Front Mission 4

Square returns to its ?other? turn-based strategy series with Front Mission 4 for the PS2.

Having taken a few years off since the last installment, Square returns to its other turn-based strategy series with Front Mission 4. Though on the surface FM4 may seem like a futuristic reimagination of Final Fantasy Tactics, the similarities end with the gameplay. Some hands-on time with a retail copy of the Japanese version (the U.S. version will be identical except for language) shows that the latest chapter in the Front Mission series is shaping up to be the best of the bunch.

The gameplay remains much the same since Front Mission 3 with players selecting their units (called ?Wanzers?) based on their individual strengths and weaknesses, and deploying them onto a grid-map playing board. The player and the computer-controlled enemies take turns commanding their Wanzer troops until the level objective is completed or one of the armies is annihilated?rather like chess but with badass robots and lots of guns. Each unit gains experience as it fights, and you can use the experience points gained during battle to purchase new abilities and upgrades for each Wanzer, lending a snazzy touch of customization as the upgrades also alter your characters? appearance. You can even tailor your units? colors to your liking.

Even if you missed the first three installments in the series, you can still pick up FM4 and enjoy a solid dose of mech-on-mech violence without skipping a beat.

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