While not a great JRPG, Enchanted Arms is a pretty good RPG and worth looking into if you're JRPG-starved on the X360
Enchanted Arms begins a little slowly, as you control male lead, Atsuma, while he is in school with his friends, Toya and Makoto, at Enchant University, learning about enchant magic. While attending a local festival, a series of events kick off that set the story in motion. Along the way, you'll meet up with 3 other people who make up your main party throughout the game. You also have the opportunity to fight and earn more teammates, in the form of Golems, basically the world's magical robots. There are over 100 golems in the game for you to find, so you can build your party however you like.
The bulk of the gameplay, like any RPG, is the battle system. The battle system in Enchanted Arms is reminiscent of turn based strategy RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics or Disgaea, but it operates a little differently. The battles are random, like in Final Fantasy, but the battlefield is divided into a 6 horizantal x 4 vertical row grid field, divided across the middle so the enemies have 3horizantal rows and you have the other 3 rows. The battles play out simply enough, your turn then the enemies turn. You don't have to worry about speed ratings or any of that. Movement and attacks on the grid are handled just like in strategy RPGs. One attack may hit 3 squares in front of you, while another may hit just one, or the two in front of you. Other range based ones hit 2, 3, or even 4 rows in front of your character. Sadly there is no option for a normal attack, but each character does have a basic attack, along with supporting abilities, like healing and rez'ing spells, along with other more powerful abilities. Each of your 4 main party members also have access to super powerful EX attacks, from damage attacks to supporting moves. The beauty of the battle system though, is that each of your characters, as well as the golems, have a VP meter that slowly drains after every battle. And so long as your characters have at least 1 VP point left, every battle you enter you start at full health. It does make the game a little easier, but it is refreshing to play an RPG when you don't have to worry about how much health your characters have. Add to that the game has a built-in save anywhere system, so thankfully you don't have to worry about finding a save point if you have to stop playing.
While it is a next gen title, the graphics of Enchanted Arms are pretty good, but not great. A number of the environments do look very good. Unfortunately you don't get to explore the world too much b/c the paths you follow are linear and keep you moving forward. The character models are good. The effects and spells in battle also look good.
As for the sound, well it does not fair quite as well. The music isn't terrible, but it is not very original, seeing as the battle music and victory theme do bare a striking resemblance to the battle and victory themes of the Final Fantasy games. But the big issue with the sound is the voice acting. While it did not bother me that much, plenty of other people have a different opinion. Luckily there is an option to listen to the Japanese voice actors with English subtitles if you so choose.
Enchanted Arms does clock in at a respectable 40-ish hours, about 42 hours for my save. There are not that many side quests, but there are a couple (tracking down the God weapons, unlocking the Holy Beast Shrine, not to mention the Casino and getting all the golems). The plot isn't bad, but it is fairly cliched. Even cliched stories can still be enjoyable. And like I mentioned in another of my reviews, the plots of RPGs are just like books.
Overall Enchanted Arms is a pretty good entry for the Xbox 360. It isn't the best JRPG but it isn't the worst. It's good while it lasts but it doesn't quite have the staying power of the better RPGs. Still, if you have an Xbox 360 and want a JRPG, Enchanted Arms is a fine title to try.