2009-08-03, 04:15 | Link #1 |
blinded by blood
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Front Mission Evolved (PC/PS3/360)
Really surprised there's no thread for this game yet!
I'm eagerly anticipating a new Front Mission game released in North America, and so far this one looks most excellent. Stepping away from the usual turn-based strategy model used by the previous FM titles, this game is more of a third-person mech combat shooter similar to Armored Core, MechAssault, Zone of the Enders and the like. I've got high hopes for this one, especially considering the developer--Square Enix is handling the publishing, but an outfit called Double Helix Games is doing the gruntwork of creating this game. They're a relatively new company, but Double Helix Games has the distinction of being made up of the companies Shiny Entertainment and The Collective. Shiny made some amazing games in the late 90s/early 2000s, so I'm looking for more good stuff coming from their reorganization. The fact that Double Helix is involved is likely the reason it's getting a PC release at launch--a rare occurence in the gaming industry these days! I'm keeping an eager eye on both this game and the reboot of the MechWarrior franchise, hopefully both games will provide us with lots of Humungous Mecha fun. ^^; --- Official Square-Enix FRONT MISSION EVOLVED page
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2009-08-03, 04:35 | Link #2 |
Banned
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Hell
Age: 38
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I know this is wrong thread for this but I think Square-Enix should release Front Mission 5: Scars of War(PS2) first. They didn't release this one out from Japan since poor sales and reviews of the fourth one, also for PS2. According some reviews made by the Japanese gamers, it was better than the fourth one.
Is Front Mission Evolved a turn-based strategy game like its previous titles or action-oriented like Armored Core series? |
2009-08-03, 06:08 | Link #3 |
blinded by blood
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It's a third-person mech action title similar to Armored Core, MechAssault and other such titles. It's not a squad-level turn-based strategy.
That's likely why it's being brought over here--the words "turn-based strategy" tend to make American gamers cringe in terror. We do have the hardcore wargamers who live off turn based, insanely Nintendo Hard wargames like Steel Panthers, but they'd scoff at something not based on a real war. Supposedly, FM5 is the best Front Mission title of all. I really enjoyed Front Mission 4; I think it is the best of the three games brought to the US. A lot of people hated it because it was very different from Front Mission 3. In Japan, FM3 is the black sheep of the family that nobody likes. I'm the odd girl out. I like both FM3 and 4, and I dislike FM1 (though I am amused by all the guns being named after words for penis, nice subtle anti-war jab there), and FM4 is by far my favorite of the franchise. I haven't played FM5 yet--waiting for the translation project to finish entirely before I import a copy. Due to the poor sales of Front Mission in the North American market in general, and fan reaction to the "true" Front Mission gameplay, Square-Enix chose not to localize FM5 because it's even less like FM3.
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2010-06-12, 13:30 | Link #7 |
blinded by blood
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Turn-based strategy is dead. The only reason it ever existed to begin with was hardware limitations. We don't have those anymore, so why should they exist?
I hope the next strategy installment of Front Mission is squad-level RTS with paused order queuing (similar to Company of Heroes and various CRPGs), but I doubt that'll be the case, since it's a console title, and that sort of control typically only exists on PC.
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2010-06-13, 09:52 | Link #8 |
Ava courtesy of patchy
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Hmm, I don:t really agree with turn-based strategy is dead ><. I still enjoy the last 2 Front Mission game and SRW franchise much more than RTS series like warcraft and starcraft(maybe because RTS series is too fast paced for someone like me XP).
Back on the topic, it seems FM is trying to tackle an entirely new gameplay like SRW did with ACE. I:m just hoping they don:t completely leave the old TBS gameplay though. |
2010-06-13, 12:03 | Link #9 |
Bearly Legal
Join Date: Jun 2004
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FME is more of an spinoff like Gunhazard was of the FM universe, so you shouldnt worry about them taking the series into a new direction. Hopefully FME would generate enough new fans to the series for Square to reconsider translating FM5 and future FM sequels for fans outside of Japan.
In the meantime, you can get fan translation for FM5 if you haven't.
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2010-06-15, 00:17 | Link #11 |
from head to heel
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Age: 41
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Yeah, I'm skipping this one.
I may be a newcomer to the FM series overall, but I like FM3 and FM4 a lot. I'm actually disappointed that a Front Mission for this current gen comes in this form. Armored Core style gameplay is not why I got into the series in the first place. I'm also still hoping for FM5 to be released in the West one of these days. (Yeah, I know it's a lost cause but whatever...) |
2010-06-15, 06:53 | Link #12 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
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^ You're loss or gain, depending on how good this game is.
I'm a fan of FM and SRPG titles as much as anybody else (that happens to like them), but there's no sense of depriving myself of a rental or a buy if the game is solid just for grandiose nostalgic factor of games that came out seven to eleven years ago and then some. For lack of better words and effort really, it's the FM element and feel that they're trying to revive, and if it does well then FM will probably take this approach in the future. I won't go on and say heresy on that turn based strategy or the SRPG genre is dead. But it's definitely a very niche market for the western or perhaps European audience, I'm saying that without actual statistics but you'd have to be reaching for a realistic sale comparison to other spots... for lack of better wording. It becomes reasonable from a point of view why the developers took this route. That aside, looking forward to it. I would say something about the voice work, but everything sounds better than Lost Planet. Although I do want to see more actual game play all things considered. |
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