Wild Arms 3

"Randolph Scott would have bought a PS2 for this."

Understand me-- I grade subjectively. That being said...

The previous Wild Arms games (for the PS1/PSX) have always, to me, had a vaguely Western feel. Not that they WERE westerns, not at all. They were very obviously fantasy/SciFi RPGs, with the attendant details. Nonetheless, there was always an element about them that suggested that although there weren't horses, choo-choo trains (well, there was ONE in WA2, but you never used it outside of a single scene/dungeon) and proper sixguns, I always somehow felt there SHOULD be. There was something about them that said, ''If only there was a School Marm or a grizzled old gunslinger or the like.''

Perhaps merely my impression, but I always felt that way.

Enter Wild Arms 3. The game that just plain leapt down my throat and made me happier than anything Emeril Lagasse EVER cooked.

Okay, the plot isn't a BIG deviation from WA plots-- or most RPG plots for that matter. But the way it's handled IS.

Previous Wild Arms games all had the same idea of a team being bought together by coincidence. This time it's more of coincidence and a devious grandmother. And yes, there's the usual Evil Force From Beyond, sure, but that's expected. Ever try to make a successful RPG WITHOUT an Evil Force From Beyond of SOME kind? There has to be SOME excuse for the final boss, after all.

After all, even the BEST Final Fantasy game runs down to that in a nutshell. What makes Wild Arms 3 do DAMN COOL is how they handle it...

It's a Western. Complete with sixguns-- well, fiveguns until Virginia upgrades. Horses. Indians, sort of. Even saloon girls.

Gameplay: 9

It's pretty much the classic Wild Arms tech here, it worked then and it works now. Tweaked for the capabilities of the PS2, it's as fast an intuitive as ever. There's a few differences that take it far from the first two, though...

First, since it IS a Western, albeit a Western with Mediums, magic, and strange possibly alien evil from beyond the Pecos, there's no-one attacking people with swords, rods, and wands here, cowpokes. Everyone has guns. More specifically, Everyone has ARMS. The leader is a cute young girl who would have been the new schoolmarm (and dresses the part) except that she's about the fastest gun in the game, and the most accurate (If not the most deadly).

And the others are also classic Western types, again with their own unique tweaks. You'll see. And they ALL have guns-- ARMS, I mean. And each has his or her own advantage to theirs.

What they DON'T have is armor-- who wears armor in a Western? It's okay, tho, since the Mediums can take care of part of that, by customising Special Skills.

Oh, that's right. Crest Sorcery is gone, folks. ALL God's Chillun got Magic now, by equipping Mediums... Everyone has a few spells. And you can equip up to three mediums at a time per character.

Of course, this means that since everyone has ARMS, everyone want to upgrade those ARMS. Welcome to the big gella sinkhole of the game, pardner.

On the other hand, the lovely Tools thing is back, and everyone has thier own sets. It's cute puzzle solving time again. (The biggest burliest character uses dolls for his tools. No, really. You'll see.)

Oh, and WAIT until you get into your first battle on horseback. SUCH a trip...

Graphics: 8

Well, it's no Final Fantasy X, for sure. But it's not trying to be, then. It's an evoloution from the graphics of WA2, upgraded to the PS2 level, with cel shading that lends an attractive Anime feeling at times. I have one beef with the graphics during conversations... as in many RPGs, they chow a close-up of the character to indicate expression. All well and good, but for some reason it's rendered as though it was on yellowing paper-- I suppose to evoke the fell of an old western paperback, a cool idea, if only it didn't tend to make the same expressions unreadable. A minor quibble, but a quibble nonetheless.

Sound and music: 10

I have ALWAYS loved the music in the Wild Arms series. It's part of that ''This should be a Western'' thing I mentioned. This time it's that and a bag of beef jerky.

Most of it's guitar. And VERY NICE guitar. Heck, I won't try to describe how nice it is. When you buy this (and you will) you'll see for yourself.

Also, the battle effects have what I consider a very very nifty thing indeed... Each ARM has it's own unique BANG. A nice touch.

Replay value: Varies.

Okay... this is one of those games that you either want to play again or don't. I can;t give a score on this-- I never CAN.

Final notes...

Wild Arms was a great series on the PS1/PSX machine. On the PS2, it's taken a whole new direction while keeping the same. I know, it sounds contradictory... but it ain't.

And now, I must ride off into the sunset. Since I finally have a horse...

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/26/02, Updated 10/26/02