Wild Arms 3

"This game is big enough for ALL of us!!"

Yes everyone the beloved Role Playing Game Wild Arms is back with its third installment. As many of you may know the Wild Arms series is just like any regular RPG with a twist, it takes place in a large western type world name Filgaia. The first Wild Arms game was released for the PlayStation Console in 1998 and put a different spin on the world of Role-Playing Games. First of all, there was no traditional Sci-Fi or swords-and-sorcery setting to be found in the game, but rather a hybrid Western fantasy world filled with monsters, and mystical but powerful firearms--the title of the game in fact refers to the weapons. Even though it played and seemed like a Western Game at times it also had that traditional Final Fantasy feel to it. The battle system itself actually is a lot like Final Fantasy's. You just don't have all the magic spells and such and it seems to give you more freedom since it allows your character to move around during battle. Well any way lets just get to the basics!!

(9/10)VISUALS - Unlike the other Wild Arms games this game uses cell shading that give it more of an anime/cartoony look. Most PS2 owners may not be familiar with this kind of style because hardly any PS2 game is cell shaded. The visuals aren't the best that the PS2 can dish out but they are acceptable to most people. Don't get me wrong they look great but can get too cartoony at times and that takes the whole feel of an action packed western out of the game.

Hardcore RPG fanatics who are looking for a more realistic looking RPG aren't going to be satisfied with the visuals found in Wild Arms 3. But who's to blame? In this day and age people want to feel more immersed into a game and to bring the world and characters alive its better to use a regular graphics engine because cell shading just makes you feel like your in a cartoon or anime, but I'm really not looking for that kind of experience in a video game. Others on the other hand may be looking for a more anime inspired RPG and like how the visuals were done, but me on the other hand I barely find it acceptable, especially for a PS2 title.

(9/10)AUDIO - The audio found in Wild Arms 3 was wonderfully done. They stick to the whole theme of the game by bringing you nice western tunes with some of that RPG goodness. The audio found in this title is fantastic and you will find yourself humming the tunes for days on end. The audio can get old after awhile though, seeing as there aren't too many tracks but it is enjoyable to hear and listen to.

The battle themes are of course very fast paced to help bring the action alive and Wild Arms 3 does this wonderfully. Not only do you begin to feel like your life depends on each decision but it also does a great job of really bringing out the western feel of the game. When riding on horse back and you find yourself in battle there is this great original western tune that really brings the experience alive and really makes this title shine. The character's have no voices however so you'll have to do a lot of reading, but the sounds of the guns firing and spells casting sounds original and there is little if any problems about it. There is no doubt that the audio found in Wild Arms 3 is some of the best I ever heard from an RPG and is one of this title's strong points.

(8/10)GAMEPLAY - The game play for Wild Arms 3 is pretty simple. You go around on foot around the desert waste lands and by pressing the square button it sends out a radar signal to pick up hidden towns and dungeons along with some old quotes that might give ya some confidence! Like any other RPG there are random battles that take place on a regular basis that will help your character level up and get stronger. Later in the game you'll also be able to buy and ride a horse which is quiet fun and it certainly travels faster! The game play is overall pretty simple and the battle system is as easy as it gets. You won't find many complaints in this area except the game can get highly repetitive at times.

You control a party of four different drifters through out most of Wild Arms 3 but the game also gives you a chance to have a little mini quest with each character that tells their back story, and it also allows you to choose your group leader and that is the character you'll play as traveling from place to place! The game starts out on a train and there is a lone girl in a passenger car reading a book. Something happens to throw the train into a shaking state and you encounter what seems to be a brake in inside the storage car of the train. Once you enter the storage room of the valuable and rare cargo supposed to be transported, the fateful encounter begins! You then have the chance to play a mini quest of each of the four drifters to see what happened before this encounter and why they were there on this fateful day. You have the choice to play as either Jet Enduro, the cold hearted drifter who doesn't care about anything or anyone but himself. Virginia Maxwell, the new drifter trying to follow her fathers foot steps. Clive Winslet, the brave bounty hunter that is pure at heart. And last but certainly not least Gallows Caradine, the runaway priest. The story is entertaining and immersive but can lag in a few spots. If you like the series however then you will hardly notice it. New comers will find little to complain about it as well.

The length is about over forty hours and the Replay Value of this game is highly unlikely. Although big fans of the series are likely to tackle this one again, new comers will likely just put it away in their collection.

Final Recommendation - The game goes on to be pretty good with new challenges, plots, twists, and forcing you to use all your elements and skills like magic, Summon Powers, etc. Once your objectives are clear and the big journey has begun you'll have the chance of buying horses which makes traveling much faster and during combat it looks simply spectacular as you fight and ride on your horse at the same time(and every character has their own type and color of horse I might add). So this game isn't too hard or too easy but it's a great RPG for any Gamer. So if you're looking for a great RPG with that traditional Final Fantasy feel and some Western mixed into it then you definitely can't go wrong with the Wild Arms series, but if you're just looking for those magic casting and big sword slashing RPG's then I suggest you look else where.

FINAL SCORE - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/09/03, Updated 10/07/04