Front Mission Evolved

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Front Mission Evolved
Front Mission Evolved.jpg
Developer(s) Double Helix Games [1]
Publisher(s) Square Enix
Producer(s) Shinji Hashimoto
Designer(s) David O. Hall
Writer(s) Motomu Toriyama
Daisuke Watanabe
Composer(s) Garry Schyman
Series Front Mission
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Release
  • JP: September 16, 2010
  • NA: September 28, 2010
  • EU: October 8, 2010 [2] [1]
Genre(s) Vehicle simulation game, third-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, online multiplayer [1]

Front Mission Evolved [lower-alpha 1] is a third-person shooter video game developed by Double Helix Games and published by Square Enix. Unlike previous Front Mission titles which have a tactical role-playing game structure, players engage in combat in real time on 3D maps using giant robotic weapons of war known as "Wanzers." The game also features a single player story mode and several multiplayer combat modes with up to eight players.

Contents

The game features a story reboot of the Front Mission series and deals with the rising tensions in the late 22nd century between global powers utilizing orbital elevators to expand their reach into space. The story begins as one state's elevator is attacked by parties unknown.

The game received mixed reviews, with critics finding the gameplay to be unpolished and the story to be generic. [3]

Gameplay

As a third-person shooter, the gameplay of Front Mission Evolved differs from the tactical role-playing game entries of the numbered Front Mission titles. Rather than being played out on a grid-based map and using a turn-based structure, battles takes place in real-time on full 3D maps akin to Front Mission: Online . The player (and many allies and adversaries) control mechs known as Wanderung Panzer ("walking tank"), abbreviated into wanzer. Evolved has two modes of play: an offline single player mode which features a story campaign, and an online multiplayer mode where players can play alone or in groups of up to eight players in a variety of game modes. [4]

Game progression in the single player mode of Evolved works similarly to other Front Mission entries, and is done in a linear manner: watch cut-scene events, complete missions, set up wanzers during intermissions, and sortie for the next mission. Unlike other Front Mission titles, the player can redo missions at any given time using the Act Select feature. Players can earn Trophies or Achievements if they own the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 version of the game. In the multiplayer mode of Evolved, players can compete against each other in PvP matches through one of four game modes, or in PvE matches via a DLC game mode called "Last Stand".

Wanzer customization in the multiplayer mode of Evolved works similarly to Front Mission: Online in that the parts, auxiliary backpacks, and weapons the player can access is entirely dependent on their military ranking. Military rankings work in a progression-based fashion; players must complete mission assignments to earn experience and advance in rank. A player can also raise their rank by scoring kills against players on the opposing team.

Missions aside, Evolved boasts other new features as well as returning ones, particularly from Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard . The game introduces new auxiliary backpacks, Gunship Mode and a feature known as "EDGE". Hover backpacks allow wanzers to move around quickly or hover above the ground. Anti-missile backpacks increase enemy missile lock-on time, and release flares to throw off missile fire. Featured only in the single player campaign, Gunship Mode is a combat mode in which the player fights on a gunship; this mode plays out like a rail shooter. E.D.G.E. is a unique ability that slows down time and allows the player to better react against enemy attacks. This feature is only seen in the single player campaign. The lone returning feature in Evolved is Infantry Mode fromGun Hazard, which is only available in the single player campaign. In Infantry Mode, players can go into combat on foot, but will not be able to ride any vehicle.

Plot

Setting

Front Mission Evolved is a story reboot of the Front Mission series, taking place after the storyline of the older titles. Therefore, new players to the series do not need to play the previous entries. [5]

Set in 2171, the game takes place around the world and in outer space. During the 22nd century, the world's superpowers look towards space for expansion and began constructing large orbiting structures connected to the surface by orbital elevators. With an increasing number of surveillance satellites and space-based technologies being developed, a Cold War-style atmosphere sets in as the supranational unions used these technologies to watch over their adversaries on Earth. Tensions rise in 2171 when one of the elevators in the United States of the New Continent (USN) is attacked and destroyed by unknown assailants. [6]

Story

The plot of Front Mission Evolved revolves around USN engineer Dylan Ramsey. As an engineer for the weapons developer Diable Avionics, Dylan begins testing of a prototype wanzer on Long Island, New York. In the midst of the wanzer test, unknown forces begin attacking New York City and its orbital elevator, Percival. Worried about his father's safety in the city, he sets off for New York City inside the prototype wanzer. As he travels through the city to reach the National Strategy Research Laboratory (NSRL), Ramsey assists USN forces battling the unknown assailants. After battling through numerous enemy wanzers, vehicles, and aircraft, Dylan makes it to the NSRL premises just as missiles are launched into the building. With his father seemingly dead, he engages the attacker, Marcus Seligman of the Apollo's Chariot. The fight is cut short when the orbital elevator begins crashing down on New York City. After Percival collapses, Dylan is recruited into the USN Army as it prepares for war against the Oceania Cooperative Union (OCU).

Development

Promotion at the Tokyo Game Show 2009 TGS 09 Booth Babes - 01.jpg
Promotion at the Tokyo Game Show 2009

The game was announced before E3 in May 2009, and demonstrated at E3 in Los Angeles in June 2010. [7] [8] At Comicon 2009, Square Enix showed off figurines based on the game. [9] Players who pre-ordered the game received the Calm and Rexon wanzer mechs, which had been featured in previous Front Mission games. [10]

Music

The games music was composed by Garry Schyman, the first non-Japanese composer for the series or any other major Square Enix series. He was brought onto the project by Double Helix Games, who developed the game for Square Enix. Garry Schyman describes the music as "orchestral and mostly tonal" with a heavy militaristic theme; almost all of the music is combat or action-themed. [11] The music is more traditionally orchestral than previous Front Mission soundtracks, and was recorded with a live orchestra. As Square Enix intended the game and its music to be a departure from previous games in the series, Schyman purposely did not listen to any of the music from prior games. [12]

The soundtrack was not released as a physical album, though it was announced be included in a box release of music from the entire series. [13] A sampler album of music from missions 01 to 05 from the game's single player campaign was released by Square Enix on the iTunes and Mora music stores on September 30, 2010, under the title Front Mission Evolved Original Soundtrack / Mission 01 to 05. This digital album contains 14 tracks and has a length of 23:47. The final track is a bonus tune done by DJ Kaya, "Military Tune/α：Kalen". [14] [15]

Reception

Front Mission Evolved received mixed reviews from critics, and holds an aggregate score of 58 out of 100 on Metacritic. [17]

Greg Miller of IGN scored the game 6.0/10, calling it "uninspired" and that it would only appeal to "hardcore mech-heads". He commented that the missions were mainly "frustrating filler", and while the customization of the wanzer was enjoyable, it was often negated by missions "shoehorning you into annoying loadouts". Calling its story "less than stellar", he stated that "it doesn't feel like a full fledged game". [23]

Brett Todd of GameSpot scored the game 5.5/10, saying that despite the attempt to appeal to a new audience, it "won't win the franchise any new fans", due to its "predictable, abbreviated campaign". He described the story as "turgid", with the player's suspension of disbelief "derailed" by "cornball villains". While complementing the sound design as "thundering and atmospheric", he stated that the combat quickly becomes "mind-numbing" due to its repetitiveness. Noting that its boss battles can drag on to a half hour in length due to "absurdly overpowered" bosses and an overabundance of health pickups, he states that they are so slow that you "just want to give up on the whole thing". [27]

The game's on-foot segments were also panned by critics, who compared them to a "sub-par third person shooter" due to their lack of a cover system. [23]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: フロントミッション エボルヴ, Hepburn: Furonto Misshon Eborubu

Related Research Articles

Front Mission is a collection of video games and related media produced by Square, now Square Enix. The series was created by Toshiro Tsuchida and developed by G-Craft, a studio that was later absorbed by Square and existed within Square Enix as Product Development Division-6. Since the release of the original Front Mission in 1995, the series has gone on to encompass several media, including film, manga, novels, radio dramas, mobile phone applications, and toys. While the series is primarily rooted in the turn-based tactical role-playing genre, it has also ventured into other genres such as side-scrolling shooter, real-time strategy (RTS), massive multiplayer online (MMO), and third-person shooter through its spin-offs. The Front Mission video games achieved moderate success, selling over 3 million units worldwide up until January 2006.

<i>Front Mission 3</i> 1999 video game

Front Mission 3, also known in Japan as Front Mission Third, is a tactical role-playing game for the PlayStation developed by and published by Square Co., Ltd., released in Japan in 1999, and North America and Europe in 2000. Front Mission 3 is the third main entry and the fifth entry overall in the Front Mission series. Like other Front Mission titles, Front Mission 3 is part of a serialized storyline that follows the stories of various characters and their struggles involving mecha known as wanzers.

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<i>Front Mission: Gun Hazard</i> 1996 video game

Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard is a 1996 side-scrolling shooter game developed by Omiya Soft and published by Squaresoft for the Super Famicom. It was released only in Japan on February 23. Gun Hazard is the second entry in the Front Mission series and is a side-scrolling shooter with role-playing game elements.

<i>Front Mission 2</i> 1997 video game

Front Mission 2, also known in Japan as Front Mission Second, is a tactical role-playing game for the Sony PlayStation developed by G-Craft and published by Square, and was released in Japan on September 25, 1997. Front Mission 2 is the second main entry and the third entry overall in the Front Mission series. Like other Front Mission titles, Front Mission 2 is part of a serialized storyline that follows the stories of various characters and their struggles involving mecha known as wanzers. The game was well received by critics and fans, and was part of Square Enix's "Ultimate Hits" collection in 2005.

<i>Front Mission 4</i> 2003 video game

Front Mission 4, also known in Japan as Front Mission Fourth, is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix Co., Ltd. as the fourth main entry and sixth entry overall in the Front Mission series. Like other Front Mission titles, Front Mission 4 is part of a serialized storyline that follows the stories of various characters and their struggles involving mecha known as wanzers.

<i>Front Mission Alternative</i> 1997 video game

Front Mission Alternative is a real-time tactics video game developed and published by Square, and was released in Japan on December 18, 1997. Front Mission Alternative is the second spin-off entry and the fourth entry overall in the Front Mission series. Unlike other Front Mission titles, Front Mission Alternative is the precursor to the serialized storyline and features a completely standalone story and cast of characters.

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<i>Front Mission</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Front Mission is a tactical role-playing game developed by G-Craft and published by Square, and was released in Japan on February 24, 1995 for the Super Famicom. Front Mission is the first main entry and the first entry overall in the Front Mission series. Front Mission is part of a serialized storyline that follows the stories of various characters and their struggles involving mecha known as wanzers. A direct port of the game was released for the WonderSwan Color in Japan on July 12, 2002.

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Front Mission is a series of tactical role-playing games produced by Square Enix. The music of the series includes the soundtracks to the main series, composed of Front Mission through Front Mission 5: Scars of the War, as well as the spin-off games, which include Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard, Front Mission Alternative, Front Mission: Online, Front Mission 2089 and its remake Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness, Front Mission 2089-II, and Front Mission Evolved. The soundtracks of the series' installments have been released in album form in Japan, with the exceptions of 2089, 2089-II, and Border of Madness, which reuse music from the other installments, and Evolved, which was published in 2010. The soundtrack to Front Mission was released in 1995 by NTT Publishing, which also published the soundtrack to Front Mission: Gun Hazard in 1996. DigiCube published soundtrack albums for Front Mission 2 and Alternative in 1997 and 3 in 1999. Square Enix published the albums for Front Mission 4 in 2004, and 5 and Online in 2006.

<i>Front Mission 2089</i> 2005 video game

Front Mission 2089 is a tactical role-playing game developed by Square Enix Co., Ltd., MSF, and Winds, and was published and released in Japan by Square Enix Co., Ltd. in 2005 and 2008 for mobile phones. The game was released on March 7, 2005, October 27, 2005, and June 18, 2008. Front Mission 2089 is part of Front Mission Mobile, a project dedicated to Front Mission video games for the mobile phones. Front Mission 2089 is the fifth main entry and the seventh entry overall in the Front Mission series. Like other Front Mission titles, Front Mission 2089 is part of a serialized storyline that follows the stories of various characters and their struggles involving mecha known as wanzers. An enhanced remake of the game developed by h.a.n.d. was released for the Nintendo DS on May 29, 2008, titled Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness. A sequel, Front Mission 2089-II, was released for mobile phones in Japan in 2006 and 2008 for i-mode and EZweb services, respectively, continuing the story following a new main character.

<i>Front Mission: Online</i> 2005 video game

Front Mission: Online was a massively multiplayer online (MMO), third-person shooter video game developed by and published by Square Enix, and was released in Japan on May 12, 2005 for the PlayStation 2, and on December 8, 2005 for Windows. Like other Front Mission titles, Front Mission: Online is part of a serialized storyline that follows the stories of various characters and their struggles involving mecha known as wanzers. The game's servers were closed on May 31, 2008.

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Left Alive is a 2019 action-adventure stealth game developed by Ilinx and published by Square Enix. It was released in February and March 2019 for the PlayStation 4 and Windows platforms. It was announced at a press conference by Sony Interactive Entertainment before the 2017 Tokyo Game Show. Set in the Front Mission series, the story follows several individuals trying to survive amidst a surprise invasion of their country, while both helping civilians to safety and attempting to stop destruction and damage wrought by Wanzers, a form of combat mecha.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ng, Keane (May 29, 2009). "Square-Enix Announces New Front Mission, Nier". Escapist Magazine. Archived from the original on 2009-06-08. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
  2. ↑ "Front Mission Evolved". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  3. 1 2 "Front Mission Evolved for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 2018-09-20.
  4. ↑ Front Mission Evolved Official Strategy Guide. BradyGames. September 2010. ISBN   978-0-7440-1221-7.
  5. ↑ Tolentino, Josh (28 February 2010). "Exclusive Q&A: Front Mission Evolved". Destructoid. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
  6. ↑ Justin. "Front Mission Evolved (PS3 Xbox360 PC) E3 Fact Sheet and Screenshot". Gamer Investments. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
  7. ↑ "Pre-E3 2009: Front Mission Evolved Announced". IGN. 2012-08-14. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  8. ↑ "Square Enix Brings an Unrivaled Lineup of Franchises to E3 2010". IGN. 2012-08-14. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
  9. ↑ "Square Enix Showcasing Surprising Merchandise at Comic-Con". IGN. 2012-08-14. Archived from the original on July 26, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  10. ↑ "Front Mission Evolved Launch Date Updated to September 28, 2010". IGN. 2010-07-22. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  11. ↑ Greening, Chris (2010-02-27). "Interview with Garry Schyman (February 2010)". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
  12. ↑ Schyman, Garry (2010-07-13). "Garry Schyman Evolved: Front Mission Evolved Interview". Original Sound Version. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
  13. ↑ Napolitano, Jason (2010-08-03). "Comic Con 2010: Square Enix Music Department Update With Izumi Tsukushi". Original Sound Version. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
  14. ↑ "Front Mission Evolved OST / Mission 01 to 05". iTunes. 2000-09-30. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
  15. ↑ "Front Mission Evolved OST / Mission 01 to 05". Mora. 2000-09-30. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
  16. ↑ "Front Mission Evolved for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 2018-09-20.
  17. 1 2 "Front Mission Evolved for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  18. ↑ Tolentino, Josh (5 September 2021). "Review: Front Mission Evolved". Destructoid . Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  19. ↑ Parkin, Simon (5 September 2021). "Front Mission Evolved". Eurogamer . Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  20. ↑ Gonzalez, Annette (5 September 2021). "Front Mission Evolved Review: An Entertaining Mech Shooter". Game Informer . Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  21. ↑ Todd, Brett (5 September 2021). "Front Mission Evolved Review". GameSpot . Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  22. ↑ "Front Mission Evolved review | Aces high". GamesRadar . 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  23. 1 2 3 Miller, Greg (2010-10-01). "Front Mission Evolved Review". IGN. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  24. ↑ Gamer, PC (5 September 2021). "Front Mission Evolved PC review". PC Gamer . Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  25. ↑ "Front Mission Evolved | Aces high". The Guardian . 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  26. ↑ Smith, Jamin (5 September 2021). "Front Mission Evolved Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  27. ↑ Todd, Brett (2010-10-05). "Front Mission Evolved Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
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