EarthSiege 2

The Good
You can jump right in to instant action and start blasting or you can settle down into missions to run a whole battle scenerio. Easy to control. Built in tutorials.

The Bad
Some of the mech types just seem to be a little slow. But it's by design

The Bottom Line
Jump into a Mech and battle. 1st person combat. Good storyline.

The Good
The game has enough to distinguish it from Mechwarrior 2, with a strong variety of missions and crafts. The system of acquiring salvage works well, right down to the way that shooting enemies in the legs rather than the torso ensures that more is retained. Controls are well-thought-out and responsive. There are plenty of levels to get through.

The video sequences are quite well done for the time. In-game graphics are good, and there are some nice explosion effects.

The Bad
I always found using the Razor flying vehicle a lot harder than other elements of the game. In the end I found myself using other vehicles, even for the levels when the Razor is integral to the design.

Frustratingly, I got stuck at the same level on both of the first 2 difficulty levels, which suggests a slight lack of balance.

The Bottom Line
You are fighting the Cybrids, ultra-intelligent fighting machines who turned against their human creators. Fortunately, you have giant exoskeletons to strap on for protection and faster movement. From a first-person view you must move through checkpoints, fighting any enemies you see along the way. In most missions you lead a team of up to 3 other fighters, and can direct them to fight particular enemies, scout for enemies, patrol a given point, or assist you in a specific kill.

It's all good fun, combining simulation and action elements effectively and having enough of a supporting layer of strategy and storyline intrigue.

The Good
Outstanding graphics for the day -- HERCs burst into flames, which looks much more impressive and realistic than the shattering polygons of other sims; solid control scheme; well-crafted campaign that lets the player make interesting decisions about what kinds of robots and weapons to use; nice attempt to spice things up with occasional air bombing missions.

The Bad
Instant Action mode is lame and repetitive, as it really just consists of three different (highly simplistic) "shoot'em-up" scenarios. The air missions can be jarring interruptions rather than pleasant diversions. Veteran mech pilots might find this game a little too easy.

The Bottom Line
Earthsiege 2 was a slick and fun robot sim when it was released, and it’s still a great bargain-bin pickup if you're looking for a "quick fix."