I have read the other reviews here at DSC, and while I agree with some points, I disagree entirely with the claim that this is a good game.

I will get to my reasoning in a moment; first I have to qualify this by saying that I really enjoyed the first MA and feel like I have gotten my moneys worth from it, price of the Xbox I purchased to play it included.

For $55, this game is garbage.

For a more in depth critique of the campaign mode, see the GameSpot review. I have only a few things to add. My biggest problem with the whole game is the neurohacking. I kept telling my GF who was watching me play while she was taking a break from WOW, "Who the @!#$ decided to put a MINIGAME in my 'MECH game? Like many people, I was excited by the fact that they wanted to bring home the scale of a 'mech by having more mission’s ala Size Matters from the first MA. I thought that was really cool. Making me "jack" mechs over and over again was ridiculous. Let me just steal one please, preferably one that is powered down. I really do not want to play Mario Party while I am playing MechAssault.

Second thing about the campaign that really ticked me off was that I could never pick my 'mech. Excuse me Foster, thanks for prepping the Blood Asp, but I have a Prometheus here which is fully armed and armored and is a MUCH more effective 'mech. Let me use it PLEASE!

Now, let me get into the multiplayer. I do not have Xbox Live, and most likely never will. I cannot justify the cost. That does not mean I do not enjoy the multiplayer of the first game, and had high hopes for this one. My friends used to haul TV's and Xbox's around just so we could play multiplayer in MA. We will definitely not be doing it for this game. Why in the world do I not get to pick my 'mech in Grinder mode? Whose brilliant idea was that, and can I beat them? Grinder???!!! I understand the need to "balance" the multiplayer aspect of the game for everything else, even though I may not agree, but limiting my selection in Grinder is ridiculous. That and the never ending stream of Ragnoraks instead of a progressive series of ever increasing waves really tipped this one over the edge for me.

Graphically, the game is really an improvement over the first one for the most part, but those are negated pretty quickly as soon as you step foot in River City. Clown trees and plastic buildings. I felt like weeping. All of the other graphical touches are great, but if it meant that the developers could not even make River City look as good as in the first game, they were not worth it.

Sound and story: Some sound upgrades are good, some are pretty bad. I never liked Korn or Papa Roach, so being forced to listen to them sucked, but I am used to that in gaming. Korn OVER and OVER again during the last battle hurt. A lot. The story was just plain bad, in every respect. Acting, cut scenes, realism (to BT), all were just plain crap.

As I told my buddies about the game, they got more and more disappointed. The first was so much fun that it hurts to tell them to wait to buy it until after I let them borrow it so they can make the correct decision by leaving it at the store. I would love to be able to give it back and get a full refund, but it looks like it will have to be trade bait for something else the next time I go to Gamerz Exchange or EB.

omnimoribund
small rants for small people

Without Xbox live, the game is only worth a rental. You'll beat it and likely use all the fun up by the time you take it back.

Iron Giant
President of the Duncan Fisher Fan Club

Well, I'm glad I waited to open it. I'm pretty sure as of now that this one is going back.
I play SP mostly on all my games. If the SP mode isn't good then I don't want to deal with it. I already shell out a lot of cash for my T-1 line for my MP computer games I can't see installing a phone jack and running a line around my house to support the Live aspect if the SP is so short and lame and the MP options are scaled down. Reminds me of Macross/Robotech now.

Maybe I'll try it when its a bargin bin game.


**Don't try to redeem yourselves; you're in way too deep to make it believable**

Jawbreaker--"Out."

Live doan use a phone line. The Xbox has a RJ45 jack in the back. I use mine offa my router for my cable modem.

Still is a fun game, just too short if yer single player only.

Still gotta string a line dude, but that isn't the point really.
**Insert witty phrase here**

Jawbreaker--"Out."

Ah, was just making sure you weren't avoiding Live! because you didn't want to use phoneline.

Mine's rigged fer wireless.

TheForce

My websites:

http://www.networkers.ca:9090/mc2
http://www.homepokertour.com

I haven't finished the campaign yet, but so far I like it better than MA1, with the exception of the spiders.

FYI, you don't need live to play online - you can use the following software:

www.xbconnect.com
www.teamxlink.co.uk

I think you can use gamespy too.

TheForce

My websites:

http://www.networkers.ca:9090/mc2
http://www.homepokertour.com

I'm not sure if they fixed this with some sort of workaround in later versions, but I know that the earlier versions of XBConnect were likely to make you unable to use GameSpy.

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BattleCorps member GBD-0255 | XBOX LIVE Gamertag: crowfoot MI
XFire: crowfootJamie

So agree with most of what you said. Fortunate for me I just rented the game and it hurts to play. How does it end, I have decided not to finish this game.

Jumping on a 'Mech and being able to cause the Mechwarrior to eject is just crap.

While running around on foot I managed to get hung up in trees twice so bad that I had to restart the mission and then had to play through the mission again.

Not being able to pick your 'Mech is just stupid. The Blood Asp was the biggest let down ever, I would rather be in a Hellbringer.

On a scale of 1 - 10 I give this game a 4. Mechassault I would have given a 7.

In closing - Thank You Microsoft now please give the Mechwarrior License to me so that I can do something with it.

Shayne

Sounds to me like clicktech is coming to an X-Box near you....

I haven't bought this game, knowing that the DSC forum vets are finding it lacking tells me I made a wise decision. I wasn't that big of a fan of the original MA. I played it, but to be honest, it got traded in UNFINISHED so I could buy HALO2. I did at least finish HALO2.

I have honestly found that fighting games and RPGs work well on a console, but anything else is usually lacking. From the sounds of it, MA2 is just another point to prove my case.

Let's face it, once MS and WhizKidz took over, Btech as we all knew and loved it was doomed. Think the BTech I loved is about to be buried now. It was fun while it lasted...

Officer Akula on patrol.

http://www.alloutwar.com
All Out War: 4025 - Web based strategy and multiplayer combat

Akula
PUB Administration
"There's gotta be a better way to make a living."

I think MA sucked, 1 and 2, they were so inacurate to battletech
the mechs looked gay and the weapons fired gay, and the gay nuero hack, and the battle armor, battle armor should only take a few small lasers and die, needless to say, this game sucked really bad, even mechwarrior 2 for playstation was way better.That gay alpha strike was for asault mechs only, and didnt even shoot all the weapons at once, the pulse lasers were so stupid, and the power ups, i meen , power ups didnt excist, in the MW2 for PS was speed and armor, adn you could customize your mechs, not have 3 weapoms on them.Who ever likes this game, well then, BURN AND DIE IN HELL!!



I LISTEN TO MY ANTS. OW, IT BIT ME!!

Hmm, I thought the 'Mech models were the best achievement in the game

Can't fault you for the rest of your comments, though. MA1&2 are fun to me, but they could have been OH SO MORE.

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BattleCorps member GBD-0255 | XBOX LIVE Gamertag: crowfoot MI
XFire: crowfootJamie

>Can't fault you for the rest of your comments, though.

You've got to be kidding me.

I'm not a Mechassault fan, but that was retarded.

LOL, I guess I tried to read between the "gays" and "sucks." I know what he's trying to say anyways . . . I guess he won't be writing reviews for IGN or Gamespot anytime soon, though. Well, then again - those sites are pretty gay and suck hard.

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BattleCorps member GBD-0255 | XBOX LIVE Gamertag: crowfoot MI
XFire: crowfootJamie