Game: Front Mission (aka Front Mission First)
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Turn based strategy
Developer: Square Enix
For those who have never encountered a Front Mission game before, the current US release for the DS that was originally made for the Super Nintendo in 1995 and has been remade for Wonderswan Color, Mobile Phones, Playstation 1 and in 2007 the Nintendo DS. Every subsequent release in the Front Mission series has yet to be released outside of Japan, most likely due to poor sales support in other regions of the original game. This remake of a SNES original is a gem amongst the recent pile of rather mediocre games that Square has released for the DS aside from other remakes of games like Dragon Quest in the last couple of years and if you are into tactical RPG's with custom robots, then this is a game worth picking up. The series is rather under looked and needs to be brought stateside for some more exposure, I would certainly like to play some more of the series in English. Square Enix announced a PS3, 360 and PC installation of Front Mission at E3 2009 and is the only current game in the franchise under development.
Front Mission takes place in 2090 on the brink of the Second Huffman War, a fictional planet inhabited by humans who belong to either the Oeania Community Union (OCU) or United States of the New Continent (USN) factions. You take control of the main character Royd Clive, an OCU military wanzer pilot on a surveying mission with squad member Ryuji Sakata and wife Karen Meure when USN forces led by Captain Driscoll show up and detonate a military factory, killing Meure in the process. Clive and Sakata are both discharged from the military as the mission broke a peace treaty law, thus beginning the Second Huffman War.
The gameplay is similar to most other turn based strategy games, however each squad member controls a giant robot called a wanzer which can be customized to your preference as to what style of combat you wish. As you progress through the story, each party member will develop skills based on your weapon preferences, whether it be short or long ranged with guns and missiles or melee combat as well as a dodge ability. This game packs over 20 hours of play time and a decent story. If you are a fan of giant robot combat and strategy games, it is well worth looking into Front Mission for the DS. There are few shortcomings in this game, the only one of note is that the story is a bit bland and it starts to feel tedious equipping each machine with weapons and items.
The music is much like the original though and could have been reworked into a more orchestral setup instead of digital sounding keyboards. There are only a few audio tracks unfortunately, which also kinda ruins the experience of the game.
I can't comment on the replay value since I have only finished it once, however it is pretty lengthy.
Score: 8/10
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Turn based strategy
Developer: Square Enix
For those who have never encountered a Front Mission game before, the current US release for the DS that was originally made for the Super Nintendo in 1995 and has been remade for Wonderswan Color, Mobile Phones, Playstation 1 and in 2007 the Nintendo DS. Every subsequent release in the Front Mission series has yet to be released outside of Japan, most likely due to poor sales support in other regions of the original game. This remake of a SNES original is a gem amongst the recent pile of rather mediocre games that Square has released for the DS aside from other remakes of games like Dragon Quest in the last couple of years and if you are into tactical RPG's with custom robots, then this is a game worth picking up. The series is rather under looked and needs to be brought stateside for some more exposure, I would certainly like to play some more of the series in English. Square Enix announced a PS3, 360 and PC installation of Front Mission at E3 2009 and is the only current game in the franchise under development.
Front Mission takes place in 2090 on the brink of the Second Huffman War, a fictional planet inhabited by humans who belong to either the Oeania Community Union (OCU) or United States of the New Continent (USN) factions. You take control of the main character Royd Clive, an OCU military wanzer pilot on a surveying mission with squad member Ryuji Sakata and wife Karen Meure when USN forces led by Captain Driscoll show up and detonate a military factory, killing Meure in the process. Clive and Sakata are both discharged from the military as the mission broke a peace treaty law, thus beginning the Second Huffman War.
The gameplay is similar to most other turn based strategy games, however each squad member controls a giant robot called a wanzer which can be customized to your preference as to what style of combat you wish. As you progress through the story, each party member will develop skills based on your weapon preferences, whether it be short or long ranged with guns and missiles or melee combat as well as a dodge ability. This game packs over 20 hours of play time and a decent story. If you are a fan of giant robot combat and strategy games, it is well worth looking into Front Mission for the DS. There are few shortcomings in this game, the only one of note is that the story is a bit bland and it starts to feel tedious equipping each machine with weapons and items.
The music is much like the original though and could have been reworked into a more orchestral setup instead of digital sounding keyboards. There are only a few audio tracks unfortunately, which also kinda ruins the experience of the game.
I can't comment on the replay value since I have only finished it once, however it is pretty lengthy.
Score: 8/10
