The Features

The first MechAssault was a groundbreaking incursion of online multiplayer action on Xbox Live. It was one of the first titles that demonstrated some of Xbox Live’s abilities and it quickly built a loyal following of mechwarriors. That raised the bar pretty high for Day 1 Studios for the second iteration in the series, MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf.  In the several years since the originals’ release the Xbox system has been flooded with many third-person shooters that could have waned MechAssault’s popularity, but to this day there is a loyal following of Mech-happy fans battling for supremacy.  However will MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf live up to their expectations?

• Not Just BattleMechs Anymore: Now you can pilot an expanded line of combat vehicles including Tanks, Vertical Takeoff and Landing Craft, and Battle Armor.
• Multiplayer: Rich and lively multiplayer action, including some unique Xbox Live game types.
• Special Effects Galore: The graphics and special effects are a treat for the eyes.

Gameplay

The story begins a few years after the last one ended.  You, the mechwarrior, and your team have assembled an advanced Battle Armor suit from technology gleaned by a “power core”.  Just as you are about to try out this new suit a mysterious enemy arrives and disrupt your village stroll.  Conveniently this gives you the opportunity to try out your new armor and kick some serious robot butt.  Eventually you come to learn that you are once again battling the fanatical cult, the Word of Blake.  Your goal is to beat the enemy to each Power Core hidden throughout the universe in order to prevent them from unleashing its’ awesome destructive power on humanity.

Throughout the single-player campaign you battle across several planets destroying everything in your path.  Turrets? No problem.  Tanks? Just step on them as you are passing through.  Enemy Mechs? A few well-placed shots and they’re toast.  Sounds like a rehash of MechAssault 1 right? 

There are some changes that make the campaign more interesting and set the missions apart from those of the first game.  One of the largest changes is the addition of Battle Armor and the abilities you gain from its’ technology.  You can now exit your mech in battle and try fighting in only your small Battle Armor suit or look for another vehicle to commandeer.  Battle Armor may not sound like much protection but its’ small size and nimble moves makes this suit difficult for the larger mechs to fire upon.  Also an integrated jump jet and arm claw give you the ability to jump over buildings, walls, & other mechs in short order.  But the greatest feature is that of the neuro-hack or “jacking-in” feature.  While in the Battle Armor if you get close enough to the enemy you can attempt to take over their mech by “jacking-in” (by following the keystrokes displayed on the screen).  If you’re fast enough you’ll get a sweet new ride, too slow and you’ll be thrown to the ground with a hit against your shields.  This can be difficult to get the hang of at first, but is amazingly rewarding once you learn to do it consistently. MechAssault 2 also gives a wide variety of vehicles this time around, nearly quadrupling the unique machines to nearly thirty-five.  Tanks, VTOLS (Vertical Takeoff & Landing) aircraft, Battle Armor, & a wider variety of mechs are also at your disposal. All of these features combine to give the game play new twists and variety that haven’t been seen before.

The single-player mode is fun, but with the multiplayer action that the fun-factor is greatly increased.  Day 1 Studios didn’t just sit back and rest upon the success of the original game, but obviously have been working hard these past years to improve the game play, balance the vehicles & weapons, and enhance the multiplayer experience.  There are several ways to do multiplayer:  split-screen head-to-head, system link for up to 12 players, or play across Xbox-Live with up to 12 people. Xbox Live is where the action is at with ten game types available: Grinder (survival mode); Destruction (Deathmatch); Team Destruction (Team Deathmatch); Last Man Standing (one life – no respawns); Team Last Man Standing (Last Man Standing with teams); Not It! (Chase down the guy who is it, kill him, and become it to capture points); Capture the Flag, Team Capture the Flag, Check It! (Try to control all five control points or score the most points to win); Snatch It! (Capture all the data cores and return to them to your base first); and Base War (Destroy the enemies' base generator before time expires while defending your own).

Clan support is included in online play, or you can use the improved Quickmatch or Optimatch features to quickly jump into team play.  A successful team would use all that MechAssault 2 offers at their disposal to quickly destroy the other team into submission.  New tactics are available as a result of the new features. For example one team member could pilot a VTOL into enemy territory to drop supplies to the team, scout enemy positions & strength, or drop a battle armor unit right into the middle of the action.  Also tanks can provide devastating long-distance firepower support. With the tanks’ zoom scope you can fire and hit the enemy units before they can see you visually or on radar. Another new & innovative feature added to MechAssault 2 is the addition of the Conquest Mode.  This is where clans can battle each other in an ongoing war for territory & resources.  Games are simply not the usual one-battle affairs but a series of campaigns with the goal of galactic supremacy.  Your clan starts off with its own planet and must battle against neighboring clans/planets in order to win territory, all while protecting what resources you have already conquered.  This innovative game type could persist for weeks or even years into the future.  Overall MechAssaults’ multiplayer action is bundled into a compelling and enjoyable package that will surely keep players battling for many months after its release.

Graphics & Sound

You can’t say that the graphics on MechAssault 2 are groundbreaking or even one of the best visually – after all this title has some stiff competition in terms of cutting edge graphics.  However MechAssault is still great to look at and holds it own with some spectacular special effects and highly detailed vehicles & mechs.  Day 1 added an immense amount of details to each mech as well as giving each mech its own unique movement and characteristics.  Some of the special effects you could expect to see in action are smoke, heat blurs, particle effects, and of course – lots of explosions.  The music & sound effects are above average. MechAssault supports full Dolby 5.1 and it is well worth your investment into a compatible set of speakers if you don’t already own a pair.  I experienced firsthand how the sound effects work in conjunction with the Dolby when I was able to hear a weapon fired by an enemy mech situated behind my position.  The directional sound helped raise the awareness of the action long before I could visually see this.  Korn and Poppa Roach also contributed songs to the soundtrack, which has a heavy metal tendency that amazingly manages to not offend of annoy while in play. 

Final Comments

MechAssault 2 certainly lives up to its predecessor as well as the expectations of its’ fan base.  The gripping action of the single player campaign gingerly overcomes the weak characters & unoriginal storyline it has been saddled with.  However it is clear that this title was developed largely for the multiplayer environment. Like Halo 2, Xbox Live gives this game months (if not years) of replayability and a varying & dynamic game space.  If you don’t already have Xbox Live, consider getting it for this title.  MechAssault combines great graphics, high definition & widescreen support, solid sound effects, and phenomenal multiplayer action into a solid franchise builder.

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