This article originally appeared in Pyramid #30
Heavy Gear Computer Game
Published by Activision
$49.99
A lot of hype heralded the Heavy Gear Computer Game. For months prior to its release, gaming magazines touted it as a "Mechkiller" and the game to "make Mechwarrior fans forget Battletech." Briefly, it's not and it won't.
Comparisons to Mechwarrior 1 and 2, Activision's very successful combat simulator based on FASA's Battletech, are unavoidable. Unfortunately the industry hype has built the public's expectations to a fever pitch, which makes it hard to objectively view the game. While the Heavy Gear computer game is a marvelous adaptation of the tabletop system, it doesn't quite live up to the expectations.
That said and done, I loved it. Graphically, the game is amazing, especially when played on machines using advanced 3-D cards. The textured terrain, beautiful gear designs and realistic weapon and damage simulation are amazing and in a couple of instances literally took my breath away. The first of these occurred when I accidentally destroyed a bridge I was standing on, plummeting thousands of feet into a box canyon. The second was when I closed with an enemy on the Internet and realized that his gear outweighed mine by a couple of tons and he'd already taken out my squadmate. Very few games have drawn me in as totally as this one.
Especially attractive is the multiplay option, where you face off against other players as elements of Northern or Southern squads. The attraction of destroying your fellow beings is . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: May 1, 1998
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