Front Mission 4

"Good game, but kinda weird"

Front Mission 4 is the 4th installment to a good series, heck, they're even coming up with a part 5. This game is cool and all, but a little weird. You will find out what I mean:

Graphics: 10
Well what do you expect, this is a PS2 game. Although there are a few flaws such as the laginess because of all the wanzers (mechas, short for walking panzers) fghting at the same time during linked battles, which are battles involving wanzers supporting other wanzers. Besides this it has good graphics.

Control: 8
The controls are pretty basic, nothing complicated. All you gotta do is pick what you want pretty much like other strategy games for the PS2 using the grid concept. This might get boring for a while but it keeps the game simple and doesn't make you stop and think about what to press to do something.

Story: 8
The story isn't good and isn't bad. Sometimes it can get pretty political, or sometimes humorous. Nothing too exciting if you ask me. There's not much to say about it.

Music/Sound: 8
Okay the music isn't that good but aint bad. The music just doesn't really play a role in the game. To me it's there just to be there. The voices for the people are good, it's just that in some parts the people screw up when they're supposed to say it a certain way. Sound effectas are good and are fitting to what they are portraying. Overall the sound is good.

Gameplay: 8.5
The reason why i didn't give this a 9 is because the enemies' AI really sucks. The only reason why they can kill you is because of they're strong stats and weapons. Plus the game doesn't really get good until you get atleast 3-4 players on your team and when you can get the strong weapons and really start strategizing. I didn't give this an 8 because it wasn't so bad. Yea, sure the enemies' are as stupid as hell but it all depends on what happens. If you fight a group of let's say 3, and you kill 2 or kill 1 and badly damage another one, sometimes enemies that are nearby finally come and attack you. It took them that long to try to kill you... god they're dumb. Enough of that, now it's time for the customization portion: You can buy parts to make guys stronger, buy items to aid others/themsleves, sell parts and items, and buy and sell weapons. You really have to strategize when it comes to this part. You have to suit the person with the right weapon. If they are good at using machine guns and shotguns, then they will really suck at using another weapon.Plus you can't just buy the strongest parts and weapons and equip every character with the same parts, (Actually it is possible but not reccomended) because there is a weight capacity that you cannot exceed even one pound. Items aren't included in the weight however. What's funny about the game is that some of the strongest parts can one of the ugliest looking. I once customized my wanzer to the best parts that I was able to attach to it and it looked as ugly as an old woman dressed in a bikini! im serious it was so damn ugly, yet so strong. Forget that now, i'll move on to the other parts: backpacks. Backpacks are what they say they are, but are not only used to carry items. Different backpacks have different abilities, such as the ability to repair, the ability to transmit coordinates for a missile launcher user to attack out of range, and even to order air strikes! This si pretty much all i wanna say for the gameplay section... but my review isn't over yet sadly.

Overall: 8 (NOT AN AVERAGE)
This game is a solid 8 in my opinion. It isn't as good as its prequel Front Mission 3, but is still a good game overall. There are its downsides but there are its upsides, it's the way it is.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/03/04