History VideoGame / MechAssault

''[=MechAssault=]'' was a ThirdPersonShooter MechaGame developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Microsoft for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} in November of 2002. ''[=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.

Both games featured online multiplayer over UsefulNotes/XboxLive in the form of modes like Deathmatch and CaptureTheFlag. The second game also had a persistent "Conquest" mode in which players battled for control of territories over the course of many matches.

There was also an installment on the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, ''[=MechAssault=]: Phantom War.'' It is unrelated story-wise to the Xbox games, instead set many years later after the collapse of the HPG Network and starring a named protagonist, Mechwarrior Vallen Price. [[SoOkayItsAverage It was less well-received]] than the Xbox games, due to a lack of multiplayer and issues with the controls.

* DifficultButAwesome: Hammer Missiles. Unlike the guided [=SRMs=] and [=LRMs=], Hammers are unguided and work like [=PPCs=], requiring a charge before firing as well as "leading" the target. They can be difficult to adjust to and use effectively, but those who master their quirks will wield one of the deadliest weapons in the game. A big part of this is that the "charge" determines the range of the weapon as well as the time before detonation, but not the damage; and Hammers ''hurt'', especially at Level 3. There's also the fact that the projectiles stick to the target if they land, and there's no way to dislodge them, guaranteeing a hit every time.[[labelnote:*]]With the odd quirk that if Hammers touch the Shield of a ''Ragnarok''/''Ymir'', the projectile will hang in mid-air before detonating.[[/labelnote]] This leads to a myriad of applications, from launching a barrage of short-fuse Hammers that detonate in mid-air, filling the air around the target with explosions (or launching at their feet for a similar effect), to going for the "stick" on the target and cycling to other weapons to pile on additional damage before the charge detonates. Either way, a crazy amount of damage is possible with this weapon, as long as heat levels are kept managable. To give an idea, consider the ''Kit Fox'', which comes equipped with Hammers; combined with its Null Sig, an otherwise unremarkable light 'Mech becomes a priority target in the hands of a player who's taken the time to master how to use them.

* DifficultButAwesome: Hammer Missiles. Unlike the guided [=SRMs=] and [=LRMs=], Hammers are unguided and work like [=PPCs=], requiring a charge before firing as well as "leading" the target. They can be difficult to adjust to and use effectively, but those who master their quirks will wield one of the deadliest weapons in the game. A big part of this is that the "charge" determines the range of the weapon as well as the time before detonation, but not the damage; and Hammers ''hurt'', especially at Level 3. There's also the fact that the projectiles stick to the target if they land, and there's no way to dislodge them, guaranteeing a hit every time.[[labelnote:*]]With the odd quirk that if Hammers touch the Shield of a ''Ragnarok''/''Ymir'', the projectile will hang in mid-air before detonating.[[/labelnote]] This leads to a myriad of applications, from launching a barrage of short-fuse Hammers that detonate in mid-air, filling the air around the target with explosions, to going for the "stick" on the target and cycling to other weapons to pile on additional damage before the charge detonates. Either way, a crazy amount of damage is possible with this weapon, as long as heat levels are kept managable. To give an idea, consider the ''Kit Fox'', which comes equipped with Hammers; combined with its Null Sig, an otherwise unremarkable light 'Mech becomes a priority target in the hands of a player who's taken the time to master how to use them.

* DifficultButAwesome: Hammer Missiles. Unlike the guided [=SRMs=] and [=LRMs=], Hammers are unguided and work like [=PPCs=], requiring a charge before firing as well as "leading" the target. They can be difficult to adjust to and use effectively, but those who master their quirks will wield one of the deadliest weapons in the game. A big part of this is that the "charge" determines the range of the weapon as well as the time before detonation, but not the damage; and Hammers ''hurt'', especially at Level 3. There's also the fact that the projectiles stick to the target if they land, and there's no way to dislodge them, guaranteeing a hit every time.[[labelnote:*]]With the odd quirk that if Hammers touch the Shield of a ''Ragnarok''/''Ymir'', the projectile will hang in mid-air before detonating.[[/labelnote]] This leads to a myriad of applications, from launching a barrage of short-fuse Hammers that detonate in mid-air, filling the air around the target with explosions, to going for the "stick" on the target and cycling to other weapons to pile on additional damage before the charge detonates. Either way, a crazy amount of damage is possible with this weapon. To give an idea, consider the ''Kit Fox'', which comes equipped with Hammers; combined with its Null Sig, an otherwise unremarkable light 'Mech becomes a priority target in the hands of a player who's taken the time to master how to use them.