Tag: mech

Front Mission 1st: Remake set for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One release on June 30, 2023

Front Mission 1st: Remake set for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One release on June 30, 2023

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If you love tactical role-playing games as well as robot action with some sci-fi and military concepts mixed in, then you should watch out for the release of Front Mission 1st: Remake on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox One on June 30, 2023. The game, which is actually a remake of Square Enix’s 1995 game Front Mission, was developed and published by Forever Entertainment.

For the newcomers reading this, Front Mission is an existing franchise of games under Square Enix which landed on multiple consoles, the PC and other platforms through the decades. The first-ever Front Mission released in 1995 only in Japan on the Super Famicom was a critical and commercial hit which paved the way not only for further games but also enabling the Front Mission franchise to branch out on other forms of media such as film, novels, comic books, radio dramas and more. Front Mission 1st: Remake is not just a remake of the 1995 original game but also features a modern mode with improved controls as well as a fully orchestrated soundtrack.

To begin with, watch the official trailer below…

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Xbox.com announcement issued by Forever Entertainment. Some parts in boldface…

On June 30th, Front Mission 1st: Remake will make its highly anticipated debut on Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X. Deploy on a mission and play through the intricately woven narrative of this iconic tactical RPG series.

You must analyze your situation carefully before making your next move. Pay close attention to the details.

Huffman Island is the only place where the Oceania Cooperative Union (O.C.U.) and the Unified Continental States (U.C.S.) share a land border, making this place the epicenter of the Second Huffman Conflict in the year 2090.

Leading a reconnaissance platoon, O.C.U. Captain Royd Clive is tasked with investigating a U.C.S. munitions plant. However, their mission takes an unexpected turn when they find themselves ambushed by U.C.S. wanzers – triggering a chain of events that thrusts the entire island into a full-fledged war. Amidst the chaos, Royd’s fiancée, Lieutenant Karen Meure, goes missing in action.

Mech action is fun to watch.

Discharged from military service, Royd embarks on a pursuit to uncover the truth. As his investigation progresses, he gradually unearths a conspiracy and the powers that orchestrated it.

Assemble your Team and Plunge into the Heart of the Action – Front Mission 1st: Remake is an immersive tactical turn-based RPG that puts you in the role of a valiant pilot navigating war machines called wanzers through hazardous battlefields. Experience the realities of war through strategic maneuvers, while enjoying upgraded graphics and a fully re-orchestrated soundtrack that elevate the classic Front Mission gameplay to modern-day standards.

Way back in 1995, I got to play the original Front Mission on a rented Super Famicom console and played it for an hour. As it was written in Japanese, I did not understand the text but that did not stop me from enjoying the gameplay which was turn-based, strategic and packed with action. I enjoyed the mech action (nicely animated 2D sprites) and the challenge to be strategic with my next moves. I also enjoyed how the game compelled me to pay close attention to details such as how the different parts of my mechs can be customized, the different values each component came with, and the added capabilities that proved to be crucial offensively and defensively.

Urban settings like this make the locations of battle more interesting.

In 1999, I played Front Mission 3 on the PlayStation One and it was the North American version (published by Square Electronics). As it was in English, I was able to understand the situation, the details and explanations. Like the first Front Mission game, I had fun playing it and I was also impressed with how the developers utilized 3D polygons to enhance the presentation. What I could not forget was the part when the narrative of the game focused on a secret base located inside Taal Volcano in the Philippines. As a Filipino, that part of the game was a big and really delightful surprise to me.

Looking at the Front Mission 1st: Remake trailer, which is very short, it seems to me that the game is looking good and promising enough. Right now, I am very interested in it.

Watch out for Front Mission 1: Remake on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox One on June 30, 2023.

In ending this piece, posted below are Xbox-related videos plus one Front Mission-related video for your enjoyment. Don’t forget to watch out for Team Xbox’s showcase events (including the Starfield Direct) on June 11, 2023.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

A Look Back at Macross: Do You Remember Love?

A Look Back at Macross: Do You Remember Love?

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Do I remember love? Absolutely and love comes in many different forms which I experienced in life. There is love from God and His Son Jesus as referred to in 1 John 4: 9-10 in the Holy Bible (New King James Version or NKJV).

There is also love of the family. Love with friends. Love of doing things or enjoying personal interests. Love on spreading the Good News to others.

And among those personal interests is anime and the main reason I love anime is because of my love for the Super Dimension Fortress Macross TV series of the early 1980s. Called Macross for short, that anime TV series engaged me a lot not only as a geek but also as a person. I also learned about the challenges that come with dealing with war, dealing with an enemy because they’re only different and survival.

So yes, I do remember love!

More on Macross, I am here to share to you all my revisit of what is my all-time favorite anime movie ever – Macross: Do You Remember Love? 

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Macross: Do You Remember Love? (full title – Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?) was released in Japan on July 1984 where it was greeted by very long lines of fans. The movie was made with the fans in mind and many of the same creators and talents behind the famous Macross TV series (1982-1983) returned to bring back to life all the characters, all the robots and mechs, all music and many other elements that made the series lovable in the first place.

Running less than two hours, Macross: DYRL is a big budget retelling of the first twenty-seven episodes of the TV series albeit with some new concepts and adjustments made to add depth to the movie. As it is impossible to condense everything from the said 27 episodes into a single movie, the film took key story elements from the series and came up with a plot that not only featured fresh ideas but also honored the series in creative ways. The good news about this approach is that it worked nicely.

The story begins in space where the Macross SDF-1 was already moving with tens of thousands of people living in a city inside its metallic structure. During a big attack by the Zentradi (giant alien humanoids), some Zentradi soldiers infiltrated the city inside SDF-1 and among people affected is the star singer Lynn Minmay. Coming from nowhere, pilot Hikaru Ichijyo used his Valkyrie to rescue Minmay from a Zentradi soldier as well as from certain death of the free fall that followed. Because he saved Minmay’s life, Hikaru was spared from military punishment for disobeying Lieutenant Misa Hayase during battle.

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Because a relationship between Hikaru and Minmay developed, the two dated and even managed to sneak out of the space fortress with a training aircraft to explore the ring of planet Saturn. The two got caught by Lieutenant Hayase (accompanied by Minmay’s relative and manager Lynn Kaifun) but before they could return to the Macross, they got attacked by Zentradi forces nearby. The plot deepens further as soon as they got captured.

As it involved Shoji Kawamori (whom I met during the 2017 AsiaPOP Comicon Manila), Haruhiko Mikimoto, Narumi Kakinouchi, Kentaro Haneda, Sukehiro Tomita, Arihirio Hase, Mika Doi ad Mari Iijima, Macross: DYRL carries so many elements from the TV series that strongly resonated with fans.

Mari Iijima is fantastic in her dramatic portrayal of Minmay and she also proved excellent in her singing of classic Macross songs Sunset Beach, Zero-G Love and Shao Bai Lon. The standout song of all, however, is Do You Remember Love composed by Kazuhiko Kato and Iijima’s performance of it was also excellent.

When it comes to spectacle, Macross: DYRL is a stunner even by today’s standards. The visuals are great to look at. The triple-transformation of fighter planes into robots (Valkyrie, Gerwalk and Battroid) are always delightful to watch. The action is plentiful and at the same time very fast-paced for the eyes to enjoy. Heck, even the character redesigns of the Zentradi alone made this movie have an edgy and somewhat dark feel.

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The beauty of it all is the fact that the all the animation is hand-drawn the old-fashioned way! No computer-generated polygons shaded with cels here. Every frame of animation was labored by the animators and the colors used remain lively to look at.

With regards to storytelling, the movie has a solid narrative even though it lacked some background explanations. Of course, there were questions raised like why are the Zentradi and Meltrandi gender-isolated and each have an army? (note: in the TV series the Zentradi is composed of males and females). Why is the origin of the Macross SDF-1 in the movie different from what was portrayed in the anime series? Why is the Supervision Army non-existent?

The good thing about the narrative is the shorter yet engaging portrayal of the Hikaru-Minmay-Misa love triangle. As this is a movie, the triangle’s conflict is minimal and free of the excess baggage of what was portrayed in the TV series. Without spoiling too much, I can say that the development of relationships between Hikaru with Minmay and with Misa is believable. There is no way any viewer can complain that Hikaru is boyish (his trait in the TV series) when deciding whom to love.

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As it was made for the fans, newcomers will unsurprisingly have some trouble understanding Macross: DYRL, its concepts and characters. They can enjoy the visuals and spectacle if those are what they are looking for. Still Macross: Do You Remember Love? can serve as an inspiration for newcomers to start digging the past of Macross by watching the 1980s anime TV series (especially the first 27 episodes).

Conclusion

There is no doubt that Macross: Do You Remember Love? remains a truly great anime movie to watch and it is truly a classic in every sense of the word. Being a big budget retelling of the first 27 episodes of the Macross TV series, this movie serves as the fans’ bridge to the past and yet it also moves the entire franchise forward in terms of artistry, expression and quality. There is so much to love in this movie – the characters, the robots, the transformations, the action, the sci-fi concepts and more.

With its undeniable greatness, Macross: Do You Remember Love? is ultimately why I remember my love for anime.

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Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this article, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to your fellow Macross and anime fans.

Author’s Note: This article was originally published at my old Geeks and Villagers blog. What you read on this website was an updated and expanded version. In other words, this newest version you just read is the most definitive version. 

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenor is still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com