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A Great Mech Title For The XBOX |
 Arend D. Hart from Michigan says (6/Jan/2003): |
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MechAssault
(XBOX)
Reviewed By StationPlay Staff Editor Arend D. Hart
OK. I finally caved in and got an XBOX. Actually, my wife bought it for me as my Christmas present. This is a big step for me. Sure, I had played Halo on a friend’s XBOX many months ago and loved it, but really, I didn’t see any reason other than Halo’s exclusivity to the XBOX to make me want to get the extremely heavy console (has anyone noticed how heavy this thing is!). I mean, I’ve been a serious SONY supporter (not fanboy, mind you) for many years. But, now that the XBOX is finally starting to show it’s muscle, and since they recently came out with the much improved Controller S, and since it is an American company behind it all, I really couldn’t help but feel like a giddy twelve year old kid when I ripped the wrapping paper off my new toy.
Honestly, at this point, I still like the familiar cobalt blue glow of my PS2 better than the lime green neon glare of my XBOX. However with titles like Halo and MechAssault at my disposal, that XBOX is really putting my PS2 through some serious detachment disorder.
MechAssault is an incredible experience, period. Whether we discuss visuals, action, control or concept, MechAssault stands at the head of its class. What was really intended to be Microsoft’s XBOX Live launch multiplayer shoot’em up, the 20 single player missions kick enough ass on their own to justify dropping $50 on this gem. To tell you the truth…I’m not even all that interested in multiplayer myself…I would have liked this game equally if it hadn’t even had multiplayer, much less online multiplayer (as broadband is both scarce and expensive in my neighborhood).
Graphically, few console titles come close to the detail in MechAssault. Like Halo, and many PC games out there, it may appear on first glance that the worlds are barren and lack texture. But as you approach objects, and you see the textures and details that are there, it’ll blow your mind. Remember the first time you played Halo and you actually stopped for a second and looked at the ground? Remember the awe when you saw individual blades of grass fluttering in the wind? MechAssault is a lot like that. Simply amazing. Trees have leaves that rustle and blow as you pass through the arbors (although the trees often are strangely unaffected by direct contact), buildings have cement and frames and insulation, and even the windows have glass that shatters and falls to the ground…MechAssault is a treat for the eyes, especially the explosions which are second to none.
You couldn’t as for a better controlling Mech title than MechAssault. None of this weird trigger combos to move a’la R.A.D.. MechAssault assumes a scheme much akin to Max Payne’s dual analog “FPS-in 3rd person view,” where the left stick moves your mech geographically, while the right stick controls your weapons aiming. One trigger changes weaponry, the other trigger fires the selected weapon. Fairly simple yet totally effective. Listen Steel Battalion fans…one simple Controller S is all you need to blow stuff up. Sure, it’s no 42 button dual joystick, eject button toting, $150 controller, but if you’re that much of a mech that having a button solely to wash your windshield is cool, you need serious help…
As for the gameplay, MechAssault is one bad ass game. And for a mech game to win me over, it has to be good. See, to tell you the truth, I’ve never really been much of a mech fan myself. I was in my uncomfortable 15 year old stage when Transformers and Voltron and stuff were on TV and I always associated mech stuff with, uh…nerds. I didn’t want to be a nerd. But now that I have finally come to grips with my own true nerddom (I am a Metallurgical Engineer by trade, thank you), I guess I’m a bit more open to the concept of 20ft. tall robots wrestling it out in the hearts of our cities and I’m beginning to really dig these titles. Zone of the Enders was a great diversion for the PS2, but kinda had that Japancheesy feel to it. Robotech: Battlecry was a quality game, but it did get awfully disorienting at times. MechAssault just does the right job of making you feel like you are actually saving the world – a real world – and you are in control.
One thing that really shocked me with MechAssault was how realistic the fighting seems to be. I mean, I’ve never taken part in, nor have I ever been witness to an actual real-life mech battle, but I do assume that it would take a ton of weaponry to blow up a heavily armored assault robot. And MechAssault does a fine job of conveying the strength and resilience of these massively armed, massively durable vehicles. Every battle is a war in itself. You’ll be strafing, jump-jetting, shooting, hiding, dodging, running…MechAssault is not an easy game to beat by any means. It may take a couple dozen hits to destroy an opponent. Actually, it seems as though the programmers have coded it so that the opponents take roughly the same damage as you do from each of the various weapons, which is not really the industry standard (where it is common for enemies to take maybe only three hits to kill while your character takes a dozen or more). This means that you had better really think about what you’re doing and how you propose to protect yourself, because you can just as easily become the victim in an all-out mech battle.
So does MechAssault have any areas it could improve on? Sure it does.
First, it would be nice if MechAssault included a quicksave or checkpoint feature within the missions. Much like Medal Of Honor: Frontline, MechAssault’s missions are incredibly long, meticulous, dangerous affairs. One wrong move and you can easily be in a world of hurt, requiring restart from the beginning of the mission and upwards of 20 minutes of retracing your steps only to get killed again. I know that blatant quicksaves like Max Payne or Red Faction tend to make games easier than they should be and diminish a necessary sense of urgency, but replaying the same fight over and over only to die at the very end of a mission gets a bit tedious.
Second, I really wish the multiplayer option included more of the standard multiplayer fare, in particular Capture the Flag. Some surmise that this will be part of the online downloads, but for those of us without the access or cash to get broadband at home, we’re SOL. Also with regard to the multiplayer options, the whole menu system is a bit confusing when setting up multiplayer games.
Finally, although I touted above about the number of hits it requires to polish off an enemy, it may have gone a bit too far. Some fights go on for entirely too long. For someone like me, who has an extensive collection of games and little or no time to play, this could mean trouble – for the average gamer, it’s replay value, right? Right.
All in all, MechAssault is an incredible title for the XBOX. You really won’t find a better (affordable) mech title for any console right now. I highly recommend this experience to all XBOX owners out there.
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Great game...too easy. |
| Irishsquid from Middle of the water, Persian Gulf says (22/Jan/2005): |
This was a great game. Great storyline. Great graphics. Great sound. Awesome control. The mechs should have been customizable though. Also, it took me about 5 hours to be the game on easy, and 3 days to beat it on elite. That's just not kosher. It was still a metric buttload of fun to play, though. I don't understand where all the whining comes from about the game being too difficult. I really don't. Anyone who's been a mech fan for a while should understand the dynamics of mech battling and know how to fight multiple enemies at once and such.
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IT IS AWSOME |
| A gamer from Jerome, Idaho says (18/Dec/2004): |
It is a sweet game. But it is very hard. Young kids should definantly stay away from this one. The Graphics are the best graphics out of any video game ive ever played! It is also awsome when u blow up buildingds becase of the graphics. The controls are very simple and easy to memorize. If u are a fan of shooting games this is just for u. I am on a very difficult level right now called Bright Lights Dark City.If you know how to beat it or help me with some parts e-mail me at zleavitt_23< remove me > at hotmail.com
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Missions Awsome |
| [DE] Fantom from niagara falls Canada says (3/Sep/2004): |
Best thing about mechassult was the missions. They were involving, and the mechs weapons made it even more outstanding! For you people who dont have XBL. . .Get it! It makes the gameplay so much better. And Mechassult also has Downloadable content. Not happy with mechs or maps you currently have? Download new ones! And in multiplayer levels like Arctic levels, the snow actually piles up on your mech! how many games have that good physics!
And if you run into buildings, the dent will be where your mech hit it, not a pre scripted dent on the wall beside you.
No one can be...told what Mechassult is...You have to see it for yourself!
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Not Battletech |
| Maverick from Mobile says (8/Jun/2004): |
If you want a no point shoot 'em up game...get it.... if you want depth of mech creation and intense simulation fighting ,aka an actual battletech game. Look elsewhere. If you are a big fan of Classic Battletech...you might not wanna even pick up the controller...by the way when did the Uller kit fox lose its gausse rifle?...ooo or a better question...Does Wizkids/microsoft even know the difference between an omnimech and a normal mech? And since when does a mech not have to worry bout ammo? Bottom line...good game if you just want a no brainer blow stuff up game...if you are looking for depth....look elsewhere
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The game is the coolest for blowing up buildings |
| Adam Lenke from Oak Harbar Ohio U.S.A says (10/May/2004): |
This game is almost number one but it rocks!. THe reason is say this is because I wish you could build your own mech but cant wish for everything. Me and my freinds are making a comic strip of the game like part 4 in the lions den. so i let my freind borrow it and he said he wonted to buy it off me but i did not because it was a really good game. I worked so hard of the game but i did not wait till i could get my hands on it. so i give this game a rating of a 9
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This game rocks |
| Doug Wester from Parker, PA, USA says (3/May/2004): |
I really loved this game because of the great graphics and the story mode is so much detailed. It took me more than 2 months to get past the 2nd mission alone because of the stupid owens that you have to destroy before the communications tower. I have to say my favorite mech out of them all are the Puma. It is super light, has jump jets, has the ppc's on it and it can cause alot of damage alone.
If you've never played the other mech games than your prepared for what such a good game mech assualt is. Even though they have difficulties it is still hard to beat on green (easy). Each missions adds more suspense to the end of the game I think even if you have beaten the game 100 times over and over
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w00t |
| Dr. Druid from Your local Purgatory says (7/Apr/2004): |
I think that this game took two days to beat,but dang the graphics were good and I can't wait to get X-BOX LIVE!(R)
First of all I would like to point out that the number of weapons could be improved, because the enemies are SO PREDICTIBLE!!! But otherwise I had a great time blowing the S***
out of things!
The controls are very simple and phenominally effective, unlike Mech Warrior's contolls (like 5 different keys were weapons and what was the jump jet key?) I am not using an X-Box controller, but a ps2 controller w/ an adaptor because it is more comfortable and easier than the controller-s for X-BOX.
And as I always say:
Life used to matter...then came death.
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A must have game... |
| Alec from Atlanta,Georgia says (3/Mar/2004): |
This game, simply put, is awesome. Im not much of a mech fan and I loved it. The graphics and the sound in this game are awesome, especially the mech explosions $-). This game is very long and very fun. If you are not good at video games then you might want to stay away from this game.
Game play is awesome and it gets better with Xbox live. This game follows along the lines of most other mech games like mechwarrior but all together it is an original game. The only part of this game that needed to be improved was the fact that there are too many glitches that people can use to their advantage.
Well, if you got the Xbox you got the better deal. With Halo and MechAssault exclusivly out for it then you cant lose. As I was saying, younger kids might want to stay away from this game as it is extremely hard even on the lowest setting. There are about 30 to 40 different campaign levels and about 20 different mechs including the xbox live downloadable mechs.
Well like I said this is a must have game foe Xbox owners. If you are having trouble beating this game, email me at BOB4BOB88< remove me > at aol.com and I will try to help you the best I can. Peace out y'all! $-)
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too hard... no way !!! |
| Danso_3000 from London says (4/Feb/2004): |
Alot of people have said this game is hard ... no! ... i have already completed it on easy and medium and i only bought it 4 days ago... and for people who are breaking disks ... i mean grow up ... i've liked mechs for ever and this is definately not a hard mech game !!! The old mech games are harder than this ... Anyway, the game is great, cool graphics, and when the mechs explode ... talk about cool man... Definately a 10 outta 10 a must get game probably my fav game ( apart from halo :P ) if u want a good game then definaltely mech assault... its not as hard as every-1 thinks so if i was you i would definately get this game, just ignore the people whpo think this game is hard, they are just no good at the game :P .
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Mech assault roks |
| Collin Martin from Speedway,IN USA says (29/Jan/2004): |
Mech assault roks. one awesome game. game of year in my opinion. the graphics are great and the controls are fairly easy to get once u get to kno the game. sounds r awesome along with the gameplay. i would value this game as totally awesome. i got this game the month after it came out and i loved it. at first some missions were hard but after getting used to it u kno wat to do. i did nt get the online player mode (Xbox live0 until about a year later. over all thisw game is the best .it is diffinetealy one of the best games of the year. u should rent the game before buyin it to make sure u like it. in comparision to some of the other mechassault games it was better. one thing u need to get when u buy it is too is get xbox live. without it is kinda boring. if u r a mech warrior fan u will luv this game. if this game doesnt get up there with halo then no game should. one great mode of th eonline game is the ctf mode. the only bad thing is when plp drop out and when other plp turn off their xboxes. but everyone should like mechassault for the xbox. P.S. this game roks.mech assault roks.
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Good Game |
| James Cann from Muncie, IN says (25/Jan/2004): |
My son is six years old (seven in two months) and he does'nt seem to have any problems beating the levels. Great game! He and I have a lot of fun playing multiplayer together. I guess that's our family fun. The graphics are good ( mind you I have been a mechwarrior fan for some time) and the sound is decent and the controls are simple, making it ideal for online play. There is no console game that can stand up to the PC for online play , but this comes pretty close. So if you don,t have the capacity or dexterity to play this game, buy a super-nes and bounce ol mario around the living room TV
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It could be better |
| Brandon from Austin, TX USA says (10/Jan/2004): |
Mech Assault could be better. The graphics and sounds are great. The game controls very well. The main problem with the game is that it is to challenging. You have to play many levels 100 times to pass it. Even though it is very hard, it is still very fun. I still play it everday to see if I can get a little further in the game. The key to the game is to not give up. And for those of you that break your game because you are mad.....grow up. If you looking for a very challenging game, this is it. Good luck!!
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Wolf Dragoon's. Battle Stations!!! |
| A gamer says (7/Jan/2004): |
to all newly Mech fans out there this is Maverick i have been a Mech fan most of my life
the only thing i didnt like about this game is the one critical piece that all of the other mech games had the ability to CUSTOMIZE ur mech to ur fighting style
me long range weapons like PPCs LRMs Gauss Rifles but packing enough laser fire to hold out in a close quarters battle
so if they make a second one and the way the ending looks tells me they will make the Mech's weapons customizable
otherwise the game ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!! what suprised me was some of the defense systems i mean i would expect the target jamming and some kind of AMS but the Zero Sig was a total suprise to me but i was expecting the jump jets
well this is maverick making putting in my 2 bits worth signing off
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Spectacular! |
| Josh Conrad from Dallas,Usa says (28/Dec/2003): |
I just bought my copy a day ago and im already past Bright light Dark city2. Im on one particular mission that involves a Thor and sneaking into a base pass two Atlas mechs. That mission is frustrating. Other than that the graphics are really good and gameplay is fun to. The thing that tickles my fancy is playing soccer with the buses and cars. It really pulls you in the story and i got hooked onto it for hours. I underestimated this game but i finally gave in and bought it. This game is by far the best mech game out there. It will definitley be a classic up there with Halo. Lets hope they make a second.
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To Hard! |
| A gamer from USA says (9/Dec/2003): |
This game in my opinion is just sucky i mean the levels are almost impossible to beat and for younger people it is impossible, i have already broken one of mech assaults game CD's and bought another and am abought ready to break this one!. It's one of the only challenging games i have ever played but levels such as Ready to Roc ll are impossible to beat I mean ragnarok sucks and you have to take on an Atlas, Prom,Thor, and Summoner thats impossible and insane so this gmae sucks. Well if you know how to beat it please tell me.
Sorry to inconvinence anyone with this comment but for some people its the truth this game is just to hard! Thank you for listening and if you could send me an e-mail about how to beat Ready to Roc 11, e-mail ballplyr3122< remove me > at yahoo.com
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Mech Assault is a pretty cool game, yeah |
| Angus Newhouse from Kennewick USA says (29/Nov/2003): |
This game is a good game especially if your in the mood to completely destroy everything you possibly can! With the infinate firepower you have in a good mech, you can easily take out huge forces. You will simply step on soldiers and blow tanks to peices with missiles. The only thing you might have to sweat about are other mechs, but they are really stupid and they suck. The large groups of mechs ganging up on you can be stressful. The multiplayer on this game is good especially on X-box live. The graphics are really good and the replay value is decent. This game's main flaw is the fact that it will get kindof boring. But it is a 8 star game so I would say rent it first and see how you like it!
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Best Game I've Ever Played |
| A gamer from London, England says (23/Jul/2003): |
I just played it yesterday with my friend,and it was awcome! Now I'm beggin my dad 2 get it for me. Oh ya! I personally like Prometheos, Atlas, Thor, Catipult,and Puma. Prometheos will nock anoybody on their back but should be at medium range for accuracy, and if u wanna a nice close range guy... get puuma or kit fox, cause they hide. One more thing... if u play multiplayer in River City, nock down most of the high building so that they can't rest/ snipe off of there (its cheap)plus its just plain fun setting buildings on fire with missisles 'n' stuff.
Just my 2 cents...
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| A gamer from usa says (17/Jul/2003): |
I thaught the game was kinda fun. It had easy controls to figure out and its graphics didn't suck like some other games iv'e played. infact I only found what I thaught were two problems it didn't have all the cool things the other mechwarrior's had and it could have had alot better story line. Other than that I liked it so thats why i gave such a good score. But in the future I hope they make it better.
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Mechassault, lag, and ISP's...things you should know. |
| anonymous...but famous from Columbus, Ohio says (1/Jul/2003): |
Mechassault is a terrific game. If you're new though, you should stick with other new guys for a while. The more experienced players have analyzed the maps, practiced, and become pretty professional about killing. One major problem I noticed was not so much lag in movement, but lag in damage. If your upload speed is less than about 180kbps, then if you pilot a Ragnarock you may experience lava lag. My buddies and I took two rags and put them about ten paces apart. My upload speed was only at about 150-160kbps, and even though my TV screen showed the lava hitting him directly in the face...it actually missed him. What he saw on his screen was the lava passing right by him. If I aimed a little to either side...depending on our speeds at the time....I could score a direct hit. On my screen it would show it passing by or glancing off his shoulder....but on his it was a direct hit. I honestly believe that if you have a slower ISP, you should upgrade. This will make you more successful. There are also seveal glitches...one being a major one. If you step on a health pack and you get hit at the EXACT same time....you not only don't get the health but more than likely you are reduced to almost zero health if you had any left. Just FYI for all you guys....
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