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MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf Review
Microsoft and Day 1 Studios have produced quite a game with MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf. I can’t honestly say what I was expecting from the game other than a few graphical improvements here and there with the addition of a few gameplay quirks, because the original knew exactly what it was, an action shooter with mechs. Many games have sequels to “find” themselves so to speak, and fix or improve what didn’t work out and add new things in that would enhance the experience. Then again some sequels are made just to sustain cash flow and their quality is the equivalent of a massive bowel movement, but lucky for us, some sequels do manage to be better than their predecessors. MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf is the example of a great sequel. It doesn’t do much to advance the gameplay of the original but it’s the options and multiplayer that drive this beyond the first. It’s basically the original MechAssault with a lot more icing, and for fans of the series and even those not, the icing is very good.
Picking up the controller and starting to play MA2 is very simple. The story campaign, while a bit confusing at first, is engaging, fun and while it lasts it proves to be a good training ground for the adventures you will eventually have on Live. People who followed the storyline in the original will feel right at home with this and those that didn’t will get by just fine as the game seems more intent on making its own plot rather than being the tail end of one already told. 
The gameplay will be familiar to pretty much anyone who has played a third person shooter before. Well not that simple, but you basically control a mech pilot and you will control a variety of mechs, tanks, aircraft and armor suits and it controls like any other shooter would. Control is tight and the overall setup is designed to provide you with quick access to all the vital maneuvers. The placement of the jump jets ( a boost that allows you to hover temporarily) button was a little disorienting as its not as well placed as it could be. The newest gameplay addition that will be noticeable right from the start is the ability to jump out of a mech or other vehicle and find another one to essentially “jack” into. This works a lot better than it could have if it hadn’t been implemented properly. Getting in and out of mechs isn’t a hassle at all, although not recommended when in the middle of a firefight because you become extremely vulnerable to a quick death. When you try to “jack” a mech or vehicle with an opponent inside you will be prompted to quickly press in a button combination in order to successfully take the vehicle over. If you don’t happen to be good with these speed games, don’t worry too much as you will get used to them over time and none of the combinations are particularly grueling.
The weapon selection is pretty standard for a mech game. You have your ballistic weapons like machine guns and rocket launchers along with a variety of energy weapons at your disposal that each have their own distinct effect. It’s obvious after a few minutes of play that the energy weapons have a serious advantage over the more modern bunch. They deal more damage and can make quick work of almost every enemy. The game tries to balance this out by giving some enemies an energy shield, but in most cases it serves only to make things a bit monotonous. Suffice to say you will be using missiles a lot. They go the distance, deal a good amount of damage and are the most reliable bunch in a tight situation.
The selection of vehicles in the game is quite impressive as long as you can appreciate that the differences between each one stem mostly from their field capabilities. You have the Light Mechs, Medium Mechs, Heavy Mechs and Assault Mechs. Each one differs in its speed and weapon capabilities and you will most likely get used to one and wish to stick with it, but as always it all depends on the situation. Along with the mechs you have the ability to work with tanks and VTOLS (which are basically aircraft). They aren’t used nearly as much as the mechs or even the battle armor but they do work well when you are in the mood for a change of pace. The Battle Armor is MechAssault 2’s attempt at emphasizing the “little” man in all of us. The Armor is basically a heavy body suit with the same capabilities as a full time mech although your health isn’t as prevalent and it’s never really a good idea to get in a firefight with more than one full size mech (if even one). The game tries very hard at providing variety. Some things work better than others but nothing really fails at providing a good experience so if you get into MechAssault 2, try anything you can get your hands on and see what works for you.  
The biggest draw to MechAssault 2 by far has to be its full on Xbox Live support. The original game was one of the premier Live titles and it returns with a boatload of features. Ten different multiplayer game types are included. There is the standard deathmatch type game, a capture the flag mode and some interesting twists on tag and control point domination games. The game is a fully featured Xbox Live 3.0 game so it was important to put in as many options as possible. There is a good selection of maps and for the most part playing the game on Live was excellent with little lag, although one problem did strike me as a bit annoying. The lobby system looked to me as a great idea when I first entered one, but after being randomly kicked from rooms over and over and waiting for a match to start in excess of five minutes, it became clear to me that quite a few people weren’t properly utilizing the options given to them. It’s not a game issue, but its certainly not reflecting well. When you do happen to get into a game, it’s a nonstop frag fest and you really couldn’t ask for more. System Link options are also included for the closer more personal encounters with friends.
One other mode the developers included was Conquest, a semi-persistent universe in which several factions are duking it out 24/7 for control over the galaxy. You enter the mode, select a faction and check on the standings. It feels similar to Planetside in that the current statistics for each faction are listed and you can choose to go and help, protect or take over a land. Don’t think this is an MMORPG though because these battles are set up in individual matches still guided by the Xbox Live player limit per match. I wasn’t disappointed by that fact because the way its set up guarantees someone can come on any time and help out the faction in any way they can, get off and be assured someone else is going to take over their fight. The “people” issue was a bit more common in this mode though.
Aside from its addictive gameplay, MechAssault 2 features some excellent sound and graphics. The lighting and particle effects in the game are amazing and show more of what the Xbox is capable of. The character models for the cut scenes are very sleek and detailed although a bit plastic when the voice acting comes in. The mech models are once again a treat and the game’s environments (along with the mechs) only show weaknesses when you get to close to something, which is sometimes unavoidable when in the battle armor and tanks, so riding in the mechs gives the optimal distance to enjoy the vibrant but battle scarred world. The framerate can dip here and there but it rarely, if ever has an effect on the experience. MechAssault 2 comes complete with a hard rock soundtrack featuring the sounds of Papa Roach and Korn. The song selection is appropriate although the soundtrack itself doesn’t always fit with the mood of the war torn world. Sound effects and voice acting are serviceable; both do their jobs and don’t hurt the ears at all. MechAssault 2 is definitely a game that would benefit from a decent sound system in your home.
 
When all is said and done its hard to find much fault in Lone Wolf. It doesn’t shoot the genre into new horizons but it does go a long way to try and perfect it. Fans of the PC MechWarrior series may still find the game to be a bit too simplistic to what they may be used to but regardless it’s an enjoyable experience and one of the best Xbox Live games to own next to Halo 2. If you want action, excitement and entertainment, pick up MechAssault 2. If you want misery, pain and bowel movements, go play a cookie cutter sequel from some other franchise, shouldn’t be too hard to find.
Written by Joseph Bennett. Posted year 2004.
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Released on
December 28, 2004
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