Why has Square never bothered with Front Mission outside Japan?

[sfortunato]

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Front Mission is a wonderful franchise.

Strategic RPGs with a complex plot involving geo-political events and a steampunk atmosphere and robots. Also, wonderful and multi-faceted characters. Soundtracks are also very beautiful.

It's baffling to think that Squaresoft/Square Enix only localized a few games and only two games were released in Europe! The series has a five mainline entries (only Front Mission 3 was released in Europe; 1, 3 and 4 were released in US---1 through the DS porting), plus a sort-of-reboot with a TPS gameplay (Evolved on PS360... Forgettable) which was also released overseas. It has a side-scrolling action game on SNES (Gun Hazard---listen its OSTs, very reminiscent of Final Fantasy VI and VII OSTs! There's an english fan-translation, try it!), a RTS on PS1 (Alternate), and a few other spin-offs (Online on PS2 and PC and 2089 on DS/mobile).

So the series is pretty great. It seems the best entry out there, Front Mission 2, was never localized. Front Mission 1st was released only on DS. Front Mission 5, one of the best entries, not localized. A shame, if you ask me.

​

Front Mission creators were heavily influenced by Fire Emblem. They were also able to introduce mature contents in their stories. For example, Front Mission 2 had a gay character, something not very common today, let alone in mid-Nineties! The general tone is very epic but at the same time grounded in realistic political settings.

Gameplay-wise it is an interesting though traditional sRPG with mechas and each entry introduces many new elements. My suggestion is to buy Front Mission on DS which is the definitive version of that game and maybe Front Mission 3.

Now, Square Enix is working on a supposedly new entry in the series: Left Alive. Now, I think that's great BUT: it's not a sRPG, rather a TPS. It has robots but the atmosphere looks more dystopian and less grounded than previous entries. Also, it's not clear how many people from the original team are working on the game.

​

Surely it looks great but don't you think it's time to bring overseas some actual Front Mission games? Front Mission are known to be top-notch sRPGs; now that sRPG games are popular again overseas (Fire Emblem is a 2 million franchise; Disgaea 5 did very well on PS4 and Switch; Valkyria Chronicles is popular even though doesn't have a very similar gameplay) I do think Square could work on some remake or collection. After all, Front Mission was released overseas 15 years later its original appearance, and Square seems willing to bring over Mana collection or localize Romancing SaGa 2 so it's never too late for some Front Mission bonanza!

 

[Dreamboum]

Square even re-released Front Mission 2 in 2005 with quality of life improvements. I was shocked to see the Square-Enix logo on a PS1 game. They definitely should translate them overseas.

I love the series, I'm working my way through 2 now and it's shocking that the main character is a Bengali. You also spend a huge time in the game with a team that is only comprised women and talks about something that aren't men. And the plot is actually far above the first game. Front Mission 2 did things that games didn't even touch with a 10-foot pole for years.

And look at that aesthetic ! Come on, bring it back Square !

]

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[The Almighty Tria]

They tried but they didn't sell. The end.

 

[sfortunato]

Square even re-released Front Mission 2 in 2005 with quality of life improvements. I was shocked to see the Square-Enix logo on a PS1 game. They definitely should translate them overseas.

I love the series, I'm working my way through 2 now and it's shocking that the main character is a Bengali. You also spend a huge time in the game with a team that is only comprised women and talks about something that aren't men. And the plot is actually far above the first game. Front Mission 2 did things that games didn't even touch with a 10-foot pole for years.

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I didn't know they had released it on PS1 8 years after the original release. QOL improvements mean better loading times?

Also, it's crazy how modern and progressive the story. It is also set in Bangladesh which is very uncommon. I like the fact that this stuff is presented as normal and not as something weird per se.

They tried but they didn't sell. The end.

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I mean, the first game released here was Front Mission THREE. Of course it's a hard seller.

 

[Skunk]

I agree. 2, 3, and 5 are fucking magnificent games, but this series as a whole is massively underrated.

 

[Dreamboum]

QOL improvements mean better loading times?

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Yeah, and you can disable the battle animations entirely. So you don't have to watch your wanzers fighting it out all the time.

Also, it's crazy how modern and progressive the story. It is also set in Bangladesh which is very uncommon. I like the fact that this stuff is presented as normal and not as something weird per se.

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Entirely agree. I haven't seen the plot in its entirety but it was refreshing that they're not painting this region as savages or rebels but as a region that was extorted of its wealth and culture by imperialism.

 

[Redcrayon]

Front Mission 3 blew my mind on PSOne- it was only during my third playthrough that I discovered that a single different choice at the start leads to a completely different set of missions. Awesome game, I still play it now and then on the Vita. Imported FM on the DS but it didn't grab me as much as FM3 did.

 

[TC McQueen]

I've heard there are massive problems related to the actual writer of the franchise, to the point that Left Alive exists to bypass him and try to get people into the franchise without having to translate several games and novels.

 

[Patryn]

I mean, the first game released here was Front Mission THREE. Of course it's a hard seller.

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As I recall, the first two Front Missions involve a United States analog as the enemy force. Do you really think Square would try to release that during the SNES era?

 

[Ghostsonplanets]

You forgot Front Mission 2089 op. But yes, I would kill for a release of Front Mission on everything.

 

[Ghostsonplanets]

I've heard there are massive problems related to the actual writer of the franchise, to the point that Left Alive exists to bypass him and try to get people into the franchise without having to translate several games and novels.

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Care to elaborate?

 

[Deleted member 5621]

Honestly, I think back then they just thought the aesthetics would be a hard sell for the US market.

 

[sfortunato]

As I recall, the first two Front Missions involve a United States analog as the enemy force. Do you really think Square would try to release that during the SNES era?

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Well, FM2 was released on PS1. But now it's 2018 so there's time to bring them back!

You forgot Front Mission 2089 op. But yes, I would kill for a release of Front Mission on everything.

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I mentioned it ;) among the spin-offs.

 

[Ishiro]

Umm get in line?
I hate to have to say this man, but the problem with SE is that they have too many IPs that people want them to bring back. Depending on who you ask, it's either Crono or Parasite Eve or Bushido Blade (that would be me!) and as a business they're not always sure it's worth the risk. I'm beyond glad that they pulled it off with Nier 2, but sadly it doesn't always happen like that.

And then you have their ongoing franchises with their voracious fans that already consider SE to be the slowest in the business when it comes to dev cycles. Seriously, ask around, they're starting to become a joke in this regard.

So, I'm sorry FM fans but you're gonna take Left Alive and you're gonna like it :(

 

[Aeana]

Square had a hard time even getting all of the entries in its flagship franchise over during the SNES era, so it isn't a surprise to me at all that a game that was not even developed internally at Squaresoft did not make it over. Especially since it was in a genre that was unproven in the western market. But I also don't think it's like they didn't try; 3 was a great game with decent word of mouth, and they also brought 4 and eventually circled back to 1 on DS. Maybe they could have done something differently during the PSX era and leveraged FFT's success more, but other than that I'm not sure.

 

[sfortunato]

Umm get in line?

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This is true but Front Mission is a very well developed and long franchise. Parasite Eve is great but it has only 3 entries. Bushido Blade has only 2 entries. One must realize that some series are shorter or one-off and they might not make much sense in today's landscape. Front Mission, though, has a many entries and great games.

 

[Dreamboum]

I hate to have to say this man, but the problem with SE is that they have too many IPs that people want them to bring back. Depending on who you ask, it's either Crono or Parasite Eve or Bushido Blade (that would be me!) and as a business they're not always sure it's worth the risk. I'm beyond glad that they pulled it off with Nier 2, but sadly it doesn't always happen like that.

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But Chrono and Parasite Eve has been released to the US...We're talking about FM games that never crossed the border

 

[hyouko]

Square seems remarkably reticent in bringing non-FF games overseas these days. Nintendo had to push hard and offer a lot of support to get recent Dragon Quest titles published in the US, and that's a way more popular franchise.

 

[Echo]

Square even re-released Front Mission 2 in 2005 with quality of life improvements. I was shocked to see the Square-Enix logo on a PS1 game. They definitely should translate them overseas.

I love the series, I'm working my way through 2 now and it's shocking that the main character is a Bengali. You also spend a huge time in the game with a team that is only comprised women and talks about something that aren't men. And the plot is actually far above the first game. Front Mission 2 did things that games didn't even touch with a 10-foot pole for years.

And look at that aesthetic ! Come on, bring it back Square !

Click to shrink...

This lovely 90's art. Full-grown woman. Real-people clothes. Angular faces and hard black lines.

The unspeakable things I would do to have this aesthetic make a roaring comeback....

 

[TC McQueen]

Care to elaborate?

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It's been a while since I heard the explanation of this, but here's what I remember:
-The writer of Front Mission might be considered the original creator, which in Japan gives him a lot of legal power over the franchise.
-Square only localized 3 and 4, and when he found out, he insisted Square localize everything, which included some books. (I don't remember where Evolution factors into this - it might have contributed to this part.)
-Square knew this would lose them money, so they refused to do it.
-The writer refuses to work with them, and can basically kill any new Front Mission project in the process.
-Square creates Left Alive as a legally distinct spinoff IP that they own (AFAIK), so they can just keep making stuff in the Front Mission universe and cut the guy out.

 

[Ishiro]

This is true but Front Mission is a very well developed and long franchise. Parasite Eve is great but it has only 3 entries. Bushido Blade has only 2 entries. One must realize that some series are shorter or one-off and they might not make much sense in today's landscape. Front Mission, though, has a many entries and great games.

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Sir, Parasite Eve only had 2 entries! :p

Oh Bushido Blade is the definition of niche, I know that. On top of that, the sales were awful. But it's so unique that I would really want a current gen version.

You can't just take into account the number of entries though. Chrono has only two entries and it's crazy popular. A Chrono Break announcement would Crono break the internet.

But Chrono and Parasite Eve has been released to the US...We're talking about FM games that never crossed the border

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Oh those. I guess their localization wouldn't take that much resources, yeah. But you know, OP talked about a potential remake too, so I was more addressing that part.

 

[Famassu]

Because if there is something that sells even worse than mecha games, it's mecha strategy rpgs

 

[Recall]

They tried but they didn't sell. The end.

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Because if there is something that sells even worse than mecha games, it's mecha strategy rpgs

Click to shrink...

Is this an ERA meme? Every thread has the same posts "because it doesn't sell" when nine times out ten there is a bit more to it all. It kills discussion dead every single time.

 

[Dreamboum]

This lovely 90's art. Full-grown woman. Real-people clothes. Angular faces and hard black lines.

The unspeakable things I would do to have this aesthetic make a roaring comeback....

Click to shrink...

Your post finally made it click that it was made by Jun Uemi. Never made the connection before

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Should have been de facto's main chara designer of Front Mission, but tbh all the artists of Front Mission were among the best in their craft. They started the series with Amano after all.

 

[Warrior of Light]

Front Mission 3 remains the only game in the main series to ever be released here in Europe. At least North America got the wonderful remake of the first game on DS and the fourth game on PS2.

 

[Nakadai]

Would a fan of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together like what Front Mission has to offer? Been wondering about getting into this franchise.

 

[mentallyinept]

It's been a while since I heard the explanation of this, but here's what I remember:
-The writer of Front Mission might be considered the original creator, which in Japan gives him a lot of legal power over the franchise.
-Square only localized 3 and 4, and when he found out, he insisted Square localize everything, which included some books. (I don't remember where Evolution factors into this - it might have contributed to this part.)
-Square knew this would lose them money, so they refused to do it.
-The writer refuses to work with them, and can basically kill any new Front Mission project in the process.
-Square creates Left Alive as a legally distinct spinoff IP that they own (AFAIK), so they can just keep making stuff in the Front Mission universe and cut the guy out.

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Damn... That sucks to hear.

It's like a reverse Kojima/Konami situation with the writer being a dick.

Are there fan translations of the games/books?

 

[TC McQueen]

Are there fan translations of the games/books?

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I think there's a fan translation of 5, but I don't know about the books.

 

[Liam Allen-Miller]

This is true but Front Mission is a very well developed and long franchise. Parasite Eve is great but it has only 3 entries. Bushido Blade has only 2 entries. One must realize that some series are shorter or one-off and they might not make much sense in today's landscape. Front Mission, though, has a many entries and great games.

Click to shrink...

"My favourite deserves it more that your favourite!"

No amount of rationalizing this makes it an argument anyone wants to hear. Companies really jut don't have the bandwidth to bring back every old series all the time. Left Alive is different, but it's perhaps an opportunity for Front Mission to come back, so why not champion that?

 

[Leafhopper]

Is this an ERA meme? Every thread has the same posts "because it doesn't sell" when nine times out ten there is a bit more to it all. It kills discussion dead every single time.

Click to shrink...

People on this site are weird when it comes to things they don't care for. So they say "It doesn't sell, stop talking about." It's annoying as all hell.

EDIT

It's been a while since I heard the explanation of this, but here's what I remember:
-The writer of Front Mission might be considered the original creator, which in Japan gives him a lot of legal power over the franchise.
-Square only localized 3 and 4, and when he found out, he insisted Square localize everything, which included some books. (I don't remember where Evolution factors into this - it might have contributed to this part.)
-Square knew this would lose them money, so they refused to do it.
-The writer refuses to work with them, and can basically kill any new Front Mission project in the process.
-Square creates Left Alive as a legally distinct spinoff IP that they own (AFAIK), so they can just keep making stuff in the Front Mission universe and cut the guy out.

Click to shrink...

If that's actually true that's wild.

 

[sfortunato]

"My favourite deserves it more that your favourite!"

No amount of rationalizing this makes it an argument anyone wants to hear. Companies really jut don't have the bandwidth to bring back every old series all the time. Left Alive is different, but it's perhaps an opportunity for Front Mission to come back, so why not champion that?

Click to shrink...

Ehm... To be honest I equally love Front Mission (from what I had the chance to play) and Parasite Eve.

 

[Famassu]

Is this an ERA meme? Every thread has the same posts "because it doesn't sell" when nine times out ten there is a bit more to it all. It kills discussion dead every single time.

Click to shrink...

Well then, this is that one out of ten case. :p Mecha games that aren't tied to a(n even somewhat) popular IP like Gundam are not going to light sales charts on fire, probably not even a tiny smolder. Hardcore SRPGs aren't the most popular genre. Marry the two and there's a high chance of failure. It's just not something all that enticing to a big company like SQEX. Make it a big budget game and there's a higher than average chance of being a total flop and losing millions. Make it a retro-ish low budget thing and it's maybe making money but probably so little even at best that SQEX's money, from their POV, is still best spent elsewhere.

 

[Famassu]

People on this site are weird when it comes to things they don't care for. So they say "It doesn't sell, stop talking about." It's annoying as all hell.

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Front Mission 3 is in my top 3 or 5 SRPGs. I'd love nothing more than to get a new SRPG. I just don't see SQEX thinking it's a viable option. They have all the data from past games' sales, development budgets and more recently know how well something like Front Mission 3's PS1 Classic release did, which should be one kind of metric to see how the franchise is doing in this decade.

 

[Leafhopper]

Front Mission 3 is in my top 3 or 5 SRPGs. I'd love nothing more than to get a new SRPG. I just don't see SQEX thinking it's a viable option. They have all the data from past games' sales, development budgets and more recently know how well something like Front Mission 3's PS1 Classic release did, which should be one kind of metric to see how the franchise is doing in this decade.

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Fair enough then, I see where you are coming from.

 

[Eolz]

Left Alive seems a lot more promising than the last time they made Front Mission a TPS (Evolved...) at least.
But yeah, great underrated series.

On top of that, the first game's OST was made by none other than Shimomura!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5unyuxpPhjE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlrOw_Ry6lw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkMhJ6STWzY

 

[Ghostsonplanets]

It's been a while since I heard the explanation of this, but here's what I remember:
-The writer of Front Mission might be considered the original creator, which in Japan gives him a lot of legal power over the franchise.
-Square only localized 3 and 4, and when he found out, he insisted Square localize everything, which included some books. (I don't remember where Evolution factors into this - it might have contributed to this part.)
-Square knew this would lose them money, so they refused to do it.
-The writer refuses to work with them, and can basically kill any new Front Mission project in the process.
-Square creates Left Alive as a legally distinct spinoff IP that they own (AFAIK), so they can just keep making stuff in the Front Mission universe and cut the guy out.

Click to shrink...

Wow. Thanks for that. This sucks bad. Although that part of the writer being the original Creator and having the franchise rights is strange. The series started as a book?

 

[Ghostsonplanets]

I hope Left Alive delivers. The art is promising so far.

 

[Phediuk]

they tried multiple times and it flopped each time.

 

[Dreamboum]

Would a fan of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together like what Front Mission has to offer? Been wondering about getting into this franchise.

Click to shrink...

The first game doesn't have a lot of meat outside of customizing your Wanzer but Front Mission 2 is staggeringly deep, even as a Tactics Ogre fan. Action points means you have more things to think about than just attacking, and the honor system makes it harder to just have one ace unit destroying everything while leaving the rest of your team as reserve. Missiles cannot be abused, and every weapon type will have its use since there is now sort of a triangle system that makes it that you have to think about the type of armor and the type of weapon that you want to wield. What comes after mostly evolves from FM2 as a base.

FM2 kicked my ass, money management is ruthless, equipping your wanzer is an art form and I expect to die miserably every time I get into a mission until I know what the enemies are made of and how I can counter them. It's a war out there.

If you're talking about plot though, Front Mission has nothing to be ashamed about. Like I said, it treats themes you hardly see, and it actually is quite close to Tactics Ogre when it comes to warfare and its roots. Strong storylines, great music, they are my 2 favorites TRPG series.

 

[Syril]

Honestly looking at the years when the games came out it seems to follow the general patterns of when things were more or less likely to get localized in general. Squaresoft passed over tons of games in the mid 90's when the first several games were done, but Front Mission 3 came out during the Square EA years when they were localizing practically everything. Meanwhile Front Mission 5 was apparently the series finale and depended on plot threads from a bunch of games that were never localized in the first place, and the late 2000s when Front Mission 2089 on the DS came out was when companies all over were passing on localizations left and right, especially on the DS in particular.

 

[Mcjmetroid]

Is this an ERA meme? Every thread has the same posts "because it doesn't sell" when nine times out ten there is a bit more to it all. It kills discussion dead every single time.

Click to shrink...

Some people really want to get on page 1 of the thread so the first few posts are often drive bys.

I don't know this franchise but srpgs is quickly becoming my favourite genre. I cannot understand the logic of bit giving it a decent try.

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

It's been a while since I heard the explanation of this, but here's what I remember:
-The writer of Front Mission might be considered the original creator, which in Japan gives him a lot of legal power over the franchise.
-Square only localized 3 and 4, and when he found out, he insisted Square localize everything, which included some books. (I don't remember where Evolution factors into this - it might have contributed to this part.)
-Square knew this would lose them money, so they refused to do it.
-The writer refuses to work with them, and can basically kill any new Front Mission project in the process.
-Square creates Left Alive as a legally distinct spinoff IP that they own (AFAIK), so they can just keep making stuff in the Front Mission universe and cut the guy out.

Click to shrink...

Even knowing all that, I wish they have continued working with him cause Front Mission Evolved's script was a Toriyama dumpster fire. Not hopeful for Left Alive.

 

[Koozek]

The way you described it sounds really cool. I knew the Gun Hazard OST from random Youtube VGM channels and it's nice, yeah.

I only played a few hours of Mission Front 5 and was surprised by the good presentation and cutscene direction from what I remember. Unfortunately I just never play SRPGs more than a few hours until losing interest and I've always given many of them a chance. I didn't even finish FFT. Think Tactics Ogre on GBA was the furthest I got in a SRPG.

It's been a while since I heard the explanation of this, but here's what I remember:
-The writer of Front Mission might be considered the original creator, which in Japan gives him a lot of legal power over the franchise.
-Square only localized 3 and 4, and when he found out, he insisted Square localize everything, which included some books. (I don't remember where Evolution factors into this - it might have contributed to this part.)
-Square knew this would lose them money, so they refused to do it.
-The writer refuses to work with them, and can basically kill any new Front Mission project in the process.
-Square creates Left Alive as a legally distinct spinoff IP that they own (AFAIK), so they can just keep making stuff in the Front Mission universe and cut the guy out.

Click to shrink...

Ohh, that's interesting. Didn't know about this stuff. So a bit like what happened with the Parasite Eve IP?

 

[SageShinigami]

Man, I'd love a FM remake instead of Left Alive. A mech game where the mechs are downplayed is a terrible idea. :P

 

[sfortunato]

If you're talking about plot though, Front Mission has nothing to be ashamed about. Like I said, it treats themes you hardly see, and it actually is quite close to Tactics Ogre when it comes to warfare and its roots. Strong storylines, great music, they are my 2 favorites TRPG series.

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Front Mission 1 is also a decent game gameplay-wise. As far as I understood, 2 is much better and deeper but the first entry is still a very good game (imo, it is).

 

[N E R O]

One of my gaming related wishes is to be able to play the whole series in one platform like KH, I have played the 1st game several years ago and really liked the settings and the overall story and game play, Purchased # 4 and still have it sealed but that's about my experience with this series.

2 & 5 was never released in the west if I am not mistaken ? I assume they have fan translation

 

[Gabora]

Front Mission 2 was the first game I ever imported. Boy did it look amazing for a PSX game... until you started playing lol

I get what Square was going for with Front Mission 2, but the battle animations were too long and the loading times unbearable. I would love a remake that made the game playable.

Front Mission 1 is also a decent game gameplay-wise. As far as I understood, 2 is much better and deeper but the first entry is still a very good game (imo, it is).

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It is, but the game is unbearable to play.

Edit: before anyone say anything, I owned the original version of Second, so no Quick Battle for me lol

 

[Ghostsonplanets]

So a bit like what happened with the Parasite Eve IP?

Click to shrink...

Wow. What happened here too?

 

[Koozek]

Wow. What happened here too?

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Don't think we know the exact reason (correct me if I'm wrong), but apparently the original author of the novel which Parasite Eve was based on didn't give SE rights or SE didn't want to pay for the IP renewal for new games and that's why 3rd Birthday as a "spiritual successor" wasn't named PE and didn't mention some of the terms of the novel, afaik.

 

[Nakadai]

The first game doesn't have a lot of meat outside of customizing your Wanzer but Front Mission 2 is staggeringly deep, even as a Tactics Ogre fan. Action points means you have more things to think about than just attacking, and the honor system makes it harder to just have one ace unit destroying everything while leaving the rest of your team as reserve. Missiles cannot be abused, and every weapon type will have its use since there is now sort of a triangle system that makes it that you have to think about the type of armor and the type of weapon that you want to wield. What comes after mostly evolves from FM2 as a base.

FM2 kicked my ass, money management is ruthless, equipping your wanzer is an art form and I expect to die miserably every time I get into a mission until I know what the enemies are made of and how I can counter them. It's a war out there.

If you're talking about plot though, Front Mission has nothing to be ashamed about. Like I said, it treats themes you hardly see, and it actually is quite close to Tactics Ogre when it comes to warfare and its roots. Strong storylines, great music, they are my 2 favorites TRPG series.

Click to shrink...

Sounds good! Looking it up though I think the only ones I could play are 3 on PSN and 4 on PS2. No DS unfortunately, and it doesn't look like Front Mission 2 got a stateside release. Shame.