The Transformers movie is coming next week, so in honor of giant robots blasting the crap out of each other...

MechAssault

Release Date: 2002
System: X-Box
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

I'll admit it: I have a weakness for giant robots. I loved the Transformers, I loved Gundam Wing and I loved Evangelion.

I've also been a fan of the Battletech series for many years. So naturally, when I bought an X-Box, MechAssault - based on the long-running Battletech franchise - was my first rental.

What I discovered blew me away. MechAssault is a damn fun ride that is guaranteed to keep your hands glued to the controller while it lasts.

In MechAssault, you play the pilot of a Battlemech - a 40-foot tall walking tank bristling with powerful weaponry that has become the primary weapon of war in the 31st century, which is when the game takes place. The pilot you control is a member of Wolf's Dragoons, one of the most highly respected and famous mercenary units in known space.

As the game begins, Wolf's Dragoons lands on the planet Helios as part of a contract, with the player acting as part of the first wave of a strike force. Things go bad quickly, however, when a group of hi-tech religious zealot terrorists known as the Word of Blake attack the Dragoons' ship as they land. With the Dragoons in bad shape from the ambush, it's up to the player to fend off the Word of Blake, clear the way for the Dragoon attack force and discover what the Blakists are up to on Helios.

Fortunately, you've got a LOT of firepower behind you on your missions. You can choose from a number of deadly mech designs to carry out your tasks with, from small and nimble designs to lumbering behemoths with the power to flatten an entire city. Whatever your playing style, you'll find a mech design to suit your tastes. You'll start off with a limited selection of mechs at first, but as the game progresses more mechs will become available.

Mounted on these war machines are weapons that every action game fan will wet their pants over. From standard machine guns and lasers to cannons and railguns that can knock an enemy mech on its ass, there are plenty of toys to play with in MechAssault.

The action in MechAssault is typical run-and-gun fare. Most missions revolve around destroying various objectives, typically guarded by huge waves of tanks and helicopters backed up by the Word of Blake's own mechs. Despite its simplicity, however, the action in MechAssault never seems to get too boring. The sheer number of mech designs, each with its own combination of weapons, armor and speed, ensures there's no shortage of different ways to cause mayhem. Further, your missions' different objectives combined with the slow accumulation of new mech designs throughout the game mean that it's virtually impossible to breeze through the game with one design. It's a well-done setup that encourages you to experiment with different designs and experience the full variety of options available.

Another aspect of gameplay that adds some strategy is heat buildup. Firing your mechs' weapons will cause varying amounts of heat to build up. Heat up too much and you'll find yourself unable to fire until you let the heat go down. Not only does this add some strategy to the game by forcing you to manage heat, it also keeps you from winning the game just by going through every level with the trigger held down.

The only real fault the game has is a lack of variety in the mech designs in terms of their appearance. Quite a few mech designs are simply variants of another design, with the same appearance but a different weapons loadout. While the variety of weapons is more important than appearance, it would have been nice to have a little more variety of things to look at.

Other than that, MechAssault is a great game that's a guaranteed good time for anyone that plays it. Try it out and have a blast.

Score: 8.5 out of 10 (Doesn't really offer anything new, but does an excellent and fun job with what it does offer)