MechAssault: Phantom War

Last updated
MechAssault: Phantom War
MechAssaultPhantomWarBox.jpg
Developer(s) Backbone Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Designer(s) Dan Mueller
Programmer(s) Chris Larkin
Artist(s) Kevin James
Composer(s) Joshua Podolsky
Jesse Stern
David Levison
Series BattleTech
Platform(s) Nintendo DS
Release
  • NA: September 12, 2006
  • EU: June 29, 2007
  • AU: August 3, 2007
Genre(s) Action
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

MechAssault: Phantom War is an action video game that is part of the MechWarrior series and part of the BattleTech universe created by FASA. Players assume the role of a BattleMech pilot in a 3D environment with a third person view of the combat via the top screen of the DS, while the touch screen displays the inside of the cockpit and acts as the game's controls.

Contents

Story

Still involving the struggle between the Houses and the Clans within the Inner Sphere, players assume the role of recently administered Mech Warrior Vallen Brice, an expert hacker and Tech Warrant who has been assigned a difficult mission. For the past sixty years, the planets among the Republic of the Sphere have been unable to communicate with each other as each planet's Hyperpulse Generators have been afflicted with a computer virus, rendering each Generator inoperable. Rumors spread throughout each House on the planets that the Hyperpulse Generators may be re-established as weapons during their inoperable state. The Lyran Alliance is the first to act on this rumor and the first to try shut it down by sending Vallen into combat to hack into each Hyperpulse Generator and ensure none of them are used for destructive purposes.

Reception

MechAssault: Phantom War received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [1] The game received praise for its FMV cutscenes and voice acting. Common criticisms include lack of online play, lackluster graphics, shortness of the single player campaign, and issues with the game mechanics.

Related Research Articles

<i>Bangai-O</i> 1999 video game

Bangai-O is a multidirectional shooter developed by Treasure and released in 1999 on the Nintendo 64 in Japan. It was ported to the Dreamcast worldwide shortly after with some gameplay changes and updated graphics and audio. The game places the player in control of a weaponized mech that can hover across large stages and fire at enemies all around them. The player must reach the end of each stage and defeat the boss, while avoiding hazards scattered across the map such as enemy mechs and gun turrets.

<i>Metroid Prime Hunters</i> 2006 video game

Metroid Prime Hunters is a 2006 action-adventure game developed by Nintendo Software Technology and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It was released in North America in March 2006, with other territories later. The story takes place in between the events of Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. Players assume the role of series protagonist Samus Aran, who investigates a mysterious message that originated from the Alimbic Cluster and comes into contact with a legion of bounty hunters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GameSpy</span> American video game company

GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1999 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameSpy brand to other video game publishers through a newly established company, GameSpy Industries, which also incorporated his Planet Network of video game news and information websites, and GameSpy.com.

<i>MechAssault</i> 2002 video game

MechAssault is a video game released for the Xbox notable for being one of the first games to support Xbox Live online multiplayer. Developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Microsoft, MechAssault was initiated when Denny Thorley of Day 1 Studios approached Jon Kimmich of Microsoft about developing an original BattleTech game built from the ground up to support console play. "MechAssault" was released in November 2002. A sequel, MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf, was released on December 28, 2004. Both games are set in the BattleTech fictional universe.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess</i> 2006 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a 2006 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube and Wii. Originally planned for release exclusively on the GameCube in November 2005, Twilight Princess was delayed by Nintendo to allow its developers to refine the game, add more content, and port it to the Wii. The Wii version was a launch game in North America in November 2006, and in Japan, Europe, and Australia the following month. The GameCube version was released in December 2006 as the final first-party game for the console.

<i>Meteos</i> 2005 video game

Meteos is a 2005 tile-matching video game developed by Q Entertainment and published by Bandai for the Nintendo DS. It was produced by Q Entertainment founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi and designed by Masahiro Sakurai. Meteos was inspired by the video game Missile Command (1980), the film The Matrix (1999) and the television series 24 (2001-2010).

<i>Nanostray</i> 2005 video game

Nanostray is a vertically scrolling shooter for the Nintendo DS. The user takes control of a futuristic spacecraft against a horde of enemies. A sequel, Nanostray 2, was released in 2008.

<i>Crosswords DS</i> 2008 video game

Crosswords DS is a puzzle video game developed by American studio Nuevo Retro games released by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It was previously released in Australia as CrossworDS but a new OFLC entry confirmed that Nintendo Australia re-released it with a European localization. Crosswords DS features over 1,000 crossword puzzles that the player solves by using the stylus. Despite the title, it also features word search puzzles and anagram puzzles. It makes use of similar handwriting mechanics that the Brain Age titles make use of. Crosswords DS is included in the Touch! Generations series of titles, which includes such popular games as Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! and Nintendogs. The background music was composed by Fabian Del Priore.

<i>MechWarrior 4: Vengeance</i> 2000 video game

MechWarrior 4: Vengeance is a vehicle simulation game, developed by FASA Interactive and published by Microsoft. It was released on November 22, 2000. It is the fourth game in MechWarrior series. It takes place in BattleTech universe where the pinnacle of all war machines are huge, heavily armed robots called BattleMechs. The player pilots one of these "'Mechs" and uses variety of available weapons to battle enemy 'Mechs, tanks and other vehicles. An expansion pack, MechWarrior 4: Black Knight, was released in 2001, and a subsequent stand-alone expansion, MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries, was released on November 7, 2002. Two smaller expansions, Inner Sphere Mech Pak and Clan Mech Pak, were also released in 2002.

<i>MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf</i> 2004 video game

MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf is a 2004 video game developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios exclusively for the Xbox console, and set in the BattleTech universe. Development of MechAssault 2 was announced shortly following the release of MechAssault, with the developers focusing on the expansion of online and networking features to capitalise upon the success of the original game as a pilot title for the Xbox Live online service, and creating a more open-ended gameplay style in which players are able to exit their mech and occupy multiple vehicles.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass</i> 2007 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is a 2007 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It is the fourteenth installment in The Legend of Zelda series and the direct sequel to the 2002 GameCube title The Wind Waker. Phantom Hourglass was released worldwide in 2007, with the exception of South Korea in April 2008. The game was re-released for the Wii U via the Virtual Console service in the PAL region in November 2015, in North America in May 2016, and in Japan in August.

<i>MechCommander 2</i> 2001 video game

MechCommander 2 is a 2001 real-time tactics video game based on the BattleTech/MechWarrior franchise, developed by FASA Interactive and distributed by Microsoft. It is a sequel to MechCommander.

<i>Star Trek: Tactical Assault</i> 2006 video game

Star Trek: Tactical Assault is a Star Trek video game for the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable that was developed by Quicksilver Software, also the creators of Star Trek: Starfleet Command. The game is published by Bethesda Softworks, which published several other Star Trek games around that time. This would be the first game on a Nintendo platform to be published by Bethesda since the NES version of Home Alone in 1991.

<i>Star Fox Command</i> 2006 shoot em up game

Star Fox Command is a shoot 'em up video game, the fifth game in the Star Fox series, published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS in 2006. Star Fox Command was announced at the E3 2006 conference, under the name Star Fox DS. Command is the first Star Fox game for a handheld, and supports the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, making it the first online Star Fox game. The game was re-released for the Wii U Virtual Console service in 2015.

<i>Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga</i> 2007 video game

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game based on the Lego Star Wars line of construction toys. It is a combination of the game Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (2005) and its sequel in 2006, which span the first six episodes of the Skywalker Saga. The game was announced by LucasArts on 25 May 2007 at Celebration IV and was released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Nintendo DS on 6 November 2007 in North America. The game was later released on Microsoft Windows on 13 October 2009, macOS on 12 November 2010, iOS on 11 December 2013, and for Android on 1 January 2015. The game was a critical and commercial success.

<i>Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots</i> 2007 action-adventure video game

Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots is a 2007 action-adventure video game published by THQ, and it was released on Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and PlayStation 2. The game is a sequel to the 2005 game Nicktoons Unite! and the 2006 game Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island. It was developed by Blue Tongue Entertainment for the Wii and PlayStation 2 versions, Natsume Co., Ltd. for the Nintendo DS version and Firemint for the Game Boy Advance version.

<i>Geometry Wars: Galaxies</i> 2007 video game

Geometry Wars: Galaxies is a multidirectional shooter video game developed by Bizarre Creations and Kuju Entertainment, and published by Vivendi Games for the Wii and Nintendo DS in 2007. As the first Geometry Wars game to be released on non-Microsoft platforms, Galaxies is a spin-off of Geometry Wars, which was originally included as a bonus game within Project Gotham Racing 2 on Microsoft's Xbox console. This updated version includes a single-player campaign mode, several multiplayer modes, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, and support for online leaderboards. The Wii version supports widescreen and 480p progressive scan display.

<i>The Adventures of Cookie & Cream</i> 2000 video game

The Adventures of Cookie & Cream, known as Kuri Kuri Mix in Japan and Europe, is an action-adventure video game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 2 released in 2000. In 2007, it was ported to the Nintendo DS as Cookie & Cream.

A Nintendo Game Card is a proprietary flash storage-based format used to physically distribute video games for certain Nintendo systems. The game cards resemble both smaller and thinner versions of Hudson's HuCard, the storage medium for the PC-Engine, and the Game Pak ROM cartridges used for previous portable gaming consoles released by Nintendo, such as the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance.

<i>Sonic Colors</i> 2010 video game

Sonic Colors is a 2010 platform game published by Sega. It follows Sonic's quest to stop his nemesis Doctor Eggman from enslaving an alien race and taking over the world. The gameplay is similar to prior Sonic games, with players collecting rings and defeating enemies; the camera perspective often switches from third-person to side-scrolling perspectives. The game also introduces Wisps, power-ups the player can use to increase attack power and reach new areas.

References

  1. 1 2 "MechAssault: Phantom War for DS Reviews". Metacritic . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  2. EGM staff (November 2006). "MechAssault: Phantom War". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 209. Ziff Davis. p. 140.
  3. "MechAssault: Phantom War". Game Informer . No. 162. GameStop. October 2006. p. 114.
  4. Provo, Frank (September 22, 2006). "MechAssault: Phantom War Review". GameSpot . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  5. Chapman, David (September 21, 2006). "GameSpy: MechAssault: Phantom War". GameSpy . IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 26, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  6. Harris, Craig (September 11, 2006). "MechAssault: Phantom War Review". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  7. Romendil (August 1, 2007). "Test: MechAssault : Phantom War". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  8. "Review: MechAssault: Phantom War". NGamer . Future plc. September 2007. p. 71.
  9. Ryder, Michael (October 12, 2009). "MechAssault: Phantom War Review". Nintendo Life . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  10. "MechAssault: Phantom War". Nintendo Power . Vol. 209. Nintendo of America. November 2006. p. 85.
  11. Walbank, Mark (May 23, 2007). "MechAssault: Phantom War". Pocket Gamer . Steel Media Ltd. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  12. Sarcuni, Damian (September 18, 2006). "Mechassault [sic]: Phantom War (DS) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on October 30, 2006. Retrieved February 12, 2022.