Wild Arms XF

by Xseed Games

Product Features

• Innovative hex-based battle grid system allows more tactical positioning options, such as Formation Arts and Combination Arts, as opposed to the traditional square-based battle grid
• One of the deepest strategy games on the PSP system with over 60 stages containing a wide array of mission objectives, as well as numerous optional battles
• Almost endless party customization with over 20 unique job classes to choose from such as Berserker, Elementalist, Grappler, Geomancer and Sacred Slayer
• Extensive material creation options to create more powerful weapons, spell books and armor by combining rare materials obtained by sending out hired mercenaries to scavenge throughout the world of Filgaia
• US-exclusive inclusion of a Music Library containing 20 select tracks from the game accessible any time from the game menu

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0012FHYS8
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: March 11, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,830 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #50 in Video Games > Sony PSP > Role-Playing

Product Description

Amazon.com

The once vibrant world of Filgaia is slowly dying, a result of some cataclysmic event lost in the dim, misty reaches of the past. The few pathetic remnants of once mighty nations are caught up in an endless cycle of war, fighting over Filgaia’s ever dwindling natural resources. Amidst the carnage and slow decay, there is one kingdom that has until recently managed to avoid the chaos and suffering plaguing its neighbors; the kingdom of Eleusinis.

However, the kingdom is slowly descending into anarchy with the king inflicted with a mysterious illness that has kept him bed-ridden, intensifying the future uncertainty as the heir-apparent disappeared a year earlier and is presumed to have been murdered. An opportunistic senate has formed its own police force and is gradually usurping power from the royal family.

It is against this backdrop of political intrigue and social decay that the main character Clarissa Avir, accompanied by her half-brother and protector, Felius, enter Eleusinis hot on the trail of Rupert Dandridge, the man who murdered her mother. What started out as a personal vendetta soon turns into an epic battle to not only keep a kingdom from falling, but to save the world of Filgaia from being turned into an uninhabitable wasteland.

Key Features:

• Innovative hex-based battle grid system allows more tactical positioning options, such as Formation Arts and Combination Arts, as opposed to the traditional square-based battle grid.
• One of the deepest strategy games on the PSP system with over 60 stages containing a wide array of mission objectives, as well as numerous optional battles.
• Almost endless party customization with over 20 unique job classes to choose from such as Berserker, Elementalist, Grappler, Geomancer and Sacred Slayer.
• Extensive material creation options to create more powerful weapons, spell books and armor by combining rare materials obtained by sending out hired mercenaries to scavenge throughout the world of Filgaia.
• US-exclusive inclusion of a Music Library containing 20 select tracks from the game accessible any time from the game menu.

Product Description

The once vibrant world of Filgaia is slowly dying, a result of some cataclysmic event lost in the dim, misty reaches of the past. The few pathetic remnants of once mighty nations are caught up in an endless cycle of war, fighting over Filgaia's ever dwindling natural resources. Amidst the carnage and slow decay, there is one kingdom that has until recently managed to avoid the chaos and suffering plaguing its neighbors; the kingdom of Eleusinis. However, the kingdom is slowly descending into anarchy with the king inflicted with a mysterious illness that has kept him bed-ridden, intensifying the future uncertainty as the heir-apparent disappeared a year earlier and is presumed to have been murdered. An opportunistic senate has formed its own police force and is gradually usurping power from the royal family. It is against this backdrop of political intrigue and social decay that the main character Clarissa Avir, accompanied by her half-brother and protector, Felius, enter Eleusinis hot on the trail of Rupert Dandridge, the man who murdered her mother. What started out as a personal vendetta soon turns into an epic battle to not only keep a kingdom from falling, but to save the world of Filgaia from being turned into an uninhabitable wasteland. Original Japanese voice-overs selectable from Options Menu

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Had the Potential to be so Much Better, March 13, 2008

By 

S. Rhodes - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Wild Arms XF (Video Game)

Pros:
+A Good Storyline
+Nice cast of characters
+Good soundtrack
+Fairly good voice acting
+Beautiful artwork
+Lots of customization thanks to the job system

Cons:
-Limitations of items adds more frustration than challenge
-In battle voices are annoying
-In battle graphics aren't great
-Sometimes sound effects are off and slight hitches in framerate
-There really isn't as much freedom as there appears to be; in many missions you must do it the way the game suggests or you'll end up having to restart the mission

The Hex Battle System of Wild Arms 4 and 5 was a sign that Wild Arms would be a good candidate for a tactical RPG. So we get Wild Arms XF. Unfortunately, the jump to Tactical RPG just isn't fantastic. Especially because it has to follow such well done Tactical RPGs such as Jeanne D'Arc and Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness. Wild Arms has some things going for it, but it suffers heavily in the gameplay department.

Wild Arms XF begins in the middle of the action. You're introduced to Clarissa and her brother Felius. They're both confronting a man named Rupert, who has stolen their mother's sword and plans to use it for some evil doings. Rupert gets away and so Clarissa and Felius follow Rupert to the continent of Elesius where a case of mistaken identity gets Clarissa involved in a political struggle over power and rule. The story as you can imagine is filled with a lot of political happenings and jargon. Yet for what it's worth the story actually isn't bad. The problem, however, is whether or not you'll be able to get the story to progress.

The game makes good use of the series Hex Battle system in a tactical way. Like every other Tactical RPG out there, you'll move and execute attacks. Like Final Fantasy Tactics, there's a job system active in Wild Arms XF. However, these aren't the same old "Knight" and "Monk" type of jobs. They're jobs like "Elementists" who cast elemental magic spells and Fantastica that use support spells. You'll start the game with four basic classes. In addition to that, each of the story mode characters has a class completely unique to them. You're able to learn abilities from each of the jobs and use them with other jobs upon doing so. If you're familiar with the job system of Final Fantasy Tactics, then you're already more than prepared to tackle Wild Arms XF. At least you would be were it not for the games shortcomings in the gameplay department.

Wild Arms has generally been a series that tries to separate itself from the crowd. Needless to say XF tries to do so as well, however this is in the worst way. Your characters have a stock of HP and MP, but they also have what is called VP. VP stands for Vitality Points, and it drops with each turn. When your VP runs out, your HP starts dropping each turn. This little tactic was thrown in as a way to make you get through battles faster (or for the sake of being more realistic, I don't know). However, it becomes more annoying than anything else.

What's even worse about the gameplay is the layout of the stages and the missions themselves. All the missions have certain objectives. Most of the time it is to defeat all the enemies, but on occasion you'll get special missions such as to free villagers from jail or to escort villagers across a map. These missions however, aren't as fun and can sometimes be a test in frustration.

Another major issue with Wild Arms is simply that there isn't as much freedom as the player thinks there is. Before each missions begins, you'll get an overview of the mission itself and hear suggestions on what you need to do. In most RPGs where suggestions are thrown at you by the characters you can usually get by fine without using them. Wild Arms XF, however, almost demands that you do. In many cases, if you don't, the mission doesn't just raise up a little in difficulty, it actually goes sky high. Some missions can't even be completed without taking their suggestions. It's alright to give suggestions, but it seems downright wrong to punish the player for not taking them. Luckily, you can always restart a mission. And you'll probably have to. The game doesn't just encourage you to use certain classes in a mission, it actually demands that you do. Using certain classes feels more forced, especially early in the game.

An even bigger problem is probably that some missions seem more like they're dependent on trial and error rather than actual strategy. Not luck, just trial and error. Wild Arms XF clearly has a right and wrong way to do things but there isn't much variation in how you can do those things. It's takes the game's suggestion or bust. While some may like this idea of trial and error, memorization and brain teasing, others may feel restricted that there isn't much freedom to go about the mission the way you see fit. It just seems wrong that not doing what the game suggest means you could fail a mission or have to restart. It brings about an unusual imbalance to the games structure.

There are also little things in the gameplay that can make it frustrating. The amount of times your attacks will miss some of your enemies is incredibly frustrating. Another aspect is the limitation of items. Characters can only equip a certain number of items when going into battle. This wouldn't be such a big problem if you weren't forced to mow through those items so fast.

At the very least, however, Wild Arms XF does present a good challenge. Much of it is from frustration, but you'll be surprised at the amount of thinking that is required to win each battle. Unfortunately, each battle feels like a test, and it makes Wild Arms XF far less fun to play than other Strategy RPGs.

On the other hand, the game does have some amazing artwork. The story is told through cutscenes similar to the ones you see in Disgaea. Usually you'll see a portrait of the characters partaking in the event talking in front of a background. These moments are stunning to look at. There's a lot of anime inspired art here. In battle itself doesn't look too amazing, however. It's very colorful and decorated, with a lot of meticulous attention given to detail, but it hardly showcases what the PSP can do. The game looks like it could've been released on the Gameboy Advance. It also hurts the game that it doesn't run smoothly. There are times when there will be slight hitches in the frame rate. There are also moments when sound effects (notably the character's battle cries) are off.

Despite all that, the game sure sounds good. There's a ton of good music here. There's also some voice acting in the cutscenes and most of it isn't bad. There are some moments when there could've been much more emotion, but often the voice acting isn't all that bad. If you're not satisfied with the English voice overs, there's an option to change the voices to Japanese. Characters also have voices in battle. At first this isn't so bad, but it quickly becomes annoying. Luckily, you're able to turn these voices off.

The PSP has a fair share of RPGs and Tactical RPGs. Wild Arms XF is a game that had so much potential to be so much better. Even die hard Wild Arms fans may not take much of a shine to it. The game has an incredible story, incredible artwork and an incredible soundtrack, but those things can't make up for the dissatisfying gameplay.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good RPG for the PSP, February 18, 2010

By 

Kaiden - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wild Arms XF (Video Game)

Since the PSP is limited in it's selection of RPG's this one ranks high on the list. It's fun without being so challenging you have to look for hints online. The voice acting isn't horrible which is always a plus and it's not really that expensive. A good buy.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wild ARMs XF, April 5, 2008

By 

D. Orr (california usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wild Arms XF (Video Game)

this game is like ff tactics but with more fun factor. Even though its a strategy rpg,it still has the wild arms feel and the music is about 60% familar. Ive read the other 2 review and it somewhere in between. Im not sure how well it is as far as a strategy rpg, I normally play turn-based and action rpgs.I was hesitant to buy this strategy rpg But since then im totally satisfied