Front Mission 3: Information from Answers.com Mobile

Front Mission 3

Release Date: March 21, 2000
Genre: Strategy
Style: 3D Turn-Based Strategy
Similar Games: Final Fantasy Tactics (PlayStation), Front Mission 2 (PlayStation), Xenogears (PlayStation), Front Mission (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Vandal-Hearts II (PlayStation)

Game Description

As the third release of a well-established series in Japan, Front Mission 3 is an epic turn-based strategy/RPG outlining the agony of war and the art of betrayal. While the focus of the overlaying storyline may be the rebellion side of things, the game has a Double Scenario feature that allows players to play two dynamically different sides throughout the duration of play. While one scenario would have you defending the Kamariya Junction, the other would have you destroying it. Scenarios change depending on your actions and the choices you make.

Front Mission 3 features a complex battle system broken into Battle Skills, a Discharge Battle, and the Battle Ranking. The 100 Battle Skills are specialized Wanzer actions that increase a character's performance in any given battle. Featuring customizable legs, arms, and body parts, the robots will learn new combinations and attacks upon upgrade; if you've got a Tiandong 3 arm part, the Wanzer will learn an Eject Punch. Customization is excruciatingly important as players will need to upgrade a Wanzer's armor capabilities, supply it with progressively destructive weapons, and tack on special items for Battle Skill programming. There are 32 different robots to control throughout the duration of gameplay, each differing in the aforementioned areas.

The Discharge Battle System allows players to acquire an enemy Wanzer by overthrowing the pilot and assimilating the machine for your own private use! Strong attacks usually get the job done; the already mentioned Eject Punch is highly effective. Be careful, through -- enemies can eject your character and steal their highly customized Wanzer. Play smart and defend your robots and characters by any means necessary.

Players are shown an evaluation at the end of each battle called the Battle Ranking. It relays important information on the total number of attacks initiated, how many enemies were eliminated, and the number of turns it took to finish the battle. These factors will determine your reward; ranging from bronze to platinum, players are awarded various metals for significant accomplishments. The Battle Ranking also affects the amount of money handed to you at the end of a campaign. Upon completion of Front Mission 3, players are treated to a summary that displays accomplishments and awarded metals.

Front Mission 3 promises over 150 hours of gameplay with the Double Scenario. Furthering the storyline at important times, there are tons of in-game and polygon-rendered movie sequences combined with CG cinematics. It also supports the Dual Shock Analog Controller for analog controls and the vibration function.

~ Matthew House, All Game Guide

Roots & Influences

As one of the most popular Japanese Squaresoft franchises, Front Mission 3 is the first in the series ported to American shores. The RPG market has seen a dynamic increase in popularity and interest since the release of Final Fantasy VII, a reason this long overdue series is finally gaining recognition around the world.

Based on its previous titles, Front Mission 3 takes a few strategic elements from Final Fantasy Tactics and places them in a war-ridden world filled with giant robots. The Dual Scenario feature is a first for the series in that it allows players to assume the role of two dynamically different characters, each on differing sides. American gamers may also be reminded of Xenogears, as both games feature mechanized robots.

~ Matthew House, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

The Front Mission series is a new one for American gamers. The original Front Mission was released on the Super Famicom in 1995, and this game marks the third released on the PlayStation (this is really the fourth in the series if you include the offshoot, Front Mission Alternative). Gamers on this side of the world got lucky in two ways, however. Firstly, the Front Mission universe is much like that of Square's other role-playing games in that the characters from previous games are not usually carried over for sequels; story-wise, we're not out of the loop. Secondly, Front Mission 3 is easily the best in the series, combining deep strategic gameplay with extreme customizability, a good amount of replay value and even bits of role-playing elements tossed in for good measure.

I should mention that both the story and translation of Front Mission 3 are sub-par. The translation isn't as bad as some of Square's previous works, but it still seems somewhat muddled and some sequences will have players re-reading the dialogue to try to make sense of what's being said. The story takes place ten years after Front Mission Second in the year 2112. You are Kazuki Takemura, a Wanzer (mechanized robot) test pilot and high school student. On a routine delivery to a military base, you and longtime friend, Ryogo, witness an explosion, the origins of which are unknown. At this point the story splits into two differing paths; the one you take depends on a decision made at the very beginning of the game.

Unfortunately, the story simply feels emotionless. You see, it's rare to see your characters on screen outside of their Wanzers, and as such, all emotion is presented through the occasional face change in the dialogue portrait. It's hard to explain, but the whole thing feels empty most of the time. Some of the twists in the story are expected, and others just don't make much sense. While, admittedly, there were actually parts in the game's story that made me laugh (and yes, the purpose was to bring out laughter), I never found myself playing to further the plot. I found the story to simply be a setup for my reason to play the missions, when a well-written story would make me want to play the missions to further the plot.

But, while I make it sound bad, the story doesn't matter. I honestly never thought I would say such a thing, but I don't hold anything against the game for presenting me with a poor story. At least the developers tried, and it didn't impact the gameplay in any negative way, which truly surprised me, as I've always been an advocate of strong stories, especially in RPGs. This all goes to show the true excellence of the game itself. Deep down, it's the gameplay that takes precedence over everything, and this game is amazing in that respect. Front Mission 3 requires heavy use of strategy, skill, and even luck. Those who just run in without planning their attacks and not prioritizing their targets will simply have their Wanzers added to the junk heap.

All combat is turn-based, and movement and attacking are subtracted from your action point total. Each turn you gain 12 action points, which is easily enough to attack with most weapons, but could then leave you unable to counter-attack during the enemy's turn. One will have to learn when to attack, what weapons to use and when to stay stationary so you have enough action point to use your shield when the enemy comes after you.

Of course, what would a Square game be without RPG elements? Thankfully, your characters don't level-up in the traditional sense, so the game never gets too easy. When your pilot destroys pieces of an enemy Wanzer, or the Wanzer itself, he/she receives a bonus in the form of a medal. Receive enough and your pilot will gain a level, which simply increases his or her maximum AP. However, to keep things in control, there is a cap for how many levels you can gain this way, which can be annoying when you're only a third through the game and your main character can't level-up any further, but it's a fair trade-off for the balance.

Also, each pilot's weapon proficiency increases as well. Each time Ryogo uses his machine gun, he gets some points added to his machine gun proficiency. More points are added if you destroyed an enemy Wanzer and very few points are awarded if you missed altogether. The more proficient someone is with a weapon type, the more accurate they are and the more damage they do with that weapon. Becoming a master in any one weapon takes a LOT of time, and I doubt most gamers will ever see that coveted "S" ranking before finishing the game.

The last form of beefing up your characters comes in the form of upgrading your Wanzer pieces. Wanzer robots are divided into four pieces: right arm, left arm, body and legs. Each piece has their own set of upgrades, which become available as you get further into the game. Arm upgrades can make your weapons more accurate, body upgrades can make you more resistant to a certain weapon type, leg upgrades increase movement, etc. Each piece also has an HP upgrade, which is the only way in the game to get hit points raised.

Some of the real fun of the game comes from these various Wanzer pieces. You can buy or capture different pieces that can the be put onto your Wanzer, allowing complete customization. The pieces allow a range of hit points, allowable weight (a major factor when you want to carry multiple weapons) and most importantly, battle abilities. Each piece has a respective battle ability, whether it be for defensive or offensive purposes. These do things like up your weapon level for a turn, do multiple attacks in one turn, escape an enemy attack, etc. This makes the strategy go even deeper as you begin to customize your Wanzers around the battle abilities that match with the respective weapon proficiencies of the pilot.

Graphics and sound are both somewhat of a mixed bag. The music, in typical Square fashion, is consistently good and rarely drops to merely "average." The sound of a Wanzer moving in combat also seemed very appropriate and fitting. The downside of the aural qualities came with the weapon noises. Some attacks (namely the machine gun or the satisfying "crunch" of a melee weapon) seemed right on target, but others (flame-throwers, missiles) seemed dramatically underdone.

This fluctuating quality was notable in the graphics as well. On the tactical map, the Wanzers look small, pixelated, and ugly, almost like a tiny character in the original SaGa Frontier. Once an attack starts though, the game zooms in and switches to 3D (with no load time, might I add, which is very impressive) where the robots look like the hulking behemoths they are. It's here where the graphics tend to shine, as these huge machines attack each other with slow, humanesque movements. Unfortunately, even these short attack snippets are graphically flawed, specifically with explosions (or fire of any sort) and when pilots or fighting out of a vehicle.

Front Mission 3's deep, strategic gameplay makes up for most any of the flaws. Chances are you'll be having so much fun with the strategic combat that you may not even pay attention to the story, or find yourself booting up the combat simulator more often than you advance the plot. The game even has somewhat high replay, with two completely different story paths to take, and a whole internet built up for you to explore and hack (most of the time revealing story or character information, but uncovering it all is optional). Front Mission 3 is an excellent title, and though flawed, is worth of any strategy fan's gaming dollar.