Portable mechassault? Yes. Good idea? Read on...

User Rating: 8.6 | MechAssault: Phantom War DS
By steff3121 | Review Date:
This is certainly a little bundle of mixed blessings. Fortunately, it requires no backstory from the XBOX games, so those of you who have not played them wont need to worry about that. The story is that you are a mech warrior named Val, who is assigned to a group; a commander and a tech man named Vern, who is quite adept at combat. You group is sent to turn communications devices into weapons to be used in a war. If you were unhappy with the more recent installments inclusion of long, drawn out cutscenes, fear not; they are not present (all cutscenes are short and well done, and used to advance plot or characters). And, as far as sound goes, a few things had to be downgraded, but this is because we're working with the DS. It sounds great with the voice overs; everything else sounds canned. Still, this is forgivable, as the music is right for the game, and the sound effects still go boom at appropriate moments.
Now, no matter what rumors you've heard, the game still has action out the wazoo, and (once you find your control scheme) it works great. For those of you who use the stylus, take heed that you might need to lift it up every now and then to recallibrate the screen. The game includes tank combat, the battle armor (now in smaller doses), pilot form (kind of cool, although this game still lacks any weapon for it except for the pilot bomb), and the series base of mech combat. All of it is fast paced, and while it is challenging, you will better your adversaries through perseverance. The only complaint is that the graphics aren't pleasing. They are reminiscent of the PS1 games, but since this is the DS, they are accepatable. The characters and mechs look impressive, and the tanks look ok. As for game length, this will last you for a while.
For a departure from traditional platforms onto the DS, these guys took a risk. Now, is it worth it? That's for you to decide, but I think it is.

Other Helpful Reviews for MechAssault: Phantom War

  • Rating:9

    Cant stop playing

    By nathan1274 | Review Date: Sep 15, 2006 | DS

    Dont know about you all but I have been playin these series since it was called battletech and for a fan like me. It works. Granted it snot the Mechwarriors on the PC as fair custimization and so forth but it is one hel... Read Full Review

    7 of 7 users found the following review helpful
  • Rating:7

    Although the core gameplay is good, its what the delevopers didn't do that hurts it.

    By MisterFun | Review Date: Nov 11, 2006 | DS

    Don't kill me, this is my first review... Gameplay What can I say, the game plays great. You have the standard Mech Assault game where you go around in a giant robot that shoots anything that moves (and a bit m... Read Full Review

    2 of 2 users found the following review helpful
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