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Shacknews reports that Square Enix has announced Front Mission Evolved for PC,  PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.  Initially, I was intrigued by this news, but my hopes were dashed just as quickly as I had clicked the link.

 
Front Mission Evolved

 
Here’s why:

In development at Double Helix, Front Mission Evolved will take the mech-based strategy series into the realm of third-person shooting. The action game will feature both a singleplayer campaign and online multiplayer, and is set for release on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

A third-person shooter?  Come on!  I was sorely disappointed that Square Enix decided not to bring Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness for the DS to the States after enjoying the Front Mission DS port, and now this.

I love the Front Mission games because of the interesting mix of squad-based combat, turned-based game play, and giant fighting robots.  Add in the healthy dose of upgrades and customization,  and there’s really little holding the series back.  The later games add new features to the tactical combat making the game even more enjoyable.  The only drawback is the linearity of the campaign, limiting replay value.

In the States, the only other Front Mission titles we’ve seen are Front Mission 3 and Front Mission 4, which were released for PS1 and PS2, respectively.  We were passed over with Front Mission 5: Scars of War.  So the announcement of a current-gen Front Mission game to be released in North America had me very excited.  I guess it was too good to be true.

And with Double Helix at the helm of the title, my expectations are low.  Silent Hill: Homecoming was great visually and made great use of sound, but the title was mediocre overall.  The only redeeming feature of the game would be the boss fights, which were challenging and rewarding (specifically, Scarlet.)

But who knows?  Maybe Double Helix will surprise me and create a fantastic game.  The released screen shots do look pretty good.  I’ll have to wait for reviews.  In the meantime, I’ll just lodge my complaint — why not a strategy title?