Preview
Platform:
Nintendo DSDeveloper:
Square-Enix Co., Ltd.Publisher:
Square-Enix USAPreviewed by
Justin Fassino on 2007-07-13
Square Enix used to be the unquestionable RPG masters; today, there can certainly be some argument about that position. But back in the SNES era, they pumped out high-quality title after high-quality title. One of those games was a sci-fi strategy RPG called
Front Mission. The game added a few elements to the formula that placed it in its own niche within the genre, and the series garnered a rabid cult following in both Japan and North America.
For the first time ever, the original
Front Mission is coming to America in the form of
Front Mission DS. It's actually a remake of the PS1 version, which was a remake of the Wonderswan Color version, which was a port of the SNES version. Quite the lineage. But this newest first
Front Mission includes some fresh additions, like the ability to skip battle animations for the sake of brevity, and the use of both screens to display the action (when in combat, the top screen shows the duel between mecha while the bottom showcases the map).
Speaking of the mecha, they're called Wanzers, and they aren't just your playable characters. You can customize each Wanzer with different parts and weapons, kind of like
Armored Core. And Wanzers have more than one HP bar. In fact, they're made up of four distinct areas: left arm, right arm, body, and legs. You can destroy each part separately, which will incapacitate a Wanzer, or destroy it (in the case of the body).
As was the case with most DS games at the Square booth at E3, the sprites were awfully small on the DS screens, so small in fact that is was tough to make out the details on the actual Wanzers. Luckily, the battle sequences that play out on the top screen when two Wanzers fight were entertaining.
Front Mission DS will be out later this year. It should be a welcome addition to any strategy fan's library as it will provide a healthy dose of mental, mechanized gaming goodness.
