This game could have been so good. I played it twice. Both times I quit in frustration.
The pluses:
+ The designers loved what they did and it shows in the little bits of fluff strewn across the game.
+ The mechanics are quite good. I would love to get such a game for a tabletop.
+ Campaign mode is neat -- you build up your mercenary company, expand your craft and modify your mechs. It feels right.
+ Artwork is good.
+ Story is... ok. It's not brilliant, but it fills the space.
+ The music score is excellent.
The minuses:
x Optimization is nigh non-existent. The loading times are amazing. The game slows down whenever there is a little bit more stuff to show and the enemies take a very, very long time to make simple decisions.
x Beta testing must have been minimal -- the game is imbalanced from the start. At first it's extremely difficult, then--once you get some heavy equipment--it's a cakewalk.
x Very soon it becomes clear that there is only one strategy -- get heavy, fast. You can only deploy four units at once and this means a scout is wasted space where a heavy could have been. And you need the firepower, because there are more and more enemies coming at you.
x Terrain is absolutely not readable. It's frustrating to try to maneuver around and get good angles, so you can shoot and not be shot at. This reduces your tactics to a few basic behaviors. A pity, because the mechanics promises so much more.
x Despite the apparent diversity missions boil down to a slugfest. You just won't have the maneuver space when you are constantly hounded by enemies; and because a single shot can cripple you, you need to play it safe and go into fighting retreat until you break their assault. Rinse. Repeat. Watch the Loading Screen.
x The AI knows only one tactic, and that is attack.
Summarizing, the game feels unfinished and all its potential complexity gets reduced by the lack of beta testing. I enjoyed the first few missions, but then the grind started becoming annoying.
