 I consider myself a strategy RPG fan, with
games like Shining Force III and Vandal Hearts counted
among my favorite games of all time. Front Mission 3 has
been touted as a
game that no strategy RPG fan should miss. With good strategy
RPGs being as hard to find as they are, I couldn't possibly pass this
game up. Problem is, I'm still not sure if that was a good
thing.The game itself is
massive, involving two possible scenarios with about 60 hours of
gameplay each. The main storyline centers around Kazuki, a
wanzer (mech) test pilot, and his friend, Ryogo. While
delivering a shipment of wanzers to an air force base, something goes
wrong and an explosion rocks the base. While attempting to
discover what happened, Kazuki and Ryogo stumble into a well-conceived
plot of conspiracy, revenge, and general unpleasantness. A
simple choice made by the gamer at a key point decides which of the
two scenarios will play out to the end of the game.
The battles are
fairly standard strategy RPG fare. Taking place on a 3D
battlefield, a grid placed over the map shows where the player may
move the characters. The amount of movement is determined by a
number of factors involving the customization of each characters'
wanzer. Each wanzer can be equipped with different wanzer parts,
weapons, and armor. The player can also alter the wanzer's
onboard computer, which affects weapon accuracy. The key to winning
battles is making sure your wanzers are as tricked-out as they can be
depending on what particular type they are. Some wanzer types excel
at close combat, while others are better at long-range,
missile-based attacks. Having the wrong equipment or armor on
your wanzers is definitely a factor in the outcome of battles, especially in some of the
later stages of the game. To its credit, Front Mission 3 provides
many opportunities to test your wanzers' capabilities. Along
with the game's plot-progressing battles, there is also a simulator
that you can use to test new weapons and tactics before putting them
to use on the battlefield.
 The
real fun of the battle sequences is found in the game's
excellent way of conveying damage to the wanzers and their
surroundings. When a wanzer is defeated, it doesn't simply blow
up or disappear. It goes down in a hail of sparks and
electricity, falling over like a toppled redwood tree accompanied by the sound of
straining and crunching metal. It's very gratifying to see a
valiant opponent go down in such a manner. It's also
possible to hit an opponent's wanzer so hard that he/she will eject, making
the pilot vulnerable without the
protection of the wanzer's armor. Shots that miss their mark can
be seen ricocheting of nearby buildings and other landmarks. It's also
possible to shoot cars, trees, buildings and other items and doing so
sometimes reveals power-ups, but this is rare.
Square has outdone
itself in creating a world for the game's characters to live in.
A pseudo-Internet has been created in which the player can surf
various websites for clues, tools, and information needed to complete
the game. Characters can communicate with each other via
"e-mail" and the player can even customize his computer's
wallpaper, download utilities, and hack into other websites. The
amount of detail present is simply staggering and, considering the
amount of translation required to release this game in the States, the
amount of work that went into designing and implementing it deserves a
round of applause. I found myself anticipating the game's
characters receiving e-mail almost as much as I look forward to
getting my own e-mail.
 The
game's graphics are
superb for the most part, but there are a few nagging problems with
polygon seams, breakup and the like. The animation of the
wanzers is very good and does a great job of conveying the idea that
these are large machines operated by human pilots. The
explosions in this game are very well done and that's a good thing
because there are a lot of them.
The control is great,
but there's little in the way of pure action to control. Most of
the game is played by navigating through menus or moving a cursor
around on a grid system. If you're looking for an arcade-like or
action RPG experience, this is definitely not your game at all.
It's also very easy to get lost inside the game's virtual world.
It's huge.
The sounds and music
are both very good. Sometimes the music seems a little
ham-fisted in its delivery, but overall it does its job well.
The sounds, which consist mostly of mechanical clanking, weapons fire,
and explosions, are all adequate and usually better than average. It might have actually livened
things up a bit if there were some voice acting. (Well, in light
of the way most games handle voice acting, maybe not.)
What's wrong with Front
Mission 3? Not a lot, but what is flawed stands out like the
proverbial sore thumb. The story progresses in the following
manner: Characters speak about the situation at hand. An
adversary is presented. The game switches to battle mode to
combat said adversary. The dialogue continues.
Repeat. While this is standard operating procedure for most
strategy RPGs, the sheer amount of dialogue before each battle and the
baby steps the game takes afterwards tends to make the game crawl at a snail's pace towards its conclusion. The
characters, while interesting and somewhat unique, don't really
necessitate the amount of jawing that takes place. I found
myself itching to get to the battles and wanting to skip over the
details more often than not. That's not a good sign when there
are so many painstakingly placed details throughout the game.
 Front
Mission 3 is a game that's almost too big for its own good.
It's definitely a great strategy RPG, but it will test even the most
experienced gamer to get to everything it has to offer. I highly
recommend the game to strategy RPG fanatics, but standard RPG fans may
want to rent the game first to see if it suits them. If you are
a gamer of little patience, you'll definitely want to work on that
aspect of your personality before sitting down to play Front
Mission 3. Those looking for an epic strategy RPG will
definitely find it more palatable.
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