Front Mission 5 announced for December in Japan

TOKYO--Square Enix has announced it will release Front Mission 5: Scars of War on December 29 in Japan. The PlayStation 2 strategy role-playing game will be priced at 7,140 yen ($64).

In Front Mission 5, the player assumes the role of Walter Fenn, a young man who flies a Wanzer mech pilot for a fictional force, the USN. Once cheery but now dour, he has a scar on his left cheek from a childhood incident. Front Mission 5's heroine is Lin Wainwright, Walter's younger commanding officer.

Front Mission 5 marks the series' 10th anniversary since its debut on the Super Famicom (Japanese SNES) in 1995. Scheduled for release just two days before the end of 2005, it will be Square Enix's second major holiday game. Square Enix's anticipated collaboration sequel with Disney, Kingdom Hearts II, will ship in Japan on December 22. America will get the game three months later on March 1, 2006.