Mechassault 2: Conquest Mode

[Darwin]

The game is gonna hit shelves this week. I had no idea they were going to include a mode such as this conquest mode. A perpetual mode that exhists online.

Check out more:

http://previews.teamxbox.com/xbox/898/MechAssault-2-Lone-Wolf/p1/

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

IGN has a review up for the game.

Thsi is another one of those titles where I wonder: Would it be worth it for an offline player? I liked the single player for the first one (though it was a rental), but I'm not sure if MA2 has split screen multiplayer and/or co-op mode to go along with single player and online.

[Darwin]

Well, then you should probably hold off for now. The game's strength seems to lie in it's Live modes. I'll be getting the game on release day and tell you if there is coop or split screen functionality as well.

[Glockstar]

Well, then you should probably hold off for now. ... I'll be getting the game on release day and tell you if there is coop or split screen functionality as well.

Ditto.

-

Would it be worth it for an offline player? I liked the single player for the first one (though it was a rental)...

That's what I'm counting on RBH. I reckon - I'm hoping, I should say - that it will be a lot like Crimson Skies.

I did not like the first Mechassault. I didn't like anything about it. Well, except for the cover art :p . And yes, that includes the Live play. I don't think this second one is going to be much different, with regards to the online play: just a twitch-shooter... 3rd-person fragfest. (To tell you the truth, I didn't dig the Live play of CS much either.) So that's obviously not why I'm buying MA2.

[Darwin]

I rented the first Mechassult and decided not to buy. The online play was shallow, with little to no strategy. For an arcade, fast-paced shooter, Unreal Championship was a far better game at that time.

Why do developers even bother with the simple deathmatch type of games anymore, especially if you are an arcady shooter? Live is so saturated with that.

I will be looking for evidence of any depth with this game. I am hoping there is more to the fighting than pointing and shooting. If the game can have more to do with weapon selection, armor managment, using the levels for cover, and a lot of team-based gameplay ... then I will be pleased.

I am not a big fan of arcady, frag-fest games. Heck, I don't play Halo 2 online much because of that. So, I will not be surgar-coating my impressions of this game. It will take a lot to impress me. But from the reviews, it looks promising. I'll let ya'll know.

[Glockstar]

I will be looking for evidence of any depth with this game. I am hoping there is more to the fighting than pointing and shooting. If the game can have more to do with weapon selection, armor managment, using the levels for cover, and a lot of team-based gameplay ... then I will be pleased.

I am not a big fan of arcady, frag-fest games. Heck, I don't play Halo 2 online much because of that. So, I will not be surgar-coating my impressions of this game. It will take a lot to impress me. But from the reviews, it looks promising. I'll let ya'll know.

What are you doing Wednesday nite, Methane?
I'm looking to check out the online portion of the game then, myself.

[Darwin]

Wednesday night, I will most likely be playing my new copy of Mechassault 2

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Well, then you should probably hold off for now. The game's strength seems to lie in it's Live modes. I'll be getting the game on release day and tell you if there is coop or split screen functionality as well.

Cool. Thanks.

That's what I'm counting on RBH. I reckon - I'm hoping, I should say - that it will be a lot like Crimson Skies.

I was hoping the devs would do something that has a good, solid, and not so short offline and online component. Though I don't like relying on reviews, so far they are saying the single player is short (7 hrs, less than 10, etc). Like Darwin said, the game's strengths are probably going to be Xbox Live.

That's unfortunate, since I was looking to use this Gamerush coupon on a new title......now I will have to decide on either Burnout 3, Bloodrayne 2 or MK: Deception.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

I rented the first Mechassult and decided not to buy. The online play was shallow, with little to no strategy. For an arcade, fast-paced shooter, Unreal Championship was a far better game at that time.

Why do developers even bother with the simple deathmatch type of games anymore, especially if you are an arcady shooter? Live is so saturated with that.

I will be looking for evidence of any depth with this game. I am hoping there is more to the fighting than pointing and shooting. If the game can have more to do with weapon selection, armor managment, using the levels for cover, and a lot of team-based gameplay ... then I will be pleased.

I am not a big fan of arcady, frag-fest games. Heck, I don't play Halo 2 online much because of that. So, I will not be surgar-coating my impressions of this game. It will take a lot to impress me. But from the reviews, it looks promising. I'll let ya'll know.

Well, I have one mission left in GhostRecon2, and then I'll be buying a new game. Incidently, I traded in that garbage NeedForSpeed2 and picked up Thief for $19. So, i'm looking forward to playing that. But, anyway, I think I will skip out on KOTOR2, I just feel though the game's story may have changed, the game itself is the same and I really don't have the time to get bogged down in it, I feel I may get bored. I think it was a smart move skipping Fable, and i'm gonna skip this one too, and wait for a real new rpg, Jade Empire. That means, i'll likely buy MechAssault2, for the online gaming.

But, this game is not MechWarrior. It is still going to be an online fragfest, but unlike FPS fragfests, the fact that the mechs can take more damage and incremental damage, allows for a bit of strategy. I mean, its not like walking around a corner in Halo2 and having a sword shoved up your butt. However, Day 1, has decided to not implement a lot of the strategic elements like player weapon and resource mgmt. found in better Mech games like MechWarrior, also, there still is no cockpit view. This is game is only improved in that they added VTOLs, battlearmor, and allow pilots to leave the Mechs at anytime. Also the visuals have improved and there are more online modes. But hoping for anything deeper in terms of gameplay, is just not going to happen.

The online modes may lead to a deeper experience, but that is only if guys on LIVE buy into, so it really has nothing to do with the game per se. For example, the conquest mode, players will have to choose a planet or clan to join, they will have an impenetrable base from which to launch coordinated attacks. But, if guys casually switch and change alliances all the time, then that mode won't be fully realized.

Anyway, I enjoyed the first game, despite the shallowness. I thought online was very fraggy, but at the same allows a bit of strategy in that there are really no one shot one kills while you are in a mech. The addition of 6 mechs, a VTOL, mech jacking, and battle armor should be pretty cool. One thing about the single player game, is while it is short, it is apparently very good and rewarding. Anyway, don't get the game expecting something strategically deeper than the first.

[Glockstar]

Cool.

Might we finally have a VGR gamers nite? Phaze? ;)

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Incidently, I traded in that garbage NeedForSpeed2 and picked up Thief for $19.

You're not the only one who traded in NFSU2. After a while, I really wanted something fun with car damage and custom soundtracks and NFSU2 was only fun for a while. It didn't help that Brooke Burke de-valued the game with her lame voice over.

[Darwin]

IGN has a review up for the game.

This is another one of those titles where I wonder: Would it be worth it for an offline player? I liked the single player for the first one (though it was a rental), but I'm not sure if MA2 has split screen multiplayer and/or co-op mode to go along with single player and online.

First of all, here is the skinny on coop and multiplayer:

- NO coop mode available for the campaign. The campaign is one player only.

- There is a cooperative type of play in the multiplayer called grinder (I think) where every player is on the same team and fights wave after wave of AI spawning mechs. The AI mechs spawn from thin air. The level I played didn't lend itsself to a lot of strategy. There are only 3 maps available for this mode. I tried it split screen, and it was bland.

- Multiplayer split screen on the same Xbox is up to 2 people per xbox max. You can play head-to-head with one other person. You CANNOT have 4 people on one Xbox.

- You and a guest, however, can connect up to 12 people max using the system link or Xbox Live. (Yes, a guest can play on Live with you).

So, what is the final verdict on multiplayer: you pretty much HAVE to use system link or Live to use multiplayer.

---------------------------

The single player is pretty darn good so far. There seems to be a good variety of missions. The game provides 4 difficulty levels, which you can change in the middle of your campaign if you want. (I've been doing the normal and hard modes, and found hard mode to require more strategy). The level designs are pretty good and lend themselves to some strategic placement on the battlefield.

Still, the game is quite arcadish. It seems to provide instantaneous fun and is easy to control right from the beginning. However, sometimes games that are instantly fun lose their long-term appeal. Also, I'm plowing through these missions pretty quick (they aren't long). The story is quite generic and make's Brute Force's story look like an epic novel. (Especially annoying is the whiny male character, who calls his superiors "sirs", just like Marcy in the peanut gang.)

The reviews and your experience from Mechassault 1 will pretty much give you an idea of how this game is. Let's not beat around the bush. There is nothing I experienced so far that is radically different than what we all expected: a short, arcady, action-packed single player game that is designed to train you for the real meat of the game which is Live play. And I am hoping that the team-based games and the conquest mode become more predominant on Live than the simplistic deathmatch games.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Unless something radically changes in the single player, I really cannot recommend this as a purchase to someone who does NOT have Live. For a non-Live Xbox owner, Mechassult makes a great RENTAL. You will certainly get your $5 rental money with the single player, and can easily finish it in one week. However, there are deeper single player games for Xbox out there that would be more worthy of your $50 than Mechassult 2.

[Glockstar]

First, I've got two things off my chest - two things that bug the #@$% out of me in a game - two things that MA2 does/does not:
1) No other controller settings are allowed for in MA2 - besides the one, default, setting. :mad: The only thing you can change is the Y-axis. Not allowing for fully customized controls is something that irks me, but not including any kind of alternate controller setup, in the least, really chaps my you-know-what.

2) Where are the scores, or the stats, or the grades?!? This is a shooter! So...?!? :mad: Damn, when are these developers going to wake up? Quit giving us these half-azzed stories and lame-azz objectives - they don't drive the gameplay, they are reasons to NOT play thru a game. But see, if I had... stuff... to look at at a levels' completion - stuff like: number of enemies faced and killed; number of shots fired; hit rate; time to completion; and the like - stuff that was recorded - then I could forgive a B-rated story - and even more than that, I would have all the incentive in the world for wanting to play thru the game, right there. And for playing thru it multiple times, I might add. Shooters are good games for this kinds of stuff. They are the best games, actually. Side-scrolling, first-person, third-person, flying, driving, rhythm... whatever, it doesn't matter... it needs stats!

I'm taking big points off for this.

Rant over. Sorry.

-

Now then... I played this game for about 3 hours - two hours on single-player (Normal (middle) difficulty), one online:

And after taking it online, it's pretty clear that this game is an online game first and foremost. Oh, they did some things to the single-player game, but there's no doubt in my mind that they put most of their efforts into the online portion.

I understand that after only one hour of gametime I'm probably not qualified to say too much about what MA2 is like online, but my firstest of impressions is... this ROCKS! (Lobby = meh; lag = not qualified to say; gameplay = fantastic!) And I only looked at the Conquest mode. Which looks cool; what a neat concept!

The single-player game, on the other hand: it's just... okay. Though there is a (supposed) story driving the campaign, it seems like I start every mission either wondering wtf it is I'm supposed to be doing - or I'm just plain ole' wondering wtf is going on. In this regard, this game is no better than the first. Which is a huge dissapointment for me. Especially after Crimson Skies; I thought Fasa/Day 1 was getting it... but, I guess not... this is just about a step backwards.

Other than that though, MA2 has a lot of additions - and improvements - some of which are big - over the first one. Like the Mech-jacking thing - which is no gimmick. (In fact, it is a very viable online tactic - which should tell you something.) Another thing I really like about this one is the variety in the gameplay and in the missions. Let me just say that, you don't just control/pilot/drive Mechs in MA2, okay.

Hate to end this so abruptly, but I'm tired. I'll sum up (real quick) with this tho': I'm dissapointed in the sp; while the online part actually impresses me - which is all backwards from how it was supposed to be.

More to follow in the days to come. ;)

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Thanks for the info, guys. I guess MechAssault 2 will be shelved for me until I need a good rental.

It's disappointing to hear that 4 people can't get on one xbox for multiplayer and there' no co-op campaign. After playing multiplayer on Halo 2 for the first time (yes, first time for either Halo games), I wouldn't want to go back to just two people on a screen.


Off the subject: Glockstar, did you ever get your Jan issue of OXM?

[Darwin]

1) No other controller settings are allowed for in MA2 - besides the one, default, setting. :mad: The only thing you can change is the Y-axis. Not allowing for fully customized controls is something that irks me ...

Indeed. Not only this, but you CANNOT adjust the turn sensitivity of the analogue sticks. IMO, I would like to have the option to increase my turn speed faster. But I guess, with it being a mech game, these things don't turn as fast as a human would.

[Glockstar]

Thanks for the info, guys. I guess MechAssault 2 will be shelved for me until I need a good rental.

I have changed my tune. MechAssault 2 isn't just a good online game - it's a good game, but period.

The new year is off to a fantastic start - as well as are my N.Y.'s Resolutions: I finished the single-player campaign (Normal difficulty - Darwin was right, there are four d-settings; of which Normal would be the third hardest/second easiest; after it there are: "Veteran", and then "Elite" levels) 1 hour and 20 minutes into the new year. :D Immediately after finishing the game I started up a fresh campaign (on the next highest difficulty level, of course)! I said, "Let's do that again!" - which should tell you something, hah!?!

I still have those two complaints against it (no alternate/custom controller settings allowed for and no stats/records kept), BUT...
1) The controller set-up/layout is not bad. I still think that other layouts might be smarter, or work better, but I really can not complain. (Although... I do not like the VTOL controls at all.)

2) When I lambasted the story earlier, I was only half-way thru the campaign - it gets better. Not a whole lot, mind you, but it does the job. Actually, the last 20% of it - especially the mission objectives - is quite good. At one point during the early going there I actually yelled at my TV, "I COULD GIVE A #@$%!!!" (which was my reply to the closing line of a cutscene, 'We need to find out what the bad guys are up to'); but by game's end... well... let's just say the ending was a hell of a lot better than Knights of the Old Republic's, Fable's, or Halo 2's.

I have concluded that the game's only real shortcoming's are with it's depth and it's meaning - which ultimately are attributed to a lack of back-end basics - like: unlockables, collectibles, or any kind of upgrading/customization. And, like I said before, this is particularly dissapointing because the developers had it earlier - they give it to us - in Crimson Skies! (All this big to do about finding "Data Cores", and the only thing they're good for is the (inevitable) advancement of a largely dissinteresting story?!? Come on, Day 1, give me something to play with!)

The positives: the controllable action is good, solid, challenging, fun stuff - and most of all, I never once got bored with it! And this is the stuff that matters the most. And because of this, I think this game is a worthy purchase - even at $50. I really do. (Definitely if you're online - then it's just about a must-have!) I'm scoring the single-player section an 8.2 on the 1-10 scale.

- -

Off the subject: Glockstar, did you ever get your Jan issue of OXM?

No. Not yet. And I'm starting to get mad all over again.

I don't know how, but you got yours way early.

After your post I was anxiously looking for mine to come, and after a week had gone by, I was about to make a stink with their circulation department. Now, to contact them, you have to do so via e-mail... and just as I was scrolling down their web-page to get the link I saw the notification that the new issue was due to hit stands on the 29th - that it wasn't even out yet. Like I said, you got yours early. Anyways, that answered that.

But... just as I was finding calm... it turns out that my issue is late after all (I think?): as of Friday, I (still) hadn't gotten mine. So here we go again; if it's not in Monday's mail... :mad:

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

The new year is off to a fantastic start - as well as are my N.Y.'s Resolutions: I finished the single-player campaign (Normal difficulty - Darwin was right, there are four d-settings; of which Normal would be the third hardest/second easiest; after it there are: "Veteran", and then "Elite" levels) 1 hour and 20 minutes into the new year. :D Immediately after finishing the game I started up a fresh campaign (on the next highest difficulty level, of course)! I said, "Let's do that again!" - which should tell you something, hah!?!


How long did the single player take overall?



No. Not yet. And I'm starting to get mad all over again.

I don't know how, but you got yours way early.

After your post I was anxiously looking for mine to come, and after a week had gone by, I was about to make a stink with their circulation department. Now, to contact them, you have to do so via e-mail... and just as I was scrolling down their web-page to get the link I saw the notification that the new issue was due to hit stands on the 29th - that it wasn't even out yet. Like I said, you got yours early. Anyways, that answered that.

But... just as I was finding calm... it turns out that my issue is late after all (I think?): as of Friday, I (still) hadn't gotten mine. So here we go again; if it's not in Monday's mail... :mad:

I have a feeling that OXM sent my issue early because I wasn't a subscriber, and a quick issue would entice me to get a year's worth. I probably will, but since the holidays put a dent (more like a big ass crater) in my wallet, I haven't paid for the other 11 issues yet. I don't want to get too far behind on issues/demos.

[Darwin]

But... just as I was finding calm... it turns out that my issue is late after all (I think?): as of Friday, I (still) hadn't gotten mine. So here we go again; if it's not in Monday's mail... :mad:

You get games late. You get your OXM late. Is there some kind of Federal Trade Alliance blockade of ships hovering over Michigan, blocking the free flow of mail and UPS?

[Glockstar]

You get games late. You get your OXM late. Is there some kind of Federal Trade Alliance blockade of ships hovering over Michigan, blocking the free flow of mail and UPS?

No doubt. It's like the Sith, or perhaps it's General Vaklu(?), has sent agents into my place and time to come and make my real life difficult. :mad:

Like I said, I love my OXM... but I tell you, the CodeMaster's games' thing have really bugged me.

- -

How long did the single player take overall?

About 8 - 12 hours. Wouldn't you say, Darwin?

- -

Now this here goes out to Darwin and TMG and any other VGR Livers who would "Conquer" MechAssault 2 online:

I am into The Sith Lords bigtime right now, but I'd also like to play more MA2 online... the thing is, is that when I'm playing KOTOR 2 I have no idea what's going on on XBL because the game isn't Live Aware... so... if you guys want to get a game going, maybe we could make plans for it ahead of time here? (Or, you could always leave me a message on XBL. ;) ) Anyways, I'm hoping that we can get together more and do the Conquest thing.

[Darwin]

Havok and I, along with several other gamers, did about 5-6 hours of team base wars online with mechassult 2 yesterday. That mode really promotes a lot of team strategy, and was lots of fun (and we won every game, it seemed). It was like crack ... both Havok and I were starving for some food but could not break ourselves away from the Xbox.

Anyway, a group of about 6 of us joined a clan. I beleive our name is the Hit Squad. I think you would fit in quite well with the rest of us. You should join us some time online to get a feel for how they work well as a team.

[Glockstar]

Havok and I, along with several other gamers, did about 5-6 hours of team base wars online with mechassult 2 yesterday. That mode really promotes a lot of team strategy, and was lots of fun (and we won every game, it seemed). It was like crack ... both Havok and I were starving for some food but could not break ourselves away from the Xbox.

Anyway, a group of about 6 of us joined a clan. I beleive our name is the Hit Squad. I think you would fit in quite well with the rest of us. You should join us some time online to get a feel for how they work well as a team.

Sounds cool.

When do you think you guys will be playing again? Day; time; etc.? Gimme something to work with...so that I can set up a KOTOR 2/MA2 schedule. ;)

MA2 is 3 times better than the first MechAssault game, don't you think? Especially online. The first game was just a button-mashing fragfest tailor made for those with itchy trigger fingers. This one, as you said, has got some strategy to it. The strategy is kind of Wolfenstein-ish, but because there are so many different types of vehicles (three classes of Mechs, plus battlesuits, VTOLs, and stealth tanks) and game modes I think it puts even more emphasis on teamwork and strategy - which equates to a pretty enriching experience.

I just wish I knew how it is that my Mech gets oblititerated in just three quick shots by some guys, while my "bullets" don't seem to do anything to them. :confused:

[ThaMaskedGamer]

I have mucho new found respect for MechAssault2 after this weekend. This was one of the better gaming sessions i've had in months, and right up there in terms of memorable XBOX LIVE experiences. Base War is tha name of the game, or the name of the best mode in MechAssault. The thing that makes base war so great is the teamwork and strategy involved. Every vehicle plays a role and every member of the team plays a role. There is offense and the necessary defense to defend your base's generator. But the game adds so many layers of complexity, such as the ability of the VTOL aircraft to air-drop health on top of the base to heal it, to drop turrets in strategic positions, and to air drop in a tank or two battle armors into the enemies territory.

The VTOL also can pick up supplies from the landing platform to upgrade all the mechs on his side. Then the map will give you one or two heavy assault mechs, one or two mediums, and a few small mechs, and two battle armors and a tank. There is room for a lot of different strategy, and if things aren't going well, there is usually time to change strategy.

This weekend, like Methadone said, we got real busy. He was correct, our clan, the HITSQUAD is undefeated, undefeated this weekend, and undefeated today also. In fact, we are doing so good, most of our clan is ranked in the top 60 for base war, i'm ranked #42. It is damn hard to get in the top 100 on XBOX LIVE in these games, so that is saying something. Its funny though, our clan was basically forged through fire, our first game, before we even started a clan, everyone was arguing with each other, but then we looked up and we were winning the actual battle. Through that arguing we got our strategy down, and just subsequently demolished everyone. There was one close call, when we decided to knock down all the buildings in front of our base, lol, that was a stupid move knocking down our cover, we won that game by the skin of our teeth, and learned a lesson.

The first night I played the game with Methadone and Glock, we were getting smoked. Glock, like you said, I could barely last a minute in any firefight, it was so damn frustrating. But, we were getting blasted to pieces with alpha strikes and guys with powered up mechs, who just knew how to play. So, this version of MechAssault is very strategic, you can't just hop in a Mech and kill a veteran, or get lucky and win a game of base war.

The most frustrating thing about the game, is the damn glitches and bugs. I've never seen a MS game so glitchy on LIVE. It was even worse today Meth, than Sunday. We had to just shut down and restart several times. In fact, I stopped playing after the last glitch. Hopefully a patch will be coming soon. Do these guys share any kind of code or techniques, I mean Bungie's Halo2 is damn near perfect online, while Day 1 has a lot of improvement to do.

Just to let you know Meth, they are going to change the name of the Clan, to something like "The Mafia", don't ask me why, but the guys seem to want it. I told them I didn't care, as long as we keep our core group. Another minor problem, is the maps are becoming a bit stale. The game only plays a handful of maps on a certain game type, so base war mode only has about 5 or 6 maps, that was a dumb idea. Hopefully MS will keep updating this one like they did with Crimson Skies.

Also, anybody out there about to buy the game, make sure you get the limited edition, it has two extra maps you can download onto the XBOX on the bonus disk. Those maps aren't available yet on LIVE, though i'm sure they will be after a while. I got the limited edition, Meth did too, because that was all that was in my store and his, and I didn't pay extra for it, so it seems a lot of people got the normal mode for the same price, that sucks.

Single player is kinda hard for me to evaluate. At first I was having fun with it, until I played so much online, then going back to single player is just no comparison. If you aren't online, you are just missing out.