MechCommander is squad-based Real Time Tactical Combat game. Take command of Zulu company from the Federated Commonwealth's First Davion Guards and liberate the planet Port Arthur from the Clan Smoke Jaguar. The game's campaign progresses through 30 different missions. Each mission consists of a number of objectives. Each mech is piloted by a mechwarrior. The more missions and kills a particular pilot has, the more experienced and valuable he or she becomes. If a pilot gains enough experience, he or she will increase in rank. The four ranks from least to greatest are "green," "regular," "veteran," and "elite." MechCommander: Desperate Measures is an expansion pack that was released in 1999. Set immediately after the liberation of Port Arthur, the player once again assumes command of Zulu company in a campaign to liberate the desolate planet Cermak in the Periphery, taken by a renegade Smoke Jaguar Star Colonel for an unknown reason.
We need MechCommander 3. None of that turn-based stuff.
MechCommander - one of the best computer games ever. From the era of 1998! PC game
MechCommander Review from combatsim.com
MECH COMMANDER REVIEW by ... Maurice Fitzgerald
Life's cheap, Battlemechs are expensive - Advertising slogan Irian Battlemechs Ltd.
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THE Game To Beat
With an estimated fan base of nearly 4 million, the Battletech Universe has become a true franchise. The board game has sold over 600,000 copies and 3 million supplements and has an average audience between the ages of 13 and 35. The 38 novels have sold a whopping 2.2 million copies and have even spawned a card game, a 13 episode animated series and a 20 million dollar toy line. Not to mention one of the greatest selling sims of all time with the Mechwarrior 2 series from Activision.
Wow, with a background record like that Fasa Interactive and Microprose had a lot to live up to. Battletech fans can get very particular and their expectations are very high. Microprose is paving the way for their upcoming title Mechwarrior 3 by whetting everyones appetite for more mech mayhem by publishing this new real-time strategy title Mech Commander.
In their first ever foray into the PC market Fasa Interactive have proven themselves to be a comer with their first effort Mech Commander. The goal of both MPS and FI has been to bring the Battletech experience to the PC in a very real and engaging way. Their goal has been attained with the latest release and this is by far THE real-time strategy game to beat this year. This one will have much deserved success and I hope will be only the first of many in a series.
More than just a story
Set in the year 3059 you are in command of Zulu Company of the First Davion Guards, as part of “Operation Bird Dog”. The goal of the operation is to liberate key planets that the Smoke Jaguar Clan has held since the invasion of the Inner Sphere 9 years ago. With 30 campaign missions stretching through 5 phases of the OP, your tactical expertise will be constantly challenged and living up to its PR slogan: you will truly feel what it is to command.
Quick Background Story
With the advent of the Kearny-Fuchida Jump Drives interstellar travel became a reality and the populations of the Earth now known as Terra reached for the stars and began to populate the galaxy beyond our solar system. As colonies sprang out over 150 light years of space mankind forged the Star League and peace flourished. After 200 years of peace the Star League began its collapse and the leader of the Star League Defense Force Aleksandr Kerensky, disheartened by the tragic loss of the ideals he held closest to him, led a mass exodus of his army and their families into the Periphery beyond known space. With the collapse of the Star League the successor states were born and mankind fell into centuries of conflict over who was the overall ruler or Star Lord.
Kerensky and his troops themselves had further problems when settling in and as time went by they split into Clans, taking their names from animals of their home planets like Clan Wolf, Jade Falcon and Smoke Jaguar. Having a caste system in place with the Warrior as the superior caste, the Clans evolved by using genetic engineering for their warriors. Taking a “giftake” or DNA sampling from warriors who had proven themselves in battle, the Clans were able to produce more superior forces with each succeeding generation. Never letting go of the great Aleksandr Kerensky’s vision of a reunified Inner Sphere under the banner of the Star League Defense Force, they bided their time for the right moment to invade and once again reclaim Terra.
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In 3050 the Clans invaded and decimated many worlds in a short period of time. It wasn’t until Comstar and their troops stopped the invasion cold with a proxy battle for Terra on the world of Tukayyid that an uneasy 15 year truce was initiated. Now in the year 3059 the Inner Sphere, filled with nations once locked in battle, has been brought together again in the form of the Star League Defense Force and is taking the war to the Clan homeworlds.
This is a VERY short and sweet rundown on the political and military situation in the Battletech Universe: there are over 38 novels, countless board game scenarios and field manuals from which you can gain further background if you want. As I said earlier this is one of the richest and most involved storylines ever created, so it’s hard to shrink it down to a couple of paragraphs, but now you get the gist.
The True Meaning of Real-Time Strategy
One of the best tactical real time mech games ever made, and better than its sequel.
Manage logistics, a diverse set of mechs,and even pilots and salvage across multiple campaigns.
Alot of fun. Only issue was the exclusion of a proper heat mechanic, but that can be overlooked due to other good design decisions elsewhere.
A great game with an epic intro!