Finished
Front Mission 2
Pros:
- Better than FM1 at your own team's wanzer variety (using identical "best" wanzer setup isn't an optimal solution).
- Better than FM3 at scale (12 units in your team, 20-30 enemies per mission).
- Utilizing the system (gaining / losing AP, geo effect, blocking paths, counters, special skills) is crucial to survival. Basic "gang up" technique, known from all Japanese tactical games, isn't enough here.
- Customization is as good as always - you can use any wanzer setup you want (1-3 weapons of different type, items, special skills).
- Special skill system is less complex than in FM3 (“use to increase”), while still being essential and fun to use. See also cons.
- Melee weapons are much more useful / essential / fun to use than in FM3. See also cons.
- Graphics are nice - simple, yet classy early 3d.
- The game is long (over 60 hrs), hardcore (no training, only regular missions) and addictive. Die Alte Schule.
Cons:
- There are way too many parts and weapons, adding mostly +1/+2 to wanzer stats. With the game being 30 missions long, you get like 15 sets of almost identical parts / weapons. FM3 went with "less, but more meaningful" route.
- There are too many special skills as well, some of them totally useless / subpar. 3-4 initial ones (trained to higher levels) are better than the fancy later ones.
- The plot is nothing special, if not totally stupid at times (sudden captures, rescues, fake villains, etc.).
- Loading times are way too long, despite being reduced in this (ultimate) version.
- The UI is a bit crude, both in combat and during customization - sometimes you have to go 2-3 levels deep into submenus to get some important info (enemy range / armor type / weapons). FM3 is much better in this aspect / requires less clicking.
- This entire "1x1" showdown part of combat is a mess: too long, too much info, style over usefulness. FM3 improved here greatly (all info on one screen, short animation). You can disable it in menus, but that means either less info or more menu browsing.
- Camera is set too close to the ground, which reduces visibility greatly / forces you to twitch the camera around.
- Melee weapons are hilariously broken / imbalanced: same range as short weapons (1x1), low AP cost, high accuracy + resistant to accuracy penalties (geo), free counter, no ammo, best special skills... Did I miss something?
- Missiles / ranged weapons are nerfed when compared to FM1 & especially FM3 (low ammo, damage & accuracy). Still, they rule in the final part of the game (enemies with powerful counter skills).
- Some missions have clearly a "puzzle" nature: find the one and only way of completing the mission.
- Txt dumps are simply too big sometimes and non-interactive. Get this VN shit out of my tactical game.
- Forced parts (like 5 consecutive arena fights to meet the champion) aren't fun.
- Some missions (mostly "escort some AI-controlled fag" ones) are irritating: there's no way of preparing to them except trying – failing – adjusting.
- Aircraft being resistant to most weapons, except special anti-air ones is a good idea taking realism into consideration, but stupid thing gameplay-wise. It requires you to either keep some AA specialist around (useless if no aircraft present) or re-trying missions with different (AA) gear.
- Constant changes of your teams in the first half of the game get irritating (units re-appear in some missions in weird roles / with useless equipment).
- The game totally ignores the y-axis in most cases - you can't go up/down / attack from above / below. FM3 is better here.
- Sometimes mission objectives aren't clear. For example "Protect object X", when you don't have an actual idea what it actually means. "Prevent enemies from destroying object X"? "Prevent them from standing next to it"? Enjoy reloading earlier saves.
- Translation is incomplete, which forces you to do some additional work (using txt translation, checking faqs for info).
Still, I won't go below:
