Wild Arms was first released for the PS1 in 1997. At the time there weren't a lot of roll playing games available for the system, and this science fiction western game sold well. It was popular enough to spawn a couple of sequels as well as a cartoon based on the game in Japan. At the end of 2005 Sony decided to revisit the original game and update it for the PS2. Wild Arms Alter Code F tells the same story that was related in the original Wild Arms with updated graphics and sounds. Though the story is the still same, Alter Code: F is not a clone of the original. There are enough new puzzles, caves, and adventures to keep player of the original entertained.

In the world of Filgaia things are rough. The crops that are planted are yielding less and less food each year, and monsters are encroaching on civilized cities. The world is slowly dying. The origin of the planet's problems dates back hundreds of years when Filgaia was invaded by an alien race, the Metal Demons. In order to defeat these would-be conquerors, the various races of Filgaia banded together and created the ultimate weapon: ARM. This was able to beat back the invaders, but at a price. The Guardians of Filgaia lost their powers and the planet slowly started to become uninhabitable.

In the present day, with the world inching towards death, the Metal Demons have returned to attempt to resurrect their leader. It is up to three unlikely heroes to band together to battle this new threat in order to save their planet. There's Rudy, a wandering gun for hire who has one of the ancient ARM weapons (and is an outcast because of it) Jack, an adventurer who is good with a sword and is accompanied by his talking pet rodent Hanpan, and Cecilia, a mage who can communicate with the Guardians of old. Can this small group defeat the ancient evil that threatens their world?

Gameplay:

When it comes to the actual execution of this game, it's a mixed bag. There are some nice things that really add a lot to the playing experience, but some of the problems really detract from the game too.

On the plus side, one of the biggest changes from the original game is that there are new playable characters. You can have up to six members in your party time (though only three can fight at any one time) and this helps out a lot especially in battle. You can switch out a member for one who might be better suited for the particular baddie at hand, and this comes in very handy at times.

Unfortunately the icon based fighting system, while intuitive and easy to learn, is rather clunky and not nearly as fast as it should be. Having to go through a couple of layers of menus just to attack is needlessly complex and slows the action down. Players will also quickly grow tired of the vertigo inducing camera movements. The camera swirls around the fighters and quickly zooms in and out in an attempt to look cutting edge and fancy. It just came across as padding though, since they do this before each attack. Even though this doesn't take long, I was often left wishing that I could just get on with the battle.

Another irritating trait of the game is that wandering monsters are encountered much too frequently. You can't move across a room in a dungeon without being set upon, much less walk across a plain. Nothing does more to sap the momentum of the game than having to go through 5 or 6 battles just to reach your next destination. Happily this is mitigated somewhat with the Migrant Meter. If you have enough credit (something that gets harder to come across in the later stages of the game) you can avoid some of these random encounters by pressing a button just prior to the battle commencing. While this is a nice option, it doesn't make much sense from the point of view of the characters, and the number of encounters was still way too high and dampened my enthusiasm for the game.

Though it sounds like I'm being very critical of the game, it really is a lot of fun. The story is very good and flows fairly well. Even though the dialog can be overly dramatic, it's not too cheesy, and the strength of the plot makes that easy to overlook. Another aspect of the game that really makes it enjoyable are the sometimes challenging underground adventures. There are puzzles in every dungeon that may stymie some novice RPG'ers but will add significantly to the fun of the game for people who've played a few games in this genre. Some may make you scratch your head, but none are impossible to figure out.

Graphics:

On the visual front, this game is good, but not great. For an updated and revamped version of a classic game, I was actually expecting a bit more. This game drops the anime based designs that the previous installments had in favor for a more realistic look. This didn't work very well, especially if you compare it to some of the best looking games available for the PS2 and other systems. Not only were the figures about average, the backgrounds lacked the eye-popping detail that I was hoping for. While this RPG doesn't look bad, it does nothing to push the envelope.

Audio:

The soundtrack to Wild Arms Alter Code: F is very good and fits in with the tone and style of the game. The songs are catchy and have a country-western or SF flavor to them that adds a good amount of atmosphere. Sound effects for the battles are a little on the weak side, but not disturbingly so. Overall, this is a nice sounding game, though it doesn't really stand out among all of the other PS2 RPGs.

Conclusion:

Wild Arms Alter Code: F is a good solid update of the original PS1 game. Though there are some problems that prevent this game from being an instant classic, fans of RPG games will have a good time reliving the adventures of Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia. The changes in the game are significant enough that people who played the original will still be challenged and won't have to worry about becoming bored. Though some novice players might find some of the puzzles a little challenging, this game is great for people who have a few RPGs under their belt and are looking for a challenge. While there isn't anything he that redefines the genre the way FF VII did years ago, it's still worth playing. Recommended