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Wild Arms 4 Is Different but Still a Wild Ride

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: January 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The Wild Arms series has always been farily well liked. This time, however, Wild Arms is going into a more futuristic theme. This isn't to say Wild Arms is doing away with the Wild West, it's just getting a nice change of direction. And you'll instantly see it in it's well developed battle system and world itself.

Wild Arms 4 begins with a boy named Jude skipping class and heading off into the forest on his own. It happens to be floating over the rest of the world however. Jude later activates an ARM (a gun, basically) and accidently fires it off and blows a hole in a machine that keeps the world stable. This single-handely brings about a wild adventure for Jude as he enters the world of Filgaia. A wasteland that was ruined by a war. Jude travels with Yulie, a traumatized girl with unique abilities; Armaud, a lonely drifter, and Raquel, a treasure hunter. Together they flee from the soldiers of Filgaia, who have used Yulie as a puppet in a sinister plot.

It's easily said that Wild Arms 4 truly is the most different in all the entire series. While the others relied heavily on fantasy and wild west themes, this one relies more on futuristic themes and scientific technology. This makes up a fairly engaging storyline in the end, with some farily well developed characters.

The most remarkable thing about the game, however, is the battle system. Instead of the same old turn based strategy seen in previous game, it introduces a hex-battle system. At the start of each battle there are seven hexagons on screen and your characters and enemies are randomly scattered through all of them. A single hex can hold up to all four of your party members. For the enemies it depends on their size. You can only attack an enemy that has a hex right next to yours. This adds a lot more strategy and gets away from the boring turn based combat that was in earlier games of the series.

The battle system has a few more kinks to it. You can manipulate hexes in your favor as well. For example, some hexes have elemental properties that can cut the elemental damage received in half. Others you could cast a nasty status effect on and then lock an enemy in it.

And I'm proud to say the one part of the battle system that shouldn't have changed didn't. That's the FP part of the system. FP stands for force points and you'll continually get them as you damage, take damage, evade and score critical hits on enemies. FP is also how you pull off special skills. FP only goes to 100. But the good news is, if your FP reaches 100, you'll be cured of all status effects placed on you.

The battle system does have a drawback, and that's the experience part. Since you get experience bonuses, it's really easy for some characters to level up at an unbalanced rate. It's possible to have characters lag a lot to the point where you'll have to have them kill everything. This doesn't work, considering some battles are tough. Enemies do an alarming amount of damage to you, and they can take advantage of the hex system as well. It may not be worth while to have to defend a weak character like Yulie in combat.

Moving around dungeons hasn't changed much in Wild Arms. That doesn't mean there aren't noticable differences. They're still full of puzzles, but the group shares a set of tools rather than them all having indiviual ones. Also, the game seems to have a bigger focus on the battle system. Some puzzles are cake, some are not. And the ones that aren't are more than just robbing you of fun, they're frustrating, and are rather slow.

They do have save points, which is good. Save points having a glowing gem on them, however. And some of them are dimmed. The dimmed ones you'll have to break, usually summoning monsters (tough monsters) that you'll have to destroy before using it.

Graphic wise, Wild Arms 4 looks far better than Alter Code F did. The characters are detailed, which really helps the look and feel of Filgaia. You'll run across many terrains, and they're all beautiful. The soundtrack will still remind many of earlier games in the series, but it's a good soundtrack. The voice acting is questionable at best. Sometimes it's good, and other times it just isn't. You'll get tired of them quickly in battle, but outside of battle, it's hard to tell if the voice actors are really putting effort into it. It really is nice to see Wild Arms with voices, but you'll also question them a lot.

The battle system is the biggest reason to get this game. It's got some loveable characters, and beautiful graphics, but it's just all out a fun game to play. It may stray from what was coined in earlier installments of the series, but any fan should find the additions and changes to be welcome.

The Good
+Much better battle system
+Great Skills system as well
+Incredible graphics
+Good music
+Engaging story
+Nice loveable characters
+There are still a menacingly large amount of secrets in Wild Arms!

The Bad
-The battle system-while excellent-causes character's levels to be drastically different at times
-Most puzzles are frustrating
-The story doesn't keep a steady pace

Wild Arms 4......

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: January 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Having come across Wild Arms during the third installment, I was hooked on the Wild West Themed RPG almost instantly. There was something about the game that appealed to the 'cowboy' in me. Out of all the RPGs I've played on the Playstation 2, I consider Wild Arms 3 to be one of the finest RPGs I've ever played on the system. You can imagine my surprise when I began playing Wild Arms 4 and find out it's nothing like the previous installment. Sure, it acknowledges it's six-shooter history but this installment seriously downplays the Wild West theme in favor of a more postapocalytic setting. Not that Wild Arms 4 is a bad game, by any means. In fact, it's a pretty dadgummed good one. It's just if you're coming into it expecting it to be like the first three installments, well- you'll be just as surprised as I was and sadly mistaken. Wild Arms 4 tells the story of Jude Maverick and a group of his friends trying to stop a coalition of congressional knights and save everyone in the process.

I will have to give Media Vision a nod for trying to create a little something new with the series this time around, especially with the new HEX battle system and it's challenging platforming segments(yes, you read that right...platforming segments). The game is a beauty with it's anime style characters, lush environments and whatnot....graphically, the best game in the series thus far. When you're trying to compete with the heavyweights out there, you have to shake things up a little bit to get people to notice. In that respect, Media Vision did quite nicely. The only thing I found wrong with the game is that it's rather short. Depending on if you're a hardcore RPG gamer or not; you can finish Wild Arms 4 in, literally, a day or less. I will point out that I've read many reviews online that state the game clocks in around 40 hours to complete. Either way, it's not too bad.

In closing, I did enjoy Wild Arms 4 despite all the changes made and recommend it to fans of the series, casual or hardcore RPG gamers. However, I hope they return the series to its' roots when and if there is another installment. If you can't wait that long and need another 'Wild West' RPG fix, let me suggest Western Lords...coming to the Nintendo DS real soon.

Neither hit nor miss...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 19 / 21
Date: January 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Wild Arms fans have had it pretty good over the last few months with the debut of Alter Code:F a few months ago and now with Wild Arms 4. Needless to say my PS2 has not seen this much action since I bought it and Star Ocean: Till the End of Time back in 2004.

As a RPG series, Wild Arms is, and will always be in the shadow of almost everything Square-Enix throws down the pike (a fact so painfully obvious that it has to be accepted by the masses), so if you want to give Wild Arms 4 or any of the previous games a try, you can't, for example, use the Final Fantasy series as a golden standard as far as all RPGs go and use it as a basis for comparison. If you do, don't bother, as you'll ultimately be disappointed. That said, Wild Arms 4 is a solid game, but doesn't even begin to reach the level attained by the earlier games in the series.

For the most part, the changes Media.Vision has made to the basic Wild Arms formula do work, and help layer and mask what was probably one of the most simplistic RPG battle systems in existence. While the hex battle system adds a little strategy to the fights, combat is still simple enough and makes it easy enough to pick up and play. Still, there are a few hitches to be aware of, such as when one of your characters gets KO'ed even before you get a turn due to the random character/enemy grid placement, or having to compensate for uneven character leveling.

Gameplay wise, Wild Arms 4 trades some of the puzzle solving elements the series is known for some side-scrolling elements that unmistakably reminds me of Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot series (which isn't a bad thing at all). Overall this works pretty well, especially considering the excellent brain-teaser like puzzles from original WA have dwindled over the years and sequels into obvious, watered-down solutions (excluding a few certain exceptions, mind you). The fact your characters no longer have a pre-specified set of tools to carry out through the game to solve puzzles, while realistic, is somewhat disappointing (although sometimes trying to get said tool to point A to point B can be a puzzle in itself).

Graphically, one could say that Wild Arms 4 is a step above Wild Arms Alter Code:F. This is pretty much due to the fact Wild Arms 4 was probably build from the ground up by Media.Vision, where as Alter Code:F was basically the original Wild Arms slapped into a Wild Arms 3 shell. Like Wild Arms 3, Wild Arms 4 opts for a darker, duller color palette that emphasizes the war weary world of Filgaia, but many will find it clashes with bright colors used throughout Alter Code:F.

While the above elements of Wild Arms 4 work well enough, there are a few elements that do leave something to be desired. The story, while quite effectively depicting a post war struggle for power, never really creates a since of urgency until the very end. On top of this, the villains, while interesting at the very least, just can't compare to the Quarter Knights/Metal Demons from Wild Arms/Wild Arms Alter Code:F or Odessa from Wild Arms 2.

The most disappointing aspect about Wild Arms 4 would have to be the audio. The series staple composer Michiko Naruke only composed more or less one-third of the soundtrack due to illness, meaning her trademark western favored style from the previous games isn't prominent throughout (you can honestly tell which tracks are Naruke's), though thankfully her involvement is preserved. On top of this, while the game sports a very, very good translation (thank you xseed, eat your heart out Agetech!), the voice acting shows why the Wild Arms series was better without it.

So, if you like Wild Arms, despite the massive magazine review campaign/conspiracy to bash it to end, you will probably enjoy this chapter as well despite the changes.

Bummer

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: February 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I've read some of the other reviews here - I have no idea what everyone else sees in this game.

After really enjoying Alter Code:F I was excited to see WA4 come out. Too bad it didn't begin to live up to expectations. Here's the bad:

* Uneven character development
* Uninteresting story line
* The fighting system needs polishing (potential here, just not well refined)
* Terrible voice-overs (there is a feature to shut them off - use it)
* The game got rid of its old "tool" system for puzzle solving and added something that seemed like it was out a Mario Brothers side scrolling game. Ok - not that pathetic, but bad nonetheless.

The good? Well, I couldn't really find one. The story didn't excite, so the game devolved into a series of very boring fights without much point. The fights themselves didn't exite either - you'll wind up using the same strategies over and over again. The hex system has potential - but it seems like the idea was rushed and not well refined.

I sort of felt the same with WA3, although that game I at least toughed it through to the end (and never touched again). This one I bailed out on after 12 hours of game play. Maybe I missed out on the 'good part,' but I kind of doubt it.

Onward to Grandia 3 (so far - that game rocks! Pick it up instead).

"What da freak is this???"

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 12
Date: March 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Did a terrorist sneak into the factory and replace the game disk with one that his ten year old kid made at Bummer School?....'cause I can not recognize it. This game in no way resembles the first three Wild Arms games in any way, shape or form...especially in the quality department. After playing this game for only one hour I threw in the towel out of shear boredom and kissed my hard earned money goodbye! Pong was more exciting. If the makers of this game had one iota of integrity they would stop making games and mug people in the park for money...at least they would be showing enough courage to look their victims in the eye when robbing them. The gameplay would be laughable if I hadn't shelled out fifty bucks for this abortion. I for one am going to go and replay Wild Arms 3....better a rerun of a good game than being bored senseless by a bad new game.

Not enough stars for this one

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: March 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Okay, so Alter Code F stunk, right? So this should be no different, right? Wrong to the max! This game is off da chains 30+ hours of entertainment extreme! This was the best game I've played since Dragon Quest VIII, and my favorite Wild Arms ever. I just couldn't stop playing. Fun but simple platforming, innovative battle system, unique characters, and nostalgic enemies galore (gob gob). To the non-WA fan, maybe not so, but to the WA fan, maybe so!

Overall a good showing

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Wild Arms 4 does a couple of things that I like, and some things I don't. My review will consist of a review of the game itself and then a pros and cons list.

Wild Arms 4 is an RPG with four playable characters set in the world of Wild Arms, Filgaia. The heroes must face a rising, despotic form of government whose vision of Filgaia's future is very tyrannical. This 3D environment allows the main character, Jude, to jump, stomp, and slide, changing the traditional Wild Arms field movement system.

Pros
-The new Hex battle system adds a level of strategy to the fighting, making you rethink how you heal and plan an attack.
-Each character has a different strength, and this too, adds a strategical challenge.
-I like the music and voiceovers. Wild Arms always has some great Wild West type music.

Cons
-Unlike previous Wild Arms, there aren't a set of tools for each playable character. The main character does all the problem solving.
-Some of the bad guys are kind of hard to take seriously. What makes up for this is how intriguing some of the other villains are.
-I wish it was a little less linear in the beginning.

Overall, I think if you like RPGs and would be interested in one with some Wild West/post-apocalyptic overtones, you will enjoy this game.

More Tamed than Wild, but funny enough

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

A big fan of "Wild Arms 3" - a great western-meets-tech-and-magic RPG in anime-style - I could not wait until some publisher decided for an European localization of "Wild Arms 4th Detonator"(WA4) and had to get the NTSC-version first hand. Maybe I should've waited and checked more reviews before letting anticipation get the better of me...

It is not only the sky above his peaceful town that shatters for young Jude Maverick when he observes soldiers marching off the invading metal birds' bellies right into his hometown: stranded beyond the world he knew all his life, he and some companions gathered along the way have to take up arms against strange beasts and left-over fanatics from a great war that left the planet Filgaia a desolate place; fanatics who, in their war-twisted minds, intend to shape a new and even more cruel world, giving the motto "survival of the fittest" another dimension...
WA4 tries to modernize lots of aspects of the series but fails to preserve it's charms. For the story and it's characters: the player's party is likeable enough, though fans of the previous instalments may miss some depth in each member's background. The main topic between them seems to be "what (decision/behaviour/etc.) makes you become adult..." - for me, that would be experience and age, so it's not that much of a philosophic point to discuss through hours and hours of play-time, is it?
The opposing group, a crew of gene-manipulated war-veterans, fails to present any stringent philosophy either (apart from slight variations of that "survival-yagayaga"), so, to add a bit of drama, all that's left is a thin brother-sister-theme between the ranks of the two teams. Big yawn.
The consequence is obvious: there's no surprising twists in the plot worth mentioning.

The gameplay is what saved WA4 all the stars it scored with me. The Hex-Grid fights are fast and call for some tactics and ahead thinking - especially with the bosses. Gather the whole party on one Hex and you can, e.g., heal all by using up only one item/action, but a powerful opponent could take that chance and wipe out your party in one go - effects are aimed at Hexes rather than at characters. The battle comments, especially those of some opponents, are funny and varied.
The slight twist towards jump n' run-like basic movements makes dungeon exploration more fast-paced and calls for dexterity far more than for thinking. I prefer the puzzle-like quality of WA3's dungeons, yet there's some challenge in the new ones as well (especially with the "multiplying" money-hunt in accelerator-mode).

WA4 is fun to play and, having said that, it may seem a bit of a harsh judgement only scoring it three stars. So, why? Role-players with some experience (clever use of Lucky Cards, etc.) will be able to face the final boss after about 30 to 40 hours, plus some additional time for the arena, treasure hunt and hidden bosses, say about 10 - 20 hours; that's 60 hours at best. WA3 was fun worth at least 100 hours, the right duration for a full-fledged RPG to be. There's some kind of play-again feature in WA4, but the story didn't thrill me the first time around, so...
WA4 is a good start into the RPG-genre, however. The funny and fast-paced fight/jump n'run -mixture and the straight story/gameplay-basis make it a warm welcome to role-playing; if you have not played something from the Final Fantasy or Wild Arms series before, the lack of twists in the story won't weigh that much.
RPG-Veterans should consider taking on a more demanding "quest".

Sheer Disappointment

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: June 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I've played Wild Arms 1-4 and I just ordered Alter Code F and I needed to share my thoughts about this game.

The game was too short and frankly I don't think making it longer would have helped at all.

PROS:
The graphics are nice and the battle system is definitely different with the grid fighting area.

CONS:
The storyline, which helped endear the whole Wild Arms series for me, is so very weak. It's cheesy and it felt like I was reading some sort of sugar sweet greeting card with characters spouting slogans about love and friendship etc etc. Character developement was non-existent. The whole storyline, such as it is, ends abruptly with still picture explanations at the end. The story was so linear it was rigid.

There's also no challenge with this game. I finished it in less than a week.

For the gamers who have played the earlier games of this series get ready to be disappointed. It's a pale shadow to the earlier Wild Arms. For those who have never played a Wild Arms game I can best describe this as an introduction to the series. Nothing more.

Play the older Wild Arms games. They are much more enjoyable than this one.

Wild Yawn 4

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: July 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Wild Arms 4 feels more like a "my first rpg" than a continuation or sequel of anything. A stable of annoying and cliched characters and a plot that you can guess the turns before they even appear there is little to redeem the game from the lower depths of mediocrity. Between the hastily assembled group of super kids and the plethora of "evil" adults instead of being a coming of age story it seems more like an angry fanfic experience from a twelve year old who has been sent to his room on punishment. And with lines like "This anti tank chainsaw is made for close quarter combat with tanks" and "It's the earthbound spirits of the undead, we better be careful" it's easy to believe that this story was in fact written by a child. There are some smatterings of evolution and nanomachines mentioned in an attempt to sound pseudo scientific but it's usually brought up as if I'm being given a science lesson and by the time they finish talking, what small part of the plot that I actually did find interesting is forgotten. Then there are the puzzles. Normally I don't mind puzzles especially when they're relevant to the story at hand. In Wild Arms I simply found them out of place and distracting. I'm in a secret military base, why am I maneuvering spring boards to jump to a higher level? Spring boards? That leads to top secret areas? Yeah right. Not to mention the numerous times when I was required to use the "wonder" staff and the "wonder" sword and the all so handy "wonder" pot. I simply wondered what they were doing in the game.

The "villains" and their plan to rule the world is so comical that it would do Cobra Commander proud and the "heroes" aren't much better. Jude and Yulie are the poster children for goody two shoes. One wants to solve the world's problems and the other just wants to help everyone. Not only that Jude earns everyone's admiration for his ability to trust and see the good in people, his desire to save the world, and his conviction. He converts even the hardest villains with his innocence and goodwill and hope for the future. Yulie was the typical good girl who wants to help and love everyone, and with the strength of her friends and love on her side there isn't anything that she can't do. I don't think that I've ever encountered two more irritating characters and I didn't even have the option of switching either one out of my party. I was stuck with them.

The game wasn't a complete disaster however; the game play is actually interesting and somewhat enjoyable. The controls however, were hit or miss. Sometimes a command would execute flawlessly, other times it seemed to hesitate. The most nerve wrecking however was attempting to use the aforementioned "wonder" items. A majority of the time I was required to shoot something whether it be a flame or a ball of light from the wonder item of the day and Jude would slide all over the place making what should have been an easy task a chore.

The graphics were well done and I liked the character design for Raquel. It was refreshing to have a female video game character that wasn't scantily clad and flashing panty shots all of the time. Interesting game play and nice graphics however, were not enough to make up for the juvenile, predictable story and the annoying characters. The whole "children are the future" theme was repeated so many times that I was slightly disappointed that the ending song wasn't "The Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston.

The series obviously has its number of dedicated fans, but this game failed to make me one of them. If you don't mind playing out a mediocre story littered with lines from a Care Bears special in order to utilize a decent battle system, go for it. Some people actually enjoyed this game, I'm just not one of them.

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