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transport other vehicles and the new mini mech suit around. Though these
additions are nice, they do little to make up for the lackluster single-player
campaign.
For those without Live, this probably doesn't deserve
to be anything more than a rental. Clocking in at about six hours, the single-player
mode is second only to kill.switch's in terms of shortness. The levels take place
on different planets, but the locations aren't very graphically exceptional, nor
do they offer much in terms of gameplay variety. Some missions take place in swampy
terrain, others in deserts, and so on - but the tasks don't change much with the
surroundings. The player faces down helicopters, turrets, tanks, and other mechs.
With armor and special weapons being dropped by enemies and littered over most
levels in either storage hangers or supply trucks, the game is extremely easy.
I found that the computer doesn't seem to take advantage of the lock-on capabilities
of most of the stronger weapons like missiles and charge beams, but also disdains
using the closer-range weapons like the machine gun. More often than not, the
enemies approach in pairs or small groups and fire charged weapons or missiles
with reckless abandon (and no target-lock), allowing for the player to sidestep
their attacks and respond with little worry. The times I died were simply from
being overwhelmed by firepower in corners and close quarters. There are always
air and ground units supporting the mechs, which I found disappointing because
it removes that sense of dueling and leaves little in its place.
The
multiplayer games are really the bread and butter of MechAssault 2. There
are ten modes to play on via Live, system link, or split screen: Grinder, Destruction,
Team Destruction, Last Man Standing, Team Last Man Standing, Not It!, Capture
The Flag, Check It!, Snatch It!, and Base War. Some of them are self explanatory,
while others offer just small variations from another mode, but it amounts to
having both team-based and solo games that allow for respawns or limited lives
in classic setups like tag and base-destroying. It is a pretty healthy set, and
while it's possible to play these with system link or split screen, it's just
not as fun. The game fully supports clans, so players can formalize a friendly
mech crew and take on other clans with relative ease. In the online-only Conquest
mode, players will join a House and battle others for control of planets. Players
can launch attacks, reinforce assaulting comrades, or defend their territory from
invaders, with the action taking place on neighboring planets, each with its own
gametype. With war updates scrolling along the screen, there is a great cohesive
feel to it all. Being in a clan often comes in handy in these games, because it
is often necessary to wait for a certain number of players to join before actually
getting onto the planet's surface and getting to work.
Even without the
excessive waiting, the match-setup interface is also not at all intuitive: players
walk around in a cramped lobby and do their best to talk over each other. Also,
since games cannot start until a minimum number of players is reached and the
teams are even, and since the overall strategy of the houses are given so little
attention, pockets of people are strewn about frontier worlds waiting for other
players to join, many of whom kick non-clan members off once they get enough going
for a game. It can be a pretty frustrating ordeal, especially when you've waiting
patiently to play only to be met with a screen informing you that you have been
kicked or that the host has quit (many tire of the wait). It is easier to get
into one of the other online modes, but they don't have the allure of Conquest's
persistent, all-in-one approach.
While not the game's fault, I find Live
to be a trying experience when not in the company of people I know. Luckily, and
sometimes unfortunately, the premise of MechAssault has supported the idea
of the clan mentality for years now, something Live 3.0 brought to the network,
which can make the online portion great fun with the right company. I also found
that the levels did much to make the smaller mechs actually useful this time around.
My experiences with the original showed me that picking any robot but the largest
meant death, but now the cities are built such that smaller units have a distinct
advantage maneuvering through city blocks and using skyscrapers for cover. It's
also possible to drive tanks, don battle armor to hack enemies, and fly an aircraft
to drop off supplies. I have to say that it is quite thrilling to find your mech
being hacked and having to fend off the attack with a precise button presses amidst
the chaos of the moment.
It does take somewhat of a serious commitment
to get the most out of the multiplayer portion, as a relatively active clan is
almost necessary, so those going solo might tire of it pretty quickly. Since the
core of the game has not changed, those who did not enjoy the constant strafing
and weapon cycling of the original won't find much else to like here. Even though
anticipate playing much more in the short term, I could definitely pick it up
if friends decided to buckle down and start a clan.
An interesting gameplay
element, which is also visually impressive, is that now mechs's death explosions
have a much larger radius. Unfortunately, computer-controlled allies tend to be
stupid and get caught up in the blast, but, with some strategy, this can be used
to one's advantage by trying to time a killing blow or positioning an enemy in
such a way that his death does maximum damage to his surrounding allies. Aside
from this odd but beautiful vortex effect, nothing else is all that visually impressive.
The robots look nice, and the effects are decent, thanks to some nice lightening
and particle effects, but the terrain is average and the skins of the character
models during the cutscenes take on the strange oiled mannequin look that is all
the rage these days. There is also a problem with scaling, since objects that
look fine when controlling a mech look overblown when outside of them on foot.
The framerate does fluctuate some, as well.
Despite the box having 'Music
by Korn and Limp Bizkit' on the front, I found that the music to be surprisingly
tolerable. However, the effects are dominant here, and they all sound good. Though
the MechWarrior prefers to communicate via grunts, his enemies and allies are
well voiced, except for the mechanic - who can, as the typical overly-excitable
hero worshipper, get annoying.
While the controls inside the mech aren't
bad, the controls on foot are a bit tenuous. There are a few stealth missions
involving sabotage and mech-jacking, and it's not uncommon to run into invisible
walls that weren't in the space moments earlier. I died a few times by simply
turning around to retrace my steps only to run in place, stuck against a wall,
and getting pummeled. Infiltrating a base on foot, with tanks patrolling alleys
stomping down streets, offers some excitement, so it is a shame that the controls
were not polished a bit more. Overall:
7/10
The single-player campaign is weak. That's not to say it's not fun,
though, because even as basic as combat is, the wanton destruction of cities and
everything around them is just inherently enjoyable. Unfortunately, it's much
too short and suffers from critical design flaws. The multiplayer component, on
the other hand, is very healthy and serves as the bulk of the game. To get the
most out of the persistent Conquest mode and the various other multiplayer game
types, players really need to have a group of friends willing to form a clan -
otherwise, much of the ingrained teamwork aspects of both the game's world and
the Live system are being missed. The new additions of battle armor, robot hacking,
and fresh vehicles to pilot are pretty minor in single-player, but, again, make
a difference in multiplayer. Those going solo will find it a somewhat decent rental,
as long as they don't blow through the whole thing in one sitting, while those
delving into the online aspects will find much more to enjoy. [
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