Which I think typifies what is going to be one of the more divisive aspects of Flashpoint: It’s big bullet-point, headline changes aren’t really that game-changing. (Fun fact: the only memorable sequence with a Hatchetman in the Battletech fiction involves a pilot using the axe exactly once, noting that it is surprisingly effective… and then self-destructing it because it was more useful as an IED than a BattleMech. It’s a gimmicky medium mech with a giant melee axe welded onto its right arm that allows it do extra melee damage, but honestly not enough that you wouldn’t be better off running something else. The new mechs provide about as much variety as you’d expect-though the Hatchetman is a bit of a disappointment. You’ll notice it a lot when it comes time to rebuild after a mission. They’ll get two or three volleys off against you when previously they sometimes might struggle to get one before suffering critical damage, and that is a lot of damage that’s suddenly back in play. You might still win, but you’ll have far fewer of those engagements where you just get in someone’s face and rip the heart out of their mech in a single turn of sustained fire. This change works for and against you but, since you’ll be outnumbered in most missions, in general it means you end up taking much more of a pounding as you batter opposing mech lances into submission. Where BattleTech at launch was more about making mechs harder to hit via Evasion, now it’s more about making mechs harder to damage even when you do hit them. Most tankier mech pilots will still have the Bulwark ability, but now it’s a passive ability that makes sticking to cover way, way more effective than it ever was before. And it turns out that is a much, much harder game.įirst, BattleTech itself has become even more of a game of grinding attrition via a few major mechanical changes, which have inspired some mixed reactions. While there are still random events onboard your ship and the occasional “flashpoint” short story sequence (more on those later), you’ll be playing a version of BattleTech that doesn’t give you the cushion of narrative missions and their hefty rewards. You’re able to play Flashpoint with either your endgame mercenaries from the original campaign, or as a new company in the “Career” mode, which challenges you to be the most successful merc you can be in 1200 in-game days of action (complete with a high score at the end). It’s also a $20 cherry, which has understandably rubbed some players the wrong way, though I think I can make the case that it punches above its weight class despite being underwhelming at first-glance. Flashpoint is more of a cherry on top of a game that grew and improved in the months after it debuted than a major improvement and expansion in its own right. The other half is thanks to a lot of smart design revisions and seemingly improved map rotation that Harebrained Schemes made since the original launch of the game.
What’s funny is that Flashpoint itself only gets about half the credit for that. More importantly, it’s become a great game that has enriched a mech tactics game that I already loved. With Flashpoint, mercenary management has literally become a game unto itself.
0 kommentar(er)
