Wild ARMs Series

[Forsaken Lover]

A New Wild Arms Has Been In The Works, But It?s Still A Ways Off - Siliconera (http://www.siliconera.com/2014/04/04/new-wild-arms-works-still-far-awaya/)

What timing, I just ordered WA3 off ebay. I wanted to get 1 and 2 but 3 was the cheapest and you don't apparently need to go in order to follow the plot.

Here's hoping it serves me well.

How would you guys rank the games from favorite to least?

[Agent Proto]

The thing I liked about the Wild Arms series was the Wild West theme it had in the games. Though, I only got to play 2 and 3 and never got to play the other games despite wanting to. Despite that, I can't really give a proper ranking but I really enjoyed WA2 a lot.

[Shauna]

The Wild Arms games all have stand-alone plots - there are throwbacks and such to other entries, but nothing is required to understand the games.

I have only played WA1 and 3 to completion. I've had WA2 on the go for some time, I will need to get back to that. WA and Suikoden were my first entries into the RPG world, I have them to thank for being here today, really. xD But yeah, thoroughly enjoy them.

[Wolf Kanno]

I really love the first two games in the series. Wild ARMS 1 is like the ideal 16-bit RPG and actually had some clever game design ans some of the best dungeons in a RPG. Wild Arms 2 had some issues with balance (the MC is kind of overpowered) but thematically it might have the most interesting message of any RPG I've played because it's a deconstruction of the whole "hero saving the world" trope. WA3 was kind of weak. It's cast isn't quite as strong, it seriously dumbed down several of the unique core features of the series, and its plot and cast are kind of weak in comparison to other games in the series. I kind of stopped playing after WA3, I was annoyed that WA4 chose to do a grim-dark post-apocalyptic world instead of the Wild West theme. WA5 I heard returned to the old West theme but by then I had kind of lost interest in the series. I've been meaning to pick up WA4 and 5 and just play through them because I've heard they had a good battle system.

[Shorty]

I remember playing the third one! A good game.

[theundeadhero]

I can't remember if it was the 1st or 2nd one I played but I played it through to completion several years ago and really enjoyed it. I have 3 sitting in my huge stacks of games I need to play yet.

[NeoCracker]

The third one is by far the weakest, though I do still enjoy it.

But yeah, 2 was damn good. SO many moments of awesome, a great cast of characters, and gamings best look at what it means to be a hero, and very much a deconstruction as Wolf said. Not in it's entirety, but it some ways it's also a very realistic look at how people view hero's and how one character comes to deal with that reality.

That isn't to say there aren't a few moments of 'what the fuck?', the two that come to mind are pretty big spoilers though. :p

4 and, to a lesser extent, 5 don't really feel in line with the rest of the games, though in there own right are very good titles. Just don't go in expecting a Wild Arms game, and a bit more of a typical RPG story by comparison, and you should be fine.

[Forsaken Lover]

"Hurry to me, for I will bury your everything. Your tombstone will read "Your Everything"."

I need to play WA2....

Inspired by your post in the Villains Thread, Wolf. I read elsewhere the villain is Existentialism but with HP. Or it's a universe. Or maybe it's both.

It sounds insane but in a good way.

[NeoCracker]

I want to add something to that, but that would spoil something. :p

[Wolf Kanno]

Yeah, WA2 is pretty crazy, but in a good way. It's one of those games that kind of stuck with me after I played it.

[NeoCracker]

There is really only one crazy thing that I don't think was very crazy in a good way.


...You should have beaten the game before reading this spoiler. :p

Yeah, after the main plot is all wrapped up and all the villains causing any of the problems you are dealing with are defeated, you fight Lord Blazer.

Even though he really had nothing to do with the games main plot. Yes, he was the demon who gave Ashley his power, yet really thats disconnected from the story proper. It seemed like they just needed to tie up the Blazer subplot, yet couldn't think of a good way to do it. :p

[Wolf Kanno]

I would slightly disagree on this, while I feel the final confrontation was poorly executed, the game kind of hinted that this battle was going to happen throughout most of the game. I'd complain more about it feeling like the game ended like the ending to Care Bears II: The New Generation.

[NeoCracker]

I do agree that the battle was hinted at, but it doesn't mean that it was connected to the plot. It's pretty much soley related to Ashley's story, and then just kind of resolves suddenly at the end.

I mean yes, it's a fight that needed to happen after the build up it got, but that doesn't really take away from my point.

And I think the real problem here is you even know how Care Bears II: The New Generation ended.

[Wolf Kanno]

I do agree that the battle was hinted at, but it doesn't mean that it was connected to the plot. It's pretty much solely related to Ashley's story, and then just kind of resolves suddenly at the end.

I mean yes, it's a fight that needed to happen after the build up it got, but that doesn't really take away from my point.

The issue is that I can't think of a better point for it to have been resolved and I feel it would be worse to have just kind of ignored it after all the hype it kept getting in the game.


And I think the real problem here is you even know how Care Bears II: The New Generation ended.

Smurf you, my childhood was awesome, paint chips and playing under power lines it teh bestest! :drool:

[NeoCracker]

There may not have been a better time to resolve it, but it's kind of their fault for spending all that time building up what amounted to a subplot. And just because ignoring would have been worse doesn't make it better. :p

[Bright Shield]

Wild Arms 2 is pretty good, I've always been a much bigger fan of the first game though.

[Jiro]

Third one the weakest? Wow, okay.

Wild ARMs 3 is in my top five arbitrary list for managing to have interesting puzzles, a great blend of western and science fiction, and some really solid combat. I did a thing here (http://pressstartnews.tumblr.com/post/46743264416/rough-gem-wild-arms-3) that has some other thoughts, but I thought it was great. Imperfect, but still excellent.

It would be nice if Australia got consistent releases. I don't think we had 1 or 2 or 4. Pretty sure I have 5 though. Stupid as fuck :(

[Wolf Kanno]

It would be nice if Australia got consistent releases. I don't think we had 1 or 2 or 4. Pretty sure I have 5 though. Stupid as smurf :(

You need to come back to America, just so you can have a better selection of games if anything else. ;)

[Mercen-X]

I own WA2... I sold WA3 to pay toward a ticket to the Great Up-North... (or not-so-great). I was just at the last dungeon too. I can't manage to proceed in WA2. I've beaten one tower, but I can't seem to get into the next. I'm pretty sure I've read a guide somewhere about it, but I can't seem to find what I'm supposed to be doing.

[Jiro]

It would be nice if Australia got consistent releases. I don't think we had 1 or 2 or 4. Pretty sure I have 5 though. Stupid as smurf :(

You need to come back to America, just so you can have a better selection of games if anything else. ;)

Everything is cheaper there too.