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Published By: XSEED Games
Developed By: Media Vision
Genre: RPG
Players: 1
Rated: E10 (Everyone 10 and up)
Release Date: March 11, 2008
Screenshots: Link
Amazon: Buy Now!
Written By: Matthew Prunty

Over the course of ten plus years, the Wild Arms franchise has captivated gamers with its unique twist to the SRPG genre, which playing host some of the most memorable characters you can find in videogames to this day. With XSEED Games latest installment, Wild Arms XF (Crossfire), they look to build on the franchise once again with another unique adventure, this time for Sony�s mighty PlayStation Portable. With the first five releases on home consoles (PSOne and PS2), many are wondering how will a portable version six up to the legacy that has already been established. It�s time to return to Filgaia and see what new adventures await us.

Wild Arms XF starts off with two of the main characters, Clarissa Arwin and Felius, cornering a man by the name of Rupert, who happen to have stolen the Iskender Bay (a magical sword). Just when they thought they were going to obtain the Iskender Bay from the thief, a group of robed figures arrived to lend support to Rupert, which aids him in slipping away. Before getting away, Clarissa and Felius learn of his plan to head to the Kingdom of Elesius. With this new found knowledge, they set off in pursuit of the thief in hopes of getting the Iskender Bay back.

Upon reaching the Kingdom of Elesius, Clarissa and Felius learn of bigger issues taking place within the kingdom. Looking for Rupert, they discovered that Drifters have been hired within Elesius to enforce martial law, and that the people of Elesius are suffering due to this new task force. And while it doesn�t seem like Clarissa and Felius don�t have anything to do with what�s going on, as time rolls on; their fates will be intertwined with Elesius.

Those who have invested time into their PSP will notice several comparisons to the PSP�s own Jeanne D�Arc. Both Jeanne D�Arc and Wild Arms XF incorporate a cinematic element and a very in-depth story. A key factor in how quickly you progress through Wild Arms XF is the job/class system. The Each character has their own unique classes that they can be assigned to in order to learn new abilities. So as you progress through the game, you will find yourself switching the classes of your characters quite a bit. This is done in part to make sure the game knows and is able to utilize all the abilities of each character, while trying to keep them alive in battles. But before you go crazy switching classes back and forth, I think you should know that any armor and weapons that your character has equipped when you switch their class, they will no longer have it equipped on them. The reason for this is because a lot of the weapons and shielding are tied to what class your character is in. Another feature that�s tied into the class system is the skill system. Unlike the weapons and shielding, with the skill system, if you utilize a character long enough in a particular class, new acquires skills can be used regardless of switching the character class or not.

Controls during battles are easy to grasp and well executed. What play�s aid to the control scheme is the ability to withdraw a move in the event you selected the wrong one. Some may argue that this feature shouldn�t of been placed into the game, but when you realize that this version of Wild Arms is different from the console titles and that you are an individual, instead of a team, being able to withdraw an attack is vital to the overall experience. Two additional features are the analysis and the D.E.R. functions. With analysis, in a way you can you�re your opponents prior to going into battle with them. With D.E.R., you are allowed to touch on some keep aspects to consider before going into battle. While these two features help out in your quests, the game is all about execution and absorbing large amounts of information given to you by the game.

When it comes to the visuals, Wild Arms XF is a pretty solid game. Though you can tell at times that more time was spent designing the beautifully hand-drawn images used during the cutscenes as oppose to the sprite-based battles designs, both areas boast great amount of detail. The gameplay graphics consist of 2D sprites and 2D environments, which are rotatable. Indoor and Outdoor environments are both rendered beautifully, though you can tell the level of detail for indoor areas is a bit of a higher quality. Looking into visual effects, for the most part they are impressive, but don�t hold a match to games like Jeanne D�Arc. Overall, for the simplistic nature of the visuals, Wild Arms XF is a rather impressive sight to see. However, if you were t compare this title to other RPGs on the PSP; some may wonder why this design choice was made. And to answer that question, it�s quite simple really, the developing team over at Media Vision wanted to ensure loading times are kept to a minimum.

While I was already hooked due to the story, another aspect of the game that helps it carry over well to Sony�s handheld is the music. For the most part, Wild Arms XF boasts a stellar soundtrack, utilizing distinctive styles of music and vocals. A prime example of the attention to music would be during the introductory sequence, where a vocal song with the original Japanese vocals played began to play. For those who have gotten a chance to finish the game, they will notice another stellar Japanese vocal song at the end of the game as well. These songs are sung by Kaori Oda, with the lyrics written by Michiko Naruke. For those who don�t know who Michiko Naruke is, he was responsible for the musical scores within the first Wild Arms games. Even during battles and cutscenes, the importance of music is present. Not trying to have the musical scores repeat over and over, the various composers developed unique tunes and vocals that will help set each mood, while embedding their own unique flare for music through various instruments.

Not stopping there, the vocal talent used to comprise this game is of high quality. Within the options menu, gamers can decide whether to here the game�s audio in English or Japanese, both being top notch. Switching between both styles of voiceovers, you well determine which style fits the cast of characters, but for myself I am kind of impartial to the Japanese voices. Not to say that it�s better than the English voiceovers, but I am use to playing these types of RPGs within the Japanese language (if available). Voice clips are another staple within the Wild Arm universe and of Wild Arms XF. Within the options menu you can decide how often you want to hear these voice clips, which is a nice feature for those who don�t want too much repetition.

Wild Arms XF is another must-have game for the PSP. Though many will beg to differ due to them not liking SRPGs, it�s still a great all around experience that will be enjoyed for hours on end. While being one of the most challenging games within the franchise, the game is very much enjoyable and will beat out all of the PSP titles in terms of length. While Wild Arms XF may not be on top of everyone�s must have list, for those who have experienced Crossfire, this is the best SRPG experience to be had on a portable system.

8.5/10

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