Battletech: A Game of Armored Combat - SEGA Genesis

[Brian Moy]

Again, on the robotic mech theme I checked out Battletech: A Game of Armored Combat for the Genesis.  On the label, I noted Battletech is licenced by FASA Corporation - who I will always remember for doing the excellent Shadowrun series - so I figured the game likely had the similar classic tabletop RPG writing style. 

Its cool.  You can select from 3 different groups of weapons for each button with each group of 3 mapped to the A, B, and C buttons.  EAch different weapon has strengths and weaknesses on frequency of shot, type of shot, stregth of shot, and amount of shots available.  None of the weapons are infinite. 

The battlefield layout is 3D isometric third person and does look and play really just like the Strike series did on the Genesis - Desert Strike, etc...  Like the Strike series, Battletech is very hard with a "you against the army" type of setting.  You'll see all forms of attack coming at you from ground turrets, tanks, fighter planes, foot soldiers, mines, and other mechs.  The cool part is that being that you are in a huge ass mech, you can just stomp over a foot soldier to splat them, if you don't feel like shooting them.  Very fun.  Like the Strike series on Genesis, Battletech has graphics that look good enough to eat, and the setting is all about survival and relentless difficulty.

There is strategy involved, where you get a briefing at the beginning of each mission where you need to take out various parts of a fort or something.  Some of it should be done in order - although you don't have to, but if you don't the game will be that much harder.