MechWarrior Tactics Trailer Will Hex Your World

[Wilhelm Scream]

I rub my eyes and blink. Something’s not right. The living room furniture’s in its proper place, but the trusty carpet – grizzled veteran of countless drink spillages – seems… different. Segmented. I glance down at the grid-based mech marathon unfolding on my PC, then back up again, and the terrifying truth suddenly dawns on me. Hexes. Hexes everywhere. I dash outside – one turn at a time – into a blinding tangle of sunlight and gold-tinged grids. Horrified, I run back upstairs, only to catch my reflection in my bathroom mirror. I am gridded. I fall down weeping in vain hope that the tears will wash this waking nightmare from my seared retinas. This unsettling vision of my probable future has been brought to you by MechWarrior Tactics, which you can catch a glimpse of after the break.

Sure, the framerate takes a nosedive into a slideshow land toward the end, but there’s plenty of time to clean that up. I’m also intrigued by the prospect of asynchronous battles, even if that means I’ll play frequently enough to see grids every time I blink for the rest of my life. It’s also great to see a “browser-based” game embrace this level of general sophistication, though I still have my reservations about pairing randomized booster-pack-based item purchases with special manufacturer set bonuses. That sounds like a land where even the most nickle-and-dime-stuffed piggy banks fear to tread. At any rate, MechWarrior Tactics is set to launch sometime this year, so I’ll be able to brave a hail of missiles and Unbeatable Prices (!) to let you know soon enough.

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36 Comments

  1. 26/04/2012 at 09:16 Zeewolf says:

    Looks very cool, wish it was a singleplayer-based game with local (hotseat) multiplayer.

    • 26/04/2012 at 09:28 wodin says:

      Could’nt agree more.

    • 26/04/2012 at 09:41 Squire says:

      Yeah, Bring back Mech Commander! Woo!

    • 26/04/2012 at 10:13 DogKiller says:

      Add me to that list. This looks very cool, but I don’t like all these online games with microtransactions and stuff. Most strategy games with interesting gameplay can actually keep me happy with just a decent singleplayer skirmish mode, although good campaigns are always welcome.

      Slightly off topic, but does anyone remember the Mechwarrior 3 intro? I think that’s hands down the best MechwarriorBattletech footage I’ve ever seen. I used to watch it everytime I loaded Mechwarrior 3.

    • Premium User Badge

      26/04/2012 at 12:10 Bluerps says:

      Agreed. I’m not really interested in a browser-game with micropayments, but a single-player game done like this would get my money with a high probability.

    • 26/04/2012 at 18:09 Vinraith says:

      Amen to that.

    • 26/04/2012 at 21:40 Hmm-Hmm. says:

      I’m not a Mechwarrior fan (though I do like mechs), but I do like me some hexes. But why, why make it browser- and micropayments- based?

  2. 26/04/2012 at 09:17 Jekhar says:

    Mh, free to play seems to be the new course for the Battletech franchise. The new MW Mercs will be f2p too. I wonder why? Have they no faith in their IP?

    • Premium User Badge

      26/04/2012 at 12:11 Bluerps says:

      I think it’s because there are people that make truckloads of money with F2P.

      • 26/04/2012 at 16:10 Zelos says:

        F2P is generally considered to be more profitable if you can make a decent game that makes use of it well.

  3. 26/04/2012 at 09:20 Wolfman says:

    Reminds me so much of the original Battletech boardgame. I spend many hours in my youth battling my brother with my Riflemen and their PPCs.

  4. 26/04/2012 at 09:24 Phantoon says:

    Probably not the best Mechwarrior game this year.

    Easily the best Battletech game, though.

  5. 26/04/2012 at 09:28 caddyB says:

    Please be good Please be good Please be good

  6. 26/04/2012 at 09:57 RegisteredUser says:

    Rather be playing offline singleplayer.

    Sadsadsad, because it looks potentially super sweet.

  7. 26/04/2012 at 10:17 Moni says:

    I like that it starts as a standard dull-looking, hex, board game, then they commit the turn and all hell breaks loose.

  8. 26/04/2012 at 10:21 ran93r says:

    Quite excited by the headline, let down by the details.

    Not quite tactics based but I enjoyed plowing through Mechcommander and would love for this not to be a giant cash shop pile of crap.

  9. 26/04/2012 at 10:46 Cinnamon says:

    I have been successfully registered on their marketing database of doom. Hooray.

    Shame they couldn’t call it BattleTech instead of feeling they had to use this second tier Mechwarrior spin off label.

  10. 26/04/2012 at 10:56 TechnicalBen says:

    If this was single player and had modding support… I’ve been looking for a tactics engine to just put some 3d meshes into and change the look of. :(

    But as it’s “free to play” I’m guessing it’s not even worth my money. :(

  11. 26/04/2012 at 10:58 Finbikkifin says:

    Manufacturer bonuses? Hell yeah, they may not make mechs but Quickscell forever.

    They cut corners to pass the savings on to YOU, the customer!

    • 26/04/2012 at 11:04 Finbikkifin says:

      Testimonials from thousands of satisfied customers!

      Initially produced by the Quikscell Company in 2807, the Scorpion tank is well known for being easy to repair, available in numbers, and, best of all, cheap. Because of these properties, it has achieved the nickname of “The Budget Tank.” Found on many backwater and Periphery worlds, the Scorpion is a proven favorite due to its low cost. As with many Quikscell products, quality control is practically

      Cheap! Budget! PROVEN FAVOURITE!

      The Hetzer was designed as a cheap, self-propelled artillery-piece to be stationed on worlds deemed worthy to defend, but not valuable enough to station a complete garrison force or even BattleMechs. As it mounts its primary, and only, weapon in its front, thus lacking a turret, it is difficult to employ in other roles than a defensive one. Also, its wheeled chassis restricts its mobility. Due to its decent protection of six tons of standard armor and its Crusher SH Cannon, combined with its low price, the Hetzer is still a valuable asset for poor commands and popular especially throughout the Periphery. However, Quikscell Company is largely known for its … manufacturing standards, resulting in many Hetzers being shipped … . Crews reportedly refused new Hetzers meant to replace their older ones, because they could be sure that the older models worked properly.

      Just look at that loyalty to their tried and tested vehicles! Truly a Quikscell crew is a brave and ferocious crew.

  12. 26/04/2012 at 11:51 Sarissofoi says:

    I just wanna sandbox something like Mechwarrior Merc where you lead your company selling your skills and getting new toys.
    It will be fun starting from lowest infrantry or tank commander and then climbing higher.

  13. 26/04/2012 at 12:01 vodka and cookies says:

    Video seems very low quality even in HD, hard to see the details, also I think they might be doing the Tiltshift thing that makes everything look like a miniature model which is a good idea for the game but I’m not sure they are pulling it off right in the video.

  14. 26/04/2012 at 12:37 HermitUK says:

    Would love some single player content. Reminds me of many happy hours spent in CyberStorm way back in the day.

    • 26/04/2012 at 13:26 Shandrakor says:

      Yes! This! I DO NOT WANT TO TALK TO PEOPLE OR PLAY GAMES WITH THEM. Sod your facebookery online microtransaction nonsense. Also, CyberStorm was in my top 10 games I played on my first PC.

  15. 26/04/2012 at 13:29 Bhazor says:

    Grayson’s nightmare is Wizardry’s erotic fiction..

  16. 26/04/2012 at 13:49 Tom Walker says:

    I’m still not happy with every game needing Internet juice. I mean, my broadband never has gone down, but if it does then what will I play?

    Nothing since about 2009, that’s what.

  17. 26/04/2012 at 19:17 xfxian says:

    No mention of the graphically-challenged-but-awesome MegaMek anywhere here?

    Anyway, looking forward to this! MechWarrior/Battletech is always a great thing.

  18. 28/04/2012 at 06:14 cassus says:

    Booster packs means this game is a no go zone for me. Not only are boosters like meth to me, they are also the most pay2win style models of microtransactions EVER. If you have 250 bucks lying around, you’ll win ever round ever, no matter if you suck.

  19. 02/05/2012 at 09:44 Uninteresting Curse File Implement says:

    Browser-based?
    Oh, bollocks. Nevermind then.
    I was looking forward to this!