Open beta is out. I am downloading it right now. Here's the Beta Launch trailer. I'll post back after playing it.
OK... back from playing it a bit after install/registration.
It's impressive for a free to play game. It plays like a Mechwarrior game if any of you are old enough to remember that PC game from the 90s. There's machine limitations like overheating and fuel usage so you can't just haphazardly run onto the battlefield guns blazing. This was a main selling point which involves strategy and obtaining the right machine loadout, rightfully so for any diehard mech game. Graphically it looks pretty good. I was able to turn everything on high settings without problems using a single GTX 570 card on my gaming rig. The initial mechs you start out with are boring but I'm sure there will be some interesting ones you unlock later. The landscape, which looks like a war torn city is pretty cool. Being that this a free to play game however, I guess they'll charge you cash for credits to upgrade your vehicles.
The game plays from a cockpit FPS perspective. A HUD follows your reticle in which ever direction you're facing. Controls are via mouse/keyboard with the typical WASD keys for movement and action and the mouse as your analog controls. Three buttons for mouse, left primary weapon, right button = secondary weapon and middle button as special fire with secondary weapon. Shift plus a combo key for strafing, accelerating forward or using jump jets to gain altitude.
So far I've only been able to play Deathmatch (Free-for-all). The team deathmatch server wasn't active so I couldn't play it. I haven't tried Siege mode or objective based modes as I'm not sure if they are active yet. Anyways, you start off with going through a simple tutorial around equiping you mech and armor/weapon deployments. Then a quick walkthrough game mechanics. The matches that I joined seem to be constant (like you can hop in and out). One thing I find kind annoying however is that when you die you go back to deployment screen rather than "respawning" as you typically do in a shooter. I guess this makes sense since you may want to redeploy with some better in your aresenal. But it could have been done better without having to "leave the game" so to speak.
I dont know if the game will ship with a virtual "bots" mode to practice offline. The only one I encountered were some dumb drones in the training mission. So far, since this is the first day of the beta everyone I encountered just had their starting mechs which were rather weak and uninteresting. With the little I played managed to stay alive a good full 10 min. lol. probably because I suck and still trying to "feel the game". I still need to play a bit more to flesh out what my opinions on it is. I would like to see what else is in store later.
Also it be interesting later on to see what this game will look like in Virtual Reality when the Occulus Rift developer kit head mount display ships next year, since Hawken has already signed on to support it.
Still something feels lacking when I think of a proper "mechwarrior" like game. Would wish they get over all the legal crap with that franchise already and move forward to make a modern true Mechwarrior title.
