Mech Commander Gold

Rating:
Summary: The hardest game you'll ever love
Review: Oh, how I love this game, one of the most underrated RTS games I've played. Underrated because the original version of the game had major problems, and because the second game in the series seals the series' doom (it isn't very good).

I haven't played the original MechCommander (non-Gold) game. Apparently, complaints were aimed mostly at the interface and the fact that it was too hard, and there were no artillery strikes. As artillery strikes are my favorite single aspect of the game, I would recommend that you avoid the original and only get MechCommander Gold, but be warned: This is a hard game! Winnable, but hard. One reason is that there is no in-game saveability. Like the original Rainbow Six game, you play through from one scenario to the next with no way to save mid-game. However, there are some strategic tools you can use that most games don't afford. One is pausing the game. You can view different parts of the map, issue commands to 'Mechs and even send artillery strikes, all while the game is paused. You'll need to use this. Another strategic ace is the refit truck. If you have a refit truck available and it's a hard level, you'll do fine. The ability to restore damaged 'Mechs in-game with a refit truck is as close to cheating as you can get.

Some of the highpoints of the game:
Strategy. There is actual thought and timing required to win, whether it's scouting with a light, jump-able 'Mech with long range radar or just rolling through en masse, or burning your way through a forest to avoid bad guys. This is pure combat, no resource gathering and such like most RTS games where the economics are far more important in determining the winner than military might. Don't get me wrong, I love the economic side of RTS games, but MechCommander is a nice departure from that. Also, the look of the game is terrific. It's nice to look at. This game is two-dimensional with an isometric view. The second MechCommander is three-dimensional and looks like crud. Rise of Nations, while it has some three-dimensional elements, is two-dimesional and isometric. Please let that be the trend. Even Warcraft III, while three-dimensional, keeps a steady, non-rotating view of the landscape. This is the correct way to do it. The sound is pretty good, although you do get tired of hearing the same messages of acknowledgement and the fact that the MechWarriors have something on their radar. You kind of get used to it and ignore it. At least the voices are all different so you can usually distinguish who's talking.

It's a blast to customize the mechs with whatever weapons you find, and even better to salvage enemy mechs, which always have a slight advantage in firepower and speed. There's nothing quite like mousing over a storage bin and seeing the context-sensitive cursor change into a pair of pliers (or whatever they are, indicating that there's something to get in there).

Oh, and jump-jets are just plain cool! Man, I love this game! Plus, the cinematics at the beginning feature the same guy who starred in a fairly recent snowmobile commercial featuring the automatic jerky-extruder. The acting on both occasions is hilarious. A little bonus tidbit of trivia there.

Rating:
Summary: Hasbeen strikes again!
Review: They really should've stayed with board games. Their programmers all got straight A's (in retentive).

Rating:
Summary: The best BattleTech-Strategy game yet!
Review: This game is an excellent improvement over MechCommander. Not only are there new commands and weapons, there are 6 new 'mech chassis, 12 new missions, all of the old campaigns, and a mission editor ALL on one disk! Using the mission editor, you can design missions to play with others in multiplayer. The ultimate strategy game for everyone!

Rating:
Summary: The best BattleTech-Strategy game yet!
Review: This game is an excellent improvement over MechCommander. Not only are there new commands and weapons, there are 6 new 'mech chassis, 12 new missions, all of the old campaigns, and a mission editor ALL on one disk! Using the mission editor, you can design missions to play with others in multiplayer. The ultimate strategy game for everyone!