A huge departure what from what people are used to with Front Mission. Side scroller? Yes. *long with minor spoilers*
Those two mentioned games are also great games but FMGH has a different feel. If you are playing a translated version of FMGH you will be treated with an actual good and engrossing story. Of course, you'll have your standard fare upgrades to your mecha (or in this case Wanzer) and other weaponry and there are quite a number combination of things you can get out there...but nothing in comparison with the other front missions...including its prequel.
At the core, FMGH is a side-scrolling shooter with RPG elements and the concept is not very original - shoot everything on the screen and each destroyed enemy has a value in cash and experience points (XP), both of which allow you to get better equipment as you get further into the game. One of the nice touches that I like seeing is the fact that your character (Albert) doesn't have to do everything alone to accomplish his missions. Throughout the course of the game, you will encounter a variety of of pilots, their Wanzers and whatnot. They will be typically teamed up with you to help you out. There are a couple of neat gameplay twists though. In some cases, your progress depends on those pilots you teamed-up with. The other nice thing is that your Wanzer actually has many different movements in the game. It is so different from selecting your Wanzer...watch him make a move...and then watch your enemy move in return. In this game, everything happens in real-time (which is typical of side scrollers anyway).
So is the game fun?
The game starts off VERY SLOW. You of course have your typical bad guys that lurk around the level and you cut through them like butter. Then, there are the Boss fights. Some boss fights are pretty cool but you'll find out that you'll be seeing alot of the same character/boss very often in the beginning with some character stepping up to keep you from dying. The first boss that you can actually destroy (Brenda) just drops bombs all day and you basically just need to point up and shoot.
This will all change once you have a new commander who takes you to more varied missions in New York. That's when you start seeing different things (i.e. Commando Wanzers) and begin navigating maze-like levels such as installation interiors, underground bases a la Super Metroid. You'll also get your real taste of real bosses that can give you a hard time. This is when you'll have to learn how to effectively level in FMGH.
In FMGH, you can gain a percentage of EXP just by using the equipment/armor...just like the other Front Mission games. Also, percentages gained in any piece of equipment apply to all equipment of that type so if you have 20% in a Wanzer (i.e. WGP-30), all other WGP-30s you buy will be at 30% as well. Because of this you can actually sell back special weapons without forfeiting the amount of time you've invested in levelling them. This is huge! Because now you can actually make your character well-rounded and not have to keep a ton of stuff lying around thinking you'll lose your experience using that equipment. This is enjoyable and it gives the player that freedom to try other things with their Wanzer even if you're short on cash and won't be needing a particular weapon for a mission or two. This style of leveling helps with later bosses that can be a real challenge or just plain cake. You'll encounter some bosses that like to split into two when they're at 50% and some bosses that are not vehicles or mecha...but an actual bridge...with defensive capabilities of course.
The fun factor comes in the form of 'creative' leveling and a good choice of weapons for the level and the bosses that inhabit it...especially the agile ones. Because of this, the game is fun. It has a good soundtrack and has nice paralax scrolling graphics. It's Front Mission. Yet it's not. If it weren't for the Front Mission name, I would've thought that this game is the spiritual prequel to Armored Core. They both share the same principals and they are geared towards missions and upgrading mecha...with, of course, the exception of learning the equipment.
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