Front Line



Front Line though not an especially good game, was extremely innovative for its time. Developed in Japan by Taito, it is the father of vertical scrolling combat games such as Commando and Ikari Warriors. It was also one of the first games to introduce an independent directional control for firing. (The other game was TRON, developed the same year in America.)

In Front Line, you control a soldier from the "blue" army against the whole of the "green" army. You can fire in eight directions independent of the direction that you are walking, and you can toss grenades as well. Along the way to the green army's base, you may encounter small or large tanks which you can hop into in order to fight against the green tanks. Eventually, you will reach the enemy base where you must lob a grenade at the fort's defender to complete the stage. Then it starts all over again at a higher level of difficulty.

Front Line was was licensed by Coleco for their ColecoVision system. They also ported it to the Atari 2600. Taito ported the game themselves to the Nintendo Famicom and to the MSX home computer. It is also included in modern day compilations such as Taito Legends 2.

Table of contents

 * Controls & Characters
 * Round Strategies
 * Version Comparisons

Story
You are the lone soldier of the blue army, chosen for a solo infiltration mission against the entire green army and their base. After being parachuted in to enemy territory, you must proceed to the tank zone, where you can acquire a tank of your own to even the score. Reach the enemy fort and lob a grenade inside to succeed in your mission.

Gameplay summary

 * You control the blue soldier with the joystick. You control which direction he fires in with the control knob.
 * Press one button to fire your machine gun. Press the other button to lob a grenade.  You have unlimted ammo.
 * You will lose one life if you are shot, or touch any enemy soldier or tank.
 * You can climb into blue tanks by walking up to them and pressing the grenade button.
 * There are two different tanks; a small and maneuverable tank, and a larger slow, but powerful tank.
 * You must continue to proceed upwards until you reach the enemy fort. Throw a grenade at the fort's defender to complete the stage.