Mech Commander Gold

DEVELOPER : FASA Interactive
PUBLISHER : Hasbro

 

System Requirements Pentium 166 Mhz, 32 MB RAM

Recommended Pentium II 335MHz, 128+ MB RAM, 4 Megs Video card, 500+MB

Ratings
Code Issues Graphics: 8 - The fact that they are a bit dated does not detract from the game all that much. Audio: 8.5 - Typical music, but the sound effects are superb. Interface: 8 - Takes some getting used to, but not overly complicated	Play Issues Gameplay: 8 – Lots of fun, but many have already experienced it. Replayability: 7.5 – Once through is probably enough, but a great mission editor extends its life for those players devoted to it. Multiplay: 8 – Support for the Zone and Mplayer. Learning Curve: 8.0 – You’ll definitely have to experiment a bit, but it should not take too long to get the hang of it.
Other/Notes Documentation 9.0 – Well-written and informative manual contains all you need to know. Pros: Simply a fun and attractive game.  The additional missions are enjoyable, and the mission editor is powerful. Attention to detail really sucks you in. Cons: The extras may not be enough to warrant the purchase of this “gold” edition.   Comments: Newcomers can up the score by at least half a point Overall: 8.1

I am always a bit skeptical when I walk into my local software store and see anything that has the world “gold” on it. This implies that it is a re-release, and this gets me thinking, “What was so wrong with it in the first place?” I am not a complete pessimist, so I will admit that sometimes, maybe even most times, game companies re-release a game because of the fact that it did so well. They enhance some aspects of the game, slap on a mission pack, and viola, a gold edition. Other times, however, a gold edition can be a way to make up for less than ideal profits from the first time around. But since I had never played the original, I tried my best to review MechCommander Gold without any preconceived notions. And the end result? I liked it.

Many gamers are familiar with the BattleTech Universe, in which gigantic machines called BattleMechs, or jus ‘Mechs for short, are at constant war. It is your typical apocalyptic future in which everyone holds a grudge, but the creativity in the ‘Mechs’ designs gives it a certain appeal. This universe has been ideal for books, pen and paper role-playing games, and of course, computer games. I hate to use such a blatant cliché, but unless you have been “living under a rock” you have probably heard of the MechWarrior series of games. These let you jump into the cockpits of the ‘Mechs and duke it on 3D battlefields. Personally, I love them, and they have garnered a loyal following. So here is where MechCommander comes in. It attempts to turn the 3D, action based gameplay of that series into a real-time strategy game of sorts, and it is pretty successful.

What makes this game stand out is the fact that it is not your standard real-time game of building bases, training troops, blah, blah, you know the rest. You do not construct anything, and so have limited resources and limited pilots, so you better pay attention out on the battlefield. This adds a sense of tension that really enhances the game. Some may complain that the designers still failed to include the option to save during missions, but this would have destroyed that tension. This is the same argument that Aliens vs. Predator brought up. Unlike that game, however, I found it enjoyable to play missions over, simply because you can always try new strategies and approaches to the same objectives.

OK. Now on to the gameplay. Players take the role of a member of the Star League Defense Force, which has been set up by the united clans of the Inner Sphere. The enemy is none other than the deadly Smoke Jaguar clan. If this all sounds foreign to you, the informative manual does a good job of setting up the story, as does the opening cinema, which has decent acting, great effects, and plenty of action. So what does the job entail? Well, a MechCommander has the honor of controlling forces on an electronic battlefield. Players begin each mission by reading the objectives. Then, drawing from a pool of resource points players will hire new pilots with different skill levels in areas such as gunnery and sensors, put them into a ‘Mech, configure it to his or her liking, and deploy them onto the battlefield. This game does a superb job of keeping everything in balance. For instance, each ‘Mech and component has a specific tonnage, and each mission has a maximum amount you can deploy. Should you buy and deploy that extra scouting ‘Mech, or install a new heavy flame-thrower and pulse laser into your existing one? These are the types of questions players have to answer. Although the interface in this portion of the game is a bit overwhelming at first, I learned to use it well over time, and the sheer variety of weapons, ‘Mechs, and vehicles (such as minelayers, scout cars, and hover tanks), immersed me nonetheless. Also, the gold edition has six new Mech chassis and ten new weapons for greater variety

Once the units are ready, you will take them into battle. Viewing the battlefield from above, you can group your soldiers into squadrons using a toolbar at the bottom of the screen. You will also want to use this to keep track of their damage status. In the top left is a window that lets you view the map along with your unit’s radar range, get a more detailed damage report, review the mission objectives, or see what salvage you have picked up along the way. Once your ‘Mechs meet up with the enemy, you can choose what range you want them to attack from, which has an effect on what weapons they use, and you can even designate certain parts to aim for. There is a damage bar above each unit, and once it is depleted, one of two things can happen. A ‘Mech can either be destroyed along with the pilot, or the pilot will eject in an escape pod, and can be later retrieved. Players can also capture buildings for repairing units or collecting weapons and components for later use. Also, the better you do at completing each mission, the more resource points you receive at the end, so you will want to use your head and formulate a strategy. Blindly throwing your units at the enemy may win the battle, but when you do not even have enough resource points to fully repair them later, you will be sorry.

Graphic-wise, the game has not changed much from the original, which is not such a bad thing. They do show their age a bit, but do a good job of complementing the gameplay. The landscape is deformable, so missiles will make craters and lasers will scar concrete. You can even burn down forests to make shortcuts. Little touches such as the way your ‘Mechs will send lone trees crashing to the ground when running by them, add to the atmosphere. Terrain also has a bearing on the speed of a ‘Mech. You will not want to be climbing a hill when two enemy ‘Mechs are hunting you down. In terms of audio, sound effects are sharp and realistic, but the music is your standard “I’m saving the world again” beat. Due to the sound effects, however, this is a game you will want to play with the volume up.

So what keeps me from giving this game a higher score? After all, you can probably tell how impressed I am at the game’s attention to detail. But unfortunately, the problem is that this is not a new game. Many people have already played it in its original form, so that brings me to what is new in the gold edition. As I stated above, there are some new weapons and ‘Mechs to choose from. Also, a few new features such as a waypoint system and an option to have your ‘Mechs automatically conserve ammunition, address some complaints with the original. The biggest selling point, however, is a new twelve mission campaign called Desperate Measures, and a mission editor. The new campaign continues the story of the original one, and introduces a new planet, Cermak. Also, many people complained about the game’s difficulty, so now you can change any mission to an easy setting, even if you began the campaign on normal or hard. Personally, I was okay with the difficulty of the missions, as it made completing one that much more rewarding.

In my opinion, this version is best for first time MechCommanders and players of the original who want to try their hand at making some levels. The new campaign is more of the same, so I do not really think it warrants purchasing the game over again. Overall, it is a fun and creative title, and one I plan to keep playing for quite some time.

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Reviewed by Anthony Micari