SAMIR! YOU ARE BREAKING THE MECH!

The game looks great... However, if you value your privacy stay away from this honeypot. They have literal TOS and privacy policy screen before the game starts that makes it clear they sell your data to third parties for "legitimate interests".

Don't buy this for the co-op. Had to play almost 2 hours of single player just to unlock co-op to find out only the host has progress and mech customization. The other players can't use their unlocked and customized mechs unless they host the lobby. Also, the game didn't support my flight stick and requires me to manually create the information in the config file to use it. If you want to play by yourself or your friends don't care about progression and customization then you might enjoy the game. Graphics are ok, story isn't bad, and game play is good. Just not the kind of co-op experience I want in a video game.

Bought it again now that it's on Steam and now I can uninstall the EPIC launcher that makes my PC dry heave. For starters, don't malign this game for being on EPIC. They refunded everyone who kickstarted it when the epic deal was announced. Piranha is a tiny studio and EPIC gave them a juicy deal that helped them keep their bills paid. The end result was absolutely a better game. And now that it's on Steam, you get it for cheaper, with DLC, and tons of patching (day 1, week 1 this game was a bit of a mess with lots of patches) and lots of mods. Is it perfect? No. Is it fantastic big stompy robot action? Absolutely. I did honestly have higher hopes for the plot. I mean, Piranha got the voice actor for duncan fisher to come back for MWO. The default plot starts nowhere and goes nowhere, NONE of the characters have a modicum of personality. No hammy FMV to laugh at. All the voice acting is dry. The writing is dry. The character models in the ship look like mechs wearing people-skin. your ship itself feels dead and empty. As it stands, the inner sphere map feels kinda tiny, and there doesn't feel like there are any big plot changes. I wish I could change engines, armor and structure types in mechs like MWO, jsut let me do it at a core planet, giving them more utility. I want my 100KPH urbie back. I wish there were environments like MWO's forest colony, with 500 foot trees that dwarf my mech (A giant redwood in California already dwarfs an atlas, why aren't they in this game?) so all the biomes feel a little plain. Kind of "desert. Snow. High plains" without a lot of interesting stuff. More distinct biomes would be better. Friendly AI needs a HUGE improvement. I would prefer a weapon slot system more like MWO. This one is fine, but again, kinda lacks the ability to go nuttybananas. It's not like the game has PVP to balance, let me put 26 machineguns on an atlas! I'm hardly an objective reviewer. I have over 10,000 hours in MWO. MW4/BK/Mercs is one of my all time favorite series. I played MW4 competitively on dialup internet. I am as "into" this as you can get without playing tabletop. And I love this game despite all its derpy, weird decisions. It still FEELS like mechwarrior. And that's what matters. If you like mechwarrior, you should have a good time with this one.

this is the single greatest game in all of creation I have been experiencing a single, continuous orgasm since I first booted it up please send help

I first played Mechwarrior 2 when I was 7 years old and absolutely sucked at it. The setting and concepts still burned in my brain and I hoped that one day I'd be able to return when I understood what it was to be a BattleMech pilot. A quarter of a century later and I start playing this game, having spent the past few decades working in IT, stakeholder relations, sales, and business administration just so I'd be able to understand and appreciate every last mechanic. And boy does it not disappoint. The graphical fidelity has obviously jumped leaps and bounds since the 90's, even when I include the rose-coloured glasses through which I view the past. It's absolutely gorgeous and fun and feels like you're striding one of those beasts. But then all the little management mechanics are the cream on top. Managing my crew, my mechs, buying and selling and salvaging and upgrading and factoring in jump times and weather? This is exactly the game for every person who was born to scout on horseback but forced to write asset management software.

Target acquired. Target destroyed. Target acquired. Target destroyed. Target acquired. Target destroyed. Heat critical. Pause.......................... Target acquired. Target destroyed. Target acquired. Target destroyed.

When my and my AI buddies all bring matching Atlasses to our scout mission, I know I'm doing House Steiner proud.

Attempting to play with a controller is like trying to make a woman happy. Sometimes the thing you did works. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it gets you killed.

The AI is barely functional. Your allies get stuck on everything, take the wrong path and have to turn around, and can't move around a rock on front of them to fire at the enemy. Even in the Solaris DLC there are some matches (50/50 chance) where all the enemy mechs just sit there and do nothing making it a gauntlet for you to run through. That is on top of some of the map you fight on are just needlessly large. This alone almost makes the game unplayable and over time it will make you stop playing altogether. I can't count how many mission there are were you have to travel either to the 4 corners of the map to kill artillery, or your drop so far away from everything that this game just becomes a walking sim that adds 15 mins to the mission timer just due to some maps being to large.

god I just miss mechwarrior 4

No built in joystick support. I'm being forced to edit a file that looks like this just to use my joystick: START_BIND NAME: THRUSTMASTER TWCS Throttle VID: 0x044F PID: 0xB687 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button1, OutButtons=Throttle_Button1 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button2, OutButtons=Throttle_Button2 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button3, OutButtons=Throttle_Button3 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button4, OutButtons=Throttle_Button4 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button5, OutButtons=Throttle_Button5 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button6, OutButtons=Throttle_Button6 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button7, OutButtons=Throttle_DPad1_Up BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button8, OutButtons=Throttle_DPad1_Right BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button9, OutButtons=Throttle_DPad1_Down BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button10, OutButtons=Throttle_DPad1_Left BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button11, OutButtons=Throttle_DPad2_Up BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button12, OutButtons=Throttle_DPad2_Right BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button13, OutButtons=Throttle_DPad2_Down BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Button14, OutButtons=Throttle_DPad2_Left BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Hat1, OutButtons=Throttle_Hat_1 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Hat2, OutButtons=Throttle_Hat_2 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Hat3, OutButtons=Throttle_Hat_3 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Hat4, OutButtons=Throttle_Hat_4 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Hat5, OutButtons=Throttle_Hat_5 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Hat6, OutButtons=Throttle_Hat_6 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Hat7, OutButtons=Throttle_Hat_7 BUTTON: InButton=GenericUSBController_Hat8, OutButtons=Throttle_Hat_8 AXIS: InAxis=HOTAS_ZAxis, OutAxis=Throttle_Axis1, Invert=TRUE, Offset=0.5, DeadZoneMin=-0.08, DeadZoneMax=0.08, MapToDeadZone=TRUE AXIS: InAxis=HOTAS_RZAxis, OutAxis=Joystick_Axis2, Invert=FALSE, Offset=-0.498039, DeadZoneMin=-0.1, DeadZoneMax=0.1, MapToDeadZone=FALSE This is bullshit. MW games should have built in joystick support I shouldn't have to be a coder to make it work

Without mods: 4/10 With mods: 8/10 With mods and a walking trashcan equipped with an AC/20: 10/10

I may not know a lot about games, but I know a hell of a lot about Battletech. Some would say I occasionally talk about it. That being said, this game is Diet Battletech. It feels like a campaign DLC for MWO and while fun with friends, it still is a far cry from MW4 Mercs, and MW2 of the same. Is it a Mech Game? Yes. Is it a mech game that can let you fuck around with friends? Sure. Wait till its on sale though.

Any games that forces me to play in order to unlock coop deserve a bad review.

Flawed MechWarrior is better than no MechWarrior.

I liked this game, I really did. But when you realize that AI completely ignores everything and everyone to focus you, it totally breaks immersion and forces you to play in a single way - tank. Like you will literally see enemy mechs walk through and around 3 of your AI allied pilots to rush you. A pity, really.

Quick update for the new DLC: It adds one terrible mech that explodes on contact to I guess make Jaegermech pilots feel better. It finally adds more Active Bay slots so you can properly deal with needing different mechs of different weight to deal with tonnage limits. Sub Pilot Level 40 - Your AI will just turn whatever mech you give them into scrap metal. This led to me soft locking/game over the new DLC when all my pilots/mechs were damaged and there wasn't enough allowed time to repair to complete the final mission. Meaning you need player mods to reduce repair/healing costs and times you need the stars to allign to complete a fresh start of the Rasal faction. Downsides of the Expansion: The rental fees on the new active bay slots are hella expensive and can drain your resources quickly. Upside - There are other Merc Factions now that can interact with you. I haven't had too many interactions with them yet as most of them occupy space with no missions to take. But it seems neat. ======================== Old Review ==================================== For what the game offers, it's not worth full asking price. Unfortunately there is only yes or no when recommending something. It's a fun mech dakka dakka stompie stompie experience with not much else going for it. This is basically MechWarrior Online with AI. Or another way to put it, it's a straw. Stiff rigid outsides with a hollow inside that is used to suck what little fun there is out of the game. Story: Dumb. In what amounts to a revenge tale told in one of the worst ways possible your character on patrol watches an entire city get destroyed and decides to rob a bank. I mean, no need to defend the planet from the invaders or worry about all those now deceased people.... money. In doing so, your father tags along and you get ambushed by the invading army..... who could of known they would be there after invading right? So, now you set off in whats left of your unit for revenge and profits. The Merc Mode skips the intro and joins at this point and everything beyond is one in the same. So we get to experience the first shallow event... your ship and crew. Outside of naming your Company and picking their logo that is all you get to do in terms of customizing your character/ship/staff. You can hire/fire pilots to suit your needs but you are only ever allowed 4 mech's in a fight and you cannot expand your business. Get used to running back and forth to talk between Ryana and Farrod even though you are the boss and have a comlink.... no one will ever come to you..... the freaking boss. Okay, time to set off and make money.... how does that work? Well, you get to fly to any star system you want across the entire inner sphere map.... awesome right? Sorta. There is only so far you can auto travel across the map. Why? Don't know. F U for asking. Even if you have piles of money to pay your bills on time... it just won't let the game calculate that far ahead. Areas are broken up into reputation indicators to help guide the player into areas they can handle but you are not restricted from going into any mission. There is a difficulty indicator.... it's more of a suggestion. So you pick your mission and then you get to select your contract options. The higher the faction rep, the more units you can select. If say you are hated you get 3 points to put into fields like C-Bill's, Salvage, Damage Insurance, Airstrikes, if you are Hero status you get like 20. So you select your points and you move to the next phase, pick your mech's and pilots. You "somehow" have a ship that has 4 mech bays, 8 additional spaces for selectable or "active" mechs and an infinate space for storage. Where is all this stuff stored? The dev's didn't care....... Sometimes the games let you repair before mission after you select the contract and other times they don't and you need to take damaged or switch out the mechs...... there is no indication before hand.... so repair before you take a mission. Also on multi-missions, repair after the 1st mission and by the time the 3rd mission comes around your 1st mission mechs should be repaired. In one of the dumbest decisions ever, you are forced into tonnage limits on missions. Why? Don't know. Isn't this YOUR mech company? The game wants you to think that. You can't even say it's an issue with ground density and sinking as the enemy will drop in far more and far heavier mechs. You get punished if your salvage if you go over or won't be allowed to start. Why? Again... F U! Even if you take 4 Atlas's in on a scounting mission... the punishment is repairing the damage of expensive mechs to how little the payout is.... not the contractor punishing you. Why would you accept this mission for them then? Logic.... don't look for it here! Next glaring issue is there is no IPB which in short means Intel Prep of the Battlefield. So you don't get to see a map, select a drop/pickup zone, or what mechs might be in the area..... you get to be semper Gumbi - Always Flexible. Rayna, your XO on the other hand.... knows a lot and just decided not to tell you. Combat - It's tuned to MWO standards.... so a lot of weapons do not work as they should, or at all. Saves you time trying to figure out a load out... Melee is a thing, and should be of last resort as you will probably come off worse for wear. Your AI is okay at the best of times, something for the enemy to shoot at most of the time. Mechs come pre-configured. There isn't much freedom of choice here. You do not get a blank mech and depending how you decide to load it that's what variant it falls into. So you cannot take a Catapult with an LRM 15 launcher and put 2 SRM6's in one slot. You can only swap 1 for 1. So this makes a ton of mech's useless. You also don't get much room to play with... so strip jump jets for armor because missions are long and there are no checkpoints or repair bays. Blowing up enemies doesn't really matter... leg them or core them, salvage comes out to be about the same. Overworld. So, once again Rep determines your shopping and your contract points... and nothing else. If you are hated, you can still take missions. Also, I found that Contractors I have never interacted with hated me for no real reason..... maybe they just hate mercs, but they are the employer.... There is a passive upgrade system. By doing Cantina missions you unlock passive abilities you can equip on each of your mechs to customize their stats.... this is a must! When you use them the game really turns towards your favor. That's about it. There is nothing else to do in the game..... No Solaris Battle Arena, nothing really happening. The map will change to reflect major events in the timeline but to you, you have to travel somewhere to turn in a quest and that's it. It feels like you are walking around a large empty mall with no one around. There are mods that make some improvements to the game... so there is that. Stomping around in mechs is also enjoyable.... but at the end of the day... this feels like a copy and paste of MWO and not a lived in universe. Pick it up on sale and play with friends for a much better experience. I don't hate this game, it's passable. I just feel it's a bit hollow for my taste. The game is in a far better playable state than when it launched and had only one crash and it was probably my fault of alt-tabbing while loading.

The game's biggest sin is it's _almost_ fun. Almost. And it almost works. _almost_. I can't express how really low the bar is for making a mech warrior game successful. 90% of it is it just needs to run successfully, and it doesn't.

Without mods this game is aggressively "meh". PGI needs a swift kick up the arse. They got very complacent because nobody else is making Mechwarrior games, so what are you gonna do, not play? If you're not going to mod this, or are getting this on a console, get it at a deep sale. THAT SAID, with mods this becomes so, SO much better, it's not even funny. My main recommendation would be either YAML (haven't personally tried that one out) or MercTech (the one I'm running rn). They add so much customizability and potential to the otherwise slim base game. Want to drop the engine down from a 340 to a 320 on your Victor? Sure. Or maybe you want to slap in a 380 clan XL into your Banshee and give it a pair of hatchets? Go nuts! New weapon calibers, new equipment, unlocked customization, slap in the TTRulez AI mod and give your lancemates battle roles! Change your mech's cooling to double! Give it Ferro-fibrous armor! The possibilities are, uh, not exactly endless, but it sure beats the fuck out of whatever the base game is doing. The game itself is, like I said, pretty mid. The story is uninspired, more or less just there to have an excuse for things to happen. The gameplay is really good though. There's nothing quite like sitting into a 100 ton avatar of death and destruction, accompanied by 3 other 100 ton avatars, and beating the snot out of other 25 - 100 ton goons. Weapons sound and feel good (and could sound and feel even better with mods, cough cough), the mechs feel good to pilot, having enough of the signature weight and inertia to really make you feel like Batman. Piloting a mech. One major downside of the game is the braindead AI. Mods make it tolerable, but it's still pretty bad. In vanilla though, your lancemates will sniff fuel and eat glue while the enemy pilots are divinely inspired marksmen that have trained since their inception to land a God damn gauss slug in between the asscheeks of a mosquito at 1000 meters away. BLINDFOLDED. It is so frustrating to watch your team do the poopshuffle in place while you're getting dismantled by omega cracked enemy AI. To be honest, if there was no mod support, I'd flat out not recommend this game solely for that reason. At the end of the day, there are much worse games out there. And if you want Mechwarrior, it's either this, Online, or trying to fiddle with getting the older games to work. Beggars can't be choosers I guess.

I am a life long mechwarrior fan, starting way back in the 90's with Mechwarrior 3. I cannot recommend this game. Thoughts in no particular order

• Mechwarrior 4 came out 21 years ago, and the animations for the mechs were better than Mechwarrior 5. Mechs would limp, mechs would get knocked over, mechs could crouch, etc. I mean seriously, TWENTY ONE YEARS AGO! What was the point of all that epic Tim Sweeney money if you can't even be bothered to animate the mechs to the standards of MORE THAN TWO DECADES AGO!!!
• Speaking of Mechwarrior 4, it seems in Mechwarrior 5 I don't have as many lance mate options (Ie, stop moving) nor do I have radar toggle where I can turn my radar off for stealth. Something Mechwarrior 4 had.
• Speaking of lance mates. Holy shit. They are absolutely useless. They will straight-line charge into assault mechs. They will shoot you if you're in the way of their target. They will shoot hills and rocks if there's an enemy on the other side of it. They're almost worse than useless. Lancemates in MW4 were
• *SUPER** good. Did that Tim Sweeney money not cover AI developers that could code something better than a 21 year old game?
• In MechWarrior Online (made by the same dev) there's this really cool "infrared" view for spotting mechs in bad weather conditions, and things like smoke would block it. Did that make it into MechWarrior 5? Nope.
• Speaking of the infared view, Mechwarrior 5 has a night vision view, but every map (even a literal moon at night) is so bright that it's useless. It's not even "enhanced" night vision that shows heat signatures. It's just a useless green filter.
• For some reason there's endless enemy spawning in all missions. This would be cool for some missions (ie, you're deep in enemy territory) but it doesn't make sense when a mission literally says you're in a remote outpost taking out a communication tower so they can't call for backup, yet endless mechs keep showing up?
• On the topic of endless enemies, they will spawn out of no where. This is most frustrating WHEN THEY SPAWN IN A CITY YOU HAVE TO PROTECT! UGH!!
• Cockpits leave a lot to be desired. Throw a map in there, have a light toggle, give me some dangling cables that jiggle with each stomp...something. The developer did this with MechWarrior online yet left it out on this?!
• In MW4, going up slopes slowed you down, while going down slopes sped you up. This was not implemented.
• Cutscenes and overall story is pretty lame. If you played the Turn-based BattleTech game, it's a copy paste story. "boo hoo my dad/mentor died in front of my eyes in a horrible and sudden raid and now it's up to me to be a merc and avenge.". BattleTech already did this three years ago....
• Overall volume mixing is weird. Sometimes voices are too quite to hear, other times way too loud.
• There's this horrible and jarring acceleration in "pilot view" that is just...awful
• Emblem choices are pretty lame
• I'm not co-oping, but you don't unlock co-op until HOURS into the game.

I think what bums me out the most, is that the majority of these items arn't even difficult (in perspective) things to do. They can easily add engines/mech speed, they can easily change spawn rates and location, etc. There isn't anything *fundamentally* wrong with this game, it's just a lot of details left off for no reason and it feels unfinished. Now that I've built a wall of text bashing the game, there are a couple things worth mentioning that is good. Mechs and weapons feel great, they nailed the stompy shooty bits down. The audio work is also top notch, there is a lot of attention to detail in that side of the game and they did a really good job there. The game also has political borders that shift as time flows, with news updates on what's going on around the galaxy, which is super neat. Mechwarrior 4 isn't graphically better than this game, obviously since it's so old. What makes it better is just the little attention to detail that this one lacks. If the bulk of my thoughts were addressed, I would recommend this game.

Wait for a sale and pick it up, with DLC 1-3. When you do, download the MechWarrior 5 Load Order and Activation Manager from the Nexus Mods website (or use the version included in the linked folder); the mods are already in the correct order inside the "Mods" folder in the linked .zip folder download, but just in case their load order gets messed up somehow, you can copy the list below (also included in the downloadable folder), open the MW5 Load Order Manager (LOM), click "File"-->"Import Load Order," paste this list, AND THEN CLICK "APPLY" to re-order the mods so they work. Protip: when you set up your install directory, you have to point the program to the file containing your game's executable application file, or else it won't be able to detect your mod list. That folder will be named "Mechwarrior 5 Mercenaries" in your file directory. You're welcome. Link to my mods for download; includes instructions: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JtdyYUrG5ntGMkmiSDt0CbwgjbF9NsQE/view?usp=sharing { "XenoPax_Optimize": true, "Kh0rnsSoundMod": true, "T6Ms_i_MASC_SC_YAML": true, "No_Whiplash": true, "T6MZRecoil": true, "P8K_WeaponFxChanges_p2": true, "P8K_WeaponFxChanges": true, "WAR_FX": true, "Camo_Spec": true, "Mechs_of_Beauty": true, "Cockpit_HD": true, "PurchaseSalvage": true, "RebalancedLasers": true, "LRM_Buff": true, "RebalancedMissiles": true, "BuffECMAP_YAML": true, "NightStar_DataSpike": true, "TTRulez_AIMod_EasyAIM": true, "TTRulez_LanceMateOrderz": true, "TTRulez_AgileMechs": true, "Coyotesmission": true, "TTRulez_AIMod2": true, "ModOptions": true, "OmniCoreYaml": true, "SpecialVariants": true, "AClaninvasion": false, "YetAnotherMechlabMechs": true, "YAML-Mechs-Update": true, "Lore-based Mech Variants - YAML Edition": true, "campaignheromechs": false, "MaxTonnage": true, "Shd_ElbowFix": true, "T6M_CustomMechs": true, "Mech_HD_DLC": true, "Mech_HD": true, "Wear_HD_DLC": true, "Wear_HD": true, "Planet_HD": true, "vonBiomes": true, "IncreasedTreefallAnimRate": true, "XenoPax_Foliage": true, "StepOnTank": true, "YetAnotherMechlab": true, "harjel": true, "T6M_MWT_YAW": true, "ReAndExRifles": true, "T6M_MWT": true, "YetAnotherWeapon": true, "YetAnotherWeaponClan": true, "ElectronicWarfareBuff_YAML": true, "YetAnotherClanMech": true, "StackedCrates": true, "BetterCrates": true, "archercockpitfix": true, "AdjustableCockpitCamera": true, "UltraVisualAndWeatherV3": true, "GlobalIlluminationEnhanced": true, "smallertraits": true, "ArmorGreen": true, "HellsDollFix": true, "NoDialogOrBackGroundHUD": true, "NoDialogHUD": true, "CompassHeadings": true, "ProHUD": true, "CockpitOverheat Full Immersion": true, "MechHangarNoFog": true, "sh01_revamped_avatars": true, "NoGreenRing": true, "NoCaptureRing": true, "NoEvilRadio": true, "RestoreTraits": true, "RepairBays": true, "ZuluBetterHeroes": true, "LeopardColors": true, "AddedNews_Post3049": true, "advanced_zoom": true, "AdvancedCareerStart": true, "BC_YAML": true, "CoopRewards": true, "Hellbringer_Classic": true, "Hollander": true, "MadDog_Classic": true, "Timberwolf_Classic": true, "Marauder_Classic": true, "Summoner_Classic": true, "ArgusClassicYAML": true, "Hellcat": true, "WarhawkClassic": true, "HollanderClassicYAML": true, "StoneRhinoClassicYAML": true, "T6Ms_Mad_135": true, "T6Ms_MAD_III": true, "Revenant": true, "MW4_Mechs": true, "VultureMKII_YAML": true, "ChimeraClassicYAML": true, "StormcrowClassic_YAML": true, "CatapultK2B": true, "MA_mechs": true, "MechDelivery": false, "RemoveJumpShipAnimation": true, "SpawnProtection": true, "SMMO_V3_06": true, "SeriousInstantActionWeapons": false, "ScaryTurrets": true, "WorthwhilePilots": true, "ECMTowers": true, "ScaryTanks": true, "P8K_MissileHeadGalore": true, "HeatSinkKits": true, "T6MMetalStorm": true, "T6MFastMelee": true, "MediumRifleFix": false, "AlternateFlamerVisuals": true, "XenoPax_Art": true, "VehicleDropAR": true, "MW5Compatibility": true }

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MY RATING:	🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘	5 / 10

To be clear up front, my decision to rate the game negatively doesn't mean the game is bad. What I'm trying to say is that it might not be fun for someone (like me) who hasn't played this type of game before. I've had this game on my wish list for a while but didn't really dare to buy it. There has never been a game where I was so unsure as with MW5. After the promising videos on the shop page, I also watched one or two gameplay videos and read many reviews (not only on Steam). And this time there were an unusually large number of reviews that I read. What amazed me about the Steam Reviews, regardless of whether it was a positive or negative rating for the game, is that many write good but also bad things about the game and that even fans of the MW series sometimes do not give a clear recommendation became. I've read over and over again that people were more or less "warning" that the game could be a bit difficult for newcomers or even not fun at all. After a long back and forth and an offer for the game including the DLC's for around $10, I finally took the risk. Was it a mistake? No, not really, because there were moments when I really enjoyed the game, but it also showed me where my limits are, but more on that in a moment. My biggest problem with the game is that I can't get the mech to be controlled properly. I played the game with keyboard and mouse as usual and I honestly don't know why it doesn't work. Maybe it's because of my age or that my hand-eye coordination is declining a bit or it's just my head that can't handle it in this form anymore, I don't know. And in that case I really have to say, I'm just too stupid for that. I can't get over the fact that the legs and torso move independently. Sure, I know that it has to be like this, that it only makes sense that way and that it makes the whole thing feel really realistic. I mean, you are controlling a meter-high machine that weighs tons and not a nimble and agile action hero. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm always running somewhere and turning in the wrong direction, running against something or in circles, actually running backwards instead of forwards and so on... And that's exactly my problem and what "takes away" the fun of the game. I was too busy controlling the mech and running straight the whole time that the rest of the game just plain went under. In moments when I had the controls under control, I really enjoyed the game at times, even if I have given up the first-person view due to the problems mentioned and have only moved with the drone camera view. Alright, so much for that. As far as the game itself goes, I think the mechs, at least when they're in the hangar, are pretty well done and there's real value placed on the design and everything around it. The (story) missions are, uhm yes, I would almost say boring and monotonous in the long run. Unfortunately, somehow you're just busy raising your reputation all the time. I can say very little about the Coop due to my lack of talent in the game. The few games that I played in co-op mode were rather fun because I played with other non-talented friends who just as helplessly ran back and forth or against something. I think the game is more suitable for the real fans of the series. But that doesn't mean you can't have fun. I would recommend anyone who is also unsure to read through a few of the numerous reviews (positive and negative) and watch one or the other gameplay video and maybe wait for a sale. And if someone has a tip, I would be happy.

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MY PROS AND CONS: ✅ Highly detailed mechs ✅ good sound ✅ free choice of missions / clients ✅ many mechs ✅ good upgrade options ✅ Mod support ❌ Repetitive mission design ❌ lame story ❌ inanimate (military) installations ❌ small areas of application ❌ cumbersome controls ❌ bad minimap

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PLAYED WITH: ⌨️ 🖱 🎧

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⮩ VISIT ME IN MY LITTLE WORLD

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https://store.steampowered.com/app/784080/

Technically it plays fine. Graphics are decent. Not glitchy. More or less promises. Why don't I recommend? Well frankly it's boring. The AI is terrible, half the weapons are mediocre, and there's basically no story or anything to retain your interest. It's just killing mechs and tanks over and over. Mission variety? Not much. Kill everything red - that's basically it.

After having played through the first few single player contracts, I'm already kinda bored. The reviews you've read are true. The Mech battles are good but really repetitive. From the Ops person to the pilots, the NPCs are one dimensional wooden. A lot of the design choices like the Ops console and the Mech dashboards are are sparse and illogical. It all just feels shallow. And don't get me started on how restrictive and lame the "Mech Lab" configuration options are in this version of the game. Not a lot of room for true customization or creativity in build-outs. Scenario tonnage limits seem artificial. There must better ways to encourage players to "right size" a Mech squad for a scenario rather than simply restricting tonnage. Again, not very creative. All-in-all, while the graphics are descent, the whole thing feels very "90's" to me. I would gladly have paid more for the game if the devs had put more effort into it. Right now, even $30 for the base game feel a bit overpriced, but is also a clue as to how little they invested in it. Will I still play the heck out of the battles? For now, yes. But I think I will get bored of it quickly if they don't add more depth in coming updates. BTW, right now, apparently most of the MODs that the fanbase has created over that last year or so (mostly on Nexusmods) are broken with the Steam/DLC release. Looks like they were starting to making this game compelling, but as of right now even that option isn't available.