Part 46: Mission #43: Taking the Easy Way Out!

Mission #43: Taking the Easy Way Out!

Email!


And Miho gets an email


By the way, this is the most important email in the game.


It's kind of interesting that there are plenty of likable characters in Front Mission 3, but almost none of them are in the party. For example, how much better would this game be if Rudolf and his team were the main characters?



Yes, more new characters! I have a folder with all of the unique portraits in this game, and it already has over 120 different images in it...and there's an entire other branch of this game with even more characters.
: You're wasting your time. I won't participate in the coup.
: We don't want to get rough. Can't you understand?
: How many of my colleagues do you think you killed in Kaita Base?
: Sacrifice is always necessary for realization of ideals.
: And that's your method of operation? Tell Sasaki I won't do anything until there is an official order from the government.
: You are stubborn.
: Lieutenant! We lost contact with the underground defense team!
: The enemy is here. Commander Isogai, I must hold you in another room.
: I won't escape. Do what you want.
: Take him away!
: Yes, sir!



: Put him through.
: Major, they appeared in Nagoya.
: Can you hold them?
: I'll try.
: Watch out for Imaginary Numbers. They're not here to work with us. They're after something else.
: Yes, sir!
: Major, what are they after?
: I don't know yet. But I'll blow Lukav's cover.
Oh, man, someone finally wised up to the fact that Lukav is not to be trusted. That only took 3/4s of the game to get to.



: The enemy is near! Deploy the forces!
: Is the enemy here?
: Imaginary Number... There are only a few of them. We don't need your assistance.
: You don't need us?
: Yes. This is a Japanese problem. You foreigners shouldn't get involved.
Damnable gaijin!
: Fine. We'll stand by.
: They're all so creepy. Where is the enemy?
: They're moving through the sewer, heading in our direction.
: They're after us. Take care of them before they go above ground!
: Yes, sir!



: Are we near the exit yet?
: Hang in there. We're almost there.
: Kazuki!
: What is it?
: The service elevator is out of power. It won't move.
: Are there any other paths?

Alright, here's the deal, for most of the game, the internet hasn't been particularly useful. At this point, however, it can fuck you up. Remember that email at the beginning of this update where Mori gave us a password to a website? Well, if you check it out, the next missions plays out the way I'll show off this update. If not...

If you don't, then the team decides the only way to make it through is sending Ryogo up, on foot, to activate a switch so the rest of the party can transported up by elevator. The only problem? The enemies are already there, so Ryogo has to run right into the enemy wanzers, push the switch, and then run away...and you only get three wanzers for the mission...and if Ryogo dies at any point, it's an automatic game over. It's a ball-crushingly hard mission, probably the hardest in the entire game. Even with a real squad of wanzers, it'd be tough, but with the wanzers you guys have given me, I don't think I'd make it. And, frankly, seeing as it only exists to punish people who don't use the internet, I don't see the point in showing it off.

: I think uh...
: What is it? Tell us?
: I think I saw a place for emergency power on the blueprints...
: Where?
: I'm not sure.
: Found it.
: Damn, we wasted too much time.
: Indeed we did.
: Alright, we're going up!
: Be careful, the enemy may be waiting for us.



: Yeah, there are enemies!
: We can do it! There aren't that many!



I'm not going to show off the other version of this mission, because it has the exact same group of enemies, and uses the same map, and the only difference is that you only have three wanzers and have to protect Ryogo. Your wanzers....are not good enough for me to make it through. Deal. Anyway, I'm taking Ryogo, Liu, Lan, and Mayer. Liu is in the Aegis Lord, an attempt to make grenades useful, Lan is a wanzer whose name is not in English and that I don't have the energy to look up, and has two flamethrowers, and Mayer is in the Science Theater 3001, and if you're wondering how it moves and shoots, and other wanzer facts, just repeat to yourself 'it's just an LP, and I should really just relax.'



Ryogo starts the mission off with an incredible combo...



...that one-shots an enemy. RoF II/RoF II/Skill +3! Nice. Ryogo then gets his machine gun arm blown off the next turn and spends the rest of the mission standing around with nothing to do.



The Aegis Lord shows off its grenade launcher. It works pretty well, although part of that has to do with the fact that the enemies start off bunched together.



Mayer misses with a missile. I have no faith in missile launchers, especially at the end of the game when everyone has their evade upgrades maxed.



Lan shows off double-flamethrower action!



Okay, that was more lucky than anything, but still impressive.



There are two enemy foot soldiers with pistols, which makes more sense when Ryogo is forced to run for his life to flip a switch. As it is, though, they don't even rise to the level of nuisance.



Lan burns down another wanzer...a wanzer she had just insured, with a double indemnity for arson...



And then she torches a foot soldier, which marks the 5000th person she has set alight in her long and storied military career.



And Liu pokes a crippled wanzer to death.



Mayer finishes off the mission with a rifle shot. I could've used a missile, but I felt this enemy had not earned such a death.



Ah...finally back on top. Lan gets MVP.



: There should be an elevator that leads to the chem factory. We can get to the factory with it.
: So we can finally get out of here!?
: Don't let your guard down. It's not over yet!

Next Time: Two fights for the price of one!

The Vote Remains Open! Choose which Wanzers are worthy, and which should be condemned to oblivion!