PDA

View Full Version : Front Mission



Wolf Kanno
06-30-2014, 08:24 AM
Who has actually played this series?

Rez09
06-30-2014, 12:45 PM
Short of the SaGa series, this is probably my favorite Square franchise. With the sole exception of the fourth game, I've remained largely engaged in the events each game is following, and I enjoy specializing my units and pilots, how positioning is rewarded in later entries, and the very real advantages and disadvantages each weapon type presents. I also like that it is a mecha-focused series where generic mobile suits aren't the be-all end-all, with various other weapon platforms making (noticeably effective) appearances, such as the armored trains in FM3 or the Sea Kings from the original.

The dual scenarios presented in several of the games is refreshing as well, especially in the case of FM1 and FM3 where you can see the story from both sides of the conflict and recognize that characters that may otherwise appear to be simple 'bad guys', such as Liu and Grieg, aren't necessarily all that bad at all. Of course, there ARE characters like Driscoll, who, even after the addition of a second story line, seem bad just for the sake of being bad, but it's an overall nice touch.

I also appreciate -- scratch that -- outright ADORE that all of the games take place in the same world, and the events of one game do affect said world, even if it isn't shown directly in the story you are currently playing. The Alordesh Revolution, popularly mentioned throughout the series, for instance, is the setting of the second game and set off by the 2nd Huffman War, the focus of the first game. Further fallout from the 2nd Huffman War set in motion the general distrust that undermines Zaftra and sets part of the fourth game in motion. Furthermore, wracked with this constant warfare and economic struggle, the games also focus, in varying degrees, on technological ethics nations contend with in an ever escalating arms race, such as the sacrifice of human pilots to create superior AIs in the first game and human experimentation and engineering to create superior humans in the 3rd. It all melds together to create such a fantastic world that is not just a joy to experience through the events you are playing, but to research through other avenues provided to you, such as the people in cities and the network in the third game (even if it is tedious, on a good day, to navigate ._.).

Probably the thing I appreciate the most, though, was the 'final' game in the franchise. Front Mission 5's choice to abandon the series tradition of focusing on a squad during a single conflict to instead focus on a single person who lived through the events of all of the games made it a love letter to series fans, showing yet a little bit more of each war through new eyes and tying up loose ends, while focusing on an overarching story of friendships torn apart by war.

Sephex
07-03-2014, 08:25 AM
Yes, but not much of it. I have played some of the 1996 SNES one. I found an English translation and had some fun with it. There is music in there that Uemtsu totally reused for the Shinra theme in FFVII. I think it's played when you just let the game sit and it shows an opening cutscene.

Fynn
07-05-2014, 06:12 AM
I've played a bit of the DS port of the original. I liked it, but it kicked my ass. I do intend to return to it, however. Might then ask for your help, Wolf ;)

escobert
07-05-2014, 02:06 PM
I think 3 was for PSone right? If so I ALWAYS wanted it when I was younger but could never find it. I think it was the only square PSone game I didn't own.

Del Murder
07-07-2014, 06:05 AM
Never played it. What is it like and what is the best one to start with?

Rez09
07-07-2014, 12:15 PM
NOTE: The spoilers tag is being used to hide elaboration, not actual spoilers.

Front Mission is a mecha-centered turn-based tactics series set in the near-ish future, with battles playing out in various grid-based maps between player and enemy 'Wanzers' (mechs); missions usually focus on defeating all of the enemy forces. Additionally, units and wanzers lost in combat are not permanently lost, at least not that I've ever noticed.

Regarding combat, units in the Front Mission series are broken into 4 (5 in the case of FM3) damageable parts, the left and right arms, legs, and core (pilot as well in FM3), with each part serving particular functions. The arms hold weapons and shields, and destroying them prevents a unit from attacking or defending; the legs determine unit movement rate and ability to climb terrain, and destroying them prevents a unit from moving more than 1 space a turn; the core holds the pilot and provides energy for the rest of the mech, so destroying it destroys the Wanzer itself; and, in FM3, the pilot controls the Wanzer and can be killed either within the machine or forcefully ejected from it and killed to steal the machine.

From these parts the series gets what sets it apart from most other tbts: the degree of customization open to the player. Various weapon manufactures have developed their own Wanzers, each offering different strengths and weaknesses, communicated through HP value, armor (in some games), weight, and either energy output, movement rate and type, or damage/accuracy. Using these stats, the player is free to mix-and-match said parts to customize their Wanzers to meet the needs of their units. Generally speaking, the more ideal that last stat (acc, move, ect.), the more the part will weigh, the lower its armor will be, and the less health it will have. So in creating an ideal 'sniper' unit, for instance, a player would want a very high accuracy arm on one side, then a low accuracy arm opposite it to lower weight and to soak up damage for the unit.

Alongside the Wanzer customization, there are also many weapon types for the player to choose to specialize in (though most pilots have a preferred class it is best to leave them with), but they generally break down into three categories: short, mid, and long range, each with specific advantages and disadvantages. Short range weapons require an adjacent enemy to use, only attack once, and go second to mid class weapons in most games, but are highly accurate and deal extreme damage. Mid range weapons have the most variety to them and are the most task specialized, but their defining trait as a whole is the ability to attack and counter-attack non adjacent enemies. Long ranged weapons are accurate and deal either AoE or high single target damage from far away, but cannot counter attack and are limited by ammunition, often requiring extra ammunition to be stored in a backpack for them.

On top of these basic rules, which are present in (basically) all of the games, Action Point costs were added to the series early on, which all actions consume, and limit a player's ability to move, attack, and counter-attack with certain weapons. Short ranged weapons have a low AP cost, so they can move, attack, and counter-attack with relative impunity. Mid-ranged weapons have relevant AP costs and often have to select a single attack they'd like to counter on a turn. Long-ranged weapons consume such large amounts of AP they are limited on how far they can move if they want to fire on the same turn.

Alongside weapons, Wanzers have access to shields and backpacks as well. In the case of the former, they operate differently depending on the game in question (being ungodly powerful in FM3 and stupefyingly useless in FM1), but generally they have a low AP cost, reduce incoming damage, and direct said damage to a single part; they are ideal on a damage-soak arm. Backpacks offer utility to a Wanzer, providing additional power for heavier parts, holding extra items, healing allies, spotting for long-range units, ect. They range from costing no AP to fair amounts of it, depending on function.

Moving beyond Wanzer-based customization, there is pilot specialization as well, and pilots gain skill with weapons as they use them, as well as abilities that improve their survivability and damage potential. How these skills are learned varies from game to game, but they (and your brain) are almost exclusively what gives your team the edge in combat, as you are almost always outnumbered.

Regarding what game is the best to start with, I would probably recommend Front Mission 3 or 4. Both had releases in English, offer two stories (though they deal with this in different ways), and require little knowledge of the universe to get the most from. An enhanced version of the first game is available on the DS, and it is still an excellent title I happily recommend, but the combat is less engaging than later entries. The second game is fantastic as well, but requires the application of a fan-translation to play in English and there are delays in combat that can get annoying. The fifth game, mechanically speaking, is the best of the bunch, but it also requires patching and benefits from an understanding of the universe to get the most out of.