I have played the tabletop game like crazy for about ten years from the mid 1980s to the mid 90s before getting totally into the video game versions on the Amiga and intel pcs. So for me everything comes across very intuitively as if my brain is hardwired for BATTLETECH. Battles have a eloquent sense of randomness where they can be brutal and challenging one minute and then on another mission it can be a cake walk with some decent income and a bit of salvage.
Add in the economic system where you have to budget employee costs, supply logistics, upkeep, ship and battlemech repairs, battle injuries, negotiating merc contracts, training mechwarriors, interpersonal relationship issues with the crew that may come up etc etc and you have a whole lot of separate interesting game components which come together to immerse yourself in.
For fans who have played the tabletop game fanatically like i have its a dream come true and to have it thirty plus years makes it even more of a treat.
Graphics are stunning with the amazing combat cam its like zooming down on the tabletop version and seeing the varied planetary environments which look like gorgeous science fiction artwork from the 1970s magazine STARLOG pop out into chaotic metal mayhem gaming life.Battlemechs have the deep detail and intricate paint schemes of masterfully crafted minitures as if done by Ral Partha himself. Battlemechs rage alive with limited ammo ballistics and heat inducing energy weapons fire devastating landscape and foe alike. Seeing arms blasted off as myomar bundles and actuators sparkle with electricity dangling from now laser seared orifices is a sensual satisfying sight like no other to behold.
Graphical options include being able to choose your mercenary companies banner of which there are many to choose from. You can also choose different camouflage patterns along with painting your Battlemechs giving a nice personal tabletop minitures touch.
Graphics even have footprints on the ground when the Battlemechs move. Buildings collapse into a dust bowl of rubble as monstrous metal gods crash into them like some GODZILLA mass destruction movie. Battlemechs jump jet across the darkness of night time forests lighting up their paths like some nightmarish Halloween scene of black clad witches on fiery brooms.
Heat buildup and keeping one's Battlemechs standing as a inferno of screaming metal conflict flows all around one is all important as heat can cause internal damage to the Mechwarrior and Battlemech where eventually it can lead to a shutdown where one is a easy target for enemy fire and vice versa if an enemy Battlemech shuts down.
Sound effects are earth shaking devastating as LRM missiles soar across the battlefield ripping into ground vehicle armor like shredded paper. PPC fire is chunky and thumpy hitting with impactful might doing all sorts of havoc on the target's systems. Autocannons fire thunderously shattering Battlemech armor like a wrecking ball into a brick building. Mechwarriors grunt and howl in agony from shrapnel hits as their cockpits take a head shot garanteeing a stay in the med bay if they survive the mission contract. Then there are the many times Mechwarriors will shout in inspiring tones motivating all to fight on improving battlefield moral.
Music is emotionally moving and epic capturing the tone of the BATTLETECH universe with all its political intrigue, treachery and unimaginable bloodshed perfectly with a mix of classical GAME OF THRONES drama and David Van Tiegham futurism.
Nice tutorial where anybody who has played the tabletop game will intuitively know what to do as it plays out.
The game credits are also really well done with plenty of great photos of the Dev team during development of BATTLETECH.
BATTLETECH a stunning dreamy masterpiece of gaming artistic creation. A happy time for BATTLETECH fans is here for all to enjoy.
Thank you very much Jordan Weisman and HBS along with PARADOX for making this dream come true possible as well as all the fans who financially backed this masterpiece during the Kickstarter period.
BATTLETECH, In The 31st Century Life Is Cheap But Battlemechs Are'nt.