MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries - Legend of the Kestrel Lancers

This mechanized combat game has gotten bigger, bolder, and added all new Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robot combat, all thanks to its latest and biggest expansion yet. MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries -- Legend of the Kestrel Lancers does more than just add a few variant Mechs and interesting new maps to the mix. Though it certainly does that as well. Legend of the Kestrel Lancers finds a way to increase the scope and scale of the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries battles, while also bringing in elements of classic BattleTech Universe lore for a richer and deeper plot. Much like the MechWarriors themselves, the expansion takes pieces of salvage from the past, upgrading and rebuilding it in ways that feel both familiar and fresh.

Up until now, the game's story has existed more on the periphery of the larger BattleTech universe. With this expansion, players take an active role in the one of most instrumental events in BattleTech lore. But to tell this tale, the campaign takes a more linear approach than before, limiting some of the open sandbox feel of the previous content. The tradeoff for this is some huge scale battles in massive environments. While this can sometimes make the game feel almost too big, with players covering a lot of real estate before picking up the action, it also takes unique advantage of some updates to the base game, such as the ability for players to take control of other Mechs in their squads on the fly. This can keep the action rolling along at a steady rate and makes for some new strategic options, though it also can be jarring hopping between Mechs of different loadouts or damage states while counting on the AI to hold its ground in whichever Mech you left behind.