Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
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| Front Mission 5: Scars of the War | |
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| Developer(s) | Square Enix |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Release date(s) | JPN December 29, 2005 NA Unreleased PAL Unreleased |
| Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | CERO: Ages 12 and up ESRB: Rating Pending |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Media | DVD |
Front Mission 5: Scars of the War is the newest game of the Front Mission series of video games from Square Enix, which focus on the conflict among several new world powers: the OCU, USN, and EC. The conflict is largely played out via battle among Wanzers, a type of mecha. It was released on December 29, 2005 in Japan.
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[edit] Story
Players take command of a Wanzers squadron under the role of Walter Feng. The main narrative takes place over the course of many years, passing through several timelines found in other Front Mission games. Furthermore, some loose ends from prior Front Mission games Front Mission 5 goes through are resolved while adding onto the main narrative.
In the opening movie, Walter with friends Randy and Glen experience the start of the First Huffman War. Walter and Glen are injured and receive body scars as a result of the incident. The three boys decide to join the military cause, initially aligned with the Oceanic Community Union(OCU). A few years after being with OCU, Walter and Randy are accepted as wanzer pilots for the United States of the New Continent(USN). Eventually, Walter has another encounter with Glen, but on the opposing side. A battle ensues and Glen is taken prisoner as a result. Before being shipped to a prison containment center, Walter and Randy visit their friend Glen. A year passes by and USN receives notice about OCU's attempt to capture Fort Monus City. Walter and his crew are sent to defend the city, only to encounter Glen yet again. However, Walter and Randy are surprised at the more cruel and merciless Glen and are beaten. In cold blood, Glen destroys Randy's cockpit, tosses it to a nearby building, and retreats the area. A dying and blood-soaked Randy tells Walter to find the answer to Glen's changes as he dies.
Filled with hatred and sadness, Walter decides to partake in gruelling tests to become a member of the "Strike Wyverns" unit on behalf of his dead friend. Walter succeeds in joining the unit, but feels no happiness in the outcome. Over the next few years, Walter's superior officer Lynn begins to realize his prowess as a wanzer pilot and officer. Within the years in the unit, Walter befriends the leader of the Barguest unit, Hector Reynolds. Soon, Walter and Lynn are assigned to quell violence in OCU Cambodia. Another encounter with Glen awaits as he attempts to kill Lynn. Walter pushes Lynn's wanzer out of harm's way and takes the intended attack instead. Glen leaves a bleeding and near-dead Walter, who recuperates for several months after the encounter. After surviving the experience, Walter begins to question the validity of the war with OCU, his work in the military, and why he is in the military to begin with. It is at this stage the main narrative begins to truly develop and the resolution of loose ends in prior Front Mission games begin to show how they affect the story.
[edit] Gameplay
The gameplay of Front Mission 5 is very similar to previous Front Mission games, namely Front Mission 4, which are classified as tactical RPGs or strategy RPGs. While being similar to Front Mission 4, there are numerous changes to the battle system. The changes are as follows:
• All pilot characters specialize in one of the preset 6 Job classes(Assault/Gunner/Jammer/Launcher/Mechanic/Striker). To train under one of the 6 Jobs require use of certain weapons, such as Missiles(MS) with Launcher or Repair backpacks with Mechanic. The only difference is that pilots training under Jobs they don't specialize in max out at Lv 9(10 for specialty) and do not learn every skill in those Jobs.
• All attacks now strike twice in one attack phase, for the cost of the weapon's base Action Point(AP) once. For example, a Machine Gun(MG) would take 8 AP in Front Mission 4 strike twice, but only 4 AP in 5. The only exceptions to the rule are Launcher-class weapons.
• Links are simplified in that the player only has to equip a skill corresponding to either the Right/Left Arm and a Job type(Assault/Gunner/Striker). With this set, as long as the user with the skill has AP, they can participate in offensive and defensive Links. Furthermore, the maximum number of participants in Links have been increased to 6 from 4.
• Friendly fire is now possible for both ally and enemy units, a first for Front Mission. Positioning now plays a more vital role in missions as it is very easy to unintentionally hit allies in the line of fire.
• Broken parts can be hit even after destruction, another first for Front Mission. In prior games, any weapon damage hitting broken parts were directed towards parts still operating for a penalty. Only the Shotgun(SG) weapon skill "Dead Shot" negates this change by directing damage from broken parts to operating parts, but without the damage penalty.
• Weapons that were only capable of being used with two hands can now be used with just one. This includes Rifles(RF), Bazookas(BZ), and the new Gatling Guns(GG). The penalty for being single-wield is a huge decrease in Accuracy, which may not be the best option to go with.
• Shields(SD) offer damage reductions but are now true weapons, another first for the series. The only penalty is that any equipped weapons on the other hand are restricted to one less strike. The weapon/wanzer part skill "Operations Restriction-Invalid" negates that penalty.
• Skills are classified similar to past Front Mission games. Some skills are classified as "Special", meaning only one can be equipped at any time. Some of the powerful skills seen in Front Mission 4 are either absent or require cross-training with several Jobs to access.
Battle system changes aside, there are other changes and new additions to the game. Those include:
• Survival Simulator. In addition to the normal Simulator for training pilots, Survival is a mode where the player chooses one pilot and passes through a set number of floors. In each floor are boxes containing items for use in Survival. Once the set number of floors have been passed or the player finds an escape item, the player can safely exit Survival and choose a number of items to return. If the player chooses not to return the maximum number of items, Remodel Points(RP) are gained instead. The maximum amount of floors depends on how far the player is at. The minimum is 10 and the maximum is 50. However, on Hard mode, the maximum is set to 100 floors. Many exclusive items are available past floor 50, such as boss parts and weapons.
• Arena. A feature seen in earlier Front Mission games, the Arena is where the player can choose a number of pilots to battle Arena combatants piloted only by AI. The player makes a bet and if successful, a number of Credit Points(CP) are rewarded for the win. The maximum amount of combatants are 3 and thus 3-on-3 battles are the limit.
• Scouting. A new feature, Scouting lets the player recruit additional pilots to the roster. Pilots increase in Job Level and Pilot Level as the game progresses and different ones can be recruited at various times. The potential for Scouting pilots is limited at first, but towards the end, almost anyone can be Scouted. 12 pilots is the maximum at any given time. As a side note, this makes the military theme more believable and enhances the immersive experience.
• Theater. Theater is a mode in the game where the player can view cutscenes that have taken place based on where the save file was made. Players can also change their wanzer setups to give the cutscenes a more interesting angle or look.
• Mission Briefings. Mission briefings are shown to aid the player about mission conditions, special notes, and enemies to consider. The briefings also give recommendations to the player on how to meet the mission conditions if they have difficulty. This helps players new to the tactical RPG fold or Front Mission to succeed more easily.
One final note is that the management of wanzers has been streamlined, reducing unnecessary menus found in Front Mission 4(Wanzer Setup, Shop) into one cohesive menu setup. Finding parts can be made easier with part sorting if the player wishes to do so.
[edit] Wanzers
A major draw of FM5 is that players can customize Wanzers and weapons. Aside from buying wanzer parts, the most noticeable change to the wanzer system is the Remodelling process. Using Remodel Points(RP) and Credit Points(CP), a wanzer part can be upgraded in various paths. The USN wanzer "Frost" can be upgraded with higher HP and Defense values in exchange for reduced Evasion values, known as "Frost HW". Likewise, a "Frost" can be upgraded with higher Defense but without an Evasion penalty, known as "Blizzaia". Remodelling allows the player to access derivatives of base wanzer models, most which perform better than the base model itself. Weapons and backpack units can also be upgraded through Remodelling, which also allows for better performance.
[edit] Characters
The following background information the about main characters has been discovered. (Notable sources are the original game site and the Japanese version of the game.)
[edit] Walter Feng
The main character is Walter Feng, a foot soldier, later promoted to a wanzer pilot. He has a burn scar on his left cheek from a childhood accident in the first Huffman War, which began in the city that was his childhood home. He is quiet and dour at first, then becomes a cold, emotionless machine after the incidents in the second Huffman War.
[edit] Lynn Wenright
Lynn Wenright is Feng's commanding officer. The two grew up in the same area, and over time, she has developed feelings for her subordinate. She is the commander of the "Strike Wyverns," an Elite Tactical Armored Marine. Over time Wenright has gone from a bookish child to a fearsome, cold-blooded commander. Every soldier in Strike Wyverns, and those who have come in conflict with her in the past, now fear for their lives while dealing with her. She has a room called "The Kill House," where she personally deals with lower-ranking officers and soldiers who oppose her (some, but not all, are literally killed).
[edit] Randy O'Neill
O'Neill is also a childhood friend of Feng and Wenright, and, like Feng, is a soldier for the USN. Though very pleasant, O'Neill rarely comes across as reliable. Despite his apparent capriciousness, he has a strong sense of right and wrong and a loathing of unfair play. He loves chocolate and keeps a candy bar in his front pocket at all times.
[edit] Glen Duval
Duval is another childhood friend of Walter Feng. Unlike the others, he did not join the military of the USN. Instead, he became a soldier for the Oceania Community Union (OCU), a rival superstate controlling what was previously the nations of Japan, Australia, and the Philippines. Duval has a large burn scar on his left arm, which he got protecting Feng when they were both young.
[edit] Edward Collins
Collins is the squad captain of the "Strike Wyverns," a Tactical Armored Marine, and yet another member of the childhood group of friends. His personality is described with the quote, "Even speaking to him once in three years is more than enough." He loves chatting, and gives everyone a headache except for Feng. His talkativeness annoys Wenright to the point that she threatens to demote him, although he doesn't stop teasing her.
[edit] Hector Reynolds
Reynolds is the captain of "Barguest," A Special Armored Detachment Squad. He knows something that Feng doesn't know about Lynn, and has a secretive interest in Feng himself.
[edit] Emma Klamsky
Klamsky appears in the story as a M.I.D.A.S researcher and a mayor of her research lab city. Her research into M.I.D.A.S is almost complete in FM5 (which is seen and a major issue in Front Mission 3).
[edit] Morgan Bernardo
Bernardo is a terrorist who participates in events during the Second Huffman War. Prior to becoming a terrorist, Bernardo was a doctor and the creator of the Type-S Device. Bernardo's reasons for becoming a terrorist are unknown, but his terrorist actions are noticeable around the world.
[edit] S-Device
Certain pilots from the Strike Wyverns, Barguest, and OCU Special Forces have a strange device in their brain called the "Type-S Device". This device is surgically inserted into the brain, and gives users advantages in combat such as enhanced reaction times and spatial awareness. However, this device has destructive effects on people who have them, such as memory loss and basic functionality(data processing, individual thought). Eventually, the player finds out that Wenright keeps so many pictures in her room because she doesn't want to forget important things about her life. A subjects' compatibility with the Type-S Device is denoted "Neural Integrity" through a grading scale from A to G. For example, Wenright's Neural Integrity grade is A-, meaning she lost 20% of her memory but retains basic functionality. Glen, on the other hand, has a grade of G, meaning he lost over 80% of his memory and does not retain basic functionality. In extreme cases such as Glen's, a biochip is needed to retain basic functionality over the user.
The Type-S Device also has a secondary feature apart from improved wanzer piloting capabilities. As revealed by Hector, another Type-S Device user, the device allows the user to mentally interface with the wanzer and operate it beyond its normal performance levels. To maximize this feature, specially designed wanzers were made for this purpose. On the side of the OCU, the Wolf series(Terror Wolf, Direwolf, Brutal Wolf) and Zenith S(also known as "Glen's private Zenith" in the game) utilize the secondary feature. The only unit on the side of USN that maximizes the device's use is the Gracilis. The final known unit that utilizes the secondary function is the aerial mobile weapon Steel Heaven, piloted by the Type-S Device creator and user Morgan Bernardo.
[edit] Familiar Faces
Emma Klamsky, one of the heroines of Front Mission 3, makes a cameo appearance as a non-playable story character. In the "Arena" section of the game, many major Front Mission characters are available as potential combatants, most coming from Front Mission 4. These include Rolf Wagner, Darryl Traubel of Front Mission 4 fame, Kazuki Takemura and Ryogo Kusama from Front Mission 3. Other characters from older Front Mission games include Roid Clive from Front Mission, Ash Faruk from Front Mission 2, and Driscoll from Front Mission.
A special note is that Darryl from Front Mission 4 can be recruited in the main game following certain procedures.
[edit] Sales information
In its first week of sales in Japan, Front Mission 5: Scars of War sold 146,209 units. [1]
