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I'm very 50/50 on the remake of Front Mission 2, the package as a whole has a number of issues that stem both from the original game's design and the remake as a package. I still recommend it, but with caution and the understanding that you'll likely run into things that you won't like. That said, I frankly love that this remake even exists, so thanks Storm Trident S. A. and Forever Entertainment, bring on Front Mission 3!
Front Mission 2: Remake is once again, a warts-and-all remake of the original PS1 release and I believe the first time the game has been made available outside of Japan (coming out on Switch first). It's a turn-based tactical RPG with customizable squads of mechs (called Wanzers) in a war-torn alternate Earth.
The game expands on the core gameplay from Front Mission 1/Remake by adding elements such as Action Points, armour resistances, ammo limits, status effects and other tweaks that change the dynamic of how battles will play out. PLAY THE TUTORIAL, it's in the main menu but it's also very easy to miss and you'll need it as the game doesn't do a good job of visually or organically communicating any of these mechanics to the player.
These changes are from the original PS1 game and will be very divisive, personally I feel like each new element feels more like a definite restriction as opposed to a problem to tackle. I've found that instead of looking for clever manoeuvres to pull off I've been turtle-ing up my unit formations and playing defensively to try to mitigate as many potential issues as possible. On top of that, unless you give your Wanzers a heavy backpack with ammo, ammo limits mean your units may end up disabled out of sheer over-activity in a fight and starve that pilot of needed XP for later missions, and there are no ways to earn XP outside of main missions.
RNG is definitely still a major factor, and due to the design changes and the Wanzer limbs (where most of the weapons are) feeling much more fragile, all of the additions tend to just exacerbate each other and can feel incredibly frustrating to deal with.
The story, just like the first one, deals with groups of people stuck in the middle of a geopolitical power-struggle, though it admittedly lacks a bit of punch due to quality-control issues with the translation that make it difficult to judge. That said, it does bring up complex and occasionally heavy themes so it definitely shares that with the first and third games.
Addressing the remake itself, it's solid but unambitious, very similar to the Front Mission 1 Remake but lacking that first game's polish. Visually it's using some assets from the first remake with modifications (which is fine) but in a more grounded, non tile-based and less colourful environment.
Unfortunately there a lot of problems that really show the game's low budget, from little things such as the lack of any sort of transition between story screens (no fade-ins/outs, just jump cuts), and other issues such as a UI that suffers the same quality-of-life problems as the first Remake and a localisation that while mostly competent, can suddenly read like it's been outright machine-translated in some lines.
The most bizarre thing that is an issue exclusive to the remake, is it's constructed so much like Front Mission 1 Remake and doesn't do much to differentiate itself. It seems like a dumb criticism, but it's missing the dynamic (and way too long) battle animations and as noted the overall production values have taken a dip between remakes. As a result, and since the remake doesn't have the advantage of the originals' massive leap from FM1's 2D to FM2's 3D, the experience has no personality of its own and feels a lot like a Front Mission Remake 1.5 that may have been released a little too early, so remember to report bugs if you pick this up.
Thankfully the port is fine, it can once again run on a potato and has mostly the same settings as the first Remake. You have your resolution, vsync, texture and shadow quality, bloom and hardware anti-aliasing (MSAA). Strangely, the tilt-shift effect from the first game is gone, which is a shame as while it did affect my vision on that one, I liked the style and would have liked to have seen a new setting with the option to adjust its strength.
So overall, I have very mixed feelings on this title. I do think that while the game is solid enough for a purchase and play, I can't help but recommend it with a heavy dose of caution. The original Front Mission 2 had its problems that can make it divisive amongst the fanbase, and many quality-control issues with the Remake really highlight a lot of the problems from the original. Try out the demo, play the tutorial and go up to the second, very difficult mission, and if you vibe with it, give the game a go.