MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat (PC, 1995)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-8 Control-7/6* Challenge-7 Story-6.5
Level Design-7 Frustration-8 Fun-7 Originality-7
Overall Score-7
*Some mechs like the firemoth and kitfox
+
Tons of customization options (15 different mech types/chassis, 10 different mech parts (incl engines, armor, heat sinks, jump jets, radar, etc.), up to 10 weapons, mech name; have to also balance parts and equipment against weight limits, ). The game gives you a weight limit before each mission that you'll have to stay below (gives it a bit more of a sense of progression)
Unusual difficulty options (affects aim assistance and heat tracking and how much honor/score (changes the multiplier) you get from each mission - score has no gameplay effect however (neither does rank); can also toggle what are basically cheats in the options menu (seems to make it impossible to advance in the game) - invulnerability, unlimited ammo, no contact damage)
Two different SP campaigns (the Wolf one is a bit harder and missions tend to make you fight alongside a team of lighter mechs, 32 missions+4 duel missions in total - your mech is chosen for you for these 4)
Detailed mission briefings and debriefings showing various stats like no. of mechs destroyed, which (and when) objectives were completed and your hit percentage
Optional tutorial missions (these feature voiced instructions that don't pause gameplay, pretty good but they don't explain jump jets or mech customization)
Multiple primary as well as one or more secondary and tertiary objectives in each mission
8+ separate mech body parts with their own HP that can be damaged and destroyed during combat (Battletech). Means that if you take out the legs for example, the enemy mech can no longer run around
Detailed lore in the form of a log/diary of a previous commander (loremaster)
Satisfying explosions
Can zoom in/out while aiming
Jump jets (jetpack jumps - these feel similar to Tribes, quick turns on the ground, left and right sidestepping/strafing (can circle strafe by default as you can turn the torso 180 degrees), boost ground speed (Super Hang-On, Wing Commander); their energy regenerates slowly during missions)
Camera options (third-person view - C, zoomed out top down view (also shows nearby enemies in red and allies in green+what direction they're facing - F3)
Trials of Grievance mode (1 vs 1 duel or up to 3 vs 3 group skirmish mode; separate from the campaigns)
Shows the current enemy you're targeting in a secondary viewport (also shows how damaged each part is)
Wireframe view toggle
Fight alongside CPU-controlled allies (and turrets in some missions) - gain starmates/squadmates which can be ordered around and placed in 6 different formations (either both or one of them can be given an order: attack/defend my target, join formation, engage at will, shutdown). Squadmates can also be customized before the mission
Pretty nice (albeit cheesy) intros
Early 3D acceleration support however the max resolution is lower and there are no day-night cycle effects (up to 1024x768 without, I also find the color shading to be better without it overall)
Can map your weapons to 3 different control groups (shift+1/2/3, custom: ctrl to cycle weapons, RMB to cycle groups), letting you fire 2+ weapons at a time
A few scripted events during missions (for example a patrol mission that turns into a rescue mission and then an ambush)
Autopilot feature (actually dodges obstacles on route to the next navpoint however it's not perfect) - Wing Commander
Can lock onto and examine/inspect objects such as buildings (later used in Daggerfall - info mode; used to separate between key targets to destroy or defend in some missions)
The tutorial's instructor is so harsh that it becomes funny
Some cool weapons (homing missiles - streak sr and lrm (can pull your aim upwards after locking on to get them to move over obstacles))
Can replay beaten missions however you don't get to choose or customize your mech nor have a squadmate join when doing so
Partially destructible environments (bridges, buildings, crystal formations)
Pretty good art direction overall
+/-
Linear structure
Auto-saves in-between missions (can't save during one)
Some strategy in what parts to use based on which planet the mission is on (high gravity means a stronger engine is useful, a colder climate means there's less need for heat sinks)
Heat management (your mech shuts down if it gets overheated; an added override feature when your mech shuts down letting you keep using it at the risk of it blowing up, MASC equipment gives you 25% more max speed for 15 secs at a time but makes the mech heat up faster - seems best for lighter mechs)
Only partial control config in-game and it's very clunky (various keys can't be used for seemingly no reason, have to browse a list of keys on the side over and over instead of just inputting the key you want to use when it comes to keyboard controls - not the case for the mouse controls at least). Have to also edit the input.map/bak file to un-invert the mouse aiming (via these and the gamekey.map file you can configure everything in more detail however you can't map for example torso tilting to W and S apparently).
No mech or parts continuity/persistence and no economy (you don't have to repair a damaged mech nor do you gain money from missions to spend on new parts - see Armored Core)
The various display systems as well as your weapons can get destroyed during combat
There's a mechanic that makes you take more damage if your weapon ammo explodes so you should eject the ammo from the mech if it's about to happen (K) - can be hard to keep track of in the middle of combat but it does also happen to enemies
Sometimes you pretty much have to exploit the weak AI to survive (cars (rogue chariot mission for example) have a hard time with corners)
No cutscenes in-between the campaign intros and endings and the VA is mediocre
-
Control/interface issues (can't change the controls during a mission, can't set up your weapon groups before starting a mission, kinda short range on your inspection scanner - for examining buildings and vehicles, using jump jets for quick maneuvering on the ground would've been less clunky if you could just hold or tap a jet toggle and use the movement keys, no subtitles, can't give orders to rescued NPC mechs or escortees - can get frustrating in some missions (second escort mission as jade falcons especially where the convoy seems determined to get itself killed), double tapping up/down to change between forward and reverse movement would've been better than a separate button, can't queue up multiple orders for an ally to follow in a set order, shutdown sequences sometimes trigger sooner than expected so you don't get a chance to override - seems to be an issue with the game buffering the voices so they don't play at the same time meaning if other stuff happens then you don't get the warning in time, can get semi-stuck in walls (can happen to enemies too))
Some trial & error (the different modes on the main menu as well as the rooms/sub menus on the planning screen/hub screen in a SP campaign (similar to Wing Commander) should've been explained in-game, sometimes there aren't any "targets of opportunity" but there's still a tertiary objective to destroy them, single heat sinks are usually useless, actuators are almost useless since you can't kick and punch in this game - only crash into other mechs on the ground or from above, machine guns seem useless besides in a few situations if grouped together and you're comfortable with getting up close, knowing how hot a planet is before beginning a mission, quickly finding the convoy in the plum wine mission - if you just follow the nav points you'll probably lose, knowing where to be and when in jade's armor veil/defend airbase mission - seems easier to disarm the southern wave and then go NW instead of killing them))
Plenty of dead space (no jump to point unlike in Wing Commander (1990, plays a short cutscene and if there are no hostiles on route you're at the destination afterwards) - there is an autopilot button but it doesn't skip ahead time)
Kinda harsh tutorial missions that don't show the timer for timed parts and no "restart" button in the in-game menu
Kinda stupid AI overall (including your teammates - can't really rely on them to save you in a bind)
Overheating combined with losing your weapons can get pretty frustrating
Sometimes uneven difficulty (dips: trials (duels) 1-2 as jade falcons, iron piston with a dire wolf; spikes: bouk obelisk if both of the last two mechs attack you, ¨final jade mission (which is a trial) unless you cheese it by attacking the second combatant while they're not powered on - you won't reach the best rank then however)
No NPCs to talk to in the hub rooms (at the homebase) between missions - see Wing Commander
No VA for the lore texts
Kind of ugly title screen (nice hub room and sub rooms though)
Could've had a bit more gear to choose from (mines, wire (see Star Wars), magnet beam+melee weapons, force field, teleporter, towing gear for damaged NPC mechs that you need to escort)
Enemy mech pilots don't speak to you during missions and neither do your allies (see Wing Commander 1-2 or Star Fox where some enemies would communicate and each ally had a personality)
Bugs:
-Throttling using the arrow keys would also make me aim up/down in MechVM until I changed the config files manually
-The game sometimes changes your mech choice after choosing a teammate and does it every time if you go back into the mech lab after failing a mission
-Couldn't map jump jets to IJKL (when I did the game would skip missions when launching them and act as if I had beaten them) - could map to YGHJ though
-Defend target doesn't quite work for moving targets
Notes:
-Used MechVM and an ISO download to play
Level Design-7 Frustration-8 Fun-7 Originality-7
Overall Score-7
*Some mechs like the firemoth and kitfox
+
Tons of customization options (15 different mech types/chassis, 10 different mech parts (incl engines, armor, heat sinks, jump jets, radar, etc.), up to 10 weapons, mech name; have to also balance parts and equipment against weight limits, ). The game gives you a weight limit before each mission that you'll have to stay below (gives it a bit more of a sense of progression)
Unusual difficulty options (affects aim assistance and heat tracking and how much honor/score (changes the multiplier) you get from each mission - score has no gameplay effect however (neither does rank); can also toggle what are basically cheats in the options menu (seems to make it impossible to advance in the game) - invulnerability, unlimited ammo, no contact damage)
Two different SP campaigns (the Wolf one is a bit harder and missions tend to make you fight alongside a team of lighter mechs, 32 missions+4 duel missions in total - your mech is chosen for you for these 4)
Detailed mission briefings and debriefings showing various stats like no. of mechs destroyed, which (and when) objectives were completed and your hit percentage
Optional tutorial missions (these feature voiced instructions that don't pause gameplay, pretty good but they don't explain jump jets or mech customization)
Multiple primary as well as one or more secondary and tertiary objectives in each mission
8+ separate mech body parts with their own HP that can be damaged and destroyed during combat (Battletech). Means that if you take out the legs for example, the enemy mech can no longer run around
Detailed lore in the form of a log/diary of a previous commander (loremaster)
Satisfying explosions
Can zoom in/out while aiming
Jump jets (jetpack jumps - these feel similar to Tribes, quick turns on the ground, left and right sidestepping/strafing (can circle strafe by default as you can turn the torso 180 degrees), boost ground speed (Super Hang-On, Wing Commander); their energy regenerates slowly during missions)
Camera options (third-person view - C, zoomed out top down view (also shows nearby enemies in red and allies in green+what direction they're facing - F3)
Trials of Grievance mode (1 vs 1 duel or up to 3 vs 3 group skirmish mode; separate from the campaigns)
Shows the current enemy you're targeting in a secondary viewport (also shows how damaged each part is)
Wireframe view toggle
Fight alongside CPU-controlled allies (and turrets in some missions) - gain starmates/squadmates which can be ordered around and placed in 6 different formations (either both or one of them can be given an order: attack/defend my target, join formation, engage at will, shutdown). Squadmates can also be customized before the mission
Pretty nice (albeit cheesy) intros
Early 3D acceleration support however the max resolution is lower and there are no day-night cycle effects (up to 1024x768 without, I also find the color shading to be better without it overall)
Can map your weapons to 3 different control groups (shift+1/2/3, custom: ctrl to cycle weapons, RMB to cycle groups), letting you fire 2+ weapons at a time
A few scripted events during missions (for example a patrol mission that turns into a rescue mission and then an ambush)
Autopilot feature (actually dodges obstacles on route to the next navpoint however it's not perfect) - Wing Commander
Can lock onto and examine/inspect objects such as buildings (later used in Daggerfall - info mode; used to separate between key targets to destroy or defend in some missions)
The tutorial's instructor is so harsh that it becomes funny
Some cool weapons (homing missiles - streak sr and lrm (can pull your aim upwards after locking on to get them to move over obstacles))
Can replay beaten missions however you don't get to choose or customize your mech nor have a squadmate join when doing so
Partially destructible environments (bridges, buildings, crystal formations)
Pretty good art direction overall
+/-
Linear structure
Auto-saves in-between missions (can't save during one)
Some strategy in what parts to use based on which planet the mission is on (high gravity means a stronger engine is useful, a colder climate means there's less need for heat sinks)
Heat management (your mech shuts down if it gets overheated; an added override feature when your mech shuts down letting you keep using it at the risk of it blowing up, MASC equipment gives you 25% more max speed for 15 secs at a time but makes the mech heat up faster - seems best for lighter mechs)
Only partial control config in-game and it's very clunky (various keys can't be used for seemingly no reason, have to browse a list of keys on the side over and over instead of just inputting the key you want to use when it comes to keyboard controls - not the case for the mouse controls at least). Have to also edit the input.map/bak file to un-invert the mouse aiming (via these and the gamekey.map file you can configure everything in more detail however you can't map for example torso tilting to W and S apparently).
No mech or parts continuity/persistence and no economy (you don't have to repair a damaged mech nor do you gain money from missions to spend on new parts - see Armored Core)
The various display systems as well as your weapons can get destroyed during combat
There's a mechanic that makes you take more damage if your weapon ammo explodes so you should eject the ammo from the mech if it's about to happen (K) - can be hard to keep track of in the middle of combat but it does also happen to enemies
Sometimes you pretty much have to exploit the weak AI to survive (cars (rogue chariot mission for example) have a hard time with corners)
No cutscenes in-between the campaign intros and endings and the VA is mediocre
-
Control/interface issues (can't change the controls during a mission, can't set up your weapon groups before starting a mission, kinda short range on your inspection scanner - for examining buildings and vehicles, using jump jets for quick maneuvering on the ground would've been less clunky if you could just hold or tap a jet toggle and use the movement keys, no subtitles, can't give orders to rescued NPC mechs or escortees - can get frustrating in some missions (second escort mission as jade falcons especially where the convoy seems determined to get itself killed), double tapping up/down to change between forward and reverse movement would've been better than a separate button, can't queue up multiple orders for an ally to follow in a set order, shutdown sequences sometimes trigger sooner than expected so you don't get a chance to override - seems to be an issue with the game buffering the voices so they don't play at the same time meaning if other stuff happens then you don't get the warning in time, can get semi-stuck in walls (can happen to enemies too))
Some trial & error (the different modes on the main menu as well as the rooms/sub menus on the planning screen/hub screen in a SP campaign (similar to Wing Commander) should've been explained in-game, sometimes there aren't any "targets of opportunity" but there's still a tertiary objective to destroy them, single heat sinks are usually useless, actuators are almost useless since you can't kick and punch in this game - only crash into other mechs on the ground or from above, machine guns seem useless besides in a few situations if grouped together and you're comfortable with getting up close, knowing how hot a planet is before beginning a mission, quickly finding the convoy in the plum wine mission - if you just follow the nav points you'll probably lose, knowing where to be and when in jade's armor veil/defend airbase mission - seems easier to disarm the southern wave and then go NW instead of killing them))
Plenty of dead space (no jump to point unlike in Wing Commander (1990, plays a short cutscene and if there are no hostiles on route you're at the destination afterwards) - there is an autopilot button but it doesn't skip ahead time)
Kinda harsh tutorial missions that don't show the timer for timed parts and no "restart" button in the in-game menu
Kinda stupid AI overall (including your teammates - can't really rely on them to save you in a bind)
Overheating combined with losing your weapons can get pretty frustrating
Sometimes uneven difficulty (dips: trials (duels) 1-2 as jade falcons, iron piston with a dire wolf; spikes: bouk obelisk if both of the last two mechs attack you, ¨final jade mission (which is a trial) unless you cheese it by attacking the second combatant while they're not powered on - you won't reach the best rank then however)
No NPCs to talk to in the hub rooms (at the homebase) between missions - see Wing Commander
No VA for the lore texts
Kind of ugly title screen (nice hub room and sub rooms though)
Could've had a bit more gear to choose from (mines, wire (see Star Wars), magnet beam+melee weapons, force field, teleporter, towing gear for damaged NPC mechs that you need to escort)
Enemy mech pilots don't speak to you during missions and neither do your allies (see Wing Commander 1-2 or Star Fox where some enemies would communicate and each ally had a personality)
Bugs:
-Throttling using the arrow keys would also make me aim up/down in MechVM until I changed the config files manually
-The game sometimes changes your mech choice after choosing a teammate and does it every time if you go back into the mech lab after failing a mission
-Couldn't map jump jets to IJKL (when I did the game would skip missions when launching them and act as if I had beaten them) - could map to YGHJ though
-Defend target doesn't quite work for moving targets
Notes:
-Used MechVM and an ISO download to play