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What's with the lovefest?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: January 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I think too many reviewers remember fondly (and rightfully so) the PS1 game "Wild Arms". This remake pales in comparison, and smacks of a desperate attempt by a design team to get a few extra bucks out of a franchise.

First and foremost, there are bugs galore in the game. Serious bugs. Bugs that make you reset the PS2 (although I've heard that some have even had to restart their games, I've never experienced this). This is unacceptable. I don't care how good the source material is, it's shoddy and unprofessional to rush something with a price like this.

Which brings me back to my original point - the source material has already been published, and can be found for a lower price than the remake. All that is given here are better graphics (though they're nothing to write home about - for the time, "Wild Arms" for the PS1 had very nice graphics. The same is not true for "Alter Code"), some extra characters (which cannot be accessed until late in the game), and a couple of extra dungeons. What's more, the battle sequences in the remake are much poorer than the original offering, and much MUCH more annoying. They are over-long and often very tedious.

Sorry, but I don't see the love for this imitation. Bugs, design issues (the surprise encounter rate is ridiculous - but only when your characters are of a high enough level to avoid most encounters), and just general sloppiness make this one of the more tired RPG's I've played. I give it two stars only because the original was a 5-star offering...

Only old-school fans need apply...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: December 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

After months and months of waiting, finally the remake of the 1997 RPG Wild Arms is here. As we take a redeveloped trip down memory lane, was the wait worth it, or was it (and my complete obsession of getting my hands on a copy) in vain? Let's find out!

Wild Arms' meat and bones (its story) is for the most part unchanged, which I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. Despite the back of the cover boasting a "redeveloped script," the really only the addition of a few extra scenes (some of which are very welcome additions ~ especially a very moving scene involving Rudy that adds some much needed closure to his story and a few involving Jack and the "shadows in his heart" ~ which you'll understand when you play).

As far as the translation goes, this seems to be one of the most debated issues about WA:ACF. Even though I did manage to find a fair share of mistakes, and ignoring my complete distain for Agetech being the company that got the rights to publish this game in the US, I honestly didn't think it was that horrible. I've honestly seen worse, and I thought the dialogue pretty much mimicked what was said at any given moment in the original (hence why I jest at the term "redeveloped script" being used on the back of the cover).

Outside of the storyline, the second most notable feature of WA:ACF (as well as the original) is the soundtrack provided by the series' staple composer Michiko Naruke. By far the series' defining link (at least in my book), Naruke revisits and remixes many of her compositions from the original (the opening theme "To the End of the Wilderness" which is engraved in my brain since 1997, has thankfully remained unchanged). Still, like a director going back and changing one of their works, the changes to some of the compositions do not work well at all, but then some of them are better than the original pieces.

Graphically, WA:ACF does a modest job by today's standards. The visuals, while well done and completely adequate (except for the facial expressions, which are so bad they're good), are something one would expect from a first generation PSX title. Of course, when one considers the graphics from the original (especially the battle scenes), any kind of graphical update is probably welcome by fans. Still, despite the graphics not being gorgeous as they could have been, the crucial moments and events in the storyline are very, very well done.

Combat-wise, Alter Code F isn't that much different from Wild Arms 3, which means normal enemy encounters take longer than they should (mainly because every action is followed by the combatants running around the battlefield for a few seconds before the next action). Seriously, this effect has got to go, it's a time waster and it's not even executed effectively (one minute said enemy is across the screen, next minute said enemy is right beside me because I hit it with a critical hit, etc.). Thankfully, the Migrant encounter cancel system helps with this and can cut down your travel time considerably when you just need to get to point A to B.

While the layout of combat really hasn't changed, at least the characters differ from each other this time (i.e. they are each proficient in different areas of expertise) unlike WA3's characters that pretty much all played the same excluding their two force abilities and which guardians/skills they had equipped. Rudy has his guns (well, different cartages, though I would personally would have loved to see him wield different weapons for each attack like in the original), Jack has his Fast Draws and Cecilia has her magic (and now has exclusive access to the summons since equipment is still a thing of the past like WA3).

The re-arranging of abilities to accommodate the three new playable characters is done well (though it's just plain weird not having the Mystic force ability on Cecilia to fall back on, but in a way that's a blessing, as it removes a certain amount of cheese from the game play). The only real problem with the abilities is Jack's Fast Draws, which now level up with use, reducing their MP cost in the process (replacing the Secret Sign items found in the original). While this is a novel idea, the requirements to max out the better and later Fast Draws (a.k.a. the devilishly awesome looking Laser Silhouette) are simply psychotic (I can't imagine sitting though 450 Laser Silhouette animations, especially considering the already slow pace of combat). Speaking of Jack, can't someone explain why he doesn't draw his sword and strike the enemy during a normal attack? I don't think a swordsman is going to punch the enemy when he has a sword in his hand or use it exclusively use it for special attacks. One word there: Lame.

Unfortunately, the biggest problem with Wild ARMS Alter Code:F is that fact the game's EX game feature once again discourages the player from replaying the game. Sure, your characters levels, money and the Sheriff Star (the be all, end all accessory/skill in the Wild Arms universe) carry over when you restart, but any normal skills and inventory items don't, unlike similar features in Chrono Cross that let you stack inventory items and spells/skills from multiple replays. Honestly, who's going to play through the game six times only to get six Sheriff Stars, if it's even possible to stack them? (I have no life but even I wouldn't dream of trying that!)

In the end, despite the long and agonizing wait, Wild Arms Alter Code:F was definitely worth the wait and worthy of your money if you're a fan. Still, the fact this title is so dependant on the player having experienced the original and/or having an emotional attachment to it really doesn't really help the game any, as does the series' unwillingness to evolve past its true and tried boundaries (WA:ACF as a game can get away with his due to the fact it's a remake), but one must realize how important and how make or break the upcoming Wild Arms 4 will be to the series.

Falls Short of the Original

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

First of all, I've played the original several times, and it's one of my favorite RPG's. I'm a sucker for remakes, namely so that I can relive the experience in a whole new perspective, and when done right remakes can even surpass the original. With that said this remake is definately above average, and should be a model for other remakes.

But as much as I wanted to give this game a 5-star rating, there were some serious flaws that I could not overlook.

1) The infamous glitch. When you search for a town or dungeon or item on the map, sometimes the screen ends up getting cut off and you are unable to proceed forward unless you enter a town or dungeon. This in itself isn't so much a major flaw as it is annoying, but when you are hanging onto a thread of your life and have just traveled several paces, only to realize there is a (well, I guess you'd call it a blue box of some sort that prevents you from moving forward), the last thing I want to do is try to run back the way I came and see if I can avoid potentially powerful monsters only to find the town I just passed and make the glitch go away. There's also issues with the screen shaking from time to time, especially during cut scenes.

2) Lacking voice dialog in the FMV sequences. I could forgive the original PS and even the early days of the PS2 for leaving off voice talent. But this late into the PS2's life? Don't get me wrong, I don't mind reading. In fact, part of the joy in Wild Arms comes from reading the various books and speaking with the locals to gain knowledge on Filgaia's past. However, the actual movie sequences should have been voiced. In fact, the event file key you find in the outfield allows you to play back the movies you've seen, except this time they are without any dialog (scripted or spoken). This would lead one to believe it was voice was intended, but never included.

3) Battles are very tedious and overlong, and building your characters (with the exception of Jack and Emma) just was not as fun as the original. Part of the fame of the original was getting sucked into battle just to see it unfold in 3-D, which was quite a treat back in the days when 2-D was the rule outside of battle.

4) Cecilia know longer has the ability to use magic outside of battle. This requires that you now use your hard-earned items for healing, and you are not able to use magic to exit dungeons. In addition to that, you no longer have the advanced magic that was part of the original. All of your magic can be discovered in the first town (whether you have a crest graph or not), so there's no mystery as to what you will get later on. Group enemy attacks are now done through a Guardian, which is fine, except you don't find this guardian until late into the game and you are forced to watch the Guardian movie each time you use the attack in battle, until you find the key that allows you to turn the Guardian movies off.

5) I can understand that each character has a special weapon/ability, so naturally they removed the weapon shops. But what about an armor shop to help increase your defense?

6) You find your secondary characters so late into the game they're almost worthless (not that any of the secondary characters were worth the hassle to begin with). They could have had access to these characters spaced out better throughout the game. At least Jane has the Follow Me command to ensure you're first in battle, and Emma's Great Booster will really pump up Rudy and Jack's attacks.

Don't get me wrong. There's still potential here and this game is worthy of the remake it became. New puzzles, new locations, advanced storylines, and some of the best movie sequences I've seen in a long time, just to name a few, make this game worth the time. I just wished they'd waited and worked out some of the issues before releasing this game.

A rather huge remake, although it could have probably waited a little longer...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: August 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

WA: ACF takes the original Wild Arms 1 and expands upon it greatly. It features re-dos of everything from the opening cinematic straight down to the dialogue and field graphics. The game also features numerous extras that make the original WA1 almost inferior, but the question remains: Was it really the right time to remake the first WA?

The graphics in the game are noticeably now all in full 3D. This helps a lot especially for the conversation and "movie" sequences where the story can be now much more appreciated. This shows one way in which 3D graphics are superior to 2D sprites. However, the 3D graphics in the game are not the best and they seem somewhat lacking, especially when compared to other RPGs out on the market today (FFX-2, Dragon Quest 8, Digital Devil Saga, etc). Still, the graphics are not downright ugly, and the battles are now much more enjoyable with much better 3D graphics than the ones used in the original WA.

The game play of the game itself has improved for the most part. The game features many elements from other WA games, so WA: ACF now "fits in" with the other games in the series. However, some of the changes are a little bit of a disappointment. No longer can the player equip weapons and armor to their characters. They also cannot put summons on every character in the party, as they are all limited to one character. Also, Rudy (the protagonist of the game) uses his ARM exclusively in battle, which is somewhat debatable as to whether or not this is a good or bad change. Also item shops have been vastly down-graded, and players will have to search for healing items for a huge portion of the game. The makers also removed one of the more exploitable items from the first game (goat dolls), so the players will have to use more strategy when tackling the harder challenges in the later parts of the game. Finally, the game features more than the regular 3 main characters from the first that can be recruited to your party. While these extra characters are a nice addition, players may not even ever fully utilize them since they only become permanent members of your party after you have completed side-quests that occur towards the end of the game. Still, these extra characters can add to the power and overall feeling of accomplishment that goes into completing the game.

The game also has a plethora of "extras", ranging from artwork and sound galleries that can be obtained through completing various tasks and earning "Ex-Keys". It also comes with a bonus DVD that features episode 1 of the Wild Arms anime, which is highly recommended for fans of the series.

The sound quality of the game is surprisingly good, although some songs in the game fall into the generic RPG dungeon/battle/town music heap. For the most part however, the game features many well put together orchestrated/synthesized songs that are downright beautiful. One disappointment players might find however is that all of the spoken dialogue has been removed from the game. All of the Japanese voice acting is gone, and apparently the makers had some problems finding English voice actors to dub the American version. This somewhat deters from the overall feel of the game, and it can make the conversations somewhat of a drag, especially for people who have played the original WA and already know the story.

WA: ACF is highly recommended for anyone who has not played the original Wild Arms, and also recommended for anyone who has and needs a "new" RPG to tide them over in the midst of a game drought. It still feels somewhat not too long ago since the release of the original Wild Arms, and some may wonder while playing it: "Why was this remade so soon"? While it is a very polished remake, the question will probably linger in the back of the player's mind.

Good remake; absurd pricing.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: February 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First, I'd like to state that I am a fan of the Wild Arms series and have been since the release of the first installment on the original Playstation. Having said that, I don't hesitate in admitting that the first game in the series is indeed the best one to date, remake notwithstanding. As a series, Wild Arms takes an interesting approach to the RPG genre with a mix of both Western and Sci-Fi themes. The results are normally quite enjoyable.

The game in question is a remake of the very first game. As a remake, it does well to capture the overall feel of the story and it's characters, but it doesn't quite nail it. One wonders if the people behind the project were at all involved in the original. One could argue that there is something lost in the upgrade of the visuals and such, but that the elements that made the first game endearing are still intact... or should be. Sadly, it fails to come across with the same charm. Where one would have expected a much more fleshed out story with more detail lent to the individual characters' underlying plots, the game seems to fail. The score, which was a big factor in the original, is watered down and nowhere near as evocative this time around. Fans of the original, like myself, will definitely enjoy it riding the nostalgia factor but will surely agree that this remake could have done a much better job paying homage to the game that spawned the series.

As a stand alone game, it is a good, solid RPG with an entertaining story. The graphics, despite the update, come across as a tad bit dated (blame the delay in localization) and the battle system is nigh archaic. Plenty of side-quests to delve into make for moderate replay value. All in all, a game worth your time if it were priced at $30 tops.

One issue I'd like to tackle here is the fact that the merchants here at Amazon are pricing the game as some sort of collectors item. Should you browse the limited buying options, you'd be faced with ridiculous prices for a game no better than many other RPG's already in the bargain bin. (...)
Bottom line: Anyone looking to buy this game; do not pay more than $40 for it at this time. That's as expensive as it should be at this point (and quite honestly, the game is not worth THAT much).

Thankfully, I received mine as a gift and spent not a single penny on it, making the experience pretty much painless.

Hope this helps.

Return to the Wild, Wild, West. Well, sort of...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Reviewed for Big Boss Games by: TRC

Wild Arms Alter Code F, published by AgeTech, for the Playstation 2, PS2, is a great remake of the classic Wild Arms for the original Playstation 1 system or PSX. There have been some major updates to this game.

Filgaia, the planet, is dying. The main characters Rudy, Jack and Cecilia must find out why. The planet started dying 1,000 years ago after the Great War. You must find a race of people called the Elw before it is too late to stop the demons from taking over Filgaia.

Graphics ? They have been overhauled from 2D top down to full 3D environments. With the 3D upgrade it adds a whole new dimension to the puzzles in this game, 8/10

Sound ? The "wild west" feel to the music in this game truly sets Wild Arms Alter Code F apart from all the Sci-Fi RPGs out there. 9/10

Gameplay ? On the plus side, the puzzles in this game are a lot more difficult.
One huge minus is that you have to search the world map for your new towns, dungeons and treasures. Also, they give you a handy dandy map that shows you where to start searching. 7/10

Battle System ? Turn Based similar to Lufia and Lufia 2 from the SNES. 7/10

If you are looking for a game to tie you over until Final Fantasy XII hits the U.S. this is it.

Overall I give this unique game an 8/10

Good Game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Plays well. Not as mechanically fun as the original, but still a great game in it's own right. Additional playable characters also make it interesting.

Wild Arms Alter Code F

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 29, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The game stays true to the original, while adding new graphics and gameplay. The only complaint I had is the world-map scanner. You have press square constantly, it becomes less than an inovative concept and more of a gun to the head. Battles have been greatly improved with the added Stamina bar and having the Force Powers add to specials for the most devastating attacks.

Return to the Wild, Wild, West. Well, sort of...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Reviewed for Big Boss Games by: TRC

Wild Arms Alter Code F, published by AgeTech, for the Playstation 2, PS2, is a great remake of the classic Wild Arms for the original Playstation 1 system or PSX. There have been some major updates to this game.

Filgaia, the planet, is dying. The main characters Rudy, Jack and Cecilia must find out why. The planet started dying 1,000 years ago after the Great War. You must find a race of people called the Elw before it is too late to stop the demons from taking over Filgaia.

Graphics ? They have been overhauled from 2D top down to full 3D environments. With the 3D upgrade it adds a whole new dimension to the puzzles in this game, 8/10

Sound ? The "wild west" feel to the music in this game truly sets Wild Arms Alter Code F apart from all the Sci-Fi RPGs out there. 9/10

Gameplay ? On the plus side, the puzzles in this game are a lot more difficult.
One huge minus is that you have to search the world map for your new towns, dungeons and treasures. Also, they give you a handy dandy map that shows you where to start searching. 7/10

Battle System ? Turn Based similar to Lufia and Lufia 2 from the SNES. 7/10

If you are looking for a game to tie you over until Final Fantasy XII hits the U.S. this is it.

Overall I give this unique game an 8/10

Wild Arms is back!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 24 / 27
Date: November 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Well after nearly ten months of Agetec's delaying since February, we finally have this awesome remake of the original Wild Arms that started, and for some rekindled, our love of the wild west. I guess I have to say this was worth the wait. This game is beyond words. Everything you remember from Rudy, Jack and Cece's adventure in 1997 is back with incredible sound, graphics, music and battle system. Even better are Rudy and Co.'s abilities, which have been finely tuned for more features.

Storywise, this remake covers the original WA in its entirety without skipping any finer points. Also, tons of sidequests have been added (including the return of the Millenium Puzzles we all loved so much from WA3) along with the original's sidequests. Rudy and his friends have been given a serious anime makeover and let me tell you, the visuals are stunning. All of WA's music has been seriously revamped for this game and once again, Michiko Naruke does not disappoint. I'd swear that girl must have lived in the times of cowboys and six-shooters to make this kind of music.

The new features are quite a plus. Rudy and his friends no longer have equipment but rather only skills. If you remember WA3 and its Skill System, this will be instantly familiar to you. Of course, there are differences, such as acquiring several levels of the same skill to completely master them (for example you need to have all versions of Silver Harp to block Sleep 100%, meaning you need to collect Silver Harps 1 to 4). The battle system's newest highlight is the Bonus Rate, which uses a multiplier system similar to WA3's to increase EXP. Once again, it's different from WA3, so heads up on this one because it's a bit more complex this time (you don't get a bonus for skills activating anymore). Also, battles are oriented in very interesting style that mixes WA1 with WA3: during regular battles, you run around like you did in WA3, but during boss fights, you stay in the traditional WA1 party formation.

The characters: Rudy, Jack and Cece are now joined by people you will remember from the first game to assist them in combat: Dr. Emma, Calamity Jane and her butler Magdalen, along with others. The battle system utilizes the same Swap Out system from WA2 since you can end up with six people. Their abilities have been tweaked a bit:

Rudy's ARMS: Rudy uses his Hand Cannon ARM as his regular weapon now and can upgrade its parameters at ARMS parlors (much like in WA3). Although, be careful here since similar to WA3, Rudy can only upgrade 15 times and if you want to reset a parameter, you won't get your money back. He doesn't get new ARMS from treasure chests either, but rather cartridges that he can add to his cannon to fire off awesome attacks. Also, Rudy has to defend to restock his ammo which also copies from WA3. On a final note, Rudy doesn't have to restock his ammo for his special cartridges at an ARMS parlor, he only needs to rest to refill those.

Jack's Fast Draws: Jack has a lot less MP than he did in WA1 to use his draws. Not to mention, he has to use the draws to level them up and reduce the MP cost instead of using Secret Signs to reduce it. Because his draws are expensive and there are no more Magic Carrots for refilling MP, you will be spending a lot of time building them up.

Cece's Crest Magic: Traditionally, nothing much has changed here except a few spells have had their ranges tweaked to affect the whole party rather than cast on one ally at a time. Cece's newest feature is that she can regain MP every time she bops an enemy with her wand.

One thing to note is that everyone only has one Force power (their unique original one except for Cece whose Mystic ability has been passed on to Calamity Jane) and only Cece can summon Guardians now. The visuals on the Guardians are jawdropping to say the least though and of course the elemental gems are back as well.

With this game, you are looking at a merge of elements and gameplay factors from the previous three Wild Arms games set into the remake of the original WA, resulting in a huge and addicting game that certainly beats out the earlier months of poor RPGs (such as Suikoden 4 and Radiata Stories).

I HIGHLY recommend this to all fans and followers of Wild Arms. This game will keep you busy believe me. You should definitely get this game, especially since we are all eagerly awaiting the U.S. version of Wild Arms 4th Detonator.

Although beware gamers, due to the rather poor job that was done on the game (many bugs and such), it has been discontinued in the U.S. Hopefully, you can all find a copy.

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