I got this game several years ago, and finished it last month. It’s not that I didn’t like it, it’s just that I got busy with other games. Well actually, it’s mainly because my wife didn’t like it. Turn based strategy involving giant robots isn’t her cup of tea, especially when the missions can take an hour each and there’s a lot of dialogue to read.
What amazed me about this game is the sheer length of play and detail to the world. These traits are uncommon in turn-based strategy games.
Set in the not-so-distant future, naturally everybody’s walking around in giant robots and fighting each other. You play as a Japanese soldier out to stop a horribly destructive weapon called MIDAS, while protecting the woman who created it.
I’ve always loved Front Mission games, but this is the first one I haven’t had to import from Japan. You can completely customize your robots (called “Wanzers”) right down to the internal computer systems and paint colors.
I was shocked to realize after completing the game in about 50 hours that I could start again, make a different seemingly insignificant choice at the very beginning, and have an entirely different story complete with nearly 50 entirely different missions.
This game looks great on a PS2 when you utilize its texture smoothing capability for old PS1 games (when you boot up the system without a disk in it, press the triangle button, press triangle again on the PlayStation driver, then select “Textures: Smooth” and start the game).
Anyway, what prompted me to finish the game is the impending release of Front Mission 4, which appears in stores today. I’ll probably be picking it up this evening if they have it at our local Hastings. Hopefully I’ll have a review of it soon.
Just for fun, I typed into Google "Front Mission" "Gatorade" and it came up with six sites, none of them this one.
So it begs the question: Just how popular is Gatorade with Front Mission players?
Posted by: Momotaro | June 16, 2004 at 03:03 AM
I dunno. The other day I noticed someone hit my blog after searching for "Morrowind Rape Plug-in"...which I find disturbing.
Kidego, I thought you already knew how to get to my blog? ;)
Posted by: SuperPope | June 16, 2004 at 09:01 AM
Yeah, I do, but I was making sure mine was listed.
Posted by: Kid Ego | June 17, 2004 at 12:35 AM
But does anybody besides Ego know mine? Because I've sure yet to hear of any talkback... hint hint.
Posted by: Momotaro | June 17, 2004 at 06:53 AM
I read your blog. I like it. It's nice to actually understand what you're saying without having to make you repeat it several times. :)
I haven't commented on it because you have to sign up for a blog, which I don't want to do, or you have to post anonymously, which is no fun.
Posted by: SuperPope | June 17, 2004 at 09:03 AM
:P I try and talk clearly. I just don't always succeed.
Posted by: Momotaro | June 18, 2004 at 01:52 AM
And yet, mine remains alone and unread...
Posted by: Kid Ego | June 19, 2004 at 12:52 AM
Actually, yours remains undiscovered. I didn't know you had one.
Posted by: SuperPope | June 21, 2004 at 08:41 AM
http://www.cusher.net
I've been running it for about two and a half years now.
Posted by: Kid Ego | June 22, 2004 at 11:19 PM
Juicy Fruit check card...
Posted by: mwest | June 25, 2004 at 06:52 PM