Wild Arms 4 relies on innovative gameplay, great storytelling, and great characters.
User Rating: 9 | Wild Arms: The 4th Detonator PS2
Wild Arms 4 is an innovative game. The unique strategic take on traditional RPG battles definitely sets it apart from it's contemperaries. There's more platforming than in most other games in the genre. The story's great. And the characters are great, too. As the game begins, the hero of the story, Jude Maverick, goes to pick some berries in the forest outside his hometown, Ciel, when he notices some soldiers in the area. He goes to see what they're doing and finds that they were holding a girl named Yulie Ahtreide hostage and when he's trying to find a way to save her he meets with Arnaud G. Vasquez and when they go back to help Yulie they find that the soldiers have already taken her to Ciel. The heroes hurry to stop the soldiers, fighting some machines along the way, and save Yulie. When they finally do get to Ciel, they discover that Jude is able to wield a weapon called an ARM. They use this weapon, and also Arnaud's magic, to stop the soldiers. But since Jude can't control it properly, he ends up accidently destroying the machine that keeps Ciel safe. So they get on the escape pod and, for the first time ever, Jude finds himself in the outside world. A war-torn land called Filgaia. As the heroes explore the dangerous land, they meet with Raquel Applegate. A woman who's searching for beautiful sights in Filgaia. And that's how the adventure begins. Sorry for dragging it out. The Hex battle system is unique. The characters fight and move on a seven-hex grid. There are three spaces on the grid called ley points that add an elemental power to certain attacks(like Arnaud's Blast attack). The storytelling is complex and engaging. Whenever you load a saved game, a great anime-style opening sequence begins. The characters are great. The overall package is a game that's a lot of fun to play.
Concept 9: A unique take on traditional RPGs with an anim look and feel.
Graphics 8.5: The anime look is great. The characters and environments are detailed.
Sound 8.5: The BGM and voice acting is great. The only voice that doesn't fit is Jude's. He often sounds younger than he is.
Playability 9: Haters won't care whether this is different or not but the rest of us will find something very enjoyable about the innovative battle system.
Entertainment 9: If you never liked Wild Arms, it doesn't matter how it plays or what the story and characters are like. You'll bash it anyway. But for the rest of us, fans or newcomers, it's innovative, colorful, engaging, and fun.
