MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Reviews
It may not offer the twitchest of gameplay, but getting past some antiquated aspects will yield an enjoyable time.
Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries delivers pulse-pounding mech action. It just lacks the patches to make it truly shine.
Like your Grandpa's rusty old Blackjack, Mechwarrior 5 is a great machine that could use a lot of polish.
Our MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries review is in, and it's a game that flirts with greatness before settling into a more middling experience.
Mercenaries 5 needed six more months of testing and refinement before seeing the light of day. The game's mech combat is great for enthusiasts of the genre, but the lack of polish may leave newcomers cold. I recommend it for hardcore fans, but casual players may want to wait for the bugs to be ironed out.
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.
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.
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.
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
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a shooter with a considerable degree of customization, set in an alluring but static universe, with combat being its central and redeeming feature. The action tends to be generally fun and satisfying, although framed around repetitive missions. The missed opportunities are obvious - such as greater depth to your company's management, or having a tangible impact on the game world.
MechWarrior 5 is certainly a blast from the past, but I wish it was more.
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.
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.
After two decades away, the PlayStation is finally back inside the Battletech universe, and it feels…alright.
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.
Explosive 31st century 'mech combat with a satisfying single player experience.
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.
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.
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).
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.