Review of Wild Arms Alter Code: F

When it comes to this player and video games, the past is an all you can eat buffet. The past is a fertile valley of known knowns while the future (while in high definition) is bleak and dark. Games sure do look pretty these days, but beyond that has anything really changed? Gameplay hasn’t evolved nearly as much as developers would like one to believe and original ideas are few and far between. Well, the last point is rather moot because originality in the world of video games has become somewhat of a parody of itself. Whenever a game popularizes a genre, in comes a flood of similar products vying for the same slice of the pie. Shooters fit that bill right now while console RPG’s where the big thing back in the late 1990’s. Really, looking at the original PlayStation’s library of games it’s not really hard to see where trends were heading.

Still, as much as I profess my love of video games for systems that have gone to the great cloud keeper in the sky, I can’t say I find playing games to be easy. Huh? To put it another way, while I have no problem stuffing my coffers with great games I've previously played and owned, I find it extremely hard to sit down and put time into a game. It really doesn’t mater if I enjoyed the hell out of it the last time around, it’s just hard. With such a revelation laid bare, one may question why I would even bothered to pick up Wild Arms Alter code:F. Well, it has to do with the PlayStation original, one of my all-time favorites which I recently re-completed. The original finished, I figured why not give the 05’ remake a spin considering it hasn't been touched since it first came out? Unfortunately, six years is decent sized chunk time for memories and opinions to fade, and my oh my did I need a refresher course on this one. So in the spirit of relaying the foundation, let’s tackle what Alter code:F has to offer, brick by brick by looking at the back cover of this behemoth.

A treasured classic returns in an all-new RPG saga!

I think most would agree this statement belongs in oxymoron land. I don’t think one should get to call a remake an “all-new RPG saga.” It just doesn’t hold water. It’s like saying cougars would make good house pets. Tongue-in-cheek as this really is, this overstatement is important because it hints at what Alter code:F wants to be. As for calling the original Wild Arms a “classic,” well, I try and avoid terms that draw lines in the sand when talking about video games. Personally, I call games I’m smitten with “personal classics” but I guess I will indulge some advertising and say, yes, Wild Arms is a classic despite going toe to toe with a game like Final Fantasy VII. If not, why would I have been so excited about this product’s impending release?

Wild Arms Alter code: F features a variety of technical and artistic advancements along with an updated storyline.

Without plunging into a bulleted list of what “advancements” Alter code:F’s has to offer, I find it more pressing to talk about what Alter code attempts do with it’s various changes, or rather the message behind it. As most know this is no mere port of the PlayStation classic, but a “revisioning” that most bill as a “remake.” As simple as such a label appears, make no mistake that Alter code:F, as a game, wants to be seen as more than a remake. The game may appear to embrace that which is based but at the same time it wants to be its own separate entity. It’s this dual nature that makes Alter code:F unique, but as most would expect, such a scheme is hardly foolproof. Even from the most basic of viewpoints, it’s easy to tell the game tries to be more than it is when it tries to improve upon already successful material. There is perhaps no better example of this other than the music of Michiko Naruke.

Much like the works of other prominent video game composers like Final Fantasy’s Nobuo Uematsu, a sizable portion of the series success can be attributed to Naruke. I’m not going to sit here and place Naruke among the elite composers of the industry (she isn't) but it’s almost a forgone conclusion for one to think of “To the End of the Wildnerness” when they hear a random whistle. Still, such nostalgia aside, the score for the original game worked so well because its ideas weren't drenched in unnecessary complexity. So how does that concept translate years later given the various the advancements in sound technology? Not so well. Somewhere along the line, Naruke forgot that too much bombast can be a bad thing. Time after time, over zealous instruments take turns - and fail - at making previously successful tracks even more successful. Yet this problem is not limited to just the music but has been ingrained in almost every aspect of Alter code:F. Ironically, Naruke starts to find her groove with new pieces like “Determination, and then...” which more than make up for the classics she botches. Still, it’s somewhat sad that Naruke’s score is one of the better aspects of this remake despite its hitches.

Beautifully rendered CGI graphics based on the original material found in the video game and anime series.

Saving my thoughts on Alter code’s graphical prowess for later on, I want focus on design, artwork and sources of inspiration. Out of these three, it obvious that sources of inspiration (“original material”) is the most important given it’s going to affect the remaining categories. As expected, I have a bit of a bone to pick with using the anime series as “original material.” Like most anime adaptations, Twilight Venom takes a lot of liberties with the “real” original material (the original video game) so calling this “original material” is a gross misrepresentation. Now, given most people picking up Alter code:F in 2005 were fans of the original (why anyone else would play such a dated game is beyond me...) to most it would make sense to keep the original’s art style intact, right? What seems like common sense to you and me is completely lost on those behind Alter code:F.

So why is the art direction so important with Wild Arms and Wild Arms Alter code:F? Because it has everything to do with the impression Japanese culture made on American audiences back in 1997 with games like Final Fantasy VII. Again, sounding like a broken record, Final Fantasy VII introduced a myriad of things to a new audience, one of those things being anime. Yet while many continue to credit Final Fantasy VII with making anime look “hip” in the west, the original Wild Arms and its opening video drove that message forward even more, to me at least. So when think of or see anime, Wild Arms is less than a hop, skip and a jump away. This is why the original art style is so important and why the new art style in Alter code:F is such a blunder. The list of things born out of this change that annoy me is never ending: I really hate the way Jack’s new gloves look (grrr!), I really hate the look of the Protowing/Gullwing and I really hate how Jack only draws his sword for Fast Draws. Really, you’re going to sit there and try and convince me that a swordsman is going to half-heartedly “punch” things instead of sawing them in half because it’s a “normal” hit? Sure... that’s a battle you’re bound to win Media Vision.

All and all, the taking of “liberties” is a battle that Alter code:F loses to various degrees, something I’ll point at more as we come across each category but as for the number of changes that result in actual “improvements” the list is minimal. I’ll give them the concept of Rudy attacking with his ARM on normal attacks instead of a sword, that’s a pretty well thought out change, but it also results in some of the game’s lowest lows. If anyone wants to seriously stand there and tell me that Rudy’s collection of cartridges is more impressive than the guns he wielded in the original I would take extreme pleasure in laughing at you until my sides hurt. Quite honestly, if this is the best they can do I rather this game was more of an updated carbon copy of the original. Actually, if that’s what Alter code:F was it be of a much higher quality, not the physical manifestation of uninspired seconds.

A redeveloped script with new plot twists and puzzle solving.

Surely they jest using the term “redeveloped script.” For the most part, what the player reads emulates what was said in the original only, you know, sloppier. The original had its flaws (like Berserk being translated as Belselk which is actually a much better name for a bag guy in my opinion) but like a lot of players out there, I can’t say I’m happy with Agetech getting the rights to localize and publish this thing, especially considering the year delay we where hit with. Allowing this game to percolate on the burner for another year certainly didn’t help it in the long run. Ironically, the most intriguing changes to the script are things that ultimately mean nothing. Wait a minute, did they just use the pronoun “she” in a reference to Alhazad? I always thought Alhazad was a he, not a she. Other changes are the result of omissions (The Maze of Death and Tripillar were nuked out of existence and replaced with lame substitutions) and the Gate Generator occurs after the Demon’s Lab rather than the Fallen Sanctuary. Still, most of the liberties the game makes with its subject matter fail when placed side by side with the original which makes one wonder what makes it so stilted, the original writing or the translation.

The same can really be said of the game’s puzzle solving. While there are some who would hate to admit it, the quality of Wild Arms’ puzzle solving has been in free fall since Wild Arms 3. The newer the Wild Arms game is, the more painful the attempt at recapturing that past magic ends up being. The real kick in the pants is how watered down the solutions have become. I remember getting stuck on certain puzzles for days in the original the first time I played it. To some, that would seem more like an annoyance than a virtue, but when I look back at the since of pride I got once I discovered the solution and it was more than worth the temporary obstruction. Alter code:F can’t conjure such emotion because it’s simply not of the same caliber. Well, that’s not entirely true. The game manages to offer some intriguing puzzle solving with the Puzzle Box side quest that’s much improved over the build seen in Advanced 3rd. Seriously, you could make a game consisting only of these puzzles, call it “Puzzle Box,” charge me fifty dollars for it and I’d line up around the corner to buy it like I did for this game - only I’d be much more content. It’s sad day when a side quest portion of a game is more attractive than the quest that’s meant to propel it forward.

Going hand-in-hand with such disappointment is dungeon design. Does anyone remember when dungeons were more than soulless, flyby item drive-throughs? I can, and that era seemed to end with the closing of the 32/64 bit era. Unlike many of the other problems found within Alter code:F, I can’t say this isn't a problem is exclusive to Wild Arms or the RPG genre. It’s dumbfounding how insipid level design has become these days and people wonder why I latch onto memories of ten or even fifteen year old games. It’s not really too hard to comprehend is it? Earlier games had to made up for their lack of gloss with design; now that graphics have became the main event design has taken a backseat, the number of polygons a “engine” can push and how speedy the framerate is being everyone’s main concern.

More than 60 hours of game play on a Dual Layer DVD.

I don’t know about anybody else, but a game a promising me sixty hours of gameplay isn't quite the proposition it use to be. Sure, there was a time where I saw a lengthy completion time as a virtue, as something that added value to a game. Due to that warped sense of logic, I once believed that the RPG was superior to every other genre out there simply because they were longer. Fifty hours to complete a fifty dollar game automatically meant I got the biggest bang for my buck, right? Fast forward a decade and a half and I realize how dumb those thoughts really were. Sixty hours? I still have no life like I did back then but can barely play a game for more than an hour at time these days. I thought my attention span was suppose to get better (longer) with age but all age has bought with it is an inescapable sense of maturity. I still like to play video games but sitting in front of the TV for that long to play a game? I completed the original Wild Arms in a little less than thirty hours and got a great return on my investment. I would play Alter code: F for over sixty and feel half empty because half of that time was mere fluff, doing inane things for the sake of completeness because of the perfectionist I am – one of my most annoying flaws.

A mere fifteen hours in I remember looking at the back of game case at this particular buying point thinking “what did I get myself into?” Ironically, a good chunk of those hours were spent leveling Jack’s lame Fast Draws. Outside the fact these attacks look insanely flaccid to those in the original (what I wouldn't give to have seen a Magnum Fang or Guilty Blade; hell, even the simplistic Meteor Dive would have been a treat) the amount of time I spent making these attacks and Jack economical was psychotic. I can see the need to ditch Secret Signs since they were easy to abuse but to replace it with system that requires so much work when no other character requires such a commitment is completely shortsighted. Okay, so Rudy’s ARMS require a heaping handful of Gella to maintain, but in typical Wild Arms fashion there’s a simple method around that and makes the remainder of the game simple. Again, you don’t have to level up these attacks, but I doubt anyone wants to use up their MP reserves in two measly attacks. Couple this with Jack’s ridiculously low MP, lack of a real MP restoration item, the fact if you are over eager to level up (there’s a trick for this too) the formula behind Fast Draws will screw you and you can start to see how mindful you have to be about certain things compared to, oh I don’t know, actually enjoying the game.

New playable characters round out the familiar cast of adventurers, adding depth to the tactics and battle system.

Saying there is any depth and tactical elements to Alter code:F’s battle system is extremely charitable. Once certain abilities are learned (like Gattling Raid, Brave Seal, Great Booster) most battles - boss battles, because these will be the only fights you’ll be fighting the more you play (more on that later) will come down to repeating the same pattern. I guess that could be seen as a “strategy” per say and sure, the original game was rather simplistic in that respect but I’m willing to give a game released in 1997 a lot more leeway than one released in 2005. Alter code:F (and to a little lesser extent Wild Arms 3) like to act as if nothing has changed since 1997. What’s really changed since the first game besides the Inertia Cancel? MP has returned for obvious reasons but besides that nothing. While this evolutionary, dead-end cycle was going on, other games were presenting with intriguing new takes on RPG combat. I’m not going to tout them as flawless (even something as refreshing as Legend of Legaia has its flaws) but at least they were mixing things up.

Adding to the combat crisis are the characters themselves. For the sake of all that’s good and holy, let’s get the big one out of the way: Rudy is a god. The supposedly redeveloped script puts more of an emphasis on the power of ARM (I would have said “ARMs” but I had to poke fun at the oddball way this is written in-game) so we had to make Rudy insanely powerful and destroy any semblance of balance. Remember the good old days where Rudy ARMs and Jack Fast Draws were on somewhat even ground? Okay, so Cecilia had to cast Hyper on Jack so his Fast Draws could equal out to a good strong ARM attack like Rudy’s Phaser but offensively both characters carried an equal amount of clout. Jack would occasionally need to fall back on Heal Blade (which I miss) to help out Cecelia giving Rudy the edge as the all-out attack character but you get what I’m saying. A dynamic such as this is totally lost in Alter code:F because the sole purpose of remaining characters eventually becomes turning Rudy a one-man death machine. Unlike Wild Arms 3 where HP totals took the Gattling Force ability into consideration because every character had it, the same can’t be said here when it comes to bosses encountered during the main story. Every once in while the game will try and throw a unique boss situation your way but players with even the slightest grasp of RPGs will be able to strong-arm their way through them with little effort.

Stunning FMV cut-scenes relays the story like never before!

If we’re talking about the drawn anime FMV one sees when they load a game I have to say the video that opened the 1997 original is vastly superior and more impressive. I’m not just referring to the slightly stilted character redesign (something that should have been left alone) but quality in general. Honestly, there are a few points within where the animation seems to be missing some frames. Obviously, as other aspects of the game imply, the game didn't exactly have the biggest budget, something that would become even more apparent with Wild Arms 4. Now, if we’re talking about CGI cut-scenes things are much worse. These scenes are just slightly enhanced, in-game engine videos that leave a lot to be desired. Really, they look like something a fledgling 3D modeler would come up with in a computer graphics class, not something that should be gracing a fifty dollar video game. There are earlier PlayStation 2 games that look better than this despite their age. There are PlayStation 2 games with in-game engines that look better than this. I’m sorry, I’m not usually this much of a graphics nut but when you write loaded statements you should expect some witty retort in return.

Stunning Graphics Engine – Detailed characters, enemies and environment truly bring this game to life.

They sure do like to use the word “stunning” don’t they? Unfortunately, despite the emphasis there is nothing stunning about the graphical engine used in Wild Arms Alter code:F. Why? Well, there’s a multitude of reasons, many of which were already explained above. The first is more than obvious: Wild Arms Alter code:F is the original Wild Arms slapped in a Wild Arms 3 shell. The game uses the exact same engine employed by the 2002 sequel and it shows from things like borrowed spell animations to the odd pixilation problem that still exists. (I noticed Media Vision!) Really, it’s hard to take any boast about the game’s graphical prowess seriously. The real problem is while it acceptable in and of itself, does everything have to be so uninspired? I appreciate the wider color palette (the lack of which simultaneously hurt and helped Wild Arms 3) but do towns have to be so small? Do all the attacks and enemies have to look so flat and boring? I’m really tired of using that old “it’s still well crafted excuse” to justify the fact I’m dealing with stuff like this. The original game may have pushed way fewer polygons in battle yet my character’s attacks looked way more attractive? That just isn't right. Additionally, while everything is now three-dimensional, the 3D rarely makes a given scene more impressive than it was back in 1997. There are only a small handful of scenes that truly knock me back with their looks and three of them happen in the Guardian Temple. Still, I’d got chills watching these scenes in 2D. The game’s last great scene is a new addition dealing with Rudy, Surf Village and the guardian of Hope and is the main reason fans should check this game out. So, I guess the graphics can bring the game to life – once every blue moon.

Evolved Battle System – Control up to six party members to combat the forces of evil.

Again, “evolved” is pushing it. I guess I understand printing lies and half truths to push your product when it’s this outdated, but then given this is a remake I don’t think customers were expecting any kind of grand evolution. Anyway, beyond picking on some failed advertising at least the latter half of this is true. The roster is doubled this time around, two of the characters proving insanely useful (in turning Rudy into a behemoth) and the third proving insanely useless and rather surprising. Still, while I could just copy and paste everything I've previously said about combat here, there are some other issues we haven’t tackled yet. I don’t know about anyone else, but is the encounter rate high enough for you? Seriously, makes the original look that much better even though there wasn't a cancel system. Speaking of the cancel encounter system, about half way through the game it’s going to be your best friend if you have enough Migrant Medals. Why? Thanks to the easy level-up method there’s no reason to fight a normal battle ever again! If I can get a level or two between each dungeon/boss by fighting Mega Apples what’s there to keep me from sailing though dungeons outside surprise attacks that come courtesy of low luck? Honesty and integrity? Sure, let’s go with that... all I know is fifty million cancels later I can put the game away.

Another sore spot is the fact that equipment is still a thing of the past. Man, where ever you turn the lame ideas presented in Wild Arms 3 infest this game! I don’t know about anyone else, but I really enjoyed stumbling upon new pieces of equipment for my characters in the original. What’s this? Ooooh, a new piece of armor! I wonder who it goes on! Let’s see! Yay, it’s for Rudy! This experience may seem kind of trivial in the vast scheme of a RPG, but it’s these commonplace things that Wild Arms 3 overlooked and took for granted in exchange for one of the messiest the skill systems in existence. And speaking of things related to the skill system, I also miss assigning runes (materials) to my characters! It was always a thrill getting a new rune and seeing who got the biggest bang out of it. Those days are gone and over in Alter code:F now that Cecilia has complete reign over summons in exchange for her mystic ability. You can make enemy pay dearly if you cast the right material (hell, with a decent level and FP Advance you can end most battles before they even begin) but it comes at the cost of character customization. I guess the skill system kind of makes up for that but it’s far from exciting. Gee, who would have ever thought to but HP ups on Cecilia or put critical ups on Rudy and Jane? Seriously, you've done this all before in a game called Final Fantasy IX.

Last but not least, can we kill off the Crossfire Sequence yet? I love how Wild Arms 3 touted this like it was next big thing in RPG battles but it’s not. Having characters and enemies troll around the battlefield between every attack is just a big time-waster and when one considers how much time they've wasted with the majority of this game it’s a poorly concocted combo. I just love how the long distances between enemies and the player’s characters magically disappear during a critical hit. Very realistic. I think most would agree in an old-school RPG like this battles should be as straightforward and as quick as possible. Things are a bit more streamlined when fighting on the high seas, but those moments are the vast minority.

I really wanted to like Wild Arms Alter code: F the second time around, but as optimistic as I was when I first but the disc in my PlayStation 2 my enthusiasm evaporated as the hours dragged by. The reason why is simple: the 1997 original had soul while this remake reminds one how game design has become a blind, corporate mechanism. Wild Arms deserves more than this and that’s why I had no choice but to take each oversold selling point on the back cover and knock them down a peg or two. I may have been able to turn a blind eye to the series' various failings in the past, but I can no longer candy coat the truth to protect my fragile psyche. I have to be honest, pull the band-aid off and admit that playing the later games in the series is like hitting the snooze button over and over again in a vain attempt to sleep in. Sure, you may have gotten a few extra winks, but you’re more tired than you would have been if you had just gotten your lazy bones up in the first place.

Additionally, Alter code:F proves it is not just a copy of a previously successful game. No. Alter code:F feels like a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy. It’s a like a message that goes though a handful people and bits and pieces of it get misconstrued. The message may essentially say the same thing in the end, but in no way is it the same as hearing the message oneself. In other words, Alter code:F’s could have been something, it could have been a spectacular companion piece to the PlayStation original. Instead, Alter code:F’s so fake it almost feels like an insult; it’s so fake one can’t help but wish it’s lackluster experience was a dream. Unfortunately, we’re not asleep and one cannot fully understand how inferior it really is until they play it and the original.