Arc the Lad Series

[Gaara]

The Saga Frontier thread reminded me of this great and legendary series. What do you guys think of it, but first answer these questions.

1. Who is your favorite male character in the series? Why?
Mine would have to be Tosh, he ronin. He is one of the strongest characters, physically and he has the bad attitude to go with his character. Also I used him quite often when you transfer your Arc the Lad data to Arc the Lad II so I think I may have already leveled him up really high so he was useful. Of course his background wasn't so interesting.

2. Who is your favorite female character in the series? Why?
This is a hard choice between Kukuru and Lieza but in the end, I'll have to choose Lieza. She has a sad past, almost everybody in Arc the Lad II did and she can get monsters to join you. Also you also get Paundit with her!

3. Which Arc the Lad was your favorite and why?
My favorite one would have to be Arc the Lad II. Arc the Lad I was a great game but it was really short so it wasn't that enjoyable. Arc the Lad II however was really long and had so many dungeons and you could get monsters to join you and even level up their classes so that rocked. Arc the Lad III was good but I never got really into it. And Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits was well a good game but I was hoping the 2 parties would join forces before the final dungeon, which didn't happen.

4. Would you like it if the series went back to the Hunter classes? As in doing missions for the Hunter's Guild instead of just following the game's plot?
Yeah, I would. That was one thing that made this game stand out and I'd love for it to come back.

5. Are you looking forward to the new Arc the Lad game since characters from all the past games are in it?
Yes, I am. Although I'm still confused as to whether it is an online game or not because the people on GameFAQs keep saying it is but there is a different Arc the Lad Online title (or so I thought).

[Ranadiel]

1. My favorite would be either Tosh are Arc. I liked Tosh's attitude and his techniques. It was also nice that you could use him in all three of the first three games. I liked Arc because he is an interesting character and he uses a fighting style similar to the one I would like to use(swordsmanship with elemental spirit magic).

2. My favorite female character character is either Kukuru or Choko. If I like a male character I tend to like his love interest as well, so since I like Arc I like Kukuru. However she has an interesting story and also has a nice fighting style. As for Choko how can you not like a weapon of mass destruction disguised as a little girl. In one she might have just seemed like she was a reward for a long dungeon, but in 2 you can find out so much more about her past. I also enjoyed her transformed form(I always used vanish). I wish that they had kept her transformed form in Twighlitgt of Spirits though.

3. I think that I enjoued 1 the most, but it was too short for it to be my favorite, so I would say that 2 is my favorite since it had all the chars from one and had some interesting new sytems in it. Three was a nice game. I enjoyed how the game was driven by the hunter system, and how it wrapped up the loose ends from two. Alhough I think there should have been at least a little hinting that Lieza and Elc were dating(or something) because it seemed obvious to me in two that they were at least interested in each other. Now as for Twighlight of Spirits, I really didn't like this game too much. I felt that it messed up the world from the previous games. Also I really hated how they were constantly preaching about not fighting. It completely ruined the game in my opinion.

4. I would enjoy it. I agree that it made the game stand out a bit more. It was also a good way to get sidequests into the game, and give a good explenation as for why you would be doing sidequests in the middle of an important battle. Speaking of future things in the series, I think that they should have a cameo by Arc's father. Regardless of when in time the game occurs it could work because he travelled around time(if I remember correctly). I was disapointed that they didn't have him appear in either three or Twighlight of Spirits.

5. I haven't heard about this game. I guess I'll go see what I can find out about it now.

[Elc]

1. Who is your favorite male character in the series? Why?

Currently, Elc is my favourite male character though I would have to say it's fairly close between him, Arc and Lutz. I'm not exacly sure why I like the characters that I do, but I do find flawed characters to be more interesting than the boring ones which are perfect and all powerful. Lutz is great for the comic relief/annoying character who always seems to get into trouble.

2. Who is your favorite female character in the series? Why?

I've got to agree that Lieza is a great character, not only for Paundit but she is vital to being able to access the Arc Arena disc. I always wondered what Working Designs was thinking when they chose "Ravish" for the monster-capturing spell, considering its synonyms. Plus, you don't get much opportunity to play as Kukuru in Arc the Lad II, whereas Lieza has a fair amount of story to go through.

3. Which Arc the Lad was your favorite and why?

Arc the Lad II is my favourite game in the series (oddly enough, it seems to be a theme for me: Final Fantasy II/IV, Suikoden II, Lufia II... though I enjoy both SNES Lufia games quite a bit) though I almost got burned out due to the length of it, combined with Arc Arena. I haven't finished Arc the Lad III or Twilight of the Spirits yet, so I can't really comment on them just yet.

4. Would you like it if the series went back to the Hunter classes? As in doing missions for the Hunter's Guild instead of just following the game's plot?

Definitely! Guild missions and hunting wanted monsters was quite fun, though it could be maddening if you're trying to complete everything and you miss a monster which is only has a brief window of availability. (Such as the one on the off-shore oil rig.) While playing Arc the Lad II, I though the Hunter's Guild could practically be a game of it's own, which is essentially the basis for Arc the Lad III.

5. Are you looking forward to the new Arc the Lad game since characters from all the past games are in it?

I'm really looking forward to it, and I'm also confused as to the online/offline nature of the game. I know it has online capabilities, since End of Darkness is a localization of Arc the Lad Generation. I think I read somewhere, maybe IGN, that it also has offline play. If it's strictly online, particularly if there is an additional charge, I might have to pass on it as I like to play RPGs at my own pace and not have to worry about server status and the like.
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"You make me smash the clock and feel, I'd rather die behind the wheel.
Time was never on my side, So on I wait my whole lifetime."

[Sage]

1. Who is your favorite male character in the series? Why?
Velhart was my favorite. I also like Diekbeck (considered male anyway) quite a bit. The way Velhart acted made me enjoy him a lot. I also like strong characters and he was portrayed as the physically strongest in the game.

2. Who is your favorite female character in the series? Why?
Choko. She was the funniest and strongest. I did kinda feel like I was cheating when I used her in the first 2 because of it. [Twilight spoiler kinda] I do like the way she was done in Twilight though. Strong, but eventually, your other characters caught up so she wasn't a godlike fighter in this one. Plus if you fight through the tournament to get her, you were strong enough. [/spoiler]

3. Which Arc the Lad was your favorite and why?
Hate to sound like a broken record but Arc the Lad II was my favorite as well. Arc I was short and I found it kinda lacking, but fun. Arc III bugged me (see question 4) but I liked it. The two party thing in Twilight bothered me. Just as I was getting going in one, they switched. I hate games like that. Also, joining up only at the final dungeon was a negative in my book. I didn't care if they joined up during the game, but at least a few brawls inbetween would've been nice.

4. Would you like it if the series went back to the Hunter classes? As in doing missions for the Hunter's Guild instead of just following the game's plot?
I like the way Arc the Lad II did it: there was a plot and the guild jobs were supplementary. The way it was done in Arc the Lad III was awful in my opinion. I couldn't "do anything" unless it was a job and that torqued me. Not enough to quit playing however. :) I prefer it somewhere inbetween. Not the whole game, but not as sidequest-ish as it was in Arc II.

5. Are you looking forward to the new Arc the Lad game since characters from all the past games are in it?
The characters isn't a factor to me (it doesn't hurt though). I like the Arc the Lad games and I am looking forward to it regardless. However, if it is online, I'll have to pass. The concept of a game that doesn't end is not appealling to me. If there is an offline game, I'm all for it.
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[Eggith Cyrene]

1. Who is your favorite male character in the series? Why?
I liked Arc the most. Mostly because he wasent afarid of doing what was right even when it meant his life.

2. Who is your favorite female character in the series? Why?
I forget her name but the gun slinger chick in Arc 3. she was badass.

3. Which Arc the Lad was your favorite and why?
Arc the LAd 2. While i loved arc 1-3 and to a lesser extant 4 2 has to be the best of the best. Its a long game for one thing. And it is a REALLY good story. ANd RIGHT wehn you think you might be getting a tad biut bored something happens plot wise that just makes you stand up and cheer. The hunter missions were my faviote part of this and why i liked 3 soooooo much.

4. Would you like it if the series went back to the Hunter classes? As in doing missions for the Hunter's Guild instead of just following the game's plot?
Fuggin A as i said best part of 2 and is what made 3 so damn good. I like the idea of being a "Hunter" kicking ass and taking names. And its cool to be able to decide whcih bounties to take or not. ITs fun to have unrelated to the plot missions to carry out for Goz and merit points.

5. Are you looking forward to the new Arc the Lad game since characters from all the past games are in it?
Sure. Not sure how thats going to work but all the arc games thus far havent disapointed me (well 4 was so-so) And it being inline enabled while usually a negative aspect its only for misc funtiosn likle playing co-op thru the game. It is still essestianlly single player which is good.

But i really really wish that someone loacalised arc the lad ressurection for the wondser color to the gba or something. (OR fan translated would be cool) the storyline for that game is coool.
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"Hearing the CRY of VICTORY, He rests in Peace"



Suikoden 5 didnt make me less of a fan; it restored my faith after the abomination that was suikoden 4.

[Gaara]

[Eggith Cyrene]

yeah thats it. For some reason i had the name charlene in my head when i was thinking of her. :checks instrution manual: okkkkk i dont know where i got that name from. Marisa was the name of the magician.

Guess its a sign that i should replay arc 3!
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"Hearing the CRY of VICTORY, He rests in Peace"



Suikoden 5 didnt make me less of a fan; it restored my faith after the abomination that was suikoden 4.

[Col Ahiru]

This is slightly off-topic, but I'm a newbie to the series who's always wanted to try it out. I know that the first three games are available in a special set, but ow many games are there in the series overall?

[Sage]

Well, to the best of my knowledge, here they are:
Arc the Lad Collection (PSX) included: Arc the Lad, Arc the Lad II, Arc the Lad III, and Arc the Lad Monster Arena (exact name?)

Arc the Lad Twilight of the Spirits (PS2)

There is one in the works called Arc the Lad Generation which features characters from the previous games.
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[Gaara]

And it's not off-topic, don't worry. Those questions were just something i wanted to use and see which characters are popular among Arc the Lad fans. You can basically talk about anything ATL related here.

[Midori]

Whoo Arc the Lad! I missed this game a lot. Too bad I haven't played the english versions yet (Played the japanese versions when they were first released and too much! :D)
The only series I haven't played is the online one and Twilight of the Spirits.

1. Who is your favorite male character in the series? Why?
Sorry...I have more than 1 favorites XD

I'd have to say Arc, Poco, Tosh, Elc and Alec
Arc - A very well balanced character. And all his spells are all quite useful
Poco - Weak in battle, but I love his spells.
Tosh - I have a freaky obsession with bad boys/girls. And Tosh is one of them. He's also a very powerful character with lots of strong moves. Makes the battles end quite quickly and it's usually him who ends up killing most of the bosses :P
Alec - Similar to Arc, battle wise. But he's also very calm and that's what kept me sane while completing 98% of the guild missions...

2. Who is your favorite female character in the series? Why?

Goodness. Too many to name! I'll just name a few. Kukuru, Cheryl, Sania, Marsia, Choco, Shante
Kukuru - The first time I played the first game, I was amazed that she fights barehanded. A very good healer as well and that helped in a lot of random battles.
Cheryl - Any girl with guns is a favorite of mine. She's got that mean attitude that I can never resist. I always made sure she's in most of the battles. Her spells are also useful like Rob Mind against magic-using monsters/opponents.
Marsia - A very powerful mage. I usually use her with Theo to help him with Cardish-ing. Lutz's fatal knife is too MP consuming.
Choco - ...ugh! The horror of getting her! That upside down pyramid place took me forever to reach the bottom. I managed to get her, but I accidentally used the teleporter and she left. *pulls hair off* I can't remember how she's like in battle, but she's too cute for me to hate her. I'll just have to try getting her again.
Sania - Her skills are a little tricky to use and her use of the spear is bad. There's just something that I like about her that I forgot...
Shante - Good singer, average fighter, sad story, great spells. The way she fights with her shoes just cracks me everytime.

3. Which Arc the Lad was your favorite and why?
II and III. AtL II reminds me of Suikoden II in a way. Recruiting most of your characters from the previous game and adding them to the current party...I just find myself using the previous game's characters more often than the ones in II. And I finished this game only once despite how many replays I've gone through (it was only available in japanese at the time and finding a good FAQ was hard!). The ending is really something. Very heartwrenching yet it also makes you feel like there's a glimmer of hope that things will become better after that. Stealing items from wanted monsters feels very rewarding too.

4. Would you like it if the series went back to the Hunter classes? As in doing missions for the Hunter's Guild instead of just following the game's plot?
...? I haven't played Twilight of the Spirits yet...but I would definately miss doing the missions. It just feels like the games giving you a break from monster battles and storyline so you could earn some extra cash from the jobs. I like doing them more than fighting in battles imo ;)

5. Are you looking forward to the new Arc the Lad game since characters from all the past games are in it?
I didn't know that this game was released when I went to buy some games...so it suprised me a bit. I just read a bit of the game and it seems pretty interesting. Able to use previous characters to fight and be able to see them in 3D just feels great. I'll have to get this one to see for myself XD
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Second Blade of The Nameless Lands, Midori, Blade of Illusion

[Col Ahiru]

Thanks for the clearance, Gaara. I wasn't sure if someone might get miffed because I didn't have anything to contribute to the conversation. :) Well, I had another question as a guy trying to break into the series: Would you guys recommend me watching the anime first, playing the games, or experiencing the series in some other order?

[Sage]

[Elc]

Yep, there's an anime. It's 26 episodes long and is based heavily on the plot of Arc the Lad II, though it takes its fair share of liberties along the way. However, I've got to say it annoyed me to constantly hear Kukulu after being so used to reading her name as Kukuru. (though, since "r" and "l" are pronounced similar in Japanese, it's probably not that big a deal)

If you're at all interested in the anime, I would recommend you a) rent it, if possible, to see if you actually like it before committing to a purchase, or b) get the Complete Collection DVD set, as it is much cheaper than picking up each individual DVD.

I've really got to get back to Twilight of the Spirits... and AtL III for that matter. So many of my games wind up being neglected when a new toy comes along. :wink:
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"You make me smash the clock and feel, I'd rather die behind the wheel.
Time was never on my side, So on I wait my whole lifetime."

[Shrew]

1. Who is your favorite male character in the series? Why?

Ehhh... I'd probably say Elc. He was useful in battle, he was fairly complex, and his angst didn't consume the game and send it to hell. Shu was cool too, for being ninja like and all.

2. Who is your favorite female character in the series? Why?

Oh I'd say... Lieza. Good, interesting, and not annoying. I'd say more, but it's been a long time since I've played the game. Kukuru always annoyed me for some reason, and I didn't care for her in Arc I. My opinion didn't change much in II either.

3. Which Arc the Lad was your favorite and why?

Arc II. Far and away the best of the games. The first was too linear and too cliche, and also incomplete. The second was one that took the material of the first and improved upon it in everyway to make it a pleasing narrative and an interesting game. My only problem was that I became very fed up with the game towards the end. I got frustrated and bored with the battle system, and didn't finish it till quite a bit later.

I couldn't stand III. I played a few hours of it and just couldn't take anymore. So that was that. Maybe there was stuff that came later to make it worthwhile, but I saw no signs.

I did really enjoy TotS spirits though. I liked both of the parties and liked the gameplay itself. Sadly I rented it and couldn't defeat the final boss before having to return it, so I never beat it.

4. Would you like it if the series went back to the Hunter classes? As in doing missions for the Hunter's Guild instead of just following the game's plot?

Errr... I like plot. I liked doing hunter stuff on the side in Arc II, but didn't care for the neccesary advancement in III.

5. Are you looking forward to the new Arc the Lad game since characters from all the past games are in it?

Ehhhhhhh? I haven't heard about this, I seem to remember something about an Arc the Lad MMORPG, but that's it. Though it sounds interesting so I'll check it out.
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Fear our Vagueness.