Mechassault 2
Written by Phillip Ellis on 5/18/2005 for
Xbox
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Mechassault 2
MechAssault seems like such an old and tiring series, and well, that’s because it is. Not the actual Mech part, but the fact that this type of game goes way back to the Armored Core series. They are both closely related in what you can do, and Armored Core began nine years ago. So we’ve seen a lot of games of flying mech’s and blowing things up in mid-air, and the fact is, none of them really change that much to keep me interested. Sure, the graphics have gotten better over time, the gameplay has improved slightly, but I remember the first Armored Core as being fun, and exciting because it was different. Now we’re at Mech Assault 2 which continues to play on an old genre now, and everything is beginning to get repetitive to me. It’s still a good game, just not as good as it could be.
The single player is the game’s bottleneck. It’s not to say it’s not good, but it’s old, it’s cliché and reoccurring. There’s a weapon out there, and if it falls into a certain someone’s hands the world is basically going to end, so you have to stop it. Exciting, huh? The missions are too easy, you walk around in your mech and blow stuff up, including other mech’s as they shoot at you in a way that leaves a lot to be desired. The missions are so linear, that single player begins to get repetitive, and lest I say it, boring. The game is short though, so if you just have to beat single player it should not take you very long, seeing as every mission is the same type thing, and there’s not that many of them.
Mech Assault’s biggest draw, without a doubt too, is it’s multiplayer. How could it not be? It saves the game, basically. The game modes are the same as the last iteration’s, which I’m glad was free with my Xbox Live purchase. Xbox Live supports up to 12 people here, and the gaming is pretty intense, especially considering I’m the man in single player, but suck online. Multiplayer has put plenty of modes and maps into it. Enough to keep you entertained for plenty of time thanks to the action you’ll be getting, but if you can’t play this game via Xbox Live then I’d run away.
The graphics in this version get the job done, and look pretty damn cool when things get to going. Other than that, at times they leave a little bit to be desired. In the first or second mission you’re told to sink a ship, and okay, no problem, but the boat looks to be just three pixels or something, and that bugged me to no end. Still, the graphics of the Mech’s, and of the world around you are decent. Walk into a building and watch it crumble to the ground, that’s a neat touch, and obviously it would probably happen if a giant metal thing ran into a building. Blowing up a Mech looks like a nuclear explosion? Yeah. It’s sort of creepy to explode a mech because this big blast radius occurs and you see what appears to be radiation ripping apart buildings, you assume it will eat you alive, but eh, it doesn’t. The game really has not kept up with the time, however. After seeing beautiful games like Splinter Cell, and Forza Motorsport, good graphics seem almost natural on the Xbox, but Mech Assault 2 falls a little bit short in trying to accomplish that.
A cool new feature in this year’s game is the ability to hack other Mech’s when you’re in your special suit. This means you can ‘jack’ another mech. Fly up in the air in your mech, and get close enough to throw a claw at the other mech, and then hack into it. This will open up the Mech and let you take it over, if you so desire. Or just an easy way to get rid of the mech, if that’s what you want. It’s something new in the entire series, the ability to get out of your Mech and run around, just don’t die. You can set explosive charges, hack, and do other things little men in a world of Mech’s can do…. Really I’d just run away. You can fly the landing craft’s now, you know, the big ones you’ve seen overhead of you? Hop in one and take a spin, if you can find one. Tanks and gun turrets are now found in various places, and should help you in your quest to take over Mech World, at least I think that’s what it’s called. There’s only about eight different types of Mech’s in the game, so you’ll see a lot of the same looking ones, which is a disappointment to me anyways, I like seeing variety. They are split into different classes, sort of like boxing. You have your light class, your medium class, heavy class, and assault Mechs. There’s a wide variety of weapons available to you, however, and that’s a good thing. The sound track in the game is pretty cool, although too bad it’s not custom soundtrack, as everything nowadays should be!
MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf supports up to 12 players on Xbox Live or system link, and provides for some very intense battles with the full 12 online. It also supports HDTV 16x9, which is nice, but the graphics fall shorter and shorter on an HDTV monitor. The greatest aspect of this game is the multiplayer, which saves it and enables me to claim it’s an eight. The support of clans and other cool goodies on this game make it a multiplayer heaven. If you’re big into the series then you’ll probably want to pick this one up, as it’s going to provide you more of the same fun with some new features that you’re sure to love.
The single player is the game’s bottleneck. It’s not to say it’s not good, but it’s old, it’s cliché and reoccurring. There’s a weapon out there, and if it falls into a certain someone’s hands the world is basically going to end, so you have to stop it. Exciting, huh? The missions are too easy, you walk around in your mech and blow stuff up, including other mech’s as they shoot at you in a way that leaves a lot to be desired. The missions are so linear, that single player begins to get repetitive, and lest I say it, boring. The game is short though, so if you just have to beat single player it should not take you very long, seeing as every mission is the same type thing, and there’s not that many of them.
Mech Assault’s biggest draw, without a doubt too, is it’s multiplayer. How could it not be? It saves the game, basically. The game modes are the same as the last iteration’s, which I’m glad was free with my Xbox Live purchase. Xbox Live supports up to 12 people here, and the gaming is pretty intense, especially considering I’m the man in single player, but suck online. Multiplayer has put plenty of modes and maps into it. Enough to keep you entertained for plenty of time thanks to the action you’ll be getting, but if you can’t play this game via Xbox Live then I’d run away.
The graphics in this version get the job done, and look pretty damn cool when things get to going. Other than that, at times they leave a little bit to be desired. In the first or second mission you’re told to sink a ship, and okay, no problem, but the boat looks to be just three pixels or something, and that bugged me to no end. Still, the graphics of the Mech’s, and of the world around you are decent. Walk into a building and watch it crumble to the ground, that’s a neat touch, and obviously it would probably happen if a giant metal thing ran into a building. Blowing up a Mech looks like a nuclear explosion? Yeah. It’s sort of creepy to explode a mech because this big blast radius occurs and you see what appears to be radiation ripping apart buildings, you assume it will eat you alive, but eh, it doesn’t. The game really has not kept up with the time, however. After seeing beautiful games like Splinter Cell, and Forza Motorsport, good graphics seem almost natural on the Xbox, but Mech Assault 2 falls a little bit short in trying to accomplish that.
A cool new feature in this year’s game is the ability to hack other Mech’s when you’re in your special suit. This means you can ‘jack’ another mech. Fly up in the air in your mech, and get close enough to throw a claw at the other mech, and then hack into it. This will open up the Mech and let you take it over, if you so desire. Or just an easy way to get rid of the mech, if that’s what you want. It’s something new in the entire series, the ability to get out of your Mech and run around, just don’t die. You can set explosive charges, hack, and do other things little men in a world of Mech’s can do…. Really I’d just run away. You can fly the landing craft’s now, you know, the big ones you’ve seen overhead of you? Hop in one and take a spin, if you can find one. Tanks and gun turrets are now found in various places, and should help you in your quest to take over Mech World, at least I think that’s what it’s called. There’s only about eight different types of Mech’s in the game, so you’ll see a lot of the same looking ones, which is a disappointment to me anyways, I like seeing variety. They are split into different classes, sort of like boxing. You have your light class, your medium class, heavy class, and assault Mechs. There’s a wide variety of weapons available to you, however, and that’s a good thing. The sound track in the game is pretty cool, although too bad it’s not custom soundtrack, as everything nowadays should be!
MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf supports up to 12 players on Xbox Live or system link, and provides for some very intense battles with the full 12 online. It also supports HDTV 16x9, which is nice, but the graphics fall shorter and shorter on an HDTV monitor. The greatest aspect of this game is the multiplayer, which saves it and enables me to claim it’s an eight. The support of clans and other cool goodies on this game make it a multiplayer heaven. If you’re big into the series then you’ll probably want to pick this one up, as it’s going to provide you more of the same fun with some new features that you’re sure to love.
Another game in a series that has been fairly popular through the years, single-player struggles, where multiplayer picks up the slack.
Rating: 8 Good
* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.
About Author
I guess since I am the new guy here I will introduce myself. Name is Phillip, but you can call me Phil, and/or Philly. It makes no difference to me because the girls prefer Philly. I have never been a writer on a review site per say, yet I have reviewed games for various websites over time. I own every console except for Nintendo because I enjoy blowing my money off for no reason. I was perfectly content with my Playstation 2 until one day, I just felt the need for a larger green box. On top of the consoles, I buy a new computer way too often, and probably have way too many. I sometimes believe there is enough technology and stuff in here to launch a nuclear warhead, and I would not doubt it. I currently reside in North Carolina, near Charlotte, with no idea where I will end up in the future!
Currently I am playing NFL Fever (XBox), Full Spectrum Warrior (Xbox), Rainbow Six 3 (Xbox), Fight Night 2004 (Ps2), and Joint Operations Typhoon Rising (PC).
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