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IMPORT: The Mechsmith can be referred to as SimMech, but unlike the Sim series, it lacks what that makes these types of simulation games really interesting: fun.
Gamespot editors' review
- Reviewed on: 10/06/2000
- Released on: 06/26/2003
Import - Played enough action games or strategy sims featuring mechs? Idea Factory recently released The Mechsmith for the PlayStation 2, bringing a slightly different perspective to your everyday mech game. The game takes place in the 21st century, a few years after global flooding has crippled the entire planet. Both military organizations and industrial corporations have developed mechs called RBs to revitalize the planet's global economy. With the financial support of the Green Frontier organization, you will operate a corporation that develops RBs.
You start out with a handful of engineers and one RB. You first develop several parts for RBs, such as body parts, engines, computers, and weapons. After setting up your RB, it is ready for a test battle. The test battle plays similar to Virtua On or Frame Gride, except that you don't control the mechs directly. You will be giving out commands - such as attack, guard, and avoid - to control the mech. The RB has two gauges during the battle, one for body points and another for energy tank points. The body points are basically the hit points of the RB, and the energy tank gauge indicates how long the RB can operate. Different commands consume different amounts of the energy tank, so you must choose wisely in giving commands. Winning the battle earns you more money, but every battle you engage in will cost you some money in the inevitable repairs. As you earn more money, your company grows and will be able hire more engineers and develop better RB parts. Your final objective is to create the strongest RB possible.
Developing new parts and customizing your RBs is fun, but having to observe the battle from a third-person point of view is where the fun starts to fade away. The AI of the mechs isn't too sharp, and unless you're outmatched from a parts standpoint, you're almost guaranteed a victory. The graphics and sound are sub par for a PS2 game, and with the exception of the smooth frame rate and the higher resolution, the game could have done just fine on the PS. After winning battles, you pretty much just repeat the cycle of developing new parts, re-outfitting your mech, and then returning to battle. The game's final objective of making the best RB is not terribly challenging, and you'll soon begin wonder what more the game has to offer. Perhaps the only replay value comes when you have another person playing against you. The game features a two-player versus mode, where you can use your saved data and your mechs to fight against each other.
The Mechsmith can be referred to as SimMech, but unlike the Sim series, it lacks what that makes these types of simulation games really interesting: fun. Take a pass on this one, even if you are looking for something different in a mech game.
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