Wild Arms 4

Raptorg · 06-06-2007, 03:11 PM

i recently hired the 4th in this series of games... never played one before, and man, i'm loving it, it's quite similar to FF, but you get more interraction with the outdoors

like you have to pick things up, and smash them against something, jump over obstacles, glide under walls and such
in FF this usually happens sometimes, in this game it happens pretty much all the time.. which is more of a plus in this game, imo

combat system is really my style also, turn based like FFX, but it's still different with the combat field split into different areas, increasing stategic moving, which is again a plus

the story is a bit hard to understand from the start as the characters act very confused and leave a lot of detail out of the conversations, yet still after a while, it becomes more clear and a decent story

graphics are worse then FF... however... worse isn't the right word, it's more aimed to the graphics used in KH2, a bit anime-like
personally i like them

the music is fun to hear aswell, the battle themes are great and the world themes aren't bad either

the characters were not so bad either, but they may not be your everyday FF character, the main character Jude is a rather immature kid who wants to be a hero, eventually, he would become mature(he's 13 years old), he is the gadgeteer(or thief/alchemist in FF terms), Yulie is a girl full of regrets, however, her spirit is strong(15 years old), she's a paladienne(paladin, or white mage/summoner in FF terms), Arnaud, he's a guy who likes to think, he's the brains behind the guys coming up with logical stuff and answers for the others(18 years old), he's a formula user(or black mage/red mage without healing spells in FF terms), then my personal favourite, Raquel, she's a mysterious person, while being kind, she's not exactly a female girl, but she cares for others(19 years old), she's a fencer(basicly a swordswoman or warrior in FF terms)

overall i liked this game as much as i like FF, though i like FFX more, i can say i like Wild Arms 4 more then any FF(except FFX) i've ever played
and i think my 13 hour straight playing today proved that to be right, it only was matched by my 16 hour straight pokemon XD and 20 hour straight FFX
(i'm hardcore gamer

)

i would say it's a musthave if you like FF, it's a great game, imo

now to the people who already played/tried it

what do you think about the game?
what was your favorite character?

PS: i might have put in too much text, almost a review, but you know what they say... it's better to have too much then not enough, right?

Draken Benvolaid · 06-08-2007, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raptorg

PS: i might have put in too much text, almost a review, but you know what they say... it's better to have too much then not enough, right?

Well, except for maybe boose...., wait what am I saying, if you got it, drink it, right?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raptorg

what do you think about the game?
what was your favorite character?

The game itself.
(sigh) I think the game is rather frustrating. Not the storyline or even the final boss battle, cuz they're pretty easy. It's the little hidden battles throughout the game that are hard. No matter how much I level up, I keep getting my ass whipped by them. They're the ones that you need to take the huge key to the Abyss Hole to fight. They're insainly powerful, and I can't even begin a bout with them that can last a few turns.

The graphics are like Wild Arms 3, but with voice overs. So if you're use to it, then it's an alright game.

My fav. character, it would probably be the swordwoman, Raquel. She's the strongest character in the game. Her story is really sad though, especially the ending.

Spoiler:

She was in a great explosion, and it scarred her body, all over and poisoning her with an incureable disease. So she wares long dresses and such, never showing enen an arm or something.

The disease keeps eating away at her life everyday, so she won't open up to others because they might worry about her.

Her home was destroied by a great weapon, and no one else survived. She had no one other then herself

In the end, She marries Arnaud, has a child without any disease, and then dies.

She remindes me a lot of myself and what I've been through...

Raptorg · 06-08-2007, 04:16 PM

yeah, Raquel's story is quite sad...

i agree on the easy bosses... the only ones that gave me a challenge were the last divine weapon and the dolls(1 or 2 hitting my characters with low magical defence, and for the dolls i didn't have revive fruit, so i couldn't revive Yulie when she died, but i never had more then 3 turns on either to complete)

i never tried an optional boss.. i only found 2 seal keys anyway, and never found a decent way to get 'em to the place

*Violet* · 06-08-2007, 09:27 PM

I wanted to play this game. I played Wild Arms 2 on the playstation 1, but my memory card system was broken, so I ended up having to play it over and over..

TomStrife · 06-08-2007, 09:32 PM

I don't understand why you are comparing the aspects of Wild Arms 4 to that of a Final Fantasy game. While part of the same genre, there is a world of difference barring the two.

I would prefer comparing it to the other Wild Arms games.

The overall game had a more kiddish appeal, but the story had more depth than Wild Arms 1, 2, and 3 and the battle system proves to be more original.

The Tool System might as well not have existed, but the sidescrolling bits and puzzles proved to be fun.

It's only true flaw is that it took an important aspect of the first three games and it make it a secondary thing that you can do if you want.
That would be puzzles.

Raptorg · 06-09-2007, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomStrife

I don't understand why you are comparing the aspects of Wild Arms 4 to that of a Final Fantasy game. While part of the same genre, there is a world of difference barring the two.

I would prefer comparing it to the other Wild Arms games.

The overall game had a more kiddish appeal, but the story had more depth than Wild Arms 1, 2, and 3 and the battle system proves to be more original.

The Tool System might as well not have existed, but the sidescrolling bits and puzzles proved to be fun.

It's only true flaw is that it took an important aspect of the first three games and it make it a secondary thing that you can do if you want.
That would be puzzles.

final fantasy forum?
it's easier for people to understand what you're spouting if you compare it to what they know, in this case final fantasy...
that's why i did it

Kaos_Dragon · 06-09-2007, 09:27 AM

I've heard of this one but I never got the chance to check it out. Though I have gotten into the series a little bit. I still have the first original one and the remake Alter Code F I think it's called? But the second seems to not exist lolz. Kudos to Annikit for actually having gotten it. xD;

Do you think the game is actually worth getting? Because I bought the third game and tried it, and I hated it...I got up to one point and I was stuck and my characters have a hard time leveling up. Tell me 4 improved over 3. Cause if it did, I wouldn't mind getting it.

Raptorg · 06-09-2007, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaos_Dragon

I've heard of this one but I never got the chance to check it out. Though I have gotten into the series a little bit. I still have the first original one and the remake Alter Code F I think it's called? But the second seems to not exist lolz. Kudos to Annikit for actually having gotten it. xD;

Do you think the game is actually worth getting? Because I bought the third game and tried it, and I hated it...I got up to one point and I was stuck and my characters have a hard time leveling up. Tell me 4 improved over 3. Cause if it did, I wouldn't mind getting it.

can't really say if it improved, i didn't play 3, but if you like completing puzzles(moving around in a world, opening chests, jumping over stuff, using mechanics all over the world) then this is for a start a great game

and the battle system is great... in fact i find it much better then FFX' battle system, the HEXes really rock, they can make or break you in terms of winning or losing a battle = more strategy required

for example you can have Arnaud, Raquel and Jude to lock a boss into a certain HEX so he can't hit your (frail) Yulie(she's the white mage and has really low defence and moderate evasion, compared to Jude and Raquels defence and Arnaud's evasion, also her health is the lowest of all 4)
(this is before you get Arnaud's spell that can lock HEXes without having people blocking the way)

the downside is ofc, the bosses are weak, usually you can Intrude+double DragonEdge with raquel and they're dead
(Intrude is a force ability that allows Raquel to get 2 extra turns, she's the powerhouse of the guys, at level 50 mine was able to hit 15-20k damage in a non-ability hit, compared to Arnaud's 5k elemental hi-blasts and Jude's (pathetic) 1.5k hits, but she's really slow as well, while Jude is really fast)

Ayakachaan · 06-09-2007, 12:35 PM

I had Wild Arms 3 or 4.. I hated it. It didn't have voice actors, bad and boring fighting system, and the most annoying cast of characters I've ever seen. I lost it and never bothered looking for it.

Kaos_Dragon · 06-09-2007, 02:26 PM

Raptorg - Oooo it does sound interesting. And yes, I love going through puzzles and trying to figure out things. Tis the reason I love the first one so much. ^^ But the first had great characters and I loved how the story went.

Alright, you convinced me. That's the next game I'm going to get. By the way, does it still have like a western theme? Because I remember 1 and 3 were like that. And how is the music?

Ayakachaan - Awww sorry to hear that. But yeah, the series never had voice acting. It was more known for having a general western theme...though I haven't seen 4 so I'm not sure if it kept that element. Maybe you should try the first one and see if you like it. Because I started with the first one and I loved it but hated the third one... ^^;

Draken Benvolaid · 06-09-2007, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaos_Dragon

Raptorg - Oooo it does sound interesting. And yes, I love going through puzzles and trying to figure out things. Tis the reason I love the first one so much. ^^ But the first had great characters and I loved how the story went.

Alright, you convinced me. That's the next game I'm going to get. By the way, does it still have like a western theme? Because I remember 1 and 3 were like that. And how is the music?

Western theme?
Parts, and similar areas, but mostly, no. It's greener then most of the Wild Arms sets.

Music?
Well..., it's far below the FF levels, although the FF set the standards pretty high... I'd say, it's better then Wild Arms 3 to say the least.

Note: If you have a Wild Arms Alter Code F data, you can transfer something, that has no meaning or purpose to the storyline or provides you with any real help.

Spoiler:

It gives you a crummy badge that I believe does nothing at all.

Final Results: Better then Wild Arms 3, but pail in comparison to FF 7 or higher.

Kaos_Dragon · 06-09-2007, 04:29 PM

Oh okies, thanks. ^^ Lolz as long as it's better than the third one, I'm alright. But I try not to compare it to FF because the way the games are handled are different. I take each series as their own.

Of course when I was playing the first Wild Arms, I was playing the FF series at the same time. But each had their own great stories which kept me playing. I actually don't mind the anime style. Sometimes it's a nice change of pace from the super high digital stuff today.

But thank you guys for helping me make my decision. lolz. I will be sure to get it! Hopefully soon too. ^^;

TomStrife · 06-09-2007, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raptorg

final fantasy forum?
it's easier for people to understand what you're spouting if you compare it to what they know, in this case final fantasy...
that's why i did it

I suppose that's an alright point.

I read somewhere you said this is a good RPG if you the "Puzzle" aspects of RPGs.

I find that this game bareley utilized puzzles at all.

If you love puzzles, play 3.

Raptorg · 06-10-2007, 10:56 AM

the western theme has gone down quite a lot...

it's more all in the type of FFX music, with minor western touches in some songs, the battle themes are awesome though..

could check youtube.com and see if you can find some random movies and listen to the music, i found it good

and to the person who said the battle system was boring... that's really a personal opinion though,everything on a forum is,

you have people that like random encounters and bars loading in order to show which character will act when(can be compared to FFVII's battle system)

people who prefer open world battles(as featured in FFXII and FFXI)

or people who prefer a random encounters system with a bar showing which character will act when(can be compared to FFX' battle system)

but if you like random encounters similar to FFX' battle system and on top of that some strategic moving around in order to lock an opponent down and prevent some characters from being hit, then this game has a perfect battle system

wild arms 5 will have the same battle system btw
or at least a very similar one

and yes, i keep comparing to FF since most people here will have played FF often and it makes it easier to compare things then to explain whatever is happening in total detail

and Kaos, perhaps you should go Hire it instead of buying, hire it for 3-5 days or something and see if you like it, and if you do, you could buy it

my own gamingstore lets people hire games and if you decide to buy the game, they will reduce the buying price by the hiring price if you hired the game first
(like if the game would cost 30 dollar and the hire price is 4 dollar the the price you pay is 26 if you would buy it)

this way if you don't like the game, you don't lose immense amounts of money for a game you don't like

i also did the same with Shin Megami Tensei 2, i hired it, i didn't like it, so i don't buy it and didn't lose 50 euros by buying it