I really like turn based strategy like XCOM, so this game didn't disappoint me. Also I like the Battletech universe in general so this game is right up my alley. I think the main campaign is pretty good, the story is okay and the various fights better. You can't just walk in a straight line, positioning etc is very important. Can you sprint around a terrain feature to flank your opponent? Maybe use a jump capable Mech to get on to of a hill? Are you in cover? Etc. Also the initiative plays a huge role. Small mechs have less firepower and armor, but higher initiative. That means you can position yourself and "wait out" bigger mechs to then give them a double whammy, preferably from behind. Nothing is more satisfactory than to beat a big scary mech with a couple of small ones, but it can be done. Sure it had a rocky release with some performance problems, after a couple of patches though the game was more than okay. HBS is a small studio, they can't really support a huge triple-A title. A good move on their part to make a deal with Paradox Interactive to get help with support for the game. The Career mode added in the 1.3 patch was much appreciated. Gives you something to do after playing the campaign, that is if you don't also enjoy playing skirmish with other humans. Late game gives you tons of options how to train your mechwarriors and customize your mechs. With the right equipment, a usually pretty tame mech can become a nightmare, especially with the right pilot in the cockpit.
I had a blast playing this game. The story is very deep an interesting. There are tons of people to engage in conversation, not only the very fleshed out companions. Puzzles to solve, almost all information means something, even when it seems like gibberish. I found the world a very interesting place. In the far, far future, the world is littered with machines far beyond the current inhabitants comprehension. You might be able to understand a little bit, and the wold opens up yet another dimension to you. It is kinda refreshing actually, I applaud Monte Cook for creating such rich an interesting world to play in. First game in a long time that made me win the staying-up-late-Olympics several nights and then being a wreck at work the day after (to quote Uncle Bumblefuck). Worth every minute of it :-D I didn't run into many bugs during my first play-through, I played version 1.0.1. When I write this version 1.0.2 has released with many fixes. Sure there were some irritating bugs, but on the whole nothing that I couldn't get around, it didn't really hinder my enjoyment of the game. Turn based combat might not be for everyone, but I enjoy it tremendously. Real time with pause is just not as fun for me, and I did partake in the voting for combat system back at the time of the kickstarter. RtwP would probably have been fine too, it just that I enjoy turn based more. I backed this game back at the Kickstarter and spent $39. Money well spent, although it was a pretty long wait. Not unexpected though as these things go, I have worked as a software dev and appreciate the challenges.
