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It's a pity Mechs are crap, isn't it? Don't get me wrong - as every Mech Warrior game has demonstrated they look fantastic as they stride along, blasting away anything in their path, but sadly it's unlikely we'll ever see anything like them in real life. Try making one for real and no matter how well built it is it'll shortly be on the ground in a twisted heap like a drunk in an earthquake. Just ask the US army. However, good games aren't ever going to be fully realistic because that just isn't fun. This is why we thankfully have the Mech Warrior series of games and, more recently, the Mech Commander series. Microsoft recently sent me a beta of the second title in the series, named (you'll never guess) Mech Commander 2, and I of course couldn't resist giving it a spin. And yes, before you ask, it's now 3D.
And rather nice 3D it is too. While it won't put games like Hostile Waters or Halo to shame and the Mechs aren't quite as detailed as in Mech Warrior 4, unless you zoom right in you'll tend not to notice the drop in detail. And the smooth terrain and detailed bases are visually pretty pleasing too. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself here. For those unfamiliar with the first Mech Commander, in each mission you controlled a few Mechs, giant walking tanks in essence, each with different weapons and weight classes, and are tasked with the completion of various missions, usually involving shooting numerous enemies along the way - as you'd expect. Success usually required you to use a mix of Mech varieties, and this is true of the sequel too.
An example. In one of the early missions my scout Mech nipped into the enemy base with the help of his jump jets, captured an enemy Gate Control Building (capturing buildings is another key gameplay aspect) and ran out the newly opened gates, back between two hills and into a small open area. When the pursuing enemy reached the open area they were attacked by two heavy Mechs bearing long range weaponry positioned on a hill ahead. When the enemy Mechs attempted to close with these heavy Mechs they were ambushed from behind by a previously hidden Mech of mine armed with close range weaponry. Hardly a master stroke of tactical genius, granted, but there aren't many games that let you do something like that, are there?
You can also take advantage of a few support options during a game, including mine layers, scout choppers and repair vehicles (although to keep things balanced they burn out after repairing a few Mechs). You can even drop a pilot into a Mech to salvage it, something which I found to be particularly useful - even though they subsequently can't be repaired much they're still capable of turning the tide of battle in your favour in my experience.
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