Isn't technology wonderful? Yummy 3D graphics, drool-worthy cinematic cutscenes, Resident Evil scratch-and-sniff puppets (oh, sorry, a personal fantasy escaped)... all life-enhancing necessities for the average gamer.
But not everyone loves change. Purists can occasionally be heard muttering about the likes of Final Fantasy X 'betraying the noble roots of the genre' and looking more like a glossy CGI movie than a true RPG. These are the sort of people who will love Wild Arms 3.
Wild Wild West While the Wild Arms series has never been as popular as Final Fantasy, the games have certainly managed to earn a soft spot in the hearts of many role-player fans.
The first PlayStation game employed the sort of top-down viewpoint so successful in the early incarnations of Zelda and Final Fantasy, and more recently, Golden Sun on GBA. Then the second PSone game provided more of the same, only with some slight tweaking.
Now with the series making the huge leap to PlayStation 2, fans must have been fearful of a ham-fisted makeover turning the Wild Arms universe into some sort of dumbed-down 3D platform hell.
The good news is that aside from the introduction of cel-shaded graphics, the style of gameplay and overall tone has remained surprisingly true to the original.
On the downside, though, this more traditional approach is sure to restrict the game's appeal to a wider audience.
Arms and the man Contrary to popular opinion, the Wild Arms of the title doesn't refer to role-player fans flapping their limbs vigorously in an effort to explain the finer points of turn-based combat. ARMS are the upgraded weapons wielded by four Drifters who come together to form an unlikely artefact-hunting posse. They wander from town to town, chatting up the locals and getting lost on the inevitably infuriating World map.
The epic storyline is certainly stereotypically convoluted. However, the Wild West themes and settings make a pleasant change from the usual sword 'n' sorcery motifs.
Maura Sutton
// Overview
Verdict
Pine no more for a more traditional style role-player for your PS2! Wild Arms 3 looks and sounds beautiful, but might be hard-going for RPG novices.
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
