MechCommander 2

First of all, let me start off by saying whether or not you are a fan of the Battletech universe matters little. Sure it provides an interesting back story, a timeless tale of warring factions (called houses) battling for control of Carver IV, an anonymous planet somewhere in a far away galaxy, and the 'Mechs will be instantly recognizable to even casual fans, but the game itself would be the same whether or not it was based on the Battletech license. Second of all, this is not a bad thing. This game can easily stand on its own merits, and is easy to pick up, fun to play, and highly addictive anyway you cut, slice and dice it.

You play the role of the Mechcommander (hence the name) of a group of mercenaries, and it is your job to hire yourself out to the highest bidder, complete the multiple mission objectives, get paid, and do it all over again. Most missions consist of either defending or attacking different objectives across a large map, taking optional side quests at your discretion to earn more money, or just to cause a little extra destruction. Although this may sound simple enough, you will rarely find yourself bored with the missions, as most of the objectives are varied enough and numerous enough that you will rarely notice the similarities. Fortunately, as most missions are fairly long, Microsoft wisely decided to include a handy quick save feature so that you can save your progress at any time within each mission, rather than having to start the mission over if you lose your favorite veteran pilot who you've been building up for the past 10 missions. Yes, there is an element of role-playing here, with each pilot earning experience for every mission they've fought, which eventually allows them to specialize in different areas, thereby making them more valuable (if you match their strengths to the right 'Mechs) for each subsequent mission. But the 'Mechs are the real stars of this game. With the ability to easily configure each 'Mechs loadout from a healthy list of different weapons, each with its own features (cost, range, heat and size), and then to save your favorite configurations, you will definitely find yourself spending a good amount of time experimenting with different combinations to match your playing style. With the option before each mission to choose your team of 'Mechs, load your favorite weapons configurations, find the right pilot for each 'Mech, and then finally bring them into battle, you could easily spend hours playing one mission.

The graphics are very impressive, with highly detailed models, great weapons effects and explosions, and a 3D rotatable camera that is very intuitive and easy to use. The gameplay is your standard RTS affair, minus the base building. You can control your 'Mechs as a group or individually, ordering them to walk, run, and sometimes fly to the next target, destroy it, and move on. You can also set waypoints, order a 'Mech to guard an area, building or another 'Mech, and even use resources stolen from the enemy to salvage destroyed enemy 'Mechs for your use, lay mines, call in artillery or repair trucks, or any other support you deem necessary. At the most, you will have 16 'Mechs to control at one time, plus any support units you call in, enough to keep it interesting, but never so many you feel overwhelmed. You can sneak around and use 'Mechs equipped with sensors to scout the enemy before attacking, or just charge right in, depending on your playing style. Once the battle ensues, you rarely need to issue orders, except perhaps to withdraw a badly damaged unit, as the AI is very good, and your 'Mechs will automatically find the correct range to attack from depending on their weapons loadout. From capturing the enemy turrets to battle for your side, to luring enemy 'Mechs near fuel supplies before obliterating them in a white, hot ball of flame, you will quickly find your own playing style and be lost in this game until the wee hours of the morning.

Although for the most part I loved this game, I did have a few minor quibbles. My main gripe was that the game would occasionally crash to the desktop, or sometimes freeze my system, especially when failing a mission or when there were a lot of objects on the screen. Although this did not happen enough to be annoying, it was frustrating having to start a few missions over when it crashed in the last assault, and hopefully some of this can be fixed with a patch. On the positive side, aside from the aforementioned occasional crash, this game is relatively bug free. Another minor gripe I had was that the story line is fairly linear, with the option to occasionally choose what order you tackle the missions in, and is fairly inconsequential to the game itself. Another problem was that some of the later missions are highly populated and can tax your system unless you have a powerful machine, but you can turn off some of the graphical features to help lighten the load.

Aside from those few problems, I really couldn't find anything I didn't like about this game. Its very easy to pick up and start playing, and very hard to stop. The large amount of customization and large variety of 'Mechs (29), many varied missions and objectives, online multiplayer, and the included, very robust mission editor, will have you playing this game for a long time to come. So whether you are a Battletech fan, or you have a thing for giant robots, or you're just a strategy fan, you need to check out this game. Bottom line, this game is fun - and that's all we're really looking for, right?
 
Install: Easy
Insert Cd, click Install, wait. What could be easier?

Gameplay: 9.6
Mechcommander 2 really excels in this area. You can use the default configurations, or customize each 'Mech individually. Conquer each objective anyway, and in whatever order, you want. Its easy to command your units, and you will never feel overwhelmed. Not too many new ideas, but what there is is done right.

Graphics: 9.2
Great graphics - tons of little details, each 'Mech is fully articulated and everything has tons of detail, from little soldiers running around trying to avoid being stepped on to pilots ejecting out of crumbling 'Mechs, there is plenty to look at and discover. Beautiful weapons effects and brilliant explosions are the icing on the cake.

Sound: 9.1
A great score complements the gameplay perfectly, serving to only heighten the atmosphere, and you will find nothing less here. On top of the music, the sound effects do a great job of pulling you in as well, you'll hear the helicopter blades whupping even before you see them, and you can't help but smile at the staccato of the machine guns and the smack of your missiles striking home. There is almost as much to hear as there is to see.

Difficulty: 8.5
You'll be able to jump right in with the beginning tutorial, and you will have no problem handling the first 10 missions or so. In some of the later missions you may run into a little difficulty, nothing horrible enough to stop you from playing, but you may find yourself having to rethink your strategies once or twice in order to pass a handful of the later missions.

Concept: 9
The use of the Battletech license is well done, and will not only have longtime fans squealing with delight, but provides a good background that really helps you feel part of a much bigger conflict, even if you are a newbie. Like I said before, not too many new ideas, just your standard RTS formula without the base building, but it works.

Multiplayer: 9
You can wipe out your best friend, or a complete stranger via the MSN Gaming Zone (Zone.com), over a LAN, or direct TCP/IP over the Internet.

Overall: 9.3
There's nothing amazingly revolutionary here, but you will nevertheless find yourself playing this game for way longer than you planned, and thinking about it when you're not playing. Microsoft got the formula right, and it shows.