MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries

The Good
Mercenaries is simply a great game. It's very faithful to the FASA Battletech tabletop wargame and plays wonderfully. It takes every great thing about Mechwarrior 2, adds many more 'Mechs, weapons, more customisability, updated graphics, a semi-non-linear campaign and the ability to pilot an Atlas.

The first time i played Mercenaries I was astounded at the sheer number of 'Mechs available for piloting. Many of the original 3050 'Mech designs are here, and this variety greatly adds to the enjoyment of the game. In Mechwarrior 2, there were only one or two 'Mechs in each weight class, meaning you generally fought similar 'Mechs again and again. In Mercenaries, there can be five, six or even more 'Mechs in each class, so you never know if you'll be up against the long range firepower of a Naga's Arrow IV's, or the deadly accurate fire of a lance of Crabs.

The advantage of being a mercenary is in hiring your lancemates, buying and re-equipping your 'Mechs, and in deciding which missions to accept. Which brings me to the missions... they're great! Bored with attacking firebases or ambushing convoys? How about defending a giant chunk of ice floating through deep space from assault forces of 'Mechs Dropships (which can now move) and Aerospace fighters? Or taking part in the infamous Solaris VII gladitorial games? There are some great surprises waiting in the later missions as well.

As well as the new and exciting stuff, the core mechanics of Mechwarrior 2 have been carried across. This provides a very solid foundation to build on, and is probably the key factor that makes Mercenaries such a classic game.

The Bad
Now the nasty, bad bits. Although the campaign is purportedly non-linear, usually you'll have to finish a certain mission before you can proceed to the next "story" mission. The generic missions on offer aren't particularly interesting, consisting of simple tasks such as Attack, Defend or Recon.

Some of the story campaigns are really difficult, as you can't return to base to replace damaged or lost 'Mechs, pilots, equipment or ammunition. Ammunition is a particularly annoying point of the game. It is only available in small amounts, and it is only restocked at the shop after a mission is played. This means you have to buy ammunition constantly, whenever it is available, and often I find myself strolling into battle two or three missions into a campaign with less than one salvo of missiles or hopper of bullets at my disposal. You have only what you brought with you. If you buy the wrong 'Mech or suffer some ill fortune, you may be in a difficult position to continue the game. At times you will be totally outclassed, outgunned and outnumbered by the enemy forces, making some missions almost impossible to win without incredible luck or skill.

The Bottom Line
Mercenaries is simply a terrific game. It takes the best bits of Mechwarrior 2 and adds in some really cool new features (there's nothing like taking your personal, heavily customised Atlas (or even salvaged Clan machine...) out for a jaunt with your trusty lancemates). Mercenaries is a rock solid game and should appeal to fans of Battle tech and anyone who likes a tough shooter. The best is now even better!