Front Mission

Front Mission
New series logo with font used for Front Mission Evolved
Genres	Tactical role-playing game, Third-person shooter, Side-scrolling shooter, Real-time strategy, Massively multiplayer online game
Developers	G-Craft, Square, Square Enix, Omiya Soft, Winds, h.a.n.d., Double Helix Games
Publishers	Square, Square Enix
Creators	Toshiro Tsuchida
Platforms	SNES, PlayStation, WonderSwan Color, PlayStation 2, PC, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Platform of origin	SNES
Original release	1995
First release	Front Mission February 24, 1995
Latest release	Front Mission Evolved September 16, 2010

Front Mission (フロントミッション, Furonto Misshon^?) is a collection of video games and related media produced by Square, now Square Enix. The series was created by Toshiro Tsuchida and developed by G-Craft, a studio that was later absorbed by Square and existed within Square Enix as Product Development Division-6. Since the release of the original Front Mission in 1995, the series has gone on to encompass several media, including film, manga, novels, radio dramas, mobile phone applications, and toys. While the series is primarily rooted in the turn-based tactical role-playing genre, it has also ventured into other genres such as side-scrolling shooter, real-time strategy (RTS), massive multiplayer online (MMO), and third-person shooter through its spin-offs. The Front Mission video games have achieved moderate success, selling over 3 million units worldwide since the release of Front Mission 5: Scars of the War.

The main selling point of Front Mission is its storytelling approach. Taking place during the 21st and 22nd centuries, the series revolves around military conflicts and political tension between powerful supranational unions and their member states. Although the Front Mission video games use self-contained, standalone stories, these tie into a greater overarching storyline that encompasses the entire series. In combination with the stories from its other media, the series possesses a level of storytelling depth and continuity comparable to a serial drama. Another major draw of Front Mission is its use of giant mecha called "wanzers" (from the German word Wanderpanzer, or walking tanks) in battle.