MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Reviews
While I would have preferred to see the franchise to return as a nice and proper sim like the old days, MechWarrior 5 still scratches my itch to stomp around the battlefields of the future in a giant robotic war machine.
Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries delivers pulse-pounding mech action. It just lacks the patches to make it truly shine.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries offers a surprisingly accessible action packed experience with an impressive amount of depth. The managing of resources and expenses creates an intricate and rewarding metagame that expertly complements the intensity of the game's battles. Despite some shortcomings in cumbersome menu design and lacking mission variety, MechWarrior 5 is easy to recommend for both series veterans and newcomers.
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.
The combat is intense, frenetic, and never bogged down by the managerial aspects. The story is solid, and the characters are okay, but the BattleTech lore that begins to unfold throughout steals the show. MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries captures the essence so beautifully of what made the MechWarrior: Mercenaries games so great two decades ago. It’s a welcome return for a singleplayer campaign of this storied franchise. MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries skips all the pretenses, and lets you manage the finances and the intricate details of your own mercenary units to stomp around the galaxy at your leisure.
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.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a return to form. As a fan of the series, it's been a very long wait, but PGI managed to deliver in a big way on nearly every front. While there are certain things that could be improved, what's here is an excellent four player mech-stomping good time.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a great introduction to the MechWarrior series and is primarily a PvE game. Players can expect to be rocking to an awesome soundtrack as they destroy their enemies on the battlefields.
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.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is an imperfect game. It makes a terrible first impression, but given time proves itself a belligerently fun experience.
MechWarrior 5 is a glorious return to the MechWarrior universe. Lots of mechs from the past return, while the gameplay stays true to the original formula. The campaign is lengthy, insuring you won't beat this anytime soon. The wait was definitely worth it. If you're a fan of the mech simulator genre, don't sleep on this.
Despite a solid 'Mech-shooting foundation, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is crippled by technical issues, horrendous grind, and repetitive missions.
MechWarrior 5 is a showcase of nostalgic, joyful mech combat.
It may not offer the twitchest of gameplay, but getting past some antiquated aspects will yield an enjoyable time.
Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries brings back most of the combat and management the series is known for. Your mileage may vary on just how satisfying that is, but in objective terms there are a number of small issues—from AI to graphics—that add up and keep this game from its full potential.
To summarize: Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries is exactly the game I’ve been waiting almost 15 years for. It ticks all the boxes. It made me feel like a kid again, stomping around in big robots in a sci-fi setting. I couldn’t stop thinking about what ‘Mech builds I was going to try out next, and just couldn’t get enough of the gameplay. I gave Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries the Thumb Culture Gold Award because in my opinion, it’s an absolutely fantastic game. However, it doesn’t quite get the platinum, but only because I know that the BattleTech universe isn’t for everyone (just the absolute coolest people, ha).
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.
MechWarrior 5 is lengthy and complex but extremely tedious and often obnoxious. What could have been a very enjoyable experience is dragged down by bad movement, menus, and pacing.
Our MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries review is in, and it's a game that flirts with greatness before settling into a more middling experience.