New to the series i had only mediocre reviews, and my extreme fondness of square to go by.
That isn't to be taken lightly. The Wanzer setup, and pilot customization is so complicated you may find yourself with a notebook full of numbers and a calculator pulling your hair out. But it is this depth that makes the game so immersive. The story is by far enough to keep egging you on, interested as to where the plot is twisting, but the obsessive level-upper (at least in me) will have you postponing grattification until you have a very solid squad of wanzers at your disposal.
I have also found my self attempting a speed save of the game. Hardly any levelling up, just rush through the game with minimal setup. It doesn't work well, but it can be done. It stresses strategy over sheer destructive power. Sadly this "stategy" is basically to attempt to lure your opponents to you, a few at a time, heal your party back to reasonable and repeat. The AI is not quite what you would expect of 2096A.D. giant fighting robots to be. Especially odd is their inability to reallize that their fellow teammates are engaged in combat. Other than that, the fact that you are always far out numberred makes you slightly grateful for their mild incompitence.
All in all, i don't want to type anymore, this game will really pull you in if it's your type. But if you are not a fan of turn based battle systems, run and hide now 'cause i'm pretty sure more Front Missions are on the way.