Wild Arms 3

"Wild Arms 2.5"

I have played each Wild Arms game to its fullest up to this one, and each one gave me a very enjoyable experience. The whole western theme mixed with magic and the depressing land of Filgaia returning in a third installment truly makes for an RPG worth playing by casual and intense gamers alike. The key word of this review will be "SOLID."

STORY:
The protagonist for this WA is named Virginia, who stumbles across three strange men (Jet, Clive and Gallows) on a train. Like the previous two, each of these four characters has his/her own past that you will play through before all four of you can join up. But back on the train, the situation with the four characters, who are all pointing their guns at one another, marks the beginning of the best Wild Arms story yet. Was their meeting a strange coincidence or was it fate? You will only find out if you play through.

I'd also like to add that each of the four characters are four of my favorite videogame characters ever. Each has his/her own unique personality, plus none of them are ever shoved to the side as the story progresses. It worked out very well for SCEA in this department.
STORY: 9.5/10

GRAPHICS:
Wild Arms 3 drastically alters the looks of its characters—everyone is cel-shaded. They look a whole lot better than before, I'll just say that. They look the same in battle too, unlike the first two, and battles look very nice too. The camera is moving around with exciting angles from all over, giving a nice presentation to each battle.

The monsters also look very nice… and there are a ton of them. Hats off in that department as well.

The environments fall a bit short though. Actually, they look almost the same as in Wild Arms 2…which was on PS1. I guess with the way Wild Arms 3 is perceived it would've been hard to make any major enhancements, but they still seem just as dull as WA2.
GRAPHICS: 8.5/10

SOUNDS:
The music in Wild Arms games has always been good in my book, but with this one they bring in even more western-themed tunes, which is great. Really, none of the songs are bad at all… except of course that opening song during the animation sequence. That wailing gets on my nerves! What an ugly voice that woman has! And some of the crappiest lyrics ever, even by game music standards.

The sound effects in WA3 are pretty boring though. Gun shots sound cool, but really aren't that fantastic.

Lastly, this game is on the PS2. I would've loved it if the characters had voices. But alas, complete silence through it all.
SOUNDS: 7.5/10

GAMEPLAY:
Playing Wild Arms 3, you will immediately recognize loads of gameplay elements that were in the other two. From the menus to the battles to the search system, Wild Arms 3 brings tons of what the other two installments back. This may sound like a good and bad thing to you. Sure, we loved many aspects of Wild Arms and Wild Arms 2, and we're glad to see them being recycled here, but couldn't they have brought more new goodies? Now before you stop considering playing this game, keep reading. There are lots of new things in Wild Arms 3.

The battles are once again very similar (and you can avoid them if you want). It is turn-based, and you continually build up your FP (Force Points) so you can unleash more powerful attacks and abilities (guardians, etc.). It's simple and easy to get the hang of, but it's not too much different from before. HOWEVER, besides the regular on-foot battles, there are the horseback and hovercraft battles. Battling on horseback is pretty much the same as regular battles, but come on… it's on horseback, so it looks like a bajillion times cooler now. The hovercraft battles are completely different though. Building up your hovercraft requires a lot of time and effort, but it will pay off in the end. It's actually a lot of fun because there are so many things you can do to tweak your hovercraft for battle. Good times.

The search system is also back from Wild Arms 2. I didn't like this before, and it's not much better in this one. You can't see a town unless you press the “search” button, and a green radar-thingy will expand around your vicinity. If a town/dungeon is nearby, it will magically appear! I wonder if I use the search system I could finally find Atlantis! …okay that was a totally unfunny joke. I'm sorry. Anyway, yeah. The search system is stupid.

Another thing that's brought back is the use of tools and puzzle-solving. I always always ALWAYS loved using these tools EVERYWHERE. Each character's tools are an incredibly clever idea, and the way you must use them to solve puzzles and proceed in the game is mind-bogglingly genius.

A slight difference in this game is that ALL characters' weapons are guns, not just one or two. I liked this a lot, and the fact that you can upgrade them to your liking only makes it better. This was one of my favorite features in this game.

Although Wild Arms 3 doesn't exactly bring a lot of new content into its gameplay, it's still very solid and easy to pick up. You will rarely find yourself bored with this game, despite its lack of originality.
GAMEPLAY: 9/10

LASTING APPEAL:
This game will last you dozens of hours…the main quest alone will take maybe 40-50 hours to complete, which seems very long in this day and age. Not just that, but there are TONS of sidequests and extras for you to fulfill, and they are all very rewarding and enjoyable. Hell, the sidequests alone could add on another 20 hours! Once you beat this whole game though, you may not want to come back to it ever. Personally, I usually like replaying RPGs after awhile, and this is no exception, but for some of y'all the credits may be the end. I still say buy it, since it will last soooo long.
LASTING APPEAL: 8.5/10

OVERALL:
I can't help my love for the Wild Arms series. I know it's far from the best RPG available on PS2. I know that it's not a whole lot different from its predecessors. But the point I'm trying to make is that WA3 is a SOLID title (with a great story) that any RPG aficionado should enjoy playing.
OVERALL: 9/10

Thanks for reading =)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/12/06