Arc The Lad Collection

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...

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 $$!

THE GOOD:
The best of the series

SUMMARY:
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...

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...

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...

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.