MechWarrior Retrospective Part 2 - MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat (1995)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.ย. 2013
- Part two of the Examined Life (of Gaming)'s MechWarrior retrospective: MechWarrior 2. The real codifier of the series and one of the best remembered, with good reason.
Super excellent comparison video of every hardware accelerated version of MechWarrior 2.
• 3D Acceleration Compar... - เกม
Wow. Thanks, all. It's really cool to see it's still remembered fondly in some circles. IIRC, the project started on 11/11/1992, so it's been more than twenty years. It was at once the least and most fun project I've ever worked on and got pretty strange at times, but all in all it was a lot of fun. Activision was about fifteen or twenty people when I started, it's even bigger now.
Whoa- You worked on this?! This _defined_ my childhood!
One of the greatest games ever made. Amazing game.
Thanks for your work. It’s still fun to this day.
Eric Peterson sadly passed away in 2015.
www.mech2.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1998
"Activision was about fifteen or twenty people when I started, it's even bigger now." Reading this right after Activision- *Blizzard* was just acquired by Microsoft. Understatement of the century lmao
I would wake up at 4a to play this game so it wouldnt count against my "daily gaming hours" as a kid. Worth it.
4:18 There's one thing to keep in mind: most of the mechs in this iteration are OmniMechs: customization isn't as restrictive as for Inner Sphere mechs.
Coming in 3 years later haha.
Yeah but putting machine guns in the legs is still... a bit much.
After a bunch of work - the MW5 Betty finally matches this via modding.
6 months after I discovered Battletech TT, Mechwarrior 2 came out... From there, I have collected EVERY game, sourcebook, novel, and map (but not the Ral Partha miniatures). Currently, I'm dominating MW5.
This was my introduction to the Battletech universe and I've been in love ever since.
Fun trivia to know: The computer system voice is nicknamed Bitchin' Betty, which is also the nickname given to the Voice Warning System used by Boeing in the F/A-18 for many years now.
I'm downright shocked Mechwarrior 2 isn't on GOG. Might be a legal/rights issue, though.
Probably that, and a little bit that getting it to run with the level of ease GOG want would be a sisyphean task. MW2 is a fiddly game.
*Nostalgia Intensifies*
Even though it plays in the background throughout the video, I'm disappointed you didn't give the music a shoutout. One of the greatest OST's ever composed in video game history, each track captured the atmosphere of the mission/planet perfectly.
Agreed, I'll put the soundtrack on in my earbuds and gladly fall asleep to it, awesome atmospheric music
First real PC game I️ played. First simulator. The Rifleman was the first Mech I️ had any success with.
The computer voice is the best I’ve heard. In games or even compared to real bitchin Betty’s.
Love this game
I still remember the version from cartoon
Done my best to restore betty in the newest versions of the game. Will continue to do so.
My favorite might be Mech 2 Mercs, even though it has some issues. It's probably the game I played most.
"Battletech fan" youtube channel has a video scheduled to premiere on how to install Mercs in Windows 10.
Can you make a video about the music?
When I was about 15 or 16 I purchased this game for myself. I was blown away.
12:45
"Torso Twist or die!"
Oh how I wish many MWO pilots will take that to heart
I don't like how MW:O controls. I also don't like the lack of any appreciable singleplayer... I get it, but still. I'm waiting for Mech5.
I so miss how emersive old school game manuals and extra "feelies" let you the play be part of the game's story or universe. It's one reason I collected vintage copies of the FASA Technical Readouts (even if the designs vary greatly with MWO and the newest Battltech PC game).
6:21 CRITICAL HIT ENGINE CRITICAL HIT ENGINE CRITICAL HIT HEATSINK CRITICAL HIT LEG
NOPE CRAPPY900 and as missile boat player, mine was the dreaded CRITICAL HIT internal ammo explosion detected. CRITICAL HIT streak SRM
Was there no CASE in mech 2?
@@Theiron2142 Mech 2 has CASE.
@@hgbugalou *Internally screams in Death by Ammo Explosion*
Its great how much battletech lore was packed into this game. If you're into the books, the Refusal War was covered in detail in the book "Bred for War". The story lines with the clans was always much more interesting than the inner sphere squabbling. It would have been great to have a mission in the game where you are Jade Falcon trying to hunt down Clan Wolf in Exile.
I disagree with "The story line with the clans was always more interesting that the inner sphere squabbling."
There are plenty of really interesting bits of Inner Sphere squabbling. The Fourth Succession War was great (as the first large-scale coordinated war since the fall of the Star League), as was the FedCom Civil War. Most of the interesting parts of the plot involve the Clans because they were introduced to the game and had to be used.
I personally don't think the Refusal War was that interesting. The aftermath (Coventry, Vlad rebuilding his Wolves) was much cooler to me. I'd say the most interesting Clan events are the Wars of Reaving and Bulldog/Serpent.
@@Blustride To each their own and I understand your view point. For me it was the clans that made the BattleTech Universe seem complete.
Who here remembers MacDuff?
"Planet, MacDuff"
That was the best name ever for a planet!
There were so many cool planet names in the game. Twycross, Zoetemeer, Baker 3, list goes on
Did you try to play the tabletop version with all expansion rulebooks? Every planet here belongs to the Battletech canon.
@@aquarius5719 Oh I know. Cool planet names man
There is a planet in game called "A place" ... the capital city is "Here".
It is also featured in one of the books.
... my sad pathetic childhood.. that robotic voice was epic tho.. it made me feel like i'm really sitting in a big mech and i'm important on the map... i almost felt like as if i just borrowed that mech and have to give it back.. to whom ? this game was so good it made me feel guilty for playing it.. like as if there were some Greater Gaming Powers deciding who is gonna play what and i was playing it against their will. Like i didn't deserved this game at all.. "hey, You, worm, here, play socoban and forget this technomasterpiece at once!"
I am sorry to hear that. You fully deserved to have such a great experience as a child to bring you peace of mind and joy. Parents were not taught to love, so they could not deliver love. It is like asking someone who never learned basic math to solve linear algebra equations. If they were not mentally healthy, they would not be able to be happy themselves, let alone make you happy. That is because brain is a machine that can also fail, and just like diabetes is biochemical, many brain problems also cause people to be not so healthy in their attitudes. But unlike an attitude problem, a brain problem is hardware failure. This is why medication works, because it fixes biochemical hardware problems. The good thing is you received love from strangers who designed that game.
Let me tell you something to inspire you. There is a tabletop game called "Battletech a game of armored combat". Mechwarrior belongs to Battletech franchise. It has some cool mech miniatures you may love. And if you visit "Battletech fan" youtube channel, you will find a tutorial to install Mechwarrior 2 demo on Windows 10. That channel also has a visual guide, because the rules of tabletop are intimidating in text format, so a visual aid was needed. This visual guide is intended to be watched with the rulebook in your hands. You will discover how similar the tabletop game and the Mechwarrior 2 game were. Use the demo and the tabletop game to have some mental vacations.
Those who are handling Battletech franchise nowadays are doing their job, not only because they are paid, but because they love to give some good experiences to players. They do their job for love too. And you can tell when you see the products. Make Battletech to mean love, a place to heal any wounds. Our brain loves to play role playing games. You may buy the novel "I am Jade Falcon". She also has issues to heal, and if you identify with her situation, you will feel good at the end of the novel. I know someone else who also healed wounds with that novel.
@@josepablolunasanchez1283 Wow, thank you, I'm going to check it out :) Im still using windows 7 tho :D Thank you for the tip and sharing some love ^^
@@mlembrant If DBGL and DOSbox work on Windows 7, it should work.
If you ever feel the world is falling upon you, remember this stranger here wants YOU to be fine. Use that to give yourself some strength to overcome any issues you experience.
Also, forgiving parents is a must. You cannot ask illiterates to be math geniuses. And they never were taught to love, so they could not love you even if they wanted, because they did not even learn to love themselves or each other. You are the one who will end that generational loop of suffering. Your parents and probably even your grandparents were trapped in that loop.
If you read "I am Jade Falcon" you will see a person trapped in dishonor and shame. You will heal yourself as the character of Joanna heals too. And when you feel things are tough remember that character. Would she cry and give up before adversity or would she do something different?
Let me know if the demo worked for you. If it worked, let us know how you feel.
@@josepablolunasanchez1283 the demo didn't work, i tried the dosbox and did everything, and it kept saying that there is not enough space on the disk..
This video needs to be seen, very nice review and commentary.
needs to be seen? I saw it.. does that count? I might tell one of my friends.. but that's all I can do
There was one good MechWarrior game for a console, it was MechWarrior for the SNES. It is was not a direct port but rather a completely different game design for the Super Nintendo. It was pretty neat. I bought the PS1 Mechwarrior because i thought it would be the same game...boy was i wrong!
The soundtrack was epic. Great stuff. The game play was fun as well, especially after struggling through the first game's combat.
Best game soundtrack ever. Get shivers listen to this again every time. God I loved that game.
dude I appreciate you making this video so much!
I remember playing this when it came out and compared to MW1 (which I played as a kid) it was like the difference between a paper airplane and actually getting behind the yoke of a real aircraft. Especially in the final days of software-only renderers, this game was a masterwork. Yes, it was too easy, but if I wanted hard, I'd play the paper and pencil game against real humans.
Hi from Latvia. Super happy I found this channel. :)
omg I still have my copy of this game. I got it from my grandpa they year it came out for Christmas. I still play the series. absolutely loving Mech5
You really nailed this review. Well done!
Ah, my first Mechwarrior game... I'd love to see this in a modern engine.
I brushed off Earthseige 2 back in the day as some sort of cash in wannabe. Playing it now has made me realize what a totally superior game in is in every way. The level of polish and attention to detail would have really made my dear drop back in the 90s. It's still a blast to play I still regret not playing it sooner.
Great video as usual. I just hope we won't have to wait another 2 months for your next video!
Good video! Loved this game as a kid, I'm playing through MechWarrior 3 and Battletech right now.
Ahhh I went and got myself a full time job. Kind of a motivation (and spare time) killer.
Shoot, in a few missions, a firemoth makes it easier. Inspections missions you can get done before the enemies even catch you.
Your channel is amazing, keep it up man
I LOOOOOVE mechwarrior. Have my sub, you earned it! An excellent video, very informative even to a relative veteran of Mechwarrior ^^
5:22 are u fuckin kidding me. the voice was part of the reason that this game was so immersive.
I was a big PC gamer in the early 90s, but regret never giving this classic a try.
My first experience will be with Mechwarrior 5, Series X version, on my 65” LG C1 OLED TV
subbed, u don't have enough subs, i mean i know you've made less posts but this analysis is really rather good, i kinda missed Mech 4 so i look forward to getting to that one
thanks for uploading another video. I was starting to get tired watching all your budget barrel videos a lot |:) lots of thumbs up yo
I think a remake of Mech2 with logistics could be fun. Maybe you get something like Mech3's system plus equipment provided by the higher ups which is based on your performance (honor, among other things). So if you do really great on a mission you could be rewarded with the choice of a new chassis for your unit with a certain weight limit, but if you do poorly (or maybe even fail...?) you could lose a chassis and/or be given more difficult missions. And maybe even the amount of salvage you get is based on your rated performance.
mech warrior 2 hit me so hard i bought it before i had a computer good enough to run it lol
I played it in the 90's and never got anywhere with it. It's something I'm nostalgic for, but would prefer something more modern and, well, better.
Good job. Very nostalgic
Ah, these were the days! Guess it's hard to find footage from the Matrox Mystique version though which added more textures and looked pretty good. I wish I could still play this on steam or so.
I remember getting this with the sidewinder force feed back controller and it was so cool. Why dont we have force feedback controllers?
Just an FYI to those intetested, you can update the Win95/Pentium versions of the game to the BattlePack version via an update patch, if you can find it (not that hard to do).
You sound like a younger Scott the Woz who doesn't hate himself and can talk seriously for longer than 30 seconds.
I'm sold.
Other than that, it's my dream to own this game one day (specifically after watching the intro cutscene), so thanks for the purchasing advice!
I bought MW 2 before I had a Pentium 90 to run it! Still watched the intro at about 5fps. Sat on my game shelf for about a year until I got my first Pentium PC. The game blew my mind when I finally played it!
I use the MW2 soundtrack mod for MWO, and the MW3 weapon sounds and betty voice. Really like the feel of them over base MWO. Might go back and try to play this and 3 sometime.
Not sure if I had the 3dfx version, or Titanium Trilogy of this game back then, because the game never worked on the computer I had back then. ("crashes" EITHER as soon as the intro cutscene ended, or when trying to start any mission)
But if if it WAS the latter, thank god I dodged the bullet XD.
*Update* I just remembered that I don't recall having either Ghost Bear's Legacy, nor Mercenaries, only the "base" version, meaning that I most likely had the 3dfx version.
Loved this game back in the day, i couldnt max out the graphics back then but i thought it was awesome! Havent played any mechwarrior game since then.
But today i download Mechwarrior 5 on my Series X :)
This was the best xmas gift i ever got
Ah yes, MechWarrior 2. I believe most of is started here. A rite of passage for any MechWarrior fan.👍👍👍
As someone who grew up with Battletech in the 80s (along with the 3 associated PC games), the day Mech2 hit the markets was a red letter day for battletech/mechwarrior fans everywhere. Sadly at that point, my PC was a number of years too primitive to run mech 2 (it really did well to run mech1), but I had a friend that did.... and I probably spent more time at his computer than I did my own, and I loved it.
Sadly, the only version of the classic mech2 I had was the playstation version. It was seriously clown shoes, but it was better than nothing (especially compared to the SNES version of mech1, which was a Greek tragedy in a box).
a few years later, I got mech2 mercenaries... and I forgot what sunlight looked like.
Oh man you have got to tell me more about that! :) I'd love to hear more about your experience if you're willing to share.
Good shit as always, Roland!
I was only about 11 when I first played MW2 so I need a good replay at my age to judge it better, but it felt perfect apart from the bugs and minor un-implemented mechanics, like how mechs were NOT supposed to stand on one leg. I heard the greyed-out archives was also a mistake, but I don't remember if it's a bug or simply missing content. Has anyone ever figured out or hacked files to see if the entries are there or not?
MW2 was a hugely impressive game to me, and actually hugely responsible for who I am today. It was also one of my first PC games, the first major one anyway, and I was awed by the in-universe game "menus," the rude instructor, the dark and eerie feel and unique music that perfectly completed that mood, varying gravity impact and cloud ceilings (ATI Rage edition here), the interesting stories, language, and how Fetladral loves the opera, computer reporting on such detail...
It's why I'm a composer (and why I wouldn't feel like a good once until I could write my own in Jeehun Hwang's "Mechwarrior style" of music),, probably partly why I got into learning languages, and why I'm writing my own scifi universe that pushes the limits of what's been done before, hope to create something to inspire people again.
This was so long ago but it was astounding when it came out. I remembered emailing for help about a joystick issue and Tim Morton replied with a file. The right torso/arm gets damaged/destroyed first because of a bug so stick your weapons somewhere else.
I played Mechwarrior 2 on the PS2, and I fucking loved it, and I also might add, it was my first game. I still have the game till this day 20 years later. But yea, sad to say, Mechwarrior was a pc game, not a console game, it was so different between the two, ps2 version had heaps of stuff removed. so when I find out, there were other and better versions, I was shocked. if you are still active on the channel, you gotta make a video on how to install the download version at 10:25. also the intro cinematic is fucking awesome, sad none of my friends or people I have met know nothing of what im talking about. Long live the TimberWolf
Check "Battletech fan" channel. I understand that what you request in in the channel plans. There is already a video on how to install the MW2 demo on Windows 10.
Wow... I remember this game looking a lot better lmao. I absolutely adored this game.
Spent so much time as a 10y/o on this game. Used to have the ATI Rage version. Shot into the floor to damage myself to make it more of a challenge I remember but hated the escort missions as it was dodgy with the AI
Very good review. I like your style.
It was the sense of scale to me. You really felt like you were on an alien planet at dawn
Great video
4:06 The comment about the nature of a Mech's movement was spot on: that's what bothered me about MWO just as a spectator.
Legendary game, that while too easy for a game like this in the series, is still a well built one. And probably the best entry one can have in the franchise entirely. All that despite taking place after the clan invasion stuff in the lore.
And the AI voice and music are just pure sex, baby!
I played this game before I could read it was a nightmare getting through all the menus just pure guesswork
Man, I'm one of the suckers that got duped into getting the PS1/Saturn version of MW2.
I had seen only the cover of the game in some obscure magazines, and managed to track down a used copy since it was rare enough for me to never see it new on shelves. I had been really into MW2 since my family's 1995 Micron PC came packaged with MW2, and I had a PS1. Hell, this was right before the PS2 came out, which gave this game a better chance since it's not like my 6th grade self had high next-gen 128-bit standards and expectations haha.
. . . but when I fired the game up that first time. . . and the blurred mix of disappointment and confusion quickly set in. . . WHAT HAPPENED??! I didn't get a lot of games, so any that I ever had, I felt obligated to play the hell out of, but this game was so bad that I don't think I was able to milk even 45 minutes of play out of it Lol. Great video!
Sounds similar to my story. Used to watch my Dad play MW2 on Mac OS9 when I was a little kid, then later found is for PS1 years later. The worst part is they tease you with the same epic opening cinematic, only for it to turn into a blocky, POS arcade shooter quickly after.
No, the original version was software rendering only, the windows Pentium edition had D3D support for a wide range of cards. Also the IBM version had a windows version with it but runs at a max resolution of 800 x 600.
I wish hadn't brushed off Earthsiege 2 back in the 90s. Playing it now made me realize it's totally superior to MechWarrior in almost every way. The pilot chatter, graphics, not helpless AI companions, and more realistically modeled weapons. It's a real blast to play. I plan to try Starsiege next.
Old video but still great!
Wouldn't want to get trapped in a lift with you but what a video.... Who am I kidding I hit the emergency stop button.
IMO, the best OST alongside Morrowind.
I own the Macintosh 3D accelerated edition of this game and it's simply awesome!
+Thomas Olson Nice! Macs in those days had ATI Rage cards (or Rage chips on the board), so the Mac 3D version is basically the same as the ATI Rage version for Windows.
+The Examined Life (of Gaming) I don't know anything about the internals of my computer. I just accept the fact that it does what it's supposed to.
I loved it then and I love it now wish I never sold that old PC so I could fire it up once more and have a fun weekend.
I learned quite a bit ago Jeehun Hwang (along with Gregory Alper) composed the soundtrack to MechWarrior 2. Wanna know what else he did? The Battlezone 1998 soundtrack.
+Benjamin Fuller (Dallenson) And as I remember he wasn't shy about putting samples on his website. Unlike some other composers who dabble in video game music and then seem ashamed about it.
Another game with a soundtrack very similar to MW2 (so I assume composed by the same guy) is Dark Reign
He also did Heavy Gear, which I have very fond memories of, especially the OST. Judging by the looks of this video, I was playing a Mechwarrior clone.
@@TJbrena Heavy Gear was another giant-robot licence that Activision picked up after losing the Battletech licence. The Heavy Gear games were built on a modified Mechwarrior 2 engine, the first one feels especially similar.
Hwang also composed for a documentary of James Cameron.
Heavy gear felt like an anime mobile suite, not a mech (tank with turret)
Did somebody say Tertiary Objectives? I was a Clan Wolf Khan back in the day. Now I write space music.
I had this game on my old power oc running os 8
That sound track!
I would love to see one of these for Janes ATF Gold.
Honor in MW2 is not just a high score. The higher your honor is it opens up how high your final trial of position can go. You can only try the highest trial by combat if you have sufficiently high honor. Low honor means it ends early at low rank. If you have high honor you can try to fight to become the Kahn of the clan. At low level you fight light mechs in an heavy. At the high level you fight assault mechs while piloting a light mech to become the Kahn.
I'm pretty sure it's useless. Your rank depends on how many mechs in the trials you kill. Every time it tells you shoot the engagement sphere to initiate the second phase of the trial and you do so and successfully destroy the other mechs without dying, you advance in rank.
Honor doesn't do anything in Mechwarrior 2.
@@sonofeyeabovealleffoff5462 No, you can’t even try for the highest level, the khan, if your score is too low. The last level trial for khan ranking is only possible if your score is high.
I love this game.
"many might even try completing the game in a stripped out firemoth for a challenge"
OH damn, I just got called out. Bad enough in netmech over on MPlayer before they went down I was regarded as that "damn firemoth pilot". 😂
Man I remember playing this game with wireframe and still thinking it looked amazing
Great review and glad to see you back, though I have to ask why did it take so long :( ?
Anyway I can't wait for the rest of this retrospective and thanks for the enjoyment you've given me.
Honestly i like the ps1 version of MW2 alot .
Its playable and a nice start to get into the mechwarrior-franchise combined with mechassault 1&2 if you are a console pleb .
I wanna jump from consoles into pc-gaming too so i can play the REAL version of Mechwarrior 2 with all its cool features and simulation-goodness.
Oh wow I’ve only played the PlayStation version. No idea it was so different haha.
eager to see the next part cause other then the Super Nes and XBox games I dont think I played a Mech warrior game beyond 2
Super noob question. I just started playing the dos version of this game and aside from the menus, the mouse does not seem to work in game (when you're controlling the mech). Is this just how the mechs control or is there some setting that I need to enable to be able to control the mech movements with the mouse?
That sounds like a possible issue with DOS Box, since it should be possible by default even in the DOS version. It's been a while since I played these games so I may be off base.
I remember the first version of Mechwarrior 2 I played was the Aptiva one, and how I felt a little disappointed to see the graphics of the stock DOS version. so hearing you say the DOS version is, in the end, far and away the best game is a little therapeutic for me. And don't get me started on Titanium... *grumbles about his Arrow IVs ceasing to exist right as they leave the tube*
Also, the credits. The "Temper Edge" track has always been my favorite, and you, sir, have used it well.
kid, im watching this video in 2020 and it is very well done. good job!
clan front line meks get full access to equipment additionally your fighting a war of refusal/absorption and proberly playing a top galaxy warrior cant remember you do get blood-named and rank up
Thanks bro. :)
It looks like the timberwolf cockpit is different in the DOS version from the 3D accelerated editions.
I remember Titanium Trilogy. It was such a failure.
"I bet you a dollar you don't have legacy hardware"
You owe me a dollar.
I didn't mind the PS1 version but then again I DIDN'T have a working PC at the time and I can recognize the PS1 version as being notably inferior.
Ive never seen that missle chase camera before, do you just press the C key after firing?
F10 after firing for missile cam if I remember correctly.
So it is! Great retrospective btw!
Wanna make the game a bit more challenging? Take a Jenner and make it have machine guns only, get vloser rhan 100 meters and aim for legs. Not only a light mech is fragile, but also you cannot waste ammo. If properly played it will be a quick mission but still challenging.
Great vid. I subscribed. I cheated and made sure you're still making vids.
I had the ATI 3D Rage version