Still running after three years of combat.
Few games enjoy continuous play time from hardcore gamers today. Often time’s games are bought, played feverishly until the nuance has worn thin and then traded away or set aside until the “next big thing†comes along. However, I find it difficult to recall any game in the Xbox’s library that has maintained its vitality as well as MechAssault (save Halo). With a healthy, albeit delayed, flow of downloadable content MechAssault managed to maintain Live gamers’ attentions for the last 3 years. Quite a feat, some might say? Perhaps for any other series, but not for the famed MechWarrior series from which MechAssault was derived. Though it’s been 3 years since its release, MechAssault continues to account for millions of hours of lost time spent on the Xbox Live servers for one crucial reason. Gameplay was fast, frenetic and addictive. It is as simple as that.
Finally after years of development MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf is ready to clear the docking station and enter the battlefield. With improved gameplay and an updated graphics engine, MechAssault 2 looks to capitalize on the success of its predecessor and increase the Mech-sized momentum the series still enjoys.
Its like shopping for a car with an eleventy-billion dollar msrp.
This time around players get to choose from a variety of vehicles ranging from tanks, BattleMechs, BattleArmor (more on this later) and VTOL’s (vertical take of and landing vehicles). Obviously this changes the dynamic of the previous MechAssault’s mech-driven combat. The ability to choose the type of Mech remains, however, strategy would now dictate whether you want a Mech at all. Will you choose the power heavy Atlus with slow speed or the fast and stealth driven Raptor? Better still. Why not have both? Choose a BattleSuit and you’re properly equipped to “hi-jack†any Mech you can find. Seems to be that “jacking†vehicles is the thing to do in this console generation (Bungie has also included a similar ability in Halo 2.)
Taking a cue from T.H.U.G?
Perhaps MA2’s most innovative feature is the ability to exit your BattleMech and walk about the battleground freely. With the tap of a button you can easily exit your Mech and run about placing mines as you go. If you find an empty Mech on the battlefield be sure to borrow it before you meet your death under a rival’s steel heel. In the event that an unoccupied Mech is not at your disposal, the new “out of Mech combat†system allows players to scale walls, attach themselves to rivals machines or hop on to VTOL’s for a free ride. In any case, the free roam feature makes for a more strategic game. Online, team based combatants can designate specific tasks to certain players. For example one player can lay mine fields while a tank operator picks away at the opposition from afar. Meanwhile BattleMech pilots can mix it up with close quarters combat. If you thought that online MechAssault play was frantic as is, wait until you take MechAssault 2 out for a spin.
The future looks bright.
Gameplay tweaks aside, MechAssault 2 boasts some amazing visuals. BattleMechs, buildings, weapons fire, even the human models have been graphically fine tuned to tax the Xbox’s graphical abilities. MA 2’s buildings are no longer plagued with the “cookie cutter†curse of its older brother. Buildings now sport a high level of detail that adds a certain amount of uniqueness to each individual edifice.
Splinter Cell… eat your heart out.
If games like Ubisoft’s Spliter Cell taught us anything it’s that the appropriate use of lighting can really change the look of a game. MechAssault 2 is no different. Though the lighting in game does not affect the gameplay it sure does enhance the experience. Light shines through joints in the BattleMechs as they traverse the battlefield. Particle effects disperse from a Mech’s jets as is takes off in mid-step. Flashes of light inundate the screen when weapons fire off. It’s truly a thing of beauty.
It’s almost a shame that the environment has been so carefully crafted because it seems as if the team development team at Day 1 Studios has paid an equal amount of attention to destroying them. Buildings no longer fall apart in a cloud chalky dust. Now they crumble with area specific damage in an explosive visual frenzy of destructive drama. For the most part, MA 2’s environments maintain the same design style as the oriingal MechAssault. The battlefields are reminiscent of a futuristic tech-noir dystopia marred by industrial structures nestled in barren wasteland. However, this is one dystopia you’ll want to visit.
Daddy’s got a brand new bag….errr… Mech.
As is the case with most sequels of importance MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf will not arrive soon enough. Scheduled for an early 2005 release (January 2005), gamers will have to continue to get their Mech fix from the original MechAssualt. Until then, check back on Xbox Advanced for more information.
