Usually when a game created about 2 years back (for PC)is finally
arriving for the Macintosh now, it's usually heads for the "flop" pile.
But recently Activision (developers of the famous Zork series) managed to
pull off the task of creating a 2 year old (PC) game for the Macintosh
(Power Macintosh in this case), Mechwarrior 2.
Unfortunately, Mechwarrior 1 never appeared on a Mac console, so as you
begin to play "Mech2" you feel like you have just been dropped into a war
on another planet. There are so many names,stories, and locations in the
Mech universe that you eventually give up reading the history of the Mech
universe, and say "When in Rome...". Although the history of the
Mechwarrior is cool, it takes a bit away from what you should be thinking
as you play this game: Destroy all...
When you start the game up, you get to see computer animation at its best
with an incredible intro sequence that gives you a taste of the battles to
come. Also when beaten, the game provides two different endings(depending
on which side you choose to fight the war with as an ally)
As well as great animation sequences, you also get to choose what side of
the war you want to be on (similar to Warcraft and C&C;(Command and
Conquer), as said before. The only differences between the two sides is
that (1) when the game is beaten each side has its own different ending and
(2) each side has its own views and histories about the war. Like Warcraft
there is a name for each type of clan. In this case only 2 clans known as
Clan Wolf and Clan Jade Falcon, both of which use the same vehicles for
combat.
In the Mechwarrior 2 universe the combat vehicles used to kill the enemy
are known as Mechs. In beginning levels of both Wolf and Jade Falcon levels
the user (or Mechwarrior, as your known once you have passed the training
levels which should not be skipped if you really want to live the game) is
subjected to use small Mechs that provide lots of speed but not as much
punch as the larger and more powerful Mechs in future levels. Although the
smaller Mechs are not so forceful, they can be with the Mech customize
option. With the right clicks you could have yourself the best Mech in town
with out having to advance into further levels or go over the weight
restrictions (yes, there are limits to this game).
(Finally) The actual game itself is polygon based ,resulting in 360 degrees
of total chaos, (with few sprite animation(which look awesome in any
resolution) explosions) which means that you can climb up mountains,
jumps(or jet for that matter) over other Mechs, walk("thwomp" is more like
it) over kilometers (in the game Activision uses the metric system for
measurement) of awesome polygon landscapes.
Also the guys at Activision have a thing for realistic out-comes. Inside
your Mech is a huge array of Mech options and configurations. As well as
measuring speed, time, and progress in a mission the Mech computer also
measures heat, which can be a pain in the butt if your a missile crazy
Mechwarrior, because of the fact that guns (as well as projecting ammo) can
heat up (after to much usage in a small period of time) and destroy the
insides of the Mech thus causing the Mech to explode (I guess this gives
the enemy a chance against your "power").
Another Mech option is the ability to fly( using very powerful jets(Most
Mechs weigh over a 20 tons!)). What this enables you to do is escape enemy
fire and at the same time attack from a high distance (otherwise known as
"death from above"). This kind of adds on to the "2 in1" enhancement of the
game by providing a flight simulator as well as a "Mech" simulator.
As for the missions, there are a variety of things that you can(or have to
do) in a mission that make you want to play the mission over and over
again. In one mission you must escort the "president" to a local Opera in
his Stretched Limo while blasting away enemy tanks and Mechs that have
invaded the city. In another mission youhave to destroy a massive
power-plant(in a vast canyon) which results in a huge explosion of polygons
as the plant back fires and dies (Coooool...).
In that same mission a team of fragile Mechs stand at higher altitude, than
yourself, on a bridge, resulting (if you choose to) in taking down of the
bridge (with your trusty missiles) meaning that(by the laws of gravity and
physics) the fragile mechs come down with it(KABOOM!).
And what about sound? If you have even the worst speakers possible you
still get the feeling that you are king of your territory with a very
moving and adrenalin pumping soundtrack. So even if you get tired of
Mech2(which I doubt you will) you can always try the soundtrack on some
other game since it is (as well as data CD) Audio CD.
Even if you do finish the game in one night don't go to the store to soon.
If you have a friend who has Mechwarrior 2, for PC or Mac (it doesn't
matter), you can download NetMech, a highly anticipated patch for
Mechwarrior that allows you to play over the modem,an IPX network, or
Internet with a friend. I haven't tried it yet but I'm certain my phone
line is going to be as busy as heck once I get the time to "test" it.
So if you have the urge to kick some metallic, 31st century butt, get
Mechwarrior 2. Trust me its worth it.
TEST COMPUTER: -
- Power Macintosh 603e-100Mhz Processor
-16 MB of RAM(Virtual Memory Off)
-900 MB of free Hard Disk
-4x CD-ROM
-256 color
-15" Color Monitor
-System 7.5.1
REQUIREMENTS: -
-Power Macintosh 601-66Mhz Processor
-16 MB built in RAM(11 MB available)
-50 MB of free Hard Disk
-2x CD-ROM
-256 color
-13" Color Monitor
-System 7.5.1
COMMERCIAL PRICE: - $45.00
Activision Home Page
Rating:
Reviewed by: James Morren
