Wild Arms 4 may turn some fans off, but it's great news for those of us tired of the same-old routine.
The Good: New battle system is fun and different, story and characters are well done, alot more polished than previous games.
The Bad, and the Ugly: The nice character models and graphics are thrown to the wayside as artwork is used for the majority of scenes. Gameplay out of battle could use more variety aside from the platforming/tools function. Some level up functions could have been tweaked to better performance.
Ahhh yes, Wild Arms. The series is like a cross-eyed, red-headed, freckled, second cousin to every mainstream RPG. I mean really, who thought of making an RPG mixing fantasy, the old west, and magic/summons? Still, the series always maintained a nice fan base that supported it even through the bumpiest times (like Wild Arms Alter Code F......) Wild Arms 4 tries to stay true to the series and please it's base...but it also breaks away from the series in numerous aspects.
In this game you'll play Jude Maverick, a young boy who grew up in a world suspended in the sky. A devastating accident occurs, involving a malignant army, and Jude's entire world comes crashing down...quite literally.
Quite early into the game, you'll be presented with all of the main characters. Jude is a young kid with extrodainary powers which are a mystery to him and a threat to Filgaia's rulers. Yulie is a young girl with a tragic past, whose genetics have been mutated to imbune her with unnatural strengths. While they may seem stereotypical at first, the characters are actually quite deep and interesting. Arnaud, for instance...is your confidant 'pretty boy' at first glance...but he's actually quite smart and conflicted.
The gameplay and themes are the real departure here. Story wise, different futuristic and deeper themes are present. I found it alot more interesting than past games, even if the story got alittle bumpy now and then.
Gamplay revolves around puzzle-solving and battle. Elaborate exploration that was present in games like Wild Arms 3 has been totally abandoned. You now travel on a map with a 'point and click' method of transportation. Once you reach an area, you explore it and move on. It's linear but I didn't feel to restricted.
One thing that is interesting to note, is that the game has a very noticable 'platforming' element. As Jude you'll explore desolate towns by jumping over gaps, slowing down time in order to cross fragile bridges, and use tools such as bombs and swords to clear your path and get past obstacles. The platform aspect is evident early on, as you progress through areas that require you to move from a 'side view' camera angle. You'll slide-kick past gaurds and sneak behind boxes and crates. The mechanic works fine, but it could have been polished up more considering it is such a vital part of gameplay.
Battle is my favorite part of this entry aside from it's story and characters. Battle takes place on a field of 'Hexes'. Your characters and baddies are randomly placed on the field of numerous spaces, and where you move and place your characters will likely determine the tide of battle.
Say you attack a Hex that has two monsters on it. You'll attack them both at once. The same function works when monsters attack you, if you have more than one character on a Hex, they'll both be struck. Likewise, if you cure or stat-up on a Hex with several Characters, you'll heal them all. The only thing worth noting is that enemies and characters cannot be on the same Hex at the same time. Still, add to this adustable skills and original abilities like Summons and Arms attacks, and you'll find that Wild Arms 4 has perhaps the best battle system of any game in the series.
The game has graphics you've come to expect for the PS2 in terms of RPGS. The detailed environments and nicely done characters all add to the feel of the game. The game touts a new breakthrough in terms of 'expressions systems' concerning character's faces in scenes. Sadly, this is rather bologna since most scenes consist of characters talking and appearing via Artwork. Well done art work mind you, but I would have liked alot more of the nice graphical models and environments.
The sound is easily the best thus far. Unlike the prievous games, WA4 actually has voice actors. I found them to be great, if not slightly familar. The spoken dialouge isn't constant, but it is often enough so that you get a feel for the characters from thier actors' voice. The music is the odd/great mix of the old west and synthy pop/industrial. It's fitting for the game, and is well done. SFX aren't really that common, but they fine in quality.
In the end, I love Wild Arms 4 because it truly made me a fan of the series. In the past i grew tired of running around aimlessly trying to find some temple inorder to get some...thing...for some...task. In WA4 however, takes story and character depth to a new high as well as polishing it's weak points such as sound and graphics. This may turn some fans off, but it's great news for those of us tired of the same-old routine.