Re-enlisting with the Mobile Armor Division

User Rating: 9.1 | Shogo: Mobile Armor Division PC
It has been a couple of years since I played Shogo and I always had very fond memories of it so I was a bit nervous when installing it again. Unpatched it ran free of hassles on my XP installation save for the odd crash to the desktop when things got a bit hectic on screen. Sure, the graphics look a bit dated but are still colourful and serviceable, the sound effects and soundtrack remain as atmospheric and rewarding as when the game was new.

The main gimmick of Shogo is the change of perspective as you switch between soldiering on foot or in a heavy MCA mech. The game excels in offering fast and entertaining action in both these modes, and the added twist of seeing the soldiers giving you such a hard time inside buildings being crushed under your MCA or yourself becoming splattered on the walls as you are jumped by an enemy Mech help tie the two modes together effectively.

Storywise Shogo is nothing special and it features a handful of run of the mill characters, but they still manage to deliver their lines in a both entertaining and effective manner. Their banter and commentary strike a fine balance between seriousness and comedy. The plotline is very linear but offers a couple of branching points, but save for adding a few extra levels at the endgame it doesn't really come into play.

Being an older generation FPS there are some small quirks that make you realize gaming has evolved a bit. Secondary firing modes and ability to manually reload your guns are sorely missed. But after playing it through again it left me wanting more and I immediately restarted a new campaign at a harder difficulty, something I would very rarely do with any game, and I guess that must be held as one of its finest qualities.