Front Mission Evolved (Xbox 360)

Front Mission Evolved is a spin-off from the mainline Front Mission series and takes a step away from the turn-based strategy concepts of the other games in the series and substitutes them for all the gloriousness that is a third person shooter, the end product is unlike anything ever seen in the series before. Front Mission Evolved is the first game in the series not developed by the actual Front Mission team and instead was made by Double Helix Games instead of by a studio under Square Enix, it also is the first game in the entire series that was not worked on by the series creator Toshiro Tsuchida. To the games credit it was supervised by Shinji Hashimoto who did supervise some of the other Front Mission games. Front Mission Evolved succeeds and fails in two major regards, the controls and gameplay are top notch and incredibly easy to learn and master, but the story of the game is not only short but is both contrived and utterly silly.

O.C.U.’s finest.

So the story of the game is pretty simple and isn’t anything that hasn’t been seen before, the main character is a grease monkey/researcher who designs and builds mechs (but has the free time to workout and gel his hair) who’s father is killed prompting him to seek revenge. Over the course of his quest for revenge he joins the military and falls in love with a woman he shares only minor dialogue with, then with little explanation she joins the big bad and the main character decides his mission is no longer about revenge but about saving her. By the actual end of the game, and several pointless deaths later, the main characters priority should be about saving the world but instead decides saving the girl he barely knows is far more important.

On the bright side the protagonist is easy on the eyes.

One of my biggest gripes with the game is the story and the pacing, the story is broken up into five acts and each act can be cleared in an hour at most. The stages aren’t very expansive and limit exploration making the game very linear. You more or less travel in a straight line from start to finish with a boss battle at the end of each act. When the game starts we are introduced to the main character who all we ever learn of is that he designs Wanzers and so does his dad, he receives no other character development and his motives throughout the entirety of the game are all selfish making him pretty unrelatable as a character. The rest of the cast gets little introduction and besides the love interest who gets about five minutes of backstory most of them just die in a way that if they had been developed would have been tragic. I spent a good deal of the single-player campaign screaming “What?” at my television because I wanted the game to explain how a person inside an apparently undamaged (or at least not exploded) mech could possibly die especially when that person has experienced no physical trauma. What little story there is in this game moves far to quickly for any events to fall into place and the end result winds up being a game with a story that raises far to many questions and ends without tying any important loose ends.

Like what the hells this guys story is!

Front Mission Evolved has one redeeming quality, the controls. The controls for Front Mission Evolved are so well done and the gameplay is so great that I almost forgot how shitty the story is. The controls are similar to that of the Armored Core games, but the Wanzers are for more responsive and move more realistically. The opening tutorial didn’t take very long and I found myself mastering the controls by the end of the first level. At no point in time during my play through of this game did I die or get hit unfairly due to bad controls. If I ever got shot and blown up it was because I suck at video games and not because there was some asinine delay in controls or some other such nonsense. Honestly I would recommend this game based solely on the experience of the controls, I have never to this day played a game with such fluid controls and place this in my personal favorites list purely because of them.

If only all these zombie games had controls like this.

Front Mission Evolved has a few bonus features like Online Multiplayer (no local :( ) and the option of replaying any of the stages from the single player campaign. I tried several times to find a game to join online but was always greeted with empty rooms, meaning that I could not experience the online multiplayer. If youtube videos do it justice it looks like it would have been a jolly good time. I feel that this game is more one of those guilty pleasure ones, it’s to bad to recommend to a friend but it has qualities to it that you just can’t help but secretly enjoy it behind closed doors. To those who are looking for some turn-based goodness I’d recommend you avoid this, but if you want a contrived love story with great controls and giant robots this is definitely the game for you.

Did I mention there are giant robots?

What Handheld should I get? Pros and Cons (Gen VII Edition) Part 1–The Nintendo DS

In the same vein as my last article on the Pros and Cons of the PS3, Xbawks 360, and Wii I’ll be looking at the two main hand-held consoles and their variants. For those uninitiated the two major Handheld Consoles being discussed in this article are the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. Each handheld has had multiple variants released over the years that either had extra features of better compatibility. I won’t lie and profess that the only handheld consoles released in the seventh generation of consoles were the PSP and the DS but consoles like the Gizmondo, CAANOO, GP2X, Pandora, Zone 30 in 1, and the Mi2. These other handhelds never achieved mainstream popularity and are pretty hard to find in a conventional store, so I have chosen to omit them and instead look at the two behemoths the Nintendo DS and PSP and each of their revisions. This will be a two part article due to how long they will each be.

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Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS is the successor to the Gameboy Advance and was Nintendo’s handheld foray into the Seventh Generation of gaming consoles and was originally released on November 21, 2004. The Nintendo DS was the first successful handheld to utilize a touchscreen and started a trend of companies attempting to be innovative in the gaming industry. The Nintendo DS uses 8-512 Megabyte cartridges utilizing flash memory for all saves (unless of course you are too cool for saving), the increased size of the game carts over their Gameboy Advance cart nephews allowed for improved graphics and even 3D sprites. Another feature of the DS was the beginning of the trend to include WiFi connectivity in handhelds replacing the old link cables of yesteryear. WiFi made playing multiplayer games a breeze and generally had a range of about 7 or 8 feet. WiFi could also be used to play games with people far away by using your own internet connection to connect to a Nintendo server. The revolutionary features don’t end there, you could use the DS to download game Demos from the Wii and for some games you could connect your DS to the Wii itself.
Since the creation of the Nintendo DS it has gone under several revisions including the Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, and Nintendo DSi XL. Not to mention the many collectors variants of the handheld.
Pros and Cons of the System (Overall)
Pros:
Large Number of High Quality First Party Games: The Nintendo DS has an overabundance of great first party titles from many stable franchises like the Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon and Star Fox.
Decent amount of Quality Second and Third Party Games: Atlus and other third party companies release quite a few good games on the console from stable franchises like the Megami Tensei series and Namco’s Harvest Moon and Rune Factory series.
Inexpensive: Depending on Model a DS won’t usually set you back $60-$75 with the most being around the $100 range.
Almost Non-existent hardware issues: Sans the DS Lite, the DS series suffers very rarely from design issues with the worst possible thing usually being a speaker dying in an old DS Phat.
Large Gaming Library: Overall the Nintendo DS’s game library is massive and caters to a variety of audiences.
Touch Screen Utilization: The Handheld has a touch screen, it works flawlessly.
Cheap and Easy Repair: Regardless of Model Nintendo DS replacement parts are easy to find and for the most part are easy to replace. Screen replacement is as easy as opening the handheld up, unplugging a ribbon and plugging the new one in.
Good Battery Life: All of the DS models have battery lives ranging from 12 to 15 hours of continuous play while having screen brightness set to default. On maximum settings its around 6 to 8 hours.
Region-Free: All DS games are region free and can be played on any Nintendo DS except the iQue Model,because China is communist >:(
Microphone: The Console(s) have a built in microphone which is utilized in certain games that require the player to talk or for certain games that allow voice chatting via Nintendo WiFi Connection or Local WiFi.
Cons:
Region Locked Consoles: The DSi and DSi XL are region locked.
Large Amount of Shovelware: As with any console with a large library (see: Playstation) there is bound to be a good deal of Shovelware. For every Mario and Luigi game there will be about 15 Imagine Ballerina games.
Limited Backwards Compatibility: Of the line of Nintendo DS’s the only two capable of backwards compatibility are the Original Nintendo DS and the Nintendo DS Lite. These two handhelds are capable of playing Gameboy Advance games but not Gameboy or Gameboy Color games.

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• The Nintendo DS (Original/Phat)
• Released: November 21, 2004

The Nintendo DS Original or “Phat” as the internet tends to refer it, was the first model of the console and is the second largest in size of the series of consoles. Being the first in the series it only contained the basic features of the console. The Original DS had basic WiFi connectivity in order to play games locally or online via the Nintendo WiFi Connection service. It also has PictoChat, a local chat feature which can accommodate up to 8 people per chat room and there are 4 rooms meaning up to 42 people total in a given area can engage in PictoChat.
Pros and Cons (of the console)
Pros:
Backwards Compatibility: Capable of playing Gameboy Advance games, not but Gameboy or Gameboy Color games.
Sturdy: From my hands on experience I have deduced that the DS Phat is practically invulnerable when it comes to drops, getting kicked, being sat upon, and other situations in which a lesser console would become irreparably harm.
Cheap and Easy to Repair: Repair parts are cheap and easy to find and require no soldering or any advanced techniques to replace.
Cheap: The Original Model DS is the cheapest model, so for the price conscious it may be best to purchase an Original Model DS.
Cons:
Small Screen Size: The Original Model DS has a very small screen which is around the size of the Gameboy advances. So for those with very bad eyes it may be better to avoid this particular version.
Dead Pixels: Commonly the Original Model DS’s would have Dead Pixels, which ultimately don’t inhibit Gameplay but are very annoying.
Shortest battery life: Averages 6 to 8 hours.

Best Game of 2010!

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• Nintendo DS Lite
• Released: June 11, 2006

The Nintendo DS Lite is the most popular model of Nintendo DS, it combines a sleek lightweight design with all the functionality of the original Model. The Nintendo DS Lite has the most color variations and limited edition bundle versions out of any of the Nintendo DS’s and up until recently was the staple DS of choice for many. Despite some aesthetic differences the DS Lite is exactly the same as the Original DS.
Pros and Cons of the System
Pros:
Compact Design: The DS Lite is about 20% smaller with a sleeker design.
Adjustable Backlight: The DS Lite is the first DS to have an adjustable backlight which could increase battery life by setting the DS the lowest brightness setting, or you could maximize that biatch and illuminate a room. (There are four levels of backlight.)
Easy to Find: Despite the Original Model being cheaper the DS Lite is slightly more common due to it’s overall popularity.
Cons:
Flimsy Design: Unlike it’s larger older brother, the DS Lite is plagued with problems due either cheap plastics of overall weakness of design. The most common problems are the hinge to the top screen breaking, the shoulder buttons malfunctioning, and the D-pad ceasing to function.
Glossy Finish: The glossy finish on the handheld broadcasts fingerprints and scratches to the entire universe. (Might be a Pro to some people, this is mostly an aesthetic thing.)

You get what you pay for amirght?

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• Nintendo DSi
• Released: April 5, 2009

The DSi is completely different from the DS Lite and the Original DS in every aspect, while being slightly more compact than the DS Lite it includes two .03 Megapixel cameras built in and a redesigned user interface. The DSi also uses a much more powerful processor and has about 100% more internal memory which can be expanded through the addition of an SD card (up to 32 Gigabytes). Along with the changes the DSi had an E-Shop in which one could purchase applications and games. There are also games which when played on the DSi will either move faster or will have certain features unlocked. An Example of a DS game with bonus features is Pokemon Black/White which not only run faster on the DSi but has a feature for local video chatting utilizing the camera and microphone on the console.
Pros and Cons of the System
Pros:
Adjustable Backlight: Just like the DS Lite the DSi has an adjustable backlight, only instead of four levels there are now five levels to which you can adjust the backlight. Just think, you could illuminate an entire house with that many levels!
Improved UI: The improved User Interface not only is incredibly smooth and pleasant to look at but it also removes one of the frustrations of the older systems that makes it so that you have to shutdown the console before removing or inserting a game. Now you can merely reset the console by tapping the power button and while on the home screen you can freely remove and insert DS cartridges.
Matte Finish: Unlike the DS Lite the Matte finish on the DSi makes it harder for the handheld to be scratched and doesn’t attract fingerprints.
WPA WiFi Connectivity: The DSi is capable of both WEP and WPA WiFI connectivity making it more compatible with WiFi hotspots.
E-Shop: The DSi has an E-shop where games and applications can be purchased with DSi Points, there are also free applications like Flipnote Hatena which is very popular.
Built-in Camera: The DSi has two built in cameras which can be used to take pictures or video.
Expandable Memory: You can insert an SD card (up to 32GB) to expand the consoles memory for storing games, pictures, or video.
Web Browser: The DSi can download the Opera web browser and can surf rudimentary websites like forums or review websites, though it has a tough time handling video websites.
Cons:
No Backwards Compatibility: The DSi lacks a slot for Gameboy games so all that can be played on it are DS games and games purchased through the E-Shop.
Expensive: The DSi is one of the most expensive versions only second to the DSi XL.
Region Locked: The DSi is region locked.

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• Nintendo DSi XL
• March 28 2010

The Nintendo DSi XL did not particularly bring anything new to the table as a revision, the only striking detail about it is that the handheld is significantly larger then all of its predecessors in all respects. Upon release the handheld came with two free games and one free application, however the application is now free and the games were just two copies of Brain Age so it isn’t a huge loss. The DSi XL had the poorest sales out of all the DS models, this is due to the fact that around the time of it’s release the 3DS was announced as the next big handheld. I’m pretty sure we all know where this is going. You can pretty much reread the DSi section as the DSi has no new features besides being larger.
The Pros and Cons of the System
Pros:
Bigger Everything: For those with bad eyes or what have you, the DSi XL is massive with screens that dwarf all the previous iterations screens.
Special Editions: The DSi XL has a couple of special edition models which are neat.
Free Stuff: The DSi XL will generally come with two copies of Brain Age and a copy of Flipnote Hatena preinstalled.
Cons:
Expensive: The DSi XL is very expensive, for the price of a DSi XL you may as well go and buy a 3DS as they tend to be $100+
Bigger Everything: Because of the size of the console it is harder to transport as it won’t fit in more pockets like all the previous models, generally you will need some kind of case if you intend to transport it.
Region Locked: The DSi XL is region locked.

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The Verdict:
I’d recommend either the Original Model Nintendo DS or the Nintendo DSi, both are pretty easy to find and provide the most features with the cheapest price-tag. The reason I would recommend them over the Nintendo DS Lite or the Nintendo DSi XL is that the DS Lite is incredibly flimsy and has a high chance of breaking, the DSi XL is just a bigger variant of the regular DSi so you aren’t getting anything extra for the bonus $50-$60 you will wind up paying for it. Ultimately it comes down to what you want in a handheld, the DS Lite is slightly more portable then the regular DS and has the most color choices and special editions out of any model, the DSi XL is big.

 

I’ll just take the one that works.

Chris' Undiscovered Gems: Legend of the Ghost Lion (NES)



This week only - catch Siegfried and Roy! Only at the Mirage!

Often when I talk to friends about classic RPGs the same few titles pop up over and over again. Final Fantasy 3, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 7, Earthbound...all great games: none of them for the NES. If there's anything that collecting NES games over the past few years has taught me, it's that the Nintendo had boatloads of solid and undiscovered RPGs. From the quirky (Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom,) to the adventurous (Faxanadu,) heck, even the point-and-click adventure games (Shadowgate, Uninvited, etc) offer a lot of challenge and excitement for adventure gamers and RPG gamers alike. There are tons of RPGs that few talk about outside of the Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior franchises. While there are certainly games that don't quite cut the muster compared to these classics, Kemco's "Legend of the Ghost Lion" deserves some honorable mention in the halls of RPG-dom, if for nothing other than its ridiculously 80's cover art and wacky story.

*Quick note before we get started: The title of this game can lead to some confusion if we're not careful. The cart says "Ghost Lion," a search for it will often bring up "Ghost of the Lion," and the title screen calls it "Legend of the Ghost Lion." Pick your poison. There's a Lion, he's presumably a ghost, and the story is legendary. So legendary that almost nobody has heard of this game!*

The game opens with a well-drawn, albeit strange cut scene. The plot is laid out thusly: there is a legend that your village was attacked by a mysterious white lion. Most of the village cowered in the corner, peeing their pants and getting mauled and whatnot - but a young adventurer named Moja came to the rescue and drove the white lion out into the cave of evil. So naturally, your parents feel the need to search for this ghost lion for some inexplicable reason and leave you; a young girl named Maria, behind to fend for yourself. So of course, instead of following her parents' advice, she runs off to go track them down as well. The fact that your parents are dressed more like they're going to hop the next boat to Jamaica to go do Jager-bombs on a cruise ship instead of trek through the perilous jungle (for no logical reason) means that we're in for an interesting - albeit relatively nonsensical journey.



"WOOOOO! CABO! - Do another Jello-shot Linda!"

So the first thing we notice once getting past the introductory cave is that the game is remarkably similar to games such as Dragon Warrior and Ultima. If you're familiar with either of those two series, this game should be easy to crack into. You can search around your feet, speak, check your inventory and stats. Waltzing around the main screen will bring up random battles (ala nearly every RPG from this time,) and you have the option of attacking or running away. Much like in the Final Fantasy series - the run function wont do you much good against enemies that are equal or better than you because they nearly always track you down and quickly kill you. You can either attack them with whatever weapon you're carrying at the time or consult your spear or lamp to summon Moja or Twana the lamp spirit respectively. During a tough battle these two really come in handy, as the enemies will be more likely to attack them instead of the frail little tween swinging a dagger around and making goofy anime faces. Your "dream" power is what you use to summon these two spirits - which is nice because you do get plenty to get the job done. Courage is your health - and you start out with woefully too little to last more than a few bouts. Starting the game, Twana the lamp spirit seems much less effective than Moja until you advance and learn more powerful spells.

I'm thinking they meant "YOUR" courage...but maybe I'm just splitting hairs...

Which leads me to one of the main downsides to the game: leveling. In most normal RPGs, leveling is a pretty straightforward affair; you fight an endless sea of blue goobers, ghosts, skeletons, bats, etc and eventually you get rewarded by being able to take more hits and to smash enemies in a single blade strike. Sadly, in this game - I tried grinding for XP for an hour and some change before I realized that; yes, I was getting a pretty nice stack of money - but I was still having to run back to the healing fairy pool every two battles. Oh yeah, I didn't mention that - this game has healing fairies ala Zelda. True story. Instead of whacking at an endless supply of Kobolds and Zombies, just kill enough to get a decent weapon and proceed to the nearest cave. It is here where you will find treasure chests that often contain the "level up" you need. If you happen to get snuffed out before you get the opportunity, just realize that you lose some of your money every time the magical pixies need to save your butt. So if Sierra online games taught us anything: "Save early, save often!"

That mean ol' Zombie took my teddybear!

So how does "Legend of the Ghost Lion" stack up against some of the NES' RPG heavyweights? It is actually a pretty addictive game once you get past some of the quirks and the learning curve involved in the leveling system. The graphics are pretty solid, the gameplay is familiar to anyone who's played some of the top-shelf games, and the difficulty is somewhere in the low to mid range. I'll admit that it doesn't quite have the replay value of a game like Dragon Warrior IV - but few do. It's not quite as quirky as Princess Tomato - but it's still fun and wacky in its own right and it also has the rare distinction of being a game with a female protagonist. It's a relatively uncommon game and I think that if you've already burned through some of the top-tier NES titles, it's a good place to start exploring the less traveled road of the Nintendo RPG library.



Imagine this badboy airbrushed on an RV!
Oh, and click here to buy a copy!

Front Mission (DS)

If you are reading this it is likely that you may not have heard of the Front Mission series as all of the games in the series have been poorly marketed towards North American’s. I’m not joking when I say this, a quick youtube search for NA Front Mission titles yields no results sans a trailer for Front Mission Evolved. If I were to tell you that of all the games in the series (there are five in the main series and about five more offshoots.) we’ve only received the following:

• Front Mission - October 23, 2003
• Front Mission 3 - March 22, 2000 (Rereleased for the Playstation network on December 21, 2010)
• Front Mission 4 - June 15, 2004
• Front Mission Evolution - September 28, 2010
  • A list of all games and Release Dates can be found here.

So how does that make you feel? I’m sure by now you have noticed a few blanks in that list and to most of the English speaking Front Mission fans chagrin it leaves many blanks as the story for the entire series of games was written long before the games were made, meaning that missing out on even one game leaves some fairly sizable holes. Due to the Serialized nature of the series not only were there the games but a novel and radio drama series all of which added to the overall story of the mainline Front Mission series. I’m not here to analyze the series though, I’m here to review a strategy game about flipping walking tank robots!

Awwwwwww Yeeeeeaaaaah!

Front Mission (or Front Mission First depending on localization) for the DS is a port of the first game which until recently was unreleased anywhere outside of Japan. Prior to the release of this DS port the only possible way of playing the game was to either import the game and play it in a modded or Japanese console or to download a translation patch for a rom of the SNES game and play it on an emulator. There were several downsides to playing an emulated version:

1. It’s very, very illegal.
2. You aren’t experiencing the game as it was originally intended, being that the script and translation are done by enthusiasts without the direction of Toshiro Tsuchida
3. With the PSX rerelease of it an additional storyline and elements were added that are absent from the SNES version.
4. Also it is incredible illegal to play/download romnomnoms (in the U.S. at least).

Royd is very angry in the fan translations.

The Story of this game isn’t told from the point of view of a single man, it is told from the perspective of two men from differing backgrounds and from two different forces. One man serves the Oceana Cooperative Union (OCU) is a supranational union of Australia, Southeast Asia and Oceania. The other serves the United Continental States (UCS) which is a Supranational consisting of all countries in North and South America. You can play either story right off the bat, the only difference between them (besides the story) is some minor gameplay elements and improved character portraits.

Choose your destiny!

The main story of Front Mission is the story of Royd Clive a soldier working for one of the worlds super powers the OCU. One day while on a recon mission to investigate a UCS warehouse with his fiancée Karen and his best friends Ryuji and OCU Soldier they experience strange goings on which result in Karen being kidnapped, and the warehouse being destroyed by a mysterious man. They are all blamed for the destruction of the Warehouse and are court martialed as political turmoil erupts into an all out war between the OCU and UCS. Meanwhile Royd, Ryuji, and OCU Soldier go there separate ways all wanting to find something to occupy their new free time with. Some time passes and Royd becomes a gladiator of sorts battling his Wanzer (It’s short for Wanderpanzer a German word meaning “Walking Tank”) for money in an arena. He is approached by a Colonel Olson of the OCU who gives him the opportunity to lead a mercenary group to aid the OCU. From there on it’s explosions, romance, existential crises, and  odd uses of the term “gaggle”.

I’m sure he’s doing better then this guy.

The Second story of the game has you following the exploits of Kevin Greenfield a member of an elite unit called the Black Hounds operating under the UCS. He happens to fall in love with another member and because of this botches a very important mission and is stripped of his rank. Two fellow Black Hounds members he had befriended chose to leave the unit to follow Kevin and all three joined the regular standing army. While the OCU story follows Royd as he tries to find out who kidnapped Karen and oust the UCS from Huffman Island the UCS story follows Kevin as he attempts to weed out corruption in the UCS government while seeking the woman he fell in love with.
As I mentioned earlier the series was serialized long before it was made and was made to be one huge drama set in a contemporary setting. So I feel that this is a game series where it is worth mentioning that there are many drama bombs that get dropped almost as much as Skrillex drops the bass. This isn’t to say that it makes the games bad, the dramatic nature of them builds tension and in my opinion makes it more enjoyable as you are always wondering what is coming next.

Sorry.

As a strategy game Front Mission is pretty straight forward you move your units around Pseudo-3D environments and you have two means of attacking the first is by attacking directly by moving up next to a unit and initiating a close range attack which can consist of attacking with a machine gun, a rifle, or punching the enemy until it dies. The other way of attacking is indirectly which is done with bazookas or missile launchers, the range of the weapons isn’t set and some have more or less range the others. Wanzers are made up of four components, legs, a right arm, a left arm, and a body all with there own set of hitpoints. There are three possible outcomes of any battle,

1. Neither Unit is Destroyed
2. Enemy Unit is Destroyed
3. Player Unit is Destroyed

The Fields are pretty similar to those of the older Fire Emblem games.

The only possible way to destroy a unit is to destroy the body of the Wanzer. Generally this means attacking multiple times are Pilots lack any sort of precision and their hits land randomly, this can be remedied with skills which are learned by repeatedly attacking with a weapon or a certain type (i.e. Repeated attacks using a Machine Gun will yield a machine gun related skill). While you move your units around the map battles occur in a more personal manner. When you initiate combat you are brought close up to both units and watch them attack, or attempt to attack one another. The ultimate objective of every battle is to destroy all enemy units which is simple enough.

AIM FOR THE HEAD! …or is that for zombies?

Outside of the battles you can travel to and from any town you have been to and in these towns you can buy or sell parts and modify your Wanzers, battle in an arena for cash, talk to townspeople, and receive mission objectives. While this may seem silly at first at different times in the game events occur in these towns that can get you special Wanzer parts/weapons or can get you a new pilot to use, so exploration is encouraged as most pilots will require you to do something in order to get them to join you.
Like most strategy games your units are only as good as the equipment they carry, so Wanzer Customization is a major element of the game. Like I mentioned earlier a Wanzer is made up of four major parts a body, 2 arms, and a set of legs. You can combine any set of Wanzer parts as you please, do you want a Wanzer that is just one big gun? You can do that. Want a Wanzer who can shoot lots of missiles and move really fast? You can do that. Grappler arms? You can have em’. Besides being able to slap together whatever robot(s) you want you may want to change their load outs in order to better complete a mission.

It’s usually best to build the Wanzer around the Pilots strengths.

Front Mission for the DS is a great turn based strategy game that I highly recommend to anyone who is either looking for a game that has a great story or happens to like any sort of strategy game. The game is fairly easy to learn and typically by the end of one of the campaigns you will have developed your own style of playing (like making all your units physical attackers and punching everything to death). The compositions for the game are top notch as is the art style, this is because Front Mission DS is actually a port of the PlayStation version so everything looks pretty good aesthetically. Overall Front Mission is a great game that everyone should get. So what are you waiting for gogogogogogogogogogo!

You know you want to roll around in a spider-bot and blow stuff up.