Playing through the FM Timeline (SPOILERS)
Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
PlayStation 2
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- Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
- Playing through the FM Timeline (SPOILERS)
If anyone was wondering how to play FM5 and understanding the whole series storyline, I'll make this easy by making a quick guide. Until the plot guide comes out, play the series like this: 1ST HUFFMAN CONFLICT - 2070-2072 Referenced in FM5 HUFFMAN CRISIS - 2086-2090 (ties into LARCUS INCIDENT) 2089: O.C.U./U.S.N. Border Incidents FM 2089: BoM Missions 01 to 28 Vampires FM 2089: BoM Missions 29 to 40 2090: B Organization FM 2089: BoM Missions 41 to 48 Star of Freedom FM 1st U.S.N. Missions 01 to 02 Nirvana Institute FM 1st U.S.N. Missions 03 to 04 FM5 Mission 00 LARCUS INCIDENT - June 2090 (ties into 2ND HUFFMAN CONFLICT) FM 2089: BoM Missions 49 to 50 FM 1st O.C.U. Mission 01 2ND HUFFMAN CONFLICT - 2090 to 2091 (ties into SAKATA INDUSTRIES CONSPIRACY) 2090: Freedom Invasion Operation FM 2089: BoM Mission 51 FM 1st U.S.N. Missions 05 to 09, Secret Mission 01 FM5 Missions 01 to 02 Lark Valley Destruction FM 1st U.S.N. Mission 10, Secret Missions 02 to 03 2091: Canyon Crows Formation FM 1st O.C.U. Missions 02 to 04 FM5 Mission 03 Grey Rock Hospital FM 1st O.C.U. Mission 05/U.S.N. Mission 11 Freedom Recapture Operation FM 1st O.C.U. Missions 06 to 08, Secret Mission 01/U.S.N. Missions 12 to 14 FM5 Mission 04 O.C.U. Offensive into U.S.N. Territory FM 1st O.C.U. Missions 09 to 13, Secret Mission 02/U.S.N. Missions 15 to 18, Secret Mission 04 FM5 Mission 05 Operation Eagle Tears FM 1st O.C.U. Missions 14 to 18, Secret Mission 03 FM5 Missions 06 to 07 SAKATA INDUSTRIES CONSPIRACY - 2091 to 2092 2091: Spirits of Huffman FM 1st O.C.U. Missions 19 to 22, Secret Mission 04/U.S.N. Mission 19 Nirvana Investigations FM 1st O.C.U. Missions 23 to 24/U.S.N. Mission 20 Tracking Nirvana Whereabouts FM 1st U.S.N. Missions 21 to 22 Santa Barbara Incident FM 1st U.S.N. Mission 23 2092: Escape from PMO FM 1st O.C.U. Missions 25 to 29 Longrivers Island Incident FM 1st O.C.U. Mission 30 U.S.N. Border Incidents FM 1st U.S.N. Secret Mission 05 B ORGANIZATION REMNANTS - 2093 (ties into FORTUNE MEDICAL) FM 2089: BoM Mission 52 REPUBLIC OF KIRIBATI - 2094 FM5 Missions 08 to 10 CASPIAN SEA - 2095 (ties into E.C. RESOURCE CRISIS) FM5 Mission 11 E.C. RESOURCE CRISIS - 2096 FM4 Missions 00 to 29 VENEZUELAN COUP D'ETAT - 2096 (ties into SOUTH AMERICA) FM4 Missions 00 to 29 INDOCHINA CONFLICT - 2097 (ties into ALORDESH COUP D'ETATS) FM5 Missions 12 to 15 FORTUNE MEDICAL - March 2098 FM5 Missions 16 to 17 FIRST ALORDESH COUP D'ETAT - 2098 (ties into SECOND ALORDESH COUP D'ETAT) Referenced in FM2 SOUTH AMERICA - May 2098 FM5 Missions 18 to 19 SECOND ALORDESH COUP D'ETAT - 2102 (ties into CAMBODIA) FM2 Missions 01 to 31, Secret Missions 01 to 02 CAMBODIA - 2109 FM5 Missions 20 to 22 ALASKA - 2110 to 2112 (ties into M.I.D.A.S. INCIDENT) FM5 Missions 23 to 27 M.I.D.A.S. INCIDENT - 2112 FM3 Alisa Missions 01 to 59/Emma Missions 01 to 71 |
And the series storyline ends at 2121. |
I will just have to skip the alordesh coup d etat...and the vampires organization from BOM...didnt play either :(....but i see that FM 5 revolves a lot on FM 1 missions....its good that i played front mission 1st this year otherwise i would have been quite lost in this one.... evil memories cant be lost only retained sometimes they break free it is something that you will have to live the rest of your life with it |
It's an even split actually between FM 1st and 2 in terms of missions, with the rest taking the scraps. But yes, FM 1st is the most direct of the FM connections in 5. Much of FM2's connections are indirect in that it's foreshadowing what's to come (and what happens afterward). You won't be spoiled as much, but won't know why the events in the middle part of the game really happen. Kind of like "well, that's interesting" but you'll miss out on the subtleties and the bigger implications of the events in the long run. FM3's part is obvious since it gets the very end leading up to the opening FMV. And FM4 takes the scraps in-between FM2's turn in the spotlight. In terms of mission remakes, it's the same deal with FM2 breaking the stalemate and FM Alternative scores one mission. As I said earlier in the part 2 translation topic, three of FM5's missions are remakes of final missions in 1st, 2, and 3. It may not seem obvious at first, but look closely and you'll spot the similarities. |
You mean remake of the final battle of OCU side or USN side missions in front mission 1st??and FM 3 had two different final battle scenarios as well Yeah.;..since FM 2 will be translated later...i will have to check the plot guide for more info on the alordesh events....but its not the first time i play a game from the middle...i started suikoden on its third version lol.... evil memories cant be lost only retained sometimes they break free it is something that you will have to live the rest of your life with it |
The thing is Suikoden are pretty much self-contain story arch, with minimum reference and cameo appearance that are usually only obvious to the most hardcore fans. To a decree that's also how all the FM games were ... until now that is. FM5 doesn't really have a story of its own, but rather a chronicle of all the FM's story in the past. It doesn't offer any new development, but rather answering old questions and point out connections between events. Of course, you would only recognize the answers it offers if you know what were the question. If you haven't played past games or don't remember them very well, FM5's narrative would feel like watching random news on TV. That doesn't say the news are not interesting, and the character's oriented narrative is welcome. But FM5 does stand above average in term of prior knowledge to make the most out of its story. For example *****SPOILER******* I think FM5 finally reveal who were the real mastermind behind the Aldoresh conflict. ******End Spoiler****** "Why do you submit to the flesh when death is bred in your bones?" Jon Irenicus. |
^ More or less, that's FM5's narrative structure. But, saying it doesn't have a story of its own isn't entirely right either. What FM5 does is connect the other FMs and their missing plot leads through one central source, like a web. Maybe not as much for FM3 and 4 since they were largely complete stories despite sharing plot links (FM 1st to 4, 2 to 3). FM 1st and 2, on the other hand, were incomplete stories and if you really looked at them hard enough, you'd find many unknowns. |
The Strike Wyverns and Barghest Pilots' Ready Room dialogues have a fair bit of plot links and also explain more about the one central source linking the FMs together. You'll see this in the complete patch 4. |
@legaiarules in your fm database, u mention that diable avionics was a top sponsor of U.S.N and jade metal-lyman was a top sponsor of O.C.U. So I wonder what is the top sponsor of E.C army? |
I don't mean it doesn't have any story, I mean comparing to most other games that share the same universe/setting Front Mission 5 relies much heavier on existing knowledge than say ... Suikoden. For example, I imagine if someone who completely oblivious to the series and starts with FM5, they probably think the game is kinda random maybe up until the very last arch, and even then they still might think it's something pulled out of nowhere. You're right that FM5 is about making connection, but remember those connection would be only visible to those who are aware of their existence. Without recognizing those connections, I think it would feel like you're just following the career of a military man from one place to another and loosely see a pattern, but I doubt more than that. But again, I figure even that would be suffice since it's rather well done. In term of self-contained FM5 is a lot more character driven then story driven, and the casts are pretty well done. I think it's about the same level of the FM2's cast and of course above the brain-damaging FM3/FM4's cast. I do know quite a bit of Japanese so I'm able to pick up a little thing here and there as I play :) "Why do you submit to the flesh when death is bred in your bones?" Jon Irenicus. |
- Boards
- Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
- Playing through the FM Timeline (SPOILERS)
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