasy version of the Wild West, but don't expect any "High Noon" moments. One thing that will attract the more seasoned RPGamers is the turn-based battle system, which is almost identical to the first "Wild Arms". In "Wild Arms 3", you have the ability to use a variety of magic and, as a nice twist, the ability to summon guardian powers. This is an idea that has been used countless times before, but somehow works on a whole new level here.

The control in "Wild Arms 3", again, is almost identical to the first game, with the ability to dash by holding down the X button, and the square button uses the tool command, so whatever tool you have equipped is that you can use. The camera is controlled quite easily by the L1 or R1 buttons, which does a smooth 360 when held down. One noticeable improvement in this installment is the menus, which are much easier to navigate, thus making it easier to find what you are looking for. My only complaint here is that your characters cannot jump, and jumping down from a ledge is a chore, because you have to push the directional button twice. Overall, the control needed little improvement in the first place, and is a simple learning curve on the first time playing.

"Wild Arms 3" fares quite in 128-bit, and is a fine addition to the fast-growing PS2 library of RPGs. Despite what others might tell you, the cell-shading graphics are very nice, and this is by no means a cartoon game. Fans of the first two games will feel at home here, but the challenge of dungeon-crawling and battling will please almost any gamer, regardless of taste.

Ahhh, nothing quite as exciting as when a new anime rpg hits the scene. But does Wild Arms 3 deserve your hard-earned money or could it be spent better elsewhere? IMHO passing up this game would be a HUGE mistake!

First of all, EGM reviewed Wild Arms 3 and gave it some lack-luster comments and rating. This didn't stop me from buying the game, but it raised questions as to the overall fun once the wicked cut scenes wear out.

When you first put in WA3, the cell-shaded graphics stand out. If you haven't played a game that utilizes this new approach to video game animation, you've got to see it.

The story line and progression is standard RPG fare with some innovation. No cheesy voice acting (a la FFX); in fact, the text based conversations are more advanced than anything I've seen. The "ASK" system lets you dynamically branch the conversation subject mid-conversation (by using different buttons to talk with).

The battle system isn't lacking at all. You have character-specific abilities, customizable weapons, etc. The turn-based progression plays out with MUCH more dynamic character movement. FFX you have monsters on one line and characters on another and everyone takes turns hitting each other (like a napolean style battle). WA3's battles are chaotic with monsters chasing characters and changing directions constantly.

The play control is superb. Running and sliding is easy to master, there are tons of ways to interact with your surroundings. You can "scan" the area for key items illuminating them for a second if they were line-of-sight.

Game saving is not as generous as some RPGs. You must EARN the right to save any-where any-time or contining by getting tokens. The only thing I can compare this to is Resident Evil where you are finding typewriter ribbons.

I could go on, but this review is already too big! BUY THE GAME, if you like either RPGs OR anime, you'll agree WILD ARMS 3 is the BEST!

Wild Arms 3 is one of the better PS2 RPGs. It does have a few flaws, btu it makes up for them with plenty of good features. The story is set in a futuristic "Wild West" world where saloon bars and horse-riding mix with space craft and magical monsters...sounds odd, but it works. Our heroes are four drifters who find themselves on a quest to save the world from a crazed super-power, whilst unearthing secrets and/or discovering personal fulfillment along the way, yadda yadda...all very safe RPG territory. One thing to note first off is that there are only four charcaters to play for the whole of the game, so there are no worries about characters not getting levelled up evenly. To make up for any possible lack of variety, the equipment/skill system for the game is entertainingly complex, with many options for assigning fighting abilities, stat boosters and magical attributes to your four characters. In addition to this, the game throws more into the mix with a unique opening chapter in which you play 4 prologues, one for each character alone. Still more fun (or hardship) is ensured by the random battles in which an ambush occurs, and you will find just one of your band surrounded and left to fight alone for a predetermined number of rounds before the other 3 appear. On this note, the random battle sytem is set slightly on the frequent side, but this is tempered with an "encounter-meter" that gives you the option of avoiding fights if you wish, however, the number of "passes" you are allowed is limited and continually skipping battles will eventually leave you are unable skip any battles at all, so usage of this needs to be carefully monitered in very dangerous areas. The encounter meter is yet another stat that can be boosted by rare items, adding further variety to the quest.
Another credit to the game is the highly engaging World Map, equal to those of the Final Fantasy games (apart from FFX!), in my opinion. Starting off on foot, the player is limited to only a few parts of the world, but gradual upgrading leads to riding horses, piloting a sand-cruiser (the "seas" of this world are all made of moving sand), and finally to boarding a flying dragon with which you can soar past inaccessible crevasses and mountain ranges. All 4 modes have their own specific type of fighting style, with the latter two very reminiscent of the ship battles in "Skies Of Arcadia". The dungeons themselves are loaded with assorted monsters and puzzles, and there are plenty of side missions and secrets to uncover. It's not an easy game by any means, despite the bright-coloured cel shaded graphics (which do work surpisingly well), so prepare for a few tough boss battles and some mind-bending logic puzzles that have to be solved to make progress through some of the later dungeons.
The game has a possible huge lifespan, so if you have the stamina there's a lot of fun on offer here, in my opinion. The learning curve is gradual, and fans of RPG's will find probably find the early chapters far too easy, but things become quite challenging later on, so while its easy to get stuck into Wild Arms 3, it may prove a real achievement to finish. Try doing so, and I think you'l be glad you did.

A semi-traditional RPG with a Wild West theme and action elements.

Graphics

The layer of "haze" that occurs between the action on the screen and the screen itself makes you feel like you are really watching an old Wild West film; but don't worry, if a layer of "haze" sounds obnoxious to you, it is only really apparent in close-up views.

Environments are fully 3D and rotateable. Characters are done in a 2D/3D manner; that is to say, they are 2D cel-shaded figures that only appear 3D polygonal, the same visual style they used for characters in Dark Cloud 2. The characters are very anime-ish styled. The atmosphere is that of dusty, desert Wild West world.

An anime "screen-saver" also starts up when you leave the game idle for awhile, and I find myself watching it every time I play the game; it's actually real short, though.

Sound

The music is done in the traditional style of the Wild West, but they manage to through some rock and jazz in there too. A lot of the music is very action-oriented, as you would expect from something Wild West.

There is no voice-acting in this game to complain or complement, except for maybe the vocal song that accompanies the aforementioned anime screen-saver. Although, some voice-acting might've helped, as, when the text proceeds automatically, it sometimes proceeds too quickly.

Gameplay

Battles are very simple and fast-paced: click attack and watch 'em die! Although, there is some strategy involved, too.

Like Chrono Cross, you must charge up to use spells and special skills, in which case, you must hit and be hit to acquire "Force Points" to use said spells and special skills. Each character has their own special skill, and you can equip different spell sets as you like.

One thing that is irksome about the battle system: you can only run away from a battle BEFORE it begins, but not after the battle has begun. And if you have no idea how powerful the local enemies are, you may be dispositioned to either charge in guns blazing, or avoid the battle with your tail between your legs.

Outside of battle, there is a good degree of action, jumping off ledges, avoiding and destroying obstacles and traps, climbing ladders and overhead nets; they let you get some exercise.

Another departure from conventional RPGs is having to "search" for your destination on the world map; press the square button, and you can scan the area around you. This is a double-edged sword; it can force you to study the geography of the land and allow you to get in a few level-building battles, but it can also be annoying when you keep searching the same area for your destination and cannot find it. Just keep searching though, your destination will usually appear right out from under your nose, so to speak.

Overall

Aside from the one point of the battle system, it is a rather well-designed game. You want to play this for the characters and story, the Wild West theme, the music, and the action, if not for the traditional RPG strategy.

Wild Arms 3 is a great game, set in a novel-looking wild-west-like world which is about to be consumed by evil...okay, so that's not quite so novel, but it is an RPG! The cel-shading looked great and gave the game an anime feel. The characters faces and eyes, especially, were done well and conveyed a lot of emotion and expression during cutscenes. There's no voice acting, but the characters, even NPC's, are well developed and interesting. The story is engaging-I really cared what happened to them.
As far as gameplay goes, it's very linear, with fewer sidequests than some. I felt also that some of the sidequests were a bit tedious, such as the Telepath Towers and The Abyss. However, the dungeons and towns are exciting and unique-you don't feel like "haven't I been here before?" every time you start a new dungeon. Another excellent feature is the use of tools. Each character finds tools along the journey which they use to solve puzzles and gain access to new areas. Many puzzles, especially as the game progresses, require the combined efforts of several party members, and this makes things really intriguing, as well as paying tribute to the "jobs" tradition in RPG's (you know, Muscles the warrior, Wispy the healer, Demonia the dark mage, and Sneaky the thief)where every character has a specific function. In combat the characters roles are less well-defined. You can equip "guardians" to add stats and abilities, similar to the junctioning system in FF8. They can also be customized to a certain point through upgrades to their weapons, guns called ARMs. Each character has one weapon with 5 characteristics you can upgrade to different levels, making some characters the tough guys while others increase speed and reaction time, or critical hit percentages. Although I missed finding new weapons and being able to check out the eye candy, I thought this system was actually a lot of fun and fit well with the game.

Battles were basically enjoyable, and the random-battle thing has a twist here where you have the option of skipping battles with weaker enemies(very nice, especially since there are no enemy "upgrades" in areas you explore early on). There are also not a great variety of critters in a lot of areas, although this improves some towards the last third of the game. Personally, I hate fighting the same two kinds of enemies through an entire dungeon, so that part got a bit annoying. I also really don't want to see those manky little level one baddies (remember the jellies in the old rpgs?)when I'm level 8 million and revisiting my first town, so this battle skipping system works really nicely. As far as the system, it's turn based and looks dynamic, with everybody running around the whole time, sometimes conveniently turning semi-transparent as they cross before the camera(heehee). They could get a little bland at times, although boss battles tended to be fun and challenging enough to require varied strategies and attention. One weakness I found was that I thought the summons looked pretty disappointing, almost PS1 at times. I wonder if they did them at the last minute?

To sum it up, this is a highly enjoyable game with excellent characters, a fun new setting, lots of detailed dungeons and an involved, linear storyline. I think if you enjoy traditional RPGs but want a new flavor and some intersting tweaks to the conventions, you should really try this one out.

This is the first game I have experienced in the Wild Arms series and I must say that I absolutely love it. I see that there a lot of mixed reviews on the game, and I don't understand why. The game itself is made very well. The fighting engine in the game is very fun, and makes you actually think proactively, since you make all the moves for the entire turn at the same time, and need to anticipate what the computer will do. The characters are interesting, although the prologue's can be slow. The game play is different, and the different story lines are unique and exciting. Some games can be so repetitive and predictable, but this story line was written well IMO.

I'd have to say, WIld Arms 3 ranks in number 2 on my list of favorite PS2 games (right behind Suikoden 3). This game is so rich, with gameplay and story, I just couldn't put it down!

Story- A very well done story takes place on the planet of Gaia, once a lush planet of forests and scenery, now a destroyed wasteland, no nature, just dirt and the sky. Four hereos are set out on one journey, to find a rare item known as the ice scepter. They unexpectedly meet after trying to steel it from a cargo train. They all set out on a journey however to find the real ice scepter. Ahead in the game, three evil dude(ette)s try and destroy the world using their magic and extreme sorcerry. After breaking the limit, they begin decaying at Gaia's core, slowly eating away at its very existence. So the four heros band together to stop the world from extinction, and bring Gaia back to its original state. Very and excellently done, no flaws whatsoever.

Gameplay- Yet again another perfect category! Battles take place in turn-based time. You choose from a variety of choices such as summons, gun shots, and magic abilities. After all your choices are made, battle comences and all players take action. What makes this game great, is that if you originally chose to attack lets say, and a character on your side is critically injured, you can slap the 'X' button before a character moves and switch you comand to say a healing magic. The battles seriously never get old, with new magic and summoning powers that are beautifully done.
Another thing that I was amazed at, is the fact that each boss had weaknesses. What I mean is, some bosses require you to use a key item or maybe magic attack before you can hurt them. A certain enemy maybe to fast for you to attack, so its essential to use a speed-dispell magic in order to do ANY sort of damage. Its a great way to add some new twists on the RPG genre.

Characters- Aw, the characters are perfect. A lot of the parts even made me cry........seriously. But all the four main characters, as well as NPC's personalities expanded so much! You felt as though you really knew the characters. Its just another way WA3 is perfect. Although they aren't voice overs, the dialouge will really bring you in.

Toughness/Replay Value- I'll tell you right now that this game is extremely difficult. Over half the game requires you to search on the world map using the '[ ]' button, and some areas are extremely hard to find. You must talk to everyone in the towns to find out your destinations coordinates and yata yata yata. I got very frustrated looking for places to go. As for RP toughness, this game is just as hard. The battles can sometimes go on forever, but to me this is a very good thing. Every game needs a challenge, and to me, no games over good challenges except for RPG's, and WA3 is no exception. Battling is very enjoyable, yet difficult. But I can guarentee you won't breeze though this game.
In addition to battling, outside of battle puzzles can be tricky as well. You will need to use character tools collected throughout the game like a grapling hook or boomerang to solve puzzles and activate switches. Its very fun!
Another thing this game has is replay value. You can ride a giant robot dragon, hitch a ride in a sandcraft, grow your own garden, and tons more! There are about 7 hidden bosses and areas as well! Great value, and will have you playing for hours.

Music/Sound- This category is superb! There is nothing to say but wow! I immediatley bought this games soundtrack after I beat it. The music if great, every note perfectly catchs the mood the area or characters are in.

Overall I would really really feel sorry for you if you missed out on Wild Arms 3. Its a beautiful game that prooves you don't need bright colors and weapons to have a great game. I can guarentee it will have you playing for 40+ hours, 50 if you want to unlock all of its secrets........can you save Gaia, I doubt you can. Thsi game is pure brilliance.

This game is great, if you level up or else it is difficult.For example I was only level 28 when I went to the abyss,and normal battles were like bosses. So this game is great just make sure you are level 40 and have finest arts on clive and have not upgraded his bullets but just the strength at the end of the game and you should have no problems.Buy this game if you have not already.