An Analysis Of The Overseas Handling Of Front Mission
- Front Mission First
- Front Mission History
- Front Mission 4
- Front Mission 2089
- Front Mission: Online
- Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
- Front Mission 2089-II
Upon the localized releases of Front Mission 3, it would be a few years before another Front Mission title was released. On November 23, 2003, a remake of the original Front Mission titled Front Mission First was released in Japan for the PlayStation under the Front Mission Project line. With the inclusion of a second campaign and new plot linkages with another upcoming Front Mission title in Front Mission 4, Western magazine publications were hinting that the game was planned for localization. Unfortunately, this never came to fruition and the newly-formed Square Enix Co., Ltd. never revealed any plans for it.
Despite the shockingly poor handling of Front Mission overseas, the developers from G-Craft and who made up the newly-formed Product Development Division 6 (PDD6) at Square Enix Co., Ltd. devised a means for overseas audiences to get quickly caught up with Front Mission. A compilation of Front Mission First, Front Mission 2, and Front Mission 3 was released in Japan on December 11, 2003 under the title Front Mission History. In an interview with Japanese magazine publication Dengeki Games on Front Mission's future, PDD6 developers revealed plans to have the compilation made available outside of Japan sometime in 2004.
The reasoning given behind the plan was that Front Mission 3 had been localized, and that Front Mission and Front Mission 2 were already partially in English to begin with. Additionally, doing both localizations at the same time would save a great deal of time and money. Unfortunately, history repeated itself when Square Enix Co., Ltd. rejected PDD6's localization plan.
A portion of Front Mission 4's localization blunders. The U.S.N. naming convention was changed to U.C.S. for the localized version; no reasoning was given.
Original Iron Cross VS Censored, Edited Cross Symbol Comparisons
The release of Front Mission 4 for the Sony PlayStation 2 in Japan on December 18, 2003 was followed up with news of an English localization underway. During Spring of 2004, the video game was released in North America. Square Enix Co., Ltd. put in a better effort with quality this time around, and seemed to have learned from their mistakes. However, a closer look at the localized version reveals a familiar situation from Front Mission 3 – censorship. Replacing the Iron Cross with a new cross symbol, coarse language toned down, and mature story content replaced with new dialogue were evident in the English version. Furthermore, the same blunders on the basic game data were noticeable. Lastly, plot linkages were once again swept aside so Front Mission 4 appeared purely standalone.
The biggest handling flaw of Front Mission 4 did not lie in the localization itself. Rather, it was most evident in its marketing. Front Mission 3 had limited marketing and did not have huge print runs in North America or Europe. Square Enix Co., Ltd. tried to change this by putting a good deal of marketing into Front Mission 4, with demo discs and mini-strategy guides being a few of the promotional items they released. They also produced a significantly large print run...which unfortunately proved to be Front Mission 4's demise. By overestimating its sales potential, Square Enix Co., Ltd. faced financial losses as many copies of the video game remained unsold at many retailers.
Front Mission 2089's English portions, in preparation for localization.
Front Mission 2089 was released on March 7, 2005 for the Japanese mobile phone market under the Front Mission Mobile line. As a mobile phone game, it was never considered for a localization. Front Mission 2089, however, was still developed with an overseas release in mind as its user interfaces and game data were in English.
English Alpha Test Application, Page 1 | Page 2
English Alpha Test Registration Site
During Fall of 2004, PDD6 began beta testing of their newest product – Front Mission: Online. Still determined to push Front Mission abroad, the developers tailored the video game specifically for an English release. Front Mission: Online had user interfaces and game data that were completely in English, as well as voice-overs completely in English. To prove that they were very serious about a localization, PDD6 allowed testing sessions to commence in North America. A select number of North American people were allowed to participate in the video game's English alpha testing sessions, which took place sometime after the Japanese release of the game in May 12, 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and December 8, 2005 for the Windows PC. Tom Slattery, a former translator for Square Enix Co., Ltd., confirmed this alpha test in a recent interview with RPGamer.
With a very high concentration of the Front Mission: Online's text being in English, it was eventually revealed that a North American release was indeed being worked on. In a move that took even PDD6 by surprise, Square Enix Co., Ltd. canceled the North American localization in its latter stages. No reason was given for this course of action.
Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
Front Mission 5: Scars of the War; it was not tailored for an overseas release.
Billed as the “main event” of the Front Mission Project line, Front Mission 5: Scars of the War was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan on December 29, 2005. The video game also marked the first time that a Front Mission title was not tailored towards an overseas localization. Aside from some game data and bits of the user interfaces, Front Mission 5: Scars of the War was largely in Japanese. There were rumors that the video game was being planned for a localization, but these were revealed to be unfounded and baseless. However, as there was a copyright issue between Square Enix Co., Ltd. and another party over the subtitle, some believe that there were plans to release Front Mission 5: Scars of the War in English. So, what exactly happened here?
Well, for starters, the video game never was considered for a localization. Before anyone begins to point fingers at Front Mission 4 and its poor reception, that was never really much of a relevant factor. Rather, it all comes down to the simple fact that Square Co., Ltd. and Square Enix Co., Ltd. never really allowed the franchise to thrive overseas. Specifically, overseas markets did not have access to the full selection of Front Mission titles that were available in Japan. This fact makes much more sense when one takes into account Front Mission's serialized storytelling approach. Serialized stories are meant to work as a whole, and taking out any parts of it leaves the story ultimately unresolved.
Front Mission 5: Scars of the War takes into account that the player at the very least has experienced Front Mission, Front Mission 2, Front Mission 3, and Front Mission 4. Other titles such as Front Mission Alternative, Front Mission: Online, Front Mission 2089, and Front Mission 2089-II also matter, but not as much as the main four numbered ones. Around the time of its release, only two had been localized overseas – Front Mission 3 and Front Mission 4. As the video game requires above-average knowledge of Front Mission in general, would it really have been a good idea to go ahead and do a localization with so few Front Mission titles accessible? No.
What did PDD6 have to say about this? Here is a translated excerpt from an interview with Dengeki Games in 2006...
Q (Dengeki): I know you get these kinds of questions a lot, but I want to ask you about Front Mission overseas. There's a lot of talk going on about how Front Mission 5: Scars of the War is not being localized. What can you tell us about this situation?
A: (Toshiro Tsuchida) Hahaha, yes we certainly have been asked about this before! No, Front Mission 5: Scars of the War will not be getting overseas releases. Although I can tell you that it was on our minds, we did not tailor the game for localization. Before you ask why, let me present you with my own question.
Would you watch a final season of a TV serial drama with access to only some of its seasons?
Dengeki: No, I would never do that! If I liked a TV serial drama and wanted to watch its final season, I would do everything I can to watch the seasons before it! I believe that if you haven't seen the previous seasons, you have no business watching the show's concluding one!
Tsuchida: Apply that same logic to Front Mission because that's exactly why we can't release 5 outside of Japan! The only one to blame for letting this happen is our company management. They're the ones who let the golden opportunities slip away, you know. We've done all we can to make the language and region transition as smooth as possible for most of the games, but head management never thought it was worth the risk.
They had chances to correct their mistakes over the years and sadly, they did not deliver. They missed the first four titles, didn't bother with the History compilation, and canceled Online's release abroad. Only 3 and 4 are available in the West...5 revolves mainly around 1st and 2...and Alternative, Online, and 2089 are also relevant. Why bother releasing the final "season" if you've never even watched the first few, let alone the spin-offs? You reap what you sow.
Front Mission 2089-II's English portions, in preparation for localization.
Front Mission 2089-II was released on September 15, 2006 for the Japanese mobile phone market under the Front Mission Mobile line. As a mobile phone game, it was never considered for a localization. Front Mission 2089-II, however, was still developed with an overseas release in mind as its user interfaces and game data were in English.
Click here for Part Three, or here for Part One.