Reviewed: March 11, 2005
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Microsoft
Developer
Day 1 Studios
Released: December 28, 2004
Genre: Action
Players: 2 / 12
ESRB: Teen
9
9
9
10
9.2
Supported Features:
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
I must admit I didn’t play the original MechAssault game all that much. We never received a review copy and nobody really bothered to buy or rent the game. In fact, it wasn’t until I purchased my first Xbox Live kit that I got a copy of this intense action title. Wow, I can’t believe what I was missing.
It’s been just over two years and Day 1 Studios delivers a stunning sequel to this robotic action title with MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf a sequel that surpasses the original game in nearly every way. With more than 30 units and 20+ thrilling missions, there is plenty of action and infinite ways to approach it.
Not only is everything better, it’s bigger too; the landscapes, the mechs, and the overall sense of scale, which gives this game the massive physics and gameplay that was missing in the first game. The single-player game is a bit linear but remains challenging and provides the perfect environment to train for the Xbox Live combat this is sure to follow.
Despite the Lone Wolf title, online warfare is where it’s at with this game and Day 1 has done everything in their power to keep this from being a lonely experience. With new Clan support and game modes for up to 12 mechs, this is one of the definitive Live titles of 2005. That’s not to say solo gamers won’t have a good time, just not as much of a good time.
Lone Wolf delivers a stunning array of Mechs, more than 35 that range from walking mechs to tanks, VTOL planes, BattleArmor, and even a few turret missions. You can now “jack” new mechs in mid-mission in a risky move where you hop onto the back of an enemy and enter a quick series of button presses in the displayed pattern. If you match the pattern in time the enemy pilot is ejected and you can take over his ride.
Throughout the game you will gather new data that can be used to generate new mechs and new abilities such as shields, stealth, plasma weapons, and the devastating Alpha Strike. All of these new abilities bring a much greater balance to the gameplay, something that was slightly off in the original. It also makes the game significantly harder to master, but you’ll have a blast learning it all.
Perhaps the most significant new piece of equipment is the BattleArmor, an exoskeleton not as cumbersome as a full-size mech but more nimble and packing plenty of power. You won’t want to play an entire mission in this suit but it does have its purpose, mainly getting around quickly and jacking other mechs. You can also grab onto a VTOL and fly across the battlefield.
Multiplayer offers support for two-player split-screen, system link for up to 12 players, and Live support for up to 12 players. Ten game modes provide plenty of challenging options. Destruction and Team Destruction are your typical deathmatch variations and Last Man Standing and its Team variation speak for themselves. Grinder is a survival mode and Capture the Flag is also available. Base War is an assault mode where you try to destroy your enemy base within the time limit and Check It and Snatch It are two modes where you either try to simultaneously control five key points or collect all the data cores and return them to your base.
Words can’t even begin to describe the fun that awaits you in all of these fantastic multiplayer modes. The Clan support is certainly a welcome addition since Lone Wolf only gets more fun when you team up with a great group of like-minded gamers. Working as a team you can organize strategies based on unit types. Guys in BattleArmor can race around the levels, often off the radar, while VTOL pilots can perform supply drops and attack from the sky. Using the headset, a VTOL pilot can also relay strategic info back to the rest of the team.
The final mode is the Conquest mode, an epic endeavor where you form a clan and fight your way across a string of planets. This isn’t a one-session affair, but something closer to a persistent online game that could take days, perhaps even weeks to finish.
With more mechs come more designs and some of these robots are really cool and highly inventive to the point where they almost have their own personality. Mechs appear to be built from individual parts, which only enhances the damage model as they catch fire and blow apart during combat.
The animations are excellent and there is a great sense of weight and physics. The only complaint I had was the lengthy animation required to enter or exit your BattleArmor, which takes place in real-time and subjects you to any incoming fire.
Lone Wolf is a unique mix of simple architecture and textures that is enhanced by some of the most insane lighting and special effects of any game on the Xbox. This game is pushing more explosions, particle effects, smoke, dust, fire, heat blurring, water, than any two other games combined and it does so with little to no slowdown whatsoever, online or solo.
MechAssault 2 also offers full support for HDTV owners with progressive scan and widescreen support for some of the best high-end graphics on the Xbox. This game looks fantastic and is a real showcase for the power of the system.
The music in Lone Wolf not surprisingly features plenty of heavy metal tunes along with some industrial tracks and some licensed music from Papa Roach and Korn. It might not be to everyone’s taste but it certainly fits with the energetic (and metallic) theme of the game.
The voice work during the cutscenes and the radio chatter works well enough. There isn’t much of a story so any dialogue is inconsequential, but it does help flesh out the fact that you are often working with a team or at least reporting to someone in command.
Sound effects are excellent, loud and in wonderful 3D if you have the Dolby Digital system to back it up. My subwoofer got a real workout with this game with every metallic footstep shaking the floor and every explosion knocking things off the shelves. VTOLS and flying missiles whoosh by on all channels surrounding you in combat sounds.
The included campaign consists of 26 missions that include a decent story and some mundane cutscenes. Newcomers will find about 12-15 hours of gameplay while experienced MechAssault gamers can blast through this game in 8-10. If you play through again or are already an expert with this style of game it’s feasible to complete the campaign in five hours.
There is also a Limited Edition version of MechAssault 2 available with some exclusive multiplayer maps and some video interviews with the designers. A nice bonus if you can find it since the price is the same.
MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf is practically an oxymoron since the last thing you want to do is play this game by yourself. The 20-some missions will certainly give you a day or so of great entertainment, despite the poor story and shallow characters, but more importantly these missions will serve to train you for the endless combat that awaits you online.
If you have an Xbox Live subscription then you owe it to yourself and all of your online friends to get this game immediately and don’t look back. This is easily one of the top five online Xbox games of all time. Offline…not so much.