User Reviews
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 Last-Ditch Effort to Revitalize PSX Role Playing Genre? |  2.7
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by DeeBlackthorne
from Lexington, KY, United States | Jul 23, 2003 |
THE GOOD:
imported series from Japan, solid story, easy gameplay, bonus materials, improvements between sequelsTHE BAD:
iffy graphics, terrible pacing, repetitive plot, flat characters SUMMARY:
I am very familiar with Working Designs and its uncanny attempts with which to present not simply video games, but video treasure boxes.
Arc the Lad Collection arrives with a hardbound instruction booklet for all three titles, featuring a neat ribbon with which to hold pages for later viewing. The discs inside span three titles, including a bonus "Arc Arena" to be played with the second in the series as well as a "Making of" CD. And if that wasn't enough, Working Designs throws in two other quintessential goodies: character standees (a bunch of cardboard stand-up cutouts with which to complete your altar of homage to the series) and a cool memory card case, which I do admit to finding useful. (I currently hold my spare memory card in it while I have the Gameshark plugged into the second slot.)
To be honest, the "omake box" model -- named after the Japanese meaning gift or present -- might have stunned me the first time with my purchase of Alundra by the same manufacturer, especially with the replica of Lucia's Pendant enclosed. Now, well, the frills didn't quite impress me nearly as much. I just wanted to get into the game, but I'm sure collectors out there would appreciate all the nifty stuff Working Designs worked into that box -- you know, to take the sting off of the $60 price tag.
For what it's worth, while the series boasts of having the entire trilogy playable, this incredibly cynical gamer feels like I got two-and-a-half games out of the deal.
Having already played my way through Final Fantasy Tactics, the first Arc the Lad title, gameplay-wise, seemed much more simplistic. The first battle on the mountain with the Slimes proves that. Arc manuevers across a battlefield divided via grid system, can step within the blue squares, and strike opponents adjacent to him. Pressing the Circle key brings up a "ring" featuring the spells Arc and his friends learn. Pressing Square Pressing Triangle prompts players to end the turn. A "turn," here, involves moving around the battlefield and/or performing an action i.e. an attack, casting a spell, using an item. Once the battle ends, a screen calculates the amount of experience a character gains as well as a number of killed enemies.
The quirk: Characters earn experience points for practically anything. I laughed when a higher-level enemy would attack one of my characters and inevitably level them up.
Thankfully, Arc designers realized the great setback and overhauled the system in successive titles. Arc's first battlefields proved incredibly restrictive and difficult to manuever, especially in levels that tried to imitate the fluidity and strategem of 3D landscapes. I can recall many an Arc One level that would have allowed my characters to traverse rocky terrain, hills, mountains, etc. if paths were better defined and accessible. Because Arc gave many of its environment a flattened and muddy appearance (i.e. stairs -- since when is a full flight of stairs easily spread over a few panels with no apparent height?!), it proved much easier to dispatch foes with long-distance/radii spells than standard attacks.
Attack teams also appeared initially imbalanced, that is, characters often end up reusing the same few characters over and over again because they demonstrate versatility and usefulness in all battle situations. Arc was THE player to beat because he had both attack and healing techniques AND durability on the field. Kururu's the favored healer, but she could hardly withstand ANY physical damage. Iga beat out Tosh in physical strength, so he lead the party. Gogen eventually ran out of MP if I kept him in a dungeon long. And unfortunately, my characters hardly built up evenly.
Thankfully, Arc 2 and 3 wise up. Overhauling the crude battle mechanics, Arc 2 features more of a balanced cast, with each member exuding specialties relating to a particular element of nature. Elc represents Fire, boasts of strong attack and high HP; Shu, the Wind, can steal from his foes, utilize guns, and has high speed; Lieza, the Earth, controls monsters and has some limited healing; Shante picks up the slack in healing, serves up Water-elemental attacks, and wields stick weapons. Character statistics become much more reliable indicators of battle performance, now that they are no longer relegated to a bunch of different (and questionably useful) accessories. They can equip a specific set of weapons and armor unique to their "class." The CONVERT option becomes crucial here because it enables players to save of their best equipment from previous games, and thus, pass them on to the next title.
The Job system slowly emerges, too; in 2, they are optional ways to pick up some extra cash and are hardly crucial for plot development. In 3, they become the plot. Alec becomes a Hunter and learns of his role in stopping dark forces.
The characters seem so much more fleshed-out in the latter titles because the script places them in a particular context and situation for the overall tale. The first game seemed so centered on Arc and Kururu that it neglected to bother with the rest. Arc 2 and 3 give much more backstory on the characters that eventually join the party, and perhaps too well play up that "team" mentality; that, irregardless of why these six or seven people wound up together, they all seem dedicated to stopping this bothersome menace!
The bulk of the game requires characters to go from battlefield to map to explore various kingdoms, in an attempt as the story reveals, to prevent Andel and the kingdom of Millmana from seeking absolute power and/or reviving the Dark One and, of course, not reward the tyrants with ultimate power, but instead destroy the world. Call me crazy, but you would think tyrannical leaders would get the message by now. Power and ambition equals inevitable destruction. An interesting angle to the tired tale is in the Guardians, embodiments of nature that once protected the world until they lost trust in a corrupted humanity. Weakened, they have all but vanished from the planet and, in this case, the intrepid heroes seek them out and ask for their aid; predictably, Arc wins them over, helps restore the power of the Ark, and...
The Dark One keeps coming back for the second and third installments. That's the pity.
When Arc and Kururu sacrifice themselves to seal the Dark One permanently, Andel returns, finishes his plan, and confuses the (dimwitted) King of Millmana to take this power for himself -- secretly, Andel's running things, but we already knew that. Elc and his crew step in to take over this menace, and after they (temporarily) succeed, Alec and his friends undergo a similar tale. Working Designs breathed life into the third sequel by placing much of the Arc 2 cast in cameo positions, recreating the second's ending as "The Great Disaster" and shows a world recovering from it and, once more, pushing the good path. You see the problem now?
Granted, the story improves and gameplay in the ways articulated above, but the story quickly becomes tired and uninteresting. I know Working Designs wanted to make a trilogy of Arc, but roughly halfway through, I realized just how willingly the designers recycled prior gaming elements from the first two films. The "world" hardly charges; the Guardians remain embittered and upset, humanity hardly learns its lesson the first two times, and bless their hearts, they simply couldn't well enough alone. If that wasn't enough, though the world gets much more of a facelift in the second installment, Elc and the gang visit the same lands as his Arc intrepids before him (same cities, same towns, a few repeating dungeons); and though the Great Disaster really damaged much of the world, Paysus and Gogen and the second-series cameos haven't aged a day, it seems! (minus the obvious "we've been through this, we were Hunters, we love Elc" nostalgia).
Huge warning: You will hate quite a few dungeons, especially the ones in which designers thought it would be cute to "loop" the environment (i.e. you visit the same few screens over and over again, oftentimes battling in each one, until you figure out the right combination of moves).
Thus, rambling long enough, I don't despise the title. Arc provides a decently stout gaming experience once you get past the ridiculously short first title, and if anything, it appeals to the completionist RPGers out there who can't stand to put the title down after finishing every job, acquiring every item, maxing out the spells, the levels, the equipment -- especially the second title. If anything, such dedication can buffer the tedium of a too-oft-rehearsed and adequately successful role-playing prototype. But hey, I used my Gameshark on the second game to get it over and done with, only to almost complete all 102 jobs of the third sequel...
I'm glad it's over.
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| 5 out of 10 people found this review helpful. | Did you find this review helpful? YES NO |
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| Arc the Lad |  5.0
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by  HalfDemon Inuyasha
from Broken Dreams, , | Jul 9, 2003 |
THE GOOD:
Very intresting Turn base battle mixed with a tactics, characters in one and two were cool, storys of all of them were great, gameplay was satisfying, and the skills were cool...THE BAD:
Arc the Lad: Monster Battle... , weird plots, too short of games SUMMARY:
This is a good collection to add to your psx collection, it is very time consuming, well to me it was, playing all four games, almost at once, Arc the Lad 1 was a little to short, then same was with the rest of them..but I loved the characters in em, they had some nice moves to dish out to enemys, and the gameplay was outstanding. The story was cool and I liked how they inter connected them together like they did...having one going over to two, then two going over to three, whoever thought of this was good.. |
| 3 out of 6 people found this review helpful. | Did you find this review helpful? YES NO |
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| Arc the Lad Collection |  4.0
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by toejamgoat222
| Feb 13, 2003 |
THE GOOD:
Arc the Lad 1 and 3, the first installment was an awesome quick game and the third was an awesome long game.THE BAD:
Arc 2. it was fun and all, but it really dragged on. and then end boss was probably the hardest thing i have ever encountered in a video game. SUMMARY:
Arc 1: awesome game. took me about ten hours to beat and really did a good job of setting up everything for the other two games. lots of nice extras too. hot music.
Arc 2: ok game. good battle system, the options for sidequests were nice and wide too. music was quite nice. BUT, the end of the game really sucked. im not saying that the cinematics were weak, cause they were cool, but the end dungeon and the end boss blew. i think i had to work up for an extra 7 hours or so to beat that damn end guy. that REALLY pissed me off.
Arc 3: the pentacle of the series. best battle system. best graphics. best music. a barrage of sidequests and extra things that you can do. that game flat out just kicked good butt. |
| 7 out of 12 people found this review helpful. | Did you find this review helpful? YES NO |
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| Great game! |  4.7
0 comments |
by  saucymeatdog
from , , | Jan 27, 2003 |
| Pretty good story, excellent consistency b/w games. Great extra game (Monster Tournament)--don't think it will make it to the nat'l competition level, unless it already has and i just don't know about it...I know i cant make a full analysis or fully judge the collection until i've played all of it, but so far i love it! I'd say it's well worth the $$! |
| 7 out of 11 people found this review helpful. | Did you find this review helpful? YES NO |
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| Arc the Lad 3 Review | 4.7
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by  RPG_Master44
from Still drunk, , and stoned... | Oct 6, 2002 |
THE GOOD:
The best of the seriesSUMMARY:
Arc the Lad II was originally planned as the end of the Arc the Lad series. However, following the release of Arc the Lad Monster Arena, the appeal of the Arc the Lad games soared to phenomenal levels, and fans all over created petition after petition in the hope that Sony of Japan would give in.
The effort paid off, and almost 2 years after Arc the Lad II, Arc the Lad III was released. The fans in Japan were overjoyed, and Arc the Lad III provided some decent competition for other stellar titles already available in the Japanese market at that time.
It was at the time of Arc the Lad III’s release that Working Designs succeeded in securing the rights from Sony of Japan for a US release, with the bold offer to localize all the Arc the Lad games released in Japan so far. The deal was set, and the Arc the Lad series got its chance to see the light of day for English speaking gamers the world over.
The general prelude to Arc the Lad III’s story takes place at the end of Arc the Lad II. The King of Romalia, clouded by greed and ambition, released the Dark One, and upon doing so, brought great destruction upon the world. Were it not for the brave actions of Arc and Elc at that time, the world would have ceased to exist. Even though the Dark One was sealed away again, the destruction that was already released had devastated much of the world, and many lives were lost. The survivors of the catastrophe were left with ruins, but also a faint light of hope, a new chance to restore their lives, a new chance at life.
Ten years have passed since then, and the survivors have come to call the catastrophic event The Great Disaster. Many continents had since vanished under the waves, and the survivors have begun rebuilding in earnest on the remaining continents or just trying to stay alive. Travel has become limited, as much of the technology prior to The Great Disaster was lost, and aside for Hunters and sailors, few get the chance to travel the world.
Our story begins in Sasha Village on Eteru Island, a large land mass relatively unaffected by The Great Disaster. We see a quick flashback of a boy being saved from the flames of The Great Disaster by a Hunter. That boy has since grown up, and we are introduced to Alec, our hero for Arc the Lad III. The story begins in earnest when Sasha Village falls under attack from bandits, and Alec and his best friend sneak out to get a Hunter to save their fellow villagers. After the events that follow, Alec confirms his resolve to be a great Hunter and sets out with Lutz for the city, to take a test that will allow him to become a Hunter.
The main plot this time round is slower to start; unlike Arc The Lad II, there are slight hints offered in the early part of the game, but the actual plot doesn’t start to go into full drive until more than halfway through the game. The first half of the game sees Alec fulfilling his dream of becoming a Hunter and taking on Jobs from the Hunter’s Guild to gain Merits and Goz, the monetary unit for the Arc the Lad world.
Unlike Arc the Lad II, Arc the Lad III’s story revolves around the Hunter’s Guild and a fair amount of the Jobs are compulsory to making progress within the story. The bulk of the Jobs available are optional, but sometimes a player needs to do a certain number of ‘optional’ Jobs before a Job that continues the story becomes available. In simple terms, you’ll have to do Jobs whether you like it or not.
As mentioned earlier, the main gameplay of Arc The Lad III revolves around taking Jobs at the Hunter’s Guild. Each continent Alec visits has a Hunter’s Guild with its own list of Jobs for Alec to attempt, and a fair amount of the Jobs are part of the story itself. The Hunter’s Guild system in Arc the Lad III functions almost the same way as the ones in Arc the Lad 1 and 2. Players go to the Guild and view the available Jobs, select the ones they want to do, and then set out to accomplish it. The Jobs in Arc the Lad III have more of an added twist, though, with some requiring players to engage in variations of many types of mini-games that require good memory, good visual skills, or pure dexterity and patience. In addition, some Jobs even require solving puzzles or defeating enemies with your character handicapped or within a time limit!
There are also Jobs that are compulsory. These ‘Jobs’ are part of the story itself and not doing them means you can’t continue with the game. For instance, there is a ‘Job’ requiring players to go to a certain location to save a future party member. ‘Jobs’ like this appear after certain requirements are met, and these requirements are usually doing a certain number of the ‘optional’ Jobs in the Hunter’s Guild. As the story progresses, the Jobs get significantly tougher and may actually contain more than just one simple event. The puzzles and mini-games within such Jobs also get significantly tougher and trickier as well, so it is advisable for players to get used the earlier and simpler Jobs before they regret it later.
I have personally completed all the Jobs, and all I can say is that even though some of the later Jobs can be extremely frustrating or difficult, the experience was extremely worthwhile. The real benefits of doing the Jobs are actually cumulative. You will really feel for the characters in the game as you help them, and the way they develop is nothing short of amazing. There are so many varied events and outcomes. Some are sad, some are happy; there are passionate moments and even hilarious situations; there are events that allow players to know facts about certain characters they never knew about. The way the characters interact with one another and the many varied choices make it a very worthwhile experience. In fact, sometimes Failing a Job or doing a Job in a certain way may later open up new choices that players may never even know existed!
Aside from the Jobs in the Guild, players can also view Wanted Monster posters and then hunt them down. Like in Arc the Lad II, these monsters are tougher than normal ones and have desirable items that they drop or which you can steal. Defeating a Wanted Monster awards a small amount of Merits and Goz, and unlike Arc the Lad II, all the Wanted Monsters can be found in the same area as the Guild, so players won’t have to go on a wild goose chase hunting for bounties.
Those who have played through Arc the Lad II, will notice significant changes. For one, the Weapon Proficiency system is no longer in use, and each character, aside from Alec, can equip their choice weapons only. Monsters can no longer be captured, this feature having been replaced with a new Cardish system, where Theo, a Cardist, captures monsters into Cards to be used as one-time summons. After summoning a monster, it will do a summon-style attack, a la Final Fantasy, and vanish. Theo can hold 5 Cards at a time and 5 of a same Monster Card. Equipment and items are all at maximum strength as well and no longer utilize a Strength and Level parameter like Arc the Lad II. Also, characters can now change equipment in battle without having to wait for their turn.
The core gameplay mechanics for Arc the Lad III are the same as those in the last 2 games. There is the Field Map, with all the locations shown, and players control a sprite of Alec to move to a location, pressing the X button to enter. Players can also open the menu on the Field Map to check Status, Sort Monster Cards, and Recover HP by casting healing spells.
Later in the game, the World Map shows all the continents and the name of the Field Map for that continent, and players move a target-cursor like device to highlight the Field Map they wish to enter. There aren’t many locations to visit in Arc the Lad III, but rest assured, the generous number of locations on the Field Map, as well as the numerous Jobs in the Hunter’s Guilds will guarantee that players will milk each Field Map for all it has to offer. In fact, later Jobs will even open up new areas or have you travel all over the world just to complete some objectives.
Battles in the game are much quicker now and also more action orientated. Characters and enemies have higher HP and MP levels than in the first 2 games, and moving speed in battle is very fast and fluid. The Jump, Counter, Catch and Throw options have been removed. Characters generally throw attack projectiles like grenades and bombs that are found or bought, for a quick ranged attack now, and automatically jump past simple obstacles or normal enemies. Spells and Skills all have fixed MP costs regardless of their level, so players won’t need to go to the hassle of adjusting the level of the Spell or Skill before casting like in Arc the Lad II. The most welcomed feature, though, is the ability to target an empty space for Spells and Skills. This allows a Spell or Skill to have maximum effect, much like in Final Fantasy Tactics.
The controls are smooth and responsive. Battle controls remain the same; pressing the X button when within range of an opponent executes an attack and pressing the O button opens the Spell and Skill menu. The Square button opens up a menu to check status, use items, change equipment, and change in-game options on the fly. The menu also allows Theo to use carried Monster Cards.
For mini-games that require button pressing or quick reflexes, the controls don’t disappoint, though in some instances they can be oversensitive. This is a good thing, as some Jobs in the game require precise button pressing or quick movement to succeed. Manual changing of the lead character has also been removed, and players will control Alec most of the time, except maybe for some minor instances during certain Jobs.
The graphics in Arc the Lad III have obviously gone through a serious overhaul. Aside from the fact that characters are now also included in the FMV scenes, character sprites are now more proportionate, and the game’s graphic engine has adopted a sort of pseudo-3D feel. Colors are even more diverse, character animations are smoother and more fluid, and the backgrounds for Towns/Villages, battlefields, and dungeons are slightly more detailed overall and do add quite a sense of atmosphere as well.
The insane combo animations from Arc the Lad II have been removed for simpler and quicker attacks, and almost every weapon except ranged weapons, have at least 2 to 3 different attack animations. Spells and Skills are animated better and are very fluid and quick in execution, while the summon-style attacks for Monster Cards are quite impressive, to say the least. In addition, the Field Maps are also more detailed.
The music in the game has gone though a stark improvement. I simply love the battle music, and the themes for each of the characters are very well done. Examples would be Tosh’s Samurai-style Battle Theme and Velhart’s Theme. The music in the Towns/Villages and dungeons also mimic the atmosphere of the places very well. Like Arc the Lad II, there is also a very catchy vocal song in the game. It’s a real pity that Working Designs had to forgo including a music CD for the package, as I’m sure a lot of the tunes in Arc the Lad III would have been very well received.
The voices are crisp, clear, and bug free, unlike Arc the Lad II’s voices. They are still all in Japanese, though, and really suit their characters. The game also has much better sound effects for the Spells and Skills, as well as for the weapon attacks. Many may complain that they don’t know what the characters are saying in battle, but others would complain if the voices were dubbed in English, so honestly it is a no win situation here. It also seems that Victor Ireland has kept most of the script as close to the Japanese original as possible, though players may recognize some of Working Design’s trademark jokes here and then.
In a final and conclusive note, the Arc the Lad Collection has offered me a very worthwhile and breathtaking gaming experience. The well developed characters, the multiple twists and turns in the plot, the diversity of places to explore, and the plethora of secrets have made this one of my greatest gaming experiences ever. I highly recommend RPG fans to overlook the fact that these games are old and to instead experience all that the world of Arc the Lad has to offer. Experience the game the way the creators wanted it to be felt and play them in order for a long and very rewarding experience. After all, Arc the Lad: Twilight Of The Spirits for the PlayStation 2 is just on the horizon, and the series will hopefully continue to amaze gamers for the years to come.
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| Arc the Lad Monster Arena Review |  3.6
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by RPG_Master44
from Still drunk, , and stoned... | Oct 5, 2002 |
Arc the Lad Monster Arena is not a sequel in any sense, and has nothing to do with the overall story in the Arc the Lad series. Arc the Lad Monster Arena is a Tournament-style game where players pit their captured monsters against others in the Arena for the sake of getting some rare prizes. This was a game created to help keep the fans who had played Arc the Lad II for everything it was worth, and who were in need of more challenge. It may also be the only place where players may actually use their captured monsters for a significant amount of time.
The ‘Story’ in this game is generally about you, the player. The game is based in the Arena Town of Faust, and you the player, represented by either a guy or gal, seek to battle in the Monster Arena for fame and, of course, the very tempting prizes and monsters. The best thing is that the prizes and monsters you win can be brought back to the Arc the Lad II main game!
Arc the Lad Monster Arena allows 2-player competition as well, alternating between the players by pressing the Start button and then selecting the player. The players are represented by a guy or gal character sprite, and if one player takes the guy sprite, the other gets the gal sprite. Not much variety here, but you honestly don’t have a choice, as the other Arc the Lad characters are busy running the stores, the Arena, or just taking it easy in Faust.
The general goal in Arc the Lad Monster Arena is to use your captured monsters from Arc the Lad II through Lieza’s Ravish ability, to battle in the Arena Battles, VS Mode, or Tournament for prizes. VS Mode is for players 1 and 2 to battle against each other for bragging rights, an item, or a monster. It can get quite fun if you want to challenge a fellow Arc the Lad II player, as all sorts of weird and funny battles may occur, especially if both players are down to 1 character and they decide to play a frantic game of cat and mouse!
The Arena Battles are the main event, where you have to set up 3 teams of 4 fighters each to battle an opponent’s monster party. The catch is, you can’t control your parties as they are all set to Auto battle, so all you can hope is that all your training has made your warriors strong enough. Completing the entire Arena Battle will allow players to use normal characters in battle as well as a new 5-team mode for all new prizes. The enemies are extremely tough, most of them ranging between Levels 90 to 255 after completing the first Arena Battles, so players will be in for quite a challenge. Prizes are awarded per team defeated.
The Tournament is more of an endurance battle. You can control your characters, and the goal is to defeat as many enemy teams as you can before you get slaughtered. You create 3 teams of 4 or, if you have unlocked 5 team mode, 5 teams of 4, to battle. The first team battles until they get totally wiped out, then they’re replaced by the next team until all your teams get wiped out. If a member of the team gets killed but the team wins, they will revive at 1 HP for the next battle. HP and MP do not recover to full for every new battle, so as mentioned earlier, it is more of a test to see how long your parties can last against an almost endless horde of enemies with increasing Levels. Prizes are awarded to players on account of how many teams they have defeated so far: the more teams defeated, the more prizes you get.
Aside from the Arena, there are other functions being served by Faust, and almost each character has a purpose. There are many nifty features and lots of stuff to look through, all conveniently located in one place. Some of the features are Iga’s Dojo, where players can go for training or to learn about the Monster Arena, Chongara’s Shop, where you can buy some uncommon perishable items, Elc’s Exchange, where players can trade items with each other and Shante’s Theatre, where players can listen to her song or watch some Arc The Lad characters act out some very weird skits on stage. There are more features as well, and players are free to peruse them as much as they like.
The niftiest feature of all is the fact that you save all your achievements into your normal Arc the Lad II game save, meaning that all the items and monsters you’ve collected as prizes can be brought back into Arc the Lad II. The main trick is that you cannot just load data for Arc the Lad Monster Arena from anywhere in Arc the Lad II. The best time to start Arc the Lad Monster Arena is when you’re around 30% into Arc the Lad II, when all the characters reunite and can travel freely on the Silver Noah. Even so, there will be instances in the game where you cannot load the data, and Monster Arena will simply list that data as No Arc Arena Data Available.
Control is the same as that in Arc the Lad II, though there is an additional option for players to set their characters to Auto or Manual battle when not fighting an Arena Battle.
Graphically and musically, Arc The Lad Monster Arena utilizes the same engines as Arc the Lad II, so there really isn’t much that looks or sounds new. Some of the Arena stages are interesting, though, and quite pleasing to battle in, but that’s that and you’d be disappointed if you were expecting more.
In the end, Arc the Lad Monster Arena is merely a companion game to Arc the Lad II, but it does offer those who have played Arc the Lad II to its fullest quite a challenge. Though optional to play, it is still quite recommended for those seeking a challenge, or as most players may know by now, a useful ‘cheat utility’! |
| 12 out of 16 people found this review helpful. | Did you find this review helpful? YES NO |
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| Arc the Lad 2 Review |  4.4
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by RPG_Master44
from Still drunk, , and stoned... | Oct 4, 2002 |
Arc the Lad II is not just a sequel to Arc the Lad, it is also an extension of its story. The remaining half of an originally one-part project, Arc the Lad II had to be separated from Arc the Lad due to time constraints. Fortunately, it was a smart decision, considering how great this game has become. In fact, many Japanese gamers, and those who had played the Arc the Lad games, touted Arc the Lad II as the gem of the series.
Arc the Lad II starts off were Arc the Lad left off, but not in the fashion most would expect. Instead, we are introduced to a whole new cast, as well as a new lead character, Elc. Elc is a Hunter, a mercenary that takes Jobs from the Hunter’s Guilds for money and fame. Elc’s family and fellow villagers were killed when he was a mere child, and the subsequent events were so horrid that he lost his memories of most of them. His mentor and fellow Hunter, Shu, later rescued him in a desert, and since then Elc has thrived to be a skilled Hunter. However, Elc is still plagued by nightmares of his past, and eventually seeks to find out the truth behind his lost past.
The story begins to flow in earnest during one of Elc’s jobs at the start of the game. During that job, he meets a mysterious girl Lieza, and also stumbles on those who ruthlessly seek her power. After rescuing her, Elc begins a journey to not only seek out his lost memories, but eventually to join the flow of fate and cross paths with Arc. As their stories begin to intertwine, they will eventually set out to stop the dark chain of events that would herald the revival of the Dark One, whose presence was merely hinted at in Arc the Lad.
Arc the Lad II has a huge cast of characters, and in addition to those already assembled, Elc himself will meet and make many new allies as well, and when combined together with Arc’s team, the cast of characters is simply amazing. Each character has their own form of conflict and their own journeys to take. Over the course of the game, players will witness conclusions of almost all the characters’ stories. Elc seeks to face his past so that he can move on, Shante seeks to find out what happened to her brother, Lieza seeks to find out the fate of her fellow villagers, and much more, making the story of the game that deeper and more intriguing.
Making Arc the Lad II even more worthwhile is the Save Data Conversion feature implemented in the game. A nifty feature later used in games like Suikoden, the SDC feature allows fans that have completed the first game to transfer that data over to Arc the Lad II. Doing so allows a lot of significant changes in the game that make it feel even more like the complimentary half of the first game rather than merely a sequel. Character status and levels from the first game transfer over, new quests, secret items, and other minor changes are all over the game, making it a more worthwhile gaming experience than a non-converted game.
Arc the Lad II is significantly harder than Arc the Lad will ever be. The enemies are much stronger, and most of them are no longer one-hit killed wimps like in the first game. Characters can now purchase items and equipment to boosts their strength and compensate for the tougher enemies. They can only equip 3 items now as well: a Weapon, Armor, and an Accessory.
Players can also freely roam Towns and Villages to talk to the residents, buy stuff, or check for Jobs at the Hunter’s Guilds. Players can freely roam on battlefields when enemies are defeated, though this is more for those multiple-level dungeons or locations. I can’t see the purpose of running around normal training fields, as there is no search function anymore, except during some Jobs or special situations.
New to the game will be the Hunter’s Guilds. As mentioned earlier, Elc and Shu are hunters, and to make a living, they take Jobs at the Guilds to get their rewards, or to hunt down Wanted Monsters for their bounties. This system may sound familiar, especially to those who have played Phantasy Star IV, but rest assured, the Hunter’s Guild system plays a very significant role in Arc the Lad II. Most of the Jobs are quite optional and add an extra twist to the story. Others may open up unique gameplay elements and more interesting remarks from characters. Some even have references to the overall plot of the story! As the story progresses, Jobs will also get significantly tougher, and may even require players to roam all over the world to seek out clues.
Players can skip most jobs if they so desire, but doing so will mean missing out on more than half the game! This is simply because some Jobs have to be completed to unlock hidden areas in dungeons, new locations, and even new monsters and items to find. There is also a lot of character development in most jobs as well, and missing out on them will be quite a waste.
A explanation for the Jobs system is simple enough: players go to a Guild in a town or village, if it has one, and accept an available Job. The Job’s details are explained briefly and the Goz, the monetary unit in the world of Arc the Lad, and Merits awarded are shown. Players then carry out the Job by going to the designated location to begin the Job or to meet the client that gave the job to begin with. After that, players will have to carry out the job as instructed. Most Jobs are simple: defeat all monsters, fight a certain monster to get item, etc. However, some of the later Jobs are unique; for instance, find a certain character, search out a certain place, or even find a way to do the Job! This system allows players to divert from the main story, not only to earn Goz and Merits, but also to experience fully what the game has to offer.
In addition to Jobs, players can view the Wanted Monsters posters in the Guilds and hunt them down for Goz and Merits. The other benefit of doing so is that these monsters carry desirable items and equipment that they may drop and which can be stolen. These monsters are reasonably strong, so players will have to make sure Elc and his friends are tough enough to take them out. Some Wanted Monster also appear only during certain Jobs or in certain story battles in the game, so they may be really tough to find or easily missed.
The World and Field Maps have gotten a reasonable overhaul. The World Map is now drawn out on a brown Map Scroll, and like the first game, highlighting an area and selecting it will get you there. The Field Map is no longer a flat outline with highlighted areas as in Arc the Lad, but rather a detailed representation of the area, with Towns/Villages and other locations like ruins and dungeons all distinctively clear and drawn out. To go to an area, players simply maneuver the character sprite to the location, which will then show the location’s name. To enter, all the player need to do is press the X button.
When roaming an area like a Town/Village or a huge multi-area dungeon, players can alternate the lead character by pressing the L2 or R2 buttons. This is more useful in a Town/Village as sometimes what an NPC says is dependant on who the lead character is. Sometimes it is also interesting to see the opinions of each of your characters as well, especially when exploring the bathtub in a villager’s house on Yagos Island early in the game. Some dungeons also require a certain lead character to proceed as well, though it is not very common.
Character customization is also taken to a whole new level in Arc the Lad II. Characters now have weapons they are proficient in. For instance, Elc is skilled in the Spear, but he is able to train in the ways of using a Sword or an Axe. A Sword has higher power than a Spear, but lacks a Spear’s range, and an Axe is more powerful than a Sword, but lacks its accuracy. Player’s decide what they want their characters to specialize in, when a character uses a weapon long enough, their skill with that weapon increases, and they become more proficient at using it. With this system, it is not necessary for Elc to use a Spear all the time or for Lieza to use Knives all the way.
The inclusion of ranged and piercing weapons adds a whole new level of strategy to battles in the game. Spears can be used to attack enemies a square away, without risk of a counter, or can be used to skewer two in a straight line. Other weapons like rods and guns also have their own unique range and attack styles to take on multiple foes. Enemies also have access to such weapons, so learning how to deal with them is another point to take note off when planning a battle strategy.
Unlike the first game, battle party size has been cut down to 5 members at a time. Other notable changes are that enemies are tougher, spells are no longer selected from a ring (instead chosen from a simple menu), and there are more victory conditions.
Controls are functional and almost identical to those in the first game. On the Field Maps or in non-battle areas, the controlled lead character moves fast enough, and during battles the controls are easy and fast to access. To attack an enemy, simply position a character within range and an attack cursor will appear above the enemies that are within the weapon’s area of effect. Then, like in the first game, an attack is executed by simply pressing the X button. To access the Spell/Skill Menu, all a player has to do is press the O button to open the menu, select a Spell or Skill, select the enemies to attack, then press the X button. This allows for reasonably quick battles, since attacking and using Spells/Skills is relatively quick and players don’t have a need to plow through multiple menus to do so. Saving a game is done by opening Save Logs, represented by white books places in Inns, rest areas, and in large dungeons. Being able to save a game in a large dungeon is definitely a welcome feature.
The graphics in the game have undergone a marked improvement; as mentioned earlier, the Field Maps have been totally drawn out instead of mere highlighted areas, and the World Map looks slightly nicer. Towns/Villages in the game all have their own unique style and atmosphere, ranging from a normal city style to an arid desert town. Dungeons and battlefields also have their own style depending on the area or type of place. There are large spooky labs, sandstorm-blasted deserts, even bamboo forests! The graphics really bring out the atmosphere of the many diverse locations in the game.
Character sprites have received a slight overhaul as well, and seem slightly more detailed and colorful then those in the first game. They also have more frames of animation during battles, and they animate very smoothly. The same applies to the enemies; there are even huge multiple-part bosses to boot!
Aside from some very cool attack animations where characters and monsters rain combos upon each other, the game’s Spell and Skill animations have also improved, though some spells reuse animations (examples being Arc’s Meteor Shower and the Earth Spell, Mud Storm). The improvements are good, nonetheless. Spells like Divine Judgement and Lightning Bolt have never been so good.
The Main Theme of Arc the Lad makes a grand return in the intro movie for the game, and some BGM make a return to the game as well. There are also a lot of new tunes in the game, most of which are much better than the music in Arc the Lad. Many of the new tunes add a fair amount of atmosphere to the game; coupled with the better graphics, the effect is simply breathtaking.
Character voices are crisp as ever, though there seems to be a glitch where the voices are cut off if their action ends too quickly. I also noticed that the voices which speak when characters Level Up were left out. I know this because the XA sounds for the leveling up quotes can be heard in the XA Theatre in Arc the Lad Monster Arena. Another fact is that the voices are in Japanese, though I’ve already begun to understand what is being said, and I do feel that the voices really suit the characters very well. Still, some casual gamers may, and most probably will gripe that they don’t understand what is being said.
Overall, I can say Arc the Lad II is a very deep and engrossing game. With its lovable cast of characters, deep gameplay elements, large amount of side-quests and mountains of secrets, players can expect to be occupied for a large amount of time. Arc the Lad II is truly the gem of the series and truly a great gaming experience put together. |
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| Arc the Lad 1 Review | 3.6
0 comments |
by RPG_Master44
from Still drunk, , and stoned... | Oct 3, 2002 |
Arc The Lad was a grand project, it was originally planned to be a large game, but due to time constraints, the project had to be split in two. Arc The Lad is a short game, but it was the game that would precede a large and breathtaking trilogy, a game that had Japanese gamers talking for months, and started a cult following among them. It was a game that, for many years, Americans had hoped would see a US release.
Working Designs had approached Sony Japan for the translation rights to the first Arc the Lad when it was released in Japan, however nothing came from that deal at that time, and it was thought by many to be the Fire Emblem of the PlayStation. It would take the release of Arc the Lad III and a very tempting offer to translate all the Arc games before Sony would release the publishing/translation rights to the games to Working Designs. Fortunately for English speaking players, this would be the start of one of the greatest series ever released in the US.
The first Arc the Lad is a short game, a game that can be completed by casual gamers within an average of 10 hours, however, doing so guarantees that they will miss many special items, side-quests and perhaps a very special character. Arc the lad boasts many diversions to make up for its simple gameplay and its overall length, something players should not miss. In fact, it is recommended to play the games in order, and Arc the Lad starts off what will be fully developed in II, and concluded in III.
Arc the Lad’s story begins with the Shrine Maiden of Light, a daughter of the Clan of White, Kukuru. She is tricked by the village elder into thinking that extinguishing the Flame Cion on the mountain would free her from her duty as Shrine Maiden and also free her from the need to wed the Crown Prince of Seirya. Upon doing so, a mysterious and ominous voice is heard and a blizzard begins to blow. We are then shifted to the village at the foot of the mountain, where Arc prepares to leave to investigate the blizzard, a blizzard foretold by his missing father 10 years prior. This would soon begin a chain of events that would lead Arc and Kukuru to the beginning of a long quest, a quest of friendship, discovery, and of course a mission to save the world.
The gameplay in Arc the Lad is extremely simple. The game is divided into a World Map and Map Screens. The Wold Map shows all the possible areas Arc can visit, and selecting an area will lead to a Map Screen of that area. The Map Screens show, in colored sections, locations where Arc can go, and to get there all the player has to do is highlight it and press a button. There are few instances that allow free roaming, and there are no stores or a monetary unit whatsoever, as most items are either gained by defeating enemies or found in chests.
Characters can equip up to 4 accessories in the game. The accessories do include some Weapons and Armor, but truth be told, they are limited and count as an accessory. Most accessories have significant effects to aid characters, though most become obsolete after characters reach a significant level, while some seem to serve no purpose whatsoever. The rest of the items in the game are merely items that can be thrown or used for special effects or damage. The items and accessories are also sorted out neatly and management is clearly non-existent.
The battles in the game are very simple. To attack an enemy, all a player needs to do is have the character move next to the enemy and then press the X button. Cast spells or using skills involves simply pressing the O button to bring up the Spell/Skill Ring, which allow the player to select the spell or skill they wish to use. Battles are quite fast and there aren’t any special battle goals in the game, they are all simply ‘Defeat All Enemies’ objectives. This may cause a lack of variety in battles, but the simplicity does appeal to many casual gamers.
Short as Arc the Lad may be, it does boast some diversions. There is a Battle Arena that rewards the player with some interesting prizes, though a kind warning here: the battles can be brain-numbingly monotonous and very boring. There’s also the 50 Floor Forbidden Ruins, fully loaded with treasures and enemies and no save points whatsoever. Challenging the Forbidden Ruins rewards you with loads of nice items and completing it allows for a very interesting reward. Other minor quests involve visiting certain locations at certain points in the game to get special items.
Menus in the game are easy enough to access, with the only gripe being that they can only be accessed during the start or during a character’s turn in battle. The Save option is available only in the Map Screens, and you may be prompted to save before entering a battle.
The graphics in Arc the Lad leave much to be desired, and the fact that the game is rather old doesn’t help much either. The character sprites are simple at best and do boast some degree of animation. The locations in the game seem rather dull though, and any sense of atmosphere would seem somewhat lacking were it not for some of the music. Items and accessories are represented in tiny graphics in the menus, and spell and skill effects are extremely simplistic and mostly unimpressive. Enemy sprites are simple, but most are surprisingly smooth to animate. Of course, fans will also have to take into consideration that this is quite an old game, and in any case, graphics don’t necessarily make a game.
Aside form the mainstay Orchestral Theme in Arc the Lad, most of the tunes in the game are simple, and while some do add atmosphere, most of them are easily forgotten. Quite a disappointment aurally, I must say. The game has voices in battle as well, and they are kept in Japanese. This is actually good and bad at the same time, the bad being that most people won’t know what they are shouting, the good being the fact that the voices sound so right for the characters. I’d find it hard to replace most of the voices with English dubs, especially for a certain cute and well-liked character among Arc the Lad fans, Choko. I’d be impressed if it were even possible to mimic her voice in English; heck, I’m impressed it sounded so good to begin with!
Overall, Arc the Lad is a short game, but it is also a beginning to what is a very deep and rewarding storyline. Another gripe is that the characters could have used slightly more development; most of them do get their events sorted out in Arc the Lad II, but still, it seems that the development in Arc the Lad still lacked something. Even so, I’d recommend that gamers play Arc the Lad first and in order with the other games, not only for the great stuff unlocked in Arc the Lad II if you do so, but also for the sake of continuity. Besides, it may be hard to get back to playing Arc the Lad after playing Arc The Lad II or III, considering all the improvements in the sequels.
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| Arc the Lad Collection |  4.5
0 comments |
by sirfederation
from , , | Jun 25, 2002 |
THE GOOD:
Arc the lad 1
Graphics- Graphics are great for the era it came from and the first to put cng movies.
Storyline-Great storyline
Characters-Cool hero and wide selection of characters
Music-music was good
Battles-Battling system reminded me of FFtactics.
Arc the Lad 2
graphics-Graphics same as arc the lad 1. Great movies in this one.
Storyline-Unique storyline and very entertaining
Characters- four times as many as arc the lad one.
Music-Musis was great.
Battles- Unique spells and battling system
Replay value- Storyline was great and would replay again.
Arc the lad 3
Graphics- A major improvement over Arc the lad one and two.
Music- Music is fantastic
THE BAD:
Arc the lad 1
Replay value- very little replay value and game didn't take long to beat.
Arc the Lad 3
Storyline- The storyline is very bad and centers around the hunters guild.
Characters- Alec childhood friend was a pain and was extemely annoying at most times. The girl who collects guns made it even more annoying when she fought with him. To much character development on the two characters whining.
Battles- Battles were continious and there was no end to the many battles you had to fight.
Replay value-There is no replay value to this game. There is way to much fighting. SUMMARY:
Arc the lad 1
Graphics-The graphics in this game is 16 bit and are ok to look at. The only part about the graphics I don't like is when arc runs and it looks like his head is bigger than his whole body. This game also have movies which are really great.
Story-The story begans as a women is going up a mountain to put out the sacred flame. Which unleashes a demon and creates a deadly storm throughout the island. Arc soon goes up to the mountain and begins his adventure. The storyline in this game is easy to follow and there is no way you could possibly not know what to do. The first disk will only take you 10 hrs to beat but the story for the first one foreshadow what is going to happen in the second one and I recommend beating this one before you play the second one. Also one great thing about this game is the hunter guilds which let you go on missions. If you beat the first game, you can use that saved file to get great things on arc the lad 2. This story is a great rpg for any rpger.
Characters- There are tons of different characters in this game. Every time you play this game, you should play it with different characters in your party because of the different reactions behind them. Each character will do something different under different circumstances. The Non-players you meet in this game are also great and give this story a lot of detail.
Music- The music is fantastic and gives the game a good feel to it.
Battles-The battles in this game are the same as final fantasy tactics. There is not many spells to use in this game either. Enemy are very easy and battles are not very hard to beat. End boss would be a medium difficulty to beat. Most of this game is battling and it can get boring at times.
Replay value- There is very little replay value in this game. Only takes 10 hrs to beat.
Arc the Lad 2
Graphics- The graphics are about the same as arc the lad one but with more detail. In this disc arc head is actually smaller than his body and the graphics are much better. There is also more detail in the hunter guilds and wanted posters. There are great movies in this one but nothing with any person in it.
Story- The story starts out with elc's tribe being robbed by the evil empire of their fire statue. Which is dedicated to the fire god. Elc's whole tribe is gunned down by this evil empire and elc soon unleash his power on the soldiers. Elc kills most of the soldiers but is seen by the general. Elc gets captured and is sent to white house where all the other gifted children are. The storyline centers around elc and his quest to find white house.
Characters- More of a wide selection in this game than arc the lad. The NPC in this game is great and the various assassin you get to fight are great. This game has about every kind of character you can think of.
Music- The music is far better in arc the lad two than in arc the lad one.
Battles-Arc the Lad 2 has the same system of fighting as arc the lad 1. The only difference is that you have far more spells and there are far more monsters to fight in arc the lad 2. The only thing that I don't like about the battling system is when you have to split into two party and you have to actually use some of the weak characters to help you.
Replay value- This game you can actually replay and find new stuff.
Arc the Lad 3
Graphics- The graphics in Arc the lad 3 have been greatly tuned up. The graphics in this game look somewhat like breath of fire 4 but a little better. The movies in arc the lad 3 are far better than the other two games. The movies actually focus on characters and various other things.
Storyline- In this story, you are alec, who was rescued from a burning town by a hunter. Alec throughout the beginning of the story wants to become a hunter. At the opening of the story alecs town is being robbed by thieves and the village elder gives alec the opportunity of finding a hunter to rescue his village. This is where alec adventures starts. Although it has a great opening, the storyline is a drag. The hunter mission you go on constantly get to be boring and there really is no end to the fighting. After you play arc the lad 2 the storyline on this one becomes very predictable.
Characters- Character development has to be the best in this one but alec childhood friend can be such a pain in the ass. The guy can be extremly annoying, plus the gun women you meet up is just as annoying as him. In this game there is not as much of a character selection as arc the lad one or two.
Music- The music in this game is just as great as the other two.
Battles- The battle system on this game has not changed. It is the same as the other two. Battles in this game is a constant and can be very boring. This game has ten times more fighting that lunar and lunar has a lot of fighting.
Replay value- This game has absolutely no replay value at all.
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| arc the lad collection | 5.0
0 comments |
by beau
| Apr 21, 2002 |
THE GOOD:
everthingTHE BAD:
nothing SUMMARY:
any person who has ever played a rpg or stradegy game, will fall in love with this game.the graphics my be outdated but the battle system blows all problems out of the water.all the charcters in all three games match or beat those in any final fantsy game.the only game that comes close is final fantasy tatics,and even that game falls short to the greatnes of this game |
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4.29/5.0
