Mech Assault
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''MechAssault'' is a
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
released for the
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
notable for being one of the first games to support Xbox Live online multiplayer. Developed by
Day 1 Studios Wargaming Chicago-Baltimore (formerly Meyer/Glass Interactive, L.L.C., Day 1 Studios, LLC and Wargaming West Corporation) is an American game developer that operates in Chicago, Illinois and Hunt Valley, Maryland. History They worked in tandem ...
and published by
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...
, ''MechAssault'' was initiated when Denny Thorley of Day 1 Studios approached
Jon Kimmich Jon Kimmich was a Lead Product Planner for Microsoft Games Studios during pivotal parts of the Xbox conception, launch and lifespan. Jon was instrumental in the acquisition of many titles for Microsoft Games Studios publishing for both the PC an ...
of Microsoft about developing an original BattleTech game built from the ground up to support console play. "MechAssault" was released in November 2002. A sequel, '' MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf'', was released on December 28, 2004. Both games are set in the
BattleTech ''BattleTech'' is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The tradema ...
fictional universe.


Plot

''MechAssault'' takes place in the
BattleTech ''BattleTech'' is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The tradema ...
universe, a science-fiction universe that often revolves around pitched battles between human-piloted walking, heavily armed and armored machines, called BattleMechs. The plot of the game centers on an inhabited planet called Helios in the dominion of the Inner Sphere, a powerful coalition of feuding factions in control of large areas of space. The player is a BattleMech pilot (referred to throughout the game as simply "Captain" or, "MechWarrior") in the employment of an elite mercenary organization called Wolf's Dragoons. The player's ship is hired to investigate the cessation of communications from the planet Helios. The Dragoons' ship, the ''Icarus'' arrives at the planet and is shot down upon entering the atmosphere, causing the ship to crash-land on the surface of Helios. It is later discovered by the player that a rogue technology-worshipping cult known as the Word of Blake has invaded and conquered Helios, and is under the rule of an iron-fisted fanatic called Commander Strader. The game follows the player as, commanded by elite officer Major Natalia and assisted by inept techie Lieutenant Foster, they fight the military forces of the cult, assist in the liberation of the planet from Word of Blake rule, and assassinate Commander Strader.


Multiplayer

''MechAssault'' was one of the first games on the Xbox to feature the ability to be played on the Xbox Live service. "MechAssault" included many of the basic Live services that are now considered standard on any Live-enabled video game. These features included options for finding and creating online matches, such as the common "Quick Match", which enables a player to find an online match quickly regardless of qualifications. For players who wanted to join a specific type of online session of ''MechAssault'' hosted by another player, "Optimatch" allowed the player to specify the criteria for the session they want to join. The player could also create and host an online session of ''MechAssault''. Once the player defined all the characteristics of a game, they could invite other players from their friends list or leave slots open for any online player to join the battle. ''MechAssault'' had several modes of combat in which players could engage, often based around by-now-common forms of online competitive gaming. In ''Grinder'' mode (local play only), the player tries to survive as more and more 'Mechs are spawned into the battle. This mode can played with one or two players. In ''Destruction'' mode, the player can choose a 'Mech and fight to the death in deathmatch or
team deathmatch Deathmatch, also known as free-for-all, is a gameplay mode integrated into many shooter games, including first-person shooter (FPS), and real-time strategy (RTS) video games, where the goal is to kill (or "frag") the other players' characters a ...
. The player or team with the most kills wins. ''Last Man Standing'' is a free-for-all with no respawning as a mech. Once a player dies, they respawn as an unarmed infantryman. Gameplay can be either deathmatch or team deathmatch. ''Capture the flag'' is a team based game where the opposing team spawn on opposite ends of the map and try to "Capture" the enemy flag without giving up their own. A fairly common metagame during the height of online popularity was known as "Elemental". A Last Man Standing match, "Elemental" saw only one player choose a Mech while all others chose the Elemental mobile armor, a much smaller and weaker playable class. This was decided by players in voice chat prior to the start of the game. It was later released as an official game type known as "Giant Killers".


Reception

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the
review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
.
Jeff Gerstmann Jeff Gerstmann (born August 1, 1975) is an American video game journalist. Former editorial director of the gaming website ''GameSpot'' and the co-founder/editor of the gaming website ''Giant Bomb'', Gerstmann began working at ''GameSpot'' in t ...
of ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' said, "If you're going to buy one game with your Xbox Live starter kit, ''MechAssault'' is the one to get." In Japan, where the game was ported for release on June 12, 2003, ''
Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the f ...
'' gave it a score of 28 out of 40. By July 2006, the game had sold 750,000 units and earned $26 million in the U.S. '' NextGen'' ranked it as the 85th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2,
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. Combined sales of the ''MechAssault'' series reached 1.1 million units. ''GameSpot'' named it the best Xbox game of November 2002, and later presented it with the annual awards for "Best Online Game on Xbox", "Best Shooter on Xbox", and overall "Game of the Year on Xbox". It was a runner-up in the publication's "Best Sound" and "Best Graphics (Technical)" categories.


Notes


References


External links

*
TeamXbox.com Interview re: Day 1 and FASA games including MechAssault
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mechassault 2002 video games BattleTech games MechWarrior Microsoft franchises Multiplayer and single-player video games Multiplayer online games Video games about cults Video games about mecha Video games developed in the United States Video games set on fictional planets Wargaming Chicago-Baltimore Xbox games Xbox-only games