MechCommander looks as legitimate as BattleTech ever will. That's no surprise; it was developed by FASA Interactive, a new subsidiary of the corporation that created BattleTech in the first place. You view the battlefield from the fixed, isometric perspective typical of real-time strategy games, but the graphics themselves are extraordinary. Any given Mech is strikingly animated as it jogs about the battlefield, and it moves so smoothly you may well mistake it for a polygonal object. Mechs leave footprints in their wake according to the shape of their feet, and they fell small trees when they pass nearby. They twist at the torso and stay trained on their targets as they move about, and their various weapons all look different and impressive. Mechs are shown to perfect scale - if the enemy looks bigger, rest assured it will most certainly pack a greater punch. Smaller foes, ranging from armored cars to heavy tanks, are dwarfed by the BattleMechs but nevertheless must not be underestimated. Meanwhile, the battleground itself also looks attractive, with dense forests that can be burned, rivers that can be leapt across, and bases, residential zones, and construction sites that can all be razed on a whim. Rolling hills not only make the terrain appear more realistic, but help or hinder your line of sight as you would expect them to. The only problem is that you'll be looking at just the one grass and river tileset throughout the game. Every combat zone looks essentially identical.
Likewise, audio in MechCommander is for the most part perfectly appropriate, diverse, and effective, though at times somewhat repetitive. From the distant thumping of your BattleMechs' feet as they trudge about, to the roasting of a forest fire, to the characteristic boom and pop of a MechWarrior ejected from his ruined machine, MechCommander sounds just right. All the while a dynamic soundtrack that picks up when you score a kill or complete a mission objective keeps the action interesting. Yet while the musical score works well and sounds good, it isn't particularly memorable. The most irritating element of MechCommander's audio is also its most impressive - that each of your MechWarriors is a unique character with a unique voice. The vast pool of pilots is represented by all manner of men and women, from the trigger-happy hothead to the cool customer. Unfortunately, while they all look and sound different, they only have a few speaking lines in combat. They'll say one thing when they spot an enemy, another when they put it away, one more when they're taking damage, and that's about it.
One of the major traits of the Battletech IP is gearing up and ordering BattleMechs into war, either on pen & paper or on the computer (or TV) screen. The MechWarrior series has already captured the essence of piloti... Read Full Review
