Page2
Front Mission Project: The PDD6 Days
The Front Mission Project logo.
The remake of Front Mission, Front Mission First, and Front Mission 4.
When Square Co., Ltd. merged with Enix Corporation, the company decided to re-hire many of the employees it laid off. Many of the R&D 7 employees who went to Konami were re-hired to form PDD6, though some stayed behind to help presumably develop the Zone of the Enders franchise. With the original team re-assembled and Tsuchida back at the helm, he set forth to complete the plans he laid out in 1994. And so, the Front Mission Project was born. After unveiling the project to the public at the Tokyo Game Show 2003, two titles were announced: Front Mission First for the PlayStation and Front Mission 4 for the PlayStation 2.
Reminding the Japanese audience about the series' serialized nature, Tsuchida explained that Front Mission First was a remake of the original. A new campaign was being developed to help explain the mysteries behind the original campaign, as well as introduce plot linkages to Front Mission 4. To help newcomers catch up on the series, a compilation titled Front Mission History was announced. It would be made up of Front Mission First, a modified Front Mission 2 with faster loading times and battle skipping options, and Front Mission 3. This and the standalone Front Mission First were released weeks before Front Mission 4 during Fall 2003.
After over 3 years since the last entry, Front Mission 4 was released in December 2003. As with Front Mission 3, the game was also localized overseas. Although the return to the Front Mission norm was accepted by fans, it was also criticized for feeling "incomplete". The story felt rushed at times, many of the parts that were coded into the game went unused, and it had very little in the way of side modes and replay factor. There were even features that weren't officially documented in the game. These criticisms were acknowledged by PDD6 in follow-up interviews.
The Front Mission Mobile entries - Front Mission 2089 and Front Mission 2089-II.
Aware of their shortcomings, PDD6 went back to the drawing board and began work on their next Front Mission entries. Having realized the growth of mobile phone gaming in Japan, PDD6 created the Front Mission Mobile series. The development of the series was outsourced to Winds. (though numerous PDD6 developers were involved, similar to the situation with Front Mission: Gun Hazard) The first title, Front Mission 2089, was released on March 2005 for the mobile phones. While the game played the same as Front Mission First, the story was told through episodes. On a bi-weekly basis, new episodes could be downloaded onto the mobile phones.
As the Front Mission Mobile series took off, PDD6 began beta testing for their newest spin-off: Front Mission: Online. Designed as a massively-multiplayer online (MMO) game in the third-person shooter (TPS) genre, this marked the first time the series ventured into online gaming. Through this, Square Enix Co., Ltd. gave North American people a chance to test the game months prior to its release on May 2005 on the PlayStation 2 and Windows PC. Much to these testers' chagrin, the company did not localize and release Front Mission: Online overseas. Service of the game on PlayOnline ended on May 31, 2008.
Front Mission: Online and Front Mission 5: Scars of the War.
Despite the Front Mission Mobile and Front Mission: Online projects, PDD6 kept their eye on the biggest project - Front Mission 5: Scars of the War. After many Front Mission video games and expanded universe supplements, the goal Tsuchida and his team had been working so hard for was now within their grasp. Nothing short of excellence would be acceptable for the finale of a grand saga. And thankfully, they did not disappoint. Well aware of all of the praises and criticisms of past entries, PDD6 crafted a new turn-based entry that maximized the former and minimized the latter. Amazingly, all of the previous entries gets a nod from this aspect.
Released at the very end of December in 2005 on the PlayStation 2, Front Mission 5: Scars of the War was a fitting gift to the fans who stuck through since the beginning. Starring the cast first introduced in the Front Mission Zero manga in 1994, closure was a key theme in the storyline. The unresolved plot elements from past entries were finally answered as the story unfolded. Most importantly, it brings closure to the intertwined lives of the series' main protagonist and deuteragonist. While these two characters were the most recurring characters from the Front Mission books, they only made minor appearances in the video games until now.
When Front Mission 5: Scars of the War was released, a huge sigh of relief from PDD6 could be felt in their old development blog. (which is now unfortunately out of service) Many developers, especially from the original Front Mission team, made a very big posting with their thoughts on the 11-year journey, about how big the series became, and thanked all the fans who supported them. This feeling of success was evident in the critical and commercial response to the game. Front Mission 5: Scars of the War received universal praise from industry reviews, and it sold well enough that the franchise, as a whole, broke the 3 million units sold mark.
Mission Complete: Moving onto New Frontiers
With their original goal finally met, PDD6 no longer needed to continue working on Front Mission. They could have easily created a new IP if they wanted to. Yet, the team chose to continue expanding the franchise...but not in the usual means. On the video game front, Front Mission 2089-II was co-developed by PDD6 and Winds. Released in 2006 and designed as a follow-up to the original Front Mission 2089, it focused on exploring the unknowns behind that video game's story. The play mechanics were also changed; instead of resembling Front Mission First, the game plays closer to Front Mission 5: Scars of the War.
The Nintendo DS entries - Front Mission First and Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness.
A few months later, using the leftover funding from the Front Mission Project, PDD6 decided to port over Front Mission First to the Nintendo DS. Released in March 2007, the game added a lot of new content, such as new parts, weapons, and secret missions. In a move to bridge the gap between the Front Mission video games and books, characters from various entries were added in the game's campaigns. It is this version that finally sees a localization overseas, thanks to some persuasive arguments the PDD6 developers made with the company's head office. Despite their first time working on the DS, it would not be their last.
Noticing that fans would rather play a Front Mission video game on a portable system than mobile phones from recent surveys, PDD6 decided to create a remake based on Front Mission 2089 and to an extent, Front Mission 2089-II. The remake, Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness, was released on the Nintendo DS on May 2008. The game was modeled after Front Mission First with the inclusion of features from other entries. Despite the lack of new features, Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness presents the story using manga-styled drawings as a nod to the Front Mission manga series. The game has not been localized overseas sadly.
Video games aside, PDD6 has been involved in the spreading Front Mission in other mediums. Most notably, through the medium of books - manga and novels. Although the team has been releasing Front Mission books since 1994 and have found much success in this medium, it was not until 2005 that they began to truly create a second "home" out of it. Through a partnership with Young Gangan in 2005, two original Front Mission entities were born: Front Mission - The Drive in 2005 and Front Mission - Dog Life & Dog Style in 2007. Front Mission - The Drive is finished, but Front Mission - Dog Life & Dog Style is still on-going.
Front Mission Evolved.
Nearly five years have passed since the release of Front Mission 5: Scars of the War...and the franchise is still alive. While PDD6 has not registered much activity, likely due to commitments to help develop the new Final Fantasy titles, but there's no telling where they will go from here on. A new entry, Front Mission Evolved, which was recently released in Fall 2010 but development was outsourced to Double Helix Games and other companies. Beyond this, Koichiro Sakamoto from PDD6 mentioned that there is a chance of the series returning to its turn-based strategy roots. Can the franchise keep going in the video game realm?
The PDD6 writers are honing their writing craft as they work on Front Mission - Dog Life & Dog Style, the current Front Mission manga series...and one that shows no signs of ending soon. Given the financial successes of the previous book series, Front Mission could make a living in this medium should no more video games be produced in the future. The only question is if any of them will be translated and released outside of Japan...it's a shame none have made it overseas. Apart from their plot connections, the Front Mission books also boast a level of writing on par with well-known fiction novels. (though the PDD6 writers are novelists themselves)
Apart from video games and books, Front Mission could see more expansion in the areas of film and radio. The franchise has had past experiences in live-action film through Front Mission in 1994 and Front Mission: Gun Hazard in 1995. Creating something like an original video animation (OVA) wouldn't be out of the question as PDD6 has developers (particularly their writers) with film industry credentials. The Front Mission: Gun Hazard radio drama in late 1995 was popular, but it's not necessarily a popular medium these days. Nevertheless, as radios are still in use, who knows?
Front Mission is an unusual beast...a real one of a kind. It's a video game franchise, but it also utilizes various media effectively to create the bigger picture. In fact, it seems as if video games aren't necessarily needed to tell the Front Mission story. The video games have their roots in the turn-based strategy genre, but more often than not, are open to experimentation and ventures into other realms. It's a well-known and respected series in Japan, but sadly almost a complete mystery outside everywhere else in the world. And the craziest fact is, the series still stands five years after it was technically finished. What are the odds?