MechAssault: Phantom War
Whoda’ thunk it? The Xbox franchise comes to the DS fairly intact.
Tags: MechAssault: Phantom War Categories: DS Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Jake McNeill on Sep 29th, 2006
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| MechAssault: Phantom War (title page) | 1 - 2 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
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For a while now, Microsoft and Nintendo have had a little thing going on the side via Nintendo’s handhelds. Over the years, the GBA has received numerous titles from former Nintendo partner-turned MS second-party Rare long after Microsoft bought the company, and other licenses traditionally seen as Microsoft properties, like Monster Truck Madness and Age of Empires, have made their way over to Nintendo’s handhelds. It’s gotten to the point where rumors have emerged about the possibility of a DS version of Halo. One might almost wonder if Microsoft is making a quiet contribution to Nintendo’s fight against their common enemy, shipping supplies to the Far Eastern front, as it were.
In any case, the latest franchise to wind its way out of the Microsoft camp into a Nintendo handheld lineup is MechAssault, which has come to the DS as MechAssault: Phantom War. For those that don’t remember or never played the previous games in the series, MechAssault and MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf were two of the better action games on the original Xbox, which took the technical mech gameplay of the popular PC titles and simplified it, focusing on giant robots and explosive action. At first, many bemoaned the titles’ abandonment of the more complex mechanics of the PC games, but it has gradually become a solid franchise in its own right.
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While MechAssault games have long been the work of FASA Studios, this DS entry in the series has been developed by Backbone Entertainment, probably best known for Death Jr. on the PSP. However, despite the new developer, MechAssault: Phantom War is actually very faithful to its Xbox predecessors, and particularly to MechAssault 2. The gameplay has made it over mostly intact, and some of the unique gameplay elements of that title (such as hacking doors and enemy mechs) benefit greatly from the DS’ interface. In fact, in many ways this is quite an ambitious title.
There are a few catches, though. Obviously the graphics here aren’t as good as the Xbox games, although that’s not to say the game’s creators didn’t try. Featuring full 3D, a decent framerate and good detail on the mechs, there was certainly an attempt here to make this a good-looking game, and there are even a few other nice touches, like FMV cutscenes. However, simple environments and terrible textures mar an otherwise good presentation, and that’s not to mention the somewhat small environments and the complete lack of a good sense of scale, something MechAssault 2 did relatively well.
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Another problem is that despite an abundance of control schemes, none of them feels very comfortable. The default touchscreen interface is sluggish, floaty and is restricted by a limited area on the screen used for aiming. Using the face buttons for movement fares a bit better, although it’s a bit clunky and mechanical. Ultimately, the controls will prove to be functional, but not fantastic.
One area of gameplay does benefit from the DS’ touchscreen, however – hacking. Whereas hacking in MechAssault 2 was basically a “tap the right button” affair, MechAssault: Phantom War has players dragging and dropping rapidly-moving icons into proper slots, which makes for a far more compelling experience, although for those not using stylus-based controls it may be disorienting to suddenly have to whip out the stylus, especially in multiplayer where you might have to respond on short notice to an enemy trying to hijack your mech.
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Ah, yes – multiplayer. Unfortunately, for the purposes of this review, we were unable to give this game’s multiplayer mode the full test drive it deserves. While the original MechAssault was the first title to go online via Xbox Live and its sequel stretched the boundaries of that service with a persistent battle raging across the galaxy, MechAssault: Phantom War has no online features and no single-cart download, and while it would be convenient to blame the game’s 3D graphics for the latter, better-looking games like Mario Kart DS and Metroid Prime Hunters have shown that there’s no reason for this to be an obstacle.
For all of the areas where it stumbles, MechAssault: Phantom War still does justice to the series name. The gameplay is very close to its console roots, with a good variety of operable vehicles (not just mechs), with a wide range of weaponry and abilities. The single-player campaign is solid and even features a healthy amount of voice acting. And while it may not perfectly mirror the accomplishments of its console predecessors, the mere fact that the gameplay has transitioned to the handheld intact is a noteworthy accomplishment in its own right.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ The gameplay of the Xbox titles is fairly intact here + Good presentation |
7.9 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- The controls have a few kinks here and there - The graphics are a bit lacking in areas - The multiplayer options fall short of what you'd generally expect from a MechAssault game |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| It's not without a few problems here and there, but if you liked the console MechAssault games, or are just looking for a solid mech action title on the DS, MechAssault: Phantom War won't disappoint you. | |
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Tags: MechAssault: Phantom War
Posted by Jake McNeill on Sep 29th, 2006 and is filed under DS Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
