Scharmers’ Choice

So, what frosty pint of robo-goodness do I prefer? As a self-described “hard-core” gamer, I feel that Mercenaries is the best out of the bunch in terms of game design. I prefer open-ended games over graphical eye-candy; as far as I’m concerned, unpredictable storylines beat fixed mission campaigns every single time. With the exception of Mercenaries, all of the ‘Mech games are relentlessly linear. Every mission plays the same, and salvage – that be-all, end-all of Battletech goodness – is determined by the mission designers, rather than combat performance. Mercs was not perfect in this regard – it took nearly a year before “proper” salvage rules were put into effect, but its player-paced campaign combined with the economic conundrums of running a ‘Mech lance gave this game legs.

I’m not blind, however. I don’t have a $300 dollar Voodoo 5 video card in my rig simply because 3dfx is my favorite tax-deductible charity (although the company is rapidly approaching that level…) Mercenaries’ graphics can barely be considered “modern” – they’re accelerated, but the Mercs stomping grounds are sparse and blocky, while the engine’s horribly-close pop-in is almost a feature in itself (“Where the hell did THAT drop-ship come from?”) Weapon effects are simple lines; particles are Lemmings-esque pixels. Mercs graphics work, but they constantly remind one that they are playing a four-year-old game. This doesn’t bother me too much, but then again, I’m “hard-core” (or a game nerd, take your choice).

For those who require eye-popping graphics, the choices are simple: you get your MechWarrior 3, or you get your MechWarrior 4. Despite the fact that the two games were created by two different design groups, the sims are remarkably similar – and that includes graphics. MW3 has (arguably) more detailed ‘Mechs, but its battlefields tend to be vast, flat plains (encouraging long-range sniping); MW4’s ‘Mech modeling isn’t up to the previous game’s level, however, the battlefields are far more varied, encouraging very-up-close-and-personal catfights.

Beyond graphics, both of the above have design quibbles that leave me a little fussy. MW3 has idiotic A.I. (fellas, never walk backwards in front of a fully armed and operational Awesome!), ‘Mechs falling over at the drop of a hat, and “legging”. MW4 has a too-generic ‘Mech building system, ‘Mechs that do not fall over at all (including catastrophic-loss-of-leg-casualty situations), and a “less sim, more action” feel.

The next contestants on Scharmers’ hit parade are two sims that are fairly decent, but have the “what the hell is wrong with the controls” sticker pasted all over them. They are StarSiege and Heavy Gear. Both sims wanted to move away from the “realistic”, but newbie-unfriendly torso/legs combination, and more towards a FPS-style movement system. StarSiege did it somewhat half-assedly, so players who are comfortable with the conventional ‘Mech controls only have to make minor (if irritating) adjustments.

HG2, on the other hand, came up with an unholy combination of number key usage (for movement) and mouse-look. I could have lived with this if HG2 allowed me to remap the movement keys to my favorite FPS configuration, but it didn’t let me use the SHIFT key for “left strafe”. I could have just used my usual HOTAS setup for HG2, but that would have taken a lot of the Gears mobility out of the picture. If you can get around these limitations, then Heavy Gear 2 is an exceptional battlesuit game. StarSiege is essentially an updated EarthSiege 2.

As for the rest of the older titles, I would recommend them to completists only – with the exception of Heavy Gear, which should be buried into Arizona underneath a few thousand cubic tons of concrete.

‘Mech fans should be pretty appreciative – beyond the just-mentioned HG1, there have been no “bad” robot simulations, and while they are very similar at their core, there are enough significant differences between all of them to apply to every teenager deep within us that craves ‘Mech-stomping fun. See you on the killing fields, Commander, and pray I don’t get an LRM lock on you.