MechCommander 2

"Blowing stuff up in huge, walking tanks...it doesn't get much better than this"

Mech Commander 2 is the sequel to the original Mech Commander with a new, fully 3D engine.

For those new to the Battletech/Mecwarrior franchise, Mechs are basically walking tanks with vaguely humanoid shapes.

Graphics 10/10

Mech Commander's graphics are simply beautiful. Well-rendered and highly detailed Mechs trudge across equally well-rendered and highly detailed terrain that includes hills, forests, deserts, and water. Mechs leave footprints and vehicles leave tracks, adding to the realism of the graphics. Trees can be knocked over and burned, water splashes, and weapon fire lights up darkened areas.

Explosions and weapon effects are the strong point of the new 3D engine. Lasers flash believably, missiles leave smoke trails, spent cannon shells eject and pile nicely at the mech's feet. I found myself blowing things up simply for the fun of seeing near-nuclear scale fireballs, smoke, and wreckage flying in various directions. The effects are equal, if not better, than those in Mechwarrior 4.

Calling in a support helicopter to airlift special units is truly awesome. They swoop in, kick up dust while hovering and deposit their cargo, only to bank and speed away into whatever color the yonder is on Carver V.

Small touches like footprints, smoke, and dust give MC2 a high degree of believability and class.

My only complaint is the horsepower needed to display even a fraction of the detail that MC2 offers. The official requirements list a 300Mhz processor as a minimum. Running on my 350Mhz machine, the game crawled and stuttered at the lowest detail setting. On my newer 1.6Ghz rig, the game ran flawlessly at the highest possible detail setting. Owners of older systems take note, you will not experience the full array of graphics MC2 has to offer.

Gameplay 8/10

Veterans of the original Mech Commander will find nothing new here, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

At it's heart, Mech Commander 2 is a real-time, tactical combat game. You get objectives (most often blowing stuff up) and move your forces to complete said objectives. There's been little new to this genre since it's earliest days but it's still around for a reason: it's simple and fun.

Lack of a wide variety of mission objectives detract a little from MC2's gameplay. The objectives are no more than ''get to point A and blow stuff up, get to point B and defend it while blowing stuff up, go to point C and blow more stuff up.'' It's not original but doing it in 100ft tall walking tanks certainly is a blast.

Enemy AI is decent but far from brilliant. Enemies will use terrain and range to their advantage but rely more on superior numbers than true tactics. If an enemy attacks your mech's weaker rear armor or uses water to dissipate heat build-up, it's an accident and not a representation of the intelligence of the AI.

As the game progresses, more mech pilots are added to the roster. Pilots gain experience for kills and medals for special achievements, making veteran pilots extremely valuable later in the game.

Mechs can be salvaged or purchased and are customizable to the extent of any Mech Warrior game. Weapons can be deleted or added, armor can be bolted on. Heat sinks and jump jets are configurable as well. Mechs can even be painted to match the player's taste.

Controls 8/10

Controls are simple and easy to learn. Click to select a unit, click where you want it to move or attack. You can lasso units to make moving a large team easier.

My one complaint is about capturing buildings. To capture a building, select a unit and click the building. After much frustration and time, I realized that a single mech has to be selected to successfully capture a building. You can't capture a building with a group of lassoed units. This seems simply silly to me.

Audio 5/10

Music is well done but utterly forgettable. Voice acting is on par with most other computer games, which isn't saying a whole lot. In short, the audio isn't bad, but not all that good either.

Story 5/10

Anyone that has played any Battletech game will see the same story repeated for the hundredth time: for one reason or another so-and-so planet has to be attacked for some murky reason. You will fight for a number of different factions, none of which are particularly interesting.

A few choices are allowed during the progression of the game but they have zero outcome on the gameplay. The choices boil down to a few optional missions that get you nothing but a little salvage.

Challenge and Replayability 7/10

MC2 isn't nearly as difficult as it's predecessor. I completed MC2 in a weekend. A number of difficulty levels are available but they don't change much more than weapon damage values.

Having said that, the game is extremely fun. I have played through it many times over.

Technical Issues

Except for the deceptively low system requirements, I know noticed no major bugs or flaws. Unfortunately, even on my newer 1.6Ghz machine, load times were still extremely long.

Overall 8/10

Mech Commander 2 is a great game that is only slightly hampered by lack of originality and mediocre sound. Both those steeped in Battletech lore and newcomers to the genre will find enjoyment in the game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/02, Updated 11/08/02