Wild Arms 3

"Definetly surpasses the other games in the series"

Years ago when RPGs were scarce on the original Sony Playstation system, a game was released that had okay graphics and a well scripted story. That game was Wild Arms and it had a sequel appear in 2000 on the same system. That sequel had a host of problems with some conversation translations that would make any player feel confused.

Wild Arms 3 does not continue that trend and the third time is the charm in my opinion of this game.

Story

Continuing the Wild West themed tradition of the previous games that spawned an animated television series, Wild Arms Twilight Vision, and two game sequels.

Wild Arms 3 holds its own with its tale of young Drifter named Virginia Maxwell, yes a female lead, who has decided to roam the wasteland that is the world she lives on in search of justice.

Along the way she meets up with three other drifters and an epic adventure begins that will involve the whole world of Filgaia as in the previous games. From exploring the wasteland on foot or horseback, hers is a journey you will want to witness for yourself.

10/10

Gameplay

The previous games had characters use ordinary weapons from knives to swords even bayonets in their attacks along with a weapons system that provided for special moves and attacks but was limited in the fact that you could not use it all the time to do major damage.

ARMs are that weapons system and return full force in this game; the major difference is you use your ARM the whole time you fight instead of only using it when you need extra firepower or to pull off critical hits. ARMs are guns or special weapons that are in reality more powerful versions of some weapons you would see in the real world.

Melee gun fighting is a wonderful thing to watch in this game as the characters can shoot their ARMs as much as you want, only stopping to reload is the only hitch but even then it is as simple as guarding, which reloads your ARM as well as protects your character. And it only gets better because the camera is constantly moving as well as your characters.

Yes during the fight sequences all the characters and enemies are constantly moving, only stopping to pull off an attack. While some say this gets boring fast the game has other battle modes if you want a change of pace.

One for instance has you riding on horseback and fighting enemies, it is insane fun when you get tired of leveling up by just walking or running around the map. Even more battle options become available as you progress and gain other means of transportation, so you are not stuck with the regular old wander around and get into the same old stale level up fights as in the previous two games.

The puzzles that may have infuriated you because of poor translation issues are back but without the hassles. The clearest clues ever in this series and careful observation and patience by the player, will get you through most of them without a hitch.

10/10

Graphics

Having played Wild Arms 2 before one, I was horrified by what I saw graphics wise in the original.

The first game had characters that looked in my honest opinion worse than the monsters, which were in 3D as well. The character's heads were the biggest issue during the battle sequences; world map or town exploration was a welcome change to dealing with the battles that had to grow on you because of the horrible character graphics.

Wild Arms 3 makes you forget about the previous games due to its cell shading and awesome coding, trust me cell shading makes certain games feel like an animated program and make the 3D effects amazing and interesting the whole way through.

Wild Arms 3 proves this during all the fight sequences and in game message cinemas with its wonderful cell shading. All the characters emotions are expressed appropriately even without voiceovers, truly classic gameplay at its best indeed.

Only some slight glitches that can be seen on the world map at times when exploring subtract from an otherwise wonderful perfect visual display.

9/10

Sound

The games always have a whistling tune or tunes in them; sometimes it is during the introduction to the game, other times in the game's other areas. Wild Arms 3 has something that is a first for the series, a surprise that I was amazed to discover myself during the opening animation.

A female vocalist! She is a treat to listen to and the song, like others from the series is not forgettable and only adds to the game and makes you smile inwardly if you are a fan.

The same composer for the whole series once again composed the music, and each game has been a learning experience for this person it seems. The sound only gets better from game to game and opens your heart to the situation in the game as you progress. This not only draws you in as much as everything else does; the music also sets the proper mood each time it comes on unlike in other RPG’s I have played with the exception of the recent Kingdom Hearts which always set the right mood with its music whenever it plays as well.

10/10

Overall/Replay Value

The game shines through and through and withstands the toughest critique with its finer points. The best thing to do is to familiarize yourself with the series; this is one game that makes it worthwhile to know its previous history in detail though the games do not connect as well as others. It even motivates one to import the animated series because of its connection to the game series as well; a rarity if ever there was one.

In my opinion Wild Arms 3 is worth playing through more than once. And if you’re new to the series rent first then buy. If you are a fan make sure to pick up this game and pray for a sequel that matches or surpasses this game’s plot because Wild Arms 3 has indeed surpassed the other games in the series with its excellent use of the current Playstation technology.

10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/23/02, Updated 12/23/02