My Played Video Games Review: Front Line for the Family Computer (Famicom)
Front Line is a military-themed, overhead run and gun shooter arcade game produced by Taito of Japan in 1982. The game was ported to the Nintendo Famicom in 1985. It was the true ancestor of the run and gun video game shooters that we still enjoy today.
I got to play this as one the first games ever in pirated Famicom games compilation cartridges sold in the Philippines during the late 1980s.
The Story
You are a surviving infantry soldier on a dangerous mission deep behind enemy lines! The terrain changes always as you encounter the enemy. Do you have the guts and the skills to reach and destroy the enemy's main base?
The Graphics and Sound
The graphics are bad. Everything is kinda colored in various shades of gray and green. The game is in top down view, an obvious daddy of Commando and Jackal, featuring only one long stage.
You control the hero soldier with red, unbuckled helmet and blue uniform. What's funny is that he moves like he has diarrhea and he's armed with only a pistol and grenades.
The music in this game is non-existent. And there are only a few sound effects of movement and fighting.
The Gameplay
Front Line's gameplay is a bit fun. Movement and shooting are in 8 directions of the control pad. Your grenades are tough to aim and fly in a weird arc. The enemies are kinda dumb. Be they soldiers or tanks.
You can ride tanks that you capture. The green ones suck a little because you can not use your grenades while riding. While the blue ones regenerate when hit if you go out of them.
My Verdict
This one is a poor arcade port. There are better overhead run and gun shooters out there, but Front Line is their not-so-great ancestor. It is good to test it out once in a while to see some gaming roots. Stay away if you like good graphics in your retro-gaming.
Test it on the Famicom or your chosen NES emulators.