Wild Arms?

[alienjesus]

I've only played the first one, which was thoroughly 'OK' but never anything more. The Wild West thing was barely utilized, it looked and played pretty much like every other RPG for 98% of the game. I was quite disappointed because I was hoping for a break from the norm.

[TEKTORO]

Personally only played the first Wild Arms so I'm going to say it's the best so far by default. Lol
It's pretty fun and solid RPG to check out, I have the 2nd but haven't gave it a go yet does look like the graphics are improved. Still want to grab XF soon heard it was inspired by D&D?

[Soldier Blue]

Only one I've played is Wild Arms 4, but I really enjoyed it. The characters and story were excellent. Combat is a bit limited and can get stale, but I still had fun with it.

I also enjoyed the music and also the complex puzzles you had to solve in the game. Here's one of my fav tracks from the game. Tis my jam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EsfiX6ypBQ

Also the theme song was quite good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCBFRQggYhQ

[BoneSnapDeez]

I've only played the first one, which was thoroughly 'OK' but never anything more. The Wild West thing was barely utilized, it looked and played pretty much like every other RPG for 98% of the game. I was quite disappointed because I was hoping for a break from the norm.

Pretty much this.

[Ack]

I played over half of the first, though there is a fake ending about midway. It also has a weird item dupe trick that I messed around with a bit. I enjoyed it and would like to go back someday for a legit run again.

WA3 I beat a few years back. It was enjoyable, though I felt it wore on longer than it needed to. It does have a secret final dungeon and new game+ kind of deal to allow access to awesome equipment, but you really don't need it.

[Xeogred]

Sounds like the jury is in... it's a subpar series from front to back?

[Sarge]

I remember playing Wild Arms on the original Playstation. If I recall it was the 2nd RPG I played on the console behind FFVII. Great game! If nothing more, play the first one!

It actually came out before FFVII, and being one of the first RPGs with polygonal graphics on the system was one of its big claims to fame.

So, the real irony is that, while I own all of the games (no, really!), it's the first game that I've never finished. I've got a playthrough halfway through Alter Code F as well. I've beaten 2,3,4, and 5. They've all got positive and negative aspects, but mostly positive.

In a lot of ways, the second game is Wild Arms 1.5. It's the first game, with more. It's really solid stuff.

The third game really does feel the most like a Western, and is really solid overall, but there are times where you really lose track of where you are, and where you're supposed to be going. Good luck getting back on track! I picked up a playthrough where I'd been stuck for a while, and I need an FAQ and more than an hour to figure out where in the world I was.

The fourth and fifth games are where the formula changed. There's actually a bit less puzzle-solving, and more platforming and the introduction of the hex-based battle system. The fourth feels like it's still trying to find its way. It's solid, and it doesn't overstay its welcome, but it definitely feels like it could have used just a little more polish. It also sports a lot of platforming compared to the fifth game. Wild Arms 5 is easily one of my favorite late-gen PS2 RPGs. I was surprised at how good it was, coming off 4. Even though there's platforming, I'm pretty sure there was a lot less of it, so it didn't feel at points like Mega Man. The hex-based battles return, and they feel a bit more expanded as well. At least give this one a shot!

Haven't put a lot of time into the XF spinoff, but it's got some great music and I hear good things about the strategy involved.

Sounds like the jury is in... it's a subpar series from front to back?

I'd say it's above average to great, depending on what you're looking for. You really do have to split the games at Wild Arms 3/4, because of how different they are.

[alienjesus]

Sounds like the jury is in... it's a subpar series from front to back?

From what I've played it's perfectly decent and there's nothing wrong with it, but there's just a lot of other better RPGs that you could be playing first, y'know? It's good enough.

[touchofkiel]

Pretty much. The wild west thing is it's ONLY distinguishing feature really - and like others have said, it wasn't a big deal in the PS1 games (especially the first one). As a pre-FFVII RPG, the first game looks and plays like a shinier 16-bit RPG, though the battles used 3D - a rather hideous 3D (with terrible sound effects) that hasn't aged well. I just have a soft spot for it because I played it when it was new, but I can't really think of any good reason to recommend the first game, unless you're just really hard up for an unplayed RPG.

[Sarge]

I still say track down WA5 and give it a shot, if nothing else. Emulate, load it on a hard drive, whatever you gotta do, just try it.