MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat

Mechwarrior 2: fighting game in the 31st century
Original title	MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat
Studio	Activision
Publisher	Activision
Senior Developer	Josh Resnick (producer)
composer	Gregory Alper Jeehun Hwang
Erstveröffent- lichung	1995
platform	MS-DOS , Windows , Mac OS , PlayStation , Sega Saturn
genre	Ego shooter
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer
control	Joystick , mouse & keyboard
medium	Floppy disk , CD-ROM
language	English

MechWarrior 2: Fighting Game in the 31st Century (English OT: MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat ) is a combat simulation from Activision for PC , PlayStation and Sega Saturn . As in the predecessor, the player takes control of a combat mech, which he controls through a three-dimensional, futuristic game world and with which he takes on various combat missions against similarly armed opponents. MechWarrior 2 was first launched in 1996 for MS-DOS , Windows and Mac OS and was later ported to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn as MechWarrior 2: Arcade Combat Edition with some adjustments .

action

MechWarrior 2 is set in the year 3058. The clans who wanted to conquer the Inner Sphere are bound to a truce due to the defeat on Tukayyid, which leads to dissatisfaction and tension within the clans. The player can choose to side with the Wolf Clan or as a crusader on the side of the Jade Falcons.

Gameplay

The game offers the choice between a campaign mode with two campaigns of 16 missions and a horde mode. In the latter, the player competes against ever new waves of opponents that he has to eliminate. The game ends with the destruction of your own 'Mech.

The campaign mode tells a continuous story either from the point of view of a MechWarriors of the Wolf Clan or the Clan of the Jade Falcons. The 16 missions are divided into primary, secondary and tertiary objectives, of which the former are necessary to complete the mission, while the others bring additional prestige points. The spectrum of missions ranges from attack and destruction missions to escort missions and the defense of one's own structures against advancing enemies. The player can choose between 15 omni-mechs of the clans, whose weapons and equipment, he can also determine. As usual in the game series, it is limited by the permissible weight and the heat development.

The missions are mainly viewed from a cockpit view of the mech with radar maps and various information overlays, with additional camera modes such as B. a zoom function or an external view can be selected. The player controls his mech directly through the three-dimensionally designed mission cards, which are modeled on various scenarios such as cities, steppe landscapes or canyons. The player is accompanied by up to two other MechWarriorn, whose equipment he can also determine in advance of the mission and to whom he can give simple tactical instructions during the mission. The game has three levels of difficulty, in addition, the player can activate various cheat functions in the menu (unlimited ammunition, invulnerable, no collision damage). However, if he activates a cheat, the mission will be considered unsuccessful.

After every three missions there is a so-called trial, which is about advancement within the clan hierarchy. As in the Horde mode, you have to fight waves of enemies. If you stand against a wave, you move up a rank. If you survive the second wave, you move up 2 ranks. The aim is to reach the rank of Khan in the end and thus become the highest leader of the clan.

development

The game was created internally at Activision, as the development studio of its predecessor, Dynamix , was taken over by Sierra in 1990 and developed a competing product with Metaltech: Earthsiege . The game was originally planned to come onto the market in October 1994, but almost halfway through the development process, almost the entire development team was replaced. The graphic consists of partially textured vector graphics, the program supports the resolutions 320 × 200, 640 × 480 and 1024 × 768 pixels. The cutscenes were developed by Digital Domain , a special effects company owned by film director James Cameron . The network mode for multiplayer was initially included in the originally published DOS version in a functionally reduced demo version. With the release of the Pentium Edition, it became a full component of the game.

The porting to game consoles was carried out by the developer Quantum Factory, who took up the game principle of the PC variant, but modified it in a console-typical way. There were plans to port it to the never-released Panasonic M2 game console . The gameplay was less simulation-heavy, but designed with arcade-like battles against more opponents. This also includes the integration of power-ups (e.g. invincibility, invisibility, increased rate of fire, mech acceleration). Other options, such as the outside perspective, have been removed. The games were programmed from scratch for both consoles with a new engine. In addition to each of the 16 clan missions, the console versions contain 16 missions specially developed for the adapted gameplay. A two-player mode has also been integrated into the PlayStation via a Playlink cable.

Add-ons

Ghost Bear's Legacy

The first expansion appeared in November 1995 and gives the player the opportunity to play as a member of the Ghost Bear clan. A campaign with twelve new missions revolves around the theft of the genetic makeup of the clan founders Hans Ole Jorgensson and Sandra Tseng by an alleged attack team from the Draconis Combine. In fact, the identity turns out to be not as obvious as it initially appears. The trail leads via the clouded leopard clan to the wolf clan and its splinter group of jade wolves.

The expansion brings 14 new Omni-Mechs, new sceneries (space, underwater) and new soundtrack pieces. If the player also ends the campaign without a single defeat, he unlocks a five-part bonus campaign to obtain a blood name.

Mercenaries

The Mercenaries missions play before the main game, from 3044 to the Battle of Luthien in 3052. As Ghost Bear's Legacy had already reached the current timeframe of the BattleTech template, Activision could no longer follow up.

The player is on the road as a mercenary who can accept orders from various empires (Draconis Combine, United Commonwealth, ComStar and Free Rasalhague Republic). He also finds himself in the middle of the events of the clan invasion.

reception

reviews publication Rating PS Saturn Windows CGW 5/5 Mega fun 82% PC joker 78% PC player 81% 82% (Pentium) Power play 86% Video games 78%

"MechWarrior 2 is simply the best giant robot game ever made and arguably the most enjoyable ground combat sim of any genre."

"MechWarrior 2 is simply the best giant robot game ever made and is arguably the most entertaining ground combat simulation of any genre."

- Martin E. Cirulis : Computer Gaming World

"What is worth waiting for. Activision's Fasa adaptation doesn't exactly cover itself graphically with fame [...]. You also need a certain amount of time to get used to the intricacies of mech tuning and piloting. If you have overcome this hurdle, however, there is an acute danger of 'Mechwarrior 2' addiction and you will not let the steel colossi rest until you have risen to Khan. "

- Sascha Gliss : Power Play

"Enthusiastic fans of heavy robotic boys will have a lot of fun with this wild FASA shooting"

- Wolfgang Schaedle : Video Games

In the first three months after publication, the game sold around 500,000 times.

In the June issue of the American game magazine Computer Gaming World , the MechWarrior 2 was named the best space simulation (sic) of the year. The game received the 1995 Origins Award as Best Best fantasy or science fiction computer game . The add-on Mercenaries won the Spotlight Award at the 1997 Game Developers Conference . The German game magazine Gamestar listed the title in 1999 at number 38 of the most important games of the 1990s.

Web links

• MechWarrior 2 at MobyGames (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ MechWarrior 2 . In: Imagine Media (ed.): Next Generation . No. 6, June 1995, pp. 74-76.
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Power Play 10/1995
3. ↑ ^{a b} PC Player 03/1996
4. ↑ NG Alphas: MechWarrior II . In: Imagine Media (ed.): Next Generation . No. 23, November 1996, pp. 205-6.
5. ↑ News - E3 '96: 3DO? - M2 Dream List . In: Paragon Publishing (Ed.): 3DO Magazine . No. 12, July 1996, p. 4.
6. ↑ MechWarrior 2: 31st-Century Combat Hits the 32-Bit Systems . In: Ziff Davis (Ed.): Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 89, December 1996, pp. 220-3.
7. ↑ Mechwarrior: Mercenaries . In: Imagine Media (ed.): Next Generation . No. 21, September 1996, p. 96.
8. ↑ ^{a b} Computer Gaming World # 135, pp. 182-184
9. ↑ PC Joker 09/1995
10. ↑ PC Player 09/1995
11. ↑ Mega Fun 05/1997
12. ↑ ^{a b} Video Games 04/1997
13. ^ Jeff Sengstack: Activision: Reorganized, Redefined and on the Rebound Archived from the original on January 28, 1998. In: NewMedia . June 24, 1996.
14. ↑ Computer Gaming World # 143, June 1996, p. 62.
15. ↑ http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/archive/spotlight_1997.html
16. ↑ Gamestar 12/1999, p. 58.