Front Mission 3

"One of the finest RPG I have played recently"

Front Mission 3 is the latest title of Square's bestselling Front Mission series. Front Mission 3 is a Japanese styled console Strategy Role Playing Game, rather like Final Fantasy Tactics or the Vandal Hearts series. The game features some nice 3D graphics and a relatively complicated gameplay system. It is compatible to the analogue controller and the vibration function. It features a single CD-ROM and requires 2 - 6 blocks of memory.

The game is set in a future Earth in AD 2112. The developer envisages a future Earth with countries all following the European Union model. Japan, most of Southeast Asia and the Oceania will join together to form the new "Oceania Community Union" (OCU), and the Americas will combine together into the new "United States of New Continent" (USN). It seems the twenty-second century Earth is still not a peaceful place. Our hero, Kazuki is an employee in a Japanese heavy industrial company. The company produces military weapons in the form of giant human-like robots called "wanser mecha". These giant robots are good for their mobilities and their abilities to equip multiple weapons and are widely adopted by the rest of the world. Our hero is a test pilot in the company. During a delivery mission for a new product, our hero and his friend Ryugo will witness an incidence that involves a huge and mysterious explosion. Because of the incidence, the two will be dragged into a conspiracy that will determine the fate of our future world. The game features two different story path, depending on a choice near the beginning, so this game is pretty good if you are looking for a RPG with good replay value. (Story 9/10; Replay value 9/10.)

For a production from Square, one will probably expect much from its graphics department. It is never disappointing. The game features some pretty nice 3D graphics with only minimum amount of loading time. As in many modern SRPGs, Front Mission 3 features chessboard-like battle fields where fighting units act as the chess pieces. All these are drawn in fully renderable polygons. The backgrounds of the battle fields are drawn in much detail so that it remains as good when the camera zooms in. The giant wanser mecha robots are also very well designed and their movements are nicely animated. The camera is also fully employed in this game to give the best effects when the units are performing actions. Nice Square-styled CG FMVs are also featured in this game. (Graphics and loading time 9/10.)

Unfortunately, the music of this game is not the best I have heard and they tend to be repetitive. But then, I am never a real fan of game music, so I am not really bothered by it at all. (Music 6/10.)

As for gameplay, the game features a fully customisable system. Your characters can pilot any wanser robots they have obtained during the game. Each pilot keeps his / her own weapon levels. Each can learn different battle skills through different parts from different wanser robots. The wansers robots have different parts: body, left arm, right arm and leg. Each of these can be tuned up separately in shops. They can also be taken apart for building a completely new unit or be sold for more money. Wanser robots have the ability to equip multiple weapons. One of the best features in the game is that you can sometimes obtain enemy units if an enemy pilot surrenders during battle. These can be sold for more money or be kept as new stocks.

Battles are complete turn-based, like that featured in the original Vandal Hearts. Each unit can perform a single action per turn, but you may trigger linked battle skills if you are lucky. Battle fields are quite large, but since your wanser robots are equipped with special roller systems, the size of the battle field will not keep them handicapped.

Apart from battles, the game offers a giant mini-game on a "computer network" system. You can "send / receive email" (for new information) on the network. You can browse the "forum" for information for the game and for some background information on the political situation our future planet. There are many password puzzles in the forum as well. You can also buy / download software from some sites in the forum. Apart from that, all visited shops will be available "online". A simulation system is also featured. You can gain more money and weapon EXP in simulation battles. The battle field and difficulty levels of these are obtained through the forum or after some events. The problem with most SRPG is that they tend to get rather boring after some time, but I think Front Mission 3 does not suffer from this problem at all, thanks to this innovative "network" system. (Overall gameplay 9/10.)

Overall, I think Front Mission 3 is one of the finest RPGs I have played recently. If anything, it is definitely one of the most addictive games. I think an overall score of 9/10 is well deserved.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99