Tons of Mech-based games have spawned since the successful release of Mech Warrior 2, but few were able to stand up to it even if they sported fancier graphics, and immersive environments. The original Heavy Gear was a great game, but nothing too special. Heavy Gear 2, judging by the demo, looks like it is going to kick ass when it is released this winter.

The 01st Strike Recon Black Talons squad is being formed of the world's best Gear pilots to conduct covert operations and insurrectionist missions deep behind enemy lines on a hostile planet. The recent atrocities committed on Terra Nova indicate that Earth is returning to try and claim its lost colony once again. Your squad's mission is to slow them down, disrupt their plans, and otherwise buy time for your planet of Terra Nova to prepare for the coming war with its old nemesis, Earth.

Gameplay:
It only took me about 25 minutes to get familiar with all the controls. I had to learn how each missile worked, how the radar tracking system worked, and more importantly, how to control my gear. The demo lacks control customization, which means I had to use both my Sidewinder 3D Pro Joystick and keyboard to control my gear. The Joystick was just used to aim, shoot, and switch weapons basically. The keyboard was used to run around, and control all of your gears' functions. This was a little odd a first, but after about 30 minutes of playing I was used to it, and it actually was very easy to control.

The single player part of the game is going to be mostly single missions where you have one main, or several small objectives to complete. You also have people along side you, who give you a hand once in a while. Nothing ground breaking in the single player department for a mech game really, but judging from the one single player level in the demo,  Heavy Gear 2 is going to be a great single player contender, but it is no match for it's immersive and fun multi player aspect.

This is the first multiplayer mech game that I can say I honestly enjoyed, but I know of a few games coming out that I haven't tried, but so far this was the best. The demo has 2 multi player levels, and I enjoyed the one that takes place in the swamp the best. The one that takes place in space gets a little annoying due to zero gravity. Floating helplessly while an enemy fires a dozen radar-locked missiles at your ass is not fun. The swamp level was very foggy, and had a quiet atmosphere to it, but it always kept me on my feet since you never know what kind of 30 foot machine is going to come running out of that fog. Each gear is equipped with several weapons. Some can seek onto en enemy via radar, some missiles you just shoot manually, and there is, of course, the assault cannon. The radar targeting system takes some time to get used to, but once you learn it you will have a much easier time tracking down enemies. The radar has a range of 50-400m and you can change it whenever you want. When you press the cycle target key it will give you the closest enemy, and put a sight around him. If you happen to have some missiles which can use the radar system, then you can kill him from long distances. At medium distances, without radar missiles, I find it best to use just the normal missiles. And if you encounter one of these beasts close up, pull out your assault cannon/machine gun. Activision provides many servers to play Heavy Gear 2 on and on my 56k modem, in Canada, most of my pings were below 250ms. Net play was great, and had virtually no flaws.

Graphics:
Heavy Gear 2 really shines in the graphical department. Using Activision's new Dark Side engine it requires 3D acceleration, and you shouldn't be surprised. If you do not own a 3D accelerator yet, you should go buy one if you want to play games in the months to come. HG2 takes advantage of virtually everything a modern 3D accelerator can do. Z-Buffering, Fog, Translucency, and all of those other fancy effects that we've learned to love and appreciate. HG2's models look good from a distance and up close. The gears and humans are animated very well and show attention to detail. The little men blow up into a mountain of blood, and the gears blow up in spectacular transparent explosions with all the bells and whistles. The game needs a pretty decent system to run. I'd say if your running a non-P2 or non-K6-2 system, it should be running at 233MHz at LEAST, and 64MB RAM with a fast Video accelerator (3Dfx's popular Voodoo2, or nVidia's new Riva TNT). HG2's graphics set the mood and get you more into the game and this Christmas fans of action or simulation games will want this game sitting in their stocking.

Sound:
Heavy Gear 2 has great ambient sounds, a mix of frogs and other swamp life fill your ears as you walk through the swamps and wind blows loudly at high peaks. The weapons sounds were well done, and when you walk you can hear (and feel with a good sub woofer) the thundering noise of your huge 20 foot tall gear's feet. HG2's sound is high quality, and does not take anything away from the game. The only question is, will Heavy Gear 2 support A3D or any other 3D sound app? Most likely it will because HG1 supported A3D, why wouldn't part 2?

Conclusion:
When Heavy Gear 2 hits the stores, all action and sim fans should run out and get this soon-to-be gem. Don't take my word for it, go and download the demo and see it for yourself. Although it might not go down in the books like Mech Warrior 2 did, this game is a sure hit and if you like Mech games this one should be on your hard drive.
 

Preview by Adam Koebel
Date: November 24, 1998.