MechCommander 2 Demo

The MechWarrior franchise is probably the most notorious game series to feature mechs, as well as one of the most refined experiences out there when it comes to level design, story, and general gameplay mechanics. On the other hand, gamers can only enjoy playing the same thing for so long, before they get bored and ask for something else instead.

MechCommander 2 is actually part of the same series, only it is a real-time strategy game instead of a shooter and it revolves around entire divisions at once, rather than on single individuals. Hence, your role is to guide a team of mechs across enemy territory and try to accomplish a variety of objectives using their special abilities, while also following an interesting storyline.

Speaking of which, the game is actually split into three campaigns, each one of which is related to the other and they practically continue the story from where the previous act left it. In essence, things start on a small planet called Carver V, where you must assist Colonel David Renard as he attempts to deal with some bandits. Naturally, things get more complicated as you advance through the missions, and you soon find yourself dealing with House Liao in an all-out war.

The real-time strategy elements present in the game are quite similar to what you might find in every other RTS, but the presentation is clever enough to make them appear unique. Since each type of mech has different special abilities you can use, the gameplay is pretty challenging and there are many different ways one battle can evolve. Hence, the replayability value is pretty satisfying, at least if you enjoy coming up with more than one strategy for every scenario.

From a technical point of view, the graphics appear quite crude and poor now, but they were more than pleasant back when the game was first released. Even now, you should be able to enjoy the adventure on a modern computer, as long as you get the game to run. Real actors have been hired to deliver some of the in-game dialogue as well, which is definitely a nice touch.

When it’s all said and done, MechCommander 2 does a good job at emulating the same atmosphere from the original franchise, while also allowing the fans to make use of powerful mechs once more. Hence, if you consider yourself a sci-fi fan and a strategy enthusiast, this should definitely be on your radar.