MW2 Mercenaries

Mechwarrior II: Mercenaries, from Activision

The Unofficial FAQ

This FAQ is an unofficial collection of common questions and answers and information about Mercenaries. It should not be considered representative of Activision whatsoever.

See these sites for Official Mercenaries Information:

And these sites for UNofficial information:

Dan Kegel's Personal Mechwarrior 2 Page

Also be sure and check the README.TXT, HELP.TXT, and INTERNET.TXT files that came with Mercenaries.

If you disagree with any of the answers I present here, or would like to offer additional information to be added to the FAQ, please let me know.

The FAQ

My criticisms of the game

As a preface, allow me to state that I do like the game, and despite my criticisms I'm not about to return it. I've purchased (and still have) all the Mechwarrior series of games from Activision. They are good games, but fall down in some very distinct areas. The following are some of my posts to the Usenet newsgroups with my attempts at describing my criticisms, and explaining why I think they were poor design decisions.

Sep 26 : Problems with the Mech Editor
Sep 28 : Custom Controller screen
Sep 28 : Joystick Forced-centering
Sep 29 : Disabling mechs with leg-shots
Oct 1 : Comparisons to Mechwarrior I
Oct 1 : The need for real salvage
Oct 2 : Forced-retirement
Oct 2 : The need for game interaction
Oct 3 : The changing role of graphics in computer games
Oct 3 : Whatever happened to Mechwarrior I
Oct 3 : Mechwarrior 2's failures as a game
Oct 4 : What Mechwarrior 3 could have
Oct 4 : What I'd give up for real salvage
Oct 5 : Kesmai's Multiplayer Battletech
Oct 9 : The need for options in software
Oct 9 : The lack of depth in Mech2/Mercs
Oct 10 : Forced-centering makes the joystick much less precise

Usenet Criticism

On the Forced-Centering of Joystick Torso Control
- From Mechwarrior II (1995)
- From MW2 Mercenaries (1996)
On Salvage
On Forced-Retirement
On the Priority of Graphics over Gameplay
Comparisons with Mechwarrior I

Reviews/Previews

Mechwarrior 3: The Tim Gerritsen Interview, EnterMedia
MicroProse Revamps MechWarrior, Next Generation Online
Review: Mercenaries, C|Net GameCenter
Sneak Peak Preview of Mechwarrior 3, C|Net
Mercenaries Review, Games Domain
Mercenaries: Hands-on ALPHA Preview, PC Multimedia & ENtertainment
Mercenaries: Mechbusters for Hire, C|Net
MW2: Mercenaries Preview, GameSpot Company Roundup
MW: Mercenaries Preview, Computer Games Strategy Plus