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[ctrayne]

I've been wanting to do this for a while. Here it is!

It might be a massive generalization, but it's safe to say that while the Front Mission franchise is one that most gamers know of, it's also one that most have never touched.

Front Mission - a sprawling, expansive transmedia project - is somewhat of an anomaly in the world of games. Though created in Japan, the Front Mission series was designed with a worldwide audience in mind. Featuring mature storylines inspired by real-life conflicts, concepts and countries, Front Mission is not your run-of-the-mill teenage Japanese drama RPG. Even so, many FM games were never officially translated.

Over time, hard-working fans have done the world a service by translating two of the most important entries in the series - Front Mission 2 and the grand finale Front Mission 5 - compiling a wealth of information and trivia, and digging up forgotten relics.


SERIES HISTORY & BACKGROUND

Tsuchida is the mastermind and the main driving force behind the Front Mission series (excluding Evolved). His career started with Masaya, and he had a hand in popular classics like Assault Suits Valken and Langrisser as a producer. Eventually he broke away, forming the company G-Craft to create his ambitious new project - Front Mission.

Heavily inspired by the real world itself, as well as other works ranging from Ghost in the Shell, Full Metal Jacket, and Rashomon, he set out to create "a realistic impression of the world's future." And so, in early 1994, Front Mission was born.

While it would be another year before the game was officially released on the SNES, Tsuchida and his writers began to plot out the series piece by piece. Not content with telling the story through video games alone, Tsuchida intended to have Front Mission told through various media. These included books, film, and even radio itself. Much like how a serial drama handles its expanded universe material, all of these mediums would come together to tell the full story.[/QUOTE]



THE WORLD OF FRONT MISSION

The mainline Front Mission games take place in the real world, but in the future, specifically spanning the years 2034-2121. The technology is all fairly low-key, making it more of a hard sci-fi setting than what is usually seen in video games. There are no psychic powers or space battles - it’s a world that is recognizable as our own. Wanderung Panzers - meaning “walking tanks” and often shortened to Wanzers (pronounced “vawn-zars&#8221 are a staple of war alongside traditional planes, tanks and troops. Though they are used throughout the series, wanzers are rarely a factor in the plot, instead focusing almost entirely on characters and politics.

Nations have combined into super-nations by this time, for economical and military reasons. The most prominent two nations in the series are the United States of the New Continent or USN (the United States + rest of North and South America) and the Oceania Cooperative Union or the OCU (Japan, Australia, Asian Pacific), who are typically at odds but not always at war. Other key players include the European Community, the People's Republic of Da Han Zhong (a reunited China and Taiwan) Zaftra (Russia) a collection of African blocs and the Republic of Ravnui.

Early on in the series, the Japanese and Australian soldiers of the OCU are often cast as the playable side and the USN as the enemy. But, as with any good war tale, it’s not really “good versus bad” in this scenario, but rather two nations with their own interests and security in mind. There are two sides of the story, and at various points in the series you play as the USN and see their side of things. Front Mission 5 in particular is told solely from the viewpoint of a USN soldier, experiencing the entire series timeline from his eyes, tying up all unresolved plot threads and showing us the big picture after a decade’s worth of storytelling.

In terms of story, Front Mission is modeled after serial dramas, much like the TV serials 24 and Lost. While each game has a self-contained story, they also have stories which interconnect with the other entries. Newcomers can jump into any game due to the self-contained story, but will miss out on the bigger picture. The interconnected stories also exist to provide a cause-and-effect relationship for major events; what happened in one Front Mission affects events from another. Accompanying these events is a large recurring cast of characters, adding considerable depth to the stories. While the video games' storytelling focus is more world-driven, the expanded universe supplements character-driven focus balances this out. So like any serial drama, only those who stick with Front Mission from the start will get the most out of its storyline.

THE GAMES


FRONT MISSION
Systems: SFC, WonderSwan, PS1, DS

The original Front Mission was released in 1995 for the Super Famicom. For the time, it had a novel plotline, starring a distraught soldier who’s finance is killed and is then blamed for the outbreak of war within the first 10 minutes of the game. The presentation is dated, with talking heads moving the plot forward and little in the way of cinematics. While sometimes cutscenes can be obnoxious in games, I feel it’s detrimental here. Regardless, it’s a classic, with tough SPRG gameplay and a great soundtrack.

The game was ported mostly intact to the Wonderswan, with heavily downgraded sound. The PS1 port is greatly enhanced, with redrawn environments and cleaned up audio, plus a new plotline that lets you play on the USN side. The DS release is aesthetically more like the SFC original, but retains the USN plot and also throws in some cameos from several members of Front Mission 5's cast.

A lot of you reading this may have dabbled in the series with this title, since it has had a fan translation for some time, and later was released officially in the west for the DS. This is where it all started, and though FM1 is simple in plot and mechanics compared to it’s successors, it’s a fun little game and worth checking out if you have time to spare, or if you want to start the series from the beginning.



I’m not going to talk about GUN HAZARD too much here, as it doesn’t tie into the series timeline at all, taking place in its own universe, The gameplay is very much in line with Assault Suits Valken, not the other Front Missions. It is a fun game though, with excellent 16-bit sprite work and a must-hear soundtrack featuring the unlikely combination of Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda, Junya Nakano and Masashi Hamauzu.

Soundtrack samples
Gun Hazard - Trial Zone
Gun Hazard - Footsteps

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FRONT MISSION 2
Systems: PS1 (PC via ePSXe)

Front Mission 2 is one of the more important games in the overall tone and story of the series, eclipsed only by Front Mission 5. Naturally, FM2 and FM5 are the only two mainline games to not receive official English translations. The frontmission.info team is working on FM2 and a prototype patch is even available for download, bringing this vital chapter to a new audience. FM2 is the last game in the series to be credited to G-Craft, as after the success of the game, the company would be absorbed into Square as R&D 7.

FM2 greatly widened the scope of the series - the plot, graphics, mechanics and music are all ambitious, with a more subdued and mature tone to the whole affair. Taking place in Alordesh (current-day Bangladesh), a failed coup d’état before the events of the game sets off a chain reaction, including a second coup attempt kicked off by Alordesh revolutionaries, drawing the OCU and several other parties into the fray.

The game features an ensemble cast, rather than a singular main hero, and switches viewpoints between a group of OCU soldiers led by ethnic Alordeshi Ash Faruk (who looks like a young, shaven Freddy Mercury - the wife loves that) and an OCU detatchment led by Lisa Stanley. Other initial key players include a group of OCU survivors led by Thomas Norland, and Saribash Labra, the CEO of Burg Transportation. Characters from FM1 make an appearance in a hidden stage, and Front Mission 5’s cast is heavily implied to be involved as well. The plot eventually brings to light revelations about the nature of the coup, tying in to the large-scale narrative of the series and coming into play later in FM5.

The game mechanics are also beefed up, with subsystems like Honor coming into play. Battles are played out on a larger scale than before and success is dependent on planning ahead, leaving players with a sense of accomplishment. Mix in beautiful artwork by Wizardry's Jun Suemi and a moody soundtrack by Noriko Matsueda, and you have a winning combination that won over fans and critics alike. Just make sure to get the History or Ultimate Hits reprints, as they let you skip the very slow battle scenes.



I’ll only make a sidenote of FRONT MISSION ALTERNATIVE. It is a prequel set way, way before the first FM, and was the only game in the series to attempt real-time strategy. Taking place in Africa and featuring an avant garde electronica soundtrack, it’s the odd man out in the main series but does still loosely tie in to the overall plot.


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FRONT MISSION 3
Systems: PS1 (PC via ePSXe)

Next up is Front Mission 3. This is the first title to be officially localized for English-speaking audiences. It is also a step back for the series after FM2’s ambition, scaling everything down to a smaller scope. Plot, mechanics and even the music take a hit, leaving us with a very accessible but underwhelming game.

The focus is squared on a young Japanese test pilot, Kazuki Takemura, and has two very distinct plot branches to follow - one focused on the DHZ and one on the USN. Both scenarios are very different from each other and merit a replay to see the alternate series of events. It is a decent story and one major character shows up later in FM5, but in the grand scheme of things, FM3 could be considered the most clichéd and “casual” of the series. I also hated the soundtrack despite some good talent attached to it. The game is certainly still worth a play, though, and is a lot of fun. FM3 is also among the more popular titles with English speakers, since it was the first one to hit the West.


----


FRONT MISSION 4
Systems: PS2 (PC via PCSX2)

Front Mission 4 is the first game in the series to appear on the PS2, was released in the West, and in many ways is a return to form, but is a disappointment in others. Plot-wise, it shifts between two viewpoints like FM2. On one hand you have Darril Traubel, a slacker of a USN soldier who stumbles onto a valuable cache and tries to escape with the riches. On the other is Elsa Eliane and her co-workers in the European research team Durandal. The voice acting is strange, as the game has a lot of faked European accents on Elsa's side, but the overall story isn't bad and is an improvement over FM3. The plot is also notable for taking place after FM1, but before 2 and 3, and Darril is a recruitable pilot in FM5.

Mechanically, the game returns to the complex systems of FM2, and adds a few new elements into the mix, including the Link System. The improved mechanics gave long-time fans reason to be happy, but may have been off-putting at first to fresher FM3 fans. Graphically, it's weak, with bland environments and the same talking-head cutscenes from the PS1 entries. However, the music is strong, with series newcomer Hidenori Iwasaki using the strength of the PS2 to belt out a fine melodic, orchestral score.




Finally, what I really wanted to talk about, and the reason you all should be here:
FRONT MISSION 5 - SCARS OF THE WAR.
Systems: PS2 (PC via PCSX2)

Yes, the game is so good it needed a subtitle.

Take every little annoyance from the past FM games, every weakness the developers had yet to perfect, every nagging question about the series narrative, then smash them into oblivion. FM5 is by a huge margin the most polished game in the series and among the most lovingly produced games I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. TT and his team wanted to go all out for this one - this was the grand finale they had worked towards for all those years.

FM5 is the story of Walter Feng, a USN soldier who’s entire military career is followed in this decades-spanning storyline. Early on, the plot deals with events that correspond directly to FM1, but eventually all kinds of plot threads from the previous games are explored and tied together. Characters, countries and events make cameos large and small, and conflicts previously understood from the OCU side are given a new spin as Walter climbs the ranks of the USN.

As a child, Walter was hit with a bullet casing when war erupted on Huffman Island. He is left with a permanent scar, as is his friend Glen, who had leaped in front of him to shield him from further harm. The title “Scars of the War” refers to both the literal scars these characters have, and the mental and emotional scars that Walter accumulates and witnesses during his lifelong military career. It’s a very fine story, far removed from the dreck commonly found in games, and comes recommended if you don't believe games can tell a good story.

Excellent FM5 trailer - Click Here

While they are in Japanese, the voice-overs are beautiful, convey a large range of emotions, and avoid problems, like high-pitched voices, that Japanese games tend to have. The sound effects are more diverse and booming than ever, from the sound of wanzers walking on water to artillery rockets raining hell from above.

The presentation has been taken to a professional level. Instead of a text-driven narrative, we’re treated to compelling, well-directed cutscenes. These are fascinating to watch. TT has shared that Full Metal Jacket and Black Hawk Down, among other films, inspired FM5's scene direction, and it shows. These are not your typical crappy video game cinematics, and will hold your attention the same way Vagrant Story’s opening did. Most impressively, they are told using in-game graphics, and despite being a few years old, the graphics hold up very well. In-game assets are equally strong, with dynamic, fast-moving camera work and smooth animation, without any load times. If you have access to PCSX2, bumping up the resolution will reveal great texture work that was lost on the PS2’s low resolution.

Game mechanics are in full swing here too, with the best elements of every previous game wrapped up into a handsome package. Battles are large-scale and epic, but move at a nice clip thanks to beautiful (and skippable) battle animations, smart pacing, and cool touches like an optional shaky cam for "war footage" style cuts and helpful briefings. This is a game that if you screw up and die, you realize it's your own fault, ready to jump back in with a new plan. An unlockable Hard Mode playthrough with a new ruleset, lots of recruitable pilots, and an expansive Simulation mode add massive replay value to an already hefty game.

Like Front Mission 4, Scars of the War's game mechanics are heavily influenced by Front Mission 2. The difference in here is that the game finishes the job its predecessor could not do, and brings back the best aspects of the previous Front Missions. The job system is a mix of Front Mission 2 and 4's in that training in other roles is not discouraged, but specializing yields the most rewards. Likewise, elements of the Honor system return, particularly the concepts of leader units and pilot types. By eliminating the leader unit of a linked squad, the combat effectiveness of the aforementioned squad drops. Pilot types are improved in that during Links, they may or may not provide support depending on the situation at hand. (Aggressive pilots will act even in friendly fire cases) Front Mission Alternative's briefings, 1st's Arena, 3's upgrades, and 4's Links are some of the features brought back in Scars of the War.

The game also introduces new features, such as recruiting pilots, Survival Simulator, and friendly fire. After a certain point in the game, players are free to recruit pilots to suit their needs. In terms of friendly fire, ranged weapons now shoot through any unit in the line of fire. The interface has been upgraded in that many menus have been integrated into one main system. With new options such as part sorting, setting up your units is much easier now. Finally, the massive scale battles of Front Mission 2 have returned as well.

When Toshiro Tsuchida remarked that he wanted the series to go out with a bang, he meant every word of it. It's clear that a lot of effort and care went into the game's development and as a result, it's hard to really single out any major flaws in the design.

Screenshots above are pulled from PCSX2. I will add a config guide soon to make the most of PCSX2 if you are thinking about playing FM5 on a PC. Make sure you buy the original print, not the Ultimate Hits, if you want to use the English patch.

The music is worth noting as well. Iwasaki returns stronger than before with a blistering, emotional soundtrack. Kenichiro Fukui (Einhander) and Yasuhiro Yamanaka (The Last Remnant) add a few electronic tracks to compliment Iwasaki’s orchestral score. FM5’s soundtrack spans three discs and each is filled with memorable, lengthy tracks, and music is rarely reused in the game, lending each song a unique memory or scene it can be attached to.

Music Samples:
War of the Titans
Defenders
Lock and Load
Angel Wings
Keepers of Freedom
More samples

This fine game is now available in English thanks to the efforts of the frontmission.info team. Note that you will need to patch the original print of the game, not the Ultimate Hits reprint. You all have no excuse not to play it!

Patch here: http://frontmission.info/wiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Downloads



I will briefly mention Front Mission Evolved. Let it be known that the original FM staff, including series creator Toshiro Tsuchida, had nothing to do with this game. The plot is atrocious, poorly acted and inconsequential, and a complete 180 from FM5 - thank the beloved Motomu Toriyama for that one. The strategic gameplay is completely absent, replaced with a fun but brainless third person shooter. FME made a lot of long-time fans annoyed that Square couldn’t leave the series to rest. FM5 was the end, the finale, the culmination. At most they could have gone back and filled in some of the early time periods in the series chronology, but instead they set FME some decades after FM5 so they wouldn’t have to think. It's a fun game to play, but it's terrible as a Front Mission title.

Tsuchida has since left Square, and like many legendary developers, seems to have been reduced to creating projects for cell phones and the like. But at least he was able to finish his grand project and see his baby through to completion. There used to be a very active developer blog on Square official site, and some of the comments by TT and crew were candid and interesting to read. Highlights included a sense of relief and accomplishment that FM5 had come to fruition, that FM was designed from the beginning with an overseas release in mind, and hints that maybe they were not very happy with how Square handled the series. It has since been taken down and replaced with a more PR-friendly blog, but archive.org will do you well if you wish to read through the posts.

Now go play the games!



Required Reading (I didn’t write these):

The Developers of Front Mission:
http://frontmission.info/wiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheDevelopersOfFrontMission

HG101’s series overview:
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/frontmission/frontmission.htm

An Analysis of the Overseas Handling of Front Mission:
http://frontmission.info/wiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnAnalysisOfTheOverseasHandlingOfFrontMission

 

[Yjynx]

my first front mission was 3. It was a blast! ryogo with rof up was a beast. not to mention my favourite pilot eject to collect those wanzer part.

next favourite is 5. it was such a dissapointment that they never localize it. totally love it though.


Square Soft was such beast back in the day...

 

[Cameron122]

I love love loved Front Misson 1st on DS, enjoyed the 3rd, and wanted to commit seppuku after evolved. I need to do a chronological runthrough one of these days( With Scars of War last, as I heard it jumps around)

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[TheSeks]

I need to get back on Front Mission 1st, but the fact that FM2/5 aren't translated and FM1/3/4 are translated but not "tied" together is a bit disappointing.

Also Evolved isn't a FM game, I just want to go on record with that. It's an Armored Core.

 

[Cameron122]

Yes, ROF up was insane.



Yeah, FM5 doesn't jump around, but it does cover the entire series. Walter is an old man by the end of it.

So should I still play 5 last?

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[hteng]

no front mission evolve?

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[TheSeks]

no front mission evolve?

What is this Front Mission Evolve? Do you mean Armored Core 5: Evolved?

dood, did you not read my post?

I did. But that doesn't fix the fact that the "official" translations for FM1/3/4 aren't tied together in the series. Square removed references and the like so it's a cut translation for better or worse.

 

[I should be doing hw]

Nice OP, now I really want to play the Front Mission games too.

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[hteng]

What is this Front Mission Evolve? Do you mean Armored Core 5: Evolved?



I did. But that doesn't fix the fact that the "official" translations for FM1/3/4 aren't tied together in the series. Square removed references and the like so it's a cut translation for better or worse.

dude AC5 is 1000x better than Front Mission Evolve.

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[Grisby]

I've only played Evolved, which was a lot of fun. Nice tight controls and good mech battles.

I own Front Mission 3(or 4 which ever had the naked girl and guy on front) but no PS2 to play them on. A nice OP. I look forward to try some more of these some day.

 

[mjemirzian]

Having played all of the main FMs, FM 2089 on DS (which you didn't even mention), and a lot of other tactics games, I think you're overrating most of the series gameplay. The original FM is very dated, clunky, and tends to get boring. FM2 was ok but rather forgettable (I don't remember much about it). FM3 can be entertaining but it's game mechanics are too easily broken like most of S-E's playstation library. FM4 is a solid game, one of the best in the series gameplay wise IMO, especially the challenges to unlock the last few simulators. FM5 is obviously the best in the series, but I still felt the hard mode was a copout because it removed upgrade limits, making it at times easier than the original mode.

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[TheFLYINGManga_Ka]

I enjoyed the series. I never played the first one, even though I probably should've picked it up for the DS. And I never played FM5 since it was never released outside of Japan.

FM3 was awesome. I loved it. I remember spending a lot of money on it back in the day. Worth every penny...

...now it's only $6 on PSN!

 

[Dark Schala]

Great OP.

It really sucks that parts of the series aren't localized because they're really good games. FM4 and FM5 are probably my favourites. FM5 is the best in the series, and you've pretty much said why. :lol

no front mission evolve?

This game does not exist.

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[Shig]

Still blows my mind that S-E localized stuff like like Dawn of Mana and Romancing SaGa: Mistrel Song last gen, but not Front Mission 5.

 

[BudokaiMR2]

FM5 is so goddamn good. Still can't believe it never got a proper release in the West.

I have played every game except FM2 and the spin offs now that I think about it.

I never did finish FM1 though and always seemed to get stuck on a random mission.

I really love FM3 but that is probably because it was my first foray into the series.

I can't even remember what I didn't like about FM4. I think I played all the way to the last level and finally couldn't put up with some specific game mechanic. I feel like it had something to do with how the CPU handled repairs/disabled wanzers.

I should probably play FM2 now that I have read your points about it. Pretty sure I have a copy on my shelf at home anyway.

 

[mjemirzian]

Yes, I forgot to mention the cellphone/DS spinoffs. I haven't played them, so I didn't want to fill up the post with speculation. I think HCG101 covers them a bit though.

I didn't think I talked up the mechanics in the early games too much. I certainly didn't mean to. I fully agree that FM1 is clunky, but it's still a decent SRPG for its age.

Basically, I just want everyone to play FM5. The others are extra credit.

I think you talked up the older games a bit too much and didn't give FM4 enough credit. When you played FM4, did you unlock the hidden simulators?

Most players issue with FM4 extended from it being too difficult. I think it should have had an easy mode.

 

[I should be doing hw]

Throughout the series how many Australian characters are involved roughly? Is their presence noticeable or are they relegated more to the background or npc-type characters. I find their inclusion in the series at all to be very interesting, being one myself, especially for the time it was made.

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[Nairume]

I love the main games to death, but I think Gun Hazard may actually be my favorite game in the whole franchise.

 

[Cactus]

Front Mission is such an awesome series. I just imported Scars of War (finally!) and I'm eager to play that once I have some time.

Also, to anyone who hasn't tried it, I definitely recommend Gun Hazard. It's a very import-friendly game and extremely fun.

 

[I should be doing hw]

Hard to say for sure, since the countries are so large geographically speaking, but one could assume many of the OCU characters that are Caucasian could be Australian. That includes a lot of FM1's cast.

Thanks, I've ordered the DS version of the first game so I'll see for myself I guess. Where there any significant changes, negatively or positively, to this version of the game? Or was it more just a straight port with a translation.

 

[graywolf323]

sucks so much that we never got Front Mission 5 :-(

 

[DeliciousDoc]

5 has been in my backlog for quite some time. It's the first game I bought in Japan. At that time I couldn't really speak Japanese and there was no patch but it was dirt cheap (used market in Japan is awesome). The more I delay playing this game, the more I'll understand when I do play it. Kinda intimidated and expecting high level vocabulary in an area I am not familiar with (geopolitics and mechanics) but I will get to it eventually.

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[Ken]

FM4 was the only FM I've played and I really enjoyed it. I'd play FM5 if it was easy to get and play.

 

[Femmeworth]

Last summer I played through 4 for the first time and finally finished 1st. So good. Damn SE for not bringing over 5.

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[whalleywhat]

I really enjoyed 1, but I've started 3 and 4 and found they were too slow paced and took too long to get going (i.e. get into the customization aspect). I'll probably have another go at them at some point.

 

[Junie12]

I always wanted to play the Front Mission series but I never did cause of my backlog. Now since I'm cutting down my backlog by half,maybe I should finally get started and play Front Mission 4 first before I try the older games.

 

[Ken]

Nice. If you liked FM4 you'd love FM5.

eBay, curse them, is your easiest resource for a legal copy of FM5 these days. Play-Asia would work, but you need the regular print of the game, not the Ultimate Hits. Thankfully, at least for now, FM5's original print is not expensive nor rare.

I have no PlayStation with me.

Except the Vita, I guess.

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[jbueno]

Love the setting of these games, but I barely have the time for a SRPG these days. Maybe some day soon I can put a few hours into FM DS, which I have owned since 2007.

 

[luka]

wow, finally a thread that gives FM5 it's due. I love that game SO MUCH.

let's be friends.

 

[Aselith]

Can you patch this translation into FM 5 via an emulator? Like could I play the game on my PC using PCSX2?

Edit: Ah I see that you can, could you post your configs to get the best out of the game for people who are looking at the game?

 

[_bluemoon]

Have played Front Mission 1 and 3. Outstanding games, can't believe they are actually weak points in the series. Always wondered why I hadn't seen the other games around much and now I know.

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[Gaylord Sweetwood]

I absolutely loved Front Mission on the DS. I realize it's a port of FM1 + bonus, but I really enjoyed it a lot. It felt like golden age Square. I still have a huge backlog of DS RPGs, but after beating it the summer of '10 it remains up their in the DS library for me.

 

[Femmeworth]

The patch for 5 is called a beta. Does that mean they intend to finalize it?

 

[Infinite]

How does 2089 stack up against the rest of the series?

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[Astery]

I approve this thread.
Played FM1,3,5 and they are all excellent games, especially FM5 which I've played and loved every single seconds out of it.

FME is a disgrace. Toriyama was on board you say? God I hate him more and more after all the stupid stuff he did notable on FF13 and 3rd birthday.

 

[ACESmkII]

Awesome thread Ctrayne.

Front Mission holds a special place in my heart. I remember importing the original Front Mission for Super Famicom when I was a youngster and staying up for what felt like 24 hours playing the hell out of it. I was always bummed it never got released in the states for the SNES. How is the DS port? Was it pretty much identical? I wouldn't mind picking it up for nostalgia sake.

I've played through almost all the other games. FM5 and Alternative are the only games in the series I have not played (I'm not going to count evolved) and I always wanted to play FM5 but never got around to picking it up. Is there anyway I can play a english patched FM5 on a Jp PS2 without any wizardry? My PC is in no shape to run a PS2 emulator.

 

[C-Jo]

Outstanding thread!

Front Mission 3 is still one of my top 5 favorite games of all time.

I remember being so pissed that Square didn't localize 5. But I do have a copy of it sitting here and I really should get around to playing through it.