FRONT MISSION 5: ~Scars of the War~
 

The latest installment in the Front Mission series was released on December 29th last year in Japan and besides general praise and growing popularity still hasn't been announced for a US release.


The game features solid turn-based Mecha tactics with fully customizable 'Wanzers', armed to the teeth with deadly weapons such as machine guns, sniper rifles and missile launchers.

You play as Walker, who's joined on with the U.S.N. Forces. In addition to a stronger adventure portion, in which you go about scouting your own battalion members, the game includes a number of bonus modes, including Survival Simulator, Battle Simulator and Arena, where you can collect money and parts to power up your fighting machines.


For those familiar with the series since its 1995 debut on Nintendo Super Famicom (SNES), Front Mission 5 takes place on Huffman Island and seems to be either a prequel or sequel to the conflict between O.C.U. (Oceania Community Union) and U.S.N. (United States of the New Continent).

Despite it not having a US release date, the game features astonishing CGI full motion video and convincing motion capturing scenes along with excellent and smooth gameplay with refined elements from predecessors.


Links:

- Square Enix Official FM5 site

- Ruliweb resources

If it doesn't get a release, SE can burn in hell. The company is already a major disappointment. Front Mission is the only series they release that I still fuckin' care about.

I'm really wondering why they won't bring this fucker over already. I mean, it's got everything you'd expect from a US 'compatible' game: a military theme, awe-inspiring CGI and rather successful predecessors.

I've got the japanese version right here and the intro FMV was beyond cool. Also, I'm really interested to learn more about the Huffman setting. The game might as well take place during the events of Front Mission 1, but on the opposite side of the fence (since you're with the U.S.N., apparently).

Pfft. SE is probably to busy dealing with Kingdom Hearts 2 crap. Still, it's inexcusable. They've released two of the four installments thus far. It had a decent US sale on 3 & 4 despite the crappy marketing it got.

I think this should go in RPG despite leaning towards tactical play.

Since I forget, could someone educate me on which game was Front Mission 2? I remember Front Mission: Gun Hazard was considered awful by many, but that was more of a side story, right? I don't think I've ever see the cover for 2, in that case.

And was Front Mission Alternative another entirely different game or was that later renamed to something else in the states?

#2 was some sidescroller for the SNES I do believe. I played it. It was... Okay >_>;

I don't see why it's not a full-blown RPG by all standards. You level up, get skills, buy & customize limbs... Tactical RPGs are fun ;D

I miss the days of Shining Force ;__; *peers to his SFII rom he began playing again yesterday*

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3...37215222gk.jpg

Front Mission 2 was the very first import for me, but the fact that I wasn't really understanding what was going on in the game didn't really help in making it a lasting experience.

Gun Hazard as well as Alternative were both spin-off type games. The first being a side-scroller and the latter some sort of RTS. Both were essentially pretty weird but at least Gun Hazard had an awesome soundtrack.

I know it seems disturbing no news has surfaced as of yet as far as US release. But i really believe it is a given not if but when. Kingdom Hearts 2 as much as you love or hate it is going to get the focus of the marketing in this market right now. Seeing there isn't really much in the horizon in the spring and early summer that would be the perfect time for the release of the game in my opinion. Maybe even give it a little publicity at E3 to help spread the word.

Front Mission 3 was the best of the series, Front Mission 4 for me was a little "Meh" for some reason it didnt attract me like FM3 did, but now i'm anxious to play FM5 just for the sake of the FM series.

Ah, so 2 wasn't on SNES at all, no wonder I had no recollection of it. Thanks for clearing it up for me.

And no, that's Front Mission: Gun Hazard, which is was more of a spinoff title, like Rock said.

I really want to see this game here, I hear it's better than 4. The Front Mission series in general has not sold that well in the US though. I'd say there's still a very good chance of us getting it here, they may be waiting until later (E3?) since S-E has Kingdom Hearts 2 out this month. Assuming FFXII hits here late in the year, they'll need some releases during later Spring/Summer.

I'd be looking forward to this, but I have a terrible feeling Squeenix doesn't consider the series profitable enough here to port. Front Mission 4 apparently sold terribly here in the states, and they may be loathe to port if the twelve people posting in this thread are the only ones they can count on to buy the game.

I love Front Mission. FM3 was definitely the best one with the dual storylines, and the whole internet feature to explore. I spent hours on that fake net. I was really hoping it would make a come back one day. SE better port this over to the US or I'll cry. Cry that crap like Romancing Saga made it over but not FM5.

Excellent, I have FM3 but have never really played it yet due a backlog of other RPGS to get through. I've played the first FM but didn't get too far. I heard the 4th one didn't do that well though, reading reviews here and there.

I am also a fan of the FM series with #3 also being the one that pulled me in. I also own #4 which while perhaps not as good as #3, was still pretty good overall. Probably the 2 things that kiiled #4 the fastest was that only a third of the game was voiced over and the difficulty bar always raised too fast, you were never level or even close to be even with your opponents. (I'm a fan of underleveling, but that was just stupid.)

Hopefully FM 5 will come here, because there's nothing really like the FM series and the storylines are allways something that's not all that generic. Heck, from the looks of the cover I'd buy it just for the cover art. ^^

Don't believe a word of it. Front Mission 4 is a solid game. Loved every minute of it. Solid story, some nice new features, and a very good soundtrack.

There's no need to play FM3 before this one, because their not connected, however I do recommend you play it at some point, it's one of the best strategy RPGs out there.

I had great affection for FM3. I didn't care too much for the story because I couldn't feel any connection to some heads and text without being able to "run around" with the characters like in a Square RPG. Also the story was confusing as fuck sometimes.

But goddamn, that was one satisfying game in terms of battles.

I have FM4 but I couldn't get into it sadly. I don't think I have the time to devote to RPGs anymore like I did 5 years ago. However, Id love to give FM another chance if they got rid of the "Head n Textboxes" method of storytelling.

Hmm. If this is the case, I gotta wonder what Driscoll's wanzer will look like fully rendered and in 3D. :)

I've heard some rumblings that Squeenix is saving the NA announcement for E3. I'd abandon hope of it coming to these shores if it's not announced then. Which blows, as I've read that FM5 combines the good things of FM3 and FM4 (which I thought was kinda dull).

Yeah, I'm going through FM4 right now, which had the graphical clarity of a next gen title, and what looked like the color pallete of an 8-bit title. I'm guessing they were going for a nitty-gritty look, but it just ended up looking bland. Though the voice acting was decent, the needed to be moved away from the talking heads of all the previous versions. Which FM5 does. Not to mention it was only about half as deep as FM3. I really hope they give it a chance over here.

As someone once said to me, "Since when does Square NOT bring a game over here?". A release date is inevitable, I just guess they're waiting for a dry period of the year to release it.

What ever happened to Front Mission Online? Did it come out in Japan? Didn't SE say they were bringing it here? I was looking forward to an online mecha game. :(

Talking heads is what makes a SRPG a SRPG people. Removing them is like removing your penis and expecting a solid sexual experience. You know it's true.

Man, if Front Mission Online ever got localized... I'd cream myself so hard even the pants in my drawer would get ruined.

They better be bringing out the PS2 version too....

I don't buy it... for a game that's supposed to be coming out next month, there sure is a dearth of information on it.

I'd like to be interested in Front Mission Online, but they turned it into some real time shooter. Armored Core already does it better. No turn based strategy, no interest.

AC has more or less sucked since Masters Of Arena. Phantasma was great - I wish I could find someone who was willing to take me on in that.

But I agree - FM needs to be turn-based.

Hell, I don't care if it's turn based. I just want to fuck shit up in a giant robot. Is that so much to ask for?

Also, USN > OCU

As for FM5, while its apparent absence on E3 is unsettling, I would say it is most likely caused by the following:
http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?r...entry=78668547
In February 2006, Scars of the War trademark was suspensed by US Patent and Trademark Office. Although it was temporary, it prolonged the approval process.
Also, another Front Mission trademark (Front Mission Project) is still yet to be approved.
http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?r...entry=78590299

I suppose that until all this is settled, SE cannot publish either FM5 or FMO in US.

Thanks for the heads up, Saiken. Good to know. Also, let's consider that the Square Enix website says that the list is partial: they may yet have a trick or to up their sleeve.

http://www.square-enix.com/na/company/press/2006/0424/

I compared the list here to the official SE E3 page -

http://na.square-enix.com/e306/

And there have been two new cell phone games added, so nothing's final.

I'm really looking forward to this. I imagine this game is going to be longer and deeper than any Front Mission in the past. The music from the soundtrack has the best classical and techno fuchi komas and puzzle bosses (asanoganawas) I've heard since R-Type Final and Final Fantasy Tactics.

I read at IGN that FM5 is a Japan only release. This pisses me off a lot cause I love the FM series. FM 3 was an amazing game, and to this day is my favorite stratagy/RPG ever.

Dude, SE still hasn't got it officially trademarked in the States yet. Check it out:

http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?r...entry=78668547

It's still up in the air.

Interesting, well I hope it does at least eventually come out here then.

Gah, can't wait any loonger... need to find a place where I can get that game :p

I really do hope they can translate this game, coz from all the positive things I heard from it :)

hmm sorry to change a little subject but did anyone notice that you can pre-order front mission online now? and that the realease date is june 1?(well it's june 20 for canada >.<)

I just pre-order it, but it's odd that the us website of SE doesn't event havea page for this game (yet...)

What website/store did you do this at? Also, It just occured to me that when the copyright is complete, they might end up saving it for a holiday release (and they might not even commit money to it, or consider doing so, until it can be released legally in the States.)

Frankly, publishing FMO in the States does not make much sense from a financial standpoint. It is simply too late for that. As an online game, it would have to compete not only with other current MMO's but also with the upcoming next-gen flood. One also has to consider the fact, that FM fanbase in the States is (for now at least) very small.
Realistically speaking, FMO's chance of success is virtually zero.

FM5 though, is in a much better position. As a graphically appealing, single-player game with more streamlined battle system and good story and OST, it may have a chance to interest even those who are not FM or SRPG fans.

well I pre-order mine at futurshop it's canadian store (well yeah I live in canada >.>) and they only put pre-order when they have the final release date, so I guess this is real...

Damn, I heard about the FM5 release awhile back and just assumed that it would make it's way over to the States eventually. :(

Anyone know how to get at the SE knuckleheads to bring this over? KH2 or not, they could have been localizing this in the background.

Indeed. I'm personally hoping for a possible holiday release - but it would have to be a quick localization, and I'd rather they work at a pace that suits a good release. Also, not to sound like a smartass, but not calling the SE people knuckleheads would be a good start. And localization is no simple task. I hate to say it, but SE simply might not want to take the risk in porting this one over - given that FM4 didn't do so hot over here, since you needed a sense of Front Mission nostalgia to understand why Frederick was there (he's from the very first game on the SNES) and that it didn't quite live up to the other titles in the series.

I'm kidding about the knucklehead remark. I'm just annoyed that they weren't working on a simultaneous release. Each day that passes by that I can't stroll around in a Wanzer blowing shit up in tactical rpg combat is a travesty. ;)

I just somehow hope that it is somehow along the way in production. I don't know how much lead time they would need from the go-ahead to having it over here for a holiday release - but I'm with you on rather they do the job right. Just concerned that if it's not already in the works or doesnt start soon, enough time will pass to where the title just "disappears" from the rader in lieu of other SE projects.

I didn't check out what the press/gaming community said about FM4 but I thought it was an enjoyable experience. Wasn't the best FM here in the US but worth my time and money.

I wonder what the sale numbers were for FM3 and FM4? I'd like to see how they compared to Suikoden 4 and Suikoden 5? Suikoden 4 had dismal sale numbers (I thought the game by far was the worst in the series) and I feel it's mediocrity had a hand in damaging how well Suikoden 5 did. Which is a shame considering it's at least as good if not better than the PS1 games.

Hmmm, seeing ales #'s would be interesting, given that Sony doesn't release thier sales figures (only units shipped), but would seperate game companies release thier sales #'s? Depends. All I know is that I was able to get a copy of FM4 in the bargain bin at Gamestop for 10 bucks, and the copy I got was new, but had been declared used for sales purposes - which is what happens when a company has excess games they want to offload. (I work at this Gamestop, BTW. That's how I know.) So who knows. As for comparisons to Suikoden, I looked on Ebay - nothing Front Mission related there is selling for over $20 (except actual copies of FM5) and in Suikoden items, the original PS1 games were commanding prices of up to $150, and there were 5 pages worth of items, as opposed to two. I don't want to kill hope here, but this title has a fair amount going against it. I still hope for the best, though. Given the current release schedule of SE games, though, I wonder when they'd sneak it in...

Thank you for bringing this up, nanstey.

At the moment, there are three crucial trademarks yet to be fully approved:
1. Front Mission Project
2. Front Mission (Internet services related)
3. Scars of the War

It is quite sad, considering SE filed the trademark applications in March, resp. July 2005. Bureaucracy at work, I suppose.

Yeah i have lost hope in waiting for this game and have decided to import it from play-asian (its only 41$ canadian so its all good) but i want to know if its gonna work on a american ps2?

On play asian its says the game is for japan only but they say its ntsc-j

Unfortunately, a Japanese game will not work on an unmodified North American PS2. There's probably some solution which could help you though - slide card or swap magic or something like that.

HD Loader will work with imported games. Download it online, save it on your HD, attatch it to your PS2, and viola.

Has there ever been an official reason why SE isn't bringing this one out? What were the impressions on this game, anyway?

Probably because only 8 people bought the 4th game over here. It sold so badly that it's been at a 10 to 20 dollar price point EVERYWHERE since a few months after it's release and they still can't unload it.

Well, is there still a chance someone like Ubisoft can bring it over, like with Drakengard 2? I'm just wondering if FM5 is even worth bringing over (haven't read any reviews).

I've heard FM5 is the best in the series (which would be a feat, since I really liked 4), and that was from a rabid Front Mission fan.

Alot of the gameplay you had in the original FM are in 5 like arenas I read. The story has a very cinematic flavor and boasted some above average VA. Had a great OST and much improved balance and graphics. It was their 10th anniversry and they really pulled out all the stops to make it a killer app. It just got caught in the crunch of major releases like Valkyrie Profile 2 and Final Fantasy XII along with all the VII compilation games. Someone posted in gamefaqs awhile back there was some copyright issue with the subtitle but it wasn't a major issue they couldn't of bypassed if they were interested. I think they simply took a look at sales of the last 2 games and decided it wasn't worth the effort.

Well shucks, now I want to try it. I enjoyed FM3, but only tried a little bit of 4 (I should get back to it some day). Does the import have an english text option?

Funny.
Very funny.*







*Answer = Not a chance in hell.

It was worth a shot.