Customer Reviews

Mechwarrior 2

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the game that set the standard for Giant Robot combat simulations. Expect to spend at least 2 hours learning to drive your mech, navigate, use your weapons, and manage heat build-up effectively. It truly captures the spirit of mechanized warfare, as you engage ground, air, and sea units. Once you master the mech, pound your enemy without mercy with weapons like the Gauss gun, autocannon, long range missile, and the mighty and impressive PPC! Stunning graphics truly drag you into this game, leaving you in a cold sweat wondering if there's a Timberwolf or Summoner waiting over the next rise to turn you into twisted limbs crushed under melting slag.

It is for games like these that I keep an older system in working order, just in case I feel the urge to play the games I've truly enjoyed over the years. I've owned this one for many years and have enjoyed the gameplay, controls and even the music with this one. The Mech games that followed did not have the same impact or make the same impression on me as this one did. Sure the graphics improved, but something seemed lost along the way. As perfect example, the latest in the Mech series (MechWarrior 4 from (gag!) Micro$oft) does not have the external views, no screenshot or movie capture features, the HUD is disrespectfully different than in Mech 2, etc., and there's just too much dialog in Mech 4 - I mean, who the heck cares? Just shutup get me into the gameplay. Mech 2 definitely started it all and my only disappointment was that Activision did not have a hand in the Mech games that followed. I felt they did a superb job with Mech 2.
I've read reviews from people who give this game a bad rap just because they are not smart enough to make it work on their XP machines. I bought this one 8 years ago, and mine was for MS DOS - before the Win95 version even came out. But I still feel it is worth while to keep an older computer running just to play some of these classics. I still enjoy the game today...

This is my all time favorite game... It's graphics are decent, not as good as some but the game play makes up for it... The single player is decent but if you want a real game get online... I spend hours on end playing this game... It's terrific... I've bought that were supposed to be awesome but everytime they wore out and I came back to Mechwarrior... I know some people who say that this game is better then the newer version of mechwarrior, Mechwarrior 3... The internet community for this game isn't as large as some but this way everyone knows everybody else... This game is highly recommended.... This is from a video gaming veteran...

The first time I saw the opening cinematic on this game (in which one Mech is going to the aid of a partner in a pitched battle) I got shivers. I haven't seen anything like that cinematic since. Sure, graphics have improved, but that was the first time a PC game hooked me, bad.

I had an old DOS version of this game back in '95. I was amazed at the AI in the gameplay. Each run through the level would play out differently. The series of "training programs" that you needed to run through before becoming competent as a Novice to do battle was excellent. You start out weaponless, just learning to navigate, taking crap from your drill instructor when you screw up. You "graduate" when, in your final lesson, you go one on one against another armed mech in a little arena with cover.

From there, you join one of two clans (you can do both and switch back and forth) and work your way through progressively difficult missions. I really enjoyed the ability to lead a team and give instructions to other mechs. When I was too busy to give them orders, their AI did a great job of getting them through most scrapes.

This game is worth getting even if you have to get an old standalone DOS or Win95 box. As another reviewer noted, the music itself is worth getting the CD. My old DOS version plays in a standard music CD player. I played it on a 90 Mhz Win95 machine back in '95, and it got a little choppy during battle in town with multiple units. Something like 200 Mhz or better would work great.

Now my kids are teens, we have a home network with four computers and two Xboxes. We play Halflife 2 and Halo 2, networked. The world has moved on. But there will always be a place in my heart for Mechwarrior 2. You always remember the first loves.

This game was simply amazing. What sets it apart from other games of the genre is that it is so extremely immersive. While by today's standards the graphics are not great, back in the day they were state of the art, the best I had ever seen (I had a special edition that came with my computer). Each level, though only 5-10 minutes long, was able to hold your attention for every second of it. Even when you were waiting for something to happen, you were entirely engaged.

A good deal of this comes from the soundtrack - I have read that Activision recieved many emails declaring that the writers would have bought the game just for the music. It fits so well into the game structure, and, even though it is looped, it never seems out of place.

The other aspect that made Mechwarrior so great to me was the tremendous backstory that is provided by the Battletech universe. http://www.kerensky.tierranet.com/btech/btech.shtml is an excellent site to become acquainted with the main points, but the archive within the game itself is extremely detailed and informative. This wasn't just another shooter - you could easily imagine yourself in the cockpit fighting a war that had been determined by a long line of events.

Even with a set number of pre-defined missions, the ability to customize your 'mech can make one level into many. And the combat simulator - which allows you to lead a star of three 'mechs against five successive enemy stars - allows for endless variations on the main theme.

One note: This does NOT work on Windows XP. Don't even try. I, for one, have bought an old 200mhz desktop and installed Windows 95 on it to run the game!

This is the best of the best from Activision. Great graphics, several training missions to get you to the peak of your power before they drop on a hostile planet with enemy's waiting everywhere. You see a mech? Blow 'em to smitherines with lasers, missiles, machine guns and more. Multiplayer is also a spin. It's a bit more fun because you have your choice of clan or I.S. Mechs. Overall, this game is awesome!

How could somebody not enjoy this game?! I know it works with Windows 98, but I haven't tried it with XP yet. I doubt that anybody plays online anymore, but it's still cool. The graphics were far ahead of their time, back in the day, but now they are extremely obsolete. I'd pay $5 just to see one of the first games to utilize 3d graphics.

Mechwarrior 2 was not intended to be fun. When I opened the box and loaded it to my hard drive, my life of video games was over. From the opening scenes I knew this was it. Activision answered my need with the best action adventurer simulation I ever experienced. From the moment the lander leaves you alone on a strange planet inhabited by "unfriendlies," the hairs on the back of your neck begin to stand at attention. They could be anywhere -- behind you, in a tank or flying overhead -- in any case they are out to get you. The only thing that matters is to complete the mission and get back to the dust-off point -- alive. Now you'll experience first hand what the life of a mecenary is really all about..........your on your own, kid!

Mechwarrior 2, while a decent game, is showing its age. It won't even install if you have virtual memory turned on. And, before you can play, if you have a G3 or G4 (including iMacs), you'll have to download and install a patch from the Activision web site. I also found the mission progression very linear -- your victories or losses have no effect in the overall picture; you go to the next mission anyway.

I was in gradeschool when this game was bought for me. I'm 23 now, and have probably not enjoyed another game as much since.

Don't expect flashy graphics, or 7.1 surround sound, but this game was a marvel in its time, and opened up a whole new genre to video gamers everywhere.

This game requires a level of skill that is generally left out of games these days, and also requires you to think about designing your 'mech' before going into battle, with a level of detail that I haven't seen since. But don't worry, micromanagement is not a bore, and you can hop on the battle field right away and get to blowing things up.

This is, without a doubt, on my top 5 games of all time. It is just a shame that Activision has not kept up with it.