Pretext: This is my first review on GOG, I sunk 550+ hours in Battletech and am a long time tabletop player and backer of the kickstarter campaign In BATTLETECH you are in charge of a small mercenary unit in a pretty backwater part of known space (the periphery). Between the combat missions where you control up to 4 Mechs (big Robots weighing 20-100tons each) you need to manage your supplies and morale. Supplies can be done by salvage - just be sure you're good enough to make use of what you get. Morale should be kept in check as you gain pretty powerful options in combat based on morale. The Tutorial does a pretty good job of getting you in the game and the setting. Speaking of setting: one of the biggest plusses of the game is the music. It just gets you (well me at least) in the right mood. The game had various issues at start. Mostly stability and performance wise, some features - like difficulty settings - were missing. Several updates later another game mode has been added. In this career mode you start out with a random lance and try to make your fortune. The campaign itself is not bad, but not extraordinary either - though the cutscenes and voice acting are good and really feel "battletech". - which is one of the main design goals of HBS, which they have nailed pretty head on imho. I like the game mechanics, even though they deviate pretty far from tabletop sometimes (initiative system). Having contracts of a given difficulty turn out harder or easier adds some spice - really a plus. I'll try to sum things up a bit: The good - MECHS! - look and feel of the game - Sets a great foundation for more to come (=> addons/Season pass) - turn based strategy - living game, as in: PDX and HBS keep adding content to the game The bad - still some stability issues For me this game is everything I hoped for after waiting for 28 years after Crescent Hawks' Revenge for another BattleTech game (MC/MW didn't scratch that itch). Yes this review is biased.
