MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf

MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf
Product information
Type	Computer game
Development	Day 1 Studios
Publication information
Publisher	Microsoft Game Studios
First published	2004
MSRP	?
Content
Series	MechAssault console games
Preceded by	MechAssault
Followed by	MechAssault: Phantom War

MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf is a 2004 video game developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios exclusively for the Xbox console. It is the sequel to 2002's MechAssault and is backward compatible for the Xbox 360.

From the back cover

GET OUT OF THE BATTLEMECH AND INTO A NEW COMBAT EXPERIENCE

Pull the trigger... Letha destruction from a whole new perspective is at your finger tips. A lucky shot managed your Mad Cat. It's payback time. Suit up in BattleArmor and seek an enemy 'Mech to "jack." What's yours is yours and what's theirs is yours too...if you're good enough. Crush the Word of Blake in campaign mode or take the fight online with Xbox Live. When you're ready...join a Clan and rule the universe...it's called Conquest.

Punish the enemy in BattleMechs, tanks, VTOLs, or BattleArmor in a thrilling single player campaign spanning 20 missions.

Join a clan on Xbox Live, annihilate the enemy and dominate the universe planet by planet...Simple...yea right. It's Conquest, it's persistent, and it's a whole new game.

How good are you? Prove it on Xbox Live. Game stats and rankings are broadcast real time directly from the game to MechAssault2.com.

FEATURING MUSIC FROM KORN AND PAPA ROACH

Canonicity

Computer games are explicitly excluded from the list of products that contribute straight Canon to the BattleTech universe while at the same time it was stated that the IP owners are "not in total denial about these sources either"; it has also been stated that fluff from certain official, licensed products (namely certain computer games including those produced by Microsoft) can be assumed to be part of the shared universe as long as it is not directly contradicted, and makes sense. On this premise, MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf is considered to be an apocryphal product.

Plot Summary

After recovering the mysterious Datacore from Commander Strader's Ragnarok Assault Mech on Helios, the surviving Wolf's Dragoons: Major Natalia Kerensky, Lieutenant Foster, and the MechWarrior, are ordered to go off the grid on a black ops mission to see if they can learn its secrets. The team use the Outworlds Alliance planet Dante as their secret base of operations. It is here that Lieutenant Foster uses the knowledge in the Datacore to design and construct a prototype battle armor, a more sophisticated version of the standard Clan Elemental armor.

One evening, as Foster and the MechWarrior (player) are returning to their workshop, mysterious craft enter the Dante airspace and a Stiletto BattleMech lands on the ground and starts searching for them. They successfully evade the Stiletto and make it back to the workshop, as the Dante Militia square off against the Blakist forces in the streets of Dante City, Major Kerensky orders the MechWarrior to don the experimental battle armor and assist the beleaguered Militia stop the invaders. After this, hundreds of dropships enter Dante's atmosphere. Mysteriously, one of these dropships is shot down by the others. After fighting to the crash site, a strange new MechWarrior by the name of Alera emerges, a pirate with a jumpship named the "Jessabelle". Later, the MechWarrior escapes an enemy port, and steals an enemy tank from three soldiers in an attempt to infiltrate the enemy. An allied APC then comes out and follows the MechWarrior on his way. The tank must go through two scans to advance the level, but however, the "Passenger Scan" warns the enemies that it is a trick, and the MechWarrior and his allies must escape the port with a tank. Later the MechWarrior is able to get an Owens BattleMech. During the final mission, the MechWarrior with the aid of his allies uses the BattleArmor to destroy half-complete giant BattleMech that uses all five of the data cores. Tragically, at the conclusion of the battle, Alera dies to save the MechWarrior and the team.

Missions and Cutscenes

Dante

Following the conflict on Helios, Dragoons HQ officially listed Alpha Lance as missing in action to enable them to hide while using the armor data core recovered on Helios to develop a prototype battlesuit. Major Natalia brought the team to Dante, saying that the black market vendors there will provide the perfect cover for research and field trials.

Street Sweeper - Lt. Foster and the team MechWarrior (the player) leave the lab to search for an interface panel to use in the battlesuit's weapon calibration system. Unexpectedly, a BattleMech strides down the street and attacks the workshop. The player dons the untested prototype BattleArmor and fights off the 'Mech. Dante militia forces counterattack against the invaders, placing Alpha in a crossfire. The player successfully escorts Natalia and Foster to safety.

Signs of Life - Orbital scans show multiple invading DropShips bound for Dante, including one on a crash trajectory, having been shot down by the others. Alpha fights its way to the crash site to help any survivors, who appear to be the enemy of their enemy. The MechWarrior uses neurohacking technology to force the pilot of an invading 'Mech to eject, and steals the 'Mech, using it to destroy enemy ships in the harbor. When they arrive, they find the DropShip's captain, Alyra, expertly piloting her 'Mech and destroying the attackers. Natalia tells Alpha that Alyra is a pirate with whom she's worked previously.

Tank Rush - Alyra says she doesn't know who the hostile forces are, but that her JumpShip, the Jezebel, is still in orbit. She agrees to take Alpha to Northwind to rendezvous with the rest of Wolf's Dragoons if they help her acquire a DropShip to reach her JumpShip. The MechWarrior kills a bandit tank crew and steals their tank, penetrating several layers of security before the ruse is discovered.

Get Off This Rock - The MechWarrior breaches the spaceport gates and hacks enemy 'Mechs to enable Alpha to fight its way into the spaceport and board their DropShip, the Icarus. The MechWarrior defends the Icarus while the engines power up, defeating several 'Mechs using Null Sig technology. Foster recovers a data core from the attackers, which contains information about stealth technology. The Icarus docks with the Jezebel and Natalia tells Alyra to use a pirate point to jump to Northwind. Tactical data indicates that the mysterious attackers are hitting targets all over the Inner Sphere.

Thestria

To the Rescue -

Mech Shoppin' -

Go Time on Thestria -

Swamp Rock -

8 Feet Under -

Northwind

Valley of Death -

Northwind Jailbreak -

I Hate Snakes -

Mountain Song -

Sending out an SOS

Hesperus II

Into the Breach -

To the Arena -

Hold the Line -

Gladiator Has... -

Against the Spiders -

Gameplay

The game is notable as allowing the player to control a variety of vehicles other than 'Mechs. These vehicles include tanks, battle armor, turrets, and VTOLs. The game also allows the player to leave their vehicle and plant explosives or roam around as a human/pilot. An interesting aspect of the game is the ability to "hitch" rides on friendly 'Mechs and VTOLs, while wearing battle armor. It is also possible to do the same to enemy 'Mechs and attempt a 'neurohack', with the result of ejecting the pilot and taking over his 'Mech if successful.

Multiplayer

MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf's multiplayer consists mainly of an OptiMatch feature,where games of a certain type are shown. It also has a Conquest mode that was very popular at the beginning of the game's life but due to flaws in the design of the Conquest mode quickly died down in popularity. Due to the high level of teamwork required, many clans enjoy competing on third party ladders such as Gamebattles.

Limited edition

The limited edition had a holographic cover. It came with everything the standard version had, along with a bonus disc that included new maps for multiplayer and a behind-the-scenes video of the making of MechAssault 2.

Featured BattleTech

BattleMechs

• Atlas
• Belial
• Bowman
• Catapult
• Cougar
• Raptor
• Stiletto
• Wendigo
• Nova Cat
• Blood Asp
• Star Adder
• Elemental
• Uller
• Owens
• Kit Fox
• Corvis
• Raven
• Hackman
• Puma
• Uziel
• Vulture
• Thor
• Loki
• Hellbringer
• Summoner
• Mad Cat
• Timber Wolf
• Prometheus
• Ragnorok

It is important to note that several 'Mechs are simply renamed variants of other 'Mechs. The original 'Mech type, in the event that both names exist as their own 'Mechs in canon, will be listed first(example: the Bowman is a reskinned Catapult).

• Catapult / Bowman
• Mad Cat / Timber Wolf
• Thor / Summoner
• Loki / Hellbringer
• Vulture / Mad Dog
• Cougar / Puma
• Blood Asp / Star Adder
• Kit Fox / Uller
• Nova Cat / Wendigo
• Raptor / Stiletto
• Atlas / Prometheus
• Raven / Corvis
• Uziel / Belial
• Owens / Hackman
• Ragnarok / Ymir

Some of these 'Mechs are original, and may have been added to the canon after the release of this game, such as the Raptor as the Raptor II.

Other Featured Vehicles

• Rommel
• Aeron VTOL
• POV Turret

The Battle Armor

The battle armor is the highlight of MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf. It is similar to the Elemental. In the original MechAssault, the Elemental is actually referred to as the battle armor. It has several new features unique to MechAssault 2, a couple of which separate it from the other units in the game: it is capable of neuro-hacking a mech, climbing steep inclines, using Jump Jets, and hitching rides on VTOL craft.

The battle armor was developed by Lieutenant Foster from information he retrieved from a Datacore the MechWarrior found on Helios from their Ragnarok Mech. It was first used on the planet Dante when the MechWarrior and his two companions were under attack by the Word of Blake. Having not enough firepower, they decided to use the battle armor even when Lieutenant Foster expressed his concern that the battle armor wasn't ready yet and it could fry the MechWarrior.

Featured Planets

• Dante
• Thestria
• Northwind
• Hesperus II
• Terra

External Links

• Teambox.com