MechAssault 2: LoneWolf

Overview

Mechassault 2 is a third person shooter developed by Day 1 Studios in conjunction with FASA Studios. The game follows the Mechwarrior, Lt. Foster and Maj. Natalia as they continue their fight against the Word of Blake. Though primarily focused on mech combat, Mechassault 2 allows players to exit the mech and pilot Power Armors, tanks and VTOLs.

Campaign

The campaign continues the story of the silent Mechwarrior, a Wolf's Dragoon mercenary mech pilot, and his unit as they continue to fight the radical World of Blake. The Word of Blake is attempting to find the lost data cores that contain lost technology in order to build the ultimate mech and it is up to the Mechwarrior to stop them. The player eventually collects all five data cores and uses them to fight the new leader of the Word of Blake: Nemesis. Completing the campaign unlocks the Nemesis avatar.

Gameplay

Mechassault 2 features the same third person perspective mech gameplay as its predecessor. Players can choose to pilot light, medium, heavy or assault mechs. Like the previous Mechassault, the player cannot customize the mech and each chassis comes with a predetermined armor, heat capacity and weapon sets. LIke other Battletech games, weapons come in three categories: energy, ballistic and missile. Pilots can collect power ups for each of the three weapon categories that enhance the weapon for a set amount of shots. Many mechs also come with a defensive system such as cloaking or target jamming. New mechs, offensive and defensive weapons are introduced including the new Nova Cat and Star Adder Mechs as well as reactive and reflective armor abilities. Some of the chassis in the first game have been modified to include these new weapons. Assault Mechs now have the ability to perform an Alpha Strike, an attack available if all weapon systems on the mech are at level three. The Alpha Strike is capable of one hit killing many of the medium mechs and has a large blast radius. However the Alpha Strike has travels slowly towards its target and after firing, the mech not only overheats but all weapon systems return to level one.

New to the series is the ability to exit the mech and continue the mission as a pilot on the ground. The player is extremely vulnerable as a pilot and can be run over or stepped on by vehicles and mechs. However, the pilot is capable of planting a powerful explosive that does significant damage to the lighter mechs. As a pilot, the player can choose to enter unoccupied mechs and vehicles strewn about the map.

The most touted addition is the Battle Armor, a Power Armor like the Elemental equipped with a pulse laser, a mortar and jump jets. The Battle Armor is capable of hijacking mechs by jump jetting and latching on to the mech. Pilots of the mech and the armor initiate a series of quick time button presses to fill up a bar. If the Battle Armor wins, the pilot in the mech is ejected from the mech giving access to the now empty mech. If the mech pilot wins, the Battle Armor is ejected form the the mech and takes half of his health bar away. The Battle Armor can also latch onto the legs of a friendly mech or underneath a VTOL for faster transport. It gains a more powerful pulse laser when latched.

New controllable vehicles include the Rommel Mk II tank, the VTOL and a turret. Though they cannot stand up to a mech one on one, they offer valuable support. The tank controls much like the mechs and is equipped with machine guns, a cloaking system and a unique Gravity Cannon with optical zoom and the ability to knock down mechs. The VTOL can lift cargo such as power armor, tanks and in particular power ups. This makes the VTOL an invaluable support vehicle in multiplayer. The turret fires a player controllable missile and has a shield.

Multiplayer

Mechassault 2 features many of the same game types found in the first Mechassault. Up to 12 players can compete in various game modes via Xbox Live or system link. However unlike its ancestor, players no longer have the ability to choose their mech chassis before the match. All players spawn in a Battle Armor and can exit and enter the mechs and vehicles on the map. The mechs and vehicles that appear depend on the game type. In the lobby, players are represented by character models. Models include the Mechwarrior, Foster, Natalia, Alera and Nemesis. Players can do gestures with their characters by pressing the X, Y, left and right triggers. Holding in the left thumbstick while pressing one of the four buttons allows an additional four gestures.

Multiplayer Maps

• Bogged Down
• Deliverance
• Going Commando
• Ill Wind
• In Your Face
• Killing Fields
• New River City
• No Mans Land
• On the Rocks
• Over the Falls
• Proving Ground
• Ruch Hour
• Under Cover
• Witch Cauldron

Limited Edition/ Free DLC

• Mountain High
• Troubled Waters

Paid DLC

• Barrier Reef
• Big Dig
• Field of Dreams
• Knee Deep
• New Venice
• Titans

Game Modes

• Grinder: Wave based survival mode. Can be played Single Player or 2 player Co-op
• Destruction: Deathmatch/ Team Deathmatch
• Capture the Flag
• Last Man Standing: FFA or Team game where each player only has one life.
• Check It: Domination type game where teams fight for control of outposts scattered across the map. The team with the most outposts win
• Snatch It: Multi-flag CTF mode where two teams attempt to take as many data cores strewn about the map
• Not It!: Free for all game mode where one player is "it". The only way to gain points is to get kills as "it". The player that killed "it" becomes "it"
• Base War: Both teams must defend a generator in their base while attempting to destroy the generator on the other team.
• Conquest: A new persistent multiplayer mode. The player initially joins one of the 5 Houses: Davion, Stiener, Kurita, Liao and Marik. The player participates in helping their house take over planets from the other houses for domination of the Inner Sphere.

Mechs and Vehicles

Mechassault 2 features 30 Mechs. All the mechs from the first game, including the DLC mechs, return. Like the first game, many of the mechs share the same chassis but have different weapons load outs and paint jobs. In addition to the mechs, there are two PowerArmors, a tank, a VTOL and a turret.

Light Mechs

Medium Mechs

Heavy Mechs

Assault Mechs

Other

Unit	Classification	Weapons	Special/ Defense
Battle Armor	Power Armor	1 Pulse Laser 1 Mortar	Mech Jacking Jump Jets
Elemental	Power Armor	1 Laser 1 Crossbow SRM	Jump Jets
Rommel Mk II	Tank	1 Gravity Cannon 1 Machine Gun	Null Signature
Goblin (DLC)	APC	2 Machine Guns 2 Crossbow SRMs	Cargo
VTOL	Plane	2 Crossbow SRMs	Cargo
Turret	Emplacement	1 Pulse Laser 1 POV Missile	Shield

Limited Edition

The Limited Edition contains the game disk, and a bonus disk containing 2 additional multiplayer maps and a making-of video.

Soundtrack

The game features "Gettting Away With Murder" by Papa Roach and "Right Now" by Korn