Front Mission: Online[a] was a massively multiplayer online (MMO), third-person shooter video game developed by and published by Square Enix, and was released in Japan on May 12, 2005 for the PlayStation 2, and on December 8, 2005 for Windows.
As a massively multiplayer online (MMO), third-person shooter spin-off, the gameplay of Front Mission: Online differs from the tactical role-playing game entries of the numbered Front Mission titles.
Game progression in Online works differently from other Front Mission entries.
When a player creates an account, they will be asked to choose a side to fight for - the Oceania Cooperative Union (O.C.U.)
The PvE mode of Online is unique in that like the other Front Mission titles, there is a storyline that the player can play through.
[1] Defecting players are demoted by one military rank and lose all of their items, except those that are equipped on their pilot and wanzer.
[2] Wanzer customization in Online works differently from other Front Mission titles in that the parts, auxiliary backpacks, and weapons the player can access is entirely dependent on their military ranking.
Once a player has reached a certain rank, they can add upgrades to their parts and weapons to make them more effective.
This allows for precision aiming and shooting, which is ideal for weapons such as sniper rifles and bazookas.
Set in 2090, the story of Front Mission: Online takes place on Huffman Island, a fictional Pacific Ocean island roughly the size of Oahu, created by volcanic activity south of Mexico's west coast in 1995.
), a unification of Oriental Asian nations and Australia in 2025, disputed this claim when the two superpowers colonized the island in 2065.
The plot of Front Mission: Online takes players from the beginning of the 2nd Huffman Conflict to its end in 2091.
Unlike Front Mission, the game's plot covers both the minor and major events that occur during the war, such as the war-ending Operation Eagle Tears (coincidentally, this was also the final military operation, taking place from May 27 to May 31, 2008).
[5] Online revolves around four military units that play a major role in the war: the Chasm Owls (O.C.U.
Throughout the game's service, players could fight alongside or against characters and groups from Front Mission.
Ellen is deployed to the Mail River border on Huffman Island, and is engaged in espionage and reconnaissance activities against the U.S.N.
Yuji is assigned a post on Huffman Island in 2089 to train new mercenary recruits on wanzer piloting and following O.C.U.
[8] Registration for beta testing took place in Japan in late July 2004, with a three part testing phase taking place in Fall 2004, starting with combat, then balance and character development, and finally server load.
The arranged music covered every prior game with the exception of Gun Hazard, and was arranged by Iwasaki from the compositions of Iwasaki, Hayato Matsuo, Yoko Shimomura, Noriko Matsueda, Ryo Yamazaki, and Riow Arai.
[15] Chris Greening of Square Enix Music Online gave the album a poor review, calling it "a mediocre effort".
[16] Ben Schweitzer of RPGFan, however, was less harsh in his review of the album, calling it "a positive look at the entire series" and saying that the majority of it was good, though the original tracks were not particularly strong.
[15] The PS2 version of Front Mission: Online sold over 42,000 copies in Japan by the end of 2005.