MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Reviews
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries checks most of the boxes I would have asked for out of a modern revival of the series.
MechWarrior 5 is a showcase of nostalgic, joyful mech combat.
MechWarrior 5 is impressive when it’s able to work long enough to live up to its own potential.
The hardcore fanbase will appreciate MechWarrior 5 at its core as it feels like a game that wishes it had today's hardware technology 30 years ago.
If you’ve been waiting for a full-on simulation with all the bells and textbooks, and nothing less will satisfy you, Mechwarrior 5 isn’t going to cut it. For everyone else though, it’s bloody excellent.
After two decades away, the PlayStation is finally back inside the Battletech universe, and it feels…alright.
There's fun to be had with MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, but it's probably not for everyone. If the management aspect of the game appeals to you almost as much as using a giant mech to launch a salvo of missiles at a large skyscraper-sized enemy, then you'll likely enjoy MechWarrior 5. There's lots of repetition in the gameplay, but it's tempered a little by the changes it goes through as a result of your growing mercenary outfit. It's rewarding if you put the time in, but it's a shame there's no matchmaking to help alleviate the repetition.
A highly successful return for the long dormant sci-fi simulation series, and what it lacks in accessibility it makes up for in terms of satisfyingly tactical action.
If you are a MechWarrior fanatic, MechWarrior 5 will probably give you hours of enjoyment. If not, I’d wait until some of the problems above are addressed before making a purchase.
It takes time to really get into MechWarrior 5, which is to be expected. At first, things go by at a plodding pace and your customization options are slim. But once you assemble your crew, jump into mechs you want to play as, and the story picks up, it starts to feel like old MechWarrior again. Mercenaries still might not satisfy everyone, but I enjoyed my reintroduction to the action-oriented BattleTech world.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a lot of fun for fans of the BattleTech franchise. It may not be the flashiest game around, and its story can be very campy at times. But this is pretty much your best bet for playing a 'Mech game on a PlayStation console. If you have (online) friends, co-op will likely provide some extra thrills, and the generous DLC support is great to see. It may be a bit rough around the edges, but MechWarrior 5 is more than welcome on PlayStation after all this time.
All of the new additions and more sandbox Career Mode arguable make Heroes of the Inner Sphere the best way to play MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. On both PC and Xbox, Heroes of the Inner Sphere is worth every C-Bill.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is an imperfect game. It makes a terrible first impression, but given time proves itself a belligerently fun experience.
Though a fun concept and quite enjoyable in the opening hours, MechWarrior 5 suffers from really repetitive gameplay, sharp difficulty spikes without warning, and bad writing.
What Legend of the Kestrel Lancers comes down to is how much players enjoyed the spectacle and gunplay of MechWarrior 5, and how much they want to extend their time with the game through a new, and definitely interesting, story, and bigger battles. The gameplay is fun, tight, and tactically sound, but it was in the core game as well. The DLC offers more of the same, hampered by a lack of new mechs and diverse missions, but what is present in Kestrel Lancers is fun and purpose-built to give fans more of what they like. If players are only dipping their toes into MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, the base game has plenty to offer before players need to judge this DLC's worth.
While I am glad to see MechWarrior make a return; its just not the one I’ve been waiting for. While the latest expansion Legend of the Kestrel Lancers adds new mechs, biomes and a linear story missions its still more of the same, so if one doesn’t like the base game…. Then the expansion isn’t going to do much to change that.
Clearly meant for those who have long been ingratiated with the BattleTech universe, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is an appreciably deep mech stomper that needs a lot more polish a better storyline and cast of characters before its appeal can reach beyond the outer limits of its dedicated fanbase.
All in all, I’m quite pleased with how much the devs have done with MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries. Heroes of the Inner Sphere only enhances a rock solid foundation. Granted, it’s certainly not a perfect experience, but I can now confidently recommend MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries to any mech enthusiasts. Just make sure to get it with the DLC
Our MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries review is in, and it's a game that flirts with greatness before settling into a more middling experience.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries tries to be inclusive, but unfortunately makes the mainstream issues with the genre all the more apparent without doing anything truly new or exciting to really draw the player in.