Review Submitted By: Shadowwind
Author Status: Player
Started on Battletech: The Frontier Lands: Feb 2007
Submission Date: Aug 25, 2007
TMC Listing: Battletech: The Frontier Lands
The following review is the opinion of the review's author [Shadowwind]
and in no way represents the opinions of this website or its staff.
I think Battletech Frontiers is the ultimate evolution of the Classic
Battletech tabletop game.
It was only after playing Frontiers for a while that I started to
appreciate the true depth of strategy and skill that can be applied
using the faithful representation of battletech rules. The strategy
has been enhanced to an intenseness I have never experienced before
due to the real-time nature of combat.
In my opinion, the graphical HUDs have made a key difference to
separating Frontiers from other text-based games. Instead of having to
imagine or visualise your mech's movement through a series of
'rooms', it is just like playing Battletech on the tabletop but in
real time. I would not recommend Frontiers without the HUDs.
One of the most enjoyable features of the game for me was when I
received a custom mech of my own design to use in appreciation for a
small donation I gave to the site. Using this custom mech has taken
the gaming experience to a far more intimate and enjoyable level.
Interacting with the other players on Frontiers is a cornerstone of
the game. You try and shoot them out of their mech's and vice versa.
The core admin is fantastic.
Most players are extraordinarily helpful and encouraging to new
players.
There are a small number of verteran players who enjoy 'trash
talking' to other players of lesser skill or dissimilar game style.
Whether their behavior is considered to be in the spirit of a
competitive game or simply obnoxious depends on the sensitivites of
their target.
A newbie will most likely encounter these players because they tend
to be amongst the most skilled of pilots and inevitably your mech will
fall to one of them.
So if you are sensitive to such talk, a somewhat thick skin is
required. If you are not sensitive, then enjoy the trash talk for it
can flow fast and furiously, jovially and insultingly.
All in all, Frontiers has been the best gaming experience I have ever
had. I hope it enjoys the longevity and appreciation amongst players
as it deserves.
