Front Mission 5

[MangledMess]

Since FM5 will never get a US-translated release, a group of dedicated gamers as seen in Romhacking.com (as stated by Valkyrie Hunter D), are currently working on the fan-translation patch of the game. The gameplay part is now done and the team, lead by LegaiaRules himself, are now currently working on the storyline part.

http://frontmission.info <-- The FM5 fan-translation team website. Check there for updates.

As for the plot(if you really wanna know the plot aside from enjoying the gameplay), you gotta be familiar with the storylines of all 4 games(from FM1st to FM4), because the game takes place over the course of several years, starting with the Huffman War in FM1st, through the eyes of a USN/UCS pilot. FM5 also supposedly ties up all loose ends and answers all questions to the plots in FM1st-FM4. Plus you have 2 cameos in the game(one who is playable if you play your cards right.)

As for me, I enjoyed that game so much, it made me stop playing FM4 midway and never looked back(the game received rave reviews in Japan, touted the best of all the FM games). Lots of stuff to do here. I love the Wanzers as much as I love the Valks and the Transformers. First or second or third... all are loved equally.

I'll shut up now. XD

Edited March 14, 2008 by MangledMess

[CAIN MKII]

I was so sad to learn that FM5 would never been US released despite the good reviews!

I love the FM serie.

But thanks to the work of dedicated fans, maybe I will be able to play and understand it.

Thank you MangledMess for the update.

[eugimon]

It's too bad that the very good FM series doesn't really get much notice/push, in the US... but the incredibly sucktastic armored core keeps getting published.

[CAIN MKII]

It's too bad that the very good FM series doesn't really get much notice/push, in the US... but the incredibly sucktastic armored core keeps getting published.

Amen to this , you speak the truth!

[MangledMess]

I was so sad to learn that FM5 would never been US released despite the good reviews!

I love the FM serie.

But thanks to the work of dedicated fans, maybe I will be able to play and understand it.

Thank you MangledMess for the update.

Just not that I'm not part of the team, just a another lurker fan helping the translation team and the game itself get some attention it deserves.

The real reason why FM5 didn't get a US release is explained in the FAQ page at said website:

http://frontmission.info/wiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FAQ

Edited March 14, 2008 by MangledMess

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

It sounds like the team did so much in a short amount of time, and being a FM fanboy myself, I would love to help out if I can, but I'm not really good with the hex-stuff. Regardless, I'll definitely be watching their progress.

[Warmaker]

So no FM5 release here in the US? Well, that sucks, but I can't say it surprises me given the spotty record of how this series has been brought to the US.

Of the FM games, the only ones that I've been able to get were FM3 for the PS1 and FM4 for the PS2.

Being a FM fan in the USA is like being an anime fan in the 90s. You had the chance to get some of the good stuff with alot of legwork, but also a snowball's chance in hell in getting the rest.

Edited March 14, 2008 by Warmaker

[MangledMess]

Legaiarules put up a teaser video of the still-work-in-progress translation patch on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-FO-CKsRgw

This is how far they are done:

http://frontmission.info/wiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ProjectStatus

Edited April 4, 2008 by MangledMess

[mriboy]

Thats why I only got my DS was front mission and other strategy game like panzer genrals. I wish the would give us one on thr PS.3

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Nee-ha! They did it!

FM 5 Prototype

I think 98% of a full translation is more than good enough to finally give this a go. It looks like they're also going to handle FM2 and Border of Madness-these guys are swell in my book. Now it's time to build me some wanzers...

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

After going through it once, I could finally have a solid opinion of this game. The translation seems to be a very literal one. There are some in-game lines that come off as odd but I think they were based on Japanese jokes or customs that may simply have no English equivalent (What the heck is a "Five-count"?).

Despite the lack of localization in some minor spots, there is more than enough translated to follow the main story. A big chunk of what is not translated is seen when your character is scouting for new recruits for your wanzer squad. There is also a lot of conversation that you miss out on in the Ready Room where the squad is constructed, and I think once the translation team gets to the aforementioned parts, each squad member's personality will be fleshed out even more.

I do have have some gripes with the game itself. The timeline of FM5 goes over a good 50 years going back to incidents from the first game, but with the way it’s presented, time doesn’t flow right. As an example, after completing a mission, three months supposedly pass but if you go back to the mess hall the people still have the same lines as three months prior. It doesn’t help that character models don’t show their age as time passes either. Well not until the end of the game anyways. A bigger gripe of mine is that the cooler parts and weapons from past FM games that were easily bought in shops can now only be found in the tedious Survival Simulator. Remember Parasite Eve and the Chrysler Building challenge? Well, the Survival Simulator is worse. I just can’t spend hours and hours grinding through a 100 floor dungeon just to farm parts. I hear the rewards are worth it, but I just don’t have the time.

As for the good stuff; the combat is great, graphics are on par (maybe even better) than FM4, organizing skills and links are easier to do, and friendly fire is now a BIG factor in making battle formations. Story-wise, FM3 still seems more epic in scale as opposed to FM5’s where the personal life of the main character takes center stage with the events of past games in the background. Oh yeah, every FM fan should give this game a shot just to play the final map-it’s one of the better final stages in FM. Overall, it’s another great FM game, but I just wish my fave parts were easier to access.

Many thanks to the team that made this translation possible!

Edited October 27, 2009 by Valkyrie Hunter D