More on Wild Arms Advanced 3rd

[08.15.01] » New character details, plus the unveiling of the "ASK" system.

   Though the game still does not yet have a release date, Sony has released a slew of information on Wild Arms Advanced 3rd.

   Wild Arms 3 will introduce the "ASK" System, short for "Approach to Selected Keywords", which will add more interactivity to dialogue scenes. During normal linear conversations, phrases will sometimes be highlighted in green. When these words appear, the player can then press the Square button and select one of the highlighted phrases from the text box to change the topic of discussion.

   A new character has also been announced: Janearth Cascade, who is both a friend and foe to Virgina. Janearth's meeting with Virginia begins the main part of the story - after the four introductory scenarios - but there's no word yet on whether or not Janearth will be a playable party member, however.

   Additional statistics for all five known characters were also released. Note that all four characters will fight with guns, albeit different types. As very specific makes of weapons are specified for each of the characters, it seems likely that Wild Arms 3 will not feature different equippable weapons.

• Height: 163 cm (5'4")
• Weight: 49 kg (108 lbs)
• Guns: Brick Rapier (?) Ez, Buntline 93R (dual pistols)
• Areas of strength: Speed, magic resistance

• Height: 177 cm (5'10")
• Weight: 69 kg (152 lbs)
• Gun: Gungnir HAG35 (sniper rifle)
• Areas of strength: HP, attack power, defense

• Height: 166 cm (5'5")
• Weight: 67 kg (148 lbs)
• Gun: Airgetlam B/V2 (revolver) [named after the legendary sword from Wild Arms 2, which in turn took its name from the Celtic god of bravery]
• Areas of strength: Speed, attack power

• Height: 192 cm (6'4")
• Weight: 100 kg (220 lbs)
• Gun: Coyote M17F (shotgun)
• Areas of strength: HP, magic power

• Height: 183 cm (6'0")
• Weight: 75 kg (165 lbs)
• Gun: Sniper Jack XR

   A few other miscellaneous graphical details were announced. Character portraits will appear in text boxes for the first time in a Wild Arms game; several portraits will be included for each character to reflect their different moods. The game will also run at a constant 60 frames per second.

   Finally, new artwork and screenshots are available.