"Front Mission 4" holds a 75% on both GameRankings and Metacritic. North American reaction to the game was consistent across the board, receiving mixed to generally good reviews. It was praised for its deep gameplay, customizable wanzers, and high production values. On the disapproving side many felt the plot advanced at a sluggish pace, the AI was subpar, and the menu system was cumbersome at times. "GameSpot" gave generally positive feedback for "Front Mission Online", describing how the game was successfully transforming the strategy game series into an action and combat based experience. In RPG Fan's Games of 2006 feature, they enumerated the reasons that "" was the "Import RPG of the Year" make note of the game's improvements and excellent execution in design and functionality. The game was also voted the runner-up "Strategy RPG of the Year" by RPG Fan in their "Games of 2006" awards. While the developers acknowledge the good reception of the cinematic focus of the game, they noted that later entries in the series would not necessarily follow the same direction.