Hello everyone,
This article is going to be about the F2P game MechWarrior Online (MWO). This will not be a review of it as such, as it is only in the Beta stages, but it will be a round up of my opinions of it after nearly a year of playing it.
First of all for people who don't know, MWO is a F2P multiplayer game set in the BattleTech universe. You pilot massive Battlemechs into Huge scale combat and hope you come out the other side.
I followed the developments of the game from the moment it was announced nearly two years ago (I think), with a lot of excitement, so the moment closed beta was announced, I had to get a founders pack (I put a gun to my own head) for the early access. I had not seen a MechWarrior game this graphically detailed and realistic since Mechwarrior 3. The disappointment of Mechwarrior 4 enhanced the excitement I had around the graphics. I had a lot of fun playing in the closed Beta. Sure there were only 4 'mechs available and only 3 maps at the time, but the gameplay was incredible, it felt like scenes from the Battletech books, rather than the other games. The community also was amazing, as the other people on there were all players of the older Mechwarrior games or followers of Battletech. Much has changed (and continues to change) on the game since it went to open beta. There are a lot more 'mechs available as well as new maps and one other game mode. The variability that has come about in the game has really made it that little bit more awesome.
More on the gameplay itself. At present the game revolves around 8v8 battles in two game modes. Either assault, which is kind of your basic Team Deathmatch type battle, but with each team having a base, which of course the other team can capture to win the game. This in my opinion can be problematic. This is as close to a deathmatch you can get, and you can end up losing a game you should win, because the last enemy player went straight for your base. This problem, will of course subside, once additional game modes are added to the game. The other gamemode is conquest, which is similar to your Domination matches in CoD. There are 5 'points' your team must capture and hold. I can't really comment too much on this mode, as I don't play it much. It's a good mode, don't get me wrong, but it's a little too predictable for me.
In terms of the combat itself, it is everything a Mechwarrior game should be. As I mentioned earlier, it plays like the scenes in Battletech books, rather than other Mechwarrior games. Graphically it is awesome, some of the best graphics I have seen and you are fully immersed in the game, which very few games can pull off. The effect is complete if you are using a headset (just sayin') and are communicating with other players. 1 on 1 'mech combat is unlike any other battle you will have in any other game, I promise. Each fight is (pleasantly) stressful and highly intense. It doesn't matter what type of 'mech you are using either, it is all down to the pilot's skill, which is why it is intense. You know if you can take down a 'mech double the weight of yours and if you believe you can you go in for the fight of your life! It is hard to describe the game without a visual element to be honest, simply because there is nothing to compare it to. One small issue I do have with the game is you have to choose your 'mech before you know what map you are playing on. This has become a problem with the introduction of huge maps as you may only have short range weapons and will be largely ineffective during the game, unless you want to die quickly.
Another tier of the game which makes it awesome, is your skill in terms of customisation. We're not talking CoD or BF customisation here, this is real customisation. Your loadout is totally dependant on the 'mech you have. You are forced to balance between energy, ballistic and missle weapons and through this you get to see some really cool and interesting loadouts (as well as some really annoying ones). But it goes beyond weapons, as you also have to consider heat issues, and balance your weapons with the heatsinks on your 'mech. I usually go overkill with heatsinks, not going to lie. You can also tweak the level of armour you have on your 'mech as well as the internal structure of your 'mech (including engines). Be aware though, that each 'mech as a limited number of 'slots' for components. Another customisation available, which is not as cool as it should be is paints and camo. The reason it is not as good is I feel it can be is because real money becomes involved here. There are other things you use real money for in the game, but this one is not justifiable as the others. There are so many different paints available in the game, but only about 5 are available to buy with in game money (which will cost as much as another 'mech) and the rest are purchasable with real money. I want to use the other paints, but I wont pay (quite a lot) of real money to do so. If each palate was a real money purchase and individual paints in game money, then sure, but no way in it's current format. It's a shame really, because you do not see people with really cool 'mech designs anymore.
Despite a couple of small issues though, the game is still in development, so who knows what we will see in the future. It's my favourite multiplayer game and has been for a long time and the developers themselves are brilliant and are happy to listen to as well as help players. Everyone should go play it!
Thanks for reading!
Pointman
