Game Informer writes:
Following in the footsteps of games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Disgaea, XF is turn-based strategy that leans on a variety of classes and the special abilities associated with each. I had fun experimenting with new skills and customizing my party, especially since victory hinges on striking a balance in the classes and abilities you bring to the fight. The balancing is solid, and the core combat is fun, often inspiring that "just one more battle" fervor. Unfortunately, the thrills don't come without baggage.
My biggest issue is with the constantly depleting Vitality Point gauge. Each character has one of these meters that goes down a little with every action (even guarding), and when it hits zero, they start losing HP. This essentially puts a round restriction on every fight, unless you want to burn resources to keep your troops standing. This makes the longer fights incredibly frustrating. To compensate, you get tactical pointers at the beginning of each encounter, but that substantially diminishes the satisfaction of devising a successful plan of attack yourself.
Smart playing can minimize (but not eliminate) the annoyance of the VP gauge, leaving you with an entertaining strategy experience. However, with Level 5's Jeanne D'Arc out there, Wild Arms XF certainly wouldn't be my first recommendation to someone looking for an original, tactics-oriented PSP game.
The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu Sony Computer Entertainment Producer Kentaro Motomura expressed the will of bringing the Wild Arms franchise to the PS4 and PS Vita, while Sony just published cossover illustrations between Wild Arms and Toro/Kuro.
I still have the first one on my PSP I've never played. Haven't played any actually but they look fun. I'll have to try it out at some point, and #2.
I would like a new Wild Arms game! I also hope they make a new Shadow Hearts game. I miss the PS1-PS2 JRPGs reall... :(
I know Sony published a couple of their games but does Sony own the IP or does Media Vision?
Sony owns the IP.
MEdia Vision was just the developer of wild arms 1, 3-5, XF, Alter Code F. Contrail Developed WA2, inconjuction with Media Vision. Contrail is the studio behind Legend of Legaia...
Media vision did a pretty great job with most of the wild arms games. Still one of my fav jrpg franchises
Sony and Nintendo owns so many IP's. They really need to bring some back.
RPGFan - "Over the years, those of us who love RPGs have spent a lot of time with Sony's consoles. The PlayStation 2, for example, was the undeniable king of home consoles for RPGFans of its time. However, when it comes to handhelds, the PlayStation Portable faced an uphill climb from the day it was released. In Japan, it came on the scene just 10 days after Nintendo's DS, but the gap was three months longer in the US. And although both consoles had great features, the DS went on to outsell the PSP two to one."
Yea the games on the list are good but the order is iffy in some parts. Not a terrible list though.
To be honest I was expected something better from RPGFan & disappointed very hard at the end.. for example Crisis Core on No3 is outrageous & completely ridiculous choice... & then we have Kingdom Hearts which I can't even call rpg on No8.. tragic nothing else to say many other wrong selection no reason to mention them all & it's pointless this list is simply teribad, at least they put Trails in the Sky high enough this I'm sure is something most ppl agree with.
Weird list... Some games just shouldn't be on there, like (I might grilled for this, but) Star Ocean 2, and Lunar. Those games are seriously overrated by the rpg community.
Tales of Eternia and Breath of Fire 3, although ports, should really be on there. And what about Dissidia? It's got a ton of rpg elements to it, and certainly takes as long as any rpg to fully complete.
Also I never played Trails in the Sky, but that girl looks EXACTLY like Kid from Chrono Cross.
Let us Cling Together cannot touch FFT. Besides that, it's all games I wish I played
GWN reports:
''The battles in Wild ARMs XF take place on multilayered maps divided into hexagonal playing spaces. The characters in your party and the opposing army take turns (starting order based on an agility rating) and move and attack on the hexagonal grid. There are the usual basic tactical caveats: increased attack power from higher ground, bonuses for surrounding an enemy, and area of effect attacks. A unit's facing direction has no tactical bearing, however; an attack from a unit's rear will simply make the unit face its attacker.
A job system provides XF with its strategic depth, at least in theory. Most characters can change classes before entering battle, giving players a wide spread of tactical options for each battle. Or at least that's how the job system should function. Instead, each mission's objectives are set up in such a way that almost every character in your party must be configured in a certain way for success to be even possible.''
