Really enjoyable and engrossing old-school Baldur's Gate-style RPG ruined by strangely specific bugs. Some buffs persist even when the source of those buffs are removed, stat totals don't always add up for some unknown reason, etc. The worst; switching party members under certain conditions causes them to lose all their talents/spells. The only way to correct is to reload back to a point before the corrupting action took place and you don't always know when that is. So you have the potetnial to take a corrupted save forward for a long time without realising and then you are pretty screwed if you are affected. So, it's fine, it's "playable" to an extent but lets face it; part of the enjoyment of games like this is establishing your builds, synergising your effects, looking at all manner of stats and deciding how to make the most out of what you have got. And when those numbers won't add up or there is a chance it's going to go corrupt on you as you advance then that part of the game isn't enjoyable anymore. It's like you can't even trust the rules of the game. I really want to like it more but the uncertainty of the experience because of the bugs mean I'm not finding it an ejoyable experience. I'm 1/2 way through Act 2 but I think I am done. Try it out if it's on a very cheap sale I'd say.
Wonderful atmosphere art direction let down by shallow and repetitive battle mechanics. Feels like a critical mistake in a game that relies on your willingness to invest in run after run in order to progress. Battles get dull quickly, after which there is little else to hold your interest.
100+ hours played: as others have mentioned, there is little challenge here. There are no opposing companies to compete against like the old Transport Tycoon games. It's hard to truly screw up as well; running out of money doesn't spell disaster, borrow over and over from the bank with no real consequence, eventually your lines will start making money as towns and production grows. Great for relaxing sandbox play but renders the management experience shallow. The campaign is tedious (sorry devs), little more than an extended tutorial with some silly treasure-hunt elements. Go for free play as soon as you are ready. Here is where TF2s best features come through; enjoy building intricate transport networks across your map, sit back and watch people and cargo move through your meticulously planned systems, tinker and improve, integrate new vehicles etc. It's mainly about trains though. The depth of options for building and routing rail networks is so much greater than road, sea and air, which is a shame. To get the most out of TF2, you need to play Free Play starting at the earliest year (1850) on the largest map with the year advancement turned down to slowest. This gives you the best opportunity to build big networks and really utilise the new vehicles as they become available. If you play faster then loads of the vehicles become pointless as you aren't yet ready to afford them and by the time you are, its 2050 and there is no point buying anything other than the most modern stuff. If you play like I've suggested above, then TF2 really sings and you get to try out everything it really has to offer.
I've played about 30 extra hours since I installed Urban Warfare; I have yet to encounter the new mech (Raven) and the new ECM mechanics. As I understand, they are unlocked by completing a particular flashpoint but in my playthrough, that flashpoint spawned on the other side of the map and I couldn't reach it in time. Why make access to the new content so elusive? If you buy the DLC I don't think you should have to chase the game so hard to enjoy the new stuff. The other new mech (Javelin) is disappointing; since it's light, it's OK for very early game missions but soon you'll sell it or scrap it. The new maps (urban) look nice but don't offer much new in the way you tackle missions. However, I did enjoy the new flashpoints; they are generally well-written and keep new playthroughs feeling fresh and varied. But ultimately, a DLC has to offer more than that to catch the sale. Urban Warfare is fine if it's cheap but without discounts, its way overpriced.
The biggest bug in this game is the fact that I have to inconveniently Alt-Tab out to select my favourate Mechwarrior 2 tracks from YouTube...
