MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Reviews

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is ranked in the 51st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7.5 / 10.0
Jun 21, 2021

MechWarrior 5 is certainly a blast from the past, but I wish it was more.

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7 / 10.0
Jan 27, 2020

Enjoyable mech combat hobbled by poor mission design, unnecessary load screens, and a dull story

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8 / 10.0
Oct 11, 2021

As we wrap up our review, I still feel there is a lot we can discuss about MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. The career mode being one, but to do that, we’d almost have to write an entire review just on it as the Career Mode, while slightly the same as the story, does have some minor changes to its “story” as well as what it has to offer.

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CFG Games
Bunneh 2000
Jun 9, 2021

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a welcome addition to the series thanks to its various mission types, online co-op, and a healthy roster of mechs and mech variants.

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7 / 10
Jun 29, 2021

It might be overwhelming for newcomers, but stick with it and MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries offers some surprisingly deep and rewarding giant robot combat. The management side might confuse, but stick with it, and you’ll enjoy the ups and down of mercenary life.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2021

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries focuses too much of its efforts in pointless filler, such as a milquetoast story and an annoying progression system. Its insane multiplayer is where it shines the brightest, but then again, I feel like this is best experienced on PC, with a mouse and keyboard setup.

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GameOctane
JMachine
B+
Dec 10, 2019

MW5 is an amazing game that puts all its cards into the experience of customizing and controlling its mechs and I think the hand it’s drawn is a full house. With a little more work in polishing graphics and sound however they could easily find themselves with a royal flush.

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6.5 / 10.0
Dec 10, 2019

While I cannot compare to previous entries in the MechWarrior series, I have to wonder if this is a giant leap forward for the franchise, or more like a lateral move. It has some fun moments, but these are quick-lived and generally get overshadowed by some of the more glaring issues present in MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. Newcomers to the franchise may have a hard time digesting this as I did, but fans clamoring for more Mech goodness will likely find a lot to enjoy in Piranha Games’ latest outing.

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OnlySP
Steve Carman
Dec 10, 2019

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries delivers a fun, combat-adventure game and a worthy sequel within the franchise. The movement controls, backing action music, and combat mechanics offer a thrilling, Mech-based action game. However, the inconsistent narrative design, demanding PC specifications, and frustrating repair mechanic detract from the game’s potential. In its current state, players may find Titanfall 2 the more appealing mech-centric choice.

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Jan 13, 2020

A thoroughly decent-to-good mech game with some weird design choices and a not-always-good retro feel.

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Dec 11, 2019

MechWarrior 5 revigorates the franchise not only with its new visuals and procedurally generated maps, but also gives you a glimpse of the hardships faced by mercenaries that are treated not too different from gig workers that rose up in the last couple of years. A fantastic game through and through.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

Dec 11, 2019

Patient gamers waiting for a new installment of MechWarrior will be pleased to find a graphically modern version of a classic franchise, but also a game that struggles to compete with the story, pacing and characters of recent action games that have learned to balance complexity and momentum with a little more panache.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 10, 2019

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).

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7 / 10
Dec 10, 2019

It may not offer the twitchest of gameplay, but getting past some antiquated aspects will yield an enjoyable time.

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Dec 10, 2019

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.

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7.5 / 10.0
Dec 10, 2019

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.

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7.6 / 10.0
Nov 16, 2021

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is an ideal starting point for anyone who wants to get into the mecha game genre. Its technical mechanics are daunting at first, and the management system can be harsh, but there is fun to be had in the destructible environments and PvE mayhem.

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Simon Brown
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Sep 29, 2021

A solid expansion that brings a lot of new toys to play with and mission variations to play in. The campaign is a fun exploration of a pivotal time in Mechwarrior lore. If you own Mechwarrior 5 you should own this.

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80 / 100
Sep 29, 2021

Choosing to follow a more simulation path compared to other games with Mechs, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries delivers a fun and rich experience for fans of the genre, even though some of its structural limitations prevent it from reaching a higher rank.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

7.2 / 10.0
Jan 8, 2020

The biggest issue with MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is that it hits you with all of its shortcomings at once. Keep playing, though, and the game establishes itself as a fun title that's worthy of the MechWarrior moniker. Play it with friends, and it becomes even more entertaining. Dated aspects of its presentation aside, the combat remains fun mission after mission, and it continues to test you as you become more powerful. Start blowing apart enemy mechs with a small array of PPC cannons and make a few big pay days, and you'll appreciate the game for what it is.

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