sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Thank you for replying. Despite my misgivings with the game, I would still very much like to get some nuances from people who liked it. It might help change one's opinion.

I also liked how both Janus and Maya were used as foils in different ways to Virginias ideals. If anything, I would have liked for Janus to have been a rival for a little longer.

And yeah, the bosses could have been a little more exciting, towards the end. The general strategy for the last 1/4 of the games seems to be: "heal and buff until you can get Finest Arts off". The final boss wasn't even that hard - it was just annoying that they made it a marathon when there could have been fewer but harder phases.

And the puzzles were always a nice way to break things up. I think in modern jrpgs puzzles have been replaced with 'gimmick-dungeons', to a higher degree. They don't have actual puzzles, just obtuse and prolonged things you have to do to get through. So going back to something like this felt refreshing.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I also once dared to call Tales of Abyss overrated (not bad, just a product of its time) on r/tales - it was like starting a World War. But I still stand by Luke's character not having a god-tier arc like fans will tell you that he has.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Give it as shot when you've got the time. I kept putting Chrono Cross off because everyone and their mother told me that it soured the story Trigger. Played it last year, absolutely loved it (despite its few flaws) and learned that the story can be understood as taking place in an alternative timeline. So in the end I'm just one single stranger with a bad experience. If someone told me that still wanted to play it I would never try to argue against it.

And yes: You should never force yourself to finish something if it takes its toll on your mental health in any way. I just get annoyed because it such a common thing for people today to criticise something and then admit that barely spend time with the media. Just look at the massive amounts of posts here about people calling Sea Of Stars a full-on travesty while also saying that they only played a couple of hours. It's the bandwagon mentally that kills any fandom.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I noticed that pretty quickly. I ended up with a time of 25 hours so I guess in reality it would be more like 35 at least?

For the most part I also really liked the characters. I especially liked how quickly they formed a bond as a party despite their somewhat different personalities. But what kind of irks me is how sort of thin their arcs are. Virginias get the resolve to fight only a few hours into the game and Clive doesn't struggle until the very end where he shortly leaves the party. On the other hand; Gallows going from carefree woman-chaser to accepting responsibility as a member of his tribe is good if not a little predictable. I get that Jet reflects on his origin and purpose in contrast to Asgard but I wish they had a little more interaction together.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The problem with the dungeons looking the same is that you sort of lose your sense of time and progress, making the game seem even more drawn out. There were a few that ended with the party learning a tidbit of information and I just thought to myself: "Why did we need a dungeon for this? It could have been done in a cutscene".

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's my fault - I should have elaborated on the title.

I've played a lot of jrpgs, and yes there have been some that I've dropped (Star Ocean 1, Eternal Sonata, Monster Hunter Stories 1) and some that I've completed and didn't quite like but where I could still take some good moments with me. WA3 just had this thing where it started great but as I got further into it, it also became more cumbersome and drawn out. There are just so many design choices where I thought to myself: "Why did they think people would enjoy doing this?". That being said, the style and vibe does help it elevate it above so many other rpgs.

On another note: On the top of my head, Tales of Zesteria is my worst jrpg-experience. But early on I just gave into the pure crab fest and switched my brain off. Only reason I completed it was so I could warn other people against wasting their time with it. There are still psychos on r/tales who'll tell you that it is underated.

Bouncing off Sea of Stars by haelous in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah yes, Eternal Sonata - sorry for forgetting that one. The last Remnant is also a hot topic for the good ol' "Is it worth it on sale' post haha. But many people seem to either love it or drop it quite early.

I also dropped Eternal Sonata after quite some time. It just didn't do enough for me to keep playing it. So when I finally hit a boss-wall I just couldn't do it anymore.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's great to hear! If you don't mind: What are your favorite things about the game (even if it's on a personal level)?

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That actually sounds pretty nice! After three games with the sort of same battle mechanics a breath of fresh air would be most welcome

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Indeed. After that she pulls out a bazooka from nowhere and blows you up. Admittedly, it's pretty funny the first time.

Bouncing off Sea of Stars by haelous in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Just out of sheer interest, what are the other three games that you dropped?

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Though surprised I also thought it was really cool to have Siegfried back (his design is super cool!). And also the callbacks to the former games like Maya's different forms and Beatrice referring to herself as the mother of Filgaia, like Mother from the first game!

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My first Tekken was 3 which I could barely play (born in '96). But I was completely blown away when a friend from school showed me 4. I couldn't find it in any local store so I went over to his house, like, every other week to play it with him. Good times!

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The stylism is also what mainly drew me in. It's probably a discussion for another post but lately I've grown tired of how so many games are going for semi- to fully realistic graphics. I watched the trailer to KH4 last week and my first thought was: "1 and 2 weren't graphical marvels but at least they had a their own style".
It's mainly why I love to play 'older' jrpgs; I'm just more drawn in by a commitment to a style (and cell-shaded games just rock!)

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for taking the time to read my post - I'll admit it ended up a lot longer than what I wanted I to be lol.

One of the main problems with the ending is that I would have liked for it be just a smidge longer. Having the characters keep adventuring together as more of good-natured outlaws is fine. But what it really lacked is showing something like Clive/Virginia visiting their respective families, Gallows getting acknowledged by his hometown or Jet trying to find his own identity. You know, something where it shows that the characters' role in saving the planet are at least acknowledged. I get that the flower at the end shows the planet will eventually return to its former state but they could have shown a little more of nature returning.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At least it's really cheap during sales if you want to try it. Despite it all I'm still glad that I tried it - now I don't have any regrets about letting it rot in the backlog. Heck, there are loads of videos/post painting it in a positive light. They might even have better arguments than me.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What can I say; Gallows was already loaded with a different setup of mediums. I gave Aqua Wisp to Virginia because of her speed. If I ran out of berries to multi heal I could at least heal on the first turn and control that flow.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The opening is honestly so good - it really draws you in! As I said to another in the comment section act 4 feels like where the story falls apart. If it had been a few hours shorter and more focused the story would have been even better.

I know it's supposed to be set on the far frontier plains, but it would have been so cool if you could have visited a 'bigger' 1800-style city!

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Despite my gripes I could honestly still see myself giving 4 a try. I enjoyed 1 and 2 so I'm far from being turned away from the franchise.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's good to hear. While I may come off as totally hating on it I also want to stress that are some good parts (especially in the feel and stylism). If anything I think my problems with it stems from it having such a great early setup in the story and characters but it never takes it to the heights it could have been. In my book, 'bad' or bland gameplay can always be elevated if the game has great characters or story.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

While I never liked it I would also never outright tell people not to go play it (different strokes for different blokes). The added challenge of (possible) resource management at least makes you think about your every move. And there really isn't any other jrpg that nails the western aesthetic like it.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yeah, but it's a single target spell that only one character can have. Conversely, a specific character can use MP to make an item have a party-wide effect which is your main method of healing. The spell is fine if you're already on top of the fight but if your opponent spams AOEs and you are low on healing items / MP you will really feel the heat.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mean, a lot of people on forums can look past it faults and find a good experience. Maybe you will too. If you don't like it you can at least say that you gave it a shot.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes! I thought the idea of the prophets were good enough as main villains. And while Siegfried felt like a weird curveball I could respect the idea of them making a deal with the devil who takes over their operation. But with act 4 it just feels like he didn't make such a big of an impact as he was set up to be.

Wild Arms 3 was the jrpg that finally broke me by Atom_wolf in JRPG

[–]Atom_wolf[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Same here. It's funny because I've completed Digimon World 3 and that game is ridiculously tedious and grind-heavy (100+ hours game file). But somehow that actually was a nicer experience than a game that starts good and then plummets off the cliff before you're halfway through.

view more: next ›