Some games deserve the bad press they receive. You can safely say that companies do in fact produce a few stinkers once in a while; games with no redeeming value other than it's a way to eat up time - time that you can't figure out a way to waste in any other fashion.
But I'd like to instead direct your attention to the games that do not fall under the heading found in my very first sentence. The games that get the crap kicked out of them review-wise for no reason whatsoever and find themselves in the discount rack. Enchanted Arms is one such game. I was shocked when browsing through the PS3 game shelves of my local Best Buy (where I'm not really welcome anymore due to insidious pranks played prior) to find that Enchanted arms was only $20. $20!! For a PS3 game that's unheard of. That's the price of PS2 games after they've been around for six months. Any PS3 game buyer knows that the average PS3 game runs the traditional "New Game" price of about $60.
But I'm cheap. Let me get that out there. I buy games at my local GameStop only if they've been used and marked down to $14 or lower. So when I saw a brand spankin' new game, for the PS3 no less, marked at $20 I snatched it up and ran to the check-out counter.
Gameplay:
Granted, the style of the game made it difficult to get used to. Dialogue being played out in the old fashioned Street Fighter format where the visages of the two people talking are blown up on the screen - mouths moving in no way matching the words coming out - is an outmoded style that I was surprised to see recycled in a PS3 game.
On top of that, the RPG style battles were played out instead in a Strategic RPG fashion. Hearkening all the way back to Final Fantasy Tactics (in a month you won't have to hearken back too far considering their re-releasing the title for the PSP), characters are limited to attacking in a grid formation. Certain attacks cover a set number of squares dealing out damage in accordance with the player's level and the advanced nature of the attack itself. Personally, it was a bit of an adjustment for me to get used to that style again, but once you do it's rather fun.
A really interesting feature - and the one bragged about on the game's box - is the ability to essentially add Golems (enemies) you've fought into your army. If you fight it, chances are at some point you can pay the money to buy the baddy's blueprints and synthesize it. Once you do the creature can fight for your side, be leveled up, you name it.
I didn't really get the hang of leveling up my characters until about halfway through the game...that's right...I must be slow...but my characters were rather weak until I realized how to do it. But once I figured it out I had over a few hundred thousand points to use. My characters transformed from simple country bumpkins into skulking behemoths in under ten minutes.
Graphics:
It's a Playstation 3 game. The graphics are great in standard gameplay and battles but pick up when you summon Phoenix and then pick up even more for the cutscenes. While the summoning of Phoenix animation never really changes, it's a beautiful piece of animation all the same.
The cutscenes though...whoa Nelly! Talk about beautiful. When the Ice Queen character ravages the main characters home town - it's horrible - because you sympathize with the character - but an awesome sight to behold as the rendering and graphics are phenomenal.
Audio:
There's nothing really special about the music - if you've heard the soundtrack for any generic RPG game then you've heard this one. Rather repetitive but not to the point where you'll go insane. However, the voice acting for Enchanted Arms is rather fun with some rather clever dialogue. I found myself laughing a few times...which is rare since I think most video games miss the comedic mark whenever they go for humor. So a laugh is high praise.
Story:
I'll be honest...the game is slow for the first 1-2 hours. This is probably why the game has been slain back and forth by most reviewers. So many reviewers fail to play past the first hour and consequently games like Enchanted Arms pay the price. The first hour is rather talky. True. BUT...and this is a big BUT...the storyline is a bit weird and deserves the rather talky intro it receives. Your main character is a student that none of his enchanting-classmates trust because his arm cancels out their wizardry. "What's with his arm?" the story wants you to ask. Well, they'll tell you but you need to be patient and let them get to the meat of the story. To make it brief, the main character's arm reawakens a few Super Golems hibernating across the world and one of them destroys his hometown. The main character and his trusty aides must find out the secret behind your characters weird arm and put an end to the Super Golems once and for all.
As I said, be patient. The story is quite engaging once you get into it. The first two hours won't be your favorite two hours of gaming ever but they set you up for an experience well worth your time.
Replay Value:
Well, it's a rather long and complicated RPG. You might not be all that eager to play it again right after finishing it, but the world is large enough that you probably missed out on a few sidequests here or there to warrant giving the game another go maybe a year down the line. It's not fair to ask me this...I just finished it myself. I don't know when I'll pick the game up. I'm guessing here.
Recap:
This game is better than most of the reviews it's received thus far. The game has been ripped to shreds by critics for being talky and going too slowly. Frankly, these critics didn't give the game a chance to spread its wings.
For $20 it's a great buy and will easily deliver entertainment more than proportional to its price. Give it a chance!
Sidenote: Enchanted Arms features one of the most horrible stereotypically gay characters...the voice acting is painful.
"Enchanted Arms (PS3)" is on sale April 3, 2007 and is rated E. RPG, Strategy. Developed by From Software. Published by Ubisoft, From Software.
