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Platform Filters:   All Platforms  Xbox   GameCube   PlayStation 2   PC   Game Boy Advance   Site Sections:   Updates  News   Games   Publishers   Developers   Reviews   Previews   Release Dates   Editorials   Glossary   Contact Us		Review:       27th January 2005: MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf  Get out of your Battle Mech and into a whole new combat experience. Posted by John Grothier - Xbox - UK and Europe When MechAssault was released a couple of years ago it changed online play forever. As well as a challenging single player campaign mode, MechAssault was at its best online, using the then new Xbox Live service. Players could fight battles against giant Mechs with awesome weapons and fantastic effects. Now developers Day 1 have released a sequel, MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf, and as well as an all-new single player campaign mode, Lone Wolf has changed online play once again. The first thing that players will notice with this sequel is the fact that the player this time around is a pilot. As a pilot the player has the freedom to get in and out of Mechs, tanks, turrets and VTOL's - vertical take-off and landing vehicles. As you play through the single player campaign mode, mission objectives will range greatly and there is usually more than one way to complete you goal. Using the new 'battle armour' players can use the jump jets to reach the giant Mechs and 'Nuro Hack' them. This process is a little tricky to get used to, but once you get the hang of it you will be able to take command of some very powerful and devastating enemy Mechs. The Nuro Hack is engaged when the player enters a code using button presses on the Xbox controller, and then must follow a set sequence. This also extends to computer panels on some of the levels, which will open doors for your Mech to pass through. If you have played the original game you will get to grips with the controls immediately. It's only the out-of-Mech experience that you will have to get used to, and believe me when I tell you that you will die many frustrating deaths when you are out of the security of your Mech or vehicle. As a tiny humanoid you are extremely vulnerable to weapons fire or even the foot of a huge Mech. This aspect of the single player campaign mode is often very frustrating, but if you are to have any success playing Lone Wolf online, you must learn how to control you pilot both inside and outside of vehicles. The level designs on Lone Wolf are more varied, larger and much more detailed than in the previous title. You will stomp through lush jungle, futuristic cities, frozen mountains, each world is brimming with detail, and yes - you can destroy just about everything. When you obliterate a Mech, as in the previous title, it will leave some upgrades for your shield and weapon systems. The armaments for each Mech differ greatly; some have energy weapons like pulse lasers while some have devastating arms like the Gauss Rifle. Most of the Mechs have two or three different weapons, so machine guns are great for close range combat, while missiles can destroy targets from a distance. As well as offensive weapons some Mechs also have powerful jump jets and defensive abilities, like shields, null signatures and target jamming. As you progress through the single player campaign mode, your commander will alert you to your mission objectives, and players must also make use of the radar, which helps your plan of attack. Another new addition in Lone Wolf is the enemy bosses you will encounter. Some of these can be very frustrating, but fortunately the game always saves at a checkpoint just before you encounter these huge bosses - giving you as much time as your thumbs can withstand trying to defeat them. The online play in MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf is the best part of the package, with the online experience now increased for up to twelve players. This makes for some truly epic and effects laden battles, as players start each game as pilots and must commandeer a Mech, turret, tank, VTOL or even battle armour and try and Nuro Hack enemy Mechs. This makes for some frantic online play, and like the original MechAssault, the air is full of 'trash talk' as you play. Multiplayer games include Grinder, Destruction, Team Destruction, Last Man Standing, Team Last Man Standing, Not It, Capture the Flag, Check It, Snatch It and the hugely enjoyable Base War, where players must try and destroy the other teams base generator before their own is destroyed. Lone Wolf online is a quite different from the original, chiefly because you have the freedom to pilot multiple Mechs and vehicles in a single online session. Lone Wolf also includes Conquest mode, which is an online competition for control of the MechAssault galaxy. Players must align themselves with one of the noble houses and try to gain territory for its glory. Once you have selected your house, a map of the galaxy can be viewed with information broadcast live on real-time battles, and statistics. The War menu option is where you can launch attacks on the enemy, reinforce existing attacks, and defend against invasion. The graphics in MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf are never short of stunning, the explosions are awesome, and the feeling of piloting a huge Mech is realised much more because you can dismount from your huge metal monster and look up at its gigantic frame. Explosive and weapons effects are the true heart of this title, and fortunately graphics engine handles them outstandingly. The level design in the single player campaign mode is a little linear, but always has great detail, variety and is full of destructible objects and enemies. The Limited Edition of Lone Wolf features an extra couple of multiplayer maps, and like the original, we can look forward to downloadable content in the near future. The sound in Lone Wolf is an odd mix of industrial strength rock, featuring artists like Korn and Papa Roach. This heavy metal, as it were, fits the game rather well, even if you're not a fan of such noise. The explosions and weapons sounds are awesome, especially if you have your Xbox set up to Dolby 5.1 Surround - but it's the voice acting that lets the game down significantly, with some really cheesy dialogue spoken by some very poor voice talent. Overall MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf is a great sequel to a classic game. The idea of being a lone pilot is a good one, but it's not as polished and well realised as it could have been. The online play, however, is just as good as the original, but this time giving the player a choice, during play, of Mechs and strategy. John Grothier             Latest Images:		Review Scores:    Graphics:   Sound:   Gameplay:   Length:   Overall: Click here for our Review Score Guidelines.  Review Summary:  MechAssualt is back, this time the player is a pilot, and has the ability to 'Grand Theft Mechs' using the Nuro Hack. While very vulnerable out of vehicles, players will get the opportunity to pilot many different Mechs, tanks, turrets, VTOL's - on and offline. The game features an extensive single player campaign mode, an online conquest mode as well as many different online multiplayer game types for up to 12 players.  Related Games:  MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf for Xbox  9  Screenshots  1  Review  1  Editorial Click here for All Game Information.
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