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 |
| Series | Front Mission series |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release date | 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 |
| Media | DVD |
Front Mission 5: Scars of the War is the most recently released game in the Front Mission series of strategy role-playing games from Square Enix, which focus on conflicts between several world powers: the USN, OCU, EC, OAC, and Republic of Zaftra. The conflicts are largely played out via battle among wanzers, a type of mecha. The game was released on December 29, 2005 in Japan.
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[edit] Story
Players take command of a wanzer 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, plot elements from previous Front Mission installments are resolved, adding more depth to 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, with Glen aligned with the Oceania Cooperative Union(OCU) as Walter and Randy join the United States of the New Continent(USN). A few years later, Walter and Randy are accepted as wanzer pilots for 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 news about the OCU's attempt to capture Fort Monus City. Walter and his squadron are sent to defend the city, only to encounter Glen yet again. However, Glen effortlessly overpowers and defeats Walter's squadron. In cold blood, Glen destroys Randy's cockpit, tosses it to a nearby building, and retreats. A dying and blood-soaked Randy tells Walter to find the cause to why Glen changed as he dies.
Filled with hatred and sadness, Walter starts to change his outlook on war and military duty. While cleaning up Randy's office, Walter notices an application form to join an outfit known as the Strike Wyverns. Although Randy was supposed to apply, he is now dead and thus Walter decides to take it on his behalf. 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.
Over the years, Walter befriends the leader of the Barghest unit, Hector Reynolds. In 2097, the OCU requests assistance from the USN to stop a coup d'etat in OCU Cambodia. Walter and the Strike Wyverns are sent in to reclaim control of a large base by the Cambodia-Vietnam border. Another encounter with Glen awaits as he tries to kill Lynn after an intense battle with the coup d'etat forces. Walter pushes Lynn's wanzer out of harm's way and takes the attack instead, sustaining serious injuries. While recovering, Walter begins to question his role in the military and the why he enlisted in the first place.
As the narrative begins to truly develop at this stage, the shift of the narrative switches to terrorism and patriotism. As such, the main themes that the narrative focuses primarily on are terrorism and patriotism. Apart from resolving plot elements from previous Front Mission installments, the narrative also takes some inspiration from the real-life War on Terror.
[edit] Gameplay
The gameplay of Front Mission 5 is very similar to previous Front Mission games, namely Front Mission 4, which are classified as strategy RPGs. While being similar to Front Mission 4, there are numerous changes to made to the mechanics found inside and outside the battle system.
[edit] Battle system changes
Battle system changes from Front Mission 4 to Front Mission 5 are as follows:
- All pilots specialize in one of the six preset Job classes: Assault, Gunner, Jammer, Launcher, Mechanic, Striker. Training under one of the 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 Job Level 9(10 for specialty) and do not learn every skill in those Jobs. For example, an Assault specialist cannot learn the Mechanic skill "Defense III".
- 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. Every weapon with the exception of Striker weapons and Missile Launchers from Launcher weapons can cause friendly fire. Friendly units blinking in red indicate that they are in the line of fire from another allied unit. Thus, friendly fire is possible in this situation. Units that aren't blinking in red indicates a clear line to the target.
- A new factor, Pilot Type, plays a role in minimizing friendly fire during Link battles. Each pilot is classified under four pilot types: Tactical, Defensive, Offensive, and Support. Tactical types attack in cases when maximum damage can be dealt regardless of friendly fire. They do not attack if damage cannot be dealt effectively or if their AP reserves are less than 1/3 of their maximum AP count. Defensive types attack as long as they have enough AP and friendly fire situations are not present. Offensive types are similar to Defensive types but they always attack even in cases of friendly fire. Support types are similar to Tactical types, but they do not attack if their AP reserves are less than 1/2 of their maximum AP count.
- Weapon selection receives several changes in regards to weapon additions and functionality. Flamethrowers have been incorporated back into the fold as an Assault-type weapon. A new addition to weapon selection is the Gatling Gun, a Gunner type weapon. Gatling Guns are long-range versions of Machine Guns and focus damage onto a wanzer's Arms. Bazookas operate differently in that the explosion part of the attack always hits and causes splash damage, which is a new parameter called Blast Range. Bazookas now have a minimum range before they can be used to compensate due to functionality changes. Shields offer damage reductions and can be used as weapons for the first time since Front Mission 2 offered the Shield Rush battle skill. The only penalty is that any equipped weapon on the other Arm is restricted to one attack during battle phases, but this can be negated with the part skill "Remove Shield Limit".
- Skills are classified under the following areas: Special, Battle, Enhancement, Leader, Command, Link. Skills under Special are powerful, but are Job-exclusive and only one can be equipped on a pilot. Battle skills augment both a pilot's offensive and defensive combat abilities. Enhancement skills permanently enhance a wanzer's performance parameters. Leader skills take effect only if the designated leader unit is linked to other pilots and has not been destroyed. Command skills add special commands that can be accessed by the player. Link skills are self-explanatory; they allow the pilot to link to other units and support them offensively or defensively. Purchasing skills expend Enhancement Points(EP), which are gained only through Pilot Levels. As Pilot Level caps at 50, there is a limit on how many skills can be purchased.
[edit] Non-battle system changes
Gameplay changes outside the battle system from Front Mission 4 to Front Mission 5 are as follows:
- Survival Simulator. Survival is a mode where the player chooses one pilot and passes through a set number of floors with items in boxes. 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.
- 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, which are controlled by AI. The player makes a bet and if his pilots win the battle, a number of Command Points(CP) are rewarded for the win. The player can field up to three Wanzers in every Arena clash.
- Scouting. A new feature, Scouting allows the player to recruit extra pilots to the squad. Pilots increase in potency as the game progresses. Over 80 pilots can be Scouted at various times within the game, with a maximum of 12 pilots being used at any given time.
- Theater. The player can view cutscenes that have taken place based on the location that the save file was made. Players can also change their wanzer setups to give the cutscenes a more interesting angle or look.
- Mission Briefings. Another feature from earlier Front Mission games, mission briefings are shown to aid the player about mission conditions, special notes, and enemies to consider. Pictures, streaming data, and the ability to scan conditions of the area are used to illustrate the aforementioned information. The briefings also give recommendations to the player on how to meet the mission conditions if they have difficulty.
- Setup and management of wanzers through menus now use one, cohesive menu setup. The unnecessary separate menus found in Front Mission 4(Wanzer Setup, Shop, etc.) are now incorporated into the new menu scheme. Part Sort is a new feature where parts can be sorted based on several criteria for the player to find the parts they desire more easily. Full wanzer sets are back for newcomers who are unsure how to configure wanzers.
- Aside from buying wanzer parts, the most noticeable change to the wanzer system is the Remodelling process. Using Remodel Points(RP) and Command Points(CP), a wanzer part can be upgraded in various paths.
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- For example, the U.S.N. wanzer "Frost" can be upgraded to the Frost HW model, with higher HP and Defense values in exchange for reduced Evasion values. Likewise, it can be modified with higher Defense without an Evasion penalty, known as "Blizzaia". The player can opt to remain using the stock Frost but at the expense of limited performance. Remodelling, therefore, allows for a higher range of customization and can turn normally inferior parts into something more useful.
- Remodelling also introduces a new factor, "Set Bonus(SB)". If the wanzer's frame parts are compromised of parts from one set, the unit is able to access bonuses exclusive to that set alone. For example, the iconic "Zenith" wanzer can branch off into the "Zeria" derivative. Assembling a full set of "Zeria" parts enables SB Auto Repair 3% and Anti-Shock, which grants resistance to Impact-based attacks. This factor encourages usage of full sets rather than creating a wanzer from mixed parts.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Type-S Device
Numerous pilots seen in the game have a device in their brain called the Type-S Device, which grants its user advantages in battle. These include enhanced reaction times, thought processing, and spatial awareness. However, usage of the device results in damaging effects on those who have them, such as memory loss and individual thought. A subject's compatibility with the Type-S Device is denoted "Neural Integrity" through a grading scale from A to G. For example, Lynn's Neural Integrity grade is A-, meaning she only lost 10% of her memory. As revealed by Hector Reynolds, the device's true nature allows for direct interfacing with the wanzer on the mental level. This results in the user's ability to have near-limitless control over the wanzer and push it beyond its limitations. To maximize this function, specially designed wanzers were made for this purpose.
As the Type-S Device was first seen at the end of the original Front Mission, more details of its origins and purpose are revealed in Front Mission 5. Under a joint development between Sakata Industries and the Republic of Zaftra, the original purpose of the Type-S Device was classified under the Bioneural Device(BD) project. Starting out with the Type-B Device, which used modified human brains as the operating systems for wanzers, the BD project was designed to render normal means of wanzer piloting obsolete, whether it be AI-controlled or piloted by a human. While the Type-B Device was successfully created and saw action, the Type-S Device seen with the Mir Orlen mobile weapon was not a real Type-S Device: it was merely a modified Type-B Device.
The true Type-S Device, including the theory behind its usage, were created and implemented by Doctor Morgan Bernard. Contrary to the supposed Type-S theory in which man and machine are literally fused together by Sakata Industries and Zaftra, Bernard's theory only applies to direct interfacing via the mental level. By creating special computers on-board wanzers and a neural device to operate them, the real Type-S Device first saw use towards the end of the Second Huffman War. Special units within the USN were among the first to utilize the real Type-S Device. OCU also made usage of Type-S as well in the following years after the Second Huffman War.
While the Type-S Device made its user into unstoppable weapons of destruction in battle, a second version of Type-S was discovered. Bernard, who went into hiding from all world powers, continued his research of the Type-S theory. Over a long period of time, he eventually designed and created a new Type-S Device with functionality that surpassed the original device. Whereas the original was mainly for wanzers, Bernard's perfected version could be applied to any sort of technology as long as it was operated by a computer.
Groups that use Type-S Device include:
- Strike Wyverns(USN)
- Barghest(USN)
- Guerrilla Ops Unit(OCU)
- Grimnir(Terrorist)
Of these groups, only the Grimnir incorporates usage of the second Type-S Device. This is likely due to the fact that the Grimnir leader is none other than Morgan Bernard himself.
[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. Many combatants use fuselages almost identical or exactly the same as their initial setup in their respective Front Mission appearances. Billy Renges from Front Mission 4, for example, uses a Recson derivative with a Rifle. His initial setup in Front Mission 4 is the same fuselage except for a different Recson variant and a different Rifle. These characters are:
- Earl McCoy - Front Mission: Alternative
- Dal Furphy - Front Mission: Alternative
- Bruce Blakewood - Front Mission: Alternative
- Roid Clive - Front Mission
- Natalie F. Blakewood - Front Mission
- Sakata Ryuji - Front Mission
- Karen Meure - Front Mission
- Guri B. Olson - Front Mission
- Driscoll - Front Mission
- Ash Faruk - Front Mission 2
- Amia McCalum - Front Mission 2
- Joyce S. Whitfield - Front Mission 2
- Takemura Kazuki - Front Mission 3
- Kusama Ryogo - Front Mission 3
- Lukav Minaev - Front Mission 3
- Darril Traubel - Front Mission 4
- Billy Renges - Front Mission 4
- Phillip Chaeffer - Front Mission 4
- Luis Perez - Front Mission 4
- Ines Torres - Front Mission 4
- Carl Thammond - Front Mission 4
- Elsa Eliane - Front Mission 4
- Zead Elger - Front Mission 4
- Hermes Sturges - Front Mission 4
- Latona Rodiona Vasilev - Front Mission 4
- Dieter Bosch - Front Mission 4
- Beck Canova - Front Mission 4
- Rolf Wagner - Front Mission 4
- Anizka Ivanovna Aleksandrov - Front Mission 4
- Maksim Troadiev Vavilov - Front Mission 4
- Roland Briley - Front Mission 5
- Dennis Gifford - Front Mission 5
- Max Vandam - Front Mission 5
A special note is that Darril Traubel from Front Mission 4 can be recruited in the main game if certain criteria are met.
[edit] Sales Information
In its first week of sales in Japan, Front Mission 5: Scars of War sold 146,209 units. [1] By the middle of January 2006, Front Mission 5 had sold over 200,000 units[2] and moved enough sales for Front Mission to surpass 3 million cumulative sales worldwide. Front Mission 5 was later released under Ultimate Hits line, suggesting the game did well as products in the line have sold 250,000 units or more. A U.S, Canadian or PAL version is not scheduled for release.
[edit] Reception
Although only released in Japan, Front Mission 5 has earned much praise and respect from the Japanese audience. Reasons vary between each person, but the general consensus is that the game is a vast improvement over its predecessors such as Front Mission 4. Its excellent balance and cohesion of strong presentation values, a powerful narrative, solid game mechanics, and streamlined interface scheme are often mentioned as the game's strongest assets. As a result, Front Mission 5 is often praised as the best installment in the series by its fans. Importers have also praised the improvements and excellent balance the game offers. In RPG Fan's Games of 2006 feature, the reasons for it being the Import RPG of the Year make note of the game's improvements and excellent execution in design and functionality.
It has been suggested that this game be subject to a petition for release in the United States.
Reviews
- OteraGame[3] = 8 out of 10, 80%.
- Famitsu = 8/8/8/8 out of 10, 80% Average.
- Dengeki Playstation = 90/85/80/80 out of 100, 84% Average.
- Consoles+ = 85 out of 100, 85%.
- Hyper Playstation = 10/7 out of 10, 85% Average.
- Game Brink[4] = 8.8 out of 10, 88%.
- Joypad = 9 out of 10, 90%.
Awards
- Import RPG of the Year & Runner-up Strategy RPG of the Year = RPG Fan, Games of 2006[5].
Quotes
- Front Mission 5 is a great success on all the levels. Richer, more playable, immersive, Front Mission 5 is the end result of hard work, by keeping its traditional characteristics, while improving them constantly, to give this 5th opus a near perfect experience. A play which will please the fans and can bring in new players as well. - OteraGame.
- Yes, Front Mission 5 came out in 2005, but it missed our awards last year, for being out a whole two days in 2005. Yes, it's certainly not the style of game that's for everybody, but it's easily Square Enix's best run in the series, with a completely revamped link system, a much more cinematic story, and a battle camera that makes battles feel like they're actually happening and aren't completely disjointed. Mechs start shooting as they run and dodge, all while the link system continues its rampage. Front Mission 5 is our pick of Import RPG of the Year, and, please, Square Enix, bring this one stateside! - RPG Fan, Games of 2006 Import RPG of the Year.
[edit] External links
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