25 years after its release, Mechwarrior 2: 31st Century Combat is still the go-to title that developers, critics, and fans reference when trying to judge the quality of giant robot war simulators. Despite extremely antiquated graphics and archaic gameplay elements, Mechwarrior 2 holds up well by modern standards, putting players in the shoes of far-future Battlemech pilots as they customize their giant robots, search for mission objectives, and struggle to keep their machines from breaking down in battle.
The Mechwarrior franchise started out as a spin-off of Battletech, a tabletop war-game developed by FASA Studios in the 1980s and published now by Catalyst Game Studios. Fans of Battletech often describe it as "Game of Thrones with Giant Robots." In the distant future of the 31st Century, ages after the collapse of the venerable Star League, the interstellar nobles of the Inner Sphere wage perpetual war against each other with "Battlemechs," giant, walking war-machines loaded to the brim with weapons and piloted by elite "Mechwarriors."
Mechwarrior 2: 31st Century Combat, released in 1995, had a story firmly focused on the Clans faction from Battletech, a technologically advanced, tribalistic warrior culture that invaded the Inner Sphere from beyond its outer rim, seeking to conquer the mother world of Terra (aka Earth). The single-player campaign revolved around players joining Clan Wolf or Clan Jade Falcon, completing complicated missions in increasingly larger Battlemechs, and rising the ranks of their Clan by defeating rivals in ritual combat. Thought the 3D graphics and cutscenes of Mechwarrior 2 haven't aged well, this giant robot simulator still holds up today thanks to these following qualities:
Mechwarrior 2 Nailed the Sensation of Being in a Bulky War Machine
Giant robots, particularly models as large as the ones in Mechwarrior 2, would be rather impractical weapons of war in real-life. Despite this, Mechwarrior 2's gameplay (and certain Mechwarrior sequels) does well at conveying a sense of realism, emphasizing to players that they're controlling massive, volatile weapons of war. The control scheme is deliberately complicated, with control options for dumping ammunition, triggering emergency shutdowns, ejecting, and self-destructing. Battlemechs move across the large, desolate maps with a thumping gait, cockpit views swaying with each footfall. Mostly iconically, the Mech's on-board computer narrates the player's condition in a stilted female voice, calmly listing off every destroyed limb, depleted weapon, and reactor meltdown the player suffers.
Mechwarrior 2's Menus Were Atmospheric and Haunting
Between Mechwarrior 2 combat missions, players would customize their Battlemechs, engage in training missions, and research in-game lore through a game menu designed to resemble the different chambers of a high-tech warrior lodge, where holographic projectors and Mech hanger bays co-existed with stone castle walls and giant animal totems. These Ready Rooms, Clan Halls, and Cadet Training menus, rendered with FMV graphics, sold players on the idea that they were members of a harsh, Spartan-styled warrior society. More humorously, players who tried to quit Mechwarrior 2 were greeted with a pop-up window asking if they were going to "embrace cowardice."
Mechwarrior 2's Soundtrack Meshed Well With the Gameplay
Later sequels like Mechwarrior 3, Mechwarrior 4, and Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries may have better graphics than Mechwarrior 2, and they may even have more refined versions of their predecessor's gameplay. When it comes to game music, however, Mechwarrior 2's soundtrack, the premier work of video game composer Jeehun Hwang, still comes out on top,
Mechwarrior 2: 31st Century Combat's ambient level music is haunting and eclectic, fusing elements of electronic synth with orchestral strings, military snare drums, and bongo beats that synced perfectly with the footfalls of a player's Mech. More than any other Mechwarrior game to date, the soundtrack of Mechwarrior 2: 31st Century Combat enhanced the game experience, making combat thrilling and exploration suspenseful. These are just some of the many reasons why, despite the franchise's many sequels, Mechwarrior 2: 31st Century Combat is still the best.