Musings On MechAssault Special @ Gaming Target

Written by Nick Doukas on January 28, 2003

Special: Hey dude, shoot the guy in the airЕ

So, here we are, barely two months since Live launched. I think it's safe to say that it's a major success so far. Microsoft has reported that all 150,000 of the initial Xbox live starter kits sold out in the first week of availability. Pretty amazing figures when you consider that online console gaming is a big leap (yes, I know about the Dreamcast, I had one; please hold the hate mail Сtil I'm throughЕok? Thanks, I can always count on you guys to be patient with me), and is truly entering uncharted waters in an attempt to morph into a viable, mainstream service (PC guys, I understand that you've been doing this for years. Hold off on that mail too, if you don't mind. It's recognized that you were pioneersЕok?). Any way you slice it though, online gaming has come to consoles in a big way. Microsoft has certainly seen to that.

While Sony's online service is certainly more than adequate thus far (I had my Network Adapter within a few weeks of launch, and there's no doubt that SOCOM and Tribes are standouts), it lacks some important features that Live implements so effortlessly. Truth be told, I haven't played a single online game on my PS2 since November 15th (Vice City however, has continued to hog-tie hours of my time) and I don't think I will, at least for the foreseeable future. The fact that Live supports real time voice chat in every game, and the singular identity that your Gamertag affords you, really helps foster a feeling of community among the gamers that are using the service. From the sports titles, to games like Ghost Recon and Unreal Championship, not to mention Moto GP, each game really has a life of its own. Message boards everywhere are inundated with threads about games, players, strategies, ideas and the kind of camaraderie that Live has fostered since the rollout. Of course, while there are mostly good experiences to be had online with your Xbox, there's a small faction of morons who delight in ruining games by playing improperly, or at the very least running their mouths in such a way as to have every sane human being in the game out for their hide. Every one of them is a walking (or in this case talking) advertisement for the mute option; another touch, along with the feedback feature, that reassures gamers that MS is taking the Live service seriously indeed.

So what's my point you ask? I know you didn't really ask, but if you're reading this, you've already signed on for all the misery you can handle, so what the hellЕ.right? My point is not the Live sales figures, or its current and future success, but the games, and the gamers who play them. Since the first thing they teach you in them fancy writin' schools is the golden rule: write about what you know, I figured I'd focus this particular editorial on MechAssault, my personal favorite amongst the launch titles and one astounding game, particularly online. It's an interesting community, spawned by a game that may tout itself as a less sim-based representation of the Battle Tech world than its PC counterparts, yet sparks such passionate discussions regarding weapons, mechs and tactics that one would never have guessed that fact. Mech pilots are ardent about their favorite (or least favorite) mech, and endless threads about the much-maligned Mad Cat (head into battle in one of these babies, and PPC whore is the least offensive thing you'll be called) grace message boards everywhere. Rivalries, endless speculation about the downloadable content, challenges, and cooperative team play are all fair game for discussion. Though what's really important is the game itself, and the fun factor when you step onto the battlefield with 75 tons of fury that just so happens to be bristling with weapons of mass destruction. Let me be the first to tell you if you haven't yet experienced it first hand: it really doesn't get much better than this.

There are several game types, including Destruction, Team Destruction, Last Man Standing and an interesting little variation called Not It. Now, as I predicted in my pre-launch Live article, the editors here at XBT have been living it up with MechAssault. RyemanGT, GavinGT, Saige and SkyNett (that's me, I did promise to list my Gamertag in my first post-launch article. Sorry it wasn't sooner, but I couldn't quite squeeze it into the last few reviews) are definitely a force to be reckoned with in TD, I've had a lot of fun with my team on the battlefield, and I look forward to more. However, recently I've discovered (or more accurately, was turned on to) a mode called Not It. The rules are simple: one mech is It, denoted by a yellow arrow over the said mechs head. All the other mechs try to kill It (trust me, that's a serious rain of destruction up in your grill), thereby becoming It themselves. Once It, you enjoy full armor and power-ups. The object is to take down as many mechs as you can before they kill you. It's a frantic game, loaded with battles that'll make your jaw hit the floor. The currently available maps are great, and River City, The Junkyard and Number 51 make for some very cool fights that because of the individual terrain, require the use of radically different tactics. There were some great battles this weekend, and one thing that seemed prevalent to me was the amount of sheer camaraderie among players. Calls of УNice shot!Ф and УMan, did you see that explosion?!Ф were commonplace across the wire, and everyone seemed to share the same sense of awe at the scale of the battles. Brilliant blue PPC fire streaking across the sky, the pounding thump of Dual Gauss Rifle slugs finding their mark in a nearby Thor's chest, and the howling whine of mechs going critical all around you mark every encounter, with nary a hint of slowdown. Online gaming bliss to be sure.

If you've been hesitant to get online and play, I implore you, as an Xbox owner, to give it a try. A game like MechAssault is so much fun when playing against other people, it's really not even possible to describe, it begs first hand experience. Once you get some skills going on, and assuming you're the right kind of player; a solid teammate and a credit to your mech (or your bike, or football or Lightning gun), you'll find a world of like minded individuals out there. With the added bonus of downloadable content, do you really want to be an Xbox owner who's not part of the Live experience? I didn't think so. See you out there.

Closing Thoughts
So where are we at this point in regard to online console gaming? Well, it's most certainly too early to tell, but judging by the initial response and growth of the Live community in just 2 months, I'd say things are looking pretty good. Great launch titles, solid support and great features make Live a superlative experience so far, though that's not to say that there are no problems. Compatibility issues, Divergence errors, lobby drops In MechAssault (you vets out there know what I'm talking about) and difficulties with the Unreal servers show that Live is going through its growing pains, but overall it's been a pretty smooth transition considering the magnitude of the project, and the sheer amount of gamers playing at any given time. Single player games will always have their place, but perhaps the time has come to share a bit of the spotlight with an online component, and Xbox Live is proving that it is what gamers want. Myself and the other editors hope to see you out there, you know we're always up for a challenge. So load out that mech and head for the battlefield, there are a heck of a lot of great players waiting for you. Just don't cry when you get your exhaust hoses handed to youЕ.it's all in good fun.