Front Mission Evolved
Encyclopedia
is a third-person shooter
video game developed by Double Helix Games
and published by Square Enix Co., Ltd.
and was released in Japan
on September 16, 2010, September 28, 2010 in North America
, and October 8, 2010 in Europe
. The game was released for Microsoft Windows
, PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
. Front Mission Evolved is the fourth spin-off entry and the eleventh entry overall in the Front Mission
series.
Front Mission Evolved is also the fourth title in the Front Mission
series to be released in North America, the second to be released in Europe, and the first spin-off entry to be released outside of Japan.
entries of the numbered Front Mission titles. Rather than being played out on a grid-based map and using a turn-based structure, battles takes place in real-time on full 3D maps akin to Front Mission: Online
. The player (and many allies and adversaries) control mechs known as Wanderung Panzer ("walking tank"), abbreviated into wanzer. Evolved has two modes of play: an offline single player mode which features a story campaign, and an online multiplayer mode where players can play alone or in groups of up to 8 players in a variety of game modes.
Game progression in the single player mode of Evolved works similarly to other Front Mission entries, and is done in a linear manner: watch cut-scene events, complete missions, set up wanzers during intermissions, and sortie for the next mission. Unlike other Front Mission titles, the player can redo missions at any given time using the Act Select feature. Players can earn Trophies or Achievements
if they own the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 version of the game. In the multiplayer mode of Evolved, players can compete against each other in PvP
matches through one of four game modes, or in PvE
matches via a DLC
game mode called "Last Stand".
Wanzer customization in the multiplayer mode of Evolved works similarly to Front Mission: Online in that the parts, auxiliary backpacks, and weapons the player can access is entirely dependent on their military ranking. Military rankings work in a progression-based fashion; players must complete mission assignments to earn experience and advance in rank. A player can also raise their rank by scoring kills against players on the opposing team.
Missions aside, Evolved boasts other new features as well as returning ones, particularly from Front Mission: Gun Hazard
. The game introduces new auxiliary backpacks, Gunship Mode and a feature known as "E.D.G.E.". Two new kinds of auxiliary backpacks are the hover backpack and the anti-missile backpack. Hover backpacks allow wanzers to move around quickly or hover above the ground. Anti-missile backpacks increase enemy missile lock-on time, and release flares to throw off missile fire. Featured only in the single player campaign, Gunship Mode is a combat mode in which the player fights on a gunship; this mode plays out like a rail shooter. E.D.G.E. is a unique ability that slows down time and allows the player to better react against enemy attacks. This feature is only seen in the single player campaign. The lone returning feature in Evolved is Infantry Mode. As seen in Front Mission: Gun Hazard, the player can fight as the pilot themselves. However, the player cannot board or disembark from their wanzer during play; Infantry Mode is strictly played on foot. Infantry Mode is also exclusive to the single player campaign.
Set in 2171, the game takes place around the world and in outer space. During the 22nd century, the world's superpowers look towards space for expansion and began constructing large structures called orbital elevators
. With an increasing number of surveillance satellites and space-based technologies being developed, a Cold War
-style atmosphere sets in as the supranational unions used these technologies to watch over their adversaries on Earth. Tensions rise in 2171 when one of the elevators in the United States of the New Continent (USN) is attacked and destroyed by unknown assailants.
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
video game developed by Double Helix Games
Double Helix Games
Double Helix Games is an American video game developer based in Irvine, California, founded in 2007 through two mergers of Foundation 9 studios, The Collective and Shiny Entertainment...
and published by Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
and was released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on September 16, 2010, September 28, 2010 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and October 8, 2010 in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The game was released for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. Front Mission Evolved is the fourth spin-off entry and the eleventh entry overall in the Front Mission
Front Mission
is a collection of video games and related media produced by Square, now Square Enix. The series was created by Toshiro Tsuchida and developed by G-Craft, a studio that was later absorbed by Square and is now with Square Enix as Product Development Division-6...
series.
Front Mission Evolved is also the fourth title in the Front Mission
Front Mission
is a collection of video games and related media produced by Square, now Square Enix. The series was created by Toshiro Tsuchida and developed by G-Craft, a studio that was later absorbed by Square and is now with Square Enix as Product Development Division-6...
series to be released in North America, the second to be released in Europe, and the first spin-off entry to be released outside of Japan.
Gameplay
As a third-person shooter spin-off, the gameplay of Front Mission Evolved differs from the tactical role-playing gameTactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
entries of the numbered Front Mission titles. Rather than being played out on a grid-based map and using a turn-based structure, battles takes place in real-time on full 3D maps akin to Front Mission: Online
Front Mission: Online
is a massively multiplayer online , third-person shooter video game developed by and published by Square Enix Co., Ltd., and was released in Japan on May 12, 2005 for the PlayStation 2, and on December 8, 2005 for the PC. Front Mission: Online is the third spin-off entry and the eighth entry...
. The player (and many allies and adversaries) control mechs known as Wanderung Panzer ("walking tank"), abbreviated into wanzer. Evolved has two modes of play: an offline single player mode which features a story campaign, and an online multiplayer mode where players can play alone or in groups of up to 8 players in a variety of game modes.
Game progression in the single player mode of Evolved works similarly to other Front Mission entries, and is done in a linear manner: watch cut-scene events, complete missions, set up wanzers during intermissions, and sortie for the next mission. Unlike other Front Mission titles, the player can redo missions at any given time using the Act Select feature. Players can earn Trophies or Achievements
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
if they own the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 version of the game. In the multiplayer mode of Evolved, players can compete against each other in PvP
Player versus player
Player versus player, or PvP, is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between two or more live participants. This is in contrast to games where players compete against computer controlled opponents, which is correspondingly referred to as player versus environment...
matches through one of four game modes, or in PvE
Player versus environment
Player versus environment, or PvE , is a term used in online games, particularly MMORPGs, CORPGs, MUDs, and other online role-playing video games, to refer to fighting computer-controlled enemies—in contrast to PvP .Usually a PvE mode can be played either alone, with human...
matches via a DLC
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
game mode called "Last Stand".
Wanzer customization in the multiplayer mode of Evolved works similarly to Front Mission: Online in that the parts, auxiliary backpacks, and weapons the player can access is entirely dependent on their military ranking. Military rankings work in a progression-based fashion; players must complete mission assignments to earn experience and advance in rank. A player can also raise their rank by scoring kills against players on the opposing team.
Missions aside, Evolved boasts other new features as well as returning ones, particularly from Front Mission: Gun Hazard
Front Mission: Gun Hazard
is a side-scrolling shooter video game developed by Omiya Soft and published by Square Co., Ltd., and was released in Japan on February 23, 1996 for the Nintendo Super Famicom game console. Front Mission: Gun Hazard is the first spin-off entry and the second entry overall in the Front Mission series...
. The game introduces new auxiliary backpacks, Gunship Mode and a feature known as "E.D.G.E.". Two new kinds of auxiliary backpacks are the hover backpack and the anti-missile backpack. Hover backpacks allow wanzers to move around quickly or hover above the ground. Anti-missile backpacks increase enemy missile lock-on time, and release flares to throw off missile fire. Featured only in the single player campaign, Gunship Mode is a combat mode in which the player fights on a gunship; this mode plays out like a rail shooter. E.D.G.E. is a unique ability that slows down time and allows the player to better react against enemy attacks. This feature is only seen in the single player campaign. The lone returning feature in Evolved is Infantry Mode. As seen in Front Mission: Gun Hazard, the player can fight as the pilot themselves. However, the player cannot board or disembark from their wanzer during play; Infantry Mode is strictly played on foot. Infantry Mode is also exclusive to the single player campaign.
Story
Front Mission Evolved is a story reboot of the Front Mission series, taking place after the storyline of the older titles. Therefore, new players to the series do not need to play the previous entries.Set in 2171, the game takes place around the world and in outer space. During the 22nd century, the world's superpowers look towards space for expansion and began constructing large structures called orbital elevators
Space elevator
A space elevator, also known as a geostationary orbital tether or a beanstalk, is a proposed non-rocket spacelaunch structure...
. With an increasing number of surveillance satellites and space-based technologies being developed, a Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
-style atmosphere sets in as the supranational unions used these technologies to watch over their adversaries on Earth. Tensions rise in 2171 when one of the elevators in the United States of the New Continent (USN) is attacked and destroyed by unknown assailants.
Plot
The plot of Front Mission Evolved revolves around USN engineer Dylan Ramsey. As an engineer for the weapons developer Diable Avionics, Dylan begins testing of a prototype wanzer on Long Island, New York. In the midst of the wanzer test, unknown forces begin attacking New York City and its orbital elevator, Percival. Worried about his father's safety in the city, he sets off for New York City inside the prototype wanzer. As he travels through the city to reach the National Strategy Research Laboratory (NSRL), Ramsey assists USN forces battling the unknown assailants. After battling through numerous enemy wanzers, vehicles, and aircraft, Dylan makes it to the NSRL premises just as missiles are launched into the building. With his father seemingly dead, he engages the attacker, Marcus Seligman of the Apollo's Chariot. The fight is cut short when the orbital elevator begins crashing down on New York City. After Percival collapses, Dylan is recruited into the USN Army as it prepares for war against the Oceania Cooperative Union (OCU).Music
External links
- Front Mission Evolved worldwide website at Square-Enix.com
- Front Mission Evolved at Square-Enix.com (English)
- Front Mission Evolved at Square-Enix.com
- Front Mission Evolved developer blog
- Front Mission official website at Square-Enix.com