Mech Commander 2

Product Review

Know what it is to command. As a MechCommander®, you command a unit of mercenary MechWarriors in a real-time strategy game of power, combat, and treachery set in the BattleTech Universe. Order your 'Mechs to divide and conquer the enemy as you become deeply involved in a bitter struggle for power among three warring noble houses.

Amazon.com Review

Based on the BattleTech tabletop board games, MechCommander 2 is a mission-based real-time strategy game in which you control gigantic mechanized vehicles (Mechs). While the focus is on strategic combat, preparation plays an equally vital part. How you prepare for a battle is often more important than the actual tactics you use during a fight. Your success will depend greatly on discovering new technology and implementing it within your Mechs. You can be victorious with the most rudimentary strategies as long as you've picked the proper weaponry beforehand. Between missions you're treated to entertaining full-motion video scenes that lead you to your next objective.

Although the game makes some key improvements on the original, it has its fair share of problems. First off, it's totally linear. There's never a need to stray from the key objectives because there's nothing else to discover or achieve. The artificial intelligence, while greatly improved, has a tendency to jump the gun and attack enemies immediately, making stealth tactics difficult. Lastly, the system requirements are misleading--even on a 1 GHz machine with a GeForce3-based graphics card, there's plenty of slowdown when the screen is filled with units. On the positive side, the gameplay is tight, Mech customization is deep, and this is one of the few RTS games where 3-D environments factor into tactics. --Raymond M. Padilla

Pros:

• Nice use of 3-D for an RTS
• Great graphics
• Witty cutscenes

Cons:

• Trigger-happy artificial intelligence
• Misleading system requirements
• Low replay value

Amazon.com Product Description

Take control of an entire company of the most fearsome military machines in history: BattleMechs! As a MechCommander, you command a unit of mercenary MechWarriors in a real-time strategy game of power, combat, and treachery set in the sci-fi BattleTech universe. Order your huge, heavily armed BattleMechs to divide and conquer the enemy as you become deeply involved in a bitter struggle for power among three warring noble houses.

MechCommander 2 is fully 3-D, with state-of-the-art terrain that you can manipulate to your advantage. Knock down trees, blow through walls, jump jet onto cliffs, and step on things standing in your way to victory.

In MechCommander 2, you're not just fighting one battle, but are waging an extensive, persistent campaign. Develop your team into the perfect fighting force. Recover and retaliate. In the heat of battle, you can now request reinforcements to gain a tactical advantage. Repair trucks, minelayers, scout tanks, and more can be flown in during missions.

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