Please note:
3rd party Paradox account is needed to challenge other players in 1v1 multiplayer matches and to redeem unlock codes for Kickstarter Backer or Pre-Order DLC. Bonus decorations and emblems require online connection in order to be appliable.
This is everything I was hoping for.
I bought this for the single player campaign and it hasn't disappointed in the slightest. It has everything you would want from crew and mech selection, training and refitting, salvage and mission selection.
The game is running flawlessly (Win 10, 1080, SSD), loads quickly, no crashes, but I understand this could be due to luck. Given how flaky many AAA games have been for me recently, this game is exceptional in it's stability.
The graphics convey the feel of the tabletop well enough, but the colour palette is rather bland. Texture quality is also a little less than I would have hoped for a modern game, but mechs look like mechs, pew pews are pewie and much fun is had. The management UI and the graphics here are excellent and the artwork in general throughout the game is very immersive.
I personally think anyone rating a game as good as this as anything less than a 3 purely due to DRM needs to realise the impact they are having on developers. This is not an issue which deserves a one star rating, unless the thought of using Steam, Origin or Uplay drives you to gnaw on your keyword in fury.
If that is the case, get help.
I would have rated the game 4.5 based on my feeling that the planet graphics should have been better, but I'm unwilling to drop it to a 4, so it gets a 5.
Love the game so far. As an imitation of the Tabletop, it's terrific. I just find it hard to get past the obnoxious DEI nonsense that pervades so much of the game, to include the campaign. I completely dropped playing the campaign entirely because of it and decided to just play the sandbox instead, because I don't want any DEI slop with my stompy mechs.
Sadly game crashes on
seond and the rest vidoes. Into works fine (so I believe my condex are ok). But all other videos crash after 2-3 secs. I was able to skip them with esc and avoid initial crashes , but ... why should I -_-
and then after short tutorial game immediately crashes as well (no option to skip video).
If they dont release any patches by weekend I think this will be my first refund ever :(
**Trigger Warning**
This game depicts the following:
-Pronouns
-NPCs who are NOT grizzled space marines named Slab Crewcut
-Hair colours other than blond (and also blond, but you can still complain about it)
Battletech is a faithful recreation of the board game of the same name that makes alt-righters cry almost as hard as my GPU driver. Plenty of people are having no issues but you might have to do a bit of troubleshooting if you're unlucky, is what I'm saying. This can be tricky due to the aforementioned crybabies flooding all communications channels with their bitching. I recommend looking at the FAQs on the game's forum or contacting Paradox customer support.
Technical issues aside, I find the gameplay solid and engaging. It makes enough changes to the source material to make combat engaging and give you plenty of meaningful choices in each battle. It is definitely a methodical game, so keep that in mind. The tutorial is a bit short, but I was able to easily learn the remaining concepts through trial and error and helpful tool-tips. The difficulty curve gave me plenty of time to learn the ropes organically, which after the initial annoyance felt like a much more satisfying way than a lengthy, boring tutorial. YMMV if you are completely new to the Battletech universe.
The look and feel of the combat is great and it is obvious a lot of effort has been put into the close combat. You will experience the highs and lows of unlucky misses and miraculous headshots. I feel it evens out and suspect complaints about RNG come from comfirmation bias. That's not to say there aren't a few rough edges like the occasionally erratic action camera (can be switched off) and seemingly pointless pauses. There have been complaints about the limited selection of Mechs, but I find it acceptable. In addition the smaller pool of vehicles makes it easier to learn and remember the capabilities of each and apply this tactically... for those of us who don't have every TRO memorized.
Initially, the game really reinforces the feeling of being a ragtag mercenary band on the edge of bankruptcy. You might have to take risks and tighten belts and this is quite engaging. However, this quickly changes once the story missions get going and put you in a comfy enough place to splurge on your base of operations. Speaking of which, the story is a perfectly serviceable vehicle to give you some direction and, more importantly, a shiny space station to play with -- but not much more. The linear story and repetition in side missions that quickly becomes obvious do raise questions about replayability. What Harebrained do have is a mechanically robust basis on which to build further adventures in the Battletech universe and once they have ironed out the kinks I look forward to seeing where they go next.
If you're looking for XCOM with giant robots or the next MechCommander, I'm not sure you'll find it here. However, as a re-imagining of the tabletop game Battletech really shines. Just be prepared that you could experience technical issues -- but even then, remember you can still leave reviews calling the devs liberal cucks before demanding a refund!
