Wild Arms 3

Well somebody finally made an RPG with a wild-west flavor, and frankly, it was about time. Don't get me wrong, Wild Arms 3 is a hard core RPG, and it takes place on an entirely different planet, but anyone who doesn't see the western elements (six shooters, gunbelts, and horses) must be playing with their eyes closed.

Wild Arms 3 is the 3rd game I have received this month with cell shaded graphics, a medium that up until recently was found few and far between. Being a fan of the brilliant colors and cartoon feel, cell shading is an exciting visual and this is, as far as I know, the first big time RPG to be done in cell shading.

A long time player of the series, I was pleasantly surprised with how Wild Arms 3 started off, since it's a quest involving four adventurers, and they start the game all pointing guns at one another in the car of a speeding train. It was neat to play through the brief adventure that each character has which ultimately leads them to the Mexican standoff (Yes I realize that a similar setup occurs in the other Wild Arms games, but this one is done just a little bit better). Once all four mini adventures are completed, the game enters into a more traditional RPG game with dungeons, desolate wastelands and other points of interest in the land of Filgaia. Interested players should also note that the game has turn-based combat system that will feel very familiar to fans of the series.

I really started to dig how the gritty western feel started to creep into my gameplay, characters twirling six guns, leveling off a lever action shotgun at some nasty little critter or the vivid Indian garb one of the characters wears. The whole feel of the game makes everything just a little fresher in a genre that needs games to really have an edge if they plan on standing out. Note: there is no country/western music in this game, if it occurred, I don't know if I could have kept playing.

My only complaint in this solid game, is the lack of voice acting. None of the characters talk and other than the cool 'hero'? music and some interesting combat sounds, the whole audio thing just felt too light. On the flip side though, the game has a strong storyline, good control, nice graphics and innovative design.

In my opinion, the Wild Arms series is the closest competitor against the Final Fantasy series. RPG fans and even those looking to try out a new genre would do well to pick this title up. Clocking in at around 50 hours, you certainly get your money's worth. Yet another reason that I would pick the PS2 if I could only have one system.