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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My first Wild Arms game and its now one of my favorite RPGs!, November 21, 2002
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.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Third time's the charm!, April 5, 2005
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!
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The third installment turns up a winner., October 20, 2002
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.
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