Mech Commander 2

The Good
Just to start out, the graphics are a huge improvement between MC and MC2. The switch from 2.5D isometric to a fully 3-D floating, adjustable camera ultimately works to this game's benefit. You can zoom in and see the lighting effects close-up, with armor and limbs flying off 'Mechs, or zoom out for a larger field experience. The weapon effects have been improved greatly. Lasers don't look like bullets, but beams, as they should. Missiles arc upward and travel downward to their targets. The destruction animation for both units and structures has also been improved.

The customization rules have been improved greatly. Weapons don't just weigh down a 'Mech; there's heat and space considerations as well. And any space not occupied by weapons can be fitted with armor, so you don't need to feel guilty about maxing out your heat at the expense of space.

In my MC review, I explained how players get into the habit of using only energy weapons and avoiding the ones with little ammo (like the gauss rifle). This is because the AI couldn't, and still won't, know how to conserve their ammo for larger targets. In MC2, by default, your weapons have unlimited ammo. You can switch this off if you wish, for a fully-realistic experience, but unlimited ammo is a quick fix for the problem I encountered in MC.

The support tab has changed as well. In MC, you could call airstrikes and sensor/scout probes in the middle of a mission; you were allocated so many of each per mission. In MC2, you are instead given RPs - resource points, not to be confused with the kind you use to buy your equipment pre-mission - and your support options are purchased during the mission. You can also find and capture buildings to obtain more RPs. Your options have been expanded; not only can you call down air strikes and probes, but vehicle support as well. The repair trucks and artillery can be particularly useful.

The Bad
At the time of its release, MC2 was notoriously laggy even on brand-new desktops. An outdated 'badcard' file in the MC2 directory has to be deleted, or else the program will likely ignore your video card and try to run on software rendering, meaning the game will basically fail to play at even a single frame per second.

While some gameplay mechanics were improved, others were not. In MC, for example, a 'Mech could not be running away from a fight and firing at a pursuer, because its torso could not turn 180 degrees. This is not a problem; this is a mechanism from the BattleTech board game. But in MC2, the torso can turn 180 degrees, meaning that, with patience, a fast 'Mech can continuously outrun and outrange an enemy of equal or worse speed. And since the AI is trained to fight at their optimal range, they will use this very tactic. It's funny to watch a Jagermech blasting away at a bunch of pursuing Hunchbacks who can't return fire because they can't outpace it, but it's also a very easily abused mechanic.

Weapon ranges were also brutally simplified. In MC, for example, it was pretty easy to get into the 'minimum range' of long-ranged weapons to prevent them from being used. Thus, the best strategy against long-range heavy hitters was to rush in and get below the minimum range of their firepower. In MC2, the minimum ranges have been decreased to the point that long and medium range weapons can still hit opponents even from the upper short range. There's no longer a need to carry any close range weaponry; even though MC favored long and medium range, I still had to take into consideration the occasional close-range brawler who could break into my firing line.

The most bothersome difference between MC and MC2 is in the mission and salvage structure. In MC, you are part of the Davion military, and you are ordered into missions. So there's a linear mission path, which is expected. You can buy 'Mechs and components, but never Clan 'Mechs or components, so you rely primarily on salvaging, for which you have an inventory. I praised this system (with some hesitation) in my MC review.

MC2 does away with the inventory and thus the salvage. It encourages you to save your in-mission RP so that you can use it to salvage fallen enemy 'Mechs far more cheaply than if you 'bought' them at the end of the mission. Weapons are unlocked, mission-by-mission, bought as you equip them and sold as you remove them. If I salvage a Clan 'Mech before I obtain the Clan tech, I can use those weapons on the 'Mech, but can't move them to another 'Mech (because I have no inventory, they would be sold and could not be re-purchased). This makes no sense whatsoever.

As far as mission structure goes, MC2 puts you in the seat of a mercenary company. MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries was very successful because of a branching mission layout, in which you got to choose your employers. MC2 does away with the best part of MW2: Mercs, and as a result, you have multiple employers but the missions are still linear. You are given the illusion of agency when, in reality, you are playing the same campaign the first time through as you will the second time. There are no multiple endings, just the good old 'We liberated the people!' one.

On that topic, the acting is terrible. The characters are horribly cliche; Renard is simply evil, Major Kelly is simply good, all right, let's be the good guys. MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries gave me the choice to support Davion or Steiner; in this one, it's just Davion. Hooray democracy.

The Bottom Line
I always recommend MechCommander over MechCommander 2. The game is just better polished and has more replay potential. Once I got done playing MC2, I quit out of the game and immediately found something else to play. I didn't replay any missions unless I had some loss I couldn't replace (which is rarely the case). Overall, you get through it and you're done, which I suppose means that this game didn't waste my time, but it didn't leave me that satisfied either, kind of like whipped cream without the pumpkin pie.