*Note: I wrote this review four years ago. When I found it I did a second play though but generally agreed with my original opinion and only slightly edited it.
Front Mission Evolved is a departure from the tile based RPG the series is known for. Evolved plays entirely from the third person as a shooter in both mech and on-foot action. Overall the game is an average fun to play shooter with flaws. The first play-through is enjoyable but short. There are bugs throughout but only one game-stopper that I ran across in campaign mode. During a mission escaping New York/New Jersey if the player does not meet up with a NPC in time he will not open a gate forcing the player to exit to the main menu. The camera is good through most of the game but does get the jitters and will jump around in jungle levels when it is too close to trees. The story line is so-so, but it does move along at a good pace and it is not as over dramatic as SquareEnix's usual fare. There is a good selection of mech parts and weapons that allow the player to customize their style of play allowing for sniper, attacker, brawler, or artillery mech loadouts, or any combination of the former.
The flaws are many but not very serious, but unfortunately it does take away a lot from the game. The main problem I found was that the game is short, very short. Despite the flaws it kept my interest, then ended abruptly. The on-foot levels are horribly dark, even with brightness at maximum and they felt as though they were added as a filler to stretch out game play.
The main replay value of the game is in finding incredibly small disks and sensors. This is an ok affair, but grinds the play-through to a halt if you choose to gather them on the first go-round. This seems contrary to the faster paced nature of the game. Online play is not good at best, and you will only find that out if you can manage to find another player online.
Front Mission Evolved can be found used for next to nothing these days and makes many of the negatives possible to overlook. Overall the game is average but it always seems just one or two steps away from a good game. The first play-through is enjoyable but short and if you are a mech fan it should be in your collection. For anyone else who enjoys third person shooters it’s worth a look for the price it can be found at but don’t expect to be impressed.