Front Mission 3
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😊 7.9/10
(Playstation - US, RPG)
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Developed_By:
Squaresoft
Published_By:
Square Enix
Released On:
02 Sep 1999
Yokosuka, Japan, 2112 AD. The young student Kazuki Takemura works as a test pilot with Kirishima Industries, a production company of military battle wanzers (walking panzers), mechanized walking robots with movement similar to that of a human being. Kazuki has just finished testing the combat capabilities of the new Zeinslev prototype in the lab. Finishing his day's tasks he is asked by his best friend Ryogo to help with a company delivery to the Japanese Defense Force (JDF) military based. This simple choice determines where Kazuki is when strange things begin happening in Japan. A large explosion, a wanzer theft, his sister Alysia being hunted, rumors of a powerful weapon, and accusations of involvement by agents of both the OCU and the USN all make the situation more complicated. Kazuki is swept up in a plot of conflicting loyalties and attacked by various factions. He will need to recruit additional characters and wanzers in order to be victorious in battle and investigate leads to uncover what is going on.
Front Mission 3 , like other games in the Front Mission Series is a turn-based strategy game featuring real-time environments, CG movies, mechanized robots and strategic battles. The game contains two independent storylines with different situations, environments and unique characters made up of different set of allies and enemies. The majority of the game takes place on the battlefield where Kazuki and his allies are controlled in an overhead view 3D environment. The player chooses his unit and assigns where it will be moved and what action it will perform. Typical actions include attacking with a shoulder weapon (missiles or grenades), attacking with a weapon held in the hand (ranged and melee), using items, guarding against future attack and simply ending the turn. As characters fire weapons back and forth at each other, they will inflict damage to different parts of the wanzer. Areas that can be damaged and destroyed/disabled include arms, legs, and body. Complete damage to the body will 'destroy' the wanzer in battle, whereas disabling other parts will merely render it less effective.
Between combat missions, Kazuki is able to save his game as well as explore the "network". The network is a virtual internet, allowing connections to the (completely fictional) websites of organizations involved in the Front Mission 3 plot. While exploration on the network is not required, it's exploration will uncover clues to some of the game's backstory as well as open up the opportunity to develop email contacts, obtain additional funds and unlock new wanzer gear.
Between certain missions, Kazuki will enter a town. These are represented by a simple graphical menu of different locations. Areas that can be visited typically include Pubs, Wanzer Equipment Shops, Wanzer Parts Shops and specific locations. Wanzers are mix-and-matchable so that feet from one model can be attached to another and different weapons carried. Different wanzer parts each have unique values for HP, accuracy, movement and armor. However each part and weapon has a "weight" value, which is determined by each individual Wanzer model's engine (as well as additional parts). A wanzer is always unable to carry more than it's maximum weight. Towns are also where Kazuki will often meet new characters and have conversations to uncover the plot.
eBay Product ID:
3701 (United States)
UPC-A:
662248900056 (United States)
ASIN:
B00004R9IL (United States)
Sony PN:
SLUS-01011 (United States)
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Number of Offline Players:
1 Player
Save Game Methods:
External Storage
Number of Players Supported:
1 Player
Input Device Features Supported:
Vibration
Controller Types Supported:
Analog Controller
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Typical $54.59–$55.14 (last 90 days)
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Manual
Game Guide
Extracted from the original game manual
Controls
directional button UP/DOWN
Select commands from the Start Menu
Ⓧ button
Select commands
START button
Skip the opening movie
directional button
Select letters on Pilot Data Registration Screen
L1 button/R1 button
Rotate perspective during battle
L2 button/R2 button
Select ally unit that has not taken action during Player's Phase
left analog stick
Move the cursor (when LED is lit)
SELECT button
Confirm the location of units hidden behind obstacles on the Strategic Map
ANALOG button
Turns ON/OFF analog function
△ button
Displays the Accuracy of enemy's counterattack when Ally unit's attack Accuracy is displayed during battle
○ button
Cancel command and return to previous Menu window
☐ button
Choose weapons during battle
right analog stick
Move the cursor (when LED is lit)
Enemies & Characters
Kazuki Takemura
A 19-year-old student of Yokosuka Technical Institute who serves as a test pilot for Kirishima Industries. His father is a JDF colonel, and he has an adopted sister named Alisa.
Ryogo Kusama
A 19-year-old student of Yokosuka Technical Institute who serves as a test pilot for Kirishima Industries. He has been a friend of Kazuki since junior high school.
Emma Klamsky
A 22-year-old Chairman of the USN Military Research Laboratory who came to Japan to investigate an explosion at the Yokosuka JDF base. She appears to be Russian, but no further details are known.
Alisa Takemura
A 19-year-old student at Teihoku University and Kazuki's adopted sister. She was adopted by Isao Takemura when she was 9 years old after her parents, who were friends of Isao, passed away.
Dennis Vicarth
A 35-year-old FAI (USN Federal Agency of Intelligence) agent sent to Japan with Emma to investigate the accident at the Yokosuka JDF base. He is extremely professional, always prioritizing his work.
Yun Lai Fa
A 17-year-old independent agent from OCU Singapore who takes any kind of contract job for money, such as spying or hacking computer systems. She has made a living independently since she was a child and is said to be an orphan.
Lukau Minaeu
A 28-year-old cool and efficient FAI Agent from the USN, serving as the superior officer of Dennis.
Hei Fong Liu
A 32-year-old Lieutenant of DHZ intelligence from the People's Republic of Da Han Zhong. He is described as a calm and composed spy.
Isao Takemura
A 42-year-old Colonel in the OCU Japanese Defense Force (JDF) and Kazuki's father. He treats his adopted daughter, Alisa, as if she were his real daughter, even though his wife passed away years ago.
Marcus Armstrong
A 43-year-old Captain in the USN Army, known as an easy-going individual who works at his own pace. He joined the military to protect his family and is a popular leader with his troops due to his impressive military background.
Jose Astrada
A 35-year-old OCU Philippines army sniper who begins to defy orders after discovering his wife was a civilian casualty. He was born in an area rife with conflict between government forces and anti-government rebels.
Xiang Mei Li
A 43-year-old mercenary from the People's Republic of Da Han Zhong, formerly a DHZ soldier. He left the military to become a wandering wanzer pilot after his family was killed when the DHZ military burnt his village.
Mayer Edward
A 28-year-old OCU Central Intelligence Unit (CIU) agent from OCU Australia. She is a cheerful woman who performs her duties with precision despite her taste for drinking and gambling.
Miho Shinjo
A 23-year-old police officer in the traffic department from OCU Japan. She is quiet, reserved, intelligent, and has the ability to analyze situations skillfully.
Xiao Hua Lan
A 34-year-old Vice-commander of the elite DHZ Rapid Reaction Force from the People's Republic of Da Han Zhong. She is a 'perfect' soldier who obeys orders without question and speaks only when necessary.
Pham Luis
A 17-year-old anti-government guerrilla from OCU Philippines. She is arrogant, selfish, anti-social, and joined the guerrilla force for the thrill of it, being ignorant of events around her.
How to Play
Battles
Battles are conducted on Strategic Maps. After all ally units complete their actions in the Player Phase, the game proceeds to the Enemy Phase, in which enemy units take their actions.
Victory Conditions
Battles are turn-based. During a Phase, the player and the enemy select actions using all units on the Strategic Map. The player is victorious if all enemy units are annihilated or if the mission objective is completed.
The game is over if the player's units are completely annihilated or if a mission objective cannot be completed.
Reading Unit Data
•
1) Pilot.
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2) Current/Maximum AP Points.
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3) The AP required to attack with the selected weapon.
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4) The weapon is shown next to the display of its Attack Class. Potential damage is displayed as (Attack Power) X (percentage of attack success). Below that, the amount of ammunition in inventory is shown. The ∞ (infinity) symbol means that this weapon has an unlimited supply of ammunition.
•
5) Current HP for each part is displayed numerically, as well as graphically in the form of a blue bar. The amount of damage is displayed in black.
Unit Positioning
Before certain battles, the player must select ally characters, distribute AP, and arrange the positions of ally units on the Strategic Map. Use the directional button to move the cursor, and press the button to select a location.
•
Assign a wanzer to each ally by pressing the directional button or left stick LEFT/RIGHT.
•
Distribute AP to each ally.
•
Repeat this process, or select <END> on the Positioning Screen to finish.
System Window
Open the System window by pressing the START button during the Player Phase of a battle. Here, the player can execute functions such as saving a "Battle Save," changing the game configuration, ending the turn, etc.
End Turn
Select this to end a turn and allow enemies to take action.
Medals
After each battle, an evaluation of the battle will be displayed. The Average Damage is calculated by dividing the total damage that player-controlled units received at the stage completion by the total number of battles fought.
The Average Weapon Level is the average Skill Level of the weapons used in attacks and counterattacks in the stage. The evaluation will be higher as these averages lower. The prize money received at the end of the battle varies according to the number of enemies defeated.
Battle Save
Select this option to save during a battle.
Config
Various game settings can be changed here. If "Skip Battle Scene" is turned <ON>, battle scenes can be skipped by pressing the button.
AP System
Every action costs AP (Action Points).
Using AP
AP decreases by 1 for each square moved. The number of AP consumed when attacking enemy units depends on the type of weapon being used. AP also decreases when using an item or counterattacking.
AP Distribution
At the beginning of the game, each character has 14 AP. As the game progresses, the player will be able to distribute the AP of each character. AP distribution may take place during Setup or the beginning of a battle, or while changing wanzers or other vehicles during battle.
Select the category to which AP are being allocated by pressing the directional button UP/DOWN, and determine the AP value of each category by pressing LEFT/RIGHT; then press the button to finish distribution. All units require a minimum of 12 AP for battle. When distributing AP, the final AP value for a character cannot be below 12.
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Defense (Defense Class)
Status Change Evasion and Damage Class modifiers will change as AP is distributed.
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Accuracy (ACC)
The Accuracy of all equipped weapons will change as the AP is distributed.
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Evasion (EVA)
The Evasion modifier for enemy attacks will change as the AP is distributed.
AP Recovery
12 AP are awarded to the player's units at the beginning of each Player Phase; however, this will never exceed each pilot's maximum AP value.
Earning AP and Ace Points
As the player destroys an enemy unit's body parts, Ace Points will be awarded (displayed as medal marks). Each arm is worth 2 points, as are the legs, while the body is worth 3 points.
When a certain amount of Ace Points are collected, the pilot's Ace Rank increases (on the Character Status window, a mark will be displayed next to the Ace Rank), and the maximum AP will increase.
After the Battle Screen is displayed, the number of Ace Points obtained will be displayed. On the Character window of the Status window, all Ace Points obtained will be displayed. After a certain number of Ace Points are collected, a pilot's maximum AP increases.
Movement
A selected unit's movement range is marked with blue squares. Move the cursor to the destination and press the button. If the unit is not to be moved, open the Action window by pressing the button while that unit is selected.
Movement Limitations
Movement distance varies according to which type of legs the unit possesses. The "Booster" ability is required to climb up and down steps.
AP Use (Movement)
1 AP is used for 1 square of movement.
Attack
After movement, the Action window opens. To attack, move the cursor to the Attack> command and press the button.
Attack Range
When Attack> is selected, the attack range of the weapon currently selected will be displayed in orange. If the player does not have enough AP, if the HP of the arm equipped
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