Without a doubt, Halo was the killer app that the Xbox needed at launch to solidify itself as a serious contender in the gaming world. However, there was another launch title that is often neglected as a crucial aspect of the Xbox's success - the Xbox Live launch title MechAssault. Released in November 2002, MechAssault made Xbox Live the huge success it is today with its classic multiplayer action, and a decent single-player campaign to boot. And yeah, I said it. It was MechAssault, not Ghost Recon.

GAMEPLAY

Taking place some time in the year 3000-or-so, MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf takes place following the events of its predecessor. The same three man Wolf's Dragoons crew as before - Foster, Natalia, and you, the unnamed MechWarrior - is stuck stranded on a backwater planet trying to recover from your fight with the Word of Blake. It's all well and good until the city you're using for a makeshift headquarters comes under attack from an unknown enemy. You keep trying to get out, but they keep pulling you back in. Don't worry though, because being pulled into MechAssault 2 is a good thing, for the most part.

What's most impressive about MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf though, is the attention to "little" detail in the new gameplay, pun intended. Instead of being forced to play in a 'Mech the entire game, you now have the option to climb out and walk on foot to another 'Mech, a VTOL, a tank, or even a suit of the new Battle Armor. Unfortunately, this isn't utilized enough in the single player game. While it isn't completely plausible to have random 'Mechs and suits of Battle Armor sitting there for you to use, it would still be nice to have the freedom and option to change your method of destruction on the fly, instead of only having the preset choice of two different vehicles at max. This seems to be Lone Wolf's big theme, limited choice. Instead of having the option to choose which 'Mech you want to use on which mission, like you could in MechAssault, you're now forced to use 'Mech A to fight through the waves of bad people who want to see you explode into tiny chunks of robot.

This extends into multiplayer, as you can no longer choose which 'Mech you want to fight in. Each map for each different game type has only one set of Battle Mechs, with absolutely no way to change it. This can be incredibly frustrating for some players if they spent the past two years in MechAssault perfecting their Kit Fox skills, since the Kit Fox doesn't appear on a single Team Destruction map. Come to think of it, neither does the Raven, the Puma, the new Star Adder, the Ragnorak, the Ymir, or the Mad Dog. What the hell is up with that? Still, it was a good idea to force players to be better with more than one type of 'Mech. It's no longer about whose the best Uziel pilot, but who the best pilot is, period. Still, it would have been infinitely better if Day One had allowed hosts to choose 'Mechs from a preset weight limit of 300 or so tons, maybe with mandatory weight being devoted to Battle Armor, stationary turrets that don't suck, and supplies. Or, if that involves too much thinking, they could have always provided an alternate set of 'Mechs for each map. Playing in the same old 'Mechs overand over again can become very old, very quickly. If you can ever start a game, that is, because MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf, like its predecessor, has some of the worst connection code ever written. "But no," you must be saying, "surely they fixed that." Surely they corrected the problems that MechAssault had before creating MechAssault 2!

Wrong. Not only does the host still crash from the "Waiting for Other Players" screen, but the players still crash on startup, the host still crashes to a reset on launch, the host crashes to a reset after the map loads, all players can have problems with team identification, and the frequency of these errors can make starting a game incredibly frustrating. It's wonderful to have a lobby to wait in prior to the match - waving, posing, giving a thumbs up to your friends - but if Day One had spent less time on a shiny lobby and devoted it instead to fixing Lone Wolf's constant crashing, the game itself would be a much less frustrating experience. While the crashes seem to happen in sets (crash, crash, crash, crash with it working fine after that) there are still other problem. There are no control configurations other than the default, which means if you used Wacky in MechAssault, you're out of luck. It's impossible to change the VTOL's controls from inverted, and the single player game is woefully short. After so much amazing work was given to character models, gestures, and animations, the campaign just didn't have enough meat to let you see more. Some of the levels are also trial-and-error frustrating, as you're forced to climb out of the 'Mech and brave enemy vehicles on foot, which is both Scary and hard.Still, there's a lot of good here. If you walk around on foot and a Mad Cat walks past, you'll feel the ground shake from the sheer mass of the Heavy 'Mech's steps.

Strategy and teamwork is much more crucial online, and the addition of the new Alpha Strike for Assault 'Mechs is nice, even if it's inaccurate as far as the BattleTech world goes. The ability to hack and steal an enemy 'Mech is also fun and a great addition to gameplay, and adds a button-pressing minigame to the already frantic destruction taking place on the field. The inclusion of the new "Conquest Mode" is also nice, but it can be incredibly difficult to start games since houses will often refuse to defend the territory they've won.

GRAPHICS

You thought Halo 2 was pretty? Nuh-uh, son. If you thought that Master Chief's second adventure looked good, just wait until you see the “uber”-gorgeous drool-fest that is Lone Wolf. Sure, the 'Mechs look awesome, and surprisingly, even better than in MechAssault, but what really stands out are the absolutely beautiful character models. The original MechAssault saw the introduction of the three aforementioned characters, but aside from a brief introductory cinematic, you barely got to know your allies. This time there is a much more defined personality for Natalia and Foster while you continue to play the role of "silent bad-ass." This increase in personality is highlighted by the absolutely gorgeous facial animations and gestures. Every motion that Natalia, Foster, or any of the other characters makes looks fantastic, and at times so realistic that you'll have a hard time believing you're looking at a game instead of a live actor or actress. Environmental effects are nice with snow and rain falling, and one of the prettiest new features you'll see is the addition of a tree and foliage canopy on some of the swamp and jungle levels. The water looks even better in Lone Wolf than in its predecessor, and trails in the water help to add a nice element of realism when your death machine stomps around splashing through a river. Of course, all of these graphical achievements pale in comparison to the Null Signature defense. Without a doubt, it is the best cloak ever. As activating it will cause a blue line to caress the hull of your 'Mech (or tank!) and flow downward, leaving the metal in its wake to become distorted, translucent, and perfect for sneaking.

SOUND

MechAssault 2 sounds pretty damn good as far as simulating a giant robot fight. All of the weaponry is still satisfying to listen to (the Gauss Rifles just may be my favorite) and your 'Mechs footsteps are still wonderfully intimidating. The addition of a high-pitched VTOL (vertical take-off and landing craft) engine and the satisfying burn of the new flamethrower weapon (not that weak piece of crap on the Hellbringer) help welcome you into the new, changed world of MechAssault. Unfortunately, with the exception of two licensed tracks, the background music for MechAssault 2 doesn't sound much different than the music in MechAssault. For the most part, its generic hard rock designed to pump through your speakers as you blow stuff up. For that, it serves its purpose. The licensed music from Papa Roach and Korn work so well, however, that the two songs greatly overshadow the generic music, and it'll leave you wishing you could listen to something a little better during missions (since the licensed songs are only played during boss fights).

LONGEVITY

MechAssault 2’s single player mayhem is great while it lasts but overall is rather lacking in length as most gamers worth their salt will complete this in no time at all. However Mechassault 2 is all about unleashing your skills against other like minded individuals over Xbox Live. For many this mode is enough and is the real deal MechAssault 2 , lasting for ages or until Mechassault 3 is released.

OVERALL

Overall MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf is fun. The single player game is enjoyable, if short, and serves as a way to prepare you for the real fight, online. With four more players than MechAssault allowed capable of joining in the carnage, there's nothing better than jumping into a fight with five or more of your Xbox Live friends. With DLC to come, we can only hope that an already enjoyable game becomes better; If not through some form of patching then hopefully through the addition of more 'Mech variety, new vehicles, weapons, and maps.