Platform: Playstation 2
Publisher: Navarre Corp
Price: $40
Anyone going into Wild Arms 4 thinking that they’ll be playing something similar to the previous three installments is going to be disappointed. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, I’ll let you decide.
There’s very little of the “Old West” theme to be found in the 4th installment, outside of some frontier references here and there. The game places you in control of Jude, a young boy living with his mother in a small remote town that is strangely devoid of any other children. Like any sensible kid, Jude longs for something a bit more exciting, and as if to answer his call, fate comes a-knockin’.
Soon, Jude’s grasp on reality is shattered, as he comes to learn that he’s not like other children (gasp!) and he has a magnificent power that allows him to control the powerful ARMs weapons. He’s thrust into the outside world, ripped away from his mother and everyone he once knew as he teams up with three other adventurers/travelers and begins his quest through the game world.
The storyline is pretty standard fare for most RPGs, however, it’s done in a simple manner and it’s easy to follow, so I can’t find much fault with it. The game does tend to get a bit wordy at times, so you’ll probably find yourself flipping through some of the dialogue screens pretty quickly, and even then you won’t be missing out on the gist of the story.
The combat has seen a bit of an overhaul from the previous installments. Wild Arms 4 uses a hexagonal grid based combat system. When an enemy encounter begins, you and your team will be spread through a small hexagonal map, along with your enemies. The map allows for a bit of strategy in each battle, and keeps the fighting element interesting throughout the entire game. Certain panels on the grid are also infused with elements, so depending on the type of attack or magic you use on an enemy in that grid, your type of attack can change. You’re also able to move about the grid with each turn, speed up your characters to get a couple of extra hits in, and use other standard RPG style attacks.
I’ve heard complaints that the leveling system can be a bit off-balance, but only if you cause it to be. Depending on who did the most damage within a battle, certain characters will gain XP bonuses after each fight. This allows for a bit more customization when you want to focus on a particular character, and it just makes sense in the long run. Also, after every level, you’re able to allocate skill points into particular areas, so this ups the customization even more.
Graphics wise, the game isn’t all that pretty. It’s unfortunate, because the rest of the game seems to be pretty polished, but the character models and environments are pretty bland and uninspired. To a casual observer, the game may even appear to be an early PS2 RPG, instead of something released near the end of the system’s shelf life.
The music featured in the game is pretty well done, but nothing spectacular or epic. The voice-over work is also pretty standard; with my biggest gripe being the occasional long pause in between sentences that makes the speech come off sounding really awkward. Overall, Wild Arms 4 is a very solid installment into the franchise, and is a much better purchase than the recently released Wild Arms Alter Code F. If you’re itching for some RPG action, then it might be worth your time to give the game a try. The PS2 is currently swimming in quality RPGs, but it is definitely in your best interest to not over look this one!
- Dustin Chadwell currently resides in Ohio, USA. He's been playing video games since the Atari 2600, and believes he can whoop anyone's ass in Joust, and Galaga. Probably not Halo 2 though. New technology tends to confuse him.