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Front Mission.......

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: October 29, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Front Mission hasn't exactly been a fan favorite here in America. Since its' debut, it hasn't did all that well which makes it even more surprising that Front Mission for the Nintendo DS was even released at all. That's unfortunate because Front Mission is a Strategy-RPG that will appeal to both casual gamers and the hardcore set with its' addictive gameplay, wicked wanzer designs, deep storyline and memorable characters. I'm glad it has been released because this is the first time that the first Front Mission has been released here in America and it is a treat that shouldn't be missed. My first introduction to Front Mission was with FM4 on the Playstation 2 and I've been hooked ever since.

Upon first look, you'd think it's a little more serious take on the Super Robot Taisen series but, the fact of the matter is, this series has been around quite awhile and has more of a cult following here in the states. Sure, Super Robot Taisen has been around since the days of the NES but it only found success recently here on the Gameboy Advance.

The story focuses on the conflict over Huffman Island, located in the neutral zone between two superpowers known as the Oceania Community Union (O.C.U.) and the Unified Continental States (U.C.S.). Tensions between the O.C.U. and the U.C.S. spark the First Huffman Conflict in 2070, a two-year war ending with a ceasefire agreement that divides the island into two territories. After many years of relative peace, the sudden destruction of a U.C.S. military factory triggers the Second Huffman Conflict in 2090. You play Royd Clive, the leader of the O.C.U. mercenary outfit Canyon Crows, battling through missions against other Wanzers(mechs)-tanks-helicopters and other mobile weapons. Then, after you finish the game from the OCU point-of-view, you play as Kevin Greenfield who is the commanding officer of the U.C.S. Special Forces squad Black Hounds in a second campaign. Be prepared, though, as it's more challenging than you might expect. It was for me.

Fans of more tactical Strategy-RPGs like Super Robot Taisen:Original Generation 1&2, Advance Wars, Panzer Tactics, or even games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre will love this game. In my opinion, none of those games have anything on Front Mission. I mean, what could be cooler than a thousand pound mech with guns and missiles??

You'll like it if you liked it in the first place

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: November 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Try going to IGN or 1up if you want a thorough review. As for me, I really enjoy this game. I don't recommend it for younger DS owners, as the learning curve is pretty steep [you really do have to read the manual if you're new to the series], and it has quite a bit of complexity. There actually is a tutorial mode, but it only shows you how to do the very VERY basics. The game is made by Square Enix, the same people that do the Final Fantasy series; and the similarities between the two are obvious from the get-go: classic turn-based battles [which sometimes last more than an hour], a deep storyline that will really suck you in, and very thorough "wanzer" [as the giant robots you battle with are called] customization. The actual battles are seen from a 2-D isometric camera angle [think Starcraft or Simcities]. Like I said in the title, most of the people that enjoy this game were already fans of the Front Mission series.

Fun/Gameplay: 4/5... I had to play for a while for the game to actually get really good, but if you've got the patience, then your money is well spent. If you want, you can play the ENTIRE GAME using just the stylus, but I prefer the good ol' buttons, as some of the places you have to tap with your stylus [ie: choosing a place to move on the battle field, selecting from a list of weapons to use] are pretty tiny, and I sometimes tapped the wrong option.

Graphics: 3/5... Entirely 2-D, but that's not a problem with me, as a 3-D engine would hog too much space on the game-card, thus severely limiting the amount of content the game could have

Sound: 2/5... This game IS from the SNES and PS1 era, and seeing as how the effects, voice, and music quality back then were very basic...

Reply Value: 4/5... Even though the game is MOSTLY direct copy of the original, they crammed in an entire new story [you can pick which of the two countries you'll fight for]. Even if you choose the same country to fight with, there are alot of things you can do differently, although the main plot itself doesn't allow for much deviation.

A worthy debut on the DS

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 03, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Square's Front Mission series actually goes back quite a bit to the days of the Super NES, of which this DS title is pretty much derived from. Front Mission is a strategy/RPG featuring battling mech suits; a description which should give you an idea of whether you want to give this game a look or not. Anyway, the game is played on an isometric point of view, and features some pretty good sprite work in the graphics department, but the real meat and potatoes of Front Mission is the ultra-deep strategy tactics and RPG elements that will have you coming back again and again to this game. Newcomers however may not want to keep coming back, as Front Mission also features a very steep learning curve that may very well be a turn off for quite a few. That aside, Front Mission for the DS has a lot to offer for fans of Square's long running mech series, and newcomers to the series should give it a try, but those not so much familiar with strategy/RPG's need not apply.

Fun Game But Rough Edges

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is a turn-based mech combat game. It has role-playing aspects in that your characters gain skills equipment as the game progresses. The gameplay is fun. The missions are moderately challenging. The graphics are acceptable. The game's biggest downside is the interface. It's obvious that they didn't write this with the DS in mind originally. The click-regions are small. Many actions require a double-click: one to select and another to accept. Some actions, like equipping an item on a mech take too many steps. I also often found myself wanting information that was not available. For instance, if you are attacking an enemy at a distance and want to know which area to shoot at, you'll have to remember because the enemy's armor is not shown at that time.
Overall the game is a lot of fun. If you like turn-based games, check this one out.
There are two campaign sequences and each will take 20+ hours to complete so there's a lot of value for your money here.

FM1

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 4
Date: June 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Did you enjoy FM3 or FM4? If you did then you'll enjoy this one as well.

Review Page: 1 

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