Recs.
Updated
BattleTech is a turn-based action strategy game. You'll command and control a mercenary company during an interstellar war.
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Strategic turn based gameplay offers a lot of depth
Deciding what actions to take or where to move your units each turn offers a lot of potential for deep strategy. Each battle basically consists of moving your units around the map and destroying your enemies or completing objectives, however, you can only take a limited number of actions per turn. These actions - including running, sprinting, shooting, evading, etc - are limited by several systems, such as morale and heat. These need to be managed efficiently to succeed. For example, heat limits how much moving or firing you can do without your mech overheating. Morale must be built up over time but allows to unload more precise or stronger weapon shots. Deciding on where to move, when to shoot, and how to position your units each turn offers plenty of room for strategic play.
Pro Loads of fun possibilities during battle
There are so many different weapon and mech types, that the possibilities for the ways battles unfold are almost endless. Flamethrowers can overheat your opponent. Machine guns tear away armor, leaving enemies exposed for laser damage. All the different areas of the mechs can be individually targeted. You can shoot the legs to disable them, or go right for the core to blow it up. Taking too many actions can cause you to overheat. Different terrain types like desert or tundra can even effect the heat levels of your units. Mechs all move different, with some being fast and able to dodge attacks more easily, while others are massive slow moving brutes that pack a lot of firepower. Just the sheer amount of ways each battle can unfold is where the game truly excels.
Pro Lots of cool ways to build and customize your mechs
Whether you're salvaging parts from fallen foes in battle, or buying them from merchants, there's a large variety of different weapon and chassis types. Each weapon and piece of equipment has a generic type, but also name brand versions which can provide bonuses such as longer range, more damage, and less heat. By building reputation with various merchants and factions, you're able to gain access to bigger and better equipment. You can also mix and match this equipment and weapons to customize a mech with various attributes such as damage, speed, and better defense. Overall, the system offers quite a bit of depth and flexibility, so you'll feel like you have total control over your creations.
Pro Great variety of missions keeps things fresh
The story campaign missions themselves are varied with lots of different objectives and goals. For example, you'll be protecting locations, escorting friendly units, saving political refugees, salvaging crashed ships, or even just raining down as much destruction as possible. There's enough variety so you'll never feel like you're doing the same thing too much, and helps keep things fresh and interesting over the course of the campaign.
Cons
Con RNG results in loads of frustrating gameplay
Unfortunately, there is a lot of RNG in Battletech that can result in frustrating situations. Getting all your units into place, lining up your perfect shot, and then missing every single one due to random bad luck feels terrible every time it happens. This is made even worse by the fact your opponent can, due to the same RNG, perfectly land every shot and blow your mech up. Despite how carefully or strategically you play, sometimes it will just boil down to pure RNG.
Con Distracting filler content
While building up your mercenary company, you're often forced to take generic side missions before you can progress the main campaign story. Many of these missions take place on pretty barren landscapes and don't have a whole lot of variety. This detracts from the story campaign a bit and ultimately ends up feeling like distracting filler content.
Con Camera is fairly poor
The camera doesn't follow missiles or laser shots properly, often lagging behind so you miss the actual impact. It can feel pretty bad to strategically line up a nice shot and then not be able to see it in action. The camera also has a tendency to sway away from the action or not properly follow the mechs when they move.